~
crashola in second life:
due to having been in a vehicle which crossed into forbidden land and got
-taken away, my avatar was left in an indetermine and very unhealthy state.
+taken away, my avatar was left in an indeterminate and very unhealthy state.
i was unable to move, deep underground, and i saw this object off down to
my left, so i clicked on it and picked 'edit'. i realized as i was doing
it, that this was my disembodied hair, which had flown off for some reason.
karma which one has accumulated in the past. So it serves two purposes.
-- H.H. the Dalai Lama, from "Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a
Buddhist Perspective"
+~
+The Fifth Dalai Lama (1617–1682) was perhaps the most mystical of all the
+Dalai Lamas in that he seemed to spend much of his time in a state of trance.
+During these trances many gurus of past ages, as well as mandala deities,
+buddhas, and bodhisattvas, would appear directly to him and give him secret
+transmissions, initiations, and teachings. As the Thirteenth Dalai Lama says
+of the Great Fifth later in this chapter, he “was continually absorbed in
+the wisdom dance that experiences all appearances as pure vision.”
+ -- Glenn H. Mullin, from "From the Heart of Chenrezig: The Dalai Lamas on
+ Tantra"
+~
+Wishing others to be happy doesn’t mean we give them everything they want,
+because sometimes what they want can be harmful. Wishing them to be happy
+entails wanting them to be free from pain and loneliness. Wouldn’t it be
+wonderful if they were free from these and all other miseries? In order to
+love others, we have to be able to overcome our anger and hatred toward them.
+We have to be able to forgive them for the wrongs they’ve done. To do that,
+we have to get “me” out of the way and see that when people create harm,
+it is a reflection of their own pain, confusion, and misery. We just happened
+to walk across their path. We may even have done something to antagonize
+them, either deliberately or accidentally, but the reason that they got so
+upset is because of what is going on inside of them. We might also look at
+how we made ourselves into a target or accidentally became a target onto which
+they projected their confusion. Maybe we weren’t very considerate of them.
+Maybe we have certain bad habits of which we’re not aware and to which
+they’re reacting.
+ -- Thubten Chodron, "How to Free Your Mind: The Practice of Tara the
+ Liberator"
+~
+We humans are actually not that far from enlightenment. Our five senses are
+like the Emanation Body of a Buddha; our dream body, which is similar to the
+after-death form, is like a Buddha’s Beatific Form; and the basis of both of
+these is the subtle mind of clear light which shares the nature of a
+Buddha’s Wisdom Body. All we have to do is learn to transform these
+ordinary elements into their pure natures. Then buddhahood naturally comes
+into our hands.
+ -- H.H. the Dalai Lama, from "The Path to Enlightenment"
+~
+ There are three kinds of people [who practice Buddhism]. Like all other
+beings, the lowest person wants happiness and not suffering or rebirth in the
+lower realms of existence, so he practices Buddhism to create the causes of
+rebirth in the human realm or in the heavenly realms of the gods. He does not
+have the power or the courage to leave worldly existence completely. He only
+wants the best parts of worldly existence; he wants to avoid the worst parts,
+and that is why he practices the Buddhist religion—to gain a higher rebirth.
+ The middling sort of person understands that the whole of worldly existence,
+no matter where one is born, is suffering by its nature, just as fire is hot
+by its nature. He wants to get out of it altogether and attain nirvana, the
+state that is entirely away from suffering.
+ The highest person realizes that just as he himself does not want to suffer
+and does want happiness, so also do all living beings have the same fears and
+wishes. He knows that since we have been born again and again from
+beginningless time in worldly existence, there is not a single sentient being
+who has not been our mother and father at one time or another. Since we are
+that close to all sentient beings, the best person is one who practices
+Buddhism in order to remove all these countless beings from suffering.
+ -- H.H. Sakya Trinzin, from "Treasures of the Sakya Lineage: Teachings from
+ the Masters", by Migmar Tseten
+~
+ To take refuge in the Buddha means to take refuge in the dharmas that
+constitute a buddha (a nonlearner). These consist of a buddha’s knowledge
+of the termination and nonarising [of the obscurations]. Together with the
+associated factors [of this knowledge], they consist of the five
+uncontaminated skandhas.
