"My life is over. I have hit the bottom. I don’t know what to do. Please help me." And here is the advice Trungpa Rinpoche gave me. He said, “Well, it’s a lot like walking into the ocean, and a big wave comes and knocks you over. And you find yourself lying on the bottom... Continue Reading →
"Once I was giving a teaching on love. The theme of the talk was that everyone has love within them. No matter what the circumstance, who you are, or where you are in the world, you have love 24 hours a day — even when you are feeling anger or hatred. During this talk, it... Continue Reading →
"Devotion is resting at ease in that most natural state. With nothing to give, nothing to gain, nothing to lose, and no one to praise or blame; no need for this, no need for that; beyond hope and beyond fear — simply abide in the nature as is." MINDROLING JETSUN KHANDRO RINPOCHE
Wherever you are, whatever you do, it’s essential to acknowledge your experience as something ordinary, the natural expression of your true mind. If you don’t try to stop whatever is going on in your mind, but merely observe it, eventually you’ll begin to feel a tremendous sense of relaxation, a vast sense of openness within... Continue Reading →
The great saint Virupa, what’s he saying? He is not saying that you should not wear tie. No, not at all. If you say, ok the tie is useless, is ridiculous, it is not good, therefore you should not wear tie. He is not saying that. Because if he says that it is a bit... Continue Reading →
BUDDHA SPEAKS “Bahiya, this is how you should train yourself:Whenever you see a form, simply see;whenever you hear a sound, simply hear;whenever you taste a flavor, simply taste;whenever you feel a sensation, simply feel;whenever a thought arises, let it be simply a thought.Then “you” will not exist;whenever “you” do not exist, you will not be... Continue Reading →
Stop continuously trying to change the outer world in a way that it always brings peace to you. You will never succeed, and you will lose so much of your precious energy. Use your precious energy to change your inner world instead, so that whatever arises in the outer world, it will not affect your... Continue Reading →
"Although much of the [ground]work has already been done for us [by the enlightened beings of the past and present], we still have to use our own experience to arrive at our own unshakable confidence. We have to observe our heart, over and over again, both when it's open and when it's closed. We have... Continue Reading →
"If we want to develop the strength of patience, we have to know our own weaknesses. That is the only way we can get free from them. . . When we acknowledge the trouble caused by our own neurotic tendencies . . . we can heave a sigh of relief and start working on the... Continue Reading →
We need to deal with difficult situations, with both wisdom as well as compassion, which is definitely a challenge. We need insight into just how to deal with someone's negative emotions, especially anger, without creating more aggression and harm.Of course, compassion itself can be very strong and fearless, but it needs a clarity to understand... Continue Reading →
In Buddhism there are ‘the Seven Limbs’. One of the seven points is the confession of what we have done wrong: we remind ourselves of all the big mistakes we have. But straight after that comes the rejoicing in the goodness. It’s as if our garden is full of weeds; we definitely need to pull... Continue Reading →
“The cause of all these sufferings is our fundamental insecurity. We are always wondering whether we exist or not. Our ego, or rather our attachment to the idea of self, is completely insecure about its own existence. Our ego may seem strong but it is actually quite shaky. Of course, we do not ask such... Continue Reading →
The way to experience one’s state of being is simply to relax. In this case relaxation is quite different from the setting-sun idea of flopping or taking time off, entertaining yourself with a good vacation. Relaxation here refers to relaxing the mind, letting go of the anxiety and concepts and depression that normally bind you.... Continue Reading →
So the point we come back to is that some kind of real gift or sacrifice is needed if we are to open ourselves completely. This gift may take any form. But in order for it to be meaningful, it must entail giving up our hope of getting something in return. It does not matter... Continue Reading →
"To study emptiness means to accept without resisting, to not push away from the emptiness that's within us and try to fill up our sense of longing and deficiency. It's to sit and say, 'Let me feel that emptiness and not try to fill it right away.' When we stop running and feel that, then... Continue Reading →
Prince Siddhartha sat on a patch of kusha grass beneath a ficus religiosa tree investigating human nature. After a long time of contemplation, he came to the realization that all form, including our flesh and bones, and all our emotions and all our perceptions, are assembled — they are the product of two or more... Continue Reading →
So many people exist in their own bubble, focusing intently on getting food, homes, cars, insurance, securities. We are most afraid of something negative happening to our material world, such as our investments, home, health, and on a larger scale, global warming. But anger and being burned in the flames of anger doesn’t seem to... Continue Reading →
"Equanimity holds it all. Peace is not about moving away from or transcending all the pain in order to travel to an easeful, spacious realm of relief: we cradle both the immense sorrow and the wondrousness of life at the same time. Being able to be fully present with both is the gift equanimity gives... Continue Reading →
When you open yourself to the continually changing, impermanent, dynamic nature of your own being and of reality, you increase your capacity to love and care about other people and your capacity to not be afraid. You're able to keep your eyes open, your heart open, and your mind open. And you notice when you... Continue Reading →
