[Part 1]

The Level of Initial Capacity

All the essential spiritual practices related primarily to the achievement
of
rebirth in the higher realms belong to what Atisha calls the 'small
capacity'.

Verse 3

Know that those who by whatever means
Seek for themselves no more
Than the pleasures of cyclic existence
Are persons of the least capacity.
      [-- Atisha's "Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment"]

...the principal means for attaining birth in the higher realms is the
ethical
discipline of refraining from the ten negative actions of body, speech and
mind.
These comprise three actions of the body - killing, stealing and sexual
misconduct; four verbal actions - lying, divisive speech, harsh speech and
frivolous speech; and three mental actions - covetousness, ill-will and
harbouring wrong views.
To live an ethically sound life, it helps to remind ourselves of what are
known
as the four reflections, namely the preciousness of human life; the
inevitability of our death and the uncertainty of the time of death; the
infallibility of the law of cause and effect and the workings of karma; and
understanding the nature of suffering. Concerning the first reflection, some
Tibetan masters have said that when we contemplate the preciousness of this
human existence, we should literally cultivate the determination to make our
human life something precious in itself, rather than allowing it to be
wasted or
to become a cause of future suffering.

Contemplating these four reflections gives us the courage to engage
earnestly in
the practice of the Dharma in order to free ourselves from the possibility
of
rebirth in the lower realms. This involves a process of training our mind,
not
just at the mental level but also at the level of our emotions and actions.
Living an ethical life is not a case of adhering to a set of regulations
imposed
on us from outside, such as the laws of a country. Rather it involves
voluntarily embracing a discipline on the basis of a clear recognition of
its
value. In essence, living a true ethical life is living a life of
self-discipline.
When the Buddha said that 'we are our own master, we are our own enemy', he
was
telling us that our destiny lies in our own hands.

-- by His Holiness the Dalai Lama from "Lighting the Way," published by Snow
Lion Publications

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you practice meditation, rather than “watching” the breath, let
yourself gradually identify with it, as if you were becoming it. Slowly the
breath, the breather, and the breathing become one; duality and separation
dissolve.

You will find that this very simple process of mindfulness filters your
thoughts and emotions. Then, as if you were shedding an old skin, something
is peeled off and freed.


Sogyal Rinpoche

Sit quietly. From the depths of your heart, invoke in the sky in front of
you the embodiment of the truth in the person of your master, a saint, or an
enlightened being.

Try to visualize the master or buddha as alive and as radiant and
translucent as a rainbow.

If you have difficulty visualizing the master, imagine the embodiment of
truth simply as light, or try to feel his or her perfect presence there in
the sky before you. Let all the inspiration, joy, and awe you then feel take
the place of visualization. My master Dudjom Rinpoche used to say that it
does not matter if you cannot visualize; what is more important is to feel
the presence in your heart, and to know that this presence embodies the
blessings, compassion, energy, and wisdom of all the buddhas.

With deep devotion, merge your mind with the master’s, then rest your mind
in his or her wisdom mind.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Life, as Buddha told us, is as brief as a lightning flash; yet, as
Wordsworth said: “The world is too much with us: Getting and spending, we
lay waste our powers.” It is that laying waste of our powers—that betrayal
of our essence, that abandonment of the miraculous chance that this life,
the natural bardo, gives us of knowing and embodying our enlightened
nature—that is perhaps the most heartbreaking thing about human life. What
the masters are essentially telling us is to stop fooling ourselves: What
will we have learned, if at the moment of death we do not know who we really
are?


Sogyal Rinpoche

We must never forget that it is through our actions, words, and thoughts
that we have a choice. And if we choose to do so, we can put an end to
suffering and the causes of suffering, and help our true potential, our
buddha nature, to awaken in us. Until this buddha nature is completely
awakened and we are freed from our ignorance and merge with the deathless,
enlightened mind, there can be no end to the round of life and death. So,
the teachings tell us, if we do not assume the fullest possible
responsibility for ourselves now in this life, our suffering will go on not
only for a few lives but for thousands of lives.

It is this sobering knowledge that makes Buddhists consider that future
lives are more important even than this one, because there are many more
that await us in the future. This long-term vision governs how they live.
They know if we were to sacrifice the whole of eternity for this life, it
would be like spending our entire life savings on one drink, madly ignoring
the consequences.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It may be surprising for the West to learn how very many incarnations there
have been in Tibet, and how the majority have been great masters, scholars,
authors, mystics, and saints who made an outstanding contribution both to
the teaching of Buddhism and to society. They played a central role in the
history of Tibet.

I believe that this process of incarnation is not limited to Tibet but can
occur in all countries and at all times. Throughout history there have been
people of artistic genius, spiritual strength, and humanitarian vision who
have helped the human race to go forward. I think of Gandhi, Einstein,
Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, of Shakespeare, of Saint Francis, of
Beethoven and Michelangelo.

When Tibetans hear of such people, they immediately say they are
bodhisattvas. And whenever I hear of them, of their work and vision, I am
moved by the majesty of the vast evolutionary process of the buddhas and
masters that emanate to liberate beings and better the world.


Sogyal Rinpoche

The Level of Middling Capacity

In the following verse Atisha describes the characteristics of spiritual
trainees of the middling capacity.

Verse 4

Those who seek peace for themselves alone, Turning away from worldly
pleasures And avoiding destructive actions Are said to be of middling
capacity. [-- Atisha's "Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment"]

The phrase 'destructive actions' refers to the afflictions that, together
with karma, constitute the origin of suffering. This is why practitioners at
the level of middling capacity concentrate on the spiritual practices that
are primarily aimed at the elimination of the afflictions. Broadly speaking,
these practices fall into two categories. One is training the mind to
cultivate the genuine desire to gain freedom from cyclic existence, which is
often referred to as the cultivation of renunciation. The other is
cultivating the path to bring about the fulfillment of that wish for
renunciation. In order to train one's mind in this way, one needs to reflect
upon the defects of cyclic existence and to develop an understanding of the
causation chain of karma and the afflictions. Through these reflections one
cultivates the wish to gain freedom and then embarks upon the path to bring
about that freedom.


-- by His Holiness the Dalai Lama from "Lighting the Way," published by Snow
Lion Publications




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Doubt is not a disease but merely a symptom of a lack of what we in our
tradition call the View, which is the realization of the nature of mind, and
so of the nature of reality. When the View is there completely, there will
be no possibility for the slightest trace of doubt, for then we’ll be
looking at reality through its own eyes. But until we reach enlightenment
there will inevitably be doubts, because doubt is a fundamental activity of
the unenlightened mind, and the only way to deal with doubts is neither to
suppress nor indulge them.


Sogyal Rinpoche

ESSENCE OF GURU YOGA
Guru Yoga is a quintessential practice at each level of the
Vajrayana Buddhist path. At the
outset our gurus introduce us to the fundamentals of the path and
serve as the focus of our
devotion. Inspired, we transform our patterns of emotion and thought
so that we can authentically
practice the path. The blessings of Guru Yoga become apparent and
our initial faith becomes
clearer and stronger. Ultimately we merge inseparably with the
teacher, recognizing
the ultimate guru, mind's single, pure nature.
Chagdud Khadro's Guru Yoga teachings arise from the blessing of
twenty-four years with H.E.
Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, and precious teachings from other Vajrayana
masters. The empowerment
she offers in connection with Guru Yoga is the distillation of seven
guru yoga liturgies
written by Padmasambhava himself. These liturgies were hidden as
spiritual treasures to be
opened by great masters in later centuries, and were compiled by
Kyabje Dudjom Jigdral Yeshe
Dorje.. The blessings of Padmasambhava's own transmission remain
fresh and effective
for practitioners today.
Chagdud Khadro, the wife and student of the revered Nyingma master,
H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, has been a practitioner
of Tibetan Vajrayana since 1977. Ordained as a lama in 1996, she has
taught Amitabha P'howa (transference of consciousness
at the moment of death) throughout the world. Having spent many
years compiling and publishing Chagdud
Rinpoche's teachings, her own teachings are known for their clarity
and step-by-step meditation training.
Since Rinpoche's Parinirvana in November 2002, Khadro has served as
the spiritual director of Chagdud Gonpa Brasil and
Chagdud Gonpa Hispanoamerica, a dynamic network of South American
meditation centers established by His Eminence.
She
lives at Khadro Ling in southern Brasil, where she is engaged in
fulfilling Rinpoche's great aspiration to build a replica of
Zangdog Palri, Glorious Copper Mountain, Guru Rinpoche's pureland.
MAY 2 (2PM TO 9 PM) & MAY 3 (9AM TO 5PM)
Yogaspace of Brookfield
777 Federal Rd. Brookfield CT 06804
To Register Please Call Alex at 203-743-5355
TIBETAN BUDDHIST RETREAT
with
Chagdud Khadro

The Level of Great Capacity

Atisha continues his discussion on the three capacities by turning his
attention
to spiritual trainees at the highest level.

Verse 5

Those who, through their personal suffering,
Truly want to end completely
All the suffering of others
Are persons of supreme capacity.
[-- Atisha's "Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment"]


Practitioners at this level use their deep understanding of the nature of
suffering, derived from reflection on their personal experience, to
recognize the fundamental equality of oneself and others insofar as the
desire to overcome suffering is concerned. This then leads to the arising of
a spontaneous wish to free all sentient beings from their suffering, a wish
which becomes the powerful impetus for engaging in spiritual practices aimed
at bringing about this altruistic objective.

The most important practice in relation to this altruistic goal is the
generation of bodhicitta, the altruistic aspiration to attain buddhahood for
the benefit of all beings.


-- by His Holiness the Dalai Lama from "Lighting the Way," published by Snow
Lion Publications

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In my tradition we revere the masters for being even kinder than the buddhas
themselves. Although the compassion and power of the buddhas are always
present, our obscurations prevent us from meeting the buddhas face to face.
But we can meet the masters; they are here, living, breathing, speaking, and
acting before us to show us, in all the ways possible, the path of the
buddhas: the way to liberation.

For me, my masters have been the embodiment of living truth, undeniable
signs that enlightenment is possible in a body, in this life, in this world,
even here and even now, the supreme inspirations in my practice, in my work,
in my life, and in my journey toward liberation. My masters are for me the
embodiments of my sacred commitment to keep enlightenment foremost in my
mind until I actually achieve it. I know enough to know that only when I
reach enlightenment will I have a complete understanding of who they really
are and of their infinite generosity, love, and wisdom.


Sogyal Rinpoche

Concern for others to be happy and compassion wishing them to be free from
suffering are needed not only as the basis for a bodhichitta motivation for
mahamudra* practice, but also for keeping that practice on course to its
intended goal. When we have changed our focus in life from the contents of
our experience to the process of experience, there is great danger of
becoming fixated on mind itself. This is because the direct experience of
mind itself is totally blissful - in a calm and serene sense - and entails
extraordinary clarity and starkness. Concern for others is one of the
strongest forces that brings us back down to earth after having been up in
the clouds. Although all appearances exist as a function of mind, other
beings do not exist merely in our head. Their suffering is real and it hurts
them just as much as ours hurts us.


Furthermore, to be concerned about someone does not mean to be frantically
worried about this person. If we are fixated on our child's problems at
school, for example, we lose sight that whatever appearance of the problems
our mind gives rise to is a function of mind. Believing the appearance to be
the solid reality "out there," we again feel hopeless to do anything and
thus become extremely anxious and tense. We worry to the point of becoming
sick and we over-react toward our child, which does not help. If we focus
instead on the process of mind that gives rise to our perception of the
problem as if it existed as some horrible monster "out there," we do not
eliminate our concern for our child, only our worry. This allows us to take
whatever clear and calm action is necessary to alleviate the problem, Thus
not only is compassion necessary for successful practice of mahamudra, but
mahamudra realization is necessary for successful practice of compassion.

* "Mahamudra" is a Sanskrit word meaning "great seal" and refers to the
nature of all phenomena. Mahamudra also refers to sophisticated Buddhist
systems of meditation and practice to realize this great sealing nature.


-- by His Holiness the Dalai Lama from "The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of
Mahamudra,"
published by Snow Lion Publications


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The compassionate wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all others
is called Bodhicitta in Sanskrit: bodhi refers to ourenlightened essence,
and citta means “heart.” So we could translate it as “the heart of our
enlightened mind.” To awaken and develop the heart of the enlightened mind
is to ripen steadily the seed of our buddha nature, that seed that, in the
end, when our practice of compassion has become perfect and all-embracing,
will flower majestically into buddhahood. Bodhicitta, then, is the spring
and source and root of the entire spiritual path. This is why in our
tradition we pray with such urgency:

Those who haven’t yet given birth to precious Bodhicitta,
May they give birth
Those who have given birth,
May their Bodhicitta not lessen
but increase further and further.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The purpose of reflection on death is to make a real change in the depths of
our hearts. Often this will require a period of retreat and deep
contemplation, because only that can truly open our eyes to what we are
doing with our lives.

Contemplation on death will bring you a deepening sense of what we call
“renunciation,” in Tibetan ngé jung. Ngé means “actually” or “definitely,”
and jung to “come out,” “emerge” or “be born.” The fruit of frequent and
deep reflection on death will be that you will find yourself emerging, often
with a sense of disgust, from your habitual patterns. You will find yourself
increasingly ready to let go of them, and in the end you will be able to
free yourself from them as smoothly, the masters say, “as drawing a hair
from a slab of butter.”


Sogyal Rinpoche

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and will be performing on May 5 at Columbia University
in NYC to celebrate the launch. See below for details.

Tinn

***

Dear friend,

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To realize what I call the wisdom of compassion is to see with complete
clarity its benefits, as well as the damage that its opposite has done to
us. We need to make a very clear distinction between what is in our ego’s
self-interest and what is in our ultimate interest; it is from mistaking one
for the other that all our suffering comes.

Self-grasping creates self-cherishing, which in turn creates an ingrained
aversion to harm and suffering. However, harm and suffering have no
objective existence; what gives them their existence and their power is only
our aversion to them. When you understand this, you understand then that it
is our aversion that attracts to us every negativity and obstacle that can
possibly happen to us, and fills our lives with nervous anxiety,
expectation, and fear.

Wear down that aversion by wearing down the self-grasping mind and its
attachment to a nonexistent self, and you will wear down any hold on you
that any obstacle and negativity can have. For how can you attack someone or
something that is just not there?

Sogyal Rinpoche


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each time we begin our practice of meditation, we are moved by the awareness
that we and all other sentient beings fundamentally have the Buddha nature
as our innermost essence, and that to realize it is to be free of ignorance
and to put an end, finally, to suffering.

We are inspired with the motivation to dedicate our practice, and our life,
to the enlightenment of all beings in the spirit of this prayer, which all
the buddhas of the past have prayed:

By the power and the truth of this practice:
May all beings have happiness, and the causes of happiness;
May all be free from sorrow, and the causes of sorrow;
May all never be separated from the sacred happiness which is sorrowless;
And may all live in equanimity, without too much attachment and too much
aversion,
And live believing in the equality of all that lives.


Sogyal Rinpoche


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I often think of the great masters and imagine beings who have their depth
of realization as magnificent mountain eagles, who soar above both life and
death and see them for what they are, in all their mysterious, intricate
interrelation.

To see through the eyes of the mountain eagle, the view of realization, is
to look down on a landscape in which the boundaries that we imagined existed
between life and death shade into each other and dissolve. The physicist
David Bohm has described reality as being “unbroken wholeness in flowing
movement.”

What is seen by the masters, then, seen directly and with total
understanding, is that flowing movement and that unbroken wholeness. What
we, in our ignorance, call “life” and what we, in our ignorance, call
“death” are merely different aspects of that wholeness and that movement.


Sogyal Rinpoche

The Dzogchen Tantras, the ancient teachings from which the bardo
instructions come, speak of a mythical bird, the garuda, which is born fully
grown. This image symbolizes our primordial nature, which is already
completely perfect. The garuda chick has all its wing feathers fully
developed inside the egg, but it cannot fly before it hatches. Only at the
moment when the shell cracks open can it burst out and soar up into the sky.
Similarly, the masters tell us, the qualities of buddhahood are veiled by
the body, and as soon as the body is discarded, they will be radiantly
displayed.


Sogyal Rinpoche


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The still revolutionary insight of Buddhism is that life and death are in
the mind, and nowhere else. Mind is revealed as the universal basis of
experience—the creator of happiness and the creator of suffering, the
creator of what we call life and what we call death.


