Pema ChödronWhatever happens, our commitment is to use it to awaken our heart. As one of the slogans says, ‘All activities should be done with one intention.’ That intention is to realize our connection with all beings.
Unconditional expression ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaThere is such a thing
as unconditional expression
that does not come from self or other.It manifests out of nowhere
like mushrooms in a meadow,
like hailstones, like thundershowers.
The vows of the Mind Training ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheThis refers in general to the vows of the Shravakayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana and particularly to the special vows of Mind Training. The vows of the Mind Training are: to give victory and benefit to others and to take all loss and failure, especially that of our enemies, upon ourselves. If we act accordingly, the Mind Training will take effect. On the other hand, if we fail to practice these two vows, we will achieve neither the short-term benefit of happiness in this life and rebirth in the realms of human beings or of gods, nor the long-term benefit of rebirth in a pure field. We should therefore observe these vows at all costs, just as we guard our eyes from thorns when we are walking through the woods.
Putting the Guru to the Test ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheThe great vidyadhara Jigme Lingpa said that it is very important to analyze the guru first. As I said before, we are naturally very insecure people. Because of this we are easy prey. We make all sorts of mistakes that are difficult to clear up later on.
Before you start to follow a guru, you should have a good understanding of the dharma. I don’t mean that you have to understand it completely, but at least you should have some understanding. You should analyze, and you should be skeptical and critical. Perhaps you should argue, and try to find fault by using logic and reflection.
But while you are doing this, you should not have the journalist’s approach of looking for faults. The aim here is to find the path, not to find faults. So, when you study Buddhism, you should try to see whether this path suits you or not, whether this path makes sense or not. This is very important.
Here’s an example. Let’s say that we want to go to New York, and we are hiring a guide. We need to have at least some idea where New York is. To take a guide without knowing whether New York is in the east, south or west is what I call the “inspirational disease.” It’s not enough just to find the guide attractive—to like the way he looks, talks and behaves. You should have at least some knowledge where New York is, so that if in the middle of the trip he begins to act a little funny, you feel okay because you know that you are heading in the right direction. He may lead you through strange or rough roads, but that doesn’t matter if you know you are heading in the right direction.
On the other hand, if you don’t know the way at all, you are obliged to place all your trust in this one guide who claims that he can do anything. Maybe if you have lots of merit, you might accidentally find an authentic guide and actually reach New York. But if I were you I would not trust this kind of accidental success all the way. It is good to analyze the path first, and then you can have one or a hundred or thousands of gurus if you like.
The healing power of bodhicitta ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronBodhichitta is a Sanskrit word that means “noble or awakened heart.” Just as butter is inherent in milk and oil is inherent in a sesame seed, the soft spot of bodhichitta is inherent in you and me. It is equated, in part, with our ability to love.
It is said that in difficult times, it is only bodhichitta that heals. When inspiration has become hidden, when we feel ready to give up, this is the time when healing can be found in the tenderness of pain itself.
Silcence ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaIf you are involved with the intensity of crescendo situations, with the intensity of tragedy, you might begin to see the humour of these situations as well. As in music, when we hear the crescendo building, suddenly if the music stops, we begin to hear the silence as part of the music.
Stirring up your life ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheNever think that you will be able to settle your life down by practicing the dharma. The dharma is not therapy. In fact, it is just the opposite. The purpose of the dharma is to really stir up your life. It is meant to turn your life upside down. If that is what you asked for, why complain? If it is not turning your life upside down, on the other hand, the dharma is not working. That kind of dharma is just another one of these New Age methods; the dharma should really disturb you.
Only for Rent ~ Ajahn Chah
Ajahn ChahIf our body really belonged to us, it would obey our commands. If we say, “Don’t get old,” Or “I forbid you to get sick” does it obey us? No! It takes no notice. We only rent this “house”, not own it. If we think it does belong to us, we will suffer when we have to leave it. But in reality, there is no such thing as a permanent self, nothing unchanging or solid that we can hold on to.
Lightening the Heart ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaI have noticed from experience that taking things too seriously can be debilitating. It can paralyze us.
It is usually more effective to approach problems with a light heart – a willingness to laugh at them and at ourselves. Otherwise, if we are too somber, we could be stricken with a heart attack before we even have the chance to do anything to improve the situation! Instead, we can be playful. A sense of humor can be very helpful in preventing us from feeling stuck or overwhelmed by a difficult situation.
Especially if a situation is critical, you have to be able to approach it with some openness, just in order to see the possible solutions clearly. For example, sometimes there are serious issues that you feel you need to address, but that you cannot resolve. What do you end up doing? Worrying. There can also be serious issues that you actually can do something about. In those cases, too, if you are not careful, you may also find yourself worrying. Once you are overwhelmed by anxiety and other unhelpful emotions, it will be very difficult to plan or make clearheaded decisions. You will not be able to look beyond the obstacles to notice the opportunities.
