Karma is mind

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Karma is in the category of mind. Karma is not substantial; it is a formless phenomenon. If the mind is formless whereas the body is form, how can the formless imprints determine something physical like our bodies? This is very simple. Our own daily experiences give us the answer. 

Think about what happens when we are angry. The anger definitely produces physical effects and changes in our body. It is the same when we have strong attachment or strong pride. And because of these changes in us, others are affected. Think of the changes that occur in us and in the people around us at times of really strong fury.

Basically it is the same as when an architect designs something. The building is first there only in his imagination, then it becomes plans and then it is actualized.

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Karma is intention

Karma can be defined as intention (Tib: sem-pa). It can be explained as the action of the principal consciousness. "Karma" is a Sanskrit term that simply means action, so it is an action of the thought. 

Before any act there must be a motivation, an intention, otherwise there would be no energy for the mind to act. That is the motivation of cause. But even during the act there is still some motivating energy and that is the motivation of time. Both are karma.

The first one, the motivation of cause, gets us to initiate the action, like before we meditate the wish to meditate arises. While the action is actually happening, there still needs to be an accompanying motivation, otherwise the action would never be completed, and that intention is called the motivation of time.

These two motivations exist in any action—reciting mantras, reading sadhanas, even mundane actions like walking, sitting, sleeping and so on. There is the intention than initiates the action, the motivation of cause, and the intention that causes the action to continue and be completed, the motivation of time. 

Therefore we need to ensure that we not only have the best possible motivation before we do the action—the motivation of cause—but also while we are doing it—the motivation of time—so that the action is as pure as possible. That way, what we do becomes very powerfully positive karma.

Therefore it is important to check not just before we act but while we are acting. Otherwise, for instance with an act of charity, we can generate a very positive motivation before the act, but while we are doing that action the mind can degenerate into wanting recognition and thanks or some other negative thought. Then we have still created good karma with our initial motivation, but the motivation of time is negative karma and so the action is not completely perfect.

Karma is stored in the subtle body

Kathok Rigzin Chenpo Rinpoche

The body’s energy can be called “bindu” (tib, tigle).  There are gross, subtle, pure and impure forms. It pervades the ovum, blood and all the channels (of the subtle energetic body).  Finally, it culminates in the thought-free meditation.  All these are referred to as “bindu”.  From external to internal, it gets more and more subtle and finally becomes meditation, it can also be called “consciousness”.  

How do humans come into being? How does karma arise?  From the Vajrayana perspective, karma arises from the pranas (winds) and bindu.  The grosser form of bindu can be said to be a soul.  In a subtler form, the bindu is our consciousness. In an even subtler form, it is the mind of our fundamental basis, the original mind. That is to say, the basic wisdom awareness (vidya) gave rise to humans.  Therefore when all these are purified, one attains the fruition of Dharmakaya.  If we were to relate these to the Three Jewels and Three Kayas—the purified channels (nadi) are the Sangha or Nirmanakaya; the purified winds (prana) are the Dharma or Sambhogakaya; the purified drops (bindu) are the Buddha or Dharmakaya.

6 methods to purify karma

1st Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche

1. Reciting the names of the buddhas and bodhisattvas specifically praised for their ability to purify obscurations, such as Amitabha, the Medicine Buddha, and Akshobhya 

2. Fashioning statues, texts, and stupas

3. Presenting offerings to those three representations (in point two), serving the Sangha, offering mandalas and ganachakras if a Vajrayana practitioner, and especially practicing the five methods of pleasing the guru (ie, showing him respect, offering service or necessities, having faith and confidence in him, obeying him and practicing Dharma).

4. Reciting the sutras and tantras taught by the Victor, such as the Prajnaparamita sutras and The Sutra of Great Liberation.

5. Reciting profound dharanis such as the hundred-syllable mantra of the Tathagata or the mantras of Sarvavid, Akshobhya, and so forth.

6. Having confidence in buddha-nature and meditating on the meaning of selflessness: devote yourself to resting in a state free of focus on the three spheres—the misdeeds and obscurations to be purified; the deity and mantra that purify; and yourself, the person purifying—and meditate on either the actual profound yoga or the attitude compatible with it that all things are unreal, like an illusion.

Although any of these, if practiced effectively, is capable of completely purifying the causes and results of wrongdoing, the meditation and recitation of Vajrasattva is taught to be swift in purifying coarse misdeeds and obscurations that obstruct the arising of experience and realization in the main practice of mahamudra.

The misdeeds and obscurations we have accumulated in this life obscure experience the most because they are so recent. In particular, violations of the three types of vows, and especially, violations of the samaya of the guru’s body, speech, and mind are extremely grave wrongs and downfalls. 

Violating other samayas of the secret mantra such as unethical use of the sangha’s possessions and offerings to the gurus also obscures previous experiences and prevents new ones from arising. That is why the hundred-syllable mantra of Vajrasattva is renowned as the best way to purify all of these.

(Note: Generating Bodhichitta is also a very swift and powerful of purifying eons of negative karma.)

