WORDS OF WISDOM AUTHOR: KHENPO TSULTRIM LODRO

There are three main reasons sentient beings perpetuate in samsara: first, clinging to impermanence as permanence; second, seeing activities that are inherently unsatisfactory as joyful; third, mistaking a non-existent self for a truly existent self. With these three forms of attachment, good and bad karma is created. With good karma, beings take rebirth in the upper realms of the gods and human beings; with bad karma, beings take rebirth in the lower realms such as hell, unable to transcend samsara and attain liberation.

~Decpited from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA - SUMMATION

The happiness that material enjoyment brings is limited. Yet what we want is unlimited. How is it possible to fill an infinite space with something which has a limit? Certainly not in this lifetime! Our lifespan is no more than several decades, but even if we lived billions of years, we would still fall short of satisfying ever-growing greed. In fact, the longer we live, the greater our desire and the suffering that follows. Thus, the Buddha admonished us to keep our desire in check in order to gain true happiness; if we are always chasing after material things, we will never find real happiness.

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

Another analogy is this: in ancient times, most of the towns in the East and West are surrounded by a wall; one must enter the town through a gate. If the town only has one gate, a person who wants to go into town must enter through this gate. Many families live in the town; once inside, the person is free to visit any family. However, if the person does not pass through this gate, he can only stay outside and never get in. Renunciation and bodhicitta are the same—they are the only entrance to practice. After cultivating renunciation and bodhicitta, we are free to take up Dzogchen, Mahamudra, Kalacakra, or the generation and completion stage practices. Without renunciation and bodhicitta, it would be foolish to think we can succeed in any of these practices.

~Depicted from GATEWAY TO VAJRAYANA PATH - Entering the Vajrayana Path

What are the Four Dharma Seals?

The first seal states all composite phenomena are imper- manent; the second, all contaminated things are unsatis- factory; the third, all phenomena lack self-existence; the fourth, nirvana is true peace.

~Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA - SUMMATION

It is said in the scripture that ten persons cannot move a heavy log on the ground, but one person can easily pull the log if it’s thrown in the water. Similarly, it is very difficult for sentient beings to go to Sukhāvatī when alive, but much easier while in the intermediate state. It is because beings in the intermediate state, the bardo beings, have no actual body, only mental body—body created by consciousness. Just like in the outer space where there is zero gravity, a little push can point a body to a different direction; mental body can be led to Sukhāvatī with just a little guidance. Of course, one can also choose to be reborn in the pure realms of Maitreya or Padmasambhava, but Sukhāvatī is the most ideal and the easiest to go to, and one will never go back to samsara again from Sukhāvatī. At the same time, we must also take note that if there is any negative condition at this point such as the arising of an evil thought, it will be equally easy to fall into the lower realms.

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

The mark of a successful Phowa is that after death, there is visible hair loss, a bump or some yellow liquid seeping around the vertex. These marks serve as proof of successful rebirth. If these symptoms are present, the subsequent guide for the practice of the intermediate state will no longer be needed. If not, the guru or dharma friends will need to provide guide for the practice of the intermediate state.

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

Thus, we need to remain highly mindful and keep our conduct disciplined when undertaking any kind of practice. Often enough, upon closer examination, we may find that what appears to be altruistic actually only benefits ourselves. This is true in the case of the five preliminary practices as well as mantra chanting, animal liberation, prostration, etc. In short, if the purpose is to attain liberation just for oneself, no matter how sublime a practice is, it can only be deemed a Theravada practice. Conversely, if there is not one shred of selfish consideration, whatever one undertakes would all be deemed Mahayana practice, be it just reciting the Buddha’s name once or doing one prostration.

~Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - The Three Differences

People who do not understand cause and effect think it is very mysterious and filled with religious connotation. Actually there is nothing mysterious about it. If we are observant, we will discover all things around us – whether animals, vegetation, or mankind -- are subject to the law of cause and effect. A cause will always produce a result of the same kind. The ancients say: “You reap what you sow.” This is an objective principle of cause and effect. Although we cannot observe the subtle relationship between cause and effect with the eye, we can validate its existence conceptually. A lot of new discoveries in science were also assumed to be non-existent at one time because they could not be perceived by the eye. The law of cause and effect is no exception; it exists even if it cannot be seen.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - Spiritual Equipment for Modern Times

What does “reaching a certain level” mean? By this we mean it is impractical to receive teachings on all of the 84,000 Dharma methods; however, at the very least, we should understand the method we are practicing, why it is practiced this way, and what the final outcome is. To achieve this understanding, we must first spend an appropriate amount of time to listen and reflect on the Dharma.

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