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Words Of Wisdom {Page Thirteen}
General standards of human rights apply to the people of all countries because, regardless of their cultural background, all humans share an inherent yearning for freedom, equality and dignity. Democracy and respect for fundamental human rights are as important to Africans and Asians as they are to Europeans and Americans. ~The Dalai Lama~
You might prepare yourself to accept the thesis that everything in the universe is an illusion, yet you will more than likely fail to include in this illusion the most essential factor, which is yourself. ~Ramesh Balsekar~
The worthies of past ages all sought the truth and did not deceive themselves. They were not like moths throwing themselves into flames, destroying themselves in the process. ~Ta-sui~
There is freedom from desire and sorrow at the end of the way. The awakened one is free from all fetters and goes beyond life and death. Like a swan that rises from the lake, with her thoughts at peace, she moves onward, never looking back. The one who understands the unreality of all things, and who has laid up no store, that one's track is unseen, as of birds in the air. Like a bird in the air, she takes an invisible course, wanting nothing, storing nothing, knowing the emptiness of all things. ~Dhammapada~
In your world you are truly alone, enclosed in your ever-changing dream, which you take for life. My world is an open world, common to all, accessible to all. In my world there is community, insight, love, real quality; the individual is the total, the totality in the individual. All are one and the One is all. ~Nisargadatta Maharaj~
There are no mistakes, no coincidences.� All events are blessings given to us to learn from. ~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross~
We worry because we project ourselves into the future. We worry because we do not trust. We are at ease when we live in the here and now. We are at ease when we trust. ~Nhasti~
"If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, Follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be."
"In the story of Sir Galahad, the knights agree to go on a quest, but thinking it would be a disgrace to go forth in a group, each "entered into the forest, at one point or another, there where they saw it to be thickest, all in those places where they found no way or path." Where there is a way or path, it's someone else's way.
Each knight enters the forest at the most mysterious point and follows his own intuitions. What each brings forth is what never before was on land or sea: the fulfillment of unique potentialities, which are different from anybody else's. All you get on your life way are little clues." ~Joseph Campbell~
Love your life, perfect your life, Beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long, and its purpose in the service of your people. ~Chief Tecumseh~
As long as there is a lack of the inner discipline that brings calmness of mind, no matter what external facilities or conditions you have, they will never give you the feeling of joy and happiness that you are seeking. On the other hand, if you possess this inner quality of calmness of mind, a degree of stability within, then even if you lack various external facilities that you would normally consider necessary for happiness, it is still possible to live a happy and joyful life. ~The Dalai Lama~
Zen Meditation Given To A Lady
To study Zen you must penetrate through the barrier of the ancestral teachers. To learn the Path you must come to the end of the road of mind. When the road of mind is cut off, the whole body appears. It's like a person drinking water: she knows for herself whether it's cool or warm. When you reach this stage, do not ask just anyone about it: you must join a real Zen teacher and show her how your mind is working. ~T'aego~
The person resolute in the Way must from the beginning never lose sight of it, whether in a place of calm or in a place of strife. Beware of clinging to quiet places and shunning those where there is disturbance. ~Daikaku~
Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. ~George Bernard Shaw~
The one who wanders independent in the world, free from opinions and viewpoints, does not grasp them and enter into disputations and arguments. As the lotus rises on its stalk unsoiled by the mud and the water, so the wise one speaks of peace and is unstained by the opinions of the world. ~Sutta Nipata~
Be unremitting in the doing of good deeds. Do them with all your might and by every possible means.� Keep the mind free of impurity. That alone is the practice of virtue. All else is nothing but empty display. ~Tirukkural~
Freedom is a state of complete and absolute insecurity and not knowing.
