- Joined
- Jul 15, 2008
- Messages
- 15,744
- Points
- 83
Being Different, Being Happy
October 20, 2009
The following is a compilation of messages composed by Tsem Tulku Rinpoche on Twitter. Follow Rinpoche on Twitter to receive these and more... LIVE!
Not knowing what you want in life is ok, what is important is knowing ALTRUISM is the key to life. Not feeling motivated to just make money, get married, have kids and grow old doesn't make you abnormal. It means you have thought deeper.
Evolution is another word for change. So don't be paranoid about change. Just flow, improve, learn, absorb and do it with a smile. Being spiritual doesn't mean you're weird or strange. It just means you would like to pursue something more meaningful in our short lives. Be different, be altruistic. Be strange, work for others in response to their harm. Raise eyebrows, be generous without agenda. If pursuing the spiritual path makes you look strange and weird, then the Buddha is the Biggest Weirdo. May I be just like Him. I don't want to be mainstream. I don't want to spend my life chasing materialistic goals. If that makes me strange, I don't mind. I didn't become a monk because I was afraid of life, it was because I was afraid of death. LIFE and DEATH HOLD MEANING IF YOU SPEND YOUR LIFE IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS IN BODY, SPEECH AND MIND. Anything else is a waste.
I have been told I'm not traditional, radical for a monk, ultra-modern and always speak my mind. That may be true, but I was just being myself. I have been told that I'm a new breed of Rinpoche that isn't traditional in approach and very different than my Gurus. I didn't plan it that way. I don't try to be different, but I tend to not just do it because other people are doing it.
I like to think it out and see if it is me. I like to see if what I'm doing FITS ME and if I'm real about it. Because if I don't find it suitable, I couldn't lie to you. I don't try to be different just for the sake of it. I AM DIFFERENT and I realised there's a lot of people out there LIKE ME.
I've been told my whole life that I AM DIFFERENT and why can't I just fit in? I tried. But I ended up being myself again. Self-honesty.
Being different doesn't mean you're abnormal or bad or undeserving. It just means you have the honesty and courage to BE YOURSELF. Being yourself could be very difficult at first, because some people lead you to believe you can't be yourself. Solution: DON'T LISTEN TO THEM.
Being different doesn't mean you are bad, it just means you have to be yourself. Try being yourself, it is so much easier and less stress. Pain and problems don't arise from being yourself. It arises because you were being what you're not. If being yourself is painful, it means you're still hiding. Go deeper. What others say about you is only true WHEN YOU BELIEVE IT. Believe in yourself and work hard toward your goals. Being lazy is much harder than working towards a goal. Try it and compare.
Sometimes we use excuses to cover what we did or what we should have done. We use excuses to NOT LOOK BAD. To justify. That is the reasoning we have behind excuses. Unfortunately after a while it will be seen JUST AS AN EXCUSE. And people around us lose respect for us. The whole purpose of the excuse is so we don't look bad, but in the end we look very bad. It defeats the purpose.
So from the start we should just lay our cards on the table and tell the truth. If we tell the truth, we look bad FOR THE MOMENT. But in the end, people will RESPECT US because they know we are HONEST. At the same time, we shouldn't abuse the HONESTY METHOD also. How do we abuse the Honesty Method? By being forthright about all our irresponsibilities, but DOING NOTHING ABOUT IT. Then you lose respect on both counts - being irresponsible and doing nothing about it.
Doing nothing about it makes us fall behind. If we operate from the mode of always wanting to look good, we will self defeat and look very bad. Suggestion: Admit your fault with no excuses. If you don't know what to do, ask for help. If you know what to do, then DO IT! Then you will be respected, you will inspire and be sought after, and in the end YOU WILL LIKE YOURSELF. That is important. Because we know what we are really doing and that counts a lot in our lives. To like ourselves because we did the right thing.
Deception doesn't mean you fooled everyone, because you can't fool yourself. Confidence arises from effort not laziness. Being humble doesn’t mean you let others trample on you, it just means you're confident. If you don’t like what others say about you, fold your ears and run OR CHANGE YOURSELF. Don’t hate yourself, hate your selfishness. Don’t kill yourself, kill your self-absorption.
Do something nice without any selfish agenda everyday just once. Then after a few months see how many people will start accepting and loving you.
Selfishness is NOT PERMANENT. Hence any negative predicament can be changed with effort and consistency. It’s ok to be selfish. JUST BE SELFISH IN A SMART WAY. HOW? Be kind to others and then they will reciprocate. When you focus in all the time you become unhappy, when you focus out onto others' welfare, you become happy. If you don't like yourself, that can be changed by adopting a different attitude. Try kindness, generosity, compassion and good speech. Say all the things you want to say to the person, not wait till you have to speak to their tombstone.
When people are challenged to face themselves, many run away. They falsely think it's less pain to run than face themselves. But one day either they can't run anymore or the running has to naturally stop. So why wait for that inevitable day? Face yourself now. Running away from yourself seems like the easiest thing to do in the world, but it just shows you how much pain the runner is in.
When you meet people who are sadly jealous of your accomplishments, it is hard to face. But it shows you who they are. Better to know ahead. Notice most of the time, the criticism people hurl at you is really what they're subconsciously saying about themselves. It is good to examine. If you really want to know how people feel about themselves or what they are afraid of deep inside, listen to what they criticize you on.
To feel good about yourself, you have to face all the mistakes you have made in your life and come to terms with it. Then forgive yourself. If we don't forgive ourselves, no one else can forgive us. No rituals or sacred words can take pain away.
The whole world definitely needs serious improvements and changes, so why don't we start with ourselves?? And whether your spiritual or not, everyone appreciates kindness, honesty, and integrity. So go ahead and practice that. It will get you ahead.
What I just shared is a formula for everyday life. And being honest with yourself and others is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR TO BEING HAPPY AND MAKING OTHERS AROUND YOU HAPPY.
#TsemTulku
Follow Tsem Tulku Rinpoche on Twitter for more daily musings ... LIVE!
blessed is a truly happy person! sadhu, sadhu....
October 20, 2009
The following is a compilation of messages composed by Tsem Tulku Rinpoche on Twitter. Follow Rinpoche on Twitter to receive these and more... LIVE!
Not knowing what you want in life is ok, what is important is knowing ALTRUISM is the key to life. Not feeling motivated to just make money, get married, have kids and grow old doesn't make you abnormal. It means you have thought deeper.
Evolution is another word for change. So don't be paranoid about change. Just flow, improve, learn, absorb and do it with a smile. Being spiritual doesn't mean you're weird or strange. It just means you would like to pursue something more meaningful in our short lives. Be different, be altruistic. Be strange, work for others in response to their harm. Raise eyebrows, be generous without agenda. If pursuing the spiritual path makes you look strange and weird, then the Buddha is the Biggest Weirdo. May I be just like Him. I don't want to be mainstream. I don't want to spend my life chasing materialistic goals. If that makes me strange, I don't mind. I didn't become a monk because I was afraid of life, it was because I was afraid of death. LIFE and DEATH HOLD MEANING IF YOU SPEND YOUR LIFE IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS IN BODY, SPEECH AND MIND. Anything else is a waste.
I have been told I'm not traditional, radical for a monk, ultra-modern and always speak my mind. That may be true, but I was just being myself. I have been told that I'm a new breed of Rinpoche that isn't traditional in approach and very different than my Gurus. I didn't plan it that way. I don't try to be different, but I tend to not just do it because other people are doing it.
I like to think it out and see if it is me. I like to see if what I'm doing FITS ME and if I'm real about it. Because if I don't find it suitable, I couldn't lie to you. I don't try to be different just for the sake of it. I AM DIFFERENT and I realised there's a lot of people out there LIKE ME.
I've been told my whole life that I AM DIFFERENT and why can't I just fit in? I tried. But I ended up being myself again. Self-honesty.
