180 Quotes About Dharma

Transformation ist ein innerer Vorgang. Der Weise handelt moralisch, nicht weil er äußeren Zwängen gehorcht, sondern weil er erwacht ist, weil der Dharma, die Vernunft des Alls, ihn durchflutet. Nur existenzielle Erkenntnis transformiert. So konnte Saulus zu Paulus werden. Auch im Bösen leuchtet Atman. Er weiß es nur nicht. Das Feuer der Erkenntnis verbrennt den Schleier der Dunkelheit. (S. 75)

सक्ताः कर्मण्यविद्वांसो यथा कुर्वन्ति भारत।कुर्याद्विद्वांस्तथासक्तश्चिकीर्षुर्लोकसंग्रहम्॥॥३- २५॥न बुद्धिभेदं जनयेदज्ञानां कर्मसङ्गिनाम्।जोषयेत्सर्वकर्माणि विद्वान्युक्तः समाचरन्॥॥३- २६॥`Ignorant toil for result; wise – selflessly,Blaze the trail for detached action clearly,For the common weal, path to eternity,For the benefit of the entire humanity.’3. 25-26

How do any of us know where the strands of our lives are interwoven?

Dharma is precisely this 'discipline of ordered existence', a 'belief system that restrains and gives coherence to desires.

Religion has to be protected; difference of opinion is not to be protected.

A mind committed to compassion is like an overflowing reservoir - a constant source of energy, determination and kindness.

Impermanence and selflessness are not negative aspect of life, but the very foundation on which life is built. Impermanence is the constant transformation of things. Without impermanence, there can be no life. Selflessness is the interdependent nature of all things. Without interdependence, nothing could exist.

This is what the path of Dharma is like. It's not that you have to do all the practices. It is sufficient to take just one of them, whichever one you really have an affinity with, and through practicing that one alone, for the rest of your life, you will achieve enlightenment. Whichever practice you choose doesn't matter; they are all valid methods for achieving enlightenment—if you practice. The key is to practice with diligence for the rest of your life.

The Buddhist teachings move along a graduated path: first the stages of calm abiding and then the stages of deep insight. Through such gradual practices, lamas of the past gave birth to realization in their mental continuum and discovered primordial wisdom. All the qualities that the great masters found, we can attain as well. It all depends on our own efforts, our diligence, our deeper knowing, and our correct motivation. – 17th Karmapa