So, in seeking security and safety, you actually distance yourself from the Freedom you want. There is no security in Freedom, at least not in the sense that we normally think of it. This is, of course, why it is so free; there's nothing there to grab hold of. ~Adya~
Between the banks of pain and pleasure the river of life flows. It is only when the mind refuses to flow with life, and gets stuck at the banks, that it becomes a problem. By flowing with life, I mean acceptance - letting come what comes and go what goes. Desire not, fear not, observe the actual, as and when it happens, for you are not what happens, you are to whom it happens. Ultimately even the observer you are not. ~Nisargadatta Maharaj~
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. ~Marcel Proust~
If you wish to understand yourself, you must succeed in doing so in the midst of all kinds of confusions and upsets. Don't make the mistake of sitting dead in the cold ashes of a withered tree. ~Emyo~
Those who cannot forgive others break the bridge over which they themselves must pass. ~Confucius~
Ego wants to rule the Universe Spirit wants to be one with the Universe. ~Unknown~
Within the framework of the Buddhist Path, reflecting on suffering has tremendous importance because by realizing the nature of suffering, you will develop greater resolve to put an end to the causes of suffering and the unwholesome deeds which lead to suffering. And it will increase your enthusiasm for engaging in the wholesome actions and deeds which lead to happiness and joy. ~The Dalai Lama~
Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. ~Pablo Casals~
The nobility of the ancients was no more than purity and serenity�what need for bushels of emblems? ~Zen proverb~
What good is a man's knowledge unless it prompts him to Prevent the pain of others as if it were his own pain? Any actions which a man knows would harm himself He should not inflict on others. The supreme principle is this: Never knowingly Harm anyone at any time in any way. ~Tirukkural~
Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution. ~Kahlil Gibran~
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. ~Nelson Mandela~
Solve the problems that life sets before you, and you will find that solving them contributes to your inner growth. ~Peace pilgrim~
And better than a hundred years lived without seeing the Deathless state, is one day lived seeing the Deathless state. ~Dhammapada~
After realizing the intent of Zen, people in ancient times used to spend decades polishing themselves thoroughly in order to free themselves from compulsions of conditioning and habit. This is called the work of maturation; the completion of maturation is called the attainment of unification. ~Muso Kokushi~
The ideas that have lighted my way have been kindness, beauty and truth. ~Albert Einstein~
In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher. ~Dalai Lama~
To be shameless, uninquisitive, loveless and uncaring Are the fool's four failings. No fool is more foolish than one who eagerly expounds His learning to others while failing to follow it himself. ~Tirukkural~
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~
Happiness cannot come from hatred or anger. Nobody can say, "Today I am happy because this morning I was very angry." On the contrary, people feel uneasy and sad and say, "Today I am not happy because I lost my temper this morning." Through kindness, whether at our own level or at the national and international level, through mutual understanding and through mutual respect, we will get peace, we will get happiness, and we will get genuine satisfaction. ~The Dalai Lama~
Overcome your uncertainties And free yourself From dwelling on sorrow. If you delight in existence, You will become a guide To those who need you, Revealing the path to many. ~Sutta Nipata~
It is the human mind that creates its own difficulties and then cries for help. Is God so partial as to give peace to one person and sorrow to another? In creation there is room for everything, but man refuses to see the good, the healthy and the beautiful. Instead, he goes on whining, like the hungry man who sits besides the tasty dish and who, instead of stretching out his hand to satisfy his hunger, goes on lamenting, 'Whose fault is it, God's or man's?' ~Sri Ramana Maharshi~
The mighty ocean has but one taste, The taste of salt. Even so, the true way has But one savor, The savor of freedom. ~Majjhima Nikaya~
If you cannot find the truth right where you are where else do you expect to find it? ~Dogen Zenji~
A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life. ~William A. Ward~
The branches of the long-needled pine Spoke a willowy language today As they swayed gracefully in the light Warmly breeze. The ancestors of its needles had been Swaying, dancing with other winds, Older winds, for hundreds of years, Ever cleansed, ever renewed, by the Fresh winds that blew off the Mountains. ~Journeys on Mind Mountain~
You must want to know the truth more than you want to feel secure in order to fully awaken to the fact that you are nothing but Awakeness itself. ~Adyashanti~
I often see students who are narrow-minded, who gain a little bit in a limited context, with a limited perspective, and consider this enough, immediately insisting on stopping and resting. Eating their fill and sleeping, not taking care of anything at all, they consider themselves lively, but they are destitute ghosts. ~Hui-k'ung~
The wish for truth is the best of all wishes, but it's still a wish. All wishes must be given up, that the truth can enter your life. ~Nisargadatta Maharaj~
Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine. ~Buddha~
Keep to unity with shifting. With constant presence, Whether active or still, The student can see the Buddha nature clearly. ~Tao-hsin
Don't forget to bring the good experiences of meditation into your daily activities. Instead of acting and reacting impulsively and following your thoughts and feelings here and there, watch your mind carefully, be aware, and try to deal skillfully with problems as they arise. If you can do this each day, your meditation will have been successful. ~Kathleen McDonald~
In order to discover new lands, one must be willing to lose sight of the shore for a very long time. ~Andre Gide~
The main reason intuition is so important is this: It is a clear sign that you are connecting with your inner spiritual guidance system. Intuition is a direct signal from your deepest self that you are navigating from your true center. ~Gay Hendricks~
Like entrusting yourself To a brave person When greatly afraid, By entrusting yourself To the awakening mind, You will be swiftly liberated, Even if you have made appalling errors. ~Majjhima Nikaya~
The difficulty of Zen meditation is not the training, but the letting go of preconceived ideas. The experience of the true self is a state of awareness that cannot be defined - words cannot express living reality. ~Dogen~
The problem isn't materialism as such. Rather it is the underlying assumption that full satisfaction can arise from gratifying the senses alone. Unlike animals whose quest for happiness is restricted to survival and to the immediate gratification of sensory desires, we human beings have the capacity to experience happiness at a deeper level which, when achieved, can overwhelm unhappy experiences. ~The Dalai Lama~
That which you are exists beyond the personality, beyond the identity. You are consciousness itself pure, limitless, with no boundaries. Discover that and you become free, totaly free, freedom itself. ~Thyoar~
Learn for yourself here. A teacher can't help you here. Watch. But first ask yourself why You need to be told Why you have allowed yourself To stop learning about those things Most basic to your life. If you attempt to learn Without asking those questions, You can never pass beyond Technique. You'll only trap yourself Again and again, A skin's thickness away From the living present. ~Journeys on Mind Mountain~
The mind itself is petty, small, and by merely saying it is petty you haven't dissolved its pettiness. You have to understand it, the mind has to recognize its own activities, and in the process of that recognition, in the awareness of the trivialities which it has consciously and unconsciously built, the mind becomes quiet. In that quietness is the creative state and 'this' is the factor which brings about transformation. ~J. Krishnamurti~
Just as space reaches everywhere, Without discrimination, Just so the immaculate element, Which in it essential nature is mind, Is present in all. ~Visuddhis Magga~
When you love, you are very near truth. For, love makes for sensitivity, for vulnerability. That which is sensitive is capable of renewal. Then truth will come into being. It cannot come if your mind and heart are burdened, heavy with ignorance and animosity. ~J. Krishnamurti~
The universe is loved not for its own sake, but because the Self lives in it. The gods are loved not for their own sake, but because the Self lives in it. Creatures are loved not for their own sake, but because the Self lives in it.� Everything is loved not for its own sake, but
because the Self lives in it. ~Brihadaranyaka Upanishad~
One should give up anger, renounce pride, and overcome all fetters. Suffering never befalls him who clings not to mind and body and is detached. ~Dhammapada~
All who are fortunate, set yourselves free With the mind unbound by meditation, And observe reality from a state of freedom. ~Godrakpa~
If you really want to be creative, then there is no question of money, success, prestige, respectability - then you enjoy your activity; then each act has an intrinsic value. You dance because you like dancing; you dance because you delight in it. If somebody appreciates, good, you feel grateful. If nobody appreciates, it is none of your business to be worried about it. You danced, you enjoyed - you are already fulfilled. ~Osho~
Most people fail to see this reality, for they are attached to what they cling to, to pleasures and delights. Since all the world is so attached to material things, it's very difficult for people to grasp how everything originates in conditions and causes. It's a hard job for them to see the meaning of the fact that everything, including ourselves, depends on everything else and has no permanent self-existence. ~Majjhima Nikaya~
It takes a long time to grow young. ~Pablo Picasso~
A mother should give her children a superabundance of enthusiasm, that after they have lost all they are sure to lose in mixing with the world, enough may still remain to prompt and support them through great actions. ~Julius C. Hare~
Awake and rejoice in watchfulness. Understand the wisdom of the enlightened. By watching keenly and working hard, the wise one may build himself an island which no flood can sweep away. The thoughtless man does not care, but the attentive man looks on wakefulness as his greatest treasure. Meditate, and in your wisdom realize nirvana, the highest happiness. ~Dhammapada~
... We cannot ignore the healing powers of the human body and spirit. We possess within ourselves some of the greatest medical miracles, most of which we are only just beginning to understand. Only when we learn to integrate traditional medical therapies with a holistic approach to healing will we truly reach the pinnacle of our modern medical abilities. ~Dr. David G. Edelson~
Meditation knows nothing of distraction. That's its grace, its beauty, its grandeur - nothing can disturb it. If your meditation can be disturbed that simply means that you are concentrating and have not yet tasted meditation. Meditation is so vast it can contain everything, absorb everything, and yet remain empty. ~Osho~
Live to be in the present. Safety, security, knowing and being right are all synonyms for death. ~Cheri Huber~
To enter the garden of truth he should not speak lies. He should not speak lies (himself) nor incite others to do so. He should completely avoid falsehood. ~Unknown~
I have just three things to teach: Simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and in thoughts, You return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies,
You accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, You reconcile all beings in the world. ~Lao Tzu~
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