The way of perfect bliss

Banishing all hope and all fear, rest in the diamond-like certainty that the primordial simplicity of awareness is itself buddhahood. That is the way of perfect bliss, in which all the qualities of enlightenment will flourish without effort.

~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

One deity, one mantra, and one practice.

One deity, Chenrezi, embodies all Buddhas;

One mantra, the six syllables, embodies all mantras;

One Dharma, bodhichitta, embodies all practices of the development and completion stages.

Knowing the one which liberates all, recite the six-syllable mantra.

The Buddha Shākyamuni himself is an emanation of Chenrezi; the Dharma, which shows us what to avoid and what to cultivate, is perfectly contained in the six-syllable mantra; the Saṅgha, the Bodhisattvas who help us along the path, are emanations of Chenrezi as well. Chenrezi is thus the union of the Three Jewels. Just as one reservoir collects countless drops of rain, Chenrezi’s compassion includes all the wisdom of Mañjushrī and all the power of Vajrapāṇi. With this one deity, one mantra, and one practice, you can accomplish everything.

The many deities are infinitely diverse: peaceful or wrathful, with one, three, or many heads, and with two, four, six, or many more arms, each one symbolizing a different quality. Yet you can be confident that all of them are included in Chenrezi. In the same way, since all the beneficial power of the immense variety of other mantras is contained in the six-syllable mantra by itself, you can put all your heart into reciting just the one mantra. Your body, speech, and mind are essentially one with the enlightened body, speech, and mind of Chenrezi; this you should recognize as the quintessence of the practice.

~ The heart treasure of the enlightened ones / Patrul Rinpoche; with commentary by Dilgo Khyentse.

How will the rise and fall of the Dharma be like in the future?

"Support and take refuge in those spiritual masters who focus their practice in solitary retreat. Before one attains enlightenment, one should also enter into solitary retreat to focus on one's practice under his or her close guidance and mentorship. If not, it will be just like now, where everywhere is flooded with Khenpos who give empty talks. Those ignorant ones, who run after fame and fortune, and establish their own factions, will cause people to have aversion for Buddhism and lead to the extinction of Buddhism sooner or later. Hence, it is said that the authentic Dharma is not in the monasteries, it is not in the books and not in the material world, but within the mind. There is a need to awaken it through practice and to realised (actualised) it, in order to be called the continuation or preservation of the Dharma."

~ Chatral Rinpoche

The shortest path of realization

The literal meaning of guru yoga is ‘union with the teacher´s nature’. To blend your mind with the teacher’s mind is the most profound of all practices, and the shortest path of realization. It is the life force of the path and the one practice that includes all others. It was through relying on a spiritual teacher that all the bodhisattvas of the past generated the mind of enlightenment and reached perfection.

 ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche - "The Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones"

Compassion, the quickest way to full enlightenment.

The Destroyer Qualified Gone Beyond One (Bhagawan) said, 

“The bodhisattva does not follow many Dharmas. The bodhisattva holds one Dharma well and realizes it well. The whole Buddhadharma will be in the hand of that person.” 

What differentiates Buddhism from other religions is COMPASSION for every single sentient being. What really pleases all the buddhas and bodhisattvas is COMPASSION. COMPASSION is what makes all sentient beings happy. 

STRONG COMPASSION is the foundation that causes you to achieve full enlightenment most quickly. If you want to achieve full enlightenment in order to liberate all sentient beings from suffering and bring them to full enlightenment, the quickest way is to generate strong COMPASSION.

Chandrakirti said,

“At the beginning, COMPASSION is like a seed; in the middle, it is like water; at the end, it is like a ripened fruit. Achieving the result of full enlightenment is all due to COMPASSION.”

Even for non-believers the best thing and only way to create merit (good karma) is COMPASSION, as well as making offerings and prostrations to holy objects and circumambulating them, even by chance. What gives all beings a happy, satisfied, meaningful and successful life is COMPASSION.

From the Sutra Request by Lodro Gyatso:

“The thought of complete enlightenment, preserving Dharma, practicing Dharma and having love and compassion for living beings: these four dharmas have infinite qualities—the limit of their benefits is not seen by the Victorious Ones. It is said that preserving Dharma and protecting the lives of living beings has limitless benefits.”

This shows that if we have COMPASSION for sentient beings, from those we can’t see with the naked eye but only under a microscope up to creatures the size of a mountain, then the Buddha has never explained the limits of the benefits of the compassion we generate for them. It’s the same as saving the lives of human beings, animals and insects; we must understand that it has limitless benefits.

A Kadampa geshe said,

“Holy beings of the land of Dzambu (this world) respond to harm with good actions.” 

When ordinary people are harmed they retaliate with harm. Holy beings repay harm with positive actions. Whoever sees the enemy as the virtuous friend is happy wherever that person is. 

The great Indian scholar bodhisattva Shantideva said in the first chapter of his Bodhicaryavatara:

“I bow down to the body of him in whom the sacred precious mind is born. I seek refuge in that source of joy, who brings to happiness even those who harm him.”

The extensive benefits of bodhicitta, which are like the sky and the depthless ocean, are also the benefits of generating great COMPASSION for all sentient beings. Without great COMPASSION there is no way achieve bodhicitta, which has limitless benefits.

The conclusion is that COMPASSION is the most important practice in life.

~ Lama Zopa Rinpoche - COMPASSION IS OF THE UTMOST NEED

The moment of awakening

The moment of awakening may be marked by an outbursts of laughter, but this is not the laughter of someone who has won the lottery or some kind of victory. It is the laughter of one who, after searching for something for a long time, suddenly finds it in the pocket of his coat.

 ~ Thich Nhat Hanh - "Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice".