Satisfied Buddhist - Domo Geshe Rinpoche

As soon as your mind becomes disturbed while sitting in meditation, it means that the mind is seeking an object. If it does not find an object, it will generate one. Thoughts such as, ‘So-and-so isn’t doing this, this isn’t going right, that has to happen, a mosquito bit me, I’m hungry, I’m not hungry, I want this, I want that.’ The mind begins to send energetic probes, looking for a sense of s tability for its habitual pattern. To be successful in meditation, the mind needs to be secured to the inner process at this point, otherwise the mind flails around looking for a familiar pattern of ordinary thinking. Meanwhile, the inner process is abandoned and the whole situation feels unstable. An analogy for the loss of the inner connection is like a cordless telephone that was left out there under the clothesline, somehow separated and disconnected from its base. Maybe some sound is coming out to say it is disconnected. So, you would need to very carefully put it back on its base in orde...

Reliance of faith means that even if we have not fully developed exalted qualities, which are capable of producing intense happiness, our reliance on the 3 jewels of refuge, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, will produce in us a willingness to change. Through faith, we will easily step away from our zone of safety into higher learning. This would be similar to having the chance at some universities to audit a class. Even as an unregistered student, you could listen to the famous professor teaching an important subject simply because you love it and you want to know more. Similarly, through the joy of faith we can place ourselves before our inner mentor, and higher mentors, such as the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, who will allow us to come into their environment by virtue of our reliance. ~ Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~ "Auf Glauben zu vertrauen bedeutet dass ,selbst wenn wir höhere Qualitäten, durch die wir ein intensives Glück empfinden können, noch nicht vollkommen entwi...

The first kind of faith is vivid faith and can be awakened. You know, at the movie theater, before the movie actually begins, they often have introduction music that starts out very small but it gets louder….”mmmyaaaaaaaa AAAAAAA” A great crescendo! This is how an experience of awakening faith feels. Sometimes a non-Buddhist, when entering a temple for the first time in their life, sees a Buddha statue and cries! They feel a crescendo of joy rising. It is a remembrance of vivid faith. ~ Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~~ " Die erste Art von Glaube ist ein lebendiger Glaube und man kann ihn erwecken. Weißt Du, wie im Kino, wenn sie vor dem Filmbeginn oft eine Anfangsmusik haben, die ganz klein anfängt aber lauter wird....'mmmjaaaaAAAAA' Ein großes Crescendo So fühlt sich auch die Erfahrung des erwachenden Glaubens an. Manchmal sieht jemand, der kein Buddhist ist, beim ersten Betreten eines Tempels eine Buddhastatue und muss weinen! Sie fühlen wie das Crescendo...

In the final analysis, what we feel is who we are, more than the knowledge collected, what we own or who we know. Our states of mind produce self induced feelings capable of resonating with higher or lower values in accordance with our nature. As we work to develop a nature of kindness toward all others, Buddhas and bodhisattva saints will shine their faith through us; we become transparent to higher ethics and standards. ~Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~ "In letzter Konsequenz sind wir das, was wir fühlen; eher als unser gesammeltes Wissen, als unser Besitz, oder als unsere Beziehungen. Unser Geisteszustand erzeugt selbst hervorgerufene Gefühle, die in der Lage sind entsprechend unserer Veranlagung mit höheren oder niederen Werten mitzuschwingen. Wenn wir daran arbeiten, allen Wesen gegenüber eine gütige Natur zu entwickeln, werden die Buddhas und Bodhisattvas ihren Glauben durch uns hervorscheinen lassen; wir werden transparent für höhere Ethik und Maßstäbe." - Domo G...

The first form of Buddhist refuge is a practice working toward reducing generalized fear and anxiety. Once our natural fear have been somewhat allayed, or completely fixed, we automatically feel happy and safe, isn’t that so? Only then are we more open to higher, more clarified emotional states. We will feel safe enough to explore hi gher concepts, and begin to feel faith arising: the second form of refuge practice, which further increases faith. However, while still shaky inside, there is little “seed” faith to use as the powerful basis of refuge that it actually is! Having little trust and having faith would be mutually exclusive. For as long as we continue to cultivate trust issues, for as long as we are experiencing manifest fear and a lack of safety, it is unreasonable to say that we go for refuge out of faith. We must first create the mental space where we feel safe, and that is why it is important to hear and reflect upon the qualities of refuge in the Buddha, D...

Several years ago, while  in Bangkok, I was taken to visit the magnificent Emerald Palace in the royal compound of the king of Thailand. There I saw many beautiful stone and marble statues of heroic warriors, 12 to 20 feet tall. Because they looked Chinese I asked how these statues came to Bangkok? My Thai friend kindly explained that many hundreds of years ago, in the early days of shipping, Siamese merchants would go by boat bringing goods to China. They would unload their cargo, but if they returned to Siam empty, the winds and waves would knock them over, sinking their ships, so they needed ballast. They could have just taken any big rocks, but instead they carried back these very heavy carved statues of Chinese heroes as ballast to sell to wealthy Siamese people. Like that, in the wind and storms of life we need ballast inside, a heavy, safe feeling of our refuge in The Buddha to steady us! I could say the Three Precious Jewels; Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, but I want to focus ...

We might consider that we are not as safe as we want to be in our life, especially if we are going to emerge from our cocoon to be of altruistic benefit to others. Once our natural fears have been somewhat allayed by taking sincere refuge in the Buddha to overcome old feelings of being unsafe, we will automatically feel more confident and capable of opening our hearts into higher, more clarified emotional states. We probably will even feel safe enough to poke our nose out into the world of new concepts, and begin to experience faith arising, the second form of refuge in the Buddha. Up until that point, there is no faith. Having generalized fear, which generates a lack of trust, and having faith would be mutually exclusive, isn’t that so?  As long we hold trust issues, as long as we are experiencing manifest fear, and a lack of safety, faith is an unreasonable sensation. We have to find somewhere we feel safe, and the intelligent are receptive to hear about the qualities of refug...

"Peace is not aggressive and not easy to define. Therefore, the method is to learn what produces peace rather than acquiring peace or mandating peace. As one begins a course of transformative study there are hundreds of deep questions that are in nature, energetic explosive requests for closure to confusion. The inner unskillful logic in energetic form needs to be resolved by new strategies. Questioning, meditating and inquiry are its outer forms, faith in the value of the goal, becoming receptive to inner guidance, and courage to let go of old habits are the inner forms" ~Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~ "Frieden ist nicht aggressiv und nicht leicht zu definieren. Deshalb sollte man lernen, was Frieden erzeugt, anstatt Frieden zu erwerben oder vorzuschreiben. Wenn man einen Kursus in transformativen Studien beginnt gibt es hunderte von tiefen Fragen, die ihrer Natur nach energetische explosive Bitten darum sind, Verwirrung zu beenden. Die innere ungeschulte Logik muss in ihr...

We want to emulate bodhisattvas beings. These heroes of Buddhism have achieved powerful levels of penetrating and clarifying their own nature. They break through and realign their understanding in the model of reality. Their sense of fantasy has been completely destroyed. In a way, it’s like…when you were young, I am pretty sure you believed in Santa Claus. Nearly every American child believes in Santa Claus, even Jewish children. It comes as an important belief for children. You don’t have to be Christian to believe in Santa Claus. When you were in grade school, I think you probably had strong faith in Santa Claus. You knew that through the efforts of Santa, all good things would flow if you just behaved yourself during November and especially December. Isn’t that so? Then some companion in the schoolyard or an older brother or sister whispered to you, “There is no Santa Claus.” This would have arisen some kind of anger in your mind toward that person. They are blaspheming the one wh...