Saturday, December 25, 2010

Transforming Adversity into Joy and Courage

It is important to note that we should make sure that our meditation suits our mind. If we feel comfortable doing analytical meditation on the various topics in a progressive way, we should go ahead with it. If, on the other hand, we find it difficult and it is not compatible with our mind, we should meditate on whatever topic we like.
If we enjoy meditation on emptiness, we should go ahead with this. If it suits us and we derive pleasure from meditating principally on the altruistic intention, we can emphasize this. At some point if we find that we cannot really get into whatever analytical meditation we have been doing, but doing prostrations, chanting mantra, visualizing a meditation deity, or reciting aspirational prayers brings peace and pleasure to our mind, we should do that practice.
--from Decision Points by Geshe Jampa Tegchok
Transforming Adversity into Joy and Courage: An Explanation of the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas



  • Taking Buddhist Tourism to a New Level: The Monk for a Month ... - Fred's qualifications are that he has been a Buddhist for over 30 years, he has been to many retreats at Wat Rampoeng, read many books on Buddhism, and has learned from Thai teachers including Luangpau Charoen of Wat Amphawan outside of ...

  • My Top 10 Books On Buddhism - I'm often asked about what books on Buddhism would recommend, so I decided I'd jot down my favorite Top 10 books on Buddhism. Turning the Mind Into An Ally – Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche – I feel like this is probably the best book for ...


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Generate a Neutral State of Mind

When we focus our attention on the passage of breath, we break the usually continuous flow of thoughts of attachment, hostility and so forth, whatever they might be. This causes such thoughts to subside for the moment. Thus, by occupying the mind with our breath, we cleanse it of all positive and negative conceptual thoughts and thus remain in a neutral state of mind unspecified as either constructive or destructive. This is the meaning of the line in the root text, "Thoroughly clean out your state of awareness." This unspecified or neutral state of mind, cleaned out of all positive and negative conceptual thoughts, is the most conducive one to work with. Because an unspecified state of mind like this is unburdened and supple, it is relatively easy to generate it into a constructive state.
--from The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra by H.H. the Dalai Lama
The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra

  • Taking Buddhist Tourism to a New Level: The Monk for a Month ... - Fred's qualifications are that he has been a Buddhist for over 30 years, he has been to many retreats at Wat Rampoeng, read many books on Buddhism, and has learned from Thai teachers including Luangpau Charoen of Wat Amphawan outside of ...

  • My Top 10 Books On Buddhism - I'm often asked about what books on Buddhism would recommend, so I decided I'd jot down my favorite Top 10 books on Buddhism. Turning the Mind Into An Ally – Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche – I feel like this is probably the best book for ...


  • Online Bookstores by specialization. Bookshop Blog - Looking for a list of Online Bookstores? We provide a list of online bookstores organized by their specialty. If you'd like to be added to the list of online bookstores then simply fill in the form at the bottom of this page. Italy Libreria Atlantide, in print and out contact via email only.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

The Buddhist State of Mind

Taking the reins is the key to happiness
The state of mind of a Buddhist practitioner should be stable, and should not be subject to too many conflicting events. Such a person will feel both joy and pain, but neither will be too weak or too intense. Stability is developed through discipline. The heart and mind become more full of energy, more resolute, and therefore less susceptible to being blown about by outside events.
Deep within the human being abides the wisdom that can support him or her in the face of negative situations. In this way, events no longer throw him because he is holding the reins. Similarly, when something good happens it is also possible to rein it in. Taking the reins is the key to happiness. In Tibet we have a saying: "If you are beside yourself with joy, tears are not far behind." This shows how relative what we call joy and pain are.
--from The Dalai Lama's Little Book of Inner Peace: The Essential Life and Teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama's Little Book of Inner Peace: The Essential Life and Teachings

  • Enlighten Up » My Top 10 Books On Buddhism - I'm often asked about what books on Buddhism I would recommend, so I decided I'd jot down my favorite Top 10 books on Buddhism. Turning the Mind Into An Ally – Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche – I feel like this is probably the best book for ...


  • Online Bookstores by specialization. Bookshop Blog - Looking for a list of Online Bookstores? We provide a list of online bookstores organized by their specialty. If you'd like to be added to the list of online bookstores then simply fill in the form at the bottom of this page. Italy Libreria Atlantide, in print and out contact via email only.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Cultivating Memory and Joyful Effort

This foundational practice is engaged upon awaking in the morning. It further cultivates strong intention and also strengthens the capacity to remember the events of the night.
Begin by reviewing the night. The Tibetan term for this preparation is literally "remembering." Did you dream? Were you aware that you were in a dream? If you dreamt but did not attain lucidity, you should reflect, "I dreamt but did not recognize the dream as a dream. But it was a dream." Resolve that next time you enter a dream you will become aware of its true nature while still in the dream.
If you find it difficult to remember dreams, it can be helpful, throughout the day and particularly before sleep, to generate a strong intention to remember dreams. You can also record dreams in a notepad or with a tape recorder, as this will reinforce the habit of treating your dreams as something valuable. The very act of preparing the notebook or recorder at night serves to support the intention to recall the dream upon waking. It is not difficult for anyone to remember dreams once the intention to do so is generated and sustained, even over just a few days.
If you did have a lucid dream, feel joy at the accomplishment. Develop happiness relative to the practice and resolve to continue to develop the lucidity the following night. Keep building intention, using both successes and failures as occasions to develop ever stronger intent to accomplish the practice. And know that even your intention is a dream. -- from The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep

MT3RW9742TME

Our Subtle Consciousness

On some occasions, people faint. Even when your breath temporarily stops, during that moment, there is a reduced level of consciousness. Consciousness is most reduced late in the course of dying. Even after all physical functions cease, we believe that the "I," or "self," still exists. Similarly, just at the beginning of life, there must be a subtle form of consciousness to account for the emergence of consciousness in the individual.
We must explore further the point at which consciousness enters into a physical location. At conception, the moment when and the site where consciousness interacts with the fertilized egg is something to be discovered, although there are some reference to this in the texts.... The Buddhist scriptures do deal with it, but I am interested to see what science has to say about this. During this period we believe that without the subtle consciousness, there would be a life beginning without consciousness. If that were the case then no one could ever recollect experiences from their past life. It is also in terms of Buddhist beliefs relating to this topic that Buddhism expounds its theory of cosmology: how the universe began and how it later degenerates.
Based on this metaphysical reasoning and other arguments, and based on the testimony of individuals who are able to recollect their experiences in past lives very vividly, Buddhists make this claim. I am a practitioner, so based on my own limited experiences, and the experiences of my friends, I cannot say with one hundred percent certainty that there is a subtle consciousness.
Scientists don't posit consciousness in the same sense that Buddhists do. At the moment of conception, however, there has to be something that prevents the sperm and egg from simply rotting, and causes it to grow into a human body. When does that occur? Why does that occur?
--from Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Brainscience and Buddhism
Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Brainscience and Buddhism


MT3RW9742TME

Sunday, December 5, 2010

The Deeper Meaning of Refuge

What is meant by going for refuge is that you are seeking refuge from some fear. All the objects [Buddha, lama, guru, etc.] in front of you are what is known as the causal refuge, because they serve as the cause for bringing about the resultant refuge within you. You should entrust yourself to these objects from the depth of your heart, and you should see the objects as protectors. The resultant state of your own future realizations, becoming an arya being and attaining buddhahood--which depends on your own actualization of the path--is called the resultant refuge. Someone in difficulty seeking the assistance of a high official is analogous to someone seeking refuge in the causal refuge.
But depending upon others' protection forever is not a courageous way of life; therefore, one has to try to achieve a state where one is no longer dependent upon such a refuge, and this is likened to taking refuge in the resultant buddha, dharma, and sangha. That is the process of taking refuge by a person of high faculty and courage. This practice should be done not for the sake of oneself alone but rather for the sake of all other sentient beings. When you cultivate such an aspiration focused toward the achievement of the omniscient state, it is very much like the generation of the bodhichitta mind.
--from The Union of Bliss and Emptiness: Teachings on the Practice of Guru Yoga by the Dalai Lama, translated by Thupten Jinpa
The Union of Bliss and Emptiness: Teachings on the Practice of Guru Yoga

