You are the Creator
If you always say you cannot, then you cannot. It is really up to you to say you can and then you can. Can and cannot arise from the same mind, so you choose can.
If you always make rules for yourself, you can change the rules. Why do they have to be etched into stone? Rules are based on the current situations that can change.
If you want to break through a habit, of course it’s hard, but getting into the habit was hard too. So it’s just changing a mindset. And starting again but this time quicker.
Sometimes we don’t have to examine and evaluate why is my mind like this or like that. Just change. Just go all the way and be better. Don’t evaluate so much.
Success is easy if you fail many times. So don’t be afraid of failure as it leads to success one day. Failure is just one step closer to success.
What others think of you is not as important as what you think of yourself. In the end, you have to live with yourself. If you are comfortable with yourself, then majority of others will be too, eventually. If they are not, it’s not your problem. So don’t make it your problem.
Giving up is a good way to say no one is important but yourself. No one matters. No kindness matters. No need to have gratitude. No need to repay kindness. Giving up is great to send the wrong message.
Basing future reactions on past experiences can be good and bad. Only base on the good and let go of the bad.
The world cannot be according our expectations and that is because everyone has their own expectations. The solution, don’t be disappointed by your high standards. Change your thinking.
Depending on others during your down time is normal. But taking from others when you don’t have to, is a sign of worse things to come.
If we always want to get back at people who have hurt us, we hurt the people we love. Because we are consumed with anger and revenge. Just like we were hurt, we hurt those who love us. Let go.
If you always break promises then it is not other people’s fault when they don’t trust you for now. You have to earn their trust by developing integrity over time.
Running away from people who have been kind to you is the same as running away from the results of your good karma.
Whatever your mind thinks, you might act out. So it’s important we train our mind to think correctly so it acts out beneficially. Otherwise we create so much unnecessary problems. We are the creator.
Finding out you can make mistakes is a wonderful way to acknowledge you have more to learn. The more you learn the better you become. No one is above learning. And it is through learning we improve always.
Nothing needs to be the way they are as you see it now. It can change for the worse or better as it all depends on what actions we take on a daily basis. Never take actions we regret.
God and Buddha are not to blame for our predicament. They are not the creators of our suffering but we are. If we wish to end suffering, we should immediately lessen our selfish self-centric mind. Then we will get a break from ourselves.
Leaving your responsibilities for others to cover is the most definite way to be unpopular and disrespected. Why create that?
All sufferings come to an end. Make the end come faster by being the best you can be and even better.
House, people, friends, partners, position, love, career are just extensions of who you are and what you have created. They can be changed or they can change you. You choose.
The best way to create happiness and make your world filled with light is to serve others without an agenda. You create something that will be lasting.
Remember, don’t blame others and don’t blame yourself, just create the new and better future you want NOW. You are the creator! You experience what you create.
Tsem Rinpoche
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Thank you Rinpoche for writing this blog. This blog post about the quotes made me realise who am I as a person. One of my favourite quote is “if you want to break through a habit, of course it is hard but getting into the habit was hard too. So it’s just changing a mindset and starting again but this time quicker”. This quote made me look at myself from a different angle and I thank you Rinpoche for doing just that.
The first quote is the quite the inspiration for doing things that I can’t do. I will do the things I can’t do and do the things I can properly. _/\_
The quote that strikes me the most is the “Success is easy if you fail many times. So don’t be afraid of failure as it leads to success one day. Failure is just one step to success”. I think every quote is true but this is the quote that strikes me the mist because I experienced it like learning some subject that I’m weak in. I will fail many many times but I need to learn from the failure. Failure is also helping me lead to success. After many times of failure, I can enjoy the result from the effort I put in. So don’t be afraid of failure, it is just part of the way to success. You should appreciate the failure. And thank you Rinpoche for sharing these quotes.
“Success is easy if you fail many times. So don’t be afraid of failure as it leads to success one day. Failure is just one step to success”
From the quote above I learned that failure is ok but giving up is not. Failing is helping us to learn our mistakes, not leading up to giving up. If you are afraid of failure you can’t do anything because you are scared that you will fail. So as always, don’t give up and try everything. If you don’t try, you will not know if you will fail. What about when you try to draw and you keep failing and you are almost to success and you give up and you lose the chance to succeed.
Thank you Rinpoche sharing this quotes. Will keep learning more and to be better person and share this quotes to everyone.
