It's not the magnitude of the task that matters, it's the magnitude of our courage. Matthieu Ricard More Quotes by Matthieu Ricard More Quotes From Matthieu Ricard True freedom means freeing oneself from the dictates of the ego and its accompanying emotions. Matthieu Ricard buddhism ego mean we find that the optimists have an undeniable advantage over the pessimists. Many studies show that they do better on exams, in their chosen profession, and in their relationships, live longer and in better health, enjoy a better chance of surviving postoperative shock, and are less prone to depression and suicide. Matthieu Ricard study chance suicide No change occurs if we just let our habitual tendencies and automatic patterns of thought perpetuate and even reinforce themselves, thought after thought, day after day, year after year. But those tendencies and patterns can be challenged. Matthieu Ricard patterns mindfulness years Mind training is based on the idea that two opposite mental factors cannot happen at the same time. You could go from love to hate. But you cannot, at the same time - toward the same object, the same person - want to harm and want to do good. Matthieu Ricard hate opposites ideas Isn't it the mind that translates the outer condition into happiness and suffering? Matthieu Ricard translate suffering mind Envy and jealousy stem from the fundamental inability to rejoice at someone else's happiness or success Matthieu Ricard envy buddhism suffering Although the optimist may be a little giddy when foreseeing the future, telling himself that it will all work out in the end when that isn't always the case, his attitude is more fruitful since, in the hope of undertaking a hundred projects, followed up by diligent action, the optimist will end up completing fifty. Conversely, in limiting himself to undertake a mere ten, the pessimist might complete five at best and often fewer, since he'll devote little energy to a task he feels to be doomed from the start. Matthieu Ricard work-out energy attitude We must distinguish between spirituality in general terms, which aims to make us better people, and religion. Adopting a religion remains optional, but becoming a better human being is essential. Matthieu Ricard becoming essentials people Empathy is the faculty to resonate with the feelings of others. When we meet someone who is joyful, we smile. When we witness someone in pain, we suffer in resonance with his or her suffering. Matthieu Ricard empathy pain feelings Negative emotions like hatred destroy our peace of mind. Matthieu Ricard hatred mind negative We deal with our mind from morning until evening. This mind can be our best friend or our worst enemy. We should do everything we can to improve outer circumstances - remedying poverty, inequalities, conflicts, and so on - while also doing our best to achieve a state of mind that give us the inner resources to deal with the ups and downs of life. Matthieu Ricard worst-enemy morning giving When you see a Tibetan doctor taking care of a patient, first of all, of course there are many wonderful medicines that come from [there in the past] 2,000 years. But this doctor is usually so attentional, so kind, and so careful of what you really feel and then [he sees] you as a human being instead of running you through some quick tests. So that itself, the trust and confidence in someone that cares for you is of course so invigorating... that someone cares. Matthieu Ricard doctors running past Wisdom and compassion should become the dominating influences that guide our thoughts , our words, and our actions. Matthieu Ricard our-actions our-words compassion The way you experience [pain] can change so much depending on your attitude. Matthieu Ricard pain attitude way There is no such thing as good and bad in an absolute sense. There is only the good and bad- the harm in terms of happiness and suffering- that our thoughts and our actions do to ourselves and others. Matthieu Ricard our-actions ethics suffering Happiness is a state of inner fulfillment. Matthieu Ricard wellness states yoga Authentic happiness is not linked to an activity, it is a state of being. Matthieu Ricard authentic-happiness activity states Authentic happiness is not linked to an activity; it is a state of being, a profound emotional balance struck by a subtle understanding of how the mind functions. Matthieu Ricard emotional happiness profound If there is a remedy or a cure, a solution to a problem or difficulty, why worry? Matthieu Ricard cures problem worry I don't often get into a bad mood, since it does not help anything and clouds my judgment, but I can certainly see that sometimes things go terribly wrong. We need to understand the reasons for this and work towards building new conditions that will bring about better circumstances. Matthieu Ricard doe clouds needs