Tulku Urgyen RinpocheWithout any duality of perceiver and perceived, there is no way a normal thought can survive; it vanishes. The phrase ‘single sphere of dharmakaya’ refers simply to this original wakefulness. It is called single or sole, meaning not a duality, whereas the normal thinking mind is dualistic, and is never called single. If this holding onto duality is not dissolved from within, there is the perpetuation of subject and object, perceiver and perceived. Another famous phrase goes: ‘As long as duality does not become oneness, there is no enlightenment.’ When recognising, this duality is dissolved into oneneness.
Change ~ Leo Tolstoy
Leo TolstoyEveryone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.
Absolutely nothing genuinely works ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheIt is vital to understand that however positive this worldly life, or even a small part of it, may appear to be, ultimately it will fail because absolutely nothing genuinely works in samsara.
Nothing but illusion ~ Nagarjuna
NagarjunaThe creation of illusion is nothing but illusion. When everything is compound there is nothing which can be regarded as a real thing. Such is the nature of all things.
Moments of bodhicitta ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronBodhicitta is available in moments of caring for things, when we clean our glasses or brush our hair. Its available in moments of appreciation, when we notice the blue sky or pause and listen to the rain. It is available in moments of gratitude, when we recall a kindness or recognize another persons courage. It is available in music and dance, in art, and in poetry. Whenever we let go of holding on to ourselves, and look at the world around us, whenever we connect with sorrow, whenever we connect with joy, whenever we drop our resentment and complaint, in those moments bodhicitta is here.
Balanced and Committed ~ Goenka
GoenkaBy learning to remain balanced in the face of everything experienced inside, one develops detachment towards all that one encounters in external situations as well. However, this detachment is not escapism or indifference to the problems of the world. Those who regularly practice Vipassana become more sensitive to the sufferings of others and do their utmost to relieve suffering in whatever way they can — not with any agitation, but with a mind full of love, compassion, and equanimity. They learn holy indifference — how to be fully committed, fully involved in helping others, while at the same time maintaining balance of mind. In this way they remain peaceful and happy while working for the peace and happiness of others.
This is what the Buddha taught: an art of living. He never established or taught any religion, any “ism.” He never instructed those who came to him to practice any rites or rituals, any empty formalities. Instead, he taught them just to observe nature as it is by observing the reality inside. Out of ignorance, we keep reacting in ways which harm ourselves and others. But when wisdom arises—the wisdom of observing reality as it is—this habit of reacting falls away. When we cease to react blindly, then we are capable of real action—action proceeding from a balanced mind, a mind which sees and understands the truth. Such action can only be positive, creative, helpful to ourselves and to others.
Check your understanding ~ Lama Yeshe
Lama YesheIf your spiritual practice and the demands of your everyday life are not in harmony, it means there’s something wrong with the way you are practicing. Your practice should satisfy your dissatisfied mind while providing solutions to the problems of everyday life. If it doesn’t, check carefully to see what you really understand about your religious practice.
The wise master themselves ~ Buddha Shakyamuni
Buddha ShakyamuniIrrigators channel waters;
fletchers straighten arrows;
carpenters shape wood;
the wise master themselves.
Like gold hidden in its matrix ~ 4th Shechen Gyaltsab
4th Shechen GyaltsabYou might ask: ‟If the nature of buddhahood is in me, why can’t I perceive it right away?” It is because, like gold hidden in its matrix, that nature is hidden by the tendencies we have accumulated since time immemorial, tendencies that have themselves been created by mental poisons and then reinforced by the actions that those disturbances have produced.
Determination to be free of samsara ~ Kalu Rinpoche
Kalu RinpocheBe ever mindful of the shortcomings of desire’s rewards, and know that all the phenomena of the cycle of existence are never still, like the ripples on a pond, and that these manifestations of delusion, which are no things in themselves, are like magic and dreams. When you have the determination to be free of samsara and are content with your material situation, you will be able to sit quietly with your mind happy and at ease.
Never once aware ~ Ajahn Chah
Ajahn ChahThere are people who are born and die and never once are aware of their breath going in and out of their body. That’s how far away they live from themselves.
