Thinley Norbu RinpocheIf we believe in the continuity of mind, then love inconspicuously connects us to the ones we love with continuous positive energy, so that even tangible separations between people who love each other do not reduce the intangible power of love.
Enlightened beings may seem insane ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheThose who do not pursue praise and gain, those who do not shun criticism and loss, may be stigmatized as abnormal or even insane. When observed from an ordinary point of view, enlightened beings may seem insane because they don’t negotiate, they cannot be lured or swayed by material gain, they don’t get bored, they don’t look for thrills, they have no face to lose, they do not conform to rules of etiquette, they never employ hypocrisy for personal gain, they never do things to impress people, and they don’t display their talents and powers just for the sake of it. But if it benefits others, these saints will do anything necessary, from having perfect table manners to leading a Fortune 500 company. In 2,500 years of Buddhist history there have probably been countless enlightened beings who were never identified or who were banished for being insane.
Learning to open our hearts ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaRecognizing our shared humanity and our biological nature as beings whose happiness is dependent on others, we learn to open our hearts, and in so doing we gain a sense of purpose and a sense of connection with those around us.
Don’t Assume the Posture of a Wilted Flower ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaWhen you slouch, you are trying to hide your heart, protecting it by slumping over. But when you sit upright but relaxed in the posture of meditation, your heart is naked. Your entire being is exposed – to yourself, first of all, but to others as well. Through the practice of sitting still and following your breath as it goes out and dissolves, you are connecting with your heart. By simply letting yourself be, as you are, you develop genuine sympathy towards yourself. When you sit erect, you proclaim to yourself and to the rest of the world that you are going to be a warrior, a fully human being.
A more fluid sense of identification with other beings ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheClarity, like emptiness, is infinite: it has no limits, no starting point and no end. The more deeply we examine our minds, the less possible it becomes to find a clear distinction between where our own mind ends and other’s begin. As this begins to happen, the sense of difference between “self” and “other” gives way to a gentler and more fluid sense of identification with other beings and with the world around us.
Finding the buddha dharma ~ Ajahn Chah
Ajahn ChahThe buddha dharma is not to be found in moving forwards, nor in moving backwards, nor in standing still.
Nurturing Our Love ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaWe actively nurture our love by working wholeheartedly on ourselves. This is the way our own spiritual practice can become a condition that helps love to last. Spiritual practice means transforming ourselves. It means changing. We cannot hope to just find love and keep it on a shelf – as if I have given you my love, you have given me your love, and now we just have to brush the dust off it from time to time, and we are basically done. Contrary to this, love is a living thing. Like a tree, it needs to grow continually, yielding fresh cycles of leaves and flowers and fruit. If this stops, the tree stagnates and eventually dies. Once we embrace love as a fully active practice, only then can we begin to speak of undying love.
Happiness is the way ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat HanhThere is no distinction between means and ends. There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way.
A proper guru-student communication ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheIt’s probably safe to say that there can’t be a proper guru-student communication if the guru never steps down from the throne, unless the guru is a completely enlightened omniscient being who can communicate through telepathy, light, or supermagical powers. The guru is supposed to act like a doctor, and the disciple is the patient. How can a doctor treat the patient if he doesn’t know what’s wrong? He has to know some of the symptoms in order to diagnose the disease. If there is no communication, or if the communication is staged, formal, or rehearsed, then invariably, it creates a distance between the doctor and the patient, making the chances of a proper diagnosis slim—unless the guru is an omniscient being or his stethoscope is fifty feet long. So when you are looking for a guru, it’s good to consider how approachable he or she is, how much communication will be possible.
Without any distinction whatsoever ~ Dudjom Rinpoche
Dudjom RinpocheYou should bring into the path all those who have a good or bad connection with you without making any distinction whatsoever, be they faithful persons who serve you or faithless persons who revile or abuse you. Care for them with pure prayers of aspiration.
Devotion for our kind teachers ~ Longchenpa
LongchenpaUnless we have such devotion for our kind teachers that we consider them as greater than the Buddha, we will not receive even a single portion of their blessings.
Without genuinely receiving blessings, the tender shoots of experience and realization will not grow.
Our way of observing things ~ Shunryu Suzuki
Shunryu SuzukiIt is because our way of observing things is deeply rooted in our self-centered ideas that we are disappointed when we find everything has only a tentative existence. But when we actually realize this truth, we will have no suffering.
The stainless expanse of the mind’s true nature ~ Asanga
AsangaSpace, whose nature is free of concepts;
Encompasses everything;
Likewise, the stainless expanse of the mind’s true nature
Permeates all beings.
The essential need to abandon the view of self ~ Mahasi Sayadaw
Mahasi SayadawAs long as one is not free from the wrong view of self, one cannot expect to escape from the risk of falling into the miserable realms of the hells, the animals or the petas. Though one may be leading a happy life in the human or deva world by virtue of one’s merits, yet one is liable to fall back into the miserable states of existence at any time, when one’s demerits operate. For this reason, the Buddha pointed out that it is essential to work for the total removal of the wrong view of self: “Let a monk go forth mindfully to abandon view of self”.
Trample on anger with realization ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheExamine anger itself and you will find that it is nothing but a thought. If that angry thought disappears, it will not lead to an action done in anger, with its negative karmic results. Trample on anger with realization, and it dissolves like a cloud in the sky; and as it dissolves, the notion of “enemy” will vanish with it.
Everyday actions and dharma ~ Dogen Zenji
Dogen ZenjiThose who see worldly life as an obstacle to dharma see no dharma in everyday actions. They have not yet discovered that there are no everyday actions outside of dharma.
Being a Buddhist ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheYou may not not have been born in Buddhist country or to a Buddhist family, you may not wear robes or shave your head, you may eat meat and idolize Eminem and Paris Hilton. That doesn’t mean you can’t be a Buddhist.
The most important requirements for a teacher ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronThe most important requirements for a teacher are to know you well, see where you’re holding on, and be able to create circumstances that highlight your grasping. Situations emerge that allow you to see where you’re stuck. Because it’s happening with your dharma teacher, you don’t run away when you’re insulted or uncomfortable, and that’s the real value. You hang in there and they help you through it.
Praying to the guru ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheWe think that the guru is only good for giving teachings, that the guru is only good for special things but not good for headaches or other problems. This is not the way to think. For every problem that you have, pray to the guru, receive his blessings and you will be free from it. In one Tantra, it says, “Years and years of doing meditation on the development or completion stages, or years and years of chanting mantras, cannot compare with one instant of remembering the guru.”
The golden chain of spirituality ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaAs long as we follow a spiritual approach promising salvation, miracles, liberation, then we are bound by the “golden chain of spirituality.” Such a chain might be beautiful to wear, with its inlaid jewels and intricate carvings, but nevertheless, it imprisons us. People think they can wear the golden chain for decoration without being imprisoned by it, but they are deceiving themselves. As long as one’s approach to spirituality is based upon enriching ego, then it is spiritual materialism, a suicidal process rather than a creative one.