The Dalai Lama - Tenzin Gyatso

"Oh, my mind! Why do you hover so restlessly over the changing circumstances of life? Why do you make me so confused and restless? Why do you urge me to collect so many things? You are like a plow that breaks in pieces before beginning to plow; you are like a rudder that is disman-tled just as you are venturing out on the sea of life and death. Of what use are many rebirths if we do not make good use of this life? Oh, my mind! Once you caused me to be born as a king, and then you caused me to be born as an outcast and to beg for my food. Sometimes you cause me to be born in heavenly mansions of the gods and to dwell in luxury and in ecstasy; then you plunge me into the flames of hell. Oh, my foolish, foolish mind! Thus you have led me along dif-ferent paths and I have been obedient to you and docile. But now that I have heard the Buddha's teaching, do not disturb me any more or cause me further sufferings, but let us seek Enlighten-ment together, humbly and patiently. Oh, my mind! If you could only learn that everything is non-substantial and transitory; if you could only learn not to grasp after things, not to covet things, not to give way to greed, anger and foolishness; then we might journey in quietness.

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Then, by severing the bond of desires with the sword of wisdom, being undisturbed by changing circumstances - advan-tage or disadvantage, good or bad, loss or gain, praise or abuse - we might dwell in peace. Oh, my dear mind! It was you who first awakened faith in us; it was you who suggested our seeking Enlightenment. Why do you give way so easily to greed, love of comfort and pleasant excitement again? Oh, my mind! Why do you rush hither and thither with no defin-ite purpose? Let us cross this wild sea of delusion. Hitherto, I have acted as you wished, but now you must act as I wish and, together, we will follow the Buddha's teaching. Oh, my dear mind! These mountains, rivers and seas are change-able and pain producing. Where in this world of delusion shall we seek quietness? Let us follow the Buddha's teaching and cross over to the other shore of Enlightenment." Thus, those who really seek the path to Enlightenment dictate terms to their mind. Then they proceed with strong determination. Even though they are abused by some and scorned by others, they go forward undisturbed. They do not become angry if they are beaten by fists, or hit by stones, or gashed by swords. Even if enemies cut their head from the body, the mind must not be disturbed. If they let their mind become darkened by the things they suffer, they are not following the teaching of Buddha. They must be determined, no matter what happens to them, to remain steadfast, unmovable, ever radiating thoughts of compassion and good-will. Let abuse come, let misfortune come, and yet one should resolve to remain unmoved and tranquil in mind, filled with Buddha's teaching. For the sake of attaining Enlightenment, one should try to accomplish the impossible and one should endure the unendurable. One must give what he has to the last of it. If he is told that to gain Enlightenment he must limit his food to a single grain of rice a day, he will eat only that. If the path to Enlightenment leads him through fire, he will go forward. But one must not do these things for any ulterior purpose. One should do them because it is the wise thing, the right thing, to do. One should do them out of a spirit of compassion, as a mother does things for her little child, for her sick child, with no thought of her own strength or comfort.

"I believe in the essential unity of all people and for that matter, of all that lives. Therefore, I believe
that if one person gains spiritually, the whole world gains, and if one person falls, the whole world falls
to that extent." Mahatma Gandhi
Under the skin we are all related, and the common ground of blood, bone and meat makes us charter members of the same humble club, say what you will about superficial differences.
The outward work will never be puny if the inward work is great.
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can. John Wesley
I now understand that my welfare is only possible if I acknowledge my unity with all the people of the world without exception.
Vision looks inward and becomes duty. Vision looks outward and becomes aspiration. Vision looks upward and becomes faith.
Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the world there is no other... exactly like you.
Heaven is my father and earth is my mother, and even such a small creature as I finds an intimate place in its midst. That which extends throughout the universe I regard as my body and that which directs the universe, I regard as my nature. All people are my brothers and sisters and all things are my companions. Chang-Tsai

