We need to come to a clear understanding of what do we need? Is it money or happiness? Desiring both is difficult to achieve. Even endowed with some merit, one can make some profit through exertion, yet one might not be able to live an easeful life. Other than attaining a high level of spiritual achievement, how can one maintain a calm mind while being preoccupied with various engagements? Thus as an ordinary being, we have to choose one between these two.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

If some people are endowed with the wisdom of the Buddha, and some are not, then am I endowed with the buddha nature or not? It’s difficult to answer. Will I succeed with my diligent practice? Everyone possesses buddha nature; this is definitely so. Everyone has great potential because we possess the wisdom of the Buddha innately. It’s up to us to discover its existence. Once we succeed, all defilements will be gone; it’s that simple.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

Even having realizing the emptiness, one needs to be agreeable to sentient beings. As Guru Rinpoche said: “Even my views are as high as the sky, my attention to the law of karma is as fine as barley flour.” In other words, our views need to be open and high, but our conduct needs to be conservative and careful.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

We study Buddhism to learn about wisdom and compassion. So called Buddhahood is the appearance of primordial wisdom and compassion when all greed, ignorance and anger ends. There is no other meaning than this.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

We need to refrain from seeking perfection in our family and work life. There is only relative perfection in this world and there is no ultimate perfection. Even for the relative perfection, the more one seek, the more tired one gets. In this era, what we need most is to simplify, relax and slow down.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

The more socially competitive one is, the less happiness one attains. For instance, someone who has a fancy car but likes comparing with other people. When others surpass him, he cannot remain calm, and tries to exert himself to be competitive. Such pursuits are rather tiring. Being competitive is not a necessity of life. Lots of suffering stems from being competitive.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

The Vajrayana not only expounds many practices which have swift and useful effects, but also imparts various elaborate and concise practices, some of which are rather simple. This doesn’t mean their content is incomplete, rather, its method is quite simple. Through practicing with such simple methods, one can obtain ideal effects, this is referred to as pith instruction in the Vajrayana.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

All of us fear suffering and try to avoid it, and we take it as something harmful like flood or ferocious animals. However, if we are able to utilize it skilfully, we can transform misfortune into auspiciousness and favourable conditions of bodhicitta; this is skilful means in the Mahayana.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES

In one hundred years, like the pappus of dandelion leaving a calyx receptacle, seven billion people on the earth will leave this world one by one, entering an unknown area. Then, all the fame and gain become worthless, what’s of only use is the Buddha’s wisdom and compassion.

~Depicted from LUMINOUS WISDOM BOOK SERIES