Both Buddhism and our experiential understanding of daily life tell us: the sense of happiness hinges on the sense of satisfaction; when the the sense of satisfaction wears off, so does the sense of happiness. This is the natural law that nobody can refute.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
Lay practitioner’s practice starts from observing precepts. Observing precepts is also considered as a kind of practice and it is in fact most vital. I have met many lay practitioners who, despite the fact that they have taken refuge in the Three Jewels and believed they’re a seasoned practitioner, have yet to take the five precepts of lay practitioners. This is rather unreasonable. In order be a lay practitioner, observing precepts is paramount. Precepts are the foundation of all practice and developing wisdom. Without observing precepts, one is not a genuine practitioner, thus observing precepts is compulsory.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
There are two pith instructions to tame the mind: first, to realize the nature of mind is emptiness, then to abide in the state of emptiness. As Mipham Rinpoche stated: these two pith instructions include all pith instructions.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
All worldly people’s acts are oriented to this short life, whereas in the Buddhist approach this is not so. Buddhists have a bird’s eye view, which is not only to strive for happiness for this life, but also for future lives; not only for one’s own happiness, but also for happiness of all sentient beings.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
Dharma does not reject material wealth, rather, it opposes living for a material life only. A person who is a renunciate can work and earn money, but he works only in order to survive. His ultimate goal is liberation. No matter what you do, remind yourself of this. In this way, renunciation can be integrated into one's life. There is no conflict between renunciation and our everyday life.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
All kinds of pain and suffering in life have their causes, but the source of all causes is our own attachment. The more people focus on monetary success, the more suffering and less happiness they will experience. Under the premise of not giving up, if we can let go of unnecessary attachments, not only will it not hinder our career, often it will unexpectedly make our career more successful and allow us to live with more freedom, joy, and happiness. (heidi)
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
Having finished the outer and inner preliminary practices, one can proceed to practice Dzogchen. This is a safe and swift path, but one needs to be endowed with the faith in the teacher and Dzogchen. If faith is not sufficient, one will not succeed.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
The antidote of greed is renunciation. Generating renunciation will eliminate greed or keep it at bay; the antidote of selfishness is bodhicitta. Generating bodhicitta will reduce and eliminate selfishness; the antidote of attachment is to realise emptiness. Once realising emptiness, all problems will be solved, such as greed, selfishness, attachment, etc. Thus it’s vital to realise emptiness.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
There are two ways to realise Dzogchen: one is to listen to dharma extensively, then to accumulate immense merits by engaging in the practice of cultivating renunciation and bodhicitta, the practice of mandala offering and embarking on the path of bodhisattvas. When accumulation of merit rises to a certain level, one can realise emptiness; another way is to rely on the qualified master’s blessing. The premise to receive such blessing is to have devotion. The stronger the devotion, the more blessing one can receive.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
