Words of Wisdom for July 20, 2021
“If we unbalance nature, humankind will suffer. Furthermore, as people alive today, we must consider future generations: a clean environment is a human right like any other. It is therefore part of our responsibility towards
Words of Wisdom for July 13, 2021
“Although everything falls apart, our true nature awareness itself— cannot fall apart. It cannot die. It cannot be stopped. It cannot be destroyed, because it is unborn. Awareness is always with us. Trust in this.
Words of Wisdom for July 6, 2021
The four agreements we should make with ourselves in this life: 1) Be impeccable with your word 2) Don't take anything personally 3) Don't make assumptions 4) Always do your best ~Don Miguel Ruiz from
Words of Wisdom for June 29, 2021
“Whatever arises—concepts, feelings, your body, subject and object, everything—is like clouds in the sky. They come and they go. Your true nature, awareness imbued with love, compassion, and wisdom, is like the sky itself.” ~Tulku
Words of Wisdom for June 22, 2021
“If you just sit quietly and mind your own business, Mother Nature will come to you.” ~ Gerald Stratford a British retired butcher and Thames barge driver
Words of Wisdom for June 15, 2021
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
Words of Wisdom for June 8, 2021
“A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered a mind that startled us.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Words of Wisdom for June 1, 2021
"The true essence of our being is to delight in others." ⁓Lama Shenpen Hookham
Words of Wisdom for May 25, 2021
“The practice of training the mind is a matter of becoming increasingly sensitive to your actions in thought, word, and deed, to the intentions motivating them, and to the results they yield. If you see
Words of Wisdom for May 18, 2021
“The gold of our true nature can never be tarnished. In the moments of remembering and trusting this basic goodness of our Being, we open to happiness, peace, and freedom.” ⁓Tara Brach
Words of Wisdom for May 11, 2021
"We hurry through the so-called boring things in order to attend to that which we deem more important, interesting. Perhaps the final freedom will be a recognition that every thing in every moment is 'essential'
Words of Wisdom for May, 4, 2021
"My mother taught me to refuse hate. She taught me to refuse blanket judgment, and in this time, and with all of the Internet and social media and algorithms and everything that wants us to
Words of Wisdom for April 27, 2021
"There's no greater confusion than the belief that we are separate from everyone else on the planet and from the planet itself." ~ Susan Kaiser Greenland
Words of Wisdom for April 20, 2021
"Buddhist refuge is a process of turning inward that begins when we discover our own unlimited potential as human beings." ⁓Lama Yeshe
Words of Wisdom for April 13, 2021
“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” ~ Pablo Picasso
Words of Wisdom for March 30, 2021
"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." ~ Marcel Proust
Words of Wisdom for March 23, 2021
Delusion and karma come from the mind; they don’t come from outside. The main cause is the mind, so we need to learn more about our own mind, about delusion and karma, and about the
Words of Wisdom for March 14, 2021
~ Words of Wisdom~ "There is no greater inspiration, no greater courage, than the intention to lead all beings to the perfect freedom and complete well being of recognizing their true nature "Whether you accomplish
Words of Wisdom for March 9, 2021
“To become enlightened is to awaken to the mad truth that the precious personas we’ve been parading around as all these years, maybe all these lifetimes, are fictional constructs.” ~ Sam Guthrie “Getting There From
Words of Wisdom for March 2, 2021
"Lord, From falsehood lead me to truth, From darkness lead me to the light, From death lead me to immortality." ~Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite prayer also known as The Pavamana Mantra or Mantras
Words of Wisdom for February 23, 2021
“In the final moments when only the most meaningful strands of life remain, it’s really our human connections that rise to the top. That’s the clarity that we get at the end of life…. But
Words of Wisdom for February 16, 2021
“The best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
Words of Wisdom for Febuary 9, 2021
“If you cling to an idea as the unalterable truth, then when the truth does come in person and knocks on your door, you will not be able to open the door and accept it.
Words of Wisdom for February 2, 2021
"Follow the three R's: – Respect for self – Respect for others – Responsibility for all your actions" ~ Dalai Lama XIV
Words of Wisdom for January 26, 2021
“Make an attitude to be in gratitude, you will find the whole Universe will come to you.” ~ Harbhajan Singh Yogi
Words of Wisdom for January 19, 2021
We’re going to move ahead, with hope, on the path. ~ Tenku Ruff
Words of Wisdom for January 12, 2021
"Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us." — Wilma Rudolph
Words of Wisdom for January 5, 2021
“Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace.” ~ Albert Schweitzer
Words of Wisdom for December 29, 2020
"You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." ~Jon Kabat Zinn
Words of Wisdom for December 22, 2020
“You think this is just another day in your life? It is not just another day. It is the one day that is given to you. Today.” — Brother David Steindl-Rast
Words of Wisdom for December 15, 2020
Mindfulness is the chance, in each and every moment, to begin again from an ocean of awareness, a place of infinite possibility. It is the very practice of freedom. ~ Rhonda Magee
Words of Wisdom for December 8, 2020
"As we live through various inevitable doubts and disappointments, failures, and faux pas, we tend to blame, shame and judge ourselves for them. This easily obscures a fundamental truth: You are basically good. Basically sincere.
Words of Wisdom for December 1, 2020
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a
Words of Wisdom for November 24, 2020
"Tomorrow belongs to those of us who conceive of it as belonging to everyone; who lend the best of ourselves to it, and with joy." ~ Audre Lorde
Words of Wisdom for November 17, 2020
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." ~ James Baldwin
Words of Wisdom for November 10, 2020
"Obstacles are not things that block our path, they are the path." ~ Sogyal Rinpoche
Words of Wisdom for November 3, 2020
“I’m hopeful that despite all the noise, all the lies, we’re going to remember who we are, who we’re called to be. Out of this political darkness, I see a great awakening. If you vote,
Words of Wisdom for October 27, 2020
Reflections on the Time ~ Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche March 15, 2020 "Love humanity. Stay in meditation, Open your heart and shut your mouth. Keep your hands on your lap or in your pockets, and bow
Words of Wisdom for October 20, 2020
"Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people." ~ Carl Jung
Words of Wisdom for October 13, 2020
"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost." ~His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Words of Wisdom from October 6, 2020
Contemplation on No Coming, No Going This body is not me. I am not limited by this body. I am life without boundaries. I have never been born, and I have never died. Look at
Words of Wisdom for September 29, 2020
“This is the time to be slow, Lie low to the wall Until the bitter weather passes. Try, as best you can, not to let The wire brush of doubt Scrape from your heart All
Words of Wisdom for September 22, 2020
“We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends and living our lives.” ~ Maya Angelou
Words of Wisdom for September 15, 2020
“Don’t run away from things that are unpleasant in order to embrace things that are pleasant. Put your hands in the earth. Face the difficulties and grow new happiness.” ~Thích Nhất Hạnh
Words of Wisdom for September 8, 2020
"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." ~Mahatma Gandhi
Words of Wisodn for September 1, 2020
"In the fleeting time we have on this earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame, but rather, how well we have loved, and what small part we have played in making
Words of Wisdom for August 25, 2020
"I kept a poem in my Bible that sustained me throughout my life. Here it is: I have only a minute...Only 60 seconds in it... Forced upon me...Can't refuse it... Didn't seek it...Didn't choose it... I have
Words of Wisdom for August 18, 2020
“Keep it simple,” said the Dalai Lama “There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; our philosophy is kindness.”
Words of Wisdom for August 4, 2020
“Rather than assuming you will know how people will act, take a deep breath and open yourself to the possibility that today is a new day.” ~Yael Shy, Five Practices for Your Daily Commute
Words Of Wisdom for August 11, 2020
“Natural things, such as sitting, walking, and breathing, are the starting point of developing mindfulness through the practice of meditation. We have to start small, in an ordinary, simple way. In that sense, meditating is
Words of Wisdom for July 28, 2020
"I have been confronted with many difficulties throughout the course of my life, and my country is going through a critical period. But I laugh often, and my laughter is contagious. When people ask
Words of Wisdom for July 21, 2020
“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a
Words of Wisdom for July 14, 2020
"If we don't try to change our mind, if we don't try to change ourselves to become a better person now, when will we?" ~ Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Words of Wisdom for July 7, 2020
Wisdom comes in many forms!
Words of Wisdom for June 30, 2020
To help focus one’s attention ... it is necessary to find, in your mind, a blankness or emptiness and let the solution arise from that emptiness. — Christopher Alexander
Words of Wisdom for June 23, 2020
“There can be no outer peace if there is no inner peace. These need to be in balance. But many are not willing to look within, and thus act in an ego driven way. Let
Words of Wisdom for June 16, 2020
Lama Roger Walsh weighs in on what makes for lasting happiness- 1) Cultivating gratitude. Particularly effective is writing down something each day for which you feel grateful. 2) Reframing difficult experiences positively. This, of course, is
Words of Wisdom for June 9, 2020
A message from Lama Surya Das We are in a transition, a pivot point, and while things are changing we have a great opportunity for creative imagination, transformative thinking, and concerted action. If real positive change is
Words of Wisdom for June 2, 2020
"Do you want to do something to help the world situation? Then look within. As you change your consciousness to love, peace, harmony and unity, the consciousness of the whole world will change" ~ Eileen Caddy
Words of Wisdom for May 26, 2020
"God always forgives, we forgive sometimes, but nature never forgives." ~ Pope Francis
Words of Wisdom for May 19, 2020
"Generosity entails relinquishing some aspects of one’s self-interest, and thus is a giving of one’s self." ~ Gil Fronsdal “The Joy of Giving”
Words of Wisdom for May 12, 2020
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide.
