Saturday, December 6, 2008

Friday, December 5, 2008

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Florence Scovel Shinn

Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Venerable Cheng Yen

Having a wider heart and mind is more important than having a larger house.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

H.H. The 14th Dalai Lama

I myself feel, and also tell other Buddhists that the question of Nirvana will come later.There is not much hurry. If in day to day life you lead a good life, honesty, with love, with compassion, with less selfishness, then automatically it will lead to Nirvana.

Monday, December 1, 2008

It is said that the child was born fully awake. He could speak, and told his mother he had come to free all mankind from suffering. He could stand, and he walked a short distance in each of the four directions. Lotus blossoms rose in his footsteps. They named him Siddhartha, which means "he who has attained his goals."

Sunday, November 30, 2008

H.H. The 14th Dalai Lama

First one must change. I first watch myself, check myself, then expect changes from others.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Friday, November 28, 2008

Buddha

"Anger will never disappear solong as thoughts of resentment arecherished in the mind. Anger willdisappear just as soon as thoughtsof resentment are forgotten."

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Katherine Paterson

To fear is one thing. To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Martha Graham

Movement never lies. It is a barometer telling the state of the soul's weather.

Monday, November 24, 2008

~The Buddha

Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind. To be happy, rest like a giant tree, in the midst of them all.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Lha Bab Duchen

One of the main festivals of the Buddhist calendar is this week and it's called the Lha Bab Duchen - the festival of the Buddha's descent from heaven.

In a way it's like a second coming of the Buddha. He comes back from heaven where he went, during his life, to teach the Dharma to his mother for three months.

His mother had died one week after his birth and he had been brought up by his mother's sister who married his father and was therefore his step-mother.

However, he owed his birth and we owe his birth to his mother, Queen Maya. He was repaying her his great debt to her as his mother. This is a very important Buddhist sentiment, both the repaying of a kindness in general and in particular of repaying the kindness of one's mother, indeed of both of one's parents and all those who care for us and teach us how to live.

In the Buddhist view of the Universe none of our relationships are arbitrary or meaningless and we owe most to those from whom we receive most.

Carl G. Jung

Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

H.H. The 14th Dalai Lama

It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Allan Watts

Just as the highest and the lowest notes are equally inaudible, so perhaps, is the greatest sense and the greatest nonsense equally unintelligible.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Udana 10

Solitude is happiness for one who is content, who has heard the Dhamma and clearly sees.Non-affliction is happiness in the world - harmlessness towards all living beings.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Baba Hari Dass

"No one can please everyone. Your mental peace is more important. If you are in peace, then others around you will feel peace. So your best effort should be to work on yourself."

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Carol Welch

Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental states.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Benjamin Disraeli

Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Jackson Browne

You do not need to remind me of my failures. I have not forgotten them.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Monday, November 10, 2008

Christian Bovee

They are the weakest, however strong, who have no faith in themselves or their own powers.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Ralph Waldo Emerson

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Friday, November 7, 2008

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Lady Bird Johnson

The way you overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Monday, November 3, 2008

Sutta Nipata

Develop the mind of equilibrium.You will always be getting praise and blame,but do not let either affect the poise of the mind:follow the calmness, the absence of pride.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Buddha

"Hatred does not cease by hatred, butonly by love; this is the eternal rule."

Monday, October 20, 2008

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Buddha

"Of all the worldly passions, lust is themost intense. All other worldly passionsseem to follow in its train."

Saturday, October 18, 2008

B.K.S Iyengar

The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Buddha

"The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed."

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Andrew Bennett

The longest journey you will ever take is the 18 inches from your head to your heart.~

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Buddha

"There has to be evil so that goodcan prove its purity above it."~Buddha

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Monday, October 13, 2008

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Kobi Yamada

The future is sending back good wishes and waiting with open arms.~

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Buddha

"We are what we think.All that we are arises withour thoughts. With our thoughtswe make the world."

Friday, October 10, 2008

Maya Angelou

Because of our routines we forget that life is an ongoing adventure.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Buddha

"Your work is to discover your world andthen with all your heart give yourself to it."

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Chinese Proverb

When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Richard Feynman

"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool."

Monday, October 6, 2008

Venerable Cheng Yen

Happiness does not come from having much, but from being attached to little.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

T.K.V. Desikachar

"The way that we see things today does not have to be the way we saw them yesterday. That is because the situations, our relationships to them, and we ourselves have changed in the interim. This notion of constant change suggests that we do not have to be discouraged."

Saturday, October 4, 2008

George Feuerstein

"Yoga unites or integrates the body with the mind. This integration is the foundation for Self-realization."

Friday, October 3, 2008

Gurani Anjali

"The world may be chaotic around you; it may be full of fluctuations; it may be fearful; it may be full of pain; but the Yogi aims to be in peace even though circumstances are not."

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Albert Einstein

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Hafiz

We have not come here to take prisonersOr to confine our wondrous spirits, But to experience ever and ever more deeplyOur divine courage, freedom and Light!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Ray Bradbury

"We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out."

