Jack KornfieldAnother source of spiritual misunderstanding is our confusion of charisma with true wisdom. Certain spiritual leaders possess the ability to evoke extraordinary states. Amplified by our hopes, feelings of bliss and transcendence arise easily around these charismatic ministers, priests, Zen masters, mystics, rabbis, and gurus. It is easy to mistake such spiritual powers as definite signs of wisdom or enlightenment or divine love. We forget that power and charisma are just power and charisma, that these energies can just as easily serve demagogues, politicians, and entertainers.
It is possible for someone to be charismatic but not wise. Conversely, wisdom is not necessarily flashy or powerful – it can manifest in a humble and simple heart, and in the most ordinary-seeming of lives. In communities where special spiritual power is highly valued, students should take special care: when secret teachings or ancient lineages are evoked, when one group is chosen to be saved or awakened above all others in the world, spiritual communities are ripe for becoming cults. This does not always happen, of course, but it is particular risk within the blinding arena of charisma. Wise traditions include safeguards against such misuse, often by the creation of a network of elders, respected teachers able to watch over one another’s spiritual condition and behavior.
Supplication and devotion ~ Sera Khandro
Sera KhandroRespectfully supplicating the master enables us
To cast away self-cherishing pride.
Devotedly praying to our masters enables us
To discard the aggression that comes from attachment and aversion.
Respectfully supplicating the master enables us
To cast away jealousy coming from competitiveness.
Devotedly praying to our masters enables us
To discard wrong views coming from our disturbing emotions.
Becoming unstuck ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronWe hear a lot about the pain of samsara, and we also hear about liberation. But we don’t hear much about how painful it is to go from being completely stuck to becoming unstuck. The process of becoming unstuck requires tremendous bravery, because basically we are completely changing our way of perceiving reality, like changing our DNA. We are undoing a pattern that is not just our pattern. It’s the human pattern.
Basic decency ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaIf you have awareness in whatever you do, you always have a sense of basic decency. You do not cheat. You do not do things just because they are traditional, and you don’t just do something this year simply because you did it last year. You always try to practice your discipline as genuinely and honestly as possible — to the point where the honesty and genuineness begin to hurt.
Outer display of guru devotion ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheOftentimes, students are not aware of the possible negative consequences of being overly enthusiastic about their guru devotion. Instead of inspiring others, such enthusiasm could actually put others off.
For example, some older students in Bhutan instruct completely new beginners to do things like eat the guru’s leftover food and put socks on the guru’s feet and tie up the guru’s shoelaces. It’s fine when the Bhutanese do this when among themselves, but making a display of it in front of someone who is just beginning to be inspired by the Buddha’s teaching is unskillful. The newcomers may not necessarily be open to the path of seeming sycophants.
We are in an age where we need to inspire people in a very different way. Creating situations that put people off from the tantric wisdom tradition is so unfortunate. So watch your behavior: you may be the direct cause of breaking a connection to a potentially good student.
A thing you call the self ~ Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel
Elizabeth Mattis NamgyelFrom time to time try to look for a singular thing you call the self. You will see continuous movement, atmospheric moods coming and going like weather, ideas flickering but not really staying in any one particular place, and although they arise vividly – sometimes with intensity – all this experience will elude you when you search for it. As hard as you try, you won’t be able to identify where the self ends and the world begins. In other words, there is just this continuous dance between what you may identify as your outer and inner worlds but you will not be able to separate them or say they are the same. “You” will not be able to identify a singular, permanent, or independent self.
Individualism or interdependence ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaPut simply, we can see ourselves as independent individuals or we can acknowledge our interdependence on one another and on the planet. A great deal is at stake in which of these two views — individualism or interdependence — we choose to adopt. We experience our lives differently, we relate to others differently, and the very society we create differs based on whether we believe ourselves to be fundamentally separable and independent, or fundamentally connected and interdependent.