Words of Wisdom for May 5, 2020
“A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses.” ― Proverb
Words of Wisdom for April 28, 2020
"Rather than looking through the lens of anxiety, open your heart-mind, and cultivate love and peace within yourself, and with the people around you. Applying mindfulness in everyday life will be of great help at
Words of Wisdom for April 21, 2020
"To see into the interconnectedness of all living things is to see how all living things are part of a unified field that contains all, and at the same time to see that this entire
Words of Wisdom for April 14, 2020
"Time should not be wasted. Time is the only thing we have." --Cchogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Words of Wisdom for April 7, 2020
Rather than looking through the lens of anxiety, open your heart-mind, and cultivate love and peace within yourself, and in harmony with the people around you. Applying attentive mindfulness in everyday life will be
Words of Wisdom for March 31, 2020
This is the time to be slow, Lie low to the wall Until the bitter weather passes. Try, as best you can, not to let The wire brush of doubt Scrape from your heart All
We Are All Alone Together
“When outer borders are being closed we can begin again to open up our inner borders. And the borders we have built between the inner and outer world. We can devote ourselves again to the feminine
Words of Wisdom for March 17, 2020
May God give you. . . For every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise, and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend
Words of Wisdom for March 11, 2020
"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." ~ Desmond Tutu
Words of Wisdom for March 3, 2020
"Whatever you are doing, look constantly into the mirror of your mind and check whether your motive is for yourself or for others. Gradually you will develop the ability to master your mind in all
Words of Wisdom for February 25, 2020
Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience. ~ Thomas Merton
Words of Wisdom for February 18, 2020
“Wisdom, which includes skillful action, arises when we can hold our views lightly and continue to question the basic assumptions that underlie our truths.” ~ Brandon Dean Lamson
Words of Wisdom for February 11, 2020
(Lama Surya Das and Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, 1994) "Emptiness is the 'knowing of one that frees all.’ Emptiness is the supreme king of medicines. Emptiness is the nectar of immortality. Emptiness is spontaneous accomplishment beyond
Words of Wisdom for February 4, 2020
“Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential
Words of Wisdom for January 28, 2020
"When we have really met and known the world in silence, words do not separate us from the world nor from other men, nor from God, nor from ourselves because we no longer trust entirely in
Words of Wisdom for January 21, 2020
"If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values—that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Words of Wisdom for January 14, 2020
“The movement of the heart as we practice generosity in the outer world mirrors the movement of the heart when we let go of conditioned views about ourselves on our inner journey. Letting go creates
Words of Wisdom for January 7, 2020
"If people can be educated to see the lowly side of their own natures, it may be hoped that they will also learn to understand and to love their fellow men better. A little less
Words of Wisdom for December 24, 2019
Our dear beloved Ram Dass passed on peacefully from this transient life on Sunday, surrounded by an abundance of love. He was a spiritual pioneer and influential bridge between East and West, and at the
Words of Wisdom for December 17, 2019
Profound and tranquil, free from complexity, uncompounded luminous clarity, beyond the mind of conceptual ideas; this is the depth of the mind of the Victorious Ones. In this, there is not a thing to be
Words of Wisdom for December 10, 2019
“Confusion, I was taught, is the beginning of understanding, the first stage of letting go of the neuronal gossip that used to keep you chained to very specific ideas about who you are and what
Words of Wisdom for December 3, 2019
"I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver." ~Maya Angelou
Words of Wisdom for November 12, 2019
"We get so wrapped up in numbers in our society. The most important thing is that we are able to be one-to-one, you and I with each other at the moment. If we can be
Words of Wisdom for November 5, 2019
"Pretend you are an old man watching children play, I suggested to myself. Just watch, delighted, even though you know the obstacles, the heartbreaks, the sorrows, the jolts. You know these things. Now is your
Words of Wisdom for October 29, 2019
“When we become fundamentally aware of the mind’s incessant need to reify experience into fixed categories that are convenient to the self, then we are learning Buddhism.” ~ Victor Hori “Sweet and Sour Buddhism”
Words of Wisdom for October 22, 2019
“There is no need to be afraid of having faults, because knowing we have them can help us to improve. If you considered yourself perfect, would you still want to meditate and cultivate your practice?”
Words of Wisdom for October 15, 2019
"We do not exist for ourselves alone, and it is only when we are fully convinced of this fact that we begin to love ourselves properly and thus also love others." ~Thomas Merton
Lama Surya’s Newest Book Release – “The Yeti & The Jolly Lama: A Tale of Friendship”
The Yeti & The Jolly Lama: A Tale of Friendship I'm thrilled to share with you my first children's book: The Yeti & The Jolly Lama: A Tale of Friendship "Gather around children, and
Words of Wisdom for October 8, 2019
"In these times, only thoughts and actions based on compassion are beneficial. Nothing else has much power or meaning." ~ Bhakha Tulku Rinpoche
Advanced Retreat in Malibu, CA
Dzogchen Center Advanced Meditation Retreat November 3-8, 2019 Greetings and happy fall! We wanted to personally invite you to attend our most intensive meditation retreat of the year, covering advanced Dzogchen teachings and pith instructions. This
Wake Up, Come Alive and Stick Together
Some of my bestest and smartestest, committed 64-72 year old friends, thinkers and activists "as a cohort of like-minded spirits", have decided not to retire--from their important and impactful roles in society-- for another 5
Gratitude Is My Favorite Prayer
Recently at a small core sangha Sunday gathering at my home, a long-time Dzogchen Dharma student shared his current elder-thoughts on pride and gratitude. While his message was simple, I was struck by the enormity of its meaning and how easily, in our day