I have found a much greater appreciation of Buddhism because I couldn't take it for granted here in exile.

Don't compare me with Jesus. He is a great master, a great master.

Easy times are the enemy, they put us to sleep. Adversity is our friend, it wakes us up

We consider that the lives of all beings are just as precious as our own, and through this we develop a sense of concern for others.

If indeed the qualities such as love, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness are what happiness consists in, and if it is also true that compassion, defined as concern for others, is both the source and the fruit of these qualities, then the more we are compassionate, the more we provide for our own happiness.

If others are happy, we will be happy. If others suffer, ultimately we all suffer.

For a practitioner of love and compassion, an enemy is one of the most important teachers. Without an enemy you cannot practice tolerance, and without tolerance you cannot build a sound basis of compassion.