Sogyal Rinpoche


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dudjom Rinpoche was driving through France with his wife, admiring the
countryside as they went along. They passed along cemetery that had been
freshly painted and decorated with flowers. Dudjom Rinpoche’s wife said:
“Rinpoche, look how everything in the West is so neat and clean. Even the
places where they keep corpses are spotless. In the East not even the houses
that people live in are anything like as clean as this.”

“Ah, yes,” he replied, “that’s true; this is such a civilized country. They
have such marvelous houses for dead corpses. But haven’t you noticed? They
have such wonderful houses for the living corpses too.”


Sogyal Rinpoche


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remaining in the clarity and confidence of Rigpa allows all your thoughts
and emotions to liberate naturally and effortlessly within its vast expanse,
like writing in water, or painting in the sky. If you truly perfect this
practice, karma has no chance to be accumulated, and in this state of
aimless, carefree abandon, what Dudjom Rinpoche calls “uninhibited, naked
ease,” the karmic law of cause and effect can no longer bind you in any way.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To learn how to die is to learn how to live; to learn how to live is to
learn how to act not only in this life but in the lives to come. To
transform yourself truly and learn how to be reborn as a transformed being
to help others is really to help the world in the most powerful way of all.

Let us dare to imagine now what it would be like to live in a world where a
significant number of people took the opportunity, offered by the teachings,
to devote part of their lives to serious spiritual practice, to recognize
the nature of their minds, and so to use the opportunity of their deaths to
move closer to buddhahood, and to be reborn with one aim, that of serving
and benefiting others.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


How can the wisdom mind of the buddhas be introduced? Imagine the nature of
mind as your face; it is always with you, but you cannot see it without
help. Now imagine that you have never seen a mirror before. The introduction
by the master is like holding up a mirror suddenly in which you can, for the
first time, see your face reflected.

Just like your face, this pure awareness of Rigpa is not something “new”
that the master is giving you that you did not have before, nor is it
something you could possibly find outside of yourself. It has always been
yours, and has always been with you, but up until that startling moment you
have never actually seen it directly.


Sogyal Rinpoche

...karma refers not only to our actions but, more importantly, to the
motivation or intention behind them. The acts themselves are not the primary
cause of our suffering; rather, it arises from the world of our intentions
or, in other words, from our thoughts and emotions. These afflictive states
of mind underlie our negative karma and are therefore the source of our
suffering.


Obviously, these afflictions won't go away simply by saying prayers or
wishing them away; they can only be eliminated by cultivating their
corresponding remedies or antidotes. To understand how this process of
applying the antidote works we can observe our physical world. For instance,
we can contrast heat and cold: if we are suffering from the effects of too
cold a temperature, then we increase the thermometer on our heater or
air-conditioning unit and adjust it to our comfort. Thus, even in the
physical world we can see instances where opposing forces counter each
other.


...From our own personal experience we recognise that anger and hostility
disturb our peace of mind and, more importantly, that they have the
potential to harm others. Conversely, we recognise that positive emotions
like compassion and loving kindness can engender in us a deep sense of peace
and serenity, beneficial results that we can extend to others as well. This
appreciation of their great value naturally leads to a desire to cultivate
these positive emotions. It is through this gradual process that the
antidotes work in decreasing and eventually eliminating their opposing
forces in the mental realm, the realm of our thoughts and emotions.


-- by His Holiness the Dalai Lama from "Lighting the Way," published by Snow
Lion Publications



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the West, people tend to be absorbed by what I call “the technology of
meditation.” The modern world, after all, is fascinated by mechanisms and
machines and addicted to purely practical formulas. But by far the most
important feature of meditation is not the technique but the spirit: the
skillful, inspired and creative way in which we practice, which could also
be called “the posture.”

The masters say: “If you create an auspicious condition in your body and
your environment, then meditation and realization will automatically arise.”
Talk about posture is not esoteric pedantry; the whole point of assuming a
correct posture is to create a more inspiring environment for meditation,
for the awakening of Rigpa.

There is a connection between the posture of the body and the mind. Mind and
body are interrelated, and meditation arises naturally once your posture and
attitude are inspired.



Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Mipham, a great Tibetan master who lived around the late 1900s, was a kind
of Himalayan Leonardo da Vinci. He is said to have invented a clock, a
cannon, and an airplane. But once each of them was complete, he destroyed
it, saying it would only be the cause of further distraction


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Compassion is a far greater and nobler thing than pity. Pity has its roots
in fear and carries a sense of arrogance and condescension, sometimes even a
smug feeling of “I’m glad it’s not me.” As Stephen Levine says: “When your
fear touches someone’s pain it becomes pity; when your love touches
someone’s pain, it becomes compassion.” To train in compassion is to know
that all beings are the same and suffer in similar ways, to honor all those
who suffer, and to know that you are neither separate from nor superior to
anyone.


Sogyal Rinpoche

Just as the ocean has waves, and the sun has rays, so the mind’s own
radiance is its thoughts and emotions. The ocean has waves, yet the ocean is
not particularly disturbed by them. The waves are the very nature of the
ocean. Waves will rise, but where do they go? Back into the ocean. And where
do the waves come from? The ocean.

In the same manner, thoughts and emotions are the radiance and expression of
the very nature of the mind. They rise from the mind, but where do they
dissolve? Back into the mind. Whatever rises, do not see it as a particular
problem. If you do not impulsively react, if you are only patient, it will
once again settle into its essential nature.

When you have this understanding, then rising thoughts only enhance your
practice. But when you do not understand what they intrinsically are—the
radiance of the nature of your mind—then your thoughts become the seed of
confusion. So have a spacious, open, and compassionate attitude toward your
thoughts and emotions, because in fact your thoughts are your family, the
family of your mind. Before them, as Dudjom Rinpoche used to say: “Be like
an old wise man, watching a child play.”


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is crucial now that an enlightened vision of death and dying should be
introduced throughout the world at all levels of education. Children should
not be “protected” from death, but introduced, while young, to the true
nature of death and what they can learn from it.

Why not introduce this vision, in its simplest forms, to all age groups?
Knowledge about death, about how to help the dying, and about the spiritual
nature of death and dying should be made available to all levels of society;
it should be taught, in depth and with real imagination, in schools and
colleges and universities of all kinds; and especially and most important,
it should be available in teaching hospitals to nurses and doctors who will
look after the dying and who have so much responsibility to them.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where exactly is our buddha nature? It is in the skylike nature of our mind.
Utterly open, free and limitless, it is fundamentally so simple and so
natural that it can never be complicated, corrupted, or stained, so pure
that it is beyond even the concept of purity and impurity.

To talk of this nature of mind as skylike is, of course, only a metaphor
that helps us to begin to imagine its all-embracing boundlessness; for the
buddha nature has a quality the sky cannot have, that of the radiant clarity
of awareness.

It is said: “It is simply your flawless present awareness, cognizant and
empty, naked and awake.”


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“Once you have the View, although the delusory perceptions of samsara may
arise in your mind, you will be like the sky; when a rainbow appears in
front of it, it’s not particularly flattered, and when the clouds appear
it’s not particularly disappointed either. There is a deep sense of
contentment. You chuckle from inside as you see the facade of samsara and
nirvana; the View will keep you constantly amused, with a little inner smile
bubbling away all the time.”

DILGO KHYENTSE RINPOCHE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Techniques for Improvement

All of us have attained a human life; we are, in a sense, incomparable among
the various types of sentient beings, as we are able to think about many
topics with a subtler mind and are endowed with vaster capabilities. Dogs,
birds, and so forth do communicate, but only humans can settle and ascertain
deep topics on the basis of words; it is obvious that there are no other
sentient beings capable of as many thoughts and techniques. Nowadays, humans
are engaging in many activities that were not even objects of thought a
century or two ago. The metaphors of the poets of the past, such as 'the
wonderful house of the moon', are becoming actualities.

...People have made great effort right up to this century, thinking to
become free from suffering, but we cannot point to even one person in the
world, no matter how rich he or she is, who has no worry -- except for those
who have the inner happiness of renouncing the material way of life. Without
internal renunciation it is difficult to achieve happiness and comfort.


