Practitioners sometimes endure long periods when their practice appears to have no effect on what seem to be particularly stubborn obstacles, and as a result assume their practice is not working. But they are wrong. With hindsight, they come to realise that the “obstacle” they so desperately wanted to eradicate was actually the best thing that ever happened them. This kind of turnaround is quite common, and with experience practitioners begin to appreciate that “bad” circumstances create a far more fertile ground for practice than “good” ones.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

from the book Not for Happiness: A Guide to the So-Called Preliminary Practices

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Further quotes from the book Not for Happiness:

• Dawn of wisdom
• Spiritual practice is like riding a bicycle
• Practise whichever method works for you
• Our most important companion
• The merit of maintaining mindfulness
• Right intention
• Wealth is contentment
• To reject your aggression is a weakness
• Where does low self-esteem come from
• Adapting the Dharma
• Dealing with Emotions
• As they truly are
• Altruism bolsters self-confidence
• The signs of progress
• Just space
• Life is a stream of sensory illusions
• What is merit
• Avoid being distracted
• Absolutely nothing genuinely works