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Words Of Wisdom {Page Seventeen}
I pray for all of us, oppressor and friend, that together we may succeed in building a better world through human understanding and love, and that in doing so we may reduce the pain and suffering of all sentient beings. ~the Dalai Lama~
You will find when you have come out of what you are not, that the ripple on the water is whispering to you 'I am That', the birds in the trees are singing to you 'I am That', the moon and the stars are shining beacons to you 'I am That'. You are in everything in the world and everything in the world is reflected in you, and at the same time you are That everything. ~Shantanand Saraswati Maharaj~
Observe the empty monarch of mind; Mysterious, subtle, unfathomable, It has no shape or form, Yet it has great spiritual power, Able to extinguish a thousand troubles And perfect ten thousand virtues. Although its essence is empty, It can provide guidance. When you look at it, It has no form; call it, And it has a voice. It acts as a great spiritual leader; Mental discipline transmits scripture. ~Fu Shan-hui~
Without good motivation, science and technology, instead of helping, bring more fear and threaten global destruction. Compassionate thought is very important for humankind. ~The Dalai Lama~
How do you know you are on the Way? When your map no longer serves you. ~Haven Trevino~
Do not think that the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times. ~Thich Nhat Hanh~
I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning. ~J.B.
Priestly~
Names of the unified mind are Buddha-nature, True suchness, the hidden essence, The pure spiritual body, The pedestal of awareness, The innocent, universal Round mirror-like knowledge, The open source, the ultimate truth, And pure consciousness. The enlightened ones of the Past, present, and future, And all of their discourses, Are all in your fundamental nature, Inherently complete. You do not need to seek, But you must save yourself; No one can do it for you. ~Xuefeng~
One has to keep the mind unruffled and not be affected by the fleeting phenomena around one. When the mind is unmoved, one will not be enslaved by worldly events. ~Huineng~
This is certain, that a man that studieth revenge keeps his wounds green, which otherwise would heal and do well. ~Sir Francis Bacon~
Borrowed knowledge is ignorance. Experienced truth makes you not knowledgeable, but humble. The more you know it, the less you claim to know it. ~Osho~
What I teach people just Requires you not to take On the confusion of others. Act when necessary, Without further hesitation or doubt. When students today do not attain this, Wherein lies their sickness? The sickness is in not Trusting yourself. If your inner trust is insufficient, Then you will frantically go along With changes in situations, And will be influenced and Affected by myriad objects, Unable to be independent. If you can stop the mentality Of constant frantic seeking, Then you are no different From Zen masters and Buddhas ~Linji~
Non-violence means dialogue, using our language, the human language. Dialogue means compromise; respecting each other's rights; in the spirit of reconciliation there is a real solution to conflict and disagreement. There is no hundred percent winner, no hundred percent loser�not that way but half-and-half. That is the practical way, the only way. ~The Dalai Lama~
You can always cope with the Now, but you can never cope with the future, nor do you have to. The answer, the strength, the right action, or the resource will be there when you need it, not before, not after. ~Eckhart Tolle~
Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality. ~Ralph Marston~
You are a child of the Universe, no less than the moon and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should. ~Max Ehrmann~
Pursuing a happy life without mixing with kinsmen Is like pouring water into a barrel which has no staves. The real profit gained by giving riches Is as one may then live surrounded by kindred. Multitudes of kinsmen will gather around the man Who gives generously and speaks sweetly. In this wide world none enjoys a more faithful family Than he who hands out large gifts and holds back anger. ~Tirukkural~
When you realize the fundamental, You perceive mind; When you perceive the mind, You see Buddha. This mind is Buddha; The Buddha is mind. If you want to realize Early attainment, Discipline your mind, Regulate yourself. When you purify your habits And purify your mind, The mind itself is Buddha; There is no Buddha other Than this mind monarch. ~Fu Shan-hui~
It is better to live a simple life, to observe silence and live effortlessly. ~Lao Zi~
The real love is to love them that hate you, to love your neighbor even though you distrust him. ~Mohandas Gandhi~
Those who hear this truth even once and listen with a grateful heart, treasuring it, revering it, gain blessings without end. ~Hakuin Zenji~
I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can be always in the present, you'll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now. ~P. Coelho~
The meaning of life is to live moment to moment. Just follow the flow of life from childhood to old age. Be born when it is time to be born and die when it is time to die. ~Zhuang Zi~
People who seek the way, Observe your own mind yourself. When you know the Buddha is within, And do not seek outside, Then mind itself is Buddha, And Buddha is the mind. When the mind is clear, You perceive Buddha and Understand the perceiving mind. Apart from mind is not Buddha; Apart from Buddha is not mind. If not for Buddha, Nothing is fathomed; There is no competence at all. ~Fu Shan-hui~
