Begin to cultivate the habits that will lead you to peace, helping you to become a truly gentle being, a fearless yet loving being, a Buddhist! All that you do, do it for the sake of bringing happiness to others and to yourself. This is the way to remove friction between yourself and others. You will learn to see the good points in others and overlook their faults; you will learn to recognise your own faults and not focus on the virtues that you believe you have. You learn humility so that you can practise charity. You see in others what you should see in yourself—the entire world is but a mirror! 13-Mar-1986 (3)

When the mind is pure, there is peace and serenity. Purity of mind is what every being wishes for, but only a few will go after attaining it. It is not developed out of an intellectual understanding of purity. It must be felt through the various practices of purification of the heart.
Reading and understanding it is insufficient; anyone with the ability to read and the intelligence to understand can do it, but they have not experienced its true state. Mental purity is attained only by a sustained method of righteous living, in accordance with the Eightfold Path, whereby not only the mind but also one’s body and speech must all be free from acts of selfishness.
31-Mar-1986 (1)

The search for wisdom is slow and should not be hurried. To be able to recognise Suffering is the first step, and then the Causes of Suffering must be realised; otherwise, the root cause of suffering cannot be discovered, and one continues to dwell in Ignorance.
Patience and Endeavour are two of the basic virtues that must also be present. Dharma knowledge cannot be gained by studious studying alone, but rather through meditation and active practice. Experience will be the best of teachers. It requires numberless awakenings before the Awakened State is achieved. Because it takes such intense practice for anyone to succeed, the Path of the Buddha is not so attractive to the multitude. Unless one is ready for change and strict disciplines, Buddhism will not be for him, for unless he practises and improves himself by himself, he is not a Buddhist!
31-Mar-1986 (3)

The Buddha was not a Buddhist while he was striving to attain the enlightened state of mind, but his heart was pure and gentle, all loving and compassionate, and he became the Enlightened One only because he had these necessary pure qualities within his heart. For this reason, anyone can become a Buddha and need not be a Buddhist by religion. But for those who would like to follow the Buddha’s Path, they become a Buddhist for the sake of receiving its teachings, which are the actual methods of mental purification, and they must follow all these guidelines if they are truly serious about their practice. Then, their lives are lived with the sole purpose of developing a peaceful mind, which is done through discipline and meditation.
31-Mar-1986 (2)

The way to open your compassionate nature is not mysterious, nor is it given to a selected few only; it is for all! It is for those who are ever trying to be of help to others, making it their duty to save all beings as long as they have the breath of life to do so! When this is your great aspiration, nothing in the world will unsettle you. You become fearless in the face of change, willing to strive on even when your conditions of life change drastically. So, what is there to cry about when you lose your position in life, when you cannot sleep well at night, when you are afflicted with an incurable disease? You cannot do a single bit to change these external circumstances, for you are here to experience the very situations meant to polish your mind! It is how you hold your mind that matters!
27-Feb-1984 (8)

The Way of the Bodhisattvas is not reserved for the learned, the famous, or the powerful alone; it is for all—for everyone and anyone who sincerely seeks to become part of existence by becoming One with All! Therefore, the Great Teaching of “Serve All, Love All” must be embedded in your mind. Each night before you fall asleep, contemplate how you can truly serve and love your fellow beings!
What is the use of knowing when the practice is not applied? Perfecting virtues cannot be done with the mind alone. Holding noble views is fine, but you cannot build a house with sheer mind power! All the knowledge that you have accumulated through reading and hearing will not be worth much until the day you decide to do your bit to give real help to humanity. When this is done—and ‘doing good to others’ is not only lip service—then you are a true son of the Buddha, a favourite son of the Bodhisattvas, and a great son of man!
27-Feb-1984 (7)

Suffering is real and suffering is painful, even though the enlightened mind understands it to be an illusion. And while you are still at this stage of spiritual development, you must treat the sufferings of others as real so that you can be motivated to develop greater compassion and therefore put forth greater efforts. Even on the day when you can go beyond suffering, you will still need to accept the sufferings of the world as real because the minds of human beings are far from enlightened. As they live in delusion, they suffer more and more from the conditions that their deluded minds are creating. Therefore, do not just accept the teaching that life is unreal, or whatever else has been written by others. From where you stand, suffering is real, and your duty in this lifetime is to bring relief to as many as possible.
10-Mar-1984 (3)

The best of prayers, for those who have no inkling of what cultivation is or the purpose of cultivation, is to put their full faith and trust into the Six Syllables Mantra. Recite it constantly with a calm mind and cleanse yourself with ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’. Recite these sacred words as naturally as you breathe to live, allowing them to become a part of your life in every moment of the day and night.
While reciting, do not hold any feelings of hatred, anger, envy, or greed. Do not allow anyone or anything to upset you while you are in a state of prayers, or the continuation will be quite impossible. You must ask yourself why you are praying and what you are hoping to derive from this practice; your motivation must be clear!
From this day onwards, always be in a state of prayers for the benefit of your own purity and for the well-being of others, and put your full faith into your practice!
2-Mar-1984 (5)

Remember that the way to ultimate perfection is long—very, very long, even incomprehensible! However, patience and endeavour must be exercised, because the goal must be won, or life shall become a meaningless wandering into the distant future. Once you have accepted the method, practise it sincerely and with faith. One cannot reach Freedom by just wishing for it. Efforts must be expended.
To reach my Potala, to reach the Western Land of Bliss, to reach Nirvana—what is the difference once you have reached one of these destinations? But how are you to reach the unseen, the uncharted way to the unconditioned?
Build your own bridge to these realms of hope. Your prayers are the effective means of building this invisible bridge to these invisible realms!
2-Mar-1984 (3)

