Reflections on how to live a meaningful life inspired by "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche and teachings from other Buddhist masters
Posted in Buddha, Meditation, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on Aug 25th, 2010
In my last post I wrote that ultimate true happiness can only be found if we recognize the nature of mind but that on a relative level the practices of meditation, compassion and devotion can help us come closer to this realization. Last time I already posted a passage on compassion from The Tibetan Book [...]
Posted in Freedom, The Nature of Mind, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on Aug 18th, 2010
Many Buddhist teachings begin with the statement that all beings want to be happy, but that unfortunately they are looking for happiness outside and fail to understand that true happiness can only be found inside. The goal of Buddhist practice is to find a deeper happiness which is based on inner peace and contentment. This [...]
Posted in The Nature of Mind, Uncategorized, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on Aug 7th, 2010
I am finding it very helpful to reflect on how ego works. When I reflect on the teachings I always try to combine intellectual understanding with personal experience of what is said. In the Buddhist teachings this process of assimilation is described as the “Three wisdom tools.” First we need to learn through the ‘listening [...]
Posted in Bodhicitta, Buddha nature, Buddhism, zz Longchenpa, zz Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on Jul 22nd, 2010
I arrived in Munich a few days ago after a week of traveling, and have been trying to rest and recover from the massive jet lag. I had hoped to make a few posts once I am here in Munich, and I have plenty of notes from my reflections, but I got stuck trying to [...]
Posted in Buddha nature, Contemplation, Meditation, zz Mingyur Rinpoche, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on Jun 15th, 2010
Usually I am very groggy when I first wake up in the morning and it takes a while for my mind to show any signs of consciousness. But sometimes I wake up in the morning with a sense of wonder. I sit up on my bed, look out of the window, and life seems like [...]
Posted in Meditation, zz Longchenpa, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on May 14th, 2010
A few of the students in the online class I am helping to instruct are finding it quite difficult to get down onto the cushion. I sometimes have the same problem and this made me reflect on what I do when this happens. The first question that came to my mind was why I find [...]
Posted in 08 Samsara, Meditation, zz Buddha, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on May 13th, 2010
Just as I thought I was finally shaking off my flue, which seemed to be dragging on for weeks, I got hit by another bug. It wiped me out for a couple of days, but fortunately now I seem to be recovering quickly. Sogyal Rinpoche has often told us that when you are unwell it [...]
Posted in Meditation, zz Mingyur Rinpoche, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on Apr 19th, 2010
I have been doing a lot of non-meditation and non-blogging lately, but not the good kind. Settling into our new place is taking longer than I thought. I hoped I would have more time after we moved, but a few things needed to be fixed right away. Generally that is going well, but everything is [...]
Posted in Meditation, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on Apr 10th, 2010
Over the last week I have tried to remember the advice from the non-meditation exercise that I wrote about in my last two posts. The message is very simple, “just be aware without trying to do anything”. This sounds all clear, straightforward, wonderful …. but when I meditate the idea that there is nothing to [...]
Posted in Meditation, zz Dudjom Rinpoche, zz Mingyur Rinpoche, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on Mar 30th, 2010
I will soon be starting to help instruct an online course on meditation from the Rigpa Distance Learning Program. Naturally, as the start of the course has come nearer, I have been thinking more and more about meditation lately and how to best help with instructing the course. From photo set “A Hundred Faces of [...]
Posted in Karma, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on Mar 8th, 2010
Reflecting on karma over the last few days I came across three old friends, to be precise, actually enemies that are disguising as friends. I am sure you are already guessing who they are. Here is how they popped up again: In The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying Sogyal Rinpoche explains the meaning of [...]
Posted in 03 Blessing of the speech, 04 Invoking the lama, 09 Refuge, 10 Bodhichitta, Freedom, zz Patrul Rinpoche, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on Feb 20th, 2010
My last post had a quote by Rumi which said “there is one thing in this world which must never be forgotten.” For me this immediately brought up the question, “So what is this one thing?” Often questions like this pop into my head right in the morning. It usually takes me a while to [...]
Posted in Freedom, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on Feb 18th, 2010
In my last post I wrote about how this life is a special opportunity to become free of the grip of negative emotions and that it would be a pity to let this opportunity go to waste. In The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche writes about this point: “In the Sufi Master [...]
Posted in Freedom, zz Shantideva, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on Feb 16th, 2010
In the last few days I have been continuing to reflect on negative emotions. What does it really mean that negative emotions take my freedom? How do they manage to do this? I have been asking these same questions for a while now, but I find it helpful to reflect on them again and again [...]
Posted in Freedom, zz Shantideva, zz Sogyal Rinpoche on Feb 14th, 2010
Sorry! Today’s reflection is once AGAIN—I am sure you guessed it— ‘negative emotions!’ You are probably tired of hearing about this again. I fully understand. It’s never been my favorite topic and, for the most part, I successfully ignored it all my dharma life and focussed instead on other aspects of teachings. Of course, I [...]
Posted in Contemplation, Freedom, zz Sogyal Rinpoche, zz Thich Nhat Hanh on Feb 2nd, 2010
A good way to contemplate the natural freedom of the mind, which I wrote about in last two posts, is to reflect on what keeps us from being free. In The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche recounts the Vietnamese master Thich Nhat Hanh’s beautiful description of the Buddha’s enlightenment: Thich Nhat Hanh [...]
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