-- by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsong-ka-pa and Jeffrey Hopkins from
"Deity Yoga," published by Snow Lion Publications


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The word 'mantra' means 'mind-protection'. It protects the mind from
ordinary appearances and conceptions. 'Mind' here refers to all six
consciousnesses -- eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mental consciousnesses
-- which are to be freed, or protected, from the ordinary world. There are
two factors in mantra training, pride in oneself as a deity and vivid
appearance of that deity. Divine pride protects one from the pride of being
ordinary, and divine vivid appearance protects one from ordinary
appearances. Whatever appears to the senses is viewed as the sport of a
deity; for instance, whatever forms are seen are viewed as the emanations of
a deity and whatever sounds are heard are viewed as the mantras of a deity.
One is thereby protected from ordinary appearances, and through this
transformation of attitude, the pride of being a deity emerges. Such
protection of mind together with its attendant pledges and vows is called
the practice of mantra.


-- by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsong-ka-pa and Jeffrey Hopkins from
"Tantra in Tibet," published by Snow Lion Publications

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Men come and they go and they trot and they dance, and never a word about
death. All well and good. Yet when death does come—to them, their wives,
their children, their friends—catching them unawares and unprepared, then
what storms of passion overwhelm them, what cries, what fury, what despair!
. . .

To begin depriving death of its greatest advantage over us, let us adopt a
way clean contrary to that common one; let us deprive death of its
strangeness, let us frequent it, let us get used to it; let us have nothing
more often in mind than death. . . . We do not know where death awaits us:
so let us wait for it everywhere.

To practice death is to practice freedom. A man who has learned how to die
has unlearned how to be a slave.


MONTAIGNE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

According to the wisdom of Buddha, we can actually use our lives to prepare
for death. We do not have to wait for the painful death of someone close to
us or the shock of terminal illness to force us to look at our lives. Nor
are we condemned to go out empty-handed at death to meet the unknown. We can
begin, here and now, to find meaning in our lives. We can make of every
moment an opportunity to change and to prepare—wholeheartedly, precisely,
and with peace of mind—for death and eternity.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In any society, it is necessary to follow a certain number of rules.
   Those who commit crimes or harmful acts must be punished
   and those who behave well should be encouraged.  The system
   can only function well thanks to laws and to those who apply them. If the
guardians of justice and morality have no integrity themselves, the system
becomes unjust.  Is this not exactly what one often sees in some countries,
where the rich and powerful are not brought to justice or they win their cases
easily, while the poor are given heavy punishments? This is sad.



   With Metta,
   Tara




---------------------------------
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Learning to meditate is the greatest gift you can give yourself in this
life. For it is only through meditation that you can undertake the journey
to discover your true nature, and so find the stability and confidence you
will need to live, and die, well.

Meditation is the road to enlightenment.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I teach meditation, I often begin by saying: “Bring your mind home. And
release. And relax.”

To bring your mind home means to bring the mind into the state of Calm
Abiding through the practice of mindfulness. In its deepest sense, to bring
your mind home is to turn your mind inward and rest in the nature of mind.
This itself is the highest meditation.

To release means to release the mind from its prison of grasping, since you
recognize that all pain and fear and distress arise from the craving of the
grasping mind. On a deeper level, the realization and confidence that arise
from your growing understanding of the nature of mind inspire the profound
and natural generosity that enables you to release all grasping from your
heart, letting it free itself to melt away in the inspiration of meditation.

To relax means to be spacious and to relax the mind of its tensions. More
deeply, you relax into the true nature of your mind, the state of Rigpa. It
is like pouring a handful of sand onto a hot surface, and each grain settles
of its own accord. This is how you relax into your true nature, letting all
thoughts and emotions naturally subside and dissolve into the state of the
nature of mind.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


How many of us are swept away by what I have come to call an “active
laziness”? Naturally there are different species of laziness: Eastern and
Western. The Eastern style consists of hanging out all day in the sun, doing
nothing, avoiding any kind of work or useful activity, drinking cups of tea
and gossiping with friends.

Western laziness is quite different. It consists of cramming our lives with
compulsive activity, so that there is no time left to confront the real
issues.

If we look into our lives, we will see clearly how many unimportant tasks,
so-called “responsibilities” accumulate to fill them up. One master compares
them to “housekeeping in a dream.” We tell ourselves we want to spend time
on the important things of life, but there never is any time.

Helpless, we watch our days fill up with telephone calls and petty projects,
with so many responsibilities—or should we call them “irresponsibilities”?


Sogyal Rinpoche

Question: If the root of all suffering is attachment, are the desire to have
a family and the desire for liberation from suffering contradictory?

Answer: I think that a distinction should be made between desires that are
due to ignorance and desires that are reasoned. In Tibetan, a difference can
be made between "wish" and "desire"; for instance a Bodhisattva is reborn
through his or her own wishes, not out of desire. Similarly, it is suitable
to aspire toward liberation. Also, persons, such as Foe Destroyers, who have
completely overcome all of the afflictive emotions, have thoughts such as,
"Such and such is good; I need it." Merely such thoughts are not afflictive
consciousnesses. Similarly, if we consider the desire for a family, there
are persons practicing the Bodhisattva path who have families; also, in the
scriptures of discipline, Buddha himself set forth vows for lay persons and
vows for monks. Hence, there is no general prohibition of the wish to have a
family.


-- by His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet, translated and edited by Jeffrey
Hopkins, from "The Dalai Lama at Harvard: Lectures on the Buddhist Path to
Peace" published by Snow Lion Publications

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loss and bereavement can remind you sharply of what can happen when in life
you do not show your love and appreciation, or ask for forgiveness, and so
make you far more sensitive to your loved ones.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross said: ‘What I try to teach people is to live in such a
way that you say those things while the other person can still hear it.” And
Raymond Moody, after his life’s work in near-death research, wrote: “I have
begun to realize how near to death we all are in our daily lives. More than
ever now I am very careful to let each person I love know how I feel.”


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One powerful way to evoke compassion is to think of others as exactly the
same as you. “After all,” the Dalai Lama explains, “all human beings are the
same—made of human flesh, bones, and blood. We all want happiness and want
to avoid suffering. Further, we have an equal right to be happy. In other
words, it is important to realize our sameness as human beings.”

Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Despite all our chatter about being practical, to be practical in the West
means to be ignorantly, and often selfishly, short-sighted. Our myopic focus
on this life, and this life only, is the great deception, the source of the
modern world’s bleak and destructive materialism. No one talks about death
and no one talks about the afterlife, because people are made to believe
that such talk will only thwart our so-called progress in the world.

If our deepest desire is truly to live and go on living, why do we blindly
insist that death is the end? Why not at least try to explore the
possibility that there may be a life after? Why, if we are as pragmatic as
we claim, don’t we begin to ask ourselves seriously: Where does our real
future lie? After all, very few of us live longer than a hundred years. And
after that there stretches the whole of eternity, unaccounted for. . . .


Sogyal Rinpoche

If things did in fact exist the way they appear - if things did exist so
concretely - then when one looked into and investigated them, this inherent
existence should become even clearer, more obvious. However, when you seek
for the object designated, you cannot find it under analysis.

[That] which gives rise to the appearance of I is mind and body, but when
you divide this into mind and body and look for the I, you cannot find it.
Also the whole, body, is designated in dependence upon the collection of
parts of the body; if you divide this into its parts and look for the body,
you cannot find it either.

Even the most subtle particles in the body have sides and hence parts. Were
there something partless, it might be independent, but there is nothing that
is partless. Rather, everything exists in dependence on its parts... There
is no whole which is separate from its parts.

No matter what the phenomenon is, internal or external, whether it be one's
own body or any other type of phenomenon, when we search to discover what
this phenomenon is that is designated, we cannot find anything that is it.

However, these things appear to us as if they do exist objectively and in
their own right, and thus there is a difference between the way things
appear to our minds and the way they actually exist... Since phenomena
appear to us in a way that is different from what we discover when
analysing, this proves that their concrete appearance is due to a fault of
our minds.


by The Fourteenth Dalai Lama, His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, translated and
edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, co-edited by Elizabeth Napper, from "Kindness,
Clarity, and Insight" published by Snow Lion Publications

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Tibetan Buddhist point of view, we can divide our entire existence
into four continuously interlinked realities:

1. life; 2. dying and death; 3. after death; and 4. rebirth.

These are known as the four bardos:

1. the natural bardo of this life,
2. the painful bardo of dying,
3. the luminous bardo of dharmata, and
4. the karmic bardo of becoming.

The bardos are particularly powerful opportunities for liberation because
there are, the teachings show us, certain moments that are much more
powerful than others and much more charged with potential, when whatever you
do has a crucial and far-reaching effect.

I think of a bardo as being like a moment when you step toward the edge of a
precipice; such a moment, for example, is when a master introduces a
disciple to the essential, original, and innermost nature of his or her
mind. The greatest and most charged of these moments, however, is the moment
of death.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nothing has any inherent existence of its own when you really look at it,
and this absence of independent existence is what we call “emptiness.” Think
of a tree. When you think of a tree, you tend to think of a distinctly
defined object; and on a certain level it is. But when you look more closely
at the tree, you will see that ultimately it has no independent existence.

When you contemplate it, you will find that it dissolves into an extremely
subtle net of relationships that stretches across the universe. The rain
that falls on its leaves, the wind that sways it, the soil that nourishes
and sustains it, all the seasons and the weather, moonlight and starlight
and sunlight—all form part of this tree.

As you begin to think more and more about the tree, you will discover that
everything in the universe helps to make the tree what it is; that it cannot
at any moment be isolated from anything else; and that at every moment its
nature is subtly changing. This is what we mean when we say things are
empty, that they have no independent existence.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


When a much larger number of people know the nature of their minds, they’ll
know also the glorious nature of the world they are in, and will struggle
urgently and bravely to preserve it. It’s interesting that the Tibetan word
for “Buddhist” is nangpa . It means “insider”: someone who seeks the truth
not outside but within the nature of his or her mind. All the teachings and
training in Buddhism are aimed at that one single point: to look into the
nature of mind, and so free us from the fear of death and help us realize
the truth of life.



Sogyal Rinpoche

The Buddhist meditation masters know how flexible and workable the mind is.
If we train it, anything is possible. In fact, we are already perfectly
trained by and for samsara, trained to get jealous, trained to grasp,
trained to be anxious and sad and desperate and greedy, trained to react
angrily to whatever provokes us. In fact, we are trained to such an extent
that these negative emotions rise spontaneously, without our even trying to
generate them.

So everything is a question of training and the power of habit. Devote the
mind to confusion and we know only too well, if we’re honest, that it will
become a dark master of confusion, adept in its addictions, subtle and
perversely supple in its slaveries. Devote it in meditation to the task of
freeing itself from illusion, and we will find that with time, patience,
discipline, and the right training, the mind will begin to unknot itself and
know its essential bliss and clarity.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of the chief reasons we have so much anguish and difficulty in facing
death is that we ignore the truth of impermanence.

In our minds, changes always equal loss and suffering. And if they come, we
try to anesthetize ourselves as far as possible. We assume, stubbornly and
unquestioningly, that permanence provides security and impermanence does
not. But in fact impermanence is like some of the people we meet in
life—difficult and disturbing at first, but on deeper acquaintance far
friendlier and less unnerving than we could have imagined.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Human beings spend all their lives preparing, preparing, preparing. . . .
Only to meet the next life unprepared.

DRAKPA GYALTSEN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is the nature of mind like? Imagine a sky, empty, spacious, and pure
from the beginning; its essence is like this. Imagine a sun, luminous,
clear, unobstructed, and spontaneously present; its nature is like this.
Imagine that sun shining out impartially on us and all things, penetrating
all directions; its energy, which is the manifestation of compassion, is
like this: Nothing can obstruct it, and it pervades everywhere.


Sogyal Rinpoche

An effortless compassion can arise for all beings who have not realized
their true nature. So limitless is it that if tears could express it, you
would cry without end. Not only compassion, but tremendous skillful means
can be born when you realize the nature of mind. Also you are naturally
liberated from all suffering and fear, such as the fear of birth, death and
the intermediate state. Then if you were to speak of the joy and bliss that
arise from this realization, it is said by the buddhas that if you were to
gather all the glory, enjoyment, pleasure and happiness of the world and put
it all together, it would not approach one tiny fraction of the bliss that
you experience upon realizing the nature of mind.


NYOSHUL KHEN RINPOCHE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


How hard it can be to turn our attention within! How easily we allow our old
habits and set patterns to dominate us! Even though they bring us suffering,
we accept them with almost fatalistic resignation, for we are so used to
giving in to them. We may idealize freedom, but when it comes to our habits,
we are completely enslaved.

Still, reflection can slowly bring us wisdom. We may, of course, fall back
into fixed repetitive patterns again and again, but slowly we can emerge
from them and change.

The mind will begin to unknot itself and know its essential bliss and
clarity.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Tibetan, the word for “body” is lü, which means “something you leave
behind,” like baggage. Each time we say lü, it reminds us that we are only
travelers, taking temporary refuge in this life and this body. In Tibet,
people did not distract themselves by spending all their time trying to make
their external circumstances more comfortable. They were satisfied if they
had enough to eat, clothes on their backs, and a roof over their heads.
Going on, as we do, obsessively trying to improve our conditions, can become
an end in itself, and a pointless distraction. Would people in their right
mind think of fastidiously redecorating their hotel room every time they
checked in to one?


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karma is not fatalistic or predetermined. Karma means our ability to create
and to change. It is creative because we can determine how and why we act.
We can change. The future is in our hands, and in the hands of our heart.

Buddha said:

Karma creates all, like an artist,
Karma composes, like a dancer.


Sogyal Rinpoche

All events and incidents in life are so intimately linked with the fate of
others that a single person on his or her own cannot even begin to act. Many
ordinary human activities, both positive and negative, cannot even be
conceived of apart from the existence of other people. Even the committing
of harmful actions depends on the existence of others. Because of others, we
have the opportunity to earn money if that is what we desire in life.
Similarly, in reliance upon the existence of others it becomes possible for
the media to create fame or disrepute for someone. On your own you cannot
create any fame or disrepute no matter how loud you might shout. The closest
you can get is to create an echo of your own voice.

Thus interdependence is a fundamental law of nature. Not only higher forms
of life but also many of the smallest insects are social beings who, without
any religion, law, or education, survive by mutual cooperation based on an
innate recognition of their interconnectedness. The most subtle level of
material phenomena is also governed by interdependence. All phenomena, from
the planet we inhabit to the oceans, clouds, forests, and flowers that
surround us, arise in dependence upon subtle patterns of energy. Without
their proper interaction, they dissolve and decay.


-- by Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, from "The Compassionate
Life"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


In Tibetan we call the essential nature of mind Rigpa—primordial, pure,
pristine awareness that is at once intelligent, cognizant, radiant, and
always awake. This nature of mind, its innermost essence, is absolutely and
always untouched by change or death. At present it is hidden within our own
mind, our sem, enveloped and obscured by the mental scurry of our thoughts
and emotions. Just as clouds can be shifted by a strong gust of wind to
reveal the shining sun and wide-open sky, so, under certain circumstances,
some inspiration may uncover for us glimpses of this nature of mind. These
glimpses have many depths and degrees, but each of them will bring some
light of understanding, meaning and freedom.

This is because the nature of mind is the very root itself of understanding.

Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whatever we have done with our lives makes us what we are when we die. And
everything, absolutely everything, counts.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is meditation in Dzogchen? It is simply resting undistracted, in the
View, once introduced.
Dudjom Rinpoche describes it: “Meditation consists of being attentive to
such a state of Rigpa, free from all mental constructions, whilst remaining
fully relaxed, without any distraction or grasping. For it is said that
‘meditation is not striving, but naturally becoming assimilated into it.’”


Sogyal Rinpoche

Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels

....a buddha is someone who has attained full enlightenment through the
cultivation of compassion and the wisdom of no-self, the absence of
self-existence. From our discussion we also saw how the Dharma jewel is to
be understood as the path by which we can gradually accomplish the same
result as the fully awakened Buddha. Likewise, the Sangha jewel is the
community of sincere practitioners who have directly realised emptiness, the
ultimate nature of reality.


For those of us who consider ourselves to be practising Buddhists, it is
crucial to have this kind of deeper understanding of the Three Jewels when
we go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.


-- by The Dalai Lama, from "Lighting the Way" published by Snow Lion
Publications


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


If you are sitting, and your mind is not wholly in tune with your body—if
you are, for instance, anxious or preoccupied with something—your body will
experience physical discomfort, and difficulties will arise more easily.
Whereas if your mind is in a calm, inspired state, it will influence your
whole posture, and you can sit much more naturally and effortlessly. So it
is very important to unite the posture of your body and the confidence that
arises from your realization of the nature of your mind.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is the View? It is nothing less than seeing the actual state of things
as they are; it is knowing that the true nature of mind is the true nature
of everything; and it is realizing that the true nature of mind is the
absolute truth.

