From 507e77f5592c9bc5f3653540ae970c0554ebfd25 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Chris Koeritz Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2016 21:02:45 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] new fortunes --- infobase/fortunes.dat | 95 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 95 insertions(+) diff --git a/infobase/fortunes.dat b/infobase/fortunes.dat index b9cf41b2..b7e5967f 100644 --- a/infobase/fortunes.dat +++ b/infobase/fortunes.dat @@ -41830,4 +41830,99 @@ Open awareness helps unite your mind with the result of healing. This meditation could also lead to, or be, the awareness state of the enlightened nature itself. -- by Tulku Thondup, in "Boundless Healing", published by Shambhala Publications +~ + Amazing! + These precious freedoms and endowments are rare as a daytime star; + Even when found, like a candle flame in the wind, + They could vanish in an instant! + Pondering this, most people seem like mad sea captains. + + The root of practice is renunciation. + So if you don’t use the key points of mind training + To till the soil of your mind, hardened toward liberation, + When death comes and you beat your chest with regret, + it will be too late! + + -- Jigme Lingpa, from "Steps to the Great Perfection: The Mind-Training + Tradition of the Dzogchen Masters", published by Shambhala Publications +~ +We don’t have to try to surrender. That sounds too effortful. Then we will +have a surrender competition. There is going to be a spiritual marathon, a +spiritual Olympics, how about that? Indeed, there is a spiritual Olympics. +It is not officially announced. Many people are working really hard trying to +be the best meditator, the best ascetic, the most enlightened. So don’t try +to surrender with your personal will or deliberate effort. It sounds like too +much work, trying to surrender to everything. Instead, go inside. That is +all you need to do sometimes. Go inside and let yourself be in touch with +your heart. You know how to be in touch with your heart. Your heart is +waiting to be recognized. This is why the Tibetan masters often said there +are many forms or levels of meditation. The highest level is what they call +effortless meditation. When they teach how to meditate, especially the +masters from the Nyingma tradition, they always say, "Don’t do anything." +Rest in the present moment. Relax in the natural state of your mind, because +if you can relax, rest in the natural state of your own mind, then you will be +in touch with your own heart, with your original heart, with your innocent +heart, and then surrender is very easy because all of your heart wants it. + -- Anam Thubten, from "Embracing Each Moment: A Guide to the Awakened Life", + published by Shambhala Publications +~ + One day the Dalai Lama went to Ganden accompanied by his security agent +Kumbula. They went in ordinary clothes on ordinary horses and left Lhasa +traveling east. When they got to the ferries they met with an elderly man +heading back home from Lhasa where he had taken a load of wood on a donkey. +The Dalai Lama entered into a conversation with him. "Where are you off to?" +he asked. "I am going back home," the man replied. "I have taken a load of +wood to the Norbulinka to the kitchens there." This was when a new building +called the Chensel Palace was being constructed. New taxes had been +introduced to pay for it and part of the tax was the requisitioning of pack +animals to transport rocks. "He already has some very beautiful palaces but +still he is building a new one. People have to spend a lot of their time +there and use their animals for building this new palace. It is that fellow +Kumbula who decided yet another palace is needed in Norbulinka even though +there are a lot there already. He is not a bad fellow, this Kumbula," the old +man continued, "but he really does load up the ordinary people with his taxes +and requisitions. This fellow Kumbula, he always has to be starting some new +project or other, he is that sort of fellow." Now Kumbula was right there +with the Dalai Lama, and a bit later the old fellow started up again. "This +Kumbula is definitely too quick to start up new projects, if you ask me; but +you know, he is no fool either, and he is loyal to the Dalai Lama. He is +useful to the Dalai Lama, no doubt about that." The gist of his remarks was +that the ordinary man like himself found the taxation burdensome. The Dalai +Lama was very pleased with the conversation. + "Rinpoche," the old man said, thinking the Dalai Lama was just a +distinguished looking older monk, "have some tea with me." They had some tea +and tsampa together and then the old fellow pulled out a bottle of barley beer +and offered it to the Dalai Lama. "I am a monk, I do not drink beer," the +Dalai Lama protested. "Do not be silly," he said, "a lot of the monks are +drinking beer nowadays, go ahead and have a swig." "Is that so?" said the +Dalai Lama. "A lot of the monks nowadays are drinking beer are they?" "Piles +of them," the old fellow replied, "though I am pleased to see that you do not +accept my offer." After the old man had downed his beer with some bread he +was carrying, they set off in the direction of Ganden together, talking as +they went. As they began to approach Ganden, at the place called Dechen, they +caught sight of a large smoke offering and the monks of Ganden lined up to +welcome a special guest. The old fellow said, "They are making a big welcome +up there for someone today, I wonder who is coming." The Dalai Lama said, "I +am not positive, but I suspect it is for me." Then the old fellow began to +suspect that he was there with the Dalai Lama and he thought he had better +make a run for it. As he tried to flee the Dalai Lama caught hold of him and +would not let him go. He took the old man right in through the gates of +Ganden Monastery and told the people there not to let him leave, but to give +him a good meal and something excellent to drink. After he had been well-fed +and looked after, the Dalai Lama sent word to bring him. + The old man was beside himself with fear, thinking he was going to be +given a terrible punishment, but the Dalai Lama treated him as a friend and +told him to sit down, right opposite to where Kumbula was sitting. "Hey, old +fellow," he said, "I must introduce you to Kumbula. This is Kumbula." He was +overcome with embarrassment, but the Dalai Lama said that he should not be. +"You spoke your heart, you spoke what you felt was true and there is no shame +in that. You described faults as faults and good qualities as good qualities. +Some people only complain but you did not do that. Some, again, cover up +faults and say nothing but good and that is not right either. You spoke +honestly and openly, and I am very happy." He gave him fifty white silver +sangs as a parting gift, a large sum of money, and said that the problems +would be looked into. It was from then that the levies on the people for +Norbulinka building projects stopped. + -- Ven. Lobsang Gyatso, translated by Ven. Dr. Gareth Sparham, "Memoirs + of a Tibetan Lama", published by Shambhala Publications -- 2.34.1