14th Dalai LamaThe ultimate source of my mental happiness is my peace of mind. Nothing can destroy this except my own anger.
In the moment of love ~ 3rd Karmapa
3rd KarmapaThe play of overwhelming compassion being unobstructed,
In the moment of love the empty essence dawns nakedly.
May we constantly practice day and night,
The supreme path of unity, devoid of errors.
Trackless and of limitless range ~ Buddha Shakyamuni
Buddha ShakyamuniThe one in whom no longer exist the craving and thirst that perpetuate becoming; how could you track that Awakened one, trackless, and of limitless range.
When you are directly in contact with fear ~ Krishnamurti
KrishnamurtiYou can observe a cloud or a tree or the movement of a river with a fairly quiet mind because they are not very important to you, but to watch yourself is far more difficult because there the demands are so practical, the reactions so quick. So when you are directly in contact with fear or despair, loneliness or jealousy, or any other ugly state of mind, can you look at it so completely that your mind is quiet enough to see it?
Relaxing as it is ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronWe can stop struggling with what occurs and see its true face without calling it the enemy. It helps to remember that our spiritual practice is not about accomplishing anything — not about winning or losing — but about ceasing to struggle and relaxing as it is. That is what we are doing when we sit down to meditate. That attitude spreads into the rest of our lives.
The Lineage of Refuge ~ Tai Situ Rinpoche
Tai Situ RinpocheThe lineage of refuge, which began when Lord Buddha gave refuge to those first five disciples, has continued for the past 2500 years uncontaminated, unbroken and uninterrupted. I first received it from my supreme master His Holiness the 16th Karmapa. Since then I have continued to renew my refuge with many masters. I last renewed my refuge with His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, when I visited his monastery while he was in Tibet. This is my refuge lineage and when I conduct the refuge ceremony the participants become part of it. They join the ocean of countless beings who are the Lord Buddha’s followers and receive his blessings. This is what it means to receive the transmission of refuge.
So when I give refuge, I am continuing the lineage that the Buddha started, that is all. I am able to give refuge because my master gave me refuge. It is not as if I am giving it on my own behalf. Those taking refuge are like the light bulb on the ceiling and I am like its switch, but the light does not really come from the switch, it comes from the powerhouse, and Buddha Shakyamuni is the powerhouse. The reason the light comes on is because there is an unbroken line from the powerhouse to the switch and then to the bulb. Likewise the lineage of the Buddha continues unbroken through to those taking refuge.
This lineage continues because of two things: devotion and compassion. Masters should have compassion for their disciples and disciples should have devotion to their masters. If this is the case, the line will not break. When these are missing, the line breaks and no matter how intensely you push the switch the light will not come on, it will not shine. You can beg the switch as hard as you like, and you can change the light-bulb a hundred times, but the light will not come on. There may be nothing wrong with the switch or the bulb, but if the line is broken the light will not come on. Fortunately for us the line is unbroken and we can still receive refuge. Still I do not want people to misunderstand and think that I can give refuge myself. I can only give refuge because of lineage.
The essence of the guru ~ Lama Yeshe
Lama YesheThe essence of the guru is wisdom: the perfectly clear and radiant state of mind in which bliss and the realization of emptiness are inseparably unified.
The real enemy ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheBuddha saw the same old age and sickness and death that we see, but he was driven to find the root causes; and that, too, is a miracle. His realization that all compounded things are impermanent was his ultimate triumph. Instead of flaunting victory over some externally existing enemy, he found that the real enemy is our clinging to the self; and defeating that self-clinging is a miracle far greater than all supernatural miracles, real or imagined.
Loving our enemy ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat HanhWhen Gandhi said that love is the force that can liberate, he meant we have to love our enemy. Even if our enemy is cruel, even if he is crushing us, sowing terror and injustice, we have to love him. This is the message of Jesus. But how can we love our enemy? There is only one way – to understand him. We have to understand why he is that way, how he has come to be like that, why he does not see things the way we do. Understanding a person brings us the power to love and accept him. And the moment we love and accept him, he ceases to be our enemy. To “love our enemy” is impossible, because the moment we love him, he is no longer our enemy.
Expressing emotions ~ Kalu Rinpoche
Kalu RinpocheIn the current general cultural milieu of the Western world, expression of desire allows emotions to be actively encouraged, actively stimulated, and over-blown, all within the contextual appreciation of this as something healthy. If one has a desire, one is encouraged to fulfill it. If one has an emotion, one is encouraged to stimulate it, to bring it to development by expressing it. Generally, this is seen as a healthy thing to do, while actually, in terms of karmic development, this approach tends to create a disproportionate exaggeration of desire and attachment.
