Self-Immolation

"The eight consciousnesses are the ālaya-consciousness, the afflicted mind (Skt. kliṣṭamanas, Tib. nyon yid), the mental consciousness (Skt. manovijñāna, Tib. yid kyi rnam shes), and the five sense consciousnesses. The ālaya-consciousness is nothing but the sum of the virtuous, unvirtuous, and neutral tendencies that make up the continuum of a sentient being. Thus, it is not like a container that is different from its contents, but more like the constant flow of the water that is called a river. In other words, there is no other underlying, permanent substratum or entity apart from the momentary mental impulses that constitute this everchanging flow. Due to various conditions — mainly the stirring of the afflicted mind (comparable to wind or a strong current) — the various appearances of the five sense consciousnesses and the (mainly conceptual) mental consciousness together with their seemingly external and conceptual objects emerge from the ālaya-consciousness in every moment. Right after each moment of this dualistic interaction of subjects and objects, the imprints created by them merge back into — or are “stored” — in the ālaya, just like waves on the surface of a river. In this way, the ālaya-consciousness is both a cause for saṃsāric appearances and a result, that is, their imprints. This does not mean that the ālaya actively creates anything, it is just the sum of the dynamic process of various causes and conditions interacting, otherwise known as dependent origination. In this way, it is equivalent to fundamental ignorance and the karma accumulated by it, serving as the basis for all saṃsāric appearances and representing the sum of all factors to be relinquished in order to attain liberation. Thus, it ceases upon the attainment of buddhahood." Karl Brunnhölzl

"These [third turning] sūtras teach that the dharmadhātu, that is, the intrinsically pure nature of the mind or buddha-element (khams), the essence of the Tathāgatas (the tathāgatagarbha), is primordially present in all beings. It is present from the very beginning and it is unchanging. Spontaneously, and from the very first, its appearing aspect is the source of the major and minor marks of the rūpakāya (the body of form); and its emptiness aspect is the dharmakāya (the body of ultimate reality) beyond all conceptual extremes. Since all enlightened qualities are naturally present within it, it is like a jewel; since it is unchanging, it is like space; and since it pervades all beings, as if moistening them, it is like water. The nature of the mind is primordially luminous. As it is said in the Prajñāpāramitā in Eight Thousand Lines, “As for the mind, the mind does not exist; the nature of the mind is luminosity.” This is the buddha-element (khams) or potential (rigs) present in all beings." Longchenpa

"There is nothing to be removed from it and nothing to be added. The real should be seen as real, and seeing the real, you become liberated. The [buddha] element is empty of adventitious [stains], which have the defining characteristic of being separable; but it is not empty of unsurpassable qualities, which have the defining characteristic of not being separable." Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra

"Nihilism is a form of ignorance, it is an ignorance of the true nature of reality. This ignorance can only be dispelled by wisdom and understanding." (The Samyutta Nikaya 22.95) "Nihilism is a form of suffering, it is a suffering that comes from the belief that life is meaningless. This suffering can only be ended by finding meaning in life." (The Dhammapada 122) "Nihilism is a form of violence, it is a violence that is done to oneself and to others. This violence can only be stopped by compassion and love." (The Lotus Sutra) "Nihilism is a form of death, it is a death of the spirit. This death can only be avoided by living a life of truth and meaning." (The Dhammapada)

"Suppose, bhikkhus, that a person was to throw a yoke with a single hole into the great ocean, and it was carried about in all directions by the winds. Suppose there were a blind tortoise that emerged from the ocean once every hundred years. What do you think, bhikkhus, would that tortoise put his neck through the hole in the yoke? − He might, bhante, after some very long period of time. − Sooner, bhikkhus, would that blind turtle put his neck through the yoke than would a fool escape back to the human realm once having fallen to a lower realm (vinipāta). Why is that? Because there is no dhamma-faring there, no peace, no doing of good deeds or making of merit. There is only mutual devouring there; there the strong consume the weak. If, bhikkhus, that fool after some long time regains the human state it is into a low family that he is born; a family of outcastes, hunters, bamboo gatherers, carters or refuse cleaners. Among such clans is he reborn. There he is poor; he finds little food with much difficulty. There clothing is hard to come by. He is of bad colour, ugly, deformed, sickly, blind or crippled or palsied. He gets no food, drink, clothing, vehicles, garlands, dwelling, bedding or lights. There he misconducts himself by body, speech and mind and at the break-up of the body he arises after death in a lower birth, even in niraya. Such is the nature of the total and utter fool." Bālapaṇḍita Sutta