At the very beginning of the path to Enlightenment there are twenty difficulties for us to overcome in this world, and they are: 1- It is hard for a poor man to be generous. 2- It is hard for a proud man to learn the Way of Enlightenment. 3- It is hard to seek Enlightenment at the cost of self-sacrifice. 4- It is hard to be born while Buddha is in the world. 5- It is hard to hear the teaching of Buddha. 6- It is hard to keep the mind pure against the instincts of the body. 7- It is hard not to desire things that are beautiful and attractive. 8- It is hard for a strong man not to use his strength to satis-fy his desires. 9- It is hard not to get angry when one is insulted. 10- It is hard to remain innocent when tempted by sudden circumstances. 1- It is hard to apply oneself to study widely and thoroughly. 12- It is hard not to despise a be-ginner. 13- It is hard to keep oneself humble. 14- It is hard to find good friends. 15- It is hard to endure the discipline that leads to Enlightenment. 16- It is hard not to be disturbed by external conditions and circumstances. 17- It is hard to teach others by knowing their abilities. 18- It is hard to maintain a peaceful mind. 19- It is hard not to argue about right and wrong. 20- It is hard to find and learn a good method.
Good men and bad men differ from each other in their natures. Bad men do not recognize a sinful act as sinful; if its sinfulness is brought to their attention, they do not cease doing it and do not like to have anyone inform them of their sinful acts. Wise men are sensitive to right and wrong; they cease doing anything as soon as they see that it is wrong; they are grateful to anyone who calls their attention to such wrong acts. Thus, good men and bad men differ radically. Bad men never appreciate kindness shown them, but wise men appreciate and are grateful. Wise men try to express their appreciation and gratitude by some return of kindness, not only to their benefactor, but to everyone else.

THE BODHISATTVA VOW
May I be a protector for the protectionless, a guide for the travelers; a boat, a dike, a bridge for those who want to reach the other shore. May I be a lamp for those in need of a lamp, a place of rest for those who need rest, a servant of all creatures who need a servant. May I be a wish-fulfilling gem for the embodied creatures, a pot of luck, a magic formula, a miraculous medicine, a wish-fulfilling tree, and a cow which grants all desires. As the earth and the other elements are in many ways useful to the innumerable creatures which fill the endless space, thus may I be of manifold use to all creatures, which space holds as long as they have not reached Nirvana.

To light a candle by myself is one of my favorite prayers. I am not talking about reading prayers by candlelight. The very act of lighting the candle is prayer. There is the sound of striking the match, the whiff of smoke after blowing it out, the way the flame flares up and then sinks, almost goes out until a drop of melted wax gives it strength to grow to its proper size and to steady itself. All this and the darkness beyond my small circle of light is prayer. I enter into it as one enters a room. My being alone is essential to this prayer. The presence of even one other person would completely change it. Something would be lost. Brother David Steindl-Rast
Compassion means that if I see my friend and my enemy in equal need, I shall help them both equally. Justice demands that we seek and find the stranger, the broken, the prisoner and comfort them and offer them our help.
The great pathfinders testify that the motive for the spiritual life is awakening desire rather than grim duty.
The world needs all of our power and love and energy, and each of us has something to give. The trick is to find it and use it, to find it and give it away, so there will always be more. We can be lights for each other, and through each other's illumination we will see the Way. Each of us is a seed, a silent promise, and it is always spring.
It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up - that we will begin to live each day to the fullest as if it was the only one we had.
The spiritual thirst that is latent in everybody can never come to fulfillment unless people begin to think of each other as potential brothers and sisters.
Human fellowship and sturdy joy come to us as we create and keep on re-creating our fragile human relationships making them last through the power of caring love. To dare to make and care to keep commitments, this is love.
The begging bowl of the Buddha represents not just a right to beg, but openness to the gifts of all human beings as an expression of this interdependence of all beings Thus when a monk begs from the layman, it is not as a selfish person getting something from someone else. He is simply opening himself to his interdependence. Thomas Merton (Trappist monk)

