The essence of any religion is good heart. Sometimes I call love and compassion a universal religion. This is my religion.

Anger cannot be overcome by anger. If someone is angry with you, and you show anger in return, the result is a disaster. On the other hand, if you control your anger and show its opposite - love, compassion, tolerance and patience - not only will you remain peaceful, but the other person's anger will also diminish.

I call myself a feminist. Isn't that what you call someone who fights for women's rights?

The fact that there is always a positive side to life is the one thing that gives me a lot of happiness.

We have made a great effort to maintain all levels of Buddhist education; it has helped us have a kind of renaissance, really.

We believe in self creation. That's why Buddhists believe in the Four Noble Truths.

One problem with our current society is that we have an attitude towards education as if it is there to simply make you more clever, make you more ingenious... Even though our society does not emphasize this, the most important use of knowledge and education is to help us understand the importance of engaging in more wholesome actions and bringing about discipline within our minds. The proper utilization of our intelligence and knowledge is to effect changes from within to develop a good heart.