X-Git-Url: https://feistymeow.org/gitweb/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=database%2Ffortunes.dat;h=8a17bfc21cfa8fd9bff439d76f65af44913d763e;hb=53ad0bde08c8df9b68ca5f7f68cd1749987c5073;hp=2fa3bf1c2c24c4e74901ff9688d402cb0020ffe8;hpb=9a2138b7d029b166688565d13d160cfd5fdb3481;p=feisty_meow.git diff --git a/database/fortunes.dat b/database/fortunes.dat index 2fa3bf1c..8a17bfc2 100644 --- a/database/fortunes.dat +++ b/database/fortunes.dat @@ -13360,7 +13360,7 @@ only different kinds of good weather. -- John Ruskin ~ She's not a babe. She's a sophisticated real-time computer system. - -- Spokesman for Anova, a virtual news anchor + -- Spokesman for Ananova, a virtual news anchor ~ The man who laughs has not yet been told the terrible news. -- Berthold Brecht @@ -38054,3 +38054,193 @@ immediate gratification of sensory desires, we human beings have the capacity to experience happiness at a deeper level, which, when achieved, can overwhelm unhappy experiences. -- H.H. the Dalai Lama +~ +We humans are social beings. We come into the world as the result of +others' actions. We survive here in dependence on others. Whether we like +it or not, there is hardly a moment of our lives in which we do not benefit +from others' activities. For this reason it is hardly surprising that most +of our happiness arises in the context of our relationships with others. Nor +is it so remarkable that our greatest joy should come when we are motivated by +concern for others. But that is not all. We find that not only do altruistic +actions bring about happiness, but they also lessen our experience of +suffering. Here I am not suggesting that the individual whose actions are +motivated by the wish to bring others happiness necessarily meets with less +misfortune than the one who does not. Sickness, old age, mishaps of one sort +or another are the same for us all. But the sufferings which undermine our +internal peace—anxiety, doubt, disappointment—these are definitely less. + -- H.H. the Dalai Lama +~ +If we view the world’s religions from the widest possible viewpoint and +examine their ultimate goal, we find that all of the major world religions, +whether Christianity or Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism, are dedicated to the +achievement of permanent human happiness. They are all directed toward that +goal. All religions emphasize the fact that the true follower must be honest +and gentle, in other words, that a truly religious person must always strive +to be a better human being. To this end, the different world religions teach +different doctrines which will help transform the person. In this regard, all +religions are the same, there is no conflict. This is something we must +emphasize. We must consider the question of religious diversity from this +viewpoint. And when we do, we find no conflict. + -- H.H. the Dalai Lama +~ +Emptiness vs. Non-Existence + +The doctrines of emptiness and selflessness do not imply the non-existence of +things. Things do exist. When we say that all phenomena are void of self- +existence, it does not mean that we are advocating non-existence, that we are +repudiating that things exist. Then what is it we are negating? We are +negating, or denying, that anything exists from its own side without depending +on other things. Hence, it is because things depend for their existence upon +other causes and conditions that they are said to lack independent self- +existence. + -- H.H. the Dalai Lama +~ +If we view the world’s religions from the widest possible viewpoint and +examine their ultimate goal, we find that all of the major world religions, +whether Christianity or Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism, are dedicated to the +achievement of permanent human happiness. They are all directed toward that +goal. All religions emphasize the fact that the true follower must be honest +and gentle, in other words, that a truly religious person must always strive +to be a better human being. To this end, the different world religions teach +different doctrines which will help transform the person. In this regard, all +religions are the same, there is no conflict. This is something we must +emphasize. We must consider the question of religious diversity from this +viewpoint. And when we do, we find no conflict. + -- H.H. the Dalai Lama +~ + The process of overcoming our defilements goes in conjunction with gaining +higher levels of realisation. In fact, when we speak of gaining higher levels +of realisation in Buddhism we are speaking primarily of the processes through +which our wisdom and insight deepen. It is actually the wisdom aspect that +enables the practitioner to move from one level to the next on the path. + The attainment of the levels of the path is explained in condensed form in +the Heart Sutra, where we find the mantra tadyatha om gate gate paragate +parasamgate bodhi svaha. Tadyatha means It is thus; gate gate means go, go; +paragate means go beyond and transcend; parasamgate means go utterly beyond, +go thoroughly beyond; and bodhi svaha means firmly rooted in enlightenment. + -- H.H. the Dalai Lama +~ +ENDURING SUCCESS + It is often seen that human beings can endure problems quite well, but +cannot endure success. When we are successful and have everything we desire, +it can easily go to our heads. There is a great danger of losing our common +sense and becoming careless and arrogant. As it is said, "Nothing corrupts a +person more than power." Very powerful people sometimes become so proud that +they no longer care about their actions or about the effect they have on +others. Losing any sense of right and wrong, they create severe problems for +themselves and everyone else. + Even if we have all the success we could dream of—fame, wealth, and so +on—we must understand that these things have no real substance. Attachment +does not come from having things, but from the way our mind reacts to them. +It is fine to participate in good circumstances, provided we can see that they +have no real essence. They may come and they may go. When seeing this, we +will not become so attached. Even if we lose our wealth we will not be badly +affected, and while it is there we will enjoy it without being senseless and +arrogant. + -- Ringu Tulku, from "Daring Steps: Traversing the Path of the Buddha", + edited and translated by Rosemarie Fuchs, page 92. +~ +The role of other sentient beings + + In relation to the attainment of liberation from cylic existence, which is +known also as "definite goodness," the role of other sentient beings is +indispensable. In the Buddhist understanding, the key spiritual practices +that lead to the attainment of liberation are the Three Higher +Trainings—higher training in morality, in meditation, and in wisdom. The +last two are based upon the foundation of the first, namely the training in +morality. As I said before, the presence of other sentience beings is +indispensable for this training. This is how we come to the powerful +realisation that the role of other sentient beings is essential in all areas +of our mundane and spiritual activities. + -- H.H. the Dalai Lama +~ + To avoid being hurt by thorns and brambles, we might consider covering all +the mountains with leather. That would be impossible, but putting on shoes +would serve the same purpose. Similarly, if we tried to subdue all our outer +enemies, we would never succeed. Once one was eliminated, another would rise +against us. While doing this, our anger would continue to breed new foes. +The only way to overcome our enemies is to turn inward and kill the real one, +which is our own hatred. + -- Ringu Tulku, from "Daring Steps: Traversing the Path of the Buddha", + edited and translated by Rosemarie Fuchs. +~ + One should not view one’s dharma practice as being something decorative, +regarding statues and images as material possessions or as furnishings for +one’s house, or thinking that because there is an empty space on a wall one +might as well put up a thangka for decoration. That kind of attitude should +not be cultivated. When you arrange the statues or thangkas, you should do so +out of a deep respect from the mind, moved by your faith and conviction. If +you can arrange these physical representations—statues and so forth—out of +deep respect and faith, that’s all right. On the other hand, the attitude +that they are merely material possessions is dangerous and destructive. I +think that some people who have a cupboard or the like in which they keep all +their precious possessions may arrange an altar on it just for the sake of +decoration. This is very wrong. + Having such motivations is not the proper way to become a Buddhist; the +proper way to become a Buddhist is to bring about some positive change within +the mind. Any practice that can give you more courage when you are undergoing +a very difficult time and that can provide you with some kind of solace and +calmness of mind is a true practice of the dharma. + -- H.H. the Dalai Lama +~ +The environment where you are doing the meditation should be properly cleaned. +While cleaning, you should cultivate the motivation that since you are engaged +in the task of accumulating great stores of merit by inviting the hosts of +buddhas and bodhisattvas to this environment, it is important to have a clean +place. You should see that all external dirt and dust around you is basically +a manifestation of the faults and stains within your own mind. You should see +that the most important aim is to purge these stains and faults from within +your mind. Therefore, as you cleanse the environment, think that you are also +purifying your mind. Develop the very strong thought that by cleaning this +place you are inviting the hosts of buddhas and bodhisattvas who are the most +supreme merit field, and that you will subsequently engage in a path that will +enable you to purge your mind of the stains and delusions. + -- H.H. the Dalai Lama +~ + From the point of view of one who seeks enlightenment, it is far better to +be a human being than to be born even in the heavens of the gods, where there +is nectar to live on and all wishes are granted by the wish-fulfilling tree; +where there is neither fatigue nor difficulty, neither sickness nor old age. +It is as humans, possessed of the eight freedoms and the ten endowments, and +not as gods, that every one of the thousand Buddhas of this age has attained, +or will attain, enlightenment. This human existence, moreover, is not to be +achieved by force or mere chance; it is the result of positive actions. And +because it is rare for beings to accomplish positive actions, a precious human +existence is indeed difficult to obtain. + Nevertheless, we have now managed to be born into such a state; we have +encountered the Buddadharma, have entered the path and are now receiving +teachings. But if we are unable to practise them, simply listening to the +teachings will not in itself liberate us from samsara, and will be of no help +to us when we are confronted by the hardships of birth, disease, old age and +death. If we do not follow the doctor’s prescription when we are sick, then +even if the doctor sits constantly by our side, the pain will not go away. + -- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, from "Enlightened Courage: An Explanation of the + Seven-Point Mind Training", translated by Padmakara Translation Group. +~ +The realization of the nature of the mind is not something we can find by +searching for it from afar. It is present within the essence of the mind +itself. If we do not alter or change that in any way, that is enough. It is +not as if we were lacking something before, so we need to make something new +through our meditation. It is not as if we are bad and have to go through all +sorts of efforts to make ourselves good. Goodness is something we all have. +It has always been with us, but we have just not looked for it or seen it yet, +so we have become confused. Therefore all we need to do is to just rest +within it without changing it. We see where it stays and rest there, so we +are like a kusulu. This means that we rest free and easy with nothing to do, +very simply. We do not need to think that we are making something good or +that we need to meditate properly. It is enough just to know what we already +have. + -- Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, from "Vivid Awareness", in "The Best Buddhist + Writing 2012", edited by Melvin McLeod and the editors of the Shambhala + Sun, pages 196–197. +~ +We all have to recognize the tremendous opportunity that we have. As humans +we have this rare intelligence, but there is a real danger that we will waste +it. Death is certain, but when we will die is totally unpredictable. We +could lose our precious human existence at any moment. With such reflections, +we must motivate ourselves to do something meaningful right now. The best way +to make your human existence meaningful is to really engage in the practice of +Dharma. During formal sitting meditation and in between sessions, in +different ways, be mindful and introspectively vigilant. Keep constant watch +on your mind. + -- H.H. the Dalai Lama