Life is Just a Dream

Many of the methods of practicing Dharma that are learned during waking can, upon development of dream awareness, be applied in the dream condition. In fact, one may develop these practices more easily and speedily within the Dream State if one has the capacity to dream lucidly. There are even some books that say that if a person applies a practice within a dream, the practice is nine times more effective than when it is applied during the waking hours.
The dream condition is unreal. When we discover this for ourselves within the dream, the immense power of this realization can eliminate obstacles related to conditioned vision. For this reason, dream practice is very important for liberating us from habits. We need this powerful assistance in particular because the emotional attachments, conditioning, and ego enhancement which compose our normal life have been strengthened over our many, many years.
In a real sense, all the visions that we see in our lifetime are like the images of a dream. If we examine them well, the big dream of life and the smaller dreams of one night are not very different. If we truly see the essential nature of both, we will find that there really is no difference between them. If we can finally liberate ourselves from the chains of emotions, attachments, and ego by this realization, we have the possibility of ultimately becoming enlightened.
--from Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light, Revised by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu
Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light, Revised

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Healing Anger

Why should one work so hard to please people, doing all sorts of things for others in order to make them feel happy? If one can't bear one's enemy's happiness, then why should one do all sorts of things to make anyone else happy?
Shantideva explains an inconsistency regarding this issue. He notes that when praise is directed toward oneself, when people speak highly of oneself, one not only feels happy but also expects others to be happy when they hear this praise. However, this is totally inconsistent with one's attitude toward others. When people praise others, then not only does one disapprove of others' happiness but one's own peace of mind and happiness are destroyed as well. So there seems to be an inconsistency when it comes to relating to praise directed toward oneself and praise directed toward others.
Then, especially for a Bodhisattva practitioner who has dedicated his or her life to bringing about joy and happiness in others and leading them to the ultimate state of happiness, to be jealous of others' happiness and joy is totally inappropriate. In fact, one should feel that if other sentient beings of their own accord, from their own efforts, gain any little experience of happiness and joy here and there, we should be all the more grateful, because without our helping them, they have been able to achieve these joyful experiences and happiness.
--from Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective by the Dalai Lama, translated by Geshe Thupten Jinpa

Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective

Friday, November 26, 2010

About Our Consciousness

Consciousness is eternal. Its continuity never ceases. But it is not permanent. Permanence refers to the fact that something does not change from moment to moment. And this, of course, consciousness does do. It is impermanent in this sense, but it is still eternal. The continuity of the moment never ceases.
--from Answers: Discussions with Western Buddhists

"In general, clear light is of two types--the objective clear light that is the subtle emptiness [of inherent existence], and the subjective clear light that is the wisdom consciousness realizing this emptiness."
--from Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth by Lati Rinbochay and Jeffrey Hopkins, foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (in honor of the passing of Lati Rinpoche)

Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth in Tibetan Buddhism

Our Countless Lives Since The Beginningless Time

"...Because there is no findable beginning to sentient life and cyclic existence, one must have had an infinite number of previous lives; and all other beings must share this same situation. Thus it follows that there is no place in which we can say we have not taken birth and there is no sentient being we can say has not been our parent. In fact, each and every sentient being has been our parent countless times."--the Third Dalai Lama
The kindness of the mother is chosen as the example of the intensity of kindness that all beings have shown us, because generally in samsara the mother's concern is something very strong and obvious. We can see the kindness of a mother not only in humans but in animals. A mother dog will starve herself to feed her pups and will die to protect them. In the same way, even if our mother were strange to us in some ways she still would have instinctively and unconsciously shown us great kindness. All beings have loved us in this very same way, sacrificing their food for us and even dying to protect us because their love for us was so strong. The people who are friends, enemies, and strangers to us in this life showed us the great kindness of a mother in countless previous lives.
Actually, there is no imperative that mother love be the model used here if doing so should cause a problem. If we have serious problems in our relationship with our mother, or if we were orphans and an aunt or uncle brought us up, we could just as easily take whomever we feel has been most kind to us and use him or her as an alternative model. We then contemplate how all sentient beings have been born into this same relationship with us in countless previous lives and have shown us these same kindnesses. We have to learn to see all sentient beings in that person's image.
As a result of this meditation one gains a feeling of spontaneous familiarity with all other sentient beings, a recognition that they are somehow very close to us and very precious.
--from The Path to Enlightenment
The Path to Enlightenment

