May bodhicitta, precious and sublime, arise where it has not yet come to be. Where it has arisen may it never fail, but grow and flourish more and more.
Unbroken lineages of wisdom traditions are rare in these times, and Kongtrul Rinpoche descends from a pure lineage of the Dzogpa Chenpo Longchen Nyingtik tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
We have two main study and practice centers in America: Phuntsok Choling in Colorado and Pema Osel in Vermont. Rinpoche teaches the core MSB programs at these two centers. In addition, MSB has several city centers or groups around the world where people gather for group meditation and study, and to listen to the LINK teachings together.
Browse to any of the calendars to find out more about the teaching schedules of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Dungse Jampal Norbu, or Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel. View the upcoming events at Phuntsok Choling, Pema Osel, or find out who is giving the next LINK talk.
MSB is a part of the Longchen Nyingtik and Khyen-Kong-Chok-Sum lineages. (Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye, and Terton Chokgyur Lingpa, collectively known as Khyen-Kong-Chok-Sum, were the heart of the Rimé, or nonsectarian, movement, which did so much to preserve and harmonize all schools of Tibetan Buddhism in the nineteenth century.)
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When we talk about the Dharma as a path, there are three qualities. “Peace” is mentioned first. What do we mean by peace? It means a complete cessation of disturbing emotions. We know how unsettled and distressed we feel when we are engaged in disturbing emotions. So imagine having none of that, and having a sense of total peace in your heart, peace in the core of your being. This is what the path of Dharma provides.
“Clarity” is the second quality. What is meant by clarity? Clarity means beginning to understand something that we were ignorant about previously. We begin to know. We begin to realize. We have removed the ignorance, the confusions, the cloudiness. The path of Dharma, the scriptural Dharma, provides us with such clarity. It brings peace and clarity.
The third quality mentioned here is “remedy.” When somebody is ill, by taking medicine as a remedy, they overcome the illness, and perhaps live a longer life. If they don’t take the medicine, they might die. We might jeopardize our longevity because of pneumonia or bronchitis. But if we take antibiotics, they fight off the illness, and we become well and may live longer.
So the medicine is a remedy in that it fights off the illness. Like that, the truth, the truth of all things – particularly the absolute truth of one’s own mind and the realization of that – is a remedy against all ignorance, confusions, and disturbing emotions, because obscurations in the ultimate sense don’t exist.
We can regard ignorance as the essence of obscurations. When we speak about obscurations, we’re referring to mental delusions, as well as grasping and fixation to the ego, disturbing negative emotions, and the power of habitual tendencies. These are all obscurations. Because they don’t ultimately exist, they’re like a dream. A dream appears, but doesn’t absolutely, or ultimately, exist. Therefore we can awaken from the dream.
In the same manner, obscurations do appear, but absolutely and ultimately they don’t exist. Therefore we can wake up and never fall back to sleep, never lose the truth, as in the example of the enlightened ones.
The remedy here, is light working against darkness. Darkness is one thing and light is another, but in this case, the darkness itself contains the light as its essence. The remedy is nondual and therefore, it is an incredibly powerful and ultimate remedy. So when we take refuge in the Dharma, the qualities of Peace, Clarity and Remedy are always present.
Excerpt taken from Talk 2, “Like a Diamond: Transformation in the Three Yanas”
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