Monday, September 29, 2008

Vasishtha

"When the mind perceives duality, then there is both duality and its counterpart which is unity. When the mind drops the perceptions of duality, there is neither duality nor unity."

Sunday, September 28, 2008

The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. "Nama" means bow, "as" means I, and "te" means you. Therefore, Namaste literally means "bow me you" or "I bow to you."

To perform Namaste, we place the hands together at the heart charka, close the eyes, and bow the head. It can also be done by placing the hands together in front of the third eye, bowing the head, and then bringing the hands down to the heart. This is an especially deep form of respect. Although in the West the word "Namaste" is usually spoken in conjunction with the gesture, in India, it is understood that the gesture itself signifies Namaste, and therefore, it is unnecessary to say the word while bowing.

We bring the hands together at the heart chakra to increase the flow of Divine love. Bowing the head and closing the eyes helps the mind surrender to the Divine in the heart. One can do Namaste to oneself as a meditation technique to go deeper inside the heart chakra; when done with someone else, it is also a beautiful, albeit quick, meditation.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Friday, September 26, 2008

Oliver Wendell Holmes

"A mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions."

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Vasistha

"There is no power greater than right action in the present moment."

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

John Lennon

"If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace."

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Patanjali

"Peace can be reached through meditation on the knowledge which dreams give. Peace can also be reached through concentration upon that which is dearest to the heart."

Monday, September 22, 2008

I Believe...

I Believe...
That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other and just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love each other.
*
That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change
*
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while, and you must forgive them for that.
*
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
*
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
*
That it's taking me a long time, to become the person I want to be.
*
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
*
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.
*
That we are responsible for what we do no matter how we feel.
*
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.
*
That hero’s are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
*
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
*
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time
*
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.
*
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
*
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
*
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.
*
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
*
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for whom we become.
*
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret it could change your life forever.
*
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
*
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you
*
That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
*
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
*
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Buddha

"Better than a thousand hollow words,Is one word that brings peace."

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Pablo Picasso

"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone."

Friday, September 19, 2008

Sri Swami Sivananda

"Meditation purifies and strengthens your heart. It steadies your nerves. It augments the brain power. It shows you the next step in the spiritual path."

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Marcel Proust

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. "

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Joseph Addison

"Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. "

Monday, September 15, 2008

Hatha Yoga Pradipika

"When the breath wanders the mind also is unsteady. But when the breath is calmed the mind too will be still, and the yogi achieves long life. Therefore, one should learn to control the breath."

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Mother Theresa

"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. "

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Thich Nhat Hanh

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."

Friday, September 12, 2008

Mark Twain

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did."

Thursday, September 11, 2008

J. Krishnamurti

"If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation."

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Rabindranath Tagore

"The meaning of our self is not to be found in its separateness from God and others, but in the ceaseless realization of yoga, of union."

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Lao-Tzu

"The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world."

Monday, September 8, 2008

A.A. Milne

"Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."

Sunday, September 7, 2008

EE Cummings

"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. "

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Kurt Vonnegut

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be."

Friday, September 5, 2008

Billie Holiday

"We never know what is enough until we know what's more than enough. "

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Rod Stryker

"Once you know yourself as a genuine seeker, and when your own inner chamber is quite enlightened, then comes the natural unfoldment of pure love and compassion and a genuine desire to serve others."

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Frederick Koenig

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have "

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Bob Dylan

Jesus tapped me on the shoulder and said,
"Why are you resisting me?"
I said, " I am not resisting you!"
He said "You gonna follow me?"
I said "I've never thought of that before!"
He said " When your not following me, your resisting me."

Monday, September 1, 2008

Cindy Popp

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass...It is about learning to dance in the rain!"

Sunday, August 31, 2008

A. W. Tozer

An infinite God can give all of himself to each of His children. He does not distribute himself so that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others".

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Friday, August 29, 2008

Bruce Cockburn

Some of us live and some of us die
Someday God's gonna tell us why
Open your hearts and grow with what life sends
We'll meet one day at the festival of friends

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Lin Yutang

"Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials."

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Loving Kindness Practice

Metta, or Loving Kindness Practice is a way consciously activating the energy of loving kindness.
An example of a Metta Meditation is:
"May I be filled with Loving Kindness.
May I be healthy.May I be filled with Joy.
May I be Free"
One can say it first for oneself, then for specific other people and then for all beings.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Jean Jacques Rousseau

"Falsehood has an infinity of combinations, but truth has only one mode of being".

Sunday, August 24, 2008

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Friday, August 22, 2008

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?"
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God;
your playing small doesn't serve the world.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Blaine Pascal

"Men never do evil so completely and with conviction as when they do it from a religous conviction".

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Food brings benefit for some hours, clothes for some months but wisdom lasts as long as the mind itself. It is the foundation of a better society.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

T.S. Eliot

"Oh my soul, be prepared to meet him who knows how to ask questions".

Monday, August 18, 2008

Peace will not come out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Albert Einstein

"Whoever sets himself up as the judge of truth and knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the God's".