谢谢仁波切的教诲与开示。我们人本身是可以成为创造者或破坏者，或者有人常说：神也是你，鬼也是你，但这两者定义都在一线之差。所以仁波切的教诲是我们本身要有佛法的修行和开示。只要我们领悟佛法与正悟， 我们就会创造一些不可思议的好事而不会走向极端和破坏世界和平的想法。
If we are not the creator then who else is? Who can we truly blame for all the problems that arises? We have to practice and adapt to the thinking that we are our problem and the cause of it. Don’t deny of it as it will leads to nowhere. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing such quotes.
This is very true as we are what we are due to the pathway that we choose, we are the ones that are in full control of everything with regards to what we want to be and what we are. It all depends on our attitude and actions towards things that are around us. Only we can change what we want to change. No one else can change who we are.
It’s true that we create our own suffering. It’s also true that we can end this suffering. As Rinpoche says, “Just change. Just go all the way and be better. Don’t evaluate so much.” Rinpoche makes it so simple and do-able.
i love all these quotes as they are inspirational and provocative.
“The world cannot be according our expectations and that is because everyone has their own expectations. The solution, don’t be disappointed by your high standards. Change your thinking.” – this quote is a reminder of how we create our own problems by setting unrealistic expectations about people and situations. When we have unrealistic expectations, these expectations will definitely be unfulfilled and therefore we get disappointed. But if we apply Rinpoche’s advice of changing the way we look at things and being realistic, we will be more at peace and happier.
I will share these quotes everywhere so more people can have a new way of thinking and be blessed by them!
I love the way these teachings give us full reins and control of our happiness. it’s very empowering to know that we can determine how happy and successful we are and not just throw the responsibility to some outer force or outer god. It’s “easier” to lay the blame on something outside ourselves when things go wrong, but it also means that we have no say in our own happiness, which is illogical.
It seems coincidental that i’ve also just watched the video on Mitch Albom’s speech (http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/inspiration-worthy-words/mitch-albom-bash-07-speech.html) which of course is totally about how we choose to live our lives, no matter the physical circumstances around us. Morrie showed the world that you could literally be dying, but still create happiness for yourselves and the people around you, simply because you choose to.
So the act of taking responsibility isn’t something heavy, or a burden but actually something empowering and liberating. We take responsibility for the things that go wrong (instead of chucking it at someone else) but by that same token, it means we have the power to change the course of action and results henceforth, so that things become right, and positive… and happy! This is logical for if we all have the potential to be enlightened and have Buddha nature within us, that it only follows that it is up to us individually to awaken that nature – and that can only be by a choice that we make, not by some external force to “fix” our insides and point our minds towards this.
So…. we shall all go forth…. and be happy?! 🙂
我们将自己的生命权交给别人，我们的生活永远都是自己选择的。世界没有欠我们任何东西，不要见责任推给世界。改变自己的生活态度是快乐的主要条件。
Thank you Rinpoche for you valuable sharing.Your quotes have a deep profound meaning which could be associated with our daily action.Most of the time we hope to be treated right but we choose to forsake others through our thoughtless action .We should be mindful in our thoughts and deeds in order to live a live happier with less regrets.
We are indeed our own creator, half the time not realising the thoughts we create are part of our deluded mind and perceptions. I esp like quote no 15 – to acknowledge it is ok to make mistakes, forgive and acknowledge we are not infallible in what we know and have. All the sentences are great inspirations for the workplace too. Thank you Rinpoche._/\_
Dear Rinpoche,
Of all the quotes these two stood out for me the most:
“Sometimes we don’t have to examine and evaluate why is my mind like this or like that. Just change. Just go all the way and be better. Don’t evaluate so much.”
This is TRUE… I always love to analyse things, sometimes over analysing them until it becomes a procrastination and basically end up nothing happens. But truly ever since I met Rinpoche I notice this habit of mine quickly lessen… It’s true the more we think and dwell upon something, the more time is wasted and in the end we are still left with the “problem”.
“Remember, don’t blame others and don’t blame yourself, just create the new and better future you want NOW. You are the creator! You experience what you create.”
I like this one because it is true, it’s about karma, it sounds simple, but profound because we often forget this and that is when we get in to the habit of “blaming”, be it ourselves or others… and in the end it is still me who is suffering and no one else feels it so why put ourselves through this pain… accept it, let go, move on and change… that has also been one of Rinpoche’s heart felt advice.
