~
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.
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