As a human being, we have everything we need. It's enough suffering to give us incentive to go on, but not so much that we don't know where to turn.

We have compassion because of the incredible pain and suffering which we as unenlightened beings cause to ourselves and all others through our ignorance. This is why we're trying to get out. This is why the bodhisattva has meaning. Because we're saying, no we won't get out, we won't escape until we've helped all other beings to escape, but most other beings don't even want to escape. They don't even know that there is an escape, and it's hard, so it's going to take an awfully long time.

Buddhism is the most active one! The whole time, we're dealing with the mind and how to tame it, and how to transcend our ordinary conventional mind. This takes an enormous amount of determination and perseverance. It also requires an attitude of being relaxed and spacious, rather than tense and stressed. It's certainly not a matter of lying back and expecting it all to happen. If we don't make it happen, it won't!

Meditation is a way to take us to a deeper level of awareness.

From the point of view of the relative world, merit is very important.

I really don't know what I could teach and don't really plan to teach.

I do think that someone who decides to devote themselves entirely to the spiritual life, that that is more meritorious.