I think if I did not meet Rinpoche, my mind would have been in a much more negative state. Though there is still a long way more to go for me, but I believe if we can remember all of Rinpoche’s kind personal heart advice to us… we have a pretty much a guaranteed success in at least being happy and at peace now. Thank you Rinpoche for always knocking our silly heads and shedding some light! xj
Dear Tsem Rinpoche,
Thanks for sharing and your guidance is very much appreciated .
The quotes are very meaningful and beautiful. We are the creator and we should learn to live with what we create.
Regards,
Venix
Karma will follow us whenever and wherever we go. Thanks Rinpoche for the teaching. After we know more about Dharma, we should try to follow and do as much as we can hence to collect more and more positive Karma and Merits for ourself.
As in Lamrin, what we do now will not wasted, no matter good or bad and sure we will tasted the result.
So we better get prepare to purified our bad Karma hence do more Dharma work to increase our Merits to collect positive Karma to let us be a better person…
Over the years, Rinpoche imparted his profound teachings to us. He spoke of the very heart of all that is taught by all Buddhas of the past, present or future. Fearing we would forget, he asks us to take down notes and gather a number of them together from various sources, to make a single work. He was the very image of all knowledge, love and power of every single one of the absolute myriad of Buddhas. Even for those who had never met him, he was the single greatest friend, high or humble, could ever hope to have. Thank you Rinpoche, immensely from the bottom of our hearts for your deep love, care and profound compassion that you have for all as Guru and friend. Thus is the need for us in the audience to truly endeavour to change our hearts to listen to the teachings with the purest of motivations. Om mani padme hum.
this is totally correct. we are who we are and that is who we make our self. dont blame people or things on your failure. things change.
We are the creator. We are the creator of our karma. Surrounding factors do not change our Karma, it is us and us only. We are what we create. When we create the causes to become a good person, we will become the good person we choose to be. Life is full of choices. Pick the right ones!
My dearest Guru Tsem Tulku Rinpoche,
I waked up at night and i had to think about you and yoda. Then i saw you on your youtube-Blog with the video: What is god, what is buddha…
And suddenly there was a connection from heard to heard. Shame on me. You are right: I am the creator and i am a bad creator sometimes ^^ This video helps me a lot and i think all the time: Shame on me. But I will learn. I know there is no outside god or what ever. Only me and mind. You re always on my mind. But sometimes my ego runs. Thank you for that video. It helps me to get peace and freedom in my mind, Your are one of my best gurus, i told you. Please forgive.I will work on it 🙂 love and light and all the best for you, kechara and your people.
Thank you very much, Rinpoche, for the truth and thought provoking teaching. Like what Stephen Hawking believes, there is no god the creator. But he only believes in this life and does not subscribe to an after-life.
Buddhism taught of an after-life and many future lifetimes yet I have not fully grasped the meaning and see the truth to create the conditions for a good after-life.
Good quotes for us to reflect everyday. Lots of our suffering when we reflect on it, we would noticed that is we created and is the choice we made, and is what we put in our mind. It would be wonderful to reflect all this before we sleep.
Thanks Rinpoche for the sharing.
I look at this title of article “We are the creator”, It mean what you are engaging your own self center mind, creating happiness or suffering. All the 24 quote are so profound and truth. Thank you rinpoche sharing this wonderful teaching.
There is a saying: Our mind can create wonders and make miracle happen…
We are the creator and it is true, we create our future, when things happened, it is no other’s fault, because they do not make it on us, it is us allowing it.
When we are focusing only to ourselves, we can’t feel the kindness of others, we can’t feel the pain of others, what we feel is only our own ‘benefit’, if it is like this, then we are creating a bitter future, because attachment brings all sufferings.
So many times we see ourselves so powerless, that there is really nothing much that we can do to ourselves, least to say about others.
It thrills me to know that karma can be changed, although exactly how I do not know.
Who we want ourselves to become and what we want to achieve all lie within our own hands. Once we have made up our minds and be persistent about our goals, we will achieve them. Or at the very least, even if we do not get to exactly where we want to go, we have developed ourselves into better humans and not wasted our precious lives.
This is yet another collection of quotes that we should read and reflect on. Our mind is usually stuck in its own habituation and the quotes offer so many alternatives to how we look at things that affect our lives.
