Recognizing the instability of causes and conditions leads us to understand our own power to transform obstacles and make the impossible possible. This is true in every area of life. If you don’t have a Ferrari, you very well may create the conditions to have one. As long as there is a Ferrari, there is […]
If one knows that everything is impermanent, one does not grasp, and if one does not grasp, one will not think in terms of having or lacking, and therefore one lives fully. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
So, what makes you a Buddhist? You may not have been born in a Buddhist country or to a Buddhist family, you may not wear robes or shave your head, you may eat meat and idolize Eminem and Paris Hilton. That doesn’t mean you cannot be a Buddhist. In order to be a Buddhist, you […]
However beneficial a practice appears to be, however politically correct or exciting, if it does not contradict your habit of grasping at permanence, or looks harmless but insidiously encourages you to forget the truth of impermanence and the illusory nature of phenomena, it will inevitably take you in the opposite direction to dharma. Dzongsar Khyentse […]
If you have devotion, the Buddha is always right in front of you. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
There are many different methods for recognizing the Buddha within. Of these, the quickest and easiest is to receive the blessings of the guru. This is why guru devotion is necessary. For example, you may be having a nightmare about monsters. But then suddenly, somebody throws a bucket of cold water over you and you […]
Ideally the ultimate retreat is to retreat from the past and the future, to always remain in the present. However our mind is so empowered and controlled by habit all the time. One characteristic of habit is not being able to sit still, not being able to remain in the present. This is because being […]
Aspire to create connections with people — even those who catch no more than a glimpse of your brightly coloured T-shirt in a crowd — that result in the seed of dharma being sown in their minds. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
The whole purpose of the dharma is to dismantle the protective system we have created for ourselves that we call “ego.” The purpose behind each syllable of the dharma and every one of its methods is to contradict, disrupt and rip that ego apart until the goal of complete liberation from it has finally been […]
People like us have dualistic compassion, whereas the Buddha’s compassion does not involve subject and object. From a buddha’s point of view, compassion could never involve subject and object. This is what is called mahakaruna — great compassion. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
By understanding emptiness, you lose interest in all the trappings and beliefs that society builds up and tears down – political systems, science and technology, global economy, free society, the United Nations. You become like an adult who is not so interested in childrens games. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
I remember something His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse once told me. I used to be very wild, and sometimes people would report my actions to him in hope that he would scold me and discipline me. But instead, he would tell me who it was who told on me and would make a game of it. […]
If you’re practising Dharma, you practise it for enlightenment. Not for rights, not for freedom, not for justice, not for healing, not for getting better in a worldly way. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
If we could not be bought by praise or defeated by criticism, we would have incredible strength. We would be extraordinarily free, there would be no more unnecessary hopes and fears, sweat and blood and emotional reactions. We would finally be able to practice “I don’t give a damn.” Free from chasing after, and avoiding […]
There is really only one problem – distraction. And therefore only one solution – mindfulness. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
All emotions are painful. This is something that only Buddhists would talk about. Many religions worship things like love with celebration and songs. Buddhists think, “This is all suffering.” Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
The cause of all these sufferings is our fundamental insecurity. We are always wondering whether we exist or not. Our ego, or rather our attachment to the idea of self, is completely insecure about its own existence. Our ego may seem strong but it is actually quite shaky. Of course, we do not ask such […]
Setting out on a spiritual path is a little like planning a trip — to Machu Picchu, for example. Some travellers will approach the project by investing a lot of time in reading travel books or Googling Internet sites about the best route to take and where to stay — a method that works, but […]
By and large, human beings tend to prefer to fit in to society by following accepted rules of etiquette and being gentle, polite, and respectful. The irony is that this is also how most people imagine a spiritual person should behave. When a so-called dharma practitioner is seen to behave badly, we shake our heads […]
Buddha was not a pessimist or a doomsayer; he was a realist, while we tend to be escapists. When he stated that all assembled things are impermanent, he did not intend for that to be bad news; it is a simple, scientific fact. Depending on your perspective and on your understanding of this fact, it […]
