Tag Archives: Path

Responding with Love and Appreciation – 37 Practice – Session 13

Why do we always begin our Meditation for All session with meditation? Following our usual opening chants and the practice of śamatha, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering offered some reflections about the practice of meditation itself. He then continued with his commentary on the sixteenth and seventeenth verse of Ngulchu Tokmé’s 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, which discuss  how to take ingratitude and contempt onto the path of compassion. 

Helping Others through Meditation

At the beginning of our meditation session, we bring to mind the main reason for our practice: to attain genuine freedom, enlightenment, for the benefit of all others. Thinking about the current hardship of people close to us as well as the current state of affairs in the world, we connect with the feeling and wish for everyone to be free from hardship, pain, and any form of suffering. 

Meditation, our resident teacher pointed out, is the tool that allows our wish to benefit others to become reality. “Without meditation, no matter how much knowledge we would gather, we will not be able to kindle the light of enlightenment.” Why is this so?

Although it may not be easy to say what change you would gain through meditation, Acharya Lhakpa shared, “I have full confidence that I am staying out of many troubles because of the practice of meditation.” We have the aspiration to attain enlightenment to free ourselves and others from suffering. To accomplish this, we need to know ourselves very well. Only this allows us to work with our own mind-stream, so we can change things for the better. By not doing so, there would be no reason to expect any good result to arise. Acharya, therefore, said: 

“The practice is mainly to learn how to work with our own mind-stream. It’s not about changing others or merely teaching the Dharma. Practicing the Dharma is about improving ourselves. As we improve ourselves, we naturally become more capable of benefiting others.”  

Changing our Habitual Mindset 

You may wonder what engaging in the path of the Mahayana might look like. This is what is taught by Ngulchu Tokmé, in a pithy manner, in the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. The essence of the Mahayana teachings are all encapsulated in his brief instructions. The next verse shows the sixteenth practice: 

“Even if someone I cared for like my child
Should act as though I were their enemy
Like a mother toward her child stricken will illness
To love them even more is the practice of a bodhisattva.”
(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg) 

This verse, like the others before, is also about working with our own habitual tendencies. Our current mindset was likened by Acharya Lhakpa to a “trading mindset” or “business mindset:” “If I do good to you, then you should do good to me.” So, if a person harms me, we tend to wish that person to be hurt and inflict harm in return. 

However, if we want to attain the state of buddhahood, and benefit ourselves and others, even if someone we have treated well were to act as if we were their enemy, we should not retaliate or even think badly about such a person. In fact, if that would be our response, we would be further and further removed from our goal. Instead, what would help us, would be to look closely to what extent mental afflictions are still present in our mind-stream since they are what we need to clear away. 

Extraordinary Love for Everyone

In this sixteenth verse, Ngulchu Tokmé doesn’t just say we should not react in a harmful manner in return to someone who hurts us; rather, we should “love them even more,” he writes. Why? Because this person is also moving away from liberation and the state of buddhahood through such negative actions which, in turn, are driven by the afflictive emotions. 

Acharya Lhakpa commented that this does not mean we should let this person continue to harm us or anyone else. This would actually be a sign of lacking compassion since you would let such a person continue to engage in unwholesome behaviour. 

The example given is that of the love of a mother for her child. While it may look harsh on the surface, a mother or any caretaker never intends to inflict any harm but always does good and acts for the benefit of their child —just like a teacher does with his student, Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche notes in his commentary to this text. 

The question we should be asking ourselves when we face the kind of situation Ngulchu Tokmé writes about is what would be the right thing to do given the current circumstances? What is beneficial in this present situation? Should we allow some distance or perhaps engage in some mindful conversation?

Cutting the Chain

Part of the message of this verse is that we need to let go of the so-called three spheres: subject, object, and actions. Acharya Lhakpa compares this to a linked chain and the example of giving someone (object) a slice of pizza (action) you consider to be yours (subject). If we don’t let go of these three spheres or do not cut this chain, it will bind us more and more in the world of samsara. Furthermore, it will prevent us from practicing compassion, especially if someone we care for is harming us. 

Since the practice of the Mahayana consists of gathering the accumulations of merit and wisdom, we need to engage in acts of generosity and so on (merit) without holding onto the three spheres (wisdom). Only this will lead us to enlightenment, whereas acting out of anger and any disturbing emotion will only put us at an increasingly longer distance from it. 