It is not that one of these two paradigms is absolutely bad and the other good. However, I feel that greater opportunities derive from seeing ourselves as interdependent, or interconnected. In the end, the individualistic view places more limits on us than interdependence. When we experience ourselves as interconnected in infinite ways to others, we have many options as to how we can relate. By contrast, adopting individualism as our path in life leads us to compare our personal situation to that of other individuals, as if we were separate entities. In such comparisons, one or the other always come up short. We then end up striving to make sure we are not on the losing end of the comparison.”
Without rushing toward the future ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat HanhDrink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.
Ego’s indoctrination ~ Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
Dzigar Kongtrul RinpocheMany people are afraid of being brainwashed by religion. But there is no fear of brainwashing in Buddhism; we know we are already brainwashed by ego. Because ego does nothing but create pain and suffering, Buddhism is about getting unbrainwashed. It’s about waking up from this hypnotic state of subservience to ego. Through meditation and self-reflection, our own awareness bears witness to ego’s “indoctrination”.
Essence of mind ~ Mipham Rinpoche
Mipham RinpocheWhat we call “essence of mind” is the actual face of unconditioned pure awareness, which is recognised through receiving the guru’s blessings and instructions. If you wonder what this is like, it is empty in essence, beyond conceptual reference; it is cognisant by nature, spontaneously present; and it is all-pervasive and unobstructed in its compassionate energy. This is the rigpa in which the three kayas are inseparable.
Connecting to your breath ~ Sharon Salzberg
Sharon SalzbergConnecting to your breath when thoughts or images arise is like spotting a friend in a crowd: You don’t have to shove everyone else aside or order them to go away; you just direct your attention, your enthusiasm, your interest toward your friend.
The Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen ~ Karma Chagme
Karma ChagmeEmaho!
The Sutras, tantras, and philosophical scriptures are extensive and great in number.
However, life is short and intelligence limited, so it is hard to cover them completely.
You may know a lot, but if you don’t put it into practice,
It’s like dying of thirst on the bank of a great lake.The scriptures of the sutras and tantras and the words of the learned and accomplished ones of India and Tibet.
All have great blessings but are difficult for ordinary people to grasp.
Though they are indispensable for teaching in a monastic college,
For one-pointed practice they are of little use.
This ‘pointing-out instruction for an old lady’ is more beneficial for your mind than all of the others.All the innumerable and profound teachings, such as Mahamudra and Dzogchen,
Which are decisive and unmistaken in each root text,
Are indispensable when teaching disciples who will hold the Dharma-lineages.
But for personal practice, for the sake of the future.
It is more profound to condense them all into one.To grasp precisely and unmistakenly the various traditions of the Dharma
Is necessary for upholding the doctrinal teachings.
But if you are concerned with the welfare of your future,
It is more profound to train in being nonsectarian, seeing all of them as being pure.It is necessary to focus your mind on one single and sufficient master.
If you are to be his chief disciple.
But if you wish to have the virtues if experience and realization dawn within you.
It is more profound to combine all the teachers you have met into one.
And to visualize him the Buddha resting on our crown and to supplicate him.The different recitations for various development stage practices
Of numerous yidam deities in the sections of tantras
Are indespensable if you are to give empowerments as a great master.
But as a means for purifying your own obscurations and attaining enlightenment,
It is more profound to practice one deity and mantra that includes them all.The innumerable practices of the completion stage, with and without reference point,
Are indispensable for expounding the countless meditation manuals.
But as a means for the virtues of experience and realisation to dawn within you,
It is more profound to sustain the essence, which is the embodiment of them all.There are many ways of demonstrating the view,
Such as cutting through fabrications from the outside and from within.
But, just as smoke vanishes when the flames in the fireplace are extinguished,
It is more profound to cut through the root of mind.Although there are numerous meditation techniques,
both with and without concepts,
It is more profound to practice the unity of luminosity and emptiness,
The development stage completed by mere recollection.Although there are numerous kinds of behaviour, high and low, coarse and precise,
It is more profound to exert as much as you can in practicing
and abandoning evil deeds.Although numerous details have been taught about attainment, the time of reaching fruition,
It is more profound to possess the definite certainty of attainment.
