Satisfied Buddhist - Domo Geshe Rinpoche

We plan for the future because we anticipate being there, isn’t that so? That means we have a responsibility for taking care of our health. Twenty or thirty years ago, people did not have as much information, opportunity or support from others to be working on their own health care program as we do today. Now, nearly everyone feels that it is a duty, taking care of him or herself through exercise, proper diet, vitamins and more. If you want to live a long life and take charge of your life without taking charge of your own health, something is missing. Looking for a mate With a logical, proactive approach toward the rest of your life, if you are like most people, you begin looking for a life partner. Before that however, you might think about what qualities you are looking for and judge potential mates by how closely they match that model. As usual, when they do not match, but you want them anyway, I suppose people figure they can just fix them up afterward. Nevertheless, it is g...

“When I am alert to the needs of others, I automatically move away from suffering self-interest. Perceiving others as if they held clues for my behavior comes from this, the Mahayana Buddhist method to personal fulfillment, and the very opposite of what one might logically expect” ~ Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~ “Cuando soy consciente de las necesidades de otros, automáticamente alejo de sufrir el interés propio. La percepción de otros como si ellos sostuvieron pistas para mi comportamiento viene de esto, el método budista Mahayana a la realización personal, y el muy enfrente de lo que uno podría esperar lógicamente” ~ a Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~ “Quand je suis alerte aux besoins d'entre d'autres, je pars automatiquement de subir l'intérêt personnel. Le fait de percevoir d'autres comme s'ils ont tenu des indices pour mon comportement vient de cela, la méthode de bouddhiste Mahayana à l'accomplissement personnel et l'absolument contraire de ce que l'on pourrait s...

For most people, life seems to go on in a haphazard way, just taking care of everyday problems and trying to find time for hobbies or taking a break from daily stress. Every once in a while a friend will be enthusiastic about meditation or going on a weekend retreat that will stimulate the heart to do something about meaningful change. Somehow, that never gets going. In a momentary rush, some will buy a meditation cushion or a Buddha statue, but now it is dusty or exactly where did it get stored away? If we stop to think about it, however, much of our daily life is simply walking through the results of earlier planning for the future. Upon reflection, we can review the steps that others and later we ourselves took to ensure our comfortable future, even though (like everyone else), not everything turned out as planned. In any case, let us examine the stages of planning that we used in our ordinary lives that prepared us for success. We might find that the strategies we used to acco...

"After a profound transitional breakthrough in spiritual development, you must reconnect to the inner referent, the basis of being, daily, or several times a day to preserve and stabilize the new inner identity. The only real healing of your actual referent is practicing return to that pristine state by complete immersion in emptiness"~ Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~ ‎ "Nach einem tiefen, vorläufigen Durchbruch in Deiner spirituellen Entwicklung musst Du Dich um die neue innere Identität aufrecht zu erhalten und zu stabilisieren täglich, oder mehrmals täglich, neu mit dem inneren Bezugspunkt verbinden, d er die Basis Deines Wesens ist. Die einzig wirkliche Heilung Deines eigentlichen Bezugspunkts geschieht, wenn Du Dich durch die völlige Versenkung in Leerheit darin übst, in den ursprünglichen Zustand zurückzukehren." - Domo Geshe Rinpoche ---

You are probably thinking that experiencing karma is completely in the gross physical or mental levels of being, but that is not true. It is experienced in both the subtle level as well as arising into the denser manifestations of karma, which culminate in physical events, as well as becoming your environment. It is in the outer world, but you are experiencing it through the filter of your magic charm: the mass of your karma that is yet unfulfilled because suitable conditions have not arrived. Student: I like the movement from subtle to manifest as you say, so the question for me that comes is, okay, if it comes from that subtle plane, it has to have a pathway into the gross plane. What is that pathway? Rinpoche: That is you standing with the door open, saying, " Let the disaster begin." Student: Oh, in that case, are you going to teach us how to shut the door to bad karma coming from our subtle reality? Rinpoche: Karma is actually a subject for very long periods...

Those who possess a mind of virtue often do not notice negative behaviors in others, which is a tremendous blessing. For instance, a person might say something just awful, but virtuous ears automatically close, " What? Did you say something to me? ” Even standing close by, he or she cannot hear negativity very well because the karma and mind of virtue cannot experience it. They have little supporting perceptions to be alert to negativity! Do you know someone like this? Has it ever happened to you? What a blessing. Student: How can we experience a virtuous sense but still avoid the judgments associated with it? Rinpoche: What possible judgment would you make against your own virtue? Student: I might judge my virtue to be the best of the virtues. Rinpoche: Oh I see. This sounds like competitive virtue. I do not think it qualifies. I believe there is even a phrase for this: Holier than thou. Nope, that would not be virtue. We can all recognize someone acting holi...

Earlier, the discussion on karma turned to gaining understanding how terrorists could deprive innocent people of their lives. Now, let us to take a bit more time with our dual reasoning in gaining understanding of karma. It is extremely important that we never use karma as a weapon against someone when we should exhibit compassion. The opportunity to exhibit our capacity and skill in compassion should further crack open our hardened hearts out of concern for the suffering family members of, for example, victims of terrorist attacks, as well as the victims themselves, for their life stolen from them. In addition, but as a separate issue that is unconnected to the victim/criminal dynamic, we learn to have compassion for the perpetrators. This is because it is likely that they themselves will have to endure a similar event because of harming others, either in this life or in a future life. It is really so sad that a situation got to the point where the perpetrator felt the only cho...

Logically, we must experience karma individually to have any effect. Even group karma, as discussed in part five, influences and perpetuates individual karma unless that person is quite strong minded and skillful. For example, Tibetans who left behind all their possessions and fled to India for safety, and lived as strangers in a new land, often had shorter lives, illnesses and stress caused by their unplanned emigration from their homeland. They were cautioned by HH the Dalai Lama and others to avoid anger and distress so that new karma did not harm them in this life and in the future. Many people worldwide are amazed when they hear that His Holiness deliberately does not hold anger against the Chinese. This is part of the reason, he cannot afford to hate when he has the responsibility to hold all living beings as equal worth. You possess an unknown karmic lifespan but there is a certain amount of flexibility in that time you will have here on earth. In other words, lifespan can...