Breaking Our Ego-Clinging

While the sixteenth verse can be described as taking ingratitude to the path, the seventeenth verse is about taking others’ contempt to the path. The first means that even if someone we care for does not show us any sign of kindness or give us something in return, we still respond with genuine love. With the second, we regard someone of equal status or lower in some way or another, who speaks to us in a harsh manner, as an actual teacher: 

“Even if someone my equal or lower
Should insult me influenced by pride
To place them with respect, as if they were a guru,
to place them at the crown of my head is the practice of a bodhisattva.” 
(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg) 

In his commentary, Acharya Lhakpa said that our spiritual teacher, guru, or lama, is usually pointing out our mistakes or what we are lacking. He/She/They will tell us what to study and practice to change this. In a similar way, a person who is saying something painful is also pointing out something to us. What is that? It is that pride is present in our mind-stream. 

This pride or ego, and the kleśas and nonvirtuous actions that follow from it, will again remove us further and further from attaining enlightenment. Since attaining enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings is the goal on the path of the Mahayana, we do not react or retaliate in such a situation as that is in immediate contradiction with our aspiration. Instead, we realize through such situations that mental afflictions are still very much part of our own mind-stream, and that is what we should learn to work with. 

This verse, our resident teacher explained, shares the same message as all the previous verses: They all point to what is lacking in ourselves to attain enlightenment. This is a key point of Ngulchu Tokmé’s text, in the words of Acharya:

“Recognizing mental afflictions within our mind-stream and learning how to work with them and taking them onto the path is part of the practice of a bodhisattva. There’s no need to regard these afflictive emotions as something bad or negative. The question to ask ourselves is: How can we clear away these mental states, which keep us from attaining our goal, and use them in such a way that they help us reach enlightenment?” 

This is a main point of all the verses that Acharya Lhakpa kindly told us to keep in mind at the conclusion of our session. Thanking everyone for joining us, we dedicated the merit together, and he expressed the wish for everyone to have a wonderful rest of the day, no matter where they are. We look forward to seeing everyone again for our next session. 

Karmapa Khyenno!

All is the Path in Pursuit of the Dream – 37 Practices – Session 11

Wishing everyone Losar Tashi Delek, a happy Tibetan New Year of the Female Wood Snake, we began our practice with the usual opening chants and śamatha meditation. After this, Acharya Lhakpa Tshering offered commentary on the thirteenth and fourteenth verse of Ngulchu Tokmé’s 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva. What to do when someone harms or says unpleasant things about you?

Formal Meditation: Entering Noble Silence

During our practice of śamatha, it is important to pay attention to our posture of body, speech, and mind. Sitting firmly grounded yet relaxed, we turn inward and are simply aware of what appears to our minds, without any evaluation or judgement.

For the posture of speech,  it is said that we can think of formal meditation as entering a space of noble silence. We step away from the usual daily activity and, for a moment, don’t speak or use words at all. 

Sitting in this physical posture and space of noble silence, we connect with the heart of awakening, bodhicitta: seeking genuine freedom, well-being, happiness, and the state of buddhahood for the benefit of everyone. 

Keeping Our Big Vision in Mind

Beginning the discussion of our root text, Acharya Lhakpa mentioned that Gyelse Tokmé Zangpo’s 37 Practices condenses the practice of the Mahāyāna. In short, we set out on this heroic path of a bodhisattva with the intention to achieve enlightenment in order to free all sentient beings from the confusion of samsara. 

With this big vision or dream in mind, we pursue it till its completion. What does this mean for our practice? In what ways can we approach our experiences as a path? The thirteenth and fourteenth verse each point to a particular aspect of our lives and how to take that as part of our journey. The first of these reads as follows:

“Should someone sever my head
Even though I did not do the slightest wrong
Through the power of compassion, to take on
Their negativity for myself is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

(Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg) 

Turning Suffering into Path

Without a doubt, the world we live in and experience on a daily basis includes all kinds of difficulties and people harming us. Acharya Lhakpa joked that if one of us would find a peaceful place to practice the dharma without such situations, to please send him an email or let him know! 

