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Words Of Wisdom {Page Fifteen}
The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials. ~Chinese Proverb~
Try to be mindful and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings. Like a clear forest pool. All kinds of wonderful, rare animals will come to drink at the pool, and you will clearly see the nature of all things. You will see many strange and wonderful things come and go, but you will be still. This is the happiness of the Buddha. ~Achaan Chah~
Gain and renown are hindrances To students of the Way; They taint our purity of heart. Uncentered, How can we comprehend Tao? ~Loy Ching-Yuen~
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. ~Manuel Hernandez~
In the beginning mindfulness takes away worries and fears about past and future and keeps us anchored in the present. In the end it points to the right view of the self. ~Ayya Khema~
When the mind is at peace, the world too is at peace. Nothing real, nothing absent. Not holding on to reality, not getting stuck in the void, you are neither holy or wise, just an ordinary fellow who has completed his work. ~P'ang Yun~
Whether you believe in God or not does not matter so much, whether you believe in Buddha or not does not matter so much. You must lead a good life. ~The Dalai Lama~
Let go of what may come. Let go of what is happening now. Don't try to figure anything out. Don't try to make anything happen. Relax, right now, and rest. ~Tilopa~
When the inward and the outward are illumined, and all is clear, you are one with the light of the sun and moon. When developed to its ultimate state, this is a round luminosity which nothing can deceive, the subtle body of a unified spirit, pervading the whole universe. Then you have the same function as the sun and moon. ~Liu I-Ming~
A really meditative person is playful; life is fun for him, life is a leela, a play. He enjoys it tremendously. He is not serious. He is relaxed. ~Osho~
Now, there are many, many people in the world, but relatively few with whom we interact, and even fewer who cause us problems. So, when you come across such a chance for practicing patience and tolerance, you should treat it with gratitude. It is rare. Just as having unexpectedly found a treasure in your own house, you should be happy and grateful to your enemy for providing that precious opportunity. ~The Dalai Lama~
Good friends, my teaching Of the Dharma takes Meditation and wisdom As its basis. Never under any Circumstances say that Meditation and wisdom Are different; They are one unity, Not two things. Meditation itself is the Substance of wisdom; Wisdom itself is the Function of meditation. ~Hui-neng~
You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. You can alter your thoughts, and so alter your condition. All things await your acceptance, and you choose by the
thoughts which you entertain. ~author unknown~
The fundamental teaching of Buddhism is nothing but the doctrine of One Mind. This Mind is originally perfect and vastly illuminating. It is clear and pure, containing nothing, not even a fine dust. There is neither delusion nor enlightenment, neither birth nor death, neither saints nor sinners. Sentient beings and Buddhas are of the same fundamental nature. There are no two natures to distinguish them. This is why Bodhidharma came from the west to teach the Ch'an method of "direct pointing" to the original true Mind. ~Han-Shan Te-Ch'ing~
Meditation is a just support to encourage us to let go of ego and just be with things as they are. ~Tishan~
Once you realize universal emptiness, all objects are spontaneously penetrated: integrating the world and beyond, it contains all states of being within. If you lose the essence, there is nothing after all; if you attain the function, there is spiritual effect. The genuine path of unminding is not a religion for the immature. ~Fen-yang~
And when That is seen in its Immanence and transcendence Then the ties that have bound the Heart are loosened, the doubts Of the mind vanish, and the law Of karma works no more. ~Mundaka Upanishad~
Are you happy with yourself? Are you doing what you like? Gather courage and go for it. Life belongs to those who dare to live. ~Dharma~
Living alone In the shade Of a remote mountain, I have you for my companion Now the storm has passed, Moon of the winter night. ~Saigyo~
That is what the surface bodies are for: living vehicles to express Truth, not what we want or need. When we are quieted and gentled inside, we actually *know*. ~John de Ruiter~
Take someone who doesn't keep score, who's not looking to be richer, or afraid of losing, who has not the slightest interest even in his own personality: He's free. ~Rumi~
For a spiritual practitioner, one's enemies play a crucial role. As I see it, compassion is the essence of a spiritual life. And in order for you to become successful in practicing love and compassion, the practice of patience and tolerance is indispensable. There is no fortitude similar to patience, just as there is no affliction worse than hatred. ~The Dalai Lama~
In the silence of meditation you can sense the part or parts of yourself that you may be trying to push away or disown. When you surrender and welcome the excluded parts back into the fold, there is a release of energy and your inner strength returns. ~Beth Johnson~
Purifying our self direction, Our emotions, and behaviors In all endeavors, one grows In understanding of the Way. But our individual abilities vary And the exalted Way has many Different rules. To students of Tao, This sincere forewarning: Only with a clear, honest spirit Can we begin meaningful learning. With an unsullied heart we may Even move the immortals. Debasing the Way, Not even a heaven forgives us. ~Loy Ching-Yuen~
Avoid those pretenders who decide for you; take the reins in your own hands. You have to decide. In fact, in that very decisiveness, your soul is born. When others decide for you, your soul remains asleep and dull. When you start deciding on your own, a sharpness arises. ~Osho~
