Ming-Dao Deng Quotes

A moving door hinge never corrodes. Flowing water never grows stagnant.

We cannot allow ourselves to be hobbled by the woes and alienation of our race or nation. It is our responsibility to overcome these, even if we can only succeed in our hearts.

It is said that if one chooses to pray to a rock with enough devotion, even that rock will come alive.

Who you are is always right.

Once you have seen the face of God, you see the same face on everyone you meet.

Every ordinary moment, every little detail should be a celebration of your personal understanding. Your smallest act should be permeated with reverence.

Did you measure to attain your height? Did you use geometry to radiate your limb? Did you lament storm-torn branches? Did you inventory your leaves for the sun? You did none of these things, yet man in his cleverness Cannot match your perfection.

Those truly linked don't need correspondence. When they meet again after many years apart, Their friendship is as true as ever.

Do you want to know how spirituality works? Breathe.

Expression is never helped by suppression.

Why is it so hard to find liberation? Because our own minds are the source of our difficulties. Eliminate desire, accept personal shortcomings, and work toward a patient elimination of the mind's own hunger for outward satisfaction.

Trees in winter lose their leaves. Some trees may even fall during storms, but most stand patiently and bear their fortune.

Draw energy from the earth
Admit power from the heavens
Fertilize the seed within
Let it sprout into a flower of pure light

Muddy water will become clear if allowed to stand undisturbed, and so too will the mind become clear if it is allowed to be still.

A tree uses what comes its way to nurture itself. By sinking its roots deeply into the earth, by accepting the rain that flows towards it, by reaching out to the sun, the tree perfects its character and becomes great. ... Absorb, absorb, absorb. That is the secret of the tree.

Once we make our decision, all things will come to us. Auspicious signs are not a superstition, but a confirmation. They are a response.

Give back what you have learned. Share your experience.

A funeral is for those left behind. Sometimes, one wonders if the weeping is more out of fear for ourselves than it is sympathy for the deceased.

Only when peace lives within each of us, will it live outside of us. We must be the wombs for a new harmony. When it is small, peace is fragile. Like a baby, it needs nurturing attention. We must protect peace from violence and perversion if it is to grow. We must be strong to do this. But force, even in the name of honor, is always tragic. Instead, we must use the strength of wisdom and conscience. Only that power can nurture peace in this difficult time.

Worry is an addiction that interferes with compassion.

Rain scatters plum petals; Weeping stains the earth. One can only take shelter And wait for clearing.

The moon does not fight. It attacks no one. It does not worry. It does not try to crush others. It keeps to its course, but by its very nature, it gently influences. What other body could pull an entire ocean from shore to shore? The moon is faithful to its nature and its power is never diminished.

Unlocking our potential requires education, experience, and determination. One should never stop learning, never stop exploring, never stop going on adventures.

Use a mirror in difficult times. You will see both cause and resolution.

The follower of Tao is always flexible and adaptable to circumstance.

Reject labels. Reject identities. Reject conformity. Reject convention. Reject definitions. Reject names.

We may be floating on Tao, but there is nothing wrong with steering. If Tao is like a river, it is certainly good to know where the rocks are.

Let us be sad; it is feeling that makes us human.

Only through lighting a living fire within ourselves can we dance quickly and spontaneously enough to meet the rhythm of life.

Death is not an ending. It is a transformation. Death is the threshold of this life. Beyond it is something else, some mystery.

All teachings are mere references. The true experience is living your own life. Then, even the holiest of words are only words.

We need faith, not because there are beings who will punish us or reward us, but because gods are a wonderful way of describing things that are happening to us.

It is too facile to say that the way to follow Tao is to simply go along with the flow of life. Sometimes, like the carp, we must know when to go it alone.

Whether we remain the ash or become the phoenix is up to us.

Grappling with fate is like meeting an expert wrestler: to escape, you have to accept the fall when you are thrown. The only thing that counts is whether you get back up.

Those who don't know how to suffer are the worst off. There are times when the only correct thing we can do is to bear out troubles until a better day.

Build your life brick upon brick,
Live a life of truth,
And you will look back on a life of truth.
Live a life of fantasy,
And you will look back on delusion.

By being receptive, we can avail ourselves of the spiritual wealth available to us. By being open, we can receive things beyond what we ourselves might imagine.

We must not fall into the trap of waiting so long for the big things that we let numerous small chances slip right by us.