Self Reflection

The notion of enlightenment means, “not bound”. Not bound to what? Not bound to one’s own mind in ordinary ways; not bound in confusion to all the suffering that one’s mind has produced and is experiencing. So the notion of enlightenment is not something outside of one’s own mind. We cannot imagine achieving enlightenment, let

We have come to cling to our body, speech and mind as our own—as “me” and “mine.” No one really recalls the point at which one begins to consider oneself as “me.” We have adopted this habit, and given it a name so we can distinguish it. But, then we forget it is just a

Part II of a teaching given by Dungse Jampal Norbu at the 2011 NSS Thoughts arise from karma. All of our thoughts are based on cause and effect. When you see that you’re angry, then see the karmic flow of the situation, whatever conceptual thoughts you have will be karmically created because our thoughts are

A teaching given by Dungse Jampal Norbu at the 2011 Nyingma Summer Seminar Lately I’ve been exploring the subject of karma and have become increasingly fascinated by it. Teachings on karma connect closely with all that we study. But precisely because karma is mentioned in so many different contexts, it’s not always clear what we

Many new practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism feel clumsy that their thoughts and actions lack a certain elegance or grace. Why? As you begin to practice meditation, you gradually become more conscious of your less-than-graceful states of mind and your general awkwardness navigating through the world. You might feel clumsy in Tibetan culture, but you might

Lenchak is a term I have been using for a number of years, I have been equating it with attachment, but experientially lenchak is felt as an emotional, almost physical, pain in the chest. It consumes your peace of mind and has the effect of lowering your lungta. Lenchak is like the Epstein Barr virus.

If we have learned how to create samsara, why couldn’t we learn these other things as well? We have to be willing to put time into it. What else is there for us to do? Sit around in coffee shops, drinking coffee and chit-chatting all the time? That’s useless. The essential thing in life is

The teachings on discipline are very simple, but very profound. Discipline is not cultivated out of a dualistic notion of good and bad. It has nothing to do with religion, or developing prejudice toward particular actions. Discipline is more about developing awareness and mindfulness to see how negative actions bring so much suffering into our

What is it that we long for every day? What are we longing for when we want a big house, or a beautiful companion? What is it we really desire when we want a great job, a really nice car, lots of wealth, or success in our work? We want one thing: happiness. The happiness

Why don’t we sleep well at night? Where is our peace, our joyful mind?   We hold on to a lot of grudges from the past, and still more are cultivated everyday through interactions with people who provoke us and bring about unpleasant feelings. If we are unable to cleanse an unpleasant feeling when it