Although the root verse speaks about one particular form of great suffering — our own death — it is really about the way we can utilize hardships and pain in such a way that they become the causes and conditions for attaining enlightenment. It is not so much about someone actually cutting off our head but more about what we should do in response to any kind of harm, great or small, that is inflicted upon us. Ngulchu Tokmé writes that the path of a bodhisattva is to take on their negativity in return through the power of compassion. 

How (and why) should we do this? Acharya Lhakpa explained that the person who inflicts  any degree of harm on us is simply overpowered or controlled by mental afflictions like attachment, aversion, or ignorance. Furthermore, living in an interdependent world since beginningless time, he/she/they surely have benefited us at some point. Yet, above all, we have committed ourselves to seek enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. This aspiration includes anyone who might harm us. Instead of harming this person in return, we generate compassion and give rise to bodhicitta. 

Taking Small Steps in Everyday Life

Acharya Lhakpa further commented that we may not be able to respond to suffering with compassion and give rise to the heart of awakening right away. However, we can at least begin by reflecting on our actions and learn how to work with suffering on our paths. If we are not able to do so and continue this downward movement of nonvirtuous activity due to our mental afflictions, we will never find a place that is in harmony with practicing the dharma and fulfilling our dreams. 

Having the understanding that nonvirtuous activity is due to mental afflictions, and the person who harms us accumulates negative karma as a consequence of that, we engage in the practice of tonglen (“giving and taking”). This means that we take on his/her/their negative karma and give the virtue we have accumulated ourselves in return. This is something we can practice in everyday life, in small steps. For example, Acharya said, when someone cuts the line at the grocery store, instead of reacting negatively, we can just let it go. 

Taking Unpleasant Words Onto the Path

The fourteenth verse follows the same way of thinking:

“Even if some should proclaim unpleasant things
About me throughout the three-thousand-fold universe,
With a mind of loving-kindness, to speak of their qualities 
In return is the practice of a bodhisattva.” 

Our resident teacher shared that he thought this verse is particularly helpful in our twenty-first century, especially when thinking about how fast news spreads these days. Whether someone says something about ourselves, our close ones, our country, or whatever it may be that we experience as unpleasant, we don’t act (or react) negatively in return nor do we hold onto such incidents. Basically, this verse teaches us to take anything we feel as being unpleasant onto the path. 

Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche’s Pith Instruction

Usually, we very much like hearing pleasant words or praise, and we easily get upset when people say unpleasant things or blame us. Acharya Lhakpa shared that he had the great fortune once to receive a pith instruction from Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, the teacher of his own teacher, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, that relates to this. “Khenpo Rinpche gave this pith instruction to me, and it is still very vividly present in my mind and very, very beneficial for me. I hope it will bring the same magnitude of benefit to all of you.” 

In short, Khenpo Rinpoche instructed not to get attached to the good things people say about us  nor to hold onto any negative comments.. These are just a play of their thoughts. Praise or blame follow from people’s conceptual thinking. Those, in turn, are driven by the mental afflictions. So, if someone praises or blames you for something, it merely shows their mental constructs and afflictive emotions. 

Furthermore, we know from our own experience that these remarks are not trustworthy or stable whatsoever. A person might have a positive thought and praise you in the morning, and have a negative thought and blame you the very same evening. Thus, there is no point in getting attached to either one. 

When Things Go Viral

Ngulchu Tokmé writes in this verse that we should practice loving-kindness, “even if some should proclaim unpleasant things about me throughout the three-thousand-fold universe [Acharya’s emphasis].” This, Acharya Lhakpa commented, must be something greatly unpleasant. He likened this to someone expressing something negative about you and it going viral, the words finding their way to all corners of the world. 

Instead of reacting negatively out of pride, which would become an obstacle for fulfilling our dream of attaining enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, we say positive and good things about that person in return. This will help to break or tear down our pride and thus bring us closer to attaining our goal. “Pride is one of the obstacles to attaining complete enlightenment. There is no enlightenment if there is pride. Therefore, to attain our goal, we should be free from any pride.” 

The pith instruction given here by Ngulchu Tokmé and mirrored in the words of Khenpo Rinpoche is that of letting go of our attachment to pleasant things and aversion to unpleasant things. Acharya Lhakpa summed it up by saying:

“If our dream is to attain the state of omniscience, if that is what we are truly seeking to achieve, we need to let go of our attachments and not be affected by any negativity. By clearing away these obstacles, we will attain the state of omniscience.”

