* A man named Liu Shiyu asked Yangshan, ‘May I hear the principle of attaining mind?’
Yangshan said, ‘If you want to attain mind, then there’s no mind that can be attained.
It is this unattainable mind that is known as truth.’
-Zen’s Chinese Heritage
* Ahimsa or non-violence is the first Buddhist precept. First one
must start to lead a harmless life of non-injury, not hurting, not wasting and
not polluting things.
* All that we experience begins with thought. Our words and
deeds spring from thought. If we speak or act with evil
thoughts, unpleasant circumstances and experiences inevitably
result. Wherever we go, we create bad circumstances
because we carry bad thoughts. We cannot shake off this suffering
as long as we are tied to our evil thoughts. This is very
much like the wheel of a cart following the hoofs of the ox
yoked to the cart. The cart-wheel, along with the heavy load of
the cart, keeps following the draught oxen. The animal is
bound to this heavy load and cannot leave it.
All that man experiences springs out of his thoughts. If his
thoughts are good, the words and deeds will also be good.
The result of good thoughts, words and deeds will be happiness.
This happiness never leaves the person whose thoughts
are good. Happiness will always follow him like his shadow
that never leaves him.
~ Buddha ~ ch. 1 v. 1 & 2, of the Dhammapada
* Among the wise, some say that all action should be renounced as evil.
Others say that certain kinds of action
--self-sacrifice, giving, and self-discipline-- should be continued...
Self-sacrifice, giving, and self-discipline should not be renounced, for they purify the thoughtful.
Yet even these, Arjuna, should be performed without desire for selfish rewards.
This is essential. -Bhagavad Gita 18:3-6
* "Desire is the source of all suffering and sorrow." ~ Buddha ~
* One enters Nirvana (Heaven), when he/she becomes free of attachments, desires.
* If at this moment, one does not become attached to what one sees and knows, one can
uncover one's true insight and thereby see through the illusory situations of life.
Actually, attachment is the separation from the wholeness of truth.
~ Lao Tzu ~ (Hua Hu Ching)
* As for your fame and your life, which matters more? As for your life and your wealth, which is more precious?
As for gain or loss, which is more damaging? He who is most endeared to something must pay dearest for it.
He who has hoarded much will suffer great loss. He who knows when enough is enough saves himself from
humiliation. He who knows when to stop saves himself from peril. To know this is to be long enduring.
~ Lao Tzu ~
* On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous
deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the
protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.
~ Buddha ~
* True words are not necessarily beautiful.
Beautiful words are not necessarily truthful.
One who is achieved does not argue, and one who argues is not achieved.
One who knows the deepest truth does not need segmented information.
One who knows vast amounts of information, may not know the truth.
One of Deep virtue is not occupied with amassing material goods, yet the more he lives for others,
the richer his life becomes.
The more he gives, the more his life abounds.
The subtle Way of the universe is benificial, not harmful.
The integral nature of a person is to extend one's virtue unconditionally and to
contend with no one. ~ Lao Tzu ~
* Through giving, one receives in abundance, this is the subtle Universal Nature.
-- Tao Teh Ching
* "Peace is all around us – in the world and in nature – and within us – in our bodies and our spirits.
Once we learn to touch this peace, we will be healed and transformed. It is not a matter of faith; it is a matter
of practice."
~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~
* "What kind of victory is it when someone is left defeated? What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy. What is a war criminal? Was not war itself a crime against God and humanity, and, therefore, were not all those who sanctioned, engineered and conducted wars, war criminals? The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. Non-cooperation with evil is a sacred duty." Gandhi
|
|
