Be wise. Treat yourself, your mind, sympathetically, with loving kindness. If you are gentle with yourself, you will become gentle with others.

At certain times, a silent mind is very important, but 'silent' does not mean closed. The silent mind is an alert, awakened mind; a mind seeking the nature of reality.

First of all, merely by living a simple life with a heart dedicated to overcoming self-cherishing, we automatically benefit others.

As human beings we have the capacity to enjoy limitless, blissful happiness...there is nothing wrong with having pleasures and enjoyments. What is wrong is the confused way we grasp onto these pleasures, turning them from a source of happiness into a source of pain and dissatisfaction. It is grasping and attachment that is the problem, not the pleasure themselves.

If you expect your life to be full of ups and downs, then your mind will be much more peaceful.

Don't think that examining and knowing the nature of your mind is just an Eastern trip. That's a wrong conception. It's your trip.

Just the idea that you are religious doesn't help at all. It does not help you; it does not help others. In order to really help others, you need to gain knowledge-wisdom.