54 Pearls: 49 – Bring practice to life

During your daily practice of reciting the sutras, reading the teachings, or contemplating the guru, your mouths and eyes may be moving, but your hearts and minds are stagnant. This happens because your practice lacks sufficient intensity. Without intensity, you can’t move forward. You must bring your practice to life. Put your heart and soul … Continued

54 Pearls: 48 – The power of aspiration

Once my Root Guru, HH Achuk Lama Rinpoche, turned to me with a smile and said: “Without exception those who have had contact with me—those who have seen and heard and remember me—will be reborn in a Pure Land.” Astonished, I asked, “Guru, is the power of your aspiration that great? How can this be … Continued

54 Pearls: 47 – Beyond all attachment

We need to study and practice Buddhism and to be on intimate terms with a guru, but we should not become too attached to either our guru or the Dharma. Where there is attachment, there is suffering. Attachments are roadblocks on the path to enlightenment. Likewise, we should love and have compassion for all sentient … Continued

54 Pearls: 46 – Everyone is connected

No sentient being exists in isolation. Our lives are connected to all other lives on the planet. Every single living being is connected to every single other living being. We should love the glorious sun, the sky, the water. Love the trees and flowers. Love every sentient being that exists around us. Love and protect … Continued

54 Pearls: 45 – Reality is one

Slave to the command of our habits, goaded by the whip of our worries, led by the carrot of our desires— this is the story of sentient beings, this is what keeps the wheels of samsara churning. The original nature of our afflicted mind is clear light. To recognize the essence of emotional affliction is … Continued

54 Pearls: 40 – Dealing with negative emotions

No matter how eloquently you can expound the wisdom of the Dharma, if you are unable to deal with your negative emotions and habitual tendencies as they arise, you are not a true spiritual practitioner. FR