Having reached the ninth level of the building, our goal now is to realise the nature of emptiness. There are a variety of effective practices to accomplish this realisation, such as those presented in the Dzogchen teachings, the Mahamudra teachings, and in the Chinese Chan tradition.
Depicted from "Buddhism in the 21st Century - Part 59" June, Sydney, Australia
Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking chose the birthday of Albert Einstein to leave this world. The unfinished journey of physics that he left behind seems more mysterious and troubling. But impermanence is the hardest truth in the world; everything looks so fragile in front of it.
~ Khenpo's blog published on 14 March 2018
It is important that we remind ourselves of the significance of bodhicitta when we are engaging in any kind of positive act, whether that be making offerings, reading sutras, prostrating and so on.
Depicted from "Guide to the Four Preliminary Practices 3 - Part 2" April, 2015, Vancouver, Canada
This is the library of Harvard University. I have always liked books ever since my childhood. Books give me a sense of peace, a touching feeling, and joy. The Buddha also said, "In the future, I will appear in the form of words."
~ Khenpo's blog published on May 4, 2018
When fundamental ignorance arises, our mind has already moved away from clarity to its second level. What is fundamental ignorance? At this level or state, the mind, prior to entering clarity, is very calm and relaxed and totally free of thought — correct, incorrect, good, bad, painful, happy... .
To be more specific, the origin of mind is clarity; subsequently, within clarity, slight undulations begin to form; when these undulations appear, the first moment of fundamental ignorance is produced. Although the innate clarity of the mind remains unchanged at this time, fundamental ignorance has already separated from clear light to form our consciousness. Here fundamental ignorance is likened to a ripple in the ocean. Although the ripple is not yet a wave, the calm ocean surface is not quite the same and is showing signs of undercurrent.
~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series : The suffering of the paper tiger
As we begin this teaching, let us make an aspiration of bodhicitta. Bodhicitta is the essence of the Mahayana tradition, as well as its foundation, which is to say that if there is no bodhicitta then there is no Mahayana Buddhism. The Mahayana is known as the greatest perfection to an image to the Buddha produces different merit depending on on the surface of the fruit produces as the bodhicitta. the motivation of which it is made. How is it that the same offering and the same object of offering can have different levels of merit? The key factor that the degree of merit hinges on is the scope of our mechanism. Ultimately,whether an offering we make conforms to the Hinayana tradition or the Mahayana tradition depends on the motion with which we make it
Depicted from "Guide to the Four Preliminary Practices 1 - Part 1" April, 2015, Vancouver, Canada
This is the third time to Harvard University where I hope to learn more from the neuroscientists there about the scientific results from research done on meditation. Buddhist practitioners all know the effect of meditation, but it has never been quantified in the Buddhist system. I think it is very meaningful how scientists use data to support their theories. -- April 25, 2018
If the deceased received empowerment in his or her lifetime and was a serious practitioner, the guru or dharma friends can guide the deceased to liberation now by following the instructions contained in Bardo Tödröl. If liberation is not attained at this stage, the deceased will face rebirth next.
When rebirth is about to take place, the bardo being will encounter a man and a woman in sexual intercourse. If the being is to be reborn as a male, it will feel anger and jealousy toward the man but desire for the woman; if the being is to be born as a female, it will harbor anger and jealousy toward the woman but desire for the man. As long as desire and anger are both present, rebirth will take place immediately. The first few months after taking rebirth, one remains unconscious. Because this period of unconsciousness lasts a long time, one forgets everything that happened in the last life after being born.
Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series : On Death And Rebirth-How to Take Rebirth
Mind “free of clinging and concepts” means emptiness, the void nature of all phenomena. Most of you may not have realized emptiness, but there is no need to be anxious. Once you have generated renunciation and bodhicitta, realization of emptiness can be rather easy to accomplish after all. Conversely, trying to realize emptiness without cultivating renunciation and bodhicitta first will be like making rice out of sand.
To use another analogy, it will be easier to harvest when seeds are sown in springtime. Whereas in wintertime, due to a lack of the requisite conditions, seeds sown in this season may not yield any crop no matter how much effort has been made. That is to say, when all the necessary conditions are in place and ripe for happening, things will naturally take their courses as wished.
The standard set in the texts regarding actual practice, say, the practice of the six paramitas, is to do it while realizing at all times the empty nature of all phenomena. For example, when releasing life of other beings, one should realize that the person who releases (oneself), the beings released and the act of releasing are all without self-nature and hence illusory like dreams. That is, the action performed is free of the concept of a doer, an object and an action. This constitutes the second of the Three Supreme Methods.
