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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 Problem Want World Buddhism Tibetan Benefits Buddhist Giving Important Lifetime

Famous Tenzin Palmo Quotes

“Each of us has something to do in this lifetime. We all have negative emotions to be purified and positive emotions to be cultivated. All of us need to reconnect to our source and drop our personal stories, don't we? Men, women, old, young, from here, from there - it is the same. All you can do is your practice. There is nothing else. Don't get caught up. Don't stop. We have to learn how to get out or our own way. Because ultimately, the only thing standing in our way is ourselves.”

Men Way Needs Stories Young Can Do Emotion Practice Source Negative Standing Lifetime Caught Caught Up Men Women Negative Emotions Positive Emotions Personal Stories

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“As a human being, we have everything we need. It's enough suffering to give us incentive to go on, but not so much that we don't know where to turn.”

Knows Needs Giving Humans Enough Suffering Turns Human Beings Goes On Incentives

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“I think to dwell continually on the dark side creates gloom and despair and anger and hatred, and that just adds to the darkness. So rather than that, we need to think of the beauty in the world, and also send out love and compassion to all beings in this world. Not just the people we like, but people who we find difficult. Because they are very deeply in need of compassion.”

People Thinking World Needs Difficult Sides Dark Compassion Darkness This World Despair Hatred Add Gloom Dark Side Very Deep Love And Compassion

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“For some people, every door opens, and they meet just who they need to meet when they need to meet them, all the conditions come together. For other people, there is one problem after the other, even though they are so sincere. And from a Tibetan point of view, this is because of a lack of merit.”

People Needs Problem Together Views Doors Conditions Point Of View Merit Sincere Tibetan

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“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.”

Needs Amount Merit Refuge Entering Vow Dharma Bodhisattva

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“On a relative level where we live, we need to have a sense of identity, otherwise we'd fall apart, wouldn't we?”

Needs Fall Levels Identity Relative Falling Apart

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“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.”

Thinking Needs Book Ends Certain Buddhism Internet Skills Helpful Instruction

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“If we want to be musicians, dancers or sportspeople, we can download a certain amount and watch DVDs and read books, but in the end we need someone to assess us and give us personal instruction. The two go together.”

Ifs Want Needs Giving Two Book Ends Together Certain Watches Amount Musician Dancer Instruction Dvds Downloads

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“We don't always need to be sitting at the foot of the teacher, but from time to time we need someone who can overview us and give us direction.”

Needs Giving Teacher Feet Sitting Overview

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“The point with Buddhism is that it doesn't just tell you to be good, it tells you how. It doesn't just say, "Don't be angry," it shows us the methods to help us not to be angry. It gives techniques for everything that it advises us to cultivate, and all the negative qualities we need to overcome and transform.”

Needs Giving Helping Shows Quality Buddhism Negative Overcoming Method Angry Be Good Technique Advise

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“Distraction is the main problem for us all - what the Buddha called the monkey mind. We need to tame this monkey mind.”

Needs Mind Problem Distraction Monkeys Monkey Mind

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“We need to be sincere in our practice, but at the same time we can't take ourselves too seriously.”

Needs Practice Sincere

Author:Tenzin Palmo

“I think, for East and West, the first thing we need is a good grounding in basic Buddhadharma.”

Thinking Needs Firsts West East Grounding East And West

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

About the Author

Born: 1943
Known for: Author
Quotes: 240

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