Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot this year, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. ~Buddha

Even after many years, many of us continue to practice harshly. We practice with guilt, as if we're going to be excommunicated if we don't do it right. We practice so we won't be ashamed of ourselves and with fear that someone will discover what a "bad" meditator we really are. The old joke is that a Buddhist is someone who is either meditating or feeling guilty about not meditating. There's not much joy in that."

~Pema Chödrön

If I were a tree among trees, a cat among animals, this life would have a meaning, or rather this problem would not arise, for I should belong to this world. I should be this world to which I am now opposed by my whole consciousness and my whole insistence upon familiarity. This ridiculous reason is what sets me in opposition to all creation. I cannot cross it out with a stroke of a pen.... Albert Camus

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

~The Buddha

I cannot tell if what the world considers 'happiness' is happiness or not. All I know is that when I consider the way they go about attaining it, I see them carried away headlong, grim and obsessed, in the general onrush of the human herd, unable to stop themselves or to change their direction. All the while they claim to be just on the point of attaining happiness.... ~Chuang-tzu

Where there is love, there is pain. Danish Proverb

Merry Christmas

And perhaps we give a little to the poor if the generosity should seize us, but if any of us should interfere in the business of why there are poor they get the same as the Rebel Jesus.

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But pardon me if I have seemed to take the tone of judgement, for I've not wished to come between this day and your enjoyment.

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In a life of hardship and earthly toil there is a need for anything that frees us. So I bid you pleasure and I bid you cheer from a heathen and a pagan on the side of the Rebel Jesus.

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Jackson Browne

Now, the essence, the very spirit of Christmas is that we first make believe a thing is so, and lo, it presently turns out to be so.
Stephen Leacock

"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." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling. Edna Ferber

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

"Ultimately, the decision to save the environment must come from the human heart. The key point is a call for a genuine sense of universal responsibility that is based on love, compassion and clear awareness." ~His Holiness the Dalai Lama

"The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy."

~Thich Nhat Hanh

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. Mother Teresa

"Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Happy are those who dare courageously to defend what they love. Ovid

"People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. Milton Berle

"Smile, breathe and go slowly."

~Thich Nhat Hanh

Everyone's a pacifist between wars. It's like being a vegetarian between meals.
Colman McCarthy

"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."

~His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Ronald Reagan

No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!

"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."

~His Holiness the Dalai Lama

And I'd like to give my love to everybody, and let them know that the grass may look greener on the other side, but believe me, it's just as hard to cut. Little Richard

"As people alive today, we must consider future generations: a clean environment is a human right like any other. It is therefore part of our responsibility toward others to ensure that the world we pass on is as healthy, if not healthier, than we found it."

~His Holiness the Dalai Lama

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

~His Holiness the Dalai Lama