Why do I have this fortune?
Dear everyone,
When we have been so fortunate to meet Buddha’s teachings we should think what did I do to deserve this? When we meet Buddha’s teachings we should think how rare it is by looking around us to see how very few people accept, practice and go all the way. You must again think, how come you have this great fortune to practice? By contemplating how lucky you are to have Buddha’s teachings daily, your other meaningless attachments start to lessen. Why are other attachments meaningless? Because at the time of death, they bring you no benefit. So therefore they are meaningless no matter how much meaning you pretend they have. What shall we do now then? We should recall all the teachings we have received and examine which ones we’ve been doing and which ones we have not been doing. And be honest. The ones we have not been doing, we should do and not waste any more time. Hiding behind so called commitments, jobs, careers, relationships, kids, and so on is just plain hiding. To say you have no time because of the above reasons is giving yourself reasons to increase negative karma and laziness which leads to unhappiness. Don’t say you have work and no time. Don’t say you have kids and you are busy with them or something similar. Don’t say you have bills and you have to pay them. Those are jobs/commitments you created out of your attachment and there is no end in taking care of them. It’s a vicious cycle. You should put full attention to your dharma practice and work and not be reminded. If you are in need of reminders, it means you choose to forget. It’s time now to wake up and walk the path of dharma. Walking up the path of dharma is hard and takes effort, but when you reach the top and look back, you will see why and have no regrets. As you walk up, it gets easier.
Sincerely, Tsem Rinpoche, the monk who chose suffering.
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All I can say is how fortunate I am meeting Rinpoche in this life and working for Dharma. Learning, and practicing Dharma has since changed my life. Learning from nothing and with no knowledge at all has brought me a new level. Still learning as there are so many beautiful, powerful and life changing lessons to learn from Dharma. Learning Dharma will change the way we spend our life. Its take us a lot of merits to be near a Dharma Centre and having Rinpoche as our Guru. We should contemplate and think of our Rinpoche’s kindness, caring giving us all those wonderful teachings.
Thank you Rinpoche with folded hands .
Thank you for the sharing, this article understand better, being able to meet Dharma and practice the Dharma is our privilege. For some it takes tremendous efforts to reach and for others seemingly very fast, but its the most beneficial of all to pursue.
Dear Rinpoche,
Thank you for sharing this message. I am indeed fortunate to be near dharma and of all lineages, its Lama Tsongkhapa’s holy lineage. I am fortunate to be near a qualified spiritual guide too. I must had done something right in my past lives and now I have to treasure this rare chance to strive in dharma.
Humbly,
Chris CHong
Exactly – why do I have this fortune? Some people they come and on a dark night show colors of rainbow – the buddha is like that. May we never forsake you and your dharma.
Thank you Rinpoche.. Really good points in the post.. I should contemplate more on how fortunate I am to be able to meet the dharma and Rinpoche. I must’ve done something right in my past lives to be able to be reborn so near Rinpoche. Because I am so lucky to be reborn as an able person, in should be doing more. Rinpoche always remind us to not be like ourselves before we meet the Dharma.. This doesn’t mean changing ourselves personality wise but merely changing our perspectives.
So in this live, I must do all I can to make sure I will be ale to meet the Dharma and Rinpoche again in my futures lives until i gain the state of enlightenment!
Thank you Rinpoche.. For everything.
I created causes during my past life to meet Dharma and Guru at young age. I created causes for myself to search for Dharma to answer questions in my head, and I search for Dharma and nothing else. Along my spiritual path, I feel that I’m considered lucky, but at the same time, I think about to create causes for my near future and my future lives to be in Dharma and be near with the Guru always.
Everything seems to be not easy, but along the way, I remember to follow teachings and to trust the Guru. From this I’m creating the causes to stay in Dharma always no matter what the obstacles are. It is not a coincidence for us to be in the Dharma and near with the Guru, it must be from our hard work, good karmas and perseverance in practicing Dharma past life. So we shouldn’t give up easily in this life and stop our very journey in this life. If Dharma is what we want to do, then everything else is not as important as Dharma is. Dharma work is the only thing that we brought from the past life that is meaningful and brings happiness and purpose.
When I first read this post, I am still working for others. Now, I am so fortunate that I am working for Dharma. How fortunate I am to have the chance to work for Dharma and it takes so much merits to be able to do that. Since I have the chance now, may I continue and keep pushing myself in my spiritual journey and able to gain enlightenment soonest so that can benefits more people.
My life is Dharma. I desire nothing else. Thank you for the timely reminder. May all benefit from your words.
Dharma is Rinpoche, Rinpoche is Dharma. Thank you Rinpoche for reminding us the goodness and benefits of dharma. Thank you Rinpoche for encouraging us to make a change and take dharma with us. Life is meaningless when we look at it closely. Most of the time we have to endure the heart broken part which that made us miserable most of the time. We are lost and going no where without Rinpoche indeed.
Walking up the path of dharma is hard and takes effort, but when you reach the top and look back, you will see why and have no regrets. As you walk up, it gets easier.
I’m walking up without looking back….
we never realised our “true” fortune and yet keep pursue those materilistic things as fortune we have. Through Lamrim, it give me realised how precious to have human life yet can meet Dharma and true Guru in this life..really stroke lottery!!we need to adjust our mindset and get rid of laziness to cherish every possible way to learn dharma, share dharma and spread dharma.
I do think the beauty of Dharma is that it can be applied at whatever level we are at, and if we have that fortune to come across it, we should do whatever we can to make the most of it. Yes, we have our commitments but like Rinpoche said, they’ll never end and using that as an excuse, instead of trying to find ways to overcome the obstacles will only lead to more and more and more “traps”.
So if we can only manage half a day to be at a Dharma center, then we should do it a 100% for that half a day – do everything we can within that half a day. And build from there. I think something important to remember, which is what Rinpoche has also said many times, is that we don’t just go from where we are to becoming an attained practitioner overnight – we have to start somewhere and progress from there, instead of always just waiting for that “perfect timing.” I’ve learnt there’s no “perfect timing” – just coming across the Dharma and having a chance to connect to the teachings and do something is already that perfect timing.
Looking at the world we live in today, the materialism, the desire, the chasing for this, that and the next, and the wonderful seductive offerings of samsara… it is almost impossible to catch a glimpse of spirituality… most often we miss it even when it is right infront of our faces waving at us! This is how difficult it is in our degenerate times to encounter the Dharma. So in bring me back to my ponder… How lucky, silly and “i don’t deserve it ” fortune I have to have encountered Tsem Rinpoche… because without a Guru… the Dharma will be a slow and sometimes lost one. So Thank my lucky stars, my protectors and my whatever out there good fortune… that made me have this connection. And if you also got… be thankful and well the staircase goes only up… going down will only bring u back to hell. So let’s just quit talking and just do it eh x
Where can we run when the Lord of death comes to take us. All fighting, anger, unhappiness with people do not make any sense anymore and not important now that our life force is slipping away. What is important are what we can bring with us to future lives what else can help us on this long arduos journey throughout samsara!
I ask myself this question again and again, not that I want to know the answer but it is a reminder for me to hold on to my guru and Dharma no matter what. Rome was not built in a day, we will not see immediate results, but if we are persistent, we will see good things happening.
Dear Rinpoche, thanks for the article again. Yes, we are all very fortunate indeed, to be born also in this land in this lifetime(hope our future life too) where we can see buddha, hear the dharma and blessing from the sangha, and the most fortunate indeed to have met you and your teachings.(not in real person yet, but soon will be in
the future).Imagine we are born in other irreligious country and barbaric land, living a a hostile life and no chance of practicing kindness? Contemplate on thta and i know I am very lucky indeed. And I should have push myself harder and break the barrier of laziness to practice and do more Dharma works. Thanks for the continuous wake up call and motivation to reinforce our faith in the three jewels. Thanks.
To some people, even accepting Dharma is very difficult. I always consider myself very lucky to have had this opportunity to accept, learn and practice Dharma. I am stressing on accepting Dharma because frankly speaking, it’s not easy at all especially for a person as stuborn as I am.
Now I understand to not accepting Dharma is purely not wanting to accept the truth about ourselves and the reality. It is a big denial about everything around us. And to live in denial can sometimes give us the feeling like when we indulge in alcohol. We feel happy the moment we take it but feel empty when we wake up. So in order to keep ourselves in this state of fake happiness, we have to keep on drinking just as how we keep on living in a denial state by always searching for new “purpose” of life.
