Category Archives: Sakya Trizin EN

H.H. Sakya Trizin: Nature of The Mind

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His Holiness Sakya Trizin: With the two together, method and wisdom, one can realize the true nature.

His Holiness Sakya Trizin: With the two together, method and wisdom, one can realize the true nature.

Nature of The Mind by His Holiness Sakya Trizin

One of the main teachings of the Buddha is the law of karma, the teaching that all the lives we have are not without cause, are not created by other beings, and are not by coincidence, but are all created by our own actions. All the positive things such as love, long life, good health, prosperity and so forth are also not given by anybody else. It is through our own positive actions in the past that today we enjoy all the good things. Similarly all the negative aspects, like short life, sickness, poverty, etc. and all the undesirable things are also not created by any outsider but by our own actions, the negative deeds we committed in the past.
If one really wishes to be free from suffering and to experience happiness, it is very important to work on the causes. Continue reading »

His Holiness Sakya Trizin: Lam Dre

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His Holiness Sakya Trizin: “Buddha Nature is within every human being”.

His Holiness Sakya Trizin: “Buddha Nature is within every human being”.

A Brief Overview of the Lam Dre by His Holiness Sakya Trizin

Virupa

Virupa was born in a royal family and from a very young age had very special qualities. Seeing that all samsara was suffering, he renounced his station, became a monk and entered the great monastery of Nalanda. He began by studying the Sutrayana teachings and also received and practiced Mantrayana teachings. He became so renowned for his learning that after the passing away of his teacher, he succeeded him as the abbot of Nalanda monastery. During the day he gave Mahayana teachings to the monks, taught debate, and composed texts. In secret, however, he undertook Mantrayana practices for a very long period of time. Continue reading »

H.H. Sakya Trizin: Tantra

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Buddhist Tantra: Some Introductory Remarks

His Holiness Sakya Trizin

There is a common misconception among many non-Buddhists (and even among certain Buddhists) that the Tantras are late and corrupt additions to the Buddha’s Teachings. This is false. The Tantras are genuine teachings of the Lord Buddha, and they occupy a paramount position within the overall framework of Buddhist doctrine.

Some of the misconceptions about the Tantras stem from their esoteric nature. Since the time of the Buddha the Tantras were always taught secretly and selectively. For their correct understanding they have always required the oral instructions of a qualified master; without such explanations they can easily be misunderstood in wrong and harmful ways. In order to uphold this tradition I am prevented from discussing most aspects of Tantra here. But it is perhaps permissible here to say a few general things about Buddhist Tantra and about how it is related to other systems of Buddhist and non-Buddhist thought and practice. I shall base myself on the teachings of our tradition such as the Rgyud sde spyi’i rnam gzhag (“General System of the Tantras”) of Lobpon Sonam Tsemo. Continue reading »

A Short Dharma Teaching by His Holiness Sakya Trizin

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His Holiness Sakya Trizin: “We all possess the seed of the Buddha - the true nature of our mind is pure right from the beginning. All sentient beings have this seed”.

His Holiness Sakya Trizin: “We all possess the seed of the Buddha - the true nature of our mind is pure right from the beginning. All sentient beings have this seed”.

A Short Dharma Teaching by His Holiness Sakya Trizin
Given on Monday, September 24th, 1984. Bristol, England.

Tibetan Buddhism is one of the richest traditions as it contains all the different levels of teaching give by Lord Buddha: Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana. The teachings have now spread to many countries and many people are practicing them, which is good as they are the only source of benefit and happiness. Through the Buddhas great activity many different schools arose. In Tibet there are four major schools, They are like one family which has 4 jewels, if one jewel is lost, it is a great loss. Therefore it is important that all 4 traditions are preserved and continued.

Lord Buddha resolved to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. He had accumulated a tremendous amount of merit and wisdom over 3 countless aeons. He then appeared in India as a son of the Shakya kingdom and performed the 72 great deeds. He set an example by showing that enlightenment can be attained by an ordinary person through following the noble path. Continue reading »

H.H. Sakya Trizin: Parting From the Four Desires

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His Holiness Sakya Trizin: “By meditating on this precious human life and impermanence, you will be liberated from the sufferings inherent in this life.”.

His Holiness Sakya Trizin: “By meditating on this precious human life and impermanence, you will be liberated from the sufferings inherent in this life.”.

Parting From the Four Desires: A Basic Teaching by His Holiness Sakya Trizin

History of the Teaching

We begin with a brief history of this teaching. When the great yogi, the Lama Sakyapa, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, was twelve years old, one of his Gurus, Bari Lotsawa, advised him, “Since you are the son of a great spiritual teacher, it is necessary to study the Dharma, and to study the Dharma requires wisdom. The best way of acquiring wisdom is to practice Manjushri.” So, Bari Lotsawa gave Sachen Kunga Nyingpo the empowerment of Manjushri with all the necessary “lungs.” Then Sachen Kunga Nyingpo undertook a six-month retreat on Manjushri. At the beginning, there were some signs of obstacles, which he managed to purify through the practice of the wrathful Deity, Achala. He continued his meditation and at one time, in his pure vision, he saw Arya Manjushri in the preaching mudra, sitting on a jewelled throne with two other attendants. He received immense insight-wisdom at that moment and Manjushri bestowed this four-line teaching directly to Sachen Kunga Nyingpo:

If you desire the worldly aims of this life,
you are not a spiritual person; Continue reading »

H.H. Sakya Trizin: Emptiness

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His Holiness Sakya Trizin: “The meaning of emptiness is not that phenomena do not exist. What is truly meant by emptiness is that everything that appears to our senses, absolutely everything, is interdependent ”.

His Holiness Sakya Trizin: “The meaning of emptiness is not that phenomena do not exist. What is truly meant by emptiness is that everything that appears to our senses, absolutely everything, is interdependent ”.

Emptiness as Expressed in the Heart Sutra. A Teaching by His Holiness the Sakya Trizin.

The teachings of the Buddha are the source of all happiness and benefit, in this life as well as in future ones. Life makes many demands on us – we need food, shelter and other basic necessities for our survival. But the most meaningful thing in our lives is to discover the truth of all phenomena. One of the most important teachings that the Buddha gave us is that everything is impermanent, particularly our human life, which faces so many obstacles, and which can be cut short at any time. Whatever gains we attain in this life, whether it be wealth, fame, or prosperity, these gains will only last us during this lifetime, which is a very limited amount of time. This is why Jnanakirti, the great master, said that we must strive to realize truth while we have this great opportunity, as to have such an opportunity is very difficult, and it may not happen again for a very, very long time. And so, the most important, the most meaningful thing that we can do during this lifetime, which provides all the right conditions and is free from all the unfavourable states, is to discover the truth about the nature of reality. Continue reading »

H.H. Sakya Trizin: Following the Path

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His Holiness Sakya Trizin: “The guide is the Buddha, and the Dharma is the path you need to follow to reach the destination.”.

His Holiness Sakya Trizin: “The guide is the Buddha, and the Dharma is the path you need to follow to reach the destination.”.

Following the Path, Reading the Signs.

Teachings given by H.H. Sakya Trizin in Bristol, England, October 1991

Lord Buddha has given many teachings for the benefit of all sentient beings. Since all sentient beings have differing mentalities, propensities and defilements they need very many different types of teaching just as different types of medicine are needed to treat different diseases. Thus in Tibetan Buddhism we have four major schools, which are all a reflection of Buddha’s activity. Every sentient being possesses Buddha Nature and it is for this reason that everyone, (if they work hard) can become a Buddha. Continue reading »