Nowness and tradition ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaWe need to find the link between our traditions and our present experience of life. Nowness, or the magic of the present moment, is what joins the wisdom of the past with the present. When you appreciate a painting or a piece of music or a work of literature, no matter when it was created, you appreciate it now. You experience the same nowness in which it was created. It is always now.
Clarity ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheMy teachers described the clear light of mind as self-illuminating – like the flame of a candle, which is both a source of illumination and illumination itself. Clarity is part of the mind from the beginning, a natural awareness. You can’t develop it the way, for instance, you develop muscles through physical exercise. The only thing you have to do is acknowledge it, simply notice the fact that you’re aware.
Products and parts ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheWhen any two components or more come together, a new phenomenon emerges – nails and wood become a table; water and leaves become tea; fear, devotion, and a savior become God. This end product doesnt have an existence independent of its parts.
True happiness is based on peace ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat HanhMany people think of excitement as happiness. They are thinking of something, or expecting something that they consider to be happiness, and for them, that is already happiness. But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.
The ultimate authority ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaThe ultimate authority must always rest with the individual’s own reason and critical analysis.
Begin the training sequence with yourself ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheWe should think like this: ‘May all the torments destined for me in the future, the heat and cold of the hells and the hunger and thirst of the famished spirits, come to me now. And may all the karma, obscuration and defilement causing beings to fall into an infernal destiny sink into my heart so that I myself might go to hell instead of them. May the suffering of others, the fruit, as the teachings say, of their desire and ignorance, come to me.’ We should train ourselves like this again and again until we have such signs as that of Maitriyogin, who was wounded in the place where the stone had hit the dog.
Bodhichitta, the mind of enlightenment, is the heart of all the practices of the Sutra and Mantrayana, and it is easy to implement. If one has it, everything is complete, and nothing is complete without it. At this present time, you are receiving many teachings on mind—training from different teachers. Keep them in your hearts! When they are translated, I hope that you will understand and remember them. For this is indeed the Dharma.
We are completely crazy ~ Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Lama Zopa RinpocheFrom morning to night we do everything with the self-cherishing mind. Inside the house, outside the house, getting dressed, walking around, talking to people, working, eating, seeing things, shopping, going to bed—we do everything with self-cherishing.
Even though everything we do is motivated by the wish to obtain temporal happiness and avoid temporal problems, in fact, everything we do creates the cause of greater, continual suffering in the future. For countless previous lifetimes we’ve been carrying on like this, perpetuating the cycle of suffering, living fulltime with the thought of the eight worldly dharmas.
Unless we can break this cycle we will continue like this, doing the same thing on and on endlessly, because we’re using entirely the wrong methods to deal with our immediate worldly problems. We’re forever creating the causes for much greater suffering for ourselves. Really, we are crazy; completely crazy.
Avoiding criticism ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaWe should not say bad things about anyone, whether or not they are bodhisattvas. It is not the same thing, however, if we know that pointing out someone’s mistakes will help them to change. Generally speaking, since it is not easy to change another person, we should avoid criticism. Other people do not like to hear it and, further, laying out their faults will create problems and troubles for us. We who are supposed to be practicing the dharma should be trying to do whatever brings happiness to ourselves and others. Since faultfinding does not bring any benefit, we should carefully avoid it.
[…]
If we really want to help someone, perhaps we can say something once in a pleasant way so that the person can readily understand, “Oh yes, this is something I need to change.” However, it is better not to repeat our comments, because if we keep mentioning faults, not only will it not truly help, it will disturb others to no good effect. Therefore not mentioning the faults of others is the practice of bodhisattvas.
Gazing at the uncontrived sameness of every experience ~ Longchenpa
LongchenpaWe should cast aside all childish games that fetter and exhaust body, speech and mind; and stretching out in inconceivable nonaction, in the unstructured matrix, the actuality of emptiness, where the natural perfection of reality lies, we should gaze at the uncontrived sameness of every experience, all conditioning and ambition resolved with finality.