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. ~Tolstoy~
If you cling to emptiness and linger In quiescence, you will bob and sink Herein: the buddhas and bodhisattvas Do not rest their mind this way. Great people who clarify the mind Understand this mystic message; Body and mind naturally sublimated, Their action is unchanging. Therefore the wise release the mind To be independent and free. ~Fu Shan-hui~
A human being is a part of a whole, called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.�~Albert Einstein~
Do not think that the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times. ~Thich Nhat Hanh~
Every time and every place is uniquely different. There is no need to compare it with any other time and place. Just carefully taste the present - that is enough! ~Zen~
Do not say the mind monarch is empty In having no essential nature; It can cause the physical body to do Wrong or do right. Neither being nor nonbeing, It is concealed and revealed Without fixation. Although the essence of mind is empty, It can be ordinary and can be saintly: Therefore I urge you to guard it yourself Carefully; a moment of contrivance, And you back to bobbing and sinking. ~Fu Shan-hui~
Anything that is connected with fear, a mature person should disconnect himself from. That's how maturity comes.Just watch all your acts, all your beliefs, and find out whether they are based in reality, in experience, or based in fear. And anything based in fear has to be dropped immediately without a second thought. It is your armor. ~Osho~
A real journey, no matter how long, has never any end, ~William Least Heat-Moon~
What we have to learn, in both meditation and in life, is to be free of attachment to the good experiences, and free of aversion to the negative ones. ~Sogyal Rinpoche~
The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases. ~Carl Jung~
I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can be always in the present, you'll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now. ~P. Coelho~
The knowledge of the pure clean mind Is as yellow gold to the world; The spiritual treasury of wisdom is All in the body and mind. The uncreated spiritual treasury Is neither shallow nor deep. The buddhas and bodhisattvas Understand this basic mind; For those who have the chance To encounter it, it is not Past, future, or present. ~Fu Shan-hui~
Just as surely as no one or no thing has the power to destroy your promise, neither can they fulfill it. Only you can do that. All the fine speeches, all the grand books and all the great teachers all combined, cannot unlock your promise. They merely serve as reminders, sparks to ignite the fire in your heart, beacons in the night, lest you forget. ~Terri McPherson~
It makes not the slightest difference whether one lives long or short, so long as one understands the ground of being. That kind of life is a life of worth. ~Mazu~
The brief elation we experience appeasing sensual impulses is very close to what the drug addict feels when indulging his or her habit. Temporary relief is soon followed by a craving for more. And in just the same way that taking drugs in the end only causes trouble, so too does much of what we undertake to fulfill our immediate sensory desires. We must acknowledge that there can be no hope of gratifying the senses permanently. At best, the happiness we derive from eating a good meal can only last until the next time we are hungry. ~The Dalai Lama~
Just put thoughts to rest; Don't seek outwardly anymore. When things come up, Then give them your attention; Just trust what is functional In you at present, And you have nothing To be concerned about. ~Linji~
Let yourself be at ease. Simply go with the flow of life. It is so simple how can we miss it? ~Nashti~
If you want to perceive And understand objectively, Just don't allow yourself To be confused by people. Detach from whatever you Find inside or outside yourself. Detach from religion, Tradition, and society, And only then will you Attain liberation. When you are not Entangled in things, You pass through Freely to autonomy. ~Linji~
The sixth ancestor of Zen Said to someone who had Just been awakened, "What I tell you is not a secret. The secret is in you." Another Zen master said to a companion, "Everything flows from your own heart." ~Fayan~
You meditate to remind yourself that you're not a prisoner. When you meditate, you can discover and rediscover over and over again that you're not a prisoner of your mind .... And each time you discover you're not a prisoner, it gives you a deeper confidence. ~Andrew Cohen~
To drink up the ocean and turn a mountain Upside down is an ordinary affair for a Zennist. Zen seekers should sit on the site of universal Enlightenment right in the midst of all the thorny Situations in life, And recognize their original face while mixing With the ordinary world. ~Huanglong~
The nature of a soil is known by the seedlings that sprout. Even so, the nature of a man's family is known by the words he speaks.� Those desiring greatness must desire modesty. And those seeking their family's honor must seek to be respectful to all.� ~Tirukkural~
We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe. ~Johann von Goethe~
"When ordinary and sacred Feelings are forgotten, Being is revealed, real and eternal. Just detach from arbitrary involvements, And you awaken to Being as it is." Although these are the leavings Of an ancient Zen master, There are many people who Cannot partake of them. I've lost considerable respect Just by bringing them up. Can anyone discern? If you can, You will recognize the disease of "Buddhism" And the disease of "Zen." ~Huanglong~
Success is not always measured by your accomplishments in life, but how you have overcome your failures. ~Dave~
dont ask and dont expect, give, share in abundance, dont be a beggar, be an emperor ~Santidarma~
Now, in this world and in other worlds, in India and China, buddha ancestors equally carry the buddha seal and teach the practice of sitting immersed in steadfastness. Although circumstances may vary in a thousand ways, whole-heartedly practice Zen, giving yourself fully to the way. Why give up the sitting platform of your own house and wander uselessly in the dust of a remote land? Once a wrong step is taken, you depart from the way. ~Dogen~
Drop all ideas of achieving in meditation, just do it naturally; what happens, happens on its own. One day, effortlessly, everything starts happening by itself. ~Osho~
To drink up the ocean and turn a mountain Upside down is an ordinary affair for a Zennist. Zen seekers should sit on the site of universal Enlightenment right in the midst of all the thorny Situations in life, And recognize their original face while mixing With the ordinary world. ~Huanglong~
"Sweep away thoughts!" means one must do zazen. Once thoughts are quieted, the Original Face appears. Thoughts can be compared to clouds. When clouds vanish, the moon appears. The moon of suchness is the Original Face. Thoughts are also like the fogging of a mirror. When you wipe away all condensation, a mirror reflects clearly. Quiet your thoughts and behold your Original Face before you is born! ~Daito~
According to Buddhist psychology, most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for, attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities. The pursuit of the objects of our desire and attachment involves the use of aggression and competitiveness�These mental processes easily translate into actions, breeding belligerence. Such processes have been going on in the human mind since time immemorial, but their execution has become more effective under modern conditions. What can we do to control and regulate these "poisons" �delusion, greed and aggression? For it is these poisons that are behind almost every trouble in the world. ~The Dalai Lama~
To be in tune with existence is the most healthy experience. There is nothing more than that, but it is so much you cannot exhaust it. ~Osho~
To search for enlightenment or nirvana beyond this mind is impossible. The reality of your own self-nature, the absence of cause and effect, is what's meant by mind. Your mind is nirvana. You might think you can find a buddha or enlightenment somewhere beyond the mind, but such a place doesn't exist. ~Bodhidharma~
Spirituality I take to be concerned with those qualities of the human spirit�such as love and compassion, patience, a sense of responsibility, a sense of harmony, which bring happiness to both self and others. ~The Dalai Lama~
Life is true, every step of it is G-dly. Only the emptiness is false. There are paths we wish we never traveled; decisions we wish we never took; actions that we wrestle to tear out of our memory, rip out of our hearts with agony and remorse. But it is never life that we reject. Life has meaning, life is good -- not a moment of it can exist without a spark of truth throbbing somewhere within. Including that moment you regret. In fact, life's most precious diamonds are hidden in the shadows -- or even buried deep below the mud. In the end, we reject an
ephemeron, a thing that never was. Not life, but its shadow. Not the jewel, but the mud. An absence: that the light-portals of heaven closed when you did what you did. Wash away that void with tears -- there remains only a precious moment of life rescued from the deep earth.
~Tzvi Freeman~
If you want to understand readily, just be un-minding at all times and all places, and you will naturally harmonize with the path.� Once you are in harmony with the path, then inside, outside, and in between are ultimately ungraspable; immediately empty yet solid, you are far beyond dependency. This is what ancient worthies called "each state of mind not touching on things, each step not positioned anywhere." ~Ying-an~
Be thankful for each and every morning. Enjoy life and worry not about things that wouldn't matter in 10 years anyway. ~Unknown~
Trying to find a buddha or enlightenment is like trying to grab space. Space has a name but no form. It's not something you can pick up or put down. And you certainly can't grab it. Beyond this mind you'll never see a buddha. The buddha is a product of your mind. Why look for a buddha beyond this mind? ~Bodhidharma~
The final obstacle in meditation is ecstasy;� you feel great bliss and happiness and want to stay in that ecstasy. Do not yield to it but pass on to the next stage which is great calm. ~Sri Ramana Maharshi~
There's no fire like passion, no seizure like anger, no snare like delusion, no river like craving.~Dhammapada~
Let the mind function freely and not dwell on anything. ~Diamond sutra~
If you miss the mark even by a strand of hair, you are as distant as heaven from earth. If the slightest discrimination occurs, you will be lost in confusion. You could be proud of your understanding; have abundant realization, or acquire outstanding wisdom and attain the way by clarifying the mind. Still, if you are wandering about in your head, you may miss the vital path of letting your body leap. ~Dogen~
Instead of loving your enemies, treat your friends a little better. ~Edgar Watson Howe~
People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr~
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