I don't think I've changed anything, but I hope that by my talks I have encouraged people in their practice. That's as much as any of us can do.

You think you're enlightened. But as my lama said, when you realize the intrinsic nature of the mind, then you start to meditate. It's not the end, it's the beginning.

Of course, now as a woman you can do so much, without being necessarily a rinpoche.

Other people may tell us, "Oh, you're so much nicer." Of course you can't hope that other people will tell you that you're so much nicer, but that's always a good sign. Perhaps people find that you're easier to live with.

Each of us has something to do in this lifetime. We all have negative emotions to be purified and positive emotions to be cultivated. All of us need to reconnect to our source and drop our personal stories, don't we? Men, women, old, young, from here, from there - it is the same. All you can do is your practice. There is nothing else. Don't get caught up. Don't stop. We have to learn how to get out or our own way. Because ultimately, the only thing standing in our way is ourselves.

I've often said that the seventh paramita should be a sense of humor, so we don't take ourselves too seriously.

As my lama always told me, I learned that I practice better when I'm by myself.