Shakyamuni Buddha also began his path as an ordinary person and eventually attained enlightenment. He was not born a Buddha. In the biography of Milarepa, one disciple said to Milarepa, “Master, you must be an emanation of Vajrapani or some Buddha.” Milarepa immediately retorted, “I know you want to show your respect to me by saying that. Yet it is a serious defamation to the Dharma because it indicates that you don’t believe that the Dharma can transform an ordinary person into someone like me.” Therefore, the issue is not whether one has the capability but the determination to set about obtaining that capability from now on.

~ Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - The Three Supreme Methods—the ultimate methods of cultivating virtue and training the mind

What is bodhicitta? The so-called bodhicitta is composed of two requisites.

The first requisite is having the compassion to deliver all sentient beings from the suffering of samsara. Though we may not have the capability now, it can be developed. If we do not practice the Dharma, we will never have the ability. But if we do and are willing to make an effort, even though our capability is still somewhat lacking at the moment, we need not worry too much about it.

~ Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - The Three Supreme Methods—the ultimate methods of cultivating virtue and training the mind

Before, lacking the essential wisdom, people tended to love themselves almost unscrupulously. But, under closer examination, selfishness is really without reason, groundless and moreover a big obstacle in our quest for ultimate happiness. This was never mentioned in anything that we learned from the secular world. Though some people might have said something similar, they lacked profundity. Only the Buddha told us the truth. Through his teachings, we are able to reflect on our previous actions and thus come to the conclusion that we were wrong being selfish. Henceforth, bodhicitta can be aroused. Among all the wholesome motivations, bodhicitta is the most precious and most significant.

~ Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - The Three Supreme Methods—the ultimate methods of cultivating virtue and training the mind

If you cannot forsake worldly attachments and selfishness, a monastic robe, a title of Rinpoche, Khenpo or lay practitioner are no more than just labels and therefore not very meaningful. For the same token, having a rosary draped around your chest is equally useless if not accompanied by an altruistic aspiration. However, as long as one is armed with the correct knowledge of the Dharma and grounded in the right view, it really does not matter anymore whether you are a layperson or a monk.

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series 1

Basically we do not know much about what happens before and after life. Through the Twelve Nidanas, we can understand how we came to and leave this world, which affords us a better idea about the two ends of life. Although we have no clue as to what we were in the previous life, we know there were ignorance and karmic force; neither do we know where we will be in the next life, but there will be birth, old age and death. This much we know for sure.

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series 1

The dividing line between a bodhisattva and a non-bodhisattva is the ability to let go of selfishness and care for all living beings from the bottom of one’s heart. “Living beings” does not only refer to human beings but includes seemingly insignificant creatures such as mosquitoes and earthworms. Certain people view the lives of animals as not having much value, but the animals themselves value their lives as quite precious.  For example, human beings do not like mosquitoes and consider them to be pests that should be exterminated. However, if we turn the lens around, from the mosquito's perspective its life is extremely precious. We have no right to harm any living being just to serve our own interests.

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series 8

This is what our world is like today. The seven billion people in the world all follow more or less the same worldview and outlook on life. If anyone were to have a different point of view, many would rush to tag him or her as being abnormal or mental. But in fact we are the ones who are afflicted. When all the people have the same affliction, this mental condition becomes a standard by which others are judged. This is the case with all the rules in the human world since time immemorial. Because Sakyamuni Buddha broke the rule, many people cannot comprehend and thus accuse Buddhism of being misinformed, passive and pessimistic. How and why it comes to this, the story is an indication.

~ Depicted from "THE HANDBOOK FOR LIFE"S JOURNEY : On The Three Poisons - How to Handle Desire"

There is a story in Introduction to the Middle Way (Madhyamakavatara): Once in a kingdom there was a very good fortune teller. He told the king it would rain seven days later and the rain water would be toxic. Whoever drank the water would become insane. After hearing this, the king covered his well but didn’t let others know. Seven days later, it rained as prophesized. Everyone in the kingdom drank the rain water and lost their minds except the king and a few people around him. As only these few were not affected, all the others turned around to accuse them of being mad. The situation became so unbearable that the king finally gave in, drank the rain water and became crazy like all the others.

~ Depicted from "THE HANDBOOK FOR LIFE"S JOURNEY : On The Three Poisons - How to Handle Desire"

We are living in illusions. When we believe these illusions, they can give us temporary happiness as well as pain, fear and some more. But the root of all these is the mind, nothing else. Once we know all phenomena are just illusions, we will not so fixate on our attachment and be able to slowly let go. At the least, we won’t worry so much about gains and losses as to make our life miserable.

~ Depicted from "THE HANDBOOK FOR LIFE"S JOURNEY : On The Three Poisons - How to Handle Desire"