It is rare to get the opportunity to receive the dharma. And those who organise the dharma teachings and events, etc., take on a lot of work and responsibility to provide the opportunities. So I would advise those of you who attend these teachings and programmes to do your best to support the organisers. And […]
As Buddhists, especially those of us who follow the greater vehicle, we say the words 'for the sake of all sentient beings', but in practice, when it comes to doing anything for others, we lack any determination or drive. We say something nice, while in actuality we retain our selfish ways. This failing of ours […]
You don't see the dharma to be important (Rinpoche addresses the course participants). It's clear: the proof is there for anyone to see if you stop and think about it just a little bit. One proof is that most of you have children, but only a couple of you have brought your children here with […]
Whether we are a good vessel for the Dharma or not depends on our character. If our character is good there is a high chance we can make decent progress in the Dharma. Whether we can say we’ve made progress and are now a good practitioner or not, depends on our way of thinking, how […]
A true dharma practitioner should be humble, but that doesn't mean they lack self-confidence – they are not meek. They are confident because they possess knowledge and the ultimate view, so they have a deep-seated self-assuredness, which makes them fearless. A practitioner is humble because they are free from the afflictions of anger, desire, pride […]
If you really want to obtain spiritual accomplishment or enlightenment quickly, there are only two things you need to do: Let go of whatever you like and accept whatever you dislike. By simply doing this, you will reach a point where all thoughts of ‘I like this’ and ‘I don’t like that’ will be lost, […]
We can know that Buddhism is authentic by the fact that the more we analyse it the deeper it becomes: it more than withstands scrutiny. That is not the case for lesser philosophies etc, who’s statements are revealed as fallacious or untenable when put under the spotlight of intelligent inspection. The dharma does contain teachings […]
Foremost on a dharma practitioner’s mind is liberation, ultimate freedom. They don’t give much thought to how they feel in the moment, whether they feel happy or sad, etc. This is the opposite of worldly people, whose only thought is feeling pleasure and happiness and avoiding pain and discomfort. Practitioners do not pursue fleeting pleasures […]
Westerners are known for their love of freedom and independence, but strangely many of them have given their freedom away to drink, drugs, sex, chocolate, coffee etc. By their own admission, they have little self-control when it comes to such things and are dependent on them. Buddhists, and especially those who go all in – […]
When we are feeling down or when our mind is on edge, that is a sign that we are holding strong expectations and fear that our expectations will not be met. Drupon Khen Rinpoche October 2022
If you don’t listen to the teachings, you will not know what the Dharma is. When you don’t know what the Dharma is, you won’t know how to practise. Without knowing how to practise, you will not attain the results of the Dharma. So we cannot afford to be careless in our attendance of Dharma […]
We should live our life doing what we feel is the best thing to do. The main focus of each day’s activities should be that which we see to be the most worthy and meaningful activity. Living like this, even when we come to our final day of this life, we will not feel the […]
One day in 2012 I was just about to travel to Samye Ling in the UK to teach the 3rd Karmapa’s Profound Inner Principles at the retreat centre there. A few days before, I took a borrowed copy of the text to a photocopy shop. The lady behind the counter promised that she’d have a […]
What we see outside is a reflection of our own minds. Therefore, we can’t change our experience from the outside, we must change ourselves. This is seen to be an essential point in Buddhism. We must first identify the flaws that lie within us, then, as we gradually correct them and improve as people, the […]
When attempting to help others, we will face various difficulties and troubles. We might be falsely accused of wrongdoing, or criticised by others in various other ways. We may become frustrated and discouraged by such experiences, which become major obstacles to our practice. This is because to exert ourselves in benefiting others, earnestly while taking […]
