‟When selfish happiness is the only goal in life, life soon becomes goalless,” wrote Romain Rolland. Even if we display every outward sign of happiness, we can never be truly happy if we dissociate ourselves from the happiness of others.
Archive du blog pour April 2013
On forgiveness (continued)
By asking forgiveness, the criminal cannot hope to escape the consequences of his deeds, the gravity of his actions or the atrocity of his crime. Perhaps a truly repentant criminal should not even ask for forgiveness: having realized the depth
On forgiveness
From a Buddhist perspective, at a personal level forgiveness is always possible and one should always forgive. Although many claim that one has no right to forgive harm that has been done to others, one must consider forgiving in terms
Notes about Creativity
The Process of Creativity
In order for creativity to develop, the mind needs to be free from the automatic and habitual thinking that runs around in circles. It should remain in a state of openness, lucidity, flexibility, clarity, and wisdom.
Not identifying with our suffering
We usually identify completely with our suffering and become one with it. Yet, even when they torment us the most, we are not our suffering in the same way that we are not the sickness when afflicted by some ailment.
Meeting on the Plane
When our meal was served on a recent international flight my neighbor, a young man, asked me with a touch of surprise:
— Are you vegetarian?
— Yes, I am.
— Do you feel that meat is dirty?
— Not
Flying monks
This image of seven Tibetan and Bhutanese Buddhist monks jumping on the beach in front of the ocean was taken in France, at Dieppe, on a bright winter morning in 1997. This image is an original slide; it is not
Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche -4
Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche was chiefly a master of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism but, like Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, he was a perfect example of a non-sectarian teacher. On these photographs he can be seen wearing the hats of the
Is Buddhism a Religion?
That’s a question the Dalai Lama’s frequently asked. His usual reply is to joke, ‟Poor Buddhism! Rejected by religions as an atheistic philosophy, a science of the mind; and by philosophers as a religion—there’s nowhere that Buddhism has citizen’s rights.
In praise of simplicity
“Simplify, simplify, simplify ” These refreshing words written by Henry Thoreau remind us that much of our suffering comes from adding unnecessary and disturbing complications in our lives. We seem to be continually weaving elaborate conceptual webs around even straightforward