HakuinAll beings by nature are Buddha,
As ice by nature is water.
Apart from water there is no ice;
Apart from beings, no Buddha.
How sad that people ignore the near
And search for truth afar:
Like someone in the midst of water
Crying out in thirst,
Like a child of a wealthy home
Wandering among the poor.
Lost on dark paths of ignorance,
We wander through the Six Worlds,
From dark path to dark path–
When shall we be freed from birth and death?
Oh, the zazen of the Mahayana!
To this the highest praise!
Devotion, repentance, training,
The many paramitas–
All have their source in zazen.
Those who try zazen even once
Wipe away beginning-less crimes.
Where are all the dark paths then?
The Pure Land itself is near.
Those who hear this truth even once
And listen with a grateful heart,
Treasuring it, revering it,
Gain blessings without end.
Much more, those who turn about
And bear witness to self-nature,
Self-nature that is no-nature,
Go far beyond mere doctrine.
Here effect and cause are the same,
The Way is neither two nor three.
With form that is no-form,
Going and coming, we are never astray,
With thought that is no-thought,
Singing and dancing are the voice of the Law.
Boundless and free is the sky of Samádhi!
Bright the full moon of wisdom!
Truly, is anything missing now?
Nirvana is right here, before our eyes,
This very place is the Lotus Land,
This very body, the Buddha.
Idiot Compassion ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronThe third near enemy of compassion is idiot compassion. This is when we avoid conflict and protect our good image by being kind when we should definitely say “no.” Compassion doesn’t only imply trying to be good. When we find ourselves in an aggressive relationship, we need to set clear boundaries. The kindest thing we can do for everyone concerned is to know when to say “enough.” Many people use Buddhist ideals to justify self-debasement. In the name of not shutting our heart we let people walk all over us. It is said that in order not to break our vow of compassion we have to learn when to stop aggression and draw the line. There are times when the only way to bring down barriers is to set boundaries.
Transforming obstacles into favorable circumstances ~ Patrul Rinpoche
Patrul RinpocheIf you make a real effort to take refuge sincerely in the Three Jewels, everything that opposes your practice will be transformed into favorable circumstances and your merit will grow unceasingly.
Clearly seeing the state of how others are ~ Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
Tulku Urgyen RinpocheCompassion comes from clearly seeing the state of how others are. Shifting your attention away from being concerned with merely yourself, you begin to tune into how other beings feel. Soon you realize that their aims and what they actually manage to achieve are in a total contradiction. Everyone wants to be happy and free, but the involvement pursued through thought, word and deed for the most part created future pain, future entanglement. When one really sees this clearly, the sense of compassion becomes overwhelming.
Awesome Buddhism ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheThe more you examine Buddhism
the more you will discover its greatness.
Artificial like the mirror image ~ Shantideva
ShantidevaWhat arises through the meeting of conditions
And ceases to exist when these are lacking,
Is artificial like the mirror image;
How can true existence be ascribed to it?
Clearly seeing what is truth and what is illusion ~ Ponlop Rinpoche
Ponlop RinpocheThe point of training in higher knowledge is not to become a container of facts or a believer in any particular philosophical system. The whole point is to clearly see what is truth and what is illusion in how we live. It means we understand the relationship of cause and effect, and we see how it functions in our life. We see that suffering is the natural result of a certain cause and that ultimately that cause is our self-clinging. We see that happiness is the result of a certain cause and that ultimately that cause is transcending our self-clinging.
Making life more beautiful ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat HanhBecause of your smile, you make life more beautiful.
Transformative power of bodhicitta ~ Khunu Rinpoche
Khunu RinpocheBodhicitta transforms
afflictive emotions, suffering and fear,
and sickness and death
into a path to enlightenment.
Slaves to powerful emotion ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaEveryone wants a happy life without difficulties or suffering. We create many of the problems we face. No one intentionally creates problems, but we tend to be slaves to powerful emotions like anger, hatred and attachment that are based on misconceived projections about people and things. We need to find ways of reducing these emotions by eliminating the ignorance that underlies them and applying opposing forces.
