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There are certain people who people think are enlightened. The problem with the word enlightenment is what you mean by it.

Tenzin Palmo

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Tenzin Palmo
Age: 81
Born: 1943
Born: January 1
Author
Bhikkhuni
Nun
Writer
Herts
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo
Enlightenment
Word
Certain
Problem
Mean
Think
Thinking
People
Enlightened

More quotes by Tenzin Palmo

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When one has a decisive realization of the inherent nature of the mind, which has no ego, it has no sense of duality between oneself and the cup, and a deep sense of interpenetration of the whole dharma. Then whatever we do is spontaneously perfect Buddha activity. And anybody who is even slightly tuned in will get a very deep experience of that.
Tenzin Palmo
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In the early '60s there was very little reliable information on Tibetan Buddhism. I was living in London and I had joined the Buddhist Society. For the most part, people there were either interested in Theravada or Zen Buddhism. There was almost no one into Tibetan Buddhism at that time.
Tenzin Palmo
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The Buddha himself said, I still use conceptual thinking, but I'm not formed by it. And that's the Buddha.
Tenzin Palmo
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Actually we've got countless lifetimes, so relax.
Tenzin Palmo
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If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It will take time. But the difference between the first girls from Ladakh who became nuns, to the girls we have now, is very encouraging.
Tenzin Palmo
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Meditation is a way to take us to a deeper level of awareness.
Tenzin Palmo
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If you want to be a doctor, you may say, There are all these beings, they're sick, they're dying, I've got to go out and help them. And so you grab a bag full of scalpels and medicine and rush off. Even though your motivation is very pure, you end up harming beings because you don't know what you're doing.
Tenzin Palmo
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Basically, I feel to spend the rest of my life doing retreat.
Tenzin Palmo
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Try to develop some genuine love and compassion, some real caring for others.
Tenzin Palmo
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To be completely enlightened means that you're a Buddha.I don't speak of enlightenment.
Tenzin Palmo
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In fact there are beautiful people in this world doing incredibly selfless acts over and over and over. Dedicating their lives completely for the welfare and happiness of others.
Tenzin Palmo
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Meditation is for you to realise that the deepest nature of your existence is beyond thoughts and emotions, that it is incredibly vast and interconnected with all other beings.
Tenzin Palmo
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Just entering into the dharma and taking refuge and bodhisattva vows is a tremendous amount of merit, but we need more and more and more.
Tenzin Palmo
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Sometimes people come and they have so much pain and confusion in their eyes... what to do? A few words is a little bit of balm but doesn't really solve the deep disease within.
Tenzin Palmo
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The Buddha said that samsara by its nature is painful. He didn't say it was a joyride.
Tenzin Palmo
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Even if one isn't a committed Buddhist, it just helps us become better human beings.
Tenzin Palmo
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At one time I thought that if I could really understand renunciation and bodhichitta from the depths of my heart, then, for this lifetime that would be enough.
Tenzin Palmo
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I've always loved the Sangha. I have the deepest, deepest respect for them. I'm very sorry that in the West people don't appreciate what the monastic order is about.
Tenzin Palmo
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Monastic life cuts off the distractions and emotional entanglements one becomes involved in, in the lay life.
Tenzin Palmo
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I think the difference is that when we drink tea, we just drink tea. But if you're in the presence of a genuine master, they don't have to do anything but drink their tea, and yet it affects you at an incredibly profound level.
Tenzin Palmo