The Buddha was very sophisticated when teaching about compassion, and about everything. He taught there are different gradations of suffering, or dukkha. Superficially we all know and experience physical and mental pain. A little hidden is change. No more chocolate cookies! Or waking up with sunburn after the pleasure of laying out at the beach. More hidden yet is the foundation for all our suffering. It mistakes who we are and what the world is, almost like we are hallucinating! We call this distorted ignorance. Because we are so habituated to believing that things exist on their own, objectively, this ignorance is hard to recognize. Once we do, we meditate on its opposite. This process leads us to understanding and experiencing reality correctly. In Sanskrit this is called śūnyatā. In English, emptiness. Emptiness overturns all suffering. Coupled with Bodhicitta, it leads directly to enlightenment.
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Exam who we are
Not getting what you what is a blessing in disguise. When we are very disappointed and let down, just like when we are falsely accused, our sense of self is right there in our face. […]
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The best and only way to guide others to enlightenment
In order of difficulty starting with the easiest, we practice generosity, then no harm, patience, not giving up, and concentration. These are the practices of a Bodhisattva, one who trains in Bodhicitta, or universal compassion […]
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We all have this potential
Forgiving ourselves creates a beautiful cake called a ‘torma’ in Tibetan. On a deeper level this “cake” is actually the enlightened mind of a Buddha. We all have this potential. Forgiveness helps ripen this. So […]