The greatest challenge and that which has laid the heaviest weight upon my shoulders has been my struggle to disentangle money from the Dharma. Everywhere you look, you see people using the Dharma for financial gain, which erodes the Dharma and people’s faith in it. Attempting to avoid doing this myself and to create circumstances […]
For the Dharma to take root in a new land, it must become part of the local culture and language. It cannot remain a foreign import. Drupon Khen Rinpoche
Dharma Practitioners should be open-minded, but at the same time their minds should be stable and unwavering. Being open-minded, they are willing to listen and accept all different views; being unwavering, they are steadfast in their own position and not easily influenced by others. These attributes will serve them well in both worldly and dharmic […]
Buddhism, or the Dharma has two aspects: The Dharma of scripture and the Dharma of realisation. It is not external, it concerns the way that we think. To recognise our afflictions, the mind poisons that afflict us, is the Dharma of scripture; to purify those afflictions with the remedial practices is the Dharma of realisation. […]
The measure of a monastery or a dharma centre is not how good the facilities are – the size of the buildings or shrine hall, the quality of the statues and paintings, and that sort of thing. Nor is it a matter of how many capable workers and contacts it has. The only measure that […]
What is the way of doing things in the Dharma? First, the Lama should observe the students' faults and then introduce them to the students when the time is right. A student should trust what the Lama has said, and try hard to see their own faults. By simply recognising one's faults, their strength is […]
Why is this human life considered to be so precious in the dharma? It is because death is not the end. If it were, that would be great, we can all just have a good time until the big sleep. But unfortunately, things do not just end with death. Our mind does not die. It […]
The acceptance of the existence of deities, ghosts, and spirits can serve as an important foundation for the dharma. In more developed societies, these beliefs are dismissed as mere superstition, but in less developed areas such as some African countries, they are still widely held. These beliefs can be very helpful for the dharma to […]
Often people think that the kids in the monasteries are taken in out of pity. It does occasionally happen that a monastery will take in a child who is an orphan or whose parents can’t raise their child for whatever reason. Most are not like that though. Especially the children here in the retreat centre. […]
Understanding the Buddha Dharma is not merely the ability to explain the text. In fact, fixating on the text might even distance you from the Dharma. So, what does it mean to know the Dharma? It is to thoroughly know yourself— knowing clearly how you act and think and discerning your positive and negative thoughts. […]
If I could choose between recognising the nature of mind and having the four thoughts that turn the mind from samsara, I would opt for the four thoughts. I wouldn’t even hesitate, because if you have the four thoughts you have a solid foundation for becoming a decent dharma practitioner. Then, you will come to […]
Your lama should not be someone who tells you stories and teaches you how to fabricate even more new things, on top of all the stuff your mind has already conjured. The lama must be someone who unravels everything you have fabricated so far. That’s the role of a lama. 10th November 2023, Thrangu Sekhar […]
Drupon Khen Rinpoche has just (December 18th 2023) finished teaching Patrul Rinpoche’s Words of My Perfect Teacher to the students of Thrangu Sekhar International Meditation Centre*. These teachings commenced on March 14th 2021, and were simultaneously translated into English and Chinese. Those who know Rinpoche will not be surprised to hear that he taught for […]
When we talk of ‘propagating the dharma’, what does that mean? It means to use whatever skills, knowledge, and resources we have to help others. This in turn means to do whatever we can to help others to become kinder and to act more positively in general. In brief, to spread the dharma is to […]
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 […]
