+~
+ When they related this to Buddha, he poured water into a little vessel and
+asked, "Will this water remain without evaporating?" Because India is very
+hot, the Hearers thought, "In a few days the water will evaporate. This
+must mean that our virtue will not remain at all." They were extremely
+worried. Then Buddha asked, "If this water is poured in the ocean, how long
+will it stay? It will remain until the ocean itself evaporates."
+ Therefore, if you do not just leave this virtue, but dedicate it, making a
+prayer petition that it become a cause of help and happiness for limitless
+sentient beings, then until that actually occurs, the virtue will not be lost.
+Like a small amount of water poured into the ocean, which will last until the
+ocean itself dries up, so the fruit of your virtue will remain until it has
+ripened. The benefit of hearing, thinking, and meditating, in terms of
+causing all persons to possess happiness and the causes of happiness, is
+inconceivable, but if it is not dedicated, then when anger arises, it will be
+destroyed. This benefit cannot be seen with the eye, but it is inconceivable.
+ -- Kensur Lekden, from "Meditations of a Tibetan Tantric Abbot: The Main
+ Practices of the Mahayana Buddhist Path", translated and edited by
+ Jeffrey Hopkins, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Because you need to obtain the happy effects and the causes producing them,
+and because it is necessary for yourself and others to attain them, you must
+meditate. In this world there were nihilists who said that one should not
+meditate, doing only those activities that will bring about marvelous
+happiness, comfort, and prosperity in this lifetime. The nihilists said that
+one should gather possessions and clothing, and if one's body is sick, one
+should take medicine, that these activities were justified, but that nothing
+else was needed. Such a philosophy appeared in the world and with respect to
+it there is this Buddhist teaching: You need a job for your livelihood, you
+need to work for the sake of your country, for the sake of yourself and
+others, to set up factories, to plant fields; still you should act mainly for
+the sake of your future life, because you will not always remain in this
+lifetime. All persons will definitely die, and the time of death is
+indefinite. At the time of death, nothing helps except religious practice.
+This is how it is. Therefore, even though you need happiness and comfort in
+this life and even though it is necessary to strive for the sake of food and
+drink now, this lifetime is short. Our longest condition of life is our
+countless future lives. If you consider only this which you can see now and
+you do not consider all the future lives which you cannot see, you will incur
+immeasurable fault. You will harm yourself.
+ -- Kensur Lekden, from "Meditations of a Tibetan Tantric Abbot: The Main
+ Practices of the Mahayana Buddhist Path", translated and edited by
+ Jeffrey Hopkins, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The ground of primal wisdom
+Where the truth beyond all concepts is beheld
+Is reached more easily by humans than by gods.
+The essence also of the deep path of the Vajrayāna
+Is more easily attained by those who find a human form.
+The basis of the Dharma of both great and lesser vehicles
+Is said to be supremely noble--
+This human state endowed with freedoms and advantages.
+
+Just like a beggar who has chanced upon a treasure of great price,
+Reflect with joy upon your freedoms and advantages.
+In doubt and apprehension that you might be dreaming,
+Implement the sacred Dharma--
+Source of happiness and benefit in this and future lives!
+ -- Longchenpa, from "Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind", published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+This lifetime passes like the weeping clouds
+Where dance the lightning garlands of the Lord of Death,
+And from them, day and night, there falls
+An endless rain to bathe the shoots
+That grow in the three levels of existence.
+
+The world and its inhabitants will pass.
+The universe is formed and then destroyed
+By seven fires, a flood, and then the scattering wind.
+The all-encircling sea, the continents,
+And even mighty Sumeru compounded of four jewels,
+All girded by the rings of lesser peaks--all this will pass.
+The time will come when all will have dissolved
+Into a single space.
+Remember this and practice Dharma from your heart.
+ -- Longchenpa, from "Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind", published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ 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, Rimé, 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 saṃsāra and nirvāṇa 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\97not only
+we humans, but all beings in the six realms. Even a tiny little ant is
+constantly afflicted by the five poisons, and it\92s impossible for such a being
+to generate bodhichitta, faith, devotion, or pure perception for an instant.
+It can\92t 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\92t 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