Whatever we attempt is a reflection of our inner thirst, which we hope to quench in all these external ways. What we are looking for lies within us, and if we gave out time and energy to an interior search, we would come across it much faster, since that is the only place where it is to be found.
Ayya KhemaIt is often thought that the Buddha's doctrine teaches us that suffering will disappear if one has meditated long enough, or if one sees everything differently. It is not that at all. Suffering isn't going to go away; the one who suffers is going to go away.
Ayya KhemaEventually we will find (mostly in retrospect, of course) that we can be very grateful to those people who have made life most difficult for us.
Ayya KhemaIf we want to be loved, we are looking for a support system. If we want to love, we are looking for spiritual growth.
Ayya KhemaIf we divide into two camps--even into violent and the nonviolent--and stand in one camp while attacking the other, the world will never have peace. We will always blame and condemn those we feel are responsible for wars and social injustice, without recognizing the degree of violence within ourselves. We must work on ourselves and also with those we condemn if we want to have a real impact.
Ayya Khema