As Buddhist practitioners, we begin by always bringing our practice to our own mind, and our own level of experience–regardless of what practice we do. We want to see integration of our practice and our daily life. And most importantly, we want to have pure heart, pure motivation, and pure intention
Buddhahood, or fruition, is actually very close, and very personal to us. We can realize that if we understand that Dharma means our own mind. Be careful not to view Dharma as some sort of exercise or a homework assignment–it’s really very personal!
Learning Buddhadharma can be done in a number of ways. Especially in these modern times. We can go to retreats, listen to teachings, take courses, and of course read lots of books. Phakchok Rinpoche reminds us here, however, that learning Dharma actually means understanding the essence: the crucial points.
When reflecting, it is important to do so with your practice, personality, responsibility, and so forth. Reflect on your actions and reflect on your self. When you don’t reflect, you are like a blind person, not knowing where you are heading.
Trusting karma is something that many of us struggle with in our practice. But are we clear about what karma really means? Here, Phakchok Rinpoche reminds us that the Sanskrit word karma means “action.” We create karma when we act with our physical body or when we speak. However, it may not be so obvious that we create karma when we think as well.
Happy Guru Rinpoche Day to all of you! I hope you all are healthy and happy. As I am sending this message to you all today, I am in the presence of my Guru Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche’s Kudung Chorten in Tharpaling, in the beautiful valley of Bumthang, loved and cherished dearly by him just as it was treasured in the same manner by Gyalwa Longchenpa, from whom the blessed lineage of Longchen Nyingthik started.
Overcoming resistance means understanding our own behavior and habits. And many of us have patterns of laziness or of rebelling against rules and regulations. So, when we are beginning a meditation practice, we can explore overcoming resistance. We observe how our own attitudes may get in the way of developing meditation experience. But as we inquire gently. we remember not to be overly rigid or extreme in our expectations. Meditation should be approached gently; we aren’t putting ourselves in jail!
Buddha-nature refers to the ground, the basic nature that we all share. It is our “starting point”, so to speak. We refer to the ground of all sentient beings, the ground of the Buddha, the ground of all dharmas, and all phenomena.
What is the common ground of all of this? We share the common ground of emptiness.
Spacious Meditation is important throughout our practice. Buddhist teachers often emphasize spaciousness as a quality we should develop. But sometimes, we can become confused about this term: what does it mean to be spacious?What is the difference between having a “spacious” mind and being “spaced out?
Practicing meditation is a key point of applying Buddhist Dharma. And many other traditions also feature meditation. Phakchok Rinpoche suggests that we need to approach practice gradually because most of us have a number of bad habits. First of all, we tend to get easily distracted. Isn’t that true? Do you find yourself losing track of your mind?
How have you all been? I very much hope that you all and your loved ones are happy and healthy. Through out all my messages every month for the last twelve or so years, my aspiration initially was to send out a reminder to you all once a month on a very special day to bring your mind home, be mindful, cherish where you are and if possible create a good karma.
Understanding emotions serves as the first step toward overcoming our basic ignorance. In this video clip, Phakchok Rinpoche shares his personal experience of coming to grips with his emotions. He describes the strong emotions of his teenage years, and explains the gradual steps he took by practicing meditation. The more relaxed, softer, and non-clinging mind that he discovered can be ours when we choose to take up meditation training.
To receive the latest teachings and information from Samye Institute, including Phakchok Rinpoche’s monthly Guru Rinpoche Day message our Dakini Day Digest.
Please confirm you want to block this member.
You will no longer be able to:
Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.
