SaigyoOn the clear mirror,
just a single speck of dust.
And yet, looking
closely, we see it before
all else — people thinking thus.
Touching the core of our equality ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaEmpathy enables us to reach across differences and connect as equals. It does so by cutting straight through the walls that we build up around us and allowing us to touch the core of our equality: the ability to experience pain and joy
Practicing loving kindness meditation ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat HanhPracticing loving kindness meditation is like digging deep into the ground until we reach the purest water. We look deeply into ourselves until insight arises and our love flows to the surface. Joy and happiness radiate from our eyes, and everyone around us benefits from our smile and our presence. If we take good care of ourselves, we help everyone. We stop being a source of suffering to the world, and we become a reservoir of joy and freshness. Here and there are people who know how to take good care of themselves, who live joyfully and happily. They are our strongest support. Whatever they do, they do for everyone.
Don’t focus on it ~ Bodhidharma
BodhidharmaIf, as in a dream, you see a light brighter than the sun, your remaining attachments will suddenly come to an end and the nature of reality will be revealed. Such an occurrence serves as the basis for enlightenment. But this is something only you know. You can’t explain it to others.
Or if, while you’re walking, standing, sitting, or lying in a quiet grove, you see a light, regardless of whether it’s bright or dim, don’t tell others and don’t focus on it. It’s the light of your own nature.
Of if, while you’re walking, standing, sitting, or lying in the stillness and darkness of night, everything appears as though in daylight, don’t be startled. It’s your own mind about to reveal itself.
Or if, while you’re dreaming at night, you see the moon and stars in all their clarity, it means the workings of your mind are about to end. But don’t tell others.
Free from the extreme of existence and that of nonexistence ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheThis empty nature, the lack of intrinsic existence in phenomena, does not imply a blank naught in which there is nothing at all, as we find in the view of the nihilists. According to relative truth, all phenomena arise as a result of the interdependent conjunction of causes and conditions. This enables us to explain not only how samsara is formed but also it is possible to progress toward nirvana. There is no contradiction between the absolute nature and its infinite display and, because of this, one is free from the extreme of existence and that ofnonexistence,
The essence of afflictions ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheWhen a strong affliction such as anger arises, we have the unbearable feeling that we need to hurt someone or say something mean, but where is the affliction? What is its essence? When we examine it and meditate, we see that its essence is by nature empty. If we realize this, it automatically has no power and disappears.
We can’t ignore our reality ~ Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche
Namkhai Norbu RinpocheSomeone who begins to develop an interest in the teachings can tend to distance themselves from the reality of material things, as if the teachings were something completely apart from daily life. Often, at the bottom of all this, there is an attitude of giving up and running away from one’s own problems, with the illusion that one will be able to find something that will miraculously help one to transcend all that. But the teachings are based on the principle of our actual human condition. We have a physical body with all its various limits: each day we have to eat, work, rest, and so on. This is our reality, and we can’t ignore it.
The roots of Buddhist practice ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaHumans are set apart from other types of sentient beings by their ability to naturally connect with sharp intelligence and with nonviolence, loving-kindness, and compassion. From the moment we are born, we are constantly chasing after happiness, thinking of ways we can become happy and free from suffering, and we actively try to bring those desires to fruition. The propensities toward loving-kindness, compassion, and nonviolence we display in following this quest for happiness demonstrate what makes human beings unique.
For any species of sentient being to continue existing, the members of that species must have affection for each other and they must support each other. In order for our human community to survive, we must nurture and sustain connections of love, compassion, nonviolence, and altruism. These connections are what will allow us not only to survive, but to make our lives meaningful. If we concentrate on ensuring that these connections are present, that in itself will be enough.
All of the Buddha’s teachings are based on refraining from harming others and engaging in helping others. It is therefore of great importance for Buddhists to have these two principles as the ground of their practice. The roots of Buddhist practice are the attitudes of altruism and non-harm. In other words, the roots of Buddhist practice are loving-kindness and compassion.
I like suffering ~ Patrul Rinpoche
Patrul RinpocheI don’t like happiness, I like suffering:
If I am happy, the five poisons increase.
If I suffer, my past bad karma is exhausted.
I don’t value high positions, I like low ones.
If I am important, my pride and jealousy increase;
If I am lowly, I relax and my spiritual practice grows.
The lowest place is the seat of the saints of the past.
