All conditioned things are impermanent. When one see this in Wisdom, then one becomes dispassionate towards the painful.
Sayings of the Buddha
~Ven. Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda
TAKE HEART
But also
take comfort, healing, rest and love
Leave sorrow
amongst the rocks and woods who most of the time
are far stronger
better able to handle such loads
Take courage
But also,
take honesty, courtesy, empathy and patience
Leave doubt
amidst the deep ocean waters
watch it sink there
until you cannot cling to it any longer
Take faith
but leave with an open mind, an open hand, open arms
Take whatever you need to make it through
leave what keeps you from going on
Tears only go so far
Fear only holds so long
Though your feet may bleed and your hands, tremble
Take deep compassion for the suffering of another
and journey on
~by Jennifer Edwards
The selfless giving, the service, the kindness which you give out into this world that is the currency of (the) meaning (of life). ~Ajahn Brahm
“Discipline” is a difficult word for most of us. It conjures up images of somebody standing over you with a stick, telling you that you’re wrong. But self-discipline is different. It’s the skill of seeing through the hollow shouting of your own impulses and piercing their secret. They have no power over you. It’s all a show, a deception. Your urges scream and bluster at you; they cajole; they coax; they threaten; but they really carry no stick at all. You give in out of habit. You give in because you never really bother to look beyond the threat. It is all empty back there. There is only one way to learn this lesson, though. The words on this page won’t do it. But look within and watch the stuff coming up-restlessness, anxiety, impatience, pain-just watch it come up and don’t get involved. Much to your surprise, it will simply go away. It rises, it passes away. As simple as that. There is another word for self-discipline. It is patience. ? Bhante Henepola Gunaratana
Just as fog is dispelled by the strength of the sun
and is dispelled no other way,
preconception is cleared by the strength of realization.
There’s no other way of clearing preconceptions.
Experience them as baseless dreams.
Experience them as ephemeral bubbles.
Experience them as insubstantial rainbows.
Experience them as indivisible space.
~by Milarepa
Spiritual life is a life of search…but a true search.
Not to investigate and to seek what you hope to discover,
Not the object of your aspiration,
But what you are.
Meditation is just a search for the meditator.
Enlightenment is to discover…
To discover that there is no discoverer, and there is nothing to discover…
Enlightenment is to be.
To be the most wonderful discovery of what can not be found.
It is to arrive to no where…
To meet no one.
You fail, because of your habit to search only for that which satisfies your needs.
Get rid of all this need.
And you will see…
Get rid of all that you have.
And you will see…
Throw away all that can be thrown.
And you will see…
Give up these words, and what they make you feel
And you will see…
Give up your attempt to give up.
And you will see…
Give up your attempt to see.
Because then you will really see…
The farther the object you search for, the better eyesight you need.
That which is closest to you, you have to be.
~By Swami Ramakrishnananda
A dharma talk from the Hsi Lai Temple
I am very grateful for the guidance of the Buddha which enables us to have such an outstanding cause and condition to listen to the Dharma in this time and space. Today, the topic that I will discuss is “the Buddhist perspective on time and space.”
Time travels from the past to the present; it spans the past, present, and future. Likewise, space covers hundreds and thousands of realms; it spreads across all ten directions. For most living beings, time and space are just like the act of breathing: we breathe every moment yet are not conscious of this action. Depending on our individual make-up, we all have different understandings about time and space. For example, certain insects live for a day and are contented; humans live to seventy and are still not satisfied. We all confine ourselves to our own limited slice of time and space. From the Buddhist perspective of samsara, the cycles of rebirth, the life span of all sentient beings is limitless. Not only is space without bounds, time is also endless and cannot be measured. If we penetrate the ultimate truth of time and space, we can be liberated from the space defined by the four directions of north, east, south, and west and emerge from the time cocoon of seconds, minutes, days, and months. We then will be in the dimension of total freedom, and we will be able to experience what is described in the saying, “Clear cool water everywhere; Prajna flowers every moment.”
I will now discuss the Buddhist perspective on time and space in four points.
I. The Time and Space for All Living Beings
The term “all living beings” includes not only human beings but also encompasses beings in the other five realms of existence: celestial beings, asuras, animals, hungry ghosts, and beings in the hell realm. What is the time and space for all living beings within the six realms of existence?
We will first talk about time. Continue reading
L-R: Bhikkhu Pamutto and Vipassana Gossalaya Hong Keo, Meditation Master
Adapted from a talk by Gil Fronsdal, November 7th, 2004
As rain penetrates an ill-thatched house,
So lust penetrates an undeveloped mind.
As rain does not penetrate a well-thatched house,
So lust does not penetrate a well-developed mind.
~Dhammapada (13-14)
It is sometimes said that practicing mindfulness is easy; what is hard is remembering to do it. To help us remember, it’s useful to have a clear understanding of the forces in our minds that contribute to our forgetting. The one that the Buddhist tradition focuses on most is desire.
Desire is ubiquitous in human life. Living without wants, wishes, motivations, and aspirations is inconceivable. Some desires are quite healthy, useful, and appropriate; some are not. One function of mindfulness practice is to help us distinguish between these. And differentiating helps support the beautiful aspiration for liberation and compassion.
Any desire, healthy or unhealthy, can easily manifest as a compulsion. Wherever there is compulsion, we are not free. In the West, we sometimes call particularly strong desires “addictions.” Buddhism often refers to compulsive desires as cravings, clingings, or “thirsts.” Careful attention to our inner life, through meditation, for example, will quickly reveal that compulsions are deeply rooted in the mind. Continue reading
We don’t become monks or nuns to eat well, sleep well, and be very comfortable, but to know suffering:
1. how to accept it…
2. how to get rid of it…
3. how not to cause it.
Compiled & Edited by Dhamma Garden
Transcribed to the Internet by
Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery
Source: http://www.dharmaweb.org
The mind is the root from which all things grow if you can understand the mind, everything else is included. It’s like the root of a tree. All a tree’s fruit and flowers, branches and leaves depend on its root. If you nourish its root, a tree multiplies. If you cut its root, it dies. Those who understand the mind reach enlightenment with minimal effort. ~Bodhidharma
