The less we waste the breath, the more still it becomes, and the more we grow calm.
It is this calm, inner breath that we can transmute into something blissful.
As we relax into it, we discover a kind of pure energy that has great value or potential.
To make this discovery can lead us to a new source of meaning and can produce tremendous positive feelings.
Footsteps on the Diamond Path Volume I-III.
The ability to sustain a positive attitude is essential to having a meaningful life.
Don’t cheat yourself by saying “Oh, I can never do those things. I’m not that kind of person.
I can’t do it.”
Cheating yourself is far worse than being cheated by others.
Others, may cheat you several times, but you can cheat yourself a whole lifetime!
Crystal Mirror IV
So, at this time, when man has the power to completely destroy the earth, it is especially important to develop whatever is beautiful, beneficial, and meaningful, and to practice compassion.
Tibetan Meditation
Being honest at the times we usually resort to manipulation is not easy.
We may even wonder if being honest is the intelligent thing to do, since revealing our true perceptions exposes us to the rejection of others and may even make our work more difficult.
Truth has an open, bright, naked quality that we are unaccustomed to confronting directly, and which can be unsettling both to ourselves and to those around us.
But although we may find ourselves stripped of some of our working tools if we give up manipulation, we will soon find much more effective tools: honesty, clear communication, confidence in our abilities, and strength in our beliefs and convictions.
Skillful Means
Cherishing beauty is the secret key to opening the heart.
Mandala Gardens
In some ways, each of us lives in a private world.
The people you meet do not know what you are thinking, nor can they sense in a direct or obvious way the good wishes you are sending their way.
That does not matter.
Just resolve to share your own sense of enjoyment and well-being with all beings, known and unknown alike.
Wish for them everything positive, whatever form it may take:
radiant light,
soothing breezes,
positive thoughts,
delightful tastes,
infectious laughter,
inspiring music,
or beautiful sights.
As you think of them, let waves of energy expand in all directions, each one carrying your intention of being of benefit.
Dimensions of Mind
In this technological age, we are encouraged to believe that science will provide a better life for us and for our children, curing our ills and expanding knowledge.
Confidence in science has gradually eroded faith in older forms of knowledge related to spiritual well-being, as if there were no room in the human heart for both.
Have we gained the miracles of technology and modern medicine, only to lose contact with a deeper dimension of knowledge?
When we are unable to trust in knowledge that embraces spiritual as well as physical needs, we cut ourselves off from all that gives experience brightness and meaning.
Life tends to become flat and dull, our actions driven by habit.
Within today’s most advanced societies, we see symptoms of a deep discomfort that indicate the needs of our inner being are not being addressed.
Gesar, Summer 1992
What I learned from the example of my teachers is that the work is worth it.
We can strive to see this world through new eyes.
We can learn to recognize in our own existence a precious opportunity to do some good.
Most of all, we can learn to leave a legacy.
I think this is what “transmission” ultimately means:
A sense of depth fearlessly plumbed, discipline joyfully embraced, and the capacity to share what we have learned.
This is our legacy.
This is what we will leave behind.
Thoughts on Transmission
In moments of wonder and great humility, human beings through the ages have felt a different awareness emerge naturally within the more familiar ways of viewing themselves and their world.
Perhaps many of us have known quiet moments when time seemed to stand still, and for a brief interval ordinary preoccupations faded into an overpowering appreciation of everything that is.
Knowledge of Freedom
If you cultivate joy and meaning in your life, you move easily into a relaxed way of being.
Your spirit is light and open to pure and luminous energy.
Past, present and future do not catch you up in their momentum, and there is no need to hold on to whatever was the case before.
You, too, can be part of the stream of kindness and love, finding your own quiet way to be heroic in the face of the challenges you encounter.
Gesture of Great Love