17th KarmapaCultivating humility as part of our efforts to live interdependence can be enhanced by a heartfelt awareness that we are always in a state of development. Because everything arises based upon the coming together of continually shifting conditions, however much or little of a certain positive quality we have, further growth is always possible. Moreover, our positive qualities can be developed without limit. As long as we are human, we can continually keep discovering new potentials.
Karma ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheIt might seem hard to understand karma. But if we look at it, the teachings on karma simply say that if we have a good intention and do a good act it will bring a good result. If we have a bad intention and do something bad, that will only bring a bad result—harm to ourselves and to others. If you actually think about it, it is not all that difficult.
Bodhicitta ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaBodhichitta is a very good state of mind, imbued with wisdom, in which kindness is combined with the highest intelligence. It is something quite marvelous. This sort of goodness and kindness brings us peace immediately, so we are less narrow-minded and agitated. When we meet others, we do not feel claustrophobic and distant. On the contrary, we feel close to people. With a mind like this, we are never afraid, but strong and courageous. This is a very useful attitude to have.
See the dharma in every experience ~ Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche
Shechen Rabjam RinpocheSee the dharma in every experience. All sentient beings possess the buddha-nature, the tatagathagarba, and the cause of buddhahood. We must consider them with warmth and a kind heart. We progress on the path and cultivate loving-kindness, patience and compassion as we learn to see other beings as pure. These qualities provide us with the necessary means to achieve buddhahood.
Our own heart is the temple ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaWithin less than fifty years, I, Tenzin Gyatso, the Buddhist monk, will be no more than a memory. Indeed, it is doubtful whether a single person reading these words will be alive a century from now. Time passes unhindered. When we make mistakes, we cannot turn the clock back and try again. All we can do is use the present well. Therefore, if when our final day comes we are able to look back and see that we have lived full, productive, and meaningful lives, that will at least be of some comfort. If we cannot, we may be very sad. But which of these we experience is up to us.
The best way to ensure that when we approach death we do so without remorse is to ensure that in the present moment we conduct ourselves responsibly and with compassion for others. Actually, this is in our own interest, and not just because it will benefit us in the future. As we have seen, compassion is one of the principal things that make our lives meaningful. It is the source of all lasting happiness and joy. And it is the foundation of a good heart, the heart of one who acts out of a desire to help others. Through kindness, through affection, through honesty, through truth and justice toward all others we ensure our own benefit. This is not a matter for complicated theorizing. It is a matter of common sense. There is no denying that consideration of others is worthwhile. There is no denying that our happiness is inextricably bound up with the happiness of others. There is no denying that if society suffers, we ourselves suffer. Nor is there any denying that the more our hearts and minds are afflicted with ill-will, the more miserable we become. Thus we can reject everything else: religion, ideology, all received wisdom. But we cannot escape the necessity of love and compassion.
This, then, is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need. So long as we practice these in our daily lives, then no matter if we are learned or unlearned, whether we believe in Buddha or God, or follow some other religion or none at all, as long as we have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility, there is no doubt we will be happy.
Conduct ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheAlways try to accomplish even the smallest beneficial action without any reservation or hesitation, and avoid even the most insignificant negative actions.
Gaining certainty ~ Dudjom Rinpoche
Dudjom RinpocheIt is said that if you do not meditate, you will not gain certainty; If you do, you will. But what sort of certainty? If you meditate with a strong, joyful endeavor, signs will appear showing that you have become used to staying in your nature. The fierce, tight clinging from dualistically experiencing phenomena will gradually loosen up, and your obsession with happiness and suffering, hopes and fears, and so on, will slowly weaken. Your devotion to the teacher and your sincere trust in his instructions will grow. After a time, your tense, dualistic attitudes will evaporate and you will get to the point where gold and pebbles, food and filth, gods and demons, virtue and nonvirtue, are all the same for you – you will be at a loss to choose between paradise and hell! But until you reach that point (while you are still caught in the experiences of dualistic perception), virtue and nonvirtue, buddhafields and hells, happiness and pain, actions and their results – all of this is reality for you.
Concealing our weaknesses ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaOur consumerist society thrives on competition and therefore encourages displays of strength. This inclines us to feel we must present ourselves as successful winners. But this not only makes it hard for us to connect authentically, it inclines us to seek positions of superiority over others and to conceal our weaknesses. This in turn makes it harder to address those weaknesses, which is necessary if we are to grow.
Intention for retreat ~ Thinley Norbu Rinpoche
Thinley Norbu RinpocheAlthough many saints temporarily isolated themselves to practice Dharma, they did not do so to be ultimately isolated. Outwardly they isolated themselves with the intention for increasing the vast pure inner elements of their wish fulfilling Wisdom Mind which has endless qualities that are never isolated.
Becoming stuck in a quagmire of self-obsession ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaIn Buddhism we say that each person must become his or her own protector. Learning to do this is extremely important. It is the basis for us to be able to extend care and protection to others. This second step is even more important. If our learning to protect ourselves does not contribute to our being able to care for others, we all too easily become stuck in a quagmire of self-obsession. Much of the time, this is what happens: we take our care and cherishing of ourselves too far and arrive at outright self-absorption.
Enjoy the freedom ~ Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche
Shechen Rabjam RinpocheThere is a specific practice that can be done to help overpower the feeling of self-importance. First, inhale all the obstacles, difficulties, and adversities with your breath. Let them hit your feeling of self-importance like cannonballs until it crumbles like dust. Then enjoy the freedom and lightness of being liberated from the prison of ego-clinging.
