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Practice mindful awareness …    

• A truly peaceful mind is very sensitive, very aware.   
• Although it is difficult to pinpoint the physical base or location of awareness, it is perhaps the most precious thing concealed within our brains. And it is something that the individual alone can feel and experience. Each of us cherishes it highly, yet it is private.  
• Through awareness, you get a certain attitude. That’s the way, you see, to achieve more peaceful, more compassion, more friendship through that way.  

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… including self awareness    

• To be aware of a single shortcoming in oneself is more useful than to be aware of a thousand in someone else.  
• We must each lead a way of life with self-awareness and compassion, to do as much as we can. Then, whatever happens we will have no regrets.   

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Nurture a state of inner peace …    

• A truly peaceful mind is very sensitive, very aware.    
• Do not let the behaviour of others destroy your inner peace.  
• Inner peace is the key: if you have inner peace, the external problems do not affect your deep sense of peace and tranquility…without this inner peace, no matter how comfortable your life is materially, you may still be worried, disturbed, or unhappy because of circumstances.  
• Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.  

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… by creating a positive and calm state of mind …    

• A positive state of mind is not merely good for you, it benefits everyone with whom you come into contact, literally changing the world.  
• See the positive side, the potential, and make an effort.   
• 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.   
• What I believe, according to my own experience, is that a calm, peaceful mind is a very important element for sustaining the body in a balanced way.  
• Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.   

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… and by providing peace, love and compassion to others    

• If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.   
• It is important we cultivate love and compassion to all the sentient beings which is the way to bring peace to all.   
• 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.   
• Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and happiness we all seek.   
• World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.  

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Realise outer peace is impossible without inner peace    

• Without inner peace, it is impossible to have world peace.  
• We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.  

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Realise that anger is the ultimate destroyer of inner peace    

• Anger is the real destroyer of our good human qualities; an enemy with a weapon cannot destroy these qualities, but anger can. Anger is our real enemy.    
• Anger is the ultimate destroyer of your own peace of mind.  
• The true hero is one who conquers his own anger and hatred.  
• Anger or hatred is like a fisherman’s hook. It is very important for us to ensure that we are not caught by it.  
• The way to change others’ minds is with affection, and not anger.  

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Practice non-attachment    

• Most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities.   

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Practice tolerance    

• 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.  
• In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.   
• The enemy is the necessary condition for practicing patience.  
• Now there are many, many people in the world, but relatively few with whom we interact, and even fewer who cause us problems. So when you come across such a chance for practicing patience and tolerance, you should treat it with gratitude. It is rare. Just as having unexpectedly found a treasure in your own house, you should be happy and grateful toward your enemy for providing you that precious opportunity.   
• If you can cultivate the right attitude, your enemies are your best spiritual teachers because their presence provides you with the opportunity to enhance and develop tolerance, patience and understanding.  

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Find hope even in the darkest days    

• I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.   
• There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilised as a source of strength.’ No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.  

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Realise that difficult times can be a source of strength, meaning and growth …    

• There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’ No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.  
• Through difficult experiences, life sometimes becomes more meaningful.  
• The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one’s life.  
• When you lose, do not lose the lesson.   
• Hard times build determination and inner strength.  
• It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.  

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… depending on your attitude and response to them    

• Unfortunate events, though potentially a source for anger and despair, have equal potential to be a source of spiritual growth. Whether or not this is the outcome depends on our response.   
• I believe each human being has the potential to change, to transform one’s own attitude, no matter how difficult the situation.   
• It is very rare or almost impossible that an event can be negative from all points of view.  
• Instead of wondering WHY this is happening to you, consider why this is happening to YOU.  
• 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.  

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Realise there is never a valid reason to worry    

• 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.   

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Realise there are many paths to fulfilment and truth …    

• People take different roads seeking fulfilment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.  
• There are five billion human beings and in a certain way I think we need five billion different religions.  

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… and all religions have the same goal and potential    

• We can’t say that all religions are the same, different religions have different views and fundamental differences. But it does not matter, as all religions are meant to help in bringing about a better world with better and happier human beings. On this level, I think that through different philosophical explanations and approaches, all religions have the same goal and the same potential.    
• The whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion, patience, tolerance, humility, and forgiveness.  
• Every major religion has similar ideas of love, the same goal of benefiting through spiritual practice, and the same effect of making its followers into better human beings.  All religions teach moral precepts for perfecting the functions of the mind, body, and speech.  All teach us not to lie or steal or take others’ lives, and so on.  The common goal of all moral precepts laid down by the great teachers of humanity is unselfishness.  Those teachers wanted to lead their followers away from the paths of negative deeds caused by ignorance and to introduce them to paths of goodness.  All religions can learn from one another; their ultimate goal is to produce better human beings who will be more tolerant, more compassionate, and less selfish.   
• 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.  
• Every religion emphasizes human improvement, love, respect for others, sharing other people’s suffering. On these lines, every religion had more or less the same viewpoint and the same goal.   
• Whether we believe in God or karma, ethics is the foundation of every religion.  
• “Despite all philosophical differences, all major world religions have the same potential to create good human beings.  
• 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.  

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The essence of religion is about leading a good life, not about what you believe    

• 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.   
• 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.   
• Whether you believe in God or not does not matter much, whether you believe in Buddha or not does not matter so much; as a Buddhist, whether you believe in reincarnation or not does not matter so much. You must lead a good life.  
• The essence of any religion is good heart. Sometimes I call love and compassion a universal religion. This is my religion.  
• I always try to share with others the idea that in order to become compassionate it is not necessary to become religious.  
• Love and Compassion are the true religions to me. But to develop this, we do not need to believe in any religion.  

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Avoid negative competition    

• There is competition, but it is used in a good way. It is positive to want to go first, provided the intention is to pave the way for others, make their path more easy, help them, or show the way. Competition is negative when we wish to defeat others, to bring them down in order to lift ourselves up.   
• The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self.  

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Combine knowledge with practice    

• It is necessary to combine knowledge born from study with sincere practice in our daily lives. These two must go together.   
• Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.  
• 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.  
• No matter what activity or practice we are pursuing, there isn’t anything that isn’t made easier through constant familiarity and training. Through training, we can change; we can transform ourselves.   

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Recognise the power of self-discipline    

• Self-discipline is crucial to a simpler, more contented life.  
• A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.  

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Recognise the power of a smile    

• If you want a genuine smile, then first we must produce the basis for a smile to come.    
• A genuine, affectionate smile is very important in our day-to-day lives.  

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Balance your material material progress with spiritual progress    

• One goal is material fulfilment, and the means for that is the creation of wealth. The second goal is the attainment of liberation, and the means for that is spiritual practice.    
• There should be a balance between material and spiritual progress, a balance achieved through the principles based on love and compassion.  

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Live a meaningful life    

• Given the scale of life in the cosmos, one human life is no more than a tiny blip. Each one of us is a just visitor to this planet, a guest, who will only stay for a limited time. What greater folly could there be than to spend this short time alone, unhappy or in conflict with our companions? Far better, surely, to use our short time here in living a meaningful life, enriched by our sense of connection with others and being of service to them.  

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Realise that all humans have the same needs    

• 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.  
• 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.  
• 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.  
• 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.  

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Resolve conflicts through open dialogue    

• The reality today is that we are all interdependent and have to co-exist on this small planet. Therefore, the only sensible and intelligent way of resolving differences and clashes of interests, whether between individuals or nations, is through dialogue.   
• 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.  
• Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways.  

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Always be mindful of your response to any situation or event    

• Someone else’s action should not determine your response.  
• Unfortunate events, though potentially a source for anger and despair, have equal potential to be a source of spiritual growth. Whether or not this is the outcome depends on our response.  
• Although you may not always be able to avoid difficult situations, you can modify the extent to which you can suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation.  

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Preserve and tend to the environment    

• Human use, population, and technology have reached that certain stage where mother Earth no longer accepts our presence with silence.  
• It is our collective and individual responsibility to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live.  
• 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.  
• The creatures that inhabit this earth–be they human beings or animals–are here to contribute, each in its own particular way, to the beauty and prosperity of the world.  
• 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.  

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Let science be guided by ethics    

• Unless the direction of science is guided by a consciously ethical motivation, especially compassion, its effects may fail to bring benefit. They may indeed cause great harm.  
• If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims.  

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Reflections on modern life    

• Man surprised me most about humanity. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.  
• We have bigger houses, but smaller families. More conveniences, but less time. We have knowledge, but less judgements; more experts, but more problems ; more medicines but less health.  

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More thoughts    

• I am open to the guidance of synchronicity, and do not let expectations hinder my path.  
• Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.   
• Once a year, go where you’ve never been before.    
• Once you have been bitten by a snake, you are very cautious of even a coiled rope.    
• Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.  
• Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.  
• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.   
• Spend some time alone every day.   
• The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.    
• Through money or power, you cannot solve all problems. The problem in the human heart must be solved first.   
• Ultimately the creator is one’s own mind.    
• As you breathe in, cherish yourself. As you breathe out, cherish all Beings.  
• A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals the secret of some hidden treasure.  
• I will not propose to you that my way is best. The decision is up to you. If you find some point which may be suitable to you, then you can carry out experiments for yourself. If you find that it is of no use, then you can discard it.  
• 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 an immediate feeling of satisfaction, but whether it ultimately results in positive or negative consequences.  
• All suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their own happiness or satisfaction.  
• True spirituality is a mental attitude you can practice at any time.  
• Silence is sometimes the best answer.  
• Let us try to recognize the precious nature of each day.  
• Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.  
• Happiness doesn’t always come from a pursuit. Sometimes it comes when we least expect it.  
• 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.   
• The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual’s own reason and critical analysis.  
• What we do and think in our own lives, then, becomes of extreme importance as it effects everything we’re connected to.  
• We must recognize that the suffering of one person or one nation is the suffering of humanity.  
• Historically, the East was more concerned with understanding the mind and the West was more involved in understanding matter.  
• We begin from the recognition that all beings cherish happiness and do not want suffering. It then becomes both morally wrong and pragmatically unwise to pursue only one’s own happiness oblivious to the feelings and aspirations of all others who surround us as members of the same human family. The wiser course is to think of others when pursuing our own happiness.  
• When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.  
• When we are able to recognize and forgive ignorant actions of the past, we gain strength to constructively solve the problems of the present.  
• True change is within; leave the outside as it is.  
• Sleep is the best meditation.  

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• Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.  
• When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.  
• Follow the three Rs:  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 friendship.  
• When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.  
• Spend some time alone every day.  
• Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.  
• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.  
• Live a good and honourable 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’s 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.   

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