WORDS OF WISDOM AUTHOR: KHENPO TSULTRIM LODRO

Strictly speaking, without entering retreat, with a distracting mind one cannot practice dharma. Hence, during practice, one at least has to be solitary for one or two hours a day. Practicing dharma cannot be replaced by money. Doing life release or giving offering can help us accumulate merit, but mind training is not related to money.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Despite the fact that buddhas and bodhisattvas have transcended relative truth, not having a body of flesh and body, in order to liberate us, still they manifest a body of flesh and blood. BuddhaAmitabha of the Pure Land can’t liberate us, neither does Buddha Samantabhadra; although the sambhogakaya and the nirmanakaya of buddha are sublime, they are not able to liberate us, because they can’t communicate with us. Thus a teacher in a relative sense is vital.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Practicing impermanence will eradicate our clinging to permanence, which is rather useful. For instance, even we cannot perceive the inner instantaneous impermanence of an object, if we realise that something is unreliable and impermanent, then we’ll overly cling to it, and reminding ourself over and over again: “since it’s unreliable, why bother to care and cling to it?” In this manner, our attachment will gradually decline.

~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

One who practices compassion will become broad-minded, helpful, having discovered the meaning of life. The energy of loving kindness one exudes will make people around him or her easeful, cheerful and warm. Even practicing compassion for ten minutes will attain countless merit.

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Shakyamuni Buddha taught us: birth, old age, illness and death are the natural law and nobody can escape from it. Attachment is the culprit to confront these suffering. Having attachment is bound to lead to suffering. How to face up with suffering is the most important task of life. Buddhism teaches us that the best way to confront this suffering is to let go of it.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Preliminary practice entails five practices, starting from taking refuge, up to guru yoga. Relying on the capacity of these five practices, one can realise emptiness, which is referred to as realising the nature of mind in the Chan tradition, it means actualising the truth of phenomena. In tantric context, it’s referred to as realising the primordial wisdom. What is it meant by primordial wisdom? Buddha nature is the primordial wisdom.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Today some people have habituated to lying, they would lie without any reason. Everyone needs to be heedful, refraining from being careless of lying. Even telling a lie unintentionally, one needs to purify it by confessing.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Before attaining buddhahood, Vajrasattva made an aspiration: I vow not to attain buddhahood if I cannot enable anyone to chant my name, and supplicate to me for confessing to purify their obscurations. Given Vajrasattva had attained buddhahood, if supplicating to Vajrasattva by chanting the Vajrasattva Mantra or the Hundred-Syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva, one is bound to purify all obscurations.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES