KARMAPA WISDOM QUOTES ~ HERZENS-WEISHEITS-WORTE

The 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje 
in Word and Deed


           On this page we are offering an ample collection of wisdom 

quotes from the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa

gathered around a series of  topics that are of great relevance to out lives:

           ~ EINE DEUTSCHE VERSION DER ZITATE-SAMMLUNG IST IN VORBEREITUNG  ~

Here you can look into a Great Blessing Mirror of Inspiration and be touched by Heart of Truth related to the following topics  (in the same sequence as below):

Living from Your Noble Heart
Realizing Womanity ~ Equal rights and Opportunities for Women
Be a Hero for this Earth
Caring for the Environment ~ Protecting Mother Earth
Living Within Society ~ Creating a Better World
The Wholesome Art of Living
Peaceful Heart ~ Peace of Mind ~ Peace on Earth                                                          & the Practice of Nonviolence
Our Dharma Path Fully Alive
Nourishing a Nonsectarian and Inclusive RIME Attitude                                                  ( ~ Within and Beyond Buddhism )
Meaning, Way and Fruit of Meditation
Emptiness is Fullness ~ Emtiness is Openess
Being Grounded in Your Own Goodness
Real Love and Flourishing Relationships
Alive Kindness and Lived Compassion
Working with our negative Emotions
Everything Depends on our Motivation
How does Happiness Come in?
Being Interconnected is our Mutual Reality
Impermanence is a Magic Blessing:
Deepening Trust and Awakening Devotion
Freedom in Ultimate Wisdom
The Workings of our Mind 

Keeping Tibetan Culture and Language Vividly  Alive                                                          Kagyu Monlam: A Yearly Gathering for World Peace at Buddhas Site of Enlightenment                                                                                                                   

       

≈ Living from Your Noble  Heart                  "Inside each of us there is a noble heart. This heart is the source of our finest aspirations for ourselves and for the world. It fills us with the courage to act on our aspirations. Our nobility may be obscured at times, covered over with small thoughts or blocked by confused and confusing emotions. But a noble heart lies intact within each of us nonetheless, ready to open and be offered to the world. Our task is to recognize this noble heart within us and learn to connect with it, to make it the basis of all that we do and feel. When we clear away all that blocks it, this heart can change the world."

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"As you increase your awareness of your own noble heart in your everyday activities, it will become a central force in your life.....You can take all experiences as a means of growing spiritually."                   ❦ Karmapa ❦ The Heart is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out

"What I really like to do is to get into action....When I am meditating on compassion, I don't want to keep it inside myown mind. I want to be able to show this power to others."                   HH the 17th Karmapa

"I want to share with you a feeling I have. I feel that my love does not have to remain within the limitations of my own life or body. I imagine that if I am no longer in the world, my love could still be present. I want to place my love on the moon and let the moon hold my love. Let the moon be the keeper of my love, offering it to everyone just as the moon sends its light to embrace the whole earth. Since the moon is holding the love I have for you, seeing the moon can remind you of that, and inspire you. If anything I have said here makes sense to you, you can ask the moon to keep it for you. You can ask the stars to keep it for you. When you look at the moon and the stars, I hope you will be reminded of the thoughts and the love I have shared with you here."
— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

"Love is a huge and expansive practice, a great and noble practice. It is like a tree, needs to grow continually, yielding fresh cycles of leaves and flowers and fruit. If this stops, the tree stagnates and eventually dies.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our priceless pure heart is not something that can be purchased at a pharmacy, poured into our body, or obtained through a cure. If we went to a major city looking to buy it, we could not purchase this pure heart no matter what price we were willing to pay. How do we find it? With the sincere wish to discover it, we discipline our mind with our mind. When such a motivation is born within us, we and others are benefitted and so our lives become meaningful. With a pure motivation that does not wane and with great courage that does not despair, may each one of us endeavor to make our lives meaningful.”
— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, from the book: Music in the Sky: The Life, Art and Teachings of The 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje                                                                   

"Although we may not have met in person, we need not be distant from each other mentally. Our affection for each other can keep us close. We can remain united through the goodness of our hearts. We can always see the stars twinkling in the sky. In the same way, wherever you are in the world, you can be a lamp brightening the space around you. You will always have your own light to shine. You can be a lamp dispelling not only any darkness in your own outlook, but radiating enough light to brighten the world around you as well.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The other condition needed in order to allow you to change the world for the good is your sustained attitude of caring. Your compassionate outlook cannot merely be based on being in a supportive environment. Your loving concern for others and your commitment to act must rooted deep within you. Live and act in the fullness of your love and affection for all beings.                                                   Take them with you wherever you go.”   

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“I miss that degree of genuine, unfabricated feeling...In a sense, the most dangerous thing in the world is apathy. Unlike violence, warfare, and disease, which can be avoided, people cannot defend against apathy once it takes hold. I urge you to feel a love that is courageous -not like a heavy burden, but a joyous acknowledgement of interdependence.”                                                    HH the 17th Karmapa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Like the light of the sun, moon, and stars, may love, compassion, and wisdom shine forth. May they strike every single living being and dispel the darkness of ignorance, attachment, and hatred that has lurked for ages in their being. When any living being meets with another, may it be like the reunion of a mother and child who have long been separated. In a harmonious world such as this, may I see everyone sleep peacefully to the music of non-violence. This is my dream."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~                                                                                                           
“Whenever you hear sounds made by other beings or hear the voices of people speaking, try to suffuse your hearing with the heart of compassion. When you shake hands or give someone a hug, you can generate love in your heart and radiate it to them through that contact.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We could call it a sense of determination, a sense of courage or resolve. That is compassion."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What we call compassion is the wish or desire to be capable of protecting sentient beings from suffering,” he began. “We could call it a sense of determination, a sense of courage or resolve. That is compassion. It is not merely something intellectual that belongs to the brain or that sphere of our experience. But rather it is a powerful heartfelt feeling or quality, one that must be sincere.              This is how I see it.”
— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje


"What we need, is genuine understanding, love and respect. A lack of love can cause people to have no help when they need help, no friends when they need a friend. So, in a sense, the most dangerous thing in the world is apathy. We think of weapons, violence, warfare, disease as terrible dangers, and indeed they are, but we can take measures to avoid them. But once our apathy takes hold of us, we can no longer avoid it."
— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje (http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/03/the-most-dangerous-thing-in-the-world-is-apathy/)


"Just as we can experience the bloom of our youth physically, we can also have an inner blooming of our heart and mind. We can bring this freshness of youth to the world. Later, we can also bring the ripening of our mature wisdom to it."
— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Finding Our Nobility of Heart ~ 17th Karmapa
I have many hopes for the world, but I try not to have any expectations. Whether I can actually fulfill my aspirations or not, I wish to let them shape me and guide my actions in the world. Focusing on achieving results can make us too attached to our goals. Our dreams do not necessarily have to be fulfilled in order for us to be happy. Nurturing hopes is meaningful in and of itself. It is worth working toward them, regardless of the outcome. When we make this shift away from results, we will find greater courage to act on our aspirations for the world. We will find our nobility of heart.

"We seem to have lost the sense that we can freely and happily extend ourselves for others. In modeling our social institutions on business principles, we have become very disconnected from our own noble heart."
— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

"The knowledge we gain from information is stored in our brains but it doesn’t necessarily communicate itself to our hearts. We are only willing to change when we feel a strong motivation to do so deep in our hearts." — His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

"A lack of love can cause people to have no help when they need help. And no friend, when they need a friend.
So in a sense, the most dangerous thing in the wolrd is apathy. We think of weapons, violence, warfare, disease as terribly dangerous, and indeed they are. But we can take measures to avoid them. But once apathy takes hold of us, we can no longer avoid it.
So I urge you to feel a love that is couragous. Not couragous in the sense of the grudging undertaking of a heavy burden in feeling responisble for the welfare of others, but the joyous acknowledgement of oyur interdependance wiht each and every other living being and wirth the environment itself."            HH the Karmapa

Our Life Can Be Translated Into Love ~ 17th Karmapa
We can color our whole life with kindness, transforming our everyday activities and suffusing our everyday ways of being with human warmth. This can happen. Our life can be translated into love.

During the question and answer session, a ten-year-old girl from Berlin asked, “How do I become a Buddha?”
The Karmapa laughed and shook his head saying that this was the real question. He replied: “What it means to be a Buddha is like a flower blossoming. And it also means waking up and being awake. Becoming a Buddha is not something that happens to us suddenly like having something injected into our blood or modified in our genes to give us superpowers. If you give someone a gift and make them smile, then you have already become a Buddha in a small way, because you knew what to do to make others happy and you did it.”  The 17th Karmapa


Fully Realizing Womanity  ~

Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women

"The categories of masculine and feminine are often treated as if they were eternal truths. But they are not. They have no objective reality. Because gender is a concept, it is a product of our mind and has no absolute existence that is separate from the mind that conceives of it. Gender categories are not inherently real in and of themselves." — His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

"It is time we truly recognize that the era of the hunter is past. This should be a more “feminine” era - an era when women make greater contributions to society. If we continue to devalue what women have to offer, we will continue harming women and continue overlooking and devaluing these virtues that are considered “feminine.” And these are precisely the virtues that the world needs more now."   — His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

"Societies take the distinction between masculine and feminine qualities very seriously indeed. Whole industries reinforce gender ideals, such as, for example, boys should be brave and girls should be sensitive. Society promotes the idea that people with Y chromosomes should exhibit only “masculine qualities,” and people with X chromosomes should exhibit “feminine qualities.” This holds us back, limiting men and women to socially constructed boxes, and causing a great deal of suffering for everyone. In my own personal case, I do not always feel clear about this distinction between masculine and feminine qualities. People have told me that I have more feminine qualities than masculine. I do not know quite what that means. I just have a sense of what these qualities feel like, but I have no labels of “feminine” or “masculine” to go with the feelings. I simply experience them. For me personally, knowing how to define and categorize such things is not important. What matters to me is being able to connect with others heart to heart, with real feeling. What I value is the ability to speak from my heart, and to be tender and caring. I hope I have some of these qualities. Certainly these are the qualities I aspire to have. It does not strike me as at all relevant whether they are categorized as feminine or masculine."
— the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, from “The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out”
                                   

“Monks and nuns are the same in being able to uphold the Buddha’s teachings, and have the same responsibility to do so. However there has been a period when nuns have not really had the opportunity to uphold the teachings, and this has been a loss for all of us.” — His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje 

The Special Sramanerika Vow: The Historic First Step Towards the Full Ordination for Nuns in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition being revived by the Gyalwang Karmapa

 

"May all and every woman in the world’s physical and mental harms and sufferings be pacified.    ….May they gain independence and complete powers and abilities. May all women who go forth, perfect the aggregate of discipline that pleases the Noble Ones. And may they perfect their teaching and study of the three baskets of scriptures and their meditation practice of the three trainings."
— Excerpt from Ritual Practice for the Dharma to Flourish in Women’s and Especially Nuns’ Communities, composed by His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje.

But His Holiness went on to point out that the issue of bhikshuni ordination in Tibetan Buddhism is not only an issue of concern to women: “It also affects the whole teachings,” he added. “There are two types of people who practice the teachings, women and men. There are two types of holders of the teachings, male and female. So what affects women automatically affects the teachings, and impacts the flourishing of the Dharma.”

His Holiness pointed out that Buddha Shakyamuni himself offered bhikshuni ordination to women as a means to bring about their liberation from samsara. "The need to offer women all the conditions to achieve liberation is particularly clear from a Mahayana perspective of compassion and sense of responsibility for the well-being of others", he added. "Nowadays the majority of those who seek the Dharma in Dharma centers outside India and Tibet are in fact women", he noted.                               HH the Gyalwqang Karmapa ~ Kagyu Monlam 2010

"In the end, what is perhaps most noteworthy about Gyalwang Karmapa’s stance is precisely the degree of his personal involvement. In an extraordinary articulation of his concern for nuns’ welfare, Gyalwang Karmapa concluded a series of teachings he gave at Tilokpur Nunnery in India in 2007 by stating: “My body is male, but my mind has lots of feminine qualities, so I find myself a little bit both male and female. Therefore although of course I have high aspirations to be of benefit to all sentient beings, I especially have a commitment to work for the welfare of women and especially of nuns. As long as I have this life, I would like to work one-pointedly and diligently for their cause. I have this responsibility as the head of this school of Buddhism, and from that point of view also, I promise that I will try to do my best to see that the nuns’ sangha will progress … I will do my very best.”                 HH the 17th Karmapa, 2007 at Tilokpur Nunnery

"The most important thing, whether we are monks or nuns, is that we remain harmonious. This is the foundation for everything. Based on harmony, we can have good discipline and everything else. It is important that we all get along with each other, respect each other, and be mindful of each other. If we do this, then the teachings of the Buddha will flourish."                                                                        HH the 17th Karmapa  ~  2017 at the Mahabodhi Stupa in Bodhgaya

His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, has announced plans to create a monastic college for Buddhist women as part of his ongoing efforts to educate and empower female Buddhist practitioners from the Himalayan region. The announcement came during the 3rd Arya Kshema Winter Dharma Gathering in Bodhgaya, an annual three-week event that the Karmapa established in 2013.  Noting tremendous improvement in the nuns’ study and debate skills, and a visible increase in their confidence, the Karmapa said, “Nuns are future holders of the Buddhadharma. This education will help prepare you to fulfill that great responsibility.”                                                                        The 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje    ~  reported in "Lion's Roar" 2016

the Gyalwang Karmapa explaining the name of the Arya Kshema Winter Dharma Gathering:                “It is said that among the female disciples of the lord Buddha, the one with the greatest wisdom and greatest confidence was named Arya Kshema. This shows that female monastics were the same as male monastics, and were able to achieve the highest realization,” the Gyalwang Karmapa explained. “But the most important thing is that in this day and age, women monastics are indispensible for upholding the Buddha’s teachings.”

In the 17th century the nun’s community was evidently thriving, he told those gathered:                "Now, history such as this may not be very well-known, but it does exist. These stories are true. In the old times in Tibet there was a thriving community of nuns who had opportunities to study, listen and contemplate, and to practice meditation. There were many yoginis and other great nuns who achieved realization and accomplishment through their practice. Whether or not these stories are well-known, we do know that this was the case.”

“We need to understand that the situation now with Bhikshunis is an important issue. Some people think that there have been some foreign nuns who’ve come over and started making an issue out of it and it’s only then that the Bhikshuni issue has become an important question, and that before it wasn’t important. But that is absolutely not the case. The fact that it was not an important issue for us before is our fault. It’s our problem, and it’s us not living up to our own responsibility. And this is for monks and nuns both—we have both let this slide, so it is all of our responsibility.”                          The 17th Karmapa  ~  Gyalwang Karmapa’s Teaching During the 1st Arya Kshema Nuns’ Gathering – Why Bhikshuni Ordination is Important

His Holiness the Karmapa pointed out that women comprise more than half the world’s population, and among those practicing the Dharma the proportion is even higher. Although both women and men are needed as upholders of the teachings, only those with a male body currently have access to all the conditions needed to fully uphold the teachings. This needs to change so that women too have the full opportunity to become complete holders of the teachings.

 








Be a Hero for this Earth
"The amount of work that needs to be undertaken is great, and we bear an enormous responsibility. The future of the world depends on this. We cannot wait for others to act. Who is the hero who can save the world? It is you. It is everyone of us. If you accept this challenge, that would be truly heroic. You would be an altruistic hero." — His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out“

 "However much fighting there is in the world, however much darkness there is,  we must be able to serve as small lamps in that darkness." — His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje (http://www.kagyumonlam.org/english/Lectures)

"Bodhisattvas have no goal whatsoever other than the benefiting of others. Because of that, it is said that these courageous bodhisattvas are happy even in samsara. Why? Because their only concern is to be of benefit for others and they can achieve that most effectively by remaining in samsara. Since remaining in samsara brings about the achievement of their only goal, they are happy to do so."

— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje     

"Bodhisattvas aspire to help each and every being without exception, although it may be impossible to do so. But bodhisattvas make both aspirations that are possible to fulfill and those impossible to fulfill. Their courage is immeasurable, so they are not discouraged by the impossibility of any of their aspirations. They have to be ready or prepared to do whatever they can."                                             

— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje     

                                                                                        
“Remember: there is no fixed starting point for you to begin from to accomplish whatever you aspire  to achieve. Changing the world for the good can start from right where you are, right now.  I hope you will remember this, always." — His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
     
                                                                                                                                                             "The fact that you have the intention to work for others is important. Act on your wholesome intentions and altruistic impulses. If you have the thought of benefiting society, that is significant. Nurture and treasure that thought, and act on it as best you can. Doing so will certainly change you, and that in itself can be the start of the change you want to see in your world."

— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje  

 "Bodhisattvas are like activists who are devoting themselves solely to work for other sentient beings."
 — His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

"What I really like to do is to go into action. When I am meditating on compassion I don’t want to have compassion that I keep inside myself but I want to be able to show the power of compassion to others."
— His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje during a filmed interview, December 17, 2010 Bodhgaya, India

"We humans have already done such immense damage to the environment that it is almost beyond our power to heal it. The challenge is far more complex and extensive than Buddhists can tackle alone. However, we can take a lead, and to do so we must educate and inform ourselves. This is the time when our pure aspirations and our bodhisattva activity must come together. This is the time to ensure a safe-climate future for our planet. This aspiration comes from my heart."
— His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

“I miss that degree of genuine, unfabricated feeling...In a sense, the most dangerous thing in the world is apathy. Unlike violence, warfare, and disease, which can be avoided, people cannot defend against apathy once it takes hold. I urge you to feel a love that is courageous -not like a heavy burden, but a joyous acknowledgement of interdependence.”                                                    HH the 17th Karmapa

 

Caring for the Environment -  Protecting Mother Earth

The Gyalwang Karmapa is a passionate environmentalist.

Google "Khoryug" if you would like to see more of the Karmapa's environmental activities.










An Aspiration for the World             by H.H . the 17th Karmapa

World, we live and die on your lap.

  On you we experience all our woes and joys.
  You are our ancestral home of old.
  Forever we cherish and adore you.
  
  We wish to transform you into the pure realm of our dreams.
  We wish to transform you into a land for all creatures,
  Equal for all and free of prejudice.
  We wish to transform you into a loving, warm, and gentle goddess.
  
  Our hope in you is so ever resolute.
  So please be the ground on which we all may live
  So all these wishes may come true,
  So all these wishes may come true.
  
  Do not show us the dark side of your character,
  Where nature's calamities reign.
  
  In every section of our world's land
  May there thrive a fertile field of peace and joy,
  Rich with the leaves and fruits of happiness,
  Filled with the many sweet scents of freedom.
  May we fulfill our countless and boundless wishes.

  World, we live and die on your lap.
  On you we experience all our woes and joys.
  You are our ancestral home of old.
  Forever we cherish and adore you.
  
  We wish to transform you into the pure realm of our dreams.
  We wish to transform you into a land for all creatures,
  Equal for all and free of prejudice.
  We wish to transform you into a loving, warm, and gentle goddess.
  
  Our hope in you is so ever resolute.
  So please be the ground on which we all may live
  So all these wishes may come true,
  So all these wishes may come true.
 
  Do not show us the dark side of your character,
  Where nature's calamities reign.
 
  In every section of our world's land
  May there thrive a fertile field of peace and joy,
  Rich with the leaves and fruits of happiness,
  Filled with the many sweet scents of freedom.
  May we fulfill our countless and boundless wishes.


"I have noticed that sometimes people speak of our planet as a thing. This attitude will not lead to the feelings of closeness and affection that would move us to take care of the earth. As we know, the earth is not a dead rock floating in space. It is a living system, in itself as a whole and in each and every part. I do not see the earth as an inanimate object – a lump of stone. I think of it as being alive. Sitting on the earth, i feel that everything exists. In this way, we could easily think of the earth as a goddess – a living, breathing, and constantly giving goddess."
— His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

                                                                                                                                                               Our shared Ground          
Our parents bring us into this world and raise us. No matter where we come from, as young children we were all cared for by someone  - by parents or by other guardians. This is an experience we all share. We also share this planet. We have been living on it together since we were born. We just had not been introduced to another before."                                                       the 17th Karmapa ~ The Heat is Noble

"It requires us to put down every-day concerns that preoccupy our minds and listen with our hearts to the testaments of how desperately the earth needs us. At every moment, our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being are nurtured by the earth and yet, we are indifferent to this fact as we go about our way pursuing material success."
— His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

The earth is the basis of all things animate and inanimate. It has no preference; it is equal to all. That is why the Buddha took the earth as a witness. All the positive things he did were on the earth, so earth was a witness to that.    the 17th Karmapa

"... I would become the protector of the Earth, and cover it like a tent.
On this planet, there are billions of insects, animals and plants. We humans need all of them - we cannot survive alone. Since all living things on Earth are interdependent, we have to act to protect the environment as a matter of our own survival and happiness.
Buddha's teachings instruct us to work for the benefit of others and cease harming them, yet we often have no idea whether everyday things we use harm the living world. Remaining focused on our own comfort, complacently assuming 'I am not harming anybody' is no longer sufficient. Now is the time to learn to view things from a new perspective.
All the difficulties we now face are self-created. Unless we are able to check ourselves, there is no end to human greed. We consume very large quantities of energy compared with earlier times. We try to behave like machines, although humans are obviously neither tireless nor mechanical. In the end, a great proportion of our suffering originates from human greed. Believing we need things we actually do not, we cause ourselves to suffer in consequence. All of us need to reflect on this truth.
An essential feature of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition is to think and act constructively for the benefit of all sentient beings. Hence environmental protection practice, rather than dwelling on one's own benefit, should be made part of our daily life. Had I the power, I would become the protector of the Earth, and cover it like a tent."

— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje  

"What’s more, over and above our individual power of body, speech and mind, humans have the support of machines, which multiplies our effect one hundred or one thousand times. Because it’s like that, we must each take responsibility for our actions. If we don’t, if we just do whatever we want, the entire world is in great danger. And therefore, kindness and love are extremely important."                  — His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje  

„Without Water there is no life!
 Tibetan Plateau gives birth to Asia’s most important rivers,
many of which are gravely threatened.
If we wish to save them, we must become their protectors
rather than simply their beneficiaries.“                                                                                                17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
                                                                                            

Question: What are the principal goals we must achieve in the 21st century?
"If we are to leave future generations a home that they can thrive on, we must find a way to live in harmony with our planet, to live sustainably and responsibly. Climate change is already devastating the world we know – whether unleashing severe natural disasters on people and turning them into refugees, or destroying crops and ecological habitats all over the world. And yet, all the nations on this planet continue to use up even more fossil fuels than they have in the past despite feeling the consequences in this very moment."

"It is not difficult to recognize that there is a causal relationship between the environmental crisis and the rampant consumerism that exists in our societies. Why is there such an unending appetite for things? We seem to have a deep-seated conviction that acquiring more material goods will make us happy. Even if our own logic and experiences tell us otherwise, everything around us – the advertisements, television shows and movies, magazines, social media and so on – urges us to ignore that evidence and continue our mindless behavior."

"Therefore, a goal of ours must be to hit pause. We should pause and assess whether we really want to continue on this path. Do we want to keep measuring our success in life so heavily in terms of external goods? At this rate there really are not enough resources to go around, so if we do not pause and reassess, we will only continue to sow the seeds for violence, whether to the planet or amongst ourselves."

"Although the earth’s resources have natural limits, our own greed has no natural boundaries, and so we must learn to limit our desire ourselves. We must do this not only to protect the planet but to find a way to share the earth’s bounty fairly among all living beings. A life based on pursuing things is fundamentally unsatisfying. As the Buddha said, chasing our desires is like drinking salty water. The more we drink, the thirstier we become. Therefore, I believe that where we find meaning in life as individuals and as society will need to change in the 21st-century. We need to pause, slow down and simplify."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I think compassion is a quality that can be of tremendous power in our efforts to address the environmental crisis, and to find deeper meaning in life. When we think of our efforts to protect the environment as a way of caring for all the beings that live on this planet, and of expressing our love and gratitude for all the earth has given us already, then our work for change can be rooted in compassionate caring for others. Compassion as a motivation is much more powerful and wholesome than fear or anger, and is much more able to last in the long term. It also brings more happiness in and of itself."

"Another quality that I believe we must develop in order to achieve a more sustainable future is a sense of contentment. This is a powerful antidote in a society where advertising constantly tells us that we do not have enough. Contentment is the best form of wealth in that it gives us the highest satisfaction. We can gain it simply by learning to recognize and appreciate what we already have, including our own inner resources. We can cultivate the perspective that what we have is enough and that we want others to have enough too."

"A simple way to do this is to stop and reflect on how many long chains of causes and conditions needed to come together for us to simply be able to breathe. Something that is completely indispensable for our existence, that for our very lives we depend on having constantly available, and here it is available to us at every moment with no effort on our part. We can cultivate a sense of wonder and simply joy at the generosity of our planet and develop a conviction that other living beings, people and animals, should be able to share in this."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The environmental emergency that we face is not just a scientific issue, nor is it just a political issue, it is also a moral issue. And therefore all of us approaching this issue have to pick up our share of the responsibility to find and implement solutions. The scientific aspect of it, of course, is the supply of information — the creation of models and predictions and the introduction of techniques that we can use to remedy this. But our share of this responsibility is to take what scientists teach us to heart, so we actually transform our way of life into one that is sustainable. And I think it is in this regard that religious leaders, who have so much influence over their followers, can assist. Bluntly put, the only solution is if we all work together."

— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje  

Question: What is the relationship between a concern for the environment and Buddhism?
"In Buddhism, it is taught that this great earth is the ground of the survival and the very life of all the beings that live on it and not just human beings. Therefore, if we protect this environment, we are protecting all beings, since all beings depend upon it. Therefore, the protection of the environment really includes the practices of all of the six perfections or six paramitas. The protection of the environment is Generosity, it is moral discipline, and so forth. Every morning we pray to benefit or help other beings. I think protecting the environment is an excellent way to actually do this. Furthermore, all of our environment problems have arisen from human greed,and it is infinite; but the resources that we consume in our greed are finite. They are not endless, so we must learn to control, to curb our greed, and we must continuously keep at this controlling of our greed, especially nowadays, as we are in an age of avid consumerism."

Having compassion for the "other"
Compassion for the “other,” whether people, animal species, trees, or other plants, and for Earth itself, is the only thing that will ultimately save us human beings. Most people are primarily concerned about their work, wealth, health, or family.
On a daily basis, they probably feel they have more urgent things to worry about than their environmental footprint. Of course, paying attention to this issue would mean having to make inconvenient choices and changes in their lives. I am not so different. Although I had considered giving up eating meat for many years, I became a complete vegetarian only a few years ago.
Somebody presented a short documentary that showed  how animals suffer before and during the act of killing. Watching it, I could feel the fear felt by the animals. Like a thunderclap, I became aware that these living beings were suffering so greatly simply to satisfy my habitual preferences. Eating meat became intolerable for me at that moment, and so I stopped.   ~ 17th Karmapa

Hoping the earth will recover does not help much, we must actually do something. More natural catastrophes might be a wake-up call, but it is not easy to change our behaviour and attitudes. The environmental crisis is on a vast scale and it is difficult to change the situation overall. However, there is a Tibetan saying “Drop by drop the ocean is filled. Drop by drop a hole is made in the rock. If we all work together, we can do something. If we wait upon the government, it could take a long time, so we have to make our own decision and take action.
We can choose to use things that are less harmful to the environment. If we change our way of consuming, we would be setting an example for others, and effect a change in their attitudes too.

His Holiness the Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

I think compassion is a quality that can be of tremendous power in our efforts to address the environmental crisis, and to find deeper meaning in life. When we think of our efforts to protect the environment as a way of caring for all the beings that live on this planet, and of expressing our love and gratitude for all the earth has given us already, then our work for change can be rooted in compassionate caring for others. Compassion as a motivation is much more powerful and wholesome than fear or anger, and is much more able to last in the long term. It also brings more happiness in and of itself.

Another quality that I believe we must develop in order to achieve a more sustainable future is a sense of contentment. This is a powerful antidote in a society where advertising constantly tells us that we do not have enough. Contentment is the best form of wealth in that it gives us the highest satisfaction. We can gain it simply by learning to recognize and appreciate what we already have, including our own inner resources. We can cultivate the perspective that what we have is enough and that we want others to have enough too. A simple way to do this is to stop and reflect on how many long chains of causes and conditions needed to come together for us to simply be able to breathe. Something that is completely indispensable for our existence, that for our very lives we depend on having constantly available, and here it is available to us at every moment with no effort on our part. We can cultivate a sense of wonder and simply joy at the generosity of our planet and develop a conviction that other living beings, people and animals, should be able to share in this.

Whatever it is that I do, I want it to have a long term visible impact and for it to be practical. If I have the opportunity, I would most like to restore the natural environment in the Himalayas and Tibet, and to especially protect the forests, the water and wildlife of this region.                                                His Holiness, the 17 th Karmapa

“Animals are not our enemies. We are all interdependent; every animal has a role to play in the ecology by being a part of the food chain. If you remove one layer, the entire chain is affected. Even while talking in the interest of human beings, by saving wildlife, you are ultimately helping yourself,” said the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinle at a conference organized by  Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Care for the Wild International (CWI).                                                                                                    

We should not feel like we are strangers to each other but rather that we share a collective karma with one another on this earth and it is our responsibility to try to improve it. The basis of Lord Buddha’s teachings is that nothing rises by itself and we are not individual entities living by ourselves. The law of cause and effect and interdependence should encourage us to develop compassion for all living beings on this planet and for the earth itself. One beneficial act can have a multiple number of positive effects. We should feel greatly encouraged and determined to protect nature for this reason.
~ His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje  ~ Day 5, 4th Khoryug Conference


Living within Society ~ Creating a Better World

We All Have Something to Offer to Each Other ~ 17th Karmapa

Diversity within a society does not have to be problematic; it can be a source of richness and enjoyment. We can recognize and enjoy differences, but we must be careful not to exaggerate their importance or solidify our differences. When we do, we easily lose sight of our shared humanity, and divide ourselves up into categories of us and them, higher and lower, better and worse.
17th Karmapa
~ from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

The power of oneness, that is to say unity, begins as an internal experience. It comes from the mind’s way of thinking or discerning.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

The moment we stop letting greed make us chase after what we do not have and take for granted all that we do have, we can feel a deep and joyful sense of appreciation. We truly have everything we need already.
17th Karmapa ~ from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

I have the thought that if there were no one in the world who was not duplicitous or devious, then the world would be hopeless, pointless and futile. So with this thought, I keep the aspiration that no matter what I encounter, I must be free of duplicity or deceit, and a source of hope within the world.  HH Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Just as equality must ultimately be applied universally, so must our compassion, love, and sense of responsibility. They must continue to expand until we willingly and enthusiastically embrace the opportunity to benefit any being with whom we come into contact. - Karmapa, "Interconnected"

For all our intelligence and sophistication, we end up acting as if money will literally buy us happiness. the 17th Karmapa


The knowledge we gain from information is stored in our brains but it doesn’t necessarily communicate itself to our hearts. We are only willing to change when we feel a strong motivation to do so deep in our hearts.

We need to concern ourselves with the wellbeing of all beings around us. Why? Because we cannot really separate our welfare from theirs.

The absence of compassion is the greatest danger facing human beings today.  HH Karmapa

The priority we give to material goods in our life is up to each of us to determine. This is also part of deciding how we want to define ourselves. If we are looking to our jobs and to material things to tell us how we are, what we are worth, and where we fit in the world, this is a sign that we have become profoundly confused about the order of things. It shows we have missed the point about how we human beings stand in relation to the material world.
17th Karmapa ~ from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

Do you want to let yourself be defined by your possessions or by your job? I mean this as a serious question, because you could identify yourself with your job or your money or your possessions. Or you could identify yourself with your inner qualities and with happiness. It really is up to you.

There are many forces surrounding us that encourage us to follow along unthinkingly wherever our greed leads us. We are bombarded by advertising designed to convince us that our happiness depends on material goods. Today’s global culture tells us that having more of these goods is a measure of our success in life, and even of our value as a person. This message comes at us in many forms and from many directions, so we need a clear awareness of how greed works in order to protect ourselves from being deceived by these forces. We can then counteract them with inner wisdom about where real success and personal value come from.

If you do not cultivate a sense of contentment, you will never have everything you want.

Contentment is an incredible wealth that we don’t have to pay for, or seek anywhere outside ourselves. The natural resources to create this wealth are the inner riches of our own mind.

Contentment is a wealth that gives the highest satisfaction, and we can gain it simply by mining our own mental resources, and knowing our own mind. We can cultivate the perspective that what we have is enough. We can see that we do not actually need more than we already have, and can be completely satisfied with that.  HH the 17th Karmapa

When we sip our tea or coffee, start our car, enter a shop, or exchange greetings with someone while out for a stroll, we are enjoying those experiences as a direct result of interdependence. All these moments bear direct witness to the workings of interdependence. Such daily occurrences are a continuous procession of opportunities to recognize that others are indispensable to our well-being. Karmapa, Interconnected.

If we are trying to help other people, then the first thing we have to change is our own mind.
In order to change the world, we have to change our own mind first
.                      The 17th Karmapa
It is highly unlikely we will ever satisfy our desires with external stuff. HH Karmapa

This world is a very big family with thousands and thousands of beings and all of us are dependent on each other. It is important that we should respect and appreciate each other, recognizing each other’s importance.
We should try to create a world with kindness and love. I think in the future it is the responsibility of all of us to create a more equal and loving world.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

We human beings are all parts of the same body. Just because we do not wish to acknowledge another person’s importance does not mean that this person is unimportant to our well-being. Just because we do not wish to acknowledge what we share with others does not mean that we can separate ourselves from them. Interdependence is an inescapable truth of our existence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Of course, we are not all identical. Because certain differences do exist between us, we all have something to offer each other. We can work together making our diverse and complementary contributions. Because we are all part of the same social body, it is in our own best interest to assure that we can all function well together.
HH Karmapa, from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out“
One of the greatest killers in the world is the lack of compassion in our hearts. HH Karmapa

Our life is vast. It does not stop at the limits of what we personally experience. It is not something concrete or bounded. I do not think it is valid to view our life as limited to just ourselves — as if our human life extended only as far as our own body. Rather, we can see that a life extends out in all directions, like a net. We throw a net, and it expands outward. Just like that, our life extends to touch many other lives. Our life can reach out and become a pervasive part of everyone’s life.
17th Karmapa ~ from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out“

The other condition needed in order to allow you to change the world for the good is your sustained attitude of caring. Your compassionate outlook cannot merely be based on being in a supportive environment. Your loving concern for others and your commitment to act must rooted deep within you. Live and act in the fullness of your love and affection for all beings. Take them with you wherever you go.”                           

- Karmapa on Intelligence-
“Human beings are the most intelligent and resourceful species on earth. If we use our intelligence to cause more suffering, rather than to bring some real benefit to others and ourselves, we are no better than beasts.” HH Karmapa


"Empathy enables us to reach across differences and connect as equals. It does so by cutting straight through the walls that we build up around us and allowing us to touch the core of our equality: the ability to experience pain and joy."
-- the 17th Karmapa, from his book "Interconnected"


Language is a key part in the process of preserving a culture. The Karmapa used an analogy to illustrate this. “If language deteriorates, our connection to our customs and culture will be severed. For example, when a kite soars in the sky, it is attached to a string, and if that string is cut, our link to the kite will terminate.” Language is the string that connects. (From the Gyalwang Karmapa's speech at the 56th anniversary of the Upper TCV in Dharamsala.)
#karmapa #buddhism #india

You need to care for yourself, of course, but not to the total disregard of others. Your accomplishments cannot come at the expense of others.
the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

“These terms like enlightenment and awakened mind,” he said to the crowd, “seem so far away as to be useless.” What we need to focus on is right now, he said, where we are, right in the midst of our difficulties, even in the midst of New York City, where “the people and cars are rushing, where even the buildings seem to be rushing, growing higher.” In such a place, he said, we might think it’s impossible to attain any happiness and stability. But in the middle of Manhattan or in a cave in the Himalayas, we’re all in the same boat. If we can learn to be present and aware in the midst of our difficulties—whether we can resolve them or not—we will “never let them destroy our peace of mind.” The 17th Karmapa: "New Face of an Ancient Lineage" ~in:  Lion's Roar

Relating to the terrorist attack in Manchester the previous evening. It seemed, the questioner said, as if the world was about to enter a period of intense suffering. The question was how best to deal with it. The Karmapa reflected a moment before responding. "It was possible, that the world was entering a period of increasing suffering. Though people had expected our situation would improve with scientific and material advancement, it could also become more disastrous. In addition, there were many conflicts centred on religion or ethnicity. “We must not allow our minds to be swayed by external factors,” he counselled. “However, much darkness there is in the world, we can see ourselves as a source of light.”                                                                                                                                          The 17th Karmapa ~ 23 May 2017: UK Launch of ‘Interconnected: Embracing Life in our Global Society’ at Watkins Books, Londo

When I was young I was taken to China. They took me into shops. There were so many nice and interesting things. I realized that if you give in to desire it can lead you to steal. So what is desirable and undesirable has to do with our mind. It’s a collective identity; society creates it. When we become attached we lose our freedom.                              HH the Karmapa: "Living the Dharma" Kagyu Monlam 2009

True Wealth ~ 17th Karmapa
Are we willing to accept that having more wealth – no matter how someone acquires it – is a sign of being more advanced? Surely there are other measures we could use to determine if we have enough, besides comparing ourselves to those who happen to have amassed more money and things than we have. If the measure of success is having more than the people around us, then that is a recipe for failure.

Comparing with others simply cannot bring happiness. Even if happiness did come from being the best or having the most, ultimately only one person in the world – the one with the most – could ever be truly happy or “successful.” Everyone else would be condemned to failure.

I think we have to be very careful not to confuse economic success with personal happiness. Just because we have a market economy does not mean we have to have a market society. We can find ways to relate to each other on different principles than business ones. We could define development in terms of how much we are able to increase bonds of friendship and closeness, and by how central we make community and mutual affection.

When i think of a society that creates happiness, i think of a society where compassion and love replace competition and greed as the emotional forces that bind us together.   

~Karmapa: Escaping from the prison of self-centredness                                                                            When love and compassion are absent, the consequences for a society can be devastating. “Germany is a great nation,” he said, but in the 20th century, there were the First World War, the Second World War and the Holocaust. At that time, people still had an innate capacity for love and compassion, but they didn’t show it. Why? Because, it seems, we always have a choice; we human beings can learn to switch our compassion on and off. We can become desensitised to the pain of other living beings. We can distance ourselves or we can become apathetic and say, “It’s nothing to do with me.”

The Difference between Spirituality and Religion
A 26-year-old from Austria asked the 17th Karmapa to describe how he sees the relationship between religion, spirituality and culture:

While distinguishing between religion and spirituality, His Holiness said, “I think religion has to do with accepting a system of beliefs and following the tradition or rituals and customs that go with that system. Spirituality does not have to do with customs but with a deeper level of human experience. It is deeply connected to how you experience your own life, and also involves the cultivation of wisdom and compassion.

I think all the major religious traditions started as spirituality—as real-life experiences, and not just customs, traditions or belief systems. If we take the Buddha as an example, from his childhood he had big questions about the meaning of his own life and he began to seriously seek out that meaning or that reality. For that purpose, he gave up life as a prince and went to solitary places and was constantly thinking over that question. In the end, he finally found the answer, and he really appreciated that answer and was satisfied with the answer that he found. After that, many people just followed that system or idea without ever really having that experience of discovery or encounter with that truth. That is why I think there is a danger for religious followers.

Actually religious practitioners should have real experience rather than just adopting beliefs or knowledge. But to find that answer is not easy, so maybe some people end up taking the easy way. That is why I think spirituality is more effective than just religious belief or faith.”
Encounter with Europe’s Youth Concludes Karmapa’s German Tour: http://the17thkarmapa.blogspot.tw/…/encounter-with-europes-…

There is great transformative power in the act of discovery. No founder of any religion was a follower. The Buddha became the Buddha because he discovered important truths for himself. Many remarkable people following within his tradition also came to that understanding themselves. The same is true of the founders and remarkable followers of every other major world religion. Each brought forth new insights and understanding. Everyone is capable of that; you just need the right conditions. Joining a religion or studying its wisdom can be one of those conditions. But I have studied Buddhist philosophy for over a decade, and I can tell you that such study is not sufficient in order to find true meaning. Only if your own understanding is rooted profoundly within will you be able to awaken spiritually. Only you can understand your life and find its deepest meaning.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

You know, the word religion has the same impersonal effect on me as the words politics or business. In reality, faith is about our own personal ethics, our individual system of values.
His Holiness the Gyalwng Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

If we are born into a Buddhist family, we can cultivate the habits of mantra recitation and prostrations without really understanding why we are doing this. Therefore, it is very important to ask why one is a Buddhist and what one's own practice actually means. Being a Buddhist is not all-important.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

When we are exploring a particular religion or spiritual path, we should ask what it teaches us about who we are. HH Karmapa

Authentic Discovery ~ 17th Karmapa                                                                                                       If I were asked the question, “What religion are you?” it would seem very odd if I did not say, “I’m a Buddhist.” After all, people look to me as a Buddhist leader! To keep things simple, it is easier for me to say, “I am a Buddhist.” Yet that is not how I see myself. Rather, I see myself as a follower of the Buddha. I aspire to follow in the Buddha’s footsteps. To hold on to the label of “Buddhist” and wave it like a banner is something else altogether.

When I say I wish to follow in the Buddha’s footsteps, the key point for me is that the Buddha used his own intelligence to discover the meaning of life within himself. He did not discover it from texts written by someone else, or from any formalized set of rules. He found it within himself, within his own noble heart. We all have the potential to do this.

The Wholesome Art of Living

All of us have our own life’s path, and while moving along it, we will meet with various kinds of problems and suffering. No matter how many difficulties may arise, we should look back at what we have accomplished and keep in mind the path we wish to travel along. This will help us to remain stable. However much we may have to endure, we should develop tolerance so that we can progress along our way. Until we have come to the end of our path and accomplished all our goals, we should heed neither suffering nor joy; otherwise, the goal we seek will never come within our reach.
17th Karmapa ~ from the book "Music In The Sky: The Life, Art, And Teachings Of The 17Th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje"


The way to accomplish happiness in the world is to do meaningful work in one’s own life with a positive motivation that sees all people and all traditions as equal.
from the book "Heart Advice of the Karmapa"

Being kind to oneself:
The kindness to oneself that I was speaking of is rather different from the self-fixation of selfishness. For example, the Buddha said, "I have shown you the path to liberation but know that its achievement depends on you." In other words, we have to take responsibility for the achievement of liberation through our own efforts. It is the undertaking of responsibility for one’s own liberation that I’m referring to as kindness to oneself. What we normally mean by self-cherishing includes within it the implicit abandonment of the welfare of others and the rejection of any effort to achieve that welfare of others. Therefore, it is very different from what I mean by kindness to oneself.
HH Karmapa ~ from the book "Compassion NOW!“

Lightening the Heart: 
I have noticed from experience that taking things too seriously can be debilitating. It can paralyze us.

It is usually more effective to approach problems with a light heart – a willingness to laugh at them and at ourselves. Otherwise, if we are too somber, we could be stricken with a heart attack before we even have the chance to do anything to improve the situation! Instead, we can be playful. A sense of humor can be very helpful in preventing us from feeling stuck or overwhelmed by a difficult situation.

Especially if a situation is critical, you have to be able to approach it with some openness, just in order to see the possible solutions clearly. For example, sometimes there are serious issues that you feel you need to address, but that you cannot resolve. What do you end up doing? Worrying.

There can also be serious issues that you actually can do something about. In those cases, too, if you are not careful, you may also find yourself worrying. Once you are overwhelmed by anxiety and other unhelpful emotions, it will be very difficult to plan or make clearheaded decisions. You will not be able to look beyond the obstacles to notice the opportunities.
from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out“

On hardships
Hardships are inevitable for everyone, but the key is how we meet them. If we can maintain hope and optimism we will see hardships as opportunities to meet new situations and a new way to think about things rather than being weighted down by the burden of hardships.
17th Karmapa source: http://chronicleproject.com/hhk_seattle_teachings/hhk_seattle_teachings.html

“Remember: there is no fixed starting point for you to begin from to accomplish whatever you aspire to achieve. Changing the world for the good can start from right where you are, right now. I hope you will remember this, always."
- HH The Karmapa

Inside each of us there is a noble heart. This heart is the source of our finest aspirations for ourselves and for the world. It fills us with the courage to act on our aspirations. Our nobility may be obscured at times, covered over with small thoughts or blocked by confused and confusing emotions. But a noble heart lies intact within each of us  nonetheless, ready to open and be offered to the world HH Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje:

.......It came about through many positive influences throughout my life: I’ve had the opportunity to rely on many genuine excellent masters as teachers, and I’ve learned through their living example, that extending love and concern to others is the essence of being alive as human.
#dharma #karmapa #

When, because of external or internal circumstances there comes some sort of a change, we need to be able to go along with that change. So whatever happens, we go with the flow of events. If we are able to do this, then in our own mind we can be more relaxed. We can be more expansive. When we go along with that we can be comfortable, relaxed and spacious in our minds. If we are able to do this then we are able to be happy, and to have a content life.“   HH Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

"Each individual is dependent on others. It is important to have close friends who give us moral support and who bring out the good qualities we have within us."
 - Karmapa #friends #buddhism
“Compassion is not just a feeling, it allows us to face suffering with courage.”  Karmapa

The Karmapa drew an analogy to the development of language. We are all born with the potential to speak, but if a young child grows up in a remote area without human contact, this capacity will no be activated and the child will not be able to talk with others. Likewise, if our innate capacity for love and compassion is not nurtured in the right environment, it will not develop. The Karmapa recommended that in addition to being loving themselves, parents should use the words “compassion” and “love” often in the presence of a child and that these reminders would benefit them. "
#karmapa #dharma #buddhism

You should let your virtues warm you from within. Do not let them stay locked up and frozen inside you. HH Karmapa

"Each person must find his or her own path. Nontheless, seek guidance from wise and compassionate people and listen to them earnestly. This will help you to find the best way to proceed - now and in the future."
Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje in his book: -The Future is Now"

The deepest reasons to love yourself have nothing to do with anything outside you—not with your body or with others’ expectations of you. If you ground yourself in your own goodness, nothing will be able to damage your self-esteem. Take delight in your inner nature, in your virtues, and in all your beautiful qualities.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Although each of us has our own personality, our circle of friends can influence and change us. So it is important to rely on friends, who have intelligence and integrity.                                                       17th Karmapa

If we are principled and of good conduct, then without needing to announce that we are doing so, our activities naturally speak for themselves.   the 17th Karmapa

To live as equals with others requires a wide range of experience. The wise have much experience and the fool have little. To gain experience, you need to go through good and bad times. How can you grow if your experiences are always the same? Anything that happens, good or bad, can be constructive in the end - as long as you learn something useful from it. So when you feel difficulties, don´t feel too bad!
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

I believe that our life can only seem meaningless when we think of it in a limited way, as just what is linked to us directly. Personally, if I were to look at my own life in
that way, it could all seem pretty pointless. Bearing this big name, escaping from Tibet, all the efforts made since then – it would hardly be worth so much fuss for just one person – me! But when I see my life as something expansive, and see that I may be able to bring some happiness and joy to even just one person, then I know that my life has real meaning.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Don´t hold on to the past. Let got of feelings of joy or anger toward whatever has happened, good or bad. The past is already over. Pay attention to the present so you can create the future you seek. This is a meaningful way to live.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Act to help all those you can actually help right now, and never lose the aspiration to be able to help in the future all those you are unable to help now.
17th Karmapa

Although we have limitless potential, we can end up feeling boxed in to a particular role in life or a particular understanding of who we are. How does this happen? We limit ourselves when we adopt specific identities, and then believe that this is truly who we are and must be.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

When you are dreaming of what is possible for your life, you should know that anything is possible. You may not always feel it or see it, but you never for a single moment lack the capacity to change course. Your life is subject to infinite revision.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Our misery or happiness depends on how we react to external events and internal thoughts. We judge and label everything based on our reactions. Sometimes our reactions are so strong that they destroy us. But the real problem is in not understanding that reactions themselves come and go based on ever-changing circumstances.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trlnley Dorje

Giving and Receiving ......
We may talk about the equality of ourselves and others, or exchanging ourselves with others, but we do not understand that this happens in everyday life. We think that it is something special or extraordinary, yet it is happening in our lives on a daily basis. We give something, and that opens the possibility of receiving: we naturally receive something when we give. This is how we live, whether it is in the business world, in our social lives, or in any other context. Giving and taking is happening all the time. Living is dependent on giving: we give and therefore we receive. This interdependence is natural; however, it takes a special effort to train our mind to know this well enough so that our understanding is clear and strong.
~ His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje  ~from theBook - "Traveling the Path of Compassion: A Commentary on The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva"

Question: We make countless decisions every day… every hour…and moment of our lives. But how can we know if they are the right ones?  HH Karmapa: "Right decision? In one sense, that is a very difficult question. But I think the most important thing is to remember that in a sense, every single day of our lives is our entire life. Each day is kind of a life of its own; and especially, we have to remember that any one day could be our last day. Therefore, I think the key is to plan very carefully to have precise aims and goals throughout our day in what we are doing, so that we don’t allow ourselves to become aimless and get lost in our habits. For example, in the morning, we could plan or think. ‘Today, I want to do this and this and this; these are the things I want to get done. And then at night, we could assess: ‘Well, did I actually do the things that I had planned on?’ That type of precision, that type of focus. Mindfulness, alertness, will help us because we have some bad habits, and if we allow our bad habits to take over, we won’t get anything done. So we have to control ourselves through conscious planning and not simply let ourselves go loose or run wild, because in that case, the result will be uncertain." the 17th Karmapa, Interview with Vairochana.com

Passing the day with a kind-hearted mind ~ 17th Karmapa                                       Many problems are created in our world today because people do not engage in what will actually lead them onto a path that benefits them and brings happiness. From the time we open our eyes in the morning until we sleep at night, if we can pass the whole day with a kind-hearted mind and cheerful face, on good terms with people and talking pleasantly to them, our mind will be relaxed when we go to sleep at night. On the other hand, if we spend the day making others upset, if we fight, and even if we win, when we are going off to sleep at night we will have regrets and our mind will not be at ease. HH Karmapa 

Generally speaking, people are concerned with their own welfare. You cannot really know whether their advice is meant for your benefit – or for themselves. You may find some who appear to want to help you but actually have other intentions and others who sincerely mean well but lack the wisdom to give good advice. Taking this into account, it is better to use your own brain and investigate your situation than to rely on the advice of others. At least then you will have no regrets.
17th Karmapa ~ from the book "The Future Is Now: Timely Advice for Creating a Better World

Karma entails feeling real gratitude for the understanding that everything you are, everything you have and everything you use has arisen through innumerable causes and conditions.

Diverting from our true purpose ~ 17th Karmapa                                                                 Not attached to happiness nor depressed about suffering, we should seek a stable and constant path. If we are always looking to feel good, and if on top of that our minds are lost in distraction thinking about feeling good, then what will become of our life? We will be diverted from our true purpose and open ourselves to harm. 17th Karmapa, from the book "Music In The Sky: The Life, Art, And Teachings Of The 17Th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje"

Spiritual Consumerism ~ 17th Karmapa
I want to be clear that seeking your own understanding does not mean rejecting all established spiritual paths. Many people feel that organized religions are problematic – or even hopelessly flawed. They might even think that they could assemble a better religion for themselves by picking and choosing bits they like from different religions. I do not think this is realistic. It simply does not work as we think it might. Instead of something holistic that transforms us, it just yields a patchwork that pleases us. This can become a kind of spiritual consumerism.

Worse, it can be dangerous. Bits that you thought would be beneficial for you can turn out to be ineffective or even harmful if you apply them out of context. When you extract practices from a gradual path of transformation, they might not have the same effect outside of their intended sequence. Our spiritual path has to unfold organically – and we have to be receptive to going where it leads us, step-by-step.
17th Karmapa ~ from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

The kindness to oneself that I was speaking of is rather different from the self-fixation of selfishness. For example, the Buddha said, "I have shown you the path to liberation but know that its achievement depends on you." In other words, we have to take responsibility for the achievement of liberation through our own efforts. It is the undertaking of responsibility for one’s own liberation that I’m referring to as kindness to oneself. What we normally mean by self-cherishing includes within it the implicit abandonment of the welfare of others and the rejection of any effort to achieve that welfare of others. Therefore, it is very different from what I mean by kindness to oneself.
17th Karmapa ~ from the book "Compassion NOW!"

"Everyone is searching for love and support. But few are prepared to actually give love and support to others." 17th Karmapa

In response to a question on conflicting loyalties, the Karmapa said that such conflicts were usual in samsara, a normal part of cyclic existence, and advised us to use our own intelligence and discernment to see if these loyalties are based on emotions or reason. The Karmapa mentioned a slogan from mind training, which is carries a similar meaning: “Of the two witnesses, hold to he principal one.” It means at the end of the day, you have to trust your own observation of a situation, and not just rely on emotions or others’ opinions.                                                                                     The 17th Karmapa ~ 23 May 2017: UK Launch of ‘Interconnected: Embracing Life in our Global Society’ at Watkins Books, London

Peaceful Heart ~ Peace of Mind ~ Peace on Earth                       & The Practice of Nonviolence

However much fighting there is in the world, however much darkness there is, we must be able to serve as small lamps in that darkness.
17th Karmapa ~ source: http://www.kagyumonlam.org/english/Lectures


Your most important home is your own mind, more than any other. You've got to come back to that home, to get to know it a little bit better. And when you rest in your home, even for one moment, it might be the most beautiful rest you ever have. That is the beginning of finding meaning in your life. That is the beginning of making peace with yourself.                                                                           HH the 17th Karmapa                  
The Karmapa voices views similar to those of the Dalai Lama about nonviolence, compassion, peaceful resolution of the Tibetan problem, and more autonomy for Tibet and has talked about the ‘sheer frustration, the sheer sense of suffocation’ that Tibetans feel."
He told the Times of London, “I wish to have no political responsibilities...Having a monk as head of state doesn't qualify as a fully fledged democracy." He told Time, “I have no goals, nor any ambitions to be of great influence. But if circumstances make a force for change, then I am a force for change."

Although we may not have met in person, we need not be distant from each other mentally. Our affection for each other can keep us close. We can remain united through the goodness of our hearts. We can always see the stars twinkling in the sky. In the same way, wherever you are in the world, you can be a lamp brightening the space around you. You will always have your own light to shine. You can be a lamp dispelling not only any darkness in your own outlook, but radiating enough light to brighten the world around you as well.”

"Like the light of the sun, moon, and stars, may love, compassion, and wisdom shine forth. May they strike every single living being and dispel the darkness of ignorance, attachment, and hatred that has lurked for ages in their being. When any living being meets with another, may it be like the reunion of a mother and child who have long been separated. In a harmonious world such as this, may I see everyone sleep peacefully to the music of non-violence. This is my dream."
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

"The Buddha taught that ultimately, the only true and lasting happiness in this world comes from changing our focus from ourselves to others. When we sincerely wish and work for the happiness and benefit of others, we create our own happiness and make our lives truly meaningful.

Shantideva expressed this very well in the Way of the Bodhisattva:

May I become at all times, both now and forever: a protector for those without protection; a guide for those who have lost their way; a ship for those with oceans to cross; a bridge for those with rivers to cross; a sanctuary for those in danger; a lamp for those without light; a place of refuge for those who lack shelter; and a servant to all in need.


I pray that in the year ahead, whatever challenges arise, we will find the courage to face them and that through our efforts happiness, peace and well-being will increase in every corner of the world."

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Whatever upheaval may occur in the world around us, the root of our happiness and wellbeing remains the same. The cause of the health and happiness we desire for the new year lies within each of us, in our cultivation of inner peace and love towards others.
  His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje


Our Dharma Path Fully Alive

"We can practice the dharma with whatever we do ordinarily. We should simply rest without making a special project out of it. However, not forgetting mindfulness and awareness is very important."
An excerpt of one of the first teachings given by HH the Gyalwa Karmapa in 1 February 2000, after His arduous escape across the other side of the Himalayans from Tibet. He was only 14 then.

We need to do dharma practice now. We cannot postpone this — we need to start it right now.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Reality is your teacher ~ 17th Karmapa                                                                     No one owns a copyright on the Buddha’s teachings. They belong to the world, and in that sense they are not something I can offer to you. The teachings and teachers are ubiquitous. Reality is your teacher. Everything that appears can become your teacher. The four seasons can teach you. Anything can be a teacher of Buddhist teachings. Anything.
– 17th Karmapa  from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

The essential point in practicing the Dharma is to tame our minds.We need to see whether we are taming our mind or not. We need to see whether our mind is improving, getting kinder, or not.
17th Karmapa

Dharma practice is not outside our life. It is within the way we live our life.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

We need to do spiritual training in the actual situations of our lives, so that when we encounter obstacles we are able to deal with them.

The dharma shows us how to become a better human being, and how to live with compassion, non-violence and positive intentions.

Sometimes when we practice the dharma we think that we need to show some sort of external sign, so we pay a lot of attention to the rituals of our body and speech. But what we really need to do is turn our attention inwards.
17th Karmapa

No one—not even the Buddha—can take away our negative karma; it is up to us to change our behavior and engage in the practices.

It is important to lay the ground through taming our mind, training in the reality of impermanence and in the truth of cause and effect.
Transforming ourselves from within:
To begin with, what is Dharma? Generally, when most people try to practice Dharma, or say that they practice Dharma, they sometimes understand it as a ritual, something that you do with your body, your speech, or through special actions or activities. And if that is the case, then you need to devote special time for that activity. This type of Dharma practice usually happens in your shrine room or in your meditation room. You need to reserve special time for this manner of practice.

However, if you look deeply, the Dharma is not only that. Dharma is not a ritual; it is not something you do only with your body and speech. Dharma is actually something that transforms your mind. For example, if we are aggressive or angry, then we may look inside and try to find reasons why we should not feel that way. We instruct ourselves, we try to change it, and then slowly, we become less angry. Or, if we are somebody with a lot of attachment or clinging, we may try to do something about it. We look inside, correct ourselves, transform ourselves from within, and then start to lessen that emotion. That is what we actually mean by Dharma practice.                                                                 ~ 17th Karmapa

All living beings have positive, innate qualities, so it's not that you have to become someone completely different; you need to bring out the natural qualities within you. Similarly, you can practice Dharma in daily life; it's not that you have to do something completely different.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Graduated path ~ 17th Karmapa

  The Buddhist teachings move along a graduated path: first the stages of calm abiding and then the stages of deep insight. Through such gradual practices, lamas of the past gave birth to realization in their mental continuum and discovered primordial wisdom. All the qualities that the great masters found, we can attain as well. It all depends on our own efforts, our diligence, our deeper knowing, and our correct motivation.

You do not need to find special time for this kind of Dharma practice. You can do this form of practice even while you engage in your profession, your work. It can be done in concert with your daily livelihood. It involves reflecting on your aspirations, your way of thinking, and how you act and react. When you can change that, along with how you relate to other people – through your reactions and connections - you become aware of what you are doing. Examining that and then working in this way is, I think, a very important kind of Dharma practice.
HHK Teachings: Living The Dharma at the Kagyu Monlam

The goal of our renunciation should be to commit to what is beneficial for beings, and to what serves the cause of the dharma.

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Our habitual tendency is to always be busy, doing something, changing something, or cultivating something. Therefore when somebody asks us to just relax, to just be natural, it is very difficult for us to actually understand how to do that.

We have these expectations of immediate results. We think that the day we become a dharma practitioner, suddenly we will become a nice person and a good practitioner. But that’s not reality, and I don’t think it’s that easy. Maybe we take more time.

Authentic renunciation is a sincere desire for liberation. HH Karmapa

Taking Our Problems and Sufferings as a Support for Our Practice ~ 17th Karmapa              Many methods can free us from difficulties; however, precious bodhichitta, encompassing loving-kindness and compassion, is supreme. If we meditate on it well, there is nothing we cannot remedy. When we experience many different sufferings, they can be an actual support, a situation conducive to Dharma practice. If we were problem-free, we would have a hard time remembering to practice Dharma. If we are already practicing Dharma, it would be difficult for the practice to benefit us deeply. Taking all our problems and suffering as a support, we should bring them onto the path of practice. To the extent they are brought onto the path, to that extent will we attain the good qualities that result from practice. from the book "Music In The Sky: The Life, Art, And Teachings Of The 17Th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje"


As a disciple of Buddha Shakyamuni, our focus should not emphasize theory too much, but place more emphasis on how to put theory into practice. When we’re too focused on theory, our brains can get a little strange; slowly a gap will develop between the Dharma and our practice. Questions will crowd our mind. So we have to use the theories and put them in to practice, not just keep them in our heads. We need to use our mind to truly experience the philosophy and then we can clarify our doubts. Putting these ideas in to practice is the best way to clear away our doubts.
- Karmapa

"Each person must find his or her own path. Nontheless, seek guidance from wise and compassionate people and listen to them earnestly. This will help you to find the best way to proceed - now and in the future."
Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje in his book: -The Future is Now"

To practice the dharma means to become a better human being.

Sometimes we think, ‘I am a Buddhist, practicing the dharma’. But when we look inside, we’re not really 100% sure if we are actually a good person. If we’re not trying to become a better person then we cannot say that we’re a practitioner of the dharma.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

The essence of dharma is doing what is beneficial and giving up harm. We need to know what this essence is, and then bring it into our lives.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Instead of asking ourselves what the Buddha can teach us, we should ask: What can reality teach us? Buddha only helps us with making reality our teacher.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Dharma practice is not a matter of putting on a good show with body and speech. It’s mixing the Dharma with one’s own mind, taming one’s hardened mind, and diminishing mental afflictions... We can’t leave the Dharma outside our everyday life...

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The Mahamudra instructions say one must not pursue mental afflictions, but when they arise, one shouldn’t worry about them. For example, someone on a journey will see various scenery. One doesn’t have to stop seeing what is there, nor does one have to be
alarmed. The journey must go on. We tend to claim ownership of what is on the path. Rather it is a journey of noticing mental afflictions, looking at their essential nature... By feeding them, mental afflictions gain strength... If one doesn’t entertain them, they will be defeated by themselves... All Dharmas come to the same point. All the profound instructions aim to uproot our mental afflictions...
Dedicated consistent integration of the Dharma into everyday life is the practical approach to Dharma practice.

His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

The poison and enemy of this world,
he declared, is the growth of poison in the mind.
He cut off that growth with the sword of wisdom.
The father and mother of this world,
he declared, are the countless sentient beings,
and he nurtured them with love and compassion.
The joy and misery of this world,
he declared, is the result of our own karma,
and he showed us the ways to purify it.
The refuge and guide of this world,
I understand, is the Prince of the Sakya,
and I humbly prostrate myself at his feet.

His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
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Question from KYC: Some students have a great passion for art, music, or sports. How can they use these as part of their spiritual path instead of a distraction?

the 17th Karmapa: There are many ways in which we can use the same outer activity. The full picture of that action will depend on the attitude you bring to it as well as whether or not you know how to do it properly. Also, depending on how we think about the action that we are engaged in, it will have a different meaning for us. For example, someone who doesn’t know how to practice Chöd might be able to pick up a damaru and bell and play them correctly, but they will have a different meaning in mind than someone who does know how to practice Chöd who picks up a bell and damaru and plays them. It’s the same thing with playing sports, playing music, or creating art. There is the outer aspect to the action but then there’s the inner attitude and way of thinking that you bring to that action. That way of thinking is going to change the way the action affects you.

If we can give things like music, sports, and art an extra meaning so that they are not just outward oriented activities, then I think it is possible for these to become an extension of our Dharma practice. For example, for one who wants to create art, from a mundane perspective, you could just have an outward motivation of making something beautiful or making something new and innovative. But from the point of view of practice, you could go further than that and have some type of connection with the inner beauty of mind and wanting to bring that forward as an extension of your practice of making art. So, bringing our inner world to bear on the things we do in our outer world can be very transformative.

Keep It Simple ~ 17th Karmapa
Once you have committed to a particular path, I suggest that you look for the simplest way forward. You should make things accessible and approachable in your religious community and in your personal practice, rather than more complicated.

Keep it simple. The life of the spirit is actually very basic and easy. We often don’t appreciate that. In the beginning, our spiritual path may strike us as very simple and perfectly clear. But then, after we have been practicing it for a few years, we sometimes find ourselves going backward, and moving away from that initial simplicity. The spiritual breakthrough we experience may simply consist in rediscovering what we had seen in the beginning.

Spiritual discovery is not a matter of finding wisdom out there somewhere. It is a matter of discovering what already exists within us. Like cleaning the surface of a stone inscription, the more you clean it, the more the original carving becomes apparent. We are like that stone. With spiritual practice, instead of gaining something we did not have before, we gradually make ourselves clearer to ourselves.
from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

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Seeing clearly what is genuine and what is false ~ 17th Karmapa
All we really need to do for practice is to study, reflect, and meditate. However, these days it is common in the East and West that desire for honor and gain creates problems. Imitation monks, phony lamas, fake tulkus, and false gods turn up, and because of this, it is difficult to find the right kind of study, reflection, and meditation. It is very important for everyone to be careful about this and try to see clearly what is genuine and what is false. If someone says, “I am a lama,” or “I am a tulku,” or “I am a god,” we do not have to immediately follow them. First, investigate to see whether they are genuine or not and whether we should make a connection with them. It is important to use our critical faculties along with giving up attachments.

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We have these expectations of immediate results. We think that the day we become a dharma practitioner, suddenly we will become a nice person and a good practitioner. But that’s not reality, and I don’t think it’s that easy. Maybe we take more time.

When we say practice, it's not all that helpful for us just to hear the dharma, or listen to the dharma. It's not all that helpful for us to develop some kind of understanding about the dharma. What we really need to do is join the dharma with our own being, and then we need to practice that over and over again. Joining our being with the dharma, so that we can become habituated and familiarized with it – this is what is most important.  ~HH the 17th Karmapa

Now talking about the application of the Dharma, it is mainly  to turn our life into a meaningful event. In some way we have to experience the preciousness of this life’s opportunity. And if that is the aim to really have a confidence and an experience of the preciousness of our life, all practice or application has to support that goal. Now if our application and mediation is of that kind that we reserve a certain period every day for this application and meditation, and all the rest of the time, we are just engaged in our busy life and our activities and are just normal like we always are, then to call this a successful Dharma practice, is sort of difficult.                                                                                                       Just looking at the time: Compare the few minutes of time that you are trying to do something like practice, with all the rest of the time where you are entangled in busy activities and obligations: For that reason to call it a successful Dharma practice we rather have to step beyond our - whatever it is - meditation room or temple or what you want to call it, and have to apply something useful, helpful. In all the rest of our life, to connect ourselves with the essence of Dharma, right there where we live and work, it seems to me that the most important for turning our lives into something precious and meaningful is that we learn to really benefit others. That our ability to help and benefit other sentient beings should grow. And by and large that we turn our entire being with all our wishes and motivations into something well wishing, and like becoming  good human being, that is working for the benefit of others. Rather than turning ourselves into something very special or extraordinary, it is much more important, that by ourselves and through ourselves or initiated by ourselves something more useful and helpful is created in this world, that we contribute to the wellness of other sentient beings. We contribute to the benefit for others, initiated by ourselves, and through our service, or if you want to say, by just being more useful for others. So this is was what is really much more needed.
Yes, that is the most important things, thank you so much!                                                                      HH the 17th Karmapa at >Bodhicharya Berlin, 2015

Holy beings are those who manage to rise above their mistakes and their own faults.

Since the kleshas do not arise solely when we are on our meditation cushion, it is not sufficient to work to counteract them only while we are in a formal session.

And it seems that also some people have the idea, by practicing Dharma they turn into something very special, it makes them extraordinary and so much better than all the other poor who have no dharma practice. Rather it seems to me we should turn into someone who becomes simply more useful. Just be of better service to all and everone, and in such way becoming helpful.
At all times we should guard against arrogance. It seems that some people believe practising Dharma sets them apart and makes them special in some way, superior to all those who don’t practice Dharma, the Karmapa warned, and to illustrate the point, he recounted the fable of Gold and Mud.
Once upon a time Gold and Mud had a conversation. Gold looked down at Mud and said, “Look at me! How I shine! How beautiful I am! What value do you have? You are so dirty and you stink. In fact, you are thoroughly disgusting. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Well,” Mud replied, “Perhaps I’m not all bad. Lotus flowers grow from me. Can you grow lotuses? And vegetables, mushrooms, and lots of other plants all grow out of me. I give them strength and feed them. What can grow from you?”
Gold had no reply.
“What we learn from this example is that rather than turning ourselves into something special, it is much more important that through us something more useful and helpful is created in this world,” His Holiness commented. “We should contribute to the well-being of other sentient beings; we should become a catalyst for good in the world. This is what is needed.”  HH the 17th Karmapa at Bodhicharya Center Berlin, September 2015

Since a Buddhist practitioner needs to follow the stages of the path, in the beginning it is paramount to practise what is to be adopted and what is to be abandoned. As we progress, we come to see that previously, we had clung to the true existence of things to be taken and given up. When we come closer to the true nature, the mind becomes freer of content about what to adopt and reject.             The realization that true reality is not some kind of form we can grasp is difficult to achieve, and we must be careful not to remain at the level of an intellectual understanding. From the perspective of ultimate truth, the phenomena of relative truth do not exist; however, we have not yet embodied that ultimate reality, so we must place a greater emphasis on relative truth.                                                   the 17th Karmapa ~ 23 May 2017: UK Launch of ‘Interconnected: Embracing Life in our Global Society’ at Watkins Books, London

The information age was having a profound effect on spirituality. Information on different spiritual traditions is readily available over the Internet, encouraging a consumerist view of religions, and the abundance of information could lead to confusion. The main point of true spiritual practice is to learn about our own mind, he explained, and one of the things we learn is the ability to focus our mind so that it is not carried away by attending to things outside. Since mind is able to hold its own ground, we gain more focus and control over ourselves. A true spiritual path is about finding who or what we are by turning our attention inward. To do this, we must be able to stick with the fundamental question, the mother of them all: Who or what am I? Our entire attention is placed here.                                     The 17th Karmapa ~ 23 May 2017: UK Launch of ‘Interconnected: Embracing Life in our Global Society’ at Watkins Books, Londo

In some way bodhicitta is like falling in love; all doubts are cleared up. Our heart becomes full of joy and we are completely focused. Our dharma practice becomes easy and the purpose of life is clear. If we have an understanding of the purpose, object and view, dharma comes very easily. If there is too much thinking then it becomes a religion, a system with gods and ghosts; and the real practice is not there. We don’t need to understand a lot of philosophy. The main point is to work for the benefit of beings.                                                                                                                                                     HH the Karmapa: "Living the Dharma" Kagyu Monlam 2009

The main thing is not to give up on sentient beings. If we hold them in our mind’s eye, that is an important foundation. It will transform us. Self cherishing becomes less. This kind of loving kindness is like a wish fulfilling jewelHH the Karmapa: "Living the Dharma" Kagyu Monlam 2009

Dharma is not just a ritual but something that transforms the mind. We can do it in daily life. Look how you act and react, how you relate with others. Become aware.                                                               the 17th Karmapa

Dharma has to become one with our mind and our life. People think they have to study and bring that into their life. Rather we have to apply the dharma to fill the empty spaces in our life. If you do that, the dharma and life become one. It’s the difference between bringing the dharma into your life and living the dharma.                                                                                                                                   the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Generally speaking, the practice of dharma is something you can do anywhere, even in prisons, or when sleeping, if you know how to do it.

As a disciple of Buddha Shakyamuni, our focus should not emphasize theory too much, but place more emphasis on how to put theory into practice. When we’re too focused on theory, our brains can get a little strange; slowly a gap will develop between the Dharma and our practice. Questions will crowd our mind. So we have to use the theories and put them in to practice, not just keep them in our heads. We need to use our mind to truly experience the philosophy and then we can clarify our doubts. Putting these ideas in to practice is the best way to clear away our doubts. - Karmapa

Nourishing a Nonsectarian & Inclusive RIME Attitude      (Within and Beyond Buddhism)

The point of spirituality is to bring us together, not to split us apart, to bring us together in united, mutual understanding and knowledge.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

The point of religion is to bring people together, not to split us apart. HH Karmapa

The point of spirituality is to bring us together, not to split us apart, to bring us together in united, mutual understanding and knowledge.

The experiences of all human beings are similar: We all want to be happy and do not want to suffer. And we wish to be loved. Religions address what is uniting us humans, but we keep forgetting this because we concentrate too much on what is separating us.


The way to accomplish happiness in the world is to do meaningful work in one’s own life with a positive motivation that sees all people and all traditions as equal.
from the book "Heart Advice of the Karmapa"

When spiritual beliefs are used to build up walls between people, this is a total misunderstanding of the purpose of spirituality. Spirituality should mean coming closer to yourself. When this happens, you become closer to others, too. Spirituality and religion should dismantle discrimination and labels, not shore them up. It should break, not create, barriers between people.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje


"The Karmapa concluded his talk with a plea for religious tolerance. All the Buddhist traditions in   Tibet come from one source, the Buddha, so the differences between them are not great. There is one current of the teachings, within which a few variations may surface, such as the way the bell and dorje are handled; however, it is a huge mistake to inflate these small distinctions into a basis for attachment and hatred, asserting one’s own tradition to be better than another’s.

To illustrate his point, the Karmapa related a cautionary tale. It is said that toward the end of his life, the Buddha had a conversation with Mara who, of course, did not want to see the Buddha’s teachings spread, as he would be out of work. The Buddha said that even though he would not be present, his teachings would persist. And Mara replied that he would make obstacles to destroy them. How? Mara would send his emanation in the guise of a holder of the Dharma to incite discord among Buddhist teachers.
So the reason for the decline of the Buddha’s Dharma would not come from outside, but from within, from disputes between the holders of his teachings. The Karmapa reiterated that the differences between lineages are minor in terms of view, meditation, and action, and urged everyone to keep this in mind. He concluded with thanks to everyone for taking the time and making the effort to come." 

The way to accomplish happiness in the world is to do meaningful work in one’s own life with a positive motivation that sees all people and all traditions as equal.
  His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Walls come up between people when we attach more importance to the form of our religious identities than to the substance of what they teach us. When spiritual beliefs are used to build up walls between people, this is a total misunderstanding of the purpose of spirituality. Spirituality should mean coming closer to yourself. When this happens, you become closer to others, too. Spirituality and religion should dismantle discrimination and labels, not shore them up. It should break, not create, barriers between people.
17th Karmapa

As a disciple of Buddha Shakyamuni, our focus should not emphasize theory too much, but place more emphasis on how to put theory into practice. When we’re too focused on theory, our brains can get a little strange; slowly a gap will develop between the Dharma and our practice. Questions will crowd our mind. So we have to use the theories and put them in to practice, not just keep them in our heads. We need to use our mind to truly experience the philosophy and then we can clarify our doubts. Putting these ideas in to practice is the best way to clear away our doubts. - Karmapa

Meaning, Way and Fruit of Meditation
Just to simply relax and rest in your own natural state is all that you need to do. When you give yourself that opportunity, you’ll find that presence extends to the other parts of your life."
 - Karmapa #Quote #Meditation #Motivation

"Meditating on death and impermanence, however, is not to create fear of death. We all have this fear even animals,” the Karmapa noted. “We meditate on death and impermanence so that we do not waste our time, so that we treasure the life and friends we have,
and so that we live a life we will not regret.”
Karmapa #Karmapa #Dharma #Death

The Buddhist view of love and compassion is based on the common ground shared by all sentient beings. Others are just like us, they experience pleasure and pain, they want to avoid suffering and be happy, and this is the fundamental reason which motivates us to develop love and compassion. When we know how to practice correctly, no one is excluded from our love and compassion.
- Karmapa #Happiness #Love #Karmapa

Whether we are Hinayana, Mahayana or even Buddhist, depends on the state of our mind when we practice and not on the texts we use,” he commented. ”We need to continually correct and revise our minds and examine ourselves.” -
Karmapa #Buddhist #Dharma  #Meditation

Just to simply relax and rest in your own natural state is all that you need to do. When you give yourself that opportunity, you’ll find that presence extends to the other parts of your life."
 - Karmapa #Quote #Meditation #Motivation

“What we call meditation,” the Karmapa explained, “actually means that whatever is happening, whatever situation we might meet, our minds remain settled within themselves; in a simple, unfabricated way they just rest there. If we can do this, then there is no need for us to do meditation as a separate activity.”                            H.H. the 17th Karmapa


"It’s not like a thought arises and then we chase after that thought thinking, 'I need to get that, I need to find out what that thought is, and I need to recognize that thought.' We don’t need to be so insistent about it. Instead, what we need to do is to merely relax without adjusting anything, and when we’re in that state we just need to prolong this experience."
- Gyalwang Karmapa #karmapa #quotes #quoteoftheday #dharma #buddhism #india

"The Buddha said that two things are essential: study and practice. Gampopa advised people to study first. The Kagyu is known as the practice lineage, and meditation plays a central role; it is the lineage of experience and realization. Like Milarepa, we have to receive the instructions, and then put them into practice. This involves hardship and effort."
His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Importance of Calm Abiding ~ 17th Karmapa We cannot immediately grasp the more advanced practices, such as the Great Seal (mahamudra) or the Great Completion (mahasandhi), both of which lead to the result of primordial wisdom. For all of these higher-level practices, we need a steady basis, which is none other than the correct practice of calm abiding. If the untamed mind is filled with concepts and afflictions, these higher practices are not possible. In the beginning, a tree needs strong roots. Similarly, what is most important for meditation is calm abiding.

In order to meditate, it is very important to first identify what we are meditating on. If we meditate without identifying that, there is the danger it will become idiot meditation or idiot Dharma. If we do not first fully comprehend through listening and contemplating the meaning of what we are meditating on, how can we practice?
17th Karmapa

Meditation naturally connects us with who we are in an uncontrived way.

Meditation is not just about relaxing or helping us de-stress.

Every moment that thought arises, we have the opportunity to recognize the nature of thought as emptiness, or dharmakaya.

Emptiness is present from time beyond time.

Why is it so difficult to do meditation practice? Is it because it’s too difficult, or because it’s too easy? I think the answer is too easy. That’s why we don’t know how to do it.

Our habitual tendency is to always be busy, doing something, changing something, or cultivating something. Therefore when somebody asks us to just relax, to just be natural, it is very difficult for us to actually understand how to do that. HH Karmapa

Generally speaking, there are many aspects to Buddhist logic, but the following is the main point; the continuation of material things and the continuation of consciousness are something separate.

Because the continuation of consciousness is understood through the experience and awareness that there is clarity in our mind, it is not something you can actually see, or experiment with from the outside. Because in this century people are much more materialistic, it is very difficult to demonstrate to them this fact of the mind’s continuum, for them to understand the fact of the mind continuing.

Although there could be different methods, traditionally meditation is one way to understand it. Through meditation your basic or unrefined consciousness goes deeper. It becomes more and more clear and subtle. At a certain level you can actually remember your past lives. So therefore, when you go deeper into your consciousness, at a more subtle level of consciousness, real clarity can be experienced.

It also sometimes happens that your mind can be brought into a deeper consciousness through medical science, and then maybe sometimes you can also experience certain memories of the past. So there are also other ways.

17th Karmapa ~ source: http://livingthedharma.eu/buddhist-logic/

The progress of our meditation, and the results we receive from meditating, depend entirely upon our motivation for meditating. 17th Karmapa

We have to do some formal practice in the morning; do refuge, relax the mind and make a strong aspiration for the day. If I cannot do something good, at least I should not do something harmful. Then your day will become auspicious.  the 17th Karmapa

We need to give our mind a rest, to bring peace and joy to our mind. We should make time every day to let our mind relax. Rest the mind for ten minutes every three hours. Our mind is distracted and it needs to have some place to come back home. Relax in Now. We need to feel we have achieved something and now we can relax.

The most important thing is to give rest and relaxation to your mind. Even if I am busy with body and speech, my mind is ahead. Even if we are busy we have to be aware so we are not overwhelmed. It’s like looking from above, seeing the situation and taking charge of it.

When I have time to do formal practice I do it fully; I don’t let anything else come into my mind. I make a clear aspiration that I will do this and nothing else. Then we are able to relax and find peace.         HH the Karmapa: "Living the Dharma" Kagyu Monlam 2009

The Kagyu forefathers said that listening, contemplation and meditation are the way to tame a rough and unruly mind," the Karmapa told the monks present. "Tibetan nomads have a way to make yak hide supple. First they steep it in water, then they rub butter into it, then they rub it again and again with their hands. Likewise, for our minds, listening is like the water, contemplation is like the butter, and meditation is like rubbing the hide again and again. The result should be that our minds become less rough and suppler. If our minds are becoming tamer and more malleable, it is a sign that our listening, contemplation and meditation is being done effectively."
- the Karmapa speaking at the conclusion of his teachings on '100 Short Instructions' by Mikyo Dorje.


Emptiness is Fullness, Emptiness is Openess

A fundamental sense of opportunity ~ 17th Karmapa
When Buddhism talks about emptiness, it is not talking about a type of non-existence whatsoever, but rather the teachings on emptiness point to the notion of possibility, that anything can happen. The teachings on emptiness are about a fundamental sense of opportunity that is a part of reality, a fundamental presence of a gap or a space in which anything can occur. So this is the basic notion behind the Buddhist teachings on emptiness and dependent arising. And these teachings on dependent arising are present in all of the different vehicles in Buddhism, both the greater vehicle and the foundational vehicle.
source: http://kagyuoffice.org/his-holiness-the-karmapa-speaks-on-compassion-and-the-nature-of-mind-on-the-eve-of-his-departure-to-india/

Every moment that thought arises, we have the opportunity to recognize the nature of thought as emptiness, or dharmakaya.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Everything is dependently arising ~ 17th Karmapa
When we talk about emptiness, is has to be based on an understanding of the relativity of all things. Looking at 'the reflection of the moon on water', we can see that there is nothing there. Even that is dependently arisen, dependent on the existence of the moon and the water, on the ability of water to reflect. All of these things must come together to enable us to see the reflection of the moon on the water. That is emptiness. Emptiness and interdependence are inseparable. Everything is dependently arising; nothing exists on its own. Therefore, the nature of everything is emptiness. And because everything is emptiness and everything is interdependent, then everything is possible.

The Mind Is Like Space ~ 17th Karmapa                                                            The essential nature of the mind is like space. There is no such thing as a mind that truly exists or a mind that is inherently established even though we might find reasonings, scriptures, or experience to the contrary. Mind is empty. Our ordinary mind, however, becomes confused in thinking that things really exist. The nature of our mind is emptiness, but not a blankness, not the result of mere negation: emptiness is also radiant clarity, the basis for the appearances of both samsara and nirvana. The mind is like space and it also has a clear and knowing aspect, which allows us to say, “This is space.” Resting in mind’s empty, clear nature, we will be at ease as we move along the path of practice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every moment that thought arises, we have the opportunity to recognize the nature of thought as emptiness, or dharmakaya.

Emptiness is present from time beyond time. HH Karmapa

In general, however, it would be extremely difficult to bear physically in a single body the suffering of all living beings, and so we mainly use tonglen as a method to work with our minds, training them to become so courageous that we do not become discouraged or rigid and can fearlessly meet others' suffering. Through this, our compassion and patience increase and our minds open up. When we follow after our routine thoughts and old habits, it is difficult for fresh intelligence to take birth. Understanding emptiness helps us to let go of ego-fixation that reifies our experience; it allows us to return to freshness, to the very basis of who we are." HH Karmapa teaching in Kondon May 2017

Being Grounded in your Own Goodness

 

"The deepest reasons to love yourself have nothing to do with anything outside you—not with your body or with others’ expectations of you. If you ground yourself in your own goodness, nothing will be able to damage your self-esteem. Take delight in your inner nature, in your virtues, and in all your beautiful qualities."  HH Karmapa

When we speak of cultivating compassion, we are not speaking of the creation of something entirely new, but rather the development of something natural to us and innate within us.


We define compassion as “the wish to liberate all beings in samsara.” Since we are still within samsara, we qualify as objects of our own compassion just as much as others do. Therefore, I think that we have a responsibility both to take care of others and to take care of ourselves.

We could say that it is equally important in the long run, for our own good and the good of others, that we are initially kind to ourselves.

If we cultivate kindness and love towards ourselves, we will be able to have even more love for others.

Real Love and Flourishing  Relationships

It is important to recognize that love, concern, and affection are not optional. We do not need any reason to offer love and affection. It is possible to have love without prices and without conditions. We do not need any further compensation beyond just giving our love. And love is an indefinitely renewable resource. For the well-being of society and for our own personal growth as well, it is crucial that we learn to love without needing a reason or reward.
17th Karmapa ~from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Ou
t"

The difference between loving kindness and attachment is that with attachment I cannot control myself. But when we have compassion to beings it’s different. There is a genuine reason not to forsake them. There is free choice. You choose to love them and not to give up on them. Attachment is closed and tight. With compassion and loving kindness there’s an open, free and warm feeling. Compassion is not a job. It’s based on a clear understanding.

Relationships should bring happiness and not suffering. If you have a loving relationship even watering the garden has the quality of love. 

Attachment is clingy. It has the aspect of, this is completely mine. For example, when a couple is in love and the husband talks to a more beautiful lady, the wife feels jealousy – that is attachment. I own this. Love is giving freedom, wanting joy and happiness for others. You try to support what the other wants. It’s not like, this is my husband and he should do or say things according to my way. That is control. There is no freedom. If this is the attitude, it’s hard to have a happy life together. Love is freedom, giving, openness. Love and attachment have to be understood in a proper way.                HH the Karmapa: "Living the Dharma" Kagyu Monlam 2009

When our life feels imbalanced and pointless, usually we notice that our relationships have also become unhealthy. By thinking carefully about how we orient ourselves toward others and toward ourselves, we can build and enjoy healthy relationships. We can learn to cultivate relationships that are warm and truly meaningful.   HH the 17th Karmapa


Love is a huge and expansive practice, a great and noble practice. It is like a tree, needs to grow continually, yielding fresh cycles of leaves and flowers and fruit. If this stops, the tree stagnates and eventually dies.”

“Whenever you hear sounds made by other beings or hear the voices of people speaking, try to suffuse your hearing with the heart of compassion. When you shake hands or give someone a hug, you can generate love in your heart and radiate it to them through that contact.”
- the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa

Love can have this vast, all-encompassing quality. It can be allowed to spread until it permeates the very core of our relationships. Yet often, instead of giving love room to expand, we box it in with our expectations. Expectations make our love conditional on whether or not the relationship fulfills our wishes. How can you expect love to last when you demand that it meet your conditions, and you act as if you own another person?
17th Karmapa ~from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out“

It is clear that faults never lie exclusively on one side of a relationship. For this reason, if we are serious about forging relationships that work, we must also recognize our own faulty attitudes, and work on them. When we commit to identifying our own faults and transforming our own mind, then and only then are healthy relationships possible.

I have observed a strange idea of love that many people seem to have: they see love as a kind of gift that has to be given back. Someone says, “I love you,” and if the other person does not reply with an “I love you, too,” the first person gets upset. But love doesn’t always have to be reciprocated. We can just love. If love doesn’t come back to you, it is still love that you give and that you feel. We do not always have to look to get something back for what we give, do we?

Love is an infinitely renewable resource. For the well-being of society and for our own personal growth as well, it is crucial that we learn to love without needing a reason or reward

If we connect to others and to the planet with love and affection, our responsibility to bring about change does not have to weigh heavily on us at all. We will carry it gladly.

It is important to recognize that love, concern, and affection are not optional.

When you feel authentic love toward others, you will be deeply moved to act. You will not rest until you have found ways to secure the happiness of all those you are able to include in your feelings of love. As you learn to love more and more widely, your love will motivate you to act to benefit not just the few people in your inner circle, but your whole society, and eventually, the whole world.

I want to share with you a feeling I have. I feel that my love does not have to remain within the limitations of my own life or body. I imagine that if I am no longer in the world, my love could still be present. I want to place my love on the moon and let the moon hold my love. Let the moon be the keeper of my love, offering it to everyone just as the moon sends its light to embrace the whole earth.

When our life feels imbalanced and pointless, usually we notice that our relationships have also become unhealthy. By thinking carefully about how we orient ourselves toward others and toward ourselves, we can build and enjoy healthy relationships. We can learn to cultivate relationships that are warm and truly meaningful.


I want to share with you a feeling I have. I feel that my love does not have to remain within the limitations of my own life or body. I imagine that if I am no longer in the world, my love could still be present. I want to place my love on the moon and let the moon hold my love. Let the moon be the keeper of my love, offering it to everyone just as the moon sends its light to embrace the whole earth. Since the moon is holding the love I have for you, seeing the moon can remind you of that, and inspire you. If anything I have said here makes sense to you, you can ask the moon to keep it for you. You can ask the stars to keep it for you. When you look at the moon and the stars, I hope you will be reminded of the thoughts and the love I have shared with you here.
His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

When we bring our concern for ourselves into harmony with our concern for others, our life comes in balance. When our life feels imbalanced and pointless, usually we notice that our relationships have also become unhealthy. By thinking carefully about how we orient ourselves toward others and toward ourselves, we can build and enjoy healthy relationships. We can learn to cultivate relationships that are warm and truly meaningful.
17th Karmapa ~ from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

If we want to have true love, then we need to have love where we become indivisible. This is not to say that we disappear, but rather we see that we are actually a part of the other. HH Karmapa

But we mistakenly believe that our welfare, our wellbeing, is utterly independent from the well-being of others. Based on that, we have decided my welfare alone is important and the welfare of others is unimportant.

Compassion arises based on pure love. Holding within our mind all living beings who are unhappy, we think, “I want everyone to be happy.“

We define compassion as “the wish to liberate all beings in samsara…” Since we are still within samsara, we qualify as objects of our own compassion just as much as others do. Therefore, I think that we have a responsibility both to take care of others and to take care of ourselves.

We could say that it is equally important in the long run, for our own good and the good of others, that we are initially kind to ourselves.

In particular, we can actually see our romantic relationships themselves as a spiritual practice. We don’t have to view them as two separate things. In fact, if we can practice the Dharma well, we will be able to be a source of true love but if we can’t practice the Dharma well, then we won’t be able to give any genuine love at all. Therefore, our romantic relationships are actually a genuine practice of the Dharma and they don’t need to be viewed as separate from the Dharma whatsoever because relationships are in essence a relationship between two minds. Whether it is a romantic relationship or family relationship, everything happens in terms of working with our minds and the way we respond to events and other minds. So it is a mind-to-mind relationship that we are working with.

We can try our best to practice a relationship as a Dharma practice, as a practice of understanding our mind better and of working with our minds. But sometimes even if we try our best we still fail and the relationship doesn’t work. Nevertheless, if we approach it as a practitioner, then we must view the relationship as a spiritual training. We must not view our relationship as separate from the Dharma. As a spiritual practitioner, if we view our relationship as separate from the Dharma, then that is a strange situation to be in, because then what relevance is the relationship to you? We also don’t need to be free from attachment. Some people think that they might be going against Buddhist teachings if they are in a relationship because the relationship is about attachment, but we don’t have to be free from attachment from the beginning. We can slowly work on freeing ourselves from attachment.

The important point to underscore here is that it is freedom from attachment that produces true love. Often what we think is that if there is no attachment then there can’t be any love. In order for there to be love, there has to be attachment. That’s the logical formula that we set for ourselves. But from the Buddhist perspective, if we free ourselves from attachment, that’s the only way we will be able to provide true love. So therefore the Buddhist practice and the spiritual exercise that we bring to relationships is to gradually free ourselves from mundane attachment and to offer true love. If we are able to do this as an authentic Dharma practitioner, then our relationships will go well and even though they might not always work out, then we will be able to say that we had a relationship in which we did not harm the other person and that was beneficial for both people.
The 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

When we bring our concern for ourselves into harmony with our concern for others, our life comes in balance. When our life feels imbalanced and pointless, usually we notice that our relationships have also become unhealthy. By thinking carefully about how we orient ourselves toward others and toward ourselves, we can build and enjoy healthy relationships. We can learn to cultivate relationships that are warm and truly meaningful.
17th Karmapa

from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"
Look carefully at your experiences to recognize all the love you have received. Look carefully at your own actions and gestures to find ways to show love. Make room for that in your heart, and painful conflicts will lose their sting.

17th Karmapa ~ from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

If one attempts to cultivate compassion for others, love for others without having compassion and love for oneself, one will have no basis within oneself for that cultivation.

In order to see others well, it is sometimes necessary to see and know yourself first.

Love and compassion are like seeds within us. Like the seed of a tree, they require active nurturing in order to develop.

Love and compassion are developed through patience, through diligence, and through compassionate action.

Kindness and love are essential for our survival.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Most scientists these days maintain that everyone has the capacity for empathy and they describe compassion as hard-wired into human beings. However, it seems that caring for others is something we can turn on and off, so that our empathy decreases and our compassion becomes latent rather than manifest.

Secondly, the development of our potential for compassion depends heavily on our environment. Using language acquisition as an analogy, His Holiness spoke of children abandoned in the jungle: though they have the innate human capacity to develop language, without exposure to a language, they never learn to speak. Similarly, the home environment is crucial in the development of a child’s capacity to love and care for others. Frequently hearing the word love leaves a powerful imprint on the child.

His Holiness went on to explain that whereas the term love may refer to many different forms of love, such as the love of parents for their children, the love between friends, or the love one has for one’s teacher, in contrast, the term compassion in the Buddhist context usually refers specifically to great compassion, the impartial wish that all sentient beings be free of suffering.

For many people, the everyday experience of love is accompanied by pain and suffering, His Holiness reflected. How then can the quality of our love be transformed? The answer lies in the difference between worldly love, which is possessive, and binds people with fixation and attachment, and the love taught in Dharma, which frees you from fixation and attachment.

“Love is a huge topic for study and practice,” he said. “We can gradually increase our level and deepen our capacity for love within ourselves.” Love cannot exist in isolation, he emphasised, and it has to be expressed within a social context, for it only exists in our mutual connections with others. Consequently, if people are not prepared to study or change, it is very difficult for them to develop love and goodness.

In order to develop this latter type of love, we must diminish our fixations, he advised. In the Vajrayana tradition, the metaphor used for relative bodhicitta, which is the actual bodhicitta, is the full moon. Our limited love, on the other hand, is characterised by a crescent moon, because we have only partially developed the potential of the love we possess. It is biased and limited, restricted to family and friends. Meditating on bodhicitta as a full moon serves as an inspiration for us to develop impartial love completely.  the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa

And in both the first visit and the second visit I have met with many people who have a connection with the previous Karmapa: the 16th Karmapa. So there is a feeling within me of reuniting with people with whom I had established a heart connection. There is a sense of continuity between the connections made by the 16th Karmapa and those made by the 17th Karmapa, and what this symbolizes for me, what this conjures for me in my mind, is some type of real confidence that love and friendship are very powerful forces that can remain from lifetime to lifetime. The connections and relationships that we make with other people through love and friendship don’t just last for one lifetime alone but can endure from lifetime to lifetime and become evermore deepened. So this is the kind of confidence that meeting with you all has given me.  the Karmapa

It is clear that faults never lie exclusively on one side of a relationship. For this reason, if we are serious about forging relationships that work, we must also recognize our own faulty attitudes, and work on them. When we commit to identifying our own faults and transforming our own mind, then and only then are healthy relationships possible.                                                                                17th Karmapa ~from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"



Alive Kindness and Living Compassion




We could literally translate the term compassion (in Tibetan nying je) as “noble heart“.  the Karmapa

The point is to care so keenly for others that you give rise to courage and determination to relieve them of their suffering. That is compassion.
17th Karmapa

We human beings have innate qualities like loving-kindness and compassion. This is not something only for practitioners of a spiritual or religious path – this is something we all have.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

We have the propensity for showing kindness and love from birth. It is part of our nature. However, this has been turned off by our upbringing or different circumstances and we have become habituated to not using it.
  His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

~Karmapa: Developing Inner Peace                                                                                             Whatever we do should be natural and spontaneous, uninhibited like a young child. This is especially true when we want to help others; our compassion and loving kindness should arise naturally and spontaneously, even though this might mean that sometimes we will face rejection when we were only trying to help. On the other hand, too much thinking and conceptualisation can interfere when we try to help people; natural spontaneity is very important in expressing our innate love and compassion.

Changing our focus ~ 17th Karmapa
The Buddha taught that ultimately, the only true and lasting happiness in this world comes from changing our focus from ourselves to others. When we sincerely wish and work for the happiness and benefit of others, we create our own happiness and make our lives truly meaningful.
Shantideva expressed this very well in the Way of the Bodhisattva:
May I become at all times, both now and forever: a protector for those without protection; a guide for those who have lost their way; a ship for those with oceans to cross; a bridge for those with rivers to cross; a sanctuary for those in danger; a lamp for those without light; a place of refuge for those who lack shelter; and a servant to all in need.

– 17th Karmapa

Just as intense as our own desire to be free from suffering is, others’ desire to be free from suffering is equally intense. HH Karmapa

Much of our work is based on the use of our brains, by which I mean our intelligence. But compassion is something that arises or is present at a much deeper level of the mind, very much just as the roots of a tree—unlike its branches—are present within and beneath the ground HH Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Great compassion is of great importance to bodhisattvas at the beginning of the path, throughout the path, and at the culmination of the path.  HH Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

When our compassion becomes genuine and deep, our actions for the benefit of others will be effortless and free from doubt.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

What I really like to do is to go into action. When I am meditating on compassion I don’t want to have compassion that I keep inside myself but I want to be able to show the power of compassion to others.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje
during a filmed interview, December 17, 2010 Bodhgaya, India

In some way bodhicitta is like falling in love; all doubts are cleared up. Our heart becomes full of joy and we are completely focused. Our dharma practice becomes easy and the purpose of life is clear. If we have an understanding of the purpose, object and view, dharma comes very easily. If there is too much thinking then it becomes a religion, a system with gods and ghosts; and the real practice is not there. We don’t need to understand a lot of philosophy. The main point is to work for the benefit of beings.                                                                                                                                                     HH the Karmapa: "Living the Dharma" Kagyu Monlam 2009

Cultivating boundless compassion:
We should use our creativity and imagination and our senses to cultivate compassion and extend it to all sentient beings. We should try and free our compassion so that it can travel beyond our own bodies and seep throughout the environment. If we use our imagination in this way then our compassion can help beings.

For example, when the wind blows we can imagine that our compassion is spreading throughout space to benefit beings and enter their hearts. We can also imagine that our compassion is flowing out on the clouds towards sentient beings.

If we train ourselves in this way there will come a time when our compassion is natural and benefits beings. This is what happened to Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.

...........It came about through many positive influences throughout my life: I’ve had the opportunity to rely on many genuine excellent masters as teachers, and I’ve learned through their living example, that extending love and concern to others is the essence of being alive as human.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What we call compassion is the wish or desire to be capable of protecting sentient beings from suffering,” he began. “We could call it a sense of determination, a sense of courage or resolve. That is compassion. It is not merely something intellectual that belongs to the brain or that sphere of our experience. But rather it is a powerful heartfelt feeling or quality, one that must be sincere.              This is how I see it.”
- Karmapa #Dharma #Karmapa #Buddhism

"Empathy enables us to reach across differences and connect as equals. It does so by cutting straight through the walls that we build up around us and allowing us to touch the core of our equality: the ability to experience pain and joy."
-- the 17th Karmapa, from his book "Interconnected"

The focus of compassion not be how many beings there are and how many needs and wants they have, but on what it is that you can actually do for beings.

Compassion is not something that we do merely to make a show of our feelings and emotions, or to make a show of ourselves being important. Rather, we need to think about what it is that the other person needs.

"When I was young I did a lot of prayers, but these days I meet many people and make loving connections with them. When I am awake or asleep they are with me in my mind. So my practice is livelier and more real. When you do prayers you don’t have live people to connect with.                                                                                                                                                           The 17th Karmapa "Living the Dharma"  ~ Kagyu Monlam 2009

Compassion does not focus on the suffering that beings are undergoing, but on the beings undergoing that suffering.  t

Our compassion has to go beyond the perception of ourself and the person to whom we are listening as two separate people.

We can see that we ourselves are actually a part of others; and we can see that others are also a part of us.

Real compassion is not a kind of luxurious pity where you look down on others from a distance and give them a little gift to make them temporarily feel better. It is a complete and intense involvement, like being cast into the middle of a blazing fire.

It is crucial for us to deepen our practice of compassion until our compassion becomes unbearable.

When people think of compassion as merely good intentions, they might question its value. But compassion is much more than that. It is something absolutely necessary in our lives and in the world.

Act to help all those you can actually help right now, and never lose the aspiration to be able to help in the future all those you are unable to help now.


If one attempts to cultivate compassion for others, love for others without having compassion and love for oneself, one will have no basis within oneself for that cultivation.

The Buddhist view of love and compassion is based on the common ground shared by all sentient beings. Others are just like us, they experience pleasure and pain, they want to avoid suffering and be happy, and this is the fundamental reason which motivates us to develop love and compassion. When we know how to practice correctly, no one is excluded from our love and compassion.
- Karmapa #Happiness #Love #Karmapa

Just as we have a desire to clear away the suffering in our own experience and to enjoy happiness, through meditating on compassion we come to see that all other beings have this desire as well.     HH Karmapa


Why is it more difficult to develop true love and compassion than to simply speak of them? It is because in order to cultivate these, we need to first transform those adverse conditions within us that inhibit their development. HH Karmapa

We have the propensity for showing kindness and love from birth. It is part of our nature. However, this has been turned off by our upbringing or different circumstances and we have become habituated to not using it.

It is natural for us from the time of our birth to want to alleviate the suffering of those we see in pain. Yet we gradually learn to repress our natural tendencies, and eventually come to stop caring about others.

"The Karmapa drew an analogy to the development of language. We are all born with the potential to speak, but if a young child grows up in a remote area without human contact, this capacity will no be activated and the child will not be able to talk with others. Likewise, if our innate capacity for love and compassion is not nurtured in the right environment, it will not develop. The Karmapa recommended that in addition to being loving themselves, parents should use the words “compassion” and “love” often in the presence of a child and that these reminders would benefit them. "
#karmapa #dharma #buddhism
“Compassion is not just a feeling, it allows us to face suffering with courage.”                                         - HH Karmapa
We could call it a sense of determination, a sense of courage or resolve. That is compassion."             - HH Karmapa
Kindness to oneself means undertaking the responsibility for one’s own liberation.

If we do things to bring other people happiness and to remove their suffering, then we can actually accomplish something that will benefit others.
  His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje






Having compassion for the "other" ~ 17th Karmapa
Compassion for the “other,” whether people, animal species, trees, or other plants, and for Earth itself, is the only thing that will ultimately save us human beings. Most people are primarily concerned about their work, wealth, health, or family. On a daily basis, they probably feel they have more urgent things to worry about than their environmental footprint. Of course, paying attention to this issue would mean having to make inconvenient choices and changes in their lives. I am not so different. Although I had considered giving up eating meat for many years, I became a complete vegetarian only a few years ago. Somebody presented a short documentary that showed how animals suffer before and during the act of killing. Watching it, I could feel the fear felt by the animals. Like a thunderclap, I became aware that these living beings were suffering so greatly simply to satisfy my habitual preferences. Eating meat became intolerable for me at that moment, and so I stopped.

Compassion is the root of all practice ~ 17th Karmapa

The roots of Buddhist practice are the attitude of altruism and non-harm. In other words, the roots of Buddhist practice are loving kindness and compassion. From among these two qualities, I think that compassion is foremost: in general, we develop loving kindness by relying on compassion... Our compassion must have a broad focus, not only including ourselves, but including all sentient beings... According to the Mahayana teachings, all sentient beings have been our parents in the past, some are our current parents and some will be our parents in the future. For this reason, all sentient beings have a connection of affection towards us... all of these sentient beings are individuals with whom we are connected... When our compassion becomes genuine and deep, our actions for the benefit of others will be effortless and free from doubt.
17th Karmapa ~ from the book "Heart Advice of the Karmapa"

Being selfish is like being an only child trapped in a jail, while our parents are dying in misery outside, where we cannot reach them to come to their aid.
17th Karmapa  ~ source: http://facebook.com/karmapa

We have the propensity for showing kindness and love from birth. It is part of our nature. However, this has been turned off by our upbringing or different circumstances and we have become habituated to not using it.

It is natural for us from the time of our birth to want to alleviate the suffering of those we see in pain. Yet we gradually learn to repress our natural tendencies, and eventually come to stop caring about others.

When we speak of cultivating compassion, we are not speaking of the creation of something entirely new, but rather the development of something natural to us and innate within us.

Love and compassion are like seeds within us. Like the seed of a tree, they require active nurturing in order to develop.

Love and compassion are developed through patience, through diligence, and through compassionate action.

Kindness and love are essential for our survival.

The absence of compassion is the greatest danger facing human beings today.

Bodhichitta is not something that instantly appears full-blown in everyone’s mind, but requires gradual cultivation over time.

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The main thing is not to give up on sentient beings. If we hold them in our mind’s eye, that is an important foundation. It will transform us. Self cherishing becomes less. This kind of loving kindness is like a wish fulfilling jewelHH the Karmapa: "Living the Dharma" Kagyu Monlam 2009

Many people come to me and express their concern about not being able to help others. They say things like: “I’d really like to help others in a vast way, in a meaningful way, but I don’t have any power and ability to help others in this way. So, please, look upon me with compassion and pray for me that I will become a billionaire or a millionaire, and then I will be able to help many sentient beings.” Or they say: “Please pray for me that I gain a lot of power and authority and then I will be able to benefit many sentient beings.” But if I had the ability to turn someone into a millionaire I would turn myself into one! But it hasn’t worked so far.  
But benefiting others really isn’t that simple. Someone might have a wish to become a billionaire or millionaire in order to benefit others, but there is actually no certainty that you will benefit others just through becoming a billionaire or millionaire. Some people might set out through the intention to benefit others through becoming a billionaire or millionaire, but once they have achieved that state then they forget about the aspiration they made! So, one can’t be so sure that that’s the way to benefit others.
  
On the contrary, I think the real genuine way to go about benefiting others is to dedicate one’s body, speech and mind toward the benefit of living beings. To increase our expressions of love and the positive qualities connected to love in our body, speech and mind, so that our activities of body, speech and mind become activities for the benefit of sentient beings. I think this is really the root of accomplishing vast benefit for others. If we don’t try to transform ourselves in this way and rather regard benefiting others as just getting something that is outside of ourselves, then that won’t become a genuine path of benefiting others.

  

I think in general there still seems to be a sense that there is too much distance between what we say and what we do.... in traditional language this means taking the separation away between the dharma and the person. We don’t want the dharma and the person to be two separate things, but we want them to merge together. And in another way you could describe this as lack of separation between the action and the performer of the action. So as short of a distance we can make between the action and the performer of the action, then I think to that degree we will truly come to understand reality and manifest genuinely positive results.
                                                             the 17th Karmapa   “Compassion Itself Is an Action”: Karmapa in Dialogue with Young Activists

When we cut an onion, we cry. Our practice is a bit like this: we’re engaged in it and suffering will come, but it can be transformed into something different through practice; for example, the suffering can become lighter. Aryadeva taught in The Four Hundred Stanzas that when someone has a very vast and spacious aspiration, even if they have tremendous suffering, it does not have the power to overwhelm them. For bodhisattvas with great aspiration, there is not much difference between samsara and nirvana. Why is this? Having understood the nature of samsara, they can be joyful for that is samsara’s deeper nature.

Some bodhisattvas accumulate merit for three countless kalpas; this is not because they failed to finish their job. The main objective of a bodhisattva is to work for the benefit of living beings, and becoming fully awakened is also for their benefit. Helping others is the main goal of a bodhisattva; getting enlightened is not their primary focus. Therefore, it does not matter if they are enlightened or not; their main purpose is to benefit others so they do not see samsara as a burden, for they can work to benefit others while residing there.

~The Gyalwang Karmapa’s Teaching on The Life of Milarepa during the 27th Kagyu Monlam


Working with our negative Emotions

It is better not to get too involved with your own disturbing emotions. Just as someone on a journey sees many things passing by, you can just observe the scenery, without stopping to explore it nor feeling alarmed by what you perceive.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Jealousy :
From among all [...] adverse conditions, the foremost is jealousy. Jealousy can rob us of our freedom and interrupt loving relationships between people. Jealousy occurs when we cannot tolerate others encountering situations that seem to involve more happiness than what we have. When we continually feel the need to have others beneath us and none equal to us, that is jealousy. When we are controlled by jealousy, we only feel comfortable when others come to us for assistance; we only feel at ease when others are looking to us with hope. We cannot stand being in situations where others have something that we need.

…….When we become jealous, we are not willing to see the positive qualities of others. Whether we are alone or in a group, when we are overcome by jealousy our eyes are not willing to see the good things in others; they are constantly looking for other’s faults. We build up intolerance toward the faults of others. In particular, when we see others enjoying good fortune that exceeds our own, we cannot stand it. In this way, we create extra and superfluous difficulties for our minds to deal with.
A better approach would be to pay more attention to our own conduct than to the conduct of others.

The Remedy Is Meditation ~ 17th Karmapa

Cutting through afflictions is difficult, especially once they have come up, because we are so habituated to them. What we can do is recognize that anger is about to arise and then take action. We can use a method or remedy that will deter the anger from becoming a full-blown negative emotion.

One way I have found effective is to recall a particular lama whom I trust and like and whose speech is pleasing. For example, one lama may have taught me why anger or aversion undermines practice and how negative its effects are, so I bring to mind that lama’s advice: “Don’t be influenced by the afflictions. Be careful!”

Whenever I sense that anger is about to arise, I just remember that lama and his instructions. When I do this, it helps me not to be overpowered by the negative emotion. My closeness to that lama and my respect for him makes me think, “This is not right. It goes against my lama’s words.” Another way of using this method is to remember a book we really like that deals with the afflictions, and bring these passages to mind. Then, like a sound becoming ever louder, when we sense that an affliction is on the rise, we can turn the volume back down before it fully manifests. This, too, can be useful.
17th Karmapa ~  from the book "Traveling the Path of Compassion: A Commentary on The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva"

Most living beings seek mental happiness and want to eliminate suffering, but just wishing will not bring this about. We may even create the opposite. So we must search for the cause of suffering and the cause of happiness. The afflictions are the cause of samsara, of all mental discomfort and suffering. The remedy is meditation.                                                                                                     HH the 17th Karmapa

We need to work on our negative emotions slowly, and learn how to control them step-by-step. We don’t have to force them to subside, because over time they will naturally subside.

We must have the spiritual power to face difficult emotions and obstacles. This is what makes one an authentic spiritual practitioner.

People with good or bad characters have the same potential to become awakened.

We must clearly and deeply recognize that our afflictive emotions are truly and completely harmful to us. This is indispensable for our Dharma practice.

Through enhancing our inner powers of love and compassion we reduce our reliance on our destructive emotions.

It is harder to get rid of kleshas such as hatred, jealousy, and desire than it is to get rid of mere external adversity unless we turn inward and work on ourselves internally. As long as we fail to do that, and are focused only on externals, it is very difficult to develop true love and compassion.

The Karmapa summarized: “When we practice calm abiding, we relax, do not let our minds wander outside, and rest in awareness no matter what is happening.” However, since we are so used to mental constructs and thinking about things, this kind of practice is difficult for us.

How do we practice meditation that needs no meditation?                                                                    To illustrate the practice with the example of an affliction being liberated as it arises, the Karmapa selected one of the afflictions, anger. When it is on the verge of arising, just as it is emerging, we look into it, for once an affliction is fully present, it is difficult to work with. To do this practice, we need experience; without it, the thought of anger seems to be simultaneous with its arising fully in our mind. However, if we practice and come to know the situation, we can see that there is a sequence—first this happens and then that.

The Karmapa counseled, “When a thought arises, we look at it and simply rest with it. We are not looking for anything special. As soon as the thought arises, we rest our awareness there. This is all we need to do.” We do not analyze, thinking, “What is this concept? Where did it come from? Where did it go?” It is not that kind of meditation here. In sum, we merely need to open up our wisdom eye and look nakedly, just noticing (or paying bare attention to) how the thought is arising. “There is no need to analyze, make an effort, or think. We are simply looking,” he said.

“When we look like this,” the Karmapa noted, “the anger weakens. The usual, powerful dynamic of anger’s arising will lose some of its compulsive force.” He gave the example of a child who is telling a lie. If we look clearly into their eyes, they will naturally become embarrassed and back down. Similarly, since the afflictions are fictitious, having no real underpinning or basis, they will shrink just like the child telling a fib, when we look into them. With this vivid example, the Karmapa ended his discussion of meditation and turned to the topic for the morning, compassion and happiness.            H.H the Gyalwang Karmapa

Since the kleshas, the afflicting emotions do not arise solely when we are on our meditation cushion, it is not sufficient to work to counteract them only while we are in a formal session.

Our Actual Enemy
Our anger is our actual enemy. It is an obstacle that cuts us off from the cause of higher states of rebirth and the definitive excellence that is liberation. If we do not tame it, then outer enemies will simply multiply. They will increase to the same extent that we try to overpower them. And they could present a danger to our lives and to our ability to keep any of the three sets of vows (individual liberation, bodhisattva, and tantric) we may have taken.

Since we are the ones who make one another into enemies, they can proliferate without limit. By creating such projections, we are engaging in actions that are detrimental. Why is this so? Because there is not one living being who has not been our mother or father, and therefore they should all be the objects if our compassion. On the other hand, there is not one living being who has not been our enemy. In this way, all living beings are equally our friends and enemies, so being attached to some and feeling hatred for others makes no sense. Through a mind that sees this equality, we should tame the enemy of our own anger with an army of great compassion. This is the practice of a true bodhisattva.
17th Karmapa ~from the book "Traveling the Path of Compassion: A Commentary on The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva“

Attachment is a very significant obstacle to finding peace of mind. Anger comes and goes but attachment is there all the time. It’s important to find out how the attachment and clinging arise. If we are attached we only see the positive over the negative side. The good thing that we see and our mind cannot be separated. It becomes one. Then the mind is not free. The main issue with attachment is that your freedom is lost. You are overpowered by it.

What we are attached to, is not exactly how it is. We over- value that object. We see it as 100% desirable.                      HH the Karmapa: "Living the Dharma" Kagyu Monlam 2009

Anger: one thing that helped me a lot is not to focus on one personal incident. Then anger becomes so strong we have to do something about it. Divert the mind; shift the focus to other things. I found that very useful.  the 17th Karmapa ~ Kagyu Monlam 2009

Everything Depends on our Motivation

If we have a good motivation then whatever we do with our body and speech will reflect that. It will change the way we lead our lives, and benefit everyone and everything to which we are connected. HH Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

The way to accomplish happiness in the world is to do meaningful work in one’s own life with a positive motivation that sees all people and all traditions as equal.
  His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

How do we find our priceless heart? With the sincere wish to discover it, we discipline our mind with our mind. When such a motivation is born within us, we and others are benefitted and so our lives become meaningful. With a pure motivation that does not wane and with great courage that does not despair, may each one of us endeavor to make our lives meaningful.”
Quotes from the 17th Karmapa Orgyen Trinley Dorje taken from Music in the Sky

Intention ~ 17th Karmapa
Even within buddhism, there are various descriptions of this, but in the mahayana tradition it [is] taught that the main criterion for an action being virtuous or non-virtuous is whether one’s intention is or is not virtuous. If you hold the motivation in your mind to be of benefit to others and that they may come to enjoy temporary and ultimate happiness and well-being, whatever actions of body, speech, and mind you may perform, they will all be on the side of virtue. But if you act with a negative mindset, out of a motivation that is afflicted by being jealous, malicious, competitive, and so on toward others, whatever you do will be non-virtuous. In brief, whether an action is considered as virtuous or non-virtuous depends mainly upon the underlying motivation or mindset either positive or negative. The results of good actions will also be good, while the outcomes of bad actions will be negative and painful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even though buddha nature is not the least affected by our delusions or incidental stains, our ignorance arises like clouds and temporarily blocks the light of the sun, our buddha nature. The light of the sun will shine when the clouds are swept away. This happens when we begin with developing a positive motivation and, not stinting in our efforts, we practice the quintessence of the oral instructions.
17th Karmapa, from the book "Music In The Sky: The Life, Art, And Teachings Of The 17Th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje“

The progress of our meditation, and the results we receive from meditating, depend entirely upon our motivation for meditating. 17th Karmapa

How does Happiness come in?

Likewise, when we seek happiness, it should not be just for ourselves. The self that wishes only for its own happiness is mistaken. From the Buddhist point of view, that self does not even exist in the way we think it does. Seeing ourselves as the centre of the universe is like being trapped inside a prison of our own making. It has a negative, distorting effect on all our relationships. But if we think carefully about how things really exist, we come to understand that essentially there is no difference between ourselves and others. They are a part of us, and we are a part of them.

The Buddha taught that ultimately, the only true and lasting happiness in this world comes from changing our focus from ourselves to others. When we sincerely wish and work for the happiness and benefit of others, we create our own happiness and make our lives truly meaningful.

The way to accomplish happiness in the world is to do meaningful work in one’s own life with a positive motivation that sees all people and all traditions as equal.
  His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

The real spiritual instruction for being happy is to be satisfied with what you have. That’s the main point about being happy.

Experiencing mental happiness ~ 17th Karmapa                                                               Different things in this world can bring happiness and enjoyment. The most important of them all is what brings peace and happiness to our minds. How can we develop these? Usually, our minds are filled with the movement of concepts that disturb it. When the mind is set in motion this way, it cannot remain one-pointed and goes astray, unable to rest within. For this reason, mental happiness eludes us. When these concepts are dissolved into the nature of mind, we will experience the feeling of mental happiness. There are many methods for creating a mind that is one-pointed and joyful, the most important of which is meditation.

17th Karmapa,  from the book "Music in the Sky"

Sometimes we develop grand concepts of what happiness might look like for us, but if we pay attention, we can see that there are little symbols of happiness in every breath that we take.
17th Karmapa

Being of Benefit ~ 17th Karmapa

By meditating on happiness for others, our own mind knows happiness, and eventually we will be able to benefit others as well. There is a direct correlation between helping others and the extent of our practice. As far as our practice to assist others goes, so far will its benefits and results reach.   17th Karmapa

Changing our Focus 17th Karmapa:    "The Buddha taught that ultimately, the only true and lasting happiness in this world comes from changing our focus from ourselves to others. When we sincerely wish and work for the happiness and benefit of others, we create our own happiness and make our lives truely measningful."

Discover which actions truly produce happiness and which result in suffering. Using discernment, take up what brings benefit and discard what causes harm. Live accordingly and you will be on the right path.                                                                                    17th Karmapa  from his book "The Future is Now"

We all continually wish for happiness yet we continually fail to attain it, because our actions lead us away from the results we desire.
To secure our own happiness and causes of happiness, we must first act to create wholesome causes of happiness. We must create virtue. We must engage in good conduct. We must generate wholesome attitudes. These are important.    the 17th Karmapa

I’m always thinking that happiness is not just a feeling on your emotional level. It’s more to do with realisation or state of mind. To be in happiness rather than it be a feeling that just comes and goes. We are always expecting that outside things will bring us happiness. But our desire for these material things is limitless, and it’s difficult to fulfil. Sometimes even breathing itself is a kind of happiness. The very ordinary and very simple things brings you the most happiness.”   the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa                                                                                          

Being Interconnected is our Mutual Reality
The true meaning of the principle of interconnectedness is that we are a part of others and others are a part of us. Through that general understanding, we assume more responsibility for others, which is not felt as a burden but an encouragement, because it is rooted in compassion."
- Karmapa #karmapa #buddhism #quotes #dharma

The most wonderful thing about dependent arising is that anything is possible. The 17th Karmapa

Because our lives are interdependent, we carry the responsibility for ourselves, for the welfare of our family and friends, and for all living beings in the world. Interdependence is not just a philosophy: it's a way of life.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trineley Dorje

On this planet, there are billions of insects, animals and plants. We humans need all of them - we cannot survive alone. Since all living things on Earth are interdependent, we have to act to protect the environment as a matter of our own survival and happiness.
Buddha's teachings instruct us to work for the benefit of others and cease harming them, yet we often have no idea whether everyday things we use harm the living world. Remaining focused on our own comfort, complacently assuming 'I am not harming anybody' is no longer sufficient. 
 Now is the time to learn to view things from a new perspective.  HH the Gyalwang Karmapa

The implications of interdependence for us are many. As human beings we depend on one another. We also depend on other species and other species depend on one another as well. And all of us, as inhabitants of this world, depend on the environment in which we live. Sometimes when I am speaking about this, I use the image of this planet, this world, as a container, and all of the living beings that inhabit it as contents. In a very real sense this planet holds us and supports us, and it also sustains us. So without this planet, there would be no way for any of us, any of the species that inhabit it, to survive.
His Holiness the Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Our life is vast. It does not stop at the limits of what we personally experience. It is not something concrete or bounded. I do not think it is valid to view our life as limited to just ourselves — as if our human life extended only as far as our own body. Rather, we can see that a life extends out in all directions, like a net. We throw a net, and it expands outward. Just like that, our life extends to touch many other lives. Our life can reach out and become a pervasive part of everyone’s life.
17th Karmapa ~ from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out“

“Interdependence has many implications – practical, emotional, spiritual, and ethical. Interdependence means that your happiness and mine are connected. Practically and emotionally, your happiness is bound up with the welfare of all those you are connected to or depend on. Spiritually, your happiness comes from finding the right balance of caring for others and caring for yourself. Ethically, it is right for you to respond with gratitude and kindness to those who have given you everything that you require to live and to be happy. Because you rely on others for everything you need to flourish or even just to survive, you have a responsibility to care for them. It also means you are in a position to fulfill that responsibility, because your actions affect others deeply, too. Your awareness of interdependence is essential for the kind of positive change you want – and need – to make in the world.

INTERCONNECTED ---THE WONDER OF BREATHING ---
"Maintaining this awareness as we live our lives can help us move beyond a merely intellectual understanding of interdependence. As we increasingly apply this lens to our experiences, the awareness moves from our head to our heart, and we can begin to actually experience ourselves as interconnected. Our observations becomes the basis for new understanding and new feelings. This in turn can spark a fundamental reorientation towards others and our place in an interdependent world."
The Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, "INTERCONNECTED - Embracing Life in Our Global Society"

"Each individual is dependent on others. It is important to have close friends who give us moral support and who bring out the good qualities we have within us."
 - Karmapa #friends #buddhism

Interdependence is not simply a view—interdependence is a reality that occurs. We live surrounded by interdependence. This is where our life happens.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

I think it is important when discussing karma to talk about interdependence. If we understand interdependence—the fact that everything depends upon everything else—we might begin to understand karma.  HH Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Interdependence is not just a view or a belief—it’s something that actually has value.

Because our lives are interdependent, we carry the responsibility for ourselves, for the welfare of our family and friends, and for all living beings in the world. Interdependence is not just a philosophy: it's a way of life.  HH Karmapa

Ultimately, there is nothing and no one with whom we are not connected. The Buddha coined the term “interdependence” to describe this state of profound connectedness. Interdependence is the nature of reality. It is the nature of human life, of all things and of all situations. We are all linked, and we all serve as conditions affecting each other.   HH Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje


Recalling the principle of interdependence, we can expand our sense of ourselves beyond the narrow limits of our own body and experiences, to encompass everything our life connects to. Then we can look beyond our own aims, and embrace others’ goals as our own.
 HH Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Living in a world of interdependence has very specific implications for us. It means our actions affect others. It makes us all responsible for one another.

Our existence is always based on and dependent on our relationship to and the existence of others.

All of our clothes, our food, and even the air we breathe depends upon others. Everything in our existence—our whole lives—depends upon other beings.

Interdependence is not simply a view—interdependence is a reality that occurs. We live surrounded by interdependence. This is where our life happens.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following question observed that interconnectedness could be used negatively as well as positively and asked how to counter its negative use. His Holiness replied that those who use interconnectedness negatively had not understood correctly: “The true meaning of the principle of interconnectedness is that we are a part of others and others are a part of us. Through that general understanding, we assume more responsibility for others, which is not felt as a burden but an encouragement, because it is rooted in compassion.”                                                                              The 17th Karmapa ~ 23 May 2017: UK Launch of ‘Interconnected: Embracing Life in our Global Society’ at Watkins Books, Londo

The Welfare of the Animals - Meaeting with Our Animal Relatives Eye to Eye and  from Heart to Heart


“Humans have often treated animals badly. I have the great hope that we can decrease that, and that an understanding that animals are members of our family in this world can spread everywhere.”     HH the 17th Karmapa

On this planet, there are billions of insects, animals and plants. We humans need all of them - we cannot survive alone. Since all living things on Earth are interdependent, we have to act to protect the environment as a matter of our own survival and happiness.
Buddha's teachings instruct us to work for the benefit of others and cease harming them, yet we often have no idea whether everyday things we use harm the living world. Remaining focused on our own comfort, complacently assuming 'I am not harming anybody' is no longer sufficient. Now is  the time to learn to view things from a new perspective.  HH the Gyalwang Karmapa

Having compassion for the "other"
Compassion for the “other,” whether people, animal species, trees, or other plants, and for Earth itself, is the only thing that will ultimately save us human beings. Most people are primarily concerned about their work, wealth, health, or family.
On a daily basis, they probably feel they have more urgent things to worry about than their environmental footprint. Of course, paying attention to this issue would mean having to make inconvenient choices and changes in their lives. I am not so different. Although I had considered giving up eating meat for many years, I became a complete vegetarian only a few years ago.
Somebody presented a short documentary that showed  how animals suffer before and during the act of killing. Watching it, I could feel the fear felt by the animals. Like a thunderclap, I became aware that these living beings were suffering so greatly simply to satisfy my habitual preferences. Eating meat became intolerable for me at that moment, and so I stopped. 

Much of the terrible suffering endured by animals at our hands is caused by ignorance. It is therefore very important that we tell people about the depth of their awareness and their capacity to feel pain and fear, so that we can improve their lives and avoid violence towards them.
HH the 17th Karmapa speaking at an academic seminar on animal welfare and sentience in Cambridge in 2017

I was a meat eater as a child and then as an adult I gave up meat. I wouldn’t call my reason for doing so religious. My reason for doing so, I would call it compassion for the animals. The horrific situation, the imprisonment, mistreatment, and the death of animals for the purpose of people eating meat is not a religious doctrine, it is an observable reality. So I would say I stopped eating meat out of love for the animals. Of course I can’t stop other people from eating meat, but I can use my influence to inspire others to become vegetarian. There are definite environmental implications to this. But in my own case it was simply that I couldn’t bear to cause that kind of suffering out of my love for animals.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Another thing I've forgotten is that any monastery that belongs to Kamtsang Kagyu, the monastery kitchen cannot and should not make any food with meat. And if you bring meat and cook it in the monastery kitchen then that means that you are not taking me as your teacher, you are not belonging to Karma Kagyu. And there is nothing to discuss about that. That's finished. That is very important.      - the 17th Karmapa

"If a Mahayana practitioner, who considers all sentient beings to be like their father or mother, eats the flesh of another being out of carelessness and without any compassion that is not good. All of us Mahayana practitioners, who accept that all sentient beings have been our mothers and fathers, need to think about this. Many monasteries in India and Nepal have done such great, positive things as giving up meat and cooking vegetarian food instead. We should contemplate the Mahayana teachings and the precious teachings of the Kagyus.
The earlier Kagyu masters gave up meat, took up a vegetarian diet, and developed pure love for sentient beings. If we ourselves can take up even the smallest aspect of this sort of action and start with something small, it will turn out extremely well, I think." HH Karmapa at the Kagyu Monlam

Any monastery that belongs to Kamtsang Kagyu, the monastery kitchen cannot and should not make any food with meat. And if you bring meat and cook it in the monastery kitchen, then that means that you are not taking me as your teacher, you do not belong to Karma Kagyu. And there is nothing to discuss about that." HH Karmapa at the Kagyu Monlam

" I wanted to talk about being vegetarian. It's not easy to talk too much about being vegetarian and to give up meat eating. I think it's very important to know how to think about eating meat and how to put it into practice.                                                                                                                              Generally regarding those who are ordained, if you ask if meat is allowed for the monks or not, some people say that it is not allowed because if there are people who are eating meat, then there will be people who will kill those animals, and if there is no one eating meat then there would be no one will make the meat. So therefore eating meat is very much related to killing and therefore the negative deed of killing is very much caused by eating meat. Now whether that is exactly true .......….If there are people who are using the pearls, then these people who use the pearls cause the killing of the shellfish. And also those people who wear certain kind of dresses, people who wear brocades—silk is also made by certain animals or certain insects—so anybody who is wearing these clothes or anything that is coming from animals is indirectly also killing animals.                                              ........Some people give up meat altogether, but some people  cannot. But at least, one should reduce it. Because in the society, if everybody is eating meat then it is very difficult to give up meat, but if there is  a society and the whole environment is not eating meat then it's easy not to eat meat. But if everyone is eating meat then it is not easy to stop eating meat.                                                      HH Karmapa at the Kagyu Monlam 2007

 Impermanence is a Magic Blessing:

We think of change as having lost something. Actually, change brings a new opportunity every moment, so there are limitless possibilities. This is why we meditate on impermanence.
17th Karmapa
"Impermanence means that things are changing moment to moment. It indicates that with each moment we have a new opportunity."
The Gyalwang Karmapa

The importance of meditating on impermanence is learning how to cherish our life, and to make each and every moment meaningful.

"Meditating on death and impermanence, however, is not to create fear of death. We all have this fear even animals,” the Karmapa noted. “We meditate on death and impermanence so that we do not waste our time, so that we treasure the life and friends we have,
and so that we live a life we will not regret.”
#Karmapa #Dharma #Deathkarmapa

"Geburt und Tod:
Genährt von der liebe und Wärme meiner Mutter
habe ich aufs Neue diese menschliche Welt betreten.
Ihren grenzenlosen und immer sich wandelnden Wunderdingen
bin ich mit einem ruhelosen, greifenden Geist nachgejagt.
und kostete dabei Freude und Kummer, Lachen ud tiefen Schmerz.
Und wieder muss ich am Ende meiner Tage in einen Zustand
der Auflösung übergehen. Dies ist die Natur der Welt des Samsara."
SH Karmapa, in "DIE ZUKUNFT IST JETZT - 108 Ratschläge, um eine bessere Welt zu schaffen."

We’re changing in every second, from moment to moment. We might have a problem in the first moment, but in the next moment we have an opportunity to be a new person who doesn’t have that fault.
17th Karmapa

I have noticed that some people are uncomfortable when they are told that change is a fundamental part of life, or that nothing lasts forever. Yet impermanence is just a basic fact of our existence—it is neither good nor bad in itself. When we face impermanence wisely, we have an opportunity to cultivate a more constructive way of relating to that reality. If we do so, we can actually learn to feel at ease in the face of unexpected change, and work comfortably with whatever new situations might occur.   HH Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Deepening Trust and  Awakening Devotion

The 17th Karmpa's Hommage to the Great Teacher Buddha Shakyamuni

HOMAGE

The poison and enemy of this world,                                                                                                      he declared, is the growth of poison in his mind.                                                                                   He cut off that growth with the sword of wisdom.

The father and mother of this world, he declared,                                                                                 are the countless sentient beings,                                                                                                        and he nurtured them with love and compassion.

The joy and misery of this world,                                                                                                            he declared, is the result of our own karma,                                                                                        and he should us the ways to purify it.

The refuge and guide of this world,                                                                                                         I understand, is the Prince of the Sakya, and I humbly prostrate myself at his feet.

HH the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinle Dorje                                                                                                in: "THE FUTURE IS NOW"


The student needs to have faith and longing, and if this faith and longing come together then I don't think that sort of a student will have any difficulty finding a genuine, authentic Lama. The reason is that all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are ready at all six times of day and night to do things to benefit sentient beings. They're all ready and waiting. If you have both faith and longing then they'll all come rushing towards you to help you. You just have to open that door of faith and devotion.               HH the 17th Karmapa

To understand the nature of the mind, there are two ways: one is easier, the other is harder. The easier way involves your lama introducing you to the nature of the mind, and on that basis you work on that and come to know the mind and its nature.
As for the harder way, even if a lama introduces the nature of the mind, still it may be difficult to understand its nature. Therefore, to really understand the true nature of the mind, the introduction by the lama must be supplemented by faith, belief, and longing supplications. Then you will receive the siddhi of your guru.
Many people can talk about the nature of the mind, but when you have a karmic connection with a lama, even though the words are the same, the effect is different
.
– 17th Karmapa

Even if you are sitting in the same place as the lama, without focus and devotion, you won’t receive many blessings.
17th Karmapa ~ source: http://kagyuoffice.org/guru-rinpoche-empowerment/

The student needs to have faith and longing, and if this faith and longing come together then I don't think that sort of a student will have any difficulty finding a genuine, authentic Lama. The reason is that all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are ready at all six times of day and night to do things to benefit sentient beings. They're all ready and waiting. If you have both faith and longing then they'll all come rushing towards you to help you. You just have to open that door of faith and devotion.
17th Karmapa ~ source: http://kagyuoffice.org/opening-the-door-of-devotion-spring-teachings-day-5

.......It came about through many positive influences throughout my life: I’ve had the opportunity to rely on many genuine excellent masters as teachers, and I’ve learned through their living example, that extending love and concern to others is the essence of being alive as human.
#dharma #karmapa #k

Karmapa, lord of the world, think of me.
  Look upon me from the space which tames all beings everywhere.
  Help me to realize that all dharmas are insubstantial and illusory.
  Make appearence and mind dawn as the three kayas
.
  (from: Calling the Lama  from Afar)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let your mind be carried along by devotion ~ 17th Karmapa
Naturally, when you see the qualities of the lama’s presence, or see the way the lama’s activity manifests, your perception could be transformed. That is what devotion does: it carries your mind along. Devotion is the shortest way to quickly realize the ultimate nature. If it could be found in a few words or verbal explanations, then everyone would realize the essence of the dharma nature. But this is not something you can find in words. It is primarily a question of whether you have transformed the deluded appearances in your mind. It depends  upon whether your mind has been carried along by devotion. So let your mind be carried! I can only offer my hopes and prayers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spiritual Teacher as Friend ~ 17th Karmapa
When looking for a spiritual teacher, in my view the starting point should be that they are a good person. You should consider not just whether the teacher is an educated and knowledgeable person, but also whether he or she is a genuinely good-hearted person who has real affection for you. This is hard to tell from the outside; a teacher doesn’t come wearing a sign saying, “I am good-hearted.”

People have different personalities. Rather than looking for teachers with a particular personality, you should examine whether or not they are kind, and whether or not they have a positive impact on others. Teachers can be reclusive or reserved, so you’ll have to use your own judgment to determine whether they care for you or inspire you in a positive way.

How long should you examine a potential teacher? This is not easy to say. It is not as if they immediately take care of all your spiritual or emotional needs. The connection has to be developed over time.

My own personal feeling is that there are actually two considerations in selecting a spiritual teacher. One is this initial process of examination. The other is trust. The relationship between teacher and student is a relationship that you have to cultivate. It is not something that you discover already fully developed. You let the teacher get to know you, including your faults. At the same time, you gain confidence that the teacher will continue to care for you as a student. It is important that you feel able to trust your teacher, and you yourself must also be trustworthy. In a relationship between spiritual teacher and student, trust has to be mutual.
17th Karmapa, from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

Question: The West emphasizes individuality and freedom, and some have a problem with the concept of authority. This can make it difficult to understand the role of the lama and to develop devotion. How can we in the West better understand this?

Holiness Karmapa: So one thing that comes up when we look at this question is the difference between eastern and western  cultures regarding relationships to teachers or the concept of authority, individuality, and individual freedom. Actually I very much appreciate the way westerners talk about individuality and the importance of individual freedom and individual rights. I am a big fan of those concepts and I think that they are important. But on the other hand, we also need to be aware of the context in which individual freedoms can flourish in a healthy way. That context is that of interdependence. Individuality and individual freedom is important but we have to remember that those things take place in the broader context of an interdependent world. So the question becomes how do we balance these two things: our individual freedom and the greater interdependent world?

Basically, we have to figure out a way to set a limit to our individual freedom or acknowledge the fact that our individual freedom does have limits. The meaning of individual freedom isn’t simply that we do whatever we want and even if we didn’t internally acknowledge this limit ourselves, we would come up against that limit in a practical way in the world. So, this is a great question that we have to contemplate: how to balance these two principals?

In terms of relying on a teacher or a guru, the important point to understand is that this is a relationship that we enter into voluntarily and we have full control over choosing what type of relationship we enter into with our guru and the way in which we want to rely on a person as a teacher. There is no instance in Buddhism of a teacher forcing someone to become their student and then forcing them to do things. If there is, that is certainly not the correct Buddhist understanding of how to rely on a teacher. One voluntarily enters into a student-teacher relationship. One also voluntarily chooses what type of relationship that is going to be and how to rely on someone as a teacher. The student has to agree to the ground rules before anything starts happening, so it is basically their own choice.

