When out of gratitude we use our candle to light other people’s candles, the whole room gets brighter. This is why we transfer merit to others. This kind of light is continuous and inexhaustible. —Master Sheng-Yen, “Rich Generosity”
When you analyze it, the motivation to ‘just feel good right now’ is really just indulging our desires. The motivation to immediately gratify desire is what has driven most of our actions throughout our beginningless sojourn in samsara—all it has…
When you dwell in stillness, the judging mind can come through like a foghorn. “I don’t like the pain in my knee… This is boring…I like this feeling of stillness; I had a good meditation yesterday, but today I’m having…
We must realize that modern civilization is thoroughly oriented towards dehumanizing humanity in every possible way; that is to say, we are fast turning into robots or statues with no human souls. Our task is to get humanized once more.…
Instead of giving up on those who cause harm, we need to realize that they are seeking happiness but don’t know how to find it. —Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, “Putting Down the Arrow”
Being is the source of love because learning to love means learning to be content with the life you have been given. Being fully present to what is—without judging or evaluating or wanting something different—is the most basic act of…
The best way to deal with excessive thinking is to just listen to it, to listen to the mind. Listening is much more effective than trying to stop thought or cut it off. – Ajahn Amaro, “Thought Like Dreams”
If you’ve ever had a lucid dream before, you may have an idea how this unique state of awareness can open up incredible opportunities for discovery, healing, and growth. The idea is not new: Tibetan Buddhists have practiced lucid dreaming…
If one desires to become a Buddhist, there is no initiation ceremony (or baptism) which one has to undergo….If one understands the Buddha’s teaching, and if one is convinced that this teaching is the right Path and if one tries…
Since the sense of self is the embodiment of the absence of awareness, forgetting to observe is inevitable as we try harder to be aware. The problem of how to be mindful is actually resolved not through strenuous effort but…