All people have enlightened nature. Everyone’s hearts are innately imbued with tsewa. Why not cherish what you have in common with all beings rather than make yourself insecure by trying so hard to be special, somehow better than everyone else? If you can enjoy being ordinary, you’ll be free from the insidious, unrelenting pain of... Continue Reading →
When you practice compassion, don't "feel" the pain. When you feel the pain, you don't have any space left to practice compassion to anybody. Whenever you practice compassion keep very detached, with attachment...do you understand? This takes balance. "Compassion is something you hold, equanimity is how you detach." Without these two together, only holding, holding,... Continue Reading →
If we’re not too confused or hard on ourselves, we will discover the sanity beyond habitual reactions. Identifying less with habits and more with our basic nature lightens things up. With more space in our mind, we take our reactions less seriously. We can watch them the way we would watch children at play—knowing they... Continue Reading →
The notion of enlightenment means "not bound". Not bound to what? Not bound to one's own mind in ordinary ways; not bound in confusion to all the suffering that one’s mind has produced and is experiencing. So the notion of enlightenment is not something outside of one's own mind.We cannot imagine achieving enlightenment, let alone... Continue Reading →
Sometimes people say, “I’m not really angry, but this is happening to me and that’s happening to me, and it’s not right.” We can say these words and claim not to be angry while continuing to chew on our resentment. Even the best excuse will not relieve or lessen the pain of a disturbed heart.... Continue Reading →
People often think that the whole point of doing anything or becoming anything in life, is to be noticed by others.When we look at our minds, a lot of the time we are just trying to make impressions on others, rather than simply trying to be at peace, or trying to tend to our own... Continue Reading →
The more open our heart is, the more we feel others suffering as our own. But that doesn’t mean we feel depressed and despondent. The suffering of others doesn’t weigh us down because we are buoyed by the warmth of our tenderness toward them. For someone who is guided by bodhichitta, the wish to benefit... Continue Reading →
Letting go of small things is important in order to learn how to let go of large things. We can practice letting go daily. In conversations with someone who has a different point of view, we can let go of our point of view. Or perhaps we might be attached to wanting to be good... Continue Reading →
Grasping to a non-existent self, we misread our world and lose the true treasure of our mind. Because of our belief in a self that must be preserved at all costs, ego controls our every mental, emotional, verbal, and physical act. Although our wisdom mind is completely radiant at all times, we become like a... Continue Reading →
Whenever the heart is stretched painfully we know we are growing in the right direction. This is because the essence of bodhicitta is to uproot our holding on to the self - trying to cherish and protect it. When this challenging stretch happens we then have room to replace this self-importance with love for all... Continue Reading →
Buddhahood comes from bodhisattvas because a Buddha has to become a bodhisattva first. Where does the bodhisattva come from? The bodhisattva comes from bodhicitta. And where does bodhicitta come from? Bodhicitta comes from compassion. So, the root of all of this, when you trace it, is compassion...and compassion comes from nurturing our warm and tender... Continue Reading →
The sutras ask, where do the Buddhas come from? And the answer in the sutras is, they come from ego. What does this mean? This means that realization comes from our ability to expand our sense of self-care and longing for happiness to include others. This is the business of a bodhisattva- Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
Someone asked me recently if I am afraid to die. Truthfully, I am more afraid of not living my life fully — of living a life dedicated to cherishing and protecting myself. This fear-driven approach to life is like covering your couch in plastic so it won’t get worn. It robs you of the ability... Continue Reading →
The notion of enlightenment means, “not bound”. Not bound to what? Not bound to one’s own mind in ordinary ways; not bound in confusion to all the suffering that one’s mind has produced and is experiencing. So the notion of enlightenment is not something outside of one’s own mind.We cannot imagine achieving enlightenment, let alone... Continue Reading →
In the practice of bodhicitta, there are no enemies, only loved ones.It’s the responsibility of the practitioner to specifically include every individual person in their bodhicitta practice, even if at the same time they oppose their actions. The reason people like Gandhi don’t succumb to their emotions is because of the principles they have deeply... Continue Reading →
"Imagine craving absolutely nothing from the world. Imagine cutting the invisible strings that so painfully bind us: what would that be like? Imagine the freedoms that come from the ability to enjoy things without having to acquire them, own them, possess them. Try to envision a relationship based on acceptance and genuine care rather than... Continue Reading →
Realizing interdependence leads us to the naked understanding of reality beyond the extremes of existence and nonexistence—reality empty of all conceptual contrivances. A disciple of the Buddha once asked him, “What is emptiness?” The Buddha then entered the nonverbal state of meditation. Manjushri explained that this was the Buddha’s expression free of all contrivances, a... Continue Reading →
The notion of enlightenment means "not bound". Not bound to what? Not bound to one's own mind in ordinary ways; not bound in confusion to all the suffering that one’s mind has produced and is experiencing. So the notion of enlightenment is not something outside of one's own mind. We cannot imagine achieving enlightenment, let... Continue Reading →
Reducing the overwhelming presence of me and mine is the bodhisattva’s path. It decreases all the confusion, ignorance, and habitual patterns that come from self- indulgence. We extend care to others, generate feelings of love, and wish for all others to obtain the causes and conditions of happiness. So strive to generate feelings of love.... Continue Reading →
