Lama YesheThere’s nothing spiritual outside. My rosary isn’t spiritual; my robes aren’t spiritual. Spiritual means the mind, and spiritual people are those who seek its nature.
Apply yourself unrelentingly to spiritual practice ~ 4th Shechen Gyaltsab
4th Shechen GyaltsabWhen heat, moisture, and fertile soil come together, you do whatever you can to sow grain. When you discover a deposit of gold or silver, you do whatever you can to exploit it. When the crops are ready in autumn, you do whatever you can to harvest them. When you have an escort to accompany you on a dangerous path, you redouble your energy. When you have labor and assistants, you accomplish your tasks. Now that you have a precious human life free of all impediments and endowed with all favorable conditions, apply yourself unrelentingly to spiritual practice!
Liberation at the time of death ~ Kalu Rinpoche
Kalu RinpocheLiberation arises at that moment, in the after-death state when consciousness can realize, its experiences to be nothing other than mind itself.
The ability to listen ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat HanhIf we love someone, we should train in being able to listen. By listening with calm and understanding, we can ease the suffering of another person.
Unmistaken signs of accomplishment ~ Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
Tulku Urgyen RinpocheThere are signs of accomplishment, such as having good health and long life or becoming famous and influential, but these belong to the superficial type of accomplishment. The true, unmistaken signs of accomplishment as established by the masters of the lineage, are to possess compassion, devotion and an acute sense of impermanence.
Mind is an event ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheThe mind itself and the thoughts, emotions, and sensations that arise, abide, and disappear in the mind are equal expressions of emptiness—that is, the open-ended possibility for anything to occur. If the mind is not a “thing” but an event, then all the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that occur in what we think of as the mind are likewise events. As we begin to rest in the experience of mind and thoughts as inseparable, like two sides of the same coin, we begin to grasp the true meaning of clarity as an infinitely expansive state of awareness.
Natural ~ Patrul Rinpoche
Patrul RinpochePerfectly stay in the natural flow,
There is no other concentration.
Perfectly realize the natural state,
There is no other wisdom.
True compassion is a firm commitment founded on reason ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaTrue compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason.
The influence of people you spend your time with ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheA crystal takes on the color of the cloth upon which it is placed, whether white, yellow, red or black. Likwise, the people with whom you spend your time whether their influence is good or bad, will make a huge difference to the direction your life and practice take. Spending your time with true spiritual friends will fill you with love for all beings and help you to see how negative attachment and hatred are. Being with such friends, and following their example, will naturally imbue you with their good qualities, just as all the birds flying around a golden mountain are bathed in its golden radiance.
Whatever we encounter ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronWhen we encounter pain in our life we breathe into our heart with the recognition that others also feel this. When life is pleasant, think of others. When life is a burden, think of others. If this is the only training we ever remember to do, it will benefit us tremendously and everyone else as well. It’s a way of bringing whatever we encounter onto the path of awakening bodhichitta.
Flexible mind ~ Bokar Rinpoche
Bokar RinpocheWe should not forget that the mind, whatever turn that we want to give it, is very flexible. To the extent that we train ourselves, we create a habit and the mind accepts the crease that we give it.
The enemy within ~ Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Lama Zopa RinpocheWhen it is impossible for anger to arise within you, you find no outside enemies anywhere. An outside enemy exists only if there is anger inside.
Our impact on the world ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaWe are capable of having a huge impact on the world. The only way for us to protect our species – and the planet – from our own destructive power is to do everything possible to maintain peace and stability among ourselves. Therefore, it is worthwhile for all of us to study and lovingly preserve all the religions, traditions, and systems that promote peace and unity for humankind.
The essence of practice ~ Dudjom Rinpoche
Dudjom RinpocheSamsara and enlightenment’s emptiness is the view.
Natural, uncontrived settling is meditation.
The body, speech, and mind’s acts aligned with the Dharma is conduct:
These are the essence of practice,
Be sure to keep them in your heart!
On bodhicitta ~ Shantideva
ShantidevaIt is the supreme elixir
That overcomes the sovereignty of death.
It is the inexhaustible treasure
That eliminates poverty in the world.
It is the supreme medicine
That quells the world’s disease.
It is the tree that shelters all beings
Wandering and tired on the path of conditioned existence.
It is the universal bridge
That leads to freedom from unhappy states of birth.
It is the dawning moon of the mind
That dispels the torment of disturbing conceptions.
It is the great sun that finally removes
The misty ignorance of the world.
Question to a cloud ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat HanhAsk a cloud: ‘What is your date of birth? Before you were born, where were you?’
A fundamentally objective state of mind ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheNirvana is a fundamentally objective state of mind: an acceptance of experience without judgments, which opens us to the potential for seeing solutions that may not be directly connected to our survival as individuals, but rather to the survival of all sentient beings.
Appreciate yourself ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaA great deal of the chaos in the world occurs because people don’t appreciate themselves.
All emotions are painful ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheAll emotions are painful. This is something that only Buddhists would talk about. Many religions worship things like love with celebration and songs. Buddhists think, “This is all suffering.”
Oneness of all human beings ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaI feel that the essence of spiritual practice is your attitude toward others. When you have a pure, sincere motivation, then you have right attitude toward others based on kindness, compassion, love and respect. Practice brings the clear realisation of the oneness of all human beings and the importance of others benefiting by your actions.