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Tenzin Palmo

Tenzin Palmo Quotes

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Tenzin Palmo, born in 1943, is a renowned Tibetan Buddhist nun and author. She is known for her cave retreat in the Himalayas of India, becoming the first female to receive formal recognition as a cave dweller. Palmo's works primarily focus on the role of women in Buddhism and her personal retreat experiences.

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All Ifs People Dharma Thinking Mind Practice Knows Way Helping Needs

Famous Tenzin Palmo Quotes

“Most religions have always appreciated the extreme power of concentrated thought directed toward the benefit of others, especially when that person is practicing in solitude. That's why they have contemplative orders.”

Persons Order Solitude Benefits Extremes Appreciated Contemplative

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“The power of thought is extremely powerful.”

Powerful Power Of Thought

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“In the very deep darkness of this world, little pinpoints of light show up very brightly and can shine a long way.”

World Way Littles Long Shows Light Darkness This World Shining Long Way Very Deep Deep Dark

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“To really be of benefit to others as the Buddha always taught, we ourselves must first get out of the swamp. One of the quickest and most effective ways to do this is in isolation, with very few distractions, working very hard at it and spending all your time and efforts at changing your mind.”

Way Mind Firsts Hard Effort Taught Benefits Spending Isolation Distraction Swamps Changing Your Mind Working Very Hard

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“Even if the hermits do not appear to benefit other beings with their presence or teachings, still they are enormously inspiring to many. Perhaps, in this lifetime, they were meant to work on their own practice, to try to purify their own mindstream so that in future lifetimes (that will last a lot longer than this one), they will be fit vessels to give the teachings to others.”

Ifs Giving Trying Stills Lasts Practice Teaching Fit Benefits Lifetime Vessel Hermits

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“The more you realize, the more you realize how much there is to realize and, at the same time, how much you realize that there is nothing to realize. So, it's an enormous job, not something that is going to be finished in this lifetime.”

Jobs Realizing Lifetime Finished Enormous

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“In Dharma practice, the most important thing is to be very sincere.”

Important Practice Important Things Sincere Dharma

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“Look at your own potential. Don't overestimate your capabilities and push too hard, or underestimate them and use that as an excuse to be lazy.”

Looks Hard Use Excuse Lazy Capability Underestimate Overestimate

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“With sincerity from the depths of your heart to do the best you can, just keep going and don't worry too much that you're not Milarepa or Rechungpa.”

Heart Worry Too Much Depth Keep Going Sincerity Do The Best

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“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.”

Ifs Heart Enough Would Be My Heart Lifetime Depth If I Could One Time Renunciation

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“Basically, I want to spend my time in retreat, but to my own amazement, I agreed to help with a project to start a training center for nuns. I agreed because I think it's really very important for the Western Sangha. I don't know how I'm going to help, but it's important.”

Thinking Knows Want Important Helping My Own Know How Projects Training Western My Time Retreat Nun Amazement Sangha

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“Basically, I feel to spend the rest of my life doing retreat.”

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“In one way I would like to teach, but I have no qualifications to teach Westerners.”

Way Teach One Way Qualifications Westerners

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“I really don't know what I could teach and don't really plan to teach.”

Knows Teach Plans

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“The Dharma is a very, very special and precious thing. The more you practice it, the more you will realize this.”

Realizing Practice Special Dharma Precious Things

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“Keep your practice very simple and don't be too ambitious.”

Simple Practice Ambitious

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“Don't be thinking that this lama over there is giving better teachings or that this lama over here is giving more secret initiations. Leave that. Just keep the practice very simple, try to stay in the moment and try to stay mindful.”

Thinking Giving Trying Moments Simple Secret Practice Teaching Initiation Lama

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“Try to develop some genuine love and compassion, some real caring for others.”

Trying Real Compassion Caring Genuine Caring For Others Love And Compassion Genuine Love

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“People talk over and over about bodhichitta, but so often their heart is quite cold.”

People Heart Cold

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“It's not a matter of how much you know or can define, or how many millions of mantras or thousands of prostrations you have done, or how many months of wangs you've attended. The important thing is whether or not the mind is really changing, whether our negative emotions are really coming under control, whether we are really beginning to understand ourselves, whether our mind is really improving, and whether in our hearts there is genuine love and caring for other people.”

“In the beginning especially, we won't realize we're changing.”

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“Other people may tell us, "Oh, you're so much nicer." Of course you can't hope that other people will tell you that you're so much nicer, but that's always a good sign. Perhaps people find that you're easier to live with.”

People May Courses Easier

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“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.”

People Ifs Heart Feelings Emotion Practice Easier Negative Dharma Touchstones Negative Emotions

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“Forget about realizing shunyata and going on the different bhumis and all this. Just stay in the moment, stay aware, be kind and try to improve your mind.”

Trying Mind Kind Different Moments Realizing Forget Be Kind

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“When I look back I feel very grateful.”

Feels Looks Grateful

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“At the age of 21 I was so sensible and became a nun. I am very grateful to myself for that.”

Age Grateful Sensible Nun

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“When I look back I can think that of course I've been lazy and haven't practiced as much as I could have and have wasted time. Still though, I look back on my life and I think that really, I am very happy that I lived my life the way I have and I would never ever have wished it any other way - especially, the six years with my lama and then the 18 in Lahul.”

Thinking Way Years Looks Stills I Can Courses Havens Six Lazy Very Happy Wasted Time Lama

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“There is an enormous joy and satisfaction in doing what you really want to do and are best fitted to do. When it all comes together like that, it gives you a wonderful sense of well-being and satisfaction knowing that you have been doing what you were intended to do for this lifetime.”

Want Giving Wells Has Beens Together Joy Knowing Wonderful Lifetime Satisfaction Enormous Well Being

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“One of the advantages of being born in an affluent society is that if one has any intelligence at all, one will realize that having more and more won't solve the problem, and happiness does not lie in possessions, or even relationships: The answer lies within ourselves. If we can't find peace and happiness there, it's not going to come from the outside.”

Ifs Doe Problem Lying Realizing Born Answers Society Advantage Simplicity Possession Solve Inner Peace Minimalism Finding Peace Peace And Happiness Affluent

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“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.”

Emotion Existence Meditation Realising Being Me Interconnected Thoughts And Emotions

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“If we greet situations with a positive attitude, we will eventually create positive returns. If we respond with a negative attitude, negative things will eventually come our way.”

Ifs Way Attitude Situation Return Negative Optimistic Positive Attitude Negative Attitude

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“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.”

Knows Way Needs Giving Mind Grows Growing Up Environment Negative Environmental Delight Generosity Settling Contentment Simple Living Settling Down Mind Set Green Living

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“For any practice to work, the mind which is meditating on the object must merge. Often they are facing each other. One has to become completely absorbed, then the transformation will occur.”

Mind Practice Objects Transformation Meditating

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“I have made a vow to attain Enlightenment in the female form - no matter how many lifetimes it takes.”

Made Matter Form Enlightenment Female Lifetime Vow Female Form

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“Develop confidence in your innate qualities and believe that these qualities will be brought to fruition.”

Believe Quality Innate Fruition

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“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.”

Should Mind Helping Joy Purpose Grows Clarity Dharma

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“To me the special quality (which of course many men have as well) is first of all a sharpness, a clarityIt cuts through - especially intellectual ossification. Itgets to the point. To me the dakini principle stands for the intuitive force.”

Men Firsts Wells Courses Force Quality Principles Cutting Special Intellectual Intuitive Sharpness

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“Ultimately there is light and love and intelligence in this universe. And we are it, we carry that within us, it’s not just something out there, it is within us and this is what we are trying to re-connect with, our original light and love and intelligence, which is who we are, so do not get so distracted by all this other stuff, you know, really remember what we are here on this planet for.”

Knows Love Trying Light Earth Remember Spiritual Universe Stuff Planets And Love Originals Intelligence Buddhist Who We Are Distracted Light And Love Reconnecting

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“The answer lies within ourselves. If we can't find peace and happiness there, it's not going to come from the outside.”

“This is a time that calls for extreme restraint. In a world of outright aggression and violence there can be no winners. To respond to violence with counter-violence only throws oil on the fire.”

World Time Fire Violence Extremes Oil Winner Nonviolence Aggression Restraint No Winners Aggression And Violence

Author:Tenzin Palmo

About the Author

Born: 1943
Known for: Author
Quotes: 240

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