The Dharma is a very, very special and precious thing. The more you practice it, the more you will realize this. Keep your practice very simple and don’t be too ambitious. Don’t be thinking that this lama over there is giving better teachings or that this lama over here is giving more secret initiations. Leave that. Just keep the practice very simple, try to stay in the moment and try to stay mindful. Try to develop some genuine love and compassion, some real caring for others. People talk over and over about bodhichitta, but so often their heart is quite cold. It’s not a matter of how much you know or can define, or how many millions of mantras or thousands of prostrations you have done, or how many months of wangs you’ve attended. The important thing is whether or not the mind is really changing, whether our negative emotions are really coming under control, whether we are really beginning to understand ourselves, whether our mind is really improving, and whether in our hearts there is genuine love and caring for other people. In the beginning especially, we won’t realize we’re changing. Other people may tell us, “Oh, you’re so much nicer.” Of course you can’t hope that other people will tell you that you’re so much nicer, but that’s always a good sign. Perhaps people find that you’re easier to live with. If you don’t find that people find you’re easier to live with than you were before, if you don’t find that your heart is feeling warmer toward others and if your negative emotions are not getting any better, then there’s something wrong. That is always the touchstone of the Dharma practice. Forget about realizing shunyata and going on the different bhumis and all this. Just stay in the moment, stay aware, be kind and try to improve your mind. – Tenzin Palmo #luckythanka #tenzinpalmo #buddhism #buddhismteachings #dhamma #ommanipadmehum #bodhisattva #bodhi #positivevibes #wisdom #compassion (at Nepal) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQExqtcBVoj/?utm_medium=tumblr