An important aspect of spiritual practice is to understand how our own mind works and to make the necessary changes so that we improve as a person and the way we think can accelerate or hinder our practice. At the end of the day, we are to take full responsibility over ourselves and we can decide our own outcomes instead of relying on external factors which we then blame when things don’t work out.
A common theme in the quotes is that how our mind thinks can be changed but it is solely up to us to affect that transformation. And when we change our mind, we change our lives. I especially find Quote 16 very empowering: “Nothing needs to be the way they are as you see it now. It can change for the worse or better as it all depends on what actions we take on a daily basis. Never take actions we regret”.
I never cease to be amazed by Rinpoche. How compassionate and how creative of Rinpoche is beyond any doubt.
Every quote is so clear and right to the point. All the DOs and DON’Ts are so well thought out. I can’t remember I have read anything like this. Not forgetting the graphics, they are very beautiful and creative as well.
We have to read this to change for the better…definitely!
As always, thank you very much Rinpoche.
Dear Rinpoche,
other than having really cool pictures, this post kind of drives the point home on so many things. I was always fixated with the causes and emotions that come with my mistakes and instead of continuing that, we should have a different approach. instead of just searching, change is more important….this really made me think on how I can change and the answer is that I should just go ahead with the plan to change.
Don’t just go ahead with the plan to change, but just change. As rinpoche has said, change is in the mind, and change is instantaneous. It doesnt have to take weeks or months. It starts right this moment.
If we are still planning our change, it’s just another way that our mind is buying time to keep us from the actual change.
Change is powerful. Change is internalizing that we are indeed the creator of all our problems that have caught up with us. Change is practice.
I especially like this:
1. If you always say you cannot, then you cannot. It is really up to you to say you can and then you can. Can and cannot arise from the same mind, so you choose can.
We are really good at putting ourselves in a box and always staying in the box, then we convince ourselves there is only so much we can do. This behaviour in my opinion is due to the laziness, at least this is what I found about myself. Before learning Dharma, I didn’t think the CANNOT is my choice, I thought it is my limitation by nature. Therefore, I didn’t intend to do anything about it. After learning Dharma, I learned that CANNOT arises from laziness because if we think we cannot, it becomes a valid excuse for us not to work hard on it. (of course this does not include physical disability)
The process of changing from CANNOT to CAN is tough and hard but it will definitely make us a better person. It also shows that we love and care for the people who love us dearly.
Thank you Rinpoche for the profound quotes.I like all the 21 quotes especially these quote:
1. If you always say you cannot, then you cannot. It is really up to you to say you can and then you can. Can and cannot arise from the same mind, so you choose can.
14. Whatever your mind thinks, you might act out. So it’s important we train our mind to think correctly so it acts out beneficially. Otherwise we create so much unnecessary problems. We are the creator.
These 21 random thoughts of Rinpoche are so true, must try to remember all and put into practice, thank you for this profound teaching.
Rinpoche, thanks for the quotes.i like No14 {Whatever your mind thinks, you might act out. So it’s important we train our mind to think correctly so it acts out beneficially. Otherwise we create so much unnecessary problems. We are the creator} . our mind control our action, we need to be trained to be think correctly, so that the action will be positive and benefit other being instead hurting them.
“God and Buddha are not to blame for our predicament. They are not the creators of our suffering but we are. If we wish to end suffering, we should immediately lessen our selfish self-centric mind. Then we will get a break from ourselves.”
All sufferings are self inflicted. Due to our self cherishing mind and attachments we create those sufferings. All sufferings come to an end if we can break free from our attachments.
Thank you, Rinpoche for this profound teachings and especially on this advice “Remember, don’t blame others and don’t blame yourself, just create the new and better future you want NOW. You are the
creator! You experience what you create”.
Dear Rinpoche,
I should have thanks for your teaching since 2 years ago while old friend – Dr Lanse shared me your words and books sometimes during my suffering and confusing. And, it always fits to solve my struggle point in time. Sorry for this very slow reaction, normally i act fast.Haha… Ego fools me with ‘positive thinker’ mask; suffering for live in the past and future, wrong perception of the past and wrong projection for the future; and strictly attach to right and wrong, a world without compassion. And etc… I deeply and clearly acknowledge the suffering cycle in my life now(no matter for career, relationship, healthy), they are in the same pattern, a mind/spirit habitual response which will eventually manifests at all external/material world. I am a fast learner, and have wide interest, but finally end up without learning to love ownself, to relax, and to surrender. Its really funny. But thanks life for gifted all life being the freedom to choose.
