~
sasquatch in my breakfast cereal. -- fred t. hamster
~
-"what i say is unimportant." -- david w andrews
-"i'll keep that in mind." -- chris koeritz
+"what i say is unimportant." -- JDB
+"i'll keep that in mind." -- fred
~
"are Israelis Catholic?" -- christine kelly
~
And you may say to yourself "MY GOD! WHAT HAVE I DONE?"
-- The Talking Heads
~
-The nice thing about standards is that there are
-so many of them to choose from.
+The nice thing about standards is that you have so many to choose from;
+furthermore, if you do not like any of them,
+you can just wait for next year's model.
-- Andrew S. Tanenbaum
~
A bore is a man who, when you ask him how he is, will tell you.
Whenever you have an efficient government you have a dictatorship.
-- Harry S. Truman, 1959
~
-A little more moderation would be good. Of course,
-my life hasn't exactly been one of moderation.
- -- Donald Trump, in "Time", 16 January 1989
-~
-I like thinking big. If you're going to be thinking
-anything, you might as well think big.
- -- Donald Trump, in "Time", 16 January 1989
-~
The more laws and order are made prominent,
the more thieves and robbers there will be.
-- Lao Tsu
and when death is present we no longer exist.
-- Epicurus
~
-Singing and danching are the voice of dharma. -- Hakuin
+Singing and dancing are the voice of dharma. -- Hakuin
~
All great truths begin as blasphemies. -- George Bernard Shaw
~
it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
-- Thomas Alva Edison
~
-Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead. -- Benjamin Franklin
-~
When the politicians complain that TV turns the proceedings into a circus,
it should be made clear that the circus was already there, and that TV
has merely demonstrated that not all the performers are well trained.
Once one has accessed memories of previous lives in the dream state, one
gradually recalls them in the waking state.
-- H.H Dalai Lama, in "Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations with
- The Dalai Lama on Brain Science and Buddhism", Edited by Zara Houshmand,
+ The Dalai Lama on Brain Science and Buddhism", edited by Zara Houshmand,
Robert B. Livingston and B. Alan Wallace, Snow Lion Publications
~
Relaxation involves a kind of awareness which reverses the normal tendency
~
Parents were invented to make children happy
by giving them something to ignore.
- -- Ofden Nash
+ -- Ogden Nash
~
Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality.
-- Jules de Gaultier
~
Perfect nonviolence is the highest bravery. -- Mahatma Gandhi
~
-There never was a good war or a bad peace. -- Benjamin Franklin
-~
There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing
good in war. Except its ending.
-- Abraham Lincoln
Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our appetites.
-- William Ruckelshaus
~
-Those who get too big for their briches will be exposed in the end. -- Anon.
+Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end. -- Anon.
~
"We're not talking about the same thing," he said. "For you the world is weird
because if you're not bored with it you're at odds with it. For me the world
-- Glenn Mullin, "The Practice of Kalachakra", foreword by H.H. the Dalai
Lama, published by Snow Lion Publications
~
-After suffering severe puncture wounds without shooting any goop on my
-opponent, I realized I was simply outgunned. Never bring caulk to a
+After suffering severe puncture wounds without shooting any goop on my
+opponent, I realized I was simply outgunned. Never bring caulk to a
nailgun fight.
-- Stephanie S. Thompson
~
As promised, she continuously appears to lead and inspire the faithful in
dreams, visions, and real life. As well, her human reincarnations ceaselessly
return to the world, guiding others in whatever capacity is needed.
- -- from "The Life and Visions of Yeshé Tsogyal", by Drimé Kunga and Yeshé
- Tsogyal Translated by Chönyi Drolma, published by Shambhala Publications
+ -- from "The Life and Visions of Yeshe Tsogyal", by Drime Kunga and Yeshe
+ Tsogyal, translated by Chönyi Drolma, published by Shambhala Publications
~
It is impossible to conceive how many beings, from beginningless time in
samsara, have been related to us--as parents, as enemies, or as people
Without looking at anything, you'll see dharmakaya.
Without achieving anything, your aim will be spontaneously accomplished.
-- from "The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa", By Tsangnyon Heruka,
- Translated by Christopher Stagg, published by Shambhala Publications
+ translated by Christopher Stagg, published by Shambhala Publications
~
Trying to find the pain in life is the renunciation of hinayana. Trying to
find the ambition in life, trying to reach higher goals, is the
bodhisattva's ambition in the mahayana. Trying to find the subtleties of
-life is the tantric discovery of mystical experience in the vajrayana.
+life is the tantric discovery of mystical experience in the vajrayana.
-- Milarepa, from "Milarepa: Lessons from the Life and Songs of Tibet's
Great Yogi", by Chögyam Trungpa, published by Shambhala Publications
~
According to the Buddhist point of view, an artist's intention is
compassion. Buddhist artists create in order to make a link with other beings
through their inner pure elements, and to transform their outer ordinary gross
-elements into enlightenment by means of that connection.
+elements into enlightenment by means of that connection.
-- Thinley Norbu, from "Magic Dance: The Display of the Self-Nature of the
Five Wisdom Dakinis", published by Shambhala Publications
~
suffer greatly. Therefore, sentient beings born in the states of the six
wanderers have nothing but suffering. If we think about that, compassion can
arise.
- -- Khenchen Thrangu, "Essential Practice: Lectures on Kamalashīla's
+ -- Khenchen Thrangu, "Essential Practice: Lectures on Kamalashīla's
Stages of Meditation in the Middle Way School", published by Shambhala
Publications
~
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.
-Â -- Kensur Lekden, from "Meditations of a Tibetan Tantric Abbot: The Main
+ -- 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
~
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.
-Â -- Kensur Lekden, from "Meditations of a Tibetan Tantric Abbot: The Main
+ -- 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
~
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.
+ 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
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!
+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
+ 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
Thereby everything is accomplished.
Attachment to pleasure brings misery.
Total clarity, being non-conceptual,
-Is self-refreshing pristine awareness.
+Is self-refreshing pristine awareness.
-- Longchenpa, from "You Are the Eyes of the World", published by Shambhala
Publications
~
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.
+There is nothing to be added, nothing to remove.
-- Longchenpa, from "Finding Rest in Meditation", published by Shambhala
Publications
~
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.
-Â -- from "Gendun Chopel: Tibet's Modern Visionary", by Donald S. Lopez
+ -- 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
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!
-Â -- H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, from "The Bodhisattva Guide", published
+ -- 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
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.
+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
+ translated by Rosemarie Fuchs, published by Shambhala Publications
~
Like vines that wrap themselves round sandal trees,
People who keep company with holy ones
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
+ 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 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
+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."
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.
+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
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."
-Â -- Khenchen Thrangu, from "The Mahamudra Lineage Prayer: A Guide to
+ -- 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
+~
+ The sky is pure, open space, free from all obstructions. The nature of
+our mind is similar: the afflictions, self-centered attitude, and other
+obscurations are not in its essential nature. Just as clouds may temporarily
+obscure the open sky, anger, attachment, and confusion can temporarily obscure
+our mind. When they do, the pure, open nature of the mind still remains; we
+just can't see it at the time.
+ By generating the wisdom realizing the emptiness of inherent existence, we
+will be able to eradicate obscurations from our mind forever and enjoy the
+sky-like spaciousness of a purified mind.
+ -- Thubten Chodron, from "Awaken Every Day: 365 Buddhist Reflections to
+ Invite Mindfulness and Joy", Shambhala Publications
+~
+i buy all my hats
+at interdimensional
+pancake restaurant
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+Love is about finding something pleasant in everyone. It can't be external
+appearance, or what the person is engaged in at the moment; it has to be just
+the fact that this is a sentient being who wants happiness and does not want
+suffering and who has been the best of friends at some time in the limitless
+past. A Tibetan definition of love is that the person pleasantly comes to
+mind (yid du 'ong ba). Rather than pushing people away, you experience a core
+similarity and closeness in them that makes you receptive to their basic
+being, regardless of the problem--regardless of how distorted their current
+attitudes and behavior are. That's how strong spiritual love is.
+ -- Jeffrey Hopkins, from "A Truthful Heart: Buddhist Practices for
+ Connecting with Others", Shambhala Publications
+~
+this is not confirmed yet, but UVa is changing the name of its funding tokens.
+UVa is moving away from the PTAO payment codes (Project, Task, Award, and
+Organization) to a new acronym using "Cost center, Activity, Program, Spend
+category" or... CAPS!!!
+finally all my hard work in fallout new vegas will be paying off.
+~
+Rob's Meeting Mantra:
+
+Is what I am thinking necessary to say?
+Is it necessary for this to be said by ME?
+Is it necessary for me to say this RIGHT NOW?
+
+ -- Rob Diethorn
+~
+fred's chow mantra:
+ just eat when you're hungry,
+ and be sure you're hungry and not just sating an appetite,
+ because scheduled food times are irrelevant to your body,
+ and can lead to overfeeding unless you're malnourished;
+ so let the body decide when to eat,
+ and use your brain to decide what you feed it.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.
+ -- Voltaire
+~
+Clear thinking requires courage rather than intelligence.
+ -- Thomas Szasz
+~
+Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?
+ -- Winnie the Pooh
+~
+It is well for people who think,
+to change their minds occasionally
+in order to keep them clean.
+ -- Luther Burbank
+~
+Language shapes the way we think, and determines what we can think about.
+ -- Benjamin Lee Whorf
+~
+Misery is almost always the result of thinking.
+ -- Joseph Joubert
+~
+Most of the mistakes in thinking
+are inadequacies of perception
+rather than mistakes of logic.
+ -- Edward de Bono
+~
+Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it.
+ -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
+~
+What we think, we become. -- Shakyamuni Buddha
+~
+pseudo-code for our daily lives:
+
+repeat:
+ if (not one_thing) then {
+ other_thing
+ }
+:forever
+~
+U R brilliant,
+U need 2 keep working on that shine,
+U can't lord it over others,
+U R your own completeness as they are theirs.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+and goddess said to me, she said like, "i am omni-sexual and pan-gender...
+bitches." i apologize for her language, but that's what she said.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+
+vape temperature mantra for cannabis
+(also a haiku if you don't pronounce the numbers...)
+
+ things are tastiest,
+ celsius degrees ranging 164 -> 228,
+ dank vaporizer.
+
+ get lightly toasted 164+,
+ proceed on to half baked at 180+,
+ way fully baked at 200+.
+
+ dude, know when it's cooked,
+ never go over 230 ever,
+ we vape you long time.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+ I found I was able to get a lot of tension off my shoulders by almost
+"outing" myself in the press in that way, in very early circumstances. So
+I wasn't going to get people crawling out the woodwork saying [seedy, muck-
+raking voice]: "I'll tell you something about David Bowie that you don't
+know..." I wasn't going to have any of that. I knew that at some point I
+was going to have to say something about my life. And, again, Ziggy enabled
+me to make things more comfortable for myself. There was an excitement that
+the age of exploration was really finally here. Which is what I was going
+through. It perfectly mirrored my lifestyle at the time. It was exactly what
+was happening to me. There was nothing that I wasn't willing to try, to
+explore and see if it was really part of my psyche or my nature. I was
+terribly exploratory in every way, not just culturally but sexually and...
+God, there was nothing I would leave alone. Like a--it's a terrible pun,
+but--like a dog with a bone, I suppose! So I buried it!
+ The quote has taken on far more in retrospect than actually it was at the
+time. I'm quite proud that I did it. On the other hand I didn't want to
+carry a banner for any group of people, and I was as worried about that as
+the aftermath. Being approached by organisations. I didn't want that. I
+didn't feel like part of a group. I didn't like that aspect of it: this is
+going to start overshadowing my writing and everything else that I do.
+But there you go.
+ -- David Bowie, in Mojo, July 2002
+~
+I am King Gesar of Ling,
+not so long ago named king
+and principal ruler of the six provinces of Ling,
+mandated by the gods to be the destined leader
+and the one to quell the demons of the dark side.
+Since I am the one entrusted with this aspiration,
+my deeds and actions must follow.
+ -- from "The Taming of the Demons: From the Epic of Gesar of Ling",
+ translated by Jane Hawes, David Shapiro, and Lama Chönam, published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ One of the stories that drew me to Zen was about how one of our Zen
+ancestors responded to both insult and praise. In this story, Hakuin Zenji
+was falsely accused of impregnating a young girl who lived in the village near
+his hermitage. When her parents and the villagers came to accuse him, he said
+merely, "Is that so?"
+ When the baby was born, Hakuin received the infant and cared for the child
+with the help of a wet nurse. Sometime later, the girl confessed to her
+parents that a village boy was the father of her child. Those who had accused
+him earlier came then to reclaim the child and to praise Hakuin.
+ In response to their praise, he simply said, again, "Is that so?"
+ -- Reb Anderson, from "Entering the Mind of Buddha: Zen and the Six Heroic
+ Practices of Bodhisattvas", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+One day in a lecture Suzuki Roshi said, "When you see one leaf falling, you
+may say, Oh, autumn is here! One leaf is not just one leaf; it means the
+whole autumn. Here you already understand the all-pervading power of your
+practice. Your practice covers everything."
+ -- Shunryu Suzuki, from "Zen Is Right Here: Teaching Stories and Anecdotes
+ of Shunryu Suzuki, author of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Compared with the force of the all-powerful weapons that exist today, we are
+nothing, even less than ants. And yet those weapons were not made by demons
+or aliens from another planet. They were made by humans just like me and
+you... If we ever press the red button, others will do the same. If we bomb
+them, bombs will rain on us. That's cause and effect, and it will just go
+on and on. So what can we do? Only one thing can help us: loving-kindness.
+Loving-kindness is the very foundation of a civilized world.
+ -- Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, from "Sadness, Love, Openness: The Buddhist Path
+ of Joy", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+may lies taste like the spawn of ash in my mouth,
+may untruths burn themselves away in the mist,
+all fabrications will shatter and ooze away,
+that the manifest truths may shine free.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+Anybody can become angry--that is easy; but to be angry with the right person,
+and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and
+in the right way--that is not within everybody's power; that is not easy.
+ -- Aristotle
+~
+Mindfulness can evolve into an experience of attending to the world with the
+world, not only infusing the body with more aliveness but also transforming
+the entire world into a field of aliveness. Yes, biological aliveness has
+always already been there, but every time I bring breath attention to it, I
+augment and refine it. It's like the difference between watering a
+houseplant and attending to it with a "green thumb." It's not quite
+clear what a green thumb is. Some people have it, some people don't. Maybe
+we can describe it as a mixture of extra nourishment and something intangible
+like attention, love, and care. For the houseplant, the green thumb is the
+difference between surviving and thriving. Mindfulness practice can have that
+effect on your life.
+ -- Christian Dillo, from "The Path of Aliveness: A Contemporary Zen Approach
+ to Awakening Body and Mind", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+There never was a good war nor a bad peace.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+Those who in quarrels interpose, must often wipe a bloody nose.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+He that speaks much, is much mistaken.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+To find out a girl's faults, praise her to her girl friends.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+The cat in gloves catches no mice.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+Does thou love life?
+Then do not squander time;
+for that's the stuff life is made of.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+There can't be good living where there is not good drinking.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our
+country; he is a bird of bad moral character; like those among men who live by
+sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy. The turkey
+is a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+Energy and persistence conquer all things.
+ -- Benjamin Franklin
+~
+Benjamin Franklin's Thirteen Virtues
+
+Temperance
+ + moderation in food and drink
+Silence
+ + mentioning only important matters
+Order
+ + proper organization of time and space
+Resolution
+ + accomplishing one's responsibilities
+Frugality
+ + purchasing only worthwhile items and wasting nothing
+Industry
+ + making the most of one's time and energy
+Sincerity
+ + being honest and forthright
+Justice
+ + practicing impartiality and refusing to wrong others
+Moderation
+ + avoiding extremes
+Cleanliness
+ + using good hygiene under sanitary conditions
+Tranquility
+ + remaining calm and composed despite life's obstacles
+Chastity
+ + refusing to allow sex to interfere with one's life
+Humility
+ + avoiding excess pride and haughtiness
+~
+In general, visualizing the projection and absorption of light takes place in
+the following way. First, light streams forth from the mantra chain in the
+heart center and emerges from the crown protuberance, the hair between the
+eyebrows, the tongue, the endless knot at the heart center, the pores of the
+skin, and other such places. The light pervades all the realms in the ten
+directions, such as our present billionfold world system. At the tip of the
+light rays are an inconceivable number of male and female bodhisattvas who
+bring forth offering clouds, songs of praise, showers of flowers, and streams
+of perfume. They make these offerings to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas and
+sing their praises, entreating them to accomplish the welfare of sentient
+beings. They all then assume the form of yidam deities of various sizes and
+appearances, arising as a display that guides those in need. Then all the
+deities project divine bodies and light from their navels, secret places,
+hips, knees, soles of their feet with thousand-spoked wheels, and other such
+places. This display utterly fills the entire world, which resounds with the
+sound of mantra. In this way, the karmic actions, disturbing emotions, and
+deluded perceptions, along with all habitual tendencies, of all six types of
+beings in the three realms are purified, like frost melted by sunlight.
+Everyone transforms into the form of the yidam deity and the mantra resounds
+on its own, humming like bees from a broken hive.
+ -- Kunkyen Tenpe Nyima, from "Vajra Wisdom: Deity Practice in Tibetan
+ Buddhism by Shechen Gyaltsap IV"
+~
+the code for the body is written in DNA.
+the code for the soul is written in music.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+i am the universe,
+and the universe is me,
+but we don't have an exclusive.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+time flies like an arrow.
+fruit flies like a banana.
+ -- Anthony Oettinger
+~
+Time Flies Like an Arrow
+An Ode to Oettinger
+
+Now, thin fruit flies like thunderstorms,
+And thin farm boys like farm girls narrow;
+And tax firm men like fat tax forms--
+But time flies like an arrow.
+
+When tax forms tax all firm men's souls,
+While farm girls slim their boyfriends' flanks;
+That's when the murd'rous thunder rolls--
+And thins the fruit flies ranks.
+
+Like tossed bananas in the skies,
+The thin fruit flies like common yarrow;
+Then's the time to time the time flies--
+Like the time flies like an arrow.
+ -- Edison B. Schroeder (1966)
+~
+Three modes of generating an altruistic intention to become enlightened are
+described--like a king, like a boatman, and like a shepherd. In the first,
+that like a king, one first seeks to attain a high state after which help can
+be given to others. In the second, like a boatman, one seeks to cross the
+river of suffering together with others. In the third, like a shepherd, one
+seeks to relieve the flock of suffering beings from pain first, oneself
+following afterward. These are indications of the style of the altruistic
+motivation for becoming enlightened; in actual fact, there is no way that a
+Bodhisattva either would want to or could delay achieving full enlightenment.
+As much as the motivation to help others increases, so much closer does one
+approach Buddhahood.
+ -- from "Our Human Potential: The Unassailable Path of Love, Compassion, and
+ Meditation", by H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+An Aspiration Prayer
+
+May prosperity and glory proliferate, benefitting the Land of Snow.
+May the lamp of the Buddhist teachings blaze in dark lands in the ten
+ directions.
+May auspiciousness and the ten virtues pervade the three worlds.
+May coincidence click into place, completely victorious in all directions.
+ -- from "Inseparable across Lifetimes: The Lives and Love Letters of the
+ Tibetan Visionaries Namtrul Rinpoche and Khandro Tare Lhamo", translated
+ by Holly Gayley, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Becoming a Qualified Student
+
+How do we become a qualified disciple? One quality to develop is open-
+mindedness. In other words, we let go of our own hard and fast agenda, of our
+likes and dislikes, and of our erroneous opinions about the nature of reality
+or the stages of the path. If we attend a teaching yet still hold strongly to
+our preconceptions about the path, we will evaluate teachers by whether or not
+they agree with our ideas. Is that a valid criterion for selecting a teacher?
+Such an attitude blocks us from learning because we're holding on to what we
+believe and only accepting what validates our own opinions. In that case, we
+aren't receptive to the Enlightened One's teachings. To learn, we must
+set aside our own prejudices, be open-minded, and listen with a fresh mind.
+ -- from "How to Free Your Mind: The Practice of Tara the Liberator", By
+ Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Compassion is the Best Medicine
+
+Much of our suffering comes from being too immersed in our own self-interests.
+We are constantly thinking about ourselves, trying to protect and defend
+ourselves. We are very interested in our own well-being, our own security.
+We fear, sometimes unconsciously, that somebody or something in the outer
+world, the world of "others," may harm us. This makes us feel lonely and
+alienated from everybody else. Compassion is the best medicine to cure this
+illness, the illness of loneliness, isolation, and alienation.
+ -- from "Choosing Compassion: How to Be of Benefit in a World That Needs Our
+ Love", by Anam Thubten, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Delusions and Emotions
+
+What becomes very clear through Buddhist teachings is that the suffering and
+problems we have in life are not caused by external circumstances but by the
+mind that reacts to them. The mind dominated by delusions or emotional
+afflictions is considered in Buddhism to be the cause of most of the suffering
+and problems that arise in our life and more generally in the world at large.
+We can certainly see the truth in this view when we look at the way fear,
+hatred, and greed seem to be at the root of many if not most of the problems
+that exist in the world, from wars to the banking crisis. From this viewpoint
+we can also see that if we had a greater awareness of the emotions that drive
+us, both individually and collectively, our world would be very different.
+ -- from "Feeling Wisdom: Working with Emotions Using Buddhist Teachings and
+ Western Psychology", by Rob Preece, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Developing Equanimity
+
+We are attached to friends and relatives because of the temporary benefit they
+have brought us in this life. We hate our enemies because of some harm they
+have inflicted on us. People are not our friends from birth, but become so
+due to circumstances. Neither were our enemies born hostile. Such
+relationships are not at all reliable. In the course of our lives, our best
+friend today can turn out to be our worst enemy tomorrow. And a much-hated
+enemy can change into our most trusted friend. Moreover, if we talk about our
+many lives in the past, the unreliability of this relationship is all the more
+apparent. For these reasons, our animosity toward enemies and attachment
+toward friends merely exhibits a narrow-minded attitude that can only see some
+temporary and fleeting advantage. On the contrary, when we view things from a
+broader perspective with more farsightedness, equanimity will dawn in our
+minds, enabling us to see the futility of hostility and clinging desire.
+ -- from "Stages of Meditation: The Buddhist Classic on Training the Mind", By
+ H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Discontentment
+
+Buddhism frequently speaks of overcoming dissatisfaction and discontentment,
+as if these experiences are always undesirable. In certain respects, however,
+discontentment is necessary. No matter what we have achieved in the past
+about which we may justifiably feel proud, we should not be satisfied with
+that but should look to develop and improve ourselves further. This is an
+ongoing process. We should have the enthusiasm to want to go further and
+further in relating to others and developing ourselves on a spiritual and
+psychological level. Our normal experiences of dissatisfaction,
+incompleteness, deprivation, privation, or sense of lack can and must be
+sublimated into spiritual ones. We should never be satisfied with our
+spiritual progress, thinking, "This will do," or "That is enough." We should
+always have hunger for deeper, higher, richer experiences on the path.