Being different doesn't mean you're abnormal or bad or undeserving. It just means you have the honesty and courage to BE YOURSELF. Being yourself could be very difficult at first, because some people lead you to believe you can't be yourself. Solution: DON'T LISTEN TO THEM.
Being different doesn't mean you are bad, it just means you have to be yourself. Try being yourself, it is so much easier and less stress. Pain and problems don't arise from being yourself. It arises because you were being what you're not. If being yourself is painful, it means you're still hiding. Go deeper. What others say about you is only true WHEN YOU BELIEVE IT. Believe in yourself and work hard toward your goals. Being lazy is much harder than working towards a goal. Try it and compare.
Sometimes we use excuses to cover what we did or what we should have done. We use excuses to NOT LOOK BAD. To justify. That is the reasoning we have behind excuses. Unfortunately after a while it will be seen JUST AS AN EXCUSE. And people around us lose respect for us. The whole purpose of the excuse is so we don't look bad, but in the end we look very bad. It defeats the purpose.
So from the start we should just lay our cards on the table and tell the truth. If we tell the truth, we look bad FOR THE MOMENT. But in the end, people will RESPECT US because they know we are HONEST. At the same time, we shouldn't abuse the HONESTY METHOD also. How do we abuse the Honesty Method? By being forthright about all our irresponsibilities, but DOING NOTHING ABOUT IT. Then you lose respect on both counts - being irresponsible and doing nothing about it.
Doing nothing about it makes us fall behind. If we operate from the mode of always wanting to look good, we will self defeat and look very bad. Suggestion: Admit your fault with no excuses. If you don't know what to do, ask for help. If you know what to do, then DO IT! Then you will be respected, you will inspire and be sought after, and in the end YOU WILL LIKE YOURSELF. That is important. Because we know what we are really doing and that counts a lot in our lives. To like ourselves because we did the right thing.
Deception doesn't mean you fooled everyone, because you can't fool yourself. Confidence arises from effort not laziness. Being humble doesn’t mean you let others trample on you, it just means you're confident. If you don’t like what others say about you, fold your ears and run OR CHANGE YOURSELF. Don’t hate yourself, hate your selfishness. Don’t kill yourself, kill your self-absorption.
Do something nice without any selfish agenda everyday just once. Then after a few months see how many people will start accepting and loving you.
Selfishness is NOT PERMANENT. Hence any negative predicament can be changed with effort and consistency. It’s ok to be selfish. JUST BE SELFISH IN A SMART WAY. HOW? Be kind to others and then they will reciprocate. When you focus in all the time you become unhappy, when you focus out onto others' welfare, you become happy. If you don't like yourself, that can be changed by adopting a different attitude. Try kindness, generosity, compassion and good speech. Say all the things you want to say to the person, not wait till you have to speak to their tombstone.
When people are challenged to face themselves, many run away. They falsely think it's less pain to run than face themselves. But one day either they can't run anymore or the running has to naturally stop. So why wait for that inevitable day? Face yourself now. Running away from yourself seems like the easiest thing to do in the world, but it just shows you how much pain the runner is in.
When you meet people who are sadly jealous of your accomplishments, it is hard to face. But it shows you who they are. Better to know ahead. Notice most of the time, the criticism people hurl at you is really what they're subconsciously saying about themselves. It is good to examine. If you really want to know how people feel about themselves or what they are afraid of deep inside, listen to what they criticize you on.
To feel good about yourself, you have to face all the mistakes you have made in your life and come to terms with it. Then forgive yourself. If we don't forgive ourselves, no one else can forgive us. No rituals or sacred words can take pain away.
The whole world definitely needs serious improvements and changes, so why don't we start with ourselves?? And whether your spiritual or not, everyone appreciates kindness, honesty, and integrity. So go ahead and practice that. It will get you ahead.
What I just shared is a formula for everyday life. And being honest with yourself and others is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR TO BEING HAPPY AND MAKING OTHERS AROUND YOU HAPPY.
#TsemTulku
Follow Tsem Tulku Rinpoche on Twitter for more daily musings ... LIVE!
blessed is a truly happy person! sadhu, sadhu....
