Before engaging in main practice, we need to cultivate renunciation, which entails four practices of outer preliminary practices: preciousness of human body, the impermanence of human life, the infallibility of the law of karma, and the defects of samsara. Once having cultivated renunciation, we should not hurry to engage in practice of calm abiding and meditative concentration; rather, we need to cultivate bodhicitta. Without bodhicitta, there is no aim in our practice. Without aim, what’s the point of engaging in meditative concentration and dzogchen practice?

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Why do we not cling to dreams, but cling to this samsara? This is because the dream lasted for a short time, the next day, we will realise that the objects we perceive the night before are delusional and non-existent now. Whereas the cycle of time for samsara is very long, we have no way able to reach to the edge of samsara. However, for bodhisattvas, in spite of being a commoner previously, once they attain Bodhisattvahood, it is just like a dream is awaken, they would know that the cyclic existence is a mere delusion and dream-like.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

We often think that a building stays the same and stationery from the time it is built to the time it falls apart. In order to break this misconception, one needs to establish a new point of view: in reality, the atoms in every brick in this building are moving, changing, forming and disintegrating continuously. The nature of everything is changing and impermanent. This is how to break our usual misconception of buildings.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Realising the truth of reality entails entering the path of application until attaining buddhahood; this is a lengthy process, which involves different levels of mental realisation. Which means one who has entered the path of application attains realisation; this is what I refer to as preliminary realisation. When do we just attain realisation? It’s the path of application; then one progresses to the path of seeing, where realisation is standard, and attaining a great state of realisation. Nevertheless, both paths are the stage of realisation.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

All sentient beings wish to attain happiness as we do, hence we should refrain from undermining any beings’ happiness. All sentient beings wish to be free from suffering, hence we should refrain from causing suffering to any being. This is the principle of equality in Buddhism.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

If we don’t fear for ghosts, even seeing a ghost, it cannot harm us. If seeing something which seem like a ghost, even if it’s not a ghost, due to great fear and psychological factors of believing it’s inauspicious to see a ghost, one or one’s family members will fall ill and encounter unfavourable conditions. Therefore, upon suspecting to see a ghost, one needs to stop right there and start to look at the nature of the mind, then fear and disturbance will vanish immediately, without causing any negative effect.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Why do we not cling to dreams, but cling to this samsara? This is because the dream lasted for a short time, the next day, we will realise that the objects we perceive the night before are delusional and non-existent now. Whereas the cycle of time for samsara is very long, we have no way able to reach to the edge of samsara. However, for bodhisattvas, in spite of being a commoner previously, once they attain Bodhisattvahood, it is just like a dream is awaken, they would know that the cyclic existence is a mere delusion and dream-like.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

The hell realm doesn’t exist underground, nor does it exist in some corner of the universe, rather, like a dream, it exist in sentient beings’ mind. For instance, a dreamer dreams about a warfare or an earthquake, for a person who is awake, these fearful phenomena don’t exist in the dreamer’s room. However, from the dreamer’s point of view, the terror is real. Then, who creates the phenomena the dreamer perceives in the dream? It’s not a creator, nor are there causes and conditions, it’s the mind that’s dreaming.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

There are two pith instructions to tame the mind: first, to realize the nature of mind is emptiness, then to abide in the state of emptiness. As Mipham Rinpoche stated: these two pith instructions include all pith instructions.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES