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)

Humanity

Posted by cathy in Dalai Lama, Death and Dying, Impermanence, Philosophy, Quotes, Samsara, Suffering, Worldly Concerns “Man…sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.” ~The Dalai Lama (when asked what surprises him the most about humanity)

Attachment to a Fixed Abode

Posted by cathy in Attachment, Milarepa, Philosophy, Quotes, Renunciation, Song, Suffering, Worldly Concerns “I have no desire for a homeland and have no fixed residence. I do not experience the initial suffering of partiality of thinking that, ‘this is my land and that place isn’t’. I do not experience the intermediate suffering of yearning for my land. And I do not experience the final suffering of having to protect my land. Therefore, I do not have a fixed abode.” ~Milarepa

We Are What We Think

Posted by cathy in Buddha Shakyamuni, Dharma, Joy, Karma, Mind, Philosophy, Quotes, Suffering, Thoughts, Worldly Concerns “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. Think or act with an impure mind and trouble will follow you, like the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart. We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. Speak or act with a pure mind and happiness will follow you, as your shadow unshaken. In this world, hate never yet dispelled hate. Only love dispells hate. This is the Law, ancient and inexhaustible. We are what we think.” ~The Buddha

The Buddha Observes the World

Posted by cathy in Buddha, Buddha Shakyamuni, Philosophy, Quotes, Worldly Concerns “I consider the positions of kings and rulers as that of dust motes. I observe treasures of gold and gems as so many bricks and pebbles. I look upon the finest silken robes as tattered rags. I see myriad worlds of the universe as small seeds of fruit, and the greatest lake on earth as a drop of oil on my foot.” ~The Buddha

The Barrier Called Blame

Posted by cathy in Negative Emotions, Pema Chodron, Philosophy, Quotes, Suffering, Worldly Concerns “We habitually erect a barrier called blame that keeps us from communicating genuinely with others, and we fortify it with our concepts of who’s right and who’s wrong. We do that with the people who are closest to us and we do it with political systems, with all kinds of things that we don’t like about our associates or our society. It is a very common, ancient, well-perfected device for trying to feel better. Blame others. Blaming is a way to protect your heart, trying to protect what is soft and open and tender in yourself. Rather than own that pain, we scramble to find some...

A Relaxed Mind

Posted by cathy in Compassion, Joy, Mind, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, Philosophy, Quotes, Skillful Means, Worldly Concerns “From the time we open our eyes in the morning until we sleep at night, if we can pass the whole day with a kind-hearted mind and cheerful face, on good terms with people and talking pleasantly to them, our mind will be relaxed when we go to sleep at night.” ~Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Right Livelihood

Posted by cathy in Buddha Shakyamuni, Joy, Philosophy, Quotes, Skillful Means, Worldly Concerns “Happiness comes when your work and your words are of benifit to yourself and to others.” ~The Buddha

Leave No Trace

Posted by cathy in Philosophy, Quotes, Shunryu Suzuki, Worldly Concerns “When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.” ~Shunryu Suzuki

What Makes You a Buddhist

Posted by cathy in Buddha, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, Philosophy, Realization, Worldly Concerns “Over time I have come to realize that people often associate Buddhism and Buddhists with peace, meditation, and nonviolence. In fact many seem to think that saffron or maroon robes and a peaceful smile are all it takes to be a Buddhist. As a fanatical Buddhist myself, I must take pride in this reputation, particularly the nonviolent aspect of it, which is so rare in this age of war and violence, and especially religious violence. Thoughout the history of humankind, religion seems to beget brutality. Even today religious-extremist violence dominates the news. Yet I think I can say with confidence...