In every action ~ Jigme Lingpa
Jigme LingpaMy perceptions have become like those of a baby. I even enjoy playing with children. When I encounter people with serious shortcomings, I throw their personal faults in their faces, even if they are respected spiritual leaders or generous Dharma patrons.
In every action of sitting, walking, sleeping, or eating, I secure my mind [in the state, that is] never dissociated from the brilliance of the ultimate nature. If it is the service of the Dharma, I dedicate myself to its completion, even if it is thought to be an impossible task.
A practitioner’s approach to life ~ Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
Dzigar Kongtrul RinpochePeople tend to appreciate nature. We associate the natural world with beauty, that which is pure and untouched. When we see someone cutting trees or digging in the wilderness, it disturbs us. We can realize the beauty of our own inner nature when we stop manipulating everything that crosses our path as a way to fortify a sense of self. This is a practitioner’s approach to life.
The wonderful irony about this spiritual journey ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronThe wonderful irony about this spiritual journey is that we find it only leads us to become just as we are. The exalted state of enlightenment is nothing more than fully knowing ourselves and our world, just as we are.
The daytime practice of dream yoga ~ Alan Wallace
Alan WallaceWe bring our world into existence by focusing on certain appearances and ignoring others, then making sense of those appearances through our conceptual demarcations and interpretations. Out of ignorance, like a nonlucid dreamer, we take this conjured-up world to be substantial and independent. Wake up to the reality of yourself and the rest of the world as a matrix of dependently related events, each one empty of inherent existence, and you fully venture into the daytime practice of dream yoga.
The vital essence of practice ~ Dudjom Rinpoche
Dudjom RinpocheThe common practices are the four thoughts that turn the mind away from samsara. The uncommon practices are taking refuge, generating bodhicitta, purifying obscurations, and gathering the accumulations of merit and wisdom.
Exert yourself according to each of their commentaries until experiences arise. Especially, embrace guru yoga as the vital essence of practice, and practice diligently. If you do not, your meditation will grow slowly, and even if it grows a little, obstacles will arise and genuine realization will not manifest in your mindstream.
Therefore, forcefully pray with uncontrived devotion. After some time the realization of wisdom mind will be transmitted to your mindstream, and an extraordinary realization that cannot be expressed by words will definitely arise from within yourself.
Like medicines ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheThese days we often encounter people who mix and blend religions to suit their comfort level. Trying to be nonsectarian, they attempt to explain Christian concepts from Buddha’s point of view, or to find similarities between Buddhism and Sufism, or between Zen and business.
Of course, one can always find at least small similarities between any two things in existence — but I don’t think such comparisons are necessary. Even though all religions begin with some kind of philanthropic aim, usually to relieve suffering, they have fundamental differences. They are all like medicines; and like medicines, they are designed to reduce suffering, but they vary depending on the patient and the ailment.
If you have poison ivy, the proper treatment is calamine lotion. If you have leukemia, you don’t try to find the similarities between calamine lotion and chemotherapy so that you can justify applying calamine lotion because it’s more convenient. Similarly, there is no need to confuse religions.
In these pages I have attempted to provide a glimpse into the fundamentals of the Buddhist view. In all religions the view is the foundation of the practice, because the view determines our motivation and actions. It’s so true that “appearances can be deceiving.” We truly can’t judge our next-door neighbors solely by the way they look. So obviously we can’t judge something as personal as religion by superficial appearance. We can’t even judge religions by the actions, ethics, morality, or codes of conduct they promote.
Buddha Nature ~ Khenpo Tsultrim Rinpoche
Khenpo Tsultrim RinpocheThe purpose of teaching the “Tathagatagarbha” is to give meditators confidence that they already have Buddha Nature. Without such confidence it is very difficult to fully rest the mind free from all conceptual contrivance, because there is always a subtle tendency to try to remove or achieve something.
In the “Ratnagotravibhaga” five reasons are given for teaching the “Tathagatagarbha”.
Firstly, it encourages those who would otherwise be so self-depreciating that they would not even try to arouse Bodhichitta and attain Buddhahood.
Secondly, it humbles those who, having aroused Bodhichitta, feel intrinsically superior to others who have not.
Thirdly, it removes the fault of taking the stains, which are unreal, to be the true nature of beings.
Fourthly, it removes the fault of taking the Clear Light Nature, which is real, to be unreal.
Fifthly, by showing that all beings are intrinsically of the same nature as the nature of Buddha, it removes the obstacle to the arising of true compassion, which sees no difference between self and others.
Keeping the door to improvement open ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaThis is an important tenet in modern science that would serve us well in life, too. Anyone who says they have reached the final end of knowledge is not a true scientist. When good scientists make an important discovery, they do not feel that this means an end to their experiments or exploration.
You may know a great deal but also know that you can still learn from others and from new experiences. Your wisdom shows you that there is always more to learn. This is where a healthy humility keeps open the door to improvement. Pride, by contrast, closes that door. You sit behind that closed door telling yourself you are better than anyone else. The egocentric walls that box us in are constructed in just this way.
Subtly unclear state of mind ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheThere are times when our mind stays with the object of meditation, but the meditation is not very clear, rather it is gentle and soft. It is easy to mistake this for good shamatha, but, in fact, it is not. Such a subtly unclear state of mind needs to be purified by tightening the mind and making our mindfulness strong, clear, and bright. This brings a sense of lifting both body and mind.