the virtue of equanimity helps us not to become overly invested in success or unduly disrupted by disappoinment. commonsense wisdom reminds us that there is a difference between making a living and making a life.

our pursuit of worldly success in this thorny rosebush-like world can be no more satisfying than the pursuit of a mirage in the arid desert.

the Wisdom Sutra teach us to hear all sounds as echoes. all the words we hear from the outside world, including the praise and blame are empty and hollow.

several of Atisha's mind-training slogans that further re-inforce these teachings on the insubstantial nature of worldly success are:

"don't be best friend with pride and vanity"

"abandon all hope for rewards. don't expect applause"

"if we let go of the worldly values, will we seem foolish or nuts?"

"of the two witnesses, listen to your conscience"

genuine Buddhist training helps each of us develop our own autonomy and inner self-mastery. rather than being overly influenced by and dependent on the opinions and reactions of others.

we learn to recognise everything as impermanent, ephemeral, intangible, dreamlike and unreal. we can grow away from dependence and co-dependence into healthy individuation; we can finally understand independence and interdependence.

everything you want from unduly attractions to pleasure, gain, fame or praise will eventually be washed away like sand-castles on the shore. tomorrow, you may not even want the same things you want today.

as the teacher Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche always says, "the mind is fickle, don't rely on it."

remember the Buddha's example when he pointed to a middle way, balanced between the extremes of hedonistic self-indulgence and ascetic self-denial. he stressed sanity, moderation and a broad inclusive well-balanced golden mean.

reflecting on Buddhist wisdom, sooner or later we each should be able to come up with our own personally satisfying balance between need and greed.

it is eminently achievable.

the less we need, the richer we can be.

Tibetan teacher and hermit Patrul Rinpoche was known for his simple mendicant lifestyle and unconditional generosity. when queried about why he immediately distributed whatever alms were given to him, he replied, "one brick of tea is one brick of extra baggage. who needs more burdens to take on my way?"

the famous Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna said that contentment is true wealth. success will not be found through the gratification of desire but in the end of desire - which is contentment.

wealthy is he who enjoys what he has.

you don't have to be a card-carrying Buddhist to long for spiritual insight and guidance. Lama Surya Das' Indian guru, Neem Karoli Baba, always admonished his students to learn from everyone. no one has a corner on the market of truth. "all one" was his favourite maxim.

guru Neem Karoli Baba encouraged Lama Surya Das to serve and apprentice himself to all sages, seekers and saints, no matter what their denomination or belief system. for, it is the heart of the matter that counts - the living spirit, not just the letter, of the law.

the traditional elder, Kalu Rinpoche said that he didn't believe that a seeker of another religion had to convert to Buddhism in order to practice Dharma. the truth after all belongs to anyone who cherishes it, lives it, loves it and is committed to it.

the living Buddha, the 16th Karmapa said, "if you have one hundred percent dedication and confidence in Dharma teachings, every living situations can be part of spiritual practice. you can be living in the practice instead of just doing it."

learned teachers, lamas or gurus are not always readily available; spiritual role models and mentors are hard to come by......

and as appealing as the notion of checking oneself into a monastery filled with other men and women on similar spiritual quests may often seem, for most people such a choice simply isn't viable option.

so how do you start? it may be reassuring to know that the first steps today are the same as they were 2500 years ago.

acknowledge that enlightenment is a real possibility.

if the Buddha could achieve enlightenment, then we can all achieve enlightenment. if the Buddha could know the truth of things as they are, then we - you and me - can know the truth of things as they are.

each of us is fully endowed with luminous Buddha-nature, the potential for awakened enlightenment.

there have been and still are many enlightened beings who walk among us. the secret wisdom pronounces that any one of us is capable of purifying our negativities and obscurations, perfecting our understanding and practicing universal compassion. actualise your Buddha-nature, your innate perfection and you too will achieve enlightenment.

the 11th century cave-dwelling yogi-sage - Tibet's most beloved poet, Milarepa gained enlightenment in a single lifetime.....

descriptive Dharma - according to this enlightened perspective, there are 3 primary reasons for dissatisfaction and unhappiness. these 3 reasons are called the Three Poisons or Three Fires.

these afflictive states of mind are sometimes referred to as negative or conflicting emotions known as - kleshas - unhealthy emotions.

Poison One: Ignorance Of The Truth

it's difficult for anyone to say that he or she is ignorant without sounding dogmatic and repressive like an old-fashioned fire-and-brimstone preacher.

in Buddhism the concept of ignorance refers to the age-old problem of delusion and confusion. until we reach enlightenment, we are all at least a little bit ignorant of the truth of how things actually are directly, without distortion or illusion.

instead, we insist on seeing things as we would like them to be..... we tell ourselves stories........

Poison Two: Attachment

who or what are you most attached to?

is it a person, some object, an attitude, behaviour pattern, ambition? are you attached to some compulsive habit, way of doing things, status, money.....?

often our attachments take over our lives. it is as if we are possessed by our possessions.

we give up real lives. we want beautiful things so much that we only see the imperfections in what we have.

we become so attached to others that we try to control or own them. we become totally dependent to such attachments and forget who we are.

the Dharma also teaches us that there are two poisonous subsets of attachment: pride and jealousy.

jealousy, like pride, is one of the components of a dualistic world view.

hanging on to pride and jealousy are manifestations of ego clinging.

purifying oneself of pride and jealousy is essential in loosening and diminishing our ego-centered and incorrect view of reality and in bringing harmony and reconciliation into our lives.

our attachments often define our compulsions.

in other religious culture, men and women who are trying to overcome an attachment or addiction, they frequently hear and use the phrase "let go, and let god". a traditional Buddhist might prefer the phrase "let go, and let Buddha."

words are secondary; it is the same principle. don't get confused....

when we talk about "attachment" as an uncontrolled "poison" or "fire", we are not referring to genuine acceptance and love, which is unselfish and not codependence.

Poison Three: Aversion

aversion is another word for dislike.

most frequently we form aversions or dislikes in response to fustrated attachments.

we don't like it when we don't get what we want;
we don't like unpleasant experiences.

when dislike is reinforced, it often escalates to anger, hate and enmity.

i think it helps to add another ingredient or "poison" to this fustrating group of kleshas: resistance to change.

as every psychologist and phycicist knows, we all have a tendency to resist change, particularly in those areas where we most need transformation.

Freud was very articulate in pointing out that a resistance to changing for the better is one of the defining characteristics of neurosis.

the Three Poisons usually work together to create pain in this fashion:

because we are ignorant of the truth, we think we can be happy by fulfilling our attachments to a specific person, place, thing, feeling. inevitably we are disappointed, and then aversion, dislike or even hatred rears its ugly head.

this tragic cycle - perpetuating negative cycles in your life, plays itself out in myriad ways, from mundane to the cataclysmic.

the fact is that we all tend to hang on to our negative habits and frozen behaviour patterns. we keep retracing our steps; we keep walking the same circular patterns. we don't climb out of our ruts, our comfort zones, however dissatisfying they really feel......

Originally posted by paperflower:
the Three Poisons usually work together to create pain in this fashion:

[b]because we are ignorant of the truth, we think we can be happy by fulfilling our attachments to a specific person, place, thing, feeling. inevitably we are disappointed, and then aversion, dislike or even hatred rears its ugly head.

this tragic cycle - perpetuating negative cycles in your life, plays itself out in myriad ways, from mundane to the cataclysmic.

the fact is that we all tend to hang on to our negative habits and frozen behaviour patterns. we keep retracing our steps; we keep walking the same circular patterns. we don't climb out of our ruts, our comfort zones, however dissatisfying they really feel......

[/b]

The world is ever-changing... it's nature-cycle... Must learn to let go when it is the time to let go...

Inspired Effort: A Meditation On The Four Divine Abodes

Bodhisattvas are impelled by the motivation to bring about enlightenment and ease suffering on a universal scale. this ambitious task may seem daunting but Bodhisattvas - moved by the travails of the world, and of their loved ones too - are powerfully motivated to accomplish it.

this kind of transcendent undertaking requires Perfection of Efforts - one of the Six Principles of Enlightened Living, the Six Paramitas. these six virtues propel us like a warm updraft, on to the heights of enlightenment.