Mind’s ultimate nature ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheMind’s ultimate nature, emptiness endowed with vividness,
I was told is the real Buddha.
Recognizing this should help me
Not to be stuck with thoughts of hierarchy.Mind’s ultimate nature, its emptiness aspect,
I was told is the real Dharma.
Recognizing this should help me
Not to be stuck with thoughts of political correctness.Mind’s ultimate nature, its vivid aspect,
I was told is the real Sangha.
Recognizing this should help me
Not to be stuck with thoughts of equal rights.One cannot disassociate emptiness from vividness.
This inseparability I was told is the Guru.
Recognizing this should help me
Not to be stuck with depending on chauvinist lamas.This nature of mind has never been stained by duality,
This stainlessness I was told is the deity.
Recognizing this should help me
Not to be stuck with the categories of “gender” or “culture.”This nature of mind is spontaneously present.
That spontaneity I was told is the dakini aspect.
Recognizing this should help me
Not to be stuck with fear of being sued.
Our own efforts ~ Nagarjuna
NagarjunaVirtues are acquired through endeavor,
Which rests wholly upon yourself.
So, to praise others for their virtues
Can but encourage one’s own efforts.
Speaking only of their qualities ~ Gyelse Tokme Zangpo
Gyelse Tokme ZangpoEven if others should declare before the world
All manner of unpleasant things about me,
To speak only of their qualities in return,
With a mind that’s filled with love — this is the practice of all the bodhisattvas.
Watching others with wisdom ~ Ajahn Chah
Ajahn ChahA clever person watches others, but he watches with wisdom, not with ignorance. If one watches with wisdom, once can learn much. But if one watches with ignorance, one can only find faults.
A practice based on your mind ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheThe essence of the practice of a bodhisattva is to transcend self clinging and dedicate yourself completely to serving others. It is a practice based on your mind, rather than how your actions might appear externally. True generosity, therefore, is to have no clinging; true discipline is to have no desire; and true patience is to be without hatred.
Present in yourself ~ Padmasambhava
PadmasambhavaThis awakened mind of awareness is not made out of any material substance; it is self-existing and inherent in yourself. This is the nature of things that is easy to realize because it is not to be sought for elsewhere. This is the nature of mind that does not consist of a concrete perceiver and something perceived to fixate on. It defies the limitations of permanence and annihilation. In it there is no thing to awaken; the awakened state of enlightenment is your own awareness that is naturally awake. In it there is no thing that goes to the hells; awareness is naturally pure. In it there is no practice to carry out; its nature is naturally cognizant. This great view of the natural state is present in yourself: resolve that it is not to be sought for elsewhere.
Seeing things as they are ~ Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Lama Zopa RinpocheOur difficulty is we don’t see things as they really are. Dharma helps us to understand how to see things as they actually are. When we do this, it stops our negative mind, negative projections, and negative emotions. Then our life becomes simpler and more peaceful, and it also gives us a great opportunity to take more responsibility, with more compassion, and we can handle problems in a much more positive way. Problems then don’t become real problems. We become more accepting and understanding of what is happening around us, whether it concerns business or relatives. There is no separation; there are not two worlds, of business and private life.
Refusing to give up on anyone ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaThe essence of warriorship, or the essence of human bravery, is refusing to give up on anyone or anything.
A moment of direct pristine awareness ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheThe Buddha’s plan went far beyond learning to become “okay.” His aim was for us to become buddhas: to awaken our capacity to approach every experience — grief, shame, jealousy, frustration, illness, and even death —with the innocent perspective we experience when looking for the first time, for example, at the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, or the views from the top of Taipei 101. Before fear, judgment, anxiety, or opinion intervenes, there’s a moment of direct pristine awareness that transcends any distinction between experience and the experiencer.
Taking advantage of opportunities ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaWhatever our negative situation may be, we need to take a long-term view and sustain our hope with an aspiration, which could be a goal that we seek or a way that we want to be. Our aspiration is like a spy keeping an eye out for opportunities. In the olden days, a spy would sit on a high mountain and survey everything that was happening. Looking down the road into the future and maintaining our hope is like that watcher. When an opportunity arises that fits our plan, we can call on our experience to take advantage of it. When experience and hope join together, whatever difficult, negative, or tragic situations occur in our life, we can always pull ourselves together and start anew.