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Frederick Lenz

Frederick Lenz Quotes

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Frederick Lenz was an American author known for his profound understanding and unique insights into Zen Buddhism. His works blended Zen philosophy with modern life, resonating with readers worldwide.

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All Buddhism Ifs People Mind World Enlightenment Meditation Yoga Way Rama Awareness Self Teacher Thinking Light Energy Enlightened Inspirational States Karma

Famous Frederick Lenz Quotes

“Many practitioners think there is some giant balance scale, where someone is keeping track, like Santa Claus, and that will determine your allotment of presents. That's a very exoteric understanding of reincarnation.”

Thinking Understanding Balance Track Determine Scales Giants Reincarnation Santa Santa Claus Allotments

Author:Frederick Lenz

“To think you can just go out and help people and somehow get a better life is not reincarnation as I know it. A better life comes from being happy and inner realizations. Now if helping others adds to that, well then, it's great.”

People Ifs Thinking Knows Wells Helping Life Is Add Helping Others Realization Reincarnation Better Life

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Reincarnation is not what a lot of people think. Yes, we are eternal. No, everyone does not attain enlightenment; it's not necessary; life is smarter than we are.”

People Thinking Doe Life Is Eternal Enlightenment Smarter Reincarnation

Author:Frederick Lenz

“What goes on in this one little lifetime is not so important as you might like to think it is because you're in it. When you can see the larger picture, it's just a tiny breath in a succession of breaths.”

Thinking Littles Important Might Goes On Breaths Lifetime Tiny Reincarnation Succession

Author:Frederick Lenz

“It is good not to think of karma as an alien force that is outside of yourself. You are the generator of karma. Karma is the energy patterns that emanate from your life.”

Thinking Energy Force Patterns Karma Aliens Emanate Generator

Author:Frederick Lenz

“It is best to think of karma, not so much in terms of physical action, but as waveforms of vibratory energy.”

Thinking Action Energy Term Karma

Author:Frederick Lenz

“My favorite cause is the enlightenment of others. I think that is the best place to put money. You get the highest yield in terms of karma on your money.”

Thinking Causes Term Highest Enlightenment My Favorite Karma Yield Rama Best Place

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Sometimes I think death is a greater awareness than life. Life gives us the illusion of immortality, whereas death gives us the certainty of immortality”

Thinking Giving Sometimes Death Greater Awareness Illusion Certainty Immortality

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Think of what you love most in this world. This is what you will come back to in your next life.”

Thinking World Next This World Rebirth What You Love Next Life

Author:Frederick Lenz

“It is vain to think that we choose, that our own energy, our own intellect will create the possibility of us experiencing a higher order of existence. Liberation is to know you are that.”

Thinking Knows Order Energy Existence Possibility Higher Enlightenment Intellect Liberation Vain

Author:Frederick Lenz

“People think that if you are enlightened you are not in touch with the pulse of the physical. Au contraire! The higher you go, the deeper you become, and the more conscious you are of the physical and the sensorial.”

People Ifs Thinking Higher Enlightenment Conscious Deeper Enlightened Pulse

Author:Frederick Lenz

“The enlightenment experience is not what you think. How could it be anything that you can configure, anything you can imagine, any way that you think it should be?”

Thinking Way Should Imagine Enlightenment

Author:Frederick Lenz

“The world of enlightenment, and that which creates enlightenment, is much different than what most people would think. Most people have Hallmark Card descriptions of what creates enlightenment. And if their descriptions were correct, then everyone who is in religious practice would be enlightened.”

People Ifs Thinking World Different Would Be Religious Practice Enlightenment Cards Description Enlightened Hallmark Religious Practices Hallmark Card

Author:Frederick Lenz

“A real enlightened teacher is intense and they could care less what you think about anything at any time since you are lost in illusions.”

Thinking Real Care Lost Teacher Illusion Intense Enlightened Could Care Less

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Even enlightened people think of themselves as beginners. They probably think of themselves as beginners more than others do - perpetual beginners who begin again each moment because their subject is endless.”

People Thinking Moments Teacher Subjects Endless Enlightened Perpetual Beginners Begin Again

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Even to the sage who's doing Sahaja Samadhi, the great guru, I'd say: "Hey buddy, you know, I like the robes and everything, but remember, you're only touching infinity. And if you claim to be doing more, I think you're pretty much in the senses and the body and the mind because infinity is endless."”

