In the midst of nightmare, if one were to know that it is just a dream, then whatever fear or sadness felt then would vanish in an instant. If one can attain realization of emptiness, all suffering in life will also gradually disappear.

 ~Depicted from the Seasonal Quotations of Khenpo 

What can be detected by our five senses, including the people we meet and the surroundings we are living in, all indeed seem very real. They are like what we experience in a dream, which is also vivid to us. When we have a dream at night, we still have a strong attachment to our surroundings. We cannot deny the existence of our dream when we are in the dream. However, when we wake up from the dream, we suddenly realize that the dream and everything in it were unreal.

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series  3 

The Yogacara School thinks that everyone has a mind continuum from beginningless time until the attainment of enlightenment.  This mind continuum sometimes has the five consciousnesses of eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, but sometimes not.  No matter how it manifests itself, a permanent existence called the Alaya Consciousness is present at all times. Whenever karma is committed, a karmic seed will be planted in the Alaya Consciousness.

There is an analogy for this. When ink is poured on the snow, the snow will be turned into ink color.  After it melts, the color can still be seen on the ground.   Similarly, if karma is born of defilements, the karmic mark will be left in the Alaya Consciousness after defilements are gone.

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series 1 

Taking refuge in a guru is not only prescribed in Tibetan Buddhism but also in Han Chinese Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism. It is clearly stated in the precepts of Theravada Buddhism that, after receiving precepts, only after following a master for at least 10 years can a disciple be qualified to live on his own. Before that, free activities are disallowed.

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series 3

Buddhism holds that samsara is of suffering nature. Our customary view refute this idea. However, worldly happiness, as it is, has been found transient and insignificant after we carefully examine the human history and our own lives. Thus, we must admit that our views are obscured and arbitrary.              

~Depicted from the Seasonal Quotations of Khenpo

The cycle of birth, aging, sickness and death, the sense of joy and sorrow, and the comings and goings of things and people are all just part of t͔he natural phenomena of life. No one is able to, or should try to, escape from them all. The only thing we can do is  to search for an effective way to confront and overcome the uncertainties in life, which we can surely find in the Buddha’s teachings on the meaning of life.     

~ Depicted from the Seasonal Quotations of Khenpo

Living in a complicated social environment with hurried pace of life, one will still be able to relax and savor the joy that comes with piece of mind if one can meditate one to two hours in the morning and evening every day. One may even discover what life needs the most along the way.   

~Depicted from the Seasonal Quotations of Khenpo

Buddhism can be said to be a special kind of culture since it encompasses many rich academic disciplines, among them philosophy, astronomy, geography, and science. Not only that Buddhism also have its own view on life, on right values, and on the world. In this chapter, we will introduce the Buddhist view on the world.

The worldview is firstly a specific knowledge; but more importantly, it is one of formulating this knowledge into ways and methods which can be used in our daily life. One aspect deals with regulating our own mind; the other aspect deals with benefiting sentient beings, bringing happiness, a healthy life, and joy to more people — this is also the basic tenet of Buddhism.

~ Depicted from Luminous Wisdom Book Series 9

The Buddha said, "Impermanence is suffering."  Everything around us is constantly changing; nothing stays reliable for long. The most favorite may leave us forever at any time. The most detested may suddenly come upon us. No one knows what the future has in store for each one of us, hence feeling anxious and distressed without end. 

      ~Depicted from the Seasonal Quotations of Khenpo