Accumulation of Merit

When I first heard about Rangjung yeshe institute, it was through a friend who told me about this institute, which offered Buddhist studies where we could study Buddhist philosophy in depth. Back then I was attending high school in Bhutan and coming from a Buddhist country I was intrigued by the idea of studying Buddhist philosophy as a course in college since I never thought that there would be such amazing opportunities to learn and study more about Buddhism. When suddenly high school came to an end and all my high school mates started planning about what courses they would be taking in college and also in order to make future plans accordingly, For instance what job to get and etc. in the future, it occurred to me that I would be able to help so many people through the teachings of the Buddha if I took this wonderful opportunity to join RYI, so I did! We usually think that we need to become a monk or a nun to study Buddhism and also aside from the prayers we recite as Bhutanese we don’t have the opportunity to know much about Buddhism as a layperson. I would not say the prayers weren’t helpful at all, as these prayers made me more interested in learning about Buddhism therefore It is through the accumulations of merit of the prayers I recited that I came to know of such institutions with an amazing master and teaching staff. I came to realize that anyone can help all sentient beings to get enlightenment if we were to study, contemplate and practice the teachings of the Buddha tirelessly for the sake of all sentient beings. I still have so much appreciation for my friend and all the RYI family for bringing such great motivation in me.