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Words Of Wisdom {Page Eleven}
There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. ~Unknown~
He could have placed streetlamps along all the pathways of wisdom, but then there would be no journey. Who would discover the secret passages, the hidden treasures, if all of us homed in straight for our destination? ~Rebbe~
The candle illumines not for itself. The eye sees not itself, yet with the aid of the candle may see much. In the same way, the wise teacher is wise not for himself, but for those who need to see. Yet even a wise teacher, though helpful, cannot help the unwise see themselves unless he learns to be a mirror as well as a candle! ~Ancient Sufi saying~
Let all thoughts be thoughts of noble progress, For then even failing cannot be called a failure. ~Tirukkural~
The Dharma Path is to keep walking forward. But the true Dharma has no going forward, no going backward, and no standing still. ~Ajahn Chah~
Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe. ~Lao Tzu~
The whole world we travel with our thoughts, Finding nowhere anyone as precious as one's own self. Since each and every person is so precious to themselves Let the self-respecting harm no other being. ~Samyutta Nikaya~
Let's enjoy enjoy and enjoy again what we have now because this is all there is. Let's come back to this whenever we worry about the future. There is no future, it is always NOW. ~Shanti~
Brute force, no matter how strongly applied, can never subdue the basic human desire for freedom and dignity. It is not enough, as communist systems have assumed, merely to provide people with food, shelter and clothing. Human nature needs to breathe the precious air of liberty. ~The Dalai Lama~
The universe is one great kindergarten for man. Everything that exists has brought with it its own peculiar lesson. The mountain teaches stability and grandeur; the ocean immensity and change. Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes--every form of animate or inanimate existence, leaves its impress upon the soul of man.
~Orison Swett Marden~
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith. ~Franklin
D. Roosevelt~
The Buddha compared people to four kinds of clay vessels. One type of vessel has holes in the bottom. We can pour in as much water as we like and it runs right out. When this type of person hears the Dharma, it goes in one ear and out the other. The second type of vessel has cracks. Though we pour in the Dharma, it seeps out slowly until the vessel is empty again. The third vessel is full to the brim with stale water--views and opinions. One can't pour anything new in, everything is already known. The only useful vessel is the fourth, without holes or cracks and totally empty. ~Ayya Khema~
You should roam in places that are your own, that arise in accordance with your own true nature.� And what is the place that is your own? It's the pasture of ardent clearness and mindfulness, where discontent and greed are put aside for the sake of the world. That is your own place, your natural range. ~Samyutta Nikaya~
The real voyage of discovery lies not in seeing new lands, but in seeing with new eyes. ~Marcel Proust~
Fight with all the strength at your disposal against the idea that you are nameable and describable. You are not. Refuse to think of yourself in terms of this or that.� There is no other way out of misery, which you have created for yourself through blind acceptance without investigation.�Suffering is a call for enquiry, all pain needs investigation. Don't be lazy to think. ~Nisargadatta Maharaj~
The worthies of old all had means of emancipating people. What I teach people just requires you not to take on the confusion of others. If you need to act, then act, without any further hesitation or doubt. ~Lin Chi~
Scientists were rated as great heretics by the church, but they were truly religious men because of their faith in the orderliness of the universe. ~Albert Einstein~
The idea that it is possible for someone to wake up is nonsense. An awakened person is a paradox. The awakened Self is not a person. There is the clarity that there is no one to awaken. So it is not about freedom for the ego, but about freedom from the ego. But the show continues, the apparent characters continue to play their part.� ~Leo Hartong~
Self-enquiry is the process and the goal also. "I am" is the goal and the final reality. To hold to it with effort is self-enquiry. When spontaneous and natural it is realisation. ~Sri Ramana Maharshi~
Among a man's many good possessions, A good command of speech has no equal. Prosperity and ruin issue from the power of the tongue. Therefore, guard yourself against thoughtless speech. ~Tirukkural~
The American ideal is not that we all agree with each other, or even like each other, every minute of the day. It is rather that we will respect each other's rights, especially the right to be different... ~Arthur J. Kropp~
Anger is the real destroyer of our good human qualities; an enemy with a weapon cannot destroy these qualities, but anger can. Anger is our real enemy. ~The Dalai Lama~
We must have more faith in the power of love to eternally renew itself than in the power of fear to tear us asunder. The spirit does not turn away from human frailty or conflict, but sees them merely as wounds to heal. ~Marianne Williamson~
People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them. ~George Bernard Shaw~
