paradoxically an intention that arises through the surrender of the ego. As
the ego lets go of its assumption that it has a real understanding of what is
needed in the path of awakening, it surrenders to a deeper quality of will and
-wisdom. The shift from the ego’s center of will to the intention of our
+wisdom. The shift from the ego's center of will to the intention of our
buddha nature to awaken us for the welfare of others aligns us with a source
of will far beyond our limited sense of self. I have often described this
will as a river of intention, which once stepped into becomes an undercurrent
natural resources. It finances startups. It helps to sell our products
overseas. It provides security to our diplomats abroad.
So let's work together to make government work better, instead of treating
-it like an enemy or purposely making it work worse. That’s not what the
+it like an enemy or purposely making it work worse. That's not what the
founders of this nation envisioned when they gave us the gift of self-
-government. You don’t like a particular policy or a particular president,
+government. You don't like a particular policy or a particular president,
then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election. Push to
-change it. But don’t break it. Don’t break what our predecessors spent
+change it. But don't break it. Don't break what our predecessors spent
over two centuries building. That's not being faithful to what this country
is about.
-- Barack Obama, after the US government shutdown of 2013 had ended.
When the teachings say we need to reduce our fascination with the things of
this life, it does not mean that we should abandon them completely. It means
avoiding the natural tendency to go from elation to depression in reaction to
-life’s ups and downs, jumping for joy when you have some success, or wanting
+life's ups and downs, jumping for joy when you have some success, or wanting
to jump out the window if you do not get what you want. Being less concerned
about the affairs of this life means assuming its ups and downs with a broad
and stable mind.
an exercise") without acceptance of their results.
Critical thinking varies according to the motivation underlying it. When
grounded in selfish motives, it is often manifested in the skillful
-manipulation of ideas in service of one’s own, or one's groups’, vested
+manipulation of ideas in service of one's own, or one's groups', vested
interest. As such it is typically intellectually flawed, however
pragmatically successful it might be. When grounded in fairmindedness and
intellectual integrity, it is typically of a higher order intellectually,
Buddhist teachings compare the mind and the breath to a rider and its mount.
In this metaphor, the wind energy is the mount and the mind is the rider.
This metaphor illustrates how it is the wind energy that carries the mind and
-that influences and shapes the mind’s energy. The wind energy is the root
-of all of our experience, since it provides energy for the mind’s movement.
+that influences and shapes the mind's energy. The wind energy is the root
+of all of our experience, since it provides energy for the mind's movement.
So, wind energy training is a powerful tool for purifying, calming, taming,
and relaxing the wind energy to impact the expression of neurotic mind.
-- Anyen Rinpoche and Allison Choying Zangmo, from "The Tibetan Yoga of
the Mind of Dzogchen", published by Shambhala Publications and Snow Lion
Publications.
~
-Detachment doesn't mean "throw it away" or "don’t have feelings
+Detachment doesn't mean "throw it away" or "don't have feelings
about it." It definitely does not mean denying or obstructing the mind's
natural tendency to project. Imagine you are about to go into a cotton
factory. Before entering you pour glue all over your body, and then you
-demand, "I don’t want any cotton balls to stick to my body, but I won’t
+demand, "I don't want any cotton balls to stick to my body, but I won't
remove the glue from my body either." Then you enter the cotton factory.
Of course the glue, by its nature, makes cotton balls stick to you. In
meditative language, that kind of stickiness is called deliberation or
mastery over their minds, which abide like space without any appearance of
characteristics. Thus, no matter what they encounter, they are able to act as
they please without being bound by any attachment or aversion.
- -- Karl Brunnhölzl, from "Mining for Wisdom within Delusion: Maitreya’s
+ -- Karl Brunnhölzl, from "Mining for Wisdom within Delusion: Maitreya's
Distinction between Phenomena and the Nature of Phenomena and Its Indian
and Tibetan Commentaries", published by Shambhala Publications and Snow
Lion Publications
our pleasure, displeasure, or indifference, but have feelings just like ours.
By turning our awareness outward and closely applying mindfulness to other
sentient beings, we can empathize with their feelings. When we empathize with
-another’s suffering and we attend closely, compassion arises. The suffering
+another's suffering and we attend closely, compassion arises. The suffering
of unpleasant feelings is the very source of the experience of compassion.
-- B. Alan Wallace, in "Minding Closely: The Four Applications of
Mindfulness", works published by Shambhala Publications and Snow Lion
-- Chögyam Trungpa, from "The Path of Individual Liberation, Volume One of
The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma", published by Shambhala
Publications
+~
+ So, what makes you a Buddhist? You may not have been born in a Buddhist
+country or to a Buddhist family, you may not wear robes or shave your head,
+you may eat meat and idolize Eminem and Paris Hilton. That doesn't mean you
+cannot be a Buddhist. In order to be a Buddhist, you must accept that all
+compounded phenomena are impermanent, all emotions are pain, all things have
+no inherent existence, and enlightenment is beyond concepts.
+ It's not necessary to be constantly and endlessly mindful of these four
+truths. But they must reside in your mind. You don't walk around
+persistently remembering your own name, but when someone asks your name, you
+remember it instantly. There is no doubt. Anyone who accepts these four
+seals, even independently of Buddha's teachings, even never having heard the
+name Shakyamuni Buddha, can be considered to be on the same path as he.
+ -- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, from "What Makes You Not a Buddhist",
+ published by Shambhala Publications
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