It’s stressed in shastras that we need to rely on the dharma, rather than the person. Which means in the course of dharma study and research, we need to have conviction and rely on the authentic dharma or truth, rather than rely on the person’s fame, status, or power. We need to analyze if this person’s words are in accordance with the dharma and the truth, if the answer is yes, then we can trust this person’s words. Otherwise, regardless how famed a person is, we should not follow this person’s words blindly.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

For a practitioner, having contemplated on the mind of rejoice and the immeasurable thought of joy, one can habituate oneself to be joyful and rejoice in other’s better attributes, instead of being jealous. This is the decency of a practitioner.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

The Buddha told his disciples: it’s clinging to any objects that will become obstacles to liberation, not the value of the clung objects. At the time of death, if a rich person can distribute his assets properly, which leaves him with no attachment to his assets, the assets will not become obstacles to his liberation. To the contrary, even if one’s assets are not abundant, if one clings to them, then the assets will become obstacles to one’s liberation.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

An accurate understanding of death enables us to be free from fear, dismayed and evasiveness when death is mentioned. This is because we have acknowledged that death is a mere cyclical process of life, it does not signify that everything ends. We need not be negative and pessimistic when facing death. If we can seize the opportunity, we can improve the level of our lives in the process of death.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

According to Buddhism, the origin of samsara can be summarized in one sentence: “It’s as far as the end of the sky, while so close as to be right in front of your eyes.” Therefore, everyone of us has experienced countless births and deaths in the samsara. It’s due to the lasting and distant nature of samsara, we can say “it’s as far as the end of the sky”; it’s due to every sentient being experiencing the start and the end of samsara — in every birth and death, daily deep sleep, arising and cessation of every thought — that we can say “it’s as close as right in front of our eyes.”

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

According to tantric teachings, there are many Chakras in the centre of our heart and throat. These Chakras and wind cannot be perceived by our naked eyes or machines, however they exist. When one is in control of these winds, all discursive thoughts lose their vitality. At present we are not in control of the operation or movement of wind, thus we are bombarded with discursive thoughts.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

With strenuous effort, an iron bar can be ground into a needle. Likewise, with persistent meditation, we can suppress negative and destructive emotions such as greed, aggression, pride, and jealousy, etc, and our mind will reach a state of freedom to some extent. Freedom here means being free from anxiety, and maintaining joy for extended periods if you want.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

According to Buddhism, the cause of sentient being’s cyclic existence doesn’t lie in the body, rather, it lies in karma. If karma exists, cyclic existence persists even if the body perishes. Because our alaya consciousness has lots of previous habitual patterns, when these habitual patterns ripen, the body comes into being. We can come to a conclusion that all phenomena is the by-product of alaya consciousness, be it a mountain, river, field, the sun, the moon, the stars or the body of sentient beings.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Practitioners need to go with the flow in society, do whatever others do, be it fashion or trends, but abstaining from emulating the un-virtuous acts of others. The Mahayana Buddhism is rather humanistic and open. Modern buddhists need to appear as a fashionable and trendy person, but with an inner self liken to practitioners of 2500 years ago; this is a perfect combination! Buddhists need to have a mundane body and supra-mundane mind.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES