Experts on Buddhism, Psychology, and Medicine Explore the Health Benefits
of Contemplative Practice", edited by Andy Fraser, published by Shambhala
Publications and Snow Lion Publications.
+~
+ According to Sthiramati, though samsara has the nature of nirvana, in
+ordinary beings true reality is obscured by their tendencies of clinging to a
+self and really existing phenomena. Thus, they do not see emptiness, which
+actually exists, but they naturally perceive the actually nonexistent
+phenomena of apprehender and apprehended, just as when mistakenly not seeing
+an existent rope, but seeing it as a nonexistent snake.
+ Bodhisattvas lack the clinging to a self and phenomena and thus they
+naturally see true reality—emptiness—while not seeing any duality, just as
+correctly seeing an existent rope, while not seeing it as a nonexistent snake.
+When existent emptiness—true reality—is seen and the nonexistent
+characteristics of apprehender and apprehended are not seen anymore, the
+alaya-consciousness—the dependent nature—has undergone the fundamental
+change. This fundamental change is liberation and nirvana.
+ Just as people liberated from bondage can do what they please, once this
+fundamental change occurs, bodhisattvas are liberated because they have gained
+mastery over their minds, which abide like space without any appearance of
+characteristics. Thus, no matter what they encounter, they are able to act as
+they please without being bound by any attachment or aversion.
+ -- Karl Brunnhölzl, from "Mining for Wisdom within Delusion: Maitreya’s
+ Distinction between Phenomena and the Nature of Phenomena and Its Indian
+ and Tibetan Commentaries", published by Shambhala Publications and Snow
+ Lion Publications
+~
+Our awareness of feelings in the body and mind ranges from simple frustration
+and malaise to anguish, despair, and white-hot physical pain, and from simple
+pleasures to extraordinary ecstasy. As we become clearly cognizant of the
+bandwidth of our own feelings, we direct our awareness externally. We become
+vividly aware that myriad sentient beings around us are not simply objects of
+our pleasure, displeasure, or indifference, but have feelings just like ours.
+By turning our awareness outward and closely applying mindfulness to other
+sentient beings, we can empathize with their feelings. When we empathize with
+another’s suffering and we attend closely, compassion arises. The suffering
+of unpleasant feelings is the very source of the experience of compassion.
+ -- B. Alan Wallace, in "Minding Closely: The Four Applications of
+ Mindfulness", works published by Shambhala Publications and Snow Lion
+ Publications
+~
+It is our aim to have genuine loving-kindness toward all sentient beings
+because we see them suffering. In the Mahayana tradition, it says that
+through our innumerable lifetimes, at some time or other, every single
+sentient being has been in the relation to us of our mother, our friends, or
+someone who has helped us. We look at all sentient beings in this way. We
+feel a deep yearning to help them because they have helped us. When we
+contemplate in this way, we find that some kind of compassion begins to take
+place.
+ -- Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche in "The Tibetan Buddhism Reader", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
projects / feisty_meow.git / blobdiff