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Words Of Wisdom {Page Sixteen}
The spiritual weapon of self-purification, intangible as it seems, is the most potent means of revolutionizing one's environment and loosening the external shackles. It works subtly and invisibly; it is an intense process though it might often seem a weary and long-drawn process. It is the straightest way to liberation, the surest and the quickest, and no effort can be too great for it. What it requires is faith�an unshakable mountainlike faith that flinches from nothing. ~Mohandas Gandhi~
I have come to believe that it's not just the particular doing that determines my life's meaning, but also what & how I'm being. ~Louise Hutner~
�Happiness, not in another place, but this place... not for another hour, but this hour... ~Walt Whitman~
Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth... Tame the dragon and the gift is yours. ~Noela Evans~
There are thousands upon thousands of students who have practiced meditation and obtained its fruits. Do not doubt its possibilities because of the simplicity of the method. If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it? ~Zen Master
Dogen~
Those who know truly are free from pride and deceit. They are gentle, forgiving, upright, and pure, devoted to their spiritual teacher, filled with inner strength, and self-controlled. Detached from sense objects and self-will, they have learned the painful lesson of separate birth and suffering, old age, disease, and death. ~Bhagavad Gita~
An untroubled mind, no longer seeking to consider what is right and what is wrong, a mind beyond judgments, watches and understands. ~Unknown~
True religion is the life we live, not the creed we profess. ~J.F. Wright~
Those who know this truth, whose consciousness is unified, think always, "I am not the doer." While seeing or hearing, touching or smelling; eating, moving about, or sleeping; breathing or speaking, letting go or holding on, even opening or closing the eyes, they understand that these are only the movements of the senses among sense objects. ~Bhagavad Gita~
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one. ~Elbert Hubbard~
The gift of Truth conquers all gifts. The taste of Truth conquers all sweetness. The Joy of Truth conquers all pleasures. The loss of desires conquers all sorrows. ~The Dhammapada~
Listen, sense, receive. Become aware of that which is both within and without; of the spaces between your thoughts, the blue sky behind the clouds. Listen, as if for a sound in the night. Enter the passive-receptive long enough to learn. ~Maverick Sutras~
Fight for your opinions, but do not believe that they contain the whole truth, or the only truth. ~Charles A. Dana~
When you take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, you commit yourself primarily to steadying your karma. The method for accomplishing this is meditation.
~Lama Thubten Yeshe~
Before the beginningless beginning, prior to the appearance of the first Buddha, already its bright and radiant light shone forth. It illuminates heaven and stands as a perfect mirror on earth, embracing and manifesting all things. The sun, moon, stars, and planets, lightning flashes, thunderclaps; everything without exception receives its benevolent influence. ~Daito~
The crow does not conceal its food but calls its kind to share it; Prosperity will abide with men of such a nature. ~Tirukkural~
Life is both dreadful and wonderful. To practice meditation is to be in touch with both aspects. ~Thich Nhat Hanh~
Don't tell me how difficult the Way. The bird's path, winding far, is right before you. Water of the Dokei Gorge, you return to the ocean, I to the mountain. ~Hofuku Seikatsu~
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. ~Ryokan~
Truth is simply this present moment as it is, nothing can be added to it. If you are totally present in this moment, then you are Truth itself. ~Tishan~
Walking, then, with Courage and Kindness, never ceasing to walk in Wonder, we follow our ancient path. For the Way of the sword is folded two; Like the rose we have thorns, and like the rose, we unfold. ~Ji Aoi Isshi~
Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got. ~Janis Joplin~
True meditation has no direction, goals, or method. All methods aim at achieving a certain state of mind. All states are limited, impermanent and conditioned. ~Adyashanti~
Written at the dwelling of a recluse
Even though you have a brushwood door, It hasn't been shut for a long time; A few clouds, a few trees Have been your only companions. Still I suspect if you stay longer,
People will learn of this spot; We'll see you moving Higher on the mountain. ~Chia Tao~
Watching is meditation. What you watch is not the point: the object is not the point. The quality of observation, the quality of being aware and alert, that's what meditation is. Whatsoever you do with awareness is meditation. ~Osho~
Many paths lead from The foot of the mountain, But at the peak We all gaze at the Single bright moon. ~Ikkyu~
If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much! ~Jim Rohn~
Learned friends, Our self nature, Bodhi Is fundamentally pure And clean. Use only this mind Of yours for direct Understanding and Attainment of Buddhahood. ~Altar Sutra~
Laugh at yourself, but don't ever aim your doubt at yourself. ~Alan Alda~
I must strain to see The few buds this old tree Labored to open; In pathos we're one, and I wonder How many more springs we'll meet here. ~Saigyo~
