~
Any happiness there is in the world ultimately turns to pain. Why? Consider
the two sides of a coin: just because what we desire is to be seen on the
-front does not mean that dislike won’t soon appear on the back. Likewise,
+front does not mean that dislike won't soon appear on the back. Likewise,
hope and fear are a single coin, one entity with two faces--on the other side
of a moment in which we hope for more happiness will be our fear of more
suffering. Until attachment is eliminated, we can be certain of having both
and sitting, we are known as the yogins and yoginis who stand guard over the
shifting dharmakaya display. This is the supreme method of sustaining the
essence of meditation. According to Dzogchen teaching, this is unadulterated
-by any kind of focus; it is called “the great meditation that is
-nonmeditation.”
+by any kind of focus; it is called "the great meditation that is
+nonmeditation."
--Tulku Pema Rigtsal, "The Great Secret of Mind: Special Instructions on the
Nonduality of Dzogchen", translated by Keith Dowman.
+~
+ Who is more shameless in this world,
+ Than one who abandons to samsara's ocean of suffering
+ All the mothers who have tenderly cared for him since beginningless time
+ And instead strives toward the peace of a solitary nirvana?
+ --Shechen Gyaltsap Pema Namgyal
+
+ In each of our lives since beginningless time, our mother carried us within
+her body for nine months. She took care of us when we were helpless babies;
+she gave us food, education, and protection. In return, we feel love and
+gratitude for her kindness.
+ Why not extend our respect and appreciation for our mother to everyone else?
+If we take a broader perspective, we can consider that, within the countless
+existences we have lived, every being has been our mother at one time or
+another. Don't they also deserve our kindness now? We can extend the same
+debt of gratitude that we owe our present mother to all sentient beings. By
+doing so, we naturally begin to develop a deep concern for the happiness of
+others, and this feeling makes sense to us.
+ We take the refuge vow not just for our own sake, but also for the sake of
+all sentient beings. This is bodhichitta, or the altruistic mind, which aims
+for the enlightenment of all sentient beings.
+ --Shechen Rabjam, "The Great Medicine That Conquers Clinging to the Notion
+ of Reality: Steps in Meditation on the Enlightened Mind"
+~
+ Direct perfect enlightenment [with regard to] all aspects,
+ and abandonment of the stains along with their imprints
+ [are called] buddha and nirvana respectively.
+ In truth, these are not two different things.
+ —Arya Maitreya
+
+All aspects of the knowable—all absolute and relative phenomena—are
+directly known. Through this knowledge one is immediately and perfectly
+enlightened. This is the aspect of realization. All the adventitious
+defilements—the two veils along with their remaining imprints—are
+abandoned without any exception. This is the aspect of abandonment. These
+two qualities have been led to ultimate perfection. They are therefore named
+"perfect buddha" ["perfectly awakened and expanded"] from the
+viewpoint of the former aspect, and "nirvana" ["gone beyond any torment
+and pain"] from the viewpoint of the latter aspect. These two aspects are
+contained in one and the same meaning, the meaning of the tathagatagarbha,
+whereas a difference only lies in the convention of the different terms. In
+the sense of the absolute field of experience of the noble ones' primordial
+wisdom the qualities of realization and abandonment are therefore completely
+inseparable and do not exist as two different things.
+ -- Arya Maitreya, "Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra with
+ Commentary", with commentary by Jamgön Kongtrül Lodro Thaye
+~
+ "Vehicle" (yana) has two meanings: the means by which one progresses and
+the destination to which one is progressing. Mahayana in the sense of the
+vehicle by which one progresses means to be motivated by the mind of
+enlightenment—wishing to attain highest enlightenment for the sake of all
+sentient beings, one's objects of intent—and means to engage in the six
+perfections.
+ Seeing reason and need, Buddha set forth many systems and vehicles, but
+these did not arise due to his being intimate with some and alien to others.
