thought for today from Lama Surya Das

"What is needed for a successful practice? Sogyal Rinpoche writes that what we need to begin is pure motivation, to be authentic and natural. Pure motivation and a good heart are fundamental. I remember how Dudjom Rinpoche [1904–1987] always used to say that a person needs three qualities.
The first, he said, is sampa zangpo a good heart.The second is tenpo to be stable and reliable. One of our greatest problems is that we lack stability. However much we want to be stable and reliable, everything is so impermanent that things are always in a state of flux. Then, if our mind is not strong, we can be swept away by circumstances and changes. When everything is so impermanent, we become unreliable."

--Tricycle magazine

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Lama Surya Das's weekly words of wisdom

We are all essentially good at heart. We would also be good in thought, word, and deed if only we could give full expression to that heart. Cultivating the paramitas, or transformational practices of a Bodhisattva, that are described in this book is largely a matter of unlearning bad habits while raising our spiritual sights. When we stop agonizing over our private share of worldly happiness and unhappiness and falling under the spell of our personal ego-story, we free ourselves not only to benefit the world as a whole but also to live our own life more fully and spontaneously.


~ from Lama Surya Das' new book, Buddha Is As Buddha Does: The Ten Original Practices for Enlightened Living