The Journey and Meditation

Posted by cathy in Alan Watts, Meditation, Philosophy, Practice, Quotes “We could say that meditation doesn’t have a reason or doesn’t have a purpose. In this respect it’s unlike almost all other things we do except perhaps making music and dancing. When we make music we don’t do it in order to reach a certain point, such as the end of the composition. If that were the purpose of music then obviously the fastest players would be the best. Also, when we are dancing we are not aiming to arrive at a particular place on the floor as in a journey. When we dance, the journey itself is the point, as when we play music the playing itself is the point....

Compassion and Joy

Posted by cathy in Author, Chogyam Trungpa, Compassion, Dualism, Generosity, Joy “Compassion has nothing to do with achievement at all. It is spacious and very generous. When a person develops real compassion, he is uncertain whether he is being generous to others or to himself because compassion is enviromental generosity, without direction, without ” for me” and without ” for them”. It is filled with joy, spontaneously existing joy, constant joy in the sense of trust, in the sense that joy contains tremendous wealth, richness.” ~Chogyam Trungpa

Emptiness and Appearance

Posted by cathy in Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Emptiness, Philosophy, Quotes “There is no emptiness without appearance, and there is no appearance without emptiness. That is what we call the interdependent nature.” ~Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

The Source of Joy

Posted by cathy in Joy, Philosophy, Quotes, Thich Nhat Hanh “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Illuminating the Darkness

Posted by cathy in Discipline, Meditation, Pema Chodron, Philosophy, Practice, Quotes “What’s encouraging about meditation is that, even if we shut down, we can no longer shut down in ignorance. We see very clearly that we’re closing off. That in itself begins to illuminate the darkness of ignorance.” ~Pema Chodron

Have Good Trust in Yourself

Posted by cathy in Philosophy, Quotes, Skillful Means, Taizan Maezumi Roshi “Have good trust in yourself – not the one you think you should be, but the one that you are.” ~Taizan Maezumi Roshi

Language and Inner Experience

Posted by cathy in Mind, Misc. Zen/Cha'an, Philosophy, Quotes, Thoughts “The contradiction so puzzling to the ordinary way of thinking, comes from the fact that we have to use language to communicate our inner experience which in its very nature transcends linguistics.” ~DT Suzuki

Accepting Abuse

Posted by cathy in Buddha, Buddha Shakyamuni, Negative Emotions, Quotes, Worldly Concerns “When a simpleton abused him, Lord Buddha listened to him in silence, but when the man had finished, the Buddha asked him, ‘Son, if a man declined to accept a present offered to him, to whom would it belong?’ The man answered ‘To him who offered it.’ ‘My son’, Buddha said, ‘I decline to accept your abuse. Keep it for yourself.’” ~The Buddha (as told by Will Durant)

I Have No Dharma to Give

Posted by cathy in Buddha, Dharma, Misc. Zen/Cha'an, Practice, Quotes, Realization “I have no Dharma to give. I only cure diseases and undo knots. Followers of The Way who come from everywhere, try not to depend on anything. There is no Buddha, no Dharma, no training, and no realization. What are you so hotly chasing? Putting a head on top of your head, you blind fools! Your head is right where it should be.” ~Rinzai Gigen

State of a Living Buddha

Posted by cathy in Buddha, Joy, Misc. Tibetan, Quotes, Realization, Rebirth, Suffering “People commonly feel that because I am considered a living Buddha, I must experience only serenity, perpetual happiness, and have no worries. Unfortunately, this is not so. As a high lama and incarnation of enlightenment, I know better.”~Kanju Kutush Tulku Rinpoche