Self-reflection

On this Guru Rinpoche day, I would like to share with you some advice about two more qualities that are important both for worldly life and Dharma practice. The first of these qualities is being able to see one’s own faults without losing one’s dignity (rang kyön tong tupa, sem pa ma shorpa).

We know that we ourselves will eventually die. We know, and yet … are we really taking these teachings to heart as the Buddha and the teachers encourage us to do? Do we truly believe that this could be our last Dharma talk or meditation session? Have we become bored with these reflections?

In this article, Nina Eder reflects on Phakchok Rinpoche’s instructions on taking time to reflect on our minds.

The concept, ‘form is emptiness’, that had seemed absurd now grabbed my thinking like nothing else. I had thought it meant that things weren’t real but that was wrong.

When we hear that our innate nature is Buddha -nature, are we confident that it is so? How do we develop dignity–a sense of certainty in our innate nature?

When we really want to practice Dharma we wish to carry on until we die. We don’t want to stop! Dharma practice is a continuous journey. Of course, we want to continue until enlightenment but as we begin, we can think, “I want to practice at least until death”.

As Vajrayāna and Mahāyāna practitioners we can regularly engage in self-reflection to check our progress. We gradually train in understanding these crucial points to give our practice a strong foundation.

We’re busy people and have lots of responsibilities and activities, so often we may forget to engage in self-reflection.  But, we may want to look carefully at what we prioritize.  If we don’t make time for self-reflection, we don’t need to apologize–but we should remind ourselves how important this is.  And we should begin our meditation sessions with a few minutes of reflection–don’t leave it to the last thing we do. If we form the habit of checking ourselves, we are actually taking steps toward becoming a bodhisattva, a buddha.

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.

Read insightful student reflections on the Four Mind Changings, a Tibetan Buddhist teaching that inspires personal transformation and spiritual growth.