From "Protection from Spirit Harm"

I was just reading this when finalising my Setrap book... thought it was a good reminder so am sharing it with all. :)

In conjunction with learning and meditation, one must also engage in the practice of collecting merits and purification of negative karma. Some people may think that doing actions to collect merit for oneself is selfish. That is wrong view because it is true that one is collecting merits, but it is with a Mahayana or Bodhicitta attitude. If one collects merits by a Bodhicitta motivation then the collection of merits propels us toward Buddhahood and achieving that Buddhahood allows us to bring sentient beings skillfully to enlightenment. Only a fully enlightened being has the perfect skill, method and wisdom to benefit others completely. So collecting the merits is not actually for ourselves but for others. When people make the statement that collecting merits is a selfish act, it shows that the person does not have correct understanding. Merit is the key factor for bringing us to full enlightenment. Those who realize that will enthusiastically engage in the collection of merits for the sake of others. In fact, the more suffering one sees that others have to endure, the more one wishes to gain merits in order to find a way to release others. So learning the Dharma, then meditating on it to gain understanding to transform ourselves, and the collection of merits go hand in hand.

Receiving many initiations from highly realized Rinpoches will not fulfill its purpose. Attending many Dharma talks and having intellectual understanding of Dharma is like a sick person not taking his medication but just praising the effectiveness of the medication to others while the disease ravages his body. Taking refuge and initiations but not familiarizing and holding on to the precepts is likened to receiving a warm coat and not wearing it while standing in the cold shivering. Having taken refuge in a Guru, but always seeing his "bad" points will always result in one meeting with negative people and feeling their negative advice is correct, therefore following it diligently! This will result in bringing oneself farther and farther from the Dharma. Being far from the Dharma is not a physical distance. One can be in the presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, but if one's thoughts are of hatred, revenge and grudges, then one is very far from the Dharma. Despising the Guru has many negative repercussions. Having a large centre with many followers and the donation box is full is not the measure of success. It is not a measure that the Dharma is flourishing in your centre. The Dharma centre must be overflowing with students whose minds are transforming and becoming better people everyday. In fact, if the actions of students in the centres are not Dharmic but the centre is still flourishing, it is a very bad omen. So we need to check into ourselves and say, what is my motivation? When we check our motivation and it is not good, apply the antidote our teachers have taught us. Please do not look for outer Dharma but inner. Dharma is the inner realization we have gained through diligent application.

Read it here...