I always tell people that religious institutions and political institutions should be separate. So while I'm telling people this, I myself continue with them combined. Hypocrisy!

We don’t need more money, we don’t need greater success or fame, we don’t need the perfect body or even the perfect mate-right now, at this very moment, we have a mind, which is all the basic equipment we need to achieve complete happiness.

I describe myself as a simple Buddhist monk. No more, no less.

There are techniques of Buddhism, such as meditation, that anyone can adopt.

A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity.

A positive state of mind is not merely good for you, it benefits everyone with whom you come into contact, literally changing the world.

If the basic human nature was aggressive, we would have been born with animal claws & huge teeth -- but ours are very short, very pretty, very weak! That means we are not well equipped to be aggressive beings. Even the size of our mouth is very small. So I think the basic nature of human beings should be gentle.