Buddha ShakyamuniThe three worlds are ablaze with the suffering of old age and sickness;
This world is ablaze with the fire of death and without a protector.
Always deluded in impure existence,
Beings spin like a bee caught in a vase.The three worlds are unstable, like autumn clouds;
The birth and death of beings is like watching a play.
The life of a being passes quickly,
Like a lightning bolt in the sky or a mountain stream.By the power of craving for existence and ignorance,
Beings take birth as humans, gods, or in the three lower realms.
In their ignorance they continuously circle among these five existences,
Like the spinning of a potter’s wheel.
The nurse and protector of samadhi ~ Ajahn Chah
Ajahn ChahMindfulness is the nurse and protector of samādhi. It is the dhamma which allows all other wholesome dhammas to arise in balance and harmony. Mindfulness is life. At any moment that you lack mindfulness, it is as if you are dead. Lack of mindfulness is called heedlessness, and it robs your words and actions of all meaning. Whatever form of recollection mindfulness takes, it gives rise to self-awareness, wisdom, all kinds of good qualities.
Gradual change ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaThis may be helpful to keep in mind if at times we find ourselves progressing more slowly than we had hoped. Once we realize that our personalities are not fixed and that we can decide to actively change them, we might become inspired and expect to be able to push ourselves to change rapidly. But compassion and other inner qualities are not solid things that we can just decide to acquire, install, and power on. They do not exist as discrete or unrelated entities but rather need to be cultivated gradually, over time, and in concert with other qualities.
What a waste of time ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheWhat a waste of time it is to take so much care if this body, feeding it the most succulent dishes, dressing it in the most fashionable clothes, and trying to make it look younger than it really is. The body has no other destination than the cemetery where it will be burned, buried, or fed to the birds.
Actual experience ~ Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche
Nyoshul Khen RinpocheIf we remain focused outwardly and enthralled with intellectualizing the view, this is exactly what is meant when the Great Perfection speaks of being “spoiled by concepts and fabrication.”
If we direct our mind outwardly while learning teachings on the view, this is exactly what will happen. But if we look within, into our own mind, we will certainly gain actual experience through the oral instructions of our teachers. We will practice in accordance with the buddhadharma and gain true experience and realization.
The seventh paramita ~ Tenzin Palmo
Tenzin PalmoWe all take ourselves a little bit too seriously. I always say that a good sense of humour is the seventh paramita. We should learn to laugh about ourselves in a kind way, not in a harsh way. Even if we keep falling down, it doesn’t matter, let’s keep going.
Sealing your merit with authentic dedication ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheIf you fail to seal your merit with authentic dedication, then however vast the offerings and positive actions you have performed may be, their results can only be ephemeral and vulnerable to the destructive effects of your negative emotions, such as anger, pride, and jealousy.
The ultimate source of success in life ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaFrom my own limited experience I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. This helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the ultimate source of success in life.
Dharmata ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheWhen we speak about dharmata, or things as they really are, we are speaking about the absence of the confusion and mistaken appearances that ordinary people experience most of the time. When we talk about the mind itself (Tib. semnyi), or mind as it is, we are referring to the inseparability of luminosity and emptiness. If we just meditate without having identified dharmata, the meditation will make us more peaceful, gradually causing us to understand the view, but it will not cut the root of the disturbing emotions. Therefore, we need to find out what the dharmata is and rest our mind there.
Just space ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheImagine a clay pot. It is both surrounded by and filled with space. When the pot breaks, the space that had been inside the pot mixes with the space that had been outside of it and the two become inseparable. It is not possible to tell the “inside” space from the “outside” space; space is just space and there is no way of knowing where any part of it originated. This is how the practitioner and the guru dissolve into each other to become inseparable.
Guru ~ Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche
Shechen Rabjam RinpocheFrom the relative perspective the guru appears in human form, turns the wheel of Dharma, and shows the path. Develop unchanging faith in your teacher and then mingle your mind with his. By remaining in that state and maintaining the natural flow of awareness — perfect simplicity without any fabrication — you will realize the true nature of mind. Your mind will become one with your teacher’s mind. At that point, from the absolute point of view you will see him as the dharmakaya, the state of great evenness.
The wheel of Dharma ~ Buddha Shakyamuni
Buddha ShakyamuniAt that time the Blessed One spoke these verses:
The wheel of Dharma has been turned,
Which is profound, hard to behold, and subtle.
It is not understood by the extremists,
Nor by the demons.The wheel of Dharma has been turned,
Which is without an all-ground and beyond concepts,
Unborn and without origination,
Unique and empty of inherent nature.The Buddha has turned the wheel
That teaches the Dharma of equality,
Without anything to accept and reject,
Causeless and without characteristics.The Protector of the World
Has turned the wheel that is like
An illusion, a mirage,
A dream, an echo, or a moon reflected in water.It leads beyond conditioned phenomena;
It is not nihilistic and neither is it permanent,
But cuts through all views—
So is the wheel of Dharma described.It is an infinitely vast teaching,
Ever equal to space,
Luminous and nonconceptual—
So is the wheel of Dharma described.It is free from existence and nonexistence,
Beyond self and no self,
A teaching that is naturally unborn—
That is what we call the wheel of Dharma.In the truth of suchness,
It is the final end, yet it is without an end,
This nondual teaching of the Dharma—
That is what we call the wheel of Dharma.The eye is essentially empty,
So are the ear and the nose.
