Tenzin Palmo Quotes

Many people are benefiting beings, but from a dharma point of view, if you are a dharma practitioner, then the first priority is to get yourself together.

We've been human countless times and done everything you can imagine. So we've been planting all these negative seeds, and they're going to come up.

We have met with the dharma. Many of us have met with teachers. We do have some idea of what to do and how to practice. And we should not be lazy.

You think you're enlightened. But as my lama said, when you realize the intrinsic nature of the mind, then you start to meditate. It's not the end, it's the beginning.

We are educated. We can think. We have the freedom to think.

We do have the precious opportunity of this human life.

It's unlikely that you were a frog in a past life.

Obviously the dharma is every breath we take, every thought we think, every word we speak, if we do it with awareness and an open, caring heart.

If you've made a lot of negative seeds, and not a lot of positive seeds, even though you meet with the dharma, you're going to have problems.

I don't think I've changed anything, but I hope that by my talks I have encouraged people in their practice. That's as much as any of us can do.

A realized being would not be making any fresh karma because karma is very much connected to the ego but would still be receiving the results of past karma.

To be enlightened doesn't mean you end up stupefied and unable to function.

Since I was a small child, I'd believed we were inherently perfect, and that we had to keep coming back again and again until we recognized our innate perfection.

Our relative being is what rules our relative world.

Tibetans are great with meritorious practices.

We don't always need to be sitting at the foot of the teacher, but from time to time we need someone who can overview us and give us direction.

Why do some people, when they want to practice, keep coming against problems and difficulties, and obstacles - inner obstacles and outer obstacles? It's because of the lack of merit.

From the point of view of the relative world, merit is very important.

There are certain teachers who shouldn't be teachers.

A lot of people with the purest motivation end up getting completely burned out. And that's because they lack the wisdom and the skill and the inner space.

When I was in retreat I just did my meditation sessions and, in-between, reading and things I had to do.

I think if you really start practicing, the energy comes. I was always very happy and grateful for the opportunity to have the time, solitude and good health to be able to do it.

To want not to want, you'll tie yourself in knots. So this is why the Tibetans always say, just relax the mind and open.

The real spiritual power is enabling beings to realize the nature of the mind. That's the power of Buddha activity.

Basically, I feel to spend the rest of my life doing retreat.

There is a basic problem that a lot of Western monks and nuns become ordained without really understanding or appreciating what the monastic life is all about.

Monastic life cuts off the distractions and emotional entanglements one becomes involved in, in the lay life.

People talk over and over about bodhichitta, but so often their heart is quite cold.

I don't know why I got reborn as a female. Maybe in my past life I had some sympathy or something for women, but I certainly wasn't a female last time.

Forget about realizing shunyata and going on the different bhumis and all this. Just stay in the moment, stay aware, be kind and try to improve your mind.

When I look back I feel very grateful.

At the age of 21 I was so sensible and became a nun. I am very grateful to myself for that.

In Dharma practice, the most important thing is to be very sincere.

If you just follow your inner calling, then you just go ahead.

We're not making up merit scores for ourselves. We're making up merit scores so that we can be reborn in a situation where we can really live to benefit ourselves and others.

We're not lowly sinners, we're not worthless beings. We are something jewel-like and beautiful.

We're always given the message that our potential is so limited, which is so sad. Actually, our potential is infinite.

The nature of the mind is completely incredible.

If you lose interest in the dharma, then you might be reborn in a place where you are unlikely to meet with the dharma. And then you're completely off the path.

If you're born in the higher realms, then it's too pleasant, and you don't have any incentive to practice. If you're born in the lower realms, you don't have any opportunity to practice.

A dog, however nice he is, and sweet-tempered, doesn't have much of a range of options. A human being does.

Until time and space exist... I vow to come back for the benefit of other beings.

I think it's a meritorious action to become a monk, provided that your motivation is pure.

There is a tremendous rise now in feminine awareness and wishing for equality, equal opportunities.

You have to recharge your batteries.

The Buddha said that samsara by its nature is painful. He didn't say it was a joyride.

Yes, times are not good, but when were times good? This is samsara.

Why are we sitting? Why are we practicing? Why are we doing anything? It's not so I can be happy. It's so I can embody the dharma in order to benefit other beings.

For so many centuries women have been suppressed and regarded as inferior. And that of course is not right at all, that we all have buddha-nature - so what's the difference?

Women are fully capable of doing everything.