Thoughts
Fearlessness
August 23, 2009
In this region, wealth, face and family lineage have FAR MORE IMPORTANCE than belief in karma, next life and Bodhi mind. Problems arise from basically these 3 factors.
However, when we look at these from the widest scope of ultimate mind view, it pales so insignificantly because our lives are so short. Hence we trap ourselves, again and again. And time passes by quickly…
Isn't it tiresome when people always focus ON WHAT THEY DID? And that they hardly focus on WHAT OTHERS HAVE DONE?
When something goes WRONG, then they REPEAT OVER & OVER & OVER what they did & what difficulties they had in order to COVER. But they never think about HOW THEY DAMAGE OTHERS.
That's the problem, they never start focusing out.
It's good for people like that to write and read WHAT OTHERS HAVE DONE FOR THEM DAILY. To stop repeating and move on.
If you want to get places, you have to have FEARLESSNESS. What's fearlessness? Better to GO ALL THE WAY even if we might FAIL. It's better than DOING NOTHING and JUST FAILING. Because when you do nothing, you have to play so many games to hide your failure.
I hate it when we just do nothing and be comfortable with failure… because you hate yourself in the end for doing NOTHING AND THAT'S WHY YOU FAILED. You carry that your whole life.
Covering failure is the MAIN SOURCE FOR OUR EGO TO STAY STRONG. If we go all the way, the chance to win IS THERE!
Think! Failure from doing nothing or a chance to make it. Ego protection or ego diminishing. Pick…
Much care,
Tsem Tulku Rinpoche
Kyabje Lati Rinpoche and myself. Kyabje Lati Rinpoche was the main Lama that asked me to go abroad to teach. That's how i came to Malaysia.
This is such a timely and wonderful post, Rinpoche. Thank you so deeply for sharing these precious words. I needed to read them and re-read them. And because so many precious words are all documented in Rinpoche’s Blog, I can return to them time and time again. I have wasted enough time and much of my life. Yet I will contend myself to saying that it is comfortable and safe not to try. I will only exert enough effort to get things started, but have not put enough effort to move things to the end. Going all the way was not something I did or could comprehend. Thus, this is why I look back and can only see a barren land. Nothing was ever built. But this will all change after knowing the Dharma that Rinpoche has so kindly shared with us all. Ultimately, I know I too will change and that is worth looking forward to each day. Thank you, Rinpoche. Always.
We must always try. Having courage doesn’t mean I am not afraid, it means that I am but will try to help myself wake up and face reality with a soft heart. Taking responsibility for my life and how it effects others. This is courage I think, one day at a time. I am blessed to have your words reminding me of what is important today. Much less of the great “I am” and more giving everyday
Thank you so much Rinpoche
This post reminds me of another one of Rinpoche’s most classic quotes (which is also on my email signature!) which is “Stop believing in what you are; start believing in what you can be”.
Rinpoche was talking to David and me about our books when this quote arose. It was an apt reminder to us to get real, to stop being paralysed by our fear and to realise that there is always something more – we can always be better, fly higher, do more so long as believe that this is what we CAN BE AND DO.
I think this quote is a perfect complement to this post because it reminds us of the potential that every one of us has if only we learnt to focus forward and outwards.
It’s so true, isn’t it, how we sit around JUST BELIEVING in who we are right now: we say, our hands flailing, “But that’s just the way I am! I can’t change, I’m like this, I’m like that.” And we take refuge in all the limitations we put on ourselves.
I like what Rinpoche says about how not trying or doing is already failure in itself. Because if we tried, we were at least halfway to achieving it. If we didn’t manage to achieve it, we would surely find other gems along the ways – other experiences, lessons and successes.
Nike got it right then, when they flung a swoosh on their products and proclaimed boldly, simply, JUST DO IT. (Lots of time for worrying later). So here goes. *holds my breath and jumps*
Such an important talk, thank you Rinpoche!
There are many things that I am grateful to my mother for. One of the things is that she taught me and my siblings gratitude. So when Rinpoche says “It’s good for people like that to write and read WHAT OTHERS HAVE DONE FOR THEM DAILY”, it brings back memories of when my mother taught us to eat mindfully. She set an exercise for us to realise how we depend on others’ kindness – she said that at every meal, we should write down where the meal came from. Can you imagine doing that for a bowl of spaghetti? The ingredients in the pasta, the ingredients in the sauce…who planted the vegetables? Who made the pasta? Who harvested the eggs? Who drove the ingredients to the factory? Who made it? Who operated the machines? Who packed it onto lorries, who drove it to the supermarket? Who stacked the shelves? The list could go on and on. The point is, no man’s an island – we thrive on other people’s kindness, so we should never act so arrogantly as to believe we are the centre of society.
Another thing my mother taught me is that it’s easier to tell the truth and accept the consequences, than to lie and hide. Temporarily, it might hurt like hell for your ego when you tell the truth, and you are scolded for your mistake about but ultimately, the only person who benefits from that is you. Playing games is tiring, and you’ll eventually be found out – the consequences of that (lost trust and faith in you) is more difficult to remedy than the shouting you receive from your initial mistake.
Yes, I had (and still have!) an awesome mother!
“Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.” – Randy Pausch
“The brick walls that are in our way are for a reason. They are not there to keep us out, they are there o give us a way to show how much we want it” – Randy Pausch
http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/2010/05/randy-pauch.html
There are so many types of thoughts. Positive thoughts, negative thoughts, evil thoughts, virtuous thoughts etc. Different people have different thoughts. But I think the most important thoughts are thoughts like never say die. When you fall do not wallow in your failure. Throw those thoughts out and start again. Then you find that when you have suceeded. It is your mind and thoughts that it happen. Some people before they start on anything the thought that comes to their mind is doubt. When something you have not even started, how do you know before hand that you cannot do it. Even if you fail you must not give up. Try again until you suceed using positive thoughts.
Yes rinpoche, wealth, face, and family lineage tend to occupy the primary purpose and thoughts of our wordly lives. Such illusion tends to continue on and passed down through the off-springs as family heirloom teaching. Hence that’s how human beings like ourselves are trapped again and again, until we can have the merit to meet up with a spiritual Guru to teach us Dharma. Otherwise it will be like what ‘Heartspoon’ prayer said “since beginningless cyclic existence through countless cycles of rebirths, we have not achieved the slightest benefit from them.” Without following a spiritual teacher, when it comes to following the path leading to Liberation and omniscience, we are as confused as a blind person wandering in the middle of a deserted plain. Likewise, a spiritual teacher is our true guide to enlightenment, who thinks of us with his boundless compassion and with kindness in caring far more greater than any existing human being can ever give. Thank you rinpoche for your constant care and guiduance.