Compassion is an Attitude

..beginning with an attitude
Of love for all living creatures,
Consider beings, excluding none,
Suffering in the three bad rebirths,
Suffering birth, death and so forth.
The" attitude of love" to which the text refers is the affection which sees all living beings as lovable. The stronger our affection the more easily compassion arises and the more intense and steadfast it is. Compassion can arise without it, but it will not be consistent. Unless we see all living beings as near, dear, appealing and beloved, we won't care what happens to them. On the contrary, we may even wish more suffering on those we dislike. That affection is what a doting mother feels for the apple of her eye, what a dog-owner feels for a beloved pet--a warm feeling that makes you want to hug and pat and say, "Adorable!"
At present our feelings of affection are restricted to those we like and, even then, vanish quite quickly if they do something that goes against our wishes. It's a tall order to ask us to feel affection toward all living beings. It doesn't come naturally, which is why we need to train ourselves to see them in a new way.
--from Atisha's Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment commentary by Geshe Sonam Rinchen, translated and edited by Ruth Sonam
Atisha's Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Importance of Self-Cultivation

Cultivating an aspiration to help other sentient beings becomes a cause for wanting to achieve Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. These are the two levels of the awakening mind of bodhichitta.
Such a mind cannot be cultivated in a mere few months or years, but this does not mean it cannot be cultivated at all. If you continue your practice to cultivate bodhichitta, a time will come when you will be successful. For example, in the initial stage you may not even understand the meaning of the word bodhichitta. You might wonder how you could ever cultivate such a mind. But through repeated practice and familiarity, you will gradually come closer to such a mind.
It is the nature of conditioned things that they change depending on causes and conditions. So it is important to recall the advantages and benefits of such a mind and cultivate a strong determination to achieve it. Make ardent prayers. Whether you sleep, walk, or sit, you should think: "How good it would be if I could cultivate such a mind." Try to cultivate bodhichitta even on an aspirational level. If you spend your days in such repeated and persistent practice, you can definitely develop it. Make the determination to cultivate it even if it will take many aeons. As Shantideva prays in his Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life:
As long as space endures
And as long as sentient beings remain,
May I too abide
To dispel the sufferings of all sentient beings.
--from Stages of Meditation by the Dalai Lama, root text by Kamalashila, translated by Geshe Lobsang Jordhen, Losang Choephel Ganchenpa, and Jeremy Russell
Stages of Meditation

Hindrance to the Path

As practitioners we will face many obstacles and sidetracks on our path to liberation, and these will provide us with many challenges along the way. We shouldn't allow our practice to become interrupted due to these obstacles and sidetracks, such as the appearance and disappearance of the many friends we will have over the course of our lives.
We also shouldn't allow our practice to become interrupted by a change in the availability or quality of food and shelter. And we shouldn't allow our practice to become interrupted by the obstacles and sidetracks presented by the many distractions of mind that are readily available in the mundane world of our external environment. We shouldn't allow our practice to be interrupted by obstacles and sidetracks that arise due to the desire and attachment we feel for loved ones, or our aversion to enemies, or our indifference towards others. Finally, we should not allow our practice to become interrupted by our desire to accumulate wealth, or by our attachment to our material possessions. Only an advanced practitioner, motivated by deep bodhichitta, can get through these obstacles and avoid these sidetracks to reach their goal of liberation from samsara.
--from Heartfelt Advice by Lama Dudjom Dorjee
Heartfelt Advice

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Our "I" is Self-Deceiving

It is common worldly knowledge that by believing untrue information to be true we fall into confusion and are harmed. Similarly, by believing phenomena to be inherently existent when in fact they are not inherently existent, we are also harmed. For example, with respect to the different ways in which there can be a consciousness of 'I', there is a definite difference between the way the 'I' is apprehended when desire, hatred, pride and so forth are generated based on this 'I', and the way the 'I' is apprehended when we are relaxed without any of those attitudes being manifest.
Similarly, there is the mere consciousness that apprehends an article in a store before we buy it, and there is the consciousness apprehending that article after it has been bought, when it is adhered to as 'mine' and grasped with attachment. Both these consciousnesses have the same object, and in both cases the mode of appearance of the article is the appearance of it as inherently existent. However, there is the difference of the presence or absence of our adhering to it as inherently or independently existent.
...a consciousness conceiving inherent existence precedes any bad consciousness, leading it on by the nose, and also accompanies, or aids, many other bad consciousnesses as well. Thus, if there were no ignorance conceiving inherent existence, then there would be no chance for desire, hatred and so forth to be generated.
--from The Buddhism of Tibet by the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins,
The Buddhism of Tibet

Who Are We?

As human beings we are deeply insecure and we do not know who we truly are. Of course this problem does not show on the surface of our lives. We are always telling ourselves who we are, based on this notion that we are separate from everything else. This sense that "I am separate" is the ground of our sense of self. It is reinforced by various false identities that we cling to, notions that "I am this" or "I am that." Whatever beliefs we have about ourselves are just another extension. Most of the time when we look around, we immediately see that our surroundings are validating these false identities. For this very reason, it is a challenging endeavor to deconstruct this illusion of self.
Every time we look into our mirror we might have some thought about ourselves. Each of these thoughts adds up. They become the conceptual bricks we use to keep building this illusory castle of self. Yet, there is a suspicion that this notion of self might be very fragile and transient, and this thought is silently lurking somewhere in our consciousness. Most of the time this suspicion is not brought into the light of awareness, but if it is, some deep, inner wisdom will arise without choice.
Our suspicion of the fragility of this false notion of self can go in one of two directions. In general it becomes a source of fear, anxiety, and insecurity. We often see people who are fearful and overly defensive when it comes to their own identity. We ourselves tend to become fearful if our identity is threatened. But at other times the suspicion can go another way. When that happens, it can be a life-changing revelation that can lead us to the realization of the highest level of truth. This idea is not some new, lofty theory. It is timeless wisdom that has been realized by many people in human history. Buddha taught this wisdom, and in his tradition it is called anatman or "no self." Anatman, or "no self," is the term used to mean that one has seen through this false sense of self. One has seen that this false sense of self is merely an identification with one's roles in life. It is just a mask, not the truth.
--from No Self, No Problem by Anam Thubten,
No Self No Problem

Sunday, October 24, 2010

We Must Cultivate and Develop our Compassionate Nature

The question then is "How do we cultivate and develop this bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment?" The key, and the root, is great compassion. Compassion here refers to a state of mind that makes it utterly unbearable for us to see the suffering of other sentient beings. The way to develop this is through understanding how we feel about our own suffering. When we become conscious of our own suffering, we have a spontaneous wish to be free from it. If we are able to extend that feeling to all other beings, through realizing the common instinctive desire we all have to avoid and overcome suffering, then that state of mind is called 'great compassion'.
All of us have the potential to develop that kind of compassion, because whenever we see people who are suffering, especially those close to us, we immediately feel empathy towards them, and witness a spontaneous response within our minds. So all we have to do is to bring that potential out, and then to develop it to become so impartial that it can include all sentient beings within its embrace, whether friend or foe.
To cultivate this great compassion within ourselves, first of all we need to develop what is called loving-kindness, a feeling of connectedness or closeness with all living creatures. This closeness and intimacy should not be confused with the kind of feeling we normally have toward our loved ones, which is tainted by attachment...ego and selfishness. On the contrary, we are seeking to develop a feeling of closeness towards other sentient beings, and affection for them, by reflecting on the fact that suffering is inherent in their very nature, on the helplessness of their situation, and on the instinctive desire they all have to overcome suffering.
The greater the force of our loving kindness towards other beings, the greater the force of our compassion. And the greater the force of our compassion, the easier it will be for us to develop a sense of responsibility for taking upon ourselves the task of working for others. The greater that sense of responsibility, the more successful we will be in generating bodhicitta, the genuine altruistic aspiration to attain buddhahood for the benefit of all.
--from Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, translated by Thupten Jinpa and Richard Barron, Foreword by Sogyal Rinpoche, edited by Patrick Gaffney

Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection

No Pain, No Gain

Understanding the power of the path provides the inspiration that keeps us going forward; exploring its pain provides the understanding of what holds us back. It doesn't take long to discover the power, nor to feel the pain. Waking up hurts. And if we don't understand why, we will run from the pain and abandon the path. There are countless people who have become spiritual dropouts, or who are lost in detours because they have not understood hardship.
When your arm falls asleep, it prickles and burns as it returns to life. Frozen fingers sting when they thaw; we jolt awake when the alarm clock rings. But physical instances of anesthesia are mild compared to the anesthesia born of ignorance, and so is the level of discomfort upon awakening. The longer something has been asleep, the more painful it is to wake it up. If your fingers are merely cold, it is easy to warm them up. But if your fingers are frozen solid, it hurts like hell when they thaw. According to the traditions, unless one is already a buddha, an "awakened one," one has been snoring from beginningless time, and it can really hurt before we completely wake up. Mingyur Rinpoche writes,
"I'd like to say that everything got better once I was safely settled among the other participants in the three-year retreat.... On the contrary, however, my first year in retreat was one of the worst in my life. All the symptoms of anxiety I'd ever experienced--physical tension, tightness in the throat, dizziness, and waves of panic--attacked in full force. In Western terms, I was having a nervous breakdown. In hindsight, I can say that what I was actually going through was what I like to call a 'nervous breakthrough'."
--from The Power and the Pain: Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy by Dr. Andrew Holecek
The Power and the Pain: Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Generating Bodhicitta

Although we did not have the fortune to see Buddha Shakyamuni himself in person, we do have the great fortune of having access to his own precious teachings, which is actually superior to seeing him in person. The same is the case with masters like Nagarjuna and his immediate disciples. If we make the necessary effort, and undertake the practice and study, we can fully enjoy a benefit equal to that of having met them in person.
...So visualize in space, in front of you, all the exalted masters, including Buddha Shakyamuni, Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, eighty mahasiddhas, the Nyingma masters, Atisha, the Kadampa masters, the five great masters of the Sakya tradition, the lineages of Lamdre practice, the great masters of the Kagyu lineage, such as Marpa, Milarepa, and also the great masters of the Gelugpa lineage, Lama Tsongkhapa, and all of their followers.
Around you also are the protectors who have taken the oath in the presence of Buddha Shakyamuni to safeguard and protect the precious doctrine of Buddha. Visualize as well the harmful spirits--actually an embodiment of your own delusions--from which you are being protected by the guardians. Also visualize various emanations of the buddhas actively working for the benefit of all living beings. Surrounding you are all sentient beings...undergoing the sufferings of their individual realms of existence. Now generate a strong force of compassion directed towards all these sentient beings, particularly your enemies.
Having created this mental image, question yourself as to how all these objects of refuge, the buddhas and the masters of the past, achieved such a high state of realization and reached a state where they can provide protection to all living beings. You will find that it is because of their having made effort in the practice of dharma in general and, in particular, the practice of bodhicitta*. Think as follows: "I shall, from today, follow in the footsteps of these great masters, and take the initiative of generating bodhicitta."
* The aspiration to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all beings.
--from The Path to Bliss by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated by Geshe Thupten Jinpa, edited by Christine Cox
The Path to Bliss, 2nd Edition