Reading sutras

Nice sharing by a student of Thich Nhat Hanh (redacted)

Like many students of the Dharma, I’ve noticed from time to time in my life of practice that certain sutras and their related teachings and practices will speak very strongly to me. If I try to ignore their call, it will seem as if their lessons are being placed right in front of me every time I turn around! 

Over the years, I’ve learned to be attentive and listen, not only with my ears, but with my whole body and mind to the Dharma that wants to come forth and be heard. I’ve learned to honor what’s arising rather than dismiss it, since often the inspirations that I’m quick to dismiss end up being the most transformative and important at that point in my life.

When I’m struck by a sutra, a teaching, or a practice, I sit, eat, walk, and breathe with it as if it were a friend on the path. I do this for a period of time—sometimes days or years—allowing it to sink deeply into my mind-stream, using the lens of insight and the perspective that it provides as a framework to reflect on my own life and the world around me. In the Plum Village tradition founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh—the tradition to which I belong—we emphasize practicing with the teachings in each moment of our daily lives, as well as during formal meditation sessions. Mindful of my teacher’s guidance that every hour of study needs to be balanced with at least seven hours of practice, I begin my research. 

Dear friend, every single time I’ve allowed myself to practice with a sutra in this way, I have been profoundly surprised by the discoveries that have emerged…

Truthfully, I would have to say that in my early years of monastic training, I found the sutra boring and pedestrian, almost like a shopping list. I remember stoically enduring its recitation many, many times. I would close my eyes and zone out whenever I heard the first line and then breathe a big sigh of relief when I heard the final words…

But over the years I’ve learned to trust these inspirations, so I began reading one insight from the sutra each morning and practicing with it throughout the day. After some time, I noticed that each realization was incredibly condensed, and that I would discover something new each time I practiced with and reflected upon it. To give each realization more time to unfold in my mind and life, I then decided to practice one per week, and had a similar experience. Later on, I found that what worked best for me was to sit, walk, breathe, and eat with each realization for about a month at a time.

I recommend that you read the sutra slowly, perhaps a chapter a month. Then you might like to start over again, because I think you’ll find—just as I did—that the teachings contained in the sutra are profound and they’ll keep revealing themselves to you just like a rose that slowly opens its petals to reveal layer upon layer of beauty…I hope that you’ll savor these realizations, letting them sink deeply into your body and mind until you experience them welling up from within yourself. In this way, you may go deeper and further…

So, with this in mind, it bears repeating: please don’t approach the sutra like a novel, rushing through it in order to reach the “big reveal” in the final pages, where all the plot points come together. In Buddhist practice, as in life itself, the big reveal is in each and every moment. The advanced practices are the most basic, and the deepest insight is often the simplest—the kind of insight that will bring you back to what part of you has known all along...

A Chinese doctor once told me that there’s a saying in Chinese medicine that if you’re too lazy to brew the medicine, you can just sleep next to the herbs and their medicinal qualities will permeate your being. Reading and chanting those few sutras and chants again and again, I felt that, like the medicinal herbs, they’d entered my mind-stream.

We need to have freedom forever

Phurpa Tashi Rinpoche

Treat yourself in a better way. Right now, you are able to undergo any situation no matter how bad it is. However, one day, it will not be as simple or as easy. Whenever I return to my hometown, many corpses are placed in front of me (for deliverance), the impact on one's mind is quite strong. A few minutes ago, this person was breathing and alive, yet a few minutes later, he has departed for another world. When this person was leaving, what was he experiencing?  One day, it will be our turn. 

If you are unable to feel any fear from contemplating impermanence, you should think about it before sleeping, "Tonight I am sleeping, I can wake up tomorrow. But one day, it is for sure that I will not wake up anymore. When that time comes, might it not be the very same pillow beneath my head and the very same blanket covering me? The only thing that has changed is that i will not wake up. I will vanish from this world. What is to be done then?"

In the near future, everyone has to go through this.  This is absolutely certain. No one can escape this fate. Why are we not changing our present state to get ready for this? This coming suffering is fixed.  Some people tell me that they do not dare to visit the hospital for a checkup even though they are sick because they fear receiving the prognosis of some terminal illness. This shows how much fear we have about death. No matter how strong you seem mentally now, when death actually comes, you will not have the slightest strength. 

An official once asked me, "Master, you have been practicing Dharma since you were young, what do you have to show for it today? What have you gained?"  I thought this question was very meaningful, so I often asked others the same question. For example, let me put the same question to you listeners now : since you have been involved in all kinds of Dharma activities till now, what actual benefits have you gained since becoming Buddhist?

When I replied to this question, I said to the official, "I can answer from many angles. But since these are my personal experiences and states, you will not understand them. So, I will reply from a perspective you can comprehend. Both of us are alive right now. In this life, you are much better off than me; I am just a monk who keeps reciting and meditating in solitude, while you might be respected by many thousands of people.  But one day, you will die and I will die too. I am not cursing you; this is a universal law.  Both of us will die one day. 

“When it comes to facing death, you will definitely be worse off than me. My courage in facing death will undoubtedly surpass yours. This is because my main focus in life now is on transcending birth and death.  In death, you will definitely not be on par with me. In the world's eyes, I am just an ordinary monk, nothing special. But when death comes, you won’t be able to compare to me at all. This is the real purpose of Dharma practice. 

"In death I will not have much fear; in life now I do not have as many afflictions as you.  You might say that's because a monk has less responsibilities. Yes, that's true, a monk has relinquished many worldly burdens. Apart from Dharma, there is nothing else to worry about. However, even if you relinquish many responsibilities, there are still many afflictions. Some people who are old and retired are still struggling with many afflictions, perhaps even more afflictions than before retirement. This shows that wishing to let go does not mean that you will be able to let go. You need a certain depth of insight for it. So, even now, I have less afflictions than you, needless to say in the future.  

“In death, I will have more courage than you because I am able to control many factors. But you will not be able to control anything -- you will be like a feather being blown by the winds of karma and afflictions. This feather does not have any choice in where it falls eventually. Everything is in the hands of the wind.”

That's why you need to practice Dharma well now. Remember, we will not always be in such comfort and ease like we have today. We see so many past actors on TV from the 1960s or 70s who are no longer existing.  Looking at them, we are still quite fortunate — we are still alive.  But after a little more time, it will be our turn to fade out of existence. It is time to do something meaningful. 

Some people ask me about the meaning of life. It is good to think about this a little.  If we talk about food we have eaten, clothes we have worn, our youthful past -- all these we have experienced and so what? If you read the teachings in Words of My Perfect Teacher like the four renunciation thoughts, I am sure you will find your true meaningful goal. 

Thus, practice well, be kind to yourself! I am probably the person who is most afraid of death in this world. That's why I pushed myself to practice. “When the time comes to face death soon, what should I do?” — that’s how I think.

A person should take responsibility for his entire future. You must practice well. It is not due to being a monk that I am asking you to do this. I am not so stupid as to follow other's instructions blindly. I have asked myself this same question many times -- is it worthwhile to practice Dharma this way? But my greatest fortune is to have met a teacher who is like the Buddha himself -- Lama Achuk Rinpoche. 

Due to following my Guru for more than 30 years, listening to his teachings and putting it into practice, I have some experiences myself and it is clear to me whether it is beneficial to practice or not.  I need not seek anyone's opinion as I have verified it for myself. If many people are discussing the taste of food in a place, some people may say it is delicious, others may disagree. But if you have tasted the food for yourself, you form your own opinion, then it doesn't matter what others say. 

So, please remember to keep practicing. Remember that life will not always stay the same like it is now. We are very comfortable now; we can choose what we want to eat. Some people who come to Chengdu love to eat hotpot. You have so much freedom. But one day, you will not have the same freedom or choice. How much time do you have left to enjoy this freedom is really hard to say. 

We need to have this freedom not only now, but forever. Therefore, we need to create the causes and conditions for this freedom. 

Okay, that's all I have to say today.

Last Instruction of Kyabje Dodrupchen Rinpoche

HH Kyabje Dodrupchen Rinpoche's last instruction before he passed into Parinirvana:

We hear many stories of famous Lamas and spiritual leaders, many with big names — Geshes who have culminated their scholarship on the five great volumes of Buddha's canon and the great Indian treatises, and big-named Lamas with names of "Khenpo," "Lama," and "Tulku," who have failed to tame their own minds, and therefore have become the servants of their emotional poisons, making heinous negative karma. And they lead themselves and others to ruination.

To give you some examples, during Jetsun Milarepa's time, there was a Geshe named Geshe Tsagphuwa, who was so jealous of Jetsun Milarepa that he offered Milarepa yogurt laced with poison. Or the Geshe who accompanied Dragyur Marpa Lotsawa from India to Tibet, and became so jealous of Marpa Lotsawa that while the two were on a boat, he threw all of Marpa Lotsawa's sacred texts which Marpa had brought from India into the river. There was also the Geshe who led the Chinese army into Tibet, and then the Geshe who, when he was in debate with another Geshe, stuck a metal rod into the ear of his debate opponent. When we think of such things, it is truly horrifying and saddening  — these accounts. And there are countless more cases like the ones I mentioned.

Similarly, there are retreatants who stay many years on retreat, meditating on deity yoga development and completion stages, but whose minds are still not imbued with renunciation or bodhichitta, and they have turned their backs to the authentic path. They are bound by their attachments and clinging, and they fall into the trap of thinking the deity exists as a real entity from its own side. So they end up turning into ghosts and king demons of broken samaya. There are many stories of these things happening as well.

