WORDS OF WISDOM AUTHOR: KHENPO TSULTRIM LODRO

Buddhists should be realistic and rational, not just echo the views of most people. Life and death are of course the most important events in life. As we are normally concerned even with minor ailments, there is no reason not to be serious when facing the lessons of life and death. There are many real examples from all over the world, both old and new, pointing to the existence of soul and rebirth. When solid proof for refutation is still lacking, acknowledging rather than rejecting their existence would be a sounder choice.

~Depicted from THE HANDBOOK FOR LIFE'S JOURNEY - On Death And Rebirth-Understanding Death

Once a question was raised in Newsweek: Money or happiness, which one is more important?

How would we answer if we were asked the question?

Shakyamuni Buddha answered this question 2500 years ago. That is, happiness is the most important. Money alone cannot make people satisfied, nor can one obtain happiness and freedom from it. Nonetheless, most people still think that there can be no happiness without money. To them, money is the key to happiness.

Of course, other than barely a few exceptions, people who are destitute generally do not feel much happiness. But does it mean that wealthy people must be very happy? No, it certainly does not. Money really cannot buy everything!

~Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - A Buddhist’s Mode of Life

The practice after meditation is to apply the right view and understanding which we realized during meditation to everyday life.

I hope everyone can put these methods to practice. This is our only opportunity and one which we must not miss. If we are not diligent in our practice in this lifetime, it is difficult to say when we will encounter the teachings again. Therefore, we must cherish these methods and this opportunity.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - How to Face Suffering and Happiness-Taming the Mind as in Taming the Elephant

The deceased in the intermediate state can go to many places and also see many of his or her relatives and friends. But at the beginning, the deceased is usually not aware that he or she is already dead. So how would one know that one is already dead after waking up from the unconscious state? It is said in Bardo Tödröl that when the deceased cannot see his/her own image in a mirror or in a pool of water nor any footprints left when walking on a beach, or when the deceased feels surrounded, like in a large concert hall, by very loud and strong music coming from all directions, or hears the sound of raging thunder or that of many people talking and singing in a strange way, he/she should immediately come to the realization: ‘Now I’m already dead. These sounds are all that of the intermediate state. I must not be afraid but face the situation as I have been trained to do.’

~Depicted from THE HANDBOOK'S FOR LIFE JOURNEY - On Death And Rebirth-How to Take Rebirth

Sakyamuni Buddha expounded this principle two thousand years ago. Modern physics also acknowledges the continuous process of small particles arising and ceasing in a moment, in one thousandth of a second or even one ten-thousandth of a second. However, what the Buddha taught is more profound and explicit than modern physics, since the concept of an indivisible moment which is significantly smaller than one thousandth of a second or one ten-thousandth of a second is virtually inconceivable to us. The arising and ceasing that takes place in such a moment is so subtle we cannot begin to comprehend it.

~Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA - All Composite Phenomena are Impermanent

For ordinary people, the mind follows a natural pattern. This pattern always takes the same direction. To start with, material things can bring us a feeling of happiness. This feeling of happiness is based on a sense of satisfaction; in turn this sense of satisfaction comes from having a new or fresh experience. When we examine the feeling of happiness, we see that all things lose their luster once the novelty wears off. Being new and fresh is not a quality that can last forever; it is only a matter of time before it dissipates. When the new sensation disappears, the feeling of satisfaction loses its base and disappears with it. The feeling of happiness then disappears as well.

As human beings, we think material things are what we spend a lifetime pursuing; actually, we are only chasing after a feeling. The Buddha pointed to this important distinction, but we have yet to recognize or discover it.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - The Tibetan Buddhist View on Happiness

In Abhidharmakosa, all composite phenomena are summed up as the five aggregates – form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. The so-called “aggregate” means the coming together of a lot of things.

The aggregate of form denotes not only phenomena perceived by the eye, but also sounds heard by the ear and all kinds of appearances like weight, light, darkness, etc. In other words, the aggregate of form is an overall name for all of the things above.

~Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA - The Practice of Realizing Emptiness

Although we have not committed killing or stealing in this life and, being Buddhist practitioners, we often chant mantras, meditate and liberate animals, these virtuous actions are still the doings of defiled mortals. Once strong anger arises in our minds, all our virtuous karma so far accumulated will be destroyed instantly if the merit has not been dedicated. Besides, the roots of virtue of ordinary people are not stable— being good now does not mean staying good forever. If we were to have the powers of divination, we would be able to see all of our negative karma being stored in the alaya consciousness. Without repentance, the ensuing retributions will surely take place. Then it will exactly match the nihilists’ view, i.e., causality does not exist, such that one may lead a virtuous life but still drop to the lower realm after death. That would be a dangerous view for us Buddhists. Thus, we must repent all our negative karma as all of them can be purified through true penitence.

~Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - On Cause and Effect

 it is not enough to just have bodhicitta. What can we learn from a teacher of excellent character yet poor knowledge? By the same token, the master may be as kind and loving as the buddhas and bodhisattvas, but lack what we need the most, the wisdom for enlightenment. How can we attain any wisdom if the master has none? So, on the basis of having uncontrived bodhicitta, a Mahayana master must, to a certain extent, be adept in both the sutric and tantric teachings and in particular possess knowledge of the actual practice that we need. A person without bodhicitta and wisdom may be a glib talker and a smooth operator, but is actually more concerned with his or her personal benefit than that of others. Such a person will likely use us for personal gain. Any conflict that arises, if not handled well, can create a lot of problems. In this case, it is best not to follow such a person.

~Depicted from GATEWAY TO VAJRAYANA PATH - Vajra Master and Empowerment