As soon as we can catch it and be aware of what's going on in our mind,
and come back to that silent space inside, the more peaceful we'll be. Our
lives will be more productive in terms of having the Dharma grow in our
-hearts, and we’ll be more focused in whatever daily activities we're doing.
+hearts, and we'll be more focused in whatever daily activities we're doing.
We won't be quite so distracted.
-- Thubten Chodron, author of numerous books, including Buddhism for
Beginners; Taming the Mind; Open Heart, Clear Mind; and Working
...one of the things you can learn from history is that men have learned
to live with machinery at least as well as, and probably a good deal better
than, they have learned to live with one another.
- -- E. E. Morison, from “Computers and the World of the Future”
+ -- E. E. Morison, from "Computers and the World of the Future"
~
Everything is perfect in the universe--even your desire to improve it.
-- Dr. Wayne Dyer
with all their subpoints. There are five paths and ten bhumis, and each path
is divided into a number of stages, with certain numbers of obscurations
having to be relinquished on each one of those subpaths. Most people just
-think, "Who wants or needs to know all that? Don’t we have too many
+think, "Who wants or needs to know all that? Don't we have too many
thoughts already? I thought this was about letting go of all reference
points."
Of course nobody really wants to know all those details and in a sense we
Is spiritual practice really worthwhile? Is it really possible to eliminate
from within ourselves the forces that give rise to suffering? As is said,
-“The ultimate nature of mind is clear light.” Consciousness has many
+"The ultimate nature of mind is clear light." Consciousness has many
levels, and although the coarser levels are affected by the defiling forces,
the most subtle level remains free of gross negativities. In the Vajrayana
this subtle level of consciousness is called the mind of clear light.
overcome the entire host of mental distortions.
-- H.H. the Dalai Lama
~
-It is the general Buddhist procedure that one’s own pleasure and pain are
+It is the general Buddhist procedure that one's own pleasure and pain are
acheived by oneself and not from the outside, and that, therefore, sentient
beings themselves must understand and implement practices to bring about their
own happiness. Thus, the most efficacious way to help others is through
~
In meditation, imagine that in front of you are three persons—an enemy, a
friend, and a neutral person. At that time, in our minds we have (1) a sense
-of closeness for one of them, thinking, “This is my friend”; (2) a sense
+of closeness for one of them, thinking, "This is my friend"; (2) a sense
of dislike even when imagining the enemy; and (3) a sense of ignoring the
neutral person. Now, we have to think about the reasons why we generate these
feelings—the reasons being that temporarily one of them helped us whereas
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
+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
existence.
-- H.H. the Dalai Lama
~
-If we view the world’s religions from the widest possible viewpoint and
+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
-- 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,
+ 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
+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
+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
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
+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.
engage with that and be compassionate. So there can be positive attachment in
this sense of active engagement.
Buddhist masters have long used the term attachment to describe the quality
-of compassion for others. For example, a verse from Haribhadra’s Clear
+of compassion for others. For example, a verse from Haribhadra's Clear
Meaning Commentary refers to compassion that is attached to other living
beings. And as we have seen, Nagarjuna teaches that attachment for other
living beings will arise spontaneously in the person who realizes emptiness.
substantial existence of an object. Some texts say that mental states such as
compassion and faith are, by their very nature, virtuous and thus cannot at
the same time be afflicted mental states. Yet there are other texts that
-refer to “afflicted compassion” or “afflicted faith.” For those of us
+refer to "afflicted compassion" or "afflicted faith." For those of us
who have not realized emptiness, when we generate strong devotion toward the
Buddha perhaps there is within that faith, within that devotion, an element of
grasping at the Buddha as substantially real. This makes it an instance of
-so-called “afflicted devotion.”
+so-called "afflicted devotion."
Still, it is important to distinguish grasping rooted in falsification and
distortion from the attachment, focus, or holding that we associate with
compassion. In our immediate experience, these two forms of grasping may seem
try to help each other and cultivate a feeling of affection for each other.
That is the source of happiness in our life.
-- H.H. the Dalai Lama
+~
+ It's important to differentiate a thought from an emotion. We say things
+such as, "I feel like they don't accept me." Actually, that is a thought.
+We may feel hurt or frustrated, and it's because we're thinking that others
+don't accept us. How do we know they don't accept us? We don't. We
+haven't asked them. Instead, on the basis of how they looked at us or a
+comment they made, our mind constructs a story that we believe.
+ As soon as you hear yourself saying, "I feel like...," stop and recognize
+that you can't "feel like" something. You are thinking. After you have
+identified the thought, ask yourself, "Is that true? How do I know it's true?
+What evidence do I have to prove the validity of that thought?" It's really
+startling to see how often we assume our interpretation of a situation is true
+when in fact it is based on flimsy evidence.
+ -- Thubten Chodron, from "Don't Believe Everything You Think: Living with
+ Wisdom and Compassion"
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