My books definitely are ambassadors, as you called them. They express what the vision is, what the purpose is.

The first thing you have to do is acknowledge the basic and fundamental goodness of all beings. If you don't, then you are going to have conflict. That's at the core of Shambhala.

If we are going to live in a society, there has to be an attitude where people really do care for others.

Even when we speak of selflessness, the mind goes to "me." We think, "I'm selfless," but everything is selfless.

Auspicious coincidence is the right thing happening at the right time.

One of the characteristics of every great teacher I've known is tremendous exertion. It's interesting: You may see them as spiritual people or compassionate people, but the driving force is that incredible exertion - and their ability to sustain it.

When stress is the basic state of mind, even good things stress us out. We have to learn to let go.