In the material world, there are limitations. We always want more, but in the spiritual world, just a short prayer and you're infinitely content.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.
By Dalai Lama
One great question underlies our experience, whether we think about it or not: what is the purpose of life? From the moment of birth every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affects this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness
By Dalai Lama
All conditioned things are impermanent. Work out your own salvation with diligence
By Buddha
When an evil-man, seeing you practise goodness, comes and maticiously insults you, you should patiently endure it and not feel angry with him, for the evil-man is insulting himself by trying to insult you.
By Buddha
We really have to understand the person we want to love. If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love. If we only think of ourselves, if we know only our own needs and ignore the needs of the other person, we cannot love.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
When a man is out of sight, it is not too long before he is out of mind
By Thomas Kempis
you believe in — it's a sophisticated system of psychology that you use and practice and live.
By Unknown
All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.
By Buddha
Purity and simplicity are the two wings with which man soars above the earth and all temporary nature.
By Thomas Kempis
Because we all share an identical need for love, it is possible to feel that anybody we meet, in whatever circumstances, is a brother or sister. No matter how new the face or how different the dress and behavior, there is no significant division between us and other people. It is foolish to dwell on external differences, because our basic natures are the same.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Do not confuse peace of mind with spaced-out insensitivity. A truly peaceful mind is very sensitive, very aware.
By Tenzin Gyatso
The purpose of all the major religious traditions is not to construct big temples on the outside, but to create temples of goodness and compassion inside, in our hearts.
By Dalai Lama XIV
The tongue like a sharp knife... Kills without drawing blood.
By Buddha
The essence of love and compassion is understanding, the ability to recognize the physical, material, and psychological suffering of others, to put ourselves "inside the skin" of the other. We "go inside" their body, feelings, and mental formations, and witness for ourselves their suffering. Shallow observation as an outsider is not enough to see their suffering. We must become one with the subject of our observation. When we are in contact with another's suffering, a feeling of compassion is born in us. Compassion means, literally, "to suffer with."
By Thich Nhat Hanh
It is human beings that we conflict with, so special emphasis should be placed on developing compassion for them.
By Tenzin Gyatso
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.
By Buddha
To be kind, honest and have positive thoughts; to forgive those who harm us and treat everyone as a friend; to help those who are suffering and never to consider ourselves superior to anyone else: even if this advice seems rather simplistic, make the effort of seeing whether by following it you can find greater happiness.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.
By Buddha
There is something good in all seeming failures. You are not to see that now. Time will reveal it. Be patient.
By Swami Sivananda
Hard times build determination and inner strength. Through them we can also come to appreciate the uselessness of anger. Instead of getting angry nurture a deep caring and respect for troublemakers because by creating such trying circumstances they provide us with invaluable opportunities to practice tolerance and patience.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
By Buddha
It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come
By Dalai Lama
Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
By Lao Tzu
We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Just as a bird takes its wings with it wherever it flies, so the monk takes his robes and bowl with him wherever he goes.
By Buddha
All the problems of the world - child labor, corruption - are symptoms of a spiritual disease: lack of compassion.
By Tenzin Gyatso
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
By Buddha
People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong...Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
By Buddha
Buddha's full teachings dispel the pain of world existance and self-orientated peace; May they flourish, spreading prosperity and happiness throughout this spacious World.
By Undecided
Your own pain is involuntary; you feel overwhelmed and have no control. When feeling the pain of others, there is an element of discomfort, but there also is a level of stability because you are voluntarily accepting pain. It gives you a sense of confidence.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.
By Dalai Lama
A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching.
By Swami Sivananda
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
By Buddha
I believe if we human beings keep our self-confidence and determination and use wisdom properly, I think we have the ability to overcome problems.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.
By Buddha
A further sign of health is that we don't become undone by fear and trembling, but we take it as a message that it's time to stop struggling and look directly at what's threatening us.
By Pema Chodron
Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.
By Buddha
Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighbouring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free. True peace with oneself and with the world around us can only be achieved through the development of mental peace. The other phenomena mentioned above are similarly interrelated. Thus, for example, we see that a clean environment, wealth or democracy mean little in the face of war, especially nuclear war, and that material development is not sufficient to ensure human happiness.
By Tenzin Gyatso
It is not enough to be compassionate, we must act.
By Dalai Lama XIV
It is divinity that shapes, not only your ends, but also your acts, your words and thoughts
By Swami Sivananda
Whether our action is wholesome or unwholesome depends on whether that action or deed arises from a disciplined or undisciplined state of mind. It is felt that a disciplined mind leads to happiness and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering, and in fact it is said that bringing about discipline within one's mind is the essence of the Buddha's teaching.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Those who have passions are never able to preceive the Way; for it is like stirring up clear water with hands; people may come there wishing to find a reflection of their faces, which, however, they will never see. A mind troubled and vexed with the passions is impure, and on that account it never sees the Way. O monks, do away with passions. When the dirt of passion is removed the Way will manifest itself.
By Buddha
Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.
By Dalai Lama XIV
First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others.
By Thomas Kempis
It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.
By Buddha
Love is a fleeting emotion, to reach true nirvana one must know themselves and forsake love, for it breeds contempt
By Buddha
Whether one is rich or poor, educated or illiterate, religious or nonbelieving, man or woman, black, white, or brown, we are all the same. Physically, emotionally, and mentally, we are all equal. We all share basic needs for food, shelter, safety, and love. We all aspire to happiness and we all shun suffering. Each of us has hopes, worries, fears, and dreams. Each of us wants the best for our family and loved ones. We all experience pain when we suffer loss and joy when we achieve what we seek. On this fundamental level, religion, ethnicity, culture, and language make no difference.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Because we all share
an identical need for love,
it is possible to feel that
anybody we meet,
in whatever circumstances,
is a brother or sister.
By Dalai Lama XIV
A truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave negatively or hurt you.
By Dalai Lama XIV
We must be diligent today. To wait until tomorrow is too late.
Death comes unexpectedly. How can we bargain with it?
By Buddha
With realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's ability, one can build a better world.
By Dalai Lama
Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.
By Buddha
The real spiritual progress of the aspirant is measured by the extent to which he achieves inner tranquility.
By Swami Sivananda
It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others
By Dalai Lama XIV
There is no miserable place waiting for you, no hell realm, sitting and waiting like Alaska -- waiting to turn you into ice cream. But whatever you call it -- hell or the suffering realms -- it is something that you enter by creating a world of neurotic fantasy and believing it to be real. It sounds simple, but that's exactly what happens.
By Lama Yeshe
Occasions do not make a man either strong or weak but they show what he is
By Thomas Kempis
Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two.
By Buddha
Good is to practice the Way and to follow the truth. Great is the heart that is in accord with the Way.
By Buddha
When we come into contact with the other person, our thoughts and actions should express our mind of compassion, even if that person says and does things that are not easy to accept. We practice in this way until we see clearly that our love is not contingent upon the other person being lovable.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Activate yourself to duty by remembering your position, who you are, and what you have obliged yourself to be.
By Unknown
FIRST keep thyself in peace, and then shalt thou be able to be a peacemaker towards others. A peaceable man doth more good than a well-learned. A passionate man turneth even good into evil and easily believeth evil; a good, peaceable man converteth all things into good. He who dwelleth in peace is suspicious of none, but he who is discontented and restless is tossed with many suspicions, and is neither quiet himself nor suffereth others to be quiet. He often saith what he ought not to say, and omitteth what it were more expedient for him to do. He considereth to what duties others are bound, and neglecteth those to which he is bound himself. Therefore be zealous first over thyself, and then mayest thou righteously be zealous concerning thy neighbour.
By Thomas Kempis
On life's journey Faith is nourishment,
Virtuous deeds are a shelter,
Wisdom is the light by day and Right mindfulness is the protection by night.
If a man lives a pure life nothing can destroy him;
If he has conquered greed nothing can limit his freedom.
By Buddha
The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.
By Buddha
In dealing with those who are undergoing great suffering, if you feel "burnout" setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective.
By Dalai Lama
You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.
By Buddha
In addition to wreaking havoc on our bodies, anger close our inner door, making us feel isolated and distrustful, hindering communication.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures.
