It is always beneficial to be near a spiritual teacher. These masters are like gardens or medicinal plants, sanctuaries of wisdom. In the presence of a realized master, you will rapidly attain enlightenment. In the presence of an erudite scholar, you will acquire great knowledge. In the presence of a great meditator, spiritual experience will dawn in your mind. In the presence of a bodhisattva, your compassion will expand, just as an ordinary log placed next to a log of sandalwood becomes saturated, little by little, with its fragrance.
Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
from the book The Hundred Verses of Advice: Tibetan Buddhist Teachings on What Matters Most
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Further quotes from the book The Hundred Verses of Advice:
- Flying off into the bardo
- Happiness and suffering
- Rather than being trapped by your perceptions
- Contemplating the defects of samsara
- Dwell in the simplicity of the present moment
- Love and compassion for all
- Nothing to be gained or lost
- How illness can teach us compassion
- Devotion is the fare on our journey toward enlightenment
- Use riches in a constructive way
- You won’t live forever
- Put on the armor of diligence
- The mind is free of any true reality
- The most profound spiritual practice
- The Dharma is the best way of using your life
- There is never any time to spare
- Practice with joy and enthusiasm
- Start that very day
- Overcoming obstacles
- Without settling anywhere