(___)_)
~
When they came for the Fourth Amendment I didn't say anything
- because I had nothing to hide.
+ because I had nothing to hide.
When they came for the Second Amendment I didn't say anything
- because I didn't own a gun.
+ because I didn't own a gun.
When they came for the Fifth and Sixth Amendments I didn't say anything
- because I had committed no crimes.
+ because I had committed no crimes.
When they came for the First Amendment I couldn't say anything.
(taken from the Urine Nation News, spring/summer 1993, number 12, page 1)
all will be well along its banks.
The Integral Way depends on decreasing, not increasing:
- To correct your mind, rely on not-doing.
+ To correct your mind, rely on not-doing.
Decrease thinking and clinging to complications;
- keep your mind detached and whole.
+ keep your mind detached and whole.
Eliminate mental muddiness and obscurity;
- keep your mind crystal clear.
+ keep your mind crystal clear.
Avoid daydreaming and allow your pure original insight to emerge.
Quiet your emotions and abide in serenity.
Don't go crazy with the worship of idols, images, and ideas;
- this is like putting a new head on top of the head you already have.
+ this is like putting a new head on top of the head you already have.
Remember: if you can cease all restless activity,
- your integral nature will appear.
-
+ your integral nature will appear.
-- Hua Hu Ching -- 45
~
Dualistic thinking is a sickness.
Blind spirituality is unreal.
Chanting is no more holy than listening to the
- murmur of a stream, counting prayer beads no more
- sacred than simply breathing, religious robes no
- more spiritual than work clothes.
+ murmur of a stream, counting prayer beads no more
+ sacred than simply breathing, religious robes no
+ more spiritual than work clothes.
If you wish to attain oneness with the Tao, don't get
- caught up in spiritual superficialities.
+ caught up in spiritual superficialities.
Instead, live a quiet and simple life, free of ideas and
- concepts.
+ concepts.
Find contentment in the practice of undiscriminating
- virtue, the only true power.
+ virtue, the only true power.
Giving to others selflessly and anonymously, radiating
- light throughout the world and illuminating your
- own darkness, your virtue becomes a sanctuary for
- yourself and all beings.
+ light throughout the world and illuminating your
+ own darkness, your virtue becomes a sanctuary for
+ yourself and all beings.
This is what is meant by embodying the Tao.
| |\ \ / | |\ \ ``---'/ / | | ``---'
_/ / _| ) __/_/ / _| ) __/ / _| |
/,__/ /,__/ /,_/,__/_/,__/ /,__/ /,__/ tbk
-
-~
-
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-" " o " "o" """o""$$$$$$o o $$o$ " " "o "o o
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- o "o oo " " $oo $$
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- o """""""" "o "o o"""" " "
- o $ o" $"
- " "$ooooooooooooooo o " "
- " o
- " " " "
-
~
Aw mom, you act like I'm not even wearing a bungie cord! -- Calvin
~
Shambhala Publications and Snow Lion Publications.
~
Bodhichitta can be understood as a quality of intention, sometimes called a
-“great will.” This great will does not come from the ego; it is
+"great will." This great will does not come from the ego; it is
paradoxically an intention that arises through the surrender of the ego. As
the ego lets go of its assumption that it has a real understanding of what is
needed in the path of awakening, it surrenders to a deeper quality of will and
-wisdom. The shift from the ego’s center of will to the intention of our
+wisdom. The shift from the ego's center of will to the intention of our
buddha nature to awaken us for the welfare of others aligns us with a source
of will far beyond our limited sense of self. I have often described this
will as a river of intention, which once stepped into becomes an undercurrent
natural resources. It finances startups. It helps to sell our products
overseas. It provides security to our diplomats abroad.
So let's work together to make government work better, instead of treating
-it like an enemy or purposely making it work worse. That’s not what the
+it like an enemy or purposely making it work worse. That's not what the
founders of this nation envisioned when they gave us the gift of self-
-government. You don’t like a particular policy or a particular president,
+government. You don't like a particular policy or a particular president,
then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election. Push to
-change it. But don’t break it. Don’t break what our predecessors spent
+change it. But don't break it. Don't break what our predecessors spent
over two centuries building. That's not being faithful to what this country
is about.
-- Barack Obama, after the US government shutdown of 2013 had ended.
When the teachings say we need to reduce our fascination with the things of
this life, it does not mean that we should abandon them completely. It means
avoiding the natural tendency to go from elation to depression in reaction to
-life’s ups and downs, jumping for joy when you have some success, or wanting
+life's ups and downs, jumping for joy when you have some success, or wanting
to jump out the window if you do not get what you want. Being less concerned
about the affairs of this life means assuming its ups and downs with a broad
and stable mind.
an exercise") without acceptance of their results.
Critical thinking varies according to the motivation underlying it. When
grounded in selfish motives, it is often manifested in the skillful
-manipulation of ideas in service of one’s own, or one's groups’, vested
+manipulation of ideas in service of one's own, or one's groups', vested
interest. As such it is typically intellectually flawed, however
pragmatically successful it might be. When grounded in fairmindedness and
intellectual integrity, it is typically of a higher order intellectually,
Buddhist teachings compare the mind and the breath to a rider and its mount.
In this metaphor, the wind energy is the mount and the mind is the rider.
This metaphor illustrates how it is the wind energy that carries the mind and
-that influences and shapes the mind’s energy. The wind energy is the root
-of all of our experience, since it provides energy for the mind’s movement.
+that influences and shapes the mind's energy. The wind energy is the root
+of all of our experience, since it provides energy for the mind's movement.
So, wind energy training is a powerful tool for purifying, calming, taming,
and relaxing the wind energy to impact the expression of neurotic mind.
-- Anyen Rinpoche and Allison Choying Zangmo, from "The Tibetan Yoga of
the Mind of Dzogchen", published by Shambhala Publications and Snow Lion
Publications.
~
-Detachment doesn't mean "throw it away" or "don’t have feelings
+Detachment doesn't mean "throw it away" or "don't have feelings
about it." It definitely does not mean denying or obstructing the mind's
natural tendency to project. Imagine you are about to go into a cotton
factory. Before entering you pour glue all over your body, and then you
-demand, "I don’t want any cotton balls to stick to my body, but I won’t
+demand, "I don't want any cotton balls to stick to my body, but I won't
remove the glue from my body either." Then you enter the cotton factory.
Of course the glue, by its nature, makes cotton balls stick to you. In
meditative language, that kind of stickiness is called deliberation or
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
+ -- 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
+~
+If there is one constant tendency of our fickle and ever-changing minds, it is
+our strong predilection for ordinary distractions. Until we learn to master
+our thoughts and attain true stability of mind, our commitment is bound to be
+hesitant, and we run the risk of being distracted by activities with little
+true meaning, wasting our life and the precious opportunities for the Dharma
+it has brought us. To postpone the practice of Dharma until tomorrow is
+tantamount to postponing it till we die.
+ -- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Padampa Sangye, in "The Hundred Verses of
+ Advice: Tibetan Buddhist Teachings on What Matters Most", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+The dharma is based on honesty, on not having self-deception of any kind.
+When the dharma says blue, it is blue; when it says red, it is red. Dharma is
+like saying fire is hot, or the sky is blue: it is speaking the truth. The
+difference is that dharma is the truth of the reality of the journey toward
+freedom. Saying that red is red does not particularly liberate you from
+seeing green or yellow. But when dharma speaks about reality, we see that it
+is worth stepping out of our little world of habitual patterns, our little
+nest. In that way, the dharma brings greater vision.
