Rev. Danny Fisher

Today’s quote is from the late, great Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (1920-1996), one of the most remarkable Kagyu/Nyingma masters of the last century, as well as father of renowned Buddhist masters Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, Tsikey Chokling Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Mingyur Rinpoche. He died fifteen years ago today. This is it:

Most of us come to the teachings from a place of dissatisfaction. Underlying our experience is a subtle uneasiness that we are unable to pinpoint. We have not totally bought into prevalent attitudes about the way things are. Instead, we are seeking to redirect our energy and revaluate our lives according to a different standard. We see so many levels and types of suffering, both physical and mental, and we wish for some way to alleviate this pervasive anguish, as well as our own discomfort.

If we are fortunate enough to follow these feelings all the way through, we will meet with a genuine teacher and a spiritual discipline that includes truthful self-examination, meditation and other skillful practices to disperse habitual negative patterns and assist the growth of positive ways of being.

An open mind and a willingness to seek alternative answers means we have moved in the right direction. We should enhance this approach by studying the histories and theories of these practices. We then carefully investigate the aspects of the different cycles of teachings to determine our particular path. Eventually, though, to bring about results, we need to embark on the training directly.