Four Noblest Qualities of Mind:

loving-kindness and friendliness (known as metta)

compassion and empathy

joy and rejoicing

equanimity and peace of mind

these four divine abodes are called the Four Immeasurables.

meditation practice can help us live in such a state - all the time. that's why the Brahma Viharas are called divine abodes. they are places to be and places to live. these abodes describe an atmosphere that we can create and carry with us always.

no matter what the circumstances, your house can always be filled with love, compassion, joy and quanimity. think about all that these four qualities encompass - acceptance, forgiveness, hope, celebration, affirmation, delight, reconciliation, peace-making.

these are not just qualities of the mind; they are also attitudes of the heart. they are profoundly effective in taming our unruly, egotistical nature and in transforming our experience of the world as well as our relationship with others.

the whole thrust of Buddha's teaching is to master the mind. if you master the mind, you will have mastery over body and speech..... mastery of the mind is achieved through constant awareness of all your thoughts and actions...... maintaining this constant mindfulness in the practice of tranquility and insight, you will eventually be able to sustain the recognition of wisdom even in the midst of ordinary activities and distractions. mindfulness is thus the very basis, the cure for all samsaric afflictions.

- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Journey To Enlightenment

Let Buddha Breathe Through You......

Dharma purifies karma, transcends dogma and dissolves obscurations and obstacles. one moment of genuine insight dispels aeons of ignorance and confusion.

Dzogchen masters say that our minds are so suffused with ignorance and deluded thinking that we have forgotten our perfect Buddha-nature - our tender hearts richly endowed with wisdom and compassion.

wake up! Buddha's lessons in mindfulness....

the Buddha was asking his disciples to be fully conscious, wide awake to all that they do. let's never forget that the practice of awareness and mindfulness is directly related to reality. it is clear seeing.

the Buddha was telling his followers not to live in the past or the future but to be conscious and wake up to the present moment and the truth of what is.

and that's what we cultivate when we meditate: awareness of what is.

for Dharma students, this directly brings us to truth and reality according to its simplest definition: things just as they are.

the Buddha said, "the disciple act with clear comprehension in looking forward and backward...... acts with clear comprehension in eating, drinking, chewing and tasting..... acts with clear comprehension in walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, awakening..... acts with clear comprehension in speaking and keeping silent."

Bodhicitta: The Enlightened Mind Of The Bodhisattva

from among all the vast divisions of the Buddha's teachings.
Bodhicitta is the very quintessence.
Bodhicitta is the supreme protection from evil and wrongdoing.
Bodhicitta repels the harm of the lower realms;
Bodhicitta opens the supreme path of liberation....
don't be distracted, don't be distracted
train in Bodhicitta.
don't be mistaken, don't be mistaken - train in Bodhicitta.
don't err, don't err - train in Bodhicitta.

- Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche, From A Spontaneous Enlightenment Song

Bodhicitta means the purified and fully developed heart-mind. this is the heart, the very soul, of enlightenment. practicing Bodhicitta means cultivating all one's innate enlightenment qualities and following the path of awakening.

the primary distinction between the deluded mind and the enlightened mind is mainly a difference of narrowness and openness, being narrow-minded versus open-minded.

the more constricted and narrow your attitude, the more ego-centered you are. the more open your attitude, the more conscious you are of everyone's well being.

thus the entire path from an ordinary sentient being to Buddhahood is the gradual opening of heart and mind.

the whole Dzogchen teaching, the entire Vajrayana teaching, the Great Vehicle known as Mahayana is based on trying to live Bodhicitta by becoming more enlightened and helping others in everything we do. realising suffering, we intuitively wish to end it everywhere...... not just in our own living room, but everywhere. we want to end pain, not just the pain in our own lives, but in everyone's life.

the Bodhisattva Vow is an enormous intentional undertaking. it might even seem beyond the scope of our minds to imagine - to never stop doing spiritual work until there is no more suffering left in the universe. it is a huge boundless intention......

how does one start?

we start here and now by trying to purify our thoughts and our lives so that we help, not harm others.

we don't have to use fancy words like Bodhicitta or Bodhisattva for that...... in western languages we can find words that work - unselfish, compassionate, good heart, warm heart, empathetic, virtuous, kind......