The three cycles of Buddha Shakyamuni’s teachings are known as the three turnings of the wheel of Dharma. In the first turning of the wheel, at Vārāṇasī, he taught the Four Noble Truths common to both Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna. In the second, at Rājagṛiha, or Vulture Peak, he expounded the Mahāyāna teachings on absolute truth […]
When looking into the nature of mind, don’t expect to gain some exceptionally high or profound realization, or to see anything new. Nor should you hesitate or doubt your ability to meditate. Just trust that the nature of mind is simply the mind itself left in an unaltered state, and do all that you can […]
Examine anger itself and you will find that it is nothing but a thought. If that angry thought disappears, it will not lead to an action done in anger, with its negative karmic results. Trample on anger with realization, and it dissolves like a cloud in the sky; and as it dissolves, the notion of […]
Clarity and emptiness are inseparably united in the true nature of mind, which is beyond all concepts of existence and non-existence. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Why is compassion of foremost importance in the Buddha’s teachings? Because it is the root of all the vastness and profundity of the bodhisattva path. Compassion is the awakened heart itself. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
At present we perceive samsara as something we have to reject and nirvana as something we have to attain. Now while this is correct according to relative truth, according to absolute truth the nature of the afflictive emotions and actions that we are supposed to reject is nothing other than emptiness. When we realize the […]
Many of us lead family lives. At most, the members of a family stay together for the duration of a single lifetime, often much less. While that fleeting moment of being together still lasts, we should try to remain in perfect harmony with each other, while observing the Dharma as much as possible. Night and […]
There is a right time for everything. Farmers know when the time has come to plow, to sow, or to harvest, and they never fail to do each job when it is necessary. Now that you are in full possession of your faculties, have met a teacher, and have received his instructions, will you let […]
The everyday practice is simply to develop a complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions, and to all people, experiencing everything totally without mental reservations and blockages, so that one never withdraws or centralizes into oneself. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
The important thing is not to do anything that we might have to regret later on. Therefore we should examine ourselves honestly. Unfortunately, our ego-clinging is so gross that, even if we do possess some small quality, we think that we are wonderful. On the other hand, if we have some great defect, we do […]
Do not be superficial and inconstant, thinking that following the teacher and receiving his teachings will make you famous or that receiving only a few words of instruction and making a Dharma connection will suffice. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Study and reflection will cut through your more gross misconceptions. But the subtler ones can only be dispelled by meditation, and by integration of the absolute wisdom that arises from it into your very being. To engender it, go to a secluded place and stay as much as possible in meditation, practicing shamatha and vipashyana […]
To do something virtuous with a commonplace motive will certainly bring us some happiness, but only temporarily. Such happiness will soon be gone, and our helpless roaming in samsara will continue. If, on the other hand, everything we do, say, and think is transformed by bodhichitta, our happiness will go on and on increasing and […]
Thoughts manifest themselves within emptiness and are reabsorbed into it like a face appears and disappears in a mirror; the face has never been in the mirror, and when it ceases to be reflected in it, it has not really ceased to exist. The mirror itself has never changed. So, before departing on the spiritual […]
Recognizing the empty, nonexistent, insubstantial nature of the ego is meditation on absolute bodhicitta. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
When we have enough food and clothes, enjoy good health, have whatever we need and are without troubles of any sort, we should not become attached to these benefits nor dependent on them. Conversely, when we do not enjoy such good conditions, and when everything is going badly, we should use such a situation as […]
When you run after your thoughts, you are like a dog chasing a stick: every time a stick is thrown, you run after it. Instead, be like a lion who, rather than chasing after the stick, turns to face the thrower. One only throws a stick at a lion once. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Do not waste a single moment, like a warrior who, pierced to the heart by an arrow, knows he has only few minutes to live. It is now, while we are in good health and in possession of all our physical and mental faculties, that we should practice dharma. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
We have a long journey to make through the six realms of samsara. We should approach the Dharma like a sailor making his meticulous preparations for a voyage around the world, and prepare ourselves properly for our far longer journey, through death and rebirth. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
If you are the target of some harsh criticism or insulting talk, for example, the harder you try to avoid being exposed to it, the more of it you seem to hear. The best thing would be to be like the great sages of the past, who felt neither upset when criticised, nor pleased when […]
