We need to come to a clear understanding of what do we need? Is it money or happiness? Desiring both is difficult to achieve. Even endowed with some merit, one can make some profit through exertion, yet one might not be able to live an easeful life. Other than attaining a high level of spiritual achievement, how can one maintain a calm mind while being preoccupied with various engagements? Thus as an ordinary being, we have to choose one between these two.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

According to sutras, practitioners can be categorized into three levels. The supreme practitioners make progress daily, reaping results everyday day; the mid-level practitioners make less progress, but having breakthroughs monthly; the lesser practitioners make progress only yearly. We need to reflect on ourself, which kind of practitioners are we?

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

My teacher, H.H. Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, once told me, before you attain the enlightenment, your comprehension of the dharma can be likened to reading a road map, thus you must practice vigorously.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

In one hundred years, like the pappus of dandelion leaving a calyx receptacle, seven billion people on the earth will leave this world one by one, entering an unknown area. Then, all the fame and gain become worthless, what’s of only use is the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

After performing virtuous deeds, whether it is reciting mantra, live release, or giving, one should dedicate according to the dharma. People who perform virtuous deeds create merit and can receive positive results. However, practitioners of Mahayana do not want to enjoy the positive results alone. Instead, they want to share with all sentient beings. This is the meaning of dedication.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Ignorance leads to attachment, such as clinging to external world, one’s own body, fame and gain. Without satisfying one’s desire, one will suffer. In order to satisfy one’s desire, one will engage in negative acts, such as killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and lying, etc. All negative acts stem from attachment and ignorance.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Practitioners need to go with the flow in society, do whatever others do, be it fashion or trends, but abstaining from emulating the un-virtuous acts of others. The Mahayana Buddhism is rather humanistic and open. Modern buddhists need to appear as a fashionable and trendy person, but with an inner self liken to practitioners of 2500 years ago; this is a perfect combination! Buddhists need to have a mundane body and supra-mundane mind.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

With strenuous effort, an iron bar can be ground into a needle. Likewise, with persistent meditation, we can suppress negative and destructive emotions such as greed, aggression, pride, and jealousy, etc, and our mind will reach a state of freedom to some extent. Freedom here means being free from anxiety, and maintaining joy for extended periods if you want.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

For many practices, transmission is empathised, especially of the Vajrayana. What do we mean by transmission? It means since the first turning of wheel of dharma of the Buddha, the stream of dharma handed down from one generation to another is called lineage, or transmission, which is non-stop, if it’s broken, then the great blessing of the dharma will not continue. Thus, notwithstanding the existence of scriptures,without oral transmission and transmission of pith instruction, the dharma would be extinct.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES