+~
+ The most important thing is to have faith and trust in the Buddha's
+words. The Buddha's teachings were not taught to deceive us but to explain
+the way things actually are. Many people try to analyze the Buddha's
+teachings, but how is it possible to scrutinize a buddha's qualities? We
+don't even know what will happen tomorrow, or when we will die, or anything
+about our future lives, so how could we possibly examine the teachings of the
+Omniscient One? Since we are totally obscured by our strong disturbing
+emotions, in order to progress on the path toward enlightenment, we have no
+choice but to have faith in the Buddha's teachings and apply them in our own
+lives.
+ The ability to practice Dharma depends on certain conditions. For
+example, this is a rare time during which the teachings of the Great
+Perfection are said to flourish. We're very fortunate that through
+Padmasambhava's blessings, such teachings have appeared and we're able to
+receive them. We must have accumulated incredible merit and made fervent
+prayers very sincerely over numerous lifetimes to be able to encounter such
+amazing teachings now. Still, most people are just too involved in worldly
+activities to have time to practice the Dharma, and very few people in this
+world totally dedicate themselves to the teachings. Most people work for the
+sake of success in this life, to gain wealth, fame, power, and so on, but none
+of these worldly aims can liberate us from the suffering of samsara; in fact,
+they only create further conditions for ensuring that we remain in samsara for
+countless lifetimes to come.
+ -- Penor Rinpoche, from "An Ocean of Blessings: Heart Teachings of Drubwang
+ Penor Rinpoche", translated by Ani Jinba Palmo, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+ "When the sun comes out and illumines the world, its image is reflected in
+all clean vessels of water, being in all places without coming or going. If
+one vessel breaks, then the reflection of the sun does not appear in it. Do
+you think it is the fault of the sun that its reflection does not appear
+there?"
+ "No--it is just because the vessel is broken; it's no fault of the sun."
+ "The knowledge of realization of Thusness, buddha-knowledge, is also like
+this, appearing throughout the cosmos, without before or after: Buddha appears
+in the clean mind-vessels of all sentient beings. If the mind-vessel is
+always clean, the embodiment of Buddha is always seen; if the mind is
+polluted, the vessel breaks and the Buddha cannot be seen."
+ -- from "The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of The Avatamsaka
+ Sutra", translated by Thomas Cleary, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Why is endeavor necessary? If we consider material progress, we see that
+research started by one person can always be continued by another. But this
+is not possible with spiritual progress. The realization we talk about in the
+Buddhadharma is something that has to be accomplished by the individual. No
+one else can do it for us. Of course, it would be wonderful if in the future
+we could attain realization through some sort of new injection or by means of
+a new generation of computers, without having to go through any difficulties.
+If we could be absolutely certain that such a time would come, we could simply
+lie back and wait to get enlightened. But I doubt that this will ever happen.
+It is better to make an effort. We have to develop endeavor.
+
+ 1.
+ Thus with patience I will strive with diligence.
+ For in such diligence enlightenment is found.
+ If no wind blows, then nothing stirs,
+ And neither is there merit without diligence.
+
+ -- H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, from "The Bodhisattva Guide: A Commentary
+ on The Way of the Bodhisattva", The Bodhisattva Guide was originally
+ published as For the Benefit of All Beings, also published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+ I am not angry with my bile and other humors--
+ Fertile source of suffering and pain!
+ So why should living beings give offence,
+ They likewise are impelled by circumstance?
+
+ Suffering may result from both animate and inanimate causes. We may curse
+inanimate things like the weather, but it is with animate beings that we most
+often get angry. If we analyze these animate causes that make us unhappy, we
+find that they are themselves influenced by other conditions. They are not
+making us angry simply because they want to. In this respect, because they
+are influenced by other conditions, they are in fact powerless. So there is
+no need to get angry with them.
+
+ -- H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, from "The Bodhisattva Guide: A
+ Commentary on The Way of the Bodhisattva", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+I am not contained between my hat and boots.
+ --Walt Whitman
+~
+These delightful mountain solitudes
+Are like the family estate to the supreme guide's heirs,
+And, as the best of protectors himself has said,
+To rely on solitude is indeed the pinnacle of joys!
+
+Forests, hermitages, and isolated dwelling places--
+These are the outer solitude of the Victor's heirs.
+Avoiding selfishness and fainthearted fears--
+This is the bodhisattvas' internal isolation.
+
+Keeping, therefore, to outer forms of solitude,
+Tame the inner afflictions through tranquility and insight
+And aspire to the supreme conduct of Samantabhadra--
+Possessing such good fortune one is truly the Buddha's heir.
+
+With sweetly cascading mountain streams,
+Rocky mountain shelters ascending to heaven,
+And gently falling dewdrops of whitest moonlight,
+This mountain retreat surpasses even the deva realm.
+
+The dance of the slender trees does not stir the passions,
+And sweet birdsong brings neither attachment nor aversion,
+Enveloped in nonconceptuality's gentle, cooling shade--
+Such youthful companionship is surely better than a silent void!
+
+Undisturbed by noisy chatter, that thorn in meditation's side,
+Alone in this excellent place of unattended solitude,
+The old monkey of the mind has nowhere left to roam
+And, settling down within, finds satisfaction.
+
+Under the bright, oppressive sunlight of busy, bustling crowds,
+Our faults and unhelpful thoughts eclipse the constellations,
+But when embraced by threefold solitude's cooling nectar beams,
+Such faults can easily be overcome through proper antidotes.
+
+When it is undisturbed by rippling thoughts of sadness,
+The pool-like surface of the mind is still, unmoving,
+And faith and compassion's reflections readily arise.
+In such constancy, what need is there for a companion?
+
+If the mirror of mind is wiped clean, time and again,
+And uncluttered with objects or circumstances,
+Study, reflection, and meditation present a clear impression.
+What is there to prevent the dawn of Dharma's light?
+
+Hunger, thirst, cold, and the like--all forms of physical affliction--
+Together with sadness, fear, and all such mental suffering,
+Can, through the teachings, enhance the purifying path
+And, unburdened by avoidance or indulgence, adorn the mind!
+
+ -- Patrul Rinpoche, from "Beyond the Ordinary Mind: Dzogchen, Rime, and the
+ Path of Perfect Wisdom", translated by Adam Pearcey, published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+ Our endeavor is not religious, but rather a test of what we as a human
+ being can become, the greatest unfolding of our potential.
+ -- Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
+
+Because everything leans, you belong to something much, much greater than what
+you may often refer to as "the world" or "my life"; you belong to something
+greater than your community, political party, nation, or even this magnificent
+planet Earth. You are a noble citizen of the boundless field of contingent
+relationships, pratityasamutpada.
+ -- Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, from "The Logic of Faith", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+It is through the teacher's blessing that you see
+The self-arisen primal wisdom, inexpressible,
+Beyond both word and thought.
+And in the moment of its seeing,
+Timeless are the three times,
+No difference separates the future from the past.
+This is the Wisdom That Has Gone Beyond; the Middle Way;
+The Stilling (of all thought and sorrow); the Great Seal;
+The Great Perfection of the quintessential ultimate reality,
+That is, the fundamental natural state
+Where, from the very first,
+Phenomena are all exhausted.
+It is mind's luminosity,
+The self-arisen primal wisdom.
+Many names it has received, yet all have but one meaning:
+Ultimate reality, beyond the range
+Of speech, of thought, of explanation:
+The enlightened mind,
+The space-like nature where samsara and nirvana are not two.
+ -- Longchenpa, from "Finding Rest in Meditation", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+ Become accustomed to the fact that all we accept or reject, dualistically
+affirm or deny (such as enjoyment and disgust, happiness and frustration,
+beauty and ugliness, fear and security, sickness and health, enemies and
+friends, love and hatred, or whatever), has one taste, thus judgments are
+reversed.
+
+Listen great being: do not create duality from the unique state.
+Happiness and misery are one in pure and total presence.
+Buddhas and beings are one in the nature of mind.
+Appearances and beings, the environment and its inhabitants are one in
+ reality.
+Even the duality of truth and falsehood are the same in reality.
+Do not latch onto happiness; do not eliminate misery.
+Thereby everything is accomplished.
+Attachment to pleasure brings misery.
+Total clarity, being non-conceptual,
+Is self-refreshing pristine awareness.
+ -- Longchenpa, from "You Are the Eyes of the World", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+The realizations that arise through meditating thus
+Are all of the same taste.
+They are not manifold; they are not different.
+It is like those who come from three directions
+And meet together in a single place,
+And like the different flowing streams
+That join and are as one within a single sea.
+Bliss, luminosity, and no-thought--
+Whichever of these methods one may practice--
+When mental movement comes to complete rest
+And in the nature of the mind, the unborn space, dissolves,
+The enlightened mind, devoid of concepts
+(Whether of existence or of nonexistence),
+The sun of fundamental nature, bright and clear,
+Will rise up from within.
+In this realization, changeless and unmoving,
+There is nothing to be added, nothing to remove.
+ -- Longchenpa, from "Finding Rest in Meditation", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Listen! I, pure and total presence, the creative intelligence
+ which manifests universes,
+Do not teach those who surround me,
+A reality that can be affirmed or denied.
+I do not teach about splitting the unique into two.
+I do not analyze that which is beyond analysis.
+I do not correct that which is naturally uncontrived.
+Let whatever you do or whatever appears
+Just be in its natural state, without premeditation.
+That is true freedom.
+ -- Longchenpa, from "You Are the Eyes of the World", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Milarepa's Song on the Way of the Yogi
+
+I am just a man, a yogi of Tibet;
+I am Milarepa.
+I've studied little but have many key instructions.
+Though I'm humble, I have great perseverance.
+I sleep little and have great endurance in meditation.
+I'm an expert in all by knowing one thing
+And I understand everything to be one:
+I am an expert in genuine reality.
+On my small seat, stretching my legs is pleasant.
+With thin clothes, my body is perfectly warm.
+With small bits of tsampa, my stomach is full.
+My example is that which all meditators aspire to.
+I'm a gathering place for those with faith.
+I'm an object of reliance for those fearful of birth and death.
+I go in no fixed direction
+And I stay in no one particular place.
+For conduct, I go without reference points.
+I have no attachment to material things
+And no notion of clean or dirty food.
+For me, the pain of the afflictions is small.
+I have little self-regard and few desires.
+I've little attachment to perceiver and perceived
+And I've loosened the knots of the state of nirvana.
+I'm a friend of the elderly, a shoulder to lean on,
+And a playmate for young children.
+I'm a yogi who roams the country far and wide.
+May you devas and humans be healthy and happy.
+ -- Milarepa and Tsangnyon Heruka, "The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa",
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+It's very important to keep examining your mind at all times and be aware of
+what occurs in it. We have this habit of criticizing others; we are very good
+at pointing out their faults, but we have a hard time being aware of our own
+flaws. Examining the faults of others will not benefit anyone and only leads
+to more disturbing emotions, blocking our path to liberation. Whatever anyone
+else does, let them do it. It's not your business to find other people's
+flaws, and even if you do point them out, there is no way for you to correct
+them. On the other hand, it is very important to watch your own mind and
+train in subduing and reducing your own disturbing emotions. Analyze your
+mind, constantly watch your thoughts, recognizing whether they are positive or
+negative, and become aware of your faults. If you constantly observe yourself
+and analyze your thoughts, you will eventually be able to tame your mind.
+Since we haven't been able to purify our karmic and emotional obscurations,
+our gross disturbing emotions can come up anytime, and whenever these emotions
+come up, we should apply the antidote by looking into our mind and trying to
+understand that all phenomena are emptiness. If you leave your mind in a
+relaxed state without contriving anything, disturbing emotions will cease.
+ -- Drubwang Penor Rinpoche, from "An Ocean of Blessings", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+In general, all joys and sorrows that seem outside
+Are magical creations of one's mind alone;
+Reflections from inside that appear outside,
+Not things outside that have come near.
+
+Knowing this well, when analysis
+Severs the root of the basic mind,
+You will abide in the true sky of reality
+Beyond this fog of appearance.
+
+This so-called existence is a fiction.
+This so-called nonexistence is a fiction.
+Untainted by all such fictions,
+The nature of the mind is perfect buddhahood.
