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

Walking the Path

Posted by cathy in Compassion, Discipline, Pema Chodron, Philosophy, Quotes, Skillful Means  ”Whole-heartedness is a precious gift, but no one can actually give it to you. You have to find the path that has heart and then walk it impeccably….It’s like someone laughing in your ear, challenging you to figure out what to do when you don’t know what to do. It humbles you. It opens your heart.” ~Pema Chodron

Gatha On Impermanence

Posted by cathy in Discipline, Impermanence, Practice, Quotes, Sangha, Thich Nhat Hanh “The day has now ended. Our lives are shorter. Now we look carefully. What have we done? Noble Sangha, with all our heart, let us be diligent, engaging in the practice. Let us live deeply, free from afflictions, aware of impermanence so life does not drift away without meaning.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh (from “Touching the Earth: Conversations With the Buddha)

The Warm Heart

Posted by cathy in Compassion, Discipline, Philosophy, Practice, Quotes, Shunryu Suzuki “We have to study with our warm heart, not just with our brain.” ~Shunryu Suzuki

Study of Buddhism

Posted by cathy in Bankei Yotaku, Discipline, Philosophy, Quotes “When your study of Buddhism is through, you find you haven’t anything new.” ~Bankei Yotaku

Invoking the Lama

Posted by cathy in Devotion, Discipline, Guru, Jigmed Lingpa, Karma, Mindfulness, Negative Emotions, Practice, Prayers, Quotes, Suffering “From the blossoming lotus of devotion at the center of my being, rise up, o compassionate master, my only refuge! I am plagued by past actions and turbulent emotions. To protect me in my misfortune, remain as the jewel-ornament on the crown of my head, the mandala of great bliss, arousing all my mindfulness and awareness, I pray!” ~Jigmed Lingpa

The Last Words of the Buddha

Posted by cathy in Buddha Shakyamuni, Discipline, Impermanence, Practice, Quotes, Realization “Behold, o monks, this is my last advice to you. All component things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting. Work hard to gain your own salvation.” ~The Buddha

Subduing Fear and Terror

Posted by cathy in Buddha Shakyamuni, Discipline, Negative Emotions, Practice, Quotes, Suffering “A thought would occur to me: ‘Is this that fear and terror coming?’ Then the thought occured to me ‘Why do I just keep waiting for fear? What if I were to subdue fear and terror in whatever state they come?’ So when fear and terror came while I was walking back and forth, I would not stand or sit or lie down. I would keep walking back and forth until I subdued that fear and terror. When fear and terror came when I was standing, I would not walk or sit or lie down. I would keep standing until I had subdued that fear and terror. When fear and terror came when I was sitting,...

Spiritual Materialism

Posted by cathy in Chogyam Trungpa, Discipline, Ego, Practice, Quotes, Skillful Means, Wisdom “Walking the spiritual path properly is a very subtle process; it is not something to jump into naively. There are numerous sidetracks which lead to a distorted, ego-centered version of spirituality; we can deceive ourselves into thinking we are developing spiritually when instead we are strengthening our egocentricity through spiritual techniques. This fundamental distortion may be referred to as Spiritual Materialism.” ~Chogyam Trungpa (from “Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism”)

The True Bow

Posted by cathy in Buddha, Devotion, Discipline, Philosophy, Practice, Quotes, Shunryu Suzuki “In your practice you should accept everything as it is, giving to each thing the same respect given to a Buddha. Then Buddha bows to Buddha, and you bow to yourself. This is the true bow.” ~Shunryu Suzuki (from “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind”)