Kagyu Samye Ling Zimbabwe, 10 September 2017
Meditation is to leave the mind just as it is, relaxed and easy, without thinking too much. But we find this incredibly difficult to do. As soon as we sit down and relax, we feel we have a bit of free time and start thinking and making plans. It is for this reason that when […]
HwaYue Foundation, Taiwan, 21 October 2017
Once you have examined a lama in whom you have faith and decided to put yourself in their hands, then from that point on don’t worry too much about what Dharma they’re teaching. If the lama you rely on is good, then whatever they teach will be directed at remedying your faults and wrong ways […]
Teaching on the Precious Ornament of Liberation at HwaYue Foundation, Taiwan, 21 October 2017
Gampopa said, ‘Rely on a holy lama endowed with realisation and compassion.’ This tells us that a genuine lama is someone with realisation, who has wisdom and compassion, and directs all their efforts to teaching and guiding students on the path to liberation. Such a lama is a holy lama. When I was staying in […]
First UK Kagyu Monlam 2018, Samye Ling, UK
Most beginners see the three jewels as an outer object, as something separate from ‘me’. This is the beginner’s view, and it will not lead us to Liberation. The basic Buddhist view is that the Three Jewels are not something that truly exists externally. Buddha, Sang-Gye in Tibetan, shows us, or demonstrates to us our […]
Meditation Retreat - PM Teaching, Kagyu Samye Ling, UK, 10 October 2016
Summary: Are we really practising for the benefit of all sentient beings…? The view of purity, The three defects of a pot, Stages of progression, The Samye Ling shedra, The three wheels of dharma You know, many people have said that they’re scared of me, but maybe now, as I’m teaching so gently, they’re becoming more […]
Excerpt from the weekend teaching in Kagyu Samye Ling, October 2018
A good student will appreciate and feel fortunate to have their faults pointed out by their lama, because they are trying to change and improve themselves. Since they are a good student they will know that their ultimate nature is good and pure, and that the faults are transient or incidental. So they will not […]
Meditation Retreat - PM Teaching, Kagyu Samye Ling, UK, 9 October 2016
Summary: An explanation of the need for setting a good motivation; Different levels of motivation; How making the benefit of others our priority unties ego’s knots; The importance of having practice as a constant companion. Reminder for correct conduct and motivation at the beginning Please listen to the teachings thinking, ‘I will listen to […]
Kagyu Samye Ling Zimbabwe, 11 September 2017
When it comes to meditation we should keep things simple right from the start. We shouldn’t have too many ideas within, nor too much clutter and stuff we think we need without. If we don’t keep things simple, we might find ourselves in a situation where we want to meditate but, lacking some ‘vital’ item, […]
Advice given to western students at the start of the six-year retreat programme at Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Center, Nepal, 13 January 2015
We all feel that we have to become good Dharma practitioners. And what it means to be a good dharma practitioner is to have a view that is different from normal worldly views. We simply can’t become dharma practitioners whilst maintaining a worldly view, because that can only take us along the path of samsara, […]
Meditation Retreat, Samye Ling, UK, 9 October 2016
Since it is the mind that determines our experience, it is essential to have some understanding of the workings of it, the way it is. Although not a material object, our mind can tie itself up in knots when engaged in certain negative ways of thinking, just like a silkworm spins out silk threads and […]
Teachings on 'A Torch for the Definitive Meaning', Sekhar, Nepal, 1st March 2015
Reprimanding a student is often much more profound than just explaining the words of a text. Usually when we receive teachings on a text, we don’t feel all that much, nothing really hits home. But when we are told off, something registers. We may become a little upset at first, but later a personal truth […]
Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, February 2017
Real understanding can never be found amongst the pages of a book. But if we can learn to look into everything we experience in the same way that we look at a mirror, we will always be gaining fresh and ever deepening insight, most importantly about ourselves. Think about how we use a mirror. We’re […]
Teachings on 'A Torch for the Definitive Meaning', Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Center, Nepal, February 2015
In brief, a source of refuge is something that, when we place our hopes in it, it actually gives us refuge, gives us protection and helps us. And that which is helped is principally the mind. It is the mind that needs to be helped because all of our suffering and difficulties stem from the […]
Meditation Retreat, Kagyu Samye Ling, 9 October 2016
The way our minds work is very strange. The smallest little thing we see or hear can totally change how we feel. Someone casts a smile in our direction or treats us in a way that we like, and that’s enough for us to love them and feel happy. If a few moments later that […]
Teaching on ‘The Four Dharmas of Gampopa’, Thrangu Vajrayana Buddhist Centre, Hong Kong, 29 June 2013
Something very important we need to be aware of, is that we don’t have good understanding of the dharma and what it is. Therefore we don’t really appreciate the dharma as much as we might think. It’s very important that we are aware of this. Here is an example that clearly shows how we think. […]
