WORDS OF WISDOM AUTHOR: KHENPO TSULTRIM LODRO

The antidote of greed is renunciation. Generating renunciation will eliminate greed or keep it at bay; the antidote of selfishness is bodhicitta. Generating bodhicitta will reduce and eliminate selfishness; the antidote of attachment is to realise emptiness. Once realising emptiness, all problems will be solved, such as greed, selfishness, attachment, etc. Thus it’s vital to realise emptiness.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

We are on the way to our tombs, but we’re bickering with each other on the way. We met in this life, yet not being able to stay for long, therefore we need to be understanding and caring. A compassionate and broad mind is our unchanging faith.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

For those who know nothing about Buddhism and do not have any religious believes, when they are dying, tell them: you will be leaving this world momentarily, in a little while, you will meet with many terrifying phenomenon. No matter what terrifying sound, phenomenon you encounter, don’t be afraid, but face them with courage. At the same time, take refuge, make an aspiration and use the three jewels to conquer fear.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

As the sutra says: “The essence of all phenomena is life.” Of all living beings including humans, nothing is more important and precious than life. If bestowing life to others, one bestows all happiness to others.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Buddhists can have many teachers, including the root teacher, however we need to acknowledge there are mere guides down a road, it’s oneself who walks the road. If a teacher fails to guide us down the road and a student fails to walk the road, then it’s both the teacher and the student failing on the path of practice.

~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

Supernatural powers can enable one to propagate the dharma and benefit sentient beings, so can they enable one to engage in negative acts. One who attained supernatural powers through accomplishing the Four dhyanas will not commit negative acts, because they’ve subdued desire and defilements of the desire realm. Whereas the supernatural power attained by the blessing of ghosts and spirits are rather shaky. Therefore, we don’t pursue and admire supernatural powers, nor do we refute or refuse them.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Having received teachings from his teacher, Milarepa was asked by his teacher to practice on his own, thus he never saw his teacher again. Due to fervent faith in his teacher, he could attain enlightenment in his very life. Without having strong faith in one’s teacher, even should one stay with their teacher every minute, one will not necessarily receive the blessing of the teacher or attain enlightenment.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

According to the dharma, the methods a practitioner and a commoner use to address a problem are different. However, our dharma study tends to have only literal comprehension without putting it into practice, thus we only have accumulated merit of listening to the dharma and lack actual effect of the dharma. When facing layers of grave pressure of life, we act similarly to non-Buddhists. Therefore, we need progress and develop in this respect.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES