Accumulation of Drips

into Vastness

Vol. I

By Khenpo Sodargye

Translated by the Wisdom and Compassion Translation Center

Bodhi Institute of Compassion and Wisdom USA

Table of Contents
Forewords............................................................................................................................4
Microblogs...........................................................................................................................5
Octobor-November 2010.................................................................................................5
December 2010...............................................................................................................9
January 2011.................................................................................................................13
February 2011...............................................................................................................21
March 2011...................................................................................................................28
April 2011.....................................................................................................................36
May 2011.......................................................................................................................43
June 2011.......................................................................................................................50
July 2011.......................................................................................................................56
August 2011..................................................................................................................61
September 2011.............................................................................................................68
October 2011.................................................................................................................75
November 2011.............................................................................................................80
Translators' Acknowledgments..........................................................................................84
About the Author................................................................................................................85
Credit..................................................................................................................................86
Copyright...........................................................................................................................87
About the Publisher............................................................................................................88
Forewords
This is an age of information! I want to take advantage of internet to share my
experience and feelings with you now and then!
Starting date: Day of Buddha's Return from Heaven (Lha-bab Düchen) in the Year
of the Iron Tiger.
Microblogs

Octobor-November 2010
Starting Microblog
Oct 29, 2010
Today is Lha-bab Düchen, the day of Buddha's return to human realm after giving
Dharma teachings to his Mother in heaven. Our monastery is holding the Pureland
retreat. It accumulates immense merit to recite Buddha’s name and practice other virtues
now!
I started this microblog today and wish to benefit those with fortune!
Covered with snow, our monastery looks so beautiful! There are two birds hiding in
the tree in front of my window. They are so lovely…

Happiness
Oct 31, 2010
Lama Chen!
Wealth, status, reputation, relationship and all other objects that we cling tightly
onto right now will disappear as clouds and smoke in twenty or thirty years. Only the
positive karma we have created in this life will follow us after death and bring us genuine
happiness.

Virtuous and Vicious

Nov 2, 2010
Oh, a verse in Saddharmasmrtyupasthana Sutra just came to my mind,
“It is easy for kind people to behave virtuously and difficult for vicious people to
do good deeds. It is easy for vicious people to conduct maliciously and hard for kind
people to do harm.”
I like this verse; the language is simple but the meaning is profound. What do you
think about it?

The Pure Land

Nov 4, 2010
I had a very sound sleep and a good dream last night. Today I feel so joyful to see
the clear sky.
We are going to start the teaching of Amitabha Sutra tonight. It is said in this sutra:
“Whoever hears this teaching should make the aspiration to take rebirth in this pure
land.” Let’s make this aspiration together!

Communication
Nov 6, 2010
 It is said in a bestselling book, “I’m sorry! Please forgive me! Thank you very
much! I love you!” These twelve words could resolve various kinds of problems most
people have encountered. Completely forgive yourself and others, confess all the faults
you have done and eliminate all negative beliefs.
This approach does not appear exactly the same as that in Mahayana Buddhism but
the effect is similar. Thus, we should face all the problems with this kind of great love
and these words.

I’m Sorry
Nov 7, 2010
Having checked the comments on my posts recently, I realized that I should reply to
some. However, I am too busy to do that. I am sorry! Please forgive me!
Nevertheless, I always look at you and pray quietly to the Three Jewels for the
blessing: May your virtue increase every day!

The Elixir
Nov 9, 2010
Happiness is the motivation for work;
Altruism is the goal of life;
Contentment is the wealth of ease;
Harmony is the ultimate of getting along well!

Selfness
Nov 10, 2010
I am reading a book called Peace; let me share a paragraph of highlights:
“Once thinking of this self, our mind narrows; In this narrow space, even a small
problem will become huge. However, once the attention is placed on others, our mind
will become broad and our problems will turn out to be negligible.”

The Buddha
Nov 12, 2010
We only love those who we love, but the Buddha is able to treat enemies who hate
him and relatives who love him equally without abandoning even one sentient being, and
help them to obtain genuine happiness.
This is the greatness of the Buddha; will you be able to do that?

Exam
Nov 14, 2010
I heard from various approaches that many students in different regions took the
exam today. This is a very rare opportunity to offer the Dharma to guru and the Three
Jewels!
The Avatanvaca Sutra says, “Among all the offerings, offering the Dharma is the
best.” As long as you actively participated, whether you have a good grade or not, both
make me very joyful!
I believe you must have made great efforts; and we also put forth lots of efforts. The
only purpose is to preserve the Buddhadharma and benefit sentient beings. I hope
everyone has seriously dedicated the merit.

The Capacity of Mind

Nov 16, 2010
I have read this sentence, “the capacity of one’s mind determines the greatness of
the cause; how much one’s mind can hold, how much the accomplishment can be.”
Do you think it is reasonable? Do you think the unfavorable conditions in your
work have something to do with the capacity of your mind?

At Ease
Nov 17, 2010
The mind of a genuine practitioner is very free and at ease; it is not excessively
haunted by happiness and suffering or unfavorable and favorable conditions.
As the great Master Han-shan said, “Let the leaves fall in the woods in fall; let the
trees bloom in spring; Sleeping in the three realms without anything to worry about, I
have the clear moon and light breeze as my home.”
Zen Master Wu-men also said, “There are various flowers in spring, clear moon in
fall, cool breeze in summer and snow in winter. If there are no trifles in the mind, it is the
best time of the human realm.”
Haha~

Emotions
Nov 19, 2010
Some people’s emotions are like the sky of spring: sometimes it is clear for ten
thousand miles; sometimes it is full of black clouds. A small cause or condition can make
him feel exalted or anguished, which brings lots of inconvenience to the people around
him.
I remember the Seven Points of Mind Training said, “Do not be happy and angry
mutably.” Thus, we should be steady-going and give people around us some “sense of
security”.

Impermanence
Nov 22, 2010
It is said in the Buddhist sutra, “All phenomena are as impermanent as the clouds in
fall; the birth and death of sentient beings are like watching plays.” I really like the quote
and always contemplate its meaning.
How about you?

The Mirror of Mind

Nov 24, 2010
Each person, no matter if his or her position is as high as officers and noble people,
or as low as ordinary beings and foot soldiers, has some excellence that is worthy of
being learned by us. However, if there are stains on our mind mirror, the reflection of
even the most beautiful fresh flower will have defects.
But, we don’t know it is because of the problem of our mind other than the external
objects.

Gratitude
Nov 25, 2010
I feel great gratitude to all the lineage masters!
The sunshine of your blessings of wisdom and compassion dispelled the darkness
of our mind. I greatly appreciate you on behalf of all sentient beings!

Avatamsaka Sutra
Nov 27, 2010
While tasting Pu-er tea, I am reading the Avataṃsaka Sūtra and couldn't help
myself wondering to the great Tang Dynasty...
At that time, the emperor’s Master Qing-liang taught this great Buddhist sutra
composed of 30 to 40 thousand verses for more than 50 times in one single life, which
means almost once every year.
This is indeed marvelous!

Making Aspiration
Nov 29, 2010
Wonderful memory:
Twenty years today (Nov 29, 1990), our Choji Rinpoche and I made aspiration
together at Bodhi Ghaya.
The essence of this aspiration – The Quintessence of the Aspiration Ocean is,
“May the immaculate supreme teachings remain in the world;
May sentient beings equally enjoy supreme welfare and benefit;
May this aspiration be the only wish always staying in the mind;
Please bestow the blessings of true words to fulfill it.”
In summary, that is to spread the Dharma and benefit sentient beings.
 I hope everyone remembers this and always make aspirations in this way!

December 2010
Happiness
Dec 2, 2010
Everyone is pursuing happiness of life, but what do you think is the basis of
genuine happiness?
Although everyone holds different value toward life, and different understanding of
happiness, I think the ultimate happiness is built upon selfless altruism.
As the Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life says, “All the worldly happiness is
from altruism. All the worldly suffering is from selfishness.”

Awakening the World

Dec 3, 2010
Many people know the time of death is uncertain, but they are not willing to study
or practice. This is really troublesome!
I could not help thinking of the Awakening the World by Zen Master Zhuang-Yuan:
“Pursuing in pain and rush,
Living from spring to fall with coldness and warmth,
Making a life from sunrise to sunset,
Growing gray hairs muddled and ignorantly,
An obvious path is laid out,
But thousands and thousands of people are unwilling to set out.
When is the end of all the right and wrong?
When will all the afflictions be gone?”

More or less
Dec 6, 2010
As a Mahayana practitioner, it is said in the sutras and shastras, “If for the sake of
the sentient beings, the more to do the better. If for the sake of oneself, the less trivial
things to do the better.
In this dreamlike illusory life, we should watch our speech and actions according to
this!

The Unfavorable Conditions

Dec 17, 2010
Your scorn is my sunshine;
 Your vituperation is my music;
Your insult is my fortune;
Your harm is my favorable condition.
I show my gratitude to all human and nonhuman who have malicious thoughts!

Reasoning
Dec 9, 2010
If you understand the impermanence of all phenomena, the life you have now will
become especially brilliant; you will no longer crazily pursue worldly reputation and
benefit; even if encountering misfortune, you will not fall into despair.
Believe it or not!

Money
Dec 11, 2010
For the attitude toward money, it is described everywhere in Buddhism. “Hao-Liao
Song” of the Story of the Stone said, “Worldly people all know it is good to be divine
beings, but they could not forget money. They complain about not having enough all the
time, but when they get enough it’s already the time to die.”
Always complaining about not having enough money, being busy with pursuing it,
only to find enough at the time of dying… aren’t these the real reflections of some
people?
Om Mani Padme Hung~

Recommendations
Dec 13, 2010
Many people frequently ask, “What should be studied in Mahayana Buddhism.” If I
may recommend, I think the best commentary is Shantideva’s the Guide to the
Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. It gives a complete and systematic introduction to all the
teachings of Mahayana Buddhism and is the quintessence of the 84,000 dharma gates. I
myself have benefited a lot from it.
I have used 201 classes to explain the details. If you are interested in Mahayana
Buddhism, why not download it at “The Dharma Network of Wisdom and Compassion”
and study it. (www.zhibeifw.com)
I believe you will not regret to study it!

Keeping Warm
Dec 15, 2010
It snowed in our monastery; the temperature decreased so sharply that dripping
water turns to ice immediately. It is said that the cold current has swept different areas;
you should be careful to guard against coldness and keep warm.
 Of course, besides keeping warm for your body, for the practitioners at the time of
degeneration, the unfavorable conditions come and go, which make practitioners feel
cold at heart, so we should wear cold-proof clothes of Dharma in our mind.

Completion
Dec 17, 2010
After more than one month, till today, we have smoothly completed the teaching of
Trilogy of Finding Comfort and Ease by Venerable Longchen Rabjam (the oral
transmission of Finding Comfort and Ease in the Nature of Mind was given)!
For me, it didn’t take too long, but it is a huge project. It is completely the blessings
of the guru and Dharma protectors that there is no unfavorable condition, so I feel very
joyful.
Many great masters said the darker the time of degeneration, the brighter the sun of
tantra, especially the Great Perfection, which is extremely suitable for the capacity of
sentient beings of this time. I hope practitioners with fortune will positively adopt it.

Seven Years
Dec 20, 2010
Guru:
You have left us for seven years. When I am alone in a quiet place, I always have
tears running. The nectar of your teachings constantly moistens the land of my heart.
Tomorrow is the seventh anniversary of your nirvana; when recollecting the time
when I traveled around the world with you, your warm loving kindness and compassion
appear vividly in front of me.
Lama chen! May the blessings of your wisdom and compassion melt into the nature
of mind! May my practice be perfected, the cause of spreading the Dharma go well, and
successfully benefit sentient beings!

By Chance
Dec 23, 2010
When conditions come together, a sentence by chance sometimes can change a
person’s entire life.
It is like a cloud could decorate the greatness of the sky; a drop of water could
sustain the life of a grass.
Historically, it was because of one verse by Bhikkhu Asvajit, that the famous
Sariputra and Maudgalyayana came out of the darkness and got into the brightness of
taking refuge in Buddhism and obtaining liberation.

Christmas
Dec 25, 2010
Today is the western holiday Christmas. I recollect that on Christmas 2001 I started
to translate the Great Biography of Buddha Shakyamuni.
I was in a hospital in Xiamen at that time. The flowers in front of the window were
competing for blooming and lots of people were celebrating Christmas. I comforted
myself by thinking the festival scene as the foundation laying ceremony of the translation
of this commentary.
Later, it took me more that 100 days to translate this book and felt having done
something of significance. It has been 9 years since then, however, have you ever read it?

Accepting the conditions

Dec 26, 2010
Many people complain about the stress of life, unsuccessful relationships and
careers. In fact, careful examination shows that it is coercion that results of all of these.
If one could act as what Master Buddhadharma said, “Gain and loss result from
conditions, and the mind neither increase nor decrease.”, all the afflictions and sufferings
will vanish by themselves without any trace.
Even if you do not have this kind of realization, as long as you always
contemplating these two sentences, the mood will be very different. Try it!

Internet
Dec 27, 2010
Many people have some different ideas about a monastic using Microblog. In fact,
nothing could be judged by one rule. The Heap of Jewel Sutra said, “The wise obtain
liberation by expedient means, while the unwise fall into bondage by expedient means.”
This is a good guide for using or not using internet.
No matter what the social status is, as long as it is helpful for other people, the
method does not need to follow one rule.
Even for the monastic, everybody has different causes and conditions. It is said in
Confucianism, “If poor, one should cultivate virtue for oneself; if rich, one should take
care of others in the world.” This quote should be able to invoke contemplation in you!

Misrepresentation
Dec. 28, 2010
New Year’s Day is coming soon!
When eating and drinking with relatives and friends, many people always like to
quote Ji Gong’s “Wine and meat go through the intestine, Buddha remains in my heart,”
which is used as the authority to eat meat and drink wine at one’s inclination. However,
they do not know what follows this quote by Ji Gong is “If worldly people imitate my
behavior, it is like to enter the path of Mara”
The superior high and profound realization of Ji Gong is unreachable for us, so we
should never just learn the appeared act. Otherwise, it is self-deceiving and cheating
others, self-destroying and destroying others!

Taking Refuge
Dec 30, 2010
The superior refuge-taking is for the ultimate liberation of all sentient beings, the
medium refuge-taking is for the liberation of oneself; the inferior refuge-taking is to
pursue the welfare of god and man in future life.
If one just takes refuge for good health and happiness in this life, it cannot be
counted as even the inferior taking refuge.
Ask yourself with your palm on your heart, which category you belong to?

January 2011
New Year’s Day
Jan 1, 2011
Today is New Year’s Day ( Ch: Yuan Dan), also the first day of the 365 days of an
year in western calendar. Hope everyone has a plan for practicing virtue in the New Year.
It is said in Root Tantra of Manjushri, “All phenomena are causes and conditions,
so they rely on motivation; any aspiration made anywhere will certainly come true.”
At the same time, we should also pray quietly to gurus and the Three Jewels for
their blessings. May both your merit and wisdom increase, be perfect and auspicious;
May loving kindness, compassion and bodhichitta increase forever more and be able to
benefit more sentient beings!

Solar Eclipse
Jan 3, 2011
Partial solar eclipse can be observed from14:40 to 19:01 tomorrow. The
Kalachakra said, the merit of doing any virtue will increase for thousands of times at the
time of solar and lunar eclipse.
The Susiddhikara Sutra in Han area also said, “Achieving the supreme
accomplishment at the time of lunar eclipse; accomplishing the superior, medium and
inferior at the time of solar eclipse.”
Thus, hope that everyone will take this good opportunity to practice virtue
diligently!

Ignorance
Jan 4, 2011
Buddhism is far more profound than any ordinary world knowledge; even ordinary
world knowledge requires many years of study to understand, and needless to say this is
the Buddhism I am referring to. Nowadays quite some people, after reading just a few
pages of Buddhism books, try to quote pieces out of context and bumptiously criticize
and slander what they know little about.
In the “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Shakespeare categorically says,” Do not
criticize or judge anything that you don’t know otherwise you shall pay with your life for
the mistake.” Hence, we must be circumspect about what we say.

Wastage of Food
Jan 5, 2011
Recently, I came across this news item: “One province spent over one billion RMB
Yuan on the expense of meal only for the first half of this year.” This is so shocking!
Imagine if this amount of money were saved for supporting dropout children, elderly
people, and seriously sick patients, how meaningful it would be.
Therefore, I earnestly entreat everybody, especially the rich and high officials, to
minimise extravagance and to reduce wastage; instead, please allocate more money for
charity!

Entering the Monastery

Jan 7, 2011
For many people, the conception about following monastic life comes from movies
and TV programs. A lot of monks or nuns in the plays are portrayed as involuntarily bid
farewell to the mundane life with tears and join the monastery, after they got completely
despaired of life. So people usually regard entering the monastery as escaping from
reality.
Actually, those screenwriters know almost nothing about Buddhism; they simply
write their stories without any basis. As a result, upon seeing a monk or a nun, people
nowadays often think that he or she must have failed or suffered setbacks in their life.
However, they never understand the greatness of following a monastic life.
Alas, what a pity!

Detachment
Jan 8, 2011
Aiming to seek the truth, one should deeply comprehend and investigate from
various aspects; it is not prudent if one starts to parrot others' words after learning a
couple of sentences.
Nowadays some people, by just knowing very little about Buddha’s teaching, take
assume that Buddhism is just 'non-attachment.’, thus completely denying everything.
Actually, “not attaching to anything” is the ultimate truth in the Buddha's teaching;
in order to reach this state, accumulation of merits and overcoming of obstacles are
indispensable. Even after reaching this state, avoiding evil and doing good should also
not be overlooked.

Hand in Hand
 Jan 9, 2011
As a citizen of the earth, caring about all living beings and offering our loving
kindness to them are our responsibilities.
No matter what religion you have, and no matter if you have any religion, let us put
aside the narrow sectarianism, with an open and tolerant mind, start to care for and
protect the earth hand in hand, be concerned about environmental protection, education,
health, etc., and bring more peace and harmony to this world through our efforts.

Put Yourself in Someone Else's Shoes

Jan 10, 2011
One of Confucius disciples Tzu-kung asked, “Is there a single guide to conduct
throughout one's life?” The Master answered, “Do not impose on others what you
yourself do not desire.”
What I wish is also what the others wish. This is a social standard.
Consider putting oneself in another's shoes, one exchanged oneself in another's
place. This is also highly advocated in Buddhism. Bodhicaryavatara says: “Others are the
same as me in that we all hate sufferring, so what is the difference between others and
me? And why should I just care about myself?”
Hopefully, when we deal with any issues, we should first consider putting oneself in
another's position.

Science
Jan 11, 2011
People often fall into the misconception that anything science cannot explain is
considered as unscientific, including the past and future lives, law of karma and samsara.
Actually, the definition of science is regarded as "Knowledge that can be perceived
presently and not yet overturned", so science does not necessarily mean the truth. If we
believe science can be adapted to measure everything, this concept is in itself a
superstition.
Therefore, we should have a rational attitude to things which haven’t been
discovered yet, which is neither accepting it easily nor denying it rashly.

Virtue and Intelligence

Jan 12, 2011
Western scholars have discovered following their research that: what matters most
for a person's success in the society is his or her manners and thoughts which count for
85%, other than intelligence which accounts for 15% only.
However, teachers and parents under our current education system only focus on
exam scores and certificates but neglecting children's integrity. Hopefully, parents should
be aware of the importance of integrity; therefore, putting it as top priority.
 Being Vegetarian
Jan 13, 2011
A report from the United Nations indicated that 9 out of 10 natural disasters were
caused by global warming in 2007. And the primary cause for global warming is the
consumption of meat.
It is agreed by Climate Committee of EU Parliament as well. Jens Hole, a member
of European Parliament for Sweden, pointed out: what we can do to make the greatest
difference is to reduce meat consumption or completely cut out meat.
If everyone becomes vegetarian, 80% of situation on global warming can be
controlled; our mother earth’s life will be saved!

Love and Passion

Jan 14, 2011
“What on earth is love, that makes lovers vow to stick together, living or dying?”
Love between men and women has been praised by people through all ages. Further
boosted by education and media dissemination, many people are extremely attached to
this emotion, consequently raising suffering caused by love and passion.
Actually, if you understand the wisdom of Buddhism, such as “conditioned
phenomena are impermanent”, “everything whether togetherness or separation all
depends upon the right conditions to occur”, as well as the philosophy of emptiness for
the universe, you would realize that so-called “love” is just so so.

Drink
Jan 15, 2011
On the arrival of each Chinese New Year Festival, many advertisements on TV and
newspapers are swarmed with the alcohol products. Down through the years, so many
people lead their befuddled life by alcohol. While many people promote alcohol as the
feast driven, what they neglect is the fact that alcohol is actually poison going through
guts.
Based on the statistics from The World Health Organization, alcohol contains about
60 kinds of hazardous substances. More than 110,000 people die from alcoholism each
year in China. Therefore, I hope people can wise up on this issue!

Words of My Perfect Teacher

Jan 16, 2011
Many people asked me to recommend a Dharma book for them to read. For myself,
what benefits me the most is Words of My Perfect Teacher.
This book introduces the profound concepts about gradual path of Dharma practice
from the novice to attainment of Buddhahood in simple layman's terms. It not only covers
the pith and marrow instructions from the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, but
also includes Chinese pure land, Zen and Tendai doctrines.
 HH Jigme Phuntsok once said, “You can achieve enlightenment merely by this
method of practice.”

Purpose of life
Jan 17, 2011
If our hope and happiness purely rely on money and emotion, once these things go
wrong, our life will fall apart just like a wall having a collapsed wall footing.
So, what is the purpose for life? We must define it accurately.
If we are open-minded, and aims to benefit others with this transient life, then no
matter honor or disgrace, gain or loss, none of such will impair our living.

Inspiration
Jan 18, 2011
I always ponder, though each of us only count 1 out of 6 billions in the population
of this world, our manner can inspire many people around in various degree. If we start
from ourselves, light up the surrounding people with compassion, tolerance, peacefulness
from our inner heart, then each of us can bring some peace, warmth and auspiciousness to
the world.
Please remember it!

Prayer Wheel
Jan 19, 2011
Padmasambhava taught us: Among all the well-doing from our body and speech,
nothing can compare with the merits from revolving prayer wheels. So it is commonly
adopted by Tibetan Buddhists.
Actually, prayer wheels were also inherent in the Han religion, It is said the earliest
prayer wheel called “Wheel Tripitaka”, was invented by Bodhisattva Fu during the Liang
period of South Dynasty. As quoted in the book of Miraculous Monks: if anyone with
bodicitta turns the prayer wheel, the merit he or she gains has no difference with the
merits of reciting the sutras.
Therefore, anyone who desires for the liberation, should spin the prayer wheels
more often.

Cause and Effect

Jan 20, 2011
Some people do not acknowledge the universal law of cause and effect, as they
can’t see the fact of “one good turn deserves another” exists.
Actually, the law of cause and effect does not enure or take effect straightaway, just
as a farmer sows the seeds, the germinating fruition won’t come out immediately, as it
takes time to grow the fruit from seed, How could you expect the karmic retribution to
happen at once after one just practices good or bad conduct?
 However, no matter whether you recognize the law of karma or not, it truly exists in
the universe, so I draw the attention of everyone:do not try to defy the laws of universal
destiny

Destiny
Jan 21, 2011
Though destiny does exist, it is not completely immutable. If a person meant to lead
a good life recklessly conducts negative performance, his or her pleasant life will be
reversed accordingly; in the end life will turn to suffering and mishaps. If a person who
originally deserved a hard life, tries to do good deeds as many as possible, his or her
rough life will become smoother and turn to the right direction.
Therefore, life is in our hands; as to how to improve, we have to follow the “ rule of
game”.

Admiration
Jan 22, 2011
I don’t admire anyone who is wealthy, powerful, famous or good-looking, as the
bubble is always fragile no matter how glorious it is.
In this world, I only admire persons who have good heart and practice virtuous deed
diligently; because only this type of virtuous roots will follow people through all the
lives, never departing.
Moreover, I feel extremely grateful and lucky to study Buddhism since my
childhood and enjoy the nectar of the truth.

Encounter Difficulties
Jan 23, 2011
What shall we do if we encounter difficulties like sickness, torture and setback?
We should pray to the triple gem devotedly and sincerely: “If my sickness can
reduce the suffering for other sentient beings, please bless me to be sick; if my recovering
from sickness can help other sentient beings, please bless me to recover from sickness!”
Same applies to the situation of torture and death.
This is the essence of Mahayana’s pith instruction!

Taming Mind
Jan 24, 2011
If our mind is full of anger and hatred, even if we live in a sophisticated
environment surrounded by gorgeous flowers, beautiful songs, lovely smile, we won’t be
able to feel happy. In contrast, a person with kind heart and purified mind, even though
staying in a very bad environment, can still enjoy the happiness from inner heart.
Therefore, external circumstance is not that important; taming your mind is the key
to all the happiness.

Buddhism
Jan 25, 2011
What is Buddhism? Lord Buddha clearly defined in Dhammapada Sutra: “Do not
do any bad thing, perform all good deeds and purify your mind. This is the teaching from
all the buddhas.”
Obviously, refraining from bad deed, doing good, purifying one’s mind are the main
viewpoint of Buddhism. The doctrine is pure, unstained and irrefutable. But as the
mental dispositions and foundations for each Buddhist are different, some Buddhists'
viewpoints and behaviors do not adhere to Buddha's teaching.
Anyway, these are individual problem, not Buddhism’s fault, so no need to blame
Buddhism itself. Please think over!

Wealth
Jan 26, 2011
Today I found an interesting doctrine while I was reading the Tripitaka -- Tathagata
Unimaginable Secret Mahayana Sutra says: “All the wealth you work hard for will be
dispersed by the king or officers, flood, fire or robbers eventually; only the holy wealth of
the Dharma learning will entirely stay with you and benefit you even after many lives or
kalpas.” This is the real treasure we need to long for!

Fortune and Misfortune

Jan 27, 2011
Whatever situation we encounter, either misfortune or fortune, is not absolutely
certain!
Something seemingly bad and disappointing can be the cause and condition that
invoke one's potential power and help one succeed; likewise, a favorable circumstance
may sap your spirits with the extreme pleasure and enjoyment, ending up with reputation
ruin and becoming a loser.
Therefore, misfortune and fortune are interchangeable. Just as Lao-Tzu quoted,
“Misfortune may be where luck is next to, and luck may be where misfortune hides”.

Supernatural Power
Jan 27, 2011
Some people ask: Why Buddhist masters do not take advantage of supernatural
power to tame sentient beings?
Long Agama Sutra provides answer for it. Buddha told Venerable Jian Gu: I will
never ask bhikkhus to show their supernatural powers to Brahmins, the noblemen, and
the lay practitioners, but I will ask my disciples to meditate and contemplate Dharma in a
quiet place. They should conceal whatever merit they have, and disclose whatever faults
they have.
Therefore, Buddhist masters do not perform supernatural power easily, unless on
special occasions for the purpose of demonstrating Dharma to certain sentient being.

Shining Pearl
Jan 29, 2011
Each of us has the Buddha nature, but is obscured by the ignorance and affliction,
so it cannot emerge. If one can eliminate his obscurity through the pith instruction from
the guru, he/she can instantly realize Buddha nature that neither decreases before
attaining Buddhahood nor increase after attaining Buddhahood.
Just as Zen Master Ling Yu from Song dynasty said when he was enlightened:
“I have a shining pearl,
but buried in dust for so long.
The dust is gone this morning,
the light shines and breaks mountains and rivers.”
So, can you find your own pearl?

Treasure Our Blessing

Jan 30, 2011
When some people hold feast for New Year festival or other holiday celebration,
they often leave a big mess on the table. The wasted food is so enormous that it hurts our
heart.
Many of us are able to memorise a famous Chinese poem,
“Hoe the field under the mid-sky sun,
with sweat dripping in the soil.
Who knows that the food in the plate,
grain by grain, come from very hard work?”
But, very few people can conduct themselves accordingly.
We should see that even a small piece of food denotes substantial hard work behind,
so please take it home if you can’t finish your food. Each of us should treasure our
blessing!

Go to Pure Land
Jan 31, 2011
Some Pure Land practitioners think it is all right as long as they themselves can go
to the Western Pure Land without caring about other sentient beings. If you have this
idea, I will assure that you definitely won’t be able to go to pure land.
 “The four causes of taking rebirth in the Pure Land” from Mahayana scriptures and
treaties point out the significance of the Bodhichitta. In addition, Master Hong Yi from
Han Region also accentuated: “It is not possible for one to go to Western Pure Land if he
or she is only concerned about his or her own self-interest.
Thus, those who are willing to go to pure land must aspire after Bodhichitta.

February 2011
Bad Words
Feb 1, 2011
Some people do not hesitate to abuse or insult others by any acid remarks.
Even though it is hard for an ordinary person to be calm all the time, sometimes it is
still necessary to control your temper. Otherwise, a lousy choice of words out of anger
will be hurtful. The words can’t be taken back and wound has already been engraved.
That is why we have to speak kindly to avoid hurting others. We all know the
phrase of “broken skin by sharpened knife does not heal easily, hatred feeling caused by
the wound with abused words is difficult to wipe away”. So, occasional wound may take
one’s whole lifetime to heal.

Care
Feb 2, 2011
Many parents care about their child (ren), however, it is important to practice in a
wise way.
Many parents believe their responsibilities are to support their children to go to
college, buy house and car for them, leave generous family possessions to them, and
prepare for their marriage and career.
We are not against these, but the most important thing for parents to do is to offer
their children personality education and cultivate their compassion and altruism, which
are far more valuable than anything else!

New Year
Feb 3, 2011
I put my palms together to pray to the Eight Auspicious Buddhas, the Eight
Auspicious Bodhisattavas, the Eight Auspicious Goddesses, and the Eight Guardians of
the World:
In this new year, may they bestow on you health, happiness and fulfilment of wish,
and remove from you all obstacles, unfavorable conditions and sufferings. May you stay
auspicious day and night, may your precious bodhicitta grow every day, and may you
benefit more sentient beings!

Mental Strength
 Feb 4, 2011
Recently, while I was reading a biography book about some influential figures, it
appeared to me that the reason for many people’s success was that they were extremely
determined in their mind. Even in unbearably difficult situations, they can face it and
never give up. On the other hand, the reason why some people fail is that they are so
weak and fragile that they fall down and cannot stand up again even due to trivial
setback.
In conclusion, the key to success lies in the power of one's mental strength. Please
remember this!

Emptiness
Feb 4, 2011
Many people heard of the concept in Buddhism that “all phenomena are
emptiness”, but very few of them can comprehend the exact meaning of “emptiness”.
Actually, the true emptiness doesn’t refer to the utter non-existence; it is beyond
any idle theory of existence and non-existence. The state of emptiness transcends any
expression by words and concepts. One will be able to truly understand this only after
attaining enlightenment. So I suggest not taking the words literally!

Life
Feb 6, 2011
Once more, I deeply felt how precious and valuable any life was when I
participated in a recent animal liberation event.
It was quoted on the sutra Buddha Repaying the Favor: “Just like I do not wish to
die, none of the living beings in the three realms does, including those among twenty five
existences, those with form or formless, those with four legs or many legs, and even those
as small as ants. So a bodhisattava would rather lose his own life than taking life from
others.”
Have you got the profound meaning from this quote?

Circumambulating Clockwise
Feb 7, 2011
Many people do not know how to circumambulate stupas, Buddha statues and so
on.
Generally speaking, circumambulating to the left in anti-clockwise direction will
create negative karma of destruction, while circumambulating to the right in clockwise
direction will accumulate the merit of construction. So we have to pay extra attention on
this. It was also recorded in The Merits of Circumambulating Stupa to the Right from
Chinese Tripitaka.
The phenomena of dependent origination exist at the conventional level. So a
buddhist must understand these basic common knowledge!
 Study Buddhism
Feb 8, 2011
Recently people frequently asked how to eliminate afflictions and sufferings.
There are ways. But they will not let your trouble completely go away through
only giving a few sentences. In order to truly attain self-mastery and liberation, you
have to systematically learn dharma and study dharma in depth. Otherwise, any other
solution is ineffective just like scratching an itch from outside one's boot or quenching
one's thirst by watching plums.
Buddha told us in Saddharma-smrty-upasthana-sutra: except learning dharma,
nothing else helps tame your mind.

Join the Monastery

Feb 9, 2011
Though the merits of joining monastic life is enormous, it is not possible to ask
everyone to leave mundane life because each person has different good roots and
responsibilities.
Nonetheless, if one can practice good conduct and benefit others, being a layman
practitioner makes no significant difference from being a monk or a nun. Just as Buddha
taught us in Sutra of Cause and Effect in the Past and Present: “All good and evil conduct
stems from the mind, so it lies on the mind to be a real monk or nun.

Giving Lectures
Feb 10, 2011
Recently, I visited some cities and gave a few lectures on The Importance of Faith,
Advice to Read Tripitaka, How Important Money Is, The Necessity of Support on
Dharma, The Core of Buddhism, Seek the Direction of Mahayana Buddhism, etc, as well
as some random talk during the animal liberation events.
Hope this can bring some benefits to everyone!

Accumulate Virtue
Feb 11, 2011
We should perform a good deed every day. Even a smile, a few soft words and a
little compassion delivers warmth and harmony to our surroundings.
Therefore, little by little, we accumulate kindness and virtue every day, like an old
saying, “if you can improve yourself everyday, do that from day to day on an ongoing
basis, consistently improve yourself all the time.

Extremes
Feb 12, 2011
Many laymen buddhists incline to go to extremes: they either quit their job,
abandon their family and fully focus on practicing Buddhism, or, once their families cry
and kick to stop them, completely give up practicing Buddhism and indulge themselves
in the worldly matters after the families.
Falling into either of these two extremes is inadvisable. Learning Buddhism is the
most important and long term commitment, so arranging your daily time properly is the
key to success.
In this way, you will be able to continue to learn and practice Buddhism in any
circumstance until you reach the goal!

Wisdom and Compassion

Feb 13, 2011
What is Buddhism? People have different opinions: some consider it as faith belief,
some treat it as philosophy, some regard it as a science, some say it is mentalism, and
some may even feel it is just about burning incense and prostrating...
Actually, these just have something similar to Buddhism, or, are part of the
substance on Buddhism. But they cannot represent the entire Buddhism’s doctrine.
The true Buddhism is the combination of wisdom and compassion, where the
wisdom reveals the truth of all the phenomena and their nature, and compassion requires
everyone benefits all sentient beings not limiting to human beings.

Superstition
Feb 14, 2011
Buddhism is not a superstition. Albert Einstein said: “The religion of the future will
be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology.
Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising
from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity. If there is
any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism.”
(Albert Einstein: The Human Side, published by Princeton University Press, 1954)

Killing Life
Feb 15, 2011
Life is the most precious thing to any sentient beings, so it is really important that
we do not kill any life
It would be the best if we become vegetarian. If that is not possible, please at least
try not to order any live animal for a meal.
10 years ago, I made a wish of rather becoming a beggar for lives than becoming
one who kills. I wrote: “In all my future lives, even at the cost of becoming a beggar, may
I not become someone who harms the lives of sentient beings, such as a butcher.”

Plants' Life
Feb 16, 2011
 Have plants got life just like animals? The answer is no.
Plants show conditioned reflex when stimulated by the environment and external
conditions. This seems to mean plants have feelings. However, they don't have
consciousness, sense, suffering and happiness coming from the 6 sense organs.
In Nirvana Sutra, Lord Buddha told Kasyapa: “The Buddha Nature of sentient
beings rests in the five aggregates. So destroying the five aggregates is called killing.”
Buddha also said in Shurangama Sutra, that if one think “all the plants and trees in
the universe are sentient beings, just like human beings”, then he or she falls into heretic
beliefs, and “becomes confused about Buddha's Bodhi and loses right view.”

Observation
Feb 17, 2011
Neither should one desperately praise Lord Buddha only because he or she is
Buddhist, nor should one slander Buddhism only because he or she isn’t. If someone
wants to comprehend Buddhist philosophy, he or she should objectively make
observations and comparison with wisdom.
Without in-depth and systematic studies of the Buddhism sutras and sastras, any
words you used to blindly praise or abuse Buddhism will be found very superficial and
valueless.

Following Guru
Feb 18, 2011
Following a guru is not just having verbal promise from him; approaching a guru
does not necessarily mean to live with guru.
The real guru-following is associated to dharma. If the guru did not expound any
dharma to you, you did not learn dharma in front of him, and your mind did not have any
improvement, then staying around the guru every day is still like a long distance from
him.
If you profoundly understand your guru’s teaching and eliminate your afflictions
with it, than you really are following the guru, even if you are physically far away from
him.

Mahayana
Feb 19, 2011
Being a qualified Mahayana practitioner requires many criteria. In summary, I
think there are three main points:
1. Strive to diligently practice Dharma gates for taming mind
2. Strive to promote Dharma that is the source of all interests and happiness
3. Strive to benefit all the sentient beings impartially
 These sentences are simple, but the meanings are very profound!

Personality
Feb 19, 2011
Dharma practice requires good personality - this is the essence of teachings from
our Kyabje (Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok) Rinpoche over the years.
In fact, it doesn’t matter if one is not smart; what matters is to have good
personality. A good person does not necessarily mean good looking, sweet sound and
elegant deportment, but a kind heart.
Only with good personality, one can expect to succeed in Dharma practice;
otherwise, one could never succeed in transmundane practice and would simply become
an armchair strategist. Lama Chen!

The Aspiration
Feb 21, 2011
Benefiting sentient beings can be direct or indirect. Kyabje Rinpoche had said, “It is
great to benefit sentient beings directly when capable, but it is also quite necessary to
make the aspiration to directly and indirectly benefit sentient beings in all life times if
incapable right now.”
Therefore, we should always make this aspiration in front of gurus and the Three
Jewels so that even if it does not come true in this life, we will be able to benefit sentient
beings in future lives due to the inconceivable strength of this aspiration.

Self and Others

Feb 21, 2011
Jin Ying said in Motto Wall (Ch:Ge Yan Lian Bi), “You can become a friend of
everybody if you forgive others as you forgive yourself. You will have very few faults if
you blame yourself as you blame others.” That is, anyone could become your friend if
you show tolerance toward others as to yourself. You will behave appropriately if you
watch over yourself as you watch over others.
Unfortunately, these days, many people are so “forgiving” of themselves and
“harsh” on others that faults are always found in others and forgiveness reserved for
themselves.
This is just doing the reverse!

After Death
Feb 22, 2011
These days I was giving lectures on the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva to some
college students in Tibet. Many of them found it to be very beneficial. I want to share
with you a very profound verse from today’s teaching:
Every phenomenon is impermanent. When we die, we will not be able to bring our
relatives along, no matter how much we want to. Tempting as it is, all wealth have to stay
behind. And no matter how much we cherish this body, it will be abandoned like worn-
out shoes. Only our consciousness will move onto next life, tumbling in samsara by the
force of karma.
Therefore, how could having wealth and beauty compared with accumulation of
merits

Truth
Feb 22, 2011
Do you know how precious truth is? During one of his life times in practicing
Dharma, Lord Buddha willingly gave up his life in order to obtain this four-line short
verse:
All phenomena are impermanent.
They arise and cease endlessly.
When arising and ceasing cease,
it is the happiness of nirvana.
Truth is so precious. Do you know that?

Admonishments from the Saint

Feb 25, 2011
Tulku Ji Gong said in Admonishments from the Saint:
Whatever you have is from your previous practice, so what are you pursuing?
When you take advantage of someone or a situation, you are losing your benefit, so
why are you so greedy?
Not even a single penny could be taken with you at death, so why are you so
miserly?
Gods and goddesses are watching you in the space three feet above you, so who are
you cheating?
Glory, wealth and splendor are as perishable as flowers, so what are you proud of?
Wealth and nobility of others are the results of their virtues from their previous
lives, so why are you so envious?
Suffering in this life is the result of your lack of practice in previous lives, so what
are you complaining about?
Everything will have to come to a sudden stop at death, so what are you busy with?

The End of the World

Feb 26, 2011
In recent years, people take delight in talking about the Hollywood movie 2012
(2009); but will the disaster shown in it really come to us and the world end in 2012? I
personally do not think so.
Of course, natural and manmade calamities are inevitably increasing as
environmental pollution and degeneration of morality escalate.
However, it is on groundless fear that one becomes anxious day and night thinking
the whole world is going to end immediately.

The Antidote
Feb 28, 2011
Han-shan asked Shi-de: “What should I do when others slander, bully, insult, laugh
at, belittle, despise, detest or deceive me?”
Shi-de replied: “Just bear, compromise with, allow, avoid, tolerate, respect or ignore
him and see what happens to him in a few years.”

Padmasambhava
Feb 28, 2011
I have had faith in Padmasambhava since childhood and often visualize and pray to
him as well as recite his mantra. Padmasambhava represents the collection of all the
buddhas and is the deity subduing all the spirits and demons, especially at the time of
degeneration.
When recollecting my practice path, I find that his blessings for removing
unfavorable conditions are immense.
If you have faith in Padmasambhava but do not know how to recite any sadhana or
prayers, you should at least chant his mantra: Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi
Hum.

March 2011
Speech
Mar 2, 2011
As the Buddha said in Mahayana sutras, the speech of sentient beings usually falls
into three categories:
The superior is agreeable, like honey.
The medium is honest, like fresh flowers.
And the inferior is dishonest and reverse, like feces.
Language is extremely essential for human communications, so we should abandon
the last category and speak as honestly and considerately as possible.

Promises
Mar 3, 2011
 When help is requested, the wise never make a promise before pondering it over;
but once they make a commitment, they will stick to it even at the cost of their lives.
The unwise is different. They easily accept whatever others ask for without second
thoughts but seldom keep their promises.
Lao Zi says, “Those who easily make a promise rarely stick to it; those who often
think things are easy frequently have difficulties.

Calmness
Mar 4, 2011
Never let it disturb the calmness of your mind no matter what unfavorable
conditions or suffering you may encounter. If it is still remediable, there is no need to be
angry or worried. If it is not remediable, what is the use of getting angery or worried?
I always use this verse to remind myself and find it very useful, ha ha.

The Pith Instruction

Mar 5, 2011
Once, Sagaranagaraja asked the Buddha: “Is there a simple and easy practice that
covers all the Dharma?”
The Buddha replied: “There are four supreme teachings; if one chants, practices,
fully understands their meaning, even with just a little effort, the merit is as great as
chanting the 84,000 Dharma. What are these four teachings? All phenomena are
impermanent; nothing is unrelated to suffering; no self can be found in anything; nirvana
is the ultimate happiness.”
This teaching is from the Sutra Requested by Sagaranagaraja; I hope you often
chant it and master its meaning.

Making Offerings
Mar 6, 2011
The Prophecy Received by Avalokiteśvara Sūtra says: as a lovely and smart child in
one of the life times before his enlightenment, Avalokiteśvara asked Golden Radiance
Lion Frolic Tathāgata: “What is the best offering among perfume, flowers, music,
bedding, clothes and medicines?” The Buddha replied: “The best offering is to generate
bodhichitta of benefiting all sentient beings and dedicate it to the path for Buddhahood.
This surpasses numerous supreme material offerings to all the buddhas.

Making a Fortune
Mar 7, 2011
Nowadays, many people hope to become rich by following Fengshui practice and
fortunetelling.
Actually, Buddha clearly told us that the cause of wealth is not the money tree, not
the fortune beast nor the crystal ball, but practicing generosity. The more you give, the
more you get. Without giving, you will not gain anything.
Without knowing the right cause, you will end up heading in the opposite direction.

Charity
Mar 8, 2011
Statistics from China Charity Federation indicate that rich people in China possess
more than 80% of the total wealth, but their donation to charity is less than 15%. In sharp
contrast, China is one of the largest consumers for luxury goods in the world.
Besides the rich, if the ordinary people could spare a lavish meal or a piece of brand
name clothes, it could support the needy children's education and change their lives.

Under Control
Mar 9, 2011
It is very important to keep our speech under control. If you let drop whatever
comes to your mind, the listeners may not show their disagreement for the sake of
manner, but they will feel the discomfort inside.
In fact, inappropriate speech is always a bane. As Master Han-Shan said,
“Meaningless chatter brings discord; cruelty leads to faults.”
Thus, we should watch our speech and not talk irresponsibly.

Virtuous and Vicious

Mar 10, 2011
Good or bad? Virtuous or vicious? How to distinguish them?
The key is the motivation.
With virtuous motivation, an unsatisfactory result is still a merit; with a malicious
intention, a great success is not a virtue.
As Je Tsongkapa said, “A kind heart creates the virtuous path; a malevolent mind
leads to the wicked path. Everything depends on our own mind; thus cultivate a kind
heart diligently.”

A Great Sage
Mar 11, 2011
Yesterday, I met two professors from Fudan University who graduated from Yale
University. They said their years of study proved Buddhism indeed the shortcut to reveal
the truth.
Similarly, in Xu Shoushang’s “In Memory of My Friend-Luxun”, Luxun said,
“Buddha Shakyamuni is such a great sage! Many difficult problems that I have
encountered in my life were already explained by him long time ago! Such a great sage!”

The Earthquake
 Mar 12, 2011
Recent severe earthquakes in Japan and Yunan(China) have suddenly caused
massive loss of families and properties, death and injuries!
To liberate the victims and pacify the survivors, let us pray to Amitabha and
Avalokiteśvara and recite their names and heart mantras!
The victims and survivors will benefit from the aspiration of all buddhas and
bodhisattvas, the truth of their mantras and our pure faith!
Om Mani Padme Hum

A Seminar
Mar 12, 2011
Last night, I gave a seminar on “The Material World in the Buddhist View” at
Fudan University in Shanghai.
After comparatively analyzing the relationship between quantum mechanics and
emptiness, I finished it with a quote from the former chancellor of University of Science
and Technology of China, Zhu Qingshi, “When scientists finally reach the mountain
summit, Buddhist masters are already there awaiting them!”
I hope those with fortune will reflect on it.

Prayer
March 13, 2011
More lives are threatened by tsunami, aftershocks, nuclear leaks and volcano
eruptions after the 9.0 earthquake in Japan.
I was very sad to hear about it and realized how fragile we still are despite current
advanced science and technology and vast wealth.
Today, I earnestly appeal to you again to sincerely pray to deities, such as
Padmasambhava and Tara, for their blessings and wish the calamity not to escalate any
further.

Scorn
Mar 15, 2011
Some people become discouraged when their Dharma practice and virtuous actions
are scorned by others. Actually, there is no need to worry.
As was said in ancient times, “Hearing the Tao, the inferior laugh at it; if it were not
because of the profundity of the Tao, they wouldn’t have laughed.”
Thus it is not a shame to us when our virtuous act is mocked; instead we should be
proud of it.

Cyclic Existence
Mar 16, 2011
 Having read the series of reports on the Japanese earthquake the last two days, I
could not help myself thinking of a quote from Buddhacarita, “In the three realms,
everything is impermanent and involuntary, and the burning flames of sufferings are
endless. Having realized such, how could the wise bother to seek happiness here?”

The Nature
Mar 16, 2011
After releasing animals in Nanjing yesterday, we went for a meal in a farmhouse
where dishes made with wild shepherd's-purse, Artemisia, Indian aster and
chrysanthemum nankingense were served; and strawberries were grown in the
greenhouse. This reminded me of the time when I had herded yaks as a teenager and
picked wild strawberries on the mountains…
I really enjoyed this meal and thought it is really good for the busy urban people to
appreciate the purity and simplicity of nature.

Making Aspiration
Mar 18, 2011
We should often recite and make this aspiration:
May I be born in the higher realms with the seven good qualities in every life;
May I have access to real dharma right after every rebirth and have the freedom to
practice it;
May I delight my lama and practice dharma day and night;
May I realize the truth, practice the essence and transcend the ocean of the three
existences in that very life;
May I be able to spread the supreme dharma to sentient beings and benefit them
tirelessly;
May all sentient beings achieve enlightenment through my great unbiased cause.

The Bright Lamp

Mar 19, 2011
The beautiful Pure Land is my dreamland;
The compassionate Buddha is my lifetime idol;
My busy friends, where are you heading?
The bright lamp of Dharma is lightened for you!

The Afflictions
Mar 21, 2011
When you realize the primordial nature of afflictions such as desire and hatred,
affliction is Bodhi. However, if you could not recognize it, affliction is still affliction,
and Bodhi will be far out of reach.

Social Skills
Mar 22, 2011
Our Kyabje (Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok) Rinpoche has taught us a wonderful pith
instruction on how to treat other people: respect the superior as much as you can, get
along well with the similar, and take good care of the inferior with loving kindness.
I have greatly benefited from it over many years, and was able to handle lots of
things easily with this it.

The Treatment
Mar 22, 2011
Today, when I went alone to get my prescription filled in a city, standing for about
two hours in the street, I could not get a taxi to take me. At the sight of my Tibetan
monastic robe, the taxi drivers either drove away quickly or refused me with some
excuse.
Finally, I had to hide behind an electric pole and rushed into the back seat as soon
as the previous passengers got out of the car. When the driver saw me, it was too late for
him to run away.
Haha. I wonder why we are getting this kind of treatments.

Privilege
Mar 22，2011
Today, when I went alone to get my prescription filled in a city, I waited for about
two hours on the street but could not get a taxi. At the sight of my Tibetan monastic robe,
the taxi drivers just ran away or refused me with an unreasonable excuse. Finally, I had to
hide myself behind an electric post and rushed into the back seat as soon as the previous
passengers got out of the car; when the driver saw me, it was too late for him to run away.
Haha! I wonder why we have such a “privilege.”

Need
Mar 23，2011
Many intellectuals in modern times really need an education that includes religious
beliefs and ethics. Otherwise, no matter how abundant your material wealth is and how
sharp your worldly intelligence is, real happiness is still not reachable!

Acceptance
Mar 24， 2011
As long as time allows, I will be more than happy to talk with anyone; as long as
there is food, I am not fussy about taste; as long as I can be helpful to others, I will feel at
home wherever I stay. If we learn to adapt, accept, and be at ease with life the way it is,
we will always find happiness in our daily life.

Awareness
Mar 25, 2011
When bringing the awareness to the mind and examining its nature, one could at
that very moment achieve the realization transcending words and conceptual thoughts,
and thus feel deep gratitude toward the guru. HaHa!

Selflessness
Mar 26, 2011
The stronger the attachment to people and phenomena, the greater the suffering
caused by it will be. The ultimate way to uproot suffering is to realize selflessness.
However, people in this time...

Reflection
March 27, 2011
Human rebirth is as rare as the blooming of the udumbara flower; life is as
impermanent as a flash of lightening; cyclic existence is as miserable as being in a
burning house; so, liberation is extremely urgent. Pray to the Three Jewels to bestow the
blessings so that Dharma will dissolve into your mind stream, and you will accomplish
the supreme realization in this very life and benefit infinite sentient beings! ----A
reflection arose while in a noodle restaurant in Barkam.

Embarrassment
March 27, 2011
After having enjoyed the noodle for breakfast and walked away about 200 meters, I
heard a loud shout behind me, When I turned around, I saw a 60+ year old lady in a
floral blouse with a dirty apron rushing towards me. She grabbed me tightly. I was at a
loss and asked her what happened; she said harshly: “Noodle check!” I suddenly realized
I forgot to pay for the noodle. Remembering the price for the noodle was 7 Yuan, I gave
her 10 Yuan right away. She took the money with a well-deserved attitude and walked
away.
This funny and embarrassing episode brought my memory back to the time when
Khenpo Tsultrim Lodro and I went for a Buddhist Forum years ago. On our way to a
vegetarian restaurant, we saw an old lady offering weight-scale service. We weighed
ourselves with zest. Then, the old lady asked for 1 Yuan from each of us.but we could not
find a penny after a thorough search in all possible places around our body. We were
grasped by that old lady and had to call our friends to bring in the money to end that
embarrassing moment.

Gossip
Mar 28, 2011
As the saying goes, “The same word from the public could melt metals; continuous
slander could destroy a person.”That is, if the masses speak out unanimously, it is
powerful enough to fuse the hard metal. If the slander is endlessly spread, it could turn
the truth upside down and put the innocent into death. Before committing suicide, the
prominent film star Ruan Lingyu wrote in her will, “Speech could be really scary.”
Although language does not have form or color, it could sometimes be more powerful
than regular weapons. Thus, we should really watch our language and be considerate
whenever we say something.

Boddhisattvas v.s. Ordinary People

Mar 29, 2011
Master Yin Guang said, “Bodhisattvas are afraid of the cause, while ordinary people
fear the effect.” Being capable of foreseeing the horrible “consequences” at the “causal”
stage, Bodhisattvas would do their utmost to prevent any unpleasant results by
abandoning malicious intentions and acts. On the contrary, ordinary people
unscrupulously create vicious “causes” and are not frightened to escape until the terrible
“consequences” already ripen. However, it is extremely difficult to change a matured
“consequence”. You will have some ideas if contemplating what happens around.

Gain and Loss

Mar 30, 2011
Happiness that modern people are pursuing is like sand in one’s hand. The tighter
we hold on to it, the faster it runs away. In the end, people will find themselves to be
fooled by its transient appearance. It is better to keep in mind that it is my fortune to gain
it; it is my destiny to lose it.” While we make efforts to do something, we should not be
too fixated on the results but learn to accept whatever comes with its conditions instead.

Benefit
Mar 30, 2011
We’d better not be overenthusiastic about modern theories; in fact, lots of
phenomena in religious beliefs could not be explained based on our current knowledge. I
firmly believe that if praying to the Buddha with a one-pointed mind, one will gain
benefit in consistence with his/her capacity, causes and conditions. Even the recitation of
“Namo Buddha” for just one time will bring immeasurable benefit for both present and
future lives.