For example, in my home country there are different demonic entities which are known as the Nyigyal demon, Dzigyal demon, Lug-gyal demon, and so forth. All of these demons were once retreatants and Lamas who turned into ghosts and demons. There are many demons, like (here, Rinpoche named a spirit), who were once big-named Lamas and hermits who spent many years on retreat. But because they did not tame their own minds, they went down the wrong path and ultimately became reborn as ghosts and demons who have taken the life-breath of (ie. killed) many sentient beings. The root cause of all of this is not taming one's own mind. That's what it comes down to. 

So I ask the teachers to please only teach the Lojong, the mind-training practices that tame the mindstream. Focus your teachings on the mind-training practices and teach in such a way that tears helplessly fall from your students’ eyes. Without mind-training, they will not become good Dharma practitioners. If you teach mind-training well and people practice mind-training, they will become good practitioners.

Rethinking our perception of suffering

Chakung Rinpoche

When I was young, I began to practice Lojong (mind training) and I noticed a huge difference between people who have practiced Lojong and those who haven’t practiced it, especially when they have to meet life challenges.

People exercise and take healthy diets so they have stronger bodies with stronger immunity to diseases.  In the same way, our minds need to be stronger, we need to do mind exercises to develop greater strength in our minds. Lojong is exercise of the mind which develops greater strength and resilence, enabling us to face difficulties with dignity.  If strength of mind is not developed, we fall apart when we meet challenges.

Lojong emphasizes embracing all circumstances, both happiness and suffering, as a spiritual path. For example, if we really look into our mind with wisdom, we will have a new insight into the very nature of happiness and suffering — both happiness and suffering have positive and negative aspects.  Mind is the most powerful factor.  All our experiences are dependent on our mind. Mind is the root of all of them. We can change our perspective of life circumstances whether happiness and suffering.

Most people fail to recognise and appreciate the happiness already present in their lives. If you think about your own life, there are many moments of happiness.  For example, you are healthy and don’t have any kind of major problems. You are not disabled and your basic needs such as shelter and food are met. These should be regarded as blessings, something we can appreciate. But most people are kind of lost in the past and future. They are hoping for something more enticing and glorious in the future, or they get really stuck in the past. Most people fail to open their hearts and recognize the blessings that are always unfolding in our everyday life.

Instead of taking their present happiness as a spiritual path, some people fall prey to their ego or pride, thinking that they are somehow better than other people. If we are able to recognize and appreciate happiness, our experience of happiness actually increases. In the same way, imagine we have some small troubles in our life, but if we focus or fixate on our troubles, our experience of sufferings increases. Whatever we give our attention to magnifies our experience of it, whether it is a sense of happiness or suffering.

Suffering and sorrow are an unavoidable part of human life. They come through environmental factors like natural disasters or through socio-political challenges.  Maybe we have our own emotional and personal challenges.  In any case, for external challenges like natural disasters or socio-political changes, we have little to no power to change the situation according to our preferences. We are at the mercy of these powerful external forces from nature or society.  If we are able to turn our attention inward instead of finding a remedy externally, if we are able to change our perspective, I think we can find a sense of ease regardless of what happened in life. 

Most people don’t have this kind of mental training.  Maybe someone just said something and your ego perceived that as offensive or an insult and you can become totally fixated on that comment, you can get into a rage and be in a conflict, your mind is totally focused on this unpleasant interaction you had with someone. 

Mind training can create the new habit that looks inside our own mind whenever we are challenged, whether with external circumstances or internal emotions, rather than only looking for the cause and remedy externally. When we go through any situation, we should pause and look into our mind. Then we are able to change our perspective of the situation and in that way, we will find much more peace in our lives. This is a new habit we have to develop. Many people are lacking this habit. 

Instead of reacting out of our old habits, we should have this new habit of looking inside at our mind and see if we can change our perspective or maybe you can come up with a better response to the same situation. Our old habit is that when there is a little problem in our life, our mind tends to pay attention to it and blow things out of proportion. We dive into a sea of inner poisons like greed, anger and ignorance.  We become fragile, sensitive and touchy rather than resilient and broad-minded. 

This is why so many people in modern days have mental issues like anxiety.  If we realize that fundamentally both happiness and suffering are states of mind, we can experience inner freedom by changing our attitudes towards them. We can have a greater sense of happiness in our life.

Pay attention to small instances of happiness in your lives.  If you recognize and appreciate them, your sense of happiness will grow and increase.  Humans do almost the opposite, we tend to get lost in and focus on the small problems, which then overwhelms us and our minds become so contracted that we are barely able to handle any situation. That results in psychological problems; anxiety; an irritable, oversensitive and fragile kind of mind. Mind is basically not strong; mind doesn’t have any balance or patience and so forth.

Suffering is always regarded as evil or bad, something inauspicious that we should avoid at all cost. I think we should change that perception completely and not perceive suffering as bad or problematic. If we are able to change that perspective, that is the beginning of developing greater courage to embrace suffering and to find meaning in it.

