Religion can foster a vibrant creativity

"Religion doesn’t have to be pietistic and tedious. Religion can foster a vibrant creativity that would improve the quality of everyone’s life."

— Ngakpa Chögyam

Tantra is happening all the time

"Tantra acknowledges that pleasure and pain exist. Tantra acknowledges that pleasure and pain are dualistic expressions of the non-dual state. Because of this, Tantra is happening all the time."

p38, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, 1-898185-03-4

Emptiness is the essence of beings

"Emptiness is the essence of beings. It is this emptiness which allows us to manifest. Emptiness is the most salient quality of what we are-it is the ground of being. Energetic being arises from this emptiness as the play of energy, and material being arises from this energy as the play of form."

p13, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

Through meditation

"Through meditation we may discover that there are qualities and aspects of our lives that are not as we would wish them to be."

p121, Relaxing into Meditation, Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2010, 978-1898185178

Being asleep

"In Buddhism our confused and neurotic condition is often compared to being asleep-because our relationship with reality is more like being in a dream than being awake. We lack awareness because of our habitual patterns so that we are like confused and unresponsive sleepwalkers."

p152, Relaxing into Meditation, Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2010, 978-1898185178

The path is the goal

"If you begin to practise you will experience a difference in your life. The ultimate goal is always both very close and very distant; and when one day you come to realise that the path is the goal, the concepts of failure and success will no longer have any meaning."

p235, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

Buddhism is not an imposition on reality

"Buddhism is actually very pragmatic. Buddhism is not an imposition on reality. It’s not a constructed philosophy that forces human beings to proceed according to rigid directives that take no account of the diversity of experience."

Interview 6th of June 1994, Ngak’chang Rinpoche, 06/06/1994

Kindness

"Kindness is as close as we can ever come to a ‘moral approximation of awareness’. Having a good heart. Intellectual elaborations are not important. Kindness is something we feel – a warmth and expansiveness which flows from our growing openness. Kindness is our contact – our strongest link with our intrinsic enlightened nature."

Karma - The Personal Police State, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Encyclopaedia

The presence of the Lama

"If we view all situations as opportunities to relate with the capacity of the Lama to show us our enlightenment and the patterns of our unenlightenement, then everything we do becomes inspiring. Every aspect of our existence is enlivened with the presence of the Lama."

p175, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, 1-898185-03-4

There are always opportunities for realisation

"There are always opportunities for realisation. And these are built into the process of exhaustion and struggle: you struggle for a while until you can’t struggle anymore, till you become exhausted, and then there’s a space. And you either retract from that space and regenerate the same pattern or you can just rest in that space for long enough to realise there’s something else."

Hot-blooded kindness, Ngak'chang Rinpoche, Aro Encyclopaedia

The Tantric vision of being

"The Tantric vision of being is not an escape from what we actually are; at the kitchen sink; in the office; on the factory floor. The raw texture of whatever reality it is that we live every day has to be our practice."

p235, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

True love

"True love (that is to say, being 'ïn-love' with another person), in its essence, is centreless recognition of khyil-khor; and the practice of shinè is what gives us a feel for this view."

p108, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

Each of the five elements

"Each of the five elements is an expression of being. Each element is associated with a colour and a Tantric symbol. They are connected with seasons, times of day and with cardinal directions."

p109, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

Our dualistic ugliness

"Our dualistic ugliness is laid bare by the light of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, but so is our sparkling nondual beauty."

p227, Spacious Passion , Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2010, 978-1-898185-07-9

Approaching emptiness

"We can approach emptiness by learning to control our responses to perception through mindfulness and self-discipline."

p141, Spacious Passion , Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2010, 978-1-898185-07-9

The Measure of One's Purity

"The measure of one's purity is in the capacity to be kind and sensitive, to be willing to put ourselves out to help others, and to respect and appreciate the lifestyle and opinions of others in the real world."

p125, Relaxing into Meditation, Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2010, 978-1898185178

The Reason for Continuning to Practice

"The reason for continuing to practice in order to arrive at a state without thought is that it provides the space to unlearn our neurotic relationship with thought."

p93, Roaring Silence, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Shambhala, 2002, 1-57062-944-7

In order to realise ourselves

"In order to realise ourselves, as we actually are, we need to gain some understanding of exactly how we have distanced ourselves from ourselves."

p73, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, 0-9653948-0-8

Practice is the key

"Practice is the key that explodes the narrow confines of our ordinary experience. Practice liberates the fatalistic, deterministic view of karma as cause and effect."

p146, Spacious Passion, Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2009, 978-1-898185-07-9

Devotion

"Devotion isn't measured in terms of empowerments or anything that can be added to your spiritual credit rating. Devotion is a direct understanding and that never has any need of being displayed."

p19 Wisdom Eccentrics, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, Inc, 2011, 978-0965394864