Being a Buddhist monk means never losing one's optimism in spite of all difficulties. It also means being harder on yourself than any of your teachers ever were.

We live inside too much. We live inside and we have square thoughts and square ideas because we live in square houses. Our lives are colored by our environments. Our attention fields are colored by it.

The Dali Lama and other notable Buddhist teachers have now indicated that since the world has plunged into a dark age, the information available in the tantras, which include the very, very powerful Kundalini release techniques, should be made available to the public.

I think I've learned more from women than anyone else, and perhaps from love - what a wonderful testing ground, what a wonderful place to see and sense our limitations, to know that the pain reflects your state of awareness and not being able to hide from it.

If someone we love dies, normally the experience might create misery for the rest of your life. But the Kundalini can be released so we can see that there is no death, that the person has just gone on like we all must. We will be following them soon.

Spiritual dignity says that I don't have to compete with anyone; I don't have to do what my friends do. All I have to do is be myself and be dignified in my meditation and my lifestyle.

You can't throw your ego away, but you can use its innate desire to experience that which is beyond itself to give you the impetus to meditate.