Gil Fronsdal Quotes

Once you know your deepest wish you can base your life on intention rather than craving

Repetition and ritual and their good results come in many forms: changing the oil filter, wiping noses, going to meetings, picking up around the house, washing dishes, checking the dipstick . . . such a round of chores is not a set of difficulties we hope to escape from so that we may do our practice, which will put us on the path. It is our path.

Who are you in the silence between your thoughts?

People who do not see their choices do not believe they have choices. They tend to respond automatically, blindly influenced by their circumstances and conditioning. Mindfulness, by helping us notice our impulses before we act, gives us the opportunity to decide whether to act and how to act.

You don't have to be equal, you don't have to be better, you don't have to be worse. You can just be at peace.

Our intentions - noticed or unnoticed, gross or subtle contribute either to our suffering or to our happiness. Intentions are sometimes called seeds. The garden you grow depends on the seeds you plant and water. Long after a deed is done, the trace or momentum of the intention behind it remains as a seed, conditioning our future happiness or unhappiness.

Generosity is not limited to the giving of material things. We can be generous with our kindness and receptivity. Generosity can mean the simple giving of a smile or extending ourselves to really listen to a friend. Paradoxically, even being willing to receive the generosity of others can be a form of generosity.

Mindfulness, by helping us notice our impulses before we act, gives us the opportunity to decide whether to act and how to act

If you want to attain peace, live peacefully

When you meditate, don't think about what is happening. Rather, let your awareness be seated in the tender warmth you feel in your body. If you do this, any meditation practice you do will be fruitful.

Nothing whatsoever is worth the cost of a contracted heart.

To be 'free' only when things are pleasant is not real freedom.

One of the things that kills Buddhist spiritual life is excessive seriousness.

It can be easy to love all beings from a distance; it can be a great challenge when we have to live with them.

People who do not see their choices do not believe they have choices.

Freedom from clinging gives room in our hearts to grow.

Freedom from clinging allows us bring love into all aspects of our life.

Buddhism’s cardinal ethical principle is to avoid causing harm.