What is worrying is that many who receive empowerment today do not emphasize the secret mantra vehicle vow. Those requesting empowerment do not even know these vows are required for the empowerment. So they think once they receive empowerment, everything will be great. The fact is, once one receives empowerment, the difficulty is in maintaining the secret mantra vehicle vow.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
We need to come to a clear understanding of what do we need? Is it money or happiness? Desiring both is difficult to achieve. Even endowed with some merit, one can make some profit through exertion, yet one might not be able to live an easeful life. Other than attaining a high level of spiritual achievement, how can one maintain a calm mind while being preoccupied with various engagements? Thus as an ordinary being, we have to choose one between these two.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
According to sutras, practitioners can be categorized into three levels. The supreme practitioners make progress daily, reaping results everyday day; the mid-level practitioners make less progress, but having breakthroughs monthly; the lesser practitioners make progress only yearly. We need to reflect on ourself, which kind of practitioners are we?
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
Many who have not heard formal teaching of Mahamudra, are envious and eager for Mahamudra. But if we one day really have the chance to hear about Mahamudra, the essential sadhana of Mahamudra is described in a couple of sentences. Just like the principle script of “The Sixth Patriarch's Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra” is only a few sentences. How can such simple words lead us to enlightenment? The most important help is the practice.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
In one hundred years, like the pappus of dandelion leaving a calyx receptacle, seven billion people on the earth will leave this world one by one, entering an unknown area. Then, all the fame and gain become worthless, what’s of only use is the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
After performing virtuous deeds, whether it is reciting mantra, live release, or giving, one should dedicate according to the dharma. People who perform virtuous deeds create merit and can receive positive results. However, practitioners of Mahayana do not want to enjoy the positive results alone. Instead, they want to share with all sentient beings. This is the meaning of dedication.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
Once any defilement, such as greed, aggression, pride or jealousy, enter in our system of consciousness, it will disturb all our thinking processes, making us unfree, unhappy and prone to mistakes. Therefore, it’s even more crucial to remedy defilements than to deal with any enemies.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
Practitioners need to go with the flow in society, do whatever others do, be it fashion or trends, but abstaining from emulating the un-virtuous acts of others. The Mahayana Buddhism is rather humanistic and open. Modern buddhists need to appear as a fashionable and trendy person, but with an inner self liken to practitioners of 2500 years ago; this is a perfect combination! Buddhists need to have a mundane body and supra-mundane mind.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
With strenuous effort, an iron bar can be ground into a needle. Likewise, with persistent meditation, we can suppress negative and destructive emotions such as greed, aggression, pride, and jealousy, etc, and our mind will reach a state of freedom to some extent. Freedom here means being free from anxiety, and maintaining joy for extended periods if you want.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
