Khenpo’s Diamond — Living with Wisdom, Volume I

As humans, we are fascinated by the wonders of life and are continually urged forward by the quest to better know the world in which we find ourselves. To this end, we do our best to follow in the footsteps of the great masters as we move along the spiritual path that leads to the full realization of the ultimate truth. Among the many profound spiritual traditions, Buddhism has revealed its excellence, not least by its legacy of the many followers who, as a result of having realized the ultimate truth, have attained the ultimate bliss. To this day, by relying on the Dharma—the precious wisdom originally transmitted from the Buddha and passed on to later generations by the great masters—we are still able to follow in their footsteps to the great awakening. For this reason, to uphold the Dharma, to absorb it and then to pass it on, are among the most important actions to be undertaken in this transient life, as it brings happiness and benefits, in the present and in all future lifetimes, to both ourselves and to all other sentient beings.

In Vasubandhu’s Treasury of Ambhidharma , it is said:

“The Teacher’s True Dharma is two-fold:

In essence, scripture and realization.”

Therefore, to uphold the True Dharma means to uphold the Dharmas of scripture and of realization. Of these two, it cannot be overstated that the Dharma of scripture is of the most vital importance, as it is the basis for upholding the Dharma of realization. As general practitioners, to grasp the meaning of the scriptures supports our Dharma practice in our quest to gain realization and to share the benefits of Buddhism with others.

While the contents of scripture are as vast as the ocean, and difficult for one to explore deeply in this short lifetime, Khenpo’s Diamond — Living with Wisdom extracts the diamonds from this vast “ocean”, making it easier for us to get the very essence of the scripture. Khenpo’s Diamond — Living with Wisdom, is a collection of teachings given by the Buddha, along with short quotations and commentaries transmitted by a number of great masters of the past. These concise yet profound diamonds of Dharma wisdom, like the vajra symbol that can cut through anything but is itself completely indestructible, unchanging, and free of defects, represent a precious treasure that Khenpo Sodargye has gathered and held in his heart and in his mind over the course of his many years of Buddhist scholarship and which he now wishes to share with others.

“These teachings,” Khenpo writes in the preface, “carry great blessings as they are from different Buddhist texts and have been highly valued by great masters of the past. Their wisdom is so great that they are often quoted by my teachers from memory.” Therefore, this book is also the heritage of His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, that thanks to his great effort and vast aspiration, the tradition of systemic study, contemplation and meditation of the Dharma continues to this day at Larung Gar.

May Khenpo’s Diamond bring a great brilliance to your life and may everyone who reads this book enjoy a life filled with wisdom.

If you have any suggestion about those translations or you are interested in making a contribution to the work of translation, please contact us at: translation@khenposodargye.org .