Monla Khedrup Rinpoche

Sometimes, things are simply beyond your control. You may feel desperate, restless, frustrated, and eager for things to change, yet there is nothing you can do but let them unfold. When something is not in your hands, patience becomes your greatest effort.

Trust that time will come, and this moment too will pass. Perhaps it is not your time yet, or perhaps something far greater is taking shape behind the scenes. What feels like a delay may simply be a period of preparation, a test of your strength, faith, and perseverance.

When you're happy, stay grounded.
When you're sad, stay courageous.
Both will pass.

The word “tsöndrü” (diligence or joyful perseverance) can be particularly challenging for beginners on the path. We make commitments to our practice, yet often find it difficult to sustain them. Gradually, we compromise, postpone, and allow other concerns to take priority.

Why does this happen?

In my view, it is because we become overwhelmed by our plans. We think about the coming weeks, months, and years, and soon our minds become lost in endless goals and responsibilities. Before we know it, worldly concerns have taken the place of our practice.

A simpler approach is to focus on just one day. After all, what can we truly accomplish beyond today? If we give sincere attention to this single day, it becomes much easier to recognize what is important and what deserves our energy. The task no longer feels overwhelming, and our commitment becomes more realistic and achievable.

Rather than carrying the burden of a month, a year, or an entire lifetime, practice today. Maintain your awareness today. Cultivate compassion today. Be diligent today.

When one day is practiced well, it becomes the cause for the next. In this way, the path is not completed through grand plans, but through the sincere application of one day, repeated again and again.

When I feel anxious, I remind myself of two things.

First, everything is temporary. Whatever is causing anxiety is only a moment, and moments constantly change. If something is meant to happen, it will happen. Resisting reality only creates more suffering. It is better to face it, accept it, and relax into its impermanent nature.

Second, I try to stay open-minded and aware. Every situation arises from causes and conditions. Sometimes we overlook them; other times, we become overwhelmed by them. A calm and open mind sees more clearly than a confused and reactive one.

Impermanence and awareness are my greatest remedies for anxiety.

One of my friends recently became part of the preparation team for a large event. Through that experience, she came to a beautiful realization about life itself.

Before the event began, there were endless tensions, creativity, disagreements, compromises, stress, laughter, peace, and drama. Everyone poured their energy into making something meaningful. Yet during the preparation stage, none of it seemed complete or even fully understandable. Only when the event finally began did everything suddenly make sense. In that moment, all the exhaustion felt worthwhile, and there was a deep sense of relief—as if a long-carried burden had finally been released.

What was once an empty and abandoned space slowly transformed into something alive. Ideas arose from nothing. Thoughts became plans, plans became action, and action became a beautiful experience shared by many people. The room was filled with lights, flowers, art, conversations, appreciation, and joy. People entered, admired the effort, offered praise, and created memories together.

But once the event ended, another process immediately began: dismantling everything. The decorations were removed one by one, the seating arrangements disappeared, the flowers faded, and the excitement dissolved into silence. The same room that had once felt vibrant and meaningful gradually returned to emptiness. After the final cleanup, the lights were switched off, and everyone walked away carrying another kind of relief—mixed with sadness, tiredness, and completion.

It felt like watching a living sand mandala. A sand mandala begins with emptiness, becomes a masterpiece through patience and intention, and is eventually swept away back into nothingness. Yet the beauty was never meaningless because of its impermanence. In fact, its impermanence is what made it sacred.

This is exactly the nature of all phenomena. Everything we consider precious, solid, or lasting exists together with impermanence and emptiness. Nothing remains fixed. From a blank space, thoughts arise; from thoughts, something is created; and eventually, that “something” changes, fades, and disappears again. Even memories slowly dissolve with time.

Meeting and departing are also co-emergent. If we never met, there could be no separation. In every encounter, we exchange something invisible—memories, lessons, emotions, wounds, joy, understanding. Between meeting and parting, life unfolds with its endless dramas, laughter, confusion, beauty, and realizations.

The important lesson is this: life itself is a continuous journey from nothing to something, and from something back to nothing. When we deeply understand this, we learn not to cling too tightly to success, failure, praise, criticism, beauty, or sorrow. Instead, we begin to appreciate each moment fully while it appears, knowing it is temporary, precious, and inseparable from change.

Nothing arises from nowhere; everything appears through causes and conditions. Even the word “departure” exists only because there was first a meeting. If beings never met, there could be no parting. Meeting and separation arise together, like reflections appearing simultaneously upon water.

When we meet, something is exchanged beyond words. We leave traces within one another—memories, emotions, lessons, wounds, joys, and moments of awakening. And when we part, something is again revealed: the impermanence of all compounded things and the fragile beauty of connection itself.

Between meeting and departing, samsara displays its endless play—drama and laughter, sorrow and love, confusion and realization, beauty and ugliness, hope and disappointment. Yet all these experiences are like clouds moving through the open sky of awareness: appearing vividly for a moment, then dissolving back into emptiness.

Thus, what seems to arise from “nothing” becomes “something,” and what appears as “something” returns once more to no-thingness. In this way, all phenomena dance within the inseparable union of appearance and emptiness.

Whatever work we do for the benefit of others, especially in public service, will never be free from praise or criticism. No matter how much effort, sincerity, and strength we put into making something perfect, there will always be someone unhappy with it, someone who misunderstands, judges, or speaks against us. That is simply the nature of samsara and human perception.

If we spend our lives trying to please everyone, we will only exhaust ourselves. You cannot control another person’s mind, words, or reactions, but you can work with your own mind. That is the real practice.

So continue doing what you truly believe is right. Be honest with yourself, keep your intention pure, and walk with patience and resilience. Sometimes criticism itself becomes a teacher, helping us grow stronger, wiser, and more compassionate.

The result may not appear immediately, but genuine effort and authentic virtue always bear fruit one day. And when they do, that fruit naturally becomes a benefit for many beings.

I am deeply grateful to those who have the courage to criticize me. Through your words, I am able to recognize my shortcomings, learn from my mistakes, and continue refining myself. At times, your criticism teaches me patience, resilience, and deeper understanding. In that way, you become not an adversary, but a true teacher.

Dear Friends,

As we step into the auspicious Fire Horse Year, I extend my warmest wishes for a joyful and blessed Losar to each of you.

The past year has been filled with many meaningful moments and some of the most important milestones of my life. In the Wood Snake Year of 2025, the 20-year master plan for Sangchen Ogyen Tsuklag began to take shape, alongside the strengthening and consolidation of the Khedrup Foundation team. The construction of retreat centers in Trongsa and eastern Bhutan, made possible through the generosity of our donors, has created new opportunities for practitioners to deepen their path. At the same time, initiatives such as the Dharma Design Lab and the Religious Leadership Workshop have opened new pathways for the Dharma to flourish in the 21st century. My appointment as the Nyingma Kutsab of Bhutan was another profound responsibility, marking a new chapter in our collective commitment to preserving and serving the Dharma.

With this strong foundation now in place, we have reached a point where we can begin shaping enduring visions together, supported by our dear friends and volunteers around the world. These aspirations are deeply important, and in the year ahead we will continue to nurture and expand them. For this reason, the year we are entering holds special significance—it is a pivotal moment for all that we aspire to accomplish.

This work is not driven by personal gain, but is dedicated to the continuity of the Buddha Dharma and to the benefit of all sentient beings.

As we begin this new year, may we cultivate aspirations to benefit one another, and may peace, harmony, and happiness flourish in all our lives.

Tashi Delek.