Ifs Thinking Knows Mind Body Remember Teacher Claims Senses Endless Hey Enlightened Touching Infinity Sage Guru Buddy Remember You Remembers You Robes Samadhi You Re Pretty

Author:Frederick Lenz

“I think only a person who's studied WITH someone for many years is in a position to voice a true opinion about a particular teacher.”

Thinking Years Persons Voice Opinion Teacher Position Particular Enlightened

Author:Frederick Lenz

“There is deception. People who think they are enlightened and it's just ego.”

People Thinking Teacher Ego Deception Enlightened

Author:Frederick Lenz

“There are phony teachers who profess all kinds of things, and I think you will figure out real fast who they are. They just don't feel right.”

Thinking Feels Kind Real Teacher Figures All Kinds Enlightened Feels Right Phony

Author:Frederick Lenz

“An enlightened person has real power and when they think a good thought, the tremendous power of attention causes their students to actually lift up into those states. It brings a power into their lives.”

Thinking Persons Real States Causes Attention Teacher Students Lifts Enlightened Good Thoughts Real Power

Author:Frederick Lenz

“I think it is best to let the experience you have with a teacher direct itself, Instead of trying to make the experience into what you might like it to be. Leave it alone!”

Thinking Trying Might Teacher Direct Enlightened

Author:Frederick Lenz

“It's ridiculous if you ask me. I don't know what any of us are doing here. But we're a tribe, a network, cruising the galaxy. We have offices in every loka, in every part of existence. I suppose you make that out to be a unique situation. We're Unique! No, I don't think so. We're enlightenment.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Asks Existence Situation Teacher Office Unique Enlightenment Ridiculous Ask Me Enlightened Tribes Galaxy

Author:Frederick Lenz

“You see a very advanced master who's got a girlfriend, who listens to rock and roll, who thinks about things that are very earthly. The advanced course has to with coming back to everything that you had to reject in the beginning and seeing it as a far greater infiniteness than everything that you've attained.”

Thinking Courses Greater Teacher Seeing Rocks Masters Girlfriend Enlightened Rejects Rock And Roll Coming Back

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Most people think that an enlightened Buddhist Teacher is a fireman; His job is to put the fire out so that you can live in your home safely. But seeker beware! A fully enlightened Buddhist teacher is an arsonist! His job is to set your spirit on fire...by feeding the flames of your soul with love.”

People Thinking Soul Home Jobs Spirit Fire Teacher Buddhist Your Soul Flames Enlightened Feeding Seekers Fireman Arsonists

Author:Frederick Lenz

“It's unfortunate that we see a great many women settling. They think that simply because they have gotten the right to vote, own property and have gained some simple freedoms that the battle for women's suffrage is over.”

Thinking Women Simple Battle Enlightenment Vote Property Settling Great Men Unfortunate Suffrage Right To Vote Women's Suffrage

Author:Frederick Lenz

“The majority of times when a man thinks he has been the instigator, which men like to think, in sexual and romantic experiences, that has not been the case.”

Thinking Men Has Beens Women Cases Enlightenment Majority Instigators

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Women have allowed you to think that, which is a part of their inaccessibility in using their second attention.”

Thinking Women Attention Enlightenment

Author:Frederick Lenz

“To think that God is compassionate is a terrible mistake. To think that God is wrathful is equally stupid. God isn't emotional. You are. To superimpose your emotions on infinity is typically human.”

Thinking Humans God Emotion Mistake Compassion Stupid Emotional Terrible Infinity Compassionate

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Some people think God should in some way come to you and assist you, should answer your prayers. Why? It exists in perfect ecstasy beyond the dualistic consciousness. It's totally oblivious to you. It has no interest in your life or your death - it doesn't matter.”

People Thinking Way Should Matter God Interest Prayer Answers Perfect Consciousness Ecstasy Our Prayers Oblivious

Author:Frederick Lenz

“How can you give something to someone who has everything? If you think men are tough to shop for at Christmas, try God. God has everything except one thing, friends. God doesn't have friends.”

Ifs Thinking Men Giving Trying God One Thing Tough Shops

Author:Frederick Lenz

“To just burn out, to give up just because things don't go your way, to assume that there is no God, no infinite light - I think that's pretty petty, personally.”

Thinking Way Giving God Light Giving Up Infinite Assuming Petty There Is No God Burn Out

Author:Frederick Lenz

“The eye of God is inside us. It's looking through us and it sees whatever we look at. Sometimes I think we could give God better things to look at, don't you?”