Subhuti, do not think that when one gives rise to the highest, most fulfilled, awakened mind one needs to see all objects of mind as nonexistent, cut off from life. Please do not think in that way. One who gives rise to the awakened mind does not deny objects or say that they are nonexistent. ~Diamond Sutra~
That which has form emerges from that which has no form; that which has no form emerges from that which has form. Therefore the path of supreme spirituality cannot be sought in being and cannot be fathomed in nonbeing; it cannot be lost through movement and cannot be gained through stillness. ~Ming-Chiao~
Today is the absolute day, the only day in the eternity of time. Everyday is fresh and new just as one's life is new everyday. The past is only reference. The future is hope. Today is real. ~Unknown~
One who gives rise to the awakened mind should know that what is called a self or person, a living being or a life span, is not so in essence but only in concept. That names self, person, living being, or life span are names only. Subhuti, you should know that all things of the world are like this, and you should have confidence in their essence without names. ~Diamond Sutra~
Greatness is always humble. But pettiness� is self-adorned with words of praise.� Greatness abides in the absence of arrogance. Smallness proudly parades its haughtiness.� Greatness conceals through silence the
weaknesses of others. But pettiness proclaims such things to all. ~Tirukkural~
The world is like a sheet of paper on which� something is typed. The reading and the meaning will vary with the reader, but the paper is the common factor, always present, rarely perceived. When the ribbon is removed, typing leaves no trace on the paper. So is my mind - the impressions keep on coming, but no trace is left. ~Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj~
What we call the "Self" is not a separate object with an independent destiny and life,� but more a process that continues until "Nirvana". ~Buddha~
One should do what one teaches others to do; if one would train others, one should be well controlled oneself. Difficult, indeed, is self-control. ~Dhammapada~
In the mirror of awareness, All states of mind are quiet; Forgetting objects, The body's at rest. This is beyond the ambitious Who ride on horseback Under cold starlight. ~Wen-siang~
I often compare the mind in meditation to a jar of muddy water: the more we leave the water without interfering or stirring it, the more the particles of dirt will sink to the bottom, letting the natural clarity of the water shine through. ~Sogyal Rinpoche~
When silent illumination is complete, The lotus will blossom, The dreamer will awaken. The hundred rivers flow to the ocean, The thousand mountains Face the loftiest peak. Like the goose preferring milk to water, Like a busy bee gathering pollen, When Silent Illumination Reaches the ultimate, I carry on the original tradition. This practice is called Silent Illumination. It penetrates from the deepest to the highest. ~Hung Chih Cheng Chueh~
Love & truth can't be found in any book, church or temple. It comes when you know yourself. ~J.Krishnamurti~
Live in the world like an ant. The world contains a mixture of truth and untruth, sugar and sand. Be an ant and take the sugar. ~Ramakrishna~
This is the only meditation I know. While I eat, I eat. While I walk, I walk. And while I feel sleepy, I sleep. Whatsoever happens, happens. I never interfere. ~Bokuju~
This message is not just For the rich and noble The thousand flowers And the hundred grasses All have spring within them Profound people in later days Who read the sutras Do not ask the way to the Great road of enlightenment. Stop! Stop! Why do you have to wander the south? The site of enlightenment is right Under your feet. ~T'aego~
Because of the gift of self-reflective consciousness, the human being alone, of all forms of life, has the capacity to recognize his or her own true identity as being not separate from the whole event of creation.
~Andrew Cohen~
Rest not! Life is sweeping by; go and dare before you die. Somethingmighty and sublime, leave behind to conquer time. ~Johann Wolfgangvon Goethe~
Nature does not bestow virtue; to be good is an art. ~Seneca~
Problems are opportunities in disguise. If you did not face problems you would just drift through life, and you would not gain inner growth. ~Peace pilgrim~
Seekers on the spiritual path are curious to know about Enlightenment. What is Enlightenment? I say, ''Enlightenment is like a joke!'' It is like a fish in the ocean searching for the ocean. ~Sri Sri Ravishankar~
If you don't understand the Way as it meets your eyes, how can you know the Path as you walk?�~Shih-t'ou~
Man has never made any material as resilient as the human spirit. ~Bernard Williams~
In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you. ~Deepak Chopra~
There is no definite good or bad about anything in the world. After something has happened, it depends on how you look at it - whether as good or bad. ~Unknown~
There is no need of any competition with anybody. You are yourself, and as you are, you are perfectly good. Accept yourself. ~Osho~
Zen meditation is not physical culture, nor is it a method to gain something material. It is peacefulness and blessedness itself. It is the actualization of truth and wisdom. ~Dogen~
Don't be surprised, Don't be startled; All things will arrange Themselves. Don't cause a disturbance, Don't exert pressure; All things will clarify Themselves. ~Huai-nan-tzu~
Nature does not know or care about the world or man-made opposites.�Nature is perfectly satisfied and happy to produce a world of infinite, rapturous variety that knows nothing about pretty or ugly, ethical or unethical. Nature never apologizes for anything, nor does it see or acknowledge anything of man's misconceived errors of opposition. ~Ramesh S. Balsekar~
To deal with things knowledge of things is needed. To deal with people, you need insight, sympathy. To deal with yourself, you need nothing. Be what you are - conscious being - and don't stray away from yourself.
~Nisagardatta Maharaj~
Sages lean on a pillar That is never shaken, Travel a road that is Never blocked, are Endowed from a Resource that is never Exhausted, and learn From a teacher that Never dies. They are successful In whatever they undertake, And arrive wherever they go. Whatever they do, they Embrace destiny and go along Without confusion. ~Wen-tzu~
By sitting alone whenever I can I clear my mind of a thousand thoughts. To speak of this is beyond words; Only by sitting in the quiet forest Can we ever understand. ~Lu Yen~
Comprehending the fundamental, Embracing the spirit, Roam the root of heaven and earth, Wander beyond the dust and dirt, Travel to work with noninvolvement. Take care not to let mechanical Intelligence burden your mind; Watch what is not temporal And remain unmoved by things. ~Lao tzu~
They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. ~Andy Warhol~
Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. ~T.S. Elliot~
Because you grasp labels and slogans, You are hindered by Those labels and slogans, Both those used in Ordinary life and those Considered sacred. Thus they obstruct your Perception of objective truth, And you cannot understand clearly. ~Linji~
In your meditation you yourself are the mirror reflecting the solution of your problems. The human mind has absolute freedom within its true nature. You can attain your freedom intuitively. Do not work for freedom, rather allow the practice itself to be liberation. ~Zen Master Dogen~
Happy is the one Who does not sit in the seat of the scornful But finds delight in the loveliness of things And lives by that pattern all day and all night. ~Norman Fischer~
Human nature is developed By profound serenity and lightness; Virtue is developed By harmonious joy And open selflessness. When externals do not Confuse you inwardly, Your nature finds the condition That suits it; When your nature does not Disturb harmony, Virtue rests in its place. ~Huai-nan-tzu~
Every time a problem arises, the essential thing is to immediately become aware that the problem comes from our selfish mind, that it is created by self-cherishing thoughts. As long as you put the blame outside yourself, there can be no happiness. ~Lama Zopa Rinpoche~
Everyone of us is basically uninformed but not stupid. We just learn at different speeds and in different ways. So Just slow down. Have a cup of tea. Relax. You don't understand everything overnight. It's OK! ~Tasogare Shinju~
Sages since time immemorial have only explained the problems of pollution. If one does not have all that false consciousness, emotional and intellectual opinionatedness, and conceptual habituation, one is clear as autumn water, pure and uncontrived, placid and uninhibited. Such people are called Wayfarers, or free people. ~Kuei-Shan~
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not even sure about the universe. ~Albert Einstein~
The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the
center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. ~Black Elk~
Emptiness is a name for nothingness, A name for ungraspibility, A name for mountains, rivers, the whole earth. It is also called the real form. In the green of the pines, The twist of the brambles, There is no going and coming; In the red of the flowers And the white of the snow, There is no birth and no death. ~Ryusai~
The most wonderful of all things in life is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvellous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life. ~Sir Hugh Walpole~
Why objectify God? Subjectify That!! Go straight to the Light, immediately jump into It and don�t write an article about it on the way. Keep Quiet, entertain no doubt, raise no desire. Remove all objects and remain as That! All pain belongs to objectification. Do not let ego own Freedom, so do not objectify the Truth. Do not call it a gain or an acquisition, simply identify with it as you do when you see your face in a mirror. Forget this visitor called mind and just identify as That!�~Papaji~
There are Zen students who are in chains When they go to a teacher, And the teacher adds another chain. The students are delighted, Unable to discern one thing from another. This is called a guest looking at a guest. ~Linji~
Irrespective of different philosophies, the most important thing is to have a tamed and disciplined mind and a warm heart. ~The Dalai Lama~
If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you aren't afraid of dying, there is nothing you can't achieve. ~Lao Tzu~
Behave as best you know, do what you think you should. Don't be afraid of mistakes; you can always correct them, only intentions matter. The shape things take is not within your power; the motives of your actions are. ~Nisargadatta Maharaj~
The voice of success and profit May stir the vault of heaven, But not this place. In the rounds of the day, You wear threadbare clothing And eat simple fare. When the mountain snow deepens, Your thoughts Are far from those of men. Occasionally,Immortals pass your door And knock.
~Kuan-hsiu~
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