Dudjom Rinpoche says: “The View is the comprehension of the naked awareness,
within which everything is contained: sensory perception and phenomenal
existence, samsara and nirvana. This awareness has two aspects: ‘emptiness’
as the absolute, and ‘appearances’ or ‘perception’ as the relative.”



Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More than twenty-five hundred years ago, a man who had been searching for
the truth for many, many lifetimes came to a quiet place in northern India
and sat down under a tree. He continued to sit under the tree, with immense
resolve, and vowed not to get up until he had found the truth.

At dusk, it is said, he conquered all the dark forces of delusion; and early
the next morning, as the planet Venus broke in the dawn sky, the man was
rewarded for his age-long patience, discipline, and flawless concentration
by achieving the final goal of human existence: enlightenment.

At that sacred moment, the earth itself shuddered, as if “drunk with bliss,”
and, as the scriptures tell us: “No one anywhere was angry, ill or sad; no
one did evil, none was proud; the world became quite quiet, as though it had
reached full perfection.” This man became known as Buddha.


Sogyal Rinpoche

What do we mean when we speak of a truly compassionate kindness? Compassion
is essentially concern for others' welfare -- their happiness and their
suffering. Others wish to avoid misery as much as we do. So a compassionate
person feels concerned when others are miserable and develops a positive
intention to free them from it. As ordinary beings, our feeling of closeness
to our friends and relatives is little more than an expression of clinging
desire. It needs to be tempered, not enhanced. It is important not to
confuse attachment and compassion.... A compassionate thought is motivated
by a wish to help release beings from their misery.


-- by The Dalai Lama, from "Stages of Meditation" translated by Venerable
Geshe Lobsang Jordhen, Losang Choephel Ganchenpa, and Jeremy Russell,
published by Snow Lion Publications



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The cells of our body are dying, the neurons in our brain are decaying, even
the expressions on our face are always changing, depending on our mood. What
we call our basic character is only a “mindstream,” nothing more. Today we
feel good because things are going well; tomorrow we feel the opposite.
Where did that good feeling go?

What could be more unpredictable than our thoughts and emotions: Do you have
any idea what you are going to think or feel next? The mind, in fact, is as
empty, as impermanent, and as transient as a dream. Look at a thought: It
comes, it stays, and it goes. The past is past, the future not yet risen,
and even the present thought, as we experience it, becomes the past.

The only thing we really have is nowness, is now.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 7
THE ESSENTIAL NATURE OF MIND
No words can describe it
No example can point to it
Samsara does not make it worse
Nirvana does not make it better
It has never been born
It has never ceased
It has never been liberated
It has never been deluded
It has never existed
It has never been nonexistent
It has no limits at all

It does not fall into any kind of category.


DUDJOM RINPOCHE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A human being is part of a whole, called by us the ‘Universe,’ a part
limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and
feelings, as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of
his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us
to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our
task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of
compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its
beauty.


ALBERT EINSTEI

Howard C.Cutler, MD:  "Is happiness a reasonable goal for most of us? Is it
really possible?"

HH the Dalai Lama:  "Yes. I believe that happiness can be achieved through
training the mind. When I say 'training the mind,' in this context I'm not
referring to 'mind' merely as one's cognitive ability or intellect. Rather,
I'm using the term in the sense of the Tibetan word 'Sem', which has a much
broader meaning, closer to 'psyche' or 'spirit'; it includes intellect and
feeling, heart and mind. By bringing about a certain inner discipline, we
can undergo a transformation of our attitude, our entire outlook and
approach to living.

"When we speak of this inner discipline, it can of course involve many
things, many methods. But generally speaking, one begins by identifying
those factors which lead to happiness and those factors which lead to
suffering. Having done this, one then sets about gradually eliminating those
factors which lead to suffering and cultivating those which lead to
happiness. That is the way."


-- by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, MD, from "The Art of
Happiness: A Handbook for Living", published by Snow Lion Publications

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Doubts demand from us a real skillfulness in dealing with them, and I notice
how few people have any idea how to pursue doubts or to use them. It seems
ironic that in a civilization that so worships the power of deflation and
doubt, hardly anyone has the courage to deflate the claims of doubt
itself—to do as one Hindu master said: turn the dogs of doubt on doubt
itself, to unmask cynicism, and to uncover what fear, despair, hopelessness,
and tired conditioning it springs from. Then doubt would no longer be an
obstacle, but a door to realization, and whenever doubt appeared in the
mind, a seeker would welcome it as a means of going deeper into the truth.


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ego is the absence of true knowledge of who we really are, together with its
result: a doomed clutching on, at all costs, to a cobbled together and
makeshift image of ourselves, an inevitably chameleon charlatan self that
keeps changing, and has to, to keep alive the fiction of its existence.

In Tibetan, ego is called dakdzin , which means “grasping to a self.” Ego is
then defined as incessant movements of grasping at a delusory notion of “I”
and “mine,” self and other, and all the concepts, ideas, desires, and
activities that will sustain that false construction.

Such grasping is futile from the start and condemned to frustration, for
there is no basis or truth in it, and what we are grasping at is by its very
nature ungraspable. The fact that we need to grasp at all and to go on
grasping shows that in the depths of our being we know that the self doesn’t
inherently exist. From this secret, unnerving knowledge spring all our
fundamental insecurities and fears.



Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your compassion can have perhaps three essential benefits for a dying
person: First, because it is opening your heart, you will find it easier to
show the dying person the unconditional love he or she needs so much.

On a deeper, spiritual level, I have seen again and again how, if you can
embody compassion and act out of the heart of compassion, you will create an
atmosphere in which the other person can be inspired to imagine the
spiritual dimension or even take up spiritual practice.

On the deepest level of all, if you constantly practice compassion for the
dying person, and in turn inspire him or her to do the same, you might heal
the person not only spiritually but perhaps even physically. And you will
discover for yourself, with wonder, what all the spiritual masters know:
that the power of compassion has no bounds.


Sogyal Rinpoche

Hello Everybody,
This summer, His Eminence the 7th Dzogchen Rinpoche is to visit the
United Kingdom to give public teachings.

You're all welcome to attented this important event, you can read
about it below:
======================================================
Public Talks by His Eminence the 7th Dzogchen Rinpoche
======================================================
'The Suffering Of Change'
'gyur ba'i sdug bsngal'

Birmingham 7.00 pm Sunday 18th June
The Old Library
The Custard Factory
Gibb Square
Birmingham, B9 4AA

London 7.00 pm Saturday 1st July
The Northampton Suite
City University
Northampton Square
London EC1V 0HB


----------------------------------------------------------------

'The Suffering Of Change'
'gyur ba'i sdug bsngal'
Everything in our lives is impermanent. Nothing ever stays the same.
If we try to hang onto or fix things, it doesn't work - they change
anyway and we feel even worse for having tried and failed. This is the
'suffering of change' referred to over and again in the teachings of
the Buddha. His Eminence the 7th Dzogchen Rinpoche is one of the
highest Lamas in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and holder of the
Dzogchen lineage. In this talk he shows us that there is a way out of
the stress of constant change and that the answer can be found in our
own mind.

For more information call: 0121 242 3629
-----------------------------------------------------------------
or email: collette_56@... (Birmingham)
or gemmakeogh@... (London)

The nature of samsaric evolution is not such that death is followed by
nothingness, nor that humans are always reborn as humans and insects as
insects. On the contrary, we all carry within us the karmic potencies of all
realms of cyclic existence. Many beings transmigrate from higher to lower
realms, others from lower to higher. The selection of a place of rebirth is
not directly in our own hands but is conditioned by our karma and delusions.
They who possess spiritual understanding can control their destiny at the
time of death, but for ordinary beings the process is very much an automatic
chain reaction of karmic seeds and habitual psychic response patterns....


Our repeated experience of frustration, dissatisfaction and misery does not
have external conditions as its root cause. The problem is mainly our lack
of spiritual development. As a result of this handicap, the mind is
controlled principally by afflicted emotions and illusions. Attachment,
aversion and ignorance rather than a free spirit, love and wisdom are the
guiding forces. Recognizing this simple truth is the beginning of the
spiritual path.


