Death is vital for everyone, because this is the reality everyone is reluctant to face but have to face. For ordinary beings, death is a dark, unknown area, pervaded with despair, mystery, suffering and sorrow. When facing death, almost everyone feels panicked and fearful, these are all due to the misunderstanding derived from not understanding death. If having gained a correct understanding of death, then fear will be dispelled, and preparations for death can be made.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

We should refrain from thinking that all suffering and unfavourable conditions will be eliminated once we undertake dharma study. Even from the perspective of the Shravakayana, although having realised the selflessness of self, arhats still encounter undesirable conditions and experience karmic consequences.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

From the perspective of material life, our era has the most abundance of material wealth in human history. We possess advanced devices and products such as airplanes, wireless, computers, etc. However, compared with ancient people, we lost freedom, which is the most precious thing in the world. We need to contemplate on this problem and make some proper choices, endeavoring to give ourself more freedom.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Countless buddhas in the past, including Shakyamuni Buddha, vowed to liberate all sentient beings when giving rise to bodhicitta, vowing to attain buddhahood after all sentient beings attain buddhahood. We haven’t attained buddhahood yet, but they have. Why? Buddhas make such aspirations out of vast compassion. Due to the greatest and sublimity of their aspirations, they attained buddhahood swiftly. Whereas we are preoccupied with our own interest, thus we are still struggling in the samsara.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

“If some people are endowed with the wisdom of the Buddha, some are not, then am I endowed with buddha nature or not? It’s difficult to answer. Will I succeed in my diligent practice?” Everyone possesses buddha nature, this is definitely so. Everyone has great potential, because we possess the wisdom of the Buddha innately, it’s up to us to find it’s existence. Once we succeed, all defilements will be gone, it’s that simple.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

In the process of limitless proliferation of our desire, can we experience happiness? No, we cannot. Because happiness is based on the sense of contentment, when desire is proliferated limitlessly, even if we experience the sense of contentment, it’s still transient.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

If being able to bear sentient beings in our mind, and refraining from killing and doing life release, we’re genuine Buddhists. Striving to promote this spirit can make the dharma flourish and the wisdom light of the Buddha illuminate the world lastingly.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Even having realizing the emptiness, one needs to be agreeable to sentient beings. As Guru Rinpoche said: “Even my views are as high as the sky, my attention to the law of karma is as fine as barley flour.” In other words, our views need to be open and high, but our conduct needs to be conservative and careful.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Shakyamuni Buddha once stated during transmitting dharma: it’s difficult for ordinary beings to analyse and comprehend the law of karma; thus before one’s wisdom reaches to certain levels, it’s best for one not to analyze the law of karma. Even analyzing it, one would not reap any result, rather, it’ll bring us doubt towards cause and effect, which will lead in turn to violating law and morality for some benefits of this life, causing harm to others with the wish not to be caught.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES