O you who wish to guard your minds,
I beseech you with folded hands;
Always exert yourselves to guard
Mindfulness and alertness!
-Santideva, “Bodhicaryavatara”
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
If you would be freed of greed, first you have to leave egotism behind. The best mental exercise for relinquishing egotism is contemplating impermanence.
-Dogen From "The Pocket Zen Reader," edited by Thomas Cleary, 1999. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
The fire which fiercely burns the desert grass (dies out), and then the grass will grow again;
But when the fire of lust burns up the heart, then how hard for true religion there to dwell!
-Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
The world is apprehended by way of the mind
The world is acted upon by way of the mind
And all good things and bad
Exist in the world by way of the mind.
-Samyutta Nikaya
From "The Buddha Speaks," edited by Anne Bancroft, 2000. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
Ordinary life and Buddhahood have no distinction. Great knowledge is not different from ignorance. Why should one seek outwardly for a treasure, when the field of the body has its own bright jewel?
-Pao-chih, "The Nonduality of Buddhahood and Ordinary Life" From "The Pocket Zen Reader," edited by Thomas Cleary, 1999. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
The very purpose of our life is happiness, the very motion of our lives is toward happiness.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
The supreme Understanding transcends all this and that. The supreme Action embraces great resourcefulness without attachment. The supreme Accomplishment is to realize immanence without hope.
-Translation by Garma C.C. Chang From "Teachings of the Buddha," edited by Jack Kornfield, 1993. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
I prostrate to the Perfect Buddha,
The best of teachers, who taught that
Whatever is dependently arisen is
Unceasing, unborn,
Unannihilated, not permanent,
Not coming, not going,
Without distinction, without identity,
And free from conceptual construction.
-Nâgârjuna From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
Each form, each particle, is a Buddha. One form is all Buddhas. All forms, all particles, are all Buddhas. All forms, sounds, scents, feelings, and phenomena are also like this, each filling all fields.
-Pai-chang From "The Pocket Zen Reader," edited by Thomas Cleary, 1999. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
When you turn upward, Buddhas and devils appear without a trace; mountains and seas vanish.
When you turn downward, clerics are clerics, lay folk are lay folk.
You transcend seeing and hearing, get rid of all independence, and ride at leisure on top of sound and form, mastering that which startles the crowd.
-Huai-t’ang
From "The Pocket Zen Reader," edited by Thomas Cleary, 1999. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
When you are deluded, you are used by your body. When you are enlightened, you use your body.
-Bunan From "The Pocket Zen Reader," edited by Thomas Cleary, 1999. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
Your own self is
your own mainstay,
for who else could your mainstay be?
With you yourself well-trained
you obtain the mainstay
hard to obtain.
-Dhammapada 12, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Who wrote this play in which we have to laugh, cry, and exit according to the script? No god can write it, nor can Buddha. Only your own mind can write it.
-Jae Woong, "Polishing the Diamond" Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001. Reprinted from "Daily Wisdom: 365 Buddhist Inspirations," edited by Josh Bartok, with permission of Wisdom Publications, 199 Elm St., Somerville MA 02144 U.S.A, www.wisdompubs.org.
Hope you like reading these... If at anytime you wish me not topost them let me know ther shall be no offences taken just trying to give a differnt look here is all. I do acctualy read all of them!
The bliss of a truth-seeking life is attainable for anyone who follows the path of unselfishness. If you cling to your wealth, it is better to throw it away than let it poison your heart. But if you don't cling to it but use it wisely, then you will be a blessing to people. It's not wealth and power that enslave men but the clinging to wealth and power.
-Majjhima Nikaya From "The Pocket Buddha Reader," edited by Anne Bancroft, 2000. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
Ta-sui was asked, "What is the point to concentrate on along the way?"
He replied, "Don’t be self-conceited."
From "The Pocket Zen Reader," edited by Thomas Cleary, 1999. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
Whoever, with a rod,
harasses an innocent man, unarmed,
quickly falls into any of ten things:
harsh pains, devastation, a broken body, grave illness, mental derangement, trouble with the government, violent slander, relatives lost, property dissolved, houses burned down.
At the break-up of the body
this one with no disconcernment,
reappears in
hell.
-Dhammapada, 137-140, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
The impulse "I want" and the impulse "I'll have"--lose them! That is where most people get stuck--without those, you can use your eyes to guide you through this suffering state.
-Sutta Nipata
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
The king said: 'Venerable Nagasena, where does wisdom dwell?'
'Nowhere, O king.'
'Then, Sir, there is no such thing as wisdom.'
'Where does the wind dwell, O king?'
'Not anywhere, Sir.'
'So there is no such thing as wind.'
'Well answered, Nagasena!'
-Milindapanha 77
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
Whoever takes a rod
to harm living beings desiring ease,
when he himself is looking for ease,
will meet with no ease after death.
Whoever doesn't take a rod
to harm living beings desiring ease,
when he himself is looking for ease,
will meet with ease after death.
-Dhammapada, 10, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
The fool who thinks he is a fool is for that very reason a wise man;
But the fool who thinks he is a wise man is rightly called a fool.
-Dhammapada 63 From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
Pride and indifference shroud this heart, too, as the sun is obscured by the piled-up clouds; supercilious thoughts root out all modesty of mind, and sorrow saps the strongest will.
-Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
Pulling up
My robes, I draw magic water
From the spring and let it surge,
To scrub clogs and headcloth. Smokey.
Haze breaking over fir and bamboo,
Clears and concentrates
The mind and spirit.
-Chien Chang, "The Clouds Should Know Me By Now" Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001. Reprinted from "Daily Wisdom: 365 Buddhist Inspirations," edited by Josh Bartok, with permission of Wisdom Publications, 199 Elm St., Somerville MA 02144 U.S.A, www.wisdompubs.org.
The man immersed in
gathering blossoms,
his heart distracted:
death sweeps him away--
as a great flood,
a village asleep.
The man immersed in
gathering blossoms,
his heart distracted,
insatiable in sensual pleasures:
the End-Maker holds him
under his sway.
-Dhammapada, 4, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Should we free our mind from attachment to all 'things,' the Path becomes clear; otherwise, we put ourselves under restraint.
-The Sutra of Hui Neng From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
All beings are by nature Buddha,
as ice by nature is water.
Apart from water there is no ice;
apart from beings, no Buddha.
-Hakuin Zenji, "Song of Zazen" From "Teachings of the Buddha," edited by Jack Kornfield, 1993. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
The good shine from afar
Like the snowy Himalayas.
The bad don't appear
Even when near,
Like arrows shot into the night.
-Dhammapada, 21, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
For the one who has no inner, angry thoughts,
Who has gone past being a someone, a this or a that,
That one is free from fear and is blissful.
Even the gods cannot win such serenity.
-Udana Sutta From "Buddha Speaks," edited by Anne Bancroft, 2000. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
Adopting an attitude of universal responsibility is essentially a personal matter. The real test of compassion is not what we say in abstract discussions but how we conduct ourselves in daily life.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama, "Imagine All the People" Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001. Reprinted from "Daily Wisdom: 365 Buddhist Inspirations," edited by Josh Bartok, with permission of Wisdom Publications, 199 Elm St., Somerville MA 02144 U.S.A, www.wisdompubs.org.
There's no fire like passion,
no seizure like anger,
no snare like delusion,
no river like craving.
-Dhammapada, 18, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Everywhere clinging to pleasure is destroyed, the great dark is torn apart, and Death, you too are destroyed.
-Therigatha, translated by Susan Murcott From "Teachings of the Buddha," edited by Jack Kornfield, 1993. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
By day shines the sun;
by night, the moon;
in armor, the warrior;
in jhana, the Brahmin.
But all day & all night,
every day & every night,
the Awakened One shines
in splendor.
-Dhammapada, 26, translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
On the basis of the belief that all human beings share the same divine nature, we have a very strong ground, a very powerful reason, to believe that it is possible for each of us to develop a genuine sense of equanimity toward all beings.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama, "The Good Heart" Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001. Reprinted from "Daily Wisdom: 365 Buddhist Inspirations," edited by Josh Bartok, with permission of Wisdom Publications, 199 Elm St., Somerville MA 02144 U.S.A, www.wisdompubs.org.
On a certain day, month and year one should observe the ceremony of tree-planting. Thus, one fulfils one’s responsibilities, serves one’s fellow-beings which not only brings happiness but benefits all.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama, October 1993 From "The Pocket Dalai Lama," edited by Mary Craig, 2002. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
To be attached to one's own happiness
is a barrier to the true and perfect path.
To cherish others is the source
of every admirable quality.
-Tsongkhapa, "The Splendor of an Autumn Moon" Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001. Reprinted from "Daily Wisdom: 365 Buddhist Inspirations," edited by Josh Bartok, with permission of Wisdom Publications, 199 Elm St., Somerville MA 02144 U.S.A, www.wisdompubs.org.
[A]ll manifestations (consist in) Mind, and Mind is the Illuminating-
Voidness without any shadow or impediment.
-Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
"I am breathing in and liberating my mind. I am breathing out and liberating my mind." One practices like this.
-The Sutra on Full Awareness of Breathing, translated by Thich Nhat Hanh
From "Teachings of the Buddha," edited by Jack Kornfield, 1993. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
To cling to oneself as Buddha, oneself as Zen or the way, making that an understanding, is called clinging to the inward view.
Attainment by causes and conditions, practice and realization, is called the outward view.
Master Pao-chih said, “The inward view and the outward view are both mistaken.”
-Pai-chang From "The Pocket Zen Reader," edited by Thomas Cleary, 1999. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com
Greater in battle
than the man who would conquer
a thousand-thousand men,
is he who would conquer
just one--
himself.
"Here I'll stay for the rains.
Here, for the summer and winter."
So imagines the fool,
unaware of obstructions.
That drunk-on-his-sons-and-cattle man,
all tangled up in the mind:
death sweeps him away —
as a great flood,
a village asleep.
-Dhammapada, 286-287, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
A gold Buddha can't get through a furnace, a wood Buddha can't get through a fire, and a clay Buddha can't get through water. The real Buddha sits within: enlightenment, nirvana, suchness, and Buddha-nature are all clothes sticking to the body.
-Chao-chou
From "The Pocket Zen Reader," edited by Thomas Cleary, 1999. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston,
A hundred thousand worlds are flowers in the sky,
a single mind and body is moonlight in the water;
once the cunning ends and information stops,
at that moment there is no place for thought.
-Han-Shan Te-Ch'ing in The Clouds Should Know Me By Now Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001. Reprinted from Daily Wisdom: 365 Buddhist Inspirations, edited by Josh Bartok. Reprinted with permission by arrangement with Wisdom Publications, 199 Elm St., Somerville MA 02144 U.S.A,
Be done with conceit,Get beyond every fetter.
When for name & form
You have no attachment
--have nothing at all--
no sufferings, no stresses, invade.
-Dhammapada 17, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
A mantra is not like a prayer to a divine being. Rather, the mantra is the deity, is enlightenment, immediately manifest.
-Lorne Ladner, "Wheel of Great Compassion" Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001. Reprinted from "Daily Wisdom: 365 Buddhist Inspirations," edited by Josh Bartok, with permission of Wisdom Publications, 199 Elm St., Somerville MA 02144 U.S.A,
"I am not, I will not be. I have not, I will not have." That frightens all the childish And extinguishes fear in the wise.
-Nagarjuna, "Precious Garland" From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
All the wealth you've acquired
from beginningless time until now
has failed to fulfill all your desires.
Cultivate therefore this wish-granting gem
of moderation, O fortunate ones.
-Milarepa, "Drinking the Mountain Stream"
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001. Reprinted from "Daily Wisdom: 365 Buddhist Inspirations," edited by Josh Bartok, with permission of Wisdom Publications, 199 Elm St., Somerville MA 02144 U.S.A,
Abandoning harsh speech, he abstains from harsh speech, he speaks such words as are gentle, pleasing to the ear, and lovable, as go to the heart, are courteous, desired by many and agreeable to many.
-Majjhima-Nikaya From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
Actually, emptiness of mind is not even a state of mind, but the original essence of mind which Buddha and the Sixth Patriarch experienced. "Essence of mind," "original mind," "original face," "Buddha nature," "emptiness"--all these words mean the absolute calmness of our mind.
-Shunryu Suzuki, "Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind" From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
[The] defilements are like a cat. If you feed it, it will keep coming around. Stop feeding it, and eventually it will not bother to come around anymore.
-Ajahn Chah, "Still Forest Pool" From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
All tremble when there is a weapon,
Everyone fears death;
Feeling for others as for oneself,
One should neither kill nor cause to kill.
-Dhammapada From "The Pocket Buddha Reader," edited by Anne Bancroft, 2000. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
At a time when people are so conscious of maintaining their physical health by controlling their diets, exercising and so forth, it makes sense to try to cultivate the corresponding positive mental attitudes too.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 1963 From "The Pocket Dalai Lama," edited by Mary Craig, 2002. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.
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