Quotes from Sakyong Mipham

Within humanity is goodness that is alive and fully intact but, in these times, it is surrounded by the darkness of uncertainty and fear.

Taking your attention away from thoughts and placing it on the breath is the focus of meditation, which in this simple form is simply the process of being mindful of the breathing, being aware that you are thinking, and returning your attention to the breath.

studying itself does not lead to wisdom. Rather, by self-reflecting, I needed to internalize what I had learned, try it out in my daily life, and then reflect on the outcome. That is the process that leads

Thus the mind is more present and at peace. So the clarity and peace of mind we feel after running is mostly because the wild horse is tired, not necessarily because it has been tamed.

Shambhala is not only a place; it is a spiritual path

The bones and tendons of the mind are mindfulness and awareness. Mindfulness is the mind's strength, and awareness is its flexibility.

Enlightened society is where the flower and the rock will meet.

This is what we're doing by learning to peacefully abide in sitting meditation: creating the space for our garden to grow. Then we can cultivate qualities that will allow us to live our lives in full bloom.

Tilling the ground of our own minds through meditation is how we begin to create a community garden. In doing so we are helping to create a new culture, a culture that can thrive in the modern world and can at the same time support our human journey in an uplifted and joyous way. Such a culture is called enlightened society. Enlightened society is where the flower and the rock will meet.

Life is breath. Breath is life.

In meditation, placing our attention on the breathing takes the mind from daydreaming, worrying, thinking, and fantasizing. It gives our mind something healthy to do.

Our true nature expresses itself as intelligence, clean energy, mindfulness, presence, and intuition. It also has an element of knowledge.

Our intention is that of a shepherd, but our actions are those of a loving, wise, compassionate leader. If we all act according to this code, we will create an enlightened society.

The journey of the bodhisattva warrior starts with the basic attitude of enlarging our motivation to include the welfare of others. This is a simple response to this dark age. Let's begin right now by engaging love and compassion however we can—not tomorrow, but today.

Love is the saving grace. It's the buddha in you standing up and saying, "Even though it's dark, I have this jewel.

Like gravity, karma is so basic we often don't even notice it.

The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness.

If we do not push ourselves enough, we do not grow, but if we push ourselves too much, we regress. What is enough will change, depending on where we are and what we are doing. In that sense, the present moment is always some kind of beginning.

True happiness is always available to us, but first we have to create the environment for it to flourish.

What is really happening in meditation is that we are developing the ability to think when we want to, and to not think when we don't want to.

The wise are balanced, and the foolish are extreme.

When stress is the basic state of mind, even good things stress us out. We have to learn to let go.

Running and meditation are very personal activities. Therefore they are lonely. This loneliness is one of their best qualities because it strengthens our incentive to motivate ourselves.

Throughout life it is inevitable that we will experience both pain and pleasure. Learning how to handle them leads to harmony and happiness. In meditation, if we are unable to handle pain or boredom, then that pain or boredom becomes our master. Then we spend our entire life trying to avoid being bored or feeling pain. However if we can handle our mind, then we know that we can handle boredom and pain.