Thrangu RinpocheWhen thoughts appear, they have no nature of their own. This is called “the union of appearance and emptiness.” Whether or not we realize this union of appearance and emptiness has no effect on the nature of thought. Within the experience of a particular person, however, there is certainly a difference between realizing the union of emptiness and appearance and not realizing it. Emptiness is the nature of things whether we realize it or not. When we understand this union in meditation, we realize coemergent thought.
The instructions to wish for others’ happiness ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheThe instructions to wish for others’ happiness do not mean that we only make good wishes, because there are situations in which we can actually help others to increase their well-being, to remove their distress and suffering. If we are able to do so, then why hold back? If it is impossible to help them on the spot, that doesn’t mean we can’t give rise to the attitude, “I might not be able to alleviate the suffering of this person in this moment, but when the chance comes later on, may I be able to do so.” We can hope and formulate our wish like that, praying to free others from suffering and to provide them with happiness. Like this we are training our mind to continue responding in a positive way in the future.
The sacred tree of nondual mind ~ Saraha
SarahaThe sacred tree of nondual mind
spreads throughout the three realms;
its flowers of compassion yield the fruit of benefit for others.
Its name is “sublime altruism.”
The Essence of Mind ~ Mipham Rinpoche
Mipham RinpocheWhat we call “essence of mind” is the actual face of unconditioned pure awareness, which is recognized through receiving the guru’s blessings and instructions. If you wonder what this is like, it is empty in essence, beyond conceptual reference; it is cognizant by nature, spontaneously present; and it is all-pervasive and unobstructed in its compassionate energy. This is the rigpa in which the three kāyas are inseparable.
Building the foundations of our own happiness ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaThe more we can expand our focus to include others’ interests alongside our own, the more securely we build the foundations of our own happiness.
The wisdom mind of all the buddhas ~ Padmasambhava
PadmasambhavaUnstained by objective clinging,
Unspoilt by the grasping mind,
Sustaining the naked and empty awareness
Is the wisdom mind of all the buddhas!
Diligence ~ Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
Dzigar Kongtrul RinpocheThe point of becoming aware of our own neuroses and obstacles is not to stew in them and make ourselves feel worse; the point is to remedy them. These neuroses are not “you,” after all; they are an obstacle to you. They are an impediment to what you aspire to be and who you truly are. We aspire to be liberated and compassionate, not bound by our habitual reactiveness or prejudices. In acknowledging and understanding our neuroses, we naturally take the next step toward employing wisdom and skillful means. This doesn’t happen just because we want it to. We need to be interested and willing to get in there and understand the impediment in order to then apply the remedy. To “get out,” we have to “go in”—to explore the neurosis and precisely understand what is happening in our own experience. This creates room for wisdom and skillful means, or tabshé in Tibetan, to naturally arise. This is how we discover and apply the practice of diligence. There is tremendous joy in this process because along the way we come to know who we truly are.
This Great Ship of Freedom ~ Jigme Lingpa
Jigme LingpaThis precious human existence is thus most rare and extremely meaningful. If those who journey on the pathways of the Dharma with liberation as their goal, who now have in their possession the great ship of freedom and advantage, and who have met with a holy teacher who is the guide and, as it were, the navigator of such a ship—if such people fail to cross the ocean of the boundless and unfathomable sufferings of samsara to the dry land of liberation, their opportunity will have been completely squandered. All this should be a subject of reflection and a spur to greater exertion.
The Ultimate Six Perfections ~ Maitripa
MaitripaGiving up all defilements is generosity;
Being free from mental effort is discipline;
Being free from defining characteristics is patience;
Not making distinctions is diligence;
Nonabiding is meditation;
Being free from mental fabrication is insight.
Transcending temporary experiences ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheIt is often said that virtuous actions produce states of happiness and harmful actions produce states of misery. When we experience the mind’s nature, we find it possesses an inherent blissfulness that transcends the temporary experiences of happiness or suffering produced as a result of our actions. Because this total peace is experienced, there is no need to hope for temporary states of pleasure produced by virtuous actions and there is also no need to fear temporary states of suffering produced by negative actions.