“Do not misinterpret how he (Teacher/Guru) acts Most of India’s siddhas lived As common evil-doers, base outcastes, more degenerate than the lowest of the low” Most of the mighty siddhas of India like Savaripa who was a hunter and others, adopted very lowly lifestyles, often those of outcaste. The great pandita Naropa (Guru of Marpa who was the guru of Jetsun Milarepa) had already become highly learned and accomplished. But his yidam(meditational deity) told him that his teacher from previous lives was the great Tilopa, and that to find him he should travel to eastern India. Naropa set off immediately, but upon arriving in the east he had no idea where to find Tilopa. He asked the local people but they knew nothing. “Is there nobody in these parts named Tilopa” he insisted. “There is someone called Tilopa the Outcaste or Tilopa the Beggar” Naropa thought, “The actions of siddhas are incomprehensible. That might be him.” He asked where Tilopa the Beggar lived. “By the ruined wall over there, where the smoke is coming from,” they replied. When he got to the place that had been pointed out, he found Tilopa seated in front of a wooden tub of fish, of which some were still alive and some dead. Tilopa took a fish, grilled it over the fire and put it in his mouth snapping his fingers. Naropa prostrated himself before him and asked Tilopa to accept him as his disciple. “What are you talking about?” Tilopa said. “I’m just a beggar!” But Naropa insisted, so Tilopa accepted him. Now Tilopa was not killing those fish just because he was hungry and could find nothing else to eat. Fish are completely ignorant of what to do and what not to do, creatures with many negative actions and Tilopa had the power to free them. By eating their flesh he was making a link with their consciousness, which he could then transfer to a pure Buddhafield. (The snapping of the fingers is part of a practice for transferring the consciousness [‘Pho ba] of another being to a pure realm) It is therefore important not to take any of your teacher’s actions in the wrong way and to train ourselves to have only pure perceptions. “Words of My Perfect Teacher” - Patrul Rinpoche

“You actually have this awareness within you. It is the clear, naked wisdom of dharmakaya. But who can introduce you to it? On what should you take your strand? What should you be certain of? To begin with, it is your teacher that shows you the state of your awareness. And when you recognize it for yourself, it is then that you are introduced to your own nature.” “Introduction to the nature of mind” ~ Dudjom Rinpoche

"Some people call themselves tantric practitioners and engage in crude behavior, but that is not the action of a tantrika. Mahayana means to cherish all sentient beings with impartial compassion. It will not suffice to claim oneself a tantric practitioner and then refrain from adopting what is virtuous and not avoiding or shunning evil deeds. It is essential for all tantric practitioners to cultivate great compassion in their being." Padmasambhava

https://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/history-culture/transmission-of-buddhism/advice-for-tibetans-before-teaching-in-the-west

https://studybuddhism.com/en/tibetan-buddhism/about-buddhism/how-to-study-buddhism/practicing-buddhism-in-the-west

"Because the absolute in the true mode of reality is not empty of itself and is the ground empty of all relative phenomena, it is a profound emptiness of other, the mode of emptiness of the true nature. It is an emptiness that is not a nonimplicative negation, an emptiness that is not empty, a birthless emptiness, and an emptiness that is the very essence of the lack of an entity, far removed from the emptiness of the aggregates through analysis, which is a nihilistic emptiness. Because the relative in the true mode of reality is empty of own-essence, it is like the horn of a rabbit, the child of a barren woman, a skyflower, and so forth, totally unestablished and completely nonexistent, a nonimplicative negation, an empty emptiness, a born emptiness, an emptiness of nonentity, and the emptiness of the aggregates through analysis, which is a nihilistic emptiness." Dolpopa

"Luminosity is uncreated, inseparable and all-pervasive. Its limitless qualities are more numerous Than the grains of sand on the banks of the Ganges." Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra