Sealed in secret | Great Middle Way

Sealed in secret | Great Middle Way:

'via Blog this'

Sealed in secret

by Tashi Nyima

Wandering in saṃsāra

is always suffering,

and it is extremely difficult

to meet the excellent Dharma,

so at this time when auspicious

connections have come

into alignment right now,

you must fulfill your

long-range aspirations.

Reflect again and again

on the abyss of the evil destinies

and the benefits of the pleasant destinies,

the defects of the intermediate state

and the benefits of liberation,

the defects of turmoil

and the benefits of solitude,

and strive to take things in hand.

With pure moral discipline

and unimpaired sacred commitments,

after practicing by turns listening,

reflection, and the cultivation

of meditation on a nectar-like

sublime Dharma such as this,

before long you will become

a king of Dharma.

After accumulating the assembly

of primordial awareness

during meditative equipoise,

and accumulating the assembly

of merit during post-meditation,

you will achieve the truth body

and perfectly benefit yourself,

and achieve the form bodies

and bring benefit to others.

The stains of the truth body will be cleansed

by the assembly of primordial awareness,

and the excellence of the form bodies will be produced

by the assembly of merit.

By the force of prayer,

the enlightened actions

to benefit others will be vast,

effortless, and spontaneous.

The absolute sublime lamp

that removes the darkness

of unknowing has permanently

entered your heart,

my fortunate child,

and you must make the experience

of the primordial awareness

of blissful emptiness blaze!

This is sealed in secret

from those who are not receptive.

maṅgalaṃ bhavantu śubhaṃ

An instruction by the monk Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen Palzangpo

4th Contemplation: The Importance of This Life | Great Middle Way

4th Contemplation: The Importance of This Life | Great Middle Way:

'via Blog this'

Negative Emotions are the True Enemy

The fundamental philosophical principle of Buddhism is that all our suffering comes about as a result of an undisciplined mind, and this untamed mind itself comes about because of ignorance and negative emotions. For the Buddhist practitioner then, regardless of whether he or she follows the approach of the Fundamental Vehicle, Mahayana or Vajrayana, negative emotions are always the true enemy, a factor that has to be overcome and eliminated. And it is only by applying methods for training the mind that these negative emotions can be dispelled and eliminated. This is why in Buddhist writings and teachings we find such an extensive explanation of the mind and its different processes and functions. Since these negative emotions are states of mind, the method or technique for overcoming them must be developed from within. There is no alternative. They cannot be
removed by some external technique, like a surgical operation."
from 'Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection'

Toto had a haircut

Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience.
It isn't more complicated that that.
It is opening to or recieving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is,
without either clinging to it or rejecting it.
Sylvia Boorstein

Glide and soar | Great Middle Way

Glide and soar | Great Middle Way:

'via Blog this'

← Solutions come from safety

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Tashi Nyima

Glide and soar

To truly simplify, things are not principally what we can reduce and eliminate from our lives —at most, they are external manifestations. We must simplify our actions.

Are there recurring thoughts, memories, and resentments that have already served their purpose and can be let go? Are there hopes and dreams to which we still cling? Are there fears that have overstayed their welcome in our consciousness? It always comes back to the mind.

Simplifying our lives is difficult, but necessary. When we are young, we have ample supplies of energy —sometimes they may even feel excessive— and we use them without restraint, establishing a pattern of energy expenditure that cannot be sustained later.

Having less energy later in life is natural. It is a physical message to slow down. It is a blessing. We should realize that we have this much to spend, and no more. The consequence of excess, in any of its many forms, is exhaustion. Exhaustion causes stress, stress causes enervation, enervation causes functional disorders, and so forth.

We can live more simply, more deliberately, more mindfully. We can slow the activities of body, speech, and mind; eliminate superfluous movement; glide and soar through life, like birds that take advantage of wind currents, barely flapping their wings.
                                            by Tashi Nyima

Experiences of Buddhist teachers - Learning from the difficult times.

My Bad | Tricycle

How has a mistake, shortcoming, or misfortune enriched your Buddhist practice?