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Words Of Wisdom {Page Fourteen}
Your daily life is your temple and your religion. ~Kahlil Gibran~
At the moment of awakening, the Buddha exclaimed: "Wonder of wonders! All living beings are truly enlightened and shine with wisdom and virtue. But because their minds have become deluded and turned inward to the self, they fail to understand this." ~Kegon Sutra~
The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are. ~John Burroughs~
The sage has the sun and the moon by his side. He grasps the universe under his arm. He blends everything into a harmonious whole, casts aside whatever is confused or obscured, and regards the humble as honorable. While the multitude toil, he seems to be stupid and non-discriminative. He blends the disparities of ten thousand years into one complete purity. All things are blended like this and mutually involve each other. ~Chuang Tzu~
"Delusion," "enlightenment" just fox-words fooling Zen practitioners everywhere. ~Daito~
Remember, we are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we're so deeply interconnected with one another. Working on our own consciousness is the most important thing that we are doing at any moment, and being love is the supreme creative act. ~Ram Dass~
He who is free from selfish attachments, who has mastered himself and his passions, attains the supreme perfection of freedom from action. ~Bhagavad Gita~
The field of boundless emptiness Is what exists from the very beginning. You must purify, cure, grind down, Or brush away all the tendencies You have fabricated into apparent habits. Then you can reside in the Clear circle of brightness. ~Hongzhi Zhengjue~
As always, the wave lives the life of a wave, and at the same time, the life of water. Most people view themselves as waves and forget that they are also water. They are used to living birth-and-death, and they forget about no-birth-and-death. A wave also lives the life of water, and we also live the life of no-birth-no-death. We only need to know that we are living the life of no-birth-no-death. All is in the word 'know.' To know is to realize. Realization is mindfulness. All the work of
meditation is aimed at awakening us in order to know one and only one thing: birth and death can never touch us in any way whatsoever. ~Thich Nhat Hanh~
Subhuti asked: "What does buddha mean?"� The Buddha answered: "Buddha is reality. One who thoroughly comprehends all the factors of existence is a buddha." ~Prajnaparamita~
Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. ~Shakespeare~
The mind for truth Begins, like a stream, shallow At first, but then Adds more and more depth While gaining greater clarity. ~Saigyo~
Life is simple. We make it complex by doing things against nature. There is only one religion, and that is nature. Allow nature to take you completely; allow yourself to be one with nature. ~Osho~
Faith and doubt both are needed -- not as antagonists, but working side by side -- to take us around the unknown curve. ~Lillian Smith~
Without love we could not survive. Human beings are social creatures, and a concern for each other is the very basis of our life together. ~The Dalai Lama~
Therefore, be as a lamp Unto yourselves, Be as a refuge to yourselves. Take no external refuge. Hold fast to the Truth as a lamp; Hold fast to the Truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone besides yourselves.�
~The Buddha~
The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green. ~Thomas Carlyle~
Never in this world does hatred Cease by hatred; Hatred ceases by love, And this according to a law Which has existed forever. ~Buddha~
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~
Everybody wants to change the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. ~Tolstoy~
The Tao is as deep as can be. Who is willing to pursue it closely? If you don't go into the tiger's lair, how can you catch its cub? If you don't wash out the stone and sand, how can you pick out the gold? Carefully seek the heart of heaven and earth with firm determination. Suddenly you will see the original thing; everywhere you meet the source, all is a forest of jewels. ~Liu I-Ming~
When the student is ready, the teacher appears. ~Tao saying~
As water changes according to the soil through which it flows, so a man assimilates the character of his associates. By knowing his thoughts, a man's mind is discovered. By knowing his associates, his character is
revealed. ~Tirukkural~
The nature of the one Reality must be known by one's own clear spiritual perception; it cannot be known through a learned person. Similarly, the form of the moon can only be known through one's own eyes. How can it be
known through others? ~Shankara~
To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders. ~Lao-Tzu~
Personally, I don't think there's anything that could offend me now, but if it does offend me, then maybe, just maybe, I needed to be offended. ~Rev. David Zeek~
Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances. ~Thomas Jefferson~
It is your freedom to be miserable or to be blissful, to remain in darkness or to live a life of light. This is the prerogative of human beings. ~Osho~
Real Love is not based on attachment, but on altruism. In this case, your compassion will remain as a humane response to suffering as long as beings continue to suffer. ~The Dalai Lama~
Believe nothing because a wise man said it. Believe nothing because it is generally held true. Believe nothing because it is written. Believe nothing because it is said to be divine Believe nothing because someone else believes it. But believe only what you yourself judge to be true. ~The Buddha~
