Brief Introduction on the Path of the Buddha

In March 2018, at the invitation of Pema Wangyal Rinpoche and Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche, Rinpoche gave an introduction to the path of the Buddha from the perspective of view, meditation, conduct and result, in Dordogne, France.

At first we may wonder, what is the result of this path? What’s in it for us? And how do we get that result? Any practice we do needs to be based on the view of the four seals: all compounded things are impermanent, all emotions are pain, all things have no inherently existing nature and nirvana is beyond extremes. Or, as Rinpoche likes to explain, the paradox that “it’s there but it’s not there”. More than 50% of the Buddha’s teachings deal with establishing the buddhist view; this is the most important and where we need to spend the longest time. Buddhist meditation or samadhi does not necessarily mean sitting on a cushion; however and wherever it’s done, it has to go against the clinging to things as being truly existent. Buddhist behaviour should not be extreme. As for the result, in Buddhism there is nothing to gain. The result of the practice is the elimination of temporary, illusory defilements.

Onsite Translation: French