By Dalai Lama XIV
One of the basic points is kindness. With kindness, with love and compassion, with his feeling that is the essence of brotherhood, sisterhood, one will have inner peace. This compassionate feeling is the basis of inner peace.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.
By Buddha
I don't know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.
By Dalai Lama XIV
But because many endeavor to get knowledge rather than to live well, they are often deceived and reap little or no benefit from their labor.
By Thomas Kempis
I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.
By Dalai Lama
The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital and artistic of human actions.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it
By Dalai Lama
If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasures of the world are an alluring mirage! Like the apparent distances in a picture, things have no reality in themselves, but they are like heat haze.
By Buddha
Buddha's full teachings dispel the pain of worldly existence and self-oriented peace; may they flourish, spreading prosperity and happiness throughout this spacious world.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
By Buddha
Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.
By Buddha
Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.
By Dalai Lama XIV
If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.
By Dalai Lama XIV
When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways--either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible. We all wish for world peace, but world peace will never be acheived unless we first establish peace within our own minds. We can send so-called 'peacekeeping forces' into areas of conflict, but peace cannot be oppossed from the outside with guns. Only by creating peace within our own mind and helping others to do the same can we hope to achieve peace in this world.
By Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
When we start out on a spiritual path we often have ideals we think we're supposed to live up to. We feel we're supposed to be better than we are in some way. But with this practice you take yourself completely as you are. Then ironically, taking in pain - breathing it in for yourself and all others in the same boat as you are - heightens your awareness of exactly where you're stuck.
By Pema Chodron
Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.
By Buddha
Human beings are of such nature that they should have not only material facilities but spiritual sustenance as well. Without spiritual sustenance, it is difficult to get and maintain peace of mind.
By Dalai Lama
Those who are pure in heart and single in purpose are able to understand the most supreme Way. It is like polishing a mirror, which becomes bright when the dust is removed. Remove your passions, and have no hankering, and the past will be revealed to you.
By Buddha
Smiling is very important. If we are not able to smile, then the world will not have peace. It is not by going out for a demonstration against nuclear missiles that we can bring about peace. It is with our capacity of smiling, breathing, and being peace that we can make peace.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Human use, population, and technology have reached that certain stage where mother Earth no longer accepts our presence with silence.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Sleep is the best meditation.
By Dalai Lama
The deep root of failure in our lives is to think, 'Oh how useless and powerless I am.' It is essential to think strongly and forcefully, 'I can do it,' without boasting or fretting.
By Tenzin Gyatso
A wider of more altruistic attitude is very relevant in today's world. If we look at the situation from various angles, such as the complexity and inter-connectedness of the nature of modern existence, then we will gradually notice a change in our outlook, so that when we say 'others' and when we think of others, we will no longer dismiss them as something that is irrelevant to us. We will no longer feel indifferent.
By Dalai Lama
The various features and aspects of human life, such as longevity, good health, success, happiness, and so forth, which we consider desirable, are all dependent on kindness and a good heart.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
Follow the three R's:
- Respect for self.
- Respect for others.
- Responsibility for all your actions.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Spend some time alone everyday.
Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
Be gentle with the earth.
Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Intelligence must follow faith, never precede it, and never destroy it
By Thomas Kempis
I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultiv
By Dalai Lama
We discover that all human beings are just like us, so we are able to relate to them more easily. That generates a spirit of friendship in which there is less need to hide what we feel or what we are doing.
By Dalai Lama XIV
It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them.
By Dalai Lama
Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.
By Buddha
Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis
on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without
rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment.
Only this moment is life.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
As human beings we all want to be happy and free from misery.
We have learned that the key to happiness is inner peace.
The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as
anger and attachment, fear and suspicion,
while love and compassion, a sense of universal responsibility
are the sources of peace and happiness.
By Dalai Lama
Live your daily life in a way that you never lose yourself. When you are carried away with your worries, fears, cravings, anger, and desire, you run away from yourself and you lose yourself. The practice is always to go back to oneself.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Go beyond science, into the region of metaphysics. Real religion is beyond argument. It can only be lived both inwardly and outwardly.
By Swami Sivananda
Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.