Request
Mar 31, 2011
Whether you have faith in Buddha or not, if you read this post, I have one request:
if it is not too difficult for you and you don't feel coerced, please recite unconditionally
three times each of the following, “Namo Guru Buddha Shakyamuni”, “Namo
Amitabha”, “Namo Padmasambhava”, “Namo Avalokiteśvara”. Thank you! This will
benefit both yourself and others!
April 2011
Clinging
Apr 1, 2011
Spring is coming with a nimble stride. Flowers give off sweet fragrance, breezes
become vernal and warm, and the blue sky is sparkled with cirrus clouds. verything looks
so beautiful, so why do we cling so much to the trivia?

Fools
Apr 1, 2011
Today is April Fool’s Day in western tradition. I heard many people in oriental
countries are mimicking to play pranks on others. In the present age, the only thing that
we do not lack is lying, so why do we have such a holiday? One lie even as a joke causes
tremendous faults. As the Buddha said, “We should never tell a lie even when
entertaining.” Alas, hopefully, there is a “Wise Man's” Day in the future!

Happiness
Apr 2, 2011
Who is the happiest person? Is it the wealthiest of a nation, the most beautiful of a
country, the most powerful of the present time or the most famous of the world? None of
these are necessarily so. The Buddha told us the happiest people in the world are those
who are satisfied with what they have. The Teachings Given by the Buddha Prior to
Paranirvana Sutra says, “Those who are contented feel happy and ease even when they
have to sleep on the ground; those who are unsatisfied won’t be contented even when
they are in heaven.” Examine yourself and ask, “Am I happy?”

A Drop of Water
Apr 3, 2011
You may save a person in another corner of the world from starving by just
canceling a lavish meal in a restaurant; you may prevent a person from freezing
somewhere in this world by just walking away from a piece of desirable clothes; you may
keep a child from dropping out of school by just skipping a film in a movie theater; you
may help a patient to afford his or her medical expenses by just ignoring a bottle of
unnecessary supplementary nutrition. In fact, a beautiful world is created by your little
changes: an altruistic thought and a small effort…each drop of water can melt into the
ocean of love…

Business Expansion
Apr 4， 2011
Once I met a successful entrepreneur whose monthly profit was around 100 million.
When I asked him about his dream, he replied: “to expand the business!” Later, when I
asked the same question to an owner of a small restaurant who earns hundreds every
month, she also said, “to expand the business!” I could not help myself from laughing
when thinking of their answer. It may be many people’s dream to have a big business, but
is it really the basis of happiness?

Paying Homage
Apr 5, 2011
When making prostration to the Buddha, the great Indian Bodhisattva Nagarjuna
said, “Out of compassion, you taught the Dharma to banish our wrong views. To you, the
supreme Gautama, I pay homage.” That is, in order to eliminate all the extreme views and
wrong views that sentient beings hold on to, Buddha Shakyamuni compassionately taught
the supreme Dharma. For this reason, Bodhisattva Nagarjuna made prostration to the
Buddha with great reverence and respect. Many great Indian and Tibetan masters praised
the Buddha with this verse, so we followers should also constantly recite this verse!

Scratch an Itch
Apr 6, 2011
Some people hold this idea, “Since the monastic live a celibate life and are not
allowed to marry, their life must be very boring and extremely miserable!” To address
this issue, Bodhisattva Nagarjuna used a very good analogy: it is obviously very
comfortable to scratch an itch, but isnt’ it happier to have no itch at all?

Universal Love
Apr 7，2011
Hsu Chih is a 114 year-old Singaporean lay practitioner, known honorably as the
“Mother Teresa of the East.” Her life guideline is “Where there is the poor, there is my
destination.” Her philosophy is “I love everyone because you are all my sisters and
brothers, and the whole universe is my family.”

Sign of Your Realization

Apr 8, 2011
Some Buddhist practitioners become complacent with their practice when they have
certain dreams, signs of realization and sensation, such as having some special vision or
hearing particular sounds. In fact, these are not so important. The best sign of realization
is that through practice, selfish thoughts are reduced and altruistic thinking increases。

Indolence
Apr 9, 2011
In childhood, we are fascinated by all kinds of toys, fantasizing day and night; as
grown-ups, we are captivated by wealth and relationships, filled unceasingly with
afflictive emotions such as desire and hatred; at old age, we are immersed in good health
and longevity, wishing to live longer in every thought. In this way, we have not
accomplished many things with genuine significance. It is true from the ancient time that
indolence can only result in repentance~

Longevity
 Apr 10, 2011
Our monastery is holding a four-day Buddha Amitayus retreat starting from today.
The Sangha members are reciting the Amitayus Long Life Sutra. I hope you can recite as
many as possible the mantra of Buddha Amitayus - OM GURU
AYESUDE HUNGSE AMARANI ZÄWENTAYE SÖHA. May you all
have good health, great longevity, happiness and be free from illness!

Becoming a Buddha
Apr 10, 2011
Many people have a wistful longing for the enlightenment of Buddhahood and are
very fond of talking about it. However, why become a Buddha? Patrul Rinpoche gave us
an explicit answer: to reach the enlightenment of Buddhahood is to benefit sentient
beings, not for individual comfort or happiness; thus, practicing Dharma is to become a
Buddha, but to become a Buddha is to be able to benefit sentient beings!

Natural Disaster
Apr 10, 2011
A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit my hometown, Drakgo (Ch:Luhuo), at 5:02 PM
today. Since the hypocenter was very close to the surface, people felt violent shaking. The
good thing is no casualties have been reported so far. This reminded me of the year of
1973 when I was 11 years old, Luhuo experienced a 7.9 magnitude earthquake. The
casualties were very heavy, and some of my relatives lost their lives in that disaster. Due
to concerns about aftershocks, teachers and students of our elementary schools set up
tents in the playground tonight…

Tanslation in the Tang Dynasty

Apr 11, 2011
I started recently to teach in our monastery Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra - Sukhavati-vyuha
translated by Bodhiruci in the Tang dynasty. This text is one of the five existing versions
of the Infinite Longevity Sutra. The ninth patriarch of the Pure Land School - Great
Master Ouyi commended, “The translation in the Tang dynasty is the best of the five
versions.” Great Master Yinguang also praised it for its style of writing and excellent
coherence. I recommend you to read it if you want to know about Buddha Amitabha and
his pure land – the Land of Bliss. http://t.cn/hr4aoc

Gratitude
Apr 11, 2011
Thank you very much for your concerns and prayers to all the Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas for Luhuo’s safety after the earthquake! I have not heard any casualties so
far. People were shocked but not in danger!

Worry and Fear

Apr 12, 2011
 Some people did an experiment: when a frog was thrown into boiling water, it
jumped out immediately; while if the frog was placed in a pot of cold water which was
slowly heated, it did not have the energy to jump out by the time it realized the water
temperature had increased. This must be what Mencius said, “Worry and fear can force
one to survive; comfort and ease can ruin one to death.”

Three Phrases
Apr 13, 2011
In practicing Dharma, our view usually goes through three phases: at the beginning,
mountains are viewed as mountains and rivers are seen as rivers, just the same way as
ordinary people do. When some realization has been achieved, mountains are not
perceived as mountains and rivers are no longer rivers; all the previous views are found
to be completely opposite and illusory. After enlightenment, out of great compassion,
one will voluntarily return to the ordinary world and approach sentient beings. This time,
one will see mountains as mountains, rivers as rivers, just to go along with worldly
beings.

Tibetan Microblog
Apr 13, 2011
Tomorrow is Apr 14. Last year, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit Yushu, Qinghai and
countless sentient beings lost their lives on this day. I hope you recite as many as possible
the mantra of Avalokiteśvara tomorrow. I have decided to register for a Microblog for
Tibetan Culture and in memory of this date and will share my experience, feeling and
teachings from great masters in both Tibetan and Chinese. http://t.cn/hrxknb

Tibetan Buddhism
Apr 14， 2011
American psychologist Dr. Daniel Goleman said, “The model of mental health one
finds in Eastern psychologiesand Tibetan Buddhisim is the example par excellencereally
overreaches and extends, in a very powerful way, our own notion of mental health. What
intrigues me is that I was never told a thing about this in my graduate training or in any
psychology course, although these psychologies have been applied for more than two
thousand years.”
from MindScience: an East and West Dialogue (1991:91)

Performance
Apr 15, 2011
Without genuine bodhichitta, chanting and studying Mahayana sutras and shastras
day and night, performing ceremonious rituals and giving great speeches will merely
accumulate merits for rebirth in human and god realms and do not lead one’s way to the
Mahayana path of liberation!

Recognizing the Nature of Mind

 Apr 16, 2011
I pray to the Guru and the Three Jewels to bless all sentient beings!
May we recognize the primordial nature of mind from its basis,
Be free from all afflictive emotions and sufferings,
Obtain the ultimate unsurpassed happiness,
And never be deluded by the illusory external objects!
Once the nature of mind is recognized, the great happiness is far beyond the sensory
stimuli from any of the external objects satisfying the five desires!

Small Accumulations
Apr 17， 2011
Sakya Paṇḍita Kunga Gyeltsen said, we should memorize one favorite epigram
every day; like diligent honey bees and busy worker ants, we can become the wise after
years of such small accumulations. Sakya Pandita lived about 800 years from now but his
saying is still appropriate for the current age when MicroBlog is very popular; it can
bring people some harvest after a busy day.

Act Wisely
Apr 18, 2011
When you possess all the wonderful things, do not be;
When you get the cold shoulder, do not lose your spirit.
The path of life is winding in its nature;
It is the act of the wise to remain calm and handle everything imperturbably! With
ease.

Do not Forget
Apr 19, 2011
When you possess enviable youth, please do not forget wrinkled skin and gray hair
will arrive sooner or later;
When you live a free and happy life, please do not forget death may come
unexpectedly at any time;
When you put all your energy into this short life, please do not forget the direction
of the endless future life times is in your hand right now…

The Path
Apr 20, 2011
To pursue the truth through wisdom, to protect all sentient beings through
compassion and to realize the luminous nature of mind through right faith, this is the path
of countless great accomplishers throughout history!

Great Aspirations
 Apr 21, 2011
Kyabje Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche said the essence of the 100 thousand
great aspirations of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is the ten great aspirations made by
Bodhisttava Sambhatabhadra; the latter can be further condensed as “to spread Dharma
and to benefit sentient beings.” Do you know this?

Release the Heart

Apr 22, 2011
It is very necessary for people with or without a religion to tolerantly and open-
mindedly learn from, understand and care about each other.
Raymond John Baughan said it nicely,“What is asked of us in our time is that we
break open our blocked caves and find each other. Nothing less will heal the anguished
spirit nor release the heart to act in love”

Eight Worldly Concerns

Apr 23, 2011
What are the eight worldly concerns?
Wish for gain and fear of loss，
Wish for happiness and fear of suffering, Wish for fame and fear of taunt,
Wish for praise and fear of slander.
Without banishing these eight worldly concerns, this life is not given up;
Without giving up this life, liberation is as difficult as to reach for the sky.

Conflicts
Apr 24, 2011
Conflicts and disagreement among people are usually caused by self-attachment.
Without self-attachment, most conflicts won’t happen.

Forgiveness
Apr 25, 2011
When dealing with people who have harmed us, even if we could not generate
loving kindness and compassion toward them, we should never let hatred arise because
they were driven by ignorance and afflictive emotions and had no control over
themselves…

Reliance on Guru
Apr 26, 2011
In this short life span of several decades, it usually takes people a long time to
interact with each other and find out the family background, education and personality of
the other in order to find a suitable companion. Thus, how can we rush it and take it
lightly when it comes to looking for a Guru who will be the reliance of our wisdom
development life after life? Kyabje （ Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok ） Rinpoche said,
nowadays, without any examination, many people rush to rely on a guru who just shows
up around, just like hungry dogs coming across some lean meat. However, after a very
short time, they start to slander this guru in all circumstances. This is so unreasonable!

Impermanency
Apr 26, 2011
Flowers do not bloom forever;
Beautiful scenes do not last long;
Every phenomenon is impermanent…

Transformation
Apr 27，2011
When experiencing happiness, we should realize this is the effect of previous
virtuous acts and dedicate it to all sentient beings; when enduring suffering, we should
recognize this is the result of previous negative karma and while repenting vigorously,
make aspiration to take in the sufferings of other sentient beings. This is a supreme pith
instruction to transform the favorable and unfavorable conditions into the path and also
the key of daily practice.

Earth
Apr 28， 2011
As global industrialization has become more and more developed, the extraction,
waste and destruction of natural resources have reached the utmost degree: soil erosion,
greenhouse effect, species extinction, forest depletion, water contamination and ozone
layer breakdown…what we used to see: the green mountains, emerald rivers, blue sky
and white clouds, have all become fairytales. Indian Mahatma Gandhi said, “Earth
provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.” Hope we all
think it over!

Danger
Apr 29, 2011
Life is like a flickering butter lamp in the wind which is in danger of extinguishing
at any time. Milan Kundera said, “Life is a tree with all possibilities.” Nobody could
foresee what we have to face next. Thus, we should cherish the present!

Relaxation
Apr 30, 2011
In ancient times, people go to work at sunrise and finish at sunset; their life was in
comfort and ease. Later, in order to reduce working hours and have more spare time,
people invented machines. However, the result turns out to be just the opposite. People
end up having to run after machines and become busier than before. “Excessive work” is
everywhere. In fact, we should learn to relax and accept things as they are. Only in this
way can our agitated mind become calm and the radiance of wisdom gradually be
brought out.

May 2011
International Workers' Day
May 1, 2011
Today is May 1st, International Workers' Day, but the majority of people do not
need to work. Many people who have gone numb with working finally find a chance to
rest with elevated thoughts. In fact, appropriate relaxation and rest can help one work
more efficiently. May everyone have a happy holiday and enjoy some rest both mentally
and physically~

Persistence
May 2, 2011
In my childhood memory, the most admirable person is Lama Yulo. I lived in his
home during the entire time when studying in elementary school. Every day, he got up
before day break reciting mantras, making prostrations and reading books. He would then
mediate in the afternoon and chant sutras at night. He had lived in this way for several
decades without any interruption. When he passed away, he had recited more than half a
billion times of mantras.
“Without each small step, there is no way to walk a thousand miles;
Without each small stream, there is no way to form rivers and oceans.”
Short time diligence does not make a big difference. Life time diligence is the most
important!

Free from Disturbance

May 3, 2011
The environment in which the body lives can often be changed by the mind. If the
mind is tamed, the surroundings will naturally become quiet. Even if the body lives in a
noisy city, one can still be free from any disturbance. Tao Yuanming of Jin dynasty said,
“When living in an environment of crowded people,
One can still be undisturbed by the noise of chariots and horses;
When asked how to achieve this?
When the mind is free from disturbance, the environment naturally becomes quiet.”

Fortitude
May 4, 2011
The biggest failure in one’s life is self-abandonment. With a strong mind, one will
not be let down even at the time of tribulation. Without surrendering in front of difficulty
and believing oneself can definitely overcome it, the inconceivable strength will be
witnessed sooner or later. Su Dongpo said, “From history, people who have done great
cause not only have great talent, as compared to ordinary people, but also great fortitude.

Caring
May 5, 2011
To people around us who need help, we should give money if rich, offer labor if
strong, and provide insight if wise. As Jewel Heap Sutra (Ratnukuta Sutra) says,
“Give advice to the unwise,
Give goods to the needy,
Provide medicines to the ill,
Offer protection to the unsecured,
Provide shelters to the homeless,
And offer dependence to the dependent.”
This is not only advocated in Buddhism; Mo Tzu (Ch: Mo Zi) also said,
“Be ready to help others when strong,
Be eager to share with others when rich,
Be willing to teach others when leaned.
This way, the hungry will have food, The lonely will have clothes and the disorder
will be pacified.”

Attachment to Emptiness
May 6, 2011
Many people think that once we start to study Dharma, we should not be attached to
anything. However, they have failed to realize that their "not attach to anything" is an
extremely strong attachment. In fact, before recognizing the nature of mind, we must care
what is virtuous and what is right. This is just like we need a boat to cross the river.
Before reaching the other shore, we cannot abandon it. Otherwise, what will happen if we
discard it when we are still in the center of the river? The answer is obvious.

Renounce the Mundane World

May 7, 2011
Some people asked, "If I cannot renounce the mundane world physically, will it be
the same to do it from my mind?" My answer is, "It is easier for us to physically
renounce the mundane world, but to do it from the mind is the most difficult. If you
cannot do it physically, that means your mind is probably not able to do it either." In fact,
it is easy for anyone to boast, but can you really do it? Have you really understood the
nature of all phenomena and given up the material life? Please carefully examine your
own mind!
 Mother
May 8, 2011
There is a Tibetan saying, “The mind of a mother is like water and the mind of a
child is like a rock.” In the present self-centered society, using family and job as their
excuses, too many children leave their mothers out of their world. They don’t care about
their mother's aging body and the loneliness in her mind. They forget how much
hardships their mothers endured without any complaints to raise up them. Today is
“Mother’s Day”; let us reawaken our gratitude toward our mothers~

Superficial Try
May 9, 2011
In order to tame our mind and get rid of all afflictive emotions, it is far from enough
just to read a couple of books or practice for a very short time. Just like a patient with
serious chronic disease, it is undoubtedly unrealistic for him/her to expect himself/herself
to recover and return to healthy condition by taking only a couple of pills.

Buddha’s Birthday
May 10，2011
Today is the eighth day of the fourth month according to the lunar calendar, the
birthday of Buddha Shakyamuni. We should show our gratitude toward the Buddha who
has opened the gate of supreme wisdom and compassion for all sentient beings. I hope
that you all chant “Namo Guru Buddha Shakyamuni!” as much as possible!

Showering Buddha
May 10, 2011
This is a picture of Choje Rinpoche participating in a Showering Buddha ceremony
abroad in 1995. I took this picture myself and treasured it up till now; today I want to
share it with you.

Seeking Dharma
May 11, 2011
Last night, I got a book called “Seeking Dharma in the Land of Snow”. Out of
curiosity, I read it through in one sitting. It described a person’s circuitous experience of
Dharma practice, during the time of war and chaos, from the age of 13 to more than 80
years old. It depicted the journey of his Dharma seeking in Tibet. The author said, no
matter what happened during this period of time, “I always practiced Dharma accordingly
with a humble attitude and never dared to be slightly indolent!”

Cause of Disease
May 12, 2011
There are more and more strange diseases nowadays, whether it is the physical
disorder of the four great elements or psychological depression and infantile autism.
Many patients seek help from doctors and medicines everywhere but find none of the
medicines work. This is because, according to the Buddhist scripture, there are two
causes of disease: the first is previous karma and the second are external conditions. For
the latter, it is relatively easier to deal with; while for the former, it is very hard to get rid
of by merely relying on doctors and medicines. Practicing purification of karmic
obscuration is required in this case!

Wenchuan
May 12, 2011
Three years ago today, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit Wenchuan. According to a
statistic report, 69,000 people lost their precious lives in an instant. Today, three years
later, let us chant the mantra of Avalokiteśvara for all the victims: Om Mani Padme
Hum! I hope everyone recite at least more than 100 times~

Ji Gong
May 12, 2011
Ji Gong, is a well-known name to lots of people, but many think he is a figure in
fairytales and are not aware that he did truly exist in history. His behaviors appeared
weird and crazy but he was actually a great master with high realization and was honored
as the fiftieth patriarch of Chan School. He said, not paying homage to parents but to the
Buddhas, what are we respecting? Taking revenge on each other will never come to an
end, what confliction are we creating? Worldly fair is like a game of chess, what are we
plotting? Trying to be clever but is played fool by the cleverness what are we clever at?
Right and wrong will ultimately be clearly revealed, what are we arguing about?

Personality
May 14, 2011
In modern times, it is necessary to have the ability to cooperate with others.
Without a good personality, conflictions, the fire and smoke of fights and wars will
endlessly arise when come to cooperation. In this way, no matter how excellent your
skills are and how exquisite your talent is; there will be no use of them, just like the
broken cup in a dream and the shattered moon shadow on a water bubble. Then, what is
the basis for a good personality? It is kind-heartedness and having no ill intention to harm
others.

Great Compassion
May 15, 2011
On a battlefield, a soldier was about to shoot an old monk. The monk asked, “Can
you wait a moment?”. After that, he immediately rose to the sky and descended down to
the ground in lotus sitting position, liberating himself in an instant, with a drop of tear at
his eye corner. Why did he do this? As a matter of fact, it is said in the sutra that killing
any supreme beings will result in one’s falling into hell. The old monk had such great
compassion toward this soldier that in order to stop the soldier from committing negative
karma, he’d rather put an end to his own life. The tear at his eye corner was just the sign
of great compassion toward sentient beings~
 Dewachen
May 15, 2011
If we recite Namo Amitabha as many times as we can, Dewachen is not far from us.

Faith & Understanding

May 16, 2011
The Buddha said in Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, “Mere faith without understanding will
just increase ignorance; mere understanding without faith will just increase wrong
views.” Without wisdom, faith is simply superstition and will just increase one’s
ignorance; without faith, wisdom alone is just the capital for arrogance and will
eventually increase endless wrong views. Thus, faith and wisdom are like the two feet of
a person. Lacking either one of them will result in one’s not being able to go too far on
the path of liberation!

Mother’s Love
May 17, 2011
Once, an unfilial son planned to abandon his elderly mom in the mountain woods.
When he was heading forward, his mom left marks with branches along the way. To
prevent his mom from coming back using the marks, he intentionally chose winding and
remote narrow trails which made him exhausted and sweaty. Finally, he threw his mom to
the ground and said fiercely, “I’ve walked such a long way. Let’s see how can you find
the way back!” The mom whispered, “I didn’t make those marks for myself; I just do not
want you to lose your way back.” This is Mother’s Love~

Gratitude
May 18, 2011
I just had some cherries, and my mouth is still full of the sweet taste. I cannot help
myself from thinking where they came from. In order to have these cherries available,
numerous people have to work very hard in every stage from sowing, havesting, selling
to transportation. The ancients said, “When having a bowl of rice or porridge, think it is
not easy to make. When wearing even a thread of silk, always thinks they are made with
efforts.” May we appreciate everything around us! Cherish merit!

Husband and Wife

May 19, 2011
Buddhism is not something that attempts to persuade everyone to abandon their
families and become monastic; neither does it completely deny love between men and
women or marriage. The Buddha taught us in the Sigalovada Sutta (Ch: Shan Sheng Jing)
that husbands and wives should respect and be courteous to each other. A husband should
love and respect his wife through five activities; while a wife should respect and listen to
her husband through thirteen activities. This way, both the husband and wife will share
one soul in two bodies, and the family will be harmonious and prosperous.
 Choice
May 20, 2011
If you have two choices: one is to become beasts, such as cattle and/or horses, but
have the opportunity to hear Buddha’s names every day; the other is to be rich, noble and
unsurpassed honorable but do not have the opportunity to hear Buddha’s names during
your life time. What should the wise choose? The former. This is because as long as one
can hear Buddha’s name, it would be easy for him to get liberated. The temporary wealth
and fame cannot be brought with us at birth or at death. The Buddha said in Avatamsaka
Sutra, “One should rather be born in the lower realms and constantly hear the Buddha’s
names than be born in the higher realms without the opportunity to do so.”

Ridding off Suffering

May 21, 2011
When in anguish, you should look for the whereabouts of this sorrowful mind.
When you cannot find it anywhere, the suffering will spontaneously dissolve. This is a
supreme pith instruction! Long ago, when the second patriarch of Chan School, Hui Ke,
asked master Buddhadharma to calm his mind, Master Buddhadharma said, “Give me
your mind, and I will calm it for you.” Hui Ke could not find the mind by any means;
then Master Buddhadharma said, “Here you go! I’ve already calmed your mind.”

Praise and Insult

May 22, 2011
If you are a lion, when scolded as a dog, you will not become a dog; so you do not
need to feel angry; if you are a dog, when praised as a lion, you will not become a lion
either; so you do not need to be complacent. Therefore, praise cannot make you better
and insult cannot make you worse. There is no need to cling to this. This is the attitude
we should have toward the comments by others.

Making Friends
May 23, 2011
Whether you can make good friends or not depends on you. When friends point out
your faults, there is no need for you to get outragous. Instead you should treat him or her
as your teacher. Why? No matter how perfect a man is, it is impossible for him/her to
notice all his/her faults; so, reminders from others are very necessary, just like Emperor
Tang Taizong used Wei Zheng as a [mirror]. If you are dull and stupid, stubborn and
unwilling to humbly accept and correct your faults,, then “perfection” will gradually
leave you behind.

Becoming a Nun
May 24，2011
After careful reflection, someone was ordained just now; she was a postdoc at the
University of Tennessee. In her application to ordain, she wrote,
“It has been a dream in the past thirty years;
 Coming and going are endless and emptiness.
Don’t say the wonderful youth is worthy of cherishing;
The ups and downs in the ocean of samsara is endless?
After abandoning all the worldly engagements,
I examine the perfect face of Buddha Amitabha.
When the nature of mind is realized,
I can then repay my old mother’s frown.”

Formality
May 25, 2011
Some people consider refuge taking, ordaination and so forth as mere formality,
thinking as long as we have the virtuous mind, there is no need to go through this
formality. However, under some circumstances, specific formality is very necessary.
Otherwise, if all the formality is extra, then it should be enough for worldly men and
women to just fall in love. Why would they take the trouble to register for the marriage
certificate and hold wedding ceremonies?

Cooling Down
May 26, 2011
When you are misunderstood, undeserved or not understood by others, and you
become furious, make sure you do not make any decision or take any actions under such
an impulsive circumstance. Instead, please take a break, cool down, have a deep breath
and count in your mind from 1 to 10. This way, you give yourself an opportunity to calm
down and prevent youself from doing foolish things. If you do not have any faults, then
the innocent is innocent. Right and wrong is resolved without the need for argument.

Simple Life
May 27, 2011
Buddhism advocates being satisfied with little materials and keeping a simple life.
In fact, many scientists in this world share the same view. Einstein once said, “I believe,
simple and unsophisticated life is good for everyone both physically and
psychologically.”

Quintessence
May 29, 2011
Many people have heard the word “Mahayana Buddhism”, but what is the most
profound essence of Mahayana Buddhism? Lots of people do not really understand it. In
fact, it can be summarized in one sentence, which is noted in the Lotus Sutra: “not for
one’s own happiness but for sentient beings to be free from sufferings.”

Praise and Criticism

 May 30, 2011
When being praised by others, we should be alarmed and be careful not to become
arrogant; when others point out our shortcomings, we should feel joyful as it can help us
improve. If you can do this, all merits and virtues will be close to you.

Knowing and Practicing

May 31, 2011
Some theories are not just for being known but to be put into practice once
understood. It is said in Huang Di Nei Jing: “For the path, the supreme beings will fulfill
it, but the fool only admire it. For the real great path, the supreme beings will live on it
while the fool only bear it in mind and hold it as decoration.

June 2011
Children’s Day
Jun 1, 2011
For our lovely little friends. May you have a happy children’s day.

June First
Jun 1, 2011
Today is “June First”, the Children’s Day. Many children in my school were too
excited to fall asleep last night and got up very early this morning to put on makeups for
the performance. On seeing their artless and exciting little faces, I couldn’t help but be
cheered by their joy…may all the children under this sky have a happy childhood and
have gratitude toward everything around them!

Gratitude
Jun 2, 2011
In the journey of our life, a stranger may suddenly appear and change the direction
of it. Just like someone told me today that when her father passed away many years ago,
she was very helpless and did not know what to do. At the time, someone gave her a
buddhist book. She casually looked it through and found at that very moment the feeling
of home for her soul. Till now, she still holds appreciation for the person who gave her
the book. I believe you and I may more or less share similar experiences. We all have
someone to whom we have gratitude.

Dispute
Jun 3, 2011
In dealing with problems and solving disputes, no matter how plausible it is , we
should not listen to one side of the story. Instead, we should try our best to understand
the situations of both sides. This is a fair and reasonable approach, and it is from my own
experience of many years.

Life
 Jun 4, 2011
The goal in your mind molds the way of your life. During the process of realizing
it, even if you have to face innumerable ordeal, misunderstanding and assaults; as long as
you are doing the right things, there is no need to pay much attention to others’ opinions.
Time will prove whether you are successful or not!

Self-contemptuous
Jun 5, 2011
Don’t be self-contemptuous. As long as you make full efforts, you will find the
place of your own sooner or later! Given the example of the well-known Einstein, in his
childhood, he had such a bad stammer and was so slow in action that everybody thought
he was stupid and clumsy. Another example is the great inventor Edison. He was well
known for his forgetfulness and was the lowest score keeper in school. Both of them
became famous giants of science and changed the world through their own abilities.
Looking at their stories, how can you be self-abandoned?

Pure Land of Great Bliss

Jun 6, 2011
Some people think that the Pure Land of Great Bliss is only the work of our mind
and does not really exist. Therefore, there is no need to pray for taking rebirth in the pure
land. For people holding this view, why don’t you examine how strong your attachment is
to this world? If you can perceive this world is empty and have no problem abandoning
eating and sleeping, then it is acceptable for you to view the Pure Land of Great Bliss as
empty; otherwise, if this world is real to you, so is the Pure Land of Great Bliss.

Choice
Jun 7, 2011
When studying Dharma, which one is better: focus on one kind of Dharma or read
and learn extensively? There is no straight answer because it depends on the different
basis of sentient beings. Some people have very simple personality and strong faith, so
they can deepen into just one kind of Dharma. Others have lots of conceptual thoughts,
and they have doubts and wrong views about Buddhism. These people have to read and
learn extensively to dispel the confusion in their minds. Therefore, there is no standard
answer to this question; it has to be determined according to different circumstances.

Courage
Jun 8, 2011
Tomato was first called “wolf peach”. People thought it was poisonous, so nobody
dare to even touch it. Therefore, it required great courage for the first person to try out
tomato to find the delicious taste of it. We should apply the same approach to seek after
truth. Besides the pressure from our own, there are also resistances from the outside
world. However, as long as you move forward with strong perseverance, the success
brought to you by good luck is also unsurpassed.
 The Two Truths
Jun 9, 2011
The most fundamental question in Buddhism is to differentiate the two truths--the
conventional truth and the ultimate truth. Every phenomenon is emptiness at the ultimate
level, and there isn’t a single phenomenon for us to grasp; however, at the conventional
level, the law of cause and effect and cyclic existence truly exist. So, we must abandon
nonvirtue and practice virtue. Without understanding this, it is very easy to mix up the
two truths and think every phenomenon is empty and there is no need to practice virtue.
In this way it is impossible to master the ultimate meaning of Buddhism.

Dharma Gathering
Jun 10, 2011
Starting today, Larong Gar will hold the seven-day great dharma event of
Vajrasattva retreat. It is said in buddhist scriptures that if one recites 100 or 400 thousand
times the mantra of vajrasattva “OM VAJRASATTVA HUM,” even the sin of breaking
the root vows can be purified. Therefore, in this supreme day, I call for everyone to recite
the mantra diligently to purify the sins and obscurations of self and all sentient beings.

Plantain
Jun 11, 2011
In buddhist scriptures, plantain trees are often used to denote that all phenomena
appear spectacular, but if peeled off from the outside layer by layer, it is found to be
“strong in appearance but hollow at the center”. It has no intrinsic entity at all. As is said
in the King of Samadhi Sutra: “Like a wet plantain tree, people try to look for its entity
but find no intrinsic existence from inside out; so do all phenomena.”

Taste of Noodle
Jun 11, 2011
I was in Wuhan and tried their local food “hot dry noodle”. It gave me the same
feeling as described in Chan Buddhism--indescribable; I could not express it in any
language, haha~

Distinction between Right and Wrong

Jun 13, 2011
Nowadays, there are some baffling statements which wear the hat of “Buddhism”.
They give people the wrong impression that Buddhism is for fortune telling and bizarre
power. In fact, when hearing anyone say “Buddhism says…” we should better ask them,
“Which scripture in Buddhism says so?” Otherwise, without a careful distinguishing
between right and wrong, it is very easy to accept whatever is said and completely follow
others’ opinions and be led to the wrong way.

Forgiveness
Jun 14, 2011
 In Mahayana Buddhism, we should not only avoid taking revenge on enemies but
also find ways to extend our kindness to them. As the famous Australian best book seller
Andrew Matthews said, “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel
that has crushed it.”

Acting
Jun 15, 2011
As an actor, one would not forget who he or she is even when taking on the role
whole-heartly. Likewise, when playing different roles in samsara, we should not forget
the primordial nature of mind and that everything in samsara is just a show.

Moon Eclipse
Jun 16, 2011
There will be moon eclipse from 2：23 to 6：03 am tomorrow (Jun 16). The merit
of practicing virtue at this time will increase 70 million folds. Susiddhikara in Han area
says, “It is at the time of eclipse that the most supreme accomplishment will be
achieved.” This month happens to be the sakya month for the birth, enlightenment and
entering nirvarna of the Buddha. The merits of practicing virtue can increase billions and
millions times in this month too. So, please take this chance to practice diligently!

Mind Capacity
Jun 17, 2011
Our mind can be narrow because of strong desire and wide desire.

Visualized Offerings
Jun 18, 2011
When we come across pleasant objects or experience, let it be quiescent valleys,
clear rivers, fragrant flowers, or delicious tastes; we should visualize our guru and the
three jewels above us and make visualized offerings to them. This way, we can
accumulate immense merits spontaneously in our daily life. Like this flower, we can now
visualize offering it to the guru and three jewels~

Persistence
Jun 19, 2011
Whenever we work on something, even though it may be very difficult, as long as
we have perseverance and never give up, we will be successful one day. If you are not
persistent and give up after some time, you would not even break a piece of rotten wood;
on the other hand, if you stick to it and do not give up by all means, even gold and rocks
can be sculpted. As Xunzi said, “Without perseverance, even a piece of rotten wood
cannot be broken; with perseverance, even gold and rocks can be sculpted.”

Greedy for Money

Jun 20, 2011
 A practitioner who is attached to money and obsessed their thoughts over obtaining
money all day long will certainly fail in practice. A worldly person, who is attached to
money and earn money by doing harm to others and breaking the law, may have a short-
lived pleasant time but will not have a good ending at the end. Therefore, it is good to
have a tranquil and simple life. There is no need to unscrupulously pursue anything that
does not belong to us.

Punishing the Vicious

Jun 21, 2011
To punish the vicious is the same as to advocate the virtuous. Is this saying right? In
fact, the key is one’s mind. If someone is very stubborn and incorrigible, you do not
punish him with hatred but with loving, kindness and compassion so that he will not
continue to make those mistakes. It is like how a mom feels when she spanks her
children. This is also advocated in Buddhism.

Seeking Inward
Jun 21, 2011
To calm your body is not as good as to calm your mind; A roomy house is not as
good as a roomy mind; to nurture your body is not as good as to nurture your mind; to
seek outward is not as good as to seek inward~

Making Prostrations
Jun 22, 2011
Making prostrations can generate inconceivable merits as described in buddhist
sutras; besides, it is a very good way to strengthen our body. An old man in my
hometown has been making 100 prostrations every day since he was a young man. Now
he is 96 years old and still enjoys good health. He is so energetic that when climbing
stairs, he needs no help from others.

The View From my Window

Jun 23, 2011
There is a tree outside of my window. Now it is summer, and the tree is very
branchy and leafy, so pleasant. However, all good things are impermanent. It is better not
to attach to it but take time to practice dharma as soon as possible. The Great Master Yi
Yuan from Ming Dynasty said, “Practice immediately to take rebirth in the Pure Land of
Great Bliss, there is no time to wait because birth and death areis impermanent, the
sunshine outside the window flies in a flash, how long can this human body last?”

Having Happiness
Jun 24, 2011
Hollywood legendary movie star Elizabeth Taylor said, “I have beauty, reputation,
success and wealth in this life but do not have happiness.” Do you understand what she
means?
 Memory
Jun 25, 2011
Yesterday, I was surprised to find some little flowers on the mountain which
brought back my childhood memory. I had herded yaks every day before I reached 14
years old. At that time, I had three favorite kinds of flowers; this is one of them. This
flower is unique and only grows in summer on snow mountains. In those days, I walked
on the snow with bare feet and uninterruptedly recited ten to twenty thousand mantras of
Avalokiteshvara every day. Although my study of knowledge started very late, but my
faith in the Three Jewels was very strong!