To battle a demon is to embrace it, to face it with clarity of vision and humility of the heart. To run from a demon is as effective as running from a rabid dog, for surely this only beckons the chase. Whatever we resist � persists. These demons, these parts of us that haunt us, torture us and reduce us, are the agents of change.... Without our demons we would grow spiritually flabby. ~Stephanie Ericsson~
To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that discipline - training - is about. ~James Clavell~
As a crystal reflects objects that are nearby,� So does the face reflect what is foremost in the heart. What is more perceptive than the face? For whether the heart Is angry or glad, it is the face that expresses it first. ~Tirukkural~
There is variation in everything. Therefore there is no 'fixed standard' in the world; it varies with a person's circumstances. ~Chizang~
THE psychic is the soul, it is a portion of the Divine that supports the mind and body in the evolution. The psychic gets the Divine's help directly from the Divine. ~Sri Aurobindo~
The results of karma cannot be known by thought, and so should not bespeculated about. Thus, thinking, one would come to distraction and distress. "Therefore, Ananda, do not be the judge of people; do not make assumptions about others. A person is destroyed by holding judgments about others. ~Anguttura Nikaya~
...Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much... the wheel, New York, wars, and so on, whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely the dolphins believed themselves to be more intelligent than man for precisely the same reasons. ~Douglas Adams~
Everything is on its way to becoming something else, and therefore, nothing can be held onto. If you see this clearly, if you consider and examine this deeply and fully, then letting go is the only thing left to do. How can you hold on? What is there to hold onto? So the art of spiritual surrender is really the art of not knowing. Then it doesn't make any difference at all whether you are walking down the street or eating lunch or responding to your email or making love or sitting alone on your couch. This is the first and last time you will ever be doing this. If you truly understand that, it changes everything. ~Scott Morrison~
The very idea of enlightenment, is the greatest joke there is. It is a joke because it is trying to get something which is already there. It is trying to reach somewhere where you are already... You are enlightened from the very beginning. Enlightenment is your nature. Enlightenment is not something that has to be achieved; it is not a goal, it is your source. It is your very energy. ~Osho~
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway. ~Unknown~
If you could give up thoughts, you will right here and now attain the realization of oneness with all. ~Maharamayana~
By self alone is evil done, by self alone does one suffer. By self alone is evil left undone, by self alone does one obtain Salvation. Salvation and Perdition depend upon self; no man can save another. ~Dhammapada~
Meditation happens only to those who are not result-oriented. Meditation is a non-goal-oriented state. ~Osho~
Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them. ~Brendan Francis~
The meditator's nirvana is perfect tranquillity, but it is not extinction nor inertness. ~Buddha~
Gentleness is not weakness, violence is not strength. ~King Arthur~
Better than a hundred years lived in ignorance, without contemplation, is one single day of life lived in wisdom and in deep contemplation. ~The Dhammapada~
What is the worth of a happiness for which you must strive and work? Real happiness is spontaneous and effortless. ~Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj~
Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. That is not just a dream, but a necessity. We are dependent on each other in so many ways that we can no longer live in isolated communities and ignore what is happening outside those communities. ~The Dalai Lama~
When you demand nothing of the world, nor of God, when you want nothing, seek nothing, expect nothing then the Supreme State will come to you
uninvited and unexpected. ~Nisargadatta Maharaj~
Life is a journey through the woods. There are many things to see and do and many paths one can embark on. One never knows what lies ahead, only
what they've passed. Somewhere along the path, One may have taken a wrong turn or may have taken the right one. Every diverting path is a chance, A chance one must take in order to achieve the goal. ~Jessica Miller~
Sitting quietly alone meditating is not hard. What is hard is living on a broad scale and responding to the world at large. ~Wu Yubi~
We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. ~George Bernard Shaw~
Do not think of studying Buddhism in order to gain some advantage as a reward for practicing Buddhism. ~Dogen~
Do more than exist; live. Do more than touch; feel. Do more than look; observe. Do more than read; absorb. Do more than hear; listen. Do more than listen; understand. Do more than think; ponder. Do more than talk; say something. ~John H. Rhoades~
All prajna's wisdoms come from One's own nature, Not from outside. Make no mistake about this. This is called the true nature's Own function. One reality is all reality. ~Altar Sutra~
What is prajna? It is wisdom in Chinese. At all times and in all places, If all our thoughts are not stupid And if we act wisely, this is the Performance of wisdom. A stupid thought will cut off Prajna at once and a wise Thought will beget it. Prajna has neither form nor shape. It is just the wise mind. ~Altar Sutra~
Enlightenment consciously chosen means to relinquish your attachment to past and future and to make the Now the main focus of your life.