By Dalai Lama
Change doesn't come from the sky. It comes from human action
By Tenzin Gyatso
Life is short. Time is fleeting. Realize the Self. Purity of the heart is the gateway to God. Aspire. Renounce. Meditate. Be good; do good. Be kind; be compassionate. Inquire, know Thyself.
By Swami Sivananda
Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize.
By Swami Sivananda
The virtues, like the Muses, are always seen in groups. A good principle was never found solitary in any breast.
By Buddha
Life without a purpose is a languid, drifting thing; every day we ought to review our purpose, saying to ourselves, 'This day let me make a sound beginning, for what we have hitherto done is naught
By Thomas Kempis
Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine.
By Buddha
Give up salt, give up sugar, give up spices, give up vegetables, give up chutnies, give up tamarind. Serve Bhangis, serve rogues, serve inferiors, remove faecal matter. Do not revenge, resist not evil, return good for evil, bear insult and injury. Forget like a child any injury done by somebody immediately. Never keep it in the heart. It kindles hatred.
By Swami Sivananda
You have to accept reality. This has helped me come closer to reality.
By Tenzin Gyatso
I always tell my Western friends that it is best to keep your own tradition. Changing religion is not easy and sometimes causes confusion. You must value your tradition and honor your own religion.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.
By Dalai Lama XIV
He who loves with purity considers not the gift of the lover, but the love of the giver
By Thomas Kempis
If a man who has committed many sins, does not repent and purify his heart of evil, retribution will come upon his person as sure as the streams runs into the ocean which becomes ever deeper and wider. If a man who has committed sins, come to the knowledge of it, reforms himself, and practises goodness, the force of retribution will gradually exhaust itself as a disease gradually loses its baneful influence when the patient perspires.
By Buddha
Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.
By Buddha
A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion, does not act as if it is real, so he escapes the suffering.
By Buddha
There can be no peace as long as there is grinding poverty, social injustice, inequality, oppression, environmental degradation, and as long as the weak and small continue to be trodden by the mighty and powerful
By Tenzin Gyatso
Do not brood over your past mistakes and failures as this will only fill your mind with grief, regret and depression. Do not repeat them in the future.
By Swami Sivananda
I believe deeply that we must find, all of us together, a new spirituality.
By Dalai Lama
Develop the mind of equilibrium.
You will always be getting praise and blame,
but do not let either affect the poise of the mind:
follow the calmness, the absence of pride.
By Sutta Nipata
So if we love someone, we should train in being able to listen. By listening with calm and understanding, we can ease the suffering of another person. [True Love. A Practice for Awakening the Heart.]
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Anger or hatred is like a fisherman's hook. It is very important for us to ensure that we are not caught by it.
By Dalai Lama XIV
If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Who provides the opportunity to cultivate patience? Not our friends. Our enemies give us the most crucial chances to grow.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
By Buddha
Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life
By Dalai Lama
Love is the capacity to take care, to protect, to nourish. If you are not capable of generatng that kind of energy toward yourself- if you are not capable of taking care of yourself, of nourishing yourself, of protecting yourself- it is very difficult to take care of another person. In the Buddhist teaching, it's clear that to love oneself is the foundation of the love of other people. Love is a practice. Love is truly a practice. [Shambhala Sun March 2006 ]
By Thich Nhat Hanh
There is only one important point you must keep in your mind and let it be your guide. No matter what people call you, you are just who you are. Keep to this truth. You must ask yourself how is it you want to live your life. We live and we die, this is the truth that we can only face alone. No one can help us, not even the Buddha. So consider carefully, what prevents you from living the way you want to live your life?
By Dalai Lama XIV
It is much safer to obey than to rule
By Thomas Kempis
There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.
By Buddha
Forget like a child any injury done by somebody immediately. Never keep it in the heart. It kindles hatred.
By Swami Sivananda
If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Our ancestors viewed the earth as rich and bountiful, which it is.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.
By Dalai Lama XIV
The very purpose of religion is to control yourself, not to criticize others. Rather, we must criticize ourselves. How much am I doing about my anger? About my attachment, about my hatred, about my pride, my jealousy? These are the things which we must check in daily life.