Time
Jun 26, 2011
“ One inch of time equals one inch of gold”. Most people are not touched on
hearing this. However, let’s think about it in another way: if you can live for 80 years and
one year is 365 days, you only have about 29 thousand days in this life, short of 30
thousand days. Therefore, this human life is really very short! What are you doing right
now?

Heart and Fate

Jun 27, 2011
One with a good heart and good fate will be wealthy and noble all the life; one with
a good fate but bad heart will turn fortune into misfortune; one with a good heart but bad
fate will turn misfortune to luck; one with a bad heart and bad fate will be misfortuned,
poor and short-lived.
--The Song of Heart and Fate

Narrow and Open-mindedness

Jun 28, 2011
People who are narrow-minded are very sensitive; one casual remark can hurt him
severely. To be with him is like to stay with a “time bomb”, being in constant fear without
knowing when it will explode in a sudden. People who are open- minded are
magnanimous; they do not worry or complain too much about anything; They bring so
much peace and happiness to where they are that people are drawn to them involuntarily.
Therefore, it is very important to have great tolerance and stay away from being
preoccupied with petty stuffs.

Eating Meat
Jun 29, 2011
To eat meat is to consume the lives of sentient beings. Believe it or not, if you eat
too much meat, you will have to repay it with your own life sooner or later. Therefore, it
is best if you can give up meat by substituting it with vegetarian food such as the five
kinds of grains, vegetables and fruits. However, if it is really too difficult for you to make
it, you should at least eat as little meat as possible; skipping it once every week, once
every day, one dish in every meal…this way, you will have the accumulated benefits.
Here is the link for “The Faults of Consuming Meat”:
http://www.zhibeifw.com/ssks/qa_list.php?id=549

Solar Eclipse
Jun 30, 2011
There will be solar eclipse from 15：53~17：25 tomorrow (Jul 1). This is the third
of the four solar eclipses this year. I hope no one will miss this opportunity to practice
diligently.
Why are the times of solar or lunar eclipses very important for Dharma practice? As
is mentioned in Kalachacra, the Sun and Moon are the projections of the Chi channel and
the drops of human body. Every one of us breathes 21,600 times every day. Most of the
Chi is from karma and very little of it is from wisdom. However, in these special days,
most of the Chi of karma will turn into the Chi of wisdom. The Chi channel and the drops
operate at special stages. Therefore, the effect of practicing diligently at these times will
be inconceivable!

July 2011
Ordinary
Jul 1, 2011
The English physicist and chemist Faraday rejected the knighthood given by the
nation in his later years and always went to the lab for some trivia. One day, a young man
came to the lab to do some experiment and said to Faraday, who was cleaning the floor,
“You must be well paid by doing this.”He smiled and said, “The more the better.”
“What’s your name?” “Michael Faraday.” “My God! You are the great Mr. Faraday!” He
corrected, “No, I am the ordinary Faraday.”

Cause for Suffering

Jul 2, 2011
It is because what is pursued is wrong that life is suffering......

Moral Education
Jul 3, 2011
Our school is holding the moral education exam - Standards for Being a Good
Student and Child. Through this study, all the children have great change: they respect the
old and take care of the young, understand and apply manner and behave very properly…
and have made their teachers and parents could not stop praising them. However,
nowadays, many adults do not care about this and have never learned it. This is a pity. In
fact, this book is really good; if you have time to study it, it will be great benefit for
getting along well with people and living well in the society.

Benefactor
 Jul 4, 2011
Think this over with a calm mind: in your life who are the people that are most kind
to you? How do you plan to repay their kindness?

Mind Strength
Jul 5, 2011
No matter what you do, the mind strength is required. It was said in the ancient
time, “If others can make it by one try, I can do it after a hundred times. If others can
make it in ten times, I can do it after a thousand times. If one really follows this way, the
stupid will surely become wise, and the weak will certainly become strong.” If others can
make it by one try, I am willing to make a hundred times of that efforts; if others can
make it in ten times, I am willing to make a thousand times of that efforts. In this way, no
matter how stupid a person is, he or she will become wise; no matter how weak one is, he
or she will become strong.

Pursuing
Jul 6, 2011
In the present society, people have too much expectation for their living conditions.
Whether houses, cars, cell phones, clothing or jewels, the best is always pursued. In this
way, since desire is unlimited, no matter you have reached your goal or not, real
satisfaction will never find in your heart. In fact, the ease and happiness of life have to be
realized from your heart, not blindly comparing or seeking~

The President
Jul 7, 2011
Dr. Janez Drnovsek is a vegetarian President. He is a strict vegetarian and believes
that animals and human beings have the same right to live and enjoy the life. As far as
vegetarian diet, hunting, animal experiments and wearing leather products are concerned,
he has his own unique and wonderful insights. You can refer to http://t.cn/apRXEB

Being Self-dependent
Jul 8, 2011
Many people think that as long as they find a qualified lama, it is like they have
bought permanent insurance; their liberation is certainly insured by the blessings of great
compassion from their lama. In fact, the Buddha said, “I have taught you the Dharma for
liberation, but liberation still depends on you.” Therefore, the great compassion of the
Buddha and lama is to point out the direction of your liberation through teaching the
truth. Whether you go there or not is still up to you!

Pure Mind
Jul 9, 2011
If your mind is impure, it is easy to exaggerate the shortcomings of others; if your
mind is pure, you will find nobody around you is not a bodhisattva.
 Uprooting Suffering
Jul 10, 2011
If examine carefully, we will find that the source of all suffering is actually due to
protecting “I.” Therefore, the Buddha taught the emptiness for eradicating self-
attachment which can uproot all kinds of suffering.

Personality
Jul 11, 2011
No matter how capable a person is, if he or she has a bad personality people will try
to avoid this person. It is like the poisonous poppy flower, no matter how enchanting and
delightful it is, nobody dares to approach it.

Meditation
Jul 12, 2011
What is meditation? Meditation can be categorized into analytic meditation and
calm abiding meditation. Analytic meditation means to listen to the Dharma and then
reflect on it and examine its meaning with one’s own wisdom; calm abiding meditation
means to go to solitude and meditate without any rough conceptual thoughts. Therefore,
not only sitting in meditating pose is meditation, listening to the Dharma is also a kind of
meditation.

Being Monastic
Jul 13, 2011
Nowadays, many people don't know that Buddha said in Jewel Heap Sutra, “The
Householders are always worried, while the monastics are always joyful; the
householders are tied up while the monastics are liberated; the householders have too
much trouble while the monastics have no trouble.” Ben Yuan Jing also said, “Due to the
merit of being monastic for one day and one night, one will not fall into the three lower
realms for twenty eons.” Therefore, genuine monastic life is of unsurpassed merit. Even
if you could not make it right now, it is better to try your best to rejoice!

Feeling
Jun 14, 2011
For a student graduated from Tsinghua University, he has studied for so many years
and got a Ph.D degree anyhow, why does he believe in Buddhism? Erudition + a title of
Professor +the sufficient income + a life of ease + a virtuous wife = the value of life. Can
this kind of life satisfy you? What is the purpose of life? Please read the feeling of
Dharma practice by a student graduated from Tsinghua University http://t.cn/aOtLCw

Jul 15, 2011

Reflecting in action, practicing in life~
 Life
Jul 16, 2011
What is the most precious thing in the world? To me, it is Life. Not only I, you too,
all beings treasure their lives. So, we should never kill, never take other’s life at our will.

Care
Jul 17, 2011
Recently, I participated in the first “Care of the World Forum” with the theme of
“Care of Environment, Care of Life.” This forum advocated the date of July 17 to be the
“World Care Day.” In my speech, I suggested that we should not only care the weak
group of mankind, but extend our care to the animals being slaughtered. I wish that we all
will set free as many lives as possible on the day of July 17.

Death of Heart
Jul 18, 2011
As a saying goes, “No tragedy can be worse than the Death of the Heart.” As long
as your heart is alive, you will have a future even when suffering from physical disability
or hardship in life, there will be a new day with a rising sun after the darkness, similar to
what the American blind writer and philanthropist, Helen Keller, became. Then, how can
you make the dead heart become alive? The way is to do more for the benefit of other
people, consider others more, instead of yourself.

Three Doors
Jul 19, 2011
We need to get used to doing things to benefit others, instead of hurting others to
benefit ourselves. We should praise others for the good they have done, instead of
speaking with a sharp tongue, hurting other’s feeling; we should be kind, generous and
tolerant from our heart, not be mean, picky, or always looking for others faults.

Contrast
Jul 20, 2011
Modern people have more and more desire, but their space is getting smaller; there
are more and more cars, but the streets get increasingly narrower; skyscrapers get
increasingly taller, but morality is getting lower. What can we do?

Hope
Jul 21, 2011
To improve the society, we need to start with the education of children. Instead of
teaching them to look for better jobs, earn more money, buy bigger houses or more
expensive cars, we need to teach them how to serve people, how to do one’s best to
benefit others. Only in this way, can we have a bright future, and people will have a
happier life.
 Charity
Jul 22, 2011
What is charity? In Nirvana Sutra, Buddha Shakyamuni said, “Having no hatred but
the wish of happiness for a sentient being is called charity.” If we treat a life without the
hatred to harm him, her or it, but wish him, her or it to obtain happiness, this is called
charity. Therefore, charity is not the privilege of the rich, as long as you have the kind
heart of benefiting others, you can participate in charitable activities.

Attention
Jul 23, 2011
More and more people are paying attention to charity. A lot of celebrities promote
charity and help disadvantaged group with their personal influence, “Not only caring
their own relatives and offspring, but also others’.” Among them, Jack Li and Ming Yao
are typical examples. Ming Yao said: “In foreign countries, charity is as natural as
drinking a glass of water.” This “habit” is so admirable. I wish we can form this habit
soon…

Signs
Jul 24, 2011
With Dharma study, some people feel smug when they have some signs or dreams.
Indeed, this is not marvelous at all and one should not be attached to it. If you want to
know if you have made progress in your practice, what essential are not these external
phenomena but whether you have enhanced the renunciation mind of looking through
everything and the bodhichitta of benefiting others. If not, those signs will only become
the cause of your pride, which will be the huge obstacle for liberation.

Prayer
Jul 25, 2011
Lately, there are severe tragedies of killing in Norway and high-speed trains rear-
end collision in Wenzhou China. Just by an instant, many people are separated from us by
death; survivors are still tortured by the nightmare, in great agony. In African countries,
such as Somali, more than 11 million people are victimized by serious drought. Besides
humans, numerous animals are slaughtered everyday. They are very pitiful. To decrease
their pain, I wish all of us to chant the mantra of Avalokiteshvara: Om Mani Padme
Hum…

Ask for Leave

Jul 26, 2011
Absence note: I need to teach in a city for a few days, and I cannot post there due to
signal problem. Please allow me to be absent for a few days.

August 2011
 Gift
Aug 2, 2001
I am back. Tomorrow is my birthday; although I am negligible and not worth
mentioning, if you have a little bit good feeling for me, I am not going to ask for anything
else but only wish you to liberate some captured creatures; even one life would be my
best birthday gift!

Practicing Virtue
Aug 3, 2011
Today is June 4th in the Tibetan Calendar---the day Buddha Shakyamuni turned the
wheel of Dharma for the first time, and our monastery is holding the Kishitigarbha
Dharma gathering; any virtue practiced today will accumulate immense merit. Dharma
King Ahqiu has recently passed away - no matter which high level practitioners leave for
whatever pure land, their will is for us to provide more benefit to all sentient beings. So I
wish all of you to set many lives free, try your best to do practice virtue.

Aug 3, 2011
Today, I also joined you in liberating creatures! Pray for world peace and the
happiness of sentient beings, Buddhism to be everlasting and all beings get blessed!

Network
Aug 4, 2011
Through micro-blog, blog and other sources, I obtained information about so many
people around the world liberate creatures and practice virtues everywhere yesterday. I
am very pleased. I really appreciate it! Now, in China there are more than two hundred
million people using micro-blog, and doing all kinds of beneficial things, we also need to
use this method to engage in more benefiting activities!

Dispelling Confusion
Aug 4, 2011
Some people do not quite understand what liberating creatures mean – What do
people around the creatures do? When lives from fresh water are set in the ocean, is it to
set free or set to die? Why is liberating creature so important?...
I discussed this issue before, if you are interested, please refer to http://t.cn/a8qREd

Faith
Aug 5, 2011
Some people know that they should not create negative Karma; however, when
temptation comes along, they drift away. Why?
The reason is you don’t have enough faith, only have superficial understanding of
the fault of negative karma without complete belief.
 If you have genuine faith, just as you would not drink something you know is
poison, how can you dare to create negative Karma?

On Love
Aug 6, 2011
There are two types of love; one is to possess, as long as they are happy, they
disregard the feeling of the other. The other is to give, as long as the other is happy, they
do not care themselves.
People in the world keep talk about love and chat affection day and night. However,
if you scrutinize, most people’s love is selfish---if the other side makes them happy, they
will love; if the other side is disloyal, their love turns to be hatred. This kind of love only
makes oneself and others suffer, what is so good to talk about?

Aug 6, 2011
Should you lie down and rest on the grass with flowers in Tibet, even for a little
while, you would forget you have to hurry down the road.

Great Love
Aug 7, 2011
As a Mahayana Bodhisattva, his love towards sentient beings is like the love of a
mother towards her only child, not from talking by mouth, but in the marrow, it is
unselfish and unconditional, as is written in the Ornament of the Mahayana Sutras ,
“Love others more than you love yourself, benefit others and forget yourself.”

Exhortation
Aug 8, 2011
Many people said they want to follow Buddhism, and asked me how to learn it. If
you have time, it is better for you to systematically study the key essential book A Guide
to the Boddhisattva’s Way of Life by Shantideva. Though I might not explain it well,
however, these are the Bodhisattva’s Vajra words; no matter what you practice, Sutrayana
or Tantrayana, you need to thoroughly study this commentary. http://t.cn/hejVBL

Understanding & Practicing

Aug 9, 2011
In the process of Dharma study, studying the Dharma and meditation are both
important and indispensable. If you do not like to study the Dharma, without the
knowledge of basic Buddhist theory, practice will be a blind; if you only know the theory
but never practice, only talking without doing, you will become immune to the Dharma.”

Declining
Aug 10, 2011
Buddhism is very profound knowledge; without systematic study, it is difficult to
grasp its principles.
Many people are very enthusiastic when they just start to study the Dharma;
gradually, their faith declines so they cannot finish their practice with a good ending.
Why is that? Because when you do not really understand Dharma, wheat you say and
what you do will just stay at the superficial stage, unable to counteract afflictive
emotions.

Meditation
Aug 11, 2011
Nowadays, due to busy lives and work pressures, many people are anxious, uneasy
and worried about loss and gain. To overcome such unhealthy state of mind, Buddhist
meditation is very helpful.
The simplest way to meditation is, firstly, gaze at a statue of Buddha, then close
your eyes and visualize it; repeat this practice every day until you can visualize the statue
very clear. This way, you can adjust and improve your mental and physical health, as well
as enhance wisdom, eliminate negative karma, and obtain many supreme benefits.

Narrow Mind
Aug 12, 2011
In the chapter “Autumn Water”, Chuang-tzu said, Do not talk about the ocean with
a frog living at the bottom of a well for it has limited by narrow settings; do not talk
about the snow of winter with a insect living in summer for it is limited by short life; give
up talking about profound theories with a peasant living in the countryside for he is
limited by little education.
Therefore, when the mystery of Buddhism is mentioned, such as the existence of
the Pure Land of Great Bliss, many people scoff at it; this is also caused by their limited
knowledge and experience.

Return
Aug 13, 2011
How broad the sky is! But what is broader than the sky is our human mind. Let’s
not be bounded by our selfishness, and set our mind back to the state of primordial
vastness…

Formality
Aug 14, 2011
Nowadays, many people say that they only like the theories of Buddhism not some
formality of Buddhism.
In fact, most “formality” is the carrier of theories; with such “formality,” theories
get the chance to be passed on. As in mundane world, ceremony and custom are the
carriers of traditional culture; with them, many cultures will not die out.
Therefore, meaningful “formality” can keep the culture passing on, so we must
keep them.

Tantrayana
Aug 15, 2011
Why is Tantrayana taught secretly? Is Tantrayana the Lamaism specializing in
clairvoyance? Does Tantrayana in Tibetan Buddhism? Treat your master as the Buddha -
does that mean we should follow the person instead of the Sutra? Is it logical to
immediately enter the state of Buddhahood in this life?... Should you have these types of
questions, we encourage you to do some research about what Tantric Buddhism is at
http://t.cn/aOyTol

Confusion
Aug 16, 2011
Life without a right direction is blind and confused.
Many people have been busy in their entire life, yet get nothing in the end; some
even experience indescribable suffering. The reason for this is that they do not have a
clear goal of their life and have never thought about what is most important in their life.
Are the things they regard as important in life really meaningful?

Mahayana Buddhism
Aug 17, 2011
What are the view of life and value of Mahayana Buddhism?
Acknowledging the existence of past and future lives is its view of life;
wholeheartedly benefiting others is its value.

Neglect
Aug 18, 2011
An artist drew a dot on a blank paper, had it framed and used it as his motto.
In fact, this picture delivers very profound meaning: when we grasp onto one point
we always end up in a dead end bystreet, neglecting what around it, and fail to see the
vast space. So, we can also draw a black dot on a piece of white paper, place it on a
nightstand and take a look at it when in bad mood as a reminder.

Wise Belief
Aug 19, 2011
Belief must be examined and analyzed through wisdom.
Belief gained through wisdom does not change easily, and will be table. Without
wisdom, belief will easily turn to be superstition, and make people play the parrot and
change back and forth in accordance with good or bad comments from others.

