Q: What constitutes a good practitioner? A: It is determined by motivation—whether one truly seeks liberation. A genuine practitioner does not practice for success or happiness in this life, nor to avoid sickness, aging, or discomfort. They understand birth, sickness, aging, and death are an inevitable part of life in cyclic existence. Such is the […]
In the Greater Vehicle of Buddhism, our ultimate goal is said to be not Buddhahood, but the benefit of others. Therefore, it is not enough to simply remain in retreat. We must reflect deeply: how can I become truly capable of benefiting others? And how close am I to being able to do this at […]
What does it mean to practise the Dharma? It means simply doing whatever one can to help others with absolutely no expectation of reward or result for oneself. We often hear the story of the Buddha in a previous life offering his body to save a starving tigress. When the prince saw a tigress about […]
We should think constantly about where we are placing our efforts each day, and what good comes from it. Then we should think about what changes we might need to make. The dharma teachings given in the texts and oral instructions are there to help us change ourselves; this is the way we should think […]
The way of a Dharma practitioner can be summed up in three attributes and two activities. The three attributes are humility, to have few needs, and to remain unruffled whatever may occur. The two activities are to practice and to teach. This is what I would like to see for those who are training with […]
Being a practitioner doesn’t mean that we go to a place with the intention to practise and do sessions. We’ve all come here to the retreat centre with that thought in mind, but that thought alone is not what makes someone a practitioner. A practitioner has a very special or unique way of thinking, which […]
If to talk about or communicate your meditation to someone you need to rely on words like ‘the nature of mind’, ‘clear light’, ’spacious’, ‘peaceful’, ‘blissful’, ‘emptiness’, or even need to talk of thoughts and mind, there is probably an issue in your understanding of meditation. If we were to sit listening to two meditators […]
Someone who is in a position to help others does not need to worry about themselves thinking, ‘But what about me? What might happen to me?’ Here in Thrangu Sekhar, we are looking to roll up our sleeves and get stuck in to the work of helping others, so now’s not the time to be […]
It is a universal trait of sentient beings to not know where we are going or what we are doing. If we knew where we were heading, we’d most definitely change course and tread the path of liberation, ultimate freedom. There are naturally varying degrees of blindness among the different classes of cyclic beings. But […]
Many religions practise meditation, even people without a religious belief. Almost everyone accepts that meditation is beneficial. However, what is meant by meditation in Buddhism, which leads to liberation and awakening, is not simple. In Buddhism, the quality of meditation is judged by the presence and degree of clinging and not only by how settled […]
In Buddhism, the best and most important form of learning is introspection, to analyse ourselves. To look to see where our problems lie, and to make an effort to understand ourselves. The first step is to recognise our problems and faults and then to see what we are actually like as a person. When we […]
What is the mind? What is meditation? What is the Great Seal or the Great Perfection? The Buddha knew, Milarepa and the great masters knew and know…which is great for them. The Buddha taught at length on such topics. One could say the Buddha taught nothing else. But what he and the other masters have […]
Many people wait for special feelings or sensations to arise when they meditate. That is the worst kind of meditator. You are basically not meditating when you begin to do that. Sadly, many unfortunate meditators don’t realise they are no longer meditating when they fall into waiting for a particular sensation or experience. This is […]
What determines how capable you become is how much responsibility you take on. We remain limited as we are when we think only of ourselves and shirk responsibility for others. The more you embrace responsibility for others’ well-being, the more capable you become. In this way, you fulfill your own purpose and welfare and become […]
When you are older, please work hard. You may be young and studying and training now, but when you are fully grown and trained, do whatever you can to assist those who wish to study and practise. Remember these words. Remember what your old lama told you so many times. Do not waste time. Do […]
