WORDS OF WISDOM AUTHOR: KHENPO TSULTRIM LODRO

Fear toward ghosts can be dealt with this way, but encountering danger in real life such as facing wild animals, floods, or earthquake is another story. Because the disturbance from ghosts or non-humans is not substantive in the minds of ordinary people—the fear is entirely psychological, it is easier to handle by using the method here as the habitual tendency is not so strong. But to handle calamity like floods or attack by savage beasts is beyond what ordinary human mind can do.

~ Depicted from "THE HANDBOOK FOR LIFE"S JOURNEY : On The Three Poisons - How to Confront Anger

Master Hui-neng condensed all he knew into four verses of which the most crucial is “fundamentally nothing is ever there.” Phenomena have no inherent existence, are neither arising nor ceasing, neither coming nor going. Through anger that is seemingly arising and ceasing on the surface, there is a chance to enter the non-arising, non-ceasing Buddha nature (dharmadhātu), thus meeting dharmakaya. Anger at this point does not produce evil karma; instead, it facilitates the practice. But the premise is having attained realization beforehand and the requisite for attaining realization is to have generated renunciation and bodhicitta. Those who have yet satisfied these requisites should then use practices of the relative truth to stop anger.

~ Depicted from "THE HANDBOOK FOR LIFE"S JOURNEY : On The Three Poisons - How to Confront Anger

If this is the case, why do we not see the process of arising and ceasing? The reason is because it is happening so quickly we are not aware of it. Students of philosophy should find the concepts of motion and arising-ceasing easy to accept.

The term used in the sutras is “arising-ceasing” ; the term used in physics is "motion." Which of these terms is more precise? I personally think the Buddhist term "arising-ceasing” is more precise.

~ Depicted from ARE U READY FOR HAPPINESS : The Significance of Buddhist Philosophy Today

As an example, if we put a cobblestone on a table and examine it with our eyes, we only see a still object. From the standpoint of our eyes, there is motion in water and the clouds; there is no motion in a physical structure and a cobblestone. However, placed under a microscope, the situation is completely different. This apparent contradiction arises because the eye and microscope perceive things from a different level. The microscope is a sophisticated instrument which can see more clearly than the eye; accordingly we should conclude the finding under the microscope is more accurate. Nonetheless, in everyday life, we consider the stillness of objects we perceive with the eye to be true. In this relative reality, that which is perceived with the eye is relative truth; that which is perceived through the microscope is ultimate truth.

~ Depicted from ARE U READY FOR HAPPINESS : The Significance of Buddhist Philosophy Today

As a Chinese saying goes, newborn calves are not intimidated by tigers. Similarly, children are not afraid of fire. It is not because calves and children are particularly brave but they are ignorant. It is a matter of not knowing what to be afraid of. Those who claim not to have fear of death are mostly in this category.

As Buddhists, we should avoid either of these two extremes. If we can understand death correctly and be well prepared for it, not only is death not frightening, but it can also be an opportunity for us to make progress.

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

There are multiple explanations of death. Some people think that everything ends after a person is dead, that all goes to dust at last; others think that a person becomes a ghost after death; still others believe a person either goes to heaven or to hell after life ends. These are just a few examples but none of them gives a clear explanation of what life truly is, nor any help in solving the question of life and death.

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

The teachings I have given so far all deal with renunciation and bodhicitta. Sure, I can also teach the Five Treatises or some advanced Vajrayana practices, but they will not be helpful to most of you here, at least not for the time being. It is like a cook should only make as much food as the guests can consume. To make more than the guests can stomach would be pointless. And this is the very reason why I hesitated to give advanced teachings all along.

~ Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - The Three Supreme Methods—the ultimate methods of cultivating virtue and training the mind

Bodhicitta gives us the chance of ever going on the path of liberation. It is in essence the ultimate, true refuge. No matter who and what we are, everyone should have a refuge. What then should we take as our refuge? We all know that taking refuge in money, fame, or status is unreliable. How about our relatives, friends, or co-workers? Relatives and good friends can help us with some problems of this life, but they are completely powerless when it comes to solving the question of life and death. There is an analogy in the scriptures, “Two people, not knowing how to swim, are drowning at the same time. Neither one can save the other.” Likewise, relatives and friends, being ordinary people like us, are themselves entangled in the endless cycle of death and rebirth. How can they help us when they are helpless themselves? Hence, they are not reliable refuge either. What about taking refuge in some social organizations? Also no. The fact is, on the issue of breaking the cycle of death and rebirth and gaining liberation thence, no one can help us. The only refuge worthy of trust is the path to enlightenment, especially its key element, bodhicitta .

~ Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - The Three Supreme Methods—the ultimate methods of cultivating virtue and training the mind

According to the Buddha, the life that ordinary people live is real to them. Hence, ordinary people can only do what is right; they must not do what is wrong such as stealing, cheating, lying, taking life, etc. However, this reality is just relative reality, not absolute reality.

~ Depicted from ARE U READY FOR HAPPINESS : The Significance of Buddhist Philosophy Today