Teachings on the "Torch of Certainty", 2015
When people hear the word ‘Buddhism’, the first thing that comes to mind is probably meditation; they feel that meditation is the essence or the root of Buddhism. There is good reason for that but there is another perspective that is less common, which is that study is foremost in Buddhism. One of the many […]
Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, 2nd September 2020
Why is the mandala practice so meritorious? One reason is that most of our suffering is our own creation. We fabricate ideas about ourselves and the world, cling to them as real, and suffer as a consequence. So our practice, whatever it is must reduce our clinging if we are going to overcome suffering. In […]
Online Teaching from Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, 14 June 2020
Question: If we truly want to follow the path of the Mahamudra in this life, is it possible to do this whilst engaging in an “ordinary life” with jobs, partners, houses and so on? Or, if we want to make the most of this precious human birth and follow the gift of dharma, do we […]
Online Teaching from Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, 13 June 2020
Many people see mahamudra and dzogchen to be rather easy. But the early masters of Kagyu lineages didn’t see them to be easy, just look how hard they worked and what they put themselves through to attain them. For example Naropa was already a pandita, had advanced practice generation stage practice, and even had visions […]
Online Teaching from Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, 12 June 2020
It is difficult to determine whether a lama is good or not, because we only see the outside. But that which makes someone a genuine lama lies inside. We are told that we need to examine the lama, but in order to do this effectively we have to be quite knowledgable about the dharma. These […]
Online Teaching from Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, 11 June 2020
Activities of the world are like waves breaking on the shore, they inundate us one after the next without end. They only stop when we decide to drop them.
Online Teaching from Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, 10 June 2020
When we hear that Tilopa received teaching directly from Vajradhara, it is difficult to understand. We think the three kayas of a buddha are different buddhas, teaching in different places at different times. But in reality it is not like this, it is simultaneous. What we perceive depends on our level, our perception. Those with […]
Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, 23 August 2020
Having the name “lama”, I don’t see myself as someone who tells others what to do and what not to do, like a boss. I feel more like a servant. I try to carry myself with the thought that I will do whatever I can to help any being for them to turn out better […]
Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, 19 August 2020
A good lama will not teach the dharma easily, to just any student. Feeling that we can get dharma whenever and wherever we want is a sign that the dharma has become devalued. A genuine lama, like Milarepa, Gampopa, or Patrul Rinpoche, will not teach the dharma lightly. For example, when they detected a hint […]
Online Teaching from Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, 9 June 2020
Our experience is not determined by what is seemingly outside, but by our own perception. For example, when a lama is teaching, they probably have no thought of pleasing some and upsetting others, but that’s what inevitably happens. One person will appreciate it, and another will get up and walk out in a rage. Each […]
Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, 16 July 2020
You can’t practise that which doesn’t appear in your mind. If you are to practise developing loving-kindness, for instance, there is a particular order to it, and this order applies to any practice. Sticking with the example of love though, you first have to learn what love is. You have to be able to distinguish […]
Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, 1 October 2015
The texts often talk about ‘jaded practitioners’ but what is it that makes us jaded? It is when we have heard so much Dharma and have taken it to be so easy but have done nothing to change our ways. It is when we have said so many prayers that we have not put our […]
Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, June 2020
The more we make of our present opportunities, the better and more numerous our future opportunities will be.
When we are listening to the dharma, meditating or practicing, if our way of thinking is along the lines of, ‘May this be good for me,’ then our motivation is poor. As I said already, all of our difficulties and problems stem from this very strong sense of ‘me’. So if we are taking that […]
Online Teaching from Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, 8 June 2020
There is a great difference between intelligence in the dharma and worldly intelligence. In the world we may think someone who is very good at picking up languages is intelligent. Or if someone is very successful in business we think, ‘Wow they’re smart as hell.’ And I’m sure many of those who invented some of […]
