In the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Lord Buddha says, "If one were to offer as many worlds as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, each filled with gold and precious things, one would acquire great merit. However, teaching even one verse of the Dharma in this degenerate age brings merit incomparably greater than that offering." This means that if someone offered as many worlds as grains of sand in the Ganges River, each completely filled with gold, to a Dharma practitioner,

yogi, or beggar, it would be said that he had accumulated enormous merit. But when teachers teach the Dharma properly and disciples listen carefully, the benefit and merit acquired is incomparably greater than even such an offering. If you receive a pure Dharma teaching, contemplate and practise it, you will gain unusually sharp sense faculties, unwavering courage, and great wisdom. Eventually you will attain perfect enlightenment.

Long ago in India, the great scholar Vasubandu used to recite from memory 99,000 verses of the sutra. There was a pigeon who for a long time sat in the rafters of his cabin when he practised his recitations. Finally, the pigeon died and took rebirth as the son of a wealthy family. As soon as he had grown old enough to speak, he told his parents, "I'm a disciple of Vasubandu" and recounted his life as a pigeon. He said, "Because I received a lot of Dharma teaching from Vasubandu, I've obtained precious human birth. Please let me go to my teacher, wherever he may be." So his parents sent him to where Vasubandu was staying, and Vasubandu accepted him as a disciple and gave him all the Dharma teachings that he knew. Vasubandu had countless disciples. This is one example of gaining unusually sharp sense faculties related to hearing due to devoted and attentive listening to Dharma. There are many other stories like this. Therefore, it is important that you listen carefully to Dharma teachings. Don't forget this.

The late H.E. Dezhung Rinpoche