Characteristics of Bodhicitta (Part Two)
To take Buddhahood as one's object means that bodhicitta cannot merely be a kind or compassionate intention. In generating bodhicitta, one must also orient the mind toward wisdom . Whether we seek our own Buddhahood or the Buddhahood of all sentient beings, wisdom is indispensable. This is an extremely important point.
Characteristics of Bodhicitta（part one）
Bodhicitta is the aspiration for all sentient beings to attain the greatest benefit— liberation and Buddhahood. It is the wholehearted resolve to strive toward this goal, making the vow to attain Buddhahood oneself for the sake of others. In essence, it is what we often express as: “For the benefit of all sentient beings, I vow to attain Buddhahood.”
Why Are Study and Contemplation So Important in Buddhist Practice?
Why is this so? Because through study and contemplation, you come to realize, “Ah, so this is the true nature of the world.” Once the mind truly be convinced of this, renunciation naturally arises. And to put this into practice,, one must cultivate bodhicitta; then a strong aspiration to benefit others naturally arise.
The Four Stages of Madhyamaka Practice (Part Four)
What is meant by equality ? Equality means that the essence of mind and the appearances of mind share the same nature—emptiness and luminosity. The essence of mind is emptiness and luminosity; likewise, the phenomena perceived through seeing, hearing, and all forms of experience are also emptiness and luminosity. This is called equality. It is the genuine state of Dzogchen.
The Four Stages of Madhyamaka Practice (Part Three)
Freedom from conceptual elaborations is direct cognition itself. Conceptual elaboration means one is still relying on thinking and feeling, yet thoughts and feelings are bound to disappear. When genuine understanding and awakening occur, what is realized does not disappear along with them.
The Four Stages of Madhyamaka Practice (Part Two)
Therefore, determining emptiness as dependent arising means that emptiness is not something separate from phenomena; it is precisely the nature of phenomena themselves. This is exactly what the Heart Sūtra means by “Emptiness is form.” This constitutes the second stage of Madhyamaka practice.
The Four Stages of Madhyamaka Practice (Part One)
Therefore, this method of practice consists of repeatedly alternating between contemplation and direct experience. When you can no longer continue, simply stop. Do not think about anything or try to do anything. Just sit and rest.
Methods for Not Being Attached to Pleasant Feeling (Part Three)
You may ask, “A pleasant feeling isn’t something tangible—how can it be offered to the Three Jewels? In fact, all you need to do is to make this intention in the mind. Don’t, as the song says, “secretly enjoy it all by your self.” When happiness arises—for example, when someone gives me a cup of yogurt—I should think to myself: “This yogurt is delicious; I offer the pleasant feeling that comes from enjoying it to the Three Jewels.”
Does One Need to Study the Five Great Treatises to Learn Buddhism?
So what should beginners do? We only need to understand and master the scriptures and treatises appropriate to our own situation, together with the methods for putting them into practice.
Three Common Pitfalls in Study, Contemplation, and Practice (Part One)
If our minds do not become pliable, we will never know what a pliable mind feels like. Then we will be unable to genuinely abide in that state as a bodhisattva, and we will not be able to enter the Path of Accumulation. Upon entering the Path of Accumulation, one becomes a genuine bodhisattva. The mind can then frequently abide in the state of bodhicitta and experience its taste.
Can modern people practice the methods of channels, winds, and drops?
These practices can very easily go wrong. Therefore, if one wishes to engage in such practices, one generally requires guidance from someone with genuine experience in these methods, and one’s foundations must be extremely solid.
Are You Still Craving Harmony and Ease in Interpersonal Relationships?
Why do we pursue harmonious interpersonal relationships? Ultimately, it is still self-grasping (ātma-grāha) at work. First, there is the fear of and aversion to loneliness; second, there is the attempt to expand one’s sense of power and security through identification with a group.
Three Common Pitfalls in Study, Contemplation, and Practice (Part Two)
What is actual practice? Useful practice is actual practice. Observing the mind and taming the mind effectively is actual practice. Otherwise, it is merely foolish practice or blind cultivation. Yet many people practice in exactly this blind way.
Three Common Pitfalls in Study, Contemplation, and Practice (Part Three)
Before awakening, however, it is essential to generate mental attitudes that accord with renunciation and bodhicitta. Producing these attitudes is what truly matters.
How Should We Study and Contemplate Renunciation and Bodhicitta (Part Two)?
Only when we truly believe in rebirth will we develop the wish to escape saṃsāra, thereby giving rise to genuine renunciation.If our desire to transcend saṃsāra becomes strong, and the scriptures teach that bodhicitta is indispensable for liberation from saṃsāra, then we will naturally develop a powerful aspiration to generate bodhicitta and become a bodhisattva.
Bodhicitta in the Three Principal Aspects of the Path
Why does bodhicitta have such power? Because it not only accumulates merit and purifies obscurations, but also directly counteracts self-grasping, reducing it substantially. What is self-grasping? For example, suppose a cup of water is placed here , and both of us are thirsty. Without bodhicitta, my first thought would be, “I should drink it first.” That is self-grasping.
The Correct View of Emptiness in the Three Principal Aspects of the Path
If lay practitioners continually orient their efforts around the Three Principal Aspects of the Path, awakening may become possible within the span of a single lifetime. In other words, once renunciation and bodhicitta have arisen, and one repeatedly engages in study, contemplation, and practice concerning the correct view of emptiness, there is a genuine possibility of attaining awakening in this very life.
How Should We Study and Contemplate Renunciation and Bodhicitta (Part One)?
The purpose of discussing The Relationship Between Buddhist Theory and Practice is precisely to bring our conceptual understanding into alignment with the actual behavior of our minds. If the two are not aligned, a split arises between what we know and how we actually behave. Therefore, we must diligently study and contemplate the texts just mentioned, allowing genuine renunciation and authentic bodhicitta to arise within our minds.
The Reasons Why Genuine Renunciation Fails to Arise (Part one)
There are several levels from which we can examine why genuine renunciation (nekkhamma) fails to arise. The most obvious and superficial reason is that our perception of suffering is insufficient—that is, the suffering doesn’t feel intense enough.
Renunciation in the Three Principal Aspects of the Path
What is renunciation? It is a state of mind that combines two aspirations: first, a strong longing to break free from samsara, and second, a sincere desire to attain liberation. Put simply, it is the resolve: “I must practice! I must attain liberation!” Practice and liberation become the absolute priorities in one’s life, while all other concerns take a secondary place. This is what it means to arouse genuine renunciation.