An Interview with Khenpo Chodrak Rinpoche #2
19.04.1997

Q: The practitioners are normally asked to do the 4 foundations for a certain number of times. So one can hear practitioners claiming the number of times they have done a certain foundation. Some say, for example, one prostration in Bodhgaya is equivalent to 10,000 times in other places. What is the view of KR on this kind of perception ?
KR: The number of times one does the practice is not important. It is the quality of the practice. If one does millions of prostrations while distracted that won't produce an effect. Whereas if a person does this practices on the basis of genuine trust and confidence, even though he might not do the practices many times, it will bring about an effect.
The Prajna paramita made mention of that, a Bodhisattva on the 2nd bhumi and onwards has the capacity to imbue an area with his spiritual influence. Thus, places where great beings had spent time at, will have effect on one's practice because the places, so to speak, are influenced by the spirtuality of that Bodhisattva or that Buddha.

Q: Should there be a certain mode of behaviour when one is attending a puja or Dharma session ?
KR: When attending various events one should regard oneself as a person afflicted by illness. The illness of obscuring states of mind and the Dharma as the medical treatment and the teacher as the physician. Also one should resolve to attend the ceremony and listen to the teachings for the sake of becoming able to benefit beings in numbers as vast as the sky. For the sake of becoming able to lead them to Buddha the Enlightened State. Also, one should be respectful and act in a respectful way while attending these ceremonies.

Q: When a person prostrates in the beginning of a puja or a Dharma session, what should his state of mind be ?
KR: You should contemplate bodhicitta.

Q: Before a master starts a puja or Dharma session, the practitioners will normally prostrate. Are we prostrating to the master, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas or the Dharma that he teaches ? What should be our frame of mind ?
KR: One should prostrate to the Dharma. Of course one should be respectful to the teacher. However, the main aspect is the teaching. Today it is quite difficult to tell if the teacher is authentic or not. So why prostrate to the teacher. It is better to prostrate to the teaching.

Q: So if we are not sure if the teacher is authentic, we are also not sure if his teachings are authentic. Can we just not prostrate until we are sure ?
KR: Yes. It is okay if we do not prostrate. No point in forcing oneself. Buddha Sakyamuni said that the teaching he made, available were for the purpose of giving an opportunity for the beings to tame their minds. That is the purpose of giving his teachings. So if a teacher's teaching have an effect that one's state of mind improves, it probably means that the teachings are authentic.
If the teacher appears to be interested in amassing wealth, money and so on, or appears to be a person of that calibre, it means he is not authentic. There are many variations here. The teachings may be authentic even though the teacher is not. You may have a situation where both teacher and teachings are authentic. You may have a situation where the teacher and teachings are both not authentic.

Q: At the end of a Dharma session, should we prostrate ?
KR: Some do and some don't. At the end of a course of teachings, it's a tradition to do that. Some do it after every teaching and some don't. There are no fixed rules.

Q: There is a saying that when Milarepa left Marpa, he prostrated, after which he did not have the chance to meet Marpa again.
KR: He probably did not, not meet him again not just because he prostrated to Marpa in their lat meeting . That wasn't the cause for them not meeting again. If so, that might have been some special kind of prostration !