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Change is not something that we should fear.
Rather, it is something that we should welcome.
For without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom,
and no one in this world would ever move forward
to become the person they're meant to be.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Henry Van Dyke

"Even if we were to find another Eden, we would not be fit to enjoy it or stay in it forever".

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Bruce Cockburn

Lord of the Starfield, Ancient of Days
Universe maker, Here's a song in your praise
Voice of the nova, Smile of the dew
All of our yearnings only come home to you
Oh love that fires the sun keep me burning

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Monday, August 11, 2008

C.S. Lewis

"Let's hope that the human race never escapes earth to spread it's iniquity elsewhere".

Sunday, August 10, 2008

When one experiences truth,
the madness of finding fault with others disappears.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Jacques Ellul

... no matter what God's powers may be, the first aspect of God is never that of the absoulute Master, the Almighty. It is that of the God who puts himself on the human level and limits himself".

Friday, August 8, 2008

Knowing others is intelligence.
Knowing yourself is true wisdom.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Marilynne Robinson

"We routinely disqualify testimony that would plead for extenuation. That is, we are so persuaded by the rightness of our judgement as to invalidate evidence that does not confirm us in it. Nothing that deserves to be called truth could be arrived at by such means".

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Man did not weave the web of life,
he is merely a strand in it
Whatever he does to the web,
he does to himself.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Before you've practiced, the theory is useless.
After you've practiced, the theory is obvious.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

All mental constructions are impermanent; They are of the nature to arise and pass away. Having arisen, they cease. Happiness is when they are at peace.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Buddha

I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe a fate that falls on them if they don't act.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

The Laughing Buddha

He is a symbol of happiness and wealth, and of innocent contented joy. Buhhda's belly is said to signify wealth and prosperity, rubbing it is considered to bring great luck. The laughing Buddha must always be invited into his new home, resulting in much happiness.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Buddha

Do not overate what you have recieved, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain piece of mind.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Buddha

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserves your love an affection.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Buddha

Every human being is the author of their own health or disease.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

When the breath wanders the mind also is unsteady. But when the breath is calmed the mind too will be still, and the yogi achieves long life. Therefore, one should learn to control the breath.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Eileen Caddy

"Cease trying to work everything out with your mind. Live by intuition and inspiration and let your whole life be revelation."

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Mohandas Gandhi

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

Monday, July 14, 2008

Adyashanti

"The fullfillment of the whole journey of awakening, of realizing what we really are, is not simply so that we bask in the wonderful realization of freedom. It's something far beyond that, far beyond any personal idea or concern. It's so that, finally, life can express itself though us."

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Wisdom V

Great compassion and skilful means (directed toward liberation) are conditions for the perfections. Skilful means is the wisdom which transforms giving (and the other nine perfections) into requisites for awakening. Through wisdom a bodhisattva brings him or herself across (the stream of suffering), through compassion he or she leads others across. Through wisdom one understands the suffering of others, through compassion one strives to alleviate their suffering. Through wisdom one destroys all attachments, but because of compassion, one never desists from activity that benefits others. Through wisdom one is free from "I-making" and "mine-making," through compassion one is free from lethargy and depression. Through wisdom and compassion one becomes one's own protector and the protector of others.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Wisdom IV

Wisdom is the chief cause for the practice of the other perfections. Without wisdom, giving and so forth do not become purified and cannot perform their functions. Without wisdom there is no achievement of vision, and without the achievement of vision there can be no accomplishment of virtue. One lacking in virtue and vision cannot achieve concentration, and without concentration one cannot even secure one's own welfare, much less the lofty goal of providing for the welfare of others.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Wisdom III

Wisdom has the characteristic of penetrating the real specific nature (of phenomena) like the penetration of an arrow shot by a skilful archer; its function is to illuminate the field of experience, like a lamp; its manifestation is non-confusion, like a guide in a forest; concentration, or the Four (Noble) Truths, is its proximate cause.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Wisdom II

Wisdom is mentioned immediately after renunciation: a) because renunciation is perfected and purified by wisdom; b) to show that since concentration is the proximate cause of wisdom, there is no wisdom in the absence of meditation (which requires renunciation or letting go).

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Wisdom I

Wisdom is the opposite of greed, hate and delusion is so far as greed, hate and delusion create blindness, while knowledge restores sight.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Gehlek Rinpoche

The more successful you become, the more the demands of your ego will increase. In the beginning, you simply want to succeed, but your ego will not be satisfied. When you become a little more successful your ego wants to kill your competition. And when you become even more successful, it wants to make you the universal king. There's no telling what ego wants because our desire doesn't have any limit; therefore, its demands continually increase.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Gehlek Rinpoche

Ego's trick is to make us lose sight of our interdependence. That kind of ego-thought gives us a perfect justification to look out only for ourselves. But that is far from the truth. In reality we all depend on each other and we have to help each other. The husband has to help his wife, the wife has to help the husband, the mother has to help her children, and the children are supposed to help the parents too, whether they want to or not.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Gehlek Rinpoche

If we only practice compassion on the mind level, we run a great risk of our compassion being just talk. As we know, talk is cheap. To develop true compassion we have to put our money where our mouth is.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Jack Kornfield

"When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world we lose connection with one another - and ourselves."

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Gehlek Rinpoche

Training in compassion is a mental activity. but our mind should also be brought to the level where every action we take is influenced by compassion. That means engaging ourselves in compassion in action.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Jack Kornfield

Forgiveness is primarily for our own sake, so that we no longer carry the burden of resentment. But to forgive does not mean we will allow injustice again.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

"Fears are educated into us and can, if we wish, be educated out."~Karl A. Menninger

Tenzin Gyatso

It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Dhammapada 76

Like someone pointing to treasure

Is the wise person

Who sees your faults and points them out.

Associate with such a sage.

Good will come of it, not bad,

If you associate with one such as this.

Buddha

A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man should not be considered a good man because he is a good talker.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Anger or hatred is like a fisherman's hook. It is very important for us to ensure we are not caught by it.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Dhammapada 80

Irrigators guide water; fletchers shape arrows; carpenters fashion wood; sages tame themselves.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Monday, June 23, 2008

Dhammapada 82

As a deep lake is clear and undisturbed, so a sage becomes clear upon hearing the Dharma.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Dhammapada 277

"All things are impermanent."

Seeing this with wisdom,

One becomes disenchanted with suffering.

This is the path to purity.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

With realization of one's own potential and self confidence in one's ability, one can build a better world.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Dhammapada 282

Wisdom arises from [spiritual] practice;

Without practice it decays. Knowing these paths to gain and loss,

Conduct yourself so that wisdom grows.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

If the love within your mind is lost and you see other beings as enemies, then no matter how much knowledge or education or material comfort you have, only suffering and confusion will ensue.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Dhammapada 372

There is no meditative absorption

Without wisdom. There is no wisdom

Without meditative absorption. With both,

One is close to Nirvana.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

I truly believe that individuals can make a difference in society. Since periods of change such as the present one come so rarely in human history, it is up to each of us to make the best use of our time to help create a happier world.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Anguttara Nikaya III.73

"And what is the wisdom of one who is in training? There is the case where a monk discerns as it actually is that 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress... This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.'

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

I pray for a more friendly, more caring, and more understanding human family on this planet. To all who dislike suffering, who cherish lasting happiness, this is my heartfelt appeal.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Dhammapada 81

As a solid mass of rock
Is not moved by the wind,
So a sage is not moved
By praise and blame.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

My message is the practice of compassion, love and kindness. Compassion can be put into practice if one recognizes the fact that every human being is a member of humanity and the human family regardless of differences in religion, culture, color and creed. Deep down there is no difference.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Dhammapada 63

A fool conscious of her foolishness is to that extent wise. But a fool who considers himself wise is the one to be called a fool.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

True compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Gehlek Rinpoche

The ego prevents us from helping ourselves by presenting a false notion of what it really means to help ourselves.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Dhammapada 258

One is not wise
Only because one speaks a lot.
One who is peaceful, without hate, and fearless
Is said to be wise.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Anguttara Nikaya VII.6

These, monks, are the seven treasures.
The treasure of conviction,
the treasure of virtue,
the treasure of conscience & concern,
the treasure of listening,
generosity, and wisdom as the seventh treasure.
Whoever, man or woman, has these treasures is said not to be poor,
has not lived in vain.
So conviction & virtue,
confidence and Dhamma-vision should be cultivated by the wise,
remembering the Buddhas' instruction.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Human beings are of such nature that they should have not only material facilities but spiritual sustenance as well. Without spiritual sustenance, it is difficult to get and maintain peace of mind

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Jack Kornfield

If grief or anger arises,
Let there be grief or anger.
This is the Buddha in all forms,
Sun Buddha,
Moon Buddha,
Happy Buddha,
Sad Buddha.
It is the universe offering all things
to awaken and open our heart.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Jack Kornfield

"To live fully is to let go and die with each passing moment, and to be reborn in each new one."

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Jack Kornfield

When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another - and ourselves.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Under the bright sun, many of us are gathered together with different languages, different styles of dress, even different faiths. However, all of us are the same in being humans, and we all uniquely have the thought of I, and we´re all the same in wanting happiness and in wanting to avoid suffering.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Jack Kornfield

"When we come into the present, we begin to feel the life around us again, but we also encounter whatever we have been avoiding. We must have the courage to face whatever is present / our pain, our desires, our grief, our loss, our secret hopes our love / everything that moves us most deeply."

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquillity and happiness we all seek.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Sogyo (1667-1731)

Careful!
Even moonlit dewdrops,
If you're lured to watch,
Are a wall before the Truth.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

We must recognise that the suffering of one person or one nation is the suffering of humanity. That the happiness of one person or nation is the happiness of humanity.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Ramana Maharshi

Without consciousness,
Time and space do not exist;
They appear within Consciousness
But have no reality of their own.
It is like a screen on which
All this is cast as pictures and move
As in a cinema show.
The Absolute Consciousness
Alone is our real nature.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

A truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave negatively or hurt you.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Buddha

May all living beings have happiness and the causes of happiness;
May all living beings be free from misery and the causes of misery;
May all living beings never be separated from happiness, devoid of misery;
May all living beings abide in equanimity free from prejudicial attachments and aversions.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

The Buddha

May all beings everywhere plagued
with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless,
fearful wilderness
--the children, the aged, the unprotected--
be guarded by beneficent celestials,
and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Traditional Prayer

I take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha
Until I attain Enlightenment.
By merit accumulations from practicing generosity and the other perfections
May I attain Enlightenment,
for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Buddha from the Dhammapada

"The fickle, unsteady mind, so hard to guard, so hard to control, the wise man straightens, as the fletcher straightens the arrow."

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Sayagyi U Ba Khin

The Dhamma can stand the test of those who are anxious to do so. They can know for themselves what the benefits are.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Godwin Samararatne

"Meditation is finding the medicine for the sickness we have created by ourselves"

Friday, May 9, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Ramana Maharshi

"Mind is consciousness which has put on limitations. You are originally unlimited and perfect. Later, you take on limitations and become the mind"

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

S N Goenka

I do not wish to convert people from one organized religion to another; I have no interest in any of these organised religions. My interest is in Dhamma - the truth, the Teachings of all Enlightened ones. If at all there is any conversion, it should be from misery to happiness, from defilement to purity, from bondage to liberation, from ignorance to enlightenment.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Buddha from the Dhammapada

"Heedful among the heedless, watchful among the sleeping, the wise man outstrips the foolish man as a race horse outstrips an old horse."

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Sayagyi U Ba Khin

Love which is alone the means for the unity of mankind, must be supreme, and it cannot be so unless the mind is transcendently pure.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Buddha from the Dhammapada

"Irrigators lead the water; fletchers fashion the shaft; carpenters carve the wood; the wise discipline themselves."

Friday, May 2, 2008

Nayanaponika Thero

"Meditation is knowing the mind, shaping the mind and freeing the mind"

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Buddha from the Dhammapada

"Calm is his mind, calm is his speech, calm is his action, who, rightly knowing, is wholly freed, perfectly peaceful, and equipoised."

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Sri Swami Shivapremananda

"In the West, the word meditation means a concentrated state of mind in serious reflection. The Latin root of the word meditation, mederi, means "to heal." It is an effort to heal afflictions of the mind, the hurt ego, by trying to understand the cause of the problem and finding a way to solve it, that is, by knowing what counter-measures to take. To meditate thus, is to deepen a state of understanding"

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Monday, April 28, 2008

Paul Van Hooydonck

"All temporary experiences do not lead to lasting happiness. True fulfillment can be found in the silence of your heart, inner peace and stillness only. There you find God!"

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Buddha from the Dhammapada

In a pellucid ocean, bubbles arise and dissolve again. Just so, thoughts are no. Different from ultimate reality, so don't find fault; remain at ease. Whatever arises, whatever occurs, don't grasp-release it on the spot. Appearances, sounds, and objects are all one's own mind; there's nothing except mind.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

So, the tendency of our childish nature is to take small things too seriously and get easily offended, whereas when we are confronted with situations which have longterm consequences, we tend to take things less seriously.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Buddha from the Dhammapada

Are you quiet?

Quieten your body.

Quieten your mind.

By your own efforts.

Waken yourself, watch,
And live joyfully.
Follow the truth of the way.
Reflect upon it.

Make it your own.

Live it.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

To develop genuine devotion, you must know the meaning of teachings. The main emphasis in Buddhism is to transform the mind, and this transformation depends upon meditation. in order to meditate correctly, you must have knowledge.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

John F. Kennedy

For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Mother Teresa


We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

A great rock is not disturbed by the wind; the mind of a wise man is not disturbed by either honor or abuse.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Mother Teresa


We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

One who is caught in thought loses one´s original nature. All he knows are words and descriptions, when he sees the actual thing, he fails to perceive it.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

From the - Tao Te Ching - Written By Lao-tzu

Can you coax your mind from its wandering and keep to the original oneness? Can you let your body become supple as a newborn child's? Can you cleanse your inner vision until you see nothing but the light? Can you love people and lead them without imposing your will? Can you deal with the most vital matters by letting events take their course? Can you step back from you own mind and thus understand all things? Giving birth and nourishing, having without possessing, acting with no expectations, leading and not trying to control: this is the supreme virtue.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals the secret of some hidden treasure.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

From the - Tao Te Ching - Written By Lao-tzu

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

It is easy to point out the mistakes of others, while it is hard to admit one´s own mistakes. A man broadcasts the sins of others without thinking, but he hides his own sins as a gambler hides his extra dice.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

From the - Tao Te Ching - Written By Lao-tzu

In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

When you think everything is someone else´s fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself, you will learn both peace and joy. Pride leads to violence and evil. The truly good gaze upon everything with love and understanding.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Hadith Qudsi 23

Where are those who love one another through My glory? Today I shall give them shade in My shade, it being a day when there is no shade but My shade.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend or a meaningful day.

Æsop - Androcles

“GRATITUDE IS THE SIGN OF NOBLE SOULS.”
A SLAVE named Androcles once escaped from his master and fled to the forest. As he was wandering about there he came upon a Lion lying down moaning and groaning. At first he turned to flee, but finding that the Lion did not pursue him, he turned back and went up to him. As he came near, the Lion put out his paw, which was all swollen and bleeding, and Androcles found that a huge thorn had got into it, and was causing all the pain. He pulled out the thorn and bound up the paw of the Lion, who was soon able to rise and lick the hand of Androcles like a dog. Then the Lion took Androcles to his cave, and every day used to bring him meat from which to live. But shortly afterwards both Androcles and the Lion were captured, and the slave was sentenced to be thrown to the Lion, after the latter had been kept without food for several days. The Emperor and all his Court came to see the spectacle, and Androcles was led out into the middle of the arena. Soon the Lion was let loose from his den, and rushed bounding and roaring towards his victim. But as soon as he came near to Androcles he recognised his friend, and fawned upon him, and licked his hands like a friendly dog. The Emperor, surprised at this, summoned Androcles to him, who told him the whole story. Whereupon the slave was pardoned and freed, and the Lion let loose to his native forest.

“GRATITUDE IS THE SIGN OF NOBLE SOULS.”

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

The underlying principle of this teaching is the universal principle of causality. What becomes important in the understanding of this basic teaching is a genuine awareness of one´s own potentials and the need to utilize them to their fullest. Seen in this light, every human action becomes significant.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Buddha

I look upon the judgements of right and wrong as the serpentine dance of a dragon, and the rise and fall of belief as traces left by the four seasons.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Ruysbroek

To comprehend and to understand God above all similitudes, as He is in Himself, is to be God with God, without intermediary, and without any otherness that can become a hindrance or an intermediary. Whosoever wishes to understand this must have died to himself, and must live in God, and must turn his gaze to the eternal light in the ground of his spirit, where the Hidden Truth reveals Itself without means.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

We must therefore develop a sense of responsibility for each others condition, we must see that hurting someone else, or inflicting pain on other people , cannot bring happiness or peace of mind.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Peace Pilgrim


This is the way of peace: "Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love."

Monday, March 31, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Encountering sufferings will definitely contribute to the elevation of your spiritual practice, provided you are able to transform calamity and misfortune into the path.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Buddha


No matter what one does, whether one's deeds serve virtue or vice, nothing lacks importance. All actions bear fruit.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Pema Chodron

Gloriousness and wretchedness need each other. One inspires us, the other softens us.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Pema Chodron

A further sign of health is that we don't become undone by fear and trembling, but we take it as a message that it's time to stop struggling and look directly at what's threatening us.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso


The creatures that inhabit this earth be they human beings or animals are here to contribute, each in its own particular way, to the beauty and prosperity of the world.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Pema Chodron

We habitually erect a barrier called blame that keeps us from communicating genuinely with others, and we fortify it with our concepts of who's right and who's wrong. We do that with the people who are closest to us and we do it with political systems, with all kinds of things that we don't like about our associates or our society. It is a very common, ancient, well-perfected device for trying to feel better. Blame others. Blaming is a way to protect your heart, trying to protect what is soft and open and tender in yourself. Rather than own that pain, we scramble to find some comfortable ground.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Just as we should cultivate gentle and peaceful relations with our fellow human beings, we should also extend that same kind of attitude towards the natural environment. Morally speaking, we should be concerned for our whole environment.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Pema Chodron

People get into a heavy-duty sin and guilt trip, feeling that if things are going wrong, that means that they did something bad and they are being punished. That's not the idea at all. The idea of karma is that you continually get the teachings that you need to open your heart. To the degree that you didn't understand in the past how to stop protecting your soft spot, how to stop armoring your heart, you're given this gift of teachings in the form of your life, to give you everything you need to open further.

Friday, March 21, 2008



Noble measure but very dangerous. If China gets a hold of him they may never let him go.

Tenzin Gyatso

Whether we are rich or poor, educated or uneducated, whatever our nationality, color, social status, or ideology may be, the purpose of our lives is to be happy.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Pema Chodron


When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

Every man has the basis of good. Not only human beings, you can find it among animals and insects, for instance, when we treat a dog or horse lovingly.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Pema Chodron

Compassionate action starts with seeing yourself when you start to make yourself right and when you start to make yourself wrong. At that point you could just contemplate the fact that there is a larger alternative to either of those, a more tender, shaky kind of place where you could live.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Buddha


You yourself, as much as anyone in the entire universe, deserve your love and affections.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Pema Chodron

There's a reason you can learn from everything: you have basic wisdom, basic intelligence, and basic goodness.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

It doesn't require guardian angels or Gods plan, karma, or anything.
Life is motion, chaos, chance and luck.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Pema Chodron

If we learn to open our hearts,
anyone, including the people who drive us crazy,
can be our teacher.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

James M. Barrie

Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Pema Chodron

When we start out on a spiritual path we often have ideals we think we're supposed to live up to. We feel we're supposed to be better than we are in some way. But with this practice you take yourself completely as you are. Then ironically, taking in pain - breathing it in for yourself and all others in the same boat as you are - heightens your awareness of exactly where you're stuck.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Monday, March 10, 2008

Pema Chodron

We work on ourselves in order to help others, but also we help others in order to work on ourselves.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Pema Chodron

The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Thich Nhat Hanh

"In order to rally people, governments need enemies. They want us to be afraid, to hate, so we will rally behind them. And if they do not have a real enemy, they will invent one in order to mobilize us."

Thursday, March 6, 2008

This is the way of peace


"Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love." - Peace Pilgrim

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

John Lilly

In the province of the mind, what one believes to be true, either is true, or becomes true.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Thich Nhat Hanh

"Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life."

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Old Inuit Saying

I think over again my small adventures.
My fears, those small ones that seemed so big.
For all the vital things I had to get and to reach.
And yet there is only one great thing.
The only thing.
To live to see the great day that dawns and the light that fills the world.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Thich Nhat Hanh

"People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes. All is a miracle."

Friday, February 29, 2008

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Kalama Sutta

"What do you think, Kalamas? Does hate appear in a man for his benefit or harm?" - "For his harm, venerable sir." - "Kalamas, being given to hate, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by hate, this man takes life, steals, commits adultery, and tells lies; he prompts another too, to do likewise. Will that be long for his harm and ill?" - "Yes, venerable sir."

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Thich Nhat Hanh

"The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence.
When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers."

Monday, February 25, 2008

D.T. Suzuki

The fundamental idea of Buddhism is to pass beyond the world of opposites, a world built up by intellectual distinctions and emotional defilements.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Bassui

The true meaning of the precepts is not just that one should refrain from drinking alcohol, but also from getting drunk on nirvana.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Thich Nhat Hanh


"Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness,
which unites your body to your thoughts."

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Buddha

Our theories of the eternal are as valuable as are those which a chick which has not broken its way through its shell might form of the outside world.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The Seven Line Prayer to Guru Rinpoche

In the North West of the Land of Urgyen,
In the heart of a lotus flower,
Bearer of the most wonderful supreme Siddhi,
Thus are you known as Lotus Born.
Many Dakinis surround you,
I follow your way,
Please come now and grant your presence.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Buddha


Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Thich Nhat Hanh

"We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize."

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Buddha

Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Wei Wu Wei

Play your part in the comedy, but don't identify yourself with your role!

Friday, February 15, 2008

Buddha

Let a man avoid evil deeds as a man who loves life avoids poison.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Thich Nhat Hanh

"Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today."

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Tenzin Gyatso

All People and things are interdependent. The world has become so small that no nation can solve its problems alone, in isolation from others. That is why I believe we must all cultivate a sense of responsibility based on love and compassion for each other.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Ruysbroek

To comprehend and to understand God above all similitudes, as He is in Himself, is to be God with God, without intermediary, and without any otherness that can become a hindrance or an intermediary. Whosoever wishes to understand this must have died to himself, and must live in God, and must turn his gaze to the eternal light in the ground of his spirit, where the Hidden Truth reveals Itself without means.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Buddha

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Wei Wu Wei

Fear, desire, affectivity are manifestations of the pseudo-entity which constitutes pseudo-bondage. It is the entity, rather than the manifestations thereof, which has to be eliminated.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Buddha


If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Tarthang Tulku

Reality is all-encompassing: the absolute nature is one. Although we may feel separate from the original uncreated reality - whether we call it 'God,' 'peak experience,' or 'enlightened mind' - through awareness we can contact this essential part of ourselves.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Buddha

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else;
you are the one who gets burned.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Wei Wu Wei

Even the intellectual understanding of the inexistence of our 'selves' is a rare and bitter attainment which few even attempt. And that is only the elimination round which qualifies us for access to Reality... Intellectual understanding should be not indispensable to a 'simple' mind, but, with our conditioning, it would seem to be an almost inevitable preliminary.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Buddha

Health is the greatest gift,
Contentment the greatest wealth,
Faithfulness the best relationship.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Wei Wu Wei

It is necessary to understand that I Am,
In order that I may know that I Am Not,
So that, at last, I may realize that, I Am Not, therefore I Am.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Wei Wu Wei

Play your part in the comedy, but don't identify yourself with your role!

Friday, February 1, 2008

Buddha

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it,
unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Sutta Nipata

Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down,
As long as you are awake,
Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Buddha

A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Deepak Chopra

Giving connects two people, the giver and the receiver, and this connection gives birth to a new sense of belonging.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Buddha

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

John Lennon


"Possession isn't nine-tenths of the law. It's nine-tenths of the problem."

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Buddha

Good men and bad men differ radically. Bad men never appreciate kindness shown them, but wise men appreciate and are grateful. Wise men try to express their appreciation and gratitude by some return of kindness, not only to their benefactor, but to everyone else.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Dogen-zenji

To study the Buddha Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand dharmas. To be enlightened by the ten thousand dharmas is to free one's body and mind and those of others. No trace of enlightenment remains, and this no-trace continues endlessly.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Buddha

A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Ta Hui

The concerns that have come down from numberless ages are only in the present; if you can understand them right now, then the concerns of numberless ages will instantly disperse, like tiles being scattered or ice melting. If you don't understand right now, you'll pass through countless eons more, and it'll still be just as it is.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Buddha

Do not speak harshly to any one; those who are spoken to will answer thee in the same way.
Angry speech is painful: blows for blows will touch thee.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve.
You don't have to have a college degree to serve.
You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.
You only need a heart full of grace.
A soul generated by love.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Buddha

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others.
He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Pema Chödrön

The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Karmapa Dream Flag

The 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, well known for his visions and prophesies, designed this flag from a vision that came to him in a dream. He called it “Namkhyen Gyaldar (Victorious Flag of Buddha’s Wisdom).” He proclaimed, “Wherever this banner is flown the Dharma will flourish.” According to the outer meaning the blue represents the sky or heaven. The yellow symbolizes the earth. The wave symbolizes the Buddhadharma penetrating heaven and earth. According to the inner meaning the blue represents vision and spiritual insight and the yellow symbolizes our experience of the everyday world. The symmetry of the wave pattern shows the interdependence of the absolute and relative levels of reality. According to the secret meaning the blue symbolizes emptiness-wisdom and the yellow represents compassionate action. The wave is Mahamudra: the union of compassion and wisdom- the ultimate realization of one’s true nature.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Buddha

An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Tashi Targye

The Eight Auspicious Symbols are shown here in the form of a long banner. From top to bottom:

1. White Umbrella - protects from all evil
2. Golden Fish - happiness, beings saved from the sea of suffering
3. Vase - containing the nectar of immortality
4. Lotus - purity and spiritual unfoldment
5. Conch Shell - proclaims the teachings of the enlightened ones
6. Knot of Eternity - the meditative Mind
7. Victory Standard - proclaims the victory of Buddhism
8. Dharma Wheel - symbol of spiritual law

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Buddha

A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion,
does not act as if it is real, so he escapes the suffering.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Buddha

A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion,
does not act as if it is real, so he escapes the suffering.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Carlos Santana

Only as a warrior can one survive the path of knowledge,
because the art of a warrior is to balance the
terror of being a man with the wonder of being a man.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Buddha

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

"Because it was there ..."

Sir Edmund Hillary, the lanky New Zealand mountaineer and explorer who with Tenzing Norgay, his Sherpa guide, won worldwide acclaim in 1953 by becoming the first to scale the 29,035-foot summit of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, has died, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced Friday in Wellington. He was 88.

Sir Edmund wrote or co-authored 13 books, including “No Latitude for Error,” (1961, Hodder & Stoughton), about the Antarctic experience. Besides writing and lecturing, he formed a foundation, the Sir Edmund Hillary Himalayan Trust, that raised millions and built more than 30 schools, a dozen clinics, two hospitals, a couple of airfields, and numerous foot bridges, water pipelines and other facilities for the Sherpa villages in Nepal. In 2003, Nepal conferred honorary citizenship upon Sir Edmund, the first foreign national to receive that distinction. For many years, Sir Edmund also was president of New Zealand’s Peace Corps, and an important voice in his country’s conservation efforts. He never ran for public office, but was a frequent critic of New Zealand’s Government, calling for antipollution and other measures to improve the quality of life.

Pema Chödrön

We work on ourselves in order to help others,
but also we help others in order to work on ourselves.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Buddha

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

J. Krishnamurti

Sensitivity is not a cultural effect, the result of influence;
it is a state of being vulnerable, open.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Martin Luther

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces,
I would still plant my apple tree.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Buddha

Friendship is the only cure for hatred, the only guarantee of peace.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Arthur Ashe

From what we get, we can make a living;
What we give, however, makes a life.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Tokusan

There is nothing in the self, so do not seek falsely;
what is attained by false seeking is not real attainment.
You just have nothing in your mind, and no mind in things;
then you will be empty and spiritual, tranquil and sublime.
Any talk of beginning or end would all be self-deception.
The slightest entanglement of thought is the foundation of the three mires;
a momentarily aroused feeling is a hindrance for ten thousand eons.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Buddha

Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines,
but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008



This symbol, in monogram form, contains the seed syllables of the Kalachakra Heruka. It presents the essence of the teaching of the Kalachakra Tantra concerning the energy which transcends the relative concepts of time and space. These "Ten Syllables of Power" represent the 84,000 teachings of enlightenment.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Keijo Shurin

The road enters green mountains
near evening's dark;
Beneath the white cherry trees,
a Buddhist temple
Whose priest doesn't know what regret
for spring's passing means
Each stroke of his bell startles more
blossoms into falling.