Quotes from Ming-Dao Deng

Never stop trying to cultivate the sacred inside you.

Spirituality is creativity. Only with creativity can you remold your personality into a spiritual vehicle.

There is an underbelly of terror to all life. It is suffering, it is hurt. Deep within all of us are intense fears that have left few of us whole. Life's terrors haunt us, attack us, leave ugly cuts. To buffer ourselves, we dwell on beauty, we collect things, we fall in love, we desperately try to make something lasting in our lives. We take beauty as the only worthwhile thing in this existence, but it cannot veil cursing, violence, randomness, and injustice.

Life is but one dream flowing into another.

We must not fall into the trap of waiting so long for the big things that we let numerous small chances slip right by us.

Above all, be compassionate. This is a stand against all evil and it opens your spirit.

A true master is indifferent to the ways of society.

When admiring a painting, Don't examine the paint. When meeting an artist, Don't look at the brush.

The freedom to choose and to change belongs to us.

What facets of your personality are encumbrances? What personal aspects prevent you from being independent? These are the areas that will define your self-cultivation, for you must strive to stand alone.

No. No. No. This ruins a child. Firmness, consistency, and patience are vital. However when it comes to a child's curiosity, individuality, or initiative there should never be any discouragement.

do not be put off by the illusory nature of life. Use it. Everything in this life can be an advantage to the wise.

If we believe in the divine as cosmic family, we relegate ourselves to perpetual adolescence. If we regard the divine as supreme government, we are forever victims of unfathomable officialdom.

Our subjectivity is a mirrored, spiked casket. When will we see that all we have done is surround ourselves with our own illusions? Only when we realize our true nature does the casket disappear.

One should never stop learning, never stop exploring, never stop going on adventures. Be like the explorers of old. What they acquired for themselves will always surpass those who merely read about their exploits.

One side of a ridge is cold and foggy, The other is hot and dry. Just by choosing where you stand, You alter your destiny.

Emperors uphold censorship, But extreme repression leads to extreme reaction. Individualists believe in freedom, But extreme expression leads to extreme reaction.

It is best to realize the transitory nature of things and work with it. Understanding the world's ephemeral nature can be the biggest advantage of all.

In the process of listening for mysterious voices and expressing the wonder that comes is a magic akin to the perfection of Tao.

it is only depth of character that determines the profundity with which we face life. We can either add to our character each day, or we can fritter away our energies in distractions.

The follower of Tao is always flexible and adaptable to circumstance.

Whether our lives are magnificent or wretched depends upon our ordering of daily details. We must organize the details into a composition that pleases

Let us not hold ourselves above our fellow human beings, no matter how great the disparity. To withhold your scorn is already beautiful. To see how we are all of one family is compassion.

We create the world and ourselves;