Mingyur RinpocheDedicating merit at the end of any practice is an aspiration that whatever psychological or emotional strength you’ve gained through practice be passed on to others – which is not only a wonderful short compassion practice but also an extremely subtle way of dissolving the distinction between “self” and “others.”
A reminder to myself ~ 16th Karmapa
16th KarmapaWith your supreme intelligence, you realized the intention
Of the unsurpassable vehicle, the tradition of Padmakara.
Guru of unequalled kindness, I remember you from my heart.
I supplicate you—bless me with your compassion.
I, Pema Trinley Palzang, a performer of three activities,
From now on, will take control of my own discipline in thought and deed.
I make a firm commitment, as follows,
To avoid thoughtlessness and senselessness.In physical conduct, I will not allow myself to be rootless and hurried,
Incapable of being still, carelessly following my every whim.
I will always hold my own space
And be adorned by the training in pure discipline.In speech, whether spiritual or secular,
I will choose meaningful words
And shun unconnected talk of past events or boring discussions
concerning any of the three times.
I will always exert myself in dharmic recitations, proclamations, and readings.In mind, I will not flutter back and forth like a young bird on a branch.
Not getting absorbed in discursive thoughts of good and bad,
I will meditate, cultivating forbearance and relying on my own perceptions, not those of others. I will reflect on how best to benefit the teachings and beings.In particular, the vital essence of the thought of all victorious ones
Is the true nature—the uncontrived, innate dharmakaya.
Without ever lapsing, I will sustain it with one taste in equipoise and post-meditation.In sum, I will hold myself to the sublime, dharmic conduct of the three gates,
Not falling under the influence of others.
Arrogance, haughtiness, or thoughts of self-aggrandizement— whatever of these arises,
I will not let them move me in the slightest.
I will remain firm, dignified, and fearless, like a mountain.Until this collection of elements has rotted away,
I will not waver from this way of being.
Of this way I will be a fearless warrior—that will be my quality.
This is my vow, like an image carved in stone. May it be virtuous!
Gods and protectors, work to help this come to pass!
May the virtuous signs of auspiciousness excellently blaze!

Relative and Ultimate Bodhicitta ~ Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
Tulku Urgyen RinpocheUnless we connect with the two types of precious bodhicitta, we will not approach enlightenment even in the slightest; this is certain. The two types of bodhicitta are relative bodhicitta, compassion, and ultimate bodichitta, the insight into emptiness. Without these two, there is absolutely no way to take even one step closer towards buddhahood. Any Dharma practice devoid of these two kinds of bodhicitta will not bring the practitioner even one step toward enlightenment – I will swear to that.
Definition of a Bodhisattva ~ Tai Situ Rinpoche
Tai Situ RinpocheAs for some further explanation of the term “bodhisattva”, its definition is very specific. Sometimes “bodhisattva” is misunderstood as simply meaning somebody who has concern for other sentient beings, and who cares for them. Although this is very good, and constitutes one of a bodhisattva’s ways of dealing with others, it does not make a person a bodhisattva. The defining characteristic of a bodhisattva is the development of bodhichitta, the wish to attain enlightenment in order to benefit beings; once this wish has arisen one becomes a bodhisattva. When we like to give people food, clothing, and shelter, this is very good; a bodhisattva should do these things if it is the best he or she can do, but through such actions alone we will not become bodhisattvas. A bodhisattva is someone who is inspired by the aspiration to realize enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. This is bodhichitta, the characteristic of a bodhisattva. To understand this definition is quite important, as it describes somebody who is wise as opposed to someone who is a very good person but not necessarily enlightened. Thus, the definition of who is a bodhisattva is directly related to enlightenment, to buddhahood.
The Tibetan expression for bodhichitta is ‘jang chub kyi sem’. Here, ‘jang chub’ means “enlightenment”, and ‘sem’ means “mind”; ‘kyi’ is a particle indicating that “enlightenment” describes a type of “mind”. Thus the phrase means “mind of enlightenment”, or “mind focused on enlightenment”. The word for bodhisattva, ‘jang chub sem pa’, means one who has this ‘jang chub kyi sem’. The word for buddhahood also uses these terms: it is called ‘jang chub kyi go pang’, or “the state of enlightenment”. So all these are interrelated; in this way the term “bodhisattva” is totally connected with enlightenment.