Choose to join KH in this very hard time in my life because of 4 questions :
1) Is it really benefit ownself? (spiritual joyfulness/blissfulness will tell us the truth)
2) Is it really benefit all life being and the earth?
3) Is it a life/spiritual mission i dedicate to(spiritual + social enterprise [environmental protection, natural healing, education and culture] toward a hybrid of self-sustain business and organization modal )?
4) Am i act with fear or without fear?
So, for the very first time in my life, rinpoche, i choose for myself the spiritual needs. I have been choosen thousand times previosly for ‘ i though what i want ‘ because of too much examine and evaluate from the brain. Ignorance, clever without wise.
Good to hear your sharing, rinpoche – Sometimes we don’t have to examine and evaluate why is my mind like this or like that. Just change. Just go all the way and be better. Don’t evaluate so much.
Thank you.
All the quotes are so profound.
I like this quote:
Finding out you can make mistakes is a wonderful way to acknowledge you have more to learn. The more you learn the better you become. No one is above learning. And it is through learning we improve always.
And Rinpoche’s closing advice “Remember, don’t blame others and don’t blame yourself, just create the new and better future you want NOW. You are the creator! You experience what you create”.
Thank you Rinpoche.
Running away from people who have been kind to you is the same as running away from the results of your good karma.
——————————
I like this quote. Reminds me of people who have no gratitude because they are selfish in the first place; placing the importance on themselves.
Oh my… This are really profound words of Rinpoche, it was really logical when you contemplate on it.
Thank you for the profound quotes, Rinpoche.. Will print it out and go through each and every 21 quotes and contemplate on them further. Reading it alone can only gain us theory knowledge. The true practise is applying the theory to our daily lives and transform our mind from it..
Thank you very much, Rinpoche!
Really love the quotes. thank you so much rinpoche for this post.
Dear Rinpoche,
Really love the quotes. It’s an encouragement and motivation to me.
I like the quotes:-
1) Sometimes we don’t have to examine and evaluate why is my mind like this or like that. Just change. Just go all the way and be better. Don’t evaluate so much.
2) The world cannot be according our expectations and that is because everyone has their own expectations. The solution, don’t be disappointed by your high standards. Change your thinking.
3) All sufferings come to an end. Make the end come faster by being the best you can be and even better.
4) The best way to create happiness and make your world filled with light is to serve others without an agenda. You create something that will be lasting.
Thank you
With folded hand
freon
I grew up in a Missionary school, where we had Bible studies; I was in the hostel since my childhood days for almost 11 years of my school life. I was influenced by Christianity. I still love and believe in Lord Jesus Christ. At home my father is a Hindu and my Mom is a Buddhist. We have an altar, with idols from both the religion.
With so much of religion, and so many Gods I was confused. I was lost and always looked for logic in religion. I could not understand why humans killed each other in the name of religion. I could not understand why people could get away every time after committing a sin, simply my asking God for forgiveness.
Most of all I could not understand the reason a destitute baby had to suffer by being born in utter poverty.
Although the philosophy of Buddhism was right before me, my limited mind could just comprehend the basic logic of ‘cause and effect’ viz. Karma.
Then I found His Holiness Tsem Rinpoche, who give me the spiritual faith in Buddhism. His preaching on the basic need for keeping a Buddha idol, significance of mantras, prayer beads and the significance of the extra 8 beads from a total of 108, for making offerings like water in 7 or 8 bowls with a rice spacing between them et al. gave me the reason to be more spiritual.
At present I know I have a teeny-weeny knowledge in my tiny brain about true nature and Buddhism, but I know now it’s time to stop asking questions like I always did, and find answers through practice.
Today what I am is because of Rinpoche, and the hard work and dedication of the whole team of Kechara, Pastors, the brains behind the internet, the people who take care of Rinpoche; thank you everyone.
I realize impermanence and my duty as a human. All good deeds I do have a little bit of Rinpoche and Kechara in it. Thanks.
tashi delek
you are what you think
you are what you eat
you are what you drink
you are a result of the
milk or the medicine
you inject into
your biggest
orifice
andrew
rinpoche is a great guru