It’s just a pure waste of life! It’s like if we dropped a needle inside of a dark room, it’s impossible for us to find it outside even if it’s brighter outside.
I am thankful I have found the right path.
Thank you for this post Rinpoche.
From a white karma ground, life is a bit like a holiday we just had and of which we have no memory whatsoever. The only good that could ever come out from it is if we made someone’s life easier, if we have helped someone, and at best if we have done some Dharma and even better, if we have done so with a reliable Teacher.
Otherwise, the holiday is not even as good as a memory, because there is no memory, there is just a waste of time and karma, and we are not a returning guest!
I have the same thought as Lew, to do dharma as part time.
The more i get involved and listened to Rinpoche’s teachings, I do realize that how fortunate for me to meet a Guru and receive Buddha’s precious teachings from my guru and how rare for me to practice dharma in this life?
I choose dharma as career and definitely not an easy path but I trust what Rinpoche’s says ” Walking up the path of dharma is hard and takes effort, but when you reach the top and look back, you will see why and have no regrets. As you walk up, it gets easier.”
Without the Buddha’s teaching and walking the path, there is no purpose to live.
Thank you Rinpoche for the kind reminder. I’ve been fortunate to raised up with my grandmother’s Buddhist guidance. But after graduate and start working i left out.
I was really fortunate to know Kechara and had Rinpoche’s Dharma teaching.
So much time has been wasted earlier and i’m so fortunate still have the chance to learn Dharma & do Dharma work.
Thou i’m not full time yet, but i’m working with a full time attitude on whatever time i have. Working towards to create more merits to do more.
Thank you Rinpoche for your teaching.
“…Because at the time of death, they bring you no benefit. So therefore they are meaningless no matter how much meaning you pretend they have….”
We know what will happen when we die, nothing belongs to us and whatever things that we are holding on will not help us at all, but we choose to ignore the fact. Our typical Chinese thinking is not to talk about death as it is not auspicious, but we are asking for more fear by not facing it or talking about it.
It is scary to know now rather then feel lost and panic when we are close to death, in fact we do not know when we will die..
Dear Rinpoche, thank you for giving us the opportunity to reflect on the good fortune we have to be blessed with Rinpoche and the 3 Jewels in our lives.
It is true, in looking around, there are so many who are:
1) Blind to the Dharma, i.e they do not even see the 3 Jewels even when it appears before them.
2) Unwilling to receive the Dharma.
3) Understand the benefits of Dharma but unwilling to practice.
It is very frightening to observe this common phenomena, which prompts me to hold more dearly onto this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be close to the Dharma. It also makes me ever more grateful to Rinpoche for tirelessly making effort and commitment to bring Dharma to people. If not for Rinpoche’s decision to take up the burden of liberating us, i would not have the chance to meet and begin to learn a little bit of Lord Buddha’s teachings.
In appreciation for this fortune, I believe the very least we, as Dharma students, can do is to use our resources to spread the Dharma to more regardless of the difficulty. After all, wealth is only wealth if it can be given out. There is also another saying that wealth can only grow when we spread it around.
May this Dharma fortune grow fiercely. May we also have the wisdom to work very hard to create the cause to be close to the Dharma lifetime after lifetime.
Yes, we are so fortune can listen dharma in this life. We push us to close to dharma. But we don’t know the time it takes until we are enlightened. We need to push us again and again.
Thank you for this wake up call. The dharma path is not easy but it is worth taking as it is the most beneficial. I will put in more effort into my dharma practice so that I won’t have any regrets when I die
Thanks for this Rinpoche. Often, in my lay mans life I find ample time and energy to come up with excuses not to do dharma work and practices and so frequently need a kick in the butt to get me moving. I can always look to you for inspiration, hope, and determination and when needed that kick in the butt….please please live long and continue to turn the wheel of dharma! Big love….Tony
A good reminder for me to reflect and contemplate again and again on dharma practice and impermance thanks to Rinpoche’s constant reminders.
Wow! Very profound Rinpoche. I never have these thought in my mind. This is a very good meditation reminder. I remembered when I was a kid I always thought that why am I borned a human being with thoughts going thru my mind. Why are animals are different from human being both physically and mentally. The animals cannot built houses and stay outside. They are exposed to the harsh weather. They live looking for food from meals to meals.
