Quote Archives: Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

 

The essence of discipline ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

In essence, discipline is to have a peaceful, self-controlled and altruistic mind. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Dreamlike obsessions ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Seeing the world with all the unspoiled simplicity of a young child, you are free from concepts of beauty and ugliness, good and evil, and no longer fall prey to conflicting tendencies driven by desire or repulsion. Why trouble yourself about all the ups and downs of daily life, like a child who delights in […]

Like a rainbow ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Like waves, all the activities of this life have rolled endless on, yet they have left us empty-handed. Myriads of thoughts have run through our minds, but all they have done is increase our confusion and dissatisfaction. Normally we operate under the deluded assumption that everything has some sort of true, substantial reality. But when […]

The need to tame body, speech and mind ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

A good mind is like a rich ground of gleaming gold, lightening up the whole sky with its golden radiance. But if body speech and mind are not tamed, there is very little chance that you will achieve any realization whatsoever. Be aware of your thoughts, words and actions at all times. If they take […]

Tame your mind ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

In truth, if you cannot tame your own mind, what else is there to tame? What is the use of doing many other practices? The aim of the whole Buddhist path, both Basic and the Great Vehicles, is to tame and understand your mind. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Forsaking all self-centeredness ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

There is a saying: ‘Wholesome deeds performed with selfish aims are just like poisoned food.’ Poisoned food might look delicious and even taste good, but it quickly leads to certain death. Thinking of an enemy as someone to be hated, thinking of a friend as someone to be loved, being jealous of others’ happiness and […]

Countering our ego interest ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

To remain humble while patiently bearing insults is a very effective way of countering your ingrained tendency to be interested only in your own happiness and pleasure. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

The void nature of thoughts ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

What we normally call the mind is the deluded mind, a turbulent vortex of thoughts whipped up by attachment, anger, and ignorance. This mind, unlike enlightened awareness, is always being carried away by one delusion after another. Thoughts of hatred or attachment suddenly arise without warning, triggered by such circumstances as an unexpected meeting with […]

Practice with joy and enthusiasm ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Practice with joy and enthusiasm, and never fall into laziness or apathy. Especially, never think, “now that is enough.” People start to feel proud of themselves after offering a few thousand prostrations and reciting a few hundred thousand mantras, while at the same time feeling not the slightest hesitation to kill insects, indulge all their […]

View and Action ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Your view can, and should be, as high as possible — there is no danger in this since enlightenment is the total realization of the absolute view. But at the same time your behavior should be as grounded as possible in an awareness of cause and effect. If you lose this basic attitude regarding actions, […]

Identifying the true enemy ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Now, with the help of your spiritual teacher, you can at last identify the true enemy. Brandish the sword of transcendent knowledge and annihilate the demon of attachment to ‘I’ and to the reality of phenomena. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

The only way to obtain lasting happiness ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

The only sure way to obtain the real and lasting happiness we seek is simply to pray from the bottom of our hearts to our teacher and practice the Dharma in the proper way. Through the natural law of cause and effect and through the blessings of the Three Jewels, in all our future lives […]

Never stop thinking about how to gain liberation ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

It is not enough to wish from time to time that you could be free of samsara. That idea must pervade your stream of thinking, day and night. A prisoner locked in jail thinks all the time about different ways of getting free—how he might climb over the walls, ask powerful people to intervene, or […]

Practitioners and adverse circumstances ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

It is not when things go well that you can judge a true practitioner. When adverse circumstances arise, you can clearly see shortcomings in their practice. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Like Crystal ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Mind, like a crystal, is colored by its surroundings. You are bound to reflect the qualities and shortcomings of the good or bad friends whose company you keep. If you associate with the malevolent, the selfish, the rancorous, the intolerant, and the arrogant, their faults will affect you. You would do better to keep your […]

How illness can teach us compassion ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Keep in mind the many beings who are suffering in the same way as you are, and pray that your suffering may absorb theirs and that they may be liberated from all suffering. In this way, illness can teach us compassion. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Childish fret about futile manners ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Worries concerning the melodramas of day-to-day life serve no purpose. To fret in this futile manner is to be like the child who is delighted at having built a sand castle, and distraught when the sea washes it away. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Sticking to notions of I and mine ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

By sticking to notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ and blindly following the feelings of attraction and repulsion to which these notions give rise, we accumulate negative karma. Let us stop doing that! Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Taking to heart the key instructions ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Understand this: it is more important to take to heart the key instructions than to receive a great many teachings. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche