Online Teaching from Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Centre, Nepal, 9 June 2020
Our experience is not determined by what is seemingly outside, but by our own perception. For example, when a lama is teaching, they probably have no thought of pleasing some and upsetting others, but that’s what inevitably happens. One person will appreciate it, and another will get up and walk out in a rage. Each […]
Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Center, Nepal, 27th April 2020
For those aspiring to practice the dharma there is nothing more important than meeting a good lama.
Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Center, Nepal, 10th February 2020
The word for dharma in Tibetan is ཆོས་ (chö), which is related to the word འཆོས, which means to repair or to correct. When I see those who consider themselves students of mine conducting themselves unskilfully, I may well tell them that they are doing wrong, with the hope that they will see why it […]
Kagyu Samye Ling, Scotland, 12 October 2017
Money becomes a real obstacle in forming a true lama-student relationship. So if it’s real dharma you want, if it’s a real lama-student relationship you want, then this is something you should keep in mind. For example, if you see me to be a lama of yours, and you genuinely wish to rely on and […]
I only fear two things, I am scared of my lamas because they have been so good to me. They have helped me with my way of thinking so that now I know I won’t be overwhelmed by the hardships of this life, even if I do hit hard times I do not dwell on […]
Teaching on 'The Precious Garland of the Supreme Path' to the retreat staff, Thrangu Sekhar Retreat Center, Nepal
The Sanskrit word ‘guru’ translated as ‘lama’ in Tibetan, has the sense of weightiness; meaning the individual is laden with excellent qualities. These qualities have nothing to do with a person’s position or status, nor with their level of education, but are principally concerned with the way they think: their renunciation, bodhichitta and view of […]
HwaYue Foundation, Taiwan, 21 October 2017
Once you have examined a lama in whom you have faith and decided to put yourself in their hands, then from that point on don’t worry too much about what Dharma they’re teaching. If the lama you rely on is good, then whatever they teach will be directed at remedying your faults and wrong ways […]
Teaching on the Precious Ornament of Liberation at HwaYue Foundation, Taiwan, 21 October 2017
Gampopa said, ‘Rely on a holy lama endowed with realisation and compassion.’ This tells us that a genuine lama is someone with realisation, who has wisdom and compassion, and directs all their efforts to teaching and guiding students on the path to liberation. Such a lama is a holy lama. When I was staying in […]
Excerpt from the weekend teaching in Kagyu Samye Ling, October 2018
A good student will appreciate and feel fortunate to have their faults pointed out by their lama, because they are trying to change and improve themselves. Since they are a good student they will know that their ultimate nature is good and pure, and that the faults are transient or incidental. So they will not […]
Teachings on 'A Torch for the Definitive Meaning', Sekhar, Nepal, 1st March 2015
Reprimanding a student is often much more profound than just explaining the words of a text. Usually when we receive teachings on a text, we don’t feel all that much, nothing really hits home. But when we are told off, something registers. We may become a little upset at first, but later a personal truth […]
