~
religious letter games...
- DEVIL
- EVIL
- GOOD
- GOD
+ devil
+ evil
+ good
+ god
~
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
~
~
are you only using half your brain?
if you can only think in terms of logical conclusions, rational assumptions,
-and common sense OR
+and common sense -or-
if you can only think in terms of intuitive jumps, esthetic motivations,
and the fluid nature of reality,
then you probably are stuck on one side of your head. try moving into
"Sir, if I were your wife, I would put poison in your coffee."
-- Lady Nancy Astor speaking to Winston Churchill
"Madam, if I were your husband, I would drink it."
- -- Churchill's reply
+ -- Winston Churchill's reply
~
If God had intended us to drink beer, He would have given us stomachs.
-- David Daye
subtract from the sum of his desires.
-- Seneca
~
-Live life like your hair is on fire. -- Ashley Brilliant
+Live life like your hair is on fire. -- Ashleigh Brilliant
~
City people have a hard time handling the silences when they first
come out to the country. After a certain period of solitude, I myself
-- Umberto Eco
~
The subjects that were dearest to the examiners were almost invariably those I
-fancied least... I should have liked to be asked to say what I knew. They
+fancied least. ... I should have liked to be asked to say what I knew. They
always tried to ask what I did not know. When I would have willingly displayed
my knowledge, they sought to expose my ignorance. This sort of treatment had
-only one result: I did not too well in examinations.
+only one result: I did not do well at examinations...
-- Winston Churchill
~
One of the great movements in my lifetime among educated people is the need to
~
Those who get too big for their briches will be exposed in the end. -- Anon.
~
-We're not talking about the same thing," he said. "For you the world is weird
+"We're not talking about the same thing," he said. "For you the world is weird
because if you're not bored with it you're at odds with it. For me the world
is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious, unfathomable; my
interest has been to convince you that you must accept responsibility for being
here, in this marvelous world, in this marvelous desert, in this marvelous
time. I wanted to convince you that you must learn to make every act count,
since you are going to be here for only a short while, in fact, too short for
-witnessing all the marvels of it.
+witnessing all the marvels of it."
-- Don Juan, Yaqui Shaman
~
Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use.
life.
-- H.H. the Dalai Lama
~
-COMPLICATED SIMPLICITY
+Complicated Simplicity
Emptiness is the simplest and most unelaborated thing we could imagine, but
then there is this whole literature about all these very discursive details
to be a horrible warning.
-- Catherine Aird
~
-THE MIND OF CLEAR LIGHT
+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,
go thoroughly beyond; and bodhi svaha means firmly rooted in enlightenment.
-- H.H. the Dalai Lama
~
-ENDURING SUCCESS
+Enduring Success
+
It is often seen that human beings can endure problems quite well, but
cannot endure success. When we are successful and have everything we desire,
it can easily go to our heads. There is a great danger of losing our common
~
Completely understanding his dire circumstances, the man had a strong
feeling that the only way to be saved from deportation was to extend loving-
-kindness to Calcutta’s police inspector general. He placed a photograph of
+kindness to Calcutta's police inspector general. He placed a photograph of
the police inspector general on his desk. He then completely focused his
attention on it, extending his feeling of loving-kindness toward the man. In
fact, he sat up the entire night looking at the photograph and practicing his
Shambhala Publications
~
According the First Noble Truth, the first step in discovering truth and
-relieving our own and anyone else’s suffering is to acknowledge the pain and
+relieving our own and anyone else's suffering is to acknowledge the pain and
suffering that are present in our lives. Sometimes people assume that
Buddhism is a pessimistic sort of tradition because of this teaching. In
fact, however, recognizing that pain is simply part of being alive can be a
In brief, whatever is dawning, be right there with an uncontrived mind. Do
not involve yourself with stopping, or starting, or with any modification
whatsoever. Whatever arises, stay uncontrivedly right with that arising.
-Don’t reel your mind in, don’t cast around for an object of meditation out
+Don't reel your mind in, don't cast around for an object of meditation out
there. Be right there with the meditator, your very own mind. Unfound when
sought, your own mind is primordially empty mindnature. Seeking also is
unnecessary; the seeker--yourself--is that [which one is seeking].
Publications
~
Thus, all compounded and uncompounded phenomena--the ten directions, the
-three times, the three worlds, and so forth--are none other than one’s own
+three times, the three worlds, and so forth--are none other than one's own
mind, as is stated in the Great Sovereign of Practices, the Victory over the
-Three Worlds: "If one realizes, in accordance with one’s own unmistaken
+Three Worlds: "If one realizes, in accordance with one's own unmistaken
mind or the power of the mind, that discerning consciousness is the very
nature of the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and the like, one is enlightened. If one
fails to understand this, everything appears as the vessel and contents that
constitute samsara. The three worlds are simply this; the great elements
are simply this."
-- Padmasambhava, "A Garland of Views: A Guide to View, Meditation, and
- Result in the Nine Vehicles", from Padmasambhava’s classic text with a
+ Result in the Nine Vehicles", from Padmasambhava's classic text with a
commentary by Jamgön Mipham, published by Shambhala Publications
~
The Hinayana counsels a life of discipline--not the onerous, punishing kind,
wrongdoings, however, they are seen as obstacles and obscurations to true
wakefulness and as such are to be eschewed. To do so, tremendous precision is
required. I mean, take just one of the most basic precepts, common to every
-religion under the sun: "don’t lie." If you can read to the end of this
+religion under the sun: "don't lie." If you can read to the end of this
paragraph without telling a lie, please alert the media.
-- Susan Piver, "Start Here Now", published by Shambhala Publications
~
We only need to watch a birth to know how traumatic and painful the passage
through the birth canal must be for the baby. Aging is distasteful to
everyone but small children, who long to be grown up. Everyone else likes to
-be told they don’t look a day older.
- Even reading about diseases or hearing of others’ sicknesses fills us
+be told they don't look a day older.
+ Even reading about diseases or hearing of others' sicknesses fills us
with a dread that we might contract them. When we actually fall ill
ourselves, we feel afraid and helpless. As for death, everyone avoids talking
about it. Humans also experience the constant frustration of not getting what
-they want and getting what they don’t want. When we first meet people, they
+they want and getting what they don't want. When we first meet people, they
may seem successful and happy, but as soon as we get to know them better, we
discover they all have a tale of woe to tell.
- -- "Atisha’s Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment", commentary by Geshe
+ -- "Atisha's Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment", commentary by Geshe
Sonam Rinchen, translated and edited by Ruth Sonam, published by
Shambhala Publications
~
~
Traditionally, many subtle distinctions are made about the various
characteristics and levels of the development of bodhichitta. Chagme Rinpoche
-mentions these and says, “If you are studying to become a scholar, you need
+mentions these and says, "If you are studying to become a scholar, you need
to know all of these distinctions. But if you are a practitioner, these
-distinctions are extremely unimportant.” For example, I arrived here at
+distinctions are extremely unimportant." For example, I arrived here at
these teachings by traveling in airplanes and automobiles. Now, I might
-wonder, “Who built the airplane I traveled in? How does it work?” But, in
-fact, I don’t know the answers to any of these things because it is not
+wonder, "Who built the airplane I traveled in? How does it work?" But, in
+fact, I don't know the answers to any of these things because it is not
important for me to know these things. What is important is that I got on an
airplane and flew thousands of miles and was able to get here. In the same
-way, I regularly travel by automobile, and I might wonder, “How do you make
-an automobile? Who made this automobile? How does it work exactly?” From
+way, I regularly travel by automobile, and I might wonder, "How do you make
+an automobile? Who made this automobile? How does it work exactly?" From
one point of view, of course, it is good to know these things, but from the
point of view of actually getting somewhere, it is not important. What is
important is that I got in a car and I came here. So, from one point of view,
it might be important to know all about the various aspects and
characteristics of bodhichitta, but according to Karma Chagme, it is perfectly
-okay if you don’t.
- -- Khenchen Thrangu, "Luminous Clarity: A Commentary on Karma Chagme’s
+okay if you don't.
+ -- Khenchen Thrangu, "Luminous Clarity: A Commentary on Karma Chagme's
Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen", published by Shambhala Publications
~
- You are a deeply selfish person. -
-- Choying Tobden Dorje, from "The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to
Tantra, Books 15 to 17, Volume 1", published by Shambhala Publications
~
- First, I’ll begin with self, which sometimes goes by the name ego, or
+ First, I'll begin with self, which sometimes goes by the name ego, or
more familiarly, I and me. What is this self, really? We can investigate by
trying to analyze this self, to locate it or pin it down, to see if it even
exists in the first place. This can be a highly illuminating contemplation,
but for the purposes of this book, I would like to focus more on our everyday
-experience. Let’s identify how having a self feels. In our mind stream,
+experience. Let's identify how having a self feels. In our mind stream,
there is always some kind of feeling of having a self, which is at the center
of all our thoughts and emotions. One Tibetan phrase targets this phenomenon
-precisely: dak che dzin. Dak means “self”; che means “important” or
-“dear”; dzin means “holding” or “regarding.” This term has various
+precisely: dak che dzin. Dak means "self"; che means "important" or
+"dear"; dzin means "holding" or "regarding." This term has various
translations, which all capture different nuances: self-centeredness, self-
clinging, ego-clinging, self-absorption. I like to use all of these terms in
-different contexts, but my favorite translation is “self-importance.”
+different contexts, but my favorite translation is "self-importance."
This word may make us think dak che dzin has mostly to do with being proud
and arrogant, but such pride is nowhere near the whole story. Self-importance
includes both self-cherishing and self-protection. It is the source of the
-five main types of painful emotions, known as the “five poisons”:
+five main types of painful emotions, known as the "five poisons":
attachment, aggression, jealousy, arrogance, and stupidity. It can manifest
-as feeling like we’re better than others, but just as easily it can manifest
+as feeling like we're better than others, but just as easily it can manifest
as low self-esteem, or even self-hatred. The bottom line is that we regard
-this self—whatever or wherever it is—as the most important thing in the
+this self--whatever or wherever it is--as the most important thing in the
entire universe.
-- Dzigar Kongtrul, from "The Intelligent Heart: A Guide to the
Compassionate Life", published by Shambhala Publications.
~
In reality, nothing can save us from a state of chaos or confusion unless
we have acknowledged it and actually experienced it. Otherwise, even though
-we may be in the midst of chaos, we don’t even notice it, although we are
+we may be in the midst of chaos, we don't even notice it, although we are
subject to it. On the path of meditation, the first real glimpse of our
confusion and the general chaos is when we begin to feel uncomfortable. We
feel that something is a nuisance. Something is bugging us constantly.
thought problems, emotional hang-ups, and physical problems in meditation.
Before we work with anyone else, we have to deal with being a nuisance to
ourselves. We have to pull ourselves together. We might get angry with
-ourselves, saying, "I could do better than this. What’s wrong with me? I
-seem to be getting worse. I’m going backward." We might get angry with
+ourselves, saying, "I could do better than this. What's wrong with me? I
+seem to be getting worse. I'm going backward." We might get angry with
the whole world, including ourselves. Everything, the entire universe,
becomes the expression of total insult. We have to relate to that experience
rather than rejecting it. If you hope to be helpful to others, first you have
proving far more hospitable to our growth than past eras of idealized calm and
simplicity. When we figure out for ourselves how to apply the wisdom of books
to whatever difficult circumstances arise in life, then that wisdom becomes
-part of our mind. We become transformed. My hope for every reader—as well
-as for myself—is that we will apply these lojong teachings again and again
+part of our mind. We become transformed. My hope for every reader--as well
+as for myself--is that we will apply these lojong teachings again and again
until they become part of who we are.
-- Dzigar Kongtrul and Joseph Waxman, in "The Intelligent Heart: A Guide
to the Compassionate Life", published by Shambhala Publications
San Francisco: a clean city, like an elegant, genteel Christian graveyard.
-Santa Fe: a picturesque city, like a painter’ s bright, simple palette,
+Santa Fe: a picturesque city, like a painter's bright, simple palette,
imitating Tibet.
Boston: a sophisticated city, like London without queens and dukes and falling
Kornfield, published by Shambhala Publications
~
Even though we may actually recognize the nature of awareness, we should not
-hold on to that mindfulness tightly, thinking, “I have indeed recognized it."
+hold on to that mindfulness tightly, thinking, "I have indeed recognized it."
If we do hold on to it tightly, it will be like when a thread is twisted too
taut: one cannot sew with it, because it knots up. In the same way, if one
is too tense, one's mindfulness will be obscured. If mindfulness is not
grasped too tightly but left in the natural flow, sometimes it will be clear
and sometimes not. But we should not get caught up in whether it is clear or
not. If genuine mindfulness is left without being altered, gradually we will
-come to know, through our own experience, “This is awareness, and this is
-ignorance; this is mind, and this is wisdom.”
+come to know, through our own experience, "This is awareness, and this is
+ignorance; this is mind, and this is wisdom."
-- Dilgo Khyentse, from "Primordial Purity", published by Shambhala
Publications
~
He says Tibetans are unique because we value the practice of Buddhism. He
gives the example of Tibetan mothers who in the course of a day point
-repeatedly toward suffering. They tell their children: don’t kill the ant,
-it will suffer; don’t pour hot water on the soil, the earthworm will feel
-the sting and the heat will cause it great pain; don’t pull the dog’s tail
+repeatedly toward suffering. They tell their children: don't kill the ant,
+it will suffer; don't pour hot water on the soil, the earthworm will feel
+the sting and the heat will cause it great pain; don't pull the dog's tail
so hard. We are told to think for the animals and insects who cannot voice
their pain but for whom suffering is as acute as it is for humans. From a
young age, he says, we are reminded that nobody is free from suffering. I
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
+ 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
+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
+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
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."
+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
that feeling lasted for days after the festival was over. hopefully memory of
that thought never fades.
~
- Don’t become easily discouraged. If you never try to go beyond that
+ Don't become easily discouraged. If you never try to go beyond that
stage of initial discouragement because there are thoughts arising in your
meditation, you are never going to have the true experiences of meditation.
You need to go beyond that initial stage. You need to keep trying. If you
arrive at the experience of not getting caught up in your thoughts and mental
events.
Sometimes you may even observe an increase in the frequency of thoughts.
-When that happens, don’t get discouraged. My enlightened master Jigme
+When that happens, don't get discouraged. My enlightened master Jigme
Phuntsok Rinpoche says:
"One sign that your meditation is beginning to be effective is that both
subtle thoughts and obvious thoughts become more noticeable than before. This
-is not a bad sign; it’s a good sign. When water rushes in a strong river
-current, you don’t see the fish or rocks beneath the rapids. But when the
+is not a bad sign; it's a good sign. When water rushes in a strong river
+current, you don't see the fish or rocks beneath the rapids. But when the
current slows and the water becomes clear, then you can see the fish, the
rocks, and everything below the surface distinctly. Similarly, if you never
pay attention to your mind, and your thoughts and emotions are uncontrolled,
-you don’t even know how many thoughts go by. But when your mind becomes
-more stable and calm, you begin to see your thoughts more clearly. Don’t be
-discouraged. Take heart at this sign. Don’t hold yourself too loosely or
+you don't even know how many thoughts go by. But when your mind becomes
+more stable and calm, you begin to see your thoughts more clearly. Don't be
+discouraged. Take heart at this sign. Don't hold yourself too loosely or
too tightly. Maintain your meditation in the right way without concern and
gradually your meditation experience will increase and stabilize."
Remember: Do not follow the past. Do not anticipate the future. Remain
karma in past lives, she is preordained to serve him. Sujata sets to work
preparing the rice milk offering in the fashion of the one thousand cows
milked to feed the five hundred and so forth. In observing miracles around
-the cooking pot, she prays that they foretell the Bodhisattva’s imminent
+the cooking pot, she prays that they foretell the Bodhisattva's imminent
supreme awakening. She brings the rice porridge in a golden bowl to Gautama
where he is sitting along the river and offers it to him after reverentially
making prostrations. According to this story, the Bodhisattva regains his
-former strength and splendor upon consuming Sujata’s excellent food. In
+former strength and splendor upon consuming Sujata's excellent food. In
this version, it is his first meal after the six years of austerities and has
instantly restored him to wholeness. After bathing and meditating at the
river, Gautama proceeds to the tree of enlightenment. All these events have
Karmapa received from this great bodhisattva the teachings that Gampopa
himself had been given by his masters. First, Gampopa transmitted to him the
teachings of the Kadampa tradition, including the classical scholastic studies
-known as the “gradual path,” which emphasize the development of
+known as the "gradual path," which emphasize the development of
renunciation and altruism. They henceforth became an educational constant for
the Kagyu lineage and the basis of the study of the Vajrayana. Dusum Khyenpa
then received from his master the teachings and transmissions related to the
caves in order to actualize what had been transmitted. After only nine days
of meditation, he spontaneously experienced a strong feeling of warmth and
bliss. He removed his monk robes and dressed himself in the simple attire of
-white cotton—repa—worn by yogis. He meditated for nine months,
+white cotton-repa--worn by yogis. He meditated for nine months,
concentrating in particular on the practice of calm abiding (samatha), which
allows practitioners to pacify and stabilize their mind. Having excelled in
this, he continued his retreat for three more years, perfecting his meditative
Aubèle, published by Shambhala Publications
~
One cannot force or grasp a spiritual experience, because it is as delicate as
-the whisper of the wind. But one can purify one’s motivation, one’s body,
+the whisper of the wind. But one can purify one's motivation, one's body,
and train oneself to cultivate it. Because we come from a culture which
teaches us there is always something external to be obtained which will lead
us to fulfillment, we lose contact with our innate wisdom. As the Indian
triple.
-- Barry Switzer
~
- First, let’s take a look at how physical and emotional health supports
+ First, let's take a look at how physical and emotional health supports
our spiritual health. What is spiritual health? One way that the Buddhist
teachings define spiritual health is having a sense of interconnection with
other living beings on the planet, as well as respect for the natural
Breathing Practices for Healing the Body and Cultivating Wisdom",
published by Shambhala Publications
~
-Our worries may zoom around the state of the world. “What happens if the
+Our worries may zoom around the state of the world. "What happens if the
economy plummets? If the ozone layer keeps decreasing? If we have more
anthrax attacks? If terrorists take over the country? If we lose our civil
-liberties fighting terrorism?” Here, our creative writing ability leads to
+liberties fighting terrorism?" Here, our creative writing ability leads to
fantastic scenarios that may or may not happen, but regardless, we manage to
work ourselves into a state of unprecedented despair. This, in turn, often
leads to raging anger at the powers that be or alternatively, to apathy,
-simply thinking that since everything is rotten, there’s no use doing
-anything. In either case, we’re so gloomy that we neglect to act
+simply thinking that since everything is rotten, there's no use doing
+anything. In either case, we're so gloomy that we neglect to act
constructively in ways that remedy difficulties and create goodness.
-- Thubten Chodron, in "Taming the Mind", published by Shambhala Publications
~
The dawn of the Great Eastern Sun is based on actual experience. It is not a
concept. You realize that you can uplift yourself, that you can appreciate
your existence as a human being. Whether you are a gas station attendant or
-the president of your country doesn’t really matter. When you experience
+the president of your country doesn't really matter. When you experience
the goodness of being alive, you can respect who and what you are. You need
not be intimidated by lots of bills to pay, diapers to change, food to cook,
or papers to be filed. Fundamentally, in spite of all those responsibilities,
levels of the realm of formlessness, whose inhabitants have transcended form
altogether and have no bodies or forms at all. Here deities experience
successively even more subtle states of mind: the infinity of space, the
-infinity of consciousness, “nothing at all,” and neither perception nor
+infinity of consciousness, "nothing at all," and neither perception nor
nonperception.
These states can certainly appear enormously attractive from our human
point of view. In fact, they correspond to what many think religious practice
-is all about—attaining some kind of heaven or some sort of tranquillity or
+is all about--attaining some kind of heaven or some sort of tranquillity or
bliss. But from the Buddhist viewpoint, the sublimity even of these states is
-not a worthy ultimate goal. One may ask, “What can possibly be wrong with
-such attainments?”
+not a worthy ultimate goal. One may ask, "What can possibly be wrong with
+such attainments?"
It is important to remember that the divine states of the desire realm,
the form realm, and the formless realm, like all the other states known in the
other five realms, are still part of samsara and subject to karma,
earth in mindfulness, knowing that I walk on the wondrous earth. In such
moments, existence is a miraculous and mysterious reality. People usually
consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real
-miracle is to walk on earth... a miracle we don’t even recognize."
+miracle is to walk on earth... a miracle we don't even recognize."
-- from Jan Chozen Bays, MD, "How to Train a Wild Elephant & Other Adventures
in Mindfulness", published by Shambhala Publications
~
(The Buddha said,)
"Let them completely destroy the root
Of conceptual differentiation,
-That is, [the idea] ‘I am the thinker.’
+That is, [the idea] 'I am the thinker.'
Ever mindful, they train to subdue their cravings.
-"They shouldn’t get entrenched in any teachings they know
+"They shouldn't get entrenched in any teachings they know
Whether their own or that of others.
Good people say that
Being entrenched is not release.
"They would not, because of this, think themselves
Better, worse, or equal [to others].
Experiencing many things,
-They don’t take a stand in thoughts of themselves."
+They don't take a stand in thoughts of themselves."
- The Buddha’s first teachings in this poem are particularly important.
+ The Buddha's first teachings in this poem are particularly important.
Here he emphasizes the destruction of the root source for conceptual
proliferation which he describes as being either the idea "I am the
thinker" or the thought "I am." While the grammar of the Pali phrase
the strength of wisdom awareness.
-- Gampopa, in "The Jewel Ornament of Liberation", published by Shambhala
Publications
-~
- Your eggnog to rum ratio should be 23% to 77%. I would then spice the
-eggnog with nutmeg and use more than you're comfortable with because sailors
-used to use it as [a] hallucinogen...
- Also, enter on a reindeer. And if you enter on a reindeer, stay on the
-reindeer. And if you can’t reach something because you’re too high up
-sitting on the reindeer, just ask for help. That goes for life, too. Don’t
-be afraid to ask for help and stay on that reindeer.
- -- T.J. Miller’s recipe for the perfect holiday party
-~
-if you can't beat them, join them, and subvert them from the inside.
- -- fred t. hamster
-~
-regarding christmas cards...
-"i would create my own as a desktop publishing activity, with all new current
-stuff. but it's way too much effort. basically, i can either give you a
-present or make you a card. which do you prefer?"
- -- thus spake slackathustra.
~
III. Path of Insight
The path of insight begins after the highest worldly dharma and consists
of calm abiding as a basis for special insight focused on the Four Noble
Truths. Four insights correspond to each of the Four Noble Truths, making a
-total of sixteen—eight patient acceptances and eight cognitions: the patient
+total of sixteen-eight patient acceptances and eight cognitions: the patient
acceptance of the cognition of the dharma with respect to suffering, the
cognition of the dharma with respect to suffering, the patient acceptance of
the cognition that is the subsequent realization with respect to suffering,
the perfect equanimity branch.
-- The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, by Gampopa, published by Shambhala
Publications
+~
+IV. Path of Meditation
+
+The path of meditation practice begins after the realization of special
+insight. It has two paths:
+ A. the path of worldly meditation practice and
+ B. the path of meditation practice beyond the world.
+A.
+ Worldly Meditation Practice consists of the first, second, third, and
+fourth meditative stages, and the formless stages of increasing the infinite
+nature of space, increasing the infinity of consciousness, increasing the
+nothing-whatsoever-ness, and increasing neither perception nor non-perception.
+There are three purposes to practicing this meditation:
+
++ suppressing the afflicting emotions which are the subject of
+abandonment in the path of meditation;
++ establishing the special qualities of the Four Immeasurables and so
+forth; and
++ creating the foundation for the path beyond the world.
+
+B.
+ Meditation Practice Beyond the World consists of the furthering of calm
+abiding and special insight, focused on the two types of wisdom. During the
+path of insight there were two "patient acceptances" and two
+"awarenesses" corresponding to each of the Four Noble Truths, making a
+total of sixteen. The eight patient acceptances were completed in the path of
+insight. One becomes familiarized with the eight awarenesses in the path of
+meditation through the calm abiding and special insight related to the four
+meditative concentrations and three of the formless absorptions. Furthermore,
+part of the awareness of phenomena is to familiarize oneself with all the
+realization of dharma-as-such. Part of the continuity awareness is to
+familiarize oneself with all the realization of primordial wisdom. The state
+of neither perception nor non-perception is merely worldly meditation because
+the movement of sensation is so unclear.
+ Why is this called the path of meditation? Because there, one becomes
+familiar with the realizations that one achieved in the path of insight. At
+this stage, there are eight of the thirty-seven branches of enlightenment:
+
++ perfect view,
++ perfect conception, perfect speech, perfect action,
++ perfect livelihood,
++ perfect effort,
++ perfect mindfulness, and
++ perfect absorption.
+ -- Gampopa, from "The Jewel Ornament of Liberation", published by Shambhala
+Publications
+~
+ Your eggnog to rum ratio should be 23% to 77%. I would then spice the
+eggnog with nutmeg and use more than you're comfortable with because sailors
+used to use it as [a] hallucinogen...
+ Also, enter on a reindeer. And if you enter on a reindeer, stay on the
+reindeer. And if you can't reach something because you're too high up
+sitting on the reindeer, just ask for help. That goes for life, too. Don't
+be afraid to ask for help and stay on that reindeer.
+ -- T.J. Miller's recipe for the perfect holiday party
+~
+if you can't beat them, join them, and subvert them from the inside.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+regarding christmas cards...
+"i would create my own as a desktop publishing activity, with all new current
+stuff. but it's way too much effort. basically, i can either give you a
+present or make you a card. which do you prefer?"
+ -- thus spake slackathustra.
+~
+Hope is not a strategy.
+Luck is not a factor.
+Fear is not an option.
+ -- James Cameron
+~
+A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do,
+nothing else.
+ -- John Galsworthy
+~
+The Order of the Four Noble Truths
+
+We do analytical meditation to understand the various unsatisfactory
+conditions or sufferings of cyclic existence. When we gain an experience of
+them, we then place our mind firmly on that experience using stabilizing
+meditation. The more we meditate on suffering, the more we are motivated to
+rid ourselves of it. We will want to find out its causes and cease creating
+them. Thus, after contemplating true suffering, we contemplate true origin.
+Investigating this, we will see that suffering arises from karma, which is
+produced in dependence on the disturbing attitudes. These in turn are rooted
+in self-grasping ignorance. We will want to eliminate this ignorance, and
+will see that because it is a faulty attitude or misconception, it can be
+eliminated. Thus we will be certain that we can attain the true cessation of
+suffering and its origin. Through further contemplating the four noble
+truths, we will recognize that the way to abandon self-grasping ignorance is
+to meditate on the true path, since this path is principally the wisdom
+realizing the non-existence of the self that is adhered to by ignorance. This
+is the order in which the four noble truths unfold in meditation and thus is
+the order in which to practice them. So, although the actual order in which
+the four occur is first the causes and then the effects, when the Buddha
+taught for the purpose of practice, he explained the results first.
+ -- Geshe Jampa Tegchok, "Transforming Adversity Into Joy and Courage: An
+ Explanation of the Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Take Refuge in the Buddha
+
+ We live in an ocean of cyclic existence whose depth and extent cannot be
+measured. We are troubled again and again by the afflictions of desire and
+hatred as if repeatedly attacked by sharks.
+ Our mental and physical aggregates are impelled by former contaminated
+actions and afflictions and serve as a basis for present suffering as well as
+inducing future suffering. While such cyclic existence lasts, we have various
+thoughts of pleasure and displeasure: "If I do this, what will people think?
+If I do not do this, I will be too late; I won't make any profit." When we
+see something pleasant we think, "Oh, if I could only have that!" We see
+that others are prosperous, and we generate jealousy, unable to bear their
+prosperity. We see an attractive man or woman, and we want a relationship.
+We are not satisfied with a passing relationship but want it to last forever.
+And then, once staying together with that person, we desire someone else.
+When we see someone we do not like, we become angry and quarrel after a single
+word; we feel we cannot remain even for an hour near this hated person but
+must leave immediately. Day and night, night and day we spend our lives in
+the company of the afflictions, generating desire for the pleasant and anger
+at the unpleasant, and continue thus even when dreaming, unable to remain
+relaxed, our minds completely and utterly mixed with thoughts of desire and
+hatred without interruption.
+ Only a Buddha has extinguished all defects and gained all attainments.
+Therefore, one should mentally go for refuge to a Buddha, praise him or her
+with speech, and respect him or her physically. One should enter the teaching
+of such a being.
+ -- from "The Essence of Tantra," by the Dalai Lama, in The Great Exposition
+ of the Secret Mantra, Volume I: Tantra in Tibet by Tsongkhapa, published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+V. Path of Perfection
+
+ After the vajra-like absorption, one actualizes the nature of awareness,
+the awareness of exhaustion, and awareness of the unborn. The vajra-like
+absorption is the state at the edge of the path of meditation and is included
+in the preparation and unobstructed stages. This absorption is called
+"vajra-like" because it is unobstructed, hard, stable, of one taste, and
+all-pervasive.
+ "Unobstructed" means that it cannot be affected by the action of the
+world. "Hard" means it cannot be destroyed by obscurations. "Stable"
+means it cannot be shaken by discursive thoughts. "One taste" means
+everything is of one taste. "All pervasive" means that it observes the
+suchness of all knowledge.
+ The "awareness of the exhaustion of causes" that arises after this
+absorption is the primordial wisdom awareness that observes the Four Noble
+Truths by the power of the exhaustion of all causes. The "awareness of the
+unborn" is the primordial wisdom that observes the Four Noble Truths by the
+power of abandoning the result, suffering. In other words, this primordial
+wisdom clearly observes the exhaustion of the cause and non-production of the
+result and is called the "awareness of the exhaustion and non-production."
+ Why is this called the path of perfection? Because the training is
+perfected and one enters the city of nirvana--this is why it is called the
+path of perfection. At this stage, there are ten attainments of no-more-
+training: starting with perfect view of no-more-training through the perfect
+absorption of no-more-training and then the full liberation of no-more-
+training and the perfect primordial wisdom of no-more-training--these ten
+attainments of no-more-training are included in the five unafflicted skandas:
+
+ perfect speech of no-more-training, perfect action, and perfect
+livelihood are in the heap of moral ethics;
+ perfect mindfulness of no-more-training and perfect absorption are in
+the heap of absorption;
+ perfect view of no-more-training, perfect conception, and perfect
+effort are in the heap of wisdom awareness;
+ perfect, full liberation is in the heap of full liberation;
+ perfect awareness is in the heap of seeing the primordial wisdom of
+full liberation.
+ -- Gampopa, from "The Jewel Ornament of Liberation", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+i try to think of 10,008 impossible things before breakfast,
+and i'm near ecstatic if any of those is worth writing down.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+businesses or products mashed up with despots:
+- fidelity castro
+- mao zeding-dong
+- pol potstickers
+- donald trump
+~
+Relaxing in the midst of chaos,
+learning not to panic--this is the spiritual path.
+ -- Pema Chödrön, "When Things Fall Apart"
+~
+Driving all blames into oneself applies whenever we complain about anything,
+even that our coffee is cold or the bathroom is dirty. We may think that we
+are the voice of the world, that we are speaking on behalf of others, but we
+are simply speaking on behalf of ourselves. According to this slogan,
+everything is due to our own ego fixation, which makes us very vulnerable.
+Consequently, we provide an ideal target. We get hit, but nobody meant to hit
+us--we are actually inviting the bullets.
+ -- Chögyam Trungpa, "The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma: The
+ Bodhisattva Path of Wisdom and Compassion", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.
+ -- Wayne Gretzky
+~
+Aren't surveys inherently biased, because they only include people who are
+willing to be surveyed? What about people who value their time?
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+if throwing your dirty clothes at the hamper causes an avalanche,
+then it's time to do the laundry. #NoteToSelf
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+stoner marxism:
+"from each according to his stash, to each according to his jones."
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+i learned everything i needed to know about the 2016 election cycle by
+listening to devo in the 70s. "We're pinheads now. We are not whole."
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+"i made a sample with my organ!"
+"that's disgusting!"
+"an electronic organ, dork."
+"oh, i get it."
+"i sampled the sound of orgasm."
+"gahh!"
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+"the universe is flat in all directions" is what an infinitely dimensional
+person might say as she perceives all realities simultaneously.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+Out of ten soldiers who are perfect in drill and the manual of arms, only one
+knows the purpose of the sights on his gun or can hit the broad side of a barn.
+ -- General Burnside, of his civil war recruits
+~
+music is the balm that soothes.
+anger is the bomb that kills.
+so don't listen to your anger if you want to feel right about life.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+don't torture yourself with overblown expectations of how much you can
+accomplish. stretch goals are fine, "burst" goals are not.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+In the gap between two thoughts,
+Thought-free wakefulness manifests unceasingly.
+ -- Milarepa
+~
+After Yeshe Tsogyal had helped countless beings in Tibet with her body,
+speech, and mind, the naga Nanda made offerings and with tears in his eyes he
+sang to her:
+
+ Kyema!
+ Guru, mother, Yeshe Tsogyal,
+ Key to the mysteries of Padmasambhava,
+ With mercy taking up the pains of others.
+
+ Free from concepts,
+ "Clean" and "unclean" have no hold on you.
+ Eager for the benefit of others,
+ You bury underground all love of self,
+ Mistress holder of the Teachings,
+ Mother of Victorious Ones, I bow to you.
+
+ -- Excerpted from: "Lady of the Lotus-Born: The Life and Enlightenment of
+ Yeshe Tsogyal" (translated by the Padmakara Translation Group), published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The mind captivated by a state of craving has no clue as to what pain and
+pleasure really are. When we hanker after objects, do we experience peace and
+bliss? Are we in control? Do we feel at ease? Or do we feel restless?
+Stressed and worried? Insecure and desperate? The slippery thing about
+attachment is that, in our bewilderment, we can't tell the difference
+between pleasure and pain, love and desire, happiness and sorrow. The craving
+mind can mistake anything for pleasure--even pain! It's like an addiction.
+ -- Dzigar Kongtrül, "Light Comes Through: Buddhist Teachings on Awakening
+ to Our Natural Intelligence", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The path of dharma, its fruit, and everything included within great gnosis,
+too, are nothing more than the realization of the significance of the
+nonduality of phenomena. At this point, there is attainment of the signs of
+cultivating bodhicitta. When realized in this manner, there is no need for
+training on a multitude of paths. Therefore, the unmistaken path is simply
+the realization of the nature of one's own mind just as it is.
+ -- Rongzom Chökyi Zangpo's treatise on Dzogchen as the culmination of the
+ Mahāyāna, Entering the way of the Great Vehicle, translated by Dominic
+ Sur, 2017, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Lineage is not like a baton that one person passes to another person and then
+to another, leaving the ones behind empty-handed. It's like the flame of a
+lamp. If you light one lamp and then keep lighting more lamps, the first lamp
+still has the flame. There are no distinctions. There is a continuum.
+ -- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, from "The Guru Drinks Bourbon?", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any other invention with
+the possible exceptions of handguns and Tequila.
+ -- Mitch Ratcliffe
+~
+Even with realization, if you do not directly cut through, it is like tossing
+out a tempered sharp weapon: the view will not protect you, and you are bound
+by fear. The yoga that brings together view and conduct is like the weapons
+carried by warriors that vanquish all the enemy hosts.
+ -- Machik Lapdrön, "Chöd: The Sacred Teachings on Severence", by Jamgön
+ Kongtrul Lodrö Taye, translated by Sarah Harding, published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+The system of two truths is propounded solely for didactic purposes, as an
+entry to the path. On the ultimate level, the division into two truths has no
+place. There is only the inconceivable dharmadhātu, pure suchness, the
+ultimate mode of being. As it is written in the sutra,
+
+ There is but one truth: absence of all origin,
+ Yet some will crow about there being four.
+ But in the essence of enlightenment,
+ Not one is found--why speak of four?
+
+But whereas on the ultimate level, the two truths are not posited, on the
+relative level, they are. For there is certainly a difference between the way
+things are and the way they appear. As was said earlier, "These the two
+truths are declared to be."
+ -- The Wisdom Chapter: Jamgön Mipham's Commentary on the Ninth Chapter of
+ The Way of the Bodhisattva, translated by the Padmakara Translation
+ Group, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ People who embark upon the path of the Mahayana, the supreme path of
+beings of great scope leading to omniscience, should try to acquire four
+circumstances. They should (1) live in solitude, in a place that has all the
+necessary conditions and is in harmony with the Dharma. They should (2)
+frequent a teacher who is learned in the Tripitaka and steeped in the practice
+of the three trainings. By doing this, they will avoid the inferior attitudes
+of ordinary folk as well as the wrong behavior that leads to suffering, and
+they will acquire all the good qualities deriving from the Dharma of
+transmission and realization. They should in addition (3) nourish an intense
+wish to practice in accordance with the teaching expounded by their master and
+should (4) zealously adopt the supreme protection afforded by the merit
+accumulated in their past and present existences. The venerable Nagarjuna
+refers to these four conditions as the "four wheels," the idea being
+that, just as someone riding in a (horse-drawn) chariot can cover in a short
+time a distance that would take many days for a cow or ox, a Bodhisattva
+taking advantage of these four conditions will progress speedily toward
+omniscience. Nagarjuna refers to them in his Suhrllekha when he says:
+
+ Your dwelling place befits the task,
+ You keep the company of holy beings.
+ With highest aspirations and a store of merit,
+ You have indeed the "four wheels" all complete.
+
+ -- from "Treasury of Precious Qualities, Book One: Sutra Teachings", by
+ Jigme Lingpa, translated by the Padmakara Translation Group, published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+
+ We are far removed from eighth-century Tibet, where we meet her, but
+Yeshé Tsogyal continues to be present and available. She lives outside
+linear time, but visits it: her limitless emanations form a bridge from her
+lifetime to the present. She promised to remain accessible to any spiritual
+seeker wishing to follow her lead. In her own words,
+
+ And so, from now until the scouring of samsara,
+ My stream of emanations, primary and secondary,
+ Will flow unceasing.
+ Especially to those who in the future meditate
+ Upon the subtle veins and energies,
+ I'll show myself--at best directly,
+ Else in visions, or at least in dreams,
+ Appearing as a common person, or as the secret consort.
+ I shall clear the obstacles of those who keep samaya,
+ Bringing progress to their practice,
+ Helping to attain with speed the blissful warmth and thence
+ accomplishment.
+
+ As promised, she continuously appears to lead and inspire the faithful in
+dreams, visions, and real life. As well, her human reincarnations ceaselessly
+return to the world, guiding others in whatever capacity is needed.
+ -- from "The Life and Visions of Yeshé Tsogyal", by Drimé Kunga and Yeshé
+ Tsogyal Translated by Chönyi Drolma, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ It is impossible to conceive how many beings, from beginningless time in
+samsara, have been related to us--as parents, as enemies, or as people
+indifferent to us. In fact, all beings have been linked to us in these three
+ways innumerable times. When they were our enemies, they injured us; when
+they were our parents or our friends, they cherished and aided us; when they
+were neither, they ignored us. It would be impossible to calculate the number
+of relationships that we have experienced. Once when the noble Katyayana went
+begging for alms, he came across a group of people and, perceiving the karmic
+links that bound them together, commented:
+
+ He strikes his mother, eats his father's flesh;
+ His hated foe he dandles on his lap.
+ Here is a wife that sucks her husband's bones--
+ At this samsara how can I not laugh?
+
+ -- from "Treasury of Precious Qualities, Book One: Sutra Teachings", by
+ Jigme Lingpa, translated by the Padmakara Translation Group, published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ When the actual process of dying begins, you pass through eight phases--
+the first four involve the collapse of the four elements, and the last four
+involve the collapse of consciousness into the innermost level of mind, called
+the mind of clear light.
+ In the final phase of dying, when all coarse consciousnesses dissolve into
+the all-empty, which is the fundamental innate mind of clear light, the myriad
+objects of the world, as well as concepts such as sameness and difference, are
+pacified in this subtlest mind. At that time, all appearances of environments
+and beings withdraw of their own accord. Even for a nonpractitioner, coarse
+appearances also withdraw; this withdrawal of conventional appearances,
+however, is not due to a perception of reality attained through meditation.
+When, in the last phase, the temporary winds that carry consciousness have all
+dissolved, the mind (whether of a practitioner or a nonpractitioner) becomes
+as if undifferentiated, and an immaculate openness dawns.
+ -- H.H. the Dalai Lama, from "The Heart of Meditation", translated and
+ edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+ There's a common misunderstanding among all the human beings who have
+ever been born on the earth that the best way to live is to try to avoid pain
+and just try to get comfortable. You can see this even in insects and animals
+and birds.
+ A much more interesting, kind, adventurous, and joyful approach to life is
+to begin to develop our curiosity, not caring whether the object of our
+inquisitiveness is bitter or sweet.
+ When people start to meditate or to work with any kind of spiritual
+discipline, they often think that somehow they're going to improve, which is
+a sort of subtle aggression against who they really are. It's a bit like
+saying, "If I jog, I'll be a much better person." Or the scenario may be
+that they find fault with others; they might say, "If it weren't for my
+husband, I'd have a perfect marriage." And "If it weren't for my mind, my
+meditation would be excellent."
+ But loving-kindness--maitri--toward ourselves doesn't mean getting rid
+of anything. Maitri means that we can still be crazy after all these years.
+We can still be angry after all these years. We can still be timid or jealous
+or full of feelings of unworthiness. Meditation practice isn't about trying
+to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending
+who we are already.
+ Perhaps we will experience what is traditionally described as the fruition
+of maitri--playfulness...
+ -- Pema Chödrön, from "Awakening Loving-Kindness", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+ In texts we inherited from India, the basic principle is sometimes called
+the "fundamental innate mind of clear light" and the "fundamental innate
+wisdom of clear light"--these two terms having the same meaning. In other
+texts, it is called the "space-diamond pervading space," whereas in even
+others it is called the "jewel mind," as, for example, when it is said,
+"Separate from the jewel mind, there is no buddha and no sentient being."
+ Then, in Tibet, in some texts, it is called "ordinary consciousness"
+and "innermost awareness." These terms are used in the context of speaking
+about freedom from thought, which is psychologically and experientially
+described as "self-release," "naked release," and "unimpeded
+penetration"; we will be discussing these in detail later. The innermost
+awareness is said to be the basis of the appearance of all of the round of
+suffering (called "cyclic existence") and also the basis of liberation
+(called "nirvana"). Everything, without exception, is complete in the
+continuum of innermost awareness. It is even said to be "naturally arisen,"
+since it has always been and always will be.
+ -- H.H. the Dalai Lama, from "The Heart of Meditation", translated and
+ edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+When phenomena are indeed seen to be devoid of true existence, great
+compassion will well up effortlessly, a compassion that will never abandon
+living beings who circle in samsara through their clinging to true existence.
+For as it has been taught, it is in the nature of things that such an attitude
+is born.
+ -- from "The Wisdom Chapter: Jamgön Mipham's Commentary on the Ninth
+ Chapter of The Way of the Bodhisattva", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+When resting evenly in meditation with the points of body,
+If appearances cease and you are without thoughts,
+These are the doings of a lethargic shamatha.
+But when you rouse yourself with mindfulness,
+It's like a candle, self-luminous and shining bright,
+Or like a flower that's naturally vivid and clear.
+Like looking with your eyes at the glow of the sky,
+Awareness-emptiness is naked, open, and clear.
+
+That nonconceptuality that's luminous and clear
+Is the arising of the shamatha experience.
+On the basis of that meditative experience,
+While supplicating the precious jewels,
+Gain certainty by studying and contemplating the dharma.
+Take the vipashyana that brings the understanding of no self
+And tie the sturdy rope of shamatha to that.
+Then that strong noble being with love and compassion
+Through the mighty strength of rousing bodhichitta to benefit others,
+Having been lifted up with a pure aspiration
+To the completely pure path of seeing,
+There, vipashyana directly realizes the purity that cannot be seen
+And then the faults of mind's hopes and fears will be known.
+Without going anywhere, you'll arrive at the Buddha's ground.
+Without looking at anything, you'll see dharmakaya.
+Without achieving anything, your aim will be spontaneously accomplished.
+ -- from "The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa", By Tsangnyon Heruka,
+ Translated by Christopher Stagg, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Trying to find the pain in life is the renunciation of hinayana. Trying to
+find the ambition in life, trying to reach higher goals, is the
+bodhisattva's ambition in the mahayana. Trying to find the subtleties of
+life is the tantric discovery of mystical experience in the vajrayana.
+ -- Milarepa, from "Milarepa: Lessons from the Life and Songs of Tibet's
+ Great Yogi", by Chögyam Trungpa, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The root of our current unsatisfactory condition in a cycle of death and
+rebirth is our innate tendency to view the personal self in a reified manner
+(LRCM: 574). We also have innate tendencies to view all other phenomena in a
+reified manner. To achieve wisdom, or to know emptiness, means to overcome
+this reifying view, to realize that the self or essential being as thus
+conceived does not exist at all. In order reach this realization, according
+to Tsong kha pa, one must use reason to refute the existence, and to prove the
+nonexistence, of this reified self or essence. Having intellectually arrived
+at the correct philosophical view--that the self lacks a shred of intrinsic
+nature--one proceeds along the path to spiritual liberation through intense,
+deep, and extensive meditative familiarization with this view. At the same
+time, however, the practitioner also cultivates compassionate engagement with
+other living beings, making a commitment to help all of them reach perfect
+happiness.
+ -- from "Ask a Farmer: Ultimate Analysis and Conventional Existence in
+ Tsong kha pa's Lam rim chen mo", by Guy Newland from Changing Minds:
+ Contributions to the Study of Buddhism and Tibet in Honor of Jeffrey
+ Hopkins, edited by Guy Newland, published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+inexplicably ted was awoken,
+incredibly loud noise of the broken,
+his cat invaded the stash,
+seeking out some tasty hash,
+sis boom *bong* goes crash--ted won't be tokin'.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+shania the stony gal really dug her twerkin',
+slingin' her booty all around was really workin',
+but the other dancers looked askance,
+and asked "can this chick actually dance?",
+shania wasn't so much dancin' as berzerkin'!
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+ All art is composed of subtle and gross elements. There is no way for
+artists to express without elements. When people use expressions such as hot-
+headed, cold-hearted, dry-humored, or all wet, it shows that they naturally
+connect subtle element temperaments with gross element expressions. But
+artists must go beyond outwardly expressing the elements in an obvious way in
+order to gain experience with the inner subtle elements, which are the source
+of the outer gross elements. Then they can make art which reflects what
+people need.
+ According to the Buddhist point of view, an artist's intention is
+compassion. Buddhist artists create in order to make a link with other beings
+through their inner pure elements, and to transform their outer ordinary gross
+elements into enlightenment by means of that connection.
+ -- Thinley Norbu, from "Magic Dance: The Display of the Self-Nature of the
+ Five Wisdom Dakinis", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Never admit defeat. Just move the front.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+down came eddy from his heady,
+where he dwells often unsteady,
+you see he gets so high,
+mind expanded to sky;
+real world grokking just not ready.
+ -- fred t. hamster
+~
+ Generally speaking, when we are too desirous of something in life, we're
+less likely to attain it. Success seems to increase in direct proportion to
+the diminution of our desires. The same logic applies to our need for
+recognition. We might want to be appreciated and respected, but we have only
+a limited ability to influence how other people respond and we can't make
+somebody show us gratitude any more than we can force someone to love us. If
+we show love without expecting it to be reciprocated, we will have more chance
+of finding love than if we simply yearn for it. Likewise, doing something
+without expecting gratitude is more likely to elicit appreciation for what we
+do. Whether someone can acknowledge our actions or not should be no concern
+of ours.
+ We simply commit ourselves to doing things to the best of our ability and
+in as thorough a manner as possible without sloppiness. We should never think
+that other people are indebted to us or obligated to help us in return. We
+should simply do things because we love doing them, not because we want other
+people to feel indebted to us. Shantideva says:
+
+ The work of bringing benefit to beings
+ Will not, then, make me proud and self-admiring.
+ The happiness of others is itself my satisfaction;
+ I do not expect another recompense.
+
+ -- 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
+~
+ Our endeavor is not religious, but rather a test of what we as a human
+ being can become, the greatest unfolding of our potential.
+ -- Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
+
+Because everything leans, you belong to something much, much greater than what
+you may often refer to as "the world" or "my life"; you belong to something
+greater than your community, political party, nation, or even this magnificent
+planet Earth. You are a noble citizen of the boundless field of contingent
+relationships, pratityasamutpada.
+ -- Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, from "The Logic of Faith", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+It is through the teacher's blessing that you see
+The self-arisen primal wisdom, inexpressible,
+Beyond both word and thought.
+And in the moment of its seeing,
+Timeless are the three times,
+No difference separates the future from the past.
+This is the Wisdom That Has Gone Beyond; the Middle Way;
+The Stilling (of all thought and sorrow); the Great Seal;
+The Great Perfection of the quintessential ultimate reality,
+That is, the fundamental natural state
+Where, from the very first,
+Phenomena are all exhausted.
+It is mind's luminosity,
+The self-arisen primal wisdom.
+Many names it has received, yet all have but one meaning:
+Ultimate reality, beyond the range
+Of speech, of thought, of explanation:
+The enlightened mind,
+The space-like nature where saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are not two.
+ -- Longchenpa, from "Finding Rest in Meditation", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+ Become accustomed to the fact that all we accept or reject, dualistically
+affirm or deny (such as enjoyment and disgust, happiness and frustration,
+beauty and ugliness, fear and security, sickness and health, enemies and
+friends, love and hatred, or whatever), has one taste, thus judgments are
+reversed.
+
+Listen great being: do not create duality from the unique state.
+Happiness and misery are one in pure and total presence.
+Buddhas and beings are one in the nature of mind.
+Appearances and beings, the environment and its inhabitants are one in
+ reality.
+Even the duality of truth and falsehood are the same in reality.
+Do not latch onto happiness; do not eliminate misery.
+Thereby everything is accomplished.
+Attachment to pleasure brings misery.
+Total clarity, being non-conceptual,
+Is self-refreshing pristine awareness.
+ -- Longchenpa, from "You Are the Eyes of the World", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+The realizations that arise through meditating thus
+Are all of the same taste.
+They are not manifold; they are not different.
+It is like those who come from three directions
+And meet together in a single place,
+And like the different flowing streams
+That join and are as one within a single sea.
+Bliss, luminosity, and no-thought--
+Whichever of these methods one may practice--
+When mental movement comes to complete rest
+And in the nature of the mind, the unborn space, dissolves,
+The enlightened mind, devoid of concepts
+(Whether of existence or of nonexistence),
+The sun of fundamental nature, bright and clear,
+Will rise up from within.
+In this realization, changeless and unmoving,
+There is nothing to be added, nothing to remove.
+ -- Longchenpa, from "Finding Rest in Meditation", published by Shambhala
+ Publications
+~
+Listen! I, pure and total presence, the creative intelligence
+ which manifests universes,
+Do not teach those who surround me,
+A reality that can be affirmed or denied.
+I do not teach about splitting the unique into two.
+I do not analyze that which is beyond analysis.
+I do not correct that which is naturally uncontrived.
+Let whatever you do or whatever appears
+Just be in its natural state, without premeditation.
+That is true freedom.
+ -- Longchenpa, from "You Are the Eyes of the World", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+Milarepa's Song on the Way of the Yogi
+
+I am just a man, a yogi of Tibet;
+I am Milarepa.
+I've studied little but have many key instructions.
+Though I'm humble, I have great perseverance.
+I sleep little and have great endurance in meditation.
+I'm an expert in all by knowing one thing
+And I understand everything to be one:
+I am an expert in genuine reality.
+On my small seat, stretching my legs is pleasant.
+With thin clothes, my body is perfectly warm.
+With small bits of tsampa, my stomach is full.
+My example is that which all meditators aspire to.
+I'm a gathering place for those with faith.
+I'm an object of reliance for those fearful of birth and death.
+I go in no fixed direction
+And I stay in no one particular place.
+For conduct, I go without reference points.
+I have no attachment to material things
+And no notion of clean or dirty food.
+For me, the pain of the afflictions is small.
+I have little self-regard and few desires.
+I've little attachment to perceiver and perceived
+And I've loosened the knots of the state of nirvana.
+I'm a friend of the elderly, a shoulder to lean on,
+And a playmate for young children.
+I'm a yogi who roams the country far and wide.
+May you devas and humans be healthy and happy.
+ -- Milarepa and Tsangnyon Heruka, "The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa",
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+It's very important to keep examining your mind at all times and be aware of
+what occurs in it. We have this habit of criticizing others; we are very good
+at pointing out their faults, but we have a hard time being aware of our own
+flaws. Examining the faults of others will not benefit anyone and only leads
+to more disturbing emotions, blocking our path to liberation. Whatever anyone
+else does, let them do it. It's not your business to find other people's
+flaws, and even if you do point them out, there is no way for you to correct
+them. On the other hand, it is very important to watch your own mind and
+train in subduing and reducing your own disturbing emotions. Analyze your
+mind, constantly watch your thoughts, recognizing whether they are positive or
+negative, and become aware of your faults. If you constantly observe yourself
+and analyze your thoughts, you will eventually be able to tame your mind.
+Since we haven't been able to purify our karmic and emotional obscurations,
+our gross disturbing emotions can come up anytime, and whenever these emotions
+come up, we should apply the antidote by looking into our mind and trying to
+understand that all phenomena are emptiness. If you leave your mind in a
+relaxed state without contriving anything, disturbing emotions will cease.
+ -- Drubwang Penor Rinpoche, from "An Ocean of Blessings", published by
+ Shambhala Publications
+~
+In general, all joys and sorrows that seem outside
+Are magical creations of one's mind alone;
+Reflections from inside that appear outside,
+Not things outside that have come near.
+
+Knowing this well, when analysis
+Severs the root of the basic mind,
+You will abide in the true sky of reality
+Beyond this fog of appearance.
+
+This so-called existence is a fiction.
+This so-called nonexistence is a fiction.
+Untainted by all such fictions,
+The nature of the mind is perfect buddhahood.
+
+Thoughts of "is" and "is not" are like ripples in water;
+They follow one after the other.
+Dissolving easily into the aimless state,
+They arrive at the ocean of the primordial sphere of reality.
+
+Appearances are the magical display of the mind.
+The mind is empty, without base, without foundation.
+By holding baseless phenomena to be the self
+You and I wander in the realm of samsara.
+
+Without pursuing perceptions,
+When you look directly at the perceiver itself,
+You will see your own inexpressible face;
+The path to achieve buddhahood is not far.
+
+Through the blessings of the divine three foundations,
+May you quickly find the emptiness of your own mind,
+And from the kingdom of the ever-pure great perfection,
+Bring about the great aims of boundless beings.
+ -- from "Gendun Chopel: Tibet's Modern Visionary", by Donald S. Lopez
+ Jr., published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+Parallel to compassion, the Buddhist teachings emphasize loving-kindness--the
+wish for others to have happiness and the causes of happiness. A traditional
+way of generating loving-kindness begins by looking at our own constant
+longing for happiness and its causes. Then we contemplate how all others have
+this same longing, every bit as intense as our own. When we understand that
+we are no different from other beings in this way, we see how unreasonable it
+is to care so much more about ourselves than others. We do so only out of
+sheer habit--ignorant habit. At that point, once we've shed some light on
+our habit, we turn our mind toward others, wishing them happiness as much as
+we wish it for ourselves. Then, in our daily lives, we try to behave in
+accord with this wish, by being kind with our actions, in our speech, and in
+our thoughts.
+ -- Dzigar Kongtrul, from "Training in Tenderness: Buddhist Teachings on
+ Tsewa, the Radical Openness of Heart That Can Change the World",
+ published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+So many wonderful qualities are already present within us, just waiting to be
+discovered. The key lies in understanding that things are impermanent and
+unreal. Sadness, of course, is not an end in itself. But deep sorrow comes
+with realizing that everything we previously took to be lasting and real is
+actually just about to disappear--and it never even existed in the first
+place. Such sadness and disillusionment have a wonderful effect. Sorrow
+makes us let go. As we stop chasing futile and ultimately painful goals, we
+embark on the spiritual path with superior strength and resolve.
+ -- Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, from "Sadness, Love, Openness: The Buddhist Path
+ of Joy", published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+The blind ant runs about for the sake of happiness.
+The legless worm crawls about for the sake of happiness.
+In brief, all the world is racing with each other,
+Running toward happiness, one faster than the next.
+
+Sometimes, seeing a goddess is revolting.
+Sometimes, seeing an old woman creates lust.
+Thinking, "This is it," something else comes along.
+How can the deceptions of the mind be counted?
+
+Our attitudes change so much
+From childhood to when we are old and decrepit.
+Analyze your own experience and you know this.
+How can you have confidence in today's thoughts?
+
+Due to the mind's insanity, we do not recognize our own face,
+Yet we constantly measure the secular and sacred, heaven and earth.
+Courageous are we who seek lasting refuge
+In this series of mistaken appearances.
+ -- from "Gendun Chopel: Tibet's Modern Visionary", by Donald S. Lopez
+ Jr., published by Shambhala Publications
+~
+When people say that I have worked a lot for peace, I feel embarrassed. I
+feel like laughing. I don't think I have done very much for world peace.
+It's just that my practice is the peaceful path of kindness, love,
+compassion, and not harming others. This has become part of me. It is not
+something for which I have specially volunteered. I am simply a follower of
+the Buddha, and the Buddha taught that patience is the supreme means for
+transcending suffering. He said, "If a monk harms others, he is not a monk."
+I am a Buddhist monk, so I try to practice accordingly. When people think
+this practice is something unique and special and call me a leader of world
+peace, I feel almost ashamed!
+ -- H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, from "The Bodhisattva Guide", published
+ by Shambhala Publications
+~
+We have talked about impermanence and how painful it is to acknowledge that
+everything, including ourselves and all that we love, is going to perish. But
+the recognition of impermanence is also the threshold to something more,
+something greater. The reason we take impermanence to heart is that we need
+that understanding to inspire and guide us. Impermanence closes the gap
+between others and ourselves. When we recognize that everyone is subject to
+the same merciless conditions, we cannot but respond with affection. With the
+recognition of the impermanent world comes great compassion, genuine care.
+This pivotal discovery provides the circumstance for a complete opening of our
+minds. As compassion gains force, it enables our minds to recognize the
+profound nature of emptiness--the true nature of things that lies beyond all
+concepts. Sorrow and pain become catalysts for deep-felt loving care, and the
+power of universal compassion delivers the realization of the true view.
+That’s when we have truly become students of the Dharma.
+ -- Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, from "Sadness, Love, Openness: The Buddhist
+ Path of Joy", published by Shambhala Publications
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