Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/31/2014

"If we do not push ourselves enough, we do not grow, but if we push ourselves too much, we regress. What is enough will change, depending on where we are and what we are doing. In that sense, the present moment is always some kind of beginning."

~Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/30/2014

"True happiness is always available to us, but first we have to create the environment for it to flourish."

~Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/29/2014

"It seems we all agree that training the body through exercise, diet, and relaxation is a good idea, but why don't we think about training our mind?"

~Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/25/2014

"Like gravity, karma is so basic we often don't even notice it."

~Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/24/2014

"Whatever we do lays a seed in our deepest consciousness, and one day that seed will grow."

~Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/23/2014

"It is said that if our intention is to help others--even if we are unable to follow it through--we will never have any regret. Regret is a result of trying to make "me" happy."

~Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/22/2014

"If ruling our world stems from developing certainty in our sanity, how do we discover it? The Shambhala teachings instruct us to "put our mind of fearfulness in the cradle of loving-kindness."

~Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/20/2014

"When we are certain that the way to accomplish our own wishes is to help others, we have no regrets."

~Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/17/2014

"When we protect ourselves so we won't feel pain, that protection becomes like armor, like armor that imprisons the softness of of the heart."

~Pema Chödrön

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/16/2014

"We are like children building a sand castle. We embellish it with beautiful shells, bits of driftwood, and pieces of colored glass. The castle is ours, off limits to others. We're willing to attack if others threaten to hurt it. Yet despite all our attachment, we know that the tide will inevitably come in and sweep the sand castle away. The trick is to enjoy it fully but without clinging, and when the time comes, let it dissolve back into the sea."

~Pema Chödrön

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/13/2014

"Without giving up hope-that there's somewhere better to be, that there's someone better to be-we will never relax with where we are or who we are."

~Pema Chödrön

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/12/2014

"Trying to run away is never the answer to being a fully human. Running away from the immediacy of our experience is like preferring death to life."

~Pema Chödrön

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/11/2014

"The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently."

~Pema Chödrön

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/10/2014

"The very first noble truth of the Buddha points out that suffering is inevitable for human beings as long as we believe that things last-that they don't disintegrate, that they can be counted on to satisfy our hunger for security."

~Pema Chödrön

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/9/2014

"The first noble truth of the Buddha is that when we feel suffering, it doesn't mean that something is wrong. What a relief. Finally somebody told the truth. Suffering is part of life, and we don't have to feel it's happening because we personally made the wrong move. In reality, however, when we feel suffering, we think that something is wrong. As long as we're addicted to hope, we feel that we can tone our experience down or liven it up or change it somehow, and we continue to suffer a lot."

~Pema Chödrön

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/8/2014

"The real thing that we renounce is the tenacious hope that we could be saved from being who we are."

~Pema Chödrön

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/5/2014

"Whether one is rich or poor, educated or illiterate, religious or nonbelieving, man or woman, black, white, or brown, we are all the same. Physically, emotionally, and mentally, we are all equal. We all share basic needs for food, shelter, safety, and love. We all aspire to happiness and we all shun suffering. Each of us has hopes, worries, fears, and dreams. Each of us wants the best for our family and loved ones. We all experience pain when we suffer loss and joy when we achieve what we seek. On this fundamental level, religion, ethnicity, culture, and language make no difference."

~Dalai Lama XIV

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/4/2014

"Whether our action is wholesome or unwholesome depends on whether that action or deed arises from a disciplined or undisciplined state of mind. It is felt that a disciplined mind leads to happiness and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering, and in fact it is said that bringing about discipline within one's mind is the essence of the Buddha's teaching."

~Dalai Lama XIV

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 1/1/2014

"Now there are many, many people in the world, but relatively few with whom we interact, and even fewer who cause us problems. So when you come across such a chance for practicing patience and tolerance, you should treat it with gratitude. It is rare. Just as having unexpectedly found a treasure in your own house, you should be happy and grateful toward your enemy for providing you that precious opportunity. Because if you are ever to be successful in your practice of patience and tolerance, which are critical factors in counteracting negative emotions, it is due to your own efforts and also the opportunity provided by your enemy."

~Dalai Lama XIV

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