Indeed, even the slogans on the main roads say “We live but once!” but in fact this is not so. As sentient beings with strong karmic imprints, we will continue to take rebirth in samsara over countless lifetimes; however, without practice, we will only end this life in spiritual decline. As you know, beings who take rebirth in the lower realms – even in the most favorable animal realm – do not have a chance to practice Dharma, let alone hear the sacred designations and mantras of the buddhas. Beings in the hungry ghost and hell realms are even less likely to have this chance. Therefore, however busy or difficult it may be, we must still seize the moment to practice. If we forgo this most propitious opportunity, we cannot be sanguine about coming back as human beings again.

~Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA -SUMMATION

To learn Buddhism is to learn wisdom and compassion. To attain Buddhahood means the manifestation of the inherent wisdom and compassion of Buddha-nature after all the obscurations have been purified. That is all it means.

Rongzom Pandita, one of the greatest scholars of the Nyingma lineage, once said, “The invariable definition of Buddhism is wisdom and compassion. No other explanation can fully express the core of Buddhism.”

~Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW - Buddhism—the Definition

Although we are under a great deal of pressure, we are blessed with precious human birth endowed with leisure and freedom to practice. If we do not practice, no one can say for sure what will happen in the future. Even if everyone says “tomorrow will be better,” who can give us that guarantee? Natural disasters, famine, war, and violence can descend on us at any time. Let us seize this opportunity now!

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS ? How to Face Suffering and Happiness-Taming the Mind as in Taming the Elephant

After meditation sessions, we should apply these concepts and experiences to our everyday life. At all times, it is important to remember everything in life is illusory, impermanent, and non- substantial; this way we will ultimately come to a profound realization there is nothing to be attached to. Such is the right kind of non-attachment.

~Depicted from THE FOUR SEALS OF DHARMA - The Practice of No-Self

All the schools of Tibetan Buddhism offer chöd (cutting though the ego) practice. Chöd is a very special practice that has many versions. There is an initial chöd practice in the preliminary practice of Dzogchen, called kusali chöd. In this practice, one visualizes offering one’s own body to the guru and the Three Jewels as well as to the ghosts and non-humans. The real chöd practice is, by applying a rather uncommon method, to cut through attachment and defilement with realization of emptiness. The premise of undertaking this practice is to attain realization of emptiness and to grow and strengthen the power of this realization. When one has reached a more mature state in the practice, one then meditates in places where mundane spirits inhabit. There one is likely to encounter real ghosts, hear unusual sounds, or witness some strange phenomena. Most people will get nervous in this situation and have a heightened sense of self. If one concentrates on the void nature of phenomena at that time, self-grasping can be eliminated successfully along with other negative emotions such as fear and anxiety.

~Depicted from THE HANDBOOK FOR LIFE'S JOURNEY -On The Three Poisons-How to Confront Anger

This is a kind of intention and aspiration as well. For instance, if one wants to get up at five o'clock in the next morning, one must make resolute decision to wake up at that time when going to bed. Once the decision is made, one will naturally wake up on time even without the help of an alarm clock. Similarly, Arhats also rely on the power of induction when getting ready to enter into the state of cessation of feelings and perceptions (nirodha-samāpatti). For example, if planning to stay in the state of cessation for five days and emerge on the sixth day, one must make firm this intention before sitting down to meditate. Otherwise, as no thought will arise once entering the state of cessation, it will be impossible to emerge from samadhi on the sixth day without invoking the power of induction in advance. This is a very important point to note.

~Depicted from THE HANDBOOK'S FOR LIFE JOURNEY - On Death And Rebirth-Key Points for Practicing Bodhicitta on Deathbed

In the sutras, suffering of suffering is defined as having a feeling of suffering when it occurs; as soon as it disappears, a feeling of happiness arises. For instance, when we are sick, we feel pain; when we recover, we feel happy. Hence, physical pain from illness is suffering of suffering.

Why is the word “suffering” repeated? This alludes to the great intensity of the suffering. That aspect of suffering which all living beings, whether human or animal, perceive alike and reject, and which is clearly recognized as a painful feeling, is said to be suffering of suffering. This suffering is found primarily in the lower three realms; it is also evident in the human and god realms, for example, in the eight basic types of suffering of human beings such as birth, aging, sickness, and death.

In The Words of My Perfect Teacher, suffering of suffering is clearly expounded. This aspect of suffering in each of the six realms is explained in great detail and is therefore not repeated here.

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

In the Vinaya Pitaka, the Buddha told the monastics that one should avoid duality in life. Duality mentioned in Madhyamaka is the eternalist and nihilist view, whereas in the context of the way of living, duality denotes the impoverished and self-indulgent life.

In the case of ordinary people, an impoverished life means to deliberately live in a poverty-stricken condition. But to some practitioners like Milarepa, poverty is not an obstacle but assistance to their practice. Obviously, not everyone can attain the same state in practice as those masters. For us ordinary people, it would be very difficult to consider matters like renunciation, bodhicitta and liberation if we must struggle constantly to eke out a living. A harsh living condition may be helpful for some to generate renunciation, but renunciation developed under this circumstance is not real, as genuine renunciation must include aspiration to seek liberation. Poverty alone may not be enough reason for people to forsake samsara. Only those who have grasped the essence of the Dharma may possibly generate true renunciation. Therefore, Buddhists in general need not and should not deliberately live too poorly.

~Depicted from THE RIGHT VIEW -A Buddhist’s Mode of Life

We can ask ourselves: How do I find happiness? What is it that I would have to lose to be unhappy? If we contemplate in this way, we will find the answer — desire, if left unchecked, is boundless. Excessive desire ultimately drowns us and leads to a state of great suffering.

The happiness that material enjoyment brings is limited. Yet what we want is unlimited. How is it possible to fill an infinite space with something which has a limit? Certainly not in this lifetime! Our lifespan is no more than several decades, but even if we lived billions of years, we would still fall short of satisfying ever-growing greed. In fact, the longer we live, the greater our desire and the suffering that follows. Thus, the Buddha admonished us to keep our desire in check in order to gain true happiness; if we are always chasing after material things, we will never find real happiness.

~Depicted from ARE YOU READY FOR HAPPINESS - The Tibetan Buddhist View on Happiness