The way of living and the meaning of life may seem to be the most basic things that we should all know about, but to separate the two in practice is not so easy. I personally feel that it is rather important to be able to tell the difference between the two. Nowadays, many people including quite a few Buddhist practitioners think that the way of living and the meaning of life mean one and the same. However, what they have in mind is just the way of living, which less intelligent animals also know, never the purpose and significance of life.

~Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - The Way of Living and the Meaning of Life

This is a kind of intention and aspiration as well. For instance, if one wants to get up at five o'clock in the next morning, one must make resolute decision to wake up at that time when going to bed. Once the decision is made, one will naturally wake up on time even without the help of an alarm clock. Similarly, Arhats also rely on the power of induction when getting ready to enter into the state of cessation of feelings and perceptions (nirodha-samāpatti). For example, if planning to stay in the state of cessation for five days and emerge on the sixth day, one must make firm this intention before sitting down to meditate. Otherwise, as no thought will arise once entering the state of cessation, it will be impossible to emerge from samadhi on the sixth day without invoking the power of induction in advance. This is a very important point to note.

When death is near, the function of the power of induction is to strengthen the determination to never abandon or forget to practice both aspiration and application bodhicitta from the time of dying, through the bardo state and until all lifetimes to come. To uphold such formidable resolution is the power of induction.

~Depicted from THE HANDBOOKS FOR LIFE'S JOURNEY - On Death And Rebirth-Key Points for Practicing Bodhicitta on Deathbed

In the modern world, people also have similar questions. There are some who have never stolen things, killed or hurt anyone; rather, they have kept their vows and practiced virtue. Yet, they often seem to be less fortunate than others in many aspects. Such cases tend to make people wonder, “If karma was true, why should good people run into bad luck?” Lay practitioners who do not have in-depth knowledge of karma or fully understand the viewpoints of Abhidharma-kosha-shastra may ask the same question. Some would even say, “I have attended many pujas and read so many scriptures. I should not have to suffer this or that illness or misfortune.” This is a wrong view. The fact is that all the virtuous actions committed have been stored in our alaya consciousness. It is due to the relevant conditions not yet matured that karma derived from those actions has not come to fruition. This is like a farmer who sowed all his grains in the springtime and must wait five to six months for the harvest. In the meantime, he is just a poor fellow with nothing left to eat at home. Some people may question, “You have toiled hard every day, tilling the land. Why don’t you have any food to eat?” Question like this is pointless. Everyone knows that there is a waiting period between sowing and harvesting.

~Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - On Cause and Effect

We should never rely too much on our senses because they are imperfect. The eye can only see the most superficial layer of the earth; we see light, but only a minute part of the spectrum. We hear sounds, but only ordinary sounds; we cannot distinguish between sound waves of higher or lower frequencies. Hence, we cannot conclude our sensory perceptions are absolutely real.

What about the discovery of Brownian motion under the microscope – is it real at the absolute level? Actually, there is always some wisdom more profound, an instrument more advanced and more sensitive. With the emergence of quantum mechanics, we find many of the theories in classical physics no longer work. All worldly knowledge is only valid on a relative level, not on an absolute level.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - The Significance of Buddhist Philosophy Today

A person’s body, speech, mind, and activity make up the whole person. Likewise, a buddha’s body, speech, wisdom, and activities to free sentient beings from suffering encompass all the qualities of the buddha. Not only tantra but sutra also acknowledges that ultimately the body of a sentient being can be the body of the buddha, the words of sentient beings can become the words of the buddha, the defiled minds of sentient beings the wisdom of the buddha, and the activities of sentient beings the buddha’s activities to deliver all to liberation, but sutra offers no specific method to make such a transformation. On the other hand, many skillful means are available in tantra to free sentient beings from suffering. Through the four yogas which are unique to Vajrayana, the body, speech, mind, and activities of sentient beings can be transformed into that of the buddha.

~Depicted from GATEWAY TO VAJRAYANA PATH - The Generation Stage

People usually believe an “enemy” is someone outside, a certain animal, a particular organization, etc. Buddhism asserts our real enemy is not outside; the most fearsome enemy is inside – it is our self-attachment.

The ancients say: “Fortune and misfortune do not come through the door; only we ourselves invite them.” The happiness and suffering we experience are entirely of our own choosing. If not for one’s innate attributes, nothing can harm us – not the raging fire in hell, the hunger and thirst in the hungry ghost realm, or the evil spirits and wild beasts in this world. Our foremost enemy is self-attachment. It is this attachment that gives rise to greed, anger, delusion, and arrogance.

~Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA - All Phenomena Lack Self-Existence

Bardo Tödröl was first translated from Tibetan into English by the late Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup and edited by American scholar Walter Evans-Wentz. The book has been published and reprinted many times in the U.S. and Europe in English, German and other languages, and is highly regarded by the academia in the West. Dr. C. G. Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist, reviewed the book himself and acknowledged its unique input and value to his academic research. He said, “For years, ever since it was first published, Bardo Tödröl has been my constant companion, and to it I owe not only many stimulating ideas and discoveries, but also many fundamental insights.” W.Y. Evans-Wentz believed that the book would not only improve understanding between East and West but also correct the wrong and indifferent attitude of people, especially those in the West, toward mankind’s fundamental question of life and death. But lack of interest in or plain ignorance of this question is also the case with most people in China today.

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

The first method -- Visualize in front of you the person that you are attached to and contemplate: ‘What do I like about this person? Although my eyes see this person, he or she does not actually exist. Just like a car which is assembled with all its parts, absent the parts, there is no real car. The so-called car is only one’s illusion. Likewise, humans are composed of skin, muscles and bones. When every component is broken down, including even every cell and neuron, what I see will be the same as that in the charnel ground. If these broken down parts can represent a person, so can those in the charnel ground. Obviously, the body itself is not the person I like. Then, do I like that person’s mind? No, I never know what that person is thinking, so what’s there to like. Apparently, what I like, or what I’m attached to, is only an illusion.’

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

As the Buddha was entering nirvana, he laid down another precept. He said, “When I was propagating the teachings of Sravakayana (early school of Buddhism), eating the three kinds of clean flesh was allowed. But from now on, eating meat of any kind should be banned for practitioners of all schools.” Since then, bhikshus and bhikshunis of Theravada tradition have not been allowed to eat the three kinds of clean flesh either. Notwithstanding, exception is allowed. If someone is gravely ill and, by doctor’s order, he or she must eat meat or else may die. And if this person’s death will cost the benefit to sentient beings and the spreading of the Dharma because no other person can give the same teachings, provide guidance and so on, then the patient is allowed to take meat as medicine. At this point, meat is no longer deemed ordinary food.

~Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - Why Vegetarian?