The reason to practice dharma is to face, to control and to remove the afflictions. This is the mission and goal of Buddhists. To measure whether a Buddhist is good or bad, it is not to see who can recite more mantras or who has accumulated more merits, even it is not to see who is wealthier, healthier or having smooth progress in work. However, it is rather too see how much of afflictions that one has been diminished.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
Many people believe that they have finished the ngondro practice, I’d like to ask these people: “Have you let go of your attachments? Letting go has various levels, it’s good to let go to a certain degree.” Before engaging in the ngondro practice, one was focused on benefiting oneself, having done the practice, one’s altruistic intention is increasing, this means one has reaped a positive result from practice. However, having done the ngondro practice, one’s mind is exactly the same as before, then where does the benefit of the practice manifest?
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
For most people, the life of a little fish is worthless and can be squashed at they desire. However, from the fish’s point of view, its life is more precious than the whole world’s assets. Humans’ lives might be worthless for other species of lives, but for ourself, our lives are more precious than anything. Can we see the world from the fish’s point of view?
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
Once the opportunity to practise in this life is missed, no one can say whether we will have the chance to practise in our future lives. I can assure you that once the uncontrived bodhichitta is developed, this person will not degenerate or at least will never degenerate into one of the three lower realms, namely hell, hungry ghost or animal realm.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
The light we see is just a small part of light spectrum; the sound we hear is just a part of frequency of sound wave; the life we acknowledge is just a short phase of samsara, we are not able to see and hear the rest, but it’s existent.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
Before attaining buddhahood, Vajrasattva made an aspiration: I vow not to attain buddhahood if I cannot enable anyone to chant my name, and supplicate to me for confessing to purify their obscurations. Given Vajrasattva had attained buddhahood, if supplicating to Vajrasattva by chanting the Vajrasattva Mantra or the Hundred-Syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva, one is bound to purify all obscurations.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
One can only become a genuine practitioner after succeeding in practicing the foundational teachings such as impermanence, suffering, etc. Only then can we make transformative changes to our views towards the world; regardless of how much hardships and suffering one has to experience, one will be at ease.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
The more attached we are to anything, such as wealth, fame, etc, the more we suffer. Suffering cannot be remedied if we have cyclic existence. Other saviors, refuge, our parents, friends cannot remedy suffering, rather, only the Three Jewels can. Only by relying on the Buddha and sangha, practicing dharma according to the Buddha’s guidance, can we uproot defilements and attachment, having let go attachment, all the suffering will be eradicated instantly.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
The meaning of life is nothing more than these two: the first is offering loving compassion and the second is the constant spiritual improvement. It is not about how much money or how many villas and luxury cars we have. The real value of life can be measured in the extent of loving kindness we share, and wisdom we accumulate, not how much material wealth we possess or goods that we acquire.
~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES
