Among the sayings attributed to Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, those that touch on non-sectarianism and the unity of the Buddha’s teachings are especially prominent. He is remembered for affirming that all authentic Dharma is “without contradiction,” likening the diversity of teachings to different medicines for different illnesses, and warning that faith which clings to one side while rejecting others is merely attachment to one’s own ideas. In this light, disparaging other teachings is seen as ultimately undermining one’s own, since they share “one taste, the taste of liberation.” These statements reflect a deep commitment to the Rimé, or non-sectarian, spirit, in which the many streams of the Dharma are regarded as a single great river that can truly quench spiritual thirst when approached without bias.

Another recurrent theme in his remembered words is the purpose of study and practice. He is said to have remarked that learning which does not tame the mind is like an ornament on a corpse, suggesting that knowledge without inner transformation is spiritually hollow. The essence of all sutras and tantras, he taught, is to recognize the nature of one’s own mind; when that recognition occurs, all scriptures are understood as already contained within that very mind. In this way, the vast corpus of Buddhist doctrine is gathered into a single experiential point: the direct knowing of mind’s nature.

His sayings also emphasize the delicate balance between view and conduct. The instruction that one’s view should be as vast as the sky while one’s conduct is as fine and careful as flour encapsulates a hallmark of mature practice: expansive understanding joined with meticulous ethical sensitivity. Compassion is presented as the ground of all practice; without it, even the most elevated view and meditation become mere display, lacking the living heart of the path. These words invite practitioners to measure the authenticity of their realization by the presence or absence of genuine compassion.

Finally, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s remembered advice on teachers and humility points inward rather than outward. He counsels not to look for faults in the guru’s words, but to look instead for faults in one’s own mind, thereby shifting the focus from criticism of others to honest self-examination. Those who truly possess learning, he observes, appear simple and free of arrogance, while those who lack it tend to make a great display. Taken together, these sayings sketch a portrait of a master for whom non-sectarian openness, inner transformation, compassionate conduct, and humble self-scrutiny are not separate ideals, but facets of a single path to liberation.