For example, there are some people who are very adventurous and like to go to dangerous places. Other people might be surprised at the choices they make and say, “I would never do that”, but the person who goes to those dangerous places is making their own decision and we have to respect that to make that choice is their own individual freedom. So, when we enter into a relationship with a teacher, we are entering out of our own free will.

The other important thing to acknowledge is that even if we offer our whole being, our body, speech, and mind to the teacher, if the teacher gives us an instruction that we aren’t capable of fulfilling, then it is ok for us to just say that we are incapable of doing that. There is nothing barring us from responding in that way. So with a teacher there is never really a sense of being forced to do something. But the main question that we have to contemplate further is how do we exercise individual freedom in an interdependent world.

The other thing that should be noted about having a teacher-student relationship in Buddhism is that there are different levels of teachers and along with that, there are different kinds of relationships that we enter into. For example, if we are studying English and we’ve committed to studying with someone as our English teacher, then it is appropriate for them to be concerned with matters that are related to studies of the English language. We would expect that. If they heard us using an incorrect grammatical construction, then it would be appropriate for them to correct us on this. But we would consider it inappropriate, a violation of boundaries, if they then started telling us who we should marry or where we should live because that doesn’t have anything to do with why we are relying on them as a teacher.

In the same way with Dharma, in the general sense of having a Buddhist teacher as a spiritual friend, it’s appropriate for us to  expect that teacher to give us advice about our spiritual practice and things connected in an immediate way to our spiritual practice, but we wouldn’t expect our teacher to go beyond that and say you should marry this person or you should live in this or that place and so on. However, when we get to the level of a Vajrayana teacher-student relationship, then we are getting to a higher level of teacher and we are voluntarily entering into a relationship where anything the teacher says to us we are going to receive with respect and give it consideration. But that is also something that depends on our own mental capacity and our own interests. There is also no type of encouragement that we should enter into the highest levels of teacher-student relationships right from the very beginning.

Having confidence and trust in ourselves and in our teacher ~ 17th Karmapa

The degree to which we are able to offer, or surrender, our body, speech, and mind to our guru depends on the amount of confidence we have  in ourselves and in our teacher. Milarepa, for example, endured countless difficulties during his discipleship under Marpa. Yet for Milarepa, these experiences were beneficial because he had stable trust in himself and in Marpa. In the end, his trust and confidence became unshakable, and the happiness he achieved due to this trust became unshakable as well.
Yet not everyone can emulate Milarepa’s confidence and trust. If we simply have not yet developed stable trust, there is no sense in forcing ourselves to surrender to our teachers out of a blind sense of duty. In the end, what we are able to accomplish in our relationship with our teacher all leads back to trust.


All masters do not have to be living beings. Anything that appears can be a Lama. A negative incident can be your teacher also. When you look deeply into life you can see lots of living instructions. You don’t have to hear it in words; you can see it also.  the 17th Karmapa

Seeing clearly what is genuine and what is false ~ 17th Karmapa
All we really need to do for practice is to study, reflect, and meditate. However, these days it is common in the East and West that desire for honor and gain creates problems. Imitation monks, phony lamas, fake tulkus, and false gods turn up, and because of this, it is difficult to find the right kind of study, reflection, and meditation. It is very important for everyone to be careful about this and try to see clearly what is genuine and what is false. If someone says, “I am a lama,” or “I am a tulku,” or “I am a god,” we do not have to immediately follow them. First, investigate to see whether they are genuine or not and whether we should make a connection with them. It is important to use our critical faculties along with giving up attachments.
17th Karmapa, from the book "Traveling the Path of Compassion: A Commentary on The Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva"

Freedom in Ultimate Wisdom



Letting the Sun Shine ~ 17th Karmapa                                                                                              Even though buddha nature is not the least affected by our delusions or incidental stains, our ignorance arises like clouds and temporarily blocks the light of the sun, our buddha nature. The light of the sun will shine when the clouds are swept away. This happens when we begin with developing a positive motivation and, not stinting in our efforts, we practice the quintessence of the oral instructions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Song of Natural Awareness

 Om Swasti Jayentu.

Primordially pure, the expanse of all phenomena is great bliss.
All signs of elaboration stilled, it is spontaneously present.
In that glad realm, where the joyous ambrosia of the three vehicles is found.
May the sun of naturally arising awareness be victorious.
                                                               ~ 17th Karmapa

The Three Kayas ~ 17th Karmapa                                                                  The dharmakaya is naturally arisen, the ultimate,                                                                                The sambhogakaya is all-pervading, bliss-emptiness unceasing;                              Through the nirmanakaya pouring forth a rain of joy,                                                                          May auspiciousness in all its glory be present.                                                      HH Karmapa, from the book "Music In The Sky: The Life, Art, And Teachings Of The 17Th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje"

From the space of the utterly pure extent of phenomena, deep and clear wisdom expands.
Mind's primordial nature is forever free of elaboration.
Not deluded by habitual mind or samsara and nirvana as they naturally arise.
To this expanse, the equal nature of all things, I bow.

17th Karmapa

"All sentient beings are endowed with the potential for complete Buddhahood.
They are inherently Buddhas, and inherently that Buddha-nature is completely free of any stains – it is stainless, and perfect. Yet, at the level of relative or immediate experience, our experience is not this way. Our experience is that this perfectly pure Buddha-nature is veiled by our confused outlook.
Shifting the teaching to a deeper level, the Gyalwang Karmapa then described the dharmakaya, or the Buddha’s enlightened mind. “Lord Gampopa said that the nature of thoughts is dharmakaya,” he explained.
Thoughts and dharmakaya are inseparable. We have this dualistic approach of seeing dharmakaya as pure and thoughts as impure, but we need to understand the inseparability of thoughts and dharmakaya.
Every moment that we have thought, every moment that thought arises, we have the opportunity to recognize the nature of thought as emptiness or dharmakaya, whatever you want to call it. Thought and the emptiness of its nature are inseparable. We can’t make them separate; there’s no separation. Because thought itself is emptiness that means actually in everyday life we have lots of opportunity to recognize and realize the nature of thought, or nature of emptiness, or dharmakaya. But we just follow the appearances, the illusions – we don’t look deeper.”
HH Karmapa: The Nature of Mind: A Teaching Given to International Students at The Root Institute, Bodhgaya, 2013)

“It could happen that when we speak of the nature of mind, we give an apparently clear explanation, but it carries the flaw of causing people to have more thoughts and not truly discover the nature of their mind. It is important that we are aware of the many kinds of thoughts and old habits within our mind.”

“The main point here is that we use our mind to observe our mind. This process starts when we loosen our habit of imposing our assumptions and projecting our thoughts. This will allow our mind to return to its empty nature. When this becomes possible, we will create space for a new intelligence to arise, and we can discover who we truly are.                                                               the 17th Karmapa ~ 23 May 2017: UK Launch of ‘Interconnected: Embracing Life in our Global Society’ at Watkins Books, London



The Workings of our Mind
In essence all of us want to be good people and accomplish the benefit of others. But the trick is to ask ourselves the question, "How do I do that?"

Within our beings are these uncontrived, natural seeds of innate goodness. Yet we still look for something outside ourselves, not knowing how priceless what we already have is.
His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje

What makes the mind satisfied is simple ~ 17th Karmapa
We need a balance between our outer material and our inner spiritual worlds. We can look at material things and ask ourselves: "Do I need this or not?" We don’t have to go to extremes, making huge changes and thinking that we have to give up everything like Milarepa. We need a good situation, but a simple one, not a life complicated by always wanting more. Ultimately, the reality is that what makes the mind satisfied is simple. What is ordinary can be very special. For example, breathing is quite ordinary. If our minds rest with awareness on the breath, what happens? The air naturally goes in and out; we don’t have to do anything, since the continuous, simple movement that supports our life happens without effort. This in itself can make our mind joyful and content.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Our mind is not only the basis for being caught in cyclic existence. It is also the basis for freedom from cyclic existence." — His Holiness the Karmapa

It is highly unlikely we will ever satisfy our desires with external stuff. HH Karmapa

"We must recognize that without taming oneself, one cannot possibly tame others." — His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje  


"Most living beings seek mental happiness and want to eliminate suffering, but just wishing will not bring this about. We may even create the opposite. So we must search for the cause of suffering and the cause of happiness. The afflictions are the cause of samsara, of all mental discomfort and suffering. The remedy is meditation."
— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, from the book "Music In The Sky: The Life, Art, And Teachings Of The 17Th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje“

"Your most important home is your own mind, more than any other. You've got to come back to that home, to get to know it a little bit better. And when you rest in your home, even for one moment, it might be the most beautiful rest you ever have. That is the beginning of finding meaning in your life. That is the beginning of making peace with yourself."                                                                           — His Holiness the 17th Karmapa

"The Kagyu forefathers said that listening, contemplation and meditation are the way to tame a rough and unruly mind," the Karmapa told the monks present. "Tibetan nomads have a way to make yak hide supple. First they steep it in water, then they rub butter into it, then they rub it again and again with their hands. Likewise, for our minds, listening is like the water, contemplation is like the butter, and meditation is like rubbing the hide again and again. The result should be that our minds become less rough and suppler. If our minds are becoming tamer and more malleable, it is a sign that our listening, contemplation and meditation is being done effectively."  the Karmapa speaking at the conclusion of his teachings on '100 Short Instructions' by Mikyo Dorje

What makes the mind satisfied is simple ~ 17th Karmapa

The mirror of the mind ~ 17th Karmapa
"There is a story that reminds us how crucial it is that we take responsibility for what we ourselves contribute to the problem, rather than laying all the blame for our harmful food systems on others - or waiting for someone else to fix the problem.
This story tells of a king of a small, remote kingdom in ancient Tibet. In this kingdom, mirrors were extremely rare - practically unheard of. Yet somehow the king managed to acquire a hand mirror, and picked it up one day as he was talking to his faithful old servant. The king took a good look at himself in that mirror, and was not pleased by what he saw. It seems this king was a singularly unattractive man. He felt thoroughly disgusted by the face staring at him from his mirror. He tossed the mirror aside and exclaimed, "Who is that ugly man? I don't ever want to see him again! Banish this mirror from my kingdom!"
The servant could not keep silent at this. After all the years he had spent gazing on the king's unattractive face, he seized this opportunity to say: "My Lord, I have had to look at you all these years. I do not have the option of just banishing the mirror!"
Like the king in this story, we seem to have a tendency to look at others, but not want to see ourselves. There is a saying in Tibetan: "To see others, you need a pair of eyes. To see yourself, you need the mirror of your own mind." — His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, from the book "The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out"

"We need to have a plan in place for how we will deal with any given situation. If we let the mind go where it wants to go, it will turn stubborn. There is a saying in Tibetan: 'Appearances are skilled at deception and the mind is like a small child following after them.' Instead of letting the mind be fooled by appearances, we should take care of it like a small child, not letting it do whatever it wants; rather, we should examine carefully to discover the state of our mind." — His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje  

"In general, however, it would be extremely difficult to bear physically in a single body the suffering of all living beings, and so we mainly use tonglen as a method to work with our minds, training them to become so courageous that we do not become discouraged or rigid and can fearlessly meet others' suffering. Through this, our compassion and patience increase and our minds open up. When we follow after our routine thoughts and old habits, it is difficult for fresh intelligence to take birth. Understanding emptiness helps us to let go of ego-fixation that reifies our experience; it allows us to return to freshness, to the very basis of who we are." — His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje  


About the Great Monlam in Bodgaya: A Yearly  Gathering  for  World Peace at Buddhas Site of Enlightenment

"I make this aspiration that when you recite this during the Monlam, each word may first arise in your heart and then emerge from your mouth. I pray that every letter and syllable become a golden image and that every word fill the entire world.

May all the sounds of lament and war as well as the poisonous winds in the environment be dispelled. May these words of love and compassion blend with the innate goodness of every single being and coalesce into one powerful force.

Like the light of the sun, moon, and stars, may love, compassion, and wisdom shine forth. May they strike every single living being and dispel the darkness of ignorance, attachment, and hatred that has lurked for ages in their being. When any living being meets with another, may it be like the reunion of a mother and child who have long been separated. In a harmonious world such as this, may I see everyone sleep peacefully to the music of nonviolence. This is my dream." — His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje  

Keeping Tibetan Culture and Language Vividly Alive

Language is a key part in the process of preserving a culture. The Karmapa used an analogy to illustrate this. “If language deteriorates, our connection to our customs and culture will be severed. For example, when a kite soars in the sky, it is attached to a string, and if that string is cut, our link to the kite will terminate.” Language is the string that connects. (From the Gyalwang Karmapa's speech at the 56th anniversary of the Upper TCV in Dharamsala.)

HH Karmapa hand in hand with HH the Dalai Lama

Question: Since childhood you say you wanted to meet His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, risking your life, you went to India and now you have met him, what is your impression of His Holiness the Dalai Lama? What relationship do you have?

"I feel an unwavering devotion for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Since the time I fled Tibet at the age of fourteen, he has been nothing but kind and caring to me. I feel utmost gratitude to him for taking the time out of his busy schedule to advise me over the last fifteen years. Without a doubt, my activities have been successful due to his support and his guidance. People often ask me whether as the Karmapa I experience any worries or tensions and if so, how do I address them. Of course I do. I like to tell them that just like them, I turn to my teachers for wisdom and in the case of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, his very presence dissolves my worries and uncertainties.

Sometimes I get asked the question in media interviews whether I will become the next Dalai Lama. This is always very strange since only the 15th Dalai Lama can be the next Dalai Lama. The Karmapas have never played a political role in the history of Tibet and I myself have no interest to become a political leader. However, as much as I can support His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s spiritual goals and activities, I will do so with all of my energy. Without his omniscience, we Tibetans would be totally lost."


More information on the Activities of the 17th Karmapa you ffind on our Facebook Page:     "Friends of the Karmapa - Noble  Heart Austria":


HH Karmapa's  Inspiring Artwork

HH Karmapa ~ Music in the Sky ~Poetry and Songs

An Aspiration for the World             by H.H . the 17th Karmapa

World, we live and die on your lap.
  On you we experience all our woes and joys.
  You are our ancestral home of old.
  Forever we cherish and adore you.
  
  We wish to transform you into the pure realm of our dreams.
  We wish to transform you into a land for all creatures,
  Equal for all and free of prejudice.
  We wish to transform you into a loving, warm, and gentle goddess.
  
  Our hope in you is so ever resolute.
  So please be the ground on which we all may live
  So all these wishes may come true,
  So all these wishes may come true.
  
  Do not show us the dark side of your character,
  Where nature's calamities reign.
  
  In every section of our world's land
  May there thrive a fertile field of peace and joy,
  Rich with the leaves and fruits of happiness,
  Filled with the many sweet scents of freedom.
  May we fulfill our countless and boundless wishes.

  World, we live and die on your lap.
  On you we experience all our woes and joys.
  You are our ancestral home of old.
  Forever we cherish and adore you.
  
  We wish to transform you into the pure realm of our dreams.
  We wish to transform you into a land for all creatures,
  Equal for all and free of prejudice.
  We wish to transform you into a loving, warm, and gentle goddess.
  
  Our hope in you is so ever resolute.
  So please be the ground on which we all may live
  So all these wishes may come true,
  So all these wishes may come true.
 
  Do not show us the dark side of your character,
  Where nature's calamities reign.
 
  In every section of our world's land
  May there thrive a fertile field of peace and joy,
  Rich with the leaves and fruits of happiness,
  Filled with the many sweet scents of freedom.
  May we fulfill our countless and boundless wishes.


A Festival of the Field for Gathering Merit  ~ 17th Karmapa

Om tara tuttare ture soha.
Ah ho,
The essential nature of simplicity is the ground’s ever pure expanse.
When set the enchanting music of a clear and radiant knowing, naturally present.
And matured by the jeweled rain of joy descending as the union of the three kayas,
The soveriegn one, the ultimate lama, arises remembered in the center of my heart.

The enlightened activity of your three gates illuminates like a garland of the sun’s rays.
The hundred thousand lights of your virtuous actions spontaneously
Create a cooling shade to ease the pain of fortunate disciples;
A lotus of the three joys unfolds in the center of their hearts.

The lotus of this life with its leisure and resources holds in its center
A stamen that befriends a mellifluous bee with its honey of renunciation.
Grant your blessing that the true lama’s lotus feet are bathed by the sun
And the abundant petals of benefit for others open forth.

Gazing at the very face of primordial wisdom, luminous and self-arisen from the natural state,
And resting at ease on the path, with nothing to add or take away
Grant your blessing that I take the royal seat, present from time without beginning
In the expanse of emptiness – dharmakaya’s true nature, ultimate reality.

In the sky, an umbrella of white clouds forms a rainbow canopy above.
Between sky and earth, flowers of virtue and excellence fall in a gentle rain.
On the earth, filled with happiness, people sing in great delight;
May this joy enrapture the whole world.

A sincere intention free of fault is a jeweled lamp, a luminous treasury
That liberates every being from a dense darkness where virtue cannot go.
May the dulcet melody of incomparable fame, the celestial music
For the festival of a golden age without end, resound throughout the three realms.

This prayer was written by Ogyen Trinley Dorje on September 4, 2001 as the sun came over the dome of the eastern mountain. May it be a cause for virtue.

— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, from the book Music In The Sky: The Life, Art, And Teachings Of The 17Th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje


HH Karmapa ~ Visionary Aspirations
Over the expanse of the treasured earth in this wide world,
May benefit for beings appear like infinite moons’ reflections,
Whose refreshing presence brings lasting welfare and happiness
To open a lovely array of night-blooming lilies, signs of peace and joy.
Descending from a canopy of white clouds, the gathering of two accumulations,
May these true words, like pearled drops of light or pouring rain,
Falling in a lovely park where fortunate disciples are free of bias,
Open the flowers of friendship so that well-being and joy blossom forth.
— His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje


A Visionary Aspiration ~ 17th Karmapa

Om Swasti.

From the state of peace, in nature an expanse of profundity and clarity,
The vast space of dharmakaya, all-pervading absolute truth,
Resounds graceful music, connate magic,
The pleasant melody of myriads of excellent virtues.

At the sunset of Shakyamuni's doctrine,
The approach of the waning of the youthful rays,
Appears a torch smiling like the moon's face,
Three secrets that gracefully ornament the sky of the victor's doctrine.

In the vast park of endless existence,
Bloom poisonous leaves, the appearances of bewilderment.
The suffering of these appearances, their taste and potency,
Is this really worthy of praise as a true medicine?

On the vast face of the luminous sky
Clouds of merit play, delighting all.
Through the cooling, honeyed rain of camphor, bodhicitta,
May all enjoy the nutriment of the definitively secret result.

On the calyx, a thousand varieties of discernment,
Rests sweet dew, the full potency of virtues long established.
Upon its being drunk by the bee, the clear intellect,
Songs are sung, accompanied by the dance of great bliss.

In evil times of the full five-fold degeneration, the obscuration of youth,
The behavior of beings is the dance of madness,
Uncertain and without trust.
May it be bound by the light of altruistic morality.

Dedicate the sun of virtues, that goddess resplendent
With the ornaments of complete joy,
Arising from the slopes of the eastern mountain, genuine altruism,
To all beings including myself.

The youth of mundane joy and well-being is impermanent.
One cannot know when it will be destroyed.
I aspire, through unending, peaceful conduct without aggression,
To the achievement of splendid happiness for all beings.

Finally, in the garden of dharmadhatu, akanishta,
In unity beyond elaboration, the nature of liberation,
May you and I enjoy the taste of dharma, profound and lucid,
In the state of vast purity and equality.

While I was escaping to India, this was said to me in Mustang                                                              by the great Tsongkhapa, the victor of the east.

— His Holiness Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje  



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HH Karmapa: Keeping Tibetan Culture and Language Vividly Alive


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