By Dalai Lama
A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it
By Dogen
Without the way , there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; without the life, there is no living.
By Thomas Kempis
I have no rest, but in a nook, with the Book
By Unknown
Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering - an image of death.
By Buddha
A good motivation is what is needed: compassion without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their human rights and dignities. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities.
By Dalai Lama XIV
If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way.
By Buddha
Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.
By Buddha
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.
By Buddha
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
By Buddha
All the Buddhas of all the ages have been telling you a very simple fact: Be - don't try to become. Within these two words, be and becoming, your whole life is contained. Being is enlightenment, becoming is ignorance.
By OSHO
On a long journey of human life, faith is the best of companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey; and it is the greatest property.
By Buddha
Great tranquility of heart is his who cares for neither praise not blame.
By Thomas Kempis
The way to change others' minds is with affection, and not anger.
By Dalai Lama XIV
We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.
By Dalai Lama
If we were able to maintain a calm and peaceful mind all day long, we would never experience any problems or mental suffering. If our mind remains peaceful all the time, then even if we are insulted, criticised or blamed or if we lose our job or our friends, we shall not become unhappy.
No matter how difficult the situation may become, for as long as we maintain a calm and peaceful mind the situation will not be a problem for us, there if we wish to be free from problems there is only one thing to do - learn to maintain a peaceful state of mind by practicing dharma sincerely and purely
By Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.
By Dalai Lama
If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.
By Dalai Lama XIV
The motivation of all religious practice is similar:
love, sincerity, honesty.
The way of life
of practically all religious persons
is consistent.
The teachings
of tolerance, love, and compassion
are the same.
By Dalai Lama XIV
It is important not to have the unrealistic expectation that we will find a magic key to help get rid of all suffering. It takes determination, patience, and more than one week.
By Tenzin Gyatso
A bodhisattva is someone who has compassion within himself or herself and who is able to make another person smile or help someone suffer less. Every one of us is capable of this.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
It is better to feed a good man than one hundred bad men.
By Buddha
The whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion, patience, tolerance, humility, forgiveness.
By Dalai Lama
Our enemies provide us with a precious opportunity to practice patience and love. We should have gratitude toward them.
By Tenzin Gyatso
And once we have the condition of peace and joy in us, we can afford to be in any situation. Even in the situation of hell, we will be able to contribute our peace and serenity. The most important thing is for each of us to have some freedom in our hearts.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
When something
needs to be done in the world
to rectify the wrongs,
if one is really concerned
with benefiting others,
one needs to be
engaged, involved.
This is action out of compassion.
By Dalai Lama XIV
All men commend patience, although few are willing to practice it
By Thomas Kempis
Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself. Your body and mind will become clear and you will realize the unity of all things.
By Dogen
There is pleasure when a sore is scratched, But to be without sores is more pleasurable still. Just so, there are pleasures in worldly desires, But to be without desires is more pleasurable still.
By Nagarjuna
The enemy is the necessary condition for practicing patience.
By Dalai Lama XIV
The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes.
By Pema Chodron
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
By Buddha
When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space.
By Pema Chodron
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
By Buddha
If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive without it.
By Dalai Lama
There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.
By Buddha
One problem with our current society is that we have an attitude towards education as if it is there to simply make you more clever, make you more ingenious... Even though our society does not emphasize this, the most important use of knowledge and education is to help us understand the importance of engaging in more wholesome actions and bringing about discipline within our minds. The proper utilization of our intelligence and knowledge is to effect changes from within to develop a good heart.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.
By Dalai Lama XIV
The logs of wood which move down the river together Are driven apart by every wave. Such inevitable parting Should not be the cause of misery
By Nagarjuna
Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend - or a meaningful day.
By Dalai Lama
If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.
By Dalai Lama XIV
All suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their own happiness or satisfaction
By Dalai Lama XIV
Understanding unity helps to solve humanity's biggest challenges. There is no such thing as an isolated problem. By injuring any part of the world's system, you injure yourself. There is no such thing as a win/lose situation.
Think of life on this planet in terms of systems and not detached elements. Broaden your field of vision and assimilate the knowledge you have. See that the environment does not belong to any single country to exploit and then disregard.
