X-Git-Url: https://feistymeow.org/gitweb/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=infobase%2Ffortunes.dat;h=c1ee8956b521a16a4511fbee1760bdb80a3efb01;hb=e768391ab81b189397f0fd19827999365f8b3e33;hp=1f462d80b874fe56a077245b02073bdd8f2508a6;hpb=8e574c3a0f2a4395e332f120ca05acd226d11174;p=feisty_meow.git diff --git a/infobase/fortunes.dat b/infobase/fortunes.dat index 1f462d80..c1ee8956 100644 --- a/infobase/fortunes.dat +++ b/infobase/fortunes.dat @@ -43025,4 +43025,178 @@ you see he gets so high, mind expanded to sky; real world grokking just not ready. -- fred t. hamster +~ + Generally speaking, when we are too desirous of something in life, we’re +less likely to attain it. Success seems to increase in direct proportion to +the diminution of our desires. The same logic applies to our need for +recognition. We might want to be appreciated and respected, but we have only +a limited ability to influence how other people respond and we can’t make +somebody show us gratitude any more than we can force someone to love us. If +we show love without expecting it to be reciprocated, we will have more chance +of finding love than if we simply yearn for it. Likewise, doing something +without expecting gratitude is more likely to elicit appreciation for what we +do. Whether someone can acknowledge our actions or not should be no concern +of ours. + We simply commit ourselves to doing things to the best of our ability and +in as thorough a manner as possible without sloppiness. We should never think +that other people are indebted to us or obligated to help us in return. We +should simply do things because we love doing them, not because we want other +people to feel indebted to us. Shantideva says: + + The work of bringing benefit to beings + Will not, then, make me proud and self-admiring. + The happiness of others is itself my satisfaction; + I do not expect another recompense. + + -- Traleg Kyabgon, from "The Practice of Lojong: Cultivating Compassion + through Training the Mind", published by Shambhala Publications +~ +Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava says: + + If you want to go sightseeing, try touring your own clear, + mirrorlike mind instead. + + What technique can we use to effectively start our journey to realizing +our natural, pristine state? + The clearest instructions for doing this come from Guru Rinpoche +Padmasambhava, the main architect of the Pristine Mind teachings. Guru +Rinpoche has given us the essential opening instructions for practicing +Pristine Mind meditation in four steps: + + Don’t follow the past. + Don’t anticipate the future. + Remain in the present moment. + Leave your mind alone. + + We must understand these instructions. They are designed to help us stay +in the present moment. Some other forms of meditation teachings say that +remaining in the present moment is the ultimate objective of meditation. +However, the present moment itself is not ultimate reality, ultimate truth, or +the ultimate goal of Pristine Mind meditation. Nor is it what I mean when I +refer to our fundamental nature. Instead, being in the present moment, with +our mind calm and relaxed, simply creates the right conditions to begin to +connect with our Pristine Mind. + --Excerpted from "Our Pristine Mind: A Practical Guide to Unconditional + Happiness", by Orgyen Chowang, published by Shambhala Publications +~ +Some people think that causes are not necessary. They think that things do +not need causes and can exist without them. This is mistaken. Think about +it. If you plant a seed in a flowerpot, a flower will grow. It will not grow +from this table in front of me now. What is the reason for that? The causes +for a flower are present in a flowerpot, and for that reason a flower can grow +there. The causes for a flower are not present on the surface of this table, +and for that reason a flower cannot grow there. If things arose in the +absence of causes, a flower would have to be able to grow from the surface of +this table even though the causes for a flower are not present there. Or, as +we know, flowers bloom in the summer but not in the winter. What is the +reason for that? In the summer, the causes and conditions for the growth of +flowers are complete. In the winter, they are not. In dependence upon that, +flowers grow in the summer but not in the winter. If causes were not +necessary, flowers would grow in the winter also. They would grow at all +times. + -- Khenchen Thrangu, "Essential Practice: Lectures on Kamalashīla’s + Stages of Meditation in the Middle Way School", published by Shambhala + Publications +~ + Human beings have many kinds of suffering. Some human beings are put into +prisons. Some are destitute. Some are enslaved by others. Thus, they are +not actually hell-beings, but their sufferings are like those of hell-beings; +they are not actually hungry ghosts, but their sufferings are like those of +hungry ghosts; and they are not actually animals, but their sufferings are +like those of animals. We think in that way about the sufferings that human +beings experience. Some human beings are wealthy and comfortable. However, +that wealth and comfort does not last for a very long time. Not being able to +enjoy wealth and comfort for a long time, in the end suffering comes to them +too. When we think about the suffering that they experience, compassion +arises. + The demigods suffer from continual jealousy of and warfare with the gods +of the Desire Realm. As for the gods, though comfortable temporarily, later +they fall down into painful situations and, at the time of falling, they +suffer greatly. Similarly, even the gods of the Form Realm and the Formless +Realm cannot just stay there. They fall down to the states of hell-beings, +hungry ghosts, animals, humans, and so forth. When they fall, mentally they +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 + 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