You Make My Earth Quake

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is

In mindfulness one is not only restful and happy, but alert and awake. Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality

Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again

When our beliefs are based on our own direct experience of reality and not on notions offered by others, no one can remove these beliefs from us

I am determined to practice deep listening. I am determined to practice loving speech

Attachment to views is the greatest impediment to the spiritual path

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today

Happiness does not come from consumption of things

Our notions about happiness entrap us. We forget that they are just ideas. Our idea of happiness can prevent us from actually being happy. We fail to see the opportunity for joy that is right in front of us when we are caught in a belief that happiness should take a particular form.

Many people think excitement is happiness…. But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future

We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize

May our heart’s garden of awakening bloom with hundreds of flowers

As long as you find something beautiful, good, and true to believe in and abide by, you have the equivalent of God in your life.

You have to learn how to help a wounded child while still practicing mindful breathing. You should not allow yourself to get lost in action. Action should be meditation at the same time.

We have to continue to learn. We have to be open. And we have to be ready to release our knowledge in order to come to a higher understanding of reality

Freedom is not given to us by anyone; we have to cultivate it ourselves. It is a daily practice… No one can prevent you from being aware of each step you take or each breath in and breath out.

The Three Kinds of Pride are: (1) thinking I am better than the other(s); (2) thinking I am worse than the other(s); and (3) thinking I am just as good as the other(s).

A human being is like a television set with millions of channels…. We cannot let just one channel dominate us. We have the seed of everything in us, and we have to recover our own sovereignty

Your true home is in the here and the now

To love without knowing how to love wounds the person we love.

There is no enlightenment outside of daily life.

Being rich is an obstacle to loving. When you are rich, you want to continue to be rich, and so you end up devoting all your time, all your energy, in your daily life to stay rich

Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature

Guarding knowledge is not a good way to understand. Understanding means to throw away your knowledge

We will not just say, “I love him very much,” but instead, “I will do something so that he will suffer less.” The mind of compassion is truly present when it is effective in removing another person’s suffering.

We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive

The fact is that when you make the other suffer, he will try to find relief by making you suffer more. The result is an escalation of suffering on both sides

When you stop ruminating about what has already happened, when you stop worrying about what might never happen, then you will be in the present moment

Worrying is worthless.

The future is not even here yet. Plan for it, but do not waste your time worrying about it.

Learn from it and let it go

It will seem to be speeding past you. The past is finished.

You will have missed the feel, the aroma, the delicacy and beauty of life

f you are not fully present, you will look around and it will be gone

You will look down at the cup, and the tea will be gone

Only in the present, can you savor the aroma, taste the sweetness, appreciate the delicacy

Only in the awareness of the present, can your hands feel the pleasant warmth of the cup

You must be completely awake in the present to enjoy the tea

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed

It is possible to live twenty-four hours a day in a state of love. Every movement, every glance, every thought, and every word can be infused with love.

If we do not know how to take care of ourselves and to love ourselves, we cannot take care of the people we love. Loving oneself is the foundation for loving another person

Only the present moment contains life

I would not look upon anger as something foreign to me that I have to fight… I have to deal with my anger with care, with love, with tenderness, with nonviolence

To live in the present moment is a miracle. The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now

Do not avoid contact with suffering or close your eyes before suffering. Do not lose awareness of the existence of suffering in the life of the world. Find ways to be with those who are suffering by all means, including personal contact and visits, images, sounds. By such means, …awaken yourself and others to the reality of suffering in the world. If we get in touch with the suffering of the world, and are moved by that suffering, we may come forward to help the people who are suffering

If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people

In true love, you attain freedom

The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life

To dwell in the here and now does not mean you never think about the past or responsibly plan for the future. The idea is simply not to allow yourself to get lost in regrets about the past or worries about the future. If you are firmly grounded in the present moment, the past can be an object of inquiry, the object of your mindfulness and concentration. You can attain many insights by looking into the past. But you are still grounded in the present moment

When we walk like (we are rushing), we print anxiety and sorrow on the earth. We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on the earth… Be aware of the contact between your feet and the earth. Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet

Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. Every breath we take, every step we take, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work

When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight

It is said that God has created man in his own image. But it may be that humankind has created God in the image of humankind

It is my conviction that there is no way to peace – peace is the way

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge

If you suffer and make your loved ones suffer, there is nothing that can justify your desire.

The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself.

The wave does not need to die to become water. She is already water

Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos — the trees, the clouds, everything.

Compassion is a verb

If you love someone, the greatest gift you can give them is your presence

I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that is given me to live.

Life is available only in the present moment.

For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.

We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness

Our own life has to be our message.

My actions are my only true belongings

If you love someone but rarely make yourself available to him or her, that is not true love

Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment

You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free

Smile, breathe and go slowly.

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

Feelings come and go clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar

To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet