Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheAnger, like any other thought or feeling, has no true existence – not even a definitive location in your body, speech, or mind. It is just like wind roaring in empty space.
A very drastic measury ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaThe process of freeing yourself from arrogance and cutting off your habitual tendencies is a very drastic measure, but it necessary in order to help others in this world.
Experiences and Merit ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheHow we interpret information and our experiences of the world depends entirely on how much merit we have accumulated. For example, what does the word impermanent mean? On the grossest possible level, those who have very little merit believe that ‘ impermanent’ means decay and death, or the changing seasons. Once we start to accumulate merit, though, our understanding becomes more subtle. Imagine you are experiencing a moment of happiness. If you have a little merit you will be able, to a certain degree, to interpret and understand ‘impermanence’ and watch your mood change from unhappiness to happiness and back again, making any disappointment or hope you might feel less intense.
Our life is an endless journey ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaOur life is an endless journey; it is like a broad highway that extends infinitely into the distance. The practice of meditation provides a vehicle to travel on that road. Our journey consists of constant ups and downs, hope and fear, but it is a good journey. The practice of meditation allows us to experience all the textures of the roadway, which is what the journey is all about. Through the practice of meditation, we begin to find that within ourselves there is no fundamental complaint about anything or anyone at all.
The two wings of emptiness and compassion ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheTo go beyond the samsara and nirvana, we will need the two wings of emptiness and compassion. From now on, let us use these two wings to fly fearlessly into the sky of the life to come.
The warrior approach ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaThe approach of the warrior in working with the setting-sun world is like an autumn leaf floating down a river. It goes along with it.
The foundation of all spiritual practice ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaHuman beings will continue to deceive and overpower one another. Basically, everyone exists in the very nature of suffering, so to abuse or mistreat each other is futile. The foundation of all spiritual practice is love. That you practice this well is my heart’s desire.
Don’t go on following the past ~ Padampa Sangye
Padampa SangyeHabitual tendencies, being old acquaintances, keep on coming back;
People of Tingri, don’t go on following the past.
Our window of grasping at “me” and “mine” ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaWhen we gaze out through our own window of grasping at “me” and “mine”, we experience everything as if it were being projected onto our personal frame of perception, like a movie projected onto a screen. Just as when we are watching a movie, if we observe a happy moment, our heart soars, and if there is a sad moment, we at once feel low.
This grasping at “me” and “mine” restricts our view of ourselves. It also severely impacts how we connect to others. It prevents us from seeing the numberless wholesome connections that truly link us to others. We end up relating to the world as if it were separate from us, something out there projected on a screen for our consumption. I am not presenting a philosophical view here. I am trying to describe what it feels like to experience the world this way. As we look out through our window, we feel attachment and aversion. We accept or reject what we see projected on the screen. This emotional push and pull forms a major component of how we relate to others.
Daily Practice ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheThroughout the day, put the teachings into practice. In the evening examine what you have done, said, and thought during the day. Whatever was positive, dedicate the merit to all beings and vow to improve on it the next day. Whatever was negative, confess and promise to repair it. In this way, the best practitioners progress from day to day, the middling practitioners from month to month, and the least capable from year to year.
Sole father ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheThe ultimate teacher, the absolute, is never separate from us,
Yet immature beings, not recognizing this,
look outside and seek him far away,
Sole father, with your immense love
you have shown me my own wealth;
I, who was a pauper,
constantly feel your presence in the depth of my heart.
Be there all along ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaSometimes people find that being tender and raw is threatening and seemingly exhausting. Openness seems demanding and energy consuming, so they prefer to cover up their tender heart. Vulnerability can sometimes make you nervous. It is uncomfortable to feel so real, so you want to numb yourself. You look for some kind of anaesthetic, anything that will provide you with entertainment. Then you can forget the discomfort of reality. People don’t want to live with their basic rawness for even fifteen minutes…For the warrior, fearlessness is the opposite of that approach. Fearlessness is a question of learning how to be. Be there all along: that is the message. That is quite challenging in what we call the setting-sun world, the world of neurotic comfort where we use everything to fill up the space.
Mirror-like attitude ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaIt is quite difficult to have an experience of Dzogchen, but once you do have that experience, it can be extremely beneficial in dealing with your day to day life, your job, and your career. This is because that kind of experience will give you the ability to prevent yourself from being overwhelmed by circumstances, good or bad. You will not fall into extreme states of mind: you will not get over-excited or depressed. Your attitude toward circumstances and events will be as if you were someone observing the mind, without being drawn away by circumstances.
For example, when you see a reflection of a form in a mirror, the reflection appears within the mirror but it is not projected from within. In the same way, when you confront the situations of life, or deal with others, your attitude too will be mirror-like. Also, when a reflection appears in the mirror, the mirror does not have to go after the object that is reflected: it simply reflects, spontaneously, on the surface. The same with you: since there is no attachment or agitation at having these ‘reflections’ in your mind, you will feel tremendous ease and relief. You are not preoccupied by what arises in the mind, nor does it cause you any distress. You are free from conceptuality or any form of objectifying. And so it really does help you, in allowing you to be free from being caught up in the play of emotions like hatred, attachment, and the like.
Play of emptiness ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheAll thoughts, perceptions, and physical sensations are, according to buddhism, momentary expressions of the infinite possibility of emptiness.
Being as Fully Aware as Possible ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaOne of our most important challenges in life is to remain mindful of who we are and what we are doing. To keep this awareness present all the time is a great support for spiritual growth. One aspect of a spiritual life is to live consciously. For that, we need to be as fully aware as possible. Without mindfulness, we end up sleepwalking through life. We act without realizing what we are doing.
Who we are right now ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronThe point is that our true nature is not some ideal that we have to live up to. It’s who we are right now, and that’s what we can make friends with and celebrate.
As the Dharma takes birth in your mindstream ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheThe teachings of the Dharma have great power, but unless you practice them properly that power will remain merely as a potential which is never expressed. If one has a tool and does not use it, not much will be accomplished. An unused tool is not particularly beneficial in itself. But if you truly put the teachings into practice, as the Dharma takes birth in and grows in your mindstream, all your faults will naturally diminish and all your positive qualities will spontaneously blossom, just as the sun, as it rises higher in the morning, gradually spreads increasing light throughout the world.
Trying to stop thoughts altogether ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheThe mind is always active, always generating thoughts, just as the ocean constantly generates waves. We can’t stop our thoughts any more than we can stop waves in the ocean. Resting the mind in its natural state is very different from trying to stop thoughts altogether.
Buddhists don’t con you ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaIf you are completely confident in yourself, you don’t have to think about the audience at all. You just do your thing, you just do it properly. This means you become the audience. What you make is entertainment, but that needs a certain amount of wisdom. When an artist does a painting for commission, there is a good likelihood that his painting will be one-sided because he is aware of the audience and he has to relate to the educational standards of the audience.
If he presents his own style without reference to the audience, they will begin to react and automatically their sophistication will develop and eventually will reach the level of the artist….You see, we have the responsibility of raising the mentality of the audience. People might have to reach out with a certain amount of strain, but it’s worth it. The whole civilization then begins to raise its level of sophistication….The beautiful thing about buddhism, if I may say so, is that buddhists don’t try to con you. They just present what they have to say as it is, take it or leave it.
Being simply and clearly present ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheMeditation is actually a very simple exercise in resting in the natural state of your present mind, and allowing yourself to be simply and clearly present to whatever thoughts, sensations, or emotions occur.