Category: 54 Pearls

The distance between ourselves and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is created by our differentiating, dualistic minds. In the Buddha realm there is no distance, no near and far. Wherever sentient beings are suffering, Budddhas and Bodhisattvas will appear. Continuously pledge to abandon that which is non-virtuous and practice that which is virtuous. Lama Achuk Rinpoche … Continued

I took this photo on a journey from Qinghai to Yaqing. You see a mother and her son, and a mule and her foal. In the human and animal realms alike, a mother’s compassion and caring are like a summer day, full of warmth and happiness. From childhood to old age, from old age until … Continued

When meditating, your body should be relaxed and natural. Each time you feel yourself wavering from this state, relax back into it. If you force yourself to focus, the meditative state you achieve will be unsustainable. Moreover, this approach will render it impossible for you to establish your practice on the path that leads to … Continued

At some point in their relationship with their guru, many practitioners will want to complain, “You used to be so good to me, why don’t you show me compassion any more?” What they are actually saying is, “Guru, please be kinder to my attachments!” But your attachment to “I”—a sense of separate self—is your greatest … Continued

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

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

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

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

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