In this world, in order to enable society to develop, all its members have to assume responsibilites and make their contribution. If we do not make collective contributions then there will be no development. ~The Dalai Lama~
Carrying vitality and consciousness,
Embracing them as one, Can you keep them from parting? Concentrating energy, Making it supple, Can you be like an infant? Purifying hidden perception, Can you make it flawless? Loving the people, governing the nation, Can you be uncontrived? As the gate of heaven opens and closes, Can you be impassive? As understanding reaches everywhere, Can you be innocent? Producing and developing, Producing without possessing, Doing without presuming, Growing without domineering: This is called mysterious power. ~Tao-te Ching~
As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live. ~Goethe~
When you are aware of your pain and suffering, it helps you to develop your capacity for empathy, the capacity which allows you to relate to other people's feelings and sufferings. This enhances your capacity for compassion towards others. ~The Dalai Lama~
Accept - then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life. ~Eckhart Tolle~
If you can get through The world by following The Way and embracing Virtue to the end of your years, It can be said that you are able To embody the Tao. ~Huai-nan-tzu~
We need to recognize that we are not the stars of the show. We're just another pretty face, just one species among millions more. ~Roger Payne~
A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others. ~The Wizard to the Tin Man From The Wizard Of OZ~
What sages learn Is to return their nature To the beginning And let their minds Travel freely in Openness. What developed people Learn is to link their nature To vast emptiness and Become aware of the Silent infinite. ~Huai-nan-tzu~
The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet. ~James Oppenheim~
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. ~Manuel Hernandez~
Like the little stream Making its way Through the mossy crevices I, too, quietly Turn clear and transparent. ~Ryokan Taigu~
A person of wisdom should be truthful, without arrogance, without deceit, not slanderous and not hateful. The wise person should go beyond the evil of greed and miserliness. Do not get excited by what is old, do not be contented with what is new. Do not grieve for what is lost or be controlled by desire. ~Sutta-nipata~
There is no spot, O king, where Nirv�na is situate, and yet Nirv�na is, and he who orders his life right will, by careful attention, realize Nirv�na. Just as fire exists, and yet there is no place where fire (by itself) is stored up. But if a man rubs two sticks together the fire comes; just so, O king, Nirv�na exists, though there is no spot where it is stored up. And he who orders his life aright will, by careful attention, realize Nirv�na. ~Milindapanha~
People who study Buddhism Should seek real, true Perception and understanding. If you attain real, true Perception and understanding, Birth and death don't affect you; You are free to go or stay. You needn't seek wonders, For wonders come of themselves. ~Linji~
There is an extremely easy way to become Buddha. Refraining from all evil, not clinging to birth and death, working in deep compassion for all sentient beings, respecting those over you and pitying those below you, without any detesting or desiring, worrying or lamentation�this is what is called Buddha. Do not search beyond it. ~Zen Master Dogen~
Because they challenge us to the limits of our open-mindedness, difficult relationships are in many ways the most valuable for practice. The people who irritate us are the ones who inevitably blow our cover. Through them we might come to see our defenses very clearly.�Shantideva explained it like this: If we wish to practice generosity and a beggar arrives, that's good news. The beggar gives us
an opportunity to learn how to give. Likewise, if we want to practice patience and unconditional loving-kindness and an enemy arrives, we are in luck. Without the ones who irritate us, we never have a chance to practice. ~Pema Chodron~
When water is pure and sparkling clear You see straight to the bottom When your mind holds no concern No circumstance can turn you And once your mind doesn't stray A kalpa has no changes From such awareness nothing hides. ~Cold Mountain~
Rely on the ordinary virtues that intelligent, balanced human beings have relied on for centuries: common sense, thrift, realistic expectations, patience, and perseverance. ~John C. Bogle~
Pride and indifference shroud this heart, too, as the sun is obscured by the piled-up clouds; supercilious thoughts root out all modesty of mind, and sorrow saps the strongest will. ~Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King~
You are just great the way you are. Be yourself and do not compare. Find your uniqueness and BE IT. You will be so happy and contented. ~Nahsti~
If you want to be free, Get to know your real self. It has no form, no appearance, No root, no basis, no abode, But is lively and buoyant. It responds with versatile facility, But its function cannot be located. Therefore when you look for it, You become further from it; When you seek it You turn away from it all the more. ~Linji~
Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish. ~Ovid~
Of what avail is an outer appearance of saintliness, If the mind suffers inwardly from knowledge of its iniquity?� He who has not attained the power yet wears the garb of saints Is like a cow that grazes about wearing a tiger's skin.� He who conceals himself beneath saintly robes and commits sins Is like the hunter who hides in the bushes to snare unwary birds. ~Tirukkural~
Every man's work, whether it be literature or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself. ~Samuel Butler~
If you memorize slogans, you are unable to make subtle adaptations according to the situation. It is not that there is no way to teach insight to learners, but once you have learned a way, it is essential that you get it to work completely. If you just stick to your teacher's school and memorize slogans, this is not enlightenment, it is a part of intellectual knowledge. ~Fayan~
In doing good, avoid fame. In doing bad, avoid disgrace. Pursue a middle course as your principle. ~Chuang Tzu~
Nobody should be conditioned from childhood about any religion, any philosophy, any theology, because you are destroying his freedom of search. Help him to be strong enough. Help him to be strong enough to doubt, to be skeptical about all that is believed all around him. Help him never to believe, but to insist on knowing. And whatever it takes, however long it takes, to go for the pilgrimage alone, on his own, because there is no other way to find the truth. ~Osho~
You can't ever get everything you want. It is impossible. Luckily, there is another option: You can learn to control your mind, to step outside of this endless cycle of desire and aversion. You can learn not to want what you want, to recognize desires but not be controlled by them. ~Bhanta Henepola Gunaratana~
People of the Way journey through the world responding to conditions, carefree and without restraint. Like clouds finally raining, like moonlight following the current, like orchids growing in shade, like spring arising in everything, they act without mind, they respond with certainty. ~Hongzhi~
All of us can work for peace. We can work right where we are, right within ourselves, because the more peace we have within our own lives, the more we can reflect into the outer situation. ~Peace Pilgrim~
Like a lotus blossom which comes out of the dirt of the world but is not touched by it, allow your true self to freely unfold on the spiritual journey of detachment and calmness. ~Heart sutra~
Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself. Your body and mind will become clear and you will realize the unity of all things. The Buddha meditated for six years, Bodhidharma for nine. The practice of meditation is not a method for the attainment of realization�it is enlightenment itself. ~Zen Master Dogen~
The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours -- it is an amazing journey -- and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins. ~Unknown~
We are not separate from the reality. We imagine we are separate, that is, we create the feeling of separation and then undergo great spiritual practices to get rid of the sense of separation and realize the oneness. Why imagine or create separation and then destroy it? ~Sri Ramana Maharshi~
The awakened sages call a person wise when all his undertakings are free from anxiety about results; all his selfish desires have been consumed in the fire of knowledge. The wise, ever satisfied, have abandoned
external supports. ~Bhagavad Gita~
In learning this path, it is only important to walk on the real ground, to act on the basis of reality. The slightest phoniness, and you fall into the realm of demons. ~Liao-an~
Happiness and suffering come from your own mind, not from outside. Your own mind is the cause of happiness; your own mind is the cause of suffering. To obtain happiness and pacify suffering, you have to work within your own mind. ~Lama Zopa Rinpoche~
Become more and more a watcher Stop reacting immediately to what happens to you Learn to distance yourself from what you think and feel Meditation will then happen on its own accord Meditation is a happening. ~Padeeshkar~
Silent Illumination Silently and serenely, One forgets all words; Clearly and vividly, It appears before you. When one realizes it, Time has no limits. When experienced, Your surroundings come to life. Full of wonder is the pure illumination. ~Hung Chih Cheng Chueh~
The secret of change consists in concentrating one's energy to create the new, and not to fight against the old. ~Dan Millman~
One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful. ~Sigmund Freud~
The sounds of streams are Buddha's speech. The colored mountains are Buddha's pure body. Night brings eighty-four thousand poems of Buddha. Listen, and someday you may awaken. ~Su Shih~
The world is just a set of false impressions. Give them up. Give up the illusion. Give up the world. And live freely. ~Ashtavakra Gita~
Spring has its hundred flowers, Autumn has its many moons. Summer has cool winds, Winter its snow. If useless thoughts do not Cloud your mind, Each day is the best of your life. ~Wu-Men-Hui-Kai
Of the desires expressed the one which is most right is the desire to be 'master of oneself', because without this nothing else is possible. ~G. I. Gurdjieff~
Celebrate
Celebrate
Celebrate
Celebrate Yourself!
G.I. Celebration
One moon appears everywhere in all bodies of water; the moons in all bodies of water are contained in one moon. This is a metaphor for one mind producing myriad things and myriad things producing one mind. This refers to dream illusions, flowers in the sky, half-seeming, half empty. ~Hsueh-yen~
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