After having unmistakenly practiced the view, meditation, and action.Although bodhisattvas who have accomplished the levels
Are not obscured even by serious wrongdoings or misdeeds
done for the sake of the teachings,
Since someone like us has to fear the lower realms,
It is more profound to shun, without involvement,
wrongdoings and severe faults.Moreover, without self-interest and for the general benefit of beings
It is profound to seal your practices, such as offering and giving, copying teachings, and reciting texts,
With a dedication free from conceptualising the three spheres.
Complete absence of doubt ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheWithin our own buddha nature we naturally have all the qualities of nirvana, so we do not need to look for them and take possession of them outside. Neither do we need to get rid of anything, because the obscurations that are temporarily veiling our realization of the absolute nature are not inherent to that absolute nature. So with this third wisdom, doubts are completely absent: there is no wondering, “Will I be able to achieve all those qualities?” or “Will I succeed in getting rid of all these defects?”
The courage not to succumb ~ Jack Kornfield
Jack KornfieldWhen we examine anger and aversion with awareness, there is a radical shift of identity. These states are not who we really are. They are conditioned and impersonal, and they do not belong to us. It is scary to us and to those with whom we are locked in conflict when we release our blame. Sometimes our partners are confused when we step out of the dance of anger. They too will be required to change. In letting go of contention we return to our true strength and nobility. In our hardships, we discover the courage not to succumb, not to retreat, not to strike out in fear and anger. And by resting in a non-contentious heart we become a lamp, a medicine, a strong presence; we become the healing the world so dearly needs.
The Middle Way between existent and nonexistent ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat HanhWhen we first hear about emptiness, we feel a little frightened. But after practicing for a while, we see that things do exist, only in a different way than we’d thought. Emptiness is the Middle Way between existent and nonexistent. The beautiful flower does not become empty when it fades and dies. It is already empty, in its essence. Looking deeply, we see that the flower is made of non-flower elements — light, space, clouds, earth, and consciousness. It is empty of a separate, independent self. In the Diamond Sutra, we are taught that a human being is not independent of other species, so to protect humans, we have to protect the non-human species. If we pollute the water and air, the vegetables and minerals, we destroy ourselves. We have to learn to see ourselves in things that we thought were outside of ourselves in order to dissolve false boundaries.
Be honest with yourself ~ Lama Yeshe
Lama YesheWhat is important to understand is that the view you have of yourself and the view you have of your environment are based on your own mind: they are a projection of your mind and that is why they are not reality.
I will give you a good example. When a French man or woman looks for a girl or boyfriend, there is this research energy from both sides and when suddenly they see each other they make up an incredible story. ‘Oh, so beautiful! Nothing wrong inside or outside.’ They build up a perfect myth. They push and push, the mind makes it all up. If they are Christian they say, ‘Oh, he looks just like Jesus.’ Or ‘She looks just like and angel. She is so nice, so pure. I wish always to hear her!’ Actually, they are just projecting their own fantasies onto each other.
If she is Hindu, then he would say, ‘Oh she looks like Kali, like Mother Earth, like my universal mother. I hope to always be near her. She will teach me who I am and where I am going. Each time I see her, my whole body shakes. I am sure that it must be incredible karma! And because it is our karma I have to serve her, to accept!’ You understand? Actually, you are making the karma at that moment, you are inventing it. Of course, you do have some connection, but….
And if you are Buddhist you fold your hands and say, ‘Oh, she is a dakini and she is showing me the true nature of all thing.’ You understand? ‘When I am near her she gives me energy, energy. Before, I was so lazy, I couldn’t move, I was like a dead person. But now whenever I go near her I can’t believe my energy!’ I tell you, all this is superstitious interpretation. You think that she is your spiritual friend and that before you were not so clear and that now she speaks to you about dharma and everything becomes clearer. And all she does is really perfect, even her kaka and pipi are so pure! Excuse me, perhaps i shouldn’t talk like this — I’m a Buddhist monk! But when we speak about Buddhism, about reality, then we have to speak practically from daily life, about what is earthy, what we can touch and see, not just get caught up in concepts.What I mean is this: you should recognize how every appearance in our daily life is in fact a false projection of your own mind. Your own mind makes it up and becomes an obstacle to touching reality. This is why, our entire life, no matter what kind of life we have, it is a disaster. If you have a rich life, your life is a disaster. If you have a middle class life, your life is a disaster. Of you have a poor life, your life is even more of a disaster! You become a monk and your life is a disaster. You become a nun and your life is a disaster. If you become a Christian, your life is a disaster. If you become a Hindu, your life is a disaster. If you become a a Buddhist, your life is a disaster. If you become a Muslim, your life is also a disaster.