Our first taste of emptiness ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheWhether we’re analyzing material objects, time, our “self,” or our mind, eventually we reach a point where we realize that our analysis breaks down. At that point our search for something irreducible finally collapses. In that moment, when we give up looking for something absolute, we gain our first taste of emptiness, the infinite, indefinable essence of reality as it is.
Compassion takes courage ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronJust as nurturing our ability to love is a way of awakening bodhichitta, so also is nurturing our ability to feel compassion. Compassion, however, is more emotionally challenging than loving-kindness because it involves the willingness to feel pain. It definitely requires the training of a warrior.
When we practice generating compassion, we can expect to experience our fear of pain. Compassion practice is daring. It involves learning to relax and allow ourselves to move gently toward what scares us. The trick to doing this is to stay with emotional distress without tightening into aversion, to let fear soften us rather than harden into resistance.
Facing yourself ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaBecoming a warrior and facing yourself is a question of honesty rather than condemning yourself. By looking at yourself, you may find that you’ve been a bad boy or girl, and you may feel terrible about yourself. Your existence may feel wretched, completely pitch black, like the black hole of Calcutta. Or you may see something good about yourself. The idea is simply to face the facts. Honesty play a very important part. Just see the simple, straightforward truth about yourself. When you begin to be honest with yourself, you develop a genuine gut level of truth. That is not necessarily cutting yourself down. Simply discover what is there; simply see that, and then stop! So first, look at yourself, but don’t condemn yourself. It’s important to be matter-of-fact, on the spot. Just look, and when you see the situation in its fullest way, then you begin to be a warrior.
Adapting the Dharma ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheGurus should not adapt the Dharma to the needs of busy materialistic people who demand a business-like method for receiving teachings that fit into their lifestyles. Were that to happen, far too much that is crucial to an authentic spiritual path would be lost.
Crescendo of energy ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaIn spiritual practice, communication is extremely important. If we could not apply communication, there would be no spiritual practice at all. There would be no scriptures, there would be no teachings, there would be no gestures, there would be no guru, there would be no chela (disciple). All these relationships exist because of energy. Therefore, things function along with that. That energy is speech. Speech is a very powerful thing. It is the crescendo of energy that moves.
The true way to reach perfect happiness ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheEverything depends on your intention. All the time, therefore, check your attitude and motivation. As Patrul Rinpoche said, everyone wants happiness, but the true way to reach perfect happiness is to bring happiness to others.
Our cocoons ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheViewing our experience in this world as a dream, Siddhartha found that our habit of fixating on the mere appearance of our dreamlike relative world, thinking that it is truly existing, throws us into an endless cycle of pain and anxiety. We are in a deep sleep, hibernating like a silkworm in a cocoon. We have woven a reality based on our projections, imagination, hopes, fears, and delusions. Our cocoons have become very solid and sophisticated. Our imaginings are so real to us that we are trapped in the cocoon. But we can free ourselves simply by realizing that this is all our imagination.
The heart of meditation in action ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaIn the post-meditation experience or meditation-in-action, when you are working with situations, there is no time to analyze, no time to hold on. At the same time, there is a gap. There is no time to refer back to oneself as “I am doing this,” no time to relate with me or ego awareness at all. There is just simple awareness. That awareness is regarded as the heart of meditation in action. It is compassion.
Mind is king ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheWhatever we do, it is the mind that is most important. This is why the Buddhist teachings focus on perfecting the mind. The mind is king, and body and speech are servants which must do its bidding. It is the mind that conceives faith and the mind that conceives doubt; it is the mind that conceives love and the mind that conceives hatred.
Our Shared Humanity ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronCompassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.
Impermanence ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheAt first, we may react to the truth of our precious impermanent body by grasping even more tightly to it. When we understand the big gap between what we want and how things actually work, we may feel resigned to begrudgingly accept that everything – including our own body and those of our loved ones – changes, dissolves, and dies.
But impermanence isn’t just defined by decay, rot, and disintegration. Impermanence allows us to access the diamonds and see more than just the mud. Our neurotic, limited, confused sense of self is not anchored inside us. Our patterns of self-denigration, grasping, anger, and anguish are also impermanent. Because of impermanence, we can change – if we want to. But we do not have all the time in the world. When the recognition of impermanence shakes us into accepting the certain demise of our body, then we really aspire to make the most of our life. The truth of impermanence becomes the wind at our backs urging us not to squander the precious opportunity that we have right now.