+ -- from "The Essence of Buddhism: An Introduction to Its Philosophy and
+ Practice", by Traleg Kyabgon, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Distraction
+
+People let their time pass in distractions, and the wisdom of investigating
+the nature of phenomena is exceedingly rare. Even if there is some modest
+inclination toward spirituality, due to habituation with distraction, it does
+not tend to be sustained, nor go very deep. It is difficult to remedy that
+habituation.
+ -- from "Perfecting Wisdom: How Things Appear and How They Truly Are", by
+ H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Don't Create Problems for Yourself
+
+There is a story about a monk who had an extremely ugly body but a beautiful
+voice. People loved to hear him chant but recoiled when they saw him.
+Someone who had clairvoyant powers saw that in a previous lifetime, while
+constructing a stupa--a monument representing the Buddha's mind--he
+continually complained and showed an ugly face. When the stupa was completed,
+he had a change of heart and offered a bell with a charming and elegant sound
+to the stupa. His ugly body was a result of his anger while making the stupa,
+and his beautiful voice was the result of having later offered the lovely-
+sounding bell to the stupa.
+ -- from "Good Karma: How to Create the Causes of Happiness and Avoid the
+ Causes of Suffering", by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Eight Special Thoughts of a Holy Individual
+
+The eight special thoughts of a holy individual: (1) Alas! If possible, may I
+be able to make sentient beings be without the suffering of birth, and
+likewise (2) without the suffering of aging, (3) the suffering of sickness,
+and (4) the suffering of death. (5) I will deliver beings who are not
+delivered and (6) free those who are not free. (7) I will free them from
+powerful suffering, and (8) I will lead to nirvana those who have not yet
+reached nirvana. One should continuously be mindful, moment by moment,
+thinking these thoughts.
+ -- from "Atisa Dipamkara: Illuminator of the Awakened Mind", by James B.
+ Apple, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Everyday Dharma
+
+On your left, imagine all the women in your life, beginning with your mother,
+sisters, relatives, friends, and all female sentient beings extending
+infinitely. On your right, imagine all the men in your life: your father,
+your brothers, relatives, friends, and all the male beings in the world,
+extending out and filling space. Behind you, imagine all the friends who have
+given you support, encouraged you in your spiritual development and your life
+in general: all benefactors, kind friends, and helpers. In the space in front
+of you, imagine all those beings with whom you have had difficult relations,
+were there is unfinished business or healing work to be done. Extend the
+circle out on all sides until space is filled with all living beings in all
+worlds. We are related to all these sentient beings.
+ -- from "Buddhism through American Women's Eyes", edited by Karma Lekshe
+ Tsomo, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Existence
+
+We have been conditioned to go to the sensory objects of the world--the
+sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and physical sensations--and bypass
+everything else. We have been taught to go there, but that does not mean
+these objects are the roots of our existence. Existence seems to be bigger
+than these sense objects, like the space of the universe that holds all the
+matter within it but is not defined by that matter.
+ -- from "Touching the Infinite: A New Perspective on the Buddha's Four
+ Foundations of Mindfulness", by Rodney Smith, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Experiential Dualism
+
+The fact that Buddhist contemplatives have observed the mind for centuries yet
+formulated no theory of the brain implies that introspective knowledge of the
+mind does not necessarily shed any light on the brain. Likewise, the study of
+the brain alone--independent of all first-person accounts of mental
+states--does not necessarily yield any knowledge of mental phenomena. Thus,
+experiential dualism, which maintains that physical and mental phenomena
+experientially seem to be different, is accepted by Buddhism as well as by at
+least some of the scientists in this meeting.
+ -- from "Where Buddhism Meets Neuroscience: Conversations with the Dalai
+ Lama on the Spiritual and Scientific Views of Our Minds", by H.H. the
+ Fourteenth Dalai Lama, edited by Zara Houshmand, Robert B. Livingston,
+ and B. Alan Wallace, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Generosity
+
+In order to transform ordinary giving into letting go of our egocentric
+habits, we create entire universes and give those away. We give away the
+stars and the sun, the oceans, forests, and mountains made of jewels. We
+generate the mind of letting go by giving away what we cannot conceive of
+owning in the first place. We allow imagination to travel so far beyond
+conventional ideas of generosity that it breaks our associations with socially
+sanctioned concepts of virtuous behavior.
+ -- from "Turning Confusion into Clarity: A Guide to the Foundation Practices
+ of Tibetan Buddhism", by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and Helen Tworkov,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Investigation
+What we call experience is truly a playful exchange of our inner and outer
+worlds. There is no problem with experience, in and of itself. The problem
+comes when the appearance of things outshines their nature and we begin to
+react. To release the mind from this very confusion constitutes the sole
+purpose of Middle Way investigations.
+ -- from "The Logic of Faith: A Buddhist Approach to Finding Certainty Beyond
+ Belief and Doubt", by Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Like the Moon's Reflection on the Water
+
+The enlightened mind
+Is without coming or departing.
+It is neither outside nor within.
+Transcending thought, it has no partiality.
+It is ultimate reality, unlimited and unconfined,
+Wherein there is no wide or narrow
+And no high or low.
+So set aside all anxious search for it.
+ -- from "Finding Rest in Illusion: The Trilogy of Rest, Volume 3", By
+ Longchenpa, translated by Padmakara Translation Group, published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Medhina
+
+Medhina was a farmer. A yogin approached him and offered to teach him how to
+escape from suffering. He gave him tantric instructions, but Medhina was too
+distracted by thoughts of his farmwork to meditate. The yogin therefore
+adapted his teachings to Medhina's milieu, telling him to think of his
+thoughts as the plow, the two oxen as pleasure and pain, and his own body as
+the field, sowing the seeds of the elements that will bear fruit as the bliss
+of the nature of reality. After twelve years of meditation, Medhina attained
+siddhi, proclaiming his realization from the top of a tree.
+ -- from "Seeing the Sacred in Samsara: An Illustrated Guide to the Eighty-
+ Four Mahasiddhas", by Donald S. Lopez Jr., published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Meritorious Deeds
+
+O father, this world is the site of karma;
+beyond it lies the site of karmic result.
+Whatever we have done in this life,
+we will definitely experience in another.
+Even small virtues and sins
+can have extensive results.
+Having been born into this site of karma,
+why not opt for planting virtuous seeds?
+ -- from "The Just King: The Tibetan Buddhist Classic on Leading an Ethical
+ Life", by Jamgön Mipham, translated by José Cabezón, published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Mindful Eating
+
+Personally speaking, I believe our motivation for eating is the key factor in
+transforming the action of eating into Dharma practice. When we recognize
+that we are able to eat due to the kindness of the sentient beings involved in
+the many activities necessary for a plate of food to arrive in front of us,
+attachment to food is easily replaced by gratitude toward sentient beings.
+When we contemplate that we have food now because in previous times we
+practiced generosity, we are inspired to eat with a virtuous mind to create
+constructive karma that will continue our good circumstances. We also realize
+that by accepting and eating this food, we have the responsibility to pay it
+forward by benefiting others with our study, meditation, and service work.
+ -- from "The Compassionate Kitchen: Buddhist Practices for Eating with
+ Mindfulness and Gratitude", by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Modern Students of Dharma
+
+Modern students behave very differently from ancient students of Dharma, if I
+judge from their histories. They are like children in a toy store who want to
+play with all the toys at once. Grasping, they go from one toy to another,
+capriciously throwing each one away when they have become tired of it or have
+difficulty making it work. Through changing intentions and strong divorce
+habit, they abandon their playthings with many different excuses. When they
+say, "my former teacher," this means their abandoned teacher, and since
+all teachers are embodiments of the same Buddha essence, this means that they
+have abandoned the Triple Gems and the path of enlightenment. Their Dharma is
+like their television: they are momentarily entertained, but when they are
+bored with one program, they constantly channel-change until they once again
+become bored. Just as they leave their worldly teachers when they find out
+what they want to know from them, they may leave their Buddhist teachers, even
+though they vowed when they took refuge in the words of the Buddha that they
+would never abandon the Buddha, never abandon the Dharma, never abandon the
+Sangha, and never abandon their teacher until they reach enlightenment.
+According to Buddhist tradition, the teacher is the representative of the
+Buddha, yet they think they can divorce tradition.
+ -- from " A Brief Fantasy History of a Himalayan: Autobiographical
+ Reflections", by Thinley Norbu, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Overview of the Vinaya
+
+Motivation is important to determine whether an action is positive or
+negative, or whether it contradicts the precepts or not. For example, when an
+act of stealing was reported to him, the Buddha asked, "What motivation did
+that person have when he did that? Was he sleeping? Was he mentally ill?"
+Do not think that the precepts simply say do not do this or that. They are
+much more subtle and make us examine our mind and its motivation. In doing
+so, they guide us in a new direction and indicate beneficial ways of being.
+ -- from "Choosing Simplicity: A Commentary on the Bhikshuni Pratimoksha", by
+ Venerable Bhikshuni Master Wu Yin, translated by Bhikshuni Jendy, edited
+ by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Pure Conduct
+
+Enemies, friends, and those who are neither are all supports for the mind
+training: they help us purify our negative actions and obscurations, so
+reflect on how grateful you should be to them. Do not do or say things in
+the hope that others will recognize how selfless you are. Keep your conduct
+absolutely pure, in accord with the Vinaya texts. Do not talk about others'
+faults. Any faults you see in others you should recognize as your own impure
+perception. Avoid trying to expose people's hidden flaws, speaking
+harshly, reciting wrathful mantras aimed at nonhuman beings, and the like. Do
+not pass on to others difficult tasks that have fallen to you, nor blame
+others for things that are your own fault. It is wrong to feel glad when
+those who are not on the same side as you are defeated, to think well of an
+enemy's death, or, when others fall ill, to wish that the riches and honors
+will come to you. Instead of being concerned about whether you feel good or
+bad, or about what people say about you, meditate on bodhichitta and give up
+the sort of sporadic practice that comes from lack of conviction.
+ -- from "A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom: Complete Instructions on the
+ Preliminary Practices", by Dudjom Rinpoche, translated by Padmakara
+ Translation Group, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Suppleness
+
+The Compendium of Abhidharma says:
+
+What is suppleness? It is physical and mental flexibility that [comes about]
+because the negative propensities of body and mind have been eliminated. Its
+function is to eliminate all obscurations.
+
+The negative propensities of body and mind prevent the cultivation of physical
+and mental virtues. The force of suppleness brings physical flexibility: the
+attainment of physical buoyancy and ease, free from problems, such as feeling
+heaviness in the body. And it brings mental flexibility: the joy and
+happiness attained once the mind can focus on an object without any trouble.
+ -- from "Moonbeams of Mahamudra", by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, translated by
+ Elizabeth M. Callahan, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Body of the Absolute Truth
+
+There is a state of being which is nameless in itself, though we can give it
+many names. We can call it dharmakaya, the body of the absolute truth, or the
+Buddha mind. Whatever we call it, it is totally enlightened in itself. There
+is a part of us that is already enlightened and that part of us is actually
+who we are; it is our true nature. There is also a part of us that is lost,
+that is a little bit miserable with a lot of aches and pains, headaches and
+heartaches now and then. That part is also easily entertained by glorious
+illusions; that part of us is not who we really are. That part of us is a
+shell that is going to break down sooner or later, hopefully in the near
+future.
+ -- from "The Magic of Awareness", by Anam Thubten, edited by Sharon Roe,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Importance of Training Our Mind
+
+We can get an inkling of how our mind affects our perception even in our
+everyday lives. For instance, when we struggle with difficulties, if our
+attitude is positive, we find that our pain is less and we are more at ease.
+And we can see that happy people are happy not because of material or external
+circumstances, but because of the peace and strength of their own mind.