+
+Thoughts of "is" and "is not" are like ripples in water;
+They follow one after the other.
+Dissolving easily into the aimless state,
+They arrive at the ocean of the primordial sphere of reality.
+
+Appearances are the magical display of the mind.
+The mind is empty, without base, without foundation.
+By holding baseless phenomena to be the self
+You and I wander in the realm of samsara.
+
+Without pursuing perceptions,
+When you look directly at the perceiver itself,
+You will see your own inexpressible face;
+The path to achieve buddhahood is not far.
+
+Through the blessings of the divine three foundations,
+May you quickly find the emptiness of your own mind,
+And from the kingdom of the ever-pure great perfection,
+Bring about the great aims of boundless beings.
+ -- from "Gendun Chopel: Tibet's Modern Visionary", by Donald S. Lopez
+ Jr., published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Parallel to compassion, the Buddhist teachings emphasize loving-kindness--the
+wish for others to have happiness and the causes of happiness. A traditional
+way of generating loving-kindness begins by looking at our own constant
+longing for happiness and its causes. Then we contemplate how all others have
+this same longing, every bit as intense as our own. When we understand that
+we are no different from other beings in this way, we see how unreasonable it
+is to care so much more about ourselves than others. We do so only out of
+sheer habit--ignorant habit. At that point, once we've shed some light on
+our habit, we turn our mind toward others, wishing them happiness as much as
+we wish it for ourselves. Then, in our daily lives, we try to behave in
+accord with this wish, by being kind with our actions, in our speech, and in
+our thoughts.
+ -- Dzigar Kongtrul, from "Training in Tenderness: Buddhist Teachings on
+ Tsewa, the Radical Openness of Heart That Can Change the World",
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+So many wonderful qualities are already present within us, just waiting to be
+discovered. The key lies in understanding that things are impermanent and
+unreal. Sadness, of course, is not an end in itself. But deep sorrow comes
+with realizing that everything we previously took to be lasting and real is
+actually just about to disappear--and it never even existed in the first
+place. Such sadness and disillusionment have a wonderful effect. Sorrow
+makes us let go. As we stop chasing futile and ultimately painful goals, we
+embark on the spiritual path with superior strength and resolve.
+ -- Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, from "Sadness, Love, Openness: The Buddhist Path
+ of Joy", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The blind ant runs about for the sake of happiness.
+The legless worm crawls about for the sake of happiness.
+In brief, all the world is racing with each other,
+Running toward happiness, one faster than the next.
+
+Sometimes, seeing a goddess is revolting.
+Sometimes, seeing an old woman creates lust.
+Thinking, "This is it," something else comes along.
+How can the deceptions of the mind be counted?
+
+Our attitudes change so much
+From childhood to when we are old and decrepit.
+Analyze your own experience and you know this.
+How can you have confidence in today's thoughts?
+
+Due to the mind's insanity, we do not recognize our own face,
+Yet we constantly measure the secular and sacred, heaven and earth.
+Courageous are we who seek lasting refuge
+In this series of mistaken appearances.
+ -- from "Gendun Chopel: Tibet's Modern Visionary", by Donald S. Lopez
+ Jr., published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+When people say that I have worked a lot for peace, I feel embarrassed. I
+feel like laughing. I don't think I have done very much for world peace.
+It's just that my practice is the peaceful path of kindness, love,
+compassion, and not harming others. This has become part of me. It is not
+something for which I have specially volunteered. I am simply a follower of
+the Buddha, and the Buddha taught that patience is the supreme means for
+transcending suffering. He said, "If a monk harms others, he is not a monk."
+I am a Buddhist monk, so I try to practice accordingly. When people think
+this practice is something unique and special and call me a leader of world
+peace, I feel almost ashamed!
+ -- H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, from "The Bodhisattva Guide", published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+We have talked about impermanence and how painful it is to acknowledge that
+everything, including ourselves and all that we love, is going to perish. But
+the recognition of impermanence is also the threshold to something more,
+something greater. The reason we take impermanence to heart is that we need
+that understanding to inspire and guide us. Impermanence closes the gap
+between others and ourselves. When we recognize that everyone is subject to
+the same merciless conditions, we cannot but respond with affection. With the
+recognition of the impermanent world comes great compassion, genuine care.
+This pivotal discovery provides the circumstance for a complete opening of our
+minds. As compassion gains force, it enables our minds to recognize the
+profound nature of emptiness--the true nature of things that lies beyond all
+concepts. Sorrow and pain become catalysts for deep-felt loving care, and the
+power of universal compassion delivers the realization of the true view.
+That's when we have truly become students of the Dharma.
+ -- Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, from "Sadness, Love, Openness: The Buddhist
+ Path of Joy", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Buddha qualities are indivisible.
+The disposition is attained as it is.
+The true state is [always] free from any fickleness and deceit.
+Since beginningless time the nature has been peace itself.
+
+Direct perfect enlightenment [with regard to] all aspects,
+and abandonment of the stains along with their imprints
+[are called] buddha and nirvana respectively.
+In truth, these are not two different things.
+
+ -- Maitreya, Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso, and
+ Asanga in "Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra with Commentary",
+ translated by Rosemarie Fuchs, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Like vines that wrap themselves round sandal trees,
+People who keep company with holy ones
+Become, in their turn, holy.
+
+And like kusha grass left in a fetid marsh,
+People who keep company with evil beings
+Will in their turn be evil.
+
+So keep the company of holy beings
+And from bad teachers strive to keep your distance.
+
+ -- Longchenpa, in "Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind, The Trilogy of
+ Rest, Volume 1", translated by Padmakara Translation Group, published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Thinking about the self as composed of "aggregates" (Skt. skandha) can
+help us reflect on our personal identity in new ways. Generally, we attribute
+characteristics to our personal identity, feeling that it is solid, permanent,
+and real. But here, describing the self as being composed of aggregates can
+help us see ourselves more accurately. The word skandha can be translated
+literally as "heap." This definition, when applied to ourselves, can help
+us see that we do not have a cohesive, real, and solid self. We are just a
+heap of stuff--flesh, blood, veins, nerves, bones, hair, cartilage, and so
+on. When we sort through this heap, what are we actually? None of the
+elements of the heap is actually "me." We are a mere mishmash of material
+conditions that we have identified with and labeled "I."
+ -- Anyen Rinpoche and Allison Choying Zangmo, in "Stop Biting the Tail
+ You're Chasing: Using Buddhist Mind Training to Free Yourself from Painful
+ Emotional Patterns" published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+I once heard a Buddhist teacher say that the whole point of having a teacher
+was to become autonomous. I considered that for a while. I thought, "Well,
+yes, as a mother, I did everything I could to help my son stand on his own two
+feet. I get that." But is it possible for anyone to stand on their own two
+feet without their mother, father, or guardian to guide them? When we are
+born, we are completely helpless and dependent. We would never survive
+without the help of others. There is truly no such thing as autonomy. So if
+you want to live in accordance with the nature of things--which means living
+in grace--practically speaking, it will require some humility and gratitude
+for the ways in which your tradition has come down to you with so much care.
+ -- Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, from "The Logic of Faith: The Buddhist Approach
+ to Finding Certainty Beyond Belief and Doubt", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+If we are attached to a thought, it becomes an obstacle to the development of
+our meditation or samadhi. The remedies for reducing attachments to thoughts
+are called "pacification" and "taming the mind," which involve what to
+do when we are unwilling to let go of thoughts. Normally we regard thoughts,
+and especially certain thoughts, as either particularly important or
+particularly pleasant and therefore worthwhile or entertaining. However, in
+meditation, thoughts are nothing other than impediments to what we are trying
+to do. So, when we are practicing meditation, we have to maintain the
+attitude, "This is my time to meditate and now I am not trying to think
+thoughts. If I let myself think, I am wasting this time I have to practice."
+ -- Khenchen Thrangu, from "The Mahamudra Lineage Prayer: A Guide to
+ Practice", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The arrogant mind never stops searching for identity, and this identity always
+defines itself through attributes: "the beautiful one," "the smart one,"
+"the creative one," "the successful one." Sometimes we take this further by
+creating a more elaborate persona: "the rebel," "the maverick," "the suffering
+artist," "the fearless leader." We can hold onto these labels on a "good" day.
+But when we feel insecure about our attributes, or our lack thereof, we start
+to wonder how to define ourselves; we wonder who it is we really are.
+Regardless of whether we're having a good day or a low self-esteem day, the
+point is, we haven't found a way to relax, to be natural, unself-conscious.
+We don't know how to take our seat in ordinariness and feel comfortable in
+our own skin. We're always searching for something to be.
+ -- Dzigar Kongtrul, from "Light Comes Through: Buddhist Teachings on
+ Awakening to Our Natural Intelligence", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+VOTE DEMOCRAT 2018
+It's time for the adults to take back the wheel
+WE KNOW OUR ABCS...
+Apple pie, Baseball, Compassion, & Science
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+Elevate your experience and remain wide-open like the sky.
+Expand your mindfulness and remain pervasive like the earth.
+Steady your attention and remain unshakable like a mountain.
+Brighten your awareness and remain shining like a flame.
+Clear your thought-free wakefulness and remain lucid like a crystal.
+ -- Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, "Clarifying the Natural State", from "Jewels of
+ Enlightenment: Wisdom Teachings from the Great Tibetan Masters", compiled
+ and translated by Erik Pema Kunsang, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Meditation, by nature, is like tasting nectar.
+
+To meditate on the meaning of what you have heard and contemplated
+pacifies all the illnesses of negative emotions.
+
+You will cross the ocean of conditioned existence and arrive at the
+far shore--the heart essence.
+
+Please meditate in the forest from now on.
+
+ -- Longchenpa, from "The Life of Longchenpa: The Omniscient Dharma King of
+ the Vast Expanse", Compiled and edited by Jampa Mackenzie Stewart, published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Compassion has no hierarchy of worthy and unworthy suffering; it makes no
+distinctions between the deserving and the undeserving. Wherever there is
+suffering, there is a need for compassion. Finding compassion for those who
+cause pain is an ongoing practice requiring remarkable patience and
+perseverance. It is a difficult journey, but the path of bitterness and
+division is far more painful. The path of compassion begins with your
+willingness to soften and stay present in all the moments when you are prone
+to recoil and flinch. You learn to open your eyes and heart in all the places
+you have been blinded by fear or rage. You begin to dismantle the boundaries
+that have too long divided you from others.
+ -- "All the Rage--Buddhist Wisdom on Anger and Acceptance", edited by Andrea
+ Miller and the Editors of the Shambhala Sun, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Each and every being in this world, including animals and all other beings of
+the six realms, wants to be happy. Nobody wants to suffer. Even through we
+have no wisdom or clairvoyance, we can see that everyone in this world is
+afflicted with disturbing emotions and delusion based on their karma--not only
+we humans, but all beings in the six realms. Even a tiny little ant is
+constantly afflicted by the five poisons, and it's impossible for such a being
+to generate bodhichitta, faith, devotion, or pure perception for an instant.
+It can't even conceive of a path to liberation or ultimate happiness. Due to
+karma accumulated throughout beginningless lifetimes, all sentient beings
+experience various kinds of sorrow and happiness. Yet this isn't just random,
+for all that we experience is the result of our past actions.
+##--#Penor Rinpoche, from "An Ocean of Blessings: Heart Teachings of Drubwang
+ Penor Rinpoche", translated by Ani Jinba Palmo, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+ Dreaming is a dynamic process. Unlike the static images of film that we
+use as a metaphor, the images of a dream are fluid: they move, beings talk,
+sounds vibrate, sensation is vivid. The content of dream is formed by the
+mind, but the basis of the vitality and animation of the dream is the prana.
+The literal translation of the Tibetan word for prana, lung, is "wind," but
+it is more descriptive to call it the vital wind force.
+ Prana is the foundational energy of all experience, of all life.
+ -- Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and edited by Mark Dahlby, from "The Tibetan
+ Yogas of Dream and Sleep", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Do they know this kid likes his chemistry set a little too much?
+ -- The Sopranos
+~
+The Nine Expressions of Dance
+
+The upper part of one's body should have the demeanor of a lion.
+The waist should maintain the demeanor of elegance.
+The wrists and ankles should maintain a demeanor of dexterity.
+The thigh muscles should maintain a relaxed demeanor.