Our true enemy ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaHatred is compared to an enemy. This internal enemy, this inner enemy, has no other function than causing us harm. It is our true enemy, our ultimate enemy. It has no other function than simply destroying us, both in the immediate term and in the long term.
Every second of this human life ~ Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Lama Zopa RinpocheEvery second of this human life is more precious than skies of wish-granting jewels.
Skillful means of a Buddha ~ Nagarjuna
NagarjunaJust as the grammarian makes one study grammar,
A Buddha teaches according to the tolerance of his students;
Some he urges to refrain from sins, others to do good,
Some to rely on dualism, other on non-dualism;
And to some he teaches the profound,
The terrifying, the practice of enlightenment,
Whose essence is emptiness that is compassion.
Like sesame oil ~ Tilopa
TilopaSesame oil is the essence.
Although the ignorant know that it is in the sesame seed,
they do not understand the way of cause, effect and becoming,
and therefore are not able to extract the essence, the sesame oil.
Although innate coemergent wisdom abides in the heart of all beings,
if it is not shown by the guru, it cannot be realized.
Just like sesame oil that remains in the seed, it does not appear.
One removes the husk by beating the sesame, and the sesame oil, the essence appears.
In the same way, the guru shows the truth of tathata,
and all phenomena become indivisible in one essence.
Kye ho! The far-reaching, unfathomable meaning is apparent at this very moment.
O how wondrous!”
Building Inner Strength ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronYou build inner strength through embracing the totality of your experience, both the delightful parts and the difficult parts. Embracing the totality of your experience is one definition of having loving kindness for yourself. Loving kindness does not mean making sure you’re feeling good all the time – trying to set up your life so that you’re comfortable every moment. Rather, it means setting up your life so that you have time for meditation and self-reflection, for kindhearted, compassionate self-honesty. In this way you become more attuned to seeing when you’re biting the hook, when you’re getting caught in the undertow of emotions, when you’re grasping and when you’re letting go. This is the way you become a true friend to yourself just as you are, with both your laziness and your bravery. There is no step more important than this.
Practice with joy and enthusiasm ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpochePractice 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 whims, and make light of their negative acts, numerous though these may be. That is a big mistake. And that is why we need the guidance of a spiritual teacher just as much as a young child needs the guidance of its parents.
Not a buddha yet ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheAs Buddha said in the Prajnaparamita Sutra, all phenomena are like a dream and an illusion, even enlightenment is like a dream and an illusion. And if there is anything greater or grander than enlightenment, that, too, is like a dream and an illusion. His disciple, the great Nagarjuna, wrote that the Lord Buddha has not stated that after abandoning samsara there exists nirvana. The nonexistence of samsara is nirvana. A knife becomes sharp as the result of two exhaustions — the exhaustion of the whetstone and the exhaustion of the metal. In the same way, enlightenment is the result of the exhaustion of defilements and the exhaustion of the antidote of the defilements. Ultimately one must abandon the path to enlightenment. If you still define yourself as a Buddhist, you are not a buddha yet.
Cutting through conditioned existence ~ Lama Tsongkhapa
Lama TsongkhapaIf you lack the wisdom that realizes the nature of things,
Although you might grow accustomed to renunciation and bodhicitta,
You will be incapable of cutting through conditioned existence at its root,
Exert yourself, therefore, in the methods for realizing interdependence.
Timeless awareness ~ Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye
Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro ThayeRely on timeless awareness, which is free of elaboration, without identity, and the very essence of being; do not rely on ordinary consciousness, which is a mind fixated on characteristics and concepts.
Timeless awareness entails (a) understanding that the way in which phenomena actually abide is, from the ultimate perspective, free of all limitations imposed by elaborations of origination, cessation, and so forth; (b) realization of the nonexistence of the two kinds of identity; and (c) unerring knowledge of sugatagarbha as utter lucidity, the way in which things actually abide, beyond any context of speculative value judgments. It is on this awareness that one should rely.