+ -- from " The Heart of Unconditional Love: A Powerful New Approach to
+ Loving-Kindness Meditation", by Tulku Thondup, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+The Middle Way
+
+The Middle Way lies between the two extremes of existence and nonexistence,
+eternalism and nihilism. Furthermore, when we use our discriminating
+intelligence to analyze the nature of any phenomenon, we discover that, once
+we transcend the two conceptual extremes, there is no "middle" or
+"center" left over. There is no final resting place for the conceptual
+mind to dwell. The end result of our analysis is to allow reifying thoughts
+to dissolve into the peace that is free of all contrivance.
+ -- from "The Karmapa's Middle Way: Feast for the Fortunate", by The Ninth
+ Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje, translated by Tyler Dewar, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+The Nature of Reality
+
+Disturbing emotions, misperceptions, and confusions are not in accord with the
+nature of reality. Wisdom is in accord with the nature of reality. Wisdom is
+the power of truth, so its very presence in the mind causes the disturbances
+to weaken or vanish, just as light banishes darkness as soon as we flip the
+switch in a dark room.
+ -- from "Your Mind Is Your Teacher: Self-Awakening through Contemplative
+ Meditation", by Khenpo Gawang and Jamgon Mipham, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+The Symbolism of Turquoise
+
+One last time before our departure we pay a visit to Kagar Rinpoche. He
+offers us tea, gives us more information about places to see, and requests us
+to bring back stones from the various sacred sites we will visit. Then he
+hands Karma a turquoise, saying, "I entrust this la-yu to you, which all
+men wear as a stone of luck and good omens. Of all riches, this is the most
+precious; it protects and it cures. At the end of your pilgrimage, which will
+go well, I am sure of it, you will return home with all the blessings
+accumulated on the way." In Tibetan culture, the turquoise, yu, has a
+particularly profound symbolic value. Being both a "living" stone and
+susceptible to destruction, it shares with humans a common destiny. It
+represents both vitality and death. It also represents both beauty and wealth
+and serves as a "support" to human life itself. The term la-yu
+(literally "vital-spirit turquoise") occurs frequently in mythical and
+legendary themes and in folk tales: la referring to the vital spirit that
+humans are believed to possess, the will to live, the ability to function as
+an integrated person. It is this spirit or force that a turquoise guards,
+conserves, protects, and supports.
+ -- from "Tales of the Turquoise: A Pilgrimage in Dolpo", by Corneille Jest,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Working with Distractions
+
+It is important to avoid criticizing yourself when your mind is distracted or
+dull. Do not fall into discouraging thoughts or self-hatred because these are
+unproductive and are to be abandoned on the path. Remember that internal
+transformation takes time and rejoice in your opportunity to learn and
+practice the Dharma. "Slowly, slowly," as Lama Thubten Yeshe used to say.
+Learn to be satisfied with what you are able to do now while you aspire to
+improve in the future.
+ -- from "Guided Buddhist Meditations: Essential Practices on the Stages of
+ the Path", by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Ego masquerades as seer, doer, and adviser--seeking happiness and avoiding
+sorrow. Its real agenda is to keep the game going by churning out projections
+and reacting to them as though they were real. It continually provides the
+allure of desirable projections and the menace of undesirable ones. Hopes of
+possessing what we want and fears of getting what we don't want keep us
+spinning and avert the spotlight from ego's most basic deceit--our adviser
+is nothing but smoke and mirrors.
+ -- from "Contemplating Reality: A Practitioner's Guide to the View in
+ Indo-Tibetan Buddhism", By Andy Karr, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Absolute Loving-Kindness
+
+Enlightened mind sees all but without grasping at the "self." Because we
+are not grasping at "self," there is no dividing into duality, no clash
+and conflict between the rigid surfaces of the mind's dualistic concepts and
+its mental objects. When we see all with an open mind, we see all in oneness,
+unity. We see infinite phenomena simultaneously, as a result of the
+omniscient quality of the mind's nature. Since there are no clashes or
+conflicts, all is in a state of oneness, a state of ultimate peace, joy, and
+universal love; all is absolute loving-kindness.
+ -- from "The Healing Power of Loving-Kindness: A Guided Buddhist
+ Meditation", by Tulku Thondup, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Anger
+
+According to a basic Buddhist insight, the mind is essentially luminous and
+knowing. Therefore, emotional problems do not reside in the mind's essence;
+counter-productive attitudes are temporary, superficial, and can be removed.
+If distressing emotions such as anger were in the very nature of the mind,
+then from its inception, the mind would always have to be angry. Obviously,
+this is not so. Only under certain circumstances do we become angry, and when
+those circumstances are not present, anger is not present either.
+ -- from "The Heart of Meditation: Discovering Innermost Awareness", by H.H.
+ the Fourteenth Dalai Lama and Jeffrey Hopkins, published by Shambhala
+ Publications Apply Patience
+~
+How we conduct ourselves is one of the most important factors in our ability
+to comprehend the absolute truth. Whenever we react with aggression, we
+reinforce the idea that there is something real to be aggressive about. When
+we apply patience, however, our hearts become peaceful, which gives us more
+room to be able to see the illusory nature of things.
+ -- from "Peaceful Heart: The Buddhist Practice of Patience", by Dzigar
+ Kongtrul, edited by Joseph Waxman, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+A Process Unfolding
+
+Sitting in meditation with a mind that is not caught in discursive chatter
+enables a clearer sense of the process that makes up who we are. We start to
+see with bare awareness that we are actually just a process unfolding. This
+process is the basis of the sense of me. Upon this process we put the label
+that is our name.
+ -- from "Feeling Wisdom: Working with Emotions Using Buddhist Teachings and
+ Western Psychology", by Rob Preece, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+A Sage's Banquet
+
+Thoroughly establish in your mind the thought that all sentient beings equal
+to the limits of space were your parents, and you their child. Have the view
+of friends and enemies as being equal.
+
+If you do that, you will have immeasurable equanimity that is said to be like
+a sage throwing a banquet. When a sage throws a banquet for guests, he throws
+it for everyone, without any regard for high or low class, relative or
+unrelated, good or bad. You should have equanimity toward the objects of
+compassion, which are all sentient beings who pervade all of space. Until you
+are able to do that, train your mind.
+ -- from "A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva", by Ngawang
+ Tenzin Norbu, translated by Christopher Stagg, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Avoid Expectations
+
+Naturally we enter into meditation with some interest and enthusiasm, and
+there are goals to be attained. But in practice we must drop these. We must
+avoid the distractions created by expectations and not be tempted into placing
+quantity--the number of sessions we do per day, the "higher, more
+esoteric" practices we know, or how many mantras we have recited--over
+quality. If we get in a rush, we are introducing the stress typical of
+samsara. Instead, we cultivate patience. Samadhi . . . will arise
+naturally when we relax beyond our desires, goals, and expectations.
+ -- from "The Relaxed Mind: A Seven-Step Method for Deepening Meditation
+ Practice", by Dza Kilung Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Becoming Enlightened
+
+Becoming enlightened doesn't depend on calling ourselves "Buddhist." It
+depends on what we believe in our heart and how we practice to transform our
+mind. Any person who generates the determination to be free from cyclic
+existence, the altruistic aspiration for enlightenment, and the wisdom
+realizing emptiness can become a bodhisattva and a Buddha. It doesn't
+matter what they call themselves. We have to look at what a person believes
+and practices in order to evaluate whether their realizations are correct
+realizations or not. For this, developing discriminating wisdom and open-
+mindedness are essential.
+ -- from "How to Free Your Mind: The Practice of Tara the Liberator", by
+ Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Behold Suffering
+
+When we turn our minds toward an honest reflection on the nature of suffering,
+what happens? We encounter a fuller experience of our life. The Buddha knew
+this and that is why he turned his mind directly toward suffering--the very
+thing most of us spend our lives trying to avoid. Through doing this, the
+Buddha illustrated to us that to behold suffering--to admit suffering into
+our experience--reflects the spirit of bravery we need to awaken.
+ -- from "The Power of an Open Question: The Buddha's Path to Freedom", by
+ Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Be With Your Feelings
+
+If we cultivate more mindfulness and inner vigilance to be with our feelings
+instead of being caught up in them, then we are more empowered to respond
+instead of react; we're taking back control of our lives and our sense of
+freedom.
+ -- from "Wake Up to What Matters: A Guide to Tibetan Buddhism for the Next
+ Generation", by Avikrita Vajra Sakya, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Building A Foundation
+
+Just as we cannot build a house in the air but instead need a solid base,
+finding freedom also begins with building a foundation. The preliminaries are
+the necessary preparation for effective meditation. Using these
+contemplations, our priorities will change--we'll learn to let go of the
+causes of suffering and begin to adopt thoughts and actions that lead to
+genuine happiness. We must want freedom to find freedom. This motivation is
+the foundation for all spiritual practice.
+ -- from "The Power of Mind: A Tibetan Monk's Guide to Finding Freedom in
+ Every Challenge", by [Khentrul Lodro T'haye Rinpoche, published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Cherish Others
+
+You should cultivate love, understanding that all the living beings who fill
+space have been your gracious parents. Thereby you will acquire the higher
+aspiration that cherishes others more than yourself. Whatever you do, you
+should maintain the relative enlightened mind that is intent exclusively on
+the benefit of others.
+ -- from "Jonang: The One Hundred and Eight Teaching Manuals", by Jamgon
+ Kongtrul Lodro Taye, translated by Gyurme Dorje, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Choose Your Experience
+
+One of the most important things you can learn right now is how to recognize a
+passing mental event, remain in the present moment, and allow the mental event
+to dissolve. Are you aware that you can actually do that right now? When you
+begin to experience the separation that exists between the mental event
+passing through your mind and the actual mind itself, your Pristine Mind, then
+you begin to see for the first time that you do truly have the option to
+choose your experience. You learn how to do just that, and it changes your
+life.
+ -- from "Our Pristine Mind: A Practical Guide to Unconditional Happiness",
+ by Orgyen Chowang, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Clear Decisions
+
+In Buddhism we cultivate a wise concern regarding death. Because we know that
+one day we'll separate from all that is loved and valuable in this life and
+that only the seeds of our actions and our mental habits will continue to the
+next life, we want to make this life meaningful. To do so, we ask ourselves
+what is and is not important in life, and set our priorities accordingly. The
+Dharma practice that leads to inner transformation becomes a priority, and we
+are able to make clean, clear decisions in life, leaving confusion and doubts
+behind.
+ -- from "Awaken Every Day: 365 Buddhist Reflections to Invite Mindfulness
+ and Joy", by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Confident View
+
+If sometimes we practice with diligence and at other times just take it easy,
+we will not be able to develop confidence in our meditation on the view. What
+must we do to develop this confidence? We must understand that day and night,
+throughout the entire dimension of our lives, there is no difference between
+the meditation experience and the postmeditation experience.
+ -- from "Primordial Purity: Oral Instructions on the Three Words That Strike
+ the Vital Point", by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, translated by Ani Jinba
+ Palmo and The Nalanda Translation Committee, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Connection
+
+I promise that there is no difference between myself, Pema Jungne, and
+The person who reveals the Namchö treasures.
+
+Whoever makes a connection with him in even a small way
+Will root out the appearances of suffering
+And be led to the pure land of Sukhavati.
+
+Whoever has a physical connection with him
+Will certainly be born in the realms of Oddiyana or of the dakinis.
+ -- from "Sky Dharma: The Foundations of the Namchö Treasure Teachings", by
+ Karma Chagme and Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Creating Space
+
+Practicing creating space is a first step toward experiencing basic happiness.
