In this modern age, nearly everyone is under a great deal of pressure, in particular, many entrepreneurs. It has become increasingly apparent and obvious there are a lot of problems of a spiritual nature which cannot be resolved by material means. Many rich people have discovered wealth is not the answer to everything. In the past, it was assumed wealth would lead to happiness; contrary to expectation, it has actually had a substantial negative impact.

The World Bank and World Health Organization expect depression to be the biggest public health problem worldwide in the not too distant future. In 2006 alone, the annual expenditure on anti-depressants in the United States was estimated at seventy-six billion US dollars. However, the effectiveness of these drugs has been less than ideal, since the drugs cause damage to that part of the brain that controls the subtle thought processes. Thus, the long term use of anti-depressants will affect our emotional state.

~ Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS? : The Significance of Buddhist Philosophy Today

People often ask which yidam practice they should do or who their own yidam is. The fact is there is no way to do the yidam practice if one doesn’t know how to practice the generation stage, and there will be no result if the quality of the generation stage is not up to standard. On the other hand, if one has practiced the preliminaries well and undertakes the generation stage seriously, one can hope to attain some results from the yidam practice as well.

Patrul Rinpoche once said: “If renunciation and bodhicitta are absent, a person cannot sow the seeds of liberation even after nine years of Dzogchen retreat.” We ought to reflect deeply on this statement: it is the most sublime Dzogchen that one spends not a few days or several months but nine years to practice; in terms of methodology, it is undertaken in retreat away from any contact with the world outside; despite this, one cannot sow the seeds of liberation because one does not have renunciation and bodhicitta. This should be enough of a warning. Without renunciation and bodhicitta, we may find ourselves in a position wherein the cause of liberation cannot be established even after nine years of Dzogchen practice! Thus, renunciation and bodhicitta are extremely important to any practitioner.

To refute ignorance, something contradictory to it must be applied; views and methods more powerful than ignorance are also needed to accomplish the task. Ignorance cannot be overthrown without realization of emptiness, even if all the rituals are properly conducted, pure vows maintained, worldly merit accumulated and virtuous deeds committed. The practices of cultivating renunciation, such as contemplating the preciousness of human birth or impermanence, and bodhicitta are very important, but they do not conflict with ignorance and are thus unable to reject it either. Of the two kinds of bodhicitta, ultimate and relative, ultimate bodhicitta denotes realization of emptiness which can refute ignorance quite effectively, but not relative bodhicitta. This point is clearly explained in Dharmakirti’s Commentary on Valid Cognition (Pramanavarttika) and the various texts on Buddhist logic.

~ Depicted from The Handbook for Life's Journey : On The Three Poisons-How to Refute Ignorance

CHOOSING THE ENVIRONMENT

When our practice reaches a certain level, the external environment will not have much of an effect on us; at that point, there is no difference where we practice. However, to a beginner, the environment is very important.

Firstly, if the surroundings are too noisy, it will be difficult to practice. The sutras say the biggest impediment to meditative concentration is noise.

In general, this is a problem in the cities, but some homes can be very quiet if they have sound-proof installations, and the windows and doors are shut tight.

Secondly, in places where many practitioners in the past have aggregated, blessings are plentiful; this kind of place is particularly conducive to practice.

Whatever the circumstances, the environment is a very important factor. At the least, one should look for a quiet place to practice.

~ Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF THE DHARMA : Preparing for the Preliminaries

We have mentioned many times before that renunciation and bodhicitta are the basis of Vajrayana practice. Why is it necessary to reiterate this point here? Because they are the prerequisite a practitioner must have; without renunciation and bodhicitta, no benefit is to be derived from undertaking even the very sacred Vajrayana tantras such as Dzogchen—the Great Perfection. Only with renunciation and bodhicitta as a foundation can one formally enter Vajrayana practice.

People often ask which yidam practice they should do or who their own yidam is. The fact is there is no way to do the yidam practice if one doesn’t know how to practice the generation stage, and there will be no result if the quality of the generation stage is not up to standard. On the other hand, if one has practiced the preliminaries well and undertakes the generation stage seriously, one can hope to attain some results from the yidam practice as well.

~ Depicted from GATEWAY TO THE VAJRAYANA PATH - The Generation Stage

The treatise Establishing Phenomena as Divine by Rongzom Pandita explicates the view of the generation stage. First of all, we should know that the essence of all things is the mandala of the buddhas. To reveal this mandala and to actualize its theoretical view, we must rely on the practice of the generation stage. The generation stage is the best skillful means to forcibly realize the truth that “all phenomena are the mandala of the buddhas.”

Vajrayana holds that ordinary people have two kinds of attachment: the first is attachment to phenomena, that is, attachment to the inherent impurity of phenomena; the second is attachment to phenomena being not only impure but also real. Encompassed in the second attachment are the Sutrayana notions of “attachment to self of person” and “attachment to self of phenomena.”

~ Depicted from GATEWAY TO THE VAJRAYANA PATH : The Generation Stage

In Tibetan Buddhism, tantra is a very complete system of thought and practice specifically directed at people of different capacities. However, some practitioners in sutra, lacking an understanding of tantra, think they cannot practice tantra; some practitioners in tantra also cannot accept sutra. Therefore it is necessary to discuss the connection between sutra and tantra and sort out their differences and similarities. This will help everyone understand the contradictions, if any, in sutra and tantra, and prevent serious misconceptions from developing during the course of practicing the preliminaries.

~ Depicted from GATEWAY TO VAJRAYANA PATH - Sutra and Tantra: Similarities and Differences