Before, lacking the essential wisdom, people tended to love themselves almost unscrupulously. But, under closer examination, selfishness is really without reason, groundless and moreover a big obstacle in our quest for ultimate happiness. This was never mentioned in anything that we learned from the secular world. Though some people might have said something similar, they lacked profundity. Only the Buddha told us the truth. Through his teachings, we are able to reflect on our previous actions and thus come to the conclusion that we were wrong being selfish. Henceforth, bodhicitta can be aroused. Among all the wholesome motivations, bodhicitta is the most precious and most significant.

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

Therefore, it is usually not very difficult for someone to achieve worldly success, but quite a different matter when it comes to arouse genuine bodhicitta. When basic quality such as bodhicitta is absent, all practices will fail in reaching their objectives. Therefore, we must strive to succeed in generating bodhicitta, no matter how difficult it is. The challenge is with our own self, with that selfish mind. It is a constant battle we must face with endurance. If we work hard at it, we will triumph in the end.

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

In real life, we often try to escape from difficult and painful situations. The Buddha taught us to confront not escape from difficulties and suffering. The best way to train our mind is to attain realization of emptiness. Mind will become super strong once realization of emptiness is attained; it will not be moved by any external factors. Afterwards we should also consider this: Although I have made myself strong, so many others are still in the dark without knowledge or training. I want to help them. This is how we can actually practice, not just proclaim, the maxim of “deliver sentient beings from samsara.”

~ Depicted from "THE HANDBOOK FOR LIFE"S JOURNEY : On The Three Poisons - How to Handle Desire"

The dividing line between a bodhisattva and a non-bodhisattva is the ability to let go of selfishness and care for all living beings from the bottom of one’s heart. “Living beings” does not only refer to human beings but includes seemingly insignificant creatures such as mosquitoes and earthworms. Certain people view the lives of animals as not having much value, but the animals themselves value their lives as quite precious.  For example, human beings do not like mosquitoes and consider them to be pests that should be exterminated. However, if we turn the lens around, from the mosquito's perspective its life is extremely precious. We have no right to harm any living being just to serve our own interests.

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series 8

Although we all know that we cannot take anything with us when we die, we still try very hard to get closer to the kind of life that money can buy, just so that we may have a happier life before we go. However, when people do become wealthier, their level of happiness has not grown with the improvement of their living conditions.

Everyone is seeking a happy life, yet all seem to be experiencing unhappiness of one kind or another. More and more people realize that having more money and possessions is no guaranty for more happiness.

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series 6

Everything is constantly subject to origination (birth) and destruction (death). If there were no origination and destruction, or if things forever maintained their same state, then nothing would change at all and it would not be possible to have any movement. For instance, when a person is born, only then can living and death come into existence. The existence of all material phenomena consists of three stages: the origination stage at the beginning, the maintenance stage in the middle, and the destruction stage at the end. Therefore, in the first place, there must be the origination, then comes the maintenance and the destruction.

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series 10

We are living in illusions. When we believe these illusions, they can give us temporary happiness as well as pain, fear and some more. But the root of all these is the mind, nothing else. Once we know all phenomena are just illusions, we will not so fixate on our attachment and be able to slowly let go. At the least, we won’t worry so much about gains and losses as to make our life miserable.

~ Depicted from "THE HANDBOOK FOR LIFE"S JOURNEY : On The Three Poisons - How to Handle Desire"

The motivation of a superior disciple is that of a bodhisattva, which is the most difficult in the category of wholesome motivation. My personal view is that barely a few people are able to take the path of the superior disciple. Since beginingless time, all sentient beings have known to cherish themselves above others. Everything that one does is to take care of one’s own interest, seldom others’, and never serves others’ needs unconditionally.

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

It doesn’t mean that one must have the experience of breaking up in order to attain realization. Start with the preliminary practice, learn the theory of Madhyamaka and then proceed further to train in meditation. Even not having to sustain any emotional blow, one can still gain realization of emptiness following these steps. Wouldn’t it be even better this way?

~ Depicted from "THE HANDBOOK FOR LIFE"S JOURNEY : On The Three Poisons - How to Handle Desire"