When it comes to the true nature of mind, this isn’t something that we get from a spiritual tradition or religion. It’s not something that we need to seek from a guru or that we need to find by going to a sacred place, but it’s a matter of recognizing who we are, whatever that it is. When we see this completely clearly, when who we actually are becomes completely evident and obvious to us, and we recognize it and appreciate it in a completely perfect way, then that I think is what is called recognizing the true nature of mind. Then we fully make this a reality for ourselves. ~ 17th Karmapa

The essence of Buddhism is being able to distinguish
what it is that we need to do from what it is that we need
to give up. It is taking up virtue and giving up non-virtue.
We need to identify what it is that will bring benefit to ourselves
and others, and then we need to do that. We also need to identify
what it is that will harm ourselves and others, and then we need
to give that up. So you can condense it all into doing what is beneficial
and giving up what is harmful. We need to know what the essence
of dharma is, and then bring it into our lives. ~ 17th Karmapa

Sariputta ordained Prince Rahula, Buddha’s son.

Once you have committed to a particular path, I suggest that you look for the simplest way forward. You should make things accessible and approachable in your religious community and in your personal practice, rather than more complicated.

Keep it simple. The life of the spirit is actually very basic and easy. We often don’t appreciate that. In the beginning, our spiritual path may strike us as very simple and perfectly clear. But then, after we have been practicing it for a few years, we sometimes find ourselves going backward, and moving away from that initial simplicity. The spiritual breakthrough we experience may simply consist in rediscovering what we had seen in the beginning.

Spiritual discovery is not a matter of finding wisdom out there somewhere. It is a matter of discovering what already exists within us. Like cleaning the surface of a stone inscription, the more you clean it, the more the original carving becomes apparent. We are like that stone. With spiritual practice, instead of gaining something we did not have before, we gradually make ourselves clearer to ourselves. ~by 17th Karmapa

17th Karmapa