Prerequisites for Renunciation, Part 3 Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche / February 17, 2015 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 […] Prerequisites for Renunciation, Part 3 Read More »
Working with Attachments: Part 1 – Facing One’s Mind Before Facing One’s Situation Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche / February 11, 2015 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 Working with Attachments: Part 1 – Facing One’s Mind Before Facing One’s Situation Read More »
Prerequisites for Renunciation: Part 1 Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche / December 29, 2014 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 Prerequisites for Renunciation: Part 1 Read More »
You Are Not Your Reactions – Part 3 Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche / November 19, 2014 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 You Are Not Your Reactions – Part 3 Read More »
You Are Not Your Reactions – Part 2 Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche / November 15, 2014 As Shantideva says in the The Way of the Bodhisattva, when someone goes to war they study their opponent. This is how we have to study our disturbing emotions (Sanskrit: kleshas). These “poisons” are in certain ways nothing but our own reactions. When you can regard them from a mature viewpoint, with a developed awareness You Are Not Your Reactions – Part 2 Read More »
You Are Not Your Reactions, Part 1 Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche / September 16, 2014 It is very important to recognize that the reactions we feel are not necessarily who we are. These reactions that seem part of us, how we react, are very much about who we were as beings in the past. Whether we’re speaking of our physical actions, our speech, or the activity of our mind, especially You Are Not Your Reactions, Part 1 Read More »
Overmanaging and Mis-Managing Our Lives (Part 2) Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche / August 21, 2014 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, Overmanaging and Mis-Managing Our Lives (Part 2) Read More »
Controlling Your Life: Renunciation and Spontaneity Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche / May 15, 2014 Today I thought we could explore our general tendencies and attitudes about the management of our lives. Often we feel that life is something we must manage, and that we are the true “manager” of our life. We may feel that sometimes we’re on top of it, and doing a good job with this; but Controlling Your Life: Renunciation and Spontaneity Read More »
Remedying A Shaky Mind: Part 3 – Acknowledging Our True Strengths Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche / May 6, 2014 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, Remedying A Shaky Mind: Part 3 – Acknowledging Our True Strengths Read More »
Remedying a Shaky Mind: Part 2 – Accepting All Outcomes Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche / April 30, 2014 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” Remedying a Shaky Mind: Part 2 – Accepting All Outcomes Read More »