If we perceive suffering as problematic, what actually happens is that our sense of suffering actually becomes greater, to the extent that we develop great aversion towards suffering. We need to change our whole attitude towards suffering.  Suffering has both aspects, yes, it has a negative side, but it also has a positive side. We should realize that suffering can be used on the spiritual path.  Through suffering, we can grow, evolve and mature.  If we can see the spiritual benefits of suffering, we have more tolerance towards suffering. Because we have to face suffering anyway in our lives. Even if you dislike suffering, suffering doesn’t go away from your life.  Suffering is a huge part of life, instead of trying to eradicate suffering completely, you should change your attitude towards it and see that there is a positive spiritual element to it, then I think you will find greater freedom in your life.

Takes time for karma to ripen

Karma Rinpoche

Once, a disciple asked me if she could give up Buddhism. She said that ever since she took refuge and believed in Buddhism, many things had gone wrong for her. I replied, "Yes, you can." She then asked, "Can I return my refuge certificate to you?" I said, "No need, just burn it. Bow three times before the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, thank them for their past help, tell them that you no longer wish to be a Buddhist. After that, burn the certificate. I hope that you continue to be a Buddhist, but if you don’t want to, then you should do as I said.” 

She burned her refuge certificate and stopped being a Buddhist. Half a year later, her husband was diagnosed with cancer. Within a year, her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and her own father also got cancer—four family members in total. While she was overwhelmed by all this, she discovered she had ovarian cancer herself. She came looking for me and asked, "Can I become a Buddhist again?" I asked, "Why do you want to come back now?" She then told me everything that had happened.  

I said, "The misfortunes you encountered after taking refuge were all minor issues. It was the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas protecting you, preventing these problems from becoming major obstacles. Although your accumulation of merits is still insufficient, the misfortunes you should go through have already been reduced. But you didn’t want it—you threw away that protective umbrella of the Triple Gems. It’s not that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas did not protect you, instead you were the one who abandoned them. Now that greater difficulties have struck, you come seeking their help again. Of course, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are still kind and compassionate, but why didn’t you cherish your faith when things were better?"  

Many people are like this. Why must disaster strike before they develop faith in their own religion? Why can’t they appreciate their blessings while life is still relatively peaceful?  

Padmasambhava said in “The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo”: "When karma ripens, it is like a raging river—you cannot force it to reverse its course." So, we cannot expect that all our sufferings vanish just because we practice Dharma. But we can lessen the suffering, slow down the torrent of karma, and at least preserve half our life rather than lose everything completely. Many of my disciples were diagnosed with cancer and told that they would die by doctors from major hospitals years ago, yet they are still alive and well today. They say, "Thank you Guru!" I tell them, "Don’t thank me. Thank the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and thank yourselves for purifying your karma through sincere faith."  

However, karma takes time to ripen. Don’t assume that reciting a few Sutras today or taking refuge for a year or two will completely purify all your karma—that’s impossible. But it is possible for many obstacles to quietly fade away without you even noticing. As for whether good fortune will increase, that depends on whether you’ve planted the seeds of virtues.  

Through continuous practice, even if we don’t perceive obvious changes, misfortunes are quietly going away, and blessings or merits are gradually accumulated. Just like how when we eat three meals a day, we grow up steadily without noticing our bodies changing.  

Modern people live in a highly competitive environment where speed is prioritized. They believe that if they put in effort, they should see results quickly, so they expect the same from spiritual practice, hoping to see immediate good fortune. But think about it, even planting a seed takes time before it bears fruit. You can’t just sow it today and harvest tomorrow.  

From my observation, whether doing virtue or non-virtue, it takes about 25 years, or roughly two cycles of 12 years, for the karmic results to become clearly visible. Among the people I’ve known, after around 25 years, most evildoers have met with misfortune, while those who sincerely continued doing virtue see their blessings manifest.  

The purification of obstacles and the accumulation of merits work differently.  It’s somewhat like clearing land versus planting seeds. Many disciples ask, "I’ve been purifying for so long, so why haven’t my good fortune happened?" This is like asking, "I’ve cleared the land many times, so why haven’t the crops grown?" Even the most fertile soil won’t yield a harvest if no seeds are planted. Of course, keeping the land free of weeds is good, but to reap good results, you must sow the seeds of merits.  

The way we plant the seeds of good fortune is by accumulating merit—making offerings to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and practicing generosity toward the six realms of sentient beings. Most importantly, after performing virtuous deeds, we must dedicate the merit to all beings and entrust it to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Then, when we need it, we can draw upon it.

Becoming a real practitioner

Jamyang Rinpoche

The most important practice in Dharma is the practice of impermanence. If this practice is not done well, Dharma practice will fail. If impermanence is practiced well, the mental afflictions are sure to be reduced by, say, at least 40%. For instance, if your mind is full of distractions, just by practicing impermanence, at least half of these distractions would fall away. The practice of impermanence is very powerful for dealing with afflictions. 

The teachings on impermanence are not for frightening others. It is to be used on our own minds to increase our wisdom, for bringing our practice to the next level, and for countering the mental afflictions.  We should check how useful this teaching is in our own lives. 

