When we encounter a setback, embarrassment, or receive contempt or verbal abuse, how should we handle it?

Firstly, we should not let our ordinary mind react for us. Instead, we should calm down, thinking with our heart: “If I were a teacher, or if I was a Bodhisattva, how would I act to  deal with it?” By having such second thoughts, we are sure to reduce negative psychological setbacks by half!

Think that even the Buddha did received such insults, even evil and vicious, and that the Buddha heart were able to calm down impatience.

If we allow ourselves to react with an ordinary mind, it may be like volcanic eruptions of retaliation or counterattack to vent an angry heart.

Real courage is the courage to not kill, the courage of shame, the courage of retreat, the courage of forgiveness, and the courage of compassion.

When we experience negative emotions, it is easy to feel that everybody are against us. Somebody else´s words might sound more important, and we may feel that we do everything wrong. We may become rebellious and impatient, or want to escape the situation, our emotions controlling our actions.

Instead, being willing to learn from the situation, we turn negativity into mindfulness. Doing this practice, we inspire wisdom and  achieve real happiness.

The path of the Buddha is to mould one´s intentions, speech and actions into that of the Buddha.

It means to let go of the intentions, speech and actions of the ordinary person, and instead generate the heartfelt motivation for speech and actions. In this way, all speech and actions are changed into the Buddha´s kind words and good deeds.

It is difficult to let go and change in this way because everybody has karma. There are worries and habits that are difficult to change.

The reason they are difficult to change is because of lack of blessing and wisdom. But with blessing and wisdom we can set aside these habits, develop the intention of Bodhichitta and let go of the old.

Aversion generates karma with heavy consequences. On the other hand, practicing patience generates the most merit.

When the heart is free from aversion, one is at peace with the world. Aversion in the heart makes life difficult. It also makes the people around us uneasy, robbing them of calmness. A heart filled with aversion will destroy our own happiness, as well as the happiness of others.

So, practice the wisdom of patience in order to destroy the aversion. A person who knows how to extinguish the fire of aversion in this life will experience happiness in the next.

In Tibetan Buddhism, on the spiritual path to enlightenment, one often practices a mantra recitation connected to a corresponding deity .

Daily mantra practice  can benefit study, career, achievement and wealth. By practicing altruism, all can be successful in reaching their own enlightenment step by step, and reach the highest level.

I personally do Chenrezig meditation, reciting the famous “Om Mani Padme Hung” mantra. This mantra is the most important mantra for Tibetan Buddhists.

In simple terms, a straight forward interpretation of “Om Mani Padma Hung” is:

Om: Represents the practitioners body, speech and mind.

Mani: The treasure, with which you can relieve poverty. It is also a symbol of skilful means, altruistic budhicitta, compassion and love.

Padme: In Sanskrit, it means “Lotus”. It is the unstained lotus of wisdom. Chenrezig, the deity representing the compassionate aspect of Buddha, is not only compassionate. He also has wisdom.

Hung: The compassion and wisdom are indivisible, and united in one pure equality.

Sometimes, a “Phat” is added to the mantra. The “Phat” is a seed syllable that strengthens the Bodhisattva intention of benefitting all sentient beings.

It is appropriate to recite this mantra with reverence and a focused mind towards the Buddha, as this will produce incredible merit. When the recitation is complete, give the merit back to all sentient beings, and wish them to be free from all suffering.

Practicing mantra can clear karma, and change the fate by turning things around, such that the negative becomes positive, danger becomes peace, and evil becomes auspicious. All the world will benefit by this practice of altruism.

-Sangpo Rinpoche

We experience positive and negative thoughts in our minds. But these positive and negative thoughts do not affect the true nature of the mind, just like good or bad weather does not affect the truth of the sky.

The birth and death of a thought concerns only the thought. It does not concern the mind, the true nature of phenomena. Rain and sunny weather are just ingenious manifestation of various causes and conditions. They do not affect the sky itself.

Therefore, emotions should not be believed to be an absolute truth, and self-awareness is the only way to remove this erroneous view.

~Sangbo Rinpoche

Sometimes we act out our bad habits on the persons closest to us. But acting out these bad habits creates anger and bad karma in the other person. So we loose their blessings, as well as hurting those we love, perhaps one day finding that it is to late.

So it is better to let compassion and wisdom resolve the bad habits, rather than acting them out on somebody else.

We should therefore cherish the people around us.

-Sangpo Rinpoche

Any form of adversity should be met with a soft heart. Compassion and patience accumulates the most merit.

Obstacles gives us a chance to train. Patience turns to wisdom. So give thanks to our generous adversaries, because they eliminate our karma and give us blessings.

~Songpo Rinpoche

Learning“Bodhicitta” isbasicto allof Mahayana Buddhism. It is the wish of the heart to benefit all sentientbeings. Buddha vowed tobenefit beings in this way, and put this wish into action by practicing the Six Paramitas(generosity, ethics, patience, diligence, meditationand wisdom). Practicing the Paramita constantly in the interests ofall beings is therefore the action of the Bodhisattva.
-SangpoRinpoche

Compassion has the power to help all sentient beings, to let sentient beings experience joy and make friends. It is the experience of good deeds creating happiness.
Wisdom is to manage our emotions, and know how to deal with ourselves.

-Sangpo Rinpoche