If you have a root master who has both holy realization and bodhichitta, you must follow that master. However, you should NOT follow a master who does not have bodhichitta and who follows any of the 128 evil or erroneous views we have discussed in these blog articles. In fact, you must leave such a master.
Evil View No. 21: Acknowledging that one may go against matters decided by one’s root master of holy realization and bodhicitta. The term root master refers to a root master who has holy realization and bodhicitta; that is, a greatly virtuous one with holy realization who acts out of bodhicitta. Moreover, such a master does not follow any of these 128 evil and erroneous views. You practice the dharma he transmitted as your fundamental dharma. For example, your own yidam comes from practicing the dharma he transmitted to you. You plan on practicing throughout your entire life the dharma he transmitted to you so as to become accomplished. That is what is meant by a root master. If a disciple thinks it is acceptable to go against or not carry out matters decided upon by his root master, this is an evil view. However, if your root master follows some of these 128 views, then he has become an evil root master regardless of whether he is a dharma king, a venerable one, or a master. In such case, you absolutely may not follow and execute what he has decided upon, for to do so would be assisting evil. If you continue to follow a master with evil and erroneous views, you will not experience any beneficial effects from your practice no matter what Buddha-dharma you practice.
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