When you consider the choice between the inner bliss of meditation and the chaos of the outer world it seems hard to think there would ever be anything difficult in making the move toward the inner world of harmony. What makes the choice a choice at all is the dualistic belief system of the ego. The ego believes in and thrives on the constant goings-on of the outer world. It thinks if it goes inside it will lose its place in line. ~Beth Johnson~
Man improves himself as he follows his path; if he stands still, waiting to improve before he makes a decision, he'll never move. ~Paulo Coelho~
When water is still, its clearness shows the beard and eyebrows of one who looks into it. It is a perfect level, and the greatest artificer takes their rules from it. Such is the clearness of still water, and how much greater is that of the human Spirit! The still mind of the sage is the mirror of heaven and earth, the glass of all things. ~Chuang Tzu~
True happiness is uncaused and this cannot disappear for lack of stimulation. It is not the opposite of sorrow, it includes all sorrow and suffering. ~Nisargadatta Maharaj~
The entire place is brightly Illuminated and spiritually Transformed, Totally unobstructed And clearly manifesting Responsive interaction Like box and lid or arrowpoints meeting. ~Hongzhi Zhengjue~
Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life. ~Dalai Lama~
There is a difference between watching the mind and controlling the mind. Watching the mind with a gentle, open attitude allows the mind to settle down and come to rest. Trying to control the mind, or trying to control the way one's spiritual practice will unfold, just stirs up more agitation and suffering. ~Bhante Henepola Gunaratana~
You have to be strong enough to take the whole responsibility of your life, for good or for bad. Act out of freedom, out of awareness; not out of dead principles and religions and books. To me, fearlessness, courageousness is the foundational quality of a religious man. He will risk all, but he cannot go against his own
insight. Whatever the consequences, he will follow his own insight. This is how he becomes stronger and stronger, more and more like steel, so that even fire cannot destroy him.
~Osho~
It is in everybody's interest to seek those [actions] that lead to happiness and avoid those which lead to suffering. And because our interests are inextricably linked, we are compelled to accept ethics as the indispensable interface between my desire to be happy and yours. ~The Dalai Lama~
Treat all disasters as if they were trivialities but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster. ~Quentin Crisp~
Prolong not the past. Invite not the future. Alter not your innate wakefulness. Don't fear appearances. There is nothing more than that. ~Tibetan school~
Amid accumulated millions a man remains poor If he neither gives nor enjoys his wealth. Vast wealth can be a wretched curse to one who neither Gladdens himself in its worth nor gives to the worthy. ~Tirukkural~
"I am breathing in and making my whole body calm and at peace. I am breathing out and making my whole body calm and at peace.' This is how one practices."
~The Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing~
That which you are exists beyond the personality, beyond the identity. You are consciousness itself pure, limitless, with no boundries. Discover that and you become free, totaly free, freedom itself. ~Thyoar~
There is a blessedness surely to be believed, and that is that everything abides in eternal ecstasy, now and forever. ~Jack Kerouac~
Just to be there in the corner of the garden is enough. There is no special path which is true. ~Shunryu Suzuki~
A big Tibetan mandala has many small figures as well as central figures, and each of them has a key role in the picture: they're all essential. Every creature, even the little worms and insects, has value. Everything is valuable - that's the measure of the system. ~Gary Snyder~
Don't search for a home because there isn't one. Search for yourself because there is one. ~Nahsti~
Leave the past behind; leave the future behind; leave the present behind. You are then ready to go to the other shore. Never more shall you return to a life that ends in death. ~Buddha~
I count him braver who overcomes his desires, than him who conquers his enemies, for the hardest victory is the victory over self. ~Aristotle~
Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. All systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.
~Thich Nhat Hanh~
The realization that another person wishes to harm and hurt you cannot undermine genuine compassion�a compassion based on the clear recognition of that person as someone who has the natural and instinctual desire to seek happiness and overcome suffering, just like oneself. ~The Dalai Lama~
Modern man thinks he loses something; time; when he does not do things quickly. Yet he does not know what to do with the time he gains; except kill it. ~Erich Fromm~
It is not the worship of a person that is crucial, but the steadiness and depth of your devotion to the task. Life itself is the Supreme Guru; be attentive to its lessons and obedient to its commands. ~Nisargadatta Maharaj~
It is true that we are not bound and that the real Self has no bondage. It is true that you will eventually go back to your source. But meanwhile, if you commit sins, as you call them, you will have to face the consequences of such sins. You cannot escape them. ~Sri Ramana Maharshi~
We also often add to our pain and suffering by being overly sensitive, over-reacting to minor things, and sometimes taking things too personally. ~The Dalai Lama~
One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." ~Andr� Gide~
Subhuti asked: "Is perfect wisdom beyond thinking? Is it unimaginable and totally unique but nevertheless reaching the unreachable and attaining the unattainable?"