To conclude, Acharya Lhakpa emphasized not to get lost in the words and examples of extreme violence or unpleasant things mentioned in the text.

“Please try to get the message or instruction given here and how to apply that in our path. We don’t have to apply all that is taught but take one stance or word that is useful in everyday life. If this gives you the message, I think that will be okay.” 

Following those words, we dedicated the merit and Acharya Lhakpa wished everyone a wonderful day, afternoon, or night, and warmly invited everyone to join again next Sunday.

Intermezzo: Contemplating Karma and Saṃsāra

Settling into a formal meditation posture for our practice of śamatha (calm-abiding meditation) after our opening chants, we emphasized a key point of this particular meditation technique: to ensure our body is comfortable yet awake, and is a support to look at the state of our mind. 

What is the State of My Mind?

Atiśa Dīpaṅkaraśrījñāna, the great Indian master who is renowned in the history of Tibetan Buddhism and considered the founder of the Kadampa tradition, is said to have emphasized asking ourselves: What is the state of my mind? We often ask ourselves how we are doing and reply with an answer relating to our physical well-being. However, the more important question to ask, according to Atiśa, is about our mental state: What is the state of my mind in this moment? 

When looking at the state of our mind, following the instructions of Acharya Lhakpa Tshering, we can do so without judgement. Instead, we can approach this practice with curiosity and openness. We don’t need to force the mind to be in a particular state or have certain thoughts or not. Rather, we look with awareness and simply notice: What is the state of my mind, right now?

Some Instructions for Contemplative Meditation Practice 

In the wake of our śamatha practice, we moved into two contemplative meditations. Whenever we step into such practice, we can keep a few instructions in mind: 

  • Sit in a formal meditation posture (like with śamatha practice);
  • Feel grounded and connect with a sense of calmness and openness;
  • Contemplate questions or statements with wonder;
  • Don’t apply a strong force to reasoning or thinking nor think you need to find an answer right away;
  • See how you respond physically, emotionally, and mentally without judgement;
  • Notice how it impacts you, in this moment.

At the end of our contemplative practice, we can make a brief mental note to ourselves with a sense of joy and appreciation for the experience, and possibly having gained a new or deeper understanding, or particular insight. And then we simply let go and practice śamatha again for a brief moment. 

Obtaining Stable Trust in Karma, Cause and Effect

In his commentary on the eighth verse, Acharya Lhakpa noted various times that we do not need to seek the lower realms, or any realm, somewhere “out there.” We can just look at our present world and the state of our mind. His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, says something along the same lines: 

“The lower realms have been described as deep underneath us or far away from the earth. But we can find smaller versions of these realms in this very world, right before our eyes. It is not necessary to look below the earth or anywhere else, because war and famine are happening right now, and they are exactly what has been described as the misery of the lower realms.” 

Seeing the lower realms in this way and to bring it closer, we can consider the following: 

  • When did we contribute, in some way or another, to the suffering of ourselves and/or others? We can bring to mind any moment, no matter how small or big, when we were a contributing factor to harm or pain. 
  • What were the various causes and conditions that led to this moment? Understand that there is never a single cause nor might we have the full picture of everything involved. Yet, we can connect with the fact that cause and effect is at play. 
  • Consider how negative states of mind, harmful speech, or unwholesome actions of body, only lead to suffering. Likewise, how positive states of mind, kind speech, and wholesome actions of body, can bring happiness. 

As a way to conclude this contemplation, reflect on the following words of Atiśa: 

“What is truly profound is none other than karma, [cause] and result. Obtaining stable trust in karma, cause and effect, is more supreme than seeing the face of the yidam deity.”
Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg

Leaving the Swamp of Saṃsāra

The previous session, Acharya Lhakpa suggested we think of the higher realms, be it the demigods, gods, form realms or formless realms, as living in a high-end neigborhood. Putting aside any prejudices we might have towards such a place, we can think of it as a place of peace and joy, then visualize and consider the following: 

