Phurpa Tashi Rinpoche
The reason that non-Buddhist paths cannot lead to enlightenment is not only because their view is mistaken; it is also because they place too much emphasis on body and speech (rather than mind).
Even within Buddhism today, practitioners are emphasizing too much on external practices through body and speech. To give ourselves a sense of fulfilment or while showing off to others, we often say, “I have completed so many pilgrimages, I have attended so many Dharma assemblies or pujas, I have made so many types of offerings and charity, I have recited so many mantras,” etc, etc.
People often use the quantity of these virtuous deeds as a measure of their merits and good qualities. However, Buddha Shakyamuni taught that the essence of Dharma is to “purify one’s mind”. Thus, among the three doors—body, speech and mind — the mind is what counts most.
The mind governs everything. The ultimate nature of all phenomena is one’s mind. Therefore, to train the mind is at the very core of Buddhadharma.
Since we know theoretically that mind is the most important, why do people still have the tendency of making the body and speech the focus of their practice? This is because the Dharma has not truly entered their mind.
Therefore, by interchanging settling meditation and contemplative meditation, until a very strong feeling arises in the mind, we should continuously cultivate the certainty that mind is the most fundamental. Whether moving or staying still, sitting or lying down, one should regard the mind as the most important.
(Note: This teaching should not be misinterpreted to mean that reciting mantras and making offerings are meaningless. Instead, when performing these acts of virtue, one should be mindful and use these practices to train the mind, instead of only focusing on the external aspects or only aiming to reach a number.)
(Note 2: https://shorturl.at/eF1fl
An unedited video recorded decades ago when a sign of Phurpa Tashi Rinpoche's rainbow body was captured by accident.)