The tongue, the body, and also the mind
Are empty and inert.Such a wheel is the wheel of Dharma
That has now been turned.
He awakens unawakened beings;
That’s why he is called the Awakened One.By myself have I realized this nature—
The nature defined as Dharma—
Without instructions from others,
And so I am the self-arisen possessor of the wisdom eye.
The Four Considerations for Choosing a Teacher ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheThe four considerations for choosing a teacher are: an examination of the lineage, the teacher’s practice history, the teacher’s compassion and willingness to take care of the student, and the teacher’s discipline with regard to maintaining whatever vows he or she has taken. This is not information that you can look up on the Internet. You need to do a little work. But if our assessments check out and there is a heart connection between you and the teacher, our efforts will be worthwhile.
Share well-being ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronUsually we try to ward off feeling bad, and when we feel good we would like that to last forever. In tonglen, though, not only are we willing to breathe in painful things, we are also willing to breathe out our feelings of well-being, peace, and joy. We are willing to give these away, to share them with others.
Encountering the wind of adversity ~ Gyelse Tokme Zangpo
Gyelse Tokme ZangpoWhenever you encountered the wind of adversity
It only strengthened the fires of twofold bodhicitta,
Consuming the wood of karma and the kleśas—
Precious lord of Dharma, to you I pray.
Integrating one’s practice with one’s life ~ Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche
Namkhai Norbu RinpocheIn order to be able to truly integrate one’s practice with one’s life, a few sessions of sitting meditation a day are simply not enough, because we live a twenty-four hour day, and an hour or two of practice just won’t give the right results. “Integrating”, on the other hand, means understanding the condition of “what is” in relation to life itself, without correcting it, so that every circumstance of one‘s life becomes an occasion for practice.
Free of fixation ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpochePure awareness, the empty essence, the union of clarity and wisdom, the essence of clarity and wisdom — all these can be synonyms for wisdom or awareness. This is the essence that is present with in all sentient beings, yet we do not recognize it. We have the instructions to recognize it, and if we do, we should not fixate on it. Pure awareness is without fixation. We should not cling or fixate on it in any way. It is like a rainbow in the sky above, and when we are free of this fixation, experiences arise unimpeded, meaning without any blockages.
The ground of being ~ Alan Wallace
Alan WallaceHow can one know whether it is possible through practice to transcend the sense of duality, to transcend language, to transcend experience mediated by concepts? The only way to know is to do it, and that is the challenge. The Buddha declared it is possible. You are not locked into your own personal history, your own conceptual and cultural framework. You have your own personal history but it’s not the whole story. There is also a transcendent element to your being that can be accessed experimentally, and it goes beyond all concepts. The experience is frequently described as pure awareness, but it’s not awareness as part of a duality, such as mind and matter. It does not fit into the Cartesian game plan. If you access that experience by delving into the nature of awareness, then, coming out of it, you might describe it as unborn, spontaneous, nondual, uncontrived, unfabricated awareness. Moreover, when people come out of this experience, they tend to speak of the entire world, with all of its myriad diversity, arising from this primordial awareness. Such nonduality is the ground of being.
The three higher trainings ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheIf we wish to practice the Dharma authentically but we do not have faith, however much we listen, reflect, and meditate, it will not bear fruit. Our practice will be without light, like the world before dawn when there is no sun.
We also need to use the field of pure discipline. To practice the Dharma, it is essential to have the solid foundation of the Pratimoksha, Bodhisattva, and Secret Mantrayana vows. Without these it is impossible to practice the Dharma, just as it is impossible to build a big house without having firm ground to build on.
Once we have this well-prepared field, we can plant in it the seeds of concentration from which experiences and realization will grow. We also have to take care of the field properly, to till the earth, spread manure, and water it; and the sun must shine on the field to warm it.
If all these conditions are brought together properly, then the crop of wisdom will grow without difficulty. And just as a good harvest brings wealth, with these three trainings, the trainings of discipline, concentration, and wisdom, it is certain we will attain liberation.
Shame ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronShame is a loaded word for Westerners. Like most things, it can be seen in a positive or negative light. Negative shame is accompanied by guilt and self-denigration. It is pointless and doesn’t help us even slightly. Positive shame, on the other hand, is recognizing when we’ve harmed ourselves or anyone else and feeling sorry for having done so. It allows us to grow wiser from our mistakes. Eventually it dawns on us that we can regret causing harm without becoming weighed down by negative shame. Just seeing the hurt and heartbreak clearly motivates us to move on. By acknowledging what we did, cleanly and compassionately, we go forward.