For example, we may be very attached to our homes, or very attached to our ‘face’ and reputation when we are outside.  These brings us so much suffering. When someone praises our outfit that day, how happy do we get? After spending much money on our makeup, fashion accessories and clothing, if we meet someone who insults our appearance, we get so offended. Where do these emotions of happiness and suffering come from? It comes from our idea that we are so beautiful today with a great makeup — it is a form of pride. The suffering comes from our pride, which is in the mind. If you address this pride and reduce it, then it doesn’t matter what others say.

Like my younger sister in Yarchen monastery. She has very little desires and seldom gives rise to any affliction. Really! This is what I observed of her.  Even when my father flies into a rage, she would run to him laughing and upon seeing her, his anger would melt away. Many disciples have seen my sister. Even before she started practicing Dharma, she was like that. After practicing Dharma, it goes without saying.  Since young, she had very little desires. My father even said that this girl will starve to death when she grows up because she had no agenda or selfish aims.  For instance, when we give her the leftovers from our food, she would just take it happily and finish it up.  It didn’t matter if the food was delicious or not, she would accept any food. She is the same now. She is always contented. After you give her food and she finished it, she would leave happily. It is the same for clothes, she would take any kind of second-hand clothing that people threw out. If people said she was crazy, she would imitate a crazy person to amuse them. Everyone was just helpless around her.  She was always happy-go-lucky.

Nowadays, people get good and expensive clothing and other good conditions, but they are always unhappy and complaining. Their family is in chaos, their friends always see them with a grumpy face, is this a meaningful kind of life?

When people are easily contented, life is easy. Instead, being very narrow-minded and keeping a lot of stuff in their mind, then even a slight noise makes them irritated. You have practiced Dharma for many years, is there the slightest change in you?  Has your thinking changed? Do you have a stronger interest and faith in the study and practice of Dharma? Is your desire for worldly things getting less and less? Otherwise, the more you practice Dharma, the more greedy you get, then your Dharma is completely upside-down. What you are practicing is completely opposite to Dharma…

When you practice impermanence, it spurs you on in your practice. When I was doing my ngondro prostrations, my entire body was in pain. When I sat down to take a break, I thought to myself, “Death comes anytime, what if I die soon? I have not even finished my ngondro. How can I die like that?” This thought gave me the strength to persist in my practice and finish the ngondro. 

When I was 9 years old, I could do about 6000 full prostrations daily. We did not use wooden boards like people did now. We did our prostrations on the uneven ground with grass and stones.  It was winter, about minus 20 plus degrees. We did not wear gloves or any protection. The palms, wrists, elbows and knees were scrapped raw and bleeding.  Usually, I did 5000 full prostrations per day. But if I did not have to make food and my teacher made it for me, I could perform 6000 plus prostrations daily. 

It was the thought of impermanence that drove me through these difficult practices. I always thought: what if I died soon, at least I should die while practicing, this merit would at least make me a Dharma practitioner in future lives. This thought sustained me and the pain and tiredness became more bearable. When I woke up in the morning, it was incredibly painful and I was tempted to sleep more. But I thought, what if impermanence came? All the suffering and exhaustion can vanish when the thought of impermanence truly arises. What if I died now and have to face the Lord of Death? Isn’t that going to be much worse? What if my negative karma dragged me to the hell realms? The small tiredness here cannot compare to the horrifying sufferings in the hell realms. So I did not dare to take it easy or be lazy. 

The mandala offering was very hard on me too. My teacher went to find a very heavy mandala plate that was plated in gold. I was very small-built then. We were doing the Nyingthik ngondro and there were the 37 heaps prayer and the 3-kaya prayer. Each session lasted for 2 hours and you had to hold the plate for two hours continuously. When it was time for meals, you could hardly move your wrist, it was too stiff and painful.  Sometimes, it got so excruciating that I wished to take a break.  

But the thought of impermanence pushed me on. I pressed on, enduring it for one day, two day, three days, by the seventh and eighth day, the pain started to ease as the arm got used to the posture. At the beginning, the entire arm and part of the chest would become swollen. Without the practice of impermanence, it would have been impossible to persist, I may have given up. 

Due to recalling impermanence and the suffering of samsara, it really felt like this suffering was very small, hardly worth mentioning.  The real suffering is in the process of death and the lower realms. What if we end up in the hell or animal realms, what are we going to do? If we were born in the animal realms and people caught us and started slicing us up or boiling us in the water like the seafood is cooked nowadays, how terrible is that pain? How can we endure this if we had to go through it? We do not have the slightest confidence that we will not fall into such states in future. Compared to the torture in the animal realms, the pain in my arm is quite bearable. Thinking of this, all the tiredness and pain would fade away. This comes from habituation in the four thoughts that turn the mind towards Dharma. 

When we have contemplated and meditated on these four thoughts deeply, the higher practices are not difficult at all. When the foundation is weak, then the later practices will seem very difficult and insurmountable. Because there are many inconveniences and hardships in Dharma practice. For instance, the prostrations and mandala offerings are the most tough in the ngondro. Many people fail or give up in these sections.  Also, the visualization for Refuge and Bodhichitta is complex and quite difficult to concentrate on. Without a strong motivation coming from deep habituation in the four thoughts, it is hard for us to discipline the mind to do the subsequent practices correctly. 