You cannot afford to think of your relationship with the earth as a one-night stand. There's no such thing as a free glass of milk. It's time to buy the cow.
By Za Rinpoche
Humility is not cowardice. Meekness is not weakness. Humility and meekness are indeed spiritual powers.
By Swami Sivananda
It is better to travel well than to arrive.
By Buddha
Life is a pilgrimage. The wise man does not rest by the roadside inns. He marches direct to the illimitable domain of eternal bliss, his ultimate destination
By Swami Sivananda
The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis.
By Dalai Lama
Be gentle first with yourself - if you wish to be gentle with others.
By Lama Yeshe
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.
By Dalai Lama
Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Neither from itself nor from another,
Nor from both,
Nor without a cause,
Does anything whatever, anywhere arise
By Nagarjuna
Non-violence means dialogue, using our language, the human language. Dialogue means compromise; respecting each other’s rights; in the spirit of reconciliation there is a real solution to conflict and disagreement. There is no hundred percent winner, no hundred percent loser—not that way but half-and-half. That is the practical way, the only way.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Compassionate action starts with seeing yourself when you start to make yourself right and when you start to make yourself wrong. At that point you could just contemplate the fact that there is a larger alternative to either of those, a more tender, shaky kind of place where you could live. - In the Gap Between Right and Wrong
By Pema Chodron
The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis.
By Dalai Lama
Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Crave for a thing, you will get it. Renounce the craving, the object will follow you by itself.
By Swami Sivananda
Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.
By Buddha
His success may be great, but be it ever so great the wheel of fortune may turn again and bring him down into the dust.
By Buddha
Once a man came unto me and denounced me on account of my observing the Way and practicing great loving-kindness. But I kept silent and did not answer him. The denunciation ceased. Then I asked him. 'If you bring a present to your neighbour and he accepts it not; does the present come back to you?' He replied, 'It will.' I said, 'You denounce me now, but as I accept it not, you must take the wrong deed back on your own person. It is like echo succeeding sound, it is like shadow following object; you never escape the effect of your own evil deeds. Be therefore mindful, and cease from doing evil.
By Buddha
Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. This is not just a dream, but a necessity.
By Dalai Lama XIV
The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis
By Dalai Lama XIV
From the scientific view, the theory of karma may be a metaphysical assumption -- but it is no more so than the assumption that all of life is material and originated out of pure chance
By Dalai Lama XIV
Self satisfaction alone cannot determine if a desire or action is positive or negative. The demarcation between a positive and a negative desire or action is not whether it gives you a immediate feeling of satisfaction, but whether it ultimately results in positive or negative consequences.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Grant your blessing so that my mind may become one with the Dharma.
By Dagpo Lha-je Gampopa
A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden.
By Buddha
A book has but one vioce, but it does not instruct everyone alike.
By Thomas Kempis
Evil-doers who denounce the wise resemble a person who spits against the sky; the spittle will never reach the sky; but comes down on himself.
By Buddha
People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes. All is a miracle.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
The time has come to think more wisely, hasn't it?
By Tenzin Gyatso
If you lose your temper, your sound sleep will go, and you will have to use a tranquilizer or sleeping pills… Then gradually, more white hair, wrinkles.
By Tenzin Gyatso
If an individual has a calm state of mind, that person's attitudes and views will be calm and tranquil even in the presence of great agitation.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.
By Buddha
Every human action, whether it has become positive or negative, must depend on motivation.
By Tenzin Gyatso
We live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality. We are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything. That is all.
By Kalu Rinpoche
Good men and bad men differ radically. Bad men never appreciate kindness shown them, but wise men appreciate and are grateful. Wise men try to express their appreciation and gratitude by some return of kindness, not only to their benefactor, but to everyone else.
By Buddha
Human beings are not intrinsically selfish, which isolates us from others. We are essentially social animals who depend on others to meet our needs. We achieve happiness, prosperity and progress through social interaction. Therefore, having a kind and helpful attitude contributes to our own and others' happiness.
