Daily Reflections Advice from Khen rinpoche Geshe thubten Chonyi Free Distribution 1 Published for free distribution Amitabha Buddhist Centre 44 Lorong 25A, Geylang Singapore 388244 Tel: 6745 8547 Fax: 6741 0438 Email:
[email protected] Website: www.fpmtabc.org November 2007 – 2000 copies May 2008 – 1000 copies Novenber 2011 – 5000 copies © Khen Rinpoche Geshe Thubten Chonyi, 2007 All rights reserved No part of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system or technologies now known or later developed, without written permission from Khen Rinpoche Geshe Thubten Chonyi. Designed by Kennedy Koh 2 CONTENTS i Introduction 4 ii Biography 8 1 What is Dharma? 9 2 Studying the Dharma 19 3 Need for reflection and analysis 37 4 Overcoming negative thoughts 47 5 Practising pure perception 60 6 Faith 65 7 Advice on practice 71 8 Precious human rebirth 88 9 Death and impermanence 93 10 Overcoming attachment to the body 95 11 Joyous effort 98 12 Subduing anger 103 13 Generating bodhicitta 113 14 Wisdom realising emptiness 125 3 Contents INTRODUCTION The Basic Program is a five year study program launched at Amitabha Buddhist Centre (ABC), an affiliate of the FPMT1, in August 2003 at the request of its spiritual director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche. This program, contrary to its name, was intended for serious students who were prepared to commit themselves to this demanding course. It is “basic” insofar as the syllabus has been conceived by Rinpoche to ensure that senior students, at the very least, have studied these essential texts he had personally selected.