I think when we are constantly confronted with news of people we know falling very ill or slipping into a coma or dying, we then realize how precious this human life of ours is. Thank you, Rinpoche, for reminding us again and again how people around us are getting seriously ill and dying all the time.Thank you for your ‘wake up calls’ to us(like this one) about how important it is to live every moment of this life meaningfully in the practice of Dharma.
Thank you for reminding us here again how precious and rare it is to have the merits to receive and accept Lord Buddha’s teachings.Yes few people accept and practice Buddha’s teachings and fewer still go all the way. Practicing Dharma is hard, but it has its certain rewards and benefits that are immeasurable. Yet we keep getting swarmed by the affairs of this life and cannot let go of our attachment to the things of this life which are so ephemeral and only last as long as this life.
Suffering is life and Dharma is the path that leads us away from suffering, this path must be taken step by step. Human beings being what they are will say they have work,children,bills to take care of but these are not the reasons for not following the path, these things do not really get in the way. The mind killer that stops dharma being followed explored and finally absorbed into every fibre of your being is fear. Fear of the unknown fear of leaving the rest of your friends fear of the journey, that is why we as fellow human beings should help step by step and hand in hand in this way following in the footsteps of the Buddha we will all achieve enlightenment in this life or the next.
I have just visited Gabriel and can’t help reflecting how lucky I am to be still fit, with sound mind and near to Rinpoche.
What more is there to ask for but to practice sincerely all the way . . .
Thank you for making this reminder 🙂 (I still need them).
Is in not so that we can take everything of our ‘ordinary’ life as fuel for the dharma practice?
I have been struggling with this, not knowing if I should do my very best for finding a job so I can pay may bills, or should leave everything and everyone behind and just go for study and practice.
So now I (as a mother and being married) try to work and do my daily things as much as possible with the dharma in my mind and dedicate it to the complete enlightenment of all beings. I try to use my obstacles as hidden jewels for clearing my negative karma. And I hope in the end to have accomplished something.
with love, rita
Thanks Rinpoche. The Dharma path is definitely not an easy one, but its the most beneficial of all to pursue. We can see the benefits, but meanwhile still struggling to co-exist and crossing from the samsaric to dharmic environment. With strong will and pure motivation, eventually will be successful. Thanks to Rinpoche (the monk who chose suffering, for the benefits of countless sentient being 😀 ).Thanks for your teaching.
Last time I had this attitude of doing Dharma as “part time”, I think mainly due to the culture I am brought up, that spiritual is “optional”.
After studying up the Lamrim, I now know I am extremely lucky, and that I must have done a a lot of good things in my previous life, otherwise, why would I have the karma to receive Buddha’s teachings in this life?
I shall be diligent and practice sincerely.
Thanks Rinpoche that always remind us, i sincerely hope that our ignorance will be reduce faster so we may keep going faster to Dharma path.
if we do the same thing everyday, we will get the same result. If we want some changes in our lives, then we need to make some changes. Rinpoche’s quote is very clear that making changes is not easy, the path of dharma is hard thus there are not as many people on this path… but let’s get on it together as there’s much to be gained.
Thanks Guru for the encouragement. I prays i have the courage to walk out fast and learn the truth of this life.
Thank you Rinpoche for the wake up call to us. It is a great challenge for me to abandon the worldly activities and to increase my Dharma work, but I will keep on remind myself to step up and take actions in Buddha’s teachings.
Dearest Rinpoche, thank you so much for this important reminder. We are indeed very providential to be near to Dharma. It is quite saddening to see how some people let themselves stuck in both karmic and samsaric situations. The reason being, they let time and commitments to run their lives and when sufferings come, they put the responsibilities on the society. We must always remember that it is up for us to decide, we make the call, whether to practice Dharma and begin a spiritual journey or to continue to suffer and end up bringing nothing but grudges to grave. We tend to be ignorant and forgetful, often absent minded and confused. Why? Because we let ourselves to behave this way. There is no such thing as I can/I cannot, only I want/I don’t want. We must learn to stop finding excuses for ourselves and stop wasting time because time does not wait for us, death is.