To Be a Certain Thing

Posted by cathy in Ego, Misc. Zen/Cha'an, Philosophy, Quotes, Realization, Wisdom “If you want a certain thing, you must first be a certain person. Once you are that certain person, obtaining that certain thing will no longer be a concern of yours.” ~Zen proverb

The Four Dharmas of Gampopa

Posted by cathy in Dharma, Gampopa, Mind, Quotes, Wisdom “Grant your blessing so that my mind may become one with the Dharma. Grant your blessing so the Dharma may go along the path. Grant your blessings so that the Dharma may clarify confusion. Grant your blessing so that confusion may dawn as wisdom.” ~Gampopa

Distinguishing Mind From Awareness

Posted by cathy in H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Mind, Nature of Mind, Practice, Quotes, Realization, Rigpa, Thoughts, Wisdom “If you conquer the primordial nature by distinguishing mind from awareness, the view of the absolute will naturally become clear…One day, as your confidence in awareness grows, mind will appear as witless as a child, and awareness as wise as a venerable old sage. Awareness will not run after mind, but eclipse it. In a relaxed, serene state, rest with ease.” ~Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

What Cannot Be Hidden

Posted by cathy in Buddha Shakyamuni, Dharma, Philosophy, Quotes, Wisdom “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” ~The Buddha

Waking Up

Posted by cathy in Alan Watts, Ego, Mind, Philosophy, Quotes, Realization, Wisdom “Waking up to who you are requires letting go of who you imagine yourself to be.” ~Alan Watts

The Process of Meditation

Posted by cathy in Meditation, Pema Chodron, Philosophy, Practice, Quotes, Wisdom “Meditation is a process of lightening up, of trusting the basic goodness of what we have and who we are, and of realizing that any wisdom that exists, exists in what we already have. We can lead our life so as to become more awake to who we are and what we’re doing rather than trying to improve or change or get rid of who we are or what we’re doing. The key is to wake up, to become more alert, more inquisitive and curious about ourselves.” ~Pema Chodron

Dharma is in Your Mind

Posted by cathy in Ajahn Chah, Dharma, Mind, Mindfulness, Practice, Quotes, Wisdom “Dharma is in your mind, not in the forest. Don’t believe others, just listen to your mind. You don’t have to go anywhere else. Wisdom is in yourself, just like a sweet ripe mango is already in a young green one.” ~Ajahn Chah

How Dharma Shows Itself

Posted by cathy in Ajahn Chah, Dharma, Mindfulness, Philosophy, Quotes, Teacher, Wisdom “How does the Dharma teach the proper way of life? It shows us how to live. It has many ways of showing it – on roots or trees or just in front of you. It is a teaching, but not in words. So still the mind, the heart, and learn to watch. You’ll find the whole Dharma revealing itself here and now. At what other time or place are you going to look?” ~Ajahn Chah

Letting Go

Posted by cathy in Attachment, Grasping, Illusion, Misc. Zen/Cha'an, Philosophy, Quotes, Wisdom “If you see through this world and let go of it, this is wisdom. If you see through it, but don’t let go, that’s just ‘talking Zen.’” ~A Buddhist recluse from the Zhongnan Mountains (from “Amongst White Clouds”, a documentary by Edward A Burger)

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”)