If you resort to violent methods because the other side has destroyed your monastery, for example, you then have lost not only your monastery, but also your special Buddhist practices of detachment, love, and compassion.

Love and compassion ... are the ultimate source of human happiness, and the need for them lies at the very core of our being.

We must generate courage equal to the size of the difficulties we face.

Self-discipline is crucial to a simpler, more contented life.

So the smart brain must be balanced with a warm heart, a good heart -a sense of responsibility, of concern for the well-being of others.

The great benefit of science is that it can contribute tremendously to the alleviation of suffering at the physical level, but it is only through the cultivation of the qualities of the human heart and the transformation of our attitudes that we can begin to address and overcome our mental suffering...

Self satisfaction alone cannot determine if a desire or action is positive or negative. The demarcation between a positive and a negative desire or action is not whether it gives you a immediate feeling of satisfaction, but whether it ultimately results in positive or negative consequences.