1. To escape the world…

    Comment October 12, 2018

    To escape the world means that one’s mind is not concerned with the opinions of the world. ~ Dogen Zenji

     

  3. We Have to Be Honest With Ourselves

    Comment May 23, 2018

    Many people try to find a spiritual path where they do not have to face themselves but where they can still liberate themselves ~ liberate themselves from themselves, in fact. In truth, this is impossible. We cannot do that. We have to be honest with ourselves. We have to see our gut, our most undesirable parts. We have to see that. That is the foundation of warriorship and the basis of conquering fear. We have to face our fear; we have to look at it, study it, work with it, and practice meditation with it. ~ Chögyam Trungpa

     

  4. A practicing Buddhist

    Comment May 3, 2018

    As long as you accept and practice these four truths (all compounded things are impermanent, all emotions are pain, all things have no inherent existence, nirvana is beyond concepts) you are a “practicing Buddhist.” You might read about these four truths for the sake of entertainment or mental exercise, but if you don’t practice them, you are like a sick person reading the label on a medicine bottle but never taking the medicine. On the other hand, if you are practicing, there is no need to exhibit that you are Buddhist. As a matter of fact, if it helps you to get invited to some social functions, it is totally fine to hide that you are a Buddhist. But keep in mind that as a Buddhist, you have a mission to refrain as much as possible from harming others, and to help others as much as possible. This is not a huge responsibility, because if you genuinely accept and contemplate the truths, all these deeds flow naturally. ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

  5. Vesakha Puja – Buddha Day

    Comment April 28, 2018

    By Venerable Mahinda

    The significance of Vesak lies with the Buddha and his universal peace message to mankind.

    As we recall the Buddha and his Enlightenment, we are immediately reminded of the unique and most profound knowledge and insight which arose in him on the night of his Enlightenment. This coincided with three important events which took place, corresponding to the three watches or periods of the night.

    During the first watch of the night, when his mind was calm, clear and purified, light arose in him, knowledge and insight arose. He saw his previous lives, at first one, then two, three up to five, then multiples of them .. . ten, twenty, thirty to fifty. Then 100, 1000 and so on…. As he went on with his practice, during the second watch of the night, he saw how beings die and are reborn, depending on their Karma, how they disappear and reappear from one form to another, from one plane of existence to another. Then during the final watch of the night, he saw the arising and cessation of all phenomena, mental and physical. He saw how things arose dependent on causes and conditions. This led him to perceive the arising and cessation of suffering and all forms of unsatisfactoriness paving the way for the eradication of all taints of cravings. With the complete cessation of craving, his mind was completely liberated. He attained to Full Enlightenment. The realisation dawned in him together with all psychic powers.

    This wisdom and light that flashed and radiated under the historic Bodhi Tree at Buddha Gaya in the district of Bihar in Northern India, more than 2500 years ago, is of great significance to human destiny. It illuminated the way by which mankind could cross, from a world of superstition, or hatred and fear, to a new world of light, of true love and happiness.

    The heart of the Teachings of the Buddha is contained in the teachings of the Four Noble Truths, namely,

    The Noble Truth of Dukkha or suffering
    The Origin or Cause of suffering
    The End or Cessation of suffering Continue reading →

  6. The seven sublime riches

    Comment April 28, 2018

    Cultivate faith and devotion to the Three Jewels and to your teacher. Strive in the ten virtues and combine clear intelligence with extensive learning. Nurture a sense of personal integrity and propriety regarding others. With these seven sublime riches, you will always be happy! ~ Dudjom Rinpoche

  7. The moment you enter the sacred Dharma

    Comment April 24, 2018

    To put it simply, from the moment you enter the sacred Dharma and become a Dharma practitioner, your inner attitude and outer conduct should far surpass those of an ordinary mundane person. As the saying goes:

    The sign of true learning is a peaceful temperament,
    And the sign of having meditated is fewer afflictions.