+While we are creating space, we can experience a break from any tension and
+looping thoughts that were crowding in on us. They may still be lurking in
+our mind, but they no longer define how we feel. Creating space gives us a
+taste of the natural mental peace and steadiness that is uncovered once our
+thoughts and emotions lose their power to carry us away from the present
+moment. Wouldn't it be wonderful to experience this peace in any situation?
+ -- from "Radically Happy: A User's Guide to the Mind", by Phakchok Rinpoche
+ and Erric Solomon, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Deeply Resting
+
+In the morning we see that the sun is shining. When we see the light coming
+from the shoulder of the eastern mountain, are we the agent responsible for
+making sure that the sun rises on time? No. In the same way, we don't have
+to take care of this enlightenment business anymore. In that place of no more
+searching, we are totally resting without even the slightest sense of
+exertion. Then, believe it or not, enlightenment shines. Conditioned mind
+drops away without really making a big fuss once we know how to let liberation
+come to us by simply resting, deeply resting.
+ -- from "The Magic of Awareness", by Anam Thubten, edited by Sharon Roe,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Deity's Activities
+
+Although every deity accomplishes all enlightened activities, it is good to
+consider a deity's primary activities. Some, like Vajrasattva, mainly
+display peaceful actions. Others, like Ratnasambhava, manifest enriching
+activity. According to the scriptures, Vajrakila is principal among deities
+who dispel hindrances and obstructive forces. In particular, he is the great
+antidote to the afflictions of aversion and jealousy, the causes of all the
+sufferings of this worldly realm.
+ -- from "Vajrakilaya: A Complete Guide with Experiential Instructions", by
+ Kyabje Garchen Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Develop Karma
+
+The Kalachakra teachings urge us to go beyond the superficial layer of our
+ordinary experience. Instead of getting lost in the endless busyness of
+worldly existence, we can focus our energy inward and actively develop the
+karmic propensities that ensure our future lives are filled with happiness and
+not with suffering. . . . Through the practice of Kalachakra, you
+strengthen your connection to the principles of Shambhala and create the
+causes to experience greater peace and harmony both now and in the future.
+How much of Shambhala manifests is only limited by the effort you make to
+cultivate its causes.
+ -- from "The Realm of Shambhala: A Complete Vision for Humanity's
+ Perfection", by Shar Khentrul Jamphel Lodro, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Digging up Gold
+
+When we practice meditation, we are doing something useful for all beings....
+With the experience of greater clarity, we learn how to bring happiness onto
+our pathway and can engage in meaningful actions for ourselves and others--
+actions that are like discovering and digging up gold from the earth.
+ -- from "The Relaxed Mind: A Seven-Step Method for Deepening Meditation
+ Practice", by Dza Kilung Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Dig Out Dualism
+
+What makes the Buddhist path so special is that it looks dualistic, but it has
+that ability to liberate you from the bondage of dualism. . . . All the
+skillful means and methods of the Buddhadharma are like a thorn that we use to
+take out another thorn in our hand. The purpose of renunciation mind,
+compassion, the recitation of mantras, and contemplation on the breath is to
+dig out dualism.
+ -- from "The Guru Drinks Bourbon?", by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, edited by
+ Amira Ben-Yehuda, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Effort and Attention
+
+Realize that you have the capability to improve because you are not a fixed
+entity. If you apply focus to your compassion practice, your compassion will
+grow. If you put effort into your meditation practice, insight into
+selflessness will develop. With effort and attention, insight has no choice
+but to develop.
+ -- from "In the Footsteps of Bodhisattvas: Buddhist Teachings on the Essence
+ of Meditation", by Phakchok Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Effortless
+
+Buddhas have no concept of effort, yet they constantly benefit sentient beings
+by having the perfectly pure ten powers, with the promise to manifest any
+teachings according to beings' wishes.
+ -- from "The Ruby Rosary: Joyfully Accepted by Vidyadharas and Dakinis as
+ the Ornament of a Necklace", by Thinley Norbu, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Emptiness
+
+It would be reasonable to fear something that causes one to suffer, but since
+emptiness completely eradicates all suffering, why should one fear it? There
+is nothing to be afraid of. . . . Since there is no self, who is there to
+be afraid? Fear does not make sense. Therefore we should cast away our
+faintheartedness and be quick to meditate on emptiness.
+ -- from "The Wisdom Chapter: Jamgon Mipham's Commentary on the Ninth
+ Chapter of The Way of the Bodhisattva", by Jamgon Mipham, published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Engage with Emotions
+
+If we can be more observant of our emotional processes and see them more
+clearly, we will begin to have choices around our response to them. Freeing
+ourselves from the unconscious dominance of emotions requires that we be able
+to engage them with greater awareness. . . . If we are able to witness
+them without losing ourselves in them and becoming taken over by them, we then
+begin to disidentify and separate from them.
+ -- from "Feeling Wisdom: Working with Emotions Using Buddhist Teachings and
+ Western Psychology", by Rob Preece, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Evolving
+
+Look at your mind thoroughly and honestly and see all of its tendencies.
+You'll see there is fear, anger, judgment, guilt, and shame. There is so
+much of this in our mind, yet usually we don't recognize it. When we do, we
+can be literally terrified of our own mind. But this is good news, not bad
+news. Perhaps we all should be terrified by our own mind from time to time.
+When we are terrified by our mind, it does not mean that we are more deluded
+or more messed up than other people. Just the opposite. It is an indication
+that we are more awake and more mindful. It is an indication that we are
+evolving. This reflection will bring about a whole new level of awakening and
+transformation in our hearts and minds.
+ -- from "Choosing Compassion: How to Be of Benefit in a World That Needs Our
+ Love", by Anam Thubten, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Examine Our Minds
+
+We must always examine our minds in our daily life--not just through formal
+meditation, but even when we're eating, sitting, walking the dog, spending
+time with our friends, and so on. Then, as soon as any form of attachment,
+anger, jealousy, or any disturbing force arises, challenge it, because these
+afflictive emotions cause nothing but chaos--not just in this life, but in
+terms of lower rebirth in the future too. No outer enemy can do that, but the
+inner afflictions can.
+ -- from "Wake Up to What Matters: A Guide to Tibetan Buddhism for the Next
+ Generation", by Avikrita Vajra Sakya, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Excuses
+
+You should amass virtuous thoughts, even those that seem insignificant, and
+pass your time doing only what is wholesome and virtuous. Some claim that
+they are unable to study and contemplate because they have limited
+intelligence. Others claim that they cannot make offerings or gifts of
+material wealth because they are not rich enough. Still others claim that
+they are simply too old for Dharma practice to be effective. Although people
+make all kinds of excuses, it is mainly their own mind that is holding them
+back. The teachings say that even an animal can attain liberation if it can
+arouse diligence and confidence, so why even mention that this is true for
+humans?
+ -- from "Steps to the Great Perfection: The Mind-Training Tradition of the
+ Dzogchen Masters", by Jigme Lingpa, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Experience of the Mind
+
+In the sutras, the discussion of the nature of phenomena is usually explained
+with the statement that all things that appear are actually without true
+existence. In Mahamudra, however, we are not concerned with the nature of
+external objects but with the direct experience of the mind that is
+experiencing these external objects. So the foundation for our attention is
+the mind--our consciousness and our thoughts. Thoughts manifest in many
+forms. We have good thoughts (of faith, compassion, and so forth) and bad
+thoughts (of attachment, hatred, and so forth). But if we look directly at
+these thoughts, we will see that we can perceive or "see" them directly
+because thoughts are not distant or hard to find.
+ -- from "Tilopa's Wisdom: His Life and Teachings on the Ganges Mahamudra",
+ by Khenchen Thrangu, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Four Doors of the Secret Teaching
+
+The practice of Vajrayana is entered through what is known as the four doors
+of the secret teaching. Words are needed to convey meaning, which is the door
+of words. To awaken the heart of the deity, mantra is recited, which is the
+door of mantra. The practice of visualization is entered through the door of
+meditative concentration. To experience the inner meaning, there is the
+display of actions, signs, mudra, dancing, and music, which is the door of the
+display of mudra. These four doors are essential when doing sadhana practice.
+ -- from "The Art of Awakening: A User's Guide to Tibetan Buddhist Art and
+ Practice", by Konchog Lhadrepa and Charlotte Davis, published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Free from Limitations
+
+To begin experiencing Shambhala in your life you will need to focus on
+removing bias as much as possible. This does not mean you have to live a life
+without preferences or judgments of any kind. It simply means that you should
+learn to discriminate from within the full spectrum of your experience and
+then use wisdom to guide your interactions with the world. Rather than
+limiting your view to a small fixed reality, you can appreciate the many
+possibilities in a given situation and learn how to make use of them whenever
+appropriate. To be free of bias is another way of saying to be free from
+limitations.
+ -- from "The Realm of Shambhala: A Complete Vision for Humanity's
+ Perfection", by Shar Khentrul Jamphel Lodro, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Good Thoughts
+
+The moment you take the Bodhisattva Vow, if a good thought doesn't arise
+naturally in your mind, fake it! Make one up, and don't then despise
+yourself or your fake thought for being inauthentic. Even a fake good thought
+is better than none at all. And always remember that a contrived good thought
+will eventually lead to a genuine one.
+ -- from "Best Foot Forward: A Pilgrim's Guide to the Sacred Sites of the
+ Buddha", by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Impermanence
+
+A real understanding of impermanence makes us more tolerant. Suppose we feel
+like exploding in anger at someone who harms us. If we see the impermanent
+nature of enmity, we will realize that this person who appears as our enemy
+today might have been our child in a past life.
+ -- from "Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth: A Tibetan Buddhist Guidebook", by
+ Tulku Thondup, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Inner Freedom
+
+Sometimes we can be conscious of our motives and psychological patterns, but
+we do not confront them directly due to ego's resistance. We let them
+continuously govern our lives. For example, spiritual people may harbor
+hatred in their hearts and know all the reasons and deeper issues for why it
+is there. Even though they can trace the root back to early childhood,
+upbringing, or karmic stuff, they may still be complacent and not confront its
+source. In this way, ego is able to continuously resist authentic inner
+transformation. When we directly confront our issues with an attitude of
+acknowledging the problem and being determined to work through it, we gain a
+new impetus propelling us to inner freedom.
+ -- from "Into the Haunted Ground: A Guide to Cutting the Root of Suffering",
+ by Anam Thubten, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Interdependence
+
+Interdependence offers us a new way of looking at things by drawing us out of
+the narrow tunnel of self-absorption into a broader awareness. It shows us
+the way to live in sane relationship to our world, in grace. This
+understanding is not only inextricably linked with our survival but with basic
+sanity and insight as well.
+ -- from "The Logic of Faith: A Buddhist Approach to Finding Certainty Beyond
+ Belief and Doubt", by Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Karma
+
+Karma is a loaded word. Karma is popularly used to describe a sort of
+"divine plan" that includes its own system of punishment and reward. But
+the Sanskrit word karma simply means activity. What is the activity we are
+describing here? It is the activity of objectification. There is no Dr.
+Evil sitting in a large chair petting his cat and controlling our karma.
+There is no judge, no wise old man with a long white beard, no list of ethical
+"rights" and "wrongs." Karma doesn't predetermine anything. In
+fact, karma is just the movement of objectified experience. Karma is the
+natural, impersonal law of cause and effect. As long as we objectify things,
+we will continue to live in a world that follows the dictates of karma.
+ -- from "The Power of an Open Question: The Buddha's Path to Freedom", by
+ Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Karmic Theory
+
+The correct approach to karma, to cause and effect, is not to think of it too
+mechanically. We should not think that when we do something, we promptly and
+automatically experience the consequences. . . . Nor is karma a form of
+fatalism, or determinism, or an ideological vehicle for accepting one's lot
+in life. Karmic theory is actually meant to give the opposite message, to
+encourage us to become even more determined to improve ourselves and move
+forward.