Prayer Wheel
Aug 20, 2011
 Prayer Wheels, as a representative of Tibetan scene, always appear in videos or
pictures related to Tibet. No matter in which monastery of Tibet, you can find big prayer
wheels, requiring the force of several people to move it.
What is the merit of the prayer Wheel? What is the necessity of turning the prayer
Wheel? If you want to know it, please refer to http://t.cn/aR3cRT

Difference
Aug 21, 2011
There are different motivations to study the Dharma: for the good fortune in human
and god realm of this life or future life, for one’s own liberation or for the liberation of
sentient beings.
Even for the same virtuous deed, different motivation results in different merit.
Therefore, we should not judge the facade of external behaviors with experience, because
we cannot see their heart.

School Starts
Aug 22, 2011
We are recruiting new students for our two elementary schools. More than three
hundred and thirty Tibetan children were accepted; most of them are needy children or
orphans.
At the sight of their brilliant smile and expecting eyes, though a little bit tired,
teachers and I still felt worthy.

Nutrients
Aug 22, 2011
Only when it continuously takes in water and nutrients, a big tree can grow strong,
branchy and leafy.
Likewise, only with continuous absorbing of valuable knowledge, and the nutrients
and water of wisdom and compassion, can our life irradiate its glory.
Once without them, our life will become dim, withering day by day…

Abhorring Fathers
Aug 23, 2011
Nowadays, it is always said, “Abhorring Father is not Gang.” Abhorring why one’s
father is not Jiacheng Li or Gang Li?
As a matter of fact, according to the view of cause and effect, what sort of father
you have in this life is determined by the karma in your last life; therefore, there is no
need to complain the external unfairness but to start with accumulating merit with your
own virtuous deeds!
 Mind Capacity
Aug 24, 2011
It may not give any feeling when a piece of fine hair is placed in one’s palm, but
when it is put in an eye, it can cause great pain.
Likewise, a small issue is nothing for people with comprehensive mind, but when it
happens to those who are narrow-minded they will be strongly irritated, take it into heart
and cannot let it go.

Harmony
Aug 26, 2011
From a family to a nation, all the wars and conflicts, big or small, are kindled by
self-centeredness.
With an altruistic heart, no matter what sort of enemy one may encounter, enemies
can be transformed to be friends and no contradiction is unsolvable. Hence, it is not
difficult to realize the so called “harmonious society.”

Meat V.S. Meatless

Aug 27, 2011
In present, every five second sees a child die of starvation.
But do we lack food? Not really. In order to consume meat, human beings use 36%
grains and 74% soybeans to feed livestock, but 90% nutrition is meaninglessly wasted,
becoming their feces.
According statistics, if one person has vegetarian diet for one day, twenty people
can avoid starvation for one day. After comparison, what are you waiting for?

Dream and Illusion

Aug 28, 2011
A lot of people say “all phenomena are like dream and illusion” but may not have
ever thought about what dream and illusion are actually like.
If examine everything with Buddhist wisdom, we can obtain a thorough
understanding. At the ultimate level, all phenomena are free from characteristics, empty
and selfless; at the conventional level, they are like dream and illusion, appearing yet
without intrinsic existence. This can be proved through logic reasoning and meditation.
Unfortunately, not many people understand it.

Rhubarb
Aug 29, 2011
There are several Rhubarb growing in my yard - taller than my house.
When I herded yaks in my childhood, I always ate them. Later, I came to know that
rhubarb is an herb which has the effects of digesting food, eliminating heat in the body,
cooling down the blood, getting rid of the stasis, detoxification, and so forth.
 Charging
Aug 29, 2011
If a man born in this world has great bliss, it is a result of positive karma created in
his past lives. Therefore, put aside other things, even just for some bliss in your future
life, you should try your best to practice virtue and abandon all nonvirtue.
Just as recharging your cell phone, the power you are using to talk on the phone
was charged before today, and when the battery is drained, it is off. If you want to use it
tomorrow, you need to recharge it today. In the same way, we should give up nonvirtue,
adopt virtue and increase accumulation.

Diminishing
Aug 30, 2011
People desperately seek wealth, lover, and position, but only feel happy when they
just get them after great tribulation; slowly, this kind of happiness keeps shrinking, which
is called in economics, “the law of diminishing marginal utility.”
Practitioners’ pursuit of realizing the nature of all phenomena is completely the
opposite. Once we achieve enlightenment, what we obtain is more that our expectation,
and there are more surprise; it is everlasting, and become fresher as time goes on.

Eliminating Desire
Aug 31, 2011
“ Wisdom is revealed after abandoning materials” is an important concept in
Confucianism from the Great Learning. “Abandoning materials” means to eliminate
one’s desire for materials; “wisdom is revealed” means primordial wisdom will appear.
That is to say strong desire for materials veils our wisdom; in order to purify mind and
reveal wisdom, we should first start with eliminating desire for materials, content with
spareness and enjoying the truth!

September 2011
Theory
Sept 1, 2011
Theoretic and academic study is no doubt very important, but to incorporate it with
mind to tame the afflictive emotion is the key.
Only in this way, theories would keep the fresh vital force, rather than waxy words
or something to show off.

Supreme Morality
Sept 2, 2011
Generally speaking, genuinely wise people do not think they are wise; moral people
do not think they are people of morality.
It is also said by the ancients: “People of supreme morality do feel they are moral;
people with little morality cling to their morality. When people cling to morality, it shows
they do not understand morality.”

Worldly People
Sept 3, 2011
A verse in the Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom goes, “Worldly people
have restless mind; they wish for blissful effect, but do not create the cause for it; they
pursue the three existences rather than nirvana.”
Worldly people only seek happy result but unfortunately ignore the cause of
happiness; however, without sowing the “cause,” where comes the “consequence”? They
only pursue small secular happiness, rather than the great bliss of liberation, picking up
sesame but losing a water melon; this is indeed unworthy!

Practice
Sept 4, 2011
There was a famous great accomplisher in Tibet, called Relo Dorje Zhab.
Once, he was getting ready for a long term retreat in solitude to abide in steady
concentration. At that time, his deity appeared in his vision and told him: “Even if you
abide in the concentration of quiescence for thousands of eons, the merit is not as great as
to sow the seed of liberation for one sentient beings.” After receiving this instruction, he
kept wondering in different places, maturating and liberating sentient beings.
Hence, benefiting others is the most meaningful practice.

Sept 4, 2011
It is a beautiful day today, I am reading the Commentary on Pramanacarttika under
a tree~

Buddha’s Aspirations
Sept 5, 2011
Before achieving Buddhahood, Buddha Shakyamuni had made 500 great
aspirations for the sake of all sentient beings; one of them is,
“In order to plant the virtuous root in the mind stream of one sentient being, I am
willing to experience the suffering in the Unintermittent Hells with a joyful mind for ten
great eons!
In order to plant the virtuous root in the mind stream of one sentient being, I am
willing to take rebirth as animals, hungry ghosts, poor yakshas and needy people to
experience all kinds of sufferings!

Self-respect
Sept 6, 2011
 To be a good person, one must have self-respect and self-esteem. If one takes
liberties with lots of actions and tramples one’s personality, then it is not reasonable to
complain about others or circumstances or feel unfairly treated. It was said in the ancient
time, “A substance must first rot before worms live on it; a person must be self-
humiliated before other people start to insult him or her.

Right View
Sept 7, 2011
Faith should be built up on the basis of wisdom. Without one’s own examination
through wisdom, if one gains faith in somebody or something just because of other’s
positive comments, then it is just blind faith, not the genuine faith. The Buddha said, “My
disciples, please do not completely accept my instructions just because I am the Buddha.
You are welcome to examine my teachings again and again; just like refining gold, only
through refining for thousands and hundreds times, can the pure and faultless right view
come into being.”

Faith
Sept 8, 2011
Faith can be emotional and rational. Seeing Buddha statues, Buddhist temples, and
great masters and so forth, one may have tears without any reason and feel very excited;
this is the emotional faith; it is not reliable and easy to withdraw; however, through
studying and listening to the Buddhadharma, and gaining genuine conviction that “The
Buddha is never deceptive.” This is the rational faith, and with this kind of faith, even if
facing the unfavorable circumstances such as “The Culture Revolution”, one will not give
up the faith in the Three Jewels.

Cherish
Sept 9, 2011
For most people, the days being together with friends and relatives are very warm
and nice. However, all those will manifest impermanence. It is an unchanging law that
whatever comes together would separate in the end. Therefore, we should cherish the
present relationship, respect and love each other, and do not only realize its preciousness
only when you lose it~

Thailand
Sept 9, 2011
Today is Sept 9, which reminded me of Sept 9, 1999 when I spent one week in
Thailand. I wrote a book called the Journey to Thailand to record what I saw and heard
on that trip. Twelve years have passed since then and I have already forgotten most
experiences, but the flourishing of Buddhism in Thailand is still unforgettable for me. If
you are interested, at your leisure, you can leaf it through at http://t.cn/a1shBL

Teachers
 Sept 10, 2011
Today is Teacher’s Day. First, I want to show my appreciation to all our teachers.
Without your edification, we will not have today’s knowledge; meanwhile, I also want to
thank all the teachers in this world, who are shouldering the hope of the future. I want to
say, “Teachers, you have worked so hard! Thank you!”

Sept 10, 2011

I composed a lyric of Being Grateful to Teachers on the Teacher’s Day last year.
Later, somebody composed a beautiful melody for it. Today, I want to present it to all
teachers: http://t.cn/aBUynF

Reunion
Sept 11, 2011
Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival, the time for the reunion of family members.
However, will your reunion deprive the right of reunions of other sentient beings? Is the
delicious food on your dinner table built on the bereavement and separation by death of
other beings? Putting yourself in their shoes and exchanging their feeling, if you were
them, what do you feel?

Wishes
Sept 12, 2011
When thinking of his relatives from afar on the Mid-Autumn, Su Dongpo wrote the
following wonderful lines, “People experience sorrow and joy, separation and reunion;
The moon appears dim or bright, wax or wane; This imperfection has been going on since
the beginning of time. May we all be blessed with longevity; Though a thousand miles
apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon at the same time.” Now, I am a
thousand miles away from you, but when looking up tonight, we will see the same moon.
When you see the moon, you will see my wishes: May you have a happy Mid-Autumn
Festival; May your altruistic mind increase day by day like the wax moon and finally
become perfect like the moon on the fifteenth day!

No Killing
Sept 13, 2011
When being killed, the animals are very miserable, but the killers are more
miserable-through this process, the killed animals have burned out their karmic
obscurations of past lives, but the killers have created the cause for suffering the effect of
paying back their lives in future lives. Therefore, to advocate no killing and liberating
creatures is not just for the sake of animals. Believe it or not, this is indeed the truth!

Care
Sept 14, 2011
When the tides went out, countless small fish were left in the sand trap with very
little water; it is obviously going to dry out when the Sun comes out. A child ran back and
forth to throw the little fish back to the ocean. After seeing this, an adult derided, “There
are so many fish; how can you save them all. Who cares what you are doing?” The child
answered him while keeping throwing fish back to the ocean, “This fish cares…This fish
cares, too…”In the same way, there are so many suffering sentient beings in these days; it
is great even if you can only help one of them, because he or she cares!

Kindness and Wisdom

Sept 15, 2011
In order to put love into practice, Kindness and Wisdom Foundation has made some
practical contributions in less than half year. Now, the principle projects are providing
financial support for a hundred college students, taking care of the senior and college
student public welfare contents. Besides, we also have spared no effort to advocate
environment protection, propagate traditional culture, take vegetarian meal on Monday,
do one virtuous deed every day and so forth. May the drops of our love fuse into a clear
stream of this society and waken the white lotus in the heart of the public!
http://t.cn/hesDVY

Tara
Sept 15, 2011
Mipham Rinpoche said, “At the age of degeneration, the blessing of Tara is most
effective.” If we always pray to Tara and recite her mantra, “Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture
Svāhā”, except the special definite karma, all the hardships in the process of Dharma
practice can be eradicated and natural disasters and manmade misfortunes, such as
flooding, fire and so forth, can be avoided. Hope you will recite as much as you can!

Difference
Sept 16, 2011
The great Indian teacher Je Atisha said the borderline between Buddhists and non-
Buddhist is drawn by whether one has taken refuge in the Three Jewels; the difference
between Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism is whether one has generated bodhichitta.

Room
Sept 16, 2011
As far as genuine jewels are concerned, very few people can identify them; in the
term of truth, even fewer people, as few as the feather of phoenix and the horn of unicorn,
are able to accept. Therefore, when encountering unfamiliar knowledge, you should not
rush to reject it but take a break and examine it first, leaving a room for yourself.

Mother’s Kindness
Sept 17, 2011
When we first come into this world, our bodies are very weak and we could not
even wipe off tears and feces. It is our mother who spares no effort and experiences all
kinds of hardship to raise us without any complaint. Our mother saves all the best food
and best clothing for us and does not use them herself; our mother’s kindness is as great
as a great mountain; as children, how could we do not remember and repay their
kindness?

Mother’s Love
Sept 17, 2011
A homeless cat comes to my yard every day; to avoid her starvation, and also avoid
her catching mice, I always feed her full. This year, she gave birth to four kittens. She
always brought her babies here at meal time. I hid myself and peeked at her; she always
let her babies eat first and after each of them get full belly, then she went to lick up the
leftover. This is mother’s love!

Remembering Kindness
Sept 18, 2011
Every sentient being, including ants and mosquitoes, has been our mother in one
after another life in the process of transmigration in cyclic existence. Now, due to the
obscuration developed in embryo, we have already completely forgotten their past
kindness. However, in past lives, they protected and loved us just as our mother in our
present life. If we can remember this, how can we have the heart to harm them? How can
we not hope for them to be free from suffering and to obtain happiness?

Existence
Sept 19, 2011
Some people say, “Past life cannot be remembered and future life is not visible, so
there is no meaning to knowing past and future lives.” In fact, it should not be said in this
way. Take this present life as an example, what happened yesterday, you cannot
remember most of it, but it does not mean it does not exist; tomorrow is not visible, but
you still work very hard for your future. Since you place such importance on the present
life, as short as several decades, why don’t you prepare for the boundless infinite future
lives?

Being Buddha
Sept 21, 2011
Many people do not fully understand “sentient beings are the Buddha.” In fact, the
nature of sentient being is Buddha, but due to the obscuration of the ignorance dust,
Buddha’s good quality cannot be revealed. Just like a mirror covered by dirt, the mirror
itself is bright and clear, but due to the heavy obscuration on the surface, the mirror could
not reflect anything, Therefore, in the aspect of being clear by intrinsic nature, sentient
beings are the Buddha; however, in the aspect of being clear by removing obscuration,
sentient beings are not yet the Buddha.

Harmony
Sept 22, 2011
 Today's society is completely different from what it was in ancient times. Modern
people, whether monastics or common folk, cannot live without cooperation. If someone
has very poor teamwork skills and cannot work with others, then they will find no place
to stay in any community. Therefore, we all must learn to get along well with others.

Double-edged
Sept 23, 2011
Suffering is like a double-edged sword. For weak people, it is lethal; for strong
people, it is a powerful aid for success. How to transform suffering into an aid for success
is the essential practice in Mahayana Buddhism~

Attainment
Sept 24, 2011
Some followers commented in the biography of Geshe Potowa in this way, “In his
whole life, he had never had a thought to harm sentient beings; even the thought of
getting enlightened first for himself had never arisen in his mind stream; his only thought
is to benefit sentient beings and lead them to Buddhahood.” This kind of attainment is
really admirable~

Admonishment to My Son
Sept 25, 2011
Before he passed away at the age of 54, Zhuge Liang wrote a letter to his son called
“Admonishment to My Son.” It says, “This is the way of life for a man of virtue: to
cultivate and nourish one’s body and mind through the calmness of mind, and to improve
morality through thrift. Without being indifferent to worldly concerns, one cannot define
a clear goal; without abiding in internal peace, one cannot fulfill a long-term aim. To
study requires concentration, to improve knowledge and skills demands hard work.
Without hard work there is no way to enhance wisdom; without determination there is no
accomplishment. Tardiness and indolence prevent one from being diligent; testiness and
levity prevent one from improving temperament. As time flies, one ages swiftly and
ambition wanes. Finally, just like falling leaves from withered trees, one will become
useless to society, lamenting in the humble hut; what is the use of doing that?” Do you
understand the meaning?

Wrong Zone
Sept 26, 2011
While chanting “Namo Amitabha Buddha,” some people kill mosquitoes and flies
in their houses and think this is to kill two birds with one stone, because in this way they
can not only keep themselves from disturbance by the pests, but also transfer their
consciousness to pure land. In fact, putting aside if you are able to transfer their
consciousness, let’s just imagine in this way, “If one person kills you while chanting
Buddha names, what do you feel?” Is it genuine loving-kindness and compassion for you
to kill them just because they have bothered you?
 Pests
Sept 27, 2011
Some people believe that mosquitoes and flies are pests because they have impaired
the welfare of human beings. If this is true, human beings have harmed the welfare of
numerous animals for the sake of their own survival, aren’t human being greater pests for
animals?

Equality
Sept 28, 2011
In the natural scheme of life, animals and human beings share a common right to
live. There is no evidence to prove that we as humans have the right to deprive animals of
their lives, to eat their meat and blood, and to wear their fur and skin. Some people have
done this because they have not examined the issue carefully and their wisdom eyes are
deluded by the shade of confusion.

Accumulating Merit
Sept 29, 2011
If you wish for success in your career, your family in harmony and good health, you
must accumulate merit; if you wish to avoid unfavorable conditions or entering wrong
path in your practice, you must accumulate merit; if you wish to gain wisdom and to
realize emptiness, you must accumulate merit…however, the fundamental cause of merit
is to practice virtue and always consider the feelings of others.

Buddha and Evil

Sept 30, 2011
When a malicious thought arises, it is the evil; when a virtuous thought arises, it is
the Buddha. The difference of just one thought is the line which distinguish the difference
between evil and Buddha.

October 2011
Mind and Buddha
Oct 1, 2011
When you recollect the Buddha and bodhisattvas, the thought at that moment is the
Buddha and bodhisattvas; this is indeed a profound pith instruction! The Chan Master
Huang Bo in Han area also said, “Your mind is the Buddha; the Buddha is the mind; the
mind is not different from the Buddha; therefore, it is said, “The mind is the Buddha.
Outside the mind there is another separate Buddha.”