The good way of living in this lifetime will only bear fruit in the future, most likely in future lifetimes. Seekers are those who encounter obstacles because of their inquiring nature, and thus they experience many inner battles as questions arise within their minds. It is always good to clarify what is not clear to intellectual understanding, but there is danger whenever one seeks solely to satisfy intellectual deductions. The way of life cannot be learned through clever deduction alone; one must study the Teachings of the Buddha, which provide all the directions pointing to the Truths. Because of this, it is better to rely on the cultivation of a pure mind, to put faith in your prayers, and to resort to Prayer Recitation as a vehicle to wisdom. Once you have formed the habit of praying, worship becomes more meaningful and easier to adhere to. Then, in the moments of silence, you can learn to pour forth your true prayer, using words that are your very own and revealing the true motivations of your prayers.
2-Mar-1984 (2)

Practise kindness and perform selfless services to others, just as you would hope for when you are sick in bed, hungry to the point of starving, rejected by society, or weak with old age—experiencing any of the countless kinds of sufferings which all beings are subject to. At such times, how would you feel when someone reaches out a hand to lift you up? How would you feel when you receive medicine that brings cure or relief? How would you feel when someone patiently listens, really understands your problem, and then goes about to give you the exact help you are seeking?
27-Feb-1984 (5)

You who are praying, who have understood what prayers can do for you, and have experienced the help of the Divine in one way or another—must not fall back into bad and evil ways. Do not waste this great and rare opportunity to cultivate and practise the Way to Enlightenment, which will remove all pains! Do good to others; do for them what you hope others will do for you or your loved ones when you or they are down with afflictions and great suffering. Offer your service to your brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, who make up mankind and the lower existences.
27-Feb-1984 (4)

Those who have health do not appreciate it until sickness strikes; those who have wealth are not aware of the importance of thrift. So it is with all the things that human beings possess which are not treasured but taken for granted. These are the ones who have not benefited from life and will not seek to gain merit for the future; thus, life becomes a natural occurrence, depending on circumstances and conditions of the environment. These are the ones who suffer continuously yet suffer in ignorance. Without wisdom, even truths placed before them will not be appreciated or accepted. They are not stubborn; they are filled with ignorance and will never wake up until disaster strikes, inflicting deep wounds so that they become desperate for help and cure. Only then do they begin to think deeply and search with effort. But how many can succeed?
27-Feb-1984 (2)

Wish happiness for all beings sincerely whenever you are in a crowd of people. Appreciate every person upon whom you lay eyes on, and wish them happiness even though they are unrelated to you. When neutral persons can win your affections and your goodwill naturally, you are ready to begin removing dislike and hatred towards those who harm you. Gradually, you will learn as you grasp the deeper meanings of the Buddha's Teachings. Someday, you will no longer be easily affected by others, and you will be able to rise above discrimination.
Whether a person suffers or is happy, understand the nature of their condition. You will continue to wish to see happiness on their faces, and you will strive to make it so, even though you know it is impossible to accomplish fully. Yet you still try and do your best because you are learning to apply skillful means to help each person.
25-Jan-1984 (7)

Those who hope to gain much out of worship will, in the end, have much to lose. Those who practise selflessness by way of worship will have much to gain. There cannot be any true meaning if one searches for it merely by adopting worship while the mind is not in the right state. Only those who worship for the sake of learning, and then practising what has been learned may find a new world before them that is filled with adventures. For such people, the feeling of wanting to be protected fades away. Instead, they will do the opposite: they will take up the part of the protector of the weak and ignorant ones. They will find that life has so much to offer, so much to learn, so much to practise, and so much to do. With this understanding, the worship of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cannot come to an end, as each of them becomes a noble aspiration to follow.
18-Jan-1984 (1)

Be ready to give. Give in terms of financial assistance, advice, or help that will encourage others to walk along the Right Path. Avoid causing others to envy you, and avoid giving wrong directions. Be ready to lose your possessions too, and do not hold wrong views in times of defeat and loss. Wealth is good only when you know what to do with it wisely, it is bad when it causes you to fall into greater greed. But when your mind is made wise through discipline, nothing in this world will appear inherently good or evil. You will be able to live happily whether you have much or little, because you have gained peace of mind!
15-Jan-1984 (6)

You need not learn all the difficult doctrines. All of you need only to develop faith in your prayers, strength in your practice, love and warmth within your hearts, and sincerity in your vows. Even if you do not find enlightenment within this lifetime, just sow the seeds that are good, set causes which are noble, and live as meaningfully and courageously as possible, and your future lives will be blessed with even greater opportunities to cultivate the Path. Follow the Path that is slow and steady. Reduce haste, or you will be filled with desires which may be the very sources of disappointment that will cause you to abandon the Path. Expect weaknesses in yourself and in others and be ready to correct yourself and overlook others’ faults. A humble mind must be present before you can start practising patience and equanimity of mind.
15-Jan-1984 (4)

When you are ready to take up a spiritual life, difficult conditions and circumstances will not deter you. Family will be taken as a great blessing and motivation for practice. Possessions will not cause you to suffer great pain when you lose them, one way or another. Both are not evil in any way if the right attitude and views are held.
15-Jan-1984 (3)