Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

Prerequisites for Renunciation, Part 3

Part 3 In moving toward some degree of renunciation, our first step is to be open and nonjudgmental about our suffering, not feeling guilty about it. Judgment and guilt will cloud our minds, preventing our intelligence from coming through. Knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to wisdom. Knowledge is information. It is what you hear […]

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Working with Attachments: Part 1 – Facing One’s Mind Before Facing One’s Situation

We need to recognize the source of our problems and the source of all our perceived threats. We must try to see how they arise from our “self,” and more specifically from our grasping to the self. When we have the feeling of being sucked into a situation, when we feel emotionally drained, or when

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Prerequisites for Renunciation: Part 1

I’d like to address the theme of renunciation. This word, this idea of “renunciation,” as it is meant in the Buddhist teachings and particularly in the Hinayana teachings, provokes wildly different reactions among people. People will respond differently to this word depending upon where they are in their lives, their levels of suffering, and with

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You Are Not Your Reactions – Part 3

Cultivating the kind of detached awareness that I’ve mentioned allows us to develop a maturity regarding our emotional reactions. We gain a perspective that is balanced, not viewing the emotions as “black and white”, so we find that we no longer feel a need to react aggressively or judge our own behavior. Instead of suppressing

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Overmanaging and Mis-Managing Our Lives (Part 2)

Last time, we talked about the two predominating ways that people try to “manage” their life, and the problems which these create. Somehow we need to discover a more balanced approach. The ability to see our situation objectively as well as achieving greater balance can both be accomplished through Dharma practice. As we get older,

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Remedying A Shaky Mind: Part 3 – Acknowledging Our True Strengths

Recalling what we covered previously, choosing faith is the first remedy that gives us strength in difficult situations. This, in turn, brings about the possibility of surrendering as the second remedy. The third and final remedy which I’d like to explain is the genuine and sincere acknowledgement that these two are indeed truly important strengths,

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Remedying a Shaky Mind: Part 2 – Accepting All Outcomes

Last week we spoke about choosing faith as a remedy for the ordeal of a shaky mind. To deliberately choose to have faith in the goodness of people and the world, along with the Three Jewels, will warm the heart that has descended into fearful iciness. This choice of faith will remove the “super anxiety”

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