Quotes About Selflessness

We don't stop thinking about ourselves the whole time. Even when this makes us unhappy and uptight. If we focus too much on ourselves, we make ourselves sick. We have this constant inner chatter going morning, noon, and night, this inner monologue. But paradoxically, the more we are able to think about making other beings happy, the happier we become ourselves

Thinking too much about oneself is a cause of much suffering," the Dalai Lama said. "Anxiety, depression, resentment, fear—these become much worse with too much attention to the self. The mantra Me, me, me is not so good.

The Holy Secret is this: If you wish to end your suffering, seek to end the suffering of others. If you wish for happiness, seek the happiness of others. Exchanging thoughts of self for thoughts of others—this is the most effective way to be happy.

A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life?

If you help people lead more positive lives that benefit others as well as themselves, this is a good thing. Very good thing. The danger is that self-development can lead us to more self-cherishing, self-absorption, self-infatuation. And these are not true causes of happiness but the opposite.

instantly understood in that moment, however, was that the version of the beings we saw in the world around us was as much a reflection of our own mind, as it was of them. And that the more our mind was filled with thoughts of self and our own needs and wishes, the less space and compassion there was for others—and the less happy we would be.

Every time we do something nice for someone else, even if it is a routine thing they expect, we can do so with the thought 'By this act of love, or of giving happiness, may I attain enlightenment to liberate all living beings.' Every time we practice generosity, whether it is making a donation or nursing a cat, we can think the same thing.

In Buddhism, we define love as the wish to give happiness to others.

Without question, the most important practice is bodhichitta. The wish to attain enlightenment to lead all living beings to that same state... This mind of enlightenment is based on pure, great compassion, which in turn is based on pure, great love. In each case pure means impartial. Without conditions. And great means benefiting all living beings, not just the small group of those we happen to like at the moment.

cause for me to become enlightened, so that I may help all other beings attain this same state.

The sense of profound wellbeing that comes from what you give, rather than from what you receive.

the most fulfilled and purposeful people are those who have turned their abilities to a cause that's greater than themselves.

bodhichitta." "The wish to attain enlightenment in order to lead all living beings to that same state,

We all need to let go—especially of our preoccupations with ourselves.

bodhisattva, a Sanskrit term that in Buddhism refers to an enlightened being.

May my every action of body, speech, and mind today be a cause for me to become enlightened, so that I may help all other beings attain this same state.

May this act of generosity be a cause for me to become enlightened, so that I may help all other beings attain this same state.

offer myself to Thee to build with me and do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will.

That's the prayer God loves to answer. Have you ever prayed, "Lord, give me more money so I can give more money to someone else"? "For your work"? This is how Jesus prays: "Give this to me and then I can give more to you. Give me more time and I'll give more time to you. Give me more energy and I'll have more energy to give to you." Jesus was right to pray, "Give glory to me,

He once told me, Instead of scoring thirty goals a season, why don't you score twenty-five and help someone else to score fifteen? That way the team's ten goals better off.

Where there is no love put love and you will find love.

This is the true joy in life: being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish, little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. —GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

To love is to become loving.

Work and live to serve others, to leave the world a little better than you found it and garner for yourself as much peace of mind as you can. This is happiness.