LongchenpaSo stay here, you lucky people,
Let go and be happy in the natural state.
Let your complicated life and everyday confusion alone
And out of quietude, doing nothing, watch the nature of mind.
The moment there is devotion ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheIt may sound as if you must have devotion first in order to have an understanding of the view, that devotion ignites the practice of the Dharma. But as you become more seasoned in practicing the Dharma, especially the Vajrayana, the gap between devotion and the goal of the devotion becomes very small.
As you become more skilled in practicing, you will see that devotion is the awareness of impermanence, devotion is the renunciation mind, devotion is compassion for all sentient beings, devotion is none other than the experience of dependent arising. Most important, the moment there is devotion, you have the view, and there is the awareness of shunyata.
Mindfulness and alertness ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheWithout mindfulness (Tib. dranpa), there can be no samadhi. If mindfulness fails, the mind wanders. What is it that knows whether or not the mind has wandered? It is the quality of alertness (Tib. shezhin), which has the sense of knowing what is occurring in the mind in the present. These two are of great importance to the practice of meditation.
The intellect ~ Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche
Namkhai Norbu RinpocheThe intellect is a valuable tool, but it doesn’t extend to the whole of our reality.
In fact it can be a trap preventing our gaining access to the most profound aspects of our own nature.
The practice of simply observing ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheThe sounds, sights, and smells of rush-hour traffic can become an overwhelming source of preoccupation, the practice of simply observing the sensations of traffic rather than focusing on the goal of getting through congestion offers a tremendous opportunity for meditation practice.
Self-reliance ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaI hope it is clear that interdependence does not undermine your individuality but is what has enabled you to become the unique person you are today. Embracing your interdependence can give your individuality new meaning. The same is true of self-reliance. There are forms of self-reliance that works in harmony with interdependence, and it is precisely these forms of self-reliance that we most need to cultivate. Thinking in terms of interdependence, in turn, provides a firm base for our exercise of healthy self-reliance.
It is on the basis of interdependence that we are able to consciously change course in life and grow in new directions. We are not destined to live out our lives as dictated by the initial set of conditions that first gave us life.
How to guard the mind ~ Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye
Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro ThayeIf you follow after thoughts and afflictions
Such as hatred, anger, and desire,
It will cause you to take birth in the three lower realms.
To be born in any of them brings about unimaginable torment.Whatever afflictions or sufferings occur,
By looking at their essence they vanish into emptiness.
There is no way for wisdom to revert from that state.To not separate your mind from this
And always guard your mind is critical.
The entirety of the dharma is encapsulated in guarding your mind.
The bodhisattva Shantideva spoke of how to guard the mind:“For those who wish to guard their minds,
This is brought about by mindfulness and introspection.
As is said, ‘All should diligently guard their minds!’
I fold my hands in reverence to such persons.”To practice in accordance with what is said here is critical.
That being so, the six collections of consciousness and all appearing objects,
Are simply the magical display of mind’s nature.
Thus, it is a mistake to think there is some agent who practices adoption and rejection.
Clarity inseparable from emptiness ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheThe nature of the mind, the essence of the mind, is empty. But is this emptiness just blank, inanimate nothingness? No. It is clear in that it can know things; it is able to understand and be aware of things. This is what is meant by clarity. The essence of this clarity is empty, and the essence of the emptiness is clarity. We can establish this through logic and inference, and by doing so we can develop certainty about the union of clarity and emptiness. We can also experience it in meditation. Through meditative experiences, we can come to know that the nature of mind is clarity inseparable from emptiness.
Dedicating illusion like merit ~ Dudjom Rinpoche
Dudjom RinpocheIn absolute truth, all phenomena are devoid of any intrinsic nature, and therefore merit too cannot be objectified, being entirely free of the three concepts.
In relative, conventional truth, every aspect of a positive action – the agent who performs the action, the object of the action, and the action itself – is like a dream or a magical illusion: although it appears, it has no intrinsic nature.
It is with this approach that the dedication should be made, for as we read in the Middle Sutra of Transcendent Wisdom:
“Subhuti, all phenomena are like a dream,
like a magical illusion.”Virtue too should be dedicated in the manner of its being like a dream.
