Spiritual Quotes 3
Imagine vividly a situation where you have acted badly, one about which you
EASY TO DO
are things that are
bad and harmful to oneself.
But exceedingly difficult to do are things that
are
good and beneficial.
--The Buddha
(from "The Dhammapada," No.
163)
BARE ATTENTION BRINGS order into the clutter that collects in those untidy little hidden corners of the mind. As you achieve clear comprehension in the midst of life's ordinary activities, you gain the ability to remain rational and peaceful while you throw the penetrating light of mindfulness into those irrational mental nooks and crannies. You start to see the extent to which you are responsible for your own mental suffering. You see your own miseries, fears and tensions as self generated. You see the way you cause your own suffering, weakness and limitations. And the more deeply you understand these mental processes, the less hold they have on you.
-- Bhante Henepola
Gunaratana
(from "Mindfulness in
Plain English,"
Wisdom Books, 1995)
THE BUDDHA MADE IT CLEAR that there is no way to run from suffering. You can run as fast and far as you can, and it will still be there with you. Instead, he said we need to stay exactly where we are and cultivate the power of awareness, the Great Awareness, mahasati. And only in that way, right here where we are, can we free ourselves from suffering.
--Ajahn Jumnien
(from "Holy Impermanence,
Holy Suffering,
Holy Selflessness," in "Inquiring Mind,"
Vol. 15, No. 1,
Fall 1998)
There is nothing to trust from seeking happiness
outside; you will only
become exhausted with suffering, which is without
satisfaction and without
end......"
Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche
( the Tibetan Lama
I met in retreat for three months January to
end March 99 in USA,
)
"Always aim at complete harmony of thought
and
word and deed. Always aim at purifying
your thoughts and everything will be
well."
-Mohandas K. Gandhi
Just as no pleasures can bring
delight
To someone whose body is ablaze with fire,
Nor can the great
compassionate ones be pleased
When harm is done to sentient beings.........
Shantideva (8th C Buddhist
saint)
For as long as space remains And as long as sentient beings remain Until then may I too remain To dispel the suffering of all beings.
Shantideva
When walking just walk,
When sitting just
sit,
Above all, don't wobble...
Yun-Men/Ummon
(d.949)
The thought of liking problems should arise
naturally, like the thought of
liking ice-cream or the thought of liking
music...
---Lama Thubten Zopa
Rinpoche