Henepola Gunaratana

DUE TO OUR FEELINGS ARISING FROM CONTACT, we think and we rationalize, conceptualize, theorize, philosophize and speculate. Because of the feeling arising…

— Henepola Gunaratana

No matter how hard you pursue pleasure and success, there are times when you fail. No matter how fast you flee, there…

— Henepola Gunaratana

Civilization changes man on the outside. Meditation softens him within, through and through.

— Henepola Gunaratana

“This sort of intuition can only occur when you disengage the logic circuits from the problem and give the deep mind the…

— Henepola Gunaratana

We usually do not look into what is really there in front of us. We see life through a screen of thoughts…

— Henepola Gunaratana

Ignorance may be bliss, but it does not lead to liberation.

— Henepola Gunaratana

The process of becoming who you will be begins first with the total acceptance of who you are.

— Henepola Gunaratana

Discipline is a difficult word for most of us. It conjures up images of somebody standing over you with a stick, telling…

— Henepola Gunaratana

“Every evil deed, every example of heartlessness in the world, stems directly from this false sense of “me” as distinct from everything…

— Henepola Gunaratana

“The meditator’s intention is to purge her own mind of anger, prejudice, and ill will, and she is actively engaged in the…

— Henepola Gunaratana

The principal cause of suffering is craving. Once craving is eliminated, much suffering will be eliminated. Still more suffering will be eliminated…

— Henepola Gunaratana

By silencing the mind, we can experience real peace. As long as various kinds of thoughts agitate the brain, we don't experience…

— Henepola Gunaratana

“Be gentle with yourself. Be kind to yourself. You may not be perfect, but you are all you’ve got to work with.”

— Henepola Gunaratana

“we train ourselves to ignore the constant impulses to be more comfortable, and we dive into reality instead. The irony of it…

— Henepola Gunaratana

We have to learn to be kind to ourselves. In the long run avoiding unpleasantness is a very unkind thing to do…

— Henepola Gunaratana

“Never mind what I have been taught. Forget about theories and prejudices and stereotypes. I want to understand the true nature of…

— Henepola Gunaratana

Watch the functioning of your own mind in a calm and detached manner so you can gain insight into your own behavior.

— Henepola Gunaratana

“protective cocoon. That is not living, but is premature death. The way to deal with danger is to know approximately how much…

— Henepola Gunaratana

Vipassana: looking into something with clarity and precision, seeing each component as distinct, piercing all the way through so as to perceive…

— Henepola Gunaratana

Don't cling to anything and don't reject anything.

— Henepola Gunaratana

“The actual experience lies beyond the words and above the symbols.”

— Henepola Gunaratana

View all problems as challenges. Look upon negativities that arise as opportunities to learn and to grow. Don't run from them, condemn…

— Henepola Gunaratana

“If you are remembering your second-grade teacher, that is memory. When you then become aware that you are remembering your second-grade teacher,…

— Henepola Gunaratana

“Our goal is to reach the perfection of all the noble and wholesome qualities latent in our subconscious mind. This goal has…

— Henepola Gunaratana

“When we mindfully watch our bodily sensations, we should not confuse them with mental formations, for bodily sensations can arise completely independent…

— Henepola Gunaratana