WORDS OF WISDOM AUTHOR: KHENPO TSULTRIM LODRO

In terms of appearance, the wrathful deities look even more sinister than ordinary demons. People may easily mistake them for the deities of an evil cult if they do not know what the wrathful deities represent. For example, there is a blazing fire at the back of the wrathful deities and Dharma protectors, but white light at the back of the peaceful deities. Actually, fire here represents wisdom of the buddha—just like fire can burn down everything, so can wisdom cut through all afflictions. In addition, wrathful deities hold in their hands not bowls but human skulls, and the skulls contain not wholesome foods like fruit and grains but red blood. What does it mean? Blood represents desire, and desire is the main cause of ending up in the three lower realms. Drinking the blood represents eradicating completely the desire for samsara.

The teachings I have given so far all deal with renunciation and bodhicitta. Sure, I can also teach the Five Treatises or some advanced Vajrayana practices, but they will not be helpful to most of you here, at least not for the time being. It is like a cook should only make as much food as the guests can consume. To make more than the guests can stomach would be pointless. And this is the very reason why I hesitated to give advanced teachings all along.

If one could incorporate bodhicitta into one’s everyday activities, Mahayana practice would not seem so incompatible with the trivial and sometimes inconsequential affairs one has to deal with on a daily basis.

- Quote from The Right View, "The Three Differences"

Some may question if practitioners have eliminated all attachment, does it mean they are free to commit unwholesome deeds like killing, stealing, lying and sexual misconduct? Of course not. Vajrayana stresses that practitioners in their realized state do not have attachment to the discriminating notions such as sentient beings, killing lives, or good and evil, but other beings still harboring such attachment will be hurt by the unwholesome actions. So, a genuine practitioner can never behave this way, nor is it permitted in Vajrayana.

As stated in the sutras, “Existence in the human realm is rare, and all is impermanent.” Most of you here are already in your 30s and 40s. The remaining days, a few more decades at the most, are really not that long and will soon pass by before you know it. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee the opportunity to practice will present itself again in the next life if you fail to seize it this time. So the point is to lay the necessary foundation now as the stepping-stones leading to a better start for the next life.

A lot of people opt for a life in the middle whereby there is neither great suffering nor happiness — a relatively placid life in which they can also practice the Dharma. However, an ordinary life such as this is not necessarily long-lasting. We cannot avoid the eight types of suffering, including birth, aging, illness, and death, and may even encounter great vicissitudes in life. Without the Dharma, how do we confront these circumstances?

- Quote from Are You Ready For Happiness? Don't Let the Paper Tiger Scare You Off, "How to Face Suffering"

Madhyamaka holds that all physical and mental phenomena are non-existent, empty and illusory like a dream. From the standpoint of absolute truth, all phenomena are without self, empty and luminous; but in relative truth, one should still be mindful of afflictions and exercise discretion in one’s conduct. The view of Madhyamaka is that afflictions can be transformed into the path of Dharma when bodhicitta and the view of emptiness are fully developed; otherwise, like the image of a snake, afflictions can still cause harm even if phenomena are immaterial and empty in nature.

Many people are convinced that what they practice must be of supra- mundane nature. How can it not be if they have been practicing the five extraordinary preliminaries? In fact, these five preliminaries are not only supramundane in nature but also part of the Mahayana practices. The key is, notwithstanding, having what kind of perspective when you sit down to practice these preliminaries. Though the possibility of practicing solely for the benefit of this life is slim, it is quite likely to undertake these practices to avoid rebirth in the hell realm. If the motivation is not to seek liberation for the sake of all sentient beings, the practice of the five preliminaries will be considered mundane, not supramundane. 

If we try to practice the advanced teachings like the Great Perfection or Mahamudra without first completing the preliminary practices, no results will be achieved owing to inadequately prepared faculty. Thus, the foundational practices should be made the top priority for all who intend to bring their practice to fruition.