Thinking Giving Looks Sometimes God Eye

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Power is very much like the wind. It comes and goes; no one really owns it. People are foolish enough to think they possess power. You don't possess power, power possesses you. Power uses you.”

People Thinking Enough Use Power Wind Foolish Comes And Goes

Author:Frederick Lenz

“You cannot be born and you cannot die because you don't even exist ... in the sense that you think of existence.”

Thinking Dies Born Existence Yoga

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Anything you can say, think, feel, trust or feel is untrue - is an illusion. The fact that there are these things is an illusion.”

Thinking Feels Facts Illusion Yoga Untrue

Author:Frederick Lenz

“You need to accept the fact that you will often do exactly the opposite of what you think is right. You need to accept that you're going to do that and still love yourself.”

Thinking Needs Stills Facts Accepting Love You Yoga Opposites Love Yourself Bhakti Yoga Still Love You

Author:Frederick Lenz

“You suffer because you try to fulfill yourself. You think of yourself in a limited way.”

Thinking Way Trying Suffering Yoga Karma Think Of You Karma Yoga

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Think of a star. A star burns its very substance to give light to others. You need to be like a star.”

Thinking Needs Giving Light Stars Yoga Karma Substance Karma Yoga

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Nature gives constantly to us. We as indendepent egos think we're important. Selfless giving has to do with overcoming the ego. The ego makes us unhappy.”

Thinking Giving Important Ego Yoga Overcoming Karma Unhappy Selfless Karma Yoga Selfless Giving

Author:Frederick Lenz

“If, when you give to someone you think you're better than they are because your practing selfless giving, you're not loving.”

Ifs Thinking Giving Yoga Karma Selfless Karma Yoga Selfless Giving

Author:Frederick Lenz

“If we think of Albert Schweitzer, Ghandi, Lincoln, we feel that the people who were the most outstanding in the this world are those who have given the most of themselves.”

People Ifs Thinking World Feels Given This World Yoga Karma Outstanding Karma Yoga

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Kirshna says its better to be a winner than a loser. It runs counter to what a lot of people whould think, because they have watered down, quasi-religious ideas about that which creates in enlightenment.”

People Thinking Ideas Running Religious Enlightenment Yoga Karma Winner Loser Karma Yoga

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Thinking that the next person, the next relationship, the next experience will free you - these are foolish thoughts of people who are bound again and again to birth, death and rebrith for thousands and thousands of incarnations.”

People Thinking Persons Next Birth Bounds Foolish Again And Again Incarnation

Author:Frederick Lenz

“If you think of spiritual practice as unpleasant work - it is not spiritual practice as I know it.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Spiritual Practice Working It Spiritual Practice

Author:Frederick Lenz

“I think enlightenment is something that you decide to do after you have met someone who is enlightened. Something touches your heart, your being at a very deep level.”

Thinking Heart Levels Mets Enlightenment Enlightened Very Deep

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Humility has tremendous power. Think of Gandhi. That was humility in action. He changed the shape of an entire nation.”

Thinking Action Nations Changed Humility Buddhism Shapes

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Practice humility constantly. Whenever you start to think well of yourself, push those thoughts aside. Whenever you think ill of yourself, push those thoughts aside.”

Thinking Wells Practice Humility Buddhism Ill

Author:Frederick Lenz

“To think that fulfilling yourself in this world will create eternal fulfillment is absurd. But we feel this way because we lack purity.”

Thinking World Way Feels This World Buddhism Eternal Absurd Fulfillment Purity Fulfilling

Author:Frederick Lenz

“Become conscious of what you think during the day. A negative thought will enter you. At first it will be vague, innocuous, but then it will root in your consciousness and soon it will be impossible to eradicate.”

Thinking Firsts Consciousness Impossible Buddhism Conscious Negative Roots Purity Vague Negative Thoughts

Author:Frederick Lenz

“We are everything and we are nothing. We are a forgotten moment. We don't even exist, which is the freeing part. We just think we do. That's the illusion.”

Thinking Moments Illusion Forgotten Nothingness

Author:Frederick Lenz

About the Author

Born: February 9, 1950
Died: April 12, 1998
Known for: Author
Quotes: 4397

Related Topics

Buddhism Ifs People Mind World Enlightenment Meditation Yoga Way Rama Awareness Self Teacher Thinking Light Energy Enlightened Inspirational States Karma

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Surfing the Himalayas: conversations and travels with Master FwapRelated source material

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