“Be a smile, one part of wondrous existence. If I could not find peace in the midst of difficulty, I would never know real peace.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
“When pleasant things arise, understand that they are empty. When unpleasant things arise, understand that they shall pass.”
~ Ajahn Chah
“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. Simplify your life. Don’t waste the years struggling for things that are unimportant.”
~ Henry David Thoreau
“As I see it, there isn’t so much to do. Just be ordinary – put on your robes, eat your food, and pass the time doing nothing.”
~ Linji Yixuan (臨濟義玄)
“We are all alike, on the inside. There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside of the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy.”
~ Mark Twain
“The reality perceived by a fly, with its differently structured eyes and antennae, is totally different from the reality we perceive, but it is equally valid from the fly’s point of view. The same applies to ant, elephant, or dolphin – each of their perceptions is valid. No one’s vision is better than anyone else’s.”
~ Tenzin Palmo
“If someone gives you a hard time, it is because they are suffering a hard time within themselves, and the suffering is spilling over. They do not need punishment; they need help. That’s the message they are sending.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
“Expressing yourself in a way direct and simple, without any fancy adjustment, is true communication. Although the best way to communicate may be just to sit without saying anything.”
~ Shunryu Suzuki
“Be still, and wait without hope. For hope would be hope for the wrong thing.”
~ T. S. Eliot
“Say yes to your karma and whatever unfolds. It takes courage to accept your life fully. Courage is the fundamental openness, which makes room for all the pain, irony, mystery, and joy that life provides.”
~ Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
“The things that contribute to life’s comfort, take them when they’re there, but not to require them when they’re absent. Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all in your way of thinking.”
~ Marcus Aurelius
“Never forget how swiftly this life will be over, like a flash of summer lightning or the wave of a hand. Now that you have the opportunity to practice dharma, do not waste a single moment on anything else.”
~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
“Wherever you are, whatever you do, be in love. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along. I have no companion but love, no beginning, no end.”
~ Rumi
“You can fall in love with the universe, with the general situation. At that point, there is no reference to anyone or anything. It is just being in love, developing some kind of appetite for the world, appreciating everything as workable and lovable.”
~ Chögyam Trungpa