+The trainees who were listening to his teaching had various dispositions,
+interests, and abilities, and thus he taught methods that were suitable for
+each of them. For those who temporarily did not have the courage to strive
+for Buddhahood or who did not at all have the capacity of obtaining Buddhahood
+at that time, Buddha did not say, "You can attain Buddhahood." Rather, he
+set forth a path appropriate to the trainees' abilities. Buddha spoke in
+terms of their situation, and everything that he spoke was a means of
+eventually attaining highest enlightenment even though he did not always say
+that these were means for attaining Buddhahood.
+ Since the purpose of a Buddha's coming is others' realization of the
+wisdom of Buddhahood, the methods for actualizing this wisdom are one vehicle,
+not two. A Buddha does not lead beings by a vehicle that does not proceed to
+Buddhahood; he establishes beings in his own level. A variety of vehicles are
+set forth in accordance with temporary needs.
+ -- H.H. the Dalai Lama
+~
+You do not have to seek out loneliness--it is always there. Egolessness is a
+concept, a philosophy, but loneliness is a reality that you experience. A
+feeling of loneliness is part of the journey. As for me, I feel that way
+constantly, and I think it’s a very healthy feeling, a very real feeling.
+When you sense that you are not you anymore and that nothing can replace that
+state, you begin to make discoveries. You discover devotion, and you discover
+a quality of richness and artistic expression that is very special. Being
+you, but not being you, is very resourceful. You become a complete mountain
+man: you know how to make fire and cook food. But it doesn’t mean anything.
+You are still nobody. That is the inspiration.
+ -- Chögyam Trungpa, "The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma, Volume
+ One: The Individual Path of Liberation"
+~
+ Interdependence is our reality, whether we accept it or not. In order to
+live productively within such a reality, it is better to acknowledge and work
+with interdependence, wholeheartedly and without resistance. This is where
+love and compassion come in. It is love that leads us to embrace our
+connectedness to others, and to participate willingly in the relations created
+by our interdependence. Love can melt away our defenses and our painful sense
+of separation. The warmth of friendship and love makes it easy for us to
+accept that our happiness is intimately linked to that of others. The more
+widely we are able to love others, the happier and more content we can feel
+within the relations of interdependence that are a natural part of our life.
+ Love is possible in all our relationships because all people want happiness.
+No one wants to suffer. This is true of the people we love. It is also true
+of those we dislike. We are all absolutely identical in this respect. I
+think this universal wish for happiness is something we can easily grasp
+intellectually. When we learn to also feel and respect this in our heart,
+love naturally flourishes within us.
+ -- The Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, "The Heart is Noble: Changing the World
+ from the Inside Out"
+~
+ Day and night, night and day we spend our lives in the company of the
+afflictions, generating desire for the pleasant and anger at the unpleasant,
+and continue thus even when dreaming, unable to remain relaxed, our minds
+completely and utterly mixed with thoughts of desire and hatred without
+interruption.
+ To what refuge should we go? A source of refuge must have completely
+overcome all defects forever; it must be free of all faults. It must also
+have all the attributes of altruism—those attainments which are necessary
+for achieving others' welfare. For it is doubtful that anyone lacking these
+two prerequisites can bestow refuge; it would be like falling into a ditch and
+asking another who is in it to help you out. You need to ask someone who is
+standing outside the ditch for help; it is senseless to ask another who is in
+the same predicament. A refuge capable of protecting from the frights of
+manifold sufferings cannot also be bound in this suffering but must be free
+and unflawed. Furthermore, the complete attainments are necessary, for if you
+have fallen into a ditch, it is useless to seek help from someone standing
+outside it who does not wish to help or who wishes to help but has no means to
+do so.
+ Only a Buddha has extinguished all faults and gained all attainments.
+Therefore, one should mentally go for refuge to a Buddha, praise him with
+speech, and respect him physically. One should enter the teaching of such a
+being.
