1. Yourself

    Comment

    Love yourself and watch –
    Today, tomorrow, always.

    First establish yourself in the way,
    Then teach,
    And so defeat sorrow.

    To straighten the crooked
    You must first be a harder thing –
    Straighten yourself.

    You are the only master.
    Who else?
    Subdue yourself,
    And discover your master.

    Willfully you have fed
    Your own mischief.
    Soon it will crush you.

    By your own folly
    You will be brought as low
    As your worst enemy wishes.
    So the creeper chokes the tree.

    How hard it is to serve yourself,
    How easy to lose yourself
    In mischief and folly.

    The kashta reed dies when it bears fruit.
    So the fool,
    Scorning the teachings of the awakened,
    Spurning those who follow the law,
    Perishes when his folly flowers.

    Mischief is yours.
    Sorrow is yours.
    But virtue is also yours,
    And purity.

    You are the source
    Of all purity and impurity.

    No one purifies another.

    Never neglect your work
    For another’s,
    However great his need.

    Your work is to discover your work
    And then with all your heart
    To give yourself to it.

    ~The Dhamapada

     

  2. The Wonders of Life

    234

    Life is filled with suffering,
    but it is also filled with many wonders,
    like the blue sky, the sunshine,
    the eyes of a baby.
    To suffer is not enough.
    We must also be in touch
    with the wonders of life.
    They are within us and all around us,
    everywhere, any time.

    Author: Thich Nhat Hanh

     

  3. Beauty in the Forest

    52

    There is beauty in the forest
    When the trees are
    green and fair,
    There is beauty in the meadow
    When wild flowers
    scent the air,
    There is beauty in the sunlight
    And the soft blue beams above,
    Oh the world is full of beauty
    When the heart is full of love.

    ~Author Unknown

     

  4. Serenity – Peace amid the Storm

    36

    Morning by itself signifies a new beginning.
    So this morning start by forgiving yourself
    for all the mistakes you made yesterday
    and look forward to a promising day
    that lies ahead of you.
    Have a good morning!

    ~WishAFriend

  5. It is inside us

    Comment

    The divine is not something high above us. It is heaven, it is in earth, it is inside us. ~Morihei Ueshiba

  6. Beautiful Butterfly

    40

    There wings are stretched wide,
    fluttering around the flower,
    A Butterfly gently lands on a leaf,
    They possess a certain power.
    Orange, gold, and some are yellow,
    Some fly slow and some rather fast,
    Always they put on a show of color
    that makes this warm feeling last!
    They take flight and move with such grace,
    It’s fascinating to see how they land,
    I enjoy watching one blend in,
    As it sometimes greets my hand.
    Some of them will fly in pairs,
    while others remain alone,
    There are some that appear quite small,
    And yet there are some that seem full grown!
    I have been told that they don’t live long,
    Most only live several days,
    It is such a wonder of nature,
    As I watch as a new one stays.
    They love to grace our gardens,
    We love to watch them go by,
    I am so lucky to have them around me,
    As they are flying low and high!
    There goes another one,
    It stopped to delight me again,
    Always lifting my spirits,
    As only a butterfly can!

    ~ By Paul Peterzell

     

  7. Everyone Deserves a Little Sunshine

    64

    Beautiful and graceful,
    varied and enchanting,
    small but approachable,
    butterflies lead you
    to the sunny side of life.
    And everyone deserves
    a little sunshine.

    ~Jeffrey Glassberg

    ….•*•.¸¸. ♥

    RFA photo

  8. We all have the Power to change our Lives

    27

    When life gets rough and the road is long
    And it seems there is no light
    When the dreams you had somehow seem lost
    Remember to never give up the fight
    When you look in the mirror and see a stranger take a closer look inside
    Come out of the shadows and out of the darkness
    There is no need to run and hide
    Never give up on you
    Never forget who you are
    Always remember wherever you go
    You’ll find that shining star
    When you think about the life that you once had
    A memory of the way things used to be
    Remember that the things that were taken away
    Are not the things that will set you free
    Remember that you have the power within yourself
    And a will that can never be broken
    You will survive and grow stronger
    This much I know for the angels in Heaven have spoken
    Never give up on you
    Never forget who you are
    Always remember wherever you go
    You’ll find that shining star
    When you thought the path you chose
    Would lead to you to where you want to go
    Remember that sometimes the path must be changed
    In order for you to grow
    When you thought your life had no meaning
    Remember that we all have our own special gifts
    Look deep inside yourself and sometimes you’ll find
    Those things you might have missed
    Never give up on you
    Never forget who you are
    Always remember wherever you go
    You’ll find that shining star
    We all have the power to change our lives
    We’re all born with greatness inside
    Don’t let your fears hold you back from dreams
    And don’t ever feel you have to hide
    Climb that rainbow and reach for the stars
    And find your shining light
    Remember you’ll survive whatever life brings
    And your spirit will shine so bright
    Never give up on you
    Never forget who you are
    Always remember wherever you go
    You’ll find that shining star

    Poem title: Never Give Up On You
    ~Donna Webster 2002

    ….•*•.¸¸. ♥

  9. Under my Umbrella

    98

    Under my umbrella
    I like to stay all dry
    And enjoy the rainy weather
    As it falls down from the sky

    ~by Jaymie Gerard


    ….•*•.¸¸. ♥

Live & Die for Buddhism

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Me & Grandma

My Reflection

This site is a tribute to Buddhism. Buddhism has given me a tremendous inspiration to be who and where I am today. Although I came to America at a very young age, however, I never once forget who I am and where I came from. One thing I know for sure is I was born as a Buddhist, live as a Buddhist and will leave this earth as a Buddhist. I do not believe in superstition. I only believe in karma.

A Handful of Leaves

A Handful of Leaves

Tipitaka: The pali canon (Readings in Theravada Buddhism). A vast body of literature in English translation the texts add up to several thousand printed pages. Most -- but not all -- of the Canon has already been published in English over the years. Although only a small fraction of these texts are available here at Access to Insight, this collection can nonetheless be a very good place to start.

Major Differences

Major Differences in Buddhism

Major Differences in Buddhism: There is no almighty God in Buddhism. There is no one to hand out rewards or punishments on a supposedly Judgement Day ...read more

Problems we face today

jendhamuni pink scarfnature

Of the many problems we face today, some are natural calamities and must be accepted and faced with equanimity. Others, however, are of our own making, created by misunderstanding, and can be corrected...