+ To take refuge in the sangha means [to take refuge] in the dharmas that
+constitute the sangha, which consists of [all] learners and nonlearners except
+for buddhas. It is by virtue of having attained their respective [dharmas]
+that the eight persons* are not separated from the path by [anyone], including
+gods. Therefore, they are called “sangha.” In other words, [the sangha]
+is represented by the five uncontaminated skandhas in the mind streams of said
+eight persons.
+ To take refuge in the dharma means [to take refuge] in the analytical
+cessation that is nirvana, that is, the two nirvanas [with and without
+remainder] of the noble ones.
+
+*The eight persons are also known as “the four pairs of persons”--stream-
+enterers, once-returners, nonreturners, and arhats, each divided into
+approachers to, and abiders in, these states.
+
+ --from "Groundless Paths: The Prajnaparamita Sutras, The Ornament of Clear
+ Realization, and Its Commentaries in the Tibetan Nyingma Tradition",
+ translated by Karl Brunnholzl, from Shambhala Publications
+~
+Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary
+Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+ We need a clear mind-training map to keep us from missing the correct path.
+If we want to go to New York we need to know the roads and directions. Just
+jumping in the car and starting to drive may get us there, but most likely we
+will end up in another place or take much longer than is necessary.
+ I have seen this happen with students who tell me of doing years of
+meditation without seeing any changes. They may blame themselves, meditation,
+or the Dharma, yet most often the problem is not knowing or applying the
+correct techniques or methods. Meditation is both easy and not easy. With
+the correct techniques and methods, applied with diligence, meditation can
+become a swift path to clearing confusion and unhelpful habits. Without them,
+we may wander in fogginess or agitation, never having engaged in true
+meditation even after years of “sitting.”
+ At Namdroling Monastery we practiced both resting and analytical meditation.
+The renowned teacher Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche believed that both types of
+meditation were important, but he thought it was best to begin with analytical
+meditation, because gaining familiarity with the true nature of reality would
+naturally lead to a clearer understanding of resting meditation and how to
+engage our mind constructively.
+ -- Khenpo Gawang, "Your Mind Is Your Teacher: Self-Awakening through
+ Contemplative Meditation", Shambhala Publications
+~
+ Never think, “Even though I have confidence in the Three Jewels, it is not
+really certain that this work will be accomplished.” Instead, one should
+know that the Enlightened One is surely able to protect those who surrender
+and act in accord with his words, because the Enlightened One is endowed with
+the transcendental wisdom which knows all the paths of practice that are in
+harmony with the intelligence and nature of all living beings, because he has
+the compassionate desire to establish his disciples on the right path after
+turning them from wrong ways, and because he has accomplished the two
+accumulations of merit and transcendental wisdom and has accomplished the
+resolve to help beings. So even though one has not yet attained liberation
+from worldly existence, it is one’s fault for not having trusted and not
+having acted in accord with the words of the Three Jewels, not because the
+Three Jewels have no compassion.
+ In brief, those who do not entrust themselves to the Precious Jewels, who
+are arrogant and who assume they are intelligent have no certainty in
+accomplishing their schemes. Even if they are accomplished, it is not certain
+whether those schemes will turn out well in the long run. So it is important
+to entrust oneself always to the Precious Jewels.
+ -- Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrub, "Three Visions: Fundamental Teachings of the
+ Sakya Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism"
+~
+Setting out on a spiritual path is a little like planning a trip—to Machu
+Picchu, for example. Some travellers will approach the project by investing a
+lot of time in reading travel books or Googling Internet sites about the best
+route to take and where to stay--a method that works, but only to a certain
+extent. Other travellers prefer a much simpler and safer method: to ask
+someone they know and trust who has already been to Machu Picchu to go with
+them and show them the way. Similarly, those wishing to follow the Buddhist
+path to enlightenment should rely on what are called in the teachings the
+“four authentics”: the authentic words of the Buddha (his teachings); the
+authentic clarification of the teachings that can be found in the shastras
+(commentaries) written by great masters of the past; the further clarification
+that is the result of authentic personal experience; and for this experience
+to find expression, an authentic guru.
+ -- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, "Not for Happiness: A Guide to the So-Called
+ Preliminary Practices", Shambhala Publications
+~
+With regard to selflessness, it is necessary to know what "self" is--to
+identify the self that does not exist. Then one can understand its opposite,
+selflessness. Selflessness is not a case of something that existed in the
+past becoming non-existent; rather, this sort of "self" is something that
+never did exist. What is needed is to identify as non-existent something that
+always was nonexistent, for due to not having made such identification, we are
+drawn into the afflictive emotions of desire and hatred as well as all the
+problems these bring.
+ -- H.H. the Dalai Lama, from "Kindness, Clarity, and Insight", Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+ The essence of mind is somewhat difficult to explain, so we look at it from
+the negative point of view, that is, what mind is not. First of all, we see
+that it is not something which arises or ceases or abides. It is free of
+these three things. From beginningless time, there is no arising, no
+cessation and no abiding in terms of staying in one place, not moving, or not
+changing. It is completely free of all three of these.
+ It is also free of being a thing or a substance composed of particles. The
+essential entity, or substance, of mind is not something that can be defiled
+or stained by grasping at subject and object. It is completely free of the
+stains from those activities.
+ Further, when we look at the essential substance of mind, we find that no
+matter how much we search for it, no matter how much we analyze it, there is
+no thing there to be found. There is no entity that we can come up with by
+searching, evaluating, and analyzing. No matter how much we seek for its
+essential substance, we cannot find it. The searcher, the one who does the
+search for essential substance of mind, cannot find it. Therefore it is said
+that the essential substance of mind itself is emptiness.
+ -- Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, "The Practice of Mahamudra", published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ "Like a cloud." This is a simile for how the wisdom mind benefits sentient
+beings without conceptual thought. For example, in the summer, clouds gather
+in the sky without effort, causing crops and so forth to grow perfectly
+through the rain falling on the ground without conceptual thought.
+ Likewise, the activities of the wisdom mind ripen the trainees' crop of
+virtue through the rainfall of Dharma without conceptual thought.
+ -- Gampopa, from "The Jewel Ornament of Liberation: The Wish-fulfilling Gem
+ of the Noble Teachings"
+~
+ Psychologists tell us that a strong sense of self is essential to be
+psychologically healthy. But it seems Buddhism says there is no self. How
+can we reconcile these two views?
+ When psychologists speak of a sense of "self" they are referring to the
+feeling that oneself is an efficacious person, someone who is self-confident
+and can act in the world. Buddhists agree that such a sense of self is both
+realistic and necessary. However, the sense of self that Buddhism says is
+unrealistic is that of a very solid, unchanging, independent "I." Such a
+self never has and never will exist. To understand this is to realize
+emptiness.
+ Strange though it may sound, someone may have a psychologically weak sense
+of self that in Buddhist parlance would be considered strong self-grasping.
+For example, a person with poor self-esteem may focus a lot on himself and
+have a strong feeling of the existence of an independent self that is
+inferior, unlovable, and a failure. From a Buddhist viewpoint, such an
+independent self does not exist, although a conventional self does.
+ --Thubten Chodron, "Buddhism for Beginners"
+~
+We all depend on one another. For this reason, whenever we act according to
+self-interest, sooner or later our selfish aims are bound to clash with the
+aims of the people we rely upon to accomplish our own goals. When that
+happens, conflicts will inevitably arise. As we learn to be more balanced in
+valuing others’ concerns with our own, we will naturally find ourselves
+involved in fewer and fewer conflicts. In the meantime, it is helpful to
+acknowledge that conflicts are the logical outcome of this combination of
+self-interest and interdependence. Once we recognize this, we can see that
+conflicts are nothing to feel shocked or offended by. Rather, we can address
+them calmly and with wisdom.
+ -- Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, in "Beyond Anger: How to Hold On to Your
+ Heart and Your Humanity in the Midst of Injustice", Shambhala Publications
+~
+Cyclic existence continues to evolve through the power of the unbroken
+relationship of the twelve links of dependent origination. What are these
+twelve? They are (1) ignorance, which afflicts wandering beings by keeping
+them from seeing true reality. In obscuring the perception of true reality,
+ignorance also functions as the source for the subsequent links, such as
+karmic formation, by grasping as if there were an “I” and “mine.” (2)
+Formation afflicts wandering beings by implanting the seeds of subsequent
+existence in the consciousness. In this way, when the root text states:
+“Wandering beings are afflicted due to…,” it should be understood to
+apply to all the remaining links as well, from consciousness on. Accordingly,
+(3) consciousness becomes infused with habitual tendencies and leads sentient
+beings to the place of their birth. (4) Name and form take hold of the body
+of one’s coming existence. (5) The six sense sources bring the state of
+name and form to completion. (6) Contact determines the experience of an
+object based on the coming together of three factors: object, faculty, and
+cognition. (7) Sensation experiences the various types of enjoyable and
+painful karmic ripening. (8) Craving creates the cohesion necessary for a
+future existence. (9) Grasping totally binds one to such an existence. (10)
+Becoming brings about the actual acquisition of this birth. (11) Birth serves
+as the support for the suffering of old age and so on. (12) Aging and death
+is the essence of suffering.
+ -- Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham, "Middle Beyond Extremes: Maitreya’s
+ Madhyantavibhaga with Commentaries"
+~
+Compassion and generosity must be accompanied by detachment. Expecting
+something in return for them is like doing business. If the owner of a
+restaurant is all smiles with his customers, it is not because he loves them
+but because he wants to increase his turnover. When we love and help others,
+it should not be because we find a particular individual likable but because
+we see that all beings, whether we think of them as friends or enemies, want
+to be happy and have the right to happiness.
+ -- The Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, in "On the Path to
+ Enlightenment: Heart Advice from the Great Tibetan Masters",
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Examining the understanding of heat in Vajrayana gives insight into tantra’s
+somewhat different embrace of classical Buddhist imagery. From this
+perspective, the experience of mental burning is indeed the central suffering
+of our lives. It is the experiential dimension of the intensity of our
+obscurations, whether emotional, conceptual, or habitual. But rather than
+attempting to put out the flames with meditation methods, it is important to
+allow the burning to occur during practice. Certainly in the foundational
+stages of the path we must learn not to become engulfed in the flames, to tame
+the wild mind and emotions, and to train ourselves to open further to
+experience. Finally, however, through Vajrayana practice under the guidance
+of a guru, the burning we experience becomes a great teacher and a great
+blessing.
+ -- Judith Simmer-Brown, "Dakini’s Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in
+ Tibetan Buddhism", Shambhala Publications
+~
+Life is mainly froth and bubble,
+Two things stand like stone--
+Kindness in another's trouble,
+Courage in your own.
+ -- Adam Lindsay Gordon
+~
+With regard to one’s behavior, one must relinquish all the limitations
+implied in subject-object duality (gzung ’dzin gyi la dor ba). One should
+abandon all ordinary ways of assessing outer and inner phenomena, and the
+engagement or withdrawal of the mind with regard to “good” and “bad.”
+One must not, through mindless clinging to sense objects, stray into the five
+ordinary mental poisons. For when approached with skillful means, all are but
+the display of the great and perfect equality.
+ -- Jigme Lingpa, from "Treasury of Precious Qualities: Book Two: Vajrayana
+ and the Great Perfection", by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ Recollection is the path of meditating on
+ The nature that was seen with awareness.
+ Constituted by the aspects of enlightenment,
+ This serves to eliminate the stains.
+
+ Recollection involves repeatedly recalling and realizing, in the context of
+the path of cultivation, what was realized when the intrinsic nature was
+directly seen with individual self-awareness at the prior stage. In this way,
+the term recollection refers to all that constitutes the factors of
+enlightenment. The path of cultivation is [referred to as such] because it
+involves eradicating those stains that are eliminated through cultivation.
+ -- from "Distinguishing Phenomena from Their Intrinsic Nature: Maitreya's
+ Dharmadharmatavibhanga with Commentaries by Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham",
+ Shambhala Publications.
+~
+ The Capable One spoke of the following attributes as the seven noble riches,
+for they are the causes of untainted happiness and are not in any way
+ordinary. Faith—that is, the three kinds of faith in the Three Jewels and
+confidence in the law of actions and their effects. Discipline, the avoidance
+of harmful actions. Learning that comes from listening to the holy Dharma
+that leads to liberation, with the intention of gaining complete knowledge.
+Being generous—with a desire to make offerings and to help beings, to give
+away all one’s possessions without expecting anything in return or any
+karmic reward. A sense of shame with respect to oneself that prevents one
+from indulging in negative actions, and that is unstained by such things as
+jealousy or seeking veneration. A sense of decency with regard to others that
+stops one from engaging in unvirtuous practices. And wisdom, that is,
+knowledge of the particular and general characteristics of phenomena.
+ You should realize that other common things that the world calls
+riches—gold, for instance—are of no value in obtaining untainted
+qualities; they are worthless, hollow, and without essence.
+ -- from "Nagarjuna’s Letter to a Friend With Commentary by Kyabje Kangyur
+ Rinpoche", Shambhala Publications
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