X-Git-Url: https://feistymeow.org/gitweb/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=infobase%2Ffortunes.dat;h=96ca7b7904e2048480c8329f8ddd3378d466c463;hb=a3b8a8064238fa5a5c3cce2bc328bdafcb8bcd0b;hp=674d62894f3c6aa25a8ed48ad8906f47528f9c5d;hpb=cf22a5c307056af645ddc5b4fcfab2dc72e0073f;p=feisty_meow.git diff --git a/infobase/fortunes.dat b/infobase/fortunes.dat index 674d6289..96ca7b79 100644 --- a/infobase/fortunes.dat +++ b/infobase/fortunes.dat @@ -43121,4 +43121,124 @@ arise.   -- Khenchen Thrangu, "Essential Practice: Lectures on Kamalashīla’s Stages of Meditation in the Middle Way School", published by Shambhala Publications +~ + When they related this to Buddha, he poured water into a little vessel and +asked, “Will this water remain without evaporating?” Because India is very +hot, the Hearers thought, “In a few days the water will evaporate. This +must mean that our virtue will not remain at all.” They were extremely +worried. Then Buddha asked, “If this water is poured in the ocean, how long +will it stay? It will remain until the ocean itself evaporates.” + Therefore, if you do not just leave this virtue, but dedicate it, making a +prayer petition that it become a cause of help and happiness for limitless +sentient beings, then until that actually occurs, the virtue will not be lost. +Like a small amount of water poured into the ocean, which will last until the +ocean itself dries up, so the fruit of your virtue will remain until it has +ripened. The benefit of hearing, thinking, and meditating, in terms of +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. +  -- 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 +~ +Because you need to obtain the happy effects and the causes producing them, +and because it is necessary for yourself and others to attain them, you must +meditate. In this world there were nihilists who said that one should not +meditate, doing only those activities that will bring about marvelous +happiness, comfort, and prosperity in this lifetime. The nihilists said that +one should gather possessions and clothing, and if one’s body is sick, one +should take medicine, that these activities were justified, but that nothing +else was needed. Such a philosophy appeared in the world and with respect to +it there is this Buddhist teaching: You need a job for your livelihood, you +need to work for the sake of your country, for the sake of yourself and +others, to set up factories, to plant fields; still you should act mainly for +the sake of your future life, because you will not always remain in this +lifetime. All persons will definitely die, and the time of death is +indefinite. At the time of death, nothing helps except religious practice. +This is how it is. Therefore, even though you need happiness and comfort in +this life and even though it is necessary to strive for the sake of food and +drink now, this lifetime is short. Our longest condition of life is our +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. +  -- 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 +~ +The ground of primal wisdom +Where the truth beyond all concepts is beheld +Is reached more easily by humans than by gods. +The essence also of the deep path of the Vajrayāna +Is more easily attained by those who find a human form. +The basis of the Dharma of both great and lesser vehicles +Is said to be supremely noble-- +This human state endowed with freedoms and advantages. + +Just like a beggar who has chanced upon a treasure of great price, +Reflect with joy upon your freedoms and advantages. +In doubt and apprehension that you might be dreaming, +Implement the sacred Dharma-- +Source of happiness and benefit in this and future lives! + -- Longchenpa, from "Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind", published + by Shambhala Publications +~ +This lifetime passes like the weeping clouds +Where dance the lightning garlands of the Lord of Death, +And from them, day and night, there falls +An endless rain to bathe the shoots +That grow in the three levels of existence. + +The world and its inhabitants will pass. +The universe is formed and then destroyed +By seven fires, a flood, and then the scattering wind. +The all-encircling sea, the continents, +And even mighty Sumeru compounded of four jewels, +All girded by the rings of lesser peaks--all this will pass. +The time will come when all will have dissolved +Into a single space. +Remember this and practice Dharma from your heart. + -- Longchenpa, from "Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind", published + by Shambhala Publications +~ + The most important thing is to have faith and trust in the Buddha’s +words. The Buddha’s teachings were not taught to deceive us but to explain +the way things actually are. Many people try to analyze the Buddha’s +teachings, but how is it possible to scrutinize a buddha’s qualities? We +don’t even know what will happen tomorrow, or when we will die, or anything +about our future lives, so how could we possibly examine the teachings of the +Omniscient One? Since we are totally obscured by our strong disturbing +emotions, in order to progress on the path toward enlightenment, we have no +choice but to have faith in the Buddha’s teachings and apply them in our own +lives. + The ability to practice Dharma depends on certain conditions. For +example, this is a rare time during which the teachings of the Great +Perfection are said to flourish. We’re very fortunate that through +Padmasambhava’s blessings, such teachings have appeared and we’re able to +receive them. We must have accumulated incredible merit and made fervent +prayers very sincerely over numerous lifetimes to be able to encounter such +amazing teachings now. Still, most people are just too involved in worldly +activities to have time to practice the Dharma, and very few people in this +world totally dedicate themselves to the teachings. Most people work for the +sake of success in this life, to gain wealth, fame, power, and so on, but none +of these worldly aims can liberate us from the suffering of samsara; in fact, +they only create further conditions for ensuring that we remain in samsara for +countless lifetimes to come. + -- Penor Rinpoche, from "An Ocean of Blessings: Heart Teachings of Drubwang + Penor Rinpoche", translated by Ani Jinba Palmo, published by Shambhala + Publications +~ + "When the sun comes out and illumines the world, its image is reflected in +all clean vessels of water, being in all places without coming or going. If +one vessel breaks, then the reflection of the sun does not appear in it. Do +you think it is the fault of the sun that its reflection does not appear +there?" + "No--it is just because the vessel is broken; it’s no fault of the sun." + "The knowledge of realization of Thusness, buddha-knowledge, is also like +this, appearing throughout the cosmos, without before or after: Buddha appears +in the clean mind-vessels of all sentient beings. If the mind-vessel is +always clean, the embodiment of Buddha is always seen; if the mind is +polluted, the vessel breaks and the Buddha cannot be seen." + -- from "The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of The Avatamsaka + Sutra", translated by Thomas Cleary, published by Shambhala Publications +