Ordinary consciousness entails (a) belief that what one immediately perceives constitutes something truly existent; (b) conceptualization in terms of characteristics, such as the sense of personal identity and the mind-body aggregates; and (c) mental states that are conditioned, for example, by attitudes of naively fixating on the pleasures of the senses. One should not rely on such consciousness.
The three invaluables ~ Longchenpa
LongchenpaThe preparatory generation of the enlightened mind,
The unconceptualized main practice,
And concluding with the dedication, all thoroughly applied:
These are the three invaluables for traversing the path of liberation.
Well-being of body, speech and mind ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaThere are several analogies for well-being in the scriptures. Well-being of body is like a majestically solid mountain with no mist and no rain. Well-being of speech is like a stringed instrument disengaged from the strings so that it no longer has any desire to communicate with the musician. Well-being of mind is like a great lake with no ripples, no waves, and no wind. Well-being is thus simple, majestic and uninterrupted.
The Essence of the Path ~ Dudjom Rinpoche
Dudjom RinpocheTo my Lord of Dharma, peerless, kind
My glorious Lama, homage!
His lotus feet I place
Upon my chakra of great bliss.Here is my advice,
Some counsel useful for your mind.Not to keep yourself from evil actions
Is to have no pratimoksha,
Not to work for others’ welfare
Is to have no bodhicitta.
Not to master pure perception
Is to have no Secret Mantra.
If illusions don’t collapse,
There is no realization.
If you opt for one side or the other,
That is not the View.
If you have a goal in mind,
That is not the Meditation.
If your conduct is a contrivance,
That is not the Action.
If you hope and wish,
You’ll have no Fruit.Those with faith will go for refuge;
Those who have compassion will have bodhicitta;
Those with wisdom will gain realization;
Those who have devotion harvest blessings.Those who have a sense of shame are careful how they act;
Careful in their actions, they are self-possessed;
Self-possessed, they keep their vows and pledges;
Keeping vows and pledges, they will have accomplishment.Peaceful self-control: the sign of one who’s heard the teachings!
Few defiled emotions are the mark of one who meditates.
Harmony with others is the sign of one who practices.
A blissful heart is witness to accomplishment.
The root of Dharma is your very mind.
Tame it and you’re practicing the Dharma.
To practice Dharma is to tame your mind –
And when you tame it, then you will be free!
Wishing to put an end to others’ sorrows ~ Shantideva
ShantidevaThose who long to triumph over life’s distress,
And who wish to put an end to others’ sorrows,
Those who seek to experience abundant joys —
Let them never turn their backs on bodhicitta.
We never actually perceive what is there ~ Tenzin Palmo
Tenzin PalmoWe never actually perceive what is there, only what is related back to us through our senses. The reality perceived by a fly, with its very differently structured eye and antennae, is very different from the reality we perceive, but it is equally valid from the fly’s point of view. We don’t see things better than the fly does, we just see our own version. Take this glass, for example. It’s very solid. If I were to hit somebody with it, he would feel it. But modem physics tells us that this glass is composed mostly of space, with just a few electrons, protons, and neutrons zooming around in it. Yet we don’t perceive it that way. And if I were an ant, or an elephant, or a dolphin, I would perceive something else again. Each of these perceptions is valid. Our version is no better than anyone else’s.
Dwelling in the present moment ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat HanhBreathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.
Nurturing the seed of compassion ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaCompassion arises within our minds and therefore is like a seed that is present within the mind. Like any seed, it has to be nurtured. In the case of compassion, we nurture it in several ways. One is to reflect on it, to direct our minds to it. Another is to take joy in compassion. A physical seed needs many things – soil, water, and sun – and these not only need to be provided, but provided in the right way. For example, when you water a seed, you cannot simply dump a gallon of water on it all at once, you have to water it gently and, therefore, it takes more time and more effort. In the same way, in caring for the seed of compassion within us, we need to be patient and persistent. If we do not take proper care of the seed of compassion, the seed will either not ripen or will ripen in an unhealthy way.