A Gift of Dharma for 11.3.09
Today’s quote comes to us from Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche.
The seventh in the Shechen Rabjam Incarnation Line, Rinpoche was raised and taught by his grandfather–the legendary Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He has since become the abbot of Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling Monastery, a spiritual center in Boudhanath, Kathmandu, Nepal, founded by his grandfather. He is active in Tibetan cultural preservation as well as humanitarian efforts in the Himalayan region.
I first met and received teachings from Rinpoche during my time as a student on Antioch Education Abroad’s Buddhist Studies in India Program in 1999. In fact, I first took refuge and bodhisattva vows with him at the Tibetan Temple in Bodh Gaya–an event I will never forget.
Here’s the quote, which comes to us from the brilliant photographer Don Farber’s book Portraits of Tibetan Buddhist Masters (University of California Press, 2005), pg. 24:
The law of cause and effect explains the subtle workings of life. There is a saying that if you want to see what you were in the past, look at your body; if you want to see what you will be in the future, just look at your actions. What we are did not come out of nowhere, without cause. It has not been imposed upon us by any predetermined destiny or divine creator, but is simply the result of a long chain of causes and effects. Therefore, if you wish to avoid suffering and gain well-being, then you need to gather all the causes and conditions that are going to bring about well-being: your present actions, thoughts and speech. If you want to know your future, you should reflect on what you are doing, thinking and saying now. This simple analysis will allow you to recognize both the causes of suffering and the source of happiness.
[Photo via Rigpa Wiki.]