A Buddhas love ~ Thubten Chodron
Thubten ChodronWe ordinary beings see love as a limited commodity; it’s a fixed pie and we feel we only have a limited amount. “If I give some to you, I can’t give as much to others. And if I give it to everybody else, I can’t give it to you.” That kind of love has strings and conditions attached. It’s a narrow and limited understanding of what love means; it’s not the kind of love Tara has. A Buddhas love remains constant. It is shared with everyone, no matter how they treat that Buddha. Tara’s love and compassion do not depend upon whether other people like her or not, whether others praise her or not, whether they go along with her ideas or not.
Attention and relaxation ~ Alan Wallace
Alan WallaceMeditation is a balancing act between attention and relaxation.
Our concepts about our world ~ Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche
Nyoshul Khen RinpocheOur perceptions and thinking process are very limited. We see our world as something huge, and we think it is permanent and stable, indestructible like a diamond, immovable like a great mountain. But in fact this way of thinking is only our concepts about it.
Over-reacting ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaWe often add to our pain and suffering by being overly sensitive, over-reacting to minor things, and sometimes taking things too personally.
Devotion ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheIt may sound as if you must have devotion in order to have an understanding of the view, that devotion ignites the practice of the Dharma. But as you become more seasoned in practicing the Dharma, especially the Vajrayana, the gap between devotion and the goal of the devotion becomes very small. As you become more skilled in practicing, you will see that devotion is the awareness of impermanence, devotion is the renunciation mind, devotion is the compassion for all sentient beings, devotion is none other than the experience of dependent arising. Most important, the moment there is devotion, you have the view, and there is awareness of shunyata.
First I shall examine my mind ~ Shantideva
ShantidevaWhenever I wish to move,
Or to speak,
First I shall examine my mind,
And firmly act in a suitable way.Whenever my mind becomes attached,
Or angry,
I shall not act, nor shall I speak.
I shall remain like a piece of wood.
Eliminating the illusory notion of a self ~ Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu RinpocheBecause we cling to this notion of a self, we continue to aggrandize this self and work for its benefit. By eliminating the illusory notion of a self, directionless working for all sentient beings occurs spontaneously as in the activities of a Buddha.
The interdependence between us and the world ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaWhen we think of containers, we often overlook the ways in which the contents can affect the container itself — warming or cooling it, staining or bleaching it, stretching or strengthening it and even breaking it. The word used in Tibetan for “contents’ in this analogy also literally means “nutrients”, such that we ourselves are like the nourishment for the world that contains us. Indeed, as I have mentioned, the carbon dioxide we exhale nourishes the trees and plants, and our bodies also return to the earth and nourish it after we have died. The natural environment, in turn, nourishes us and provides us with the conditions we need for life. What this signals is that the connections of interdependence between us and the world we live in are far closer and more reciprocal than we normally envision.
Wishing happiness for those who have hurt you ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheEvery one of us has been hurt by people we have cared for, and although we may insist we have forgotten all about it, we rarely have. To help ease any lingering pain, visualise them in the place of honour, and as you arouse bodhichitta, wish them everything that is good. If thinking about them continues to be painful, it is a sign that you have not let go of feeling they have wronged you. Try not to focus on it. Instead, admit to yourself that you are still holding on to your pain. Then concentrate on wishing them every happiness and long to take all their sufferings on yourself. And do bear in mind that for those who are really serious about practising the dharma, difficult relationships provide the most fertile ground for practice.
Meditation on compassion ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheWhen I began to practice meditation on compassion, I found that my sense of isolation began to diminish, while at the same time my personal sense of empowerment began to grow. Where once I saw only problems, I started to see solutions. Where once I viewed my own happiness as more important than the happiness of others, I began to see the well-being of others as the foundation of my own peace of mind.
A bridge between all religions ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaPractices of loving-kindness and compassion are indispensable elements of all religious traditions. These are qualities everyone can practice, regardless of their religious affiliation or ancestry. In fact, training to develop loving-kindness and compassion provides a bridge between all religions and all the many parts of our global society.
I am a Buddhist, but I still have to live my life as a member of the larger world community and take full part in society, where Buddhism is not the only spiritual tradition. There are many different forms of religion and spirituality, and there are also many different types of people, including those who are inclined toward religious or spiritual approaches and those who are not.
Since our world community is so very vast and diverse, it is important for us to respect the entire range of religious and spiritual traditions, not setting ourselves up as “opponents” of any other tradition. The way to accomplish happiness in the world is to do meaningful work in one’s own life, with a positive motivation that sees all people and all traditions as equal.