Strong Determination!

When you admit to yourself, ‘I must make this change to be more happy’—not because the Buddha said so, but because your heart recognized a deep truth—you must devote all your energy to making the change. You need strong determination to overcome harmful habits. ~ Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, “Getting Started”

“A little statue of Buddha.” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Everything’s good…

Everything’s good…Everything. Man is unhappy because he doesn’t know he’s happy. It’s only that. That’s all, that’s all! If anyone finds out, he’ll become happy at once, that minute. ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky

A wonderful photo of H.H. The 14th Dalai Lama:

Happy in Everything

In training the mind, perspective is of crucial importance.

In training the mind, perspective is of crucial importance. We cannot expect to transform our minds in a few minutes or even a few weeks, thinking, perhaps, that the blessings of an enlightened individual will enable us to obtain immediate results. Such an attitude is not realistic. It takes a long time, sometimes years or even decades; but if we persevere, there is no doubt we will make progress. ~ His Holiness. The 14th Dalai Lama

The Thirty-Seven Practices of the Bodhisattva by His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama

I found this teaching by His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama on Lama Yeshe’s site.

After reading it, I knew I should share this wonderful teaching. Here is a snippet of what you will read:

‘You have come a long way to be here, from various countries, and often with much difficulty and trouble. There are the strikes, and there are many of you, and it is not easy to get here. And you have not come here with the intention of going to a festival, for entertainment, or to do a good business deal, or for any personal glory. You have come here to hear the Dharma, more precisely Mahayana Dharma, to receive a tantric initiation, more particularly that of anuttarayoga, and among these Kalachakra. To some completely samsaric people, this may seem strange and even comical. Never mind… Even if we have not come with a perfect motivation, this is already something very great, the goal is an excellent one.’

So remember when you read…’Even if we have not come with a perfect motivation, this is already something very great, the goal is an excellent one.’ 🙂 Namaste