Tara literally means 'the one who carries over (the ocean of samsara).' Her images are everywhere in Tibet and her worship seems at times to be more prominent than that of the Buddha(s) and Bodhisattvas. There are a large number of stories connected with her origin, the most popular of which have her emerge from a tear that fell from the eye of Avalokiteshvara when she (he) considered the impossible task of saving the innumerable living beings from suffering. Avalokitesvara's tear formed a lake in which grew a lotus flower which opened to reveal the goddess Tara, the helpmate of Avalokitesvara in saving suffering beings. There are many different forms of Tara, the most popular being the White and the Green Tara. Historically, they are linked to two pious wives of a medieval Buddhist king, one a Chinese princess, the other Nepalese. The White Tara carries a fully open lotus, the symbol of the day; the Green Tara's em-blem is a closed lotus, symbolizing night. Atisa, the eleventh-century Buddhist missionary to Tibet, propagated the wor-ship of Tara, whose helpful interventions he believed to have encountered in many dangers. Originating from the Bo-dhisattva Avalokitesvara's compassion, and with the salvation of suffering beings as her only reason for existence, it is not hard to understand that she would be hymned as the 'Mother of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas' by her devotees and approached directly and without fear by all who find themselves in distress.

Once there was a boy name Sudhana who wished for Enlightenment and earnestly sought the way. From a fisherman he learned the lore of the sea. From a doctor he learned compassion toward sick people in their suffering. From a wealthy man he learned that saving pennies was the secret of his fortune and thought how necessary it was to conserve every trifling gained on the path to Enlightenment. From a meditating monk he learned that the pure and peaceful mind had a miraculous power to purify and tranquilize other minds. Once he met a woman of exceptional personality and was im-pressed by her benevolent spirit, and from her he learned a lesson that charity was the fruit of wisdom. Once he met an aged wanderer who told him that to reach a certain place he had to scale a mountain of swords and pass through a val-ley of fire. Thus, Sudhana learned his experiences that there was true teaching to be gained from everything he saw or heard. He learned patience from a poor, crippled woman; he learned a lesson of simple happiness from watching chil-dren playing in the street; and from some gentle and humble people, who never thought of wanting anything that any-body wanted, he learned the secret of living at peace with all the world. He learned a lesson of harmony from watching the blending of the elements of incense, and a lesson of thanksgiving from the arrangement of flowers. One day, pass-ing through a forest, he took a rest under a noble tree and noticed a tiny seedling growing nearby out of a fallen and decaying tree and it taught him a lesson of the uncertainty of life. Sunlight by day and the twinkling stars by night con-stantly refreshed his spirit. Thus Sudhana profited by the experiences of his long journey. Indeed, those who seek for Enlightenment must think of their minds as castles and decorate them. They must open wide the gates of their minds for Buddha, and respectfully and humbly invite Him to enter the inmost chamber, there to offer Him the fragrant in-cense of faith and the flowers of gratitude and gladness.

-The Buddha is our only Master.
-We take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.
-We do not believe that this world is created and ruled by a god.
-Following the example of the Buddha, who is the embodiment of Great Compassion and Great Wisdom, we consider that the purpose of life is to develop compassion for all living beings without discrimination and to work for their good, happiness and peace; and to develop wisdom leading to the realization of Ultimate Truth.
-We accept the Four Noble Truths, namely Dukkha (suffering, painful), the Arising of Dukkha, and the Path leading to the Cessation of Dukkha; and the universal law of cause and

effect as taught in the pratitya-samutpada (Conditioned Genesis or Dependent Origination).
-We understand, according to the teaching of the Buddha, that all conditioned things (samskara) are impermanent (anitya) and dukkha, and that all conditioned and unconditioned things (Dharma) are without self (anatma).
-We accept the Thirty-seven Qualities conducive to Enlightenment (bodhipaksa-Dharma) as different aspects of the Path taught by the Buddha leading to Enlightenment.
-There are three ways of attaining Bodhi or Enlightenment, according to the ability and capacity of each individual: namely as a disciple (sravaka), as a Pratyeka-Buddha and as a Samyak-sam Buddha (Perfectly and Fully Enlightened Buddha). We accept it as the highest, noblest, and most heroic to follow the career of a Bodhisattva and to become a Samyak-sam Buddha in order to save others.
-We admit that in different countries there are differences with regard to the life of Buddhist monks, popular Buddhist beliefs and practices, rites and ceremonies, customs and habits. These external forms and expressions should not be confused with the essential teachings of the Buddha. (The Word Buddhist Sangha Council of January 27, 1967)

"As a spiritual trainee, you must be prepared to endure the hardships involved in a genuine spiritual pursuit and be determined to sustain your effort and will. You must anticipate the multiple obstacles that you are bound to encounter along the path and understand that the key to a successful practice is never to lose your determination. Such a resolute approach is very important. The story of the Buddha's personal life is the story of someone who attained full Enlightenment through hard work and unwavering dedication.
"Crucial to the hermeneutical approach is the Mahayana principle of the four reliances. These are: (I) reliance on the teaching, not on the teacher; (II) reliance on the meaning, not on the words that express it; (III) reliance on the definitive meaning, not on the provisional meaning; and (IV) reliance on the transcendent wisdom of deep experience, not on mere knowledge.
"The very purpose of religion is to control yourself, not to criticize others. Rather, we must criticize ourselves. How much am I doing about my anger? About my attachment, about my hatred, about my pride, about my jealousy? These are the things which we must check in daily life.
"Great compassion and wisdom are the chief qualities of the Buddha. Even in worldly terms, the more intelligent and knowledgeable a person is, the more the person commands respect. Similarly, the more compassionate, kind, and gentle a person, the more he or she should be respected. So, if you are able to develop that intelligence and altruism to their fullest extent, then you are truly admirable and deserve to be respected." The Dalai Lama

Once there was a person who sought the True Path in the Himalayas. He cared nothing for all the treasures of the earth or even for all the delights of heaven, but he sought the teaching that would remove all mental delusions. The gods were impressed by the man's earnestness and sincerity and decided to test his mind. So one of the gods disguised himself as a demon and appeared in the Himalayas, singing: "Everything changes, everything appears and disappears." The seeker heard this song which pleased him very much. He was as delighted as if he had found a spring of cool water for his thirst or as if a slave had been unexpectedly set free. He said to himself, "At last I have found the true teach-ing that I have sought for so long." He followed the voice and at last came upon the frightful demon. With an uneasy mind he approached the demon and said: "Was it you who sang the holy song that I have just heard.? If it was you, please sing more of it." The demon replied: "Yes, it was my song, but I can not sing more of it until I have had some-thing to eat; I am starving." The man begged him very earnestly to sing more of it, saying: "It has a sacred meaning to me and I have sought its teaching for a long time. I have only heard a part of it; please let me hear more." The de-mon said again: "I am starving, but if I can taste the warm flesh and blood of a man, I will finish the song." The man, in his eagerness to hear the teaching, promised the demon that he could have his body after he had heard the teaching. Then the demon sang the complete song. "Everything changes, everything appears and disappears, there is perfect tranquility when one transcends both life and extinction." Hearing this, the man, after he wrote the poem on rocks and trees around, quietly climbed a tree and hurled himself to the feet of the demon, but the demon had disappeared and, instead, a radiant god received the body of the man unharmed.
Once upon a time there was an earnest seeker of the true path named Sadaprarudita. He cast aside every temptation for profit or honor and sought the path at the risk of his life. One day a voice from heaven came to him, saying, "Sa-dprarudita! Go straight toward the east. Do not think of either heat or cold, pay no attention to worldly praise or scorn, do not be bothered by discriminations of good or evil, but just keep on going east. In the far east you will find a true teacher and will gain Enlightenment." Sadaprarudita was very pleased to get this definite instruction and immediately started on his journey eastward. Sometimes he slept where night found him in a lonely field or in the wild mountains. Being a stranger in foreign lands, he suffered many humiliations; once he sold himself into slavery, selling his own flesh out of hunger, but at last he found the true teacher and asked for his instruction. There is a saying, "Good things are costly," and Sadaprarudita found it true in his case, for he had many difficulties on his journey in search of the path. He had no money to buy some flowers and incense to offer the teacher. He tried to sell his services but could find no one to hire him. There seemed to be an evil spirit hindering him every way he turned. The path to Enlightenment is a hard one and it may cost a man his life. At last Sadaprarudita reached the presence of the teacher himself and then he had a new difficulty. He had no paper on which to take notes and no brush or ink to write with. Then he pricked his wrist with a dagger and took notes in his own blood. In this way he secured the precious Truth.
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May 8, 2004

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