+ -- H.H. the Dalai Lama
+~
+ All that is has me—universal creativity,
+ pure and total presence—as its root.
+ How things appear is my being.
+ How things arise is my manifestation.
+ Sounds and words heard are my messages
+ expressed in sounds and words.
+ All the capacities, forms, and pristine
+ awareness of the buddhas;
+ The bodies of sentient beings, their
+ habituations, and so forth;
+ All environments and their inhabitants,
+ life forms, and experiences;
+ Are the primordial state of pure and total
+ presence.
+
+ Without understanding me, the creativity of
+ the universe,
+ But investigating the phenomena that I
+ manifest,
+ You perceive everything dualistically due
+ to your attachment and longing.
+ Impermanent, apparitional things will fade
+ away.
+ They are aimless, like a blind man.
+
+ All that is experienced and
+ Your own mind are the unique primary reality.
+ They cannot be conceptualized according to
+ the cause and effect systems of thought.
+ Investigate your mind’s real nature
+ So that your pure and total presence will
+ actually shine forth.
+
+ -- Longchenpa, "You Are the Eyes of the World"
+~
+ Devotion, or mögü in Tibetan, can be divided into two aspects: möpa and
+küpa. Möpa means "longing" or "wanting," and küpa means "humility,"
+"respect," or "being without arrogance." With küpa, you are not pretending
+to be somebody who has reached a higher level of wisdom. So in devotion,
+longing and humbleness are put together. That state of mind brings openness
+to the teacher and to the dharma.
+ With küpa, the longing of möpa does not become purely an emotional
+indulgence or demand on the part of either the student or the teacher. The
+devotion of küpa is the respect or sacredness that comes from that experience
+of aah [the space before first thought]! Küpa arises because every highlight
+in your life has always been touched by the sacredness of vajrayana, even
+before you knew it.
+ -- Chogyam Trungpa, from "The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma,
+ Volume Three: The Tantric Path of Indestructible Wakefulness"
+~
+All suffering in this life and others is created by the unsubdued mind.
+Similarly, the basis of all the practices of the six paramitas, such as
+generosity, moral discipline, and so on, is the mind.
+
+Nothing is more important than guarding the mind. Let us constantly keep
+watch over the wild elephant of the mind, curbing it with mindfulness and
+vigilance. This is how to avoid being influenced by different external
+conditions. But even in retreat in a very secluded place, if the mind is not
+kept under control, it will wander all over the place. Even completely alone,
+we can have an enormous amount of negative emotions.
+
+How are we to guard the mind? We should use attentiveness to watch our
+thoughts and use mindfulness to judge whether we are acting correctly. With
+these two we have the means to annihilate all adverse conditions. But without
+them, we will not see whether our thoughts are positive or negative or whether
+we are doing right or wrong, nor will we then be able to use antidotes as
+necessary.
+ -- H.H. the Dalai Lama
+~
+The great yogi Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol replies to a Losar Day request from
+his disciple Depa Wangpo on what to adopt and what to reject regarding
+attitude and conduct...
+
+ Don’t harm your friends and neighbors; help them.
+ Don’t be stingy; use your wealth for offerings and charity.
+ Don’t let your body be idle; do prostrations and circumambulations.
+ Don’t let your mouth be idle; recite the mani mantra.
+ Always have pure thoughts towards others.
+
+ In brief, keeping Death in mind, practice the sacred Dharma.
+ Give up doing wrong, and do what is wholesome.
+ Whatever happiness and sufferings you undergo,
+ Regard them as the result of previous actions.
+ Always act in accord with the Dharma.
+ Even though I may be far away,
+ These instructions will remain like my very presence.
+ Keep them in mind!