+ -- from "Karma: What It Is, What It Isn't, Why It Matters", by Traleg
+ Kyabgon, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Liberation
+
+While the gathering of merit is conceptual,
+The gathering of wisdom is not so.
+Conjoined, they purify the twofold veil
+And manifest the twofold kaya.
+They are the sphere of meditation and postmeditation.
+They are, in common beings, stained
+But are unstained in Noble Ones.
+By their successive practice, liberation is obtained.
+ -- from "Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind: The Trilogy of Rest, Volume
+ 1", by Longchenpa, translated by Padmakara Translation Group, published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Loosen Your Grip
+
+Once you realize that everything you see is projected by your own mind, you
+are well on the way to understanding that "everything" necessarily
+includes birth, death, living and dying. This helps loosen your grip on what
+you think "living" really is. You will begin to see that life and living
+are simply part of yet another illusion.
+ -- from "Living Is Dying: How to Prepare for Death, Dying and Beyond", by
+ Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Mere Projections
+
+The cause of all our pain and suffering is not knowing that life and death are
+illusions; or to put it another way, not knowing that the bardos of life and
+death are mere projections. As we imagine that everything we see and
+experience truly exists, we misinterpret our perceptions and then we suffer.
+When we chant "om mani padme hum" we purify those misperceptions.
+ -- from "Living Is Dying: How to Prepare for Death, Dying and Beyond", by
+ Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Observing the Observer
+
+The practice of observing the observer delves into the unborn nature of
+awareness itself, dismantling the dichotomy between inside and outside. On
+the practical level, it is a potent antidote for a broad range of mental
+afflictions. When you get angry, anxious, or are craving something, when you
+feel jealous or conceited, practice observing the observer. This one practice
+drives a spike right through the heart of these afflictions, causing them to
+evaporate like mist.
+ -- from "The Art of Transforming the Mind: A Meditator's Guide to the
+ Tibetan Practice of Lojong", by B. Alan Wallace, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Opening Our Heart
+
+The true meaning of opening our heart is that we no longer have fear of losing
+anything. It is a form of surrender, yet such surrender has no object. It is
+not like we are surrendering to something. What we surrender are our hopes
+and fears, and an investment in our misery. When we have reached the final
+point of that surrender there is nothing that we want to hold on to.
+ -- from "The Magic of Awareness", by Anam Thubten, edited by Sharon Roe,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Opening Our Hearts
+
+For a Buddhist like Nagarjuna, proceeding toward true reality and realizing
+mind's nature does not merely depend on the sharpness of prajna seeing
+through all our hang-ups, but on the union of this prajna with the proper
+means. No matter how sophisticated our reasonings or how refined our insight
+may be, there is no way around also opening our hearts, giving rise to
+positive mental imprints (aka accumulating merit), and cultivating compassion
+for others.
+ -- from "In Praise of Dharmadhatu: Nagarjuna and Rangjung Dorje on Buddha
+ Nature", by Nagarjuna and Rangjung Dorje, translated by Karl Brunnhoelzl,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Opportunity
+
+Even to hear the teachings is something very rare, which only happens once in
+aeons. That you have met the Dharma now is not just coincidence. It results
+from your past positive actions. Such an opportunity should not be wasted.
+If your mind is in accord with Dharma, you will not experience any problems
+with the things of this life; while if you are constantly preoccupied with
+your ordinary pursuits, your problems will increase, and nothing will be
+accomplished.
+ -- from "The Heart of Compassion: The Thirty-seven Verses on the Practice of
+ a Bodhisattva", by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, translated by Padmakara
+ Translation Group, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Overcome Self-Centeredness
+
+Don't be lenient with self-centeredness. Recognize this quality of mind
+that has brought us misery, discontent, anxiety, and frustration, year after
+every year of this lifetime, not to speak of lifetimes before this since time
+out of mind. Each morning, look at the day that is yet to unfold and really
+set up the aspiration not to succumb to the self-centeredness, not to value
+our own welfare as the priority in our daily activities. This is a perfectly
+feasible transformation of the mind.
+ -- from "The Seven-Point Mind Training: A Tibetan Method for Cultivating
+ Mind and Heart", by B. Alan Wallace, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Perception
+
+Unless we practice the teachings through study, reflection, and meditation, we
+are stuck in the rut of being controlled by our thoughts and habits. The way
+we think of and perceive the world is mistaken. Our consciousness is
+structured such that no matter how carefully we may think, no matter how hard
+we may try to grasp the world around us, the conclusion we arrive at is always
+different from what things are actually like, and it is our acting upon this
+mistaken perception that leads to suffering.
+ -- from "Sadness, Love, Openness: The Buddhist Path of Joy", by Chokyi Nyima
+ Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Possessions
+
+Patrul often pointed out the uselessness of worldly concerns and the
+inherently unsatisfactory nature of samsara. In particular, he emphasized the
+never-ending problems that came with owning possessions, saying, "Don't
+you get it? If you've got money, you've got money problems. If you have
+a house, you have house problems. If you have yaks, you have yak problems.
+If you have goats, you have goat problems!"
+ -- from "Enlightened Vagabond: The Life and Teachings of Patrul Rinpoche",
+ by Matthieu Ricard, edited by Constance Wilkinson, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Precious Human Rebirth
+
+We have now obtained this precious human body endowed with the eighteen
+favorable conditions, which is very hard to obtain and may never be acquired
+again. If we use this support to practice Dharma and enter the path of
+liberation, we will always receive the proper support to continue on the path,
+but if we don't use it to integrate the Dharma into our being, there is very
+little chance of getting such an opportunity again. If we don't use our
+precious human body for Dharma practice, we may accumulate a lot of wealth,
+power, fame, and so on, but it will have no real benefit and will just carry
+us farther away from the path of liberation, casting us into the lower realms.
+Thus, it is our responsibility to strive again and again to let our master's
+blessings enter our stream of being.
+ -- from "An Ocean of Blessings: Heart Teachings of Drubwang Penor Rinpoche",
+ by Penor Rinpoche, translated by Ani Jinba Palmo, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Primordial Fortress
+
+When you are able to witness your fear, then you feel that there is this
+ground inside of you, this unshakable ground where you can reside. It can
+sometimes be physical, or it can be a state of mind or a state of
+consciousness. The Tantric masters call it the Primordial Fortress. This is
+the state of conscious in which you cannot be ruled by your own fear. Once
+you witness your fear, it has no power over you. It begins to lose its grip
+on you. Soon fear becomes your neighbor. You can dance with it. Eventually
+fear turns into an ally and becomes your friend and a part of you. Your
+neuroses become your intelligence. When fear rules you, it becomes a
+neurosis. When it loses power over you, it becomes intelligence. It helps
+you survive. It helps you find a way in this life. It helps you get around.
+ -- from "Embracing Each Moment: A Guide to the Awakened Life", by Anam
+ Thubten, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Protection from Fear
+
+If we did not have any fears and had the power to attain enlightenment, there
+would be no need to seek refuge. However, it is not like that for us now.
+Since beginningless time we have been oppressed by the slothful mind of
+ignorance, bound by the noose of karma and mental afflictions, and punished by
+birth, old age, sickness, and death. . . . Through confident faith in the
+three jewels, which have the power to protect from such fear, one has the
+mental state of complete trust and confidence.
+ -- from "A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva", by Ngawang
+ Tenzin Norbu, translated by Christopher Stagg, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Protection
+
+The Dharma itself cannot fail us, because it is how things really are. It
+won't fail us because the protection that the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha
+give is to the mind. How they protect our mind is what is explained in the
+verses to follow, which are concerned with how to use the adverse
+circumstances we are likely to meet in samsara and transform them into our
+opportunities for practice. That's where the mind is protected, because it
+can never be crushed. Because we have the methods by which we can always
+surmount, transcend, and transform the difficulties we meet. This is one way
+that the Three Jewels are a protection for our own mind.
+ -- from "The Heroic Heart: Awakening Unbound Compassion", by Jetsunma Tenzin
+ Palmo, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Refuge
+
+I would like to take refuge in you, Lord Buddha,
+until I am the same as you,
+exalted principal deity
+in the center of the wisdom light mandala,
+alluringly in union with your consort
+with all desirable qualities.
+
+I would like to take refuge in your Dharma,
+which can use all my passions' poison
+without exception, as healing ambrosia.
+I would like to take refuge in your Sangha,
+who generate pure phenomena through visualization
+and experience all form as wisdom deity,
+All sound as wisdom mantra,
+All thought as self-liberating in wisdom mind.
+ -- from "A Brief Fantasy History of a Himalayan: Autobiographical
+ Reflections", by Thinley Norbu, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Rejoice in Virtue
+
+Being able to evaluate ourselves accurately and fairly is a skill that needs
+to be developed. While avoiding bragging and boasting, we also don't need
+to hide our skills or deprecate ourselves. We can discuss our good qualities
+and accomplishments when necessary without embellishing them and then use our
+talents and abilities to benefit others.
+When we help someone, rather than being puffed up with pride, it's good to
+reflect, "I'm practicing the bodhisattva path and have taken the
+bodhisattva vow, so I'm only doing what I promised to do. I'm grateful
+for the opportunity to do this." In that way, we avoid arrogance and at the
+same time rejoice in our virtue.
+ -- from "Good Karma: How to Create the Causes of Happiness and Avoid the
+ Causes of Suffering", by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Results
+
+There is a natural tendency, when our practice starts to go well, to get
+excited at the prospect of attaining wonderful results very quickly. This
+excitement is believed to attract maras, malignant entities who create
+obstacles for us. It is like turning on a neon sign in our thoughts that
+says, "I am on the verge of a great breakthrough! Hey, maras, come and get
+it!" Avoid this, because experience teaches us that this kind of excitement
+over hopes of great and swift results, rather than enhancing the practice,
+simply creates problems in our meditation.
+ -- from "The Seven-Point Mind Training: A Tibetan Method for Cultivating
+ Mind and Heart", by B. Alan Wallace, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Scattered Mind
+
+When you first try stabilizing the attention, it seems that mental agitation
+is worse than before you made any effort at all. But the mind was always
+scattered. You were just not aware of it. If you acknowledge that one of the
+goals of meditating is to witness the condition of the mind and realize that
+stability develops gradually, you will not be disappointed.
+
+ -- from "The Art of Transforming the Mind: A Meditator's Guide to the
+ Tibetan Practice of Lojong", by B. Alan Wallace, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Self-Respect
+
+Respect toward yourself is more significant than any respect from others
+because you know yourself better. When you practice patience, for example,
+you must know why you're doing it and how it benefits you. If you value
+self-respect and do virtuous things that are unknown to others, you will
+naturally gain self-confidence, strength, and freedom from your neuroses. You
+will feel more and more inspired to develop your tsewa and shed the eight
+worldly concerns because of the benefit and freedom you personally experience
+by doing so. Your heart will be at peace, and eventually others will respect
+you as a person who has truly been transformed.
+ -- from "Peaceful Heart: The Buddhist Practice of Patience", by Dzigar
+ Kongtrul, edited by Joseph Waxman, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Shackles Are Broken
+
+I have rid myself of compulsive clinging
+To the beginningless impressions of "I";
+Now the shackles of my reified thinking are broken,
+And I no longer have the pride of fundamental knowledge.
+Send this message to those who understand;
+Tell them Rangjung Dorje said it.
+ -- from "The Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje: Master of Mahamudra", translated
+ by Ruth Gamble, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Spontaneous Mindfulness
+
+Even though mindfulness is a natural expression of the awakened mind, it has
+been buried under eons of mindlessness, so we have to work to dig it out. The
+initial stage of mindfulness practice is called deliberate mindfulness because
+it takes effort to bring our wandering minds back. It is difficult only
+because it is unfamiliar. One sign of progress on the path is that deliberate
+mindfulness evolves into spontaneous mindfulness. With enough practice, it
+becomes effortless.
+ -- from "The Power and the Pain: Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy",
+ by Andrew Holecek, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Stainless Compassion
+
+"What is the key to compassion?" Through greater and greater
+familiarization, I discovered that the only time I can have pure compassion is
+when I am free from ego. This is what the Buddha refers to in the King of
+Meditation Sutra when he says, "Therefore, you teach them emptiness,
+profundity, peace, and nonconceptuality." The profound equality of all
+beings is known only in the moment in which the "I" no longer exists.
+Only through the recognition of emptiness is there stainless compassion. This
+stainless compassion, inseparable from emptiness, is none other than the
+ultimate samadhi.
+ -- from "In the Footsteps of Bodhisattvas: Buddhist Teachings on the Essence
+ of Meditation", by Phakchok Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Study and Reflection
+
+Mipham would reflect that if he were to squander a single day in meaningless
+activity, the little that had entered his understanding would be lost. This
+weighed heavily on his mind, and it was constantly in his thoughts that if
+only he were to meet a learned master, he would give himself utterly to study
+and reflection. And it was in such a fervent state of mind that, at the age
+of fifteen, he made his way to Dzogchen Monastery, in the company of a large
+contingent of his fellow countrymen.
+ -- from "Lion of Speech: The Life of Mipham Rinpoche", by Dilgo Khyentse
+ Rinpoche and Jamgon Mipham, translated by Padmakara Translation Group,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Suffering
+
+Suffering is the master that teaches the faults of samsara; it is the direct
+cause for the practice of compassion and patience; it is the delineation point
+of dharma; it is the condition for purifying obscurations; it has unfathomable
+[such good qualities].
+ -- from "A Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva", by Ngawang
+ Tenzin Norbu, translated by Christopher Stagg, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Sunlight Floods In
+
+Devotion and trust are self-reinforcing. As they fill our minds, we become
+increasingly aware of the flood of Buddha blessings and loving-kindness
+permeating our mind and body, and transforming everything into a universe of
+devotion, wishing happiness and enlightenment for all. It is just as when we
+open the doors and windows to our room, and the sunlight floods in.
+ -- from "The Heart of Unconditional Love: A Powerful New Approach to Loving-
+ Kindness Meditation", by Tulku Thondup, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Tame Your Mind
+
+It is said that the Buddha taught eighty-four thousand Dharma teachings and
+that these teachings can all be condensed into the following three lines. The
+first is, "Do as many good actions as you can." The second is,
+"Avoid as many bad actions as you can." How does one practice the
+good and avoid the bad? The third line contains the answer: "Tame your
+mind."
+ -- from "An Ocean of the Ultimate Meaning: Teachings on Mahamudra", by
+ Khenchen Thrangu, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Bardo Experience
+
+Bardo means gap; it is not only the interval of suspension after we die but
+also suspension in the living situation; death happens in the living situation
+as well. The bardo experience is part of our basic psychological makeup.
+There are all kinds of bardo experiences happening to us all the time,
+experiences of paranoia and uncertainty in everyday life; it is like not being
+sure of our ground, not knowing quite what we have asked for or what we are
+getting into. . . . Birth and death apply to everybody constantly, at this
+very moment.
+ -- from "The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation Through Hearing
+ in the Bardo", translated by Francesca Fremantle and Chogyam Trungpa,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The First Step
+
+The first step in dream practice is simple: one must recognize the potential
+dream holds for the spiritual journey. Normally a dream is thought to be
+"unreal," as opposed to "real" waking life. But waking life, too, is
+dreamlike. We spend most of our waking time in the dreams of the moving mind.
+This is why dream yoga applies to all experience, to the dreams of the night
+and the dreams of the day.
+ -- from "The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep: Practices for Awakening", by
+ Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Mind Is an Ally
+
+Retreat should be a pleasure, not an ordeal. It should be a delight, because
+if the mind is delighted with what it's doing, it engages and becomes one
+with the practice.... We need to understand our own limits and have
+compassion for ourselves. Then we need to learn how to use the mind as an
+ally, so it does the practice with joy. It's very important, therefore, not
+to push ourselves beyond our capacity. In our sessions we should stop before
+we become tired, because if we stop while the mind is still enjoying the
+experience, the mind remembers, "That was fun." It will be enthusiastic
+again next time.
+ -- from "Reflections on a Mountain Lake: Teachings on Practical Buddhism",
+ by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Mind
+
+There is no limit to the projections of whatever phenomena of samsara and
+enlightenment, or self and other, that are designed by the artist of the
+mind's conceptions. If this is explained generally, however, whether one
+believes in spiritual or ordinary phenomena, the believer is the mind. Also,
+a nonbeliever is the mind. For example, if someone says, "I do not believe
+that," it shows there is a consciousness or mind that does not believe,
+which cannot be denied.
+ -- from "The Sole Panacea: A Brief Commentary on the Seven-Line Prayer to
+Guru Rinpoche That Cures the Suffering of the Sickness of Karma and
+Defilement", by Thinley Norbu, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Nature of Mind
+
+Mind's nature is indivisible emptiness and clarity--
+Inexpressible and indestructible, like space.
+When it is seen,
+there is no separate one who sees;
+There is but a single all-encompassing sphere.
+Even looker and looking are one and the same.
+This view of seeing all at once is unsurpassed,
+A centerless, limitless experience beyond compare.
+In this fruition, when what must be done has been done,
+There's no seeing at all, and any wish to see,
+Any deep longing to discover the view,
+Is naturally destroyed from its very depths.
+To arrive at such contentment and evenness
+Is to be touched by brave Manjusri's beneficent light.
+ -- from "Beyond the Ordinary Mind: Dzogchen, Rimé, and the Path of Perfect
+Wisdom", by Patrul Rinpoche and Jamgon Mipham, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Nectar of Truth
+
+Truth is not conceptual. We can never understand or realize it through
+concepts and ideas. Truth is not to be understood. Rather, it is meant to be
+experienced, tasted, like nectar. There is nothing to understand about
+nectar. One must taste it, drink it, and experience it. The truth is like
+that. It is to be experienced and realized, not speculated about.
+ -- from "No Self, No Problem: Awakening to Our True Nature", by Anam
+ Thubten, edited by Sharon Roe, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Three Kayas
+
+In Sanskrit: Margakaryatridharmanama
+In Tibetan: Lam khyer kyi chos gsum
+
+Homage to the glorious great bliss of the three kayas.
+One who has attended an excellent guru and received empowerment,
+who dwells in solitude, having mentally given up the world,
+and practices this sublime path with single-pointed effort,
+will attain the three spontaneities within years or months.
+In this way, using the variety of appearances
+as the bliss, emptiness, and clarity
+of the guru, yidam, and illusion,
+integration of three kayas will occur naturally.
+ -- from "Shangpa Kagyu: The Tradition of Khyungpo Naljor, Part One:
+ Essential Teachings of the Eight Practice Lineages of Tibet, Volume 11
+ (The Treasury of Precious Instructions)", by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Tolerance
+
+No matter in what situations we find ourselves, when we don't have so many
+opinions and preferences we naturally experience more peace of mind. We feel
+more agreeable, more comfortable, and more able to fit in with others. When
+we are more tolerant, not only do our minds' stability and experience of
+meditation improve, but the conduct of our body, speech, and mind also
+improves because we stop being so reactive.
+ -- from "Stop Biting the Tail You're Chasing: Using Buddhist Mind Training
+ to Free Yourself from Painful Emotional Patterns", by Anyen Rinpoche and
+ Allison Choying Zangmo, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Two Thoughts
+
+There is infinitely much that we might possibly think and feel. Myriads of
+different thoughts and ideas run through our minds. But among all the
+thoughts that we might possibly have, there are two that stand out as truly
+special. The first is the thought of impermanence. Thinking about
+impermanence clears the mind of its clutter. It enables us to think of and
+perceive the world in a way that is radically different and genuinely
+constructive. The second is love and compassion. Love and compassion hold
+inconceivable power. Love and compassion never lead us astray. Love and
+compassion strip the mind of negative emotions and unwholesome thoughts.
+Dharma practice is about recognizing impermanence so that love and compassion
+become all-encompassing and universal.
+ -- from "Sadness, Love, Openness: The Buddhist Path of Joy", by Chokyi Nyima
+ Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Unshakeable
+
+When we train in loving-kindness, we expand outward into the experience of
+those around us. Our tightness loosens, our compassion grows. We feel the
+joys and sufferings of others more deeply, and we are moved to help them. We
+take delight in the successes of our friends. Our equanimity becomes rooted
+in an indestructibly pure intention, in which distance and closeness of
+relation are no longer relevant. This is why the Buddha said we can become
+unshakeable like Mount Meru. We become warm and unmovable.
+ -- from "In the Footsteps of Bodhisattvas: Buddhist Teachings on the Essence
+ of Meditation", by Phakchok Rinpoche, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Unwavering Mountain
+
+We are considered to have a precious human body only when we sincerely listen
+to Buddhist teachings and contemplate the meaning of what we have heard. Even
+that is not sufficient in itself. The meaning has to make an impact on us so
+that we become transformed by our spiritual practices and can make a
+difference to the lives of others. If our spiritual commitment is as
+unwavering as a mountain, our human body can become a vessel that holds
+everything precious and worthwhile in life.
+ -- from "Mind at Ease: Self-Liberation through Mahamudra Meditation", by
+ Traleg Kyabgon, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Upright
+
+The next condition is to be upright. "Upright" is a word that we
+mightn't use very much. To be upright means to be truthful, to be reliable
+and responsible. To be truthful to others as a matter of course. But to be
+truthful to oneself about oneself--and that is much more difficult. Most
+people run around with blinkers on. They can't see beyond the straight
+horizon, can't see themselves from all sides. It's difficult to see
+oneself as others see one. It takes mindfulness, bare attention to oneself.
+And it certainly doesn't mean blaming oneself, criticizing oneself, judging
+oneself--it means none of that. It means recognition. The formula is
+"recognition, don't blame, change." Blaming is another negativity.
+Criticizing is another negativity. And whoever criticizes him-or herself will
+criticize the people around him [or her]. There's no way we can stop
+criticizing if we start it somewhere. So that is not the way to go at it.
+ -- from "The Path to Peace: A Buddhist Guide to Cultivating Loving-
+ Kindness", by Ayya Khema, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Vast Hallucination
+
+Just as in the middle of a desert plain
+A small thing seen from far away
+May yet seem vast in size,
+From just a slight attachment
+To a self in that which has no self,
+The vast hallucination of samsara manifests.
+
+When these hallucinations are investigated,
+They are found to be unreal.
+When you understand that, just like space,
+They cannot be removed,
+Just let them be.
+
+And do not cling so foolishly
+To this world's real existence--
+This world that, like a trick of sight,
+Appears without existing.
+ -- from "Finding Rest in Illusion: The Trilogy of Rest, Volume 3", by
+ Longchenpa, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Why Meditate?
+
+The Tibetan word for "meditate," gom, means "to familiarize" or
+"habituate." In this case, we intentionally habituate ourselves with
+beneficial and realistic attitudes and emotions. Thus, we familiarize
+ourselves with the meaning and experiences of these meditations in order to
+transform our minds. Similarly, the English word practice implies repetition
+and gradual development. Change does not occur suddenly but over time. We
+must practice continuously and meditate on the same topics repeatedly to gain
+familiarity with them and to shift our perspective.
+
+ -- from "Guided Buddhist Meditations: Essential Practices on the Stages of
+ the Path", by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Working With Hardship
+
+What is hardship for one person is not hardship for another. We need to be
+flexible to deal with whatever we encounter. For some people, being alone is
+easy; for others, it is difficult. For some people, living in community is
+easy; for others, it is hardship. Whatever is hardship according to our own
+personal karma is what we need to be willing to work with.
+ -- from "Good Karma: How to Create the Causes of Happiness and Avoid the
+ Causes of Suffering", by Thubten Chodron, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+A Note on Goodbyes
+
+When we are in a hurry, we often only half listen and don't really look at
+the person we are talking to. When we recognize the truth that either of us
+could die tonight, our heart opens. We can listen, look, and speak with a
+clearer awareness of this one unique encounter. When Japanese people say
+goodbye to a friend, they stand and wave until the car or train is out of
+sight. They hold the poignant awareness that this could be the last time they
+will see this person.
+ -- from "Mindful Medicine: 40 Simple Practices to Help Healthcare
+ Professionals Heal Burnout and Reconnect to Purpose", by Jan Chozen Bays,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Any or None
+
+Zen does not bring about peace or war. It shows us how to live properly in
+either. Zen does not show us how to be all of the same belief, but how to
+live with any, or none.
+ -- from "Poetry and Zen: Letters and Uncollected Writings of R. H. Blyth",
+ by R. H. Blyth, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+As the Light Dims
+
+As the light dims in your human eyes for the last time, what will you say of
+the life that's passing? What has joined its molecules with yours, carved
+itself into your bones? As the last well presents itself, what will fall with
+you from this rocky little planet?
+ -- from "Through Forests of Every Color: Awakening with Koans", by Joan
+ Sutherland, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Attention
+
+By inviting the bodymind into stillness, we are inviting attention into
+stillness. The process tends to draw us into bringing attention to
+attention--we begin to notice the process and structure of noticing itself.
+In other words, we develop the capacity to watch what attention is doing as it
+moves around. This attention to attention generates awareness.
+ -- from "The Path of Aliveness: A Contemporary Zen Approach to Awakening
+ Body and Mind", by Christian Dillo, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+By the Age of Three
+
+It is the mother whom the infant accepts with its pure body and mind when it
+comes into the world. The one who is always physically closest to the infant
+during the most important period of growth is also the mother. There is a
+Japanese proverb that says, "What is instilled by the age of three is
+remembered to the age of a hundred."
+ -- from "Zen Seeds: 60 Essential Buddhist Teachings on Effort, Gratitude,
+ and Happiness", by Shundo Aoyama, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Careful Attention
+
+My Zen teacher handled everything as if it were alive. I loved to watch him
+open his mail. Each envelope, even junk mail, was carefully slit open and the
+contents removed with careful attention. When we move our attention from our
+head to our fingers, when we touch things with careful attention--even
+inanimate objects--we also are touched. We establish a connection that
+nourishes us, too.
+ -- from "Mindful Medicine: 40 Simple Practices to Help Healthcare
+ Professionals Heal Burnout and Reconnect to Purpose", by Jan Chozen Bays,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Don't Wobble
+
+One cannot live this moment completely, without comparison, so long as it
+still seems that there might be some other real alternative. But one has to
+find out, first of all, that there is actually nothing else to do. And there
+isn't. Everything else is a straining after shadows and clutching at winds;
+and if one must strain after shadows, well go ahead and strain. There is a
+saying in Zen Buddhism, "Walk or sit just as you will, but whatever you do,
+don't wobble"--to which I would add, but if you must wobble, wobble with
+all your might. "The fool who persists in their folly will become wise."
+But they must persist with the whole energy of their soul.
+ -- from "Talking Zen: Reflections on Mind, Myth, and the Magic of Life", by
+ Alan Watts, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Getting Old
+
+Finally, getting old is about practicing love. Loving is something an old
+person can do at least as well as a young one. Bad short-term memory can't
+keep me from loving. Not knowing how to get to the knitting store can't
+keep me from loving. What I really want to say is that whatever else I lose,
+I'll be okay as long as I can love.
+ -- from "Alive Until You're Dead: Notes on the Home Stretch", by Susan Moon,
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Look Carefully at Flowers
+
+If people would just discard their selfish criteria and look carefully at
+flowers and grasses, they would see that heaven and earth bless the life of
+every flower and blade of grass, and that these things are wonderful. So it
+is with human beings. Because they live, people experience gain and loss,
+love and hatred, joy and anger, relief and sorrow. Each of these experiences
+is an important tool in our irreplaceable lives.
+ -- from "Zen Seeds: 60 Essential Buddhist Teachings on Effort, Gratitude,
+ and Happiness", by Shundo Aoyama, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Meditation Is a Natural Function
+
+It helps to know that meditation is a natural function, one that we have lost
+in the rush, complexity, and sometimes-chaos of modern urban-centered life.
+But a natural function can be reclaimed. And if you turn toward it, and begin
+to practice it, eventually it will take its place again as a way of
+experiencing life that is the opposite of anxiety, stress, and fear about the
+future. This natural and most welcome way of calling up inner ease and simple
+happiness always lives inside of us. Periodically, meditation calls to us
+from within. "Let me emerge. I can restore you to mental health."
+ -- from "Mindful Medicine: 40 Simple Practices to Help Healthcare
+ Professionals Heal Burnout & Reconnect to Purpose", by Jan Chozen Bays,
+ MD, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+On Getting Caught
+
+In meditation, we learn to observe the arising of a strong emotion, to feel
+its intensity and notice where in our body it is held, and to begin to see the
+reactive patterns that occur. We see how we magnify and generalize by making
+stories out of our feelings. We weave a web around the emotion and then get
+caught in it, often catching others as well.
+ -- from "Zen in the Age of Anxiety: Wisdom for Navigating Our Modern Lives",
+ by Tim Burkett, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Our Whole Life Through
+
+Our psyches are at least as difficult to maintain as our mouths. Even if we
+brush and floss regularly, a steady diet of junk food is likely to make us
+ill; even if we meditate regularly, unless we act according to the precepts,
+we're likely to suffer. In spiritual practice, we sometimes need teachers
+and sangha members to tell us where we're stuck or when we're missing
+something. It's not easy to examine the dark places of our minds; it calls
+for practice our whole life through.
+ -- from "That Is Not Your Mind!: Zen Reflections on the Surangama Sutra", by
+ Robert Rosenbaum, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Practice Dignity
+
+All of us, whether living alone or with others, do indeed have someone who
+needs us on a daily basis, and that's our own dear selves. You can enjoy a
+friendly dialogue with the person you cook for ("How do you like your egg
+cooked, Sue?" "I don't want the yolk to be runny.") even if that
+person is yourself.
+Practice dignity. You can be upright in your attitude even if your back is
+bent. Remember, you are Buddha.
+ -- from "Alive Until You're Dead: Notes on the Home Stretch", by Susan
+ Moon, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Practice is returning, always, back to the body. Feeling the original pain,
+anger, or whatever emotion it is that you're trying to cover. Human beings
+want to cover everything, so we don't feel it. We don't want to go out of
+our way to feel something that's unpleasant, do we? No. If you're like
+me, you'll find some way to cover it. But the longer we practice, the more
+quickly we see what we're doing.
+ -- from "Ordinary Wonder: Zen Life and Practice", by Charlotte Joko Beck,
+ edited by Brenda Beck Hess, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The aim of life, its only aim, is to be free. Free of what? Free to do what?
+Only to be free, that is all. Free through ourselves, free through others;
+free to be sad, to be in pain; free to grow old and die. This is what our
+soul desires, and this freedom it must have; and shall have.
+ -- from "Poetry and Zen: Letters and Uncollected Writings of R. H. Blyth",
+ by R. H. Blyth, edited by Norman Waddell, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+The Koan Birds
+
+Koans are both full of promise and unsettling, and I've wondered if
+sometimes people have reacted to their subversive power by trying to
+domesticate them--treating them as the closely held possession of a few,
+turning koan practice into a stylized contest you can learn the rules for,
+treating them as allegories or parables, or drafting them into a purely
+psychological process. As I see it, the koan birds, messengers from the
+territory of what we don't yet know, need to remain untamed, so that we can
+discover each one's particular wildness and let it undomesticate us.
+ -- from "Through Forests of Every Color: Awakening with Koans", by Joan
+ Sutherland, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Master Refused
+
+When Igami Kyueimon, the samurai official governing Hakata, paid a formal
+visit to the graveyard at Shofukuji, the founder's hall was in the midst
+of construction. He thereupon proposed that he donate the cost of roof tiles
+for the building. The Master, however, refused. As he
+subsequently explained, "People who announce they wish to donate things to
+the temple all just want to promote their own clan by putting their family
+crest on things."
+ -- from "Sengai Tales" in "Zen Master Tales: Stories from the Lives
+ of Taigu, Sengai, Hakuin, and Ryokan", by Peter Haskel, published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+The most important ingredient of transformation is attention. Where your
+attention goes, your life goes. When we think about the development of our
+lives, we usually think about the big transitions: things like the first day
+of school, our parents' divorce, the death of a grandparent, going to
+college, taking a job, getting married, switching careers, and so on. However
+important these big moments are, for the purpose of participating in the
+process of transformation, it is useful to think of your life as a succession
+of attentional micromoments.
+ -- from "The Path of Aliveness: A Contemporary Zen Approach to Awakening
+ Body and Mind", by Christian Dillo, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Next Wave
+
+Can you learn to surf the chaos and uncertainty that real life includes
+without falling into a trance of unworthiness? You can. A surfer is
+powerless to change the towering wave rushing toward her. But she doesn't
+want to change it. She wants to surf it and she learns to feel safe in the
+immense ocean of being even when she falls. She confidently gets right back
+up to meet the next wave.
+ -- from "Zen in the Age of Anxiety: Wisdom for Navigating Our Modern Lives",
+ by Tim Burkett, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Paving Stones
+
+Getting the method right isn't the goal of practice. Method is a means and
+a support, a way of laying down the paving stones you walk on. Having a good
+method means that the practice can be done with more ease. It helps to make
+clear what can be made clear, so that the mystery that is at the center of
+life becomes vividly apparent against a simplified field.
+ -- from "Through Forests of Every Color: Awakening with Koans", by Joan
+ Sutherland, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The Struggles of the Day
+
+Our time requires us to reconcile heartbreak and wonder, rage and love, sorrow
+and joy, over and over again. How do we volunteer for a life that's bound
+to tear our hearts apart and then stitch them back together, only to pull them
+apart again? In Albert Camus's The Plague, the doctor who is fighting the
+epidemic that for Camus was both a physical illness and a metaphor for fascism
+takes a rare night off to go to the beach. Sitting on ancient rocks, gazing
+into the darkness, he is surprised to be possessed by happiness. It is a
+happiness that forgets nothing: what has been lost, what is still to come, and
+what persists, even in a time when the world seems to have withdrawn any hope
+of its mercy. To discover that waves and the night can pour into you, filling
+you, without displacing your loyalty to the struggles of the day is a profound
+grace.
+ -- from "Through Forests of Every Color: Awakening with Koans", by Joan
+ Sutherland, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+What Is Space?
+
+We all are certain we know what space is: it's the physical thing that
+provides room for us to be ourselves and also the chasm that isolates us from
+the intimate wholeness we yearn for. We experience space as a mental
+phenomenon as well. Meditators attend to the space between thoughts, to the
+"space in mind," the infinite "room" in which consciousness seems to
+arise.
+ -- from That Is Not Your Mind!: Zen Reflections on the Surangama Sutra", by
+ Robert Rosenbaum, published by Shambhala Publications
projects / feisty_meow.git / blobdiff