Obession

"Obsession with individual freedom at the expense of others is the death of compassion. Obsession with neurotic parental-style control at the expense of the personal liberty of others is the death of wisdom."

pxvii, Dangerous Friend, Rig’dzin Dorje, Shambhala, 2001, 978-1570628573

Invaded by Padmasambhava

"Vajrayana disciples in every place and time commit themselves to being spiritually invaded by Padmasambhava."

p66, Dangerous Friend, Rig’dzin Dorje, Shambhala, 2001, 978-1570628573

The chance to be real and vivid

"Vajrayana offers those with kindness, honesty, and courage the chance to be real and vivid, at a time when cultural horizons are shrinking. We cannot go forth like Lewis and Clark, in search of the passage west - there are no such new trails to blaze on behalf of others. The only compassionate trail left to seekers of such high adventure is the Vajrayana"

p67, Dangerous Friend, Rig'dzin Dorje, Shambhala, 2001, 1-57062-857-2

Freedom of choice is the dominant myth of our society

"The seductive ideal of freedom of choice is the dominant myth of our society, encouraging people to remain essentially adolescent up until retirement age or even death... It's more important to follow your feelings than to actually arrive at any particular goal. We have become more interested in process than result."

p56, Dangerous Friend, Rig'dzin Dorje, Shambhala, 2001, 1-57062-857-2

Not just for this life

"The relationship with the vajra master is not just for this life, but is renewed in all future lives until enlightenment is attained. When enlightenment eventually dawns, the student will have become the equal of 'all the enlightened ones of the past'. Until then, the magnetism of this particular vajra master's transmission, the single key to the future, exceeds the inspiration even of the legends of other Buddhas"

p33, Dangerous Friend, Rig'dzin Dorje, Shambhala, 2001, 1-57062-857-2

The possibility of everything

"Once we perceive the small space of our habitual mind, we begin to long for the open vastness we have glimpsed in the eyes of the Lama. We begin to understand that in 'giving up' the dubious freedom of following our dualistic rationale, we are in fact losing nothing and gaining the possibility of everything."

p20, Dangerous Friend, Rig'dzin Dorje, Shambhala, 2001, 1-57062-857-2

More important than this one life

"The relationship between the vajra master and the vajra student should be the most important relationship in one's life as a spiritual aspirant. This is the only relationship that we can have which ultimately leads to enlightenment. ... For a Vajrayana student it is more important than this one life."

p11, Dangerous Friend, Rig'dzin Dorje, Shambhala, 2001, 1-57062-857-2