  • Imagine a happy and peaceful neighborhood that is safe, clean, spacious, and full of flowers and trees. 
  • Visualize everything that would make your high-end neighborhood as lovely as possible, be it with parks, fountains, particular shops, a house you really would like to live in, whatever might be the source of your happiness. 
  • Consider that these outer objects are all conditioned phenomena: dependent on the gathering of causes and conditions and, thus, impermanent. See in front of you how this high-end neighborhood slowly, but surely, starts to deteriorate and all things fall apart. 
  • Apply the same impermanence to your own body: day-by-day, the body becomes older, we are affected by sickness, and, at some point, sooner or later, this life will come to an end. Just like we can not stay in a high-end neighbourhood indefinitely, we will need to let go of this body too, and not quite know where we will end up next. 
  • Connect with the fact that such a neighbourhood and life in this world cannot offer lasting happiness. Therefore, determine clearly that there is no point in being attached to this kind of happiness and make sure to seek out liberation. 

As a way to conclude this second contemplation, that relates to the ninth verse, we can reflect on the following words of Atiśa: 

“Friends, this swamp of samsara is without happiness; go to the dry land of liberation.”
Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg

Progressing Along the Path in Our Own Dialectic Manner

Contemplative meditations like the above offer a way to make a personal connection with the instructions of Ngulchu Tokmé and the explanations of Acharya Lhakpa. In our context, it can help us see and feel how verse 8, 9, and 10 indeed show a progression on the heroic path of a bodhisattva. 

As we consider this progression, it will help us to do so without any judgment about where we should be on the path or how things should be. What is most important is to understand our own personal path and practice. This is something that can change moment-to-moment, day-by-day, and week-by-week. 

In other words, rather than thinking of this progress in a linear way, moving up, we can think of it as a dialectical process. Today we may strongly connect with karma, thinking “Oh, I should really avoid negative actions.” Tomorrow, we may connect more with the absence of lasting happiness, thinking “Oh, I thought this was a source of happiness but I see it is not…” And at other times we may really connect with an altruistic intention when we help someone. In this way, we connect with and strengthen all three capabilities. Bringing all three together in this way can support our practice and help us progress along our own paths. 

With that final remark and thanking everyone for joining this practice, we concluded with the dedication of merit and the wish for all beings to be well and attain enlightenment.

Cultivating an Expansive Mind and Boundless Heart on the Spiritual Path – 37 Practices – Session 8

Acharya Lhakpa Tshering welcomed everyone onsite and online and led us in the practice of śamatha (calm-abiding meditation). Reminding us of some key points during this practice, our resident teacher emphasized the importance of openness and relaxation. In particular, he gave instructions on how to relate to our breathing during meditation, saying:

“If your breathing is shallow, let it be shallow. If your breathing is deep, let it be deep. Don’t try to alter your breathing because you are doing meditation.” 

What is important is to simply feel and be aware of our breath as it comes in and goes out. This practice helps bring the mind to the present moment and allows us to stay with present awareness. 

Three Beings or Capabilities: How to Make Progress on the Path? 

During our previous Meditation for All session we spoke about the eighth verse from the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, written by the great Tibetan master, Ngulchu Tokmé. This verse, Acharya Lhakpa reminded us, speaks about those beings who fear the sufferings of the lower realms and seek to maintain the happiness of the realms of humans or gods. As a sidenote, he mentioned that we can think of gods as beings who live,  perhaps, in a high-end neighbourhood but still remain in the cycle of saṃsāra, falling down into lower states when their merit is exhausted. 

Acharya stressed that while beings who pursue the comforts of the higher realms are described as “lesser” or “inferior,”  this has little to do with looking down on or criticizing them. It is more about the capability of a person engaging in practice. The next two verses describe the path of the middling and supreme beings, respectively, illuminating how to make progress. 

The Middling Being or Capacity: Seeking Personal Liberation

The ninth verse shows the practice of the middling beings or those with a middling capacity: 

“The pleasures of the three realms, like dewdrops on a blade of grass, Are objects that perish in an instant. 
To strive for the supreme state of liberation 
That is never changing is the practice of a bodhisattva.” 

–Quoted from A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva, translated by Christopher Stagg

The person with this middling ability understands that the happiness of all three realms is like a dewdrop on a blade of grass: without essence, impermanent, and ever-changing. This includes the form and formless realms. 