Giving loving-kindness and compassion to ourselves ~ Tenzin Palmo
Tenzin PalmoInstead of being angry, we cultivate loving-kindness and compassion starting with ourselves. If our heart inside is feeling happy and peaceful, what other people do is not going to worry us nearly as much. It is because we have this anger inside ourselves that we are not dealing with that makes everyone else an enemy. When we give loving-kindness and compassion to ourselves then naturally this is also going to spread out toward others.
Clear Awareness ~ 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.
Our Potential to Become Awakened ~ Thubten Chodron
Thubten ChodronBefore attaining awakening, Shakyamuni Buddha was an ignorant sentient being like us. By learning, contemplating, and meditating on the Dharma, he attained Buddhahood. We have the same potential; our attainments are contingent on our effort to follow the path. Knowing this broadens our vision of life and encourages us to look beyond the narrow view of human potential that we previously held. We come to know that we have the potential to become fully awakened Buddhas who are of great benefit to sentient beings. We gain confidence that it is possible to eliminate our ignorance, anger, and attachment; it is possible to develop equal love and compassion for all living beings, even those who have harmed us. This is doable if we try. It may not happen quickly, but causes bear their effects; of this we can be sure.
The Nectar of a Stable Mind ~ Saraha
SarahaJust as salty seawater
drunk up by the clouds turns sweet,
the stable mind works for the aims of others
and turns even the poison of sense objects into nectar.
Reduce Your Selfishness ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheSelfishness and greed cause the most intense kind of fear. We will all be alone once we are dead, but if your habit is constantly to act out your self-obsession in front of an admiring audience, the solitariness of death will be unbearable. Having become used to the admiration of sycophants who indulge your every whim, when you suddenly find yourself entirely alone, fear will overwhelm you. Reduce your selfishness and you will reduce the intensity of that fear.
Although ~ Chatral Rinpoche
Chatral RinpocheAlthough accumulation and purification are pure in themselves, may gathering merit never cease.
Although self and other are non-dual, may generating bodhichitta never stop.
Although the mind is recognized to be the guru, may heartfelt practice never end.
Although the deities’ wisdom forms are never separate, may we strive in the two stages of the path.
Vajra Guru, essence of the Buddha, please bless me!
Three kāyas, inseparable ~Chatral Rinpoche
Chatral RinpocheWithin the essence, dharmakāya, all-pervasive as the sky,
The nature, unlimited sambhogakāya, shines like the sun’s luminous rays,
And compassion, like a rainbow, arises as nirmāṇakāya.
To awaken in the depths of my heart the wisdom realization of these three kāyas, inseparable –
Vajra Guru, essence of the Buddha, please bless me!
Non-discriminating Universal Compassion ~ Avikrita Vajra Rinpoche
Avikrita Vajra RinpocheWhen we look at the world these days, although there are many positive developments, there is also a lot of conflict, trauma, disaster, and suffering. For instance, with conflict, it’s not like in olden times when a soldier had one weapon that could strike only one other soldier at a time. We live in an age with weapons that can harm millions of people at the push of a button, and not just soldiers but so many innocent civilians too. In conflict, the thinking is very much “us” and “them,” with strong attachment to “us” and then some kind of justification that gets set in the brain that it’s OK to harm or have less feeling about “them.” That is why we need, more than ever before, the universal compassion of Avalokiteshvara, which has no discrimination, no boundaries, no judgments or conditions.
The Foundation of All Spiritual Paths ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaGenerally speaking, all the major religions of the world emphasize the importance of the practice of love, compassion, and tolerance. This is particularly the case in all the traditions of Buddhism, including the Theravada, Mahayana, and Tantrayana (the esoteric tradition of Buddhism). They all state that compassion and love are the foundation of all the spiritual paths.
In the moment of seeing mind essence ~ Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö
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.