+ -- Chögyam Trungpa, from "The Path of Individual Liberation, Volume One of
+ The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+ So, what makes you a Buddhist? You may not have been born in a Buddhist
+country or to a Buddhist family, you may not wear robes or shave your head,
+you may eat meat and idolize Eminem and Paris Hilton. That doesn't mean you
+cannot be a Buddhist. In order to be a Buddhist, you must accept that all
+compounded phenomena are impermanent, all emotions are pain, all things have
+no inherent existence, and enlightenment is beyond concepts.
+ It's not necessary to be constantly and endlessly mindful of these four
+truths. But they must reside in your mind. You don't walk around
+persistently remembering your own name, but when someone asks your name, you
+remember it instantly. There is no doubt. Anyone who accepts these four
+seals, even independently of Buddha's teachings, even never having heard the
+name Shakyamuni Buddha, can be considered to be on the same path as he.
+ -- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, from "What Makes You Not a Buddhist",
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The self-centered thought is not who we are. The self-centered thought is
+different from the mind that wants to be happy because we're sentient
+beings. Everybody wants to be happy. There's no problem with wanting to be
+happy. The problem is the way the self-centered thought goes about thinking
+of our happiness and the way it goes about getting happiness. It is a
+distorted mental state that can be eliminated by seeing its disadvantages,
+applying the antidotes, and cultivating the mind that cherishes others.
+ - Thubten Chodron, from "Don't Believe Everything You Think: Living with
+ Wisdom and Compassion", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ According to the sutras, numerous eons ago, when the Buddha was an ordinary
+being, he took rebirth in a hell realm. He suffered gravely there as a result
+of his past negative karma.
+ He and a companion were forced to pull a wheel of fire on which a wrathful
+hell-guard was sitting, holding a burning club with which to beat them. His
+companion was so weak that he couldn't pull the wheel anymore. The hell-
+guard stabbed his companion with a burning trident. His companion kept crying
+loudly and bleeding profusely. At that moment, with strong love and
+compassion, the Buddha developed enlightened aspiration, a vow to take
+responsibility for helping his companion and all the suffering beings from the
+depth of his heart, and he became a bodhisattva for the first time.
+ The bodhisattva begged the hell-guard, "Please have a little mercy on my
+suffering companion." At that, in a rage the hellguard hit him with a
+burning trident. Because of the power of his strong compassion, the
+bodhisattva died and was liberated from the hell-realm. His evil deeds of
+many eons were purified instantly by the power of such enlightened aspiration.
+Thereafter, he started his journey toward the fully enlightened state of
+buddhahood.
+ -- Tulku Thondup, from "Incarnation: The History and Mysticism of the Tulku
+ Tradition of Tibet", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Below rocky cliffs,
+a vivid sense of impermanence and disenchantment dawns,
+clear and inspired, helping us to achieve
+the union of calm abiding and penetrating insight.
+ -- Longchenpa, from "The Life of Longchenpa: The Omniscient Dharma King of
+ the Vast Expanse", by Jampa Mackenzie Stewart, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+From one point of view, personal liberation without freeing others is selfish
+and unfair, because all sentient beings also have the natural right and desire
+to be free of suffering. Therefore, it is important for practitioners to
+engage in the practice of the stages of the path of the highest scope,
+starting with the generation of bodhichitta, the altruistic aspiration to
+achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. Once one has
+cultivated bodhichitta, all the meritorious actions that are supported by and
+complemented with this altruism—even the slightest form of positive
+action—become causes for the achievement of omniscience.
+ -- H. H. the Dalai Lama, from "The Fourteenth Dalai Lama in A Beginner's
+ Guide to Meditation: Practical Advice and Inspiration from Contemporary
+ Buddhist Teachers", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Note that all dualistic concepts and emotions—even positive ones such as
+caring, compassion, and wishing others well—are accompanied by grasping at
+“self.” So although positive emotions are good, they still fall short of
+perfection, which is the primordial wisdom beyond dualistic thinking and
+emotional sensations. Grasping at positive qualities is nonetheless a
+stepping-stone to perfection, helping us eventually to loosen the grip of
+grasping at “self” and to experience sensations of peace and joy. So,
+transforming from negative to positive, and then from positive to perfection,
+is the ideal way to move toward buddhahood, or full perfection.
+ -- Tulku Thondup, from "Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth: A Tibetan Buddhist
+ Guidebook", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ In the final stanza of his salutation, Tsong-kha-pa (1: 34) calls upon
+readers who may benefit from this approach, asking them to listen well. Such
+readers will be those with minds unclouded by biased thinking, the mental
+capacity to distinguish right from wrong, and an interest in finding real
+meaning in their human existence of leisure and opportunity. He asks those of
+us with such good fortune, "Please listen to what I have to say with a
+single-pointed mind."
+ Again, this is strikingly similar to Aryadeva's Four Hundred, which says
+that a practitioner of the Dharma who is listening to the teachings needs
+three qualities: objectivity, critical intelligence, and a real interest in
+what is being taught.
+ -- H. H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, in "From Here to Enlightenment: An
+ Introduction to Tsong-kha-pa's Classic Text The Great Treatise on the
+ Stages of the Path to Enlightenment", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+When we look back, at the time of death, the experience of this life will seem
+like a dream. And—just as with our nighttime dreams—it will seem useless
+to have put so much effort into it. The fear we experience in a dream is gone
+when we wake up; feeling afraid was just an unnecessary exertion of effort
+causing us to lose sleep! When we look back on our lives at death, the amount
+of time we spent in hesitation, aggression, ignorance, selfishness, jealousy,
+hatred, self-preservation, and arrogance will seem like an equally useless
+exertion of energy. So be able to regard all of these illusory thoughts and
+concepts as dreams. Within this illusory existence, what, if anything, is the
+logic behind any stubbornness, distraction, hesitation, or habitual emotions
+of aggression, desire, selfishness, and jealousy? What is the use of holding
+on to these useless emotions within impermanence? Impermanence is the nature
+of everything.
+ -- Khandro Rinpoche, from "Buddha's Daughters: Teachings from Women Who
+ Are Shaping Buddhism in the West", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Please listen without your minds wandering.
+Though I am not skilled in composing songs,
+This is the way to understand the true oral instructions.
+Keep this in mind and ponder it.
+
+The three worlds are primordially pure.
+Ultimately, there is nothing more to understand.
+Not negation, unceasing continuity,
+Unchanging—such is the view.
+
+The innate essence is naturally luminous.
+Unconditioned, meditation is unceasing.
+Not negation, beyond losing and gaining,
+Without desire or attachment—such is the meditation.
+
+Arising from the natural occurrence of various coincidences,
+The play of illusion is unobstructed.
+Not negation,
+Things are unpredictable, abrupt—such is the action.
+
+Mind shines as bodhicitta.
+There is no attainment of the three kayas of buddha.
+Not negation, beyond hope and fear,
+Without ground or root—such is the fruition.
+ - from "The Life of Marpa the Translator", translated by Chögyam Trungpa
+ and the Nalanda Translation Committee, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+FDR's Economic Bill of Rights
+
+ It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy
+for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American
+standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no
+matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of
+our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed,
+ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.
+ This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under
+the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right
+of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from
+unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.
+ As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial
+economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us
+equality in the pursuit of happiness.
+ We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual
+freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence.
+"Necessitous men are not free men."[3] People who are hungry and out of a
+job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.
+ In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We
+have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of
+security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station,
+race, or creed.
+
+ Among these are:
+
+ The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or
+farms or mines of the nation;
+
+ The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and
+recreation;
+
+ The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which
+will give him and his family a decent living;
+
+ The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere
+of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or
+abroad;
+
+ The right of every family to a decent home;
+
+ The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and
+enjoy good health;
+
+ The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age,
+sickness, accident, and unemployment;
+
+ The right to a good education.
+
+ All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be
+prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals
+of human happiness and well-being.
+ America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how
+fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for all our
+citizens.
+ For unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in
+the world.
+ -- Excerpt from President Roosevelt's January 11, 1944 message to the
+ Congress of the United States on the State of the Union
+~
+ Whatever arises in our mind—whether it's a thought, an emotion, a
+sensation, or a perception—is the arising of coemergent wisdom. It is the
+radiation of the mind's emptiness and clarity. Every arising is a temporary
+arising—one thought comes and goes, then another thought comes and goes.
+All our thoughts and emotions just appear and disappear.
+ This is very important, because we usually grasp at whatever occurs. For
+instance, when sadness arises, we hold on to this feeling and think, “I am
+so sad, I am so depressed.” But from the Mahamudra point of view, what has
+happened? A feeling has arisen in the mind, like a cloud. Like a cloud, it
+appears and then it disappears, and that's all there is to it. This time it
+is sadness arising, the next time it may be happiness, the next time it may be
+anger, and later it may be kindness. All sorts of things arise, like
+wildflowers in a spring meadow. All sorts of flowers grow; all sorts of
+thoughts and emotions arise. They are all okay; they're nothing special.
+When we understand what our thoughts and feelings are, and we experience them
+in this way, we are able to let them come and let them go.
+ -- Ringu Tulku, from "Confusion Arises as Wisdom: Gampopa's Heart Advice on
+ the Path of Mahamudra", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ The second quality of devotion is absence of arrogance. The arrogant
+approach is to be so passionately involved with our teacher that we become
+devotional chauvinists and cease to see the rest of the world properly. In
+fact, we become passionately involved with our own arrogance. We indulge our
+“devotion” by collecting information, techniques, stories, little words of
+wisdom—all to confirm our chauvinistic view. It actually reaches a point
+that the teacher upon whom our arrogance is based himself becomes a threat.
+The absurdity is that we even end up wanting to use our collection of
+ammunition against our teacher when he begins giving our “devotion” a hard
+time.
+ If our devotion is without arrogance there is not this resentment toward the
+world or the guru. Absence of such arrogance is absolutely necessary. When
+courting a teacher, students frequently make a sort of detailed application,
+listing all their insights and spiritual credentials. That is too arrogant;
+it is phony, out of the question altogether. It is fine to offer our
+particular skills or neuroses to the guru as a gift or an opening gesture.
+But if we begin to dress up our neuroses as virtues, like a person writing a
+resumé, that is unacceptable. Devotion without arrogance demands that we
+stop clinging to our particular case history, that we relate to the teacher
+and to the world in a naked and direct way, without hiding behind credentials.
+ -- Chögyam Trungpa, from "The Heart of the Buddha: Entering the Tibetan
+ Buddhist Path", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+To study and to contemplate what one has learned is very important, but these
+two can only progress if one engages in meditation practice. Thus, the
+importance of each of these three—moral conduct, study, and
+meditation—cannot be underestimated. If one practices these free of
+attachment to this life, the benefits are enormous. But to pursue these while
+seeking worldly attainments means one will not receive the benefits that would
+be gained by a genuine spiritual practitioner. For this reason, it will be
+best if you abandon any inauthentic approaches to ethical discipline, study,
+and meditation.
+ -- Chogye Trichen Rinpoche, in "Parting from the Four Attachments: A
+ Commentary on Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen's Song of Experience on Mind
+ Training and the View", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+If what appears to be apprehended does not exist by its very own essence apart
+from that which apprehends it, then what appears to be the apprehender does
+not exist either. The reason, here, is that the apprehender exists in
+relation to the apprehended, not in isolation. Therefore, awareness is devoid
+of both apprehender and apprehended, in all their various forms. Free from
+subject and object, by its very own nature awareness is a mere indescribable
+luminosity.
+ -- from "Distinguishing Phenomena from Their Intrinsic Nature: Maitreya's
+ Dharmadharmatavibhanga with Commentaries by Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham",
+ published by Shambhala Publications.
+~
+"Immediately join whatever you meet with meditation"
+
+ This slogan refers to the practice of transforming adverse circumstances
+and situations into the path of awakening. It is a reminder not to respond to
+things in a habitual way, but rather to respond with understanding, openness,
+and courage by maintaining a sense of awareness. We shouldn't think of
+meditation as something we only do if we're sitting on a cushion, but should
+treat everyday situations as meditations by focusing our mind on whatever
+arises. There's nothing we can't utilize for our own and others'
+benefit if we use both fortunate and unfortunate circumstances to train the
+mind.
+ -- Traleg Kyabgon, "The Practice of Lojong: Cultivating Compassion through
+ Training the Mind", published by Shambhala Publications.
+~
+O monks, you should focus on four things. What are these four? To focus on
+the teachings and not focus on the individual; to focus on the meaning and not
+focus on the words; to focus on timeless awareness and not focus on ordinary
+consciousness; and to focus on the definitive meaning and not focus on the
+meaning that guides. These four things are things to be realized; they are
+not four kinds of spiritual individuals.
+ -- Jamgön Kongtrul, from "The Treasury of Knowledge: Book Seven and Book
+ Eight, Parts One and Two: Foundations of Buddhist Study and Practice",
+ published by Shambhala Publications.
+~
+ One way to prevent mental suffering is to observe ourselves and figure out
+what triggers our problem. If we can identify what makes our blood pressure
+rise and causes us to feel upset, then we have taken a big step toward seeing
+the larger picture. With this wider perspective, there is less chance that we
+will jump back into an old habitual pattern that only makes us feel bad.
+ It is not that we have to stop going to all family holidays, but that we
+figure out ways to enjoy the parts that are enjoyable, like the delicious food
+and the chance to connect with people, and to feel more neutral and detached
+about the annoying or hurtful moments. We often place too many expectations
+and requirements on ourselves and those around us. We could give the
+situation a little space and see what develops. The kindest thing we can do
+in these situations is to remain calm and refrain from causing more
+difficulty.
+ -- Khenpo Gawang, from "Your Mind Is Your Teacher: Self-Awakening through
+ Contemplative Meditation", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ Those who wish to protect their practice should zealously guard the mind.
+The practice cannot be protected without guarding the unsteady mind.
+ Tigers, lions, elephants, bears, snakes, all enemies, all guardians of
+hells, evil spirits, and demons become controlled by controlling the mind
+alone. By subduing the mind alone, they all become subdued.
+ For the Propounder of the Truth said that all fears and immeasurable
+sufferings arise from the mind only.
+ -- Shantideva, "A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+ Products are specially designed to catch the eye and captivate the mind.
+Because we focus on what else there is to acquire, rather than what we already
+have, we fall into the endless upgrade game. “The functions you need are
+coming in the next version! The new design is so much more attractive! And
+it comes in your favorite color!” These products may be mass-produced, but
+they are custom-made to suit our greed and grasping. They are exactly
+tailored to deceive us with their appearances.
+ As I see it, however, the bigger problem is the gullibility of our mind.
+This is what really leaves us vulnerable to the deceptive allure of things.
+In other words, we ourselves are the bigger problem. Sometimes we are like
+small children; when it comes to assessing our own needs, we often show no
+sign of maturity. Just think about it: When a little child cries, the easy
+way to stop him is to give him a toy. We dangle it in front of him and wave
+it around to catch his attention until he reaches out to grab it. When we
+finally hand over the toy, he quiets down. Our goal was just to stop his
+crying. We did not try to address the child’s underlying needs. We gave
+him something else to desire, and tricked him into falling silent for the time
+being.
+ -- H.H. the Seventeenth Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, "The Heart Is Noble:
+ Changing the World from the Inside Out", published by Shambhala Publications.
+
projects / feisty_meow.git / blobdiff