CTR Quote of the Week

Milarepa is a great Tibetan Buddhist saint who wrote many brilliant songs of meditative realization. He is often shown cupping his right hand over his

In the mahayana, inspiration comes from experiencing the spark of intelligence or enlightenment in us. Discovering that potential is one of the fundamental characteristics of

It is possible for us to see ordinary situations from the point of view of extraordinary insight–that of discovering a jewel in a rubbish heap.

Bodhisattvas are fulfilling needs everywhere. The bodhisattvas identify with the people who need help, not with themselves. That is the whole point. If you are

Bodhisattva activity is a model of action without ego’s goal orientation, at least theoretically. Bodhisattvas are mahayana practitioners who have vowed to help all sentient

Ego is very goal oriented. With ego, you have somebody here on this end who is going there–to the goal. If you are fixated on an

The. basic practice of meditation is a question of simplicity, unlearning and undoing. But it can’t be a hundred percent foolproof. In order to undo,  one

Everyone possesses the unconditioned possibility of cheerfulness, which is not connected purely with either pain or pleasure. You have an inclination: in the flash of

In the practice of meditation, you think that you’re practicing life. In fact, ironically, you begin to find that you can’t escape — that life

Awareness is like a wind. If you open your doors and windows, it is bound to come in. From The Path Is the Goal: A

Due to technical difficulties, it was not possible to send this quote on April 4th. It is excerpted from a talk by Diana J. Mukpo,

If we take the term in a positive and creative sense, we could say that awareness is a state of absent-mindedness. The point here is

Openness and awareness is a state of not manufacturing anything else; it is just being. There is a misunderstanding, particularly in connection with vipashyana, which

According to The Tibetan Book of the Dead, when a brilliant light comes to us in the after-death state, we shy away from it. When a

Because things have a self-existing simplicity, they do not need any reference point. That is one taste: no need for further reference point. It is

If we are going to study tantra, it is necessary to understand the trikaya principle of being and manifesting. To begin with, it is necessary

The dharma speaks completely and totally in accordance with the language of ignorant people. The starting point for hearing the dharma is confusion. If we

The popular idea of magic is the dream of the comic books–Clark Kent transforming himself into Superman. But a guru will not turn you upside

The mahayanists view the teacher as a spiritual friend–kalyanamitra in Sanskrit–which literally means “spiritual friend” or “companion in the virtue.” Virtue, as it is used

Student: The bodhisattva has committed him or herself to save all sentient beings, yet the bodhisattva is themself a sentient being. How are they different?

Licking honey from a razor blade, Eyes of the learned gouged out by books, The beauty of maidens worn by display, The warrior dead from

What do we mean by songs and poetry? There are a lot of possibilities. We might say that poetry occurs when somebody has the mental

We sometimes blame our reluctance to open ourselves on lack of experience: “I’m not learned enough”; “I don’t have enough practice.” But in fact our

When we don’t want to hear or see the real truth, we close ourselves off and make ourselves numb to situations. We play at being