Search results
The four thoughts that turn our mind to the Dharma actually turn our minds toward these three thoughts, specifically to the first of these three steps, recognizing and acknowledge the difficulties and sufferings in life.
- What Is Mahamudra
Mental activity has two essential natures: a conventional...
- Study Buddhism
So people turn to Buddhism primarily because they are...
- What Is Mahamudra
4 days ago · These preliminaries which turn the mind towards dharma are more profound than the main practice. The Four Thoughts are: 1) Precious Human Rebirth, 2) Impermanence and Death, 3) Karma, Cause and Result, and 4) Faults of Samsara.
“Thinking about the difficulty of obtaining the precious human life, impermanence, karma, and suffering turns our minds toward Dharma and creates the urge toward a spiritual goal. That is why these verses are the instructions on turning our minds toward Dharma practice.” (Tulku Thondup.
- The Precious Human Body
- Impermanence
- Karma: Cause and Effect
- The Disadvantages of Samsara
One speaks of the “precious human body,” referring to the preciousness of a human existence, which is very difficult to obtain. It is valuable because it is endowed with certain freedoms and abilities. Its preciousness is described through three aspects: by comparison with the greater situation, through numerical comparisons, and through analogy. T...
The second of the four thoughts deals with impermanence. There are many ways for a human life to end before coming to a death from old age. A butter lampconsists of a container with butter and a wick. When such a lamp is filled to the brim with butter and the wick is not yet lit, this corresponds to the situation of a person that is not yet born. A...
Karma deals with causality. A specific action leads to a specific result. A positive act will lead to a result of a positive nature, hence, to the experience of happiness and joy. On the other hand, a negative act will unavoidably lead to a painful result. It will most certainly cause suffering. This happens of itself because the result will unavoi...
Because of our karma which leads to the ripening of certain experiences, the wheel of conditioned existence continually turns. This is samsara. Actions and karma accumulate, and through this, experiences manifest. When positive actions are predominant, one will experience a more or less joyful result. When negative actions predominate, one will mai...
Dharma, often translated as duty or righteousness, is the moral foundation of human life. It’s about living in a way that upholds the cosmic law and order, ensuring societal harmony and personal growth.
“Thinking about the difficulty of obtaining the precious human life, impermanence, karma, and suffering turns our minds toward Dharma and creates the urge toward a spiritual goal. That is why these verses are the instructions on turning our minds toward Dharma practice.” (Tulku Thondup.
People also ask
How does thinking about human life turn our mind to Dharma?
Which preliminaries turn the mind towards Dharma?
What is Dharma & why is it important?
Can animals turn their minds toward the Dharma?
Otherwise, you won’t be able to show the benefits to yourself or others or to make offerings to the buddhas and bodhisattvas. These are the four thoughts that turn one’s mind toward the Dharma, and in hindsight they are the most important contemplations to build your depth of character and integrity as a practitioner.
