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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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Tenzin Palmo
Age: 82
Born: 1943
Born: January 1
Author
Bhikkhuni
Nun
Writer
Herts
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo
Formed
Use
Stills
Still
Thinking
Conceptual
Buddha

More quotes by Tenzin Palmo

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Nowadays, mindfulness has become a catch-all word, but the general principle of trying to be more conscious and aware in our daily life is very important. Along with this, it's helpful to contemplate some of the mind training verses which are designed to take and transform all of the problems we experience.
Tenzin Palmo
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I'm glad that I'm female.
Tenzin Palmo
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Caves are beautiful things you know. They're thermostatically controlled - warm when it's cold out and cool when it's warm. Very quiet. Nobody there. Especially in the winter - it was perfect. Also, because it's a cave, you can't do much with it.
Tenzin Palmo
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To become effortless takes a lot of effort. It's good to compare it to learning an instrument or learning a sport.
Tenzin Palmo
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The internet can be enormously helpful, just like books can, but I don't think it's the be all and end all for really practicing Buddhism. At a certain point, as with learning any skill, we need personal instruction from someone who is more advanced than us.
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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Monastic life cuts off the distractions and emotional entanglements one becomes involved in, in the lay life.
Tenzin Palmo
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Most of the spiritual traditions were very theistic and the idea of an external god pulling the strings didn't resonate with me. I then discovered Buddhism and found the perfect path. I felt so grateful to the Buddha for having given the path, and not just explaining the end result, but showing so clearly how to get there.
Tenzin Palmo
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The power of thought is extremely powerful.
Tenzin Palmo
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As women become more educated and confident, they can start adding their voice.
Tenzin Palmo
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If you don't find that people find you're easier to live with than you were before, if you don't find that your heart is feeling warmer toward others and if your negative emotions are not getting any better, then there's something wrong. That is always the touchstone of the Dharma practice.
Tenzin Palmo
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In the very deep darkness of this world, little pinpoints of light show up very brightly and can shine a long way.
Tenzin Palmo
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My mother was a spiritualist. We had weekly séances at our house with a neighbor who was a medium and various friends, and so I was brought up with the idea that there are many realms of being all around us. So that prepared me for Buddhism, and especially Tibetan Buddhism with all its talk of different realms and dimensions of being.
Tenzin Palmo
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From the point of view of emptiness, there is neither being nor non-being, but we're not on the point of view of emptiness, we're on the point of view of our relative being.
Tenzin Palmo
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The purpose of dharma is to help your mind to expand, to grow, to clarify. It should uphold us and create an inner sense of peace, joy, and clarity.
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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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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We have to cultivate contentment with what we have. We really don't need much. When you know this, the mind settles down. Cultivate generosity. Delight in giving. Learn to live lightly. In this way, we can begin to transform what is negative into what is positive. This is how we start to grow up.
Tenzin Palmo
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It's interesting that in those countries like Taiwan or Korea, where nuns are given equal opportunities for study and practice, they also develop great social awareness.
Tenzin Palmo
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There is a tremendous rise now in feminine awareness and wishing for equality, equal opportunities.
Tenzin Palmo