When you begin to notice the damage that emotions can do, awareness develops. When you have awareness — for example, if you know that you are on the edge of a cliff — you understand the dangers before you. You can still go ahead and do as you were doing; walking on a cliff with awareness is not so frightening anymore, in fact it is thrilling. The real source of fear is not knowing. Awareness doesn’t prevent you from living, it makes living that much fuller.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

from the book What Makes You Not a Buddhist

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Further quotes from the book What Makes You Not a Buddhist:

• The cup that holds the teachings
• Enlightened beings may seem insane
• Happily ever after
• The habit of self
• Clinging to our hopes and fears
• Today is the death of yesterday
• Appreciating the whole cycle of impermanence
• The real enemy
• Nonviolence
• Like moths to the flame
• A simple, scientific fact
• Enjoying the bliss of ignorance
• The Self
• Like medicines
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• Your own ignorance betrays you
• Like monkeys
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• Emptiness