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Thursday, March 12, 2026

Via The Tricycle Community --- Three Teachings on Bad Habits

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March 12, 2026

Deconstruct Your Habits

Though the approach may differ from tradition to tradition, freeing ourselves from habit is a common Buddhist goal. We aim to respond with intention, rather than react out of habit—to lay the groundwork for solid footing, from which we can act on our values rather than emotion.

Of course, our proclivities and thought patterns may be so deeply ingrained that it might be difficult to recognize them at all. Examine your mind, Buddhist teachers say, to uncover just how much unseen conditioning is behind the wheel. At the same time, forgive yourself and others. When you consider what lies behind a “gut reaction,” compassion and understanding will arise.

This week’s Three Teachings reminds us that we aren’t helpless in the face of our tendencies, and that with patience, openness, and mindfulness, we can dismantle them.

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Deconstructing Habits
By Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist teacher in the Dzogchen Longchen Nyingtik lineage, discusses four factors that cause habits—good or bad—to form. They’re simply unconscious patterns of mind that we have the power to change if we observe them with non-judgmental attention, he says. “Habits are not intrinsic entities, and we are not helpless."

The Power of Intention
By Guo Jun

Chan Community Canada’s guiding teacher, Guo Jun, reflects on a lesson from his master, Sheng Yen, who was moved by compassion for our deeply ingrained habits—not faults of our own but patterns we can forgive and undo.

Your Mind Is Your Religion
By Lama Thubten Yeshe

Tibetan Lama Thubten Yeshe urges us to examine our minds at every turn to uproot old tendencies that keep us mired in ignorance or delusion.

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