A lot of people opt for a life in the middle whereby there is neither great suffering nor happiness – a relatively placid life in which they can also practice the Dharma. However, an ordinary life such as this is not necessarily long-lasting. We cannot avoid the eight types of suffering, including birth, aging, illness, and death, and may even encounter great vicissitudes in life. Without the Dharma, how do we confront these circumstances?

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - How to Face Suffering and Happiness-How to Face Happiness

According to tantra, sentient being is buddha, buddha is sentient being; samsara is nirvana, nirvana is samsara. The basic nature of samsara and nirvana is the same, but because we are not yet enlightened and still have afflictions, we see buddha and sentient being, wisdom and afflictions, separately as pure and impure. The tantric path is called Vajrayana because of this view; it is unique in this sense.

~Depicted from GATEWAY TO VAJRAYANA PATH - Vajrayana Terminology

Although non-Buddhist beliefs also proclaim some notion of emptiness, they are unable to enunciate the void nature of all phenomena based on dependent origination. Their idea of emptiness is only some sort of simple emptiness, unlike the one that is inseparable from phenomena. For example, some non-Buddhists also point out that what we see with our eyes and hear with our ears is all illusory. However, most of their ideas about emptiness are just nothingness which ignore phenomena altogether. This is neither the emptiness taught by Nagarjuna and other like-minded masters, nor the one expounded by Asanga and the like that is inseparable from luminous clarity. Emptiness of non- Buddhism means simply non-existence, just like human heads are without horns, which is not the true meaning of Buddhist emptiness. But non-Buddhist idea of emptiness, regretful to say, is just this simple.

~Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - The Three Differences

Bardo Tödröl elucidates the whole process of death, the state of after-death and the process of taking rebirth. The book has received rather strong support in the West mainly because its contents have been validated by many near-death experiences of people who came back to life after a sudden death. The fact that the ancient text of Bardo Tödröl happens to match the clinical findings of modern medicine accounts for its great stature and influence. You should read the book if you are interested in knowing more about it.

~Depicted from THE HANDBOOK'S FOR LIFE JOURNEY - On Death And Rebirth-What Life Truly Is

Why do we “watch the mind from the side” and not directly? If we watch the mind directly, the mind will be startled and disturbed, unable to rest quietly. If we proceed to watch the mind directly as soon as it enters a state of no- self, we will destroy that state since the thought of watching the mind is itself a kind of distraction. When that happens, the original state of tranquility disappears. As for watching the mind from the side, the mind can remain at rest and, at the same time, bring into full play its ability to supervise; as soon as distraction sets in, it will know and pull it back in place.

~Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA - The Practice of Realizing Emptiness

Buddhist teachers have repeatedly pointed out the importance of being mentally strong. People who are mentally weak are more likely to suffer.

What is mental weakness? What kind of person is prone to mental weakness?

Strength and weakness may be hereditary to an extent; some people are naturally strong, others are naturally weak. But the more important factors are environment, educational background, and habitual dispositions. Relatively speaking, a person who is born into a wealthy family and educated in a prestigious institution is more likely to be mentally weak. As a result of this weakness, the person is fussy and difficult to work with. When this disposition develops into a habit, it becomes increasingly serious, to a point where all things are repulsive and unsatisfactory. In the end, such a person will find no meaning or happiness in life, and may even take drastic measures.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - How to Face Suffering and Happiness-How to Face Suffering

What does it mean to watch the mind directly? For instance, if there is a thought to examine whether the mind is calm or thinking of other things, it is watching the mind directly. We should not entertain this kind of examination when abiding in the concentrated state, because once the thought of examination arises, it disrupts this state. Hence we need to watch the mind from the side.

~Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA - The Practice of Impermanence

When our whole body is dissected and the parts are piled up, let us take a look: I have always believed in the existence of a “self,” but where is this “self”? Am I this muscle? Am I this pile of skin, or strand of hair? Am I this type of fluid — blood, lymph, etc.? No, there is no “self” besides these body parts.

~Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA - The Practice of Realizing Emptiness

Feeling is a specific aspect of the mind. Objects like steel, cement, brick, glass, etc. do not have feeling – they do not feel either suffering or happiness. After we die, the body is just like a stone or brick. When it comes in contact with earth, water, fire, wind or anything on the outside, it does not react. It is no longer conscious and thus cannot feel suffering or happiness.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - How to Face Suffering and Happiness-How to Face Suffering