Be honest. Be honest with yourself!
Even if you go to a cave, disaster! You can stay in a mountain cave, in the snowy mountains, and still you carry your ego with you. You carry your entire world with you and all your fantasy clothing doesn’t help.
I’m not talking about religion here, I’m talking about personal things, who we are, what we are, where we are going, what we are doing! I am disaster, my mind is making it. Everything is always with me, always with me, my attitudes poison me. That is what I am talking about.All this religion you follow… as long as you don’t touch reality in yourself, as long as you don’t eradicate your fantasies, you are a disaster. (Now I am disaster hot!)
In fact, reality is very simple. The simplicity of the mind can touch reality, and meditation is something that goes beyond the intellect and brings the mind into its natural state.
Genuinne compassion ~ Khandro Rinpoche
Khandro RinpocheCompassion is not about kindness. Compassion is about awareness. Compassion in the general sense of kindness would be an expression of awareness, but one that might not necessarily be free from the stain of ego-grasping. Genuine compassion is egoless. It is the inherent essence expressed, inseparable from awareness. This natural essence, which is genuine compassion, does not need to be formulated or even expressed as something like “compassion.” We see this exemplified in our great teachers. Their genuine compassion does not require phrases and expressions or even actions. Just their presence, who they are, is nothing other than the quintessence of compassion.
Working in the soil of samsara ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaThe bodhisattva vow acknowledges confusion and chaos — aggression, passion, frustration, frivolousness — as part of the path. The path is like a busy, broad highway, complete with roadblocks, accidents, construction work, and police. It is quite terrifying. Nevertheless it is majestic, it is the great path. “From today onward until the attainment of enlightenment I am willing to live with my chaos and confusion as well as with that of all other sentient beings. I am willing to share our mutual confusion.” So no one is playing a one-upmanship game. The bodhisattva is a very humble pilgrim who works in the soil of samsara to dig out the jewel embedded in it.
That way, it works ~ Gyatrul Rinpoche
Gyatrul RinpocheDo you really want to support the center, support the dharma, and benefit sentient beings, with all three of your doors and not just your mouth? Then you need to be flexible and accommodating, rather than wanting everyone else to help and support you in your idea. We are all one family, all trying to support the dharma because that way we can be sure we are bringing benefit to sentient beings in a meaningful way. We are none of us at the level where we should be proud, or want to be the boss. None of us have those kinds of qualities and none of us are omniscient! But all of us can try to be more harmonious and more humble, which is how we can develop those qualities in ourselves. Each person should check his or her own mind continuously to see when the faults of stubbornness and self-importance creep in. When you see your faults, then you can work to eradicate them. That is how you develop qualities. That is how you clean up your mindstream and become worthy of praise and respect. You don’t get praise and respect by yelling the loudest; if you did, babies would be above all others. We don’t need more babies crying or boasting. We need people working together smoothly, watching and helping intelligently, like grown up human beings. That is not beyond our level. Therefore, if you really want to help, watch yourself carefully. Be patient with each other. Have humility and discipline, which means being in control of your three doors, rather than everything being under the power of your five poisons. Then everything will be very good: in the center, with the sangha, with the dharma, everything. That way, it works!
Meditation on the illusion-like nature ~ Niguma
NigumaThis variety of desirous and hateful thoughts
that strands us in the ocean of cyclic existence
once realized to be without intrinsic nature,
makes everything a golden land, child.If you meditate on the illusion-like nature
of illusion-like phenomena,
actual illusion-like buddhahood
will occur through the power of devotion.