Karma (or cause) has a kind of unique ability. Although our naked eyes cannot see how rice seeds will germinate, the seeds do have within themselves the capacity to do so.  Likewise, when a karmic seed is sown in the alaya consciousness, it will yield fruit when all the right conditions come together. This fruit is also called a karmic effect,  and this particular capacity of the alaya consciousness to yield karmic fruit is the inherent nature of the cause.

After a person has killed a being or stolen things, the karmic seed of such actions will remain in this person’s alaya consciousness. When it will germinate is uncertain, however. The scriptures often used the analogy of harvesting crops to illustrate the timing of karmic effects. There is a wide variety of grains and vegetables and the length of time for them to ripen varies. Some may ripen in only one to two months, and others five or six months, or even longer. The types of seeds, the geographical location, and the climate are all contributing factors to this disparity.    

~ Luminous Wisdom 1 ：On Cause and Effect

In the teachings of Guru Padmasambhava, he says that he would instruct different kinds of sentient beings by manifesting into different forms, lives, identities and appearances in Tibet, the Han areas, and even all over the world, in order to liberate them. In this degenerate time, humans are selfish and lack of faith. They hold numerous wrong views, and they are endangered by psychological crises and frequent natural disasters. At such a juncture, the blessings of Guru Padmasambhava will be even greater than those of other buddhas and bodhisattvas.

～ Luminous Wisdom 10 : The Guru Yoga Practice of The Seven Line Prayer

The Four Noble Truths explain the nature, the origin, the cessation and the path leading to the cessation of suffering. Why are there not three or five truths? It is because all that is known or exists can be assigned to either samsara or nirvana; there is no other kind of existence in between. Samsara has its cause and effect; so does nirvana. Two sets of cause and effect make the Four Noble Truths. To explain nirvana and samsara by way of cause and effect is essentially what the Four Noble Truths are all about.

Excerpt from Luminous Wisdom Book Series : The Right View ~ The Four Noble Truths

Every sentient being is endowed with wisdom, but our wisdom is limited in depth and scope because we lack proper training of the mind. Zhi hui du refers specifically to the training of the mind, cultivating the wisdom that allows us to reach the unsurpassed state of attainment,  buddhahood. From an outsider’s point of view, the process appears to be mysterious and connected in some way with religion; a true practitioner, however, knows this training of the mind to be very real.

~ Luminous Wisdom 9 : The Significance of Buddhist Philosophy Today

We must be aware that, as far as any of the worldly dharmas are concerned—whether money, fame, status or people—as long as there is attachment, they will give us a great deal of suffering. The more intense the attachment, the greater the pain they will give us; the pain may even go beyond the happiness that thing originally brought us.  This is certain. To stop the suffering in this world, we should, first and foremost, abandon our attachment.

~ Luminous Wisdom, 4

The happiness that material enjoyment brings is limited. Yet what we want is unlimited. How is it possible to fill an infinite space with something which has a limit? Certainly not in this lifetime! Our lifespan is no more than several decades, but even if we lived billions of years, we would still fall short of satisfying ever-growing greed. In fact, the longer we live, the greater our desire and the suffering that follows. Thus, the Buddha admonished us to keep our desire in check in order to gain true happiness; if we are always chasing after material things, we will never find real happiness.

Excerpt from Luminous Wisdom Book Series: The Paper Tiger ~ The Tibetan Buddhist View on Happiness

In the same way that physical illness needs the right medication to be cured, cyclic existence can only be stopped through practicing the Dharma. To effectively counteract defilements and attachment, one must exert a sharply opposing force. The exertion of this counteracting force is the path leading to the cessation of suffering.

In other words, the purpose of undertaking Dharma practice is bring the endless cycle of rebirth and death to a halt, not unlike what the right medicine does for a patient.

~ Luminous Wisdom 1: The Four Noble Truths

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.

Excerpt from Luminous Wisdom Book Series: The Paper Tiger ~ The Significance of Buddhist Philosophy Today

Many poor people believe that lack of money is the reason for their pain, and if one day they were to get money, there would be no pain. However, if they really became rich one day, they would find out that their pain has not disappeared; on the contrary, more suffering is awaiting them. So, a hard life is not the root cause of suffering since many people with a hard life enjoy more happiness than rich people.

The Buddha taught us that the real origin of suffering is attachment to money, people and things. There are many kinds of attachment: attachment to the self is called self-grasping, and attachment to external possessions, such as money, fame, and fortune, is called clinging to phenomena. If there is no attachment, there will be no suffering if there is no attachment. The Buddhist sutras often talk about “letting go” as an antidote to attachment.

~ Luminous Wisdom 9 : The Principles of Liberation