“The idea that somehow "no self, no problem"- I don't exist because I don't have a self- would be a mistaken understanding. However, the selflessness teaching is not that hard to understand. What it means is a type of self that people feel they have, like a fixed, unchanging identity. Either they know they have it, or for some, they feel they need to seek it, and possibly have an experience where they feel like they found something. That type of fixed, unchanging, essential self, or absolute self doesn't exist. That's what "no self" means.” PeopleKnowsNeedsFeelsMeanIdeasSelfHardProblemWould BeFoundUnderstandingTeachingIdentityTypeEssentialsAbsolutesFixedMistakenSelflessnessNo ProblemUnchanging Author:Robert Thurman
“Every time you have a big blast-out experience you think that's the ultimate-everything, and of course it isn't, although you can get hints. The key however, is not to take those hint experiences to be the ultimate experience. There always needs to be a balance. For example, when you find something, by having some experience, you always want to keep looking because there could be more to it.” ThinkingWantNeedsBigsCoursesExampleKeysBalanceUltimateHintsBlast Author:Robert Thurman
“All the things you need in the death transition, you need now in the life transition, because life is a transition, it is a between state. Therefore, every night when you fall asleep, it's like you die. And every time you do, you should be using the process of falling asleep as giving up your attention to sense objects, your discursive ruminating thoughts and so on. You should use that as a process of giving up and giving yourself completely to the universe and becoming completely obliterated.” NeedsGivingShouldStatesUseLife IsNightDiesFallUniverseProcessAttentionObjectsLike YouBecomingGiving UpTransitionEvery NightFalling AsleepGiving Yourself Author:Robert Thurman
“The Chinese people absolutely need good spiritual examples. They also could use a citizen of their own, who is free and happy, and pleased with them, and represents them in a positive way to the world. Especially now that they're becoming this mega-power, and no longer known as a puppet in the game, or strictly business people.” PeopleWorldWayNeedsUseSpiritualGamesKnownExampleBecomingCitizensChinesePuppetsMegaGood Spiritual Author:Robert Thurman
“They [Chinese] will need a sympathetic intercessor with other people in the world to avoid conflict and create trust, and of course, Dalai Lama would be ideal. In another ten years from now though, he won't have the time to be really effective for them. They're truly wasting their time not using him now.” PeopleWorldNeedsYearsWould BeCoursesTenConflictIdealsChineseSympatheticLamaDalaiIntercessors Author:Robert Thurman
“Within our own society, we jail more prisoners than any other country in the world, 85 percent of them people of nonwhite races — red, black, brown, and yellow. We are one of the few nations that still indulge in the death penalty for increasing numbers of these prisoners. We must become mindful of these negative things, since we need not support these actions of our nation to be affected negatively by their evolutionary impact, unless we mentally, verbally, and ultimately physically, disassociate ourselves from them.” PeopleWorldNeedsStillsCountryActionNationsBlackNumbersRaceSupportPercentRedNegativeImpactBrownAffectedJailPrisonerYellowOther CountriesPenaltiesIndulgeDeath PenaltyIndulge In Author:Robert Thurman
“People are afraid that if they let go of their anger and righteousness and wrath, and look at their own feelings-and even see the good in a bad person-they're going to lose the energy they need to do something about the problem. But actually you get more strength and energy by operating from a place of love and concern. You can be just as tough, but more effectively tough.” PeopleIfsLoveNeedsLooksPersonsFeelingsProblemEnergyLosesStrengthLetting GoLosingToughConcernAngerInner StrengthRighteousnessWrath Author:Robert Thurman
