In looking for my mind, I discovered that it seems to be in many different places. Sometimes it is drinking a glass of water, remembering swimming in the summer, feeling the breeze. In this contemplation I observed that the self is more elusive than I thought.
The bones and tendons of the mind are mindfulness and awareness. Mindfulness is the mind’s strength, and awareness is its flexibility. Without these abilities, we cannot function. When we drink a glass of water, drive a car, or have a conversation, we are using mindfulness and awareness.
We can’t hire out our own inner work, but we can do the manual labor with delight and decency.
Every moment of our life is important.
You need to eat well, sleep well, and have a roof over your head, but don’t go much further than that before extending yourself to others.
When we are using this term ‘basic goodness,’ we are talking about our inherent completeness.
Karma moves in two directions. If we act virtuously, the seed we plant will result in happiness. If we act non-virtuously, suffering results.
Caring for others is the basis of worldly success.
Shambhala existed in Tibet and has been continued over the years, and now it is in the West. At its core, it is very much dedicated to the basic theme of benefiting others.
There are no boundaries-only possibilities.
Being fooled into trying to make things work out for ‘me’ is called samsara.
It is said that if our intention is to help others-even if we are unable to follow it through-we will never have any regret. Regret is a result of trying to make “me” happy.
The first thing you have to do is acknowledge the basic and fundamental goodness of all beings. If you don’t, then you are going to have conflict. That’s at the core of Shambhala.
The wise are balanced, and the foolish are extreme.
I would say courage first; then wisdom, which is a sense of knowledge and confidence; and also the wish and desire to uplift. The underlying notion is “How do I help?” That attitude really is a spiritual journey and a path.
Our mind is always subject to being distracted by thoughts of what happened in the past and ideas of what could happen in the future, but the living experience is what is happening NOW.
The nature of our mind may be displayed in many ways, but Ashe is the fundamental basis.
When we are certain that the way to accomplish our own wishes is to help others, we have no regrets.
I think there is a tendency for people to become more isolated as they move along a spiritual path. With more development, people get more isolated. Also, as they have more wealth, they get more isolated.
As a leader, you have the choice to determine what you are going to do and how you are going to engage others. You can decide to act compassionately regardless of what the weather is – whether it is cloudy or sunny – or whether things are inspirational or not.