Tenzin Palmo Quotes

We’re normally caught up in the current of our thinking, feelings and emotions. With awareness, we can observe it all without being swept away. This gives us access to something much vaster and deeper than our usual compressed minds. All of us can access this. It’s not so difficult. With some instruction and practice, anybody can do it.

I think it’s crucial to recognize that we are so fortunate to have this human birth where we can practice what we want, pick up and not just read books but actually understand them. This level of education is very rare throughout history, so we shouldn’t take it for granted.

When we read history we find that in all ages people have thought, this is the dark age.

Try to develop some genuine love and compassion, some real caring for others.

There are wars, there’s pestilence, there are plagues, there is corruption in religious circles, corruption in the government, when was it not?

Ultimately there is light and love and intelligence in this universe. And we are it, we carry that within us, it’s not just something out there, it is within us and this is what we are trying to re-connect with, our original light and love and intelligence, which is who we are, so do not get so distracted by all this other stuff, you know, really remember what we are here on this planet for.

It’s interesting that in those countries like Taiwan or Korea, where nuns are given equal opportunities for study and practice, they also develop great social awareness.

All of the external circumstances and the rude and difficult people we meet, instead of getting angry, upset, or frustrated, we see that we can take them all and use them on the path in a way that actually invigorates and strengthens us, rather than defeats us. It’s all very practical advice, and that’s why I talk a lot about how to make our daily life into Dharma practice, otherwise it’s easy to feel hopeless and helpless.

It’s interesting to see people’s projections because one lives very much in the world of projections.

There are many wonderfully qualified teachers out there, but that doesn’t mean that each teacher is suitable to the same person, anymore than people fall in love with the same person.

The world is full of incredible people who are embodiments of compassion. Some of them have a spiritual path; some of them don’t.

I think the problem with Western students is they’re very ambitious.