Sakya Tsechen Changchub Ling - Buddhist Center Bad Gams

18/09/2026

16/09/2026

About 2600 years ago in India, soon after Siddhartha Gautama’s enlightenment, who was now a buddha, a man passed him on the road, and was stunned by his incredible energetic radiance.

Utterly humbled and in awe of his presence, the man asked,

“Are you a god?”
“No”, said the Buddha.

“Are you a magician?”
“No”, said the Buddha.

“Are you a human?”
“No”, said the Buddha.

“Then what are you?”
The Buddha replied, “I am awake”.

And this is the historical conversation where the term buddha originates from. That conversation between the Buddha and the passing man was spoken in Sanskrit. And the Sanskrit word for awakened one, is buddha. So his answer to that man became his historical title that he has always been known by.

So, you may wonder, awake to what? The Buddha was referring to being awake to reality. And reality refers to the reality of emptiness. And emptiness refers to the lack of inherent existence of self and of all phenomena.

Neither the Buddha, nor any other being, created the reality of emptiness.

From beginningless to endless time, emptiness has always been, and will always be, the deepest nature of self and of all phenomena.

If you continue to be asleep to this reality, you will continue to experience samsara - your uncontrollable recurring rebirth since beginningless time, with all of its uncertainty, problems and suffering.

If you become awake to the emptiness of self, you will forever be free from samsara, and as an arhat, you will experience the bliss of nirvana.

If you become awake to the reality of the emptiness of self and of all phenomena, you will neither experience samsara nor an arhat’s nirvana, but you will forever experience the blissful omniscient state of a buddha, and effortlessly manifest countless forms spontaneously for the benefit of all sentient beings without exception.

Now that you have met the buddhadharma, ask yourself, “Isn’t it about time that I wake up?”

No matter who you are or what you have done, never underestimate your potential. You have buddha nature. You just need to wake up to reality.

~ Chamtrul Rinpoche

14/09/2026

Metta Seminar ©️IMB

12/09/2026

🙏 Happy Birthday to His Holiness! 🙏

On this auspicious occasion of His Holiness’s birthday, we offer our heartfelt prayers and warmest wishes for his long life, good health, and continued flourishing of his compassionate activities.

May His Holiness’s wisdom, compassion, and unwavering dedication to the Dharma continue to inspire countless beings and illuminate the path to peace and liberation.

May his enlightened aspirations be fulfilled, and may his precious presence remain with us for countless years to come.

Happy Birthday, Your Holiness! May you live long and your Dharma activities flourish endlessly. 🙏✨

03/09/2026

What makes a good Buddhist teacher?
"There are specific requirements for each kind of teacher. These are described in the Vinaya, in Mahayana texts such as Mahayanasutralamkara, and in the tantras. In the past teachers were not appointed. Rather, through diligent training a person became a good practitioner.

If others came and asked that person to teach, he or she taught those few students. As those students practiced and developed good qualities, others gained respect for their teacher, and gradually that person became known as a great teacher.

Because this is a natural process, there is less danger of a corrupted person becoming a well-known teacher. In the monastic system, the process of becoming a teacher was organized to some extent.

But in modern times the word “teacher” reminds us of someone in an academic field who, after completing certain requirements, is appointed as a teacher by an organization, whether or not that person has any students. In the future, perhaps Buddhists could form an organization to certify people as teachers after examining their Dharma understanding as well as their conduct.

Each Buddhist center could make available the requirements for the various levels of teachers and instruct people how to select teachers. As I always emphasize, in the beginning one should consider the person explaining the Dharma not as a guru, but as a Dharma friend.

After a year or two, when both people know each other well, the student may develop the conviction that this person is reliable and entrust this teacher to be their guru. Then their relationship becomes one of guru-disciple.

Many of the problems Buddhism is currently facing in the West have arisen because this is an early stage of the transmission of the Dharma to Western countries, and there is the opportunity for charlatans and unqualified people to teach. However, as Buddhism becomes more rooted in the culture and people understand it better, they will know how to judge teachers’ qualities and will protect themselves. This is part of a natural process as Dharma takes root.

Tibet in the last thirty years has seen the extensive destruction of Buddhism. Now, with comparatively more freedom, there is a revival, but here too some people are taking advantage of the situation. In Lhasa there are some men who in the morning dress like monks and do puja for those who pay, but in the afternoon they get drunk and even steal. People are so eager to learn the Dharma and to meet religious people that they are easily deceived.

In Tibet before 1959 and in India now, there are many lamas and many monastics, so people can choose, and there is less danger that they will be deceived or abused. In time, more people in the West will have a better knowledge of Buddhadharma and of the qualities to look for in a good teacher, and problems arising from unskillful teachers will decrease. Still, at this moment, we are facing problems, and we have to find ways to minimize the harm.

There are cases of lamas or monks who would never be in a position to give teachings or initiations to the Tibetan community, but in the West they suddenly become great lamas. This is admirable if it is someone who did not have the opportunity to show their great qualities yet remained humble in the Tibetan community. But if someone is merely taking advantage of the situation in the West to promote themselves, it is sad."

- Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Ethics in the teacher student relationship, read the full article at link in comments.

03/09/2026

Once upon a time there was a frog... or was it a pig? 🤔

Once there was a frog who lived in a well. One day he met a frog from the ocean. The ocean frog told fantastic tales of his ocean and boasted of its vastness. But the well frog could not believe him; he believed his well to be the biggest and most fabulous body of water in the world because he had no reference point, no experience, no reason to think otherwise. So the ocean frog took the well frog to the ocean. Facing the vastness of the ocean, the well frog died of a heart attack.

Realization isn't necessarily lethal. We don't have to be like the well frog, dropping dead when we are exposed to emptiness. If the ocean frog had been a bit more compassionate and skilful, he might have been a better guide, and the well frog wouldn't have died. Perhaps he would have eventually migrated to the ocean.

We don't need a supernatural gift to understand emptiness. It's a matter of education and a willingness to see things in terms of all their parts and hidden causes and conditions. With such an insight, one becomes like a set designer or a camera assistant who goes to the cinema. Professionals see beyond what we see. They see how the camera was positioned, which lenses and lighting equipment were used, how the crowds were computer generated, and all the other cinematic techniques that the audience isn't aware of, and thus for them the illusion is dismantled. Yet the professionals can still enjoy themselves immensely when they go to the cinema.

This is an example of Siddhartha's transcendent humour.

📖 What Makes You not A Buddhist

📸 Pig at the Crossing

02/09/2026