Bokar RinpocheMental calming implies as much clarity as possible, allied with a deep feeling of freedom. When we contemplate the sea during the day we can see stones and seaweed deep down through the clear water. Our meditation should have the same clarity, which allows us to be fully conscious of the present situation.
Intention to benefit all sentient beings ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheNo matter which dharma practice you engage in, from ngöndro to offering a single candle, always do it with the intention that your practice will benefit all sentient beings. In this context, “benefit” does not only mean giving practical help, such as offering food or medicine, or feeding people’s emotions, egos and delusions. Here, “benefit” includes aspiring to be instrumental in the enlightenment of all sentient beings; without such an aspiration, it is easy for dharma practice to become self-serving.
Letting the Heart Lead ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaWe need to let the heart lead. Compassion is indispensable; it is the single most important factor we need if we are going to have any real success in protecting the environment, in creating a just society, or simply in living wholesome, happy lives.
The awakened heart itself ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheWhy is compassion of foremost importance in the Buddha’s teachings? Because it is the root of all the vastness and profundity of the bodhisattva path. Compassion is the awakened heart itself.
Avoiding harsh words ~ Gyelse Tokme Zangpo
Gyelse Tokme ZangpoThe practice of all the bodhisattvas is to avoid harsh words,
Which others might find unpleasant or distasteful,
Since abusive language upsets the minds of others,
And thereby undermines a bodhisattva’s conduct.
Walk and touch peace every moment ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat HanhWalk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom.
Kiss the earth with your feet.
Bring the earth your love and happiness.
The earth will be safe
When we feel safe in ourselves.
Wonderful journey ~ Matsuo Bashō
Matsuo BashōEvery day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.
Seeing death with every breath ~ Ajahn Chah
Ajahn ChahThe Buddha told his disciple Ananda to see impermanence, to see death with every breath. We must know death; we must die in order to live. What does that mean? To die is to come to the end of our doubts, all our questions, and just be here with the present reality. You can never die tomorrow; you must die now. Can you do it? If you can do it, you will know the peace of no more questions.
Shedding our covers ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaAccording to the Buddhist tradition, we don’t ever get new wisdom, nor does any foreign element come into our state of mind at all. Rather, practice is a question of waking up and shedding our covers. We have those goodies in us already; we only have to uncover them.
Elegance ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaElegance means appreciating things as they are. There is a sense of delight and of fearlessness.
With two widely opened white wings ~ Chandrakirti
ChandrakirtiWith two widely opened white wings
Of relative truth [skillful means] and absolute truth [wisdom]
The kings of swans [bodhisattvas] and their flock of swans [disciples]
Soar through the ocean of supreme Buddha qualities.
From the head to the heart ~ Ringu Tulku
Ringu TulkuIt is sometimes said that the longest journey we take is the journey from the head to the heart.
Any moment ~ 16th Karmapa
16th KarmapaAny brief moment, any time at all that one could use as an opportunity for dharma practice, one must use.
The greatest charity ~ Bodhidharma
BodhidharmaTo give up yourself without regret is the greatest charity.
The birth and the death of beings ~ Buddha Shakyamuni
Buddha ShakyamuniThe three realms of existence are like a cloud in autumn:
The birth and the death of beings is like a dancer’s movement;
A being’s life is like a waterfall,
Like a flash of lightning in the sky;
It never stops even for a single moment and once it starts,
It goes inevitably to its conclusion.
Forervermore ~ Shantideva
ShantidevaAll other virtues are like the plantain tree:
They bear their fruit, and then they are no more.
Yet constantly the marvellous tree of bodhicitta
Yields fruit and, undiminished, grows forevermore.
The deeply interconnected nature of our existence ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaAt a fundamental level, as human beings, we are all the same; each one of us aspires to happiness and each one of us does not wish to suffer. This is why, whenever I have the opportunity, I try to draw people’s attention to what as members of the human family we have in common and the deeply interconnected nature of our existence and welfare.
All perceptions are similar to a dream ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheAt present we perceive samsara as something we have to reject and nirvana as something we have to attain. Now while this is correct according to relative truth, according to absolute truth the nature of the afflictive emotions and actions that we are supposed to reject is nothing other than emptiness. When we realize the dharmakaya, which is free from true existence, we will know that all perceptions are similar to a dream or an illusion and we will no longer crave these phenomena. As it is said, ‘While there is attachment, there is no view.’ And the absence of attachment is the supreme view.
Pride and pity ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpochePride and pity are closely related. Believing that your life is harder and sadder than everyone else’s is simply a manifestation of clinging to self. When the self develops self-pity, it eliminates any space that others have to feel compassionate.
Just observing ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheA more constructive approach to negative emotions, similar to working with negative thoughts, is simply to rest your attention on the emotion itself rather than on its object. Just look at the emotion without analyzing it intellectually. Don’t try to hold on to it and don’t try to block it. Just observe it. When you do this, the emotion won’t seem as big or powerful as it initially did.