WORDS OF WISDOM AUTHOR: KHENPO TSULTRIM LODRO

Some people think because Buddhism propagates “samsara is suffering,” its ideology is passive and pessimistic. This could not be further from the truth. Buddhist doctrine is not passive; it is extremely pro-active, but its goal and direction are different from that of mundane beings. Ordinary people work to make money; Buddhist practitioners work to have money to live on, but their real aspiration is to liberate all living beings.

- Quote from The Four Seals of Dhama, "All Contaminated Things are Unsatisfactory"

Presently, there are many empowerments and teachings given on Dzogchen and Vajrayana Buddhism; there are also many people who claim they want to practice Dzogchen and receive empowerments. However, serious practitioners of impermanence and bodhicitta are few and far between. This is why we never see progress. We are true practitioners only if we earnestly undertake basic practices like impermanence and suffering. At that point, our worldview will be entirely different; however difficult or harsh life’s circumstances, there will be nothing we cannot think through and accept.

- Quote from The Four Seals of Dhama, "All Phenomena Lack Self-Existence"

On the other hand, does it make sense to swear never to kill dinosaurs from now on? You may think that it is meaningless, since there is no dinosaur to be killed even if you want to. But it does make sense still. Dinosaurs once existed, which means we surely had the opportunity to kill some in those lifetimes. As explained above, when such vow is made, one’s karma of ever having killed dinosaurs will be purified, but not those that involved killing of other beings. If we vow not to kill any sentient beings, our karma of killing all kinds of beings can be purified. If the vow is made for the sake of particular beings, our karma of killing those particular beings can be purified.

- Quote from The Right View, "Liberating Living Beings"

The so-called “aggregate of feeling” is an overall label for feelings. There are essentially three kinds: pleasant, unpleasant, and a neutral feeling which is neither pleasant nor unpleasant.

How are these feelings produced? When the eye perceives matter that is pleasant or unpleasant, this thought is transmitted to the sixth consciousness; our consciousness follows the eye and forms an attachment; desire and anger arise as a result. Anger here implies a lack of acceptance; we do not necessarily get angry at everything that is unpleasant, but when we refuse to accept, try to avert, or bear thoughts of resentment, this is also called anger.

- Quote from The Four Seals of Dhama, "The Practice of Realizing Emptiness"

Everyone is seeking a happy life, yet all seem to be experiencing unhappiness of one kind or another. More and more people realize that having more money and possessions is no guaranty for more happiness. This truth has been well elucidated in the Buddhist texts, which the economists and psychologists in the West only found out now.

- Quote from The Right View, "A Buddhist’s Mode of Life"

The practice of impermanence at the macroscopic level is simply that expounded in The Words of My Perfect Teacher on the impermanence of life, death, etc. Sometimes we examine the world outside, sometimes sentient beings; sometimes we examine the spiritual masters, and sometimes the changes in the four seasons. All kinds of phenomena can be employed in our contemplation on impermanence.Logic is not necessary in this practice. Ordinarily, we can all see the changes that go on, but we only react to the change, such as fear, when it is totally unexpected; but without practice, this feeling dissipates soon after. When changes take place with such frequency in our lives, we become numb and insensitive to them. For this reason, we must practice. By placing importance on these methods of investigation, we will easily apprehend all composite phenomena are impermanent and unreliable. The natural world outside, all material things, our own life, possessions, and reputation are all unreliable.

- Quote from The Four Seals of Dhama, "The Practice of Impermanence"

Ordinarily, we think the circumstances in a dream are not real while experiences during the day are real. If we perceive the world outside to be truly existent, i.e., real and not illusory, this belief in true existence is called “self.” In the Middle Way doctrine, the “self” is clearly defined as a distinct and permanent entity which exists in its own right and does not depend on other things to come into being.

- Quote from The Four Seals of Dhama, "All Phenomena Lack Self-Existence"

Some people may not think of samsara as suffering because they themselves have not been through too many miseries so far. The seemingly happy life they are having now already makes them feel on top of the world. Any talk of Pure Land or liberation is basically useless stuff for them. But they are wrong. As they are ignorant of the nature of cyclic existence, there is no way they could know that the good life hardly ever lasts long. Without delving into the details here, one should be able to see clearly the nature of cyclic existence through contemplation of impermanence and especially the woes of samsara as specified in the ordinary preliminaries. It is plainly obvious if the same ignorant way of living is continued, what lies ahead in the future could be very dreadful indeed. So we must turn around.

- Quote from The Right View, "The Way of Living and the Meaning of Life"

Sakyamuni Buddha said that at that point our self-attachment should be bigger than Mount Meru — I want to attain Buddhahood, I want to free all sentient beings from suffering, I want to undertake actions that are beneficial to others, etc. This kind of self-attachment is indispensable at the beginning; with practice, one gradually dispels the wrong kind of self- attachment, creates the conditions for realizing emptiness and compassion, and ultimately eradicates all forms of attachment. Thus, the delineation between attachment and non-attachment must be very clear.

- Quote from The Four Seals of Dhama, "The Practice of No-Self"