A dog, however nice he is, and sweet-tempered, doesn't have much of a range of options. A human being does.

I think it's a meritorious action to become a monk, provided that your motivation is pure.

The point with Buddhism is that it doesn't just tell you to be good, it tells you how. It doesn't just say, "Don't be angry," it shows us the methods to help us not to be angry. It gives techniques for everything that it advises us to cultivate, and all the negative qualities we need to overcome and transform.

I remember asking my mother if she believed in reincarnation and she said that that sounded very sensible, and I thought, yes, it does to me too. So I always believed in it. I can't remember when I didn't.

We're reborn every second, every moment.

To be completely enlightened means that you're a Buddha.I don't speak of enlightenment.

Until time and space exist... I vow to come back for the benefit of other beings.