This is similar to what Acharya taught during previous sessions about the lower realms reflecting our mental afflictions; the form and formless realms also do not point to some kind of place “out there.” They refer, instead, to a state of mind that is accomplished through meditation practice. In this case, while these states of mind may be free from  attachments and material desires, they are still within saṃsāra. Clearly seeing this, middling beings strive for the never-changing state of liberation. 

Leading us in an analytical meditation practice, Acharya Lhakpa helped us to understand how the happiness in our human lives is indeed like a dewdrop on a blade of grass. While the beings with lesser ability are content with the comforts of human life and/or the higher realms, those with middling capacity realize samsaric happiness to be like a dewdrop during a serene early morning–beautiful, perhaps, but disappearing with the slightest vibration or sunlight. Because they want to get out of this trouble only for themselves, this is known as the path of the middling beings. 

The Path of the Mahāyāna: Connecting with Other Beings

The next verse from our root text concerns the third and highest capacity, and was translated by Christopher Stagg as follows:

“From beginningless time, my mothers have loved me. 
If they suffer, how can I worry about my own happiness? 
Therefore, in order to liberate sentient beings, which are boundless, 
To engender bodhicitta is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

The way of thinking taught in this verse, Achara Lhakpa explained, is that we have taken birth again and again since time without beginning. This being so, all beings have been our mother at some point and kindly have taken care of us. Therefore, with a feeling of gratitude and understanding of the equal importance of all beings, we seek complete enlightenment for the benefit of everyone and not narrowly limit ourselves to personal liberation. 

If we find it difficult to relate to this notion of beginningless time, rebirth, and/or considering all beings as our mother, Acharya pointed out that the key point is about making a connection. Seeing someone as a caring mother is like an example. We could also think in the following way: Yesterday was our past life, today is the present, and tomorrow will be a new one. Contemplating our existence in this way allows us to realize how our well-being depends on countless others. Without them, we wouldn’t even be able to survive.

To connect with other sentient beings, we can bring to mind someone–a brother, sister, uncle, aunt, anyone we feel close to–and cultivate a feeling of an intimate relationship. Taking this approach, we practice loving-kindness and compassion. This is the foundation of the Mahāyāna. “Without this practice, there would be no path of Mahāyāna,” Acharya said.

Bodhicitta as Supreme Ability: Boundless Compassion

Slowly we begin to understand the equal importance of all sentient beings. Generally, Acharya Lhakpa shared, we have the habitual tendency to think in limited ways and are oftentimes not able to practice loving-kindness and compassion for a certain individual or group of beings. We might even have the desire to benefit others, but only to a certain degree. “I want to be kind to all sentient beings, except that uncle. Something like that,” he said.

In contrast, those with the supreme capacity are able to open their hearts for all sentient beings. Not thinking in terms of “mine” and “yours,” or any other kind of limitation, their compassion is beyond measure. The Four Immeasurables that we usually recite at the beginning of our session relate to this. Making our minds as vast as the sky and opening our hearts in this way, is known as giving rise to bodhicitta–the heart of awakening. 

Beings with middling capacity share the same wisdom. They see that all samsaric happiness is like a dewdrop on a blade of grass. However, they lack the methods of loving-kindness and compassion for all sentient beings. Therefore, those who bring method and wisdom together, are known as supreme beings who practice the way or vehicle of the bodhisattvas. 

A Guide on the Path

Summarizing verse eight, nine, and ten, Acharya shared his own understanding of these verses. Rather than thinking in terms of classes or categories of different beings, Ngulchu Tokmé teaches us about our motivation for our practice and offers a guide to progress on the path. 

First, we contemplate the suffering of the lower realms and strive for the happiness of the higher ones. Second, we develop the insight that this happiness is only temporary and impermanent. Thus, we strive for unchanging liberation, which means that we will not fall back into the world of suffering. Seeing the narrow or limited quality of this individual liberation, we open the heart of compassion and strive for complete enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. 

“The intention of the author here is not to describe three different beings but rather how one can develop on the path through practicing step-by-step, and making progress to attain complete enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.” 

With this note, Acharya Lhakpa concluded our session and expressed his gratitude to everyone onsite and online for joining. Next Sunday we will continue our meditation practice and contemplate this further. After dedicating the merit, Acharya wished everyone a wonderful day.