-- by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Glenn Mullin, from "The
Path to Enlightenment", published by Snow Lion Publications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


A Zen master had a faithful but very naive student who regarded him as a
living buddha. One day the master accidentally sat down on a needle. He
screamed “Ouch!” and jumped into the air. The student instantly lost all his
faith and left, saying how disappointed he was to find that his master was
not fully enlightened. Otherwise, he thought, how could he jump up and
scream out loud like that? The master was sad when he realized his student
had left, and said: “Alas, poor man! If only he had known that in reality
neither I, nor the needle, nor the ‘ouch’ really existed.”


Sogyal Rinpoche

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remember the example of an old cow:
She’s content to sleep in a barn.
You have to eat, sleep and shit—
That’s unavoidable—anything
Beyond that is none of your business.

Do what you have to do
And keep yourself to yourself.

PATRUL RINPOCHE
(MUDRA, Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala, Berkeley and London, 1972.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of all the practices I know, the practice of Tonglen, Tibetan for “giving
and receiving,” is one of the most useful and powerful. When you feel
yourself locked in upon yourself, Tonglen opens you to the truth of the
suffering of others; when your heart is blocked, it destroys those forces
that are obstructing it; and when you feel estranged from the person who is
in pain before you, or bitter or despairing, it helps you to find within
yourself and then to reveal the loving, expansive radiance of your own true
nature. No other practice I know is as effective in destroying the
self-grasping, self-cherishing, self-absorption of the ego, which is the
root of all our suffering and all hard-heartedness.

Put very simply, the Tonglen practice of giving and receiving is to take on
the suffering and pain of others and give to them your happiness,
well-being, and peace of mind.


Sogyal Rinpoche

Tashi Deleg!

Dear Veronica,

I have no knowledage of what christian's believe. If you were to look at how
both try to benefit others it does looks the same.

The only thing I can tell the different between both are in Buddhism we
respect no only the human right but also the animal as well. We should not
to kill another beings just because we like the taste of their meat, I
understand to some Christan's some animal are "made" to be human's food.

As for your question on the psysical suffering the Budha endured when he
meditated to end all suffering in the world for all beings.

It do not sound strange to me at all first due to our past cause and
condition which will not make it easy for us to practice on our path
suffering maybe expected.

If you do not understand why Buddha endured the suffering, the only thing I
can tell you is that he love us more then himself, like a mother would
endured any suffering for her child.


Sarwa Mangalam
May all be Auspicious!
Namdrol Tsepal





>From: veronica maas <vmaas60@...>
>Reply-To: tibetanbuddhistgroup@yahoogroups.com
>To: tibetanbuddhistgroup@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: [TBG] RE: Rigpa Glimpse of the Day
>Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 05:40:16 -0700 (PDT)
>
>Am I stupid or does this sound like it comes directly from the r.k. church.
>
>   With the Budha being God of course
>   Dharma being the true rules and cathegesis of christianity - what
>christianity is all about.
>   Sangha would stand for the fact that you have to pay back all the
>christians (budha's) that came and went before you to give you this
>religion and all other material and spiritual things that you can use.
>   You have to pay for that with your blood and your body - like in the
>christion communion. You have to work untill your back brakes and you are
>so pale you feel you have no blood left in yourself.
>
>   How strange it sounds like the psysical suffering the Budha endured when
>he meditated to end all suffering in the world for all beings.
>
>   Does anybody see the link - or is it just me?
>
>Namdrol Tsepal <tenzin111@...> wrote:
>   Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels
>
>....a buddha is someone who has attained full enlightenment through the
>cultivation of compassion and the wisdom of no-self, the absence of
>self-existence. From our discussion we also saw how the Dharma jewel is to
>be understood as the path by which we can gradually accomplish the same
>result as the fully awakened Buddha. Likewise, the Sangha jewel is the
>community of sincere practitioners who have directly realised emptiness,
>the
>ultimate nature of reality.
>
>
>For those of us who consider ourselves to be practising Buddhists, it is
>crucial to have this kind of deeper understanding of the Three Jewels when
>we go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
>
>
>-- by The Dalai Lama, from "Lighting the Way" published by Snow Lion
>Publications
>
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>If you are sitting, and your mind is not wholly in tune with your body—if
>you are, for instance, anxious or preoccupied with something—your body will
>experience physical discomfort, and difficulties will arise more easily.
>Whereas if your mind is in a calm, inspired state, it will influence your
>whole posture, and you can sit much more naturally and effortlessly. So it
>is very important to unite the posture of your body and the confidence that
>arises from your realization of the nature of your mind.
>
>
>Sogyal Rinpoche
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>What is the View? It is nothing less than seeing the actual state of things
>as they are; it is knowing that the true nature of mind is the true nature
>of everything; and it is realizing that the true nature of mind is the
>absolute truth.
>
>Dudjom Rinpoche says: “The View is the comprehension of the naked
>awareness,
>within which everything is contained: sensory perception and phenomenal
>existence, samsara and nirvana. This awareness has two aspects: ‘emptiness’
>as the absolute, and ‘appearances’ or ‘perception’ as the relative.”
>
>
>
>Sogyal Rinpoche
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>More than twenty-five hundred years ago, a man who had been searching for
>the truth for many, many lifetimes came to a quiet place in northern India
>and sat down under a tree. He continued to sit under the tree, with immense
>resolve, and vowed not to get up until he had found the truth.
>
>At dusk, it is said, he conquered all the dark forces of delusion; and
>early
>the next morning, as the planet Venus broke in the dawn sky, the man was
>rewarded for his age-long patience, discipline, and flawless concentration
>by achieving the final goal of human existence: enlightenment.
>
>At that sacred moment, the earth itself shuddered, as if “drunk with
>bliss,”
>and, as the scriptures tell us: “No one anywhere was angry, ill or sad; no
>one did evil, none was proud; the world became quite quiet, as though it
>had
>reached full perfection.” This man became known as Buddha.
>
>
>Sogyal Rinpoche
>
>
>
>
>
>http://www.rigpaus.org/Glimpse/Glimpse.php - "Glimpses" by Sogyal Rinpoche
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>---------------------------------
>Sneak preview the  all-new Yahoo.com. It's not radically different. Just
>radically better.
>
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
>
>http://www.rigpaus.org/Glimpse/Glimpse.php - "Glimpses" by Sogyal Rinpoche
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Tashi Deleg Veronica!

If you see what you choose to see!

My teacher used to ask me how many side does a coin have? The first I hear
this I ans 2 side, after hearing my ans he laugh and ask me to think
harder.... the real ans 3 side!

This tell us usually we decide what we think or see before we really look at
it! :)  Slow down and you might find a different view of everything.......

Sarwa Mangalam
May all be Auspicious!
Namdrol Tsepal





>From: veronica maas <vmaas60@...>
>Reply-To: tibetanbuddhistgroup@yahoogroups.com
>To: tibetanbuddhistgroup@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: [TBG] RE: Rigpa Glimpse of the Day
>Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 07:02:56 -0700 (PDT)
>
>I think what kept me on the right track for all my life - and still - is
>that I am very afraid of human beings especially - but also larger animals.
>
>   If you watch other beings closely - you can see that every person/being
>- is by nature very selfish - many people go even as far as to kill a
>person for a few dollars or a pasport - things that cannot make your life
>more secure - on the contrary - for even an attemt to murder or rob a
>person makes you a criminal that is being searched by the police.
>
>   With this fear - comes immense gratitude for the fact that God/the
>budha/allah gave you a religion at your birth - and it makes you see that
>keeping that religion and following its rules is the most important thing
>in ones life.
>
>   Every day that one leaves the house to travel somewhere one
>automatically prays to return home safely - and as one returns home safely
>- one immediately feels immense gratitute at the higher beings that they
>have helped us to return safely home.
>
>   It is important that people understand the reality - and that no title -
>no money - no house - no car - no person can protect one - only keeping the
>rules and regulations of one's religion can.
>
>Namdrol Tsepal <tenzin111@...> wrote:
>
>An effortless compassion can arise for all beings who have not realized
>their true nature. So limitless is it that if tears could express it, you
>would cry without end. Not only compassion, but tremendous skillful means
>can be born when you realize the nature of mind. Also you are naturally
>liberated from all suffering and fear, such as the fear of birth, death and
>the intermediate state. Then if you were to speak of the joy and bliss that
>arise from this realization, it is said by the buddhas that if you were to
>gather all the glory, enjoyment, pleasure and happiness of the world and
>put
>it all together, it would not approach one tiny fraction of the bliss that
>you experience upon realizing the nature of mind.
>
>
>NYOSHUL KHEN RINPOCHE
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>How hard it can be to turn our attention within! How easily we allow our
>old
>habits and set patterns to dominate us! Even though they bring us
>suffering,
>we accept them with almost fatalistic resignation, for we are so used to
>giving in to them. We may idealize freedom, but when it comes to our
>habits,
>we are completely enslaved.
>
>Still, reflection can slowly bring us wisdom. We may, of course, fall back
>into fixed repetitive patterns again and again, but slowly we can emerge
>from them and change.
>
>The mind will begin to unknot itself and know its essential bliss and
>clarity.
>
>
>Sogyal Rinpoche
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>In Tibetan, the word for “body” is lü, which means “something you leave
>behind,” like baggage. Each time we say lü, it reminds us that we are only
>travelers, taking temporary refuge in this life and this body. In Tibet,
>people did not distract themselves by spending all their time trying to
>make
>their external circumstances more comfortable. They were satisfied if they
>had enough to eat, clothes on their backs, and a roof over their heads.
>Going on, as we do, obsessively trying to improve our conditions, can
>become
>an end in itself, and a pointless distraction. Would people in their right
>mind think of fastidiously redecorating their hotel room every time they
>checked in to one?
>
>
>Sogyal Rinpoche
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Karma is not fatalistic or predetermined. Karma means our ability to create
>and to change. It is creative because we can determine how and why we act.
>We can change. The future is in our hands, and in the hands of our heart.
>
>Buddha said:
>
>Karma creates all, like an artist,
>Karma composes, like a dancer.
>
>
>Sogyal Rinpoche
>
>
>
>
>
>http://www.rigpaus.org/Glimpse/Glimpse.php - "Glimpses" by Sogyal Rinpoche
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>---------------------------------
>Get amazing travel prices for air and hotel in one click on Yahoo!
>FareChase
>
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>http://www.rigpaus.org/Glimpse/Glimpse.php - "Glimpses" by Sogyal Rinpoche
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>

the June 2006 update to the Buddhist bibliography is now online at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddbib.html

while  the Buddhist directory is now online  at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net//buddlinks.html

if you know of a Buddhist web site which is not listed yet, please
do not hesitate to write to me with the url of the Buddhist website
you wish to see listed, thanks !

Similarly the Buddhist pictures are now at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddpic.html

and the "important dates of Buddhist history" listing is at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddates.html

Happy reading !!!

Roger Garin-Michaud
from Saint-Priest near Lyon, France

I agree - I even told the predikant in my christian church that I am a budhist.

   But I talk a lot about christianity because that is the cultural heritage here
- everybody knows the content of the bible - so this is the easiest way here to
talk about religion - when you are just meeting people in the street or in
church.

   Anyway, frankly I do not feel I know enough about budhism to talk a lot about
it. You see I was raised here in the r.k. religion - I only came into contact
with budhism in 1993 or so.

   In the life before this I was married to a moslim - and we lived among very
poor people - somewhere in afrika.

   I am glad I am married to a poor african moslim again in this life - I must
have liked the life before this. I would like to go back to africa - but my
husband says I should stay here.

   I also do not know much about islam - as in islam religion is the job of the
man - the only job of the woman is to raise the children and help and support
her husband as best as she can.
   That is fine with me - I like it that way.

   So I only know quite a lot about the r.k. religion as I got a lot of
sacraments in that church.

   I am very interested in budhism and islam. But you know a lot more about is
than I do I am sure.

   All the best,

   Veronica

Namdrol Tsepal <tenzin111@...> wrote:
   Tashi Deleg!

Dear Veronica,

I have no knowledage of what christian's believe. If you were to look at how
both try to benefit others it does looks the same.

The only thing I can tell the different between both are in Buddhism we
respect no only the human right but also the animal as well. We should not
to kill another beings just because we like the taste of their meat, I
understand to some Christan's some animal are "made" to be human's food.

As for your question on the psysical suffering the Budha endured when he
meditated to end all suffering in the world for all beings.

It do not sound strange to me at all first due to our past cause and
condition which will not make it easy for us to practice on our path
suffering maybe expected.

If you do not understand why Buddha endured the suffering, the only thing I
can tell you is that he love us more then himself, like a mother would
endured any suffering for her child.


Sarwa Mangalam
May all be Auspicious!
Namdrol Tsepal





>From: veronica maas
>Reply-To: tibetanbuddhistgroup@yahoogroups.com
>To: tibetanbuddhistgroup@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: [TBG] RE: Rigpa Glimpse of the Day
>Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 05:40:16 -0700 (PDT)
>
>Am I stupid or does this sound like it comes directly from the r.k. church.
>
> With the Budha being God of course
> Dharma being the true rules and cathegesis of christianity - what
>christianity is all about.
> Sangha would stand for the fact that you have to pay back all the
>christians (budha's) that came and went before you to give you this
>religion and all other material and spiritual things that you can use.
> You have to pay for that with your blood and your body - like in the
>christion communion. You have to work untill your back brakes and you are
>so pale you feel you have no blood left in yourself.
>
> How strange it sounds like the psysical suffering the Budha endured when
>he meditated to end all suffering in the world for all beings.
>
> Does anybody see the link - or is it just me?
>
>Namdrol Tsepal wrote:
> Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels
>
>....a buddha is someone who has attained full enlightenment through the
>cultivation of compassion and the wisdom of no-self, the absence of
>self-existence. From our discussion we also saw how the Dharma jewel is to
>be understood as the path by which we can gradually accomplish the same
>result as the fully awakened Buddha. Likewise, the Sangha jewel is the
>community of sincere practitioners who have directly realised emptiness,
>the
>ultimate nature of reality.
>
>
>For those of us who consider ourselves to be practising Buddhists, it is
>crucial to have this kind of deeper understanding of the Three Jewels when
>we go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
>
>
>-- by The Dalai Lama, from "Lighting the Way" published by Snow Lion
>Publications
>
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>If you are sitting, and your mind is not wholly in tune with your body—if
>you are, for instance, anxious or preoccupied with something—your body will
>experience physical discomfort, and difficulties will arise more easily.
>Whereas if your mind is in a calm, inspired state, it will influence your
>whole posture, and you can sit much more naturally and effortlessly. So it
>is very important to unite the posture of your body and the confidence that
>arises from your realization of the nature of your mind.
>
>
>Sogyal Rinpoche
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>What is the View? It is nothing less than seeing the actual state of things
>as they are; it is knowing that the true nature of mind is the true nature
>of everything; and it is realizing that the true nature of mind is the
>absolute truth.
>
>Dudjom Rinpoche says: “The View is the comprehension of the naked
>awareness,
>within which everything is contained: sensory perception and phenomenal
>existence, samsara and nirvana. This awareness has two aspects: ‘emptiness’
>as the absolute, and ‘appearances’ or ‘perception’ as the relative.”
>
>
>
>Sogyal Rinpoche
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>More than twenty-five hundred years ago, a man who had been searching for
>the truth for many, many lifetimes came to a quiet place in northern India
>and sat down under a tree. He continued to sit under the tree, with immense
>resolve, and vowed not to get up until he had found the truth.
>
>At dusk, it is said, he conquered all the dark forces of delusion; and
>early
>the next morning, as the planet Venus broke in the dawn sky, the man was
>rewarded for his age-long patience, discipline, and flawless concentration
>by achieving the final goal of human existence: enlightenment.
>
>At that sacred moment, the earth itself shuddered, as if “drunk with
>bliss,”
>and, as the scriptures tell us: “No one anywhere was angry, ill or sad; no
>one did evil, none was proud; the world became quite quiet, as though it
>had
>reached full perfection.” This man became known as Buddha.
>
>
>Sogyal Rinpoche
>
>
>
>
>
>http://www.rigpaus.org/Glimpse/Glimpse.php - "Glimpses" by Sogyal Rinpoche
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>---------------------------------
>Sneak preview the all-new Yahoo.com. It's not radically different. Just
>radically better.
>
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
>
>http://www.rigpaus.org/Glimpse/Glimpse.php - "Glimpses" by Sogyal Rinpoche
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>





http://www.rigpaus.org/Glimpse/Glimpse.php - "Glimpses" by Sogyal Rinpoche
Yahoo! Groups Links










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