The Buddha replied: "Yes, Subhuti, it is exactly so. And why is perfect wisdom beyond thinking? It is because all its points of reference cannot be thought about but can be apprehended. One is the disappearance of the self-conscious person into pure presence. Another is the simple awakening to reality. Another is the knowing of the essenceless essence of all things of the world. And another is luminous knowledge that knows without a knower. None of these points can sustain ordinary thought because thy are not objects or subjects. They can't be imagined or touched or approached in any way by any ordinary mode of consciousness, therefore they are beyond thinking. ~Prajnaparamita~
When one gives up freedom in the name of security, they deserve neither. ~Ben Franklin~
The universal is present in the individual. Just so, liberation comes from recognizing the subtle in the gross, the unity in diversity, the similarity in differences, the truth in untruth, the light in darkness, the life in death. This is real liberation. ~Nityananda~
Even if you seek tranquility, delight in goodness, and search for the source, if you don't meet someone with genuine true knowledge and understanding, it will turn instead into major error. The fault lies in false teachers. ~P'u-an~
The spiritual light shines alone, Far transcending the senses And their fields; The essential substance is exposed, Real and eternal. It is not contained in written words. The nature of mind has no defilement; It is basically perfect and complete in itself. Just get rid of delusive attachments, And merge with realization of thusness. ~Pai-chang~
Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination. ~John Dewey~
While meditating... Go on watching. Let thoughts come and go -- wherever they want to go. Nothing is wrong! Don't try to manipulate and don't try to direct. Let thoughts move in total freedom. And then bigger intervals will be coming. You will be blessed with small satoris. ~Osho~
Acts at random, In ignorance of The constant, bode ill. Knowing the constant Gives perspective; This perspective is impartial. Impartiality is the highest nobility; The highest nobility is divine, And the divine is the Way. This Way is everlasting, Not endangered by physical death. ~Tao-te Ching~
A happy life consists of tranquillity of mind. ~Cicero~
If you could just STOP, you'd realize that you're already there - or rather HERE. At this ever present still point it is impossible to distinguish between meditation and simple being. To accept this is to understand why seeking and working on your self are not helping at all. ~Leo Hartong~
The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. ~Joseph Campbell~
To accept insecurity and commit oneself to the unknown creates a relaxing faith in the universe. The self and the rest of the universe are not separate entities but one functioning whole. ~Unknown~
Kuei-shan said, "The mind of a Wayfarer is plain and direct, without artificiality. There is no rejection and no attachment, no deceptive wandering mind. At all times seeing and hearing are normal. There are no further details. One does not, furthermore, close the eyes or shut the ears; as long as feelings do not stick to things, that will do. ~Kuei-Shan~
I see people who talk about religion constantly quarreling with one another. Hindus, Mussulmans [Muslims], Brahmos, Shaktas, Vaishnavas, Shaivas all quarrel with one another. They haven't the intelligence to understand that He who is called Krishna is also Shiva and the Primal Shakti, and that it is He, again, who is called Jesus and Allah. "There is only one Rama and He has a thousand names." ~Ramakrishna~
Opportunity knocks at the strangest times, It's not the time that matters But how you answer the door. ~Steve Gray~
Move within but don't move the way fear makes you move. Move the way love makes you move. Move the way joy makes you move. ~Unknown~
To study the buddha way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things. When actualized by myriad things, your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away. No trace of realization remains, and this no-trace continues endlessly. ~Dogen~
I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it. ~Harry E. Fosdick~
Generally speaking, even if money brings us happiness, it tends to be the kind which money can buy: material things and sensory experiences. And these, we discover, become a source of suffering themselves. As far as actual possessions are concerned, we must admit that they often cause us more, not less, difficulty in life. The car breaks down, we lose our money, our most precious belongings are stolen, our house is damaged by fire. Or we worry about these things happening. ~The Dalai Lama~
This is work that is alive, Effervescent, free, liberated, Gloriously enlightened, True, and great. Do you think it can be attained By people who shut the door And sit quietly with blank minds? ~Liu I-Ming~
Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. ~Anais Nin~
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