When chanting, do not stand by the feet of the deceased because it will lead the person’s focus downward which tends to affect rebirth negatively. As a person is about to stop breathing, one must stand at the crown of the person’s head, which is the north, pulling constantly the hair at the vertex, patting the head lightly and say to the deceased loudly, “Chenrezig, the bodhisattva of great compassion, is on top of your head. Please pray to him wholeheartedly. You are leaving soon. Focus all your attention on the vertex wherefrom you will be leaving.” If a person has been dead for a long time, all these would be useless.

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

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

Ignorance is translated in Chinese as “wu ming.” The word “ming” refers to wisdom that comes from realization; “wu” is a negation. Thus, wu ming means the absence of wisdom and the absence of realization. Although the innate clarity of the mind is always there, we have never recognized or experienced it because we have not attained realization. This is why it is called ignorance.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - Suffering is just a Paper Tiger

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

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