Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi LodröHonestly, it’s not like there is a good buddha nature in Samantabhadra and a bad one in an insect. The minds of every single one of us possess the same quality of buddha nature. It is so close and easy that we don’t believe it. It is so close and it is so easy that most people find it impossible to trust that simply letting be is sufficient!
But the difference between samsara and nirvana is simply a matter of either recognizing or not recognizing. The very moment you recognize, there is nothing simpler than that. In the moment of seeing mind essence, it is already recognized; there is nothing more that needs to be done. At that very moment it is not necessary to meditate even a speck.
Spontaneous reflection ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheAs Jigme Lingpa said, the moon has all the qualities necessary for its reflection to appear on the surface of a clear lake. If the moon did not have a shape or substance, and if it didn’t reflect the light of the sun, it would not be possible for it to appear on the water’s surface. Furthermore, the quality of clear water is that it can reflect, and when the moon and the water—two entirely separate entities—are perfectly aligned without any obstruction between them, a reflection of the moon will appear effortlessly, without intention. Similarly, our inner Buddha has qualities that enable it to manifest effortlessly and without intention. When there are no obstacles, the Buddha will reflect spontaneously in sentient beings who have the merit.
Coemergent wisdom ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheWhile the presentations of coemergent wisdom in the tantras and the treatises are very clear, they are not joined with the quintessential instructions. Coemergent mind refers to the point of realization when shamata and vipashyana have been integrated and we realize the mind as it is⎯empty, luminous, and free from complexity. We then rest in this true essence of mind. The mind, however, has resourcefulness, or power, that does not cease. That resourcefulness dawns as various appearances. Because these appearances have not passed beyond the nature of mind, they are called coemergent appearances.
Authentic Vipashyana ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheIf Vipashyana were only analytical meditation, it would not be authentic. If we only analyzed and never placed the mind and allowed it to rest in what we have understood, Vipashyana would not lead us to abandon the afflictions, and we could not develop a definite and certain understanding. So there is placement meditation within Vipashyana.
Just not been introduced before ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaOur parents bring us into this world and raise us. No matter where we come from, as young children we were all cared for by someone – by parents or by other guardians. This is an experience we all share. We also share this planet. We have been living on it together since we were born. We just had not been introduced to another before.
Resting and moving mind ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheIt’s quite easy to think that the resting mind and the moving mind have completely different natures, and that when the mind is moving, the stillness has been lost. Some students think that they must clear away the movement before the mind can be at rest. They believe that there is a contradiction between the mind at rest and the mind in motion. In fact, both the resting mind and the moving mind are the union of emptiness and luminosity. We perceive differences due to our confusion. Stillness does not obstruct motion and motion does not obstruct stillness. They are simply one inseparable entity.
The most important thing ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheExternal appearances appear to the mind, but they are just a construction of the mind; when they appear, the mind gives them a label. For that reason, even if outside things seem good, there is not actually a whole lot to be attached to. If they seem bad, there is nothing to feel aversion toward. Therefore if we want to be free of suffering and faults and find happiness and good qualities, the most important thing is to tame our mind and to be diligent about doing so. This is why we meditate and this is why there are mind instructions. Since the mind is root of everything and everything comes down to the mind, there is nothing more important than taming our mind, meditating on samadhi, and resting in equipoise.
The moon’s reflection on water ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheThe moon’s reflection on water appears without obstruction and seems to shine very brightly, yet it is simply the appearance of something that does not exist. There is no such thing as a moon in the water. Likewise, when one recognizes that thoughts have no true existence, one recognizes awareness, and this is dharmakaya.
We are all buddhas ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheWe’re all buddhas. We just don’t recognize it. We are confined in many ways to a limited view of ourselves and the world around us through cultural conditioning, family upbringing, personal experience, and the basic biological predisposition toward making distinctions and measuring present experience and future hopes and fears against a neuronal warehouse of memories.
Once you commit yourself to developing an awareness of your buddhanature, you’ll inevitably start to see changes in your day-to- day experience. Things that used to trouble you gradually lose their power to upset you. You’ll become intuitively wiser, more relaxed, and more openhearted. You’ll begin to recognize obstacles as opportunities for further growth. And as your illusory sense of limitation and vulnerability gradually fades away, you’ll discover deep within yourself the true grandeur of who and what you are.
Best of all, as you start to see your own potential, you’ll also begin to recognize it in everyone around you. Buddhanature is not a special quality available to a privileged few. The true mark of recognizing your buddhanature is to realize how ordinary it really is—the ability to see that every living creature shares it, though not everyone recognizes it in him- or herself. So instead of closing your heart to people who yell at you or act in some other harmful way, you find yourself becoming more open. You recognize that they aren’t “jerks,” but are people who, like you, want to be happy and peaceful. They’re only acting like jerks because they haven’t recognized their true nature and are overwhelmed by sensations of vulnerability and fear.
Mind and brain ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
The instruction that we need to identify our body, speech, and mind is a particularly important instruction for our time. The reason is that today, many people think that our mind is our brain, or that the brain and the mind are the same thing. The brain is something that can cause thoughts to happen but if we examine it, we see that the brain is just matter and the mind is awareness. Their characteristics are dissimilar. The brain functions as a support for thoughts, but that does not mean that it is the mind. For example, if you pinch your arm, the arm is a support for thought, even though it is not mind itself. It is the same with the brain. The Dalai Lama gives another example: crying out of a strong feeling of compassion and crying out of grief or sadness are very different in terms of motivation, but the brain activity is the same for both, despite the difference in emotion. If one occurred on the right side of the brain and the other on the left for example, we could say there is a distinction the brain, but we do not see any such difference. It is important that we recognize that our mind and brain are different—we should not confuse them. The mind is different from the body and the body is different from the mind. It is easy to see that speech is something different from the mind, but it is harder to recognize that body and mind are distinct.