+The blood should maintain a fiery red demeanor.
+The countenance should maintain a handsome demeanor.
+The movements should maintain a slow demeanor.
+The knees should maintain a supple demeanor.
+The feet and head should maintain a demeanor of happiness.
+And overall [the dancer] should maintain a demeanor
+That is both heroic and magnificent...
+ -- by Konchog Lhadrepa and Charlotte Davis, from "The Art of Awakening:
+ A User's Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Art and Practice", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Advice to Myself
+
+ Stop living a false and empty life.
+ Drop those deceptions of your own mind
+ And endless projects that you don't need!
+
+ Don't make your head spin with the burden
+ Of strings of ideas that never come true
+ And endless distracting activities--
+ They're just waves on water.
+ Just keep quiet.
+
+ -- Patrul Rinpoche, from "Enlightened Vagabond: The Life and Teachings of
+ Patrul Rinpoche", By Matthieu Ricard, edited by Constance Wilkinson,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Like the vast expanse of the ocean, birthplaces of other beings are vast and
+multitudinous. Just as the yoke has only a single opening, human birth is
+small in extent and few in number. Just as the tortoise rises up only once
+every hundred years, so it is rare to accumulate the karma that results in
+human birth. Just as the tortoise is blind, so one's accumulated karma is
+feeble. Just as the yoke is tossed about in every direction by the wind, so
+there are many adverse forces obstructing the coincidence of conditions needed
+for human birth.
+ -- Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrub, from "Three Visions: Fundamental Teachings of
+ the Sakya Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism", translated by Lobsang Dagpa and
+ Jay Goldberg, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ The actual nature of things is inconceivable and inexpressible. Yet, for
+those fortunate individuals who seek to penetrate the profound meaning of
+dharmata, I shall offer here a few words by way of illustration.
+ What we call the essence of mind is the actual face of unconditioned pure
+awareness, recognized through receiving the guru's blessings and
+instructions. If you wonder what this is like, it is empty in its essence,
+beyond conceptual reference; it is cognizant by nature, spontaneously present;
+and it is all-pervasive and unobstructed in its compassionate energy. This is
+the pure awareness (rigpa) in which the three kayas are inseparable.
+ -- from "Beyond the Ordinary Mind: Dzogchen, Rime, and the Path of
+ Perfect Wisdom", translated by Adam Pearcey, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Being attached to your ordinary dualistic considerations is a pitfall in your
+way of living. No matter what appears, by applying yourself without being at
+all distracted from the perspective and meditation, this unobstructed,
+powerful way of life will come about with the six senses naturally relaxed.
+Apply yourself without contradicting this.
+ -- Longchenpa, from "You Are the Eyes of the World", translated by Kennard
+ Lipman and Merrill Peterson, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Kyema!
+Hear me, young and faithful girl!
+I, the Lotus-Born, will preach the Dharma in the land of ogres.
+My flawless adamantine form, surpassing change,
+Is not to be compared with that of beings racked by ills.
+The country of Tibet I filled with Dharma, within the earth and on it.
+If you are strong in practice and instruction,
+No shortage of the Dharma will there be.
+ -- Yeshe Tsogyal, from "Lady of the Lotus-Born: The Life and Enlightenment
+ of Yeshe Tsogyal", by Gyalwa Changchub and Namkhai Nyingpo, translated by
+ Padmakara Translation Group, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Ultimately, spiritual and worldly values are totally contradictory; this is
+something we simply have to accept. In the materialistic world, being "rich"
+means that you own plenty of property, run various businesses, and have a
+great deal of money; whereas the spiritual world defines being "rich" as
+perfect contentment. From a spiritual point of view, we are rich when we no
+longer torture our minds with thoughts about everything we lack...
+ -- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, from "Best Foot Forward: A Pilgrim's Guide
+ to the Sacred Sites of the Buddha", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The cultivation of Pure Awareness does not evolve in a straight line. It is
+not that we have a certain realization and then it is ours and we can hang on
+to it and in the next practice session begin from there and move on to the
+next higher realization. Every time we sit down to practice, it's a brand new
+situation, a new journey. "Back to square one," as Trungpa Rinpoche used to
+say. Back to Suzuki Roshi's "beginner's mind."
+ -- Reginald A. Ray, from "The Practice of Pure Awareness: Somatic Meditation
+ for Awakening the Sacred", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+When the seven consciousnesses melt
+Into the consciousness of the universal ground,
+And the universal ground is purified in the ultimate expanse,
+There occurs primordial coemergent wisdom,
+Empty, luminous, and self-arisen.
+This is what yogis must recognize...
+ -- Longchenpa, from "Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind: The Trilogy
+ of Rest, Volume 1", translated by Padmakara Translation Group, published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The purpose of a knife is much like the purpose of the brain, and that is to
+stop being used. Just as the brain should do some computation and then desist
+from functioning for a while to rest and relax, so too should one stop using a
+knife as soon as the purpose for which the knife was picked up is achieved.
+If it seems like it's fun to play with a knife or if one feels that the knife
+is an extension of one's penis, then that is not a very good reason to pick up
+a knife; one should probably put the knife right back down in those degenerate
+(in the mathematical sense) cases. #WhatILearnedFromTheBoyScouts
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+Full of trust you left home,
+and soon learned to walk the Path--
+making yourself a friend to everyone
+and making everyone a friend.
+
+When the whole world is your friend,
+fear will find no place to call home.
+
+And when you make the mind your friend,
+you'll know what trust
+really means.
+
+Listen.
+
+I have followed this Path of friendship to its end.
+And I can say with absolute certainty--
+it will lead you home.
+
+ -- from "The First Free Women: Poems of the Early Buddhist Nuns",
+ by Matty Weingast
+~
+If we are honest with ourselves, we know from our own experience that the more
+we try to find solutions to our problems through thinking about them, the more
+we start going around in circles, sometimes interminably. Buddhism counsels
+us to resist being abused by our conflicting emotions and to let go of
+excessive thinking. Emotions can be expressed in an unhealthy, self-
+destructive manner or in a healthy and constructive fashion. Similarly, we
+can think in a self-destructive, confused way, which reinforces our negative
+habits, or we can think in a constructive way. Buddhism emphasizes that
+overindulgence in conflicting emotions and distorted forms of thinking only
+reinforces our old habits, which solidifies our karmic tendencies even
+further.
+ -- Traleg Kyabgon, from "Mind at Ease: Self-Liberation through Mahamudra
+ Meditation", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ACHTUNG!
+ALLES TURISTEN UND NONTEKNISCHEN LOOKENSPEEPERS!
+DAS KOMPUTERMASCHINE IST NICHT FÜR DER GEFINGERPOKEN UND MITTENGRABEN!
+ODERWISE IST EASY TO SCHNAPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK, BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN
+MIT SPITZENSPARKEN.
+IST NICHT FÜR GEWERKEN BEI DUMMKOPFEN. DER RUBBERNECKEN SIGHTSEEREN KEEPEN
+DAS COTTONPICKEN HÄNDER IN DAS POCKETS MUSS.
+ZO RELAXEN UND WATSCHEN DER BLINKENLICHTEN.
+~
+ATTENTION
+This room is fullfilled mit special electronische equippment.
+Fingergrabbing and pressing the cnoeppkes from the computers is allowed for
+die experts only!
+So all the "lefthanders" stay away and do not disturben the brainstorming von
+here working intelligencies.
+Otherwise you will be out thrown and kicked anderswhere!
+Also: please keep still and only watchen astaunished the blinkenlights.
+~
+Naval Lint! Belly up to the finest barnacle scrub on the market, and have
+your teams boat bright as a button!
+Only $9.99 a bottle, sold at all Ben Franklin Department Stores.
+ -- fictional product developed due to misspelling of navel lint
+~
+(a missing phone haiku)
+
+tech disconnection
+no friends, no spam, brain at peace
+must log back in now!
+
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+Many people, especially ignorant people, want to punish you for speaking the
+truth, for being correct, for being you. Never apologize for being correct,
+or for being years ahead of your time. If you're right and you know it,
+speak your mind. Speak your mind. Even if you are a minority of one, the
+truth is still the truth.
+ -- Mahatma Gandhi
+~
+ The sky is pure, open space, free from all obstructions. The nature of
+our mind is similar: the afflictions, self-centered attitude, and other
+obscurations are not in its essential nature. Just as clouds may temporarily
+obscure the open sky, anger, attachment, and confusion can temporarily obscure
+our mind. When they do, the pure, open nature of the mind still remains; we
+just can't see it at the time.
+ By generating the wisdom realizing the emptiness of inherent existence, we
+will be able to eradicate obscurations from our mind forever and enjoy the
+sky-like spaciousness of a purified mind.
+ -- Thubten Chodron, from "Awaken Every Day: 365 Buddhist Reflections to
+ Invite Mindfulness and Joy", Shambhala Publications
+~
+i buy all my hats
+at interdimensional
+pancake restaurant
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+Love is about finding something pleasant in everyone. It can't be external
+appearance, or what the person is engaged in at the moment; it has to be just
+the fact that this is a sentient being who wants happiness and does not want
+suffering and who has been the best of friends at some time in the limitless
+past. A Tibetan definition of love is that the person pleasantly comes to
+mind (yid du 'ong ba). Rather than pushing people away, you experience a core
+similarity and closeness in them that makes you receptive to their basic
+being, regardless of the problem--regardless of how distorted their current
+attitudes and behavior are. That's how strong spiritual love is.
+ -- Jeffrey Hopkins, from "A Truthful Heart: Buddhist Practices for
+ Connecting with Others", Shambhala Publications
+~
+this is not confirmed yet, but UVa is changing the name of its funding tokens.
+UVa is moving away from the PTAO payment codes (Project, Task, Award, and
+Organization) to a new acronym using "Cost center, Activity, Program, Spend
+category" or... CAPS!!!
+finally all my hard work in fallout new vegas will be paying off.
+~
+Rob's Meeting Mantra:
+
+Is what I am thinking necessary to say?
+Is it necessary for this to be said by ME?
+Is it necessary for me to say this RIGHT NOW?
+
+ -- Rob Diethorn
+~
+fred's chow mantra:
+ just eat when you're hungry,
+ and be sure you're hungry and not just sating an appetite,
+ because scheduled food times are irrelevant to your body,
+ and can lead to overfeeding unless you're malnourished;
+ so let the body decide when to eat,
+ and use your brain to decide what you feed it.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.
+ -- Voltaire
+~
+Clear thinking requires courage rather than intelligence.
+ -- Thomas Szasz
+~
+Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?
+ -- Winnie the Pooh
+~
+It is well for people who think,
+to change their minds occasionally
+in order to keep them clean.
+ -- Luther Burbank
+~
+Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.
+ -- Benjamin Lee Whorf
+~
+Misery is almost always the result of thinking.
+ -- Joseph Joubert
+~
+Most of the mistakes in thinking
+are inadequacies of perception
+rather than mistakes of logic.
+ -- Edward de Bono
+~
+Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it.
+ -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
+~
+What we think, we become. -- Shakyamuni Buddha
+~
+pseudo-code for our daily lives:
+
+repeat:
+ if (not one_thing) then {
+ other_thing
+ }
+:forever
+~
+U R brilliant,
+U need 2 keep working on that shine,
+U can't lord it over others,
+U R your own completeness as they are theirs.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+and goddess said to me, she said like, "i am omni-sexual and pan-gender...
+bitches." i apologize for her language, but that's what she said.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+
+vape temperature mantra for cannabis
+(also a haiku if you don't pronounce the numbers...)
+
+ things are tastiest,
+ celsius degrees ranging 164 -> 228,
+ dank vaporizer.
+
+ get lightly toasted 164+,
+ proceed on to half baked at 180+,
+ way fully baked at 200+.
+
+ dude, know when it's cooked,
+ never go over 230 ever,
+ we vape you long time.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+ I found I was able to get a lot of tension off my shoulders by almost
+"outing" myself in the press in that way, in very early circumstances. So
+I wasn't going to get people crawling out the woodwork saying [seedy, muck-
+raking voice]: "I'll tell you something about David Bowie that you don't
+know..." I wasn't going to have any of that. I knew that at some point I
+was going to have to say something about my life. And, again, Ziggy enabled
+me to make things more comfortable for myself. There was an excitement that
+the age of exploration was really finally here. Which is what I was going
+through. It perfectly mirrored my lifestyle at the time. It was exactly what
+was happening to me. There was nothing that I wasn't willing to try, to
+explore and see if it was really part of my psyche or my nature. I was
+terribly exploratory in every way, not just culturally but sexually and...
+God, there was nothing I would leave alone. Like a--it's a terrible pun,
+but--like a dog with a bone, I suppose! So I buried it!
+ The quote has taken on far more in retrospect than actually it was at the
+time. I'm quite proud that I did it. On the other hand I didn't want to
+carry a banner for any group of people, and I was as worried about that as
+the aftermath. Being approached by organisations. I didn't want that. I
+didn't feel like part of a group. I didn't like that aspect of it: this is
+going to start overshadowing my writing and everything else that I do.
+But there you go.
+ -- David Bowie, in Mojo, July 2002
+~
+I am King Gesar of Ling,
+not so long ago named king
+and principal ruler of the six provinces of Ling,
+mandated by the gods to be the destined leader
+and the one to quell the demons of the dark side.
+Since I am the one entrusted with this aspiration,
+my deeds and actions must follow.
+ -- from "The Taming of the Demons: From the Epic of Gesar of Ling",
+ translated by Jane Hawes, David Shapiro, and Lama Chonam, published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ One of the stories that drew me to Zen was about how one of our Zen
+ancestors responded to both insult and praise. In this story, Hakuin Zenji
+was falsely accused of impregnating a young girl who lived in the village near
+his hermitage. When her parents and the villagers came to accuse him, he said
+merely, "Is that so?"
+ When the baby was born, Hakuin received the infant and cared for the child
+with the help of a wet nurse. Sometime later, the girl confessed to her
+parents that a village boy was the father of her child. Those who had accused
+him earlier came then to reclaim the child and to praise Hakuin.
+ In response to their praise, he simply said, again, "Is that so?"
+ -- Reb Anderson, from "Entering the Mind of Buddha: Zen and the Six Heroic
+ Practices of Bodhisattvas", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+One day in a lecture Suzuki Roshi said, "When you see one leaf falling, you
+may say, Oh, autumn is here! One leaf is not just one leaf; it means the
+whole autumn. Here you already understand the all-pervading power of your
+practice. Your practice covers everything."
+ -- Shunryu Suzuki, from "Zen Is Right Here: Teaching Stories and Anecdotes
+ of Shunryu Suzuki, author of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Compared with the force of the all-powerful weapons that exist today, we are
+nothing, even less than ants. And yet those weapons were not made by demons
+or aliens from another planet. They were made by humans just like me and
+you... If we ever press the red button, others will do the same. If we bomb
+them, bombs will rain on us. That's cause and effect, and it will just go
+on and on. So what can we do? Only one thing can help us: loving-kindness.
+Loving-kindness is the very foundation of a civilized world.
+ -- Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, from "Sadness, Love, Openness: The Buddhist Path
+ of Joy", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+may lies taste like the spawn of ash in my mouth,
+may untruths burn themselves away in the mist,
+all fabrications will shatter and ooze away,
+that the manifest truths may shine free.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+Anybody can become angry--that is easy; but to be angry with the right person,
+and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and
+in the right way--that is not within everybody's power; that is not easy.
+ -- Aristotle
+~
+Mindfulness can evolve into an experience of attending to the world with the
+world, not only infusing the body with more aliveness but also transforming
+the entire world into a field of aliveness. Yes, biological aliveness has
+always already been there, but every time I bring breath attention to it, I
+augment and refine it. It's like the difference between watering a
+houseplant and attending to it with a "green thumb." It's not quite
+clear what a green thumb is. Some people have it, some people don't. Maybe
+we can describe it as a mixture of extra nourishment and something intangible
+like attention, love, and care. For the houseplant, the green thumb is the
+difference between surviving and thriving. Mindfulness practice can have that
+effect on your life.
+ -- Christian Dillo, from "The Path of Aliveness: A Contemporary Zen Approach
+ to Awakening Body and Mind", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+There never was a good war nor a bad peace.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+Those who in quarrels interpose, must often wipe a bloody nose.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+He that speaks much, is much mistaken.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+To find out a girl's faults, praise her to her girl friends.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+The cat in gloves catches no mice.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+Does thou love life?
+Then do not squander time;
+for that's the stuff life is made of.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+There can't be good living where there is not good drinking.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our
+country; he is a bird of bad moral character; like those among men who live by
+sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy. The turkey
+is a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+Energy and persistence conquer all things.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+Benjamin Franklin's Thirteen Virtues
+
+Temperance
+ + moderation in food and drink
+Silence
+ + mentioning only important matters
+Order
+ + proper organization of time and space
+Resolution
+ + accomplishing one's responsibilities
+Frugality
+ + purchasing only worthwhile items and wasting nothing
+Industry
+ + making the most of one's time and energy
+Sincerity
+ + being honest and forthright
+Justice
+ + practicing impartiality and refusing to wrong others
+Moderation
+ + avoiding extremes
+Cleanliness
+ + using good hygiene under sanitary conditions
+Tranquility
+ + remaining calm and composed despite life's obstacles
+Chastity
+ + refusing to allow sex to interfere with one's life
+Humility
+ + avoiding excess pride and haughtiness
+~
+In general, visualizing the projection and absorption of light takes place in
+the following way. First, light streams forth from the mantra chain in the
+heart center and emerges from the crown protuberance, the hair between the
+eyebrows, the tongue, the endless knot at the heart center, the pores of the
+skin, and other such places. The light pervades all the realms in the ten
+directions, such as our present billionfold world system. At the tip of the
+light rays are an inconceivable number of male and female bodhisattvas who
+bring forth offering clouds, songs of praise, showers of flowers, and streams
+of perfume. They make these offerings to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas and
+sing their praises, entreating them to accomplish the welfare of sentient
+beings. They all then assume the form of yidam deities of various sizes and
+appearances, arising as a display that guides those in need. Then all the
+deities project divine bodies and light from their navels, secret places,
+hips, knees, soles of their feet with thousand-spoked wheels, and other such
+places. This display utterly fills the entire world, which resounds with the
+sound of mantra. In this way, the karmic actions, disturbing emotions, and
+deluded perceptions, along with all habitual tendencies, of all six types of
+beings in the three realms are purified, like frost melted by sunlight.
+Everyone transforms into the form of the yidam deity and the mantra resounds
+on its own, humming like bees from a broken hive.
+ -- Kunkyen Tenpe Nyima, from "Vajra Wisdom: Deity Practice in Tibetan
+ Buddhism by Shechen Gyaltsap IV"
+~
+the code for the body is written in DNA.
+the code for the soul is written in music.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+i am the universe,
+and the universe is me,
+but we don't have an exclusive.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+time flies like an arrow.
+fruit flies like a banana.
+ -- Anthony Oettinger
+~
+Time Flies Like an Arrow
+An Ode to Oettinger
+
+Now, thin fruit flies like thunderstorms,
+And thin farm boys like farm girls narrow;
+And tax firm men like fat tax forms--
+But time flies like an arrow.
+
+When tax forms tax all firm men's souls,
+While farm girls slim their boyfriends' flanks;
+That's when the murd'rous thunder rolls--
+And thins the fruit flies ranks.
+
+Like tossed bananas in the skies,
+The thin fruit flies like common yarrow;
+Then's the time to time the time flies--
+Like the time flies like an arrow.
+ -- Edison B. Schroeder (1966)
+~
+Three modes of generating an altruistic intention to become enlightened are
+described--like a king, like a boatman, and like a shepherd. In the first,
+that like a king, one first seeks to attain a high state after which help can
+be given to others. In the second, like a boatman, one seeks to cross the
+river of suffering together with others. In the third, like a shepherd, one
+seeks to relieve the flock of suffering beings from pain first, oneself
+following afterward. These are indications of the style of the altruistic
+motivation for becoming enlightened; in actual fact, there is no way that a
+Bodhisattva either would want to or could delay achieving full enlightenment.
+As much as the motivation to help others increases, so much closer does one
+approach Buddhahood.
+ -- from "Our Human Potential: The Unassailable Path of Love, Compassion, and
+ Meditation", by H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+An Aspiration Prayer
+
+May prosperity and glory proliferate, benefitting the Land of Snow.
+May the lamp of the Buddhist teachings blaze in dark lands in the ten
+ directions.
+May auspiciousness and the ten virtues pervade the three worlds.
+May coincidence click into place, completely victorious in all directions.
+ -- from "Inseparable across Lifetimes: The Lives and Love Letters of the
+ Tibetan Visionaries Namtrul Rinpoche and Khandro Tare Lhamo", translated
+ by Holly Gayley, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Becoming a Qualified Student
+
+How do we become a qualified disciple? One quality to develop is open-
+mindedness. In other words, we let go of our own hard and fast agenda, of our
+likes and dislikes, and of our erroneous opinions about the nature of reality
+or the stages of the path. If we attend a teaching yet still hold strongly to
+our preconceptions about the path, we will evaluate teachers by whether or not
+they agree with our ideas. Is that a valid criterion for selecting a teacher?
+Such an attitude blocks us from learning because we're holding on to what we
+believe and only accepting what validates our own opinions. In that case, we
+aren't receptive to the Enlightened One's teachings. To learn, we must
+set aside our own prejudices, be open-minded, and listen with a fresh mind.
+ -- from "How to Free Your Mind: The Practice of Tara the Liberator", By
+ Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Compassion is the Best Medicine
+
+Much of our suffering comes from being too immersed in our own self-interests.
+We are constantly thinking about ourselves, trying to protect and defend
+ourselves. We are very interested in our own well-being, our own security.
+We fear, sometimes unconsciously, that somebody or something in the outer
+world, the world of "others," may harm us. This makes us feel lonely and
+alienated from everybody else. Compassion is the best medicine to cure this
+illness, the illness of loneliness, isolation, and alienation.
+ -- from "Choosing Compassion: How to Be of Benefit in a World That Needs Our
+ Love", by Anam Thubten, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Delusions and Emotions
+
+What becomes very clear through Buddhist teachings is that the suffering and
+problems we have in life are not caused by external circumstances but by the
+mind that reacts to them. The mind dominated by delusions or emotional
+afflictions is considered in Buddhism to be the cause of most of the suffering
+and problems that arise in our life and more generally in the world at large.
+We can certainly see the truth in this view when we look at the way fear,
+hatred, and greed seem to be at the root of many if not most of the problems
+that exist in the world, from wars to the banking crisis. From this viewpoint
+we can also see that if we had a greater awareness of the emotions that drive
+us, both individually and collectively, our world would be very different.
+ -- from "Feeling Wisdom: Working with Emotions Using Buddhist Teachings and
+ Western Psychology", by Rob Preece, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Developing Equanimity
+
+We are attached to friends and relatives because of the temporary benefit they
+have brought us in this life. We hate our enemies because of some harm they
+have inflicted on us. People are not our friends from birth, but become so
+due to circumstances. Neither were our enemies born hostile. Such
+relationships are not at all reliable. In the course of our lives, our best
+friend today can turn out to be our worst enemy tomorrow. And a much-hated
+enemy can change into our most trusted friend. Moreover, if we talk about our
+many lives in the past, the unreliability of this relationship is all the more
+apparent. For these reasons, our animosity toward enemies and attachment
+toward friends merely exhibits a narrow-minded attitude that can only see some
+temporary and fleeting advantage. On the contrary, when we view things from a
+broader perspective with more farsightedness, equanimity will dawn in our
+minds, enabling us to see the futility of hostility and clinging desire.
+ -- from "Stages of Meditation: The Buddhist Classic on Training the Mind", By
+ H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Discontentment
+
+Buddhism frequently speaks of overcoming dissatisfaction and discontentment,
+as if these experiences are always undesirable. In certain respects, however,
+discontentment is necessary. No matter what we have achieved in the past
+about which we may justifiably feel proud, we should not be satisfied with
+that but should look to develop and improve ourselves further. This is an
+ongoing process. We should have the enthusiasm to want to go further and
+further in relating to others and developing ourselves on a spiritual and
+psychological level. Our normal experiences of dissatisfaction,
+incompleteness, deprivation, privation, or sense of lack can and must be
+sublimated into spiritual ones. We should never be satisfied with our
+spiritual progress, thinking, "This will do," or "That is enough." We should
+always have hunger for deeper, higher, richer experiences on the path.
