WORDS OF WISDOM AUTHOR: KHENPO TSULTRIM LODRO

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"

Of course, only we ourselves know if we have aroused renunciation or bodhicitta. Unless someone has the ability to read other people’s mind, it is impossible for anyone else to know even through fortune telling or divination. Thus, for the sake of monitoring our development, we must act as our own most unforgiving supervisor.

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

People are likely to go astray if these points are being overlooked. I think it is really unnecessary for some to hear the profound teachings like the Great Perfection just yet. Does it mean there is no benefit in listening to those teachings? Yes, there is. It certainly can sow some good seeds in the mindstream while also having the inherent merit associated with listening to the Dharma, but no other benefit to speak of. Therefore, I believe, without the necessary foundation, it is not very meaningful to rush into receiving those teachings. The most pressing task right now is to adjust the motivation.

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

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

The most venerable Vimalaprabha has said that regardless of whether this period lasts one hour, two hours or one day, this state and the state of a Buddha are no different. In other words, the Buddha's state and the state before the existence of samsara, as well as the state of waking up from fainting after death, can be seen as completely inseparable. This is because, through Dharma practice, a Buddha has completely removed all afflictions and they will no longer arise. Although ordinary people are able to experience this particular state for a moment, without practicing Dharma they are unable to stop the arising of afflictions altogether. This state only remains for a short while for ordinary people; subsequently, a new cycle of samsara will begin while a new bardo is created. The very first moment of the bardo arises from this state. Thus, this is one beginning of samsara and this state is exactly the same as the process of the farthest beginning of samsara and the dawn of life

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series 3

On the other hand, virtue also has the possibility to turn into mutable karma. It is therefore important for us to save all virtuous karma as best we can. There are two ways to do that. One is dedication. The other, a better way, is to understand fully the meaning of emptiness, that is, knowing virtuous karma is, like dreams, intrinsically illusory. If we can contemplate in this way, even if anger arises, it cannot destroy the root of virtue. Because anger is defilement, a mental affliction rooted in attachment, it is incompatible with the view that all phenomena are illusory. But the virtuous actions we performed are directly associated with attaining realization of that view. Since something mired in attachment is inferior to the virtuous root planted with wisdom, anger cannot destroy this root of virtue. If we have neither attained any realization nor dedicated merit, but are constantly filled with anger, virtuous karma will be destroyed very easily. For ordinary people, the best way to save accumulated good karma is dedication of merit.

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series 1

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"

The notion that all phenomena are without self nature and illusory like dreams has been extensively elucidated in the Chan Buddhist scripture The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch and various Vajrayana tantras, particularly in Dzogchen. There is a chapter in Ratnakuta Sutra on the discussion between Kasyapa and Sakyamuni Buddha, which is missing in the Chinese translation of the Sutra but available in the Tibetan version. Kasyapa asked the Buddha what mind is like. The Buddha told him that mind of the past has gone, that of the future not yet born; neither exists. And mind of the present is emptiness, not existent either. Even though this is a Mahayana sutra, the explanation is incisive and crystal clear. It is also said in the Diamond Sutra, “Mind of the past is unobtainable; mind of the present is unobtainable; mind of the future is unobtainable.” When the fifth patriarch of Chan Buddhism said this, Huineng, the sixth patriarch, instantly realized that mind does not exist. If one can suddenly come to this realization, all the heartbreaks from falling out of love and divorce are worth it.

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

It is not uncommon for the same circumstance to be a positive condition for some but negative for others, such as divorce, falling out of love, being sick, among others. In the book series Wisdom Light, there are several discourses, for example, How to Face Happiness and Suffering, Transforming Illness into the Path, that tell us specifically how to deal with such circumstances. Whether one gains enlightenment or descends to the hell realm depends on how the few decades of this life is lived. Only with the help of the Buddha’s wisdom can one maintain equanimity in both good and bad times.

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