The Power of Devoted Prostrations

The author recounts a story about a pious old woman who asked her son to bring her a relic of the Buddha from India. The son always forgot to bring her a relic, but on one occasion he found a dog’s tooth on the roadside and gave it to his mother. The tooth miraculously turned into a Buddha relic, and the mother gained great merit from worshipping it.

The text discusses the power of devoted prostrations. The author says that gurus appreciate such a disciple and give their best instructions to him. He also says that bestowals do not depend entirely on the merits of the guru, but also upon the disciple’s. It depends upon whether or not one goes to him as though he were the Buddha.

The story of the pious old woman and her son shows that even a small act of devotion can have a profound effect. The dog’s tooth was a symbol of the son’s devotion to his mother, and it was this devotion that transformed the tooth into a Buddha relic.