KHENPO'S BLOG

It is clearly stated in the tantric texts that beginners should not do what the yogis do, that yogis not act like realized masters, and realized masters not behave like the Buddha. Beginners aiming to make progress should start by undertaking seriously the practices of contemplating the rare and precious human birth, impermanence of all phenomena, suffering of samsara, etc., and adhering to the precepts rigorously.

~Depicted from GATEWAY TO VAJRAYANA PATH - The Parable of a Black Snake

The real objective of our practice is liberation, not rebirth in the higher realms. As such, we need to establish a path to liberation, with the primary requisite being renunciation. All practices that lead to liberation are based on renunciation. Renunciation is extremely important since we cannot progress to methods in subsequent stages without it. The purpose of seeing all contaminated things as suffering is to give rise to a resolution of complete renunciation.

~Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA - All Contaminated Things are Unsatisfactory

The minimum goal we should set for ourselves of this life is to enter the bodhisattva’s path of accumulation, which is the first step, a must, to start the journey of dharma practice. What then is the primary factor leading to the path of accumulation? It is genuine bodhicitta. 

~Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - The Three Supreme Methods—the ultimate methods of cultivating virtue and training the mind

For example, when we feel strong attachment to a person, his or her every move can make us either happy or sad. During this time, the chances of getting hurt far exceeds that of gaining happiness because once there is attachment, expectation will ensue. If the other party cannot do as wished, it simply adds more unhappy moments to one’s life. This will continue until the relationship is broken and the attachment gone. Conversely, the less we care about certain things, the more likely they can give us a sense of happiness. This is life’s unbreakable natural law.

~Depicted from THE HANBOOK'S FOR LIFE JOURNEY - On The Three Poisons-How to Refute Ignorance

We all have our own view on life; relatively speaking, different ways of looking at things may be correct at certain levels; however, there is only one truth at the ultimate level. Hence, we should get to know the more profound view.

We should know our inner world is truly very miraculous. To visit this world, we rely neither on data nor examination by instruments, but rather on the practices unique to Buddhism. This is not blind faith; it is very real, just as food can satisfy hunger, water can change to ice under freezing temperature.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - Suffering is just a Paper Tiger

There are ten kinds of inner winds—five root winds and five branch winds. We cannot sense some of the inner winds, but they do exist. In relative truth, these winds can sustain our body. If something goes wrong with the winds or they are lost, our body will be affected to different degrees.

Tantra has discussed many signs of death, of which some appear physically, some in dreams, and others emotionally.

The reason for the different signs is this: when death is near, the first problem is the gradual weakening of the winds until it comes to a complete stop; we usually don’t feel it, but because winds and mind are closely related, problems will begin to show up in some parts of the body, in dreams, or with our emotions. Although the time remaining until actual death may be long or short, these are all signs of death.

Inner winds at the deep level means movement of consciousness. Although there is no obvious movement in alaya consciousness, the mind which is born of alaya consciousness is subject to fluctuations—the arising, continuum, and ceasing of mind consciousness are also winds.

~Depicted from GATEWAY TO VAJRAYANA PATH - The Completion Stage —the skillful means to realize emptiness

As a Chinese saying goes, newborn calves are not intimidated by tigers. Similarly, children are not afraid of fire. It is not because calves and children are particularly brave but they are ignorant. It is a matter of not knowing what to be afraid of. Those who claim not to have fear of death are mostly in this category.

~Depicted from THE HANDBOOK'S FOR LIFE JOURNEY - On Death And Rebirth-Understanding Death

What does true peace mean? After liberation, there is genuine freedom from the three types of suffering mentioned before; the seeds of the three types of suffering and their designations also cease to be. This pure and everlasting happiness is true peace. It is not the happiness ordinary people refer to; rather, happiness is just freedom from suffering that arises from contaminated actions. Because it is pure, it is deemed “true peace.”

~Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA - Nirvana Is True Peace

Meditative concentration is not only important to the management and strategic direction of a company, but also invaluable in promoting the mental well-being of corporate leaders and the employees. Without mental concentration or focus, how do business executives cope with all their social obligations? How do they dissolve the stress they are under? What about suffering from feeling empty and restless, trouble with insomnia and depression, and inefficiency? One can imagine how difficult it is to make accurate decisions under these circumstances. Meditation practice can help ameliorate, even eliminate, these problems. Money, which we normally place such importance on, is of no use to us at this time.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - Buddhism and the Business World – Six Standards in a Corporate Culture