HH 41st Sakya Trichen
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In the course of my Buddhist training, I have received teachings on many philosophical topics and meditative methods. Of all teachings, I find none more important than pure motivation. If I had to leave only one legacy to my students, it would be the wisdom of pure motivation. If I were to be known by one title, it would be the 'motivation lama'.
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Lama Tsering Everest
The motivation is paramount. Everything that you will accomplish in this path and in your life is dependent on your motivation. Your results would not exceed your motivation.
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Lama Tsering Everest
Death is a very important moment. But we have so many habits and our habits of ignorance, desire and anger tend to overwhelm us in that moment. Then we miss the right door (of rebirth or liberation). That’s why (Chagdud) Rinpoche said that the purpose of life is to prepare to die. Because you need to be able to deal with those habits in this life so that they don’t affect you at that moment of death. Then you can attain enlightenment, not only for yourself but for all beings connected to you.
For us as Buddhists, we dwell on death, we are obsessive about death. We really look into death and work with that. Rinpoche told me that death should be so close that it is like a tiny bird that goes with you on the shoulder. It’s with you all the time, every day. One moment the bird pecks you on the cheek and that’s it (i.e., we die). That’s all it is. But at that moment (of death), you need to be a good navigator. You need to be able to leave behind what should be left behind. You need to be free so that you can use that moment to attain enlightenment instead of having it turn into another story of delusion, confusion and suffering. That’s why we make death a very big deal.
I think Rinpoche must have told me every day for the many, many years that I knew him. If I was with him, he told me that I’m going to die. He never let me forget it. He said, “You’re going to die too.” I used to get irritated, like “Excuse me, I got it, I understand, please, do we have to talk about this again?” Rinpoche would say, “Yes, we have to talk about this again.”
Because this is our chance to be prepared. It is very important. The purpose of your life is to prepare to die.
(Responding to a question on how to help someone dying with these teachings?)
It’s very difficult. Rinpoche used to say, “It’s too late to build a toilet when you have to poop.” This is why it is important to understand that life is THE preparation to die. When you are in decline, you can use the skill and power of the practice. And you can support the transition of others and be supported in your transition easily… You are not afraid. You are tending to the losses, understanding that things in life come and go. You are gentle minded, you are not upset and distraught and broken as many people are when dealing with the long process of dying. We just become completely like a shell of ourselves. Just because it is too tiring to deal with how long death can sometimes take. (It is different) when you have the resilience of your Dharma practice such as the resilience of prayer, devotion and the resilience of understanding the two truths — that there is a truth that is more true than (the appearance of) sickness.
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Lama Tsering Everest
Dharma looks at things differently. It’s not exactly the same way as how we would (usually) look at things. There is a different way to understand things. That allows you an opportunity to break free of habit patterns and confusion, and to end suffering. That’s why we listen to Dharma and that’s why in the limited time that we have, because none of us are going to live forever, we have to understand better how to apply the Dharma path in our lives, so that we can really end suffering for ourselves and whoever is connected to us.
