The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself.
There is no enlightenment outside of daily life.
You are not an observer, you are a participant.
We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves. And we’ll also have a lot more joy in living.
Life is a miracle, and being aware of simply this can already make us very happy.
When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight.
Most of us experience a life full of wonderful moments and difficult moments. But for many of us, even when we are most joyful, there is fear behind our joy.
People sacrifice the present for the future. But life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and the now.
In order to heal others, we first need to heal ourselves. And to heal ourselves, we need to know how to deal with ourselves.
Only the present moment contains life.
The raft is used to cross the river. It isn’t to be carried around on your shoulders. The finger which points at the moon isn’t the moon itself.
Harm no person, animal, plant or mineral.
Only your compassion and your loving kindness are invincible, and without limit.
The most important thing is that we need to be understood. We need someone to be able to listen to us and to understand us. Then we will suffer less.
You cannot transmit wisdom and insight to another person. The seed is already there. A good teacher touches the seed, allowing it to wake up, to sprout, and to grow.
When we change our daily lives – the way we think, speak and act – we change the world.
The more compassionate you are, the more generous you can be. The more generous you are, the move loving friendliness you cultivate to help the world.
Deep listening is the kind of listening that can help relieve the suffering of another person. You can call it compassionate listening. You listen with only one purpose: to help him or her to empty his heart.
We need to be aware of the suffering, but retain our clarity, calmness and strength so we can help transform the situation.
We may think of peace as the absence of war, that if the great powers would reduce their weapons arsenals, we could have peace. But if we look deeply into the weapons, we will see our own minds – our own prejudices, fears, and ignorance.