+ -- from "The Essence of Buddhism: An Introduction to Its Philosophy and
+ Practice", by Traleg Kyabgon, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Distraction
+
+People let their time pass in distractions, and the wisdom of investigating
+the nature of phenomena is exceedingly rare. Even if there is some modest
+inclination toward spirituality, due to habituation with distraction, it does
+not tend to be sustained, nor go very deep. It is difficult to remedy that
+habituation.
+ -- from "Perfecting Wisdom: How Things Appear and How They Truly Are", by
+ H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Don't Create Problems for Yourself
+
+There is a story about a monk who had an extremely ugly body but a beautiful
+voice. People loved to hear him chant but recoiled when they saw him.
+Someone who had clairvoyant powers saw that in a previous lifetime, while
+constructing a stupa--a monument representing the Buddha's mind--he
+continually complained and showed an ugly face. When the stupa was completed,
+he had a change of heart and offered a bell with a charming and elegant sound
+to the stupa. His ugly body was a result of his anger while making the stupa,
+and his beautiful voice was the result of having later offered the lovely-
+sounding bell to the stupa.
+ -- from "Good Karma: How to Create the Causes of Happiness and Avoid the
+ Causes of Suffering", by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Eight Special Thoughts of a Holy Individual
+
+The eight special thoughts of a holy individual: (1) Alas! If possible, may I
+be able to make sentient beings be without the suffering of birth, and
+likewise (2) without the suffering of aging, (3) the suffering of sickness,
+and (4) the suffering of death. (5) I will deliver beings who are not
+delivered and (6) free those who are not free. (7) I will free them from
+powerful suffering, and (8) I will lead to nirvana those who have not yet
+reached nirvana. One should continuously be mindful, moment by moment,
+thinking these thoughts.
+ -- from "Atisa Dipamkara: Illuminator of the Awakened Mind", by James B.
+ Apple, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Everyday Dharma
+
+On your left, imagine all the women in your life, beginning with your mother,
+sisters, relatives, friends, and all female sentient beings extending
+infinitely. On your right, imagine all the men in your life: your father,
+your brothers, relatives, friends, and all the male beings in the world,
+extending out and filling space. Behind you, imagine all the friends who have
+given you support, encouraged you in your spiritual development and your life
+in general: all benefactors, kind friends, and helpers. In the space in front
+of you, imagine all those beings with whom you have had difficult relations,
+were there is unfinished business or healing work to be done. Extend the
+circle out on all sides until space is filled with all living beings in all
+worlds. We are related to all these sentient beings.
+ -- from "Buddhism through American Women's Eyes", edited by Karma Lekshe
+ Tsomo, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Existence
+
+We have been conditioned to go to the sensory objects of the world--the
+sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and physical sensations--and bypass
+everything else. We have been taught to go there, but that does not mean
+these objects are the roots of our existence. Existence seems to be bigger
+than these sense objects, like the space of the universe that holds all the
+matter within it but is not defined by that matter.
+ -- from "Touching the Infinite: A New Perspective on the Buddha's Four
+ Foundations of Mindfulness", by Rodney Smith, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Experiential Dualism
+
+The fact that Buddhist contemplatives have observed the mind for centuries yet
+formulated no theory of the brain implies that introspective knowledge of the
+mind does not necessarily shed any light on the brain. Likewise, the study of
+the brain alone--independent of all first-person accounts of mental
+states--does not necessarily yield any knowledge of mental phenomena. Thus,
+experiential dualism, which maintains that physical and mental phenomena
+experientially seem to be different, is accepted by Buddhism as well as by at
+least some of the scientists in this meeting.
+ -- from "Where Buddhism Meets Neuroscience: Conversations with the Dalai
+ Lama on the Spiritual and Scientific Views of Our Minds", by H.H. the
+ Fourteenth Dalai Lama, edited by Zara Houshmand, Robert B. Livingston,
+ and B. Alan Wallace, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Generosity
+
+In order to transform ordinary giving into letting go of our egocentric
+habits, we create entire universes and give those away. We give away the
+stars and the sun, the oceans, forests, and mountains made of jewels. We
+generate the mind of letting go by giving away what we cannot conceive of
+owning in the first place. We allow imagination to travel so far beyond
+conventional ideas of generosity that it breaks our associations with socially
+sanctioned concepts of virtuous behavior.
+ -- from "Turning Confusion into Clarity: A Guide to the Foundation Practices
+ of Tibetan Buddhism", by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and Helen Tworkov,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Investigation
+
+What we call experience is truly a playful exchange of our inner and outer
+worlds. There is no problem with experience, in and of itself. The problem
+comes when the appearance of things outshines their nature and we begin to
+react. To release the mind from this very confusion constitutes the sole
+purpose of Middle Way investigations.
+ -- from "The Logic of Faith: A Buddhist Approach to Finding Certainty Beyond
+ Belief and Doubt", by Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Like the Moon's Reflection on the Water
+
+The enlightened mind
+Is without coming or departing.
+It is neither outside nor within.
+Transcending thought, it has no partiality.
+It is ultimate reality, unlimited and unconfined,
+Wherein there is no wide or narrow
+And no high or low.
+So set aside all anxious search for it.
+ -- from "Finding Rest in Illusion: The Trilogy of Rest, Volume 3", By
+ Longchenpa, translated by Padmakara Translation Group, published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Medhina
+
+Medhina was a farmer. A yogin approached him and offered to teach him how to
+escape from suffering. He gave him tantric instructions, but Medhina was too
+distracted by thoughts of his farmwork to meditate. The yogin therefore
+adapted his teachings to Medhina's milieu, telling him to think of his
+thoughts as the plow, the two oxen as pleasure and pain, and his own body as
+the field, sowing the seeds of the elements that will bear fruit as the bliss
+of the nature of reality. After twelve years of meditation, Medhina attained
+siddhi, proclaiming his realization from the top of a tree.
+ -- from "Seeing the Sacred in Samsara: An Illustrated Guide to the Eighty-
+ Four Mahasiddhas", by Donald S. Lopez Jr., published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Meritorious Deeds
+
+O father, this world is the site of karma;
+beyond it lies the site of karmic result.
+Whatever we have done in this life,
+we will definitely experience in another.
+Even small virtues and sins
+can have extensive results.
+Having been born into this site of karma,
+why not opt for planting virtuous seeds?
+ -- from "The Just King: The Tibetan Buddhist Classic on Leading an Ethical
+ Life", by Jamgön Mipham, translated by José Cabezón, published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Mindful Eating
+
+Personally speaking, I believe our motivation for eating is the key factor in
+transforming the action of eating into Dharma practice. When we recognize
+that we are able to eat due to the kindness of the sentient beings involved in
+the many activities necessary for a plate of food to arrive in front of us,
+attachment to food is easily replaced by gratitude toward sentient beings.
+When we contemplate that we have food now because in previous times we
+practiced generosity, we are inspired to eat with a virtuous mind to create
+constructive karma that will continue our good circumstances. We also realize
+that by accepting and eating this food, we have the responsibility to pay it
+forward by benefiting others with our study, meditation, and service work.
+ -- from "The Compassionate Kitchen: Buddhist Practices for Eating with
+ Mindfulness and Gratitude", by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Modern Students of Dharma
+
+Modern students behave very differently from ancient students of Dharma, if I
+judge from their histories. They are like children in a toy store who want to
+play with all the toys at once. Grasping, they go from one toy to another,
+capriciously throwing each one away when they have become tired of it or have
+difficulty making it work. Through changing intentions and strong divorce
+habit, they abandon their playthings with many different excuses. When they
+say, "my former teacher," this means their abandoned teacher, and since
+all teachers are embodiments of the same Buddha essence, this means that they
+have abandoned the Triple Gems and the path of enlightenment. Their Dharma is
+like their television: they are momentarily entertained, but when they are
+bored with one program, they constantly channel-change until they once again
+become bored. Just as they leave their worldly teachers when they find out
+what they want to know from them, they may leave their Buddhist teachers, even
+though they vowed when they took refuge in the words of the Buddha that they
+would never abandon the Buddha, never abandon the Dharma, never abandon the
+Sangha, and never abandon their teacher until they reach enlightenment.
+According to Buddhist tradition, the teacher is the representative of the
+Buddha, yet they think they can divorce tradition.
+ -- from " A Brief Fantasy History of a Himalayan: Autobiographical
+ Reflections", by Thinley Norbu, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Overview of the Vinaya
+
+Motivation is important to determine whether an action is positive or
+negative, or whether it contradicts the precepts or not. For example, when an
+act of stealing was reported to him, the Buddha asked, "What motivation did
+that person have when he did that? Was he sleeping? Was he mentally ill?"
+Do not think that the precepts simply say do not do this or that. They are
+much more subtle and make us examine our mind and its motivation. In doing
+so, they guide us in a new direction and indicate beneficial ways of being.
+ -- from "Choosing Simplicity: A Commentary on the Bhikshuni Pratimoksha", by
+ Venerable Bhikshuni Master Wu Yin, translated by Bhikshuni Jendy, edited
+ by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Pure Conduct
+
+Enemies, friends, and those who are neither are all supports for the mind
+training: they help us purify our negative actions and obscurations, so
+reflect on how grateful you should be to them. Do not do or say things in
+the hope that others will recognize how selfless you are. Keep your conduct
+absolutely pure, in accord with the Vinaya texts. Do not talk about others'
+faults. Any faults you see in others you should recognize as your own impure
+perception. Avoid trying to expose people's hidden flaws, speaking
+harshly, reciting wrathful mantras aimed at nonhuman beings, and the like. Do
+not pass on to others difficult tasks that have fallen to you, nor blame
+others for things that are your own fault. It is wrong to feel glad when
+those who are not on the same side as you are defeated, to think well of an
+enemy's death, or, when others fall ill, to wish that the riches and honors
+will come to you. Instead of being concerned about whether you feel good or
+bad, or about what people say about you, meditate on bodhichitta and give up
+the sort of sporadic practice that comes from lack of conviction.
+ -- from "A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom: Complete Instructions on the
+ Preliminary Practices", by Dudjom Rinpoche, translated by Padmakara
+ Translation Group, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Suppleness
+
+The Compendium of Abhidharma says:
+
+What is suppleness? It is physical and mental flexibility that [comes about]
+because the negative propensities of body and mind have been eliminated. Its
+function is to eliminate all obscurations.
+
+The negative propensities of body and mind prevent the cultivation of physical
+and mental virtues. The force of suppleness brings physical flexibility: the
+attainment of physical buoyancy and ease, free from problems, such as feeling
+heaviness in the body. And it brings mental flexibility: the joy and
+happiness attained once the mind can focus on an object without any trouble.
+ -- from "Moonbeams of Mahamudra", by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, translated by
+ Elizabeth M. Callahan, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Body of the Absolute Truth
+
+There is a state of being which is nameless in itself, though we can give it
+many names. We can call it dharmakaya, the body of the absolute truth, or the
+Buddha mind. Whatever we call it, it is totally enlightened in itself. There
+is a part of us that is already enlightened and that part of us is actually
+who we are; it is our true nature. There is also a part of us that is lost,
+that is a little bit miserable with a lot of aches and pains, headaches and
+heartaches now and then. That part is also easily entertained by glorious
+illusions; that part of us is not who we really are. That part of us is a
+shell that is going to break down sooner or later, hopefully in the near
+future.
+ -- from "The Magic of Awareness", by Anam Thubten, edited by Sharon Roe,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Importance of Training Our Mind
+
+We can get an inkling of how our mind affects our perception even in our
+everyday lives. For instance, when we struggle with difficulties, if our
+attitude is positive, we find that our pain is less and we are more at ease.
+And we can see that happy people are happy not because of material or external
+circumstances, but because of the peace and strength of their own mind.
+ -- from " The Heart of Unconditional Love: A Powerful New Approach to
+ Loving-Kindness Meditation", by Tulku Thondup, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+The Middle Way
+
+The Middle Way lies between the two extremes of existence and nonexistence,
+eternalism and nihilism. Furthermore, when we use our discriminating
+intelligence to analyze the nature of any phenomenon, we discover that, once
+we transcend the two conceptual extremes, there is no "middle" or
+"center" left over. There is no final resting place for the conceptual
+mind to dwell. The end result of our analysis is to allow reifying thoughts
+to dissolve into the peace that is free of all contrivance.
+ -- from "The Karmapa's Middle Way: Feast for the Fortunate", by The Ninth
+ Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje, translated by Tyler Dewar, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+The Nature of Reality
+
+Disturbing emotions, misperceptions, and confusions are not in accord with the
+nature of reality. Wisdom is in accord with the nature of reality. Wisdom is
+the power of truth, so its very presence in the mind causes the disturbances
+to weaken or vanish, just as light banishes darkness as soon as we flip the
+switch in a dark room.
+ -- from "Your Mind Is Your Teacher: Self-Awakening through Contemplative
+ Meditation", by Khenpo Gawang and Jamgon Mipham, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+The Symbolism of Turquoise
+
+One last time before our departure we pay a visit to Kagar Rinpoche. He
+offers us tea, gives us more information about places to see, and requests us
+to bring back stones from the various sacred sites we will visit. Then he
+hands Karma a turquoise, saying, "I entrust this la-yu to you, which all
+men wear as a stone of luck and good omens. Of all riches, this is the most
+precious; it protects and it cures. At the end of your pilgrimage, which will
+go well, I am sure of it, you will return home with all the blessings
+accumulated on the way." In Tibetan culture, the turquoise, yu, has a
+particularly profound symbolic value. Being both a "living" stone and
+susceptible to destruction, it shares with humans a common destiny. It
+represents both vitality and death. It also represents both beauty and wealth
+and serves as a "support" to human life itself. The term la-yu
+(literally "vital-spirit turquoise") occurs frequently in mythical and
+legendary themes and in folk tales: la referring to the vital spirit that
+humans are believed to possess, the will to live, the ability to function as
+an integrated person. It is this spirit or force that a turquoise guards,
+conserves, protects, and supports.
+ -- from "Tales of the Turquoise: A Pilgrimage in Dolpo", by Corneille Jest,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Working with Distractions
+
+It is important to avoid criticizing yourself when your mind is distracted or
+dull. Do not fall into discouraging thoughts or self-hatred because these are
+unproductive and are to be abandoned on the path. Remember that internal
+transformation takes time and rejoice in your opportunity to learn and
+practice the Dharma. "Slowly, slowly," as Lama Thubten Yeshe used to say.
+Learn to be satisfied with what you are able to do now while you aspire to
+improve in the future.
+ -- from "Guided Buddhist Meditations: Essential Practices on the Stages of
+ the Path", by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Ego masquerades as seer, doer, and adviser--seeking happiness and avoiding
+sorrow. Its real agenda is to keep the game going by churning out projections
+and reacting to them as though they were real. It continually provides the
+allure of desirable projections and the menace of undesirable ones. Hopes of
+possessing what we want and fears of getting what we don't want keep us
+spinning and avert the spotlight from ego's most basic deceit--our adviser
+is nothing but smoke and mirrors.
+ -- from "Contemplating Reality: A Practitioner's Guide to the View in
+ Indo-Tibetan Buddhism", By Andy Karr, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Absolute Loving-Kindness
+
+Enlightened mind sees all but without grasping at the "self." Because we
+are not grasping at "self," there is no dividing into duality, no clash
+and conflict between the rigid surfaces of the mind's dualistic concepts and
+its mental objects. When we see all with an open mind, we see all in oneness,
+unity. We see infinite phenomena simultaneously, as a result of the
+omniscient quality of the mind's nature. Since there are no clashes or
+conflicts, all is in a state of oneness, a state of ultimate peace, joy, and
+universal love; all is absolute loving-kindness.
+ -- from "The Healing Power of Loving-Kindness: A Guided Buddhist
+ Meditation", by Tulku Thondup, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Anger
+
+According to a basic Buddhist insight, the mind is essentially luminous and
+knowing. Therefore, emotional problems do not reside in the mind's essence;
+counter-productive attitudes are temporary, superficial, and can be removed.
+If distressing emotions such as anger were in the very nature of the mind,
+then from its inception, the mind would always have to be angry. Obviously,
+this is not so. Only under certain circumstances do we become angry, and when
+those circumstances are not present, anger is not present either.
+ -- from "The Heart of Meditation: Discovering Innermost Awareness", by H.H.
+ the Fourteenth Dalai Lama and Jeffrey Hopkins, published by Shambhala
+ Publications Apply Patience
+~
+How we conduct ourselves is one of the most important factors in our ability
+to comprehend the absolute truth. Whenever we react with aggression, we
+reinforce the idea that there is something real to be aggressive about. When
+we apply patience, however, our hearts become peaceful, which gives us more
+room to be able to see the illusory nature of things.
+ -- from "Peaceful Heart: The Buddhist Practice of Patience", by Dzigar
+ Kongtrul, edited by Joseph Waxman, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+A Process Unfolding
+
+Sitting in meditation with a mind that is not caught in discursive chatter
+enables a clearer sense of the process that makes up who we are. We start to
+see with bare awareness that we are actually just a process unfolding. This
+process is the basis of the sense of me. Upon this process we put the label
+that is our name.
+ -- from "Feeling Wisdom: Working with Emotions Using Buddhist Teachings and
+ Western Psychology", by Rob Preece, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+A Sage's Banquet
+
+Thoroughly establish in your mind the thought that all sentient beings equal
+to the limits of space were your parents, and you their child. Have the view
+of friends and enemies as being equal.
+
+If you do that, you will have immeasurable equanimity that is said to be like
+a sage throwing a banquet. When a sage throws a banquet for guests, he throws
+it for everyone, without any regard for high or low class, relative or
+unrelated, good or bad. You should have equanimity toward the objects of
+compassion, which are all sentient beings who pervade all of space. Until you
+are able to do that, train your mind.
+ -- from "A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva", by Ngawang
+ Tenzin Norbu, translated by Christopher Stagg, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Avoid Expectations
+
+Naturally we enter into meditation with some interest and enthusiasm, and
+there are goals to be attained. But in practice we must drop these. We must
+avoid the distractions created by expectations and not be tempted into placing
+quantity--the number of sessions we do per day, the "higher, more
+esoteric" practices we know, or how many mantras we have recited--over
+quality. If we get in a rush, we are introducing the stress typical of
+samsara. Instead, we cultivate patience. Samadhi . . . will arise
+naturally when we relax beyond our desires, goals, and expectations.
+ -- from "The Relaxed Mind: A Seven-Step Method for Deepening Meditation
+ Practice", by Dza Kilung Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Becoming Enlightened
+
+Becoming enlightened doesn't depend on calling ourselves "Buddhist." It
+depends on what we believe in our heart and how we practice to transform our
+mind. Any person who generates the determination to be free from cyclic
+existence, the altruistic aspiration for enlightenment, and the wisdom
+realizing emptiness can become a bodhisattva and a Buddha. It doesn't
+matter what they call themselves. We have to look at what a person believes
+and practices in order to evaluate whether their realizations are correct
+realizations or not. For this, developing discriminating wisdom and open-
+mindedness are essential.
+ -- from "How to Free Your Mind: The Practice of Tara the Liberator", by
+ Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Behold Suffering
+
+When we turn our minds toward an honest reflection on the nature of suffering,
+what happens? We encounter a fuller experience of our life. The Buddha knew
+this and that is why he turned his mind directly toward suffering--the very
+thing most of us spend our lives trying to avoid. Through doing this, the
+Buddha illustrated to us that to behold suffering--to admit suffering into
+our experience--reflects the spirit of bravery we need to awaken.
+ -- from "The Power of an Open Question: The Buddha's Path to Freedom", by
+ Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Be With Your Feelings
+
+If we cultivate more mindfulness and inner vigilance to be with our feelings
+instead of being caught up in them, then we are more empowered to respond
+instead of react; we're taking back control of our lives and our sense of
+freedom.
+ -- from "Wake Up to What Matters: A Guide to Tibetan Buddhism for the Next
+ Generation", by Avikrita Vajra Sakya, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Building A Foundation
+
+Just as we cannot build a house in the air but instead need a solid base,
+finding freedom also begins with building a foundation. The preliminaries are
+the necessary preparation for effective meditation. Using these
+contemplations, our priorities will change--we'll learn to let go of the
+causes of suffering and begin to adopt thoughts and actions that lead to
+genuine happiness. We must want freedom to find freedom. This motivation is
+the foundation for all spiritual practice.
+ -- from "The Power of Mind: A Tibetan Monk's Guide to Finding Freedom in
+ Every Challenge", by [Khentrul Lodro T'haye Rinpoche, published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Cherish Others
+
+You should cultivate love, understanding that all the living beings who fill
+space have been your gracious parents. Thereby you will acquire the higher
+aspiration that cherishes others more than yourself. Whatever you do, you
+should maintain the relative enlightened mind that is intent exclusively on
+the benefit of others.
+ -- from "Jonang: The One Hundred and Eight Teaching Manuals", by Jamgon
+ Kongtrul Lodro Taye, translated by Gyurme Dorje, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Choose Your Experience
+
+One of the most important things you can learn right now is how to recognize a
+passing mental event, remain in the present moment, and allow the mental event
+to dissolve. Are you aware that you can actually do that right now? When you
+begin to experience the separation that exists between the mental event
+passing through your mind and the actual mind itself, your Pristine Mind, then
+you begin to see for the first time that you do truly have the option to
+choose your experience. You learn how to do just that, and it changes your
+life.
+ -- from "Our Pristine Mind: A Practical Guide to Unconditional Happiness",
+ by Orgyen Chowang, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Clear Decisions
+
+In Buddhism we cultivate a wise concern regarding death. Because we know that
+one day we'll separate from all that is loved and valuable in this life and
+that only the seeds of our actions and our mental habits will continue to the
+next life, we want to make this life meaningful. To do so, we ask ourselves
+what is and is not important in life, and set our priorities accordingly. The
+Dharma practice that leads to inner transformation becomes a priority, and we
+are able to make clean, clear decisions in life, leaving confusion and doubts
+behind.
+ -- from "Awaken Every Day: 365 Buddhist Reflections to Invite Mindfulness
+ and Joy", by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Confident View
+
+If sometimes we practice with diligence and at other times just take it easy,
+we will not be able to develop confidence in our meditation on the view. What
+must we do to develop this confidence? We must understand that day and night,
+throughout the entire dimension of our lives, there is no difference between
+the meditation experience and the postmeditation experience.
+ -- from "Primordial Purity: Oral Instructions on the Three Words That Strike
+ the Vital Point", by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, translated by Ani Jinba
+ Palmo and The Nalanda Translation Committee, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Connection
+
+I promise that there is no difference between myself, Pema Jungne, and
+The person who reveals the Namchö treasures.
+
+Whoever makes a connection with him in even a small way
+Will root out the appearances of suffering
+And be led to the pure land of Sukhavati.
+
+Whoever has a physical connection with him
+Will certainly be born in the realms of Oddiyana or of the dakinis.
+ -- from "Sky Dharma: The Foundations of the Namchö Treasure Teachings", by
+ Karma Chagme and Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Creating Space
+
+Practicing creating space is a first step toward experiencing basic happiness.
+While we are creating space, we can experience a break from any tension and
+looping thoughts that were crowding in on us. They may still be lurking in
+our mind, but they no longer define how we feel. Creating space gives us a
+taste of the natural mental peace and steadiness that is uncovered once our
+thoughts and emotions lose their power to carry us away from the present
+moment. Wouldn't it be wonderful to experience this peace in any situation?
+ -- from "Radically Happy: A User's Guide to the Mind", by Phakchok Rinpoche
+ and Erric Solomon, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Deeply Resting
+
+In the morning we see that the sun is shining. When we see the light coming
+from the shoulder of the eastern mountain, are we the agent responsible for
+making sure that the sun rises on time? No. In the same way, we don't have
+to take care of this enlightenment business anymore. In that place of no more
+searching, we are totally resting without even the slightest sense of
+exertion. Then, believe it or not, enlightenment shines. Conditioned mind
+drops away without really making a big fuss once we know how to let liberation
+come to us by simply resting, deeply resting.
+ -- from "The Magic of Awareness", by Anam Thubten, edited by Sharon Roe,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Deity's Activities
+
+Although every deity accomplishes all enlightened activities, it is good to
+consider a deity's primary activities. Some, like Vajrasattva, mainly
+display peaceful actions. Others, like Ratnasambhava, manifest enriching
+activity. According to the scriptures, Vajrakila is principal among deities
+who dispel hindrances and obstructive forces. In particular, he is the great
+antidote to the afflictions of aversion and jealousy, the causes of all the
+sufferings of this worldly realm.
+ -- from "Vajrakilaya: A Complete Guide with Experiential Instructions", by
+ Kyabje Garchen Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Develop Karma
+
+The Kalachakra teachings urge us to go beyond the superficial layer of our
+ordinary experience. Instead of getting lost in the endless busyness of
+worldly existence, we can focus our energy inward and actively develop the
+karmic propensities that ensure our future lives are filled with happiness and
+not with suffering. . . . Through the practice of Kalachakra, you
+strengthen your connection to the principles of Shambhala and create the
+causes to experience greater peace and harmony both now and in the future.
+How much of Shambhala manifests is only limited by the effort you make to
+cultivate its causes.
+ -- from "The Realm of Shambhala: A Complete Vision for Humanity's
+ Perfection", by Shar Khentrul Jamphel Lodro, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Digging up Gold
+
+When we practice meditation, we are doing something useful for all beings....
+With the experience of greater clarity, we learn how to bring happiness onto
+our pathway and can engage in meaningful actions for ourselves and others--
+actions that are like discovering and digging up gold from the earth.
+ -- from "The Relaxed Mind: A Seven-Step Method for Deepening Meditation
+ Practice", by Dza Kilung Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Dig Out Dualism
+
+What makes the Buddhist path so special is that it looks dualistic, but it has
+that ability to liberate you from the bondage of dualism. . . . All the
+skillful means and methods of the Buddhadharma are like a thorn that we use to
+take out another thorn in our hand. The purpose of renunciation mind,
+compassion, the recitation of mantras, and contemplation on the breath is to
+dig out dualism.
+ -- from "The Guru Drinks Bourbon?", by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, edited by
+ Amira Ben-Yehuda, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Effort and Attention
+
+Realize that you have the capability to improve because you are not a fixed
+entity. If you apply focus to your compassion practice, your compassion will
+grow. If you put effort into your meditation practice, insight into
+selflessness will develop. With effort and attention, insight has no choice
+but to develop.
+ -- from "In the Footsteps of Bodhisattvas: Buddhist Teachings on the Essence
+ of Meditation", by Phakchok Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Effortless
+
+Buddhas have no concept of effort, yet they constantly benefit sentient beings
+by having the perfectly pure ten powers, with the promise to manifest any
+teachings according to beings' wishes.
+ -- from "The Ruby Rosary: Joyfully Accepted by Vidyadharas and Dakinis as
+ the Ornament of a Necklace", by Thinley Norbu, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Emptiness
+
+It would be reasonable to fear something that causes one to suffer, but since
+emptiness completely eradicates all suffering, why should one fear it? There
+is nothing to be afraid of. . . . Since there is no self, who is there to
+be afraid? Fear does not make sense. Therefore we should cast away our
+faintheartedness and be quick to meditate on emptiness.
+ -- from "The Wisdom Chapter: Jamgon Mipham's Commentary on the Ninth
+ Chapter of The Way of the Bodhisattva", by Jamgon Mipham, published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Engage with Emotions
+
+If we can be more observant of our emotional processes and see them more
+clearly, we will begin to have choices around our response to them. Freeing
+ourselves from the unconscious dominance of emotions requires that we be able
+to engage them with greater awareness. . . . If we are able to witness
+them without losing ourselves in them and becoming taken over by them, we then
+begin to disidentify and separate from them.
+ -- from "Feeling Wisdom: Working with Emotions Using Buddhist Teachings and
+ Western Psychology", by Rob Preece, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Evolving
+
+Look at your mind thoroughly and honestly and see all of its tendencies.
+You'll see there is fear, anger, judgment, guilt, and shame. There is so
+much of this in our mind, yet usually we don't recognize it. When we do, we
+can be literally terrified of our own mind. But this is good news, not bad
+news. Perhaps we all should be terrified by our own mind from time to time.
+When we are terrified by our mind, it does not mean that we are more deluded
+or more messed up than other people. Just the opposite. It is an indication
+that we are more awake and more mindful. It is an indication that we are
+evolving. This reflection will bring about a whole new level of awakening and
+transformation in our hearts and minds.
+ -- from "Choosing Compassion: How to Be of Benefit in a World That Needs Our
+ Love", by Anam Thubten, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Examine Our Minds
+
+We must always examine our minds in our daily life--not just through formal
+meditation, but even when we're eating, sitting, walking the dog, spending
+time with our friends, and so on. Then, as soon as any form of attachment,
+anger, jealousy, or any disturbing force arises, challenge it, because these
+afflictive emotions cause nothing but chaos--not just in this life, but in
+terms of lower rebirth in the future too. No outer enemy can do that, but the
+inner afflictions can.
+ -- from "Wake Up to What Matters: A Guide to Tibetan Buddhism for the Next
+ Generation", by Avikrita Vajra Sakya, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Excuses
+
+You should amass virtuous thoughts, even those that seem insignificant, and
+pass your time doing only what is wholesome and virtuous. Some claim that
+they are unable to study and contemplate because they have limited
+intelligence. Others claim that they cannot make offerings or gifts of
+material wealth because they are not rich enough. Still others claim that
+they are simply too old for Dharma practice to be effective. Although people
+make all kinds of excuses, it is mainly their own mind that is holding them
+back. The teachings say that even an animal can attain liberation if it can
+arouse diligence and confidence, so why even mention that this is true for
+humans?
+ -- from "Steps to the Great Perfection: The Mind-Training Tradition of the
+ Dzogchen Masters", by Jigme Lingpa, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Experience of the Mind
+
+In the sutras, the discussion of the nature of phenomena is usually explained
+with the statement that all things that appear are actually without true
+existence. In Mahamudra, however, we are not concerned with the nature of
+external objects but with the direct experience of the mind that is
+experiencing these external objects. So the foundation for our attention is
+the mind--our consciousness and our thoughts. Thoughts manifest in many
+forms. We have good thoughts (of faith, compassion, and so forth) and bad
+thoughts (of attachment, hatred, and so forth). But if we look directly at
+these thoughts, we will see that we can perceive or "see" them directly
+because thoughts are not distant or hard to find.
+ -- from "Tilopa's Wisdom: His Life and Teachings on the Ganges Mahamudra",
+ by Khenchen Thrangu, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Four Doors of the Secret Teaching
+
+The practice of Vajrayana is entered through what is known as the four doors
+of the secret teaching. Words are needed to convey meaning, which is the door
+of words. To awaken the heart of the deity, mantra is recited, which is the
+door of mantra. The practice of visualization is entered through the door of
+meditative concentration. To experience the inner meaning, there is the
+display of actions, signs, mudra, dancing, and music, which is the door of the
+display of mudra. These four doors are essential when doing sadhana practice.
+ -- from "The Art of Awakening: A User's Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Art and
+ Practice", by Konchog Lhadrepa and Charlotte Davis, published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Free from Limitations
+
+To begin experiencing Shambhala in your life you will need to focus on
+removing bias as much as possible. This does not mean you have to live a life
+without preferences or judgments of any kind. It simply means that you should
+learn to discriminate from within the full spectrum of your experience and
+then use wisdom to guide your interactions with the world. Rather than
+limiting your view to a small fixed reality, you can appreciate the many
+possibilities in a given situation and learn how to make use of them whenever
+appropriate. To be free of bias is another way of saying to be free from
+limitations.
+ -- from "The Realm of Shambhala: A Complete Vision for Humanity's
+ Perfection", by Shar Khentrul Jamphel Lodro, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Good Thoughts
+
+The moment you take the Bodhisattva Vow, if a good thought doesn't arise
+naturally in your mind, fake it! Make one up, and don't then despise
+yourself or your fake thought for being inauthentic. Even a fake good thought
+is better than none at all. And always remember that a contrived good thought
+will eventually lead to a genuine one.
+ -- from "Best Foot Forward: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Sacred Sites of the
+ Buddha", by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Impermanence
+
+A real understanding of impermanence makes us more tolerant. Suppose we feel
+like exploding in anger at someone who harms us. If we see the impermanent
+nature of enmity, we will realize that this person who appears as our enemy
+today might have been our child in a past life.
+ -- from "Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth: A Tibetan Buddhist Guidebook", by
+ Tulku Thondup, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Inner Freedom
+
+Sometimes we can be conscious of our motives and psychological patterns, but
+we do not confront them directly due to ego's resistance. We let them
+continuously govern our lives. For example, spiritual people may harbor
+hatred in their hearts and know all the reasons and deeper issues for why it
+is there. Even though they can trace the root back to early childhood,
+upbringing, or karmic stuff, they may still be complacent and not confront its
+source. In this way, ego is able to continuously resist authentic inner
+transformation. When we directly confront our issues with an attitude of
+acknowledging the problem and being determined to work through it, we gain a
+new impetus propelling us to inner freedom.
+ -- from "Into the Haunted Ground: A Guide to Cutting the Root of Suffering",
+ by Anam Thubten, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Interdependence
+
+Interdependence offers us a new way of looking at things by drawing us out of
+the narrow tunnel of self-absorption into a broader awareness. It shows us
+the way to live in sane relationship to our world, in grace. This
+understanding is not only inextricably linked with our survival but with basic
+sanity and insight as well.
+ -- from "The Logic of Faith: A Buddhist Approach to Finding Certainty Beyond
+ Belief and Doubt", by Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Karma
+
+Karma is a loaded word. Karma is popularly used to describe a sort of
+"divine plan" that includes its own system of punishment and reward. But
+the Sanskrit word karma simply means activity. What is the activity we are
+describing here? It is the activity of objectification. There is no Dr.
+Evil sitting in a large chair petting his cat and controlling our karma.
+There is no judge, no wise old man with a long white beard, no list of ethical
+"rights" and "wrongs." Karma doesn't predetermine anything. In
+fact, karma is just the movement of objectified experience. Karma is the
+natural, impersonal law of cause and effect. As long as we objectify things,
+we will continue to live in a world that follows the dictates of karma.
+ -- from "The Power of an Open Question: The Buddha's Path to Freedom", by
+ Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Karmic Theory
+
+The correct approach to karma, to cause and effect, is not to think of it too
+mechanically. We should not think that when we do something, we promptly and
+automatically experience the consequences. . . . Nor is karma a form of
+fatalism, or determinism, or an ideological vehicle for accepting one's lot
+in life. Karmic theory is actually meant to give the opposite message, to
+encourage us to become even more determined to improve ourselves and move
+forward.
+ -- from "Karma: What It Is, What It Isn't, Why It Matters", by Traleg
+ Kyabgon, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Liberation
+
+While the gathering of merit is conceptual,
+The gathering of wisdom is not so.
+Conjoined, they purify the twofold veil
+And manifest the twofold kaya.
+They are the sphere of meditation and postmeditation.
+They are, in common beings, stained
+But are unstained in Noble Ones.
+By their successive practice, liberation is obtained.
+ -- from "Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind: The Trilogy of Rest, Volume
+ 1", by Longchenpa, translated by Padmakara Translation Group, published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Loosen Your Grip
+
+Once you realize that everything you see is projected by your own mind, you
+are well on the way to understanding that "everything" necessarily
+includes birth, death, living and dying. This helps loosen your grip on what
+you think "living" really is. You will begin to see that life and living
+are simply part of yet another illusion.
+ -- from "Living Is Dying: How to Prepare for Death, Dying and Beyond", by
+ Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Mere Projections
+
+The cause of all our pain and suffering is not knowing that life and death are
+illusions; or to put it another way, not knowing that the bardos of life and
+death are mere projections. As we imagine that everything we see and
+experience truly exists, we misinterpret our perceptions and then we suffer.
+When we chant "om mani padme hum" we purify those misperceptions.
+ -- from "Living Is Dying: How to Prepare for Death, Dying and Beyond", by
+ Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Observing the Observer
+
+The practice of observing the observer delves into the unborn nature of
+awareness itself, dismantling the dichotomy between inside and outside. On
+the practical level, it is a potent antidote for a broad range of mental
+afflictions. When you get angry, anxious, or are craving something, when you
+feel jealous or conceited, practice observing the observer. This one practice
+drives a spike right through the heart of these afflictions, causing them to
+evaporate like mist.
+ -- from "The Art of Transforming the Mind: A Meditator's Guide to the
+ Tibetan Practice of Lojong", by B. Alan Wallace, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Opening Our Heart
+
+The true meaning of opening our heart is that we no longer have fear of losing
+anything. It is a form of surrender, yet such surrender has no object. It is
+not like we are surrendering to something. What we surrender are our hopes
+and fears, and an investment in our misery. When we have reached the final
+point of that surrender there is nothing that we want to hold on to.
+ -- from "The Magic of Awareness", by Anam Thubten, edited by Sharon Roe,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Opening Our Hearts
+
+For a Buddhist like Nagarjuna, proceeding toward true reality and realizing
+mind's nature does not merely depend on the sharpness of prajna seeing
+through all our hang-ups, but on the union of this prajna with the proper
+means. No matter how sophisticated our reasonings or how refined our insight
+may be, there is no way around also opening our hearts, giving rise to
+positive mental imprints (aka accumulating merit), and cultivating compassion
+for others.
+ -- from "In Praise of Dharmadhatu: Nagarjuna and Rangjung Dorje on Buddha
+ Nature", by Nagarjuna and Rangjung Dorje, translated by Karl Brunnhoelzl,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Opportunity
+
+Even to hear the teachings is something very rare, which only happens once in
+aeons. That you have met the Dharma now is not just coincidence. It results
+from your past positive actions. Such an opportunity should not be wasted.
+If your mind is in accord with Dharma, you will not experience any problems
+with the things of this life; while if you are constantly preoccupied with
+your ordinary pursuits, your problems will increase, and nothing will be
+accomplished.
+ -- from "The Heart of Compassion: The Thirty-seven Verses on the Practice of
+ a Bodhisattva", by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, translated by Padmakara
+ Translation Group, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Overcome Self-Centeredness
+
+Don't be lenient with self-centeredness. Recognize this quality of mind
+that has brought us misery, discontent, anxiety, and frustration, year after
+every year of this lifetime, not to speak of lifetimes before this since time
+out of mind. Each morning, look at the day that is yet to unfold and really
+set up the aspiration not to succumb to the self-centeredness, not to value
+our own welfare as the priority in our daily activities. This is a perfectly
+feasible transformation of the mind.
+ -- from "The Seven-Point Mind Training: A Tibetan Method for Cultivating
+ Mind and Heart", by B. Alan Wallace, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Perception
+
+Unless we practice the teachings through study, reflection, and meditation, we
+are stuck in the rut of being controlled by our thoughts and habits. The way
+we think of and perceive the world is mistaken. Our consciousness is
+structured such that no matter how carefully we may think, no matter how hard
+we may try to grasp the world around us, the conclusion we arrive at is always
+different from what things are actually like, and it is our acting upon this
+mistaken perception that leads to suffering.
+ -- from "Sadness, Love, Openness: The Buddhist Path of Joy", by Chokyi Nyima
+ Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Possessions
+
+Patrul often pointed out the uselessness of worldly concerns and the
+inherently unsatisfactory nature of samsara. In particular, he emphasized the
+never-ending problems that came with owning possessions, saying, "Don't
+you get it? If you've got money, you've got money problems. If you have
+a house, you have house problems. If you have yaks, you have yak problems.
+If you have goats, you have goat problems!"
+ -- from "Enlightened Vagabond: The Life and Teachings of Patrul Rinpoche",
+ by Matthieu Ricard, edited by Constance Wilkinson, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Precious Human Rebirth
+
+We have now obtained this precious human body endowed with the eighteen
+favorable conditions, which is very hard to obtain and may never be acquired
+again. If we use this support to practice Dharma and enter the path of
+liberation, we will always receive the proper support to continue on the path,
+but if we don't use it to integrate the Dharma into our being, there is very
+little chance of getting such an opportunity again. If we don't use our
+precious human body for Dharma practice, we may accumulate a lot of wealth,
+power, fame, and so on, but it will have no real benefit and will just carry
+us farther away from the path of liberation, casting us into the lower realms.
+Thus, it is our responsibility to strive again and again to let our master's
+blessings enter our stream of being.
+ -- from "An Ocean of Blessings: Heart Teachings of Drubwang Penor Rinpoche",
+ by Penor Rinpoche, translated by Ani Jinba Palmo, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Primordial Fortress
+
+When you are able to witness your fear, then you feel that there is this
+ground inside of you, this unshakable ground where you can reside. It can
+sometimes be physical, or it can be a state of mind or a state of
+consciousness. The Tantric masters call it the Primordial Fortress. This is
+the state of conscious in which you cannot be ruled by your own fear. Once
+you witness your fear, it has no power over you. It begins to lose its grip
+on you. Soon fear becomes your neighbor. You can dance with it. Eventually
+fear turns into an ally and becomes your friend and a part of you. Your
+neuroses become your intelligence. When fear rules you, it becomes a
+neurosis. When it loses power over you, it becomes intelligence. It helps
+you survive. It helps you find a way in this life. It helps you get around.
+ -- from "Embracing Each Moment: A Guide to the Awakened Life", by Anam
+ Thubten, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Protection from Fear
+
+If we did not have any fears and had the power to attain enlightenment, there
+would be no need to seek refuge. However, it is not like that for us now.
+Since beginningless time we have been oppressed by the slothful mind of
+ignorance, bound by the noose of karma and mental afflictions, and punished by
+birth, old age, sickness, and death. . . . Through confident faith in the
+three jewels, which have the power to protect from such fear, one has the
+mental state of complete trust and confidence.
+ -- from "A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva", by Ngawang
+ Tenzin Norbu, translated by Christopher Stagg, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Protection
+
+The Dharma itself cannot fail us, because it is how things really are. It
+won't fail us because the protection that the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha
+give is to the mind. How they protect our mind is what is explained in the
+verses to follow, which are concerned with how to use the adverse
+circumstances we are likely to meet in samsara and transform them into our
+opportunities for practice. That's where the mind is protected, because it
+can never be crushed. Because we have the methods by which we can always
+surmount, transcend, and transform the difficulties we meet. This is one way
+that the Three Jewels are a protection for our own mind.
+ -- from "The Heroic Heart: Awakening Unbound Compassion", by Jetsunma Tenzin
+ Palmo, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Refuge
+
+I would like to take refuge in you, Lord Buddha,
+until I am the same as you,
+exalted principal deity
+in the center of the wisdom light mandala,
+alluringly in union with your consort
+with all desirable qualities.
+
+I would like to take refuge in your Dharma,
+which can use all my passions' poison
+without exception, as healing ambrosia.
+I would like to take refuge in your Sangha,
+who generate pure phenomena through visualization
+and experience all form as wisdom deity,
+All sound as wisdom mantra,
+All thought as self-liberating in wisdom mind.
+ -- from "A Brief Fantasy History of a Himalayan: Autobiographical
+ Reflections", by Thinley Norbu, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Rejoice in Virtue
+
+Being able to evaluate ourselves accurately and fairly is a skill that needs
+to be developed. While avoiding bragging and boasting, we also don't need
+to hide our skills or deprecate ourselves. We can discuss our good qualities
+and accomplishments when necessary without embellishing them and then use our
+talents and abilities to benefit others.
+When we help someone, rather than being puffed up with pride, it's good to
+reflect, "I'm practicing the bodhisattva path and have taken the
+bodhisattva vow, so I'm only doing what I promised to do. I'm grateful
+for the opportunity to do this." In that way, we avoid arrogance and at the
+same time rejoice in our virtue.
+ -- from "Good Karma: How to Create the Causes of Happiness and Avoid the
+ Causes of Suffering", by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Results
+
+There is a natural tendency, when our practice starts to go well, to get
+excited at the prospect of attaining wonderful results very quickly. This
+excitement is believed to attract maras, malignant entities who create
+obstacles for us. It is like turning on a neon sign in our thoughts that
+says, "I am on the verge of a great breakthrough! Hey, maras, come and get
+it!" Avoid this, because experience teaches us that this kind of excitement
+over hopes of great and swift results, rather than enhancing the practice,
+simply creates problems in our meditation.
+ -- from "The Seven-Point Mind Training: A Tibetan Method for Cultivating
+ Mind and Heart", by B. Alan Wallace, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Scattered Mind
+
+When you first try stabilizing the attention, it seems that mental agitation
+is worse than before you made any effort at all. But the mind was always
+scattered. You were just not aware of it. If you acknowledge that one of the
+goals of meditating is to witness the condition of the mind and realize that
+stability develops gradually, you will not be disappointed.
+ -- from "The Art of Transforming the Mind: A Meditator's Guide to the
+ Tibetan Practice of Lojong", by B. Alan Wallace, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Self-Respect
+
+Respect toward yourself is more significant than any respect from others
+because you know yourself better. When you practice patience, for example,
+you must know why you're doing it and how it benefits you. If you value
+self-respect and do virtuous things that are unknown to others, you will
+naturally gain self-confidence, strength, and freedom from your neuroses. You
+will feel more and more inspired to develop your tsewa and shed the eight
+worldly concerns because of the benefit and freedom you personally experience
+by doing so. Your heart will be at peace, and eventually others will respect
+you as a person who has truly been transformed.
+ -- from "Peaceful Heart: The Buddhist Practice of Patience", by Dzigar
+ Kongtrul, edited by Joseph Waxman, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Shackles Are Broken
+
+I have rid myself of compulsive clinging
+To the beginningless impressions of "I";
+Now the shackles of my reified thinking are broken,
+And I no longer have the pride of fundamental knowledge.
+Send this message to those who understand;
+Tell them Rangjung Dorje said it.
+ -- from "The Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje: Master of Mahamudra", translated
+ by Ruth Gamble, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Spontaneous Mindfulness
+
+Even though mindfulness is a natural expression of the awakened mind, it has
+been buried under eons of mindlessness, so we have to work to dig it out. The
+initial stage of mindfulness practice is called deliberate mindfulness because
+it takes effort to bring our wandering minds back. It is difficult only
+because it is unfamiliar. One sign of progress on the path is that deliberate
+mindfulness evolves into spontaneous mindfulness. With enough practice, it
+becomes effortless.
+ -- from "The Power and the Pain: Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy",
+ by Andrew Holecek, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Stainless Compassion
+
+"What is the key to compassion?" Through greater and greater
+familiarization, I discovered that the only time I can have pure compassion is
+when I am free from ego. This is what the Buddha refers to in the King of
+Meditation Sutra when he says, "Therefore, you teach them emptiness,
+profundity, peace, and nonconceptuality." The profound equality of all
+beings is known only in the moment in which the "I" no longer exists.
+Only through the recognition of emptiness is there stainless compassion. This
+stainless compassion, inseparable from emptiness, is none other than the
+ultimate samadhi.
+ -- from "In the Footsteps of Bodhisattvas: Buddhist Teachings on the Essence
+ of Meditation", by Phakchok Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Study and Reflection
+
+Mipham would reflect that if he were to squander a single day in meaningless
+activity, the little that had entered his understanding would be lost. This
+weighed heavily on his mind, and it was constantly in his thoughts that if
+only he were to meet a learned master, he would give himself utterly to study
+and reflection. And it was in such a fervent state of mind that, at the age
+of fifteen, he made his way to Dzogchen Monastery, in the company of a large
+contingent of his fellow countrymen.
+ -- from "Lion of Speech: The Life of Mipham Rinpoche", by Dilgo Khyentse
+ Rinpoche and Jamgon Mipham, translated by Padmakara Translation Group,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Suffering
+
+Suffering is the master that teaches the faults of samsara; it is the direct
+cause for the practice of compassion and patience; it is the delineation point
+of dharma; it is the condition for purifying obscurations; it has unfathomable
+[such good qualities].
+ -- from "A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva", by Ngawang
+ Tenzin Norbu, translated by Christopher Stagg, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Sunlight Floods In