Buddhist Quotes
One should never become devoted to a teacher, any more than one should become devoted to a statue of a god. There is only one thing to be devoted to, and that is your mind.
Once in a while, you will see someone really drippy. The person has to stare at the teacher all the time with that devoted and disgusting and sick look. It's boring, misplaced devotionalism.
The hallmark of a person who is following the pathway to enlightenment is that they bring excellence into everything, no matter how crappy they feel.
There is no such thing as spiritual achievement; it is simply an awareness intrinsic to all of life.
The teacher has nothing to do with people who use their mental powers to block the enlightenment of others. These people lack control. What can you teach someone who lacks control?
Do not envy others. If someone gets a larger piece of cake, be happy for them. They'll get fat and you'll stay thin.
How do you become enlightened? Have fun, meditate, don't take yourself too seriously, brush between incarnations and have a good teacher.
Some people like a harsh teacher. They feel the demands make them learn more quickly. Some like a gentle teacher because they feel that makes them learn more quickly.
Flaky devotionalism, bowing and scraping and sucking up to the teacher is very phony. It is counterproductive to enlightenment and spiritual development. What is necessary is mutual respect.
The more moral you pretend to be, the less moral you are; the less moral you try to be, the more moral you are.
Studying with a teacher doesn't simply mean going to an occasional seminar or Zen retreat. It means fully applying yourself to what the teacher says, most of which is not verbal.
If one thinks of an enlightened person in a negative way, as it hits their aura, it returns very strongly.
There is enough room in eternity for everyone to be enlightened. We gain or lose nothing by the success of others.
If you become obsessive in spiritual practice, if you just try and try, you are not going to be happy. You are going to be obsessive.
Can you control your anger, lust, frustrations, and jealousies? Those are the only people worthy of the higher teachings. By worthy, I mean that they are the only ones capable of it.
People over-focus on teachers as an excuse to avoid their own life, and that way they fail to take responsibility for themselves. They have this feeling that the teacher will just take care of them.
Emotional control is essential for attaining higher levels of mind. The thing that the teacher looks for in a student is the degree of self-control, not coldness that someone has.
You need to have the humility to accept your limitations as long as they're there, and have the humility to accept their end when that time comes.
As a student of enlightenment your attitude should not be to become enlightened. It should be to learn.
Love makes you wise. Love unites. Pain divides. Hate divides even more. Hate separates and brings us down to a very physical plane. Love elevates us to a plane of spirit.
You have to come to the world of enlightenment with open hands, not clinched fists, without an agenda.
An enlightened teacher simply expresses enlightenment in their life by living. It is the student's job to gain the teachings. The teacher's job is just to be perfectly enlightened.
In America people have this funny idea about enlightenment and money. Money expresses a level of commitment. Studying enlightenment is like going to a university.
Without balance and wisdom, power becomes very destructive. It creates unhappiness and not happiness. To simply see a teacher to gain power is a mistake.
You are a part of everything. You are like the guys in the bar and that gal on the corner with the red dress. We are a little bit of everyone. Let's not get too fancy here.
Faithfulness, faith, all of the words that so few people live, you must live. Only then are you worthy of immortality.
You must be accommodating with your teacher. You must have a sense of humor about your teacher and the impossible things they ask you to do.
The purpose of enlightenment is certainly not the teacher, nor is it you. It doesn't have a purpose. Enlightenment simply exists.
Those who practice deserve your respect. If you respect them, you respect yourself. It's easy to be critical, but it does no good. What's important is to be supportive of all who practice.
Select companions who are striving for enlightenment. They all have their imperfections, certainly, but at least their attention is moving in the right direction.
Your mantrum is the awareness of the dream - to enjoy and appreciate and have gratitude for all; neither to condemn nor to liberate, but to observe.
If you are going to set out to develop mystical powers to impress your friends and do other things to your enemies, the difficulty with it is that you will not be moving towards enlightenment.
People want to will their self realization. They want to know what the right thing to do all the time is. There is no right thing. There's no code. There are certain basic recommendations.
Do not feel that you are destined to enlightenment in this life. You have no idea. This is an illusion of selfhood. It's gross ignorance and egotism.
Do not feel that you are destined not to make that final liberation in this life. This is egotism in a reverse form. Don't be concerned one way or the other.
Self-hate doesn't create enlightenment. It just causes you to not enjoy the current moment.
Put the mind in alignment with the ten thousand radiances of enlightenment and experience them in various gradations forever. That's the total purpose of a monk.
Don't care what anybody says about enlightenment, except the enlightened and those who seek it.
It's considered very, very bad karma, if I can cut to the chase, to take power from a teacher and not use it for something very positive.
Humility simply means that you do a great job at everything and it isn't really a big deal.
Spiritual dignity says that I don't have to compete with anyone; I don't have to do what my friends do. All I have to do is be myself and be dignified in my meditation and my lifestyle.
I have a great deal of spiritual dignity. It's on loan from eternity, and you do too, and we have to use it in our relationship with each other.
Career success means making enough money to lead the kind of life you would like to lead as a practicing Buddhist.