+
+ -- Shabkar Natshok Rangdrol, in "The Life of Shabkar"
+~
+On the very night of Dodrupchen’s death, his spiritual testament was
+received by his principal disciple, Do Khyentse. Dodrupchen appeared in the
+sky in a radiant light body and an attire of lights. He was floating on a
+carpet of light, which was held up by four dakinis. In a very enchanting
+voice he sang the verses of his testament, which include the following lines:
+
+ I am going into the expanse of the Wisdom of the Ultimate Sphere,
+ Which is the state that transcends thoughts and expressions.
+ I am going into the state of Mirrorlike Wisdom,
+ Which is the ceaseless clear glow, fresh and open.
+ I am going into the expanse of the Wisdom of Evenness,
+ In which all the thoughts of grasping and grasper have vanished into the
+ ultimate sphere.
+ I am going into the Wisdom of Discriminative Awareness,
+ Which is the clarity, the dawn of six kinds of foreknowledge.
+ I am going into the state of the Wisdom of Accomplishment,
+ Which emanates various manifestations in accordance with [the needs of]
+ trainable beings.
+
+ Son, please stay healthy.
+ Now you have won over the obstructions of your life.
+ Until all the phenomenal existents are liberated as the signs and
+ teachings [of Dharma],
+ [You should be] aware of samsara and nirvana as dreams and illusions.
+ Dedicate yourself to the meditation where there is no reference point.
+ This is the empowerment of total entrustment and aspiration.
+ This is the supreme empowerment of empowerments.
+
+ -- from "Masters of Meditation and Miracles", by Tulku Thondup.
+~
+ The view of interdependence makes for a great openness of mind. In general,
+instead of realizing that what we experience arises from a complicated network
+of causes, we tend to attribute happiness or sadness, for example, to single,
+individual sources. But if this were so, as soon as we came into contact with
+what we consider to be good, we would be automatically happy, and conversely,
+in the case of bad things, invariably sad. The causes of joy and sorrow would
+be easy to identify and target. It would all be very simple, and there would
+be good reason for our anger and attachment. When, on the other hand, we
+consider that everything we experience results from a complex interplay of
+causes and conditions, we find that there is no single thing to desire or
+resent, and it is more difficult for the afflictions of attachment or anger to
+arise. In this way, the view of interdependence makes our minds more relaxed
+and open.
+ By training our minds and getting used to this view, we change our way of
+seeing things, and as a result we gradually change our behavior and do less
+harm to others. As it says in the sutras:
+
+ Abandon evildoing;
+ Practice virtue well;
+ Subdue your mind:
+ This is the Buddha's teaching.
+
+ -- H.H. the Dalai Lama, from "For the Benefit of All Beings"
+~
+In the avadhuti, the main path of enlightenment,
+Prana and mind, bliss and warmth, are united,
+Becoming unconditioned great bliss.
+The wisdom of unobscured insight dawns.
+
+"This is unsurpassable," the guru has said.
+The darkness of ignorance is purified in space.
+One is free from the two obscurations of grasping and fixation.
+Therefore bliss and luminosity dawn in simplicity.
+
+This appearance of collective coincidence
+Is a reflection without self-nature.
+All appearances are realized like that,
+And just like appearances in a dream,
+All dharmas arise as illusions...
+
+When thoughts arise, rest naturally.
+When dreaming, be mindful without corrupting it.
+When in the pardo, don’t control, but be aware.
+When there is fruition, let it arise without obscuration.
+
+ -- from "The Life of Marpa the Translator" translated by Chögyam Trungpa
+ and the Nalanda Translation Committee.
+~
+The Four Seals in Buddhism are:
+
+ All products are impermanent.
+ (or all compounded phenomena are impermanent?)
+ ('du byed thams cad mi rtag pa)
+
+ All contaminated objects are miserable.
+ (zag bcas thams cad sdug bsngal ba)
+
+ All phenomena are selfless.
+ (chos thams cad bdag med pa)
+
+ Nirvana is peace.
+ (mya ngan las 'das ba zhi ba)
+
+ --from "Meditation on Emptiness" (London: Wisdom, 1983), by Jeffrey Hopkins
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