Channel all our energy into practicing the Dharma ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheAlthough it is a crucial point, simply to remember death is not enough; now that we have good health and freedom in both body and mind, we need to channel all our energy into practicing the Dharma.
The difference between confidence and pride ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaReducing our pride does not imply losing confidence — in fact, far from it. There is an important difference between confidence and pride. With pride, we look down on others. We need them to be less for ourselves to be more. Confidence is a virtuous form of pride. You feel able to do good things.
Looking for the knower ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheWhen we speak about luminous clarity, we are not really talking about light or rays of light. We are not really talking about anything terribly profound. It just means the ability to know and understand that whatever there is can appear and can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, and understood. This quality of luminous clarity refers to the ability for things to appear and to be known. It’s not something that is a long way off. If you start looking for this knower, this luminous and clear entity, you don’t find anything. But, it’s not along way off. It’s very close. It’s directly right there. It can be meditated on in that way.
Discovering new potentials ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaCultivating humility as part of our efforts to live interdependence can be enhanced by a heartfelt awareness that we are always in a state of development. Because everything arises based upon the coming together of continually shifting conditions, however much or little of a certain positive quality we have, further growth is always possible. Moreover, our positive qualities can be developed without limit. As long as we are human, we can continually keep discovering new potentials.
Karma ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheIt might seem hard to understand karma. But if we look at it, the teachings on karma simply say that if we have a good intention and do a good act it will bring a good result. If we have a bad intention and do something bad, that will only bring a bad result—harm to ourselves and to others. If you actually think about it, it is not all that difficult.
Bodhicitta ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaBodhichitta is a very good state of mind, imbued with wisdom, in which kindness is combined with the highest intelligence. It is something quite marvelous. This sort of goodness and kindness brings us peace immediately, so we are less narrow-minded and agitated. When we meet others, we do not feel claustrophobic and distant. On the contrary, we feel close to people. With a mind like this, we are never afraid, but strong and courageous. This is a very useful attitude to have.
See the dharma in every experience ~ Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche
Shechen Rabjam RinpocheSee the dharma in every experience. All sentient beings possess the buddha-nature, the tatagathagarba, and the cause of buddhahood. We must consider them with warmth and a kind heart. We progress on the path and cultivate loving-kindness, patience and compassion as we learn to see other beings as pure. These qualities provide us with the necessary means to achieve buddhahood.
Our own heart is the temple ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaWithin less than fifty years, I, Tenzin Gyatso, the Buddhist monk, will be no more than a memory. Indeed, it is doubtful whether a single person reading these words will be alive a century from now. Time passes unhindered. When we make mistakes, we cannot turn the clock back and try again. All we can do is use the present well. Therefore, if when our final day comes we are able to look back and see that we have lived full, productive, and meaningful lives, that will at least be of some comfort. If we cannot, we may be very sad. But which of these we experience is up to us.
The best way to ensure that when we approach death we do so without remorse is to ensure that in the present moment we conduct ourselves responsibly and with compassion for others. Actually, this is in our own interest, and not just because it will benefit us in the future. As we have seen, compassion is one of the principal things that make our lives meaningful. It is the source of all lasting happiness and joy. And it is the foundation of a good heart, the heart of one who acts out of a desire to help others. Through kindness, through affection, through honesty, through truth and justice toward all others we ensure our own benefit. This is not a matter for complicated theorizing. It is a matter of common sense. There is no denying that consideration of others is worthwhile. There is no denying that our happiness is inextricably bound up with the happiness of others. There is no denying that if society suffers, we ourselves suffer. Nor is there any denying that the more our hearts and minds are afflicted with ill-will, the more miserable we become. Thus we can reject everything else: religion, ideology, all received wisdom. But we cannot escape the necessity of love and compassion.
This, then, is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need. So long as we practice these in our daily lives, then no matter if we are learned or unlearned, whether we believe in Buddha or God, or follow some other religion or none at all, as long as we have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility, there is no doubt we will be happy.
Conduct ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheAlways try to accomplish even the smallest beneficial action without any reservation or hesitation, and avoid even the most insignificant negative actions.
Gaining certainty ~ Dudjom Rinpoche
Dudjom RinpocheIt is said that if you do not meditate, you will not gain certainty; If you do, you will. But what sort of certainty? If you meditate with a strong, joyful endeavor, signs will appear showing that you have become used to staying in your nature. The fierce, tight clinging from dualistically experiencing phenomena will gradually loosen up, and your obsession with happiness and suffering, hopes and fears, and so on, will slowly weaken. Your devotion to the teacher and your sincere trust in his instructions will grow. After a time, your tense, dualistic attitudes will evaporate and you will get to the point where gold and pebbles, food and filth, gods and demons, virtue and nonvirtue, are all the same for you – you will be at a loss to choose between paradise and hell! But until you reach that point (while you are still caught in the experiences of dualistic perception), virtue and nonvirtue, buddhafields and hells, happiness and pain, actions and their results – all of this is reality for you.