From f7138a65bf58ce8938f2ea6598c5d136eadb3a14 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Chris Koeritz Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2012 21:07:43 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] new fortune, and fixed non-standard apostrophes and quotes. --- database/fortunes.dat | 45 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--------------- 1 file changed, 30 insertions(+), 15 deletions(-) diff --git a/database/fortunes.dat b/database/fortunes.dat index d633aa37..cc4b43df 100644 --- a/database/fortunes.dat +++ b/database/fortunes.dat @@ -30288,7 +30288,7 @@ as accumulates negative karma and wastes a great deal of time. 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 @@ -35987,7 +35987,7 @@ branches. (p.107) ...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 @@ -37972,7 +37972,7 @@ then there is this whole literature about all these very discursive details 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 @@ -37993,7 +37993,7 @@ THE MIND OF CLEAR LIGHT 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. @@ -38011,7 +38011,7 @@ the wisdom that eliminates this ego-grasping. To overcome ego-grasping is to 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 @@ -38026,7 +38026,7 @@ to omniscience is a Buddha. ~ 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 @@ -38070,7 +38070,7 @@ or another are the same for us all. But the sufferings which undermine our 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 @@ -38095,7 +38095,7 @@ other causes and conditions that they are said to lack independent self- 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 @@ -38164,14 +38164,14 @@ which is our own hatred. -- 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 @@ -38212,7 +38212,7 @@ encountered the Buddadharma, have entered the path and are now receiving 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. @@ -38286,7 +38286,7 @@ become aware of their needs or suffering or pain, then you need to fully 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. @@ -38311,11 +38311,11 @@ the object, distortions that arise as afflictions grasp at the apparent 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 @@ -38356,3 +38356,18 @@ believe in a particular religious practice, it is extremely important that we 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" -- 2.34.1