The three worlds ~ Buddha Shakyamuni
Buddha ShakyamuniThe three worlds are ablaze with the suffering of old age and sickness;
This world is ablaze with the fire of death and without a protector.
Always deluded in impure existence,
Beings spin like a bee caught in a vase.The three worlds are unstable, like autumn clouds;
The birth and death of beings is like watching a play.
The life of a being passes quickly,
Like a lightning bolt in the sky or a mountain stream.By the power of craving for existence and ignorance,
Beings take birth as humans, gods, or in the three lower realms.
In their ignorance they continuously circle among these five existences,
Like the spinning of a potter’s wheel.
The nurse and protector of samadhi ~ Ajahn Chah
Ajahn ChahMindfulness is the nurse and protector of samādhi. It is the dhamma which allows all other wholesome dhammas to arise in balance and harmony. Mindfulness is life. At any moment that you lack mindfulness, it is as if you are dead. Lack of mindfulness is called heedlessness, and it robs your words and actions of all meaning. Whatever form of recollection mindfulness takes, it gives rise to self-awareness, wisdom, all kinds of good qualities.
Gradual change ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaThis may be helpful to keep in mind if at times we find ourselves progressing more slowly than we had hoped. Once we realize that our personalities are not fixed and that we can decide to actively change them, we might become inspired and expect to be able to push ourselves to change rapidly. But compassion and other inner qualities are not solid things that we can just decide to acquire, install, and power on. They do not exist as discrete or unrelated entities but rather need to be cultivated gradually, over time, and in concert with other qualities.
What a waste of time ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheWhat a waste of time it is to take so much care if this body, feeding it the most succulent dishes, dressing it in the most fashionable clothes, and trying to make it look younger than it really is. The body has no other destination than the cemetery where it will be burned, buried, or fed to the birds.
Actual experience ~ Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche
Nyoshul Khen RinpocheIf we remain focused outwardly and enthralled with intellectualizing the view, this is exactly what is meant when the Great Perfection speaks of being “spoiled by concepts and fabrication.”
If we direct our mind outwardly while learning teachings on the view, this is exactly what will happen. But if we look within, into our own mind, we will certainly gain actual experience through the oral instructions of our teachers. We will practice in accordance with the buddhadharma and gain true experience and realization.
The seventh paramita ~ Tenzin Palmo
Tenzin PalmoWe all take ourselves a little bit too seriously. I always say that a good sense of humour is the seventh paramita. We should learn to laugh about ourselves in a kind way, not in a harsh way. Even if we keep falling down, it doesn’t matter, let’s keep going.
Sealing your merit with authentic dedication ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheIf you fail to seal your merit with authentic dedication, then however vast the offerings and positive actions you have performed may be, their results can only be ephemeral and vulnerable to the destructive effects of your negative emotions, such as anger, pride, and jealousy.
The ultimate source of success in life ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaFrom my own limited experience I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. This helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the ultimate source of success in life.
Dharmata ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheWhen we speak about dharmata, or things as they really are, we are speaking about the absence of the confusion and mistaken appearances that ordinary people experience most of the time. When we talk about the mind itself (Tib. semnyi), or mind as it is, we are referring to the inseparability of luminosity and emptiness. If we just meditate without having identified dharmata, the meditation will make us more peaceful, gradually causing us to understand the view, but it will not cut the root of the disturbing emotions. Therefore, we need to find out what the dharmata is and rest our mind there.
Just space ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheImagine a clay pot. It is both surrounded by and filled with space. When the pot breaks, the space that had been inside the pot mixes with the space that had been outside of it and the two become inseparable. It is not possible to tell the “inside” space from the “outside” space; space is just space and there is no way of knowing where any part of it originated. This is how the practitioner and the guru dissolve into each other to become inseparable.
Guru ~ Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche
Shechen Rabjam RinpocheFrom the relative perspective the guru appears in human form, turns the wheel of Dharma, and shows the path. Develop unchanging faith in your teacher and then mingle your mind with his. By remaining in that state and maintaining the natural flow of awareness — perfect simplicity without any fabrication — you will realize the true nature of mind. Your mind will become one with your teacher’s mind. At that point, from the absolute point of view you will see him as the dharmakaya, the state of great evenness.