~Eckhart Tolle~
Help us to be immune from doubts, notions and illusions which shroud our heart and prevent us from exploring the hidden mysteries. ~Sufi prayer~
What does paramita mean? It is an Indian word and means in Chinese "reaching the other shore." It is interpreted as freedom From birth and death. Attachment to externals produces Birth and death, Just as water rises in waves; This is called "this shore." Detachment from externals Ensures freedom from birth and death, Like water which flows freely And uninterruptedly; This is called the "other shore." ~Altar Sutra~
Moment after moment, completely devote yourself to listening to your inner voice. ~Shunryu Suzuki~
Waking up this morning, I smile. 24 brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with the eyes of love. ~Thich Nhat Hanh~
All the seeking, all the spiritual practices, and all the effort to understand veils the plain and simple truth of this, as it is. Whatever thought arises, whatever feeling comes up, be it labeled good or bad, there is something still and quietly aware of all that's going on. It simply is, without the slightest effort. Snap your fingers. Did you hear the sound? How much effort did that take? None! Now, at this very moment, Pure Awareness is the silent background to you reading these words. You don't have to do a thing for it to be there. It is always present, even though it is too close to get at, like the eye is too close to see itself. ~Leo Hartong~
My mind is like the autumn In the heartland of Chan; I earnestly sit in mental work From midnight and noon. Fish and dragons are lively; While the waves are still There is just the moonlight remaining In the eternal sky. ~Zhou Xunjing~
What now is the Noble Truth of Suffering? Birth is suffering; decay is suffering; death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are suffering; not to get what one desires is suffering; in short the five groups of existence are suffering. ~Samyutta Nikaya~
You can't try to do the cut, But you can intend to be that person That the cut is expressed through. Staying close to the point of emergence Is your benchmark. ~Ji Aoi Isshi~
One's strength is not measured by how long one can hold on, But rather how willing one is to let go. ~Jennifer Biondi~
The Vast Chain Of Being
See, through this air, this ocean, and this earth, All matter quick, and bursting into birth. Above, how high progressive life may go! Around, how wide! how deep extend below! Vast Chain of Being! which from God began, Natures ethereal, human, angel, man, Beast, bird, fish, insect, what no eye can see, No glass can reach! from Infinite to thee, From thee to nothing. On superior powers Were we to press, inferior might on ours: Or in the full creation leave a void, Where, one step broken, the great scale's destroyed: From Nature's chain whatever link you strike, Tenth or ten thousandth, breaks the chain alike.
And, if each system in gradation roll Alike essential to the amazing Whole, The least confusion but in one, not all That system only, but the Whole must fall. Let earth unbalanced from her orbit fly, Planets and suns run lawless through the sky, Let ruling angels from their spheres be hurled, Being on being wrecked, and world on world, Heaven's whole foundations to their centre nod, And Nature tremble to the throne of God: All this dread ORDER break - for whom? for thee? Vile worm! - oh, madness, pride, impiety!
What if the foot, ordained the dust to tread, Or hand, to toil, aspired to be the head? What if the head, the eye or ear repined To serve mere engines to the ruling Mind? Just as absurd for any part to claim To be another, in this general frame: Just as absurd, to mourn the tasks or pains, The great directing MIND of ALL ordains.
All are but parts of one stupendous whole, Whose body Nature is, and God the soul; That, changed through all, and yet in all the same, Great in the earth, as in the ethereal frame, Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze, Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees, Lives through all life, extends through all extent, Spreads undivided, operates unspent, Breathes in our soul, informs our mortal part, As full, as perfect, in a hair as heart; As full, as perfect, in vile man that mourns, As the rapt seraph that adores and burns; To him no high, no low, no great, no small; He fills, he bounds, connects, and equals all.
Cease then, nor ORDER imperfection name: Our proper bliss depends on what we blame. Know thy own point: this kind, this due degree Of blindness, weakness, Heaven bestows on thee.
Submit - In this, or any other sphere,�Secure to be as blest as thou canst bear: Safe in the hand of one disposing Power, Or in the natal, or the mortal hour.
All Nature is but art, unknown to thee;
All chance, direction, which thou canst not see; All discord, harmony not understood; All partial evil, universal good: And, spite of pride, in erringreason's spite, One truth is clear: Whatever IS, is RIGHT.
~Alexander Pope~
The world is but a show... whatever happens on the stage makes the Self shudder in terror or roll with laughter, yet all the time he is aware that it is but a show. Without desire or fear, he enjoys it, as it happens. ~Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj~
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us
all be thankful. ~Buddha~
Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world. ~Lucille Ball~
Know the essence of mind. Its intrinsic essence is Pure clarity. It is essentially the same as a Buddha. ~Tao-hsin~
What brings understanding is love. When your heart is full, then you will listen to the teacher, to the beggar, to the laughter of children, to the rainbow, and to the sorrow of man. Under every stone and leaf, that which is eternal exists. ~J. Krishnamurti~
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