Emptiness (ultimate truth, reality) and phenomena (relative truth) have never been contradictory to one another. As mentioned previously, some people mistakenly think that emptiness of the ultimate truth and the phenomena of the relative truth are contradictory after reading the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra. They think that if emptiness is true, there can be no samsara; if samsara exists, it cannot be emptiness. But this is just their personal view. In fact, the two truths do not contradict each other at all. 

Take the earlier example of a piece of fabric. The observation can be made in reverse order from emptiness to the aggregation of quarks, atoms, molecules, etc. and finally wool. Wool can be knitted into yarn, yarn to fabric, and fabric made to clothes. Whether or not to take apart or put together the constituent elements the essence of fabric is actually the same. When put together, the existence of fabric is the relative truth. When take apart, the final non-existence of fabric is of the ultimate truth. The essence of fabric has never been separated from the ultimate truth, but in the relative truth, fabric exists and can be made into clothes. The two are not contradictory. Hence, it was said before that all matter can be defined by the ultimate truth and relative truth. 

~Depicted from FROM BELIEVERS TO BODHISATTVAS

Virtue and evil are the same in terms of the scale of its karmic result. Even engaging in an insignificant, positive act will enable us to experience good health and longevity in the next five hundred lifetimes; however, committing an insignificant, negative act will enable us to experience poor health and short life span in the next five hundred lifetimes or even longer. These are due to insignificant acts leading to great results.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

There are two ways to realise Dzogchen: one is to listen to dharma extensively, then to accumulate immense merits by engaging in the practice of cultivating renunciation and bodhicitta, the practice of mandala offering and embarking on the path of bodhisattvas. When accumulation of merit rises to a certain level, one can realise emptiness; another way is to rely on the qualified master’s blessing. The premise to receive such blessing is to have devotion. The stronger the devotion, the more blessing one can receive.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Where do these harmful pills come from? Some are from tertons who are actually impostors and some are concocted by demons to hurt sentient beings. At times, genuine nectar pills, after being handled or made by persons who have broken samaya vows, can also be tainted. As Guru Rinpoche did not leave behind many nectar pills, accomplished masters, after retrieving them, will mix them with other nectar and medicinal herbs, then bless the pills through meditation and mantra recitations. If during this process there is one samaya violator among the attending practitioners, the pills will get tainted. 

~Depicted from FROM BELIEVERS TO BODHISATTVAS

One who has no understanding of the law of karma will think karma is mysterious and tarnished with obscure religious elements. In fact, the law of karma is not mysterious at all. If paying closer attention, we’ll come to the conclusion that all phenomena is in the sphere of cause and effect, be it animals, plants or mankind. A certain cause will lead to corresponding result.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

What is worrying is that many who receive empowerment today do not emphasize the secret mantra vehicle vow. Those requesting empowerment do not even know these vows are required for the empowerment. So they think once they receive empowerment, everything will be great. The fact is, once one receives empowerment, the difficulty is in maintaining the secret mantra vehicle vow.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Countless buddhas in the past, including Shakyamuni Buddha, vowed to liberate all sentient beings when giving rise to bodhicitta, vowing to attain buddhahood after all sentient beings attain buddhahood. We haven’t attained buddhahood yet, but they have. Why? Buddhas make such aspirations out of vast compassion. Due to the greatest and sublimity of their aspirations, they attained buddhahood swiftly. Whereas we are preoccupied with our own interest, thus we are still struggling in the samsara.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Before engaging in main practice, we need to cultivate renunciation, which entails four practices of outer preliminary practices: preciousness of human body, the impermanence of human life, the infallibility of the law of karma, and the defects of samsara. Once having cultivated renunciation, we should not hurry to engage in practice of calm abiding and meditative concentration; rather, we need to cultivate bodhicitta. Without bodhicitta, there is no aim in our practice. Without aim, what’s the point of engaging in meditative concentration and dzogchen practice?

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

What does lineage mean? It means a line of transmission of the dharma that is handed down by lineage masters such as Shakyamuni Buddha, Guru Rinpoche, etc. It’s a pure line of transmission of the dharma like the running river without stop. These lineages contain intangible blessings of lineage masters which can only be experienced in the process of practice; this is vital for our practice, thus it’s best to seek a pure lineage before one engages in tantric practice.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES