More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Read between
March 1 - March 30, 2025
We do not need to kill the self, but we can remove the illusion of a separate self by gaining a deeper understanding of reality.
The most accurate way to describe the process of thinking is not that there is “someone” thinking but that thinking is manifesting, as the result of a remarkable, wondrous coming together of conditions.
You are the planet, and the planet is you. The well-being of your body is not possible without the well-being of the planet.
Each one of us should train ourselves to see our continuation body in the present moment. If we can see our continuation body while we’re still alive, we’ll know how to cultivate it to ensure a beautiful continuation in the future. This is the true art of living. Then, when the time comes for the dissolution of our physical body, we will be able to release it easily.
So the shortest answer to the question “What happens when I die?” is that you don’t die. And that is the truth, because when you understand the nature of the person who is dying, and you understand the nature of the act of dying, you will see there is no such thing as death anymore. There is no self who dies. There is only transformation.
When we remove the objects of our craving and desires, we discover that happiness and freedom are available to us right here in the present moment.
To lose the present moment is to lose our only chance to encounter life.
We are a wonder, and we are surrounded by wonders. We have God, we have the cosmic body, we have everything right in this moment. With this insight, with this kind of enlightenment, we already feel happy, content, and fulfilled.
To practice aimlessness is to identify what it is you’re looking for, waiting for, or running after, and let it go. By removing these objects of seeking that are pulling you away from the here and now, you will discover that everything you want is already right here in the present moment.
When we eat, we just eat. When we wash the dishes, we just wash the dishes. When we use the bathroom, we just enjoy using the bathroom. When we walk, we just walk. When we sit, we just sit. Doing all these things is a wonder, and the art of living is to do them in freedom.
Being aimless doesn’t mean we are without compassion and loving-kindness. As soon as we have compassion, loving-kindness, and understanding, we naturally have a strong motivation to act and to help.
When we know that we are doing our best on the path of relieving suffering, it is possible to be at peace every step along the way.
We have a tendency to think in terms of doing and not in terms of being. We think that when we’re not doing anything, we’re wasting our time. But that’s not true. Our time is first of all for us to be. To be what? To be alive, to be peaceful, to be joyful, to be loving. And this is what the world needs the most.
Once you can identify your deepest intention, you have a chance to be true to yourself, to live the kind of life you’d like to live, and to be the kind of person you’d like to be.
Your dream can be realized right in the present moment. You live your life in such a way that every step in the right direction and every breath along the way becomes the realization of your dream. Your dream does not take you away from the present; on the contrary, your dream becomes reality in the present moment.
When human beings first developed the capacity to walk and run it was either to chase after something or to escape something. That energy of chasing and running is deeply ingrained in every cell of our body. But today there is no longer the same need to hunt, fight, or escape from danger, and yet we still walk with that kind of energy.
The past has gone, and the future has not yet come. This is the only moment where we can be alive, and we have it!
Impermanence is just as capable of bringing about happiness as it is of bringing about suffering. Impermanence is not bad news. Because of impermanence, despotic regimes are subject to fall. Because of impermanence, illness can be cured. Thanks to impermanence, we can enjoy the wonder of the four beautiful seasons. Thanks to impermanence, anything can change and transform in a more positive direction.
The insight of impermanence burns away the anger. And when you open your eyes, you don’t want to argue anymore. You just want to hold him in your arms. Your anger has transformed into love.
When we can embrace impermanence, we allow each other to change and grow. From one day to the next, we are neither the same nor different. And this is good news. In this moment you are new and your loved one is new, and that is why you are both free.
If you plant tomato seeds in your garden, tomatoes will grow. In the same way, if you water a seed of peace in your mind, peace will grow. When the seed of happiness in you is watered, your happiness will bloom. When the seed of anger in you is watered, you will become angry.
When you are in a committed relationship, you have two gardens: your garden and the garden of your beloved.
Don’t think that your love has died. The person you fell in love with has not disappeared. They are still there, waiting to be rediscovered.
Many of us do things only for the sake of form. We do things not because we believe it’s important, but because we think others think it’s important.
if you practice compassion, if you can see the suffering in the people around you, and if you try to do something to help them suffer less every day, then you will be free.
When suffering comes up, we have to be present for it. We shouldn’t run away from it or cover it up with consumption, distraction, or diversion. We should simply recognize it and embrace it, like a mother lovingly embracing a crying baby in her arms. The mother is mindfulness, and the crying baby is suffering.
We have to make peace and reduce the suffering in ourselves first, because we represent the world.
Don’t think that you and the world are two separate things. Anything you do for yourself, you are also doing for the world.
I can live happily in the present moment simply by remembering that I already have more than enough conditions to be happy.