Illusory Thoughts
Oct 2, 2011
In different eras, people have different predilections. King Ling of the Chu state
particularly liked slim figures, so in order to please him the ladies in the palace starved
themselves to dizziness and even to death. King Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty especially
doted on concubine Yang Yuhuan, so none of the ladies in the country disagree that being
fat is beautiful. Look backward from now, all these are just like a dream. In the same way,
whatever we attached to today is going to be the dream of tomorrow~

Unfairness
Oct 3, 2011
At the beginning of this year, a coal master in Shanxi bought a Tibetan mastiff for
30 million yuan; two days ago, another person spent 10 million yuan for a Tibetan mastiff
in Yushu. On one side, people are enamored of dogs to an extreme extent; on the other
side, people put extreme torment on dogs by killing and eating them; this kind of
conceptual thought is really unimaginable!

Uncertainty
Oct 4, 2011
As the saying goes, “There is no age discrimination on the way to the river of the
dead. “Death arrives not as slow and regular as we think. It is uncertain of the way and
time of its coming at any time; who is able to guarantee he or she can see the sun next
year or even tomorrow? Therefore, we should abandon our attachment to this life as soon
as possible and prepare for the endless future lives!

Exceeding
Oct 5, 2011
Only after the invention of microscope in modern time, people have found our body
is the habitat of a great number of microorganisms. However, more than 2,500 years ago,
through inerrant wisdom, the Buddha already asserted in the Mahayana Sutra of
Examining the Earth-Like Mind, “Taking the large intestine as an example, eighty four
thousand bugs are living in it.” Therefore, the teachings in Buddhism are not only
scientific but also exceeds.

Wisdom
Oct 7, 2011
If you treat every single day as if it is the last day of this life, then those wrong
pursuits will disappear spontaneously and you will realize what is the most meaningful
for you!

Hitting the Needle

Oct 8, 2011
Some people think, killing animals is different from killing people because animals
cannot speak and also are not as intelligent as human beings. For this view, the 18 century
British philosopher Bentham refuted, “The point is neither if they are intelligent, nor
whether they have the ability to speak, but falls on whether they are capable of
experiencing suffering and happiness.” This statement really hits the needle!
 Setback
Oct 9, 2011
During the thirty years from 1831 to 1860, the 16th president of the US, Lincoln
had run for election eight times but lost every single time; he had tried twice to start up a
business but failed both; his fiancée died when they were preparing for the wedding after
engagement; he suffered a breakdown. However, he didn’t compromise when
encountering all of these and finally became one of the greatest presidents of the US
through his strong will. Therefore, when facing obstacles while practicing virtue, we
should also be strong-minded like him and never give up easily!

Understanding
Oct 10, 2011
No matter how nice the teaching is, if believing you already understand it but
actually only staying at the literal level and never deeply reflecting on the meaning let
along putting it into practice in daily life, then the teaching is still the teaching and you
are still you; the gap between you and the teaching is wide enough to run a horse~

Faked Fans
Oct 11, 2011
I just learned recently that fans on microblogs can be faked. I registered this micro
blog account just to exchange thoughts and ideas with some people. I don't care my
popularity, and no money is spent on this. I should not have so many fans!

Three Sutras
Oct 11, 2011
Tonight, I have perfected the teaching on the Sutra on the Contemplation of Buddha
Amitayus (Amitayurdhyana Sutra ； Ch:Guan Jing). Plus the previous finished the
Amitabha Sutra (Amiturdhyana Sutra) and Infinite Life Sutra (Amitayuḥ Sutra), we have
successfully completed “The Three Sutras of Pure Land Tradition!” I felt particularly
hopeful that I could be reborn in the Pure Land of Great Bliss (Dewachen) when reading
the moderate and minimum criterion of taking birth in Dewachen in Guan Jing and was
very happy! Hope you can read these sutras at your convenience!

Awareness of Fall
Oct 12, 2011
Out of the window, the fall leaves all turned into golden, fluttering back and forth in
the rustle fall wind. Certainly, each and every one of them will fall after a short time; not
a single leaf will remain. In the same way, our life will eventually leave this world one
after another. No one could be born without death. Therefore, every phenomenon around
us is the “qualified teacher” who is teaching impermanence~

Experience
Oct 13, 2011
 When you are bewildered, it is better to seek help from the wise with rich
experience; when you are too slack, it is better to read the teachings of the sublime
beings; when you feel tired physically and psychologically, it is better to brew a cup of
strong Pu'Er Tea.

Small Things
Oct 14, 2011
Even a short trail could make many people reach their destination; even an
unknown figure could bring happiness to many sentient beings; even a simple aphorism
could become the wonderful medicine to dispel the afflictive emotions of many people.
Therefore, do not look down on small things!

Wrong Pursuit
Oct 15, 2011
Lots of people always believe that more wealth brings more happiness. In fact, this
is a delusion. The more money you have, the more worries and fear you have to suffer. As
is said in the past by a Tibetan master, “If all you had was a block of tea you could still be
sure of having a block of tea’s worth of trouble. If all you had was a horse you could still
be certain to have a horse’s worth of misery.” In the same way, a car could bring you a
car’s worth of trouble; a house could cause you a house’ worth of misery. Do you think
so?

Final Destination
Oct 16, 2011
Many people feel inauspicious and try to avoid mentioning the word “death,” but in
fact, every single human being has to face it. No matter how wealthy, how talented or
how beautiful you are, this “dead end” is still your final choice. Have you prepared for it?
What can you take along with you at the time of death? We cannot avoid thinking about
it. Lama Chen!

Misleading
Oct 17, 2011
In the last 70s or 80s, many mass media interpret the action of renouncing worldly
life as a way of escape, so that, at the sight of the monastic people always think that they
must have encountered some great shock in their life. When I went to western countries, I
found people do not hold this idea because their media have not propagated in this way.
So, I really wish people who make films in related subjects should really learn about
Buddhism first; otherwise, many people would be misled.

Fearfulness
Oct 18, 2011
When will the effect emerge after one committing negative actions? The Buddha
told us that some will ripen soon in that very life; some will mature in next life; others
may not ripen until after several lives. Nevertheless, as long as the “cause” is sown, no
matter how long it is, even a thousand or ten thousand years, its “effect” is bound to ripen
at the end without reducing even a little. This is the fearfulness of the law of cause and
effect!

Past Life
Oct 19, 2011
In 1926, a girl called Sanlati was born in India. When just being able to speak, she
started to talk about her last life. At first, her parents thought she was talking nonsense;
after she depicted her past life in great details, such as she died of an unsuccessful
cesarean section in 1925…in order to test the authenticity, Indian Mahatma Gandhi
organized an investigating committee of more than 300 experts from various countries to
verify it and the results showed it was real.

Rationality
Oct 20, 2011
Many people believe that scientists are the most rational group of people so that
they should not believe in any religion. However, Gallup organization in America has
investigated the beliefs of 300 famous scientists in the past 300 years, and the results
showed that 242 scientists believe in religions, 20 do not and 38 could not be certain of
their attitude toward religion. In other words, 92% of scientists have their religious
beliefs. Especially for those who have won the Nobel Prize, it was found that 93.27% of
them believe in religion.

Need
Oct 22, 2011
Human beings need pure air and quiet environment, but what human beings need
more is exalted morality and altruistic behavior!

Causes of Happiness
Oct 23, 2011
The greater the attachment to oneself, the more suffering one has to undergo. Once
you do not attach to yourself anymore, and turn the pivot of life to the virtuous deeds
benefiting others, then you will unknowingly get rid of all the stuff that put you under
stress, such as putting every effort to pursue fame and wealth, worrying about gaining
and losing relationships…, and become genuinely happy!

To Resolve
Oct 24, 2011
When being furious, it is very hard for us to realize our own faults, so that our
approach to settle the problem is merely to place the hope on other’s change and be
unwilling to listen to other’s explanation in peace. In this way, the strength to resolve the
conflict decreases greatly.
 Studying Dharma
Oct 25, 2011
Study the Dharma is not to bless yourself, but to give up yourself—not to beseech
the Buddha to bless yourself to become rich, but to bless you to cut off the attachment for
wealth; not to request the Buddha to bestow yourself longevity, but to bless you not to
have attachment for this body; not to solicit the Buddha to help you get rid of evil spirits,
but to bless you not to give arise to aversion toward evil spirits and to treat them with
great compassion.

Difference
Oct 26, 2011
The superior leaders single-mindedly work for the public and benefit many people;
the moderate leaders are only concerned about the warmness of their clothing and the
adequacy of their food; the inferior leaders seek for their own profit through their power,
harming others without reason and making money with all means. In the same way, the
superior Buddhists put every effort to benefit sentient beings; the moderate Buddhists
study the Dharma merely for their own liberation from the ocean of suffering; the inferior
leaders only use Buddhism as a label to cheat other.

Destiny
Oct 27, 2011
Buddhism is not determinism that believes in everything is destiny; not even a bit
can be changed by people’s will. Buddhism is also not non-determinism which believes
that destiny does not exist at all and human beings can determine the nature. Buddhism
told us in this way: destiny indeed exists, but it is created by us so it can be changed by us
too.

Certainty
Oct 28, 2011
If one dies from an accident, it seems like an accident but in fact this person must
have committed vicious cause for this effect in past lives. Therefore, there must be a law
of certainty. It is like a person who committed crime in the past, no matter how far he
tries to escape or how long he can hide himself, it is still possible that the police can
suddenly seize him.

Words
Oct 29, 2011
A fable goes in this way: the northern and southern winds competed to see who was
able to blow off the overcoat of a man. The northern wind took the initial offensive and
blew furiously; that man felt so cold that he wrapped his coat even tighter. The southern
wind blew gently and suddenly it began to breeze and the sun was shining, so that man
felt so warm and he took off his coat. Gentle words are like the southern wind and coarse
language is like the northern wind. The fools believe that it will succeed to use rude
words while the wise can manage perfectly through euphemistical words.
 Objectivity
Oct 30, 2011
The principle of cause and effect revealed by the Buddha is not used to scare people
but to remind people. This truth, whether you believe it or not, is there without increasing
nor decreasing.

Miserableness
Oct 31, 2011
Nowadays, many people were inexplicably born in this world, living with stress,
affliction and competition with no other choices, and had to unwillingly give up
everything that they cherished most and dissolve into the ocean of samsara in the end.
This is so miserable!

November 2011
Buddha
Nov 1, 2011
The Buddha is not the creator of the world who is able to determine our birth,
death, glory and disgrace, but a good teacher who compassionately taught us the truth of
all phenomena discerned by him, guided us to understand what to adopt and what to
abandon, and finally become like him with the wisdom of knowing everything.

Initiation
Nov 2, 2011
The first teacher we meet when arriving in this world is our parents and the first
school is our own home. If parents do not irrigate their child with the correct water of
morality, the “root” of the child will have some problem. Afterwards, no matter how
prestigious the university he attends, how high the degree he obtains and how much
money he can earn, it is impossible for him to grow into a firm lofty tree, bringing the
cool of the green shade to countless sentient beings.

The Middle Way

Nov 3, 2011
What is the lifestyle that Buddhism advocates? It is neither too luxurious,
squandering money as dirt, nor lacking of clothing or food, extremely short of money, but
to choose “the Middle Way”: learning to be content on the basis of being able to sustain
the basic living, not to indulge in one’s desire and become the servant of it.

Unchangeable Thing
Nov 4, 2011
The only unchangeable thing in the life is that everything is changing. Those in
high position and great power would suddenly fall into abyss; those promising to be
together alive and even after death can become against each other like water and fire.
Harmonious and happy family will eventually be separated when the melody ends. Those
with longevity compared to Mountain Nan will leave this world sooner or later.
Therefore, every pleasant thing could not avoid changing and changing is bound to bring
sufferings; this is “all impermanence is suffering” revealed by the Buddha for us.

Taste
Nov 5, 2011
Some people admire luxury and chase named brand, thinking this is a taste of living
which can make them appear extraordinary. However, while fighting for exterior
magnificence, they often ignore the interior self-cultivation. Underneath the stack of top
grade and named brands is not dignity, but one after another mind of upward comparison.
Ms. Chanel, the Founder of CHANEL, said, “Genuine luxury is to cultivate both inside
and outside.” May this remark can inspire some people.

Grounding
Nov 7, 2011
In our life, though we have some happiness but it is temporary and transient.
Therefore, happiness is only sporadic sprinkle not the grounding of life. Zeng Guofan (an
eminent official, military general, and devout Confucian scholar of the late Qing
Dynasty) said, “Among ten things, the unpleasant things are about eight or nine.”

Buddha’s Statement
Nov 8, 2011
Only through understanding suffering and facing suffering, can suffering be
eliminated. Otherwise, blindly deceiving yourself and holding suffering as happiness will
never remove suffering from you. In fact, the Buddha told us not only life is full of
suffering but also how does suffering come into being, as well as how to thoroughly
eliminate them to obtain the ultimate happiness? This is why the Buddha renounced
householder’s life and also the main contents of Buddhism.

Eliminating Suffering
Nov 9, 2011
When you are suffering, it is better to apply the Mahayana pith instruction of
exchanging yourself with others. Visualize at that time, “In this world those who are
suffering like me are numerous; may their suffering ripens in my body; I will substitute
them for their suffering so that they will be apart from suffering and obtain happiness.”
Then, when exhale, visualize all your happiness turns into white air and give it to sentient
beings; when inhale, visualize all their suffering turns into black air and melts into
yourself. This is the best way to eliminate suffering!

Clothes
Nov 10, 2011
A little fox said, “I have one piece of beautiful clothes; I put it on in the four
seasons year round. In my whole life, I only have this one piece of clothes which is the
gift mom give to me at my birth. From then on, I wear it every day and do not take it off
even during sleep at night. Human beings! I have only one piece of clothes, but your
closet is so jam-packed again and again. My clothes are my fur, without it I will become
only a mess of blood and flesh. Your clothes can be changed three times a day, but once
my clothes are taken off, my life is over.”

Long Time
Nov 11, 2011
No matter how wonderful the teachings we learn, it requires our experiencing it for
a long period of time, letting it imperceptibly influence us and change our views on many
phenomena. Otherwise, it is not necessarily to be able to have a quick effect just by
reading it or applying it into practice a couple of times motivated by a sudden thought.

Pressure
Nov 12, 2011
At the end of last month, i.e. Oct 31, 2011, the world population reached 7 billion.
What does this mean? The Earth is only in such a limited size, but the population swells
endlessly, so we have to face a series of pressures, such as inadequate food, resource
crisis and environment pollution. When United Nation Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
was interviewed by U.S. Time magazine, he said, “Food is very rich now but one billion
people still have to go to sleep with hunger every night.” Therefore, our future Earth will
be under great pressure!

Important Thing
Nov 14, 2011
For a person in this world, except birth and death, everything is trivial.

Following the Advice

Nov15, 2011
After doctors prescribing medicines for your illness, if you only hold the
prescription without taking the medicine, your illness could not be cured. In the same
way, when some people clearly show you a path for your life, if you only listen to it
without taking any actions, then it is very difficult to expel your suffering.

Buddha’s Finger
Nov 16, 2011
The relic of Buddha Sakyamuni's finger bone in Famen Temple was acclaimed
as“the ninth wonder of the world” by the United Nations. In the Suvarna-Prabhasa-sutra,
the Buddha said, “Relics result from familiarizing and practicing precepts, meditative
concentration and wisdom; it is very difficult to form and it is the most supreme merit
field.” The Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom also said, “The merit is limitless
to make offerings as small as the size of mustard to Buddha relic.” Therefore, it is better
to generate virtuous aspirations and thoughts in front of this relic; in this way, you can
sow infinite virtue.

Anniversary
Nov 17, 2011
Today is the day when Buddha Descended from Tusita Heaven according to Tibetan
calendar. After counting the date, I realized it is also the first anniversary of my
microbolg; through which I have made so many new friends like you in the past one year
and learnt a lot from your comments! I really appreciate it! I believe we are going to
strike more wisdom sparks through this channel of communication and benefit more
lives!
Translators' Acknowledgments
Most members of the Wisdom and Compassion Translation Center are disciples of
Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche. We would like to thank our master Khenpo Sodargye
Rinpoche and all the teachers of the lineage for their teachings. Only with these
teachings, were we able to gain understanding in the profound meanings of Dharma
which serves the ground of our translation task.

We are deeply grateful to the sangha members in Losel Shedrup Ling Tibetan Buddhist
Center at Knoxville, Tennessee, for their tremendous help of thorough editing, pertinent
advices and great encouragement.
About the Author
Khenpo Sodargye was born in Drakgo in Kham Tibet in 1962. Khenpo relied on His
Holiness Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche as his root guru. He resides in Larung Wuming
Buddhist Institute in Serthar County, Sichuan, taking lead responsibility for teaching the
Dharma to Han China's disciples. Between 1990 and 1999, he gave Dharma teachings in
many countries including the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Holland, United
Kingdom, Japan, Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia.

During the past 20 years, Khenpo translated a great amount of Tibetan sutras and sastras
into Chinese and then taught them. His works add up to over ten million words. This
allows the Buddhists in Han China area to learn Tibetan Buddhism much easier than
before.

In 2006, Khenpo began to utilize modern media such as internet and video to teach
Dharma. He further advocates "Promoting a Loving Heart", asking Buddhist
practitioners to devote love to sentient beings and not to ignore the poor and needy
humans around them. Khenpo founded the Wisdom and Compassion Elementary
Schools, the Novice Monk Schools, senior homes and so on. He is also the honorary
chairman of Shanghai Kindness and Wisdom Foundation.

In recent years, Khenpo was invited to many prestigious universities, such as Tsinghua
University, Peking University, Renmin University of China, Fudan University, Nanjing
University, Zhejiang University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and so on, to hold
dialogues with scores of intellectuals and explore the truth of Buddhism with them which
enlightened the students immensely.
Credit
Cover Design: Chang Hui
Copyright
Accumulation of Drips into Vastness. Copyright © 2012 by the Wisdom and Compassion
Translation Center. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright
Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive,
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text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or
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by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented,
without the express written permission of the Bodhi Institute of Compassion and
Wisdom USA.
About the Publisher

Bodhi Institute of Compassion and Wisdom USA (BICW USA)

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