The Writings of Shabkar zhabs dkar tshogs drug rang grol (1781-1851) – A descriptive catalogue – Shechen Publications
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Buddhism is a path for transforming the mind, for going from ignorance to wisdom, from self-centeredness to altruism and compassion. The mind is the source of all happiness and it is also the source of the experience of suffering. Buddhism offers methods to free the mind from delusion and harmful mental states such as hatred, obsession, jealousy, and pride. The Buddhist teachings are very vast and encompass both philosophical views and spiritual practice aimed at dispelling an erroneous view of reality and uprooting the very causes of suffering.
The following articles are excerpts from teachings by great Tibetan Buddhist teachers, biographies of these masters, and discussions and details on various points of Buddhist philosophy.
The benefits of meditating on impermanence
Even if you are extremely beautiful, you cannot seduce death. If you are very powerful, you cannot hope to influence death. Even being incredibly wealthy cannot buy a few minutes more life. At present we cannot bear the small discomfort caused by a prickly thorn or the heat of the sun. What about the anguish… Read more »
Read moreWhy do Buddhists venerate the Buddha?
The Buddha is not venerated because devotees see him as a God and worship him, but rather because hes the ultimate teacher, the embodiment of enlightenment. The Sanskrit word Buddha means the awakened one, he who has realized the truth. In Tibetan, the word by which its translated, Sang-gyé, has two syllables, sang meaning that… Read more »
Read moreInner peace is not apathy
Its very important not to confuse serenity and apathy. One of the characteristics of a stable spiritual practice is not to be vulnerable to outer circumstances, whether favorable or unfavorable. The practitioners mind is likened to a mountain that the winds cant shake; hes neither tormented by the difficulties he may come across nor elated… Read more »
Read moreA Piece of Advice
The thoughts of happiness and suffering, desire and aversion,Are none else than the clear voidness of mind.Without modifying whatever arises,Look at its nature, and it will manifest as great bliss. Now that you obtained this human existence,Focus all your energy on practicing the sublime Dharma. There is no way you can complete all your works;… Read more »
Read moreImpermanence
When his mother dies, the remarkable nineteenth-century Tibetan yogi Shabkar sees the impermanence of all things, and the importance of practicing dharma: When they placed in my hands my mother’s bones, I thought, A ho! Things of this world really are nothing. In the past, my old mother, overwhelmed by affection and thinking of her… Read more »
Read moreEmptiness
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, one of the great Tibetan masters of the twentieth century, talks about the Buddhist concept of emptiness: When a rainbow appears vividly in the sky, you can see its beautiful colors, yet you could not wear it as clothing, or put it on as an ornament. It arises through the conjunction of… Read more »
Read moreThe Science of the Mind
Matthieu Ricard is a member of the Mind and Life Institute, an organization that advances the collaboration between modern science and Buddhism. He is a participant, both as a subject and as a collaborator, in research programs on the effects of meditation and mind training on the brain. He shares some thoughts on the topic:… Read more »
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