By Dalai Lama
Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Right from the moment of our birth, we are under the care and kindness of our parents, and then later on in our life when we are oppressed by sickness and become old, we are again dependent on the kindness of others. Since at the beginning and end of our lives we are so dependent on other's kindness, how can it be in the middle that we would neglect kindness towards others?
By Dalai Lama
There are twenty difficult things to attain in this world:
1. It is hard for the poor to practice charity.
2. It is hard for the strong and rich to observe the Way.
3. It is hard to disregard life and go to certain death.
4. It is only a favoured few that get acquainted with a Buddhist sutra.
5. It is hard to be born in the age of the Buddha.
6. It is hard to conquer the passions, to suppress selfish desires.
7. It is hard not to hanker after that which is agreeable.
8. It is hard not to get into a passion when slighted.
9. It is hard not to abuse one's authority.
10. It is hard to be even-minded and simple hearted in all one's dealings with others.
11. It is hard to be thorough in learning and exhaustive in investigation.
12. It is hard to subdue selfish pride.
13. It is hard not to feel contempt toward the unlearned.
14. It is hard to be one in knowledge and practice.
15. It is hard not to express an opinion about others.
16. It is by rare opportunity that one is introduced to a true spiritual teacher.
17. It is hard to gain an insight into the nature of being and to practice the Way.
18. It is hard to follow the way of a saviour.
19. It is hard to be always the master of oneself.
20. It is hard to understand thoroughly the Ways of Buddha.
By Buddha
All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.
By Dalai Lama
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
By Buddha
Dangerous consequences will follow when politicians and rulers forget moral principles. Whether we believe in God or karma, ethics is the foundation of every religion.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Everyone wants happiness; nobody wants to suffer. Many problems around us are a mental projection of certain negative or unpleasant things. If we analyze our own mental attitude, we may find it quite unbearable. Therefore, a well-balanced mind is very useful and we should try and have a stable mental state.
By Dalai Lama
How seldom we weigh our neighbor in the same balance with ourselves
By Thomas Kempis
Desire is poverty. Desire is the greatest impurity of the mind. Desire is the motive force for action. Desire in the mind is the real impurity. Even a spark of desire is a very great evil.
By Swami Sivananda
A desire arises in the mind. It is satisfied immediately another comes. In the interval which separates two desires a perfect calm reigns in the mind. It is at this moment freed from all thought, love or hate. Complete peace equally reigns between two mental waves.
By Swami Sivananda
We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.
By Dalai Lama
I would not look upon anger as something foreign to me that I have to fight...I have to deal with my anger with care, with love, with tenderness, with nonviolence.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Personally I'm quite jovial with not much worry. I do my best, which is moderation, and failure doesn't matter.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Never in this world can hatred be stilled by hatred; it will be stilled by non-hatred - this is the law Eternal.
By Buddha
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
By Dalai Lama XIV
It is nature's law that rivers wind, trees grow wood, and, given the opportunity, women work iniquity.
By Buddha
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
By Buddha
The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Everything changes, nothing remains without change.
By Buddha
The true antidote to greed is contentment. If you have a strong sense of contentment, it doesn't matter whether you obtain the object of your desire or not. Either way, you are still content.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Meditation is painful in the beginning but it bestows immortal Bliss and supreme joy in the end
By Swami Sivananda
Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.
By Buddha
For those who may not find happiness to exercise religious faith, it's okay to remain a radical atheist, it's absolutely an individual right, but the important thing is with a compassionate heart -- then no problem.
By Dalai Lama
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
By Buddha
The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve.
By Buddha
Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.
By Buddha
We also often add to our pain and suffering by being overly sensitive, over-reacting to minor things, and sometimes taking things too personally.
By Tenzin Gyatso
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.
By Buddha
Anger is negative and it is better not to feel it.
By Dalai Lama
It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come.
By Dalai Lama
If you have only education and knowledge and a lack of the other side, then you may not be a happy person, but a person of mental unrest, of frustration. Not only that, but if you combine these two, your whole life will be a constructive and happy life. And certainly you can make immense benefit for society and the betterment of humanity. That is one of my fundamental beliefs: that a good heart, a warm heart, a compassionate heart, is still teachable.
By Dalai Lama XIV
