X-Git-Url: https://feistymeow.org/gitweb/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=infobase%2Ffortunes.dat;h=ed1724a5e405d5a3bf8fa6b5cb4b08bcd270a069;hb=0e991658d5051ecb5e506651a027be9b1d2d7e7c;hp=32f238a0d6e647be2608f36af39af467a2fef668;hpb=e8675a3b3139f59bea4efc73022690847deecdc9;p=feisty_meow.git diff --git a/infobase/fortunes.dat b/infobase/fortunes.dat index 32f238a0..ed1724a5 100644 --- a/infobase/fortunes.dat +++ b/infobase/fortunes.dat @@ -43050,4 +43050,291 @@ people to feel indebted to us. Shantideva says: -- 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 +~ + 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 +~ +Why is endeavor necessary? If we consider material progress, we see that +research started by one person can always be continued by another. But this +is not possible with spiritual progress. The realization we talk about in the +Buddhadharma is something that has to be accomplished by the individual. No +one else can do it for us. Of course, it would be wonderful if in the future +we could attain realization through some sort of new injection or by means of +a new generation of computers, without having to go through any difficulties. +If we could be absolutely certain that such a time would come, we could simply +lie back and wait to get enlightened. But I doubt that this will ever happen. +It is better to make an effort. We have to develop endeavor. + + 1. + 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.   + + -- H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, from "The Bodhisattva Guide: A Commentary + on The Way of the Bodhisattva", The Bodhisattva Guide was originally + published as For the Benefit of All Beings, also published by Shambhala + Publications +~ + I am not angry with my bile and other humors— + Fertile source of suffering and pain! + So why should living beings give offence, + They likewise are impelled by circumstance? + + Suffering may result from both animate and inanimate causes. We may curse +inanimate things like the weather, but it is with animate beings that we most +often get angry. If we analyze these animate causes that make us unhappy, we +find that they are themselves influenced by other conditions. They are not +making us angry simply because they want to. In this respect, because they +are influenced by other conditions, they are in fact powerless. So there is +no need to get angry with them. + + -- H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, from "The Bodhisattva Guide: A + Commentary on The Way of the Bodhisattva", published by Shambhala + Publications +~ +I am not contained between my hat and boots. + --Walt Whitman +~ +These delightful mountain solitudes +Are like the family estate to the supreme guide’s heirs, +And, as the best of protectors himself has said, +To rely on solitude is indeed the pinnacle of joys! + +Forests, hermitages, and isolated dwelling places— +These are the outer solitude of the Victor’s heirs. +Avoiding selfishness and fainthearted fears— +This is the bodhisattvas’ internal isolation. + +Keeping, therefore, to outer forms of solitude, +Tame the inner afflictions through tranquility and insight +And aspire to the supreme conduct of Samantabhadra— +Possessing such good fortune one is truly the Buddha’s heir. + +With sweetly cascading mountain streams, +Rocky mountain shelters ascending to heaven, +And gently falling dewdrops of whitest moonlight, +This mountain retreat surpasses even the deva realm. + +The dance of the slender trees does not stir the passions, +And sweet birdsong brings neither attachment nor aversion, +Enveloped in nonconceptuality’s gentle, cooling shade— +Such youthful companionship is surely better than a silent void! + +Undisturbed by noisy chatter, that thorn in meditation’s side, +Alone in this excellent place of unattended solitude, +The old monkey of the mind has nowhere left to roam +And, settling down within, finds satisfaction. + +Under the bright, oppressive sunlight of busy, bustling crowds, +Our faults and unhelpful thoughts eclipse the constellations, +But when embraced by threefold solitude’s cooling nectar beams, +Such faults can easily be overcome through proper antidotes. + +When it is undisturbed by rippling thoughts of sadness, +The pool-like surface of the mind is still, unmoving, +And faith and compassion’s reflections readily arise. +In such constancy, what need is there for a companion? + +If the mirror of mind is wiped clean, time and again, +And uncluttered with objects or circumstances, +Study, reflection, and meditation present a clear impression. +What is there to prevent the dawn of Dharma’s light? + +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!   + + -- Patrul Rinpoche, from "Beyond the Ordinary Mind: Dzogchen, Rimé, and the + Path of Perfect Wisdom", Translated by Adam Pearcey, published by + Shambhala Publications +