In a speedy and aggressive culture, we need different principles to live by-bravery and insight. The first moment of bravery is building trust in the mind, which we do in meditation. When we know how to create peace in our own mind, we can transform the world.
When I was going into one of my first meditation retreats, I asked my father, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, for some advice. He said, “How you act when you’re alone affects the rest of your life.” Even in solitude, the ruler engages in virtue.
If we do not push ourselves enough, we do not grow, but if we push ourselves too much, we regress. What is enough will change, depending on where we are and what we are doing. In that sense, the present moment is always some kind of beginning.
Changing our decision sets up a bad habit. It reinforces decision-making as an expression of bewilderment and ignorance, instead of wisdom and freedom.
Many of us are slaves to our minds. Our own mind is our worst enemy. We try to focus, and our mind wanders off. We try to keep stress at bay, but anxiety keeps us awake at night. We try to be good to the people we love, but then we forget them and put ourselves first.
The principles of Buddhism and Shambhala can be effective in helping the course of what is happening in the world.
Each of us holds human destiny in our hands. It will be completely determined by how the mind feels about itself.
To protect this earth is to protect the very spirit of life.
What is really happening in meditation is that we are developing the ability to think when we want to, and to not think when we don’t want to.
A lot of people dabbling means Buddhism has come into the mainstream, where people begin to use these terms and ideas, and they become less foreign.
If you see life as an opportunity, or if you see helping others as an opportunity, then all of a sudden you become joyous. You want to go forward.
After you run, there’s a sense of accomplishment; you feel like your life is meaningful. It’s a moment of clarity.
The principles of Buddhism have become more commonplace, which is a good thing.
The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness.
I want people to know you can live a life that is less aggressive and still have success.
In Tibetan, we say people who have good windhorse have the sense they can accomplish what they want to do.
We live in a culture where information is becoming easier to access. Certain special practices have been kept very quiet and secret, and those traditions need to be respected. But there are a lot of teachings people can access that would benefit them greatly.
When people say that meditation makes them calm, they are often referring to this stability of the mind. A stable mind creates the foundation for a happier and more contented person.
If ruling our world stems from developing certainty in our sanity, how do we discover it? The Shambhala teachings instruct us to “put our mind of fearfulness in the cradle of loving-kindnes.”
Shambhala is a Buddhist tradition with its own unique view and approach.