When the teachings say we need to reduce our fascination with the things of this life, it does not

mean that we should abandon them completely. It means avoiding the natural tendency to go from elation to depression in reaction to lifes ups and downs, jumping for joy when you have some success, or wanting to jump out the window if you do not get what you want. Being less concerned about the affairs of this life means assuming its ups and downs with a broad and stable mind. FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA, TENZIN GYATSO (b. 1936)

Desire is the source of suffering both in this life and the next. Like moths drawn to the lovely candlelight that destroys them, people are attracted to the pleasing sound of flattery, enticed by the aroma of tobacco, the taste of meat, a lovers soft touch, and the caress of silken robes. Thus people are deceived and destroy the path to their own freedom. Lured by the sweet sound of a lute, the deer is shot with poisoned arrows; the bee is drawn by the perfume of the flower and is ensnared in its petals; the fish is caught on the hook, unable to resist the taste of the bait; and the elephant, craving contact with its mate, perishes in the quicksand. Beings are enticed by the objects of the senses and are constantly bound up with them. JIGME LINGPA (1729-1798), Commentary by Kangyur Rinpoche

if one were to summarize the Buddhas teaching in one word, we would have to say that it is universal interdependence, of which nonviolence is a natural consequence. Since we are all dependent on each other and all other beings want to be happy and not suffer, just as I do, my personal happiness and suffering are inextricably linked with those of others. This nonviolence does not mean weakness or passivity. It is the deliberate choice of altruism in all our thoughts and actions, so that it becomes inconceivable to knowingly harm others. FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA, TENZIN GYATSO (b. 1936)

A beautiful object has no intrinsic quality that is good for the mind, nor an ugly object any intrinsic power to harm it. Beautiful and ugly are just projections of the mind. The ability to cause happiness or suffering is not a property of the outer object itself. For example, the sight of a particular individual can cause happiness to one person and suffering to another. It is the mind that attributes such qualities to the perceived object. DILGO KHYENTSE RINPOCHE (1910-1991)

Once you have understood the union of emptiness and the dependent arising of phenomena, you will see clearly how deluded and deceiving the ways of the world really are, and, like an old man forced to play childrens games, you will find them very tiresome. When you have realized the utter foolishness of spending your life attached to friends and scheming to subdue your enemies and competitors, you will find it tedious. Once you have been struck by the pointlessness of letting yourself be forever influenced and conditioned by your habitual tendencies, you will become sick of it. . . . That will inspire you to strive towards liberationand by striving for it, you will attain it. DILGO KHYENTSE RINPOCHE (1910-1991)

When we think continually about I! I! I! and only talk about ourselves, we considerably reduce the size of the world that we want to be ours. The events that occur in the narrow sphere of selfishness affect us deeply and will certainly disturb our inner peace. The situation is very different when we feel primarily concerned with others and bear in mind that they are so numerous that, in comparison, our own personal concerns are negligible. If on top of that our desire is to remove their

suffering, we will not get discouraged. It will give us more courage and determination, in contrast to self-pity, which depresses us and reduces our courage. FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA, TENZIN GYATSO (b. 1936)

Just as a little salta few fractions of a measurecan make a small amount of water taste salty but cannot change a huge river like the Ganges, know that, in the same way, even a small negative action can harm someone whose positive deeds are weak but cannot harm anyone who has frequently performed immensely positive actions, vast in scope. So we should try to perform powerful positive actions repeatedly on a vast scale. KANGYUR RINPOCHE (1897-1975)

The mind is malleable: it is capable of change. So we need to learn to see how we can transform it. We need to identify the ways to achieve that transformation and put them into action. Samsara, the circle of existences, and nirvana, the state beyond it, are not like geographical locations far from one another. They are two states of mind. Samsara is a deviation from knowledge, a distorted vision of reality that makes the mind the slave of negative emotions, while nirvana is a state of inner freedom, free of any conceptual and emotional obstacles. FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA, TENZIN GYATSO (B. 1936)

When your realization of the emptiness of all phenomena becomes as vast as the sky, your confidence in the law of causality of actions will grow proportionately, and you will become aware of the real significance of your conduct. In fact, relative truth is inseparable from absolute truth. The profound realization of the empty nature of all things has never led anyone to believe that positive actions do not create happiness and negative actions do not cause suffering.

DILGO KHYENTSE RINPOCHE (1910-1991)

Beings long to free themselves from misery, But misery itself they race to catch. They long for joy, but in their ignorance, Destroy it, as they would a hated enemy. SHANTIDEVA (685-763)

The life of beings rushes by like a mountain waterfall! [] Do not waste the favorable conditions and freedoms that you have been granted; Do not let your life be spent in vain! PATRUL RINPOCHE

In the beginning, you should be pursued by the fear of birth and death, like a deer escaping from a trap. In the middle, you should have nothing to regret, even if you die at this moment, like a peasant who has worked his land with care. In the end, you should be happy, like someone who has completed an immense task. . . . The most important thing to know is that there is no time to lose, as if an arrow had hit a vital spot in your body. GAMPOPA (1079-1153)

When comes the time to carry The load of life through deaths door, One can take neither relatives, friends, Servants, nor possessions. Attached mind is instinctual mind: Abandon attachment. SEVENTH DALAI LAMA, KELSANG GYATSO (1708-1757)

This life passes as quickly as autumn clouds; Family and friends are like passers-by in a market; The demon of death approaches like twilights shadows; What the future holds is like a translucent fish in cloudy waters; Lifes experiences are like last nights

dreams; The pleasures of the senses, like an imaginary party. Meaningless activities are like waves lapping on the surface of the water. PADMASAMBHAVA (eighth century)

Whatever you dowalking, eating, sitting, and so forthabandon laziness, indolence, apathy, negligence, and distraction. Master the habitual patterns that make you resist any change in your body, speech, and mind, even in the most insignificant activities. Once you have embarked on the path of liberation, it is inappropriate to behave in an ordinary way: observe your mind all the time with vigilance and lucidity. If you have committed a negative act, regret it and promise never to do it again. Be glad if you have committed none. SHECHEN GYALTSAP (1871-1926)

When heat, moisture, and fertile soil come together, you do whatever you can to sow grain. When you discover a deposit of gold or silver, you do whatever you can to exploit it. When the crops are ready in autumn, you do whatever you can to harvest them. When you have an escort to accompany you on a dangerous path, you redouble your energy. When you have labor and assistants, you accomplish your tasks. Now that you have a precious human life free of all impediments and endowed with all favorable conditions, apply yourself unrelentingly to spiritual practice! SHECHEN GYALTSAP (1871-1926)

It may be that you become rich, But you will have a hard time being satisfied. Be able to cut the knot of greed. That is what really matters. MINLING TERCHEN GYURME DORJE (1646-1714)

The alternation of thoughts Of happiness and suffering, desire and aversion, Is nothing more than the play Of luminous emptiness and mind. Without altering whatever arises, Look at its nature, And you will perceive it as great bliss. MINLING TERCHEN GYURME DORJE (1646-1714)