Obviously being relaxed doesn't mean that you make no effort. Tenzin Palmo More Quotes by Tenzin Palmo More Quotes From Tenzin Palmo In the early '60s there was very little reliable information on Tibetan Buddhism. I was living in London and I had joined the Buddhist Society. For the most part, people there were either interested in Theravada or Zen Buddhism. There was almost no one into Tibetan Buddhism at that time. Tenzin Palmo buddhist buddhism people My body is not good for prostrations. Tenzin Palmo prostration body There is a basic problem that a lot of Western monks and nuns become ordained without really understanding or appreciating what the monastic life is all about. Tenzin Palmo appreciate understanding problem In a monastic setting, if someone doesn't want to obey the rules and just wants to live the way they've always lived as a lay person, then why did they become ordained? They have no sense that they have to give something up to gain so much. Tenzin Palmo want giving way Look at your own potential. Don't overestimate your capabilities and push too hard, or underestimate them and use that as an excuse to be lazy. Tenzin Palmo lazy use looks With sincerity from the depths of your heart to do the best you can, just keep going and don't worry too much that you're not Milarepa or Rechungpa. Tenzin Palmo depth worry heart At one time I thought that if I could really understand renunciation and bodhichitta from the depths of my heart, then, for this lifetime that would be enough. Tenzin Palmo depth would-be heart People talk over and over about bodhichitta, but so often their heart is quite cold. Tenzin Palmo cold heart people Basically, I feel to spend the rest of my life doing retreat. Tenzin Palmo retreat feels In one way I would like to teach, but I have no qualifications to teach Westerners. Tenzin Palmo qualifications teach way I really don't know what I could teach and don't really plan to teach. Tenzin Palmo teach plans knows The Dharma is a very, very special and precious thing. The more you practice it, the more you will realize this. Tenzin Palmo realizing practice special Keep your practice very simple and don't be too ambitious. Tenzin Palmo ambitious simple practice Don't be thinking that this lama over there is giving better teachings or that this lama over here is giving more secret initiations. Leave that. Just keep the practice very simple, try to stay in the moment and try to stay mindful. Tenzin Palmo simple teaching thinking In Dharma practice, the most important thing is to be very sincere. Tenzin Palmo sincere important practice It's not a matter of how much you know or can define, or how many millions of mantras or thousands of prostrations you have done, or how many months of wangs you've attended. The important thing is whether or not the mind is really changing, whether our negative emotions are really coming under control, whether we are really beginning to understand ourselves, whether our mind is really improving, and whether in our hearts there is genuine love and caring for other people. Tenzin Palmo genuine-love caring heart Even if the hermits do not appear to benefit other beings with their presence or teachings, still they are enormously inspiring to many. Perhaps, in this lifetime, they were meant to work on their own practice, to try to purify their own mindstream so that in future lifetimes (that will last a lot longer than this one), they will be fit vessels to give the teachings to others. Tenzin Palmo teaching practice giving Forget about realizing shunyata and going on the different bhumis and all this. Just stay in the moment, stay aware, be kind and try to improve your mind. Tenzin Palmo different mind trying Joining the Sangha and renouncing worldly life is necessary in order to devote your whole life and all your energies toward the Dharma. Tenzin Palmo worldly-life energy order Monastic life cuts off the distractions and emotional entanglements one becomes involved in, in the lay life. Tenzin Palmo distraction cutting emotional