After listening to the teachings, you should not just leave it aside. When you go home, look over the materials again. It is not a lot. Just review it, sum up the main points and meditate on it for a short while.  In your usual life, think about impermanence more often. Apply it to the situations you are in. Think of how precious your life is, you can also reflect on the lives of other people. 

When you truly see how precious your life is and how impermanent it is, life becomes very precious and special to you. Time becomes very precious.  Your longing for the Dharma intensifies. Your faith increases and you become a real practitioner.

Integrating Dharma views into the way you think

Geshe Thubten Palsang

When contemplating a Dharma point you heard before, it feels at first like you are  pushing your mind to accept it. For example, when reflecting on dependent origination, you first try to convince yourself that "a result arises from numerous causes and conditions coming together". This is the initial level of understanding.  

After repeatedly deepening your reflection to a certain extent, this concept finally becomes your own. At this point, it is no longer just a concept but reality to you—this is the second level of understanding.  

The initial level of understanding feels like indoctrination. In the past few days of teachings, everyone was "indoctrinated" with many explanations, scriptural quotations and examples on the topic of dependent origination. But I think only the second level of understanding is real understanding...  

Regarding the statement, "a result arises from numerous causes and conditions coming together", you must scrutinize it from many angles over and over again.  Through repeated contemplation, you develop full certainty in it and this Dharma concept truly becomes the way you think. Only then can this understanding stand up to any situation or difficulties you face in life.  

In these adverse situations, this understanding serves its function and helps you develop further contemplations.  This then is the benefit of your study. If you merely think about the idea once or twice casually and have only a vague sense of agreeing with this view, then it will be of little use when the situation requires it.

~~

Some people feel that HH Dalai Lama's teachings are repetitive and lack novelty, but those who are experienced in Dharma will value HH’s teachings and find deeper insights in his teachings the more they listen to it. 

A distinctive feature of HH’s teachings is that, due to his vast knowledge and the limited time he has to teach, he approaches the same topic from a different angle each year.  Those who truly appreciate HH’s teachings, upon hearing his explanation of a topic for the first time, might think, “HH has chosen to explain this topic this way for some important reason, what could be his intention?” 

They hold this question in mind and when they hear His Holiness explain the same topic again from another perspective, they retain it in their minds, gradually building up their understanding.  After listening to HH dissect the same topic from three or four different angles, the listener will feel that he has begun to comprehend the topic to a deeper degree.

The most profound Dharma

Lama Atisha

The most profound dharma is cause and effect. It is even superior to gain stable conviction in karma than to see the face of the yidam deity.

(Note: Lama Atisha is one of the most accomplished scholar-yogi in India.  He revived Buddhism in Tibet when it was degenerating. )

Unmistaken Dharma Practice

Guru Rinpoche

Whether you meditate on emptiness or anything else, it is mistaken meditation practice unless it becomes an effective remedy against disturbing emotions (mental afflictions) and ordinariness. Something that does not counteract the disturbing emotions and ordinariness is a cause for falling into samsaric existence. If any teaching you study, reflect upon, or expound becomes an effective remedy against your disturbing emotions as well as an aid for allowing the pure Dharma to take birth in your being, then that is called a Mahayana teaching and is unmistaken. No matter how much you may be acclaimed as learned in study, exposition, and meditation, if your intention is only the eight worldly concerns, your activity is called a black Dharma practice.

Low quality practice does not bode well

Phurpa Tashi Rinpoche

When doing the preliminary practices, don't just pay attention to the number of accumulations. You should not neglect the visualizations or contemplations needed for each practice. 

Try your best to make each step of the practice clearer and purer.  In the Generation Stage of deity practice, it is said that the three qualities of (1) clear appearance, (2) recollection of purity and (3) stable divine pride are needed. Therefore, each stage of practice must be done properly. We should not try to get it over with in a careless and slipshod manner. The purer the practice, the better it is.

We may imagine that realization will happen all of a sudden if we just receive the higher practice. These are just fantasies.  Realizations or attainments in the more advanced practices depends on how well you put effort in the earlier stages of practice.  Each effort in the preceding practices adds up gradually to bring the final result. 

I have met many students in many places who were very slipshod in their study and practice of the preliminary teachings.  They were just eager to get through it and reach the more advanced teachings which they imagined would bring them their desired accomplishments.  These students invariably end up with no results at all even after they have finished receiving all the advanced teachings.  They end up like people who have not received any teachings in the first place.  Usually, what happens is that these students wander to other teachers and start all over again receiving another set of teachings. 

Many students say, "I have received the Dzogchen from others but I have not received the Dzogchen pith instructions from this teacher," and they come to receive these instructions all over again. This is completely unnecessary. 