Transforming Our Negative Emotions

Following the Vajrayana teachings, we do not give up or reject anything; rather we make use of whatever is there. We look at our negative emotions and accept them for what they are. Then we relax in this state of acceptance. Using the emotion itself, it is transformed or transmuted into the positive, into its true face.
When, for instance, strong anger or desire arises, a Vajrayana practitioner is not afraid of it. Instead he or she would follow advice along the following lines: Have the courage to expose yourself to your emotions. Do not reject or suppress them, but do not follow them either. Just look your emotion directly in the eye and then try to relax within the very emotion itself. There is no confrontation involved. You don't do anything. Remaining detached, you are neither carried away by emotion nor do you reject it as something negative. Then, you can look at your emotions almost casually and be rather amused.
When our usual habit of magnifying our feelings and our fascination resulting from that are gone, there will be no negativity and no fuel. We can relax within them. What we are trying to do, therefore, is to skillfully and subtly deal with our emotions. This is largely equivalent to the ability of exerting discipline.
--from Daring Steps: Traversing the Path of the Buddha by Ringu Tulku, edited and translated by Rosemarie Fuchs
Daring Steps: Traversing the Path of the Buddha

Saturday, October 9, 2010

The Mind and Body As One

Mind is empty like an illusion;
Separate from body, it cannot achieve.
Body also is like a wall;
Separate from mind it is without activity.
Similarly the yoga of seals....
-Shriparamadhya
Mind separate from body cannot openly display activities; body separate from mind is the same. Rather, actions must be done upon the aggregation of mind and body. Just so, here when practicing techniques for transforming basic--or ordinary--body, speech, mind, and activities into those of the fruit stage of Buddhahood, it is necessary both to cultivate (1) internal meditative stabilization on a divine body, on a vajra on a moon disc at the heart, on a seed syllable on a vajra in the throat, and on a vajra at the heart, and (2) at the same time to construct the appropriate gesture, or seal, with the hands. These must be done in unison, for it is said in Yoga Tantra ritual texts that if you fail to construct seals with the hands, the rite is nullified. Unlike on other occasions, it is not just that if the hand-seals are constructed, it is better, but if not, there is no fault of nullifying the rite. Here, they must be done.
--from Yoga Tantra: Paths to Magical Feats by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Dzong-ka-ba and Jeffrey Hopkins, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins,
Yoga Tantra: Paths to Magical Feats

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Our Karmic Seeds

The person witnessing another person's suffering has only one appropriate response: "How can I help?" When karma comes to fruition and causes suffering, the response should never be, "This is your karma. It's your destiny, so I can't help." Your own karma may very well present itself as an opportunity to help a suffering person. Misunderstanding actions and their consequences can be disastrous.
From the Buddhist perspective, the type of fortune we encounter, happiness or sorrow, is not due to somebody doing something to us. If I win the lottery, it is not because Buddha selected me for a bonus. No god or buddha is responsible for what happens to us....This does not imply that a suffering person is morally degenerate any more than suffering the consequences of eating contaminated food does. The suffering we experience is due to karma accumulated under the influence of delusion and mental afflictions. This is true for all sentient beings.
The Buddhist response to the non-virtues we all commit while strapped to the wheel of samsara can be inspiring and encouraging. The Buddhist teaching is that it is possible to neutralize negative karmic seeds embedded in the stream of consciousness. Deeds cannot be undone, but it is possible to purify one's mind-stream so that the impact of karmic seeds will be nullified.
The method used to purify the mind-stream is the "four remedial powers" [remorse, reliance, resolve, and purification]. The metaphor for the effectiveness of the four remedial powers is that of burning a seed. Karma, like a seed, can be scorched in the fire of purification so that it will not sprout. The seed won't vanish, but it will not sprout.
--from Buddhism with an Attitude: The Tibetan Seven-Point Mind Training by B. Alan Wallace,
Buddhism with an Attitude: The Tibetan Seven-Point Mind Training

Sunday, September 26, 2010

The Reason For Our Endless Sufferings

When we understand the evolution of our unsatisfactory experiences in cyclic existence, we will see that meditating on emptiness is their antidote. All knowable things--people and phenomena--appear to our minds to be inherently existent. We then grasp at them as existing inherently. Our inappropriate attention focuses on them, and that gives rise to the various disturbing attitudes of anger, attachment, and so on. These disturbing attitudes motivate our actions, which in turn leave karmic imprints on our mindstreams. When these imprints ripen, we meet with suffering.
--from Transforming Adversity into Joy and Courage: An Explanation of the Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas by Geshe Jampa Tegchok
Transforming Adversity into Joy and Courage: An Explanation of the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas