Follow then the shining ones, the wise, the awakened, the loving, for they know how to work and forbear. ~Buddha

They are not following dharma who resort to violence to achieve their purpose. But those who lead others through nonviolent means, knowing right and wrong, may be called guardians of the dharma. ~Buddha

Knowing that the other person is angry, one who remains mindful and calm acts for his one’s own best interest as well as for the other’s interest. ~ Buddha

The Buddha is the Dhamma; the Dhamma is the Buddha. He didn’t take away the knowledge he awakened to. He left it right here. To put it in simple terms, it’s like the teachers in schools. They haven’t been teachers from birth. They had to study the course of study for teachers before they could be teachers, teaching in school and getting paid. After a while, they’ll die away — away from being teachers. But you can say that in a way the teachers don’t die. The qualities that make people into teachers remain right here. It’s the same with the Buddha. The noble truths that made him the Buddha still remain right here. They haven’t run off anywhere at all. ~Ajahn Chah

“In Simple Terms: 108 Dhamma Similes”, by Ajahn Chah
translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 2 November 2013
Link source

Don’t spend your precious time asking
“Why isn’t the world a better place?”
It will only be time wasted.
The question to ask is
“How can I make it better?”
To that there is an answer.

― Leo Buscaglia

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding. ~Mahatma Gandhi

The Triple Gem

1. The Buddha — The self awakened one. The original nature of the Heart;
2. The Dhamma — The Teaching. The nature of reality;
3. The Sangha — a. The Awakened Community. b. Any harmonious assembly. c. All Beings.

The Four Noble Truths

1. The Noble Truth of Dukkha – stress, unsatisfactoriness, suffering;
2. The Noble Truth of the causal arising of Dukkha, which is grasping, clinging and wanting;
3. The Noble Truth of Nirvana, The ending of Dukkha. Awakening, Enlightenment. “Mind like fire unbound”;
4. The Noble Truth of the Path leading to Nirvana or Awakening.

All Buddhist teachings flow from the Four Noble Truths. Particularly emphasised in the Theravada.

The Four Bodhisattva Vows

1. I vow to rescue the boundless living beings from suffering; (Link to 1st Truth)
2. I vow to put an end to the infinite afflictions of living beings; (Link to 2nd Truth)
3. I vow to learn the measureless Dharma-doors; (Link to 4th Truth)
4. I vow to realise the unsurpassed path of the Buddha. (Link to 3th Truth)

Foundation of the Mahayana Path, these vows say. ‘Whatever the highest perfection of the human heart-mind may I realise it for the benefit of all that lives!’

The Eight Fold-Path

Right, Integral, Complete, Perfected. Continue reading →