Commitment is the essence of the Buddhist vows. They mark the dedication of one's life to refraining from any harmful deeds and to fostering peace and joy in oneself and others.
If we perfect the realization of the true essence or the true nature of the mind, we perfect the realization of the true nature of everything and attain Buddhahood.
In the Golok province of Eastern Tibet, where I was born and grew up, I knew many older laymen and laywomen who joyfully and vigorously prayed with unreserved devotion to the Buddha of Loving-Kindness and enjoyed heartfelt blessings.
For a novice like me, there is no other way to enter the Dharma than by grasping on to virtuous objects and deeds at the beginning. Meditating on loving-kindness will initially be dualistic.
We should always recognize whatever meditation progress we experience. Doing this will strengthen the experience, hasten our progress, and refine its quality.
Rejoicing magnifies the beneficial effects of meditation. When we are self-critical—thinking, say, that our meditation was too short or not good enough—we take away from its power to help us.
When you focus on praying with the heart of total devotion and trust in the Buddha by enjoying his loving-kindness, then before long, unconditional love—the Buddha’s blessings and loving-kindness—will take birth in you.
