Bodhicitta is the nature of Mind itself

"Bodhicitta is the nature of Mind itself – it is the energy that arises spontaneously from the nature of Mind; everything being self-liberated in its own condition."

Bodhicitta, Ngak'chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Self-created illusory samsara

"Externally speaking, one should take refuge in sang-gyé, chö and gendün with devotion. But internally, sang-gyé, chö and gendün are symbolic. They are a profound and skilful way to lead us out of this self-created illusory samsara."

Dzogchen View of Tantric Ngöndro, His Holiness Düd'jom Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Kindness flows naturally

"Kindness flows naturally from our beginningless non-dual nature. So if we remind ourselves constantly to be kind, we constantly put ourselves in closer contact with our primordial non-dual state."

Kindness, Ngak'chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Singing the mantra of Yeshé Tsogyel

"Singing the mantra of Yeshé Tsogyel is a sem’dzin practice. One is finding presence of awareness in the dimension of sound; it is a meditative practice. The function is that the tune itself has a particular quality that enables one to enter into the state of awareness."

Compassion & The Nine Yanas, Ngak'chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

The refuge of no-refuge

"Buddhism is always the refuge of no-refuge - it is complete. It is open – it is not closed. And it is wakeful – it is not hiding in some way. Sang-gyé kyab-su ché: I establish confidence in the actuality of complete, open wakefulness."

Compassion & The Nine Yanas, Ngak'chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Motivation

"It is not what you are practising that defines what you are practising – it is what your motivation is. If I practise Dzogchen with a motivation to accomplish my own realisation, I am not practising Dzogchen – I am practising Pratyékabuddhayana."

Compassion & The Nine Yanas, Ngak'chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Realism

"If I try to practise from the premise that I am somewhere where I am not, I cannot practise."

Compassion & The Nine Yanas, Ngak'chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Refuge and Bodhicitta

"There is no refuge and bodhicitta greater than the comprehension of the non-duality of emptiness and form."

Seven Line Song, Ngak'chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Real compassion

"Real compassion, from the perspective of Dzogchen, is nonduality. One cannot have compassion without wisdom – compassion can only be compassion where there is wisdom, where they are nondual."

Compassion & The Nine Yanas, Ngak'chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Whatever style of neurosis

"Whatever style of neurosis we have is intimately connected with our enlightened state"

Compassion & The Nine Yanas, Ngak’chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Coming to trust your own enlightened nature

"Lama’i Naljor is really a way of coming to trust your own Enlightened nature. Lama’i Naljor authenticates the relationship between Teacher and student and it also enables you to authenticate the sense in which your Enlightened nature can be momentarily experienced. "

Lama'i Naljor, Ngak’chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Tralam-mé

"Poetic turbulence is the romantic energetic which is sparked by the capacity for realisation in two individuals. "

Tralam-mé, Ngak’chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Death

"Everything has to die in order to be born in the next moment and to experience it fully."

The Nine Bardos of the Aro gTér, Ngak’chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Refuge

"Refuge – we seek protection from our own conceptual minds: from our compulsion to split reality into dualistic view; from our addiction to conditioned responses rooted in preconception."

Refuge, Ngala Nor’dzin Pamo, Aro Encyclopaedia

What is Buddhism?

"Buddhism is a statement of our intrinsic goodness; and the possibility of discovering that intrinsic goodness. "

Ah, but I was so much older then, Ngak’chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

The Basis of Compassion

"The basis of compassion is realising that samsara does not work."

Compassion & The Nine Yanas, Ngak’chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Neuroses

"The more you disapprove of your own neuroses, the more of a problem they become. The time to disapprove of them is if they are hurting others; and then in the moment. But one does not go into punishing oneself for having them at other times. If one is aware that one has patterns, then one has to say, 'I need to have some awareness while this pattern is performing'"

Compassion, Ngak'chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

Recognition of Total Presence

"Whether there is stillness or movement, rage or lust, happiness or sadness – sustain recognition of total presence at all times in every situation."

Striking the Essence, Dza Paltrul Rinpoche

The development of spaciousness

"Through the development of spaciousness, our patterning can become totally open and transparent"

p146, Spacious Passion, Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2009, 978-1-898185-07-9

The grass is green

"If we woke up one morning and discovered that the grass had changed colour and was now blue, we would all race outside and cry, “Wow! Look at that! The grass is blue!” Whereas in fact we could all gaze outside in wonder every morning and say, “Wow! Look at that! The grass is green!”"

p115, Spacious Passion, Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2009, 978-1-898185-07-9