The real objective of our practice is liberation, not rebirth in the higher realms. As such, we need to establish a path to liberation, with the primary requisite being renunciation. All practices that lead to liberation are based on renunciation. Renunciation is extremely important since we cannot progress to methods in subsequent stages without it. The purpose of seeing all contaminated things as suffering is to give rise to a resolution of complete renunciation.

~Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA - All Contaminated Things are Unsatisfactory

The place where you meditate needs good light, especially when engaging in the practice. The thangka should be illuminated from behind. If the light on the thangka is too dark or uneven, this will cause problems with the visualization.  

Next, sit in front of the thangka in the seven-point posture of Vairocana, fixing your eyes on the thangka without discursive thoughts, concentrating on the thangka—just let your mind and eye consciousness dissolve into the thangka. After some time, the image of Vajrasattva will gradually appear in your mind. You can then test if the image will also do so with your eyes closed. If the image disappears when you close your eyes, then just continue to observe the thangka. The teachings on the development stage practices describe various methods to remedy the problems that may arise during practice. For instance, a seated image in the thangka might end up being a standing image in your visualization, or the visualized image of the deity might be without a head, a hand, or some bodily ornaments, or the visualized image might be distorted. There are many methods to remedy this in the teachings. However, we don’t need to involve ourselves with elaborate visualizations at this stage. For now, we just need to engage in simple visualization.

~Depicted from VAJRASATTVA PRACTICE – THE WISH-­FULLILING JEWEL

In the process of observing the image of Vajrasattva, start with the face, then proceed to the right hand, the left hand, the right foot, and then the left foot. Alternatively, you can also observe other elements in turn, such as Vajrasattva’s face or bodily ornaments, the whole image in a general sense, or the details of the image, such as the white part of Vajrasattva’s eyes. Having engaged in such careful observation, the image of Vajrasattva will appear in your mind. Some people claim they cannot visualize Vajrasattva clearly, but the fact is that without following the instruction on visualization or devoting time to practice, there is no way one can visualize Vajrasattva clearly. It’s not easy to perform visualization, so you should not give up altogether if the image fails to appear in your mind after only one or two afternoons of observation. To successfully have a clear vision requires persistent practice. 

~Depicted from VAJRASATTVA PRACTICE – THE WISH-FULLILING JEWEL

Buddhists should be realistic and rational, not just echo the views of most people. Life and death are of course the most important events in life. As we are normally concerned even with minor ailments, there is no reason not to be serious when facing the lessons of life and death. There are many real examples from all over the world, both old and new, pointing to the existence of soul and rebirth. When solid proof for refutation is still lacking, acknowledging rather than rejecting their existence would be a sounder choice.

The other extreme is to believe everything ends when one is dead. At the time of birth, one is born with the body; there is no past life to speak of. When the body stops functioning, life ends, leaving no sense of joy or pain any more. As such, those holding this view have little inhibition to do unwholesome things when alive. Although not knowing what death is about, they pretend not to care nor to fear death, making no preparation at all for the imminent end of life. This is simply ignorance.

~Depicted from THE HANDBOOK'S FOR LIFE JOURNEY - On Death And Rebirth-Understanding Death

For ordinary people, there is only their own personal space. Even so, it is important to take good care of this space for the benefit of both family as well as society. If a business leader can manage his or her own space and well-being, and in so doing set an example for all employees, everyone in the company will be able to experience both economic prosperity and inner happiness. It also helps the enterprise to be more united and dynamic.

How one manages and creates a fine inner space depends on wisdom. An intelligent person with towering achievement in the world outside may not necessarily succeed in managing the inner space. All the issues related to this task must be resolved with wisdom. Therefore, wisdom is the guide for the enterprise. This is when the wisdom of the Buddha is pertinent and useful.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS -Buddhism and the Business World – Six Standards in a Corporate Culture

The World Bank and World Health Organization expect depression to be the biggest public health problem worldwide in the not too distant future. In 2006 alone, the annual expenditure on anti-depressants in the United States was estimated at seventy-six billion US dollars. However, the effectiveness of these drugs has been less than ideal, since the drugs cause damage to that part of the brain that controls the subtle thought processes. Thus, the long term use of anti-depressants will affect our emotional state.

How can we solve this problem?

To treat mental problems we must work with the mind. Nothing could be more appropriate for the treatment of mental conditions than methods that work with the mind. Especially in our present business-oriented society, it is imperative that we look immediately for methods and answers within the Buddhist culture to address concrete problems in our life, and ameliorate the stress and anxiety we feel.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - The Significance of Buddhist Philosophy Today

Buddhism can be said to be a special kind of culture since it encompasses many rich academic disciplines, among them philosophy, astronomy, geography, and science. Not only that, Buddhism also has its own view on life, on right values, and on the world. In this chapter, we will introduce the Buddhist view on the world.

The worldview is firstly a specific knowledge; but more importantly, it is one of formulating this knowledge into ways and methods which can be used in our daily life. One aspect deals with regulating our own mind; the other aspect deals with benefiting sentient beings, bringing happiness, a healthy life, and joy to more people – this is also the basic tenet of Buddhism.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - The Significance of Buddhist Philosophy Today

Should all practitioners give up everything and retreat to the caves to meditate like Milarepa did? It would be great if one can do that, but most laypeople cannot and so the Buddha did not rule this way. In a nutshell, the Buddha only asked all Buddhists to be content with fewer desires, which means differently to the monastics and lay practitioners. How then should lay practitioners interpret this request from the Buddha?

I have seen that someone who owns three or four villas but hardly ever lives in any of them. Very often this person just spends the night on the office sofa. Others own three or four cars but only use one; the rest just lay idle in the garage. This kind of lifestyle does not comply with the Buddha’s request for a life filled with fewer desires. From the standpoint of the world as a whole, over-consumption of either fossil fuels or trees is also a wrong way of living, which does not meet the Buddha’s request either.

~Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - The Way of Living and the Meaning of Life

It is stated in the sutras that practitioners are classified into three levels. Top-level practitioners are able to make progress every day. Those in the middle fare a little worse but are still capable of some breakthrough each month. Even the ones in the low level can better themselves at least by the year.

Let us ask ourselves: “Which level do I belong? Did I or can I improve over last year?” If the answer is no, we do not belong to any one of the three levels of practitioners. Since there is no fourth level, it just goes to show that we are practitioners in name only. And even that could be an overstatement.

I met some lay practitioners who still had not completed the very basic practices long after taking refuge. It is terrible and very disappointing. The reason for that is primarily a lack of motivation, which leads to practice at a snail’s pace or sometimes even withdrawal to a complete stop.

~Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - The Three Supreme Methods—the ultimate methods of cultivating virtue and training the mind