How Things Exist Quotes

“Benefiting other sentient beings doesn’t mean causing them only temporary physical and mental happiness in this life.”
― Thubten Zopa, How Things Exist: Teachings on Emptiness

“Also, no matter how much education we have, if the inner factor of developing our mind is missing, if the practice of compassion is missing, again there’s no peace in our life. Even if we have learned every language and have every other kind of knowledge that exists in the world, even if we have memorized and can explain all the Buddha’s teachings, all the sutras and tantras, if we have not transformed our mind, if we have not developed compassion for other beings, once more our life will be full of problems. We will still have anger and the dissatisfied minds of desire, pride, jealousy and all the other delusions; with more education, our inner problems can become even bigger than they were before.”
― Thubten Zopa, How Things Exist: Teachings on Emptiness

“The mind is like a baby The mind of most of us ordinary beings is like a child, a baby, and needs to be taken care of like a baby. We can’t listen to and do everything that our mind says, just as we can’t listen to and do everything that a child says. Before acting on what a child says we have to analyze whether or not it’s worthwhile. If it is, we can do it; if it’s not, we don’t. Since our mind is like a child, it’s dangerous to do everything it says—doing so can destroy our life; instead of bringing peace and happiness, it can bring great harm to us and others. Therefore, using our own wisdom, we need to analyze the validity of what our mind tells us to see whether it’s beneficial or harmful. With that wisdom we can then direct, or guide, our mind. In other words, we can then guide and protect ourselves.”
― Thubten Zopa, How Things Exist: Teachings on Emptiness