Satisfied Buddhist - Domo Geshe Rinpoche

"Siddhartha, the soon to be Buddha, confronted his father to question his attempts to shelter him because he could see that those could not actually protect him from aging, sickness and eventual death. His journey of discovery lasted many years and led him to final preparation for transformation into the awakened state. This is a very special, specific awakened state, different than the goals of yogic siddhas at that time. Prince Siddhartha knew that freedom was of a different kind than the training offered at that time, even though there were many spiritual seekers. He could not accept that the goal of their process. Perhaps he could not even verbalize what he was looking for, but he knew what it was not. His special entry was into a paradigm free of confusion. The goals of yogic states offered by the spiritual practices at that time, were for the most part, an entry into various worldly abilities and powers. His firm goal was a state free from confusion. It is transcendent be...

"Tibetan Buddhism is, at its heart, a yogic tradition. This also means, it is a training program containing many different kinds of meditations. However, these are not presented to the student like a buffet luncheon so that we pick and choose what looks tasty. They are based upon an enduring and trusting relationship with a qualified mentor who suggests the direction and offers tools for transformation in the form of meditation practices and support. There are meditations where a mind of satisfaction is developed. This rests and stabilizes previous strong realizations to become capable of continuing in a new way. It also heals and repairs stress that is coming from damage to the over reactive limbic system. However, to develop satisfaction at the wrong time is harmful to transformation because it can arise complacency. This could create an obstacle to a perhaps more needed quality of anxiety longing for the enlightened state. If we practice honesty, after reading the lives of the ...

Part 1 of a series. Hope is kind of a dishwater word; it has an air of desperation about it and is only a hair away from worry. It does not sound like it is going to have a very good outcome, but there are other states of mind added to it in order to make it hope. However, as Buddhists, we want to lift our ability to hope into the power of hope, in the form of a dynamic, proactive state of creativity. In order to remember and use the technique I have created, we can remember the word hope in a new way. H, O, P, and E in four points are: H represents highest outcome, O is for overcoming obstacles, P is perseverance, and E is for enthusiasm. These are the four important aspects to proactive, dynamic hope that will give you abilities to use hope in ways that will have profound results. H means highest outcome. There is a saying, “We hope for the best.” However, in yogic method, this is a call to arise in a directed and focused energetic that supports the best outcome instead of...