    If, on the contrary, your attitude and conduct are not even slightly better than an average person caught up in worldly affairs, you might consider yourself a scholar simply because you have some intellectual understanding of a few texts. Or you might think you are a perfect monk simply because you maintain celibacy. Or just because you know how to chant a few ritual texts, you might start thinking of yourself as a ngakpa. These are all just instances of blatant arrogance, and only go to show that even with the Dharma one can stumble in the direction of the unwholesome. As the incomparable Dakpo Lharje [Gampopa] said:

    When it is not practised properly, even the Dharma can catapult one into the lower realms.

    ~ Dudjom Rinpoche

  8. Mind’s ultimate nature

    Comment January 15, 2018

    Mind’s ultimate nature, emptiness endowed with vividness,
    I was told is the real Buddha.
    Recognizing this should help me
    Not to be stuck with thoughts of hierarchy.

    Mind’s ultimate nature, its emptiness aspect,
    I was told is the real Dharma.
    Recognizing this should help me
    Not to be stuck with thoughts of political correctness.

    Mind’s ultimate nature, its vivid aspect,
    I was told is the real Sangha.
    Recognizing this should help me
    Not to be stuck with thoughts of equal rights.

    One cannot disassociate emptiness from vividness.
    This inseparability I was told is the Guru.
    Recognizing this should help me
    Not to be stuck with depending on chauvinist lamas.

    This nature of mind has never been stained by duality,
    This stainlessness I was told is the deity.
    Recognizing this should help me
    Not to be stuck with the categories of “gender” or “culture.”

    This nature of mind is spontaneously present.
    That spontaneity I was told is the dakini aspect.
    Recognizing this should help me
    Not to be stuck with fear of being sued.

    ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

  9. Letting be

    Comment January 12, 2018

    The method that the Buddha discovered is meditation. He discovered that struggling to find answers did not work. It was only when there were gaps in his struggle that insights came to him. He began to realize that there was a sane, awake quality within him that manifested itself only in the absence of struggle. So the practice of meditation involves “letting be.” ~ Chögyam Trungpa

  10. Sadness

    Comment January 12, 2018

    The most crucial prerequisite for the practise of dharma is complete isolation because when we are alone, we are subject to fewer distractions, creating the perfect conditions for sadness to grow in our minds.

    For those who know how to use it, sadness is a fertile ground from which all kinds of beneficial thoughts can spring with very little effort.

    Jigme Lingpa described sadness as one of the most invaluable kinds of noble wealth, and in the sutras Buddha hailed sadness as the trailblazer for all subsequent good qualities.

    With sadness comes trust and devotion, which, once developed, mean the practises of shamatha and vipashyana require very little effort. Shamatha practise ensures that mind becomes malleable and workable, and a flexible mind makes vipashyana relatively easy to accomplish. ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

Live & Die for Buddhism

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Me & Grandma

My Reflection

This site is a tribute to Buddhism. Buddhism has given me a tremendous inspiration to be who and where I am today. Although I came to America at a very young age, however, I never once forget who I am and where I came from. One thing I know for sure is I was born as a Buddhist, live as a Buddhist and will leave this earth as a Buddhist. I do not believe in superstition. I only believe in karma.

A Handful of Leaves

A Handful of Leaves

Tipitaka: The pali canon (Readings in Theravada Buddhism). A vast body of literature in English translation the texts add up to several thousand printed pages. Most -- but not all -- of the Canon has already been published in English over the years. Although only a small fraction of these texts are available here at Access to Insight, this collection can nonetheless be a very good place to start.

Major Differences

Major Differences in Buddhism

Major Differences in Buddhism: There is no almighty God in Buddhism. There is no one to hand out rewards or punishments on a supposedly Judgement Day ...read more

Problems we face today

jendhamuni pink scarfnature

Of the many problems we face today, some are natural calamities and must be accepted and faced with equanimity. Others, however, are of our own making, created by misunderstanding, and can be corrected...

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