Many people think that helping others or doing our best to help others will make us a bodhisattva, but it is not the case. That’s not enough, and it’s too simple. The main thing that makes a bodhisattva is being willing to accept and take on suffering oneself in order to give well-being and happiness […]
If one can not see the lama as a buddha, one needs to at the very least regard him higher than normal sentient beings. Without this, all the skilful means employed by the lama to remedy the student's faults and habitual tendencies will only become a cause for wrong views. Relying on a lama in […]
Pride closes the door to learning Dharma. The attitude of thinking you know and understand it all is the biggest obstacle. Every single word of Dharma has many meanings. It can be interpreted on outer, inner, secret and most secret levels or according to the Hinayana, Mahayana and Secret Mantrayana view. Therefore, it is important […]
A teaching given by Drupon Rinpoche at Sekar Retreat Centre, 27th of July 2015. When listening to dharma teachings, in what way should we be thinking? There are two aspects to this: first the text itself, and second the manner in which the Lama is explaining the text. For the first, what is the intention/motivation […]
A teaching by Drupon Rinpoche given at Sekar Retreat Centre, 8th of March 2015. The obscurations are not solid. Mind is mistaken so it clings, and it is that mistakenness that stops us from seeing the Truth. We should examine our way of thinking, with its mistaken ways of seeing things, again and again until […]
An Excerpt from a teaching given by Drupon Rinpoche as part of a 10 day retreat in Samye Ling, Scotland. Diligence doesn’t mean exerting oneself. In the context of Buddhist practice it means bringing joy and enthusiasm to what we are doing. This can be very difficult but it is essential if our practice is […]
Below is an excerpt from a teaching Drupon Rinpoche gave at a three day retreat in Hong Kong over the weekend. "When students approach me and tell me what practice they are doing and how they do it, I don’t have much confidence in what they say, or give what they say much weight; at […]
Below is an excerpt from a teaching taught by Drupon Rinpoche in Halifax, Canada to members of the Shambala community. Nov 2013. It was translated and transcribed by Kunga. Many of you are practitioners of Vajrayana practices and are practicing as lay-people. A phrase that is often used in the Vajrayana is “To practice without […]
Study, contemplation, and meditation are the steps that have to be followed in order to make progress in Dharma. As Kagyupas we have our own unique way of going about this, which is epitomised by Milarepa when he said, “I do not study the black words printed on paper but study the mind’s perceptions of […]
Excerpt from Drupon Khen Rinpoche’s book (in Chinese), Sit down - Find the mind. A teaching on The Four Dharmas of Gampopa in Hong Kong Thrangu Vajrayana Buddhist Center, in June 2013
Student’s Question: Isn’t it taught in the Buddhism that the karma we have cannot be cleared away, even by a buddha or a deity? If that is the case, what use is there for us to practice Dorje Sempa (Vajrasattva)? Rinpoche’s Answer: I think there’s a mistaken understanding here. When we think about ‘karma’ or […]
The way it works is that when we have a poor mind, wherever we go, we will never find a place that is peaceful and problem free. We need to have a good mind ourselves. When that is the case, wherever we go will be trouble free and peaceful. Otherwise, everywhere we go there will […]
When we are faced with difficulties it is very helpful to think about how it is that our past actions (karma) cause our present experiences. But we have to think about it often when we are feeling well and happy first in order to give that thought some strength and to gain certainty, then it […]