Today, when you practice any instruction, you are not very serious about it. You go through the process carelessly, doing it in a superficial and muddled manner.  For the sake of completing some numbers or just to complete the task, you go through the motion of practicing in a mechanical way. You think that when you reach a higher stage of practice, your hoped-for results will suddenly dawn upon you like magic. 

Remember this! Many practitioners who thought this way had a very bitter ending. They ended up with nothing at all.  They might then go for a second or third round of teachings.  Even if they come for a hundred rounds of teaching, I'm afraid nothing much will change. 

Instead of this, why not regard whatever practice you are doing with total seriousness and make sure you do it well and properly.  We have to remember that whatever meditative view or insight you gain in the end is always the cumulative result of every drop of effort you used on the path from the beginning.  It is not that the realizations drop from the sky the moment you receive the higher teachings. This will never ever happen. Never!

Whether you are doing the preliminaries or the main Dzogchen practice, each step of the practice has to be viewed with full seriousness and done properly... the methods for each step of the practice must be fully understood and mastered.  Otherwise, a slipshod approach to Dharma practice will not end well...

Whether you practice meticulously or in a slipshod manner, time passes by nonetheless.  So why not value your time more? Use more effort in your practice. If all of you had practiced in a careful and precise manner, I am sure your meditative view and insight today would not merely be at its present level.

Accomplishments of Chenrezig Practice

Gyaltrul Rinpoche

Many thousands of practitioners in Tibet were known to have achieved the highest realizations through this path. In my monastery of Dhomang, I never heard of any retreatant, any hermit, who didn't receive signs at the time of his passing, such as rainbows and other obvious signs, that enlightenment had been achieved. 

I don't know about the tulkus, but those old hermit lamas were extremely diligent in their practice. They went straight for the target like horses with blinders on—no turning back. They would keep on practicing in retreat until they attained the highest accomplishment. 

For many of them, the older they became, the happier and more beautiful they became. It seemed curious to me, as a child, seeing these people who were supposed to be growing old and unhappy becoming more youthful and happy. 

My teacher, who taught me my ABC's, who taught me just about everything, as far as the nuts and bolts are concerned, and was like a mother to me, maintained a continual retreat in his everyday life for about 40 years. He always performed a regular nyungne (2 days fasting retreat based on Chenrezig) and he kept up his sessions no matter where he was going or what he was doing. 

He was a traveler, like a gypsy. Inside, he was a hermit; outside he had to keep going here and there and doing things. Whether he was walking, or riding on his horse, whenever it was time for the next session he just started up. He was always chanting and reciting and praying. He didn't have to sit in silence in retreat like you do, in so-called ideal circumstances. 

I remember when I was with him during that time, and I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears. His white hair began to turn black once again. He had lost his teeth, because of course he was old and we had no dentists in Tibet, but then new teeth came in, just like in his youth, and he became very powerful. So this old man I'd been with, the one who had white hair and no teeth, now had black hair and new teeth, and the skin on his face became taut again like a young man's. 

He never escaped from Tibet when the Chinese came, but prior to my own escape he made many prophecies about what would happen to some of the great teachers of this tradition, very amazing prophecies because, indeed, they came to be fulfilled later on. 

He told me that when I made it to Bodhgaya, Varanasi, and other sacred places in India, the holy spots of Lord Buddha, to please remember to pray for him. I said, "What are you talking about? I'll never get there in this lifetime; it's impossible! It's so far away! I'm not going there." And he replied, "Yes you are. You're going there, and you'll arrive safely, by the grace of the white man who will accompany you." 

I ignored his words, shrugged them off, until later when I was in Bodhgaya; then I remembered. At the onset of the Chinese occupation things became very bad at the monastery in my region. People were being killed, and at that time I felt that I wanted to get out of there. My old teacher said, "Now is the time to go," and instructed me in how to escape. He promised me that I would be safe by the grace of the white man who would accompany me every step of the way, and I asked, "Who is this white man you keep talking about?" because I was still just a boy, and he said, "It is Avalokiteshvara. He will be with you." This was my teacher's tutelary deity, and he had accomplished some 400 million recitations of 0M MANI PADME HUNG. 

Merit for Dharma teachings

Gyaltrul Rinpoche

The Buddha's manifestations are occurring in many, many realms of existence, appearing in countless modes, for the sake of guiding and liberating others.  Many individuals on various planes of existence receive teachings from the Buddha according to their merit, but if that merit isn't sufficiently strong the teaching will eventually die out in that particular realm. 

It's one thing to have the good karma and sufficient merit to receive a teaching, and it's altogether another thing to have the continuing merit and good karma to maintain the presence of that teaching, not only in one's mind, but in one's karmic environment as well. 

For example, consider the situation in the present time when the merit for the Buddhadharma's continued existence in Tibet has become exhausted. For the most part, it has passed from that land and spread to Western countries. Here in America there is some merit for dharma to flourish right now, but that doesn't mean it will always be here. Its continued presence is dependent upon the ability of the people here to continue accumulating the necessary merit.