Just as the moon casts its reflection ~ Padmasambhava
PadmasambhavaI am present in front of anyone who has faith in me, just as the moon casts its reflection, effortlessly, in any vessel filled with water.
The essence of discipline ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheIn essence, discipline is to have a peaceful, self-controlled and altruistic mind.
Wise fool ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaAcknowledging foolishness is a very powerful and important experience.
Introduction to the nature of mind ~ Dudjom Rinpoche
Dudjom RinpocheYou actually have this awareness within you. It is the clear, naked wisdom of dharmakaya. But who can introduce you to it? On what should you take your strand? What should you be certain of? To begin with, it is your teacher that shows you the state of your awareness. And when you recognize it for yourself, it is then that you are introduced to your own nature.
Meditation isn’t something separate from your life ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheOur lives are bounded by challenges of every conceivable variety. How do we deal with them? Typically we try either to deny or to eliminate them — treating them as enemies — or allow them to overwhelm us, treating them as “bosses.” A third option — the middle way exemplified by the hermit meditators of old — is to use our experiences as a means of opening to a deeper realization of our capacity for wisdom, kindness, and compassion. In Buddhist terms, this approach is often referred to as “taking your life on the path.” Your life, exactly as it is—right here, right now.
The radical goal of the Buddha’s treatment plan is not to solve or eliminate problems, but to use them as a basis or focus for recognizing our potential. Every thought, every emotion, and every physical sensation is an opportunity to turn our attention inward and become a little bit more familiar with the source. Many people look at meditation as an exercise, like going to the gym. “I’ve gotten that over with! Now I can go on with the rest of my life.” But meditation isn’t something separate from your life. It is your life. In a sense, we’re always meditating: focusing on emotional turmoil, disturbing thoughts, and drawing conclusions from our experiences about who and what we are and the nature of our environment. This sort of meditation often occurs spontaneously, without our conscious participation. Taking our lives on the path raises the process of unconscious meditation to a conscious level. Many people, including myself, embrace this approach in hopes of finding immediate solutions to mental and emotional pain. Of course, it’s possible to feel some sort of relief right away, but the experience usually doesn’t last very long. It’s not uncommon for people to become disappointed when the sense of freedom dissolves and to think “Oh, this Buddhist stuff doesn’t work.” But if we continue, beginning by just taking a few moments throughout the day to look at our experience and then perhaps extending our formal practice sessions, we discover that the Buddha’s treatment plan is much more than psychological aspirin. As we examine our thoughts, feelings, and sensations, we discover something precious.
Just to be aware ~ Krishnamurti
KrishnamurtiThe self is a problem that thought cannot resolve. There must be an awareness which is not of thought. To be aware, without condemnation or justification, of the activities of the self – just to be aware – is sufficient.
Our life is vast ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaOur life is vast. It does not stop at the limits of what we personally experience. It is not something concrete or bounded. I do not think it is valid to view our life as limited to just ourselves — as if our human life extended only as far as our own body. Rather, we can see that a life extends out in all directions, like a net. We throw a net, and it expands outward. Just like that, our life extends to touch many other lives. Our life can reach out and become a pervasive part of everyone’s life.
Checking your motivation ~ Lama Yeshe
Lama YesheDon’t bring your materialistic way of life to your Dharma practice. It doesn’t work. Before meditating, check and correct your motivation. If you do this, your meditation will become much easier and more worthwhile, and your right action will bring realizations. You don’t need to be hungry for realizations, grasping, “Oh, if I do this, will I get some fantastic realizations?” You don’t need expectation; realizations will come automatically. Once you’ve set your mind on the right path, realizations will come of their own accord.
Space is like the mind ~ Tai Situ Rinpoche
Tai Situ RinpocheSpace is like the mind. If it was not there we would be in big trouble, but where is it? Where does it go and where does it come from? When we place something somewhere, what happens to the displaced space? Does it move? What happened to the space that used to surround the seed when it grows into a tree? It is a mystery. It is also the closest metaphor we have to technically describing limitlessness and non-duality.
Benefits of pain ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronShantideva cites three benefits of pain. First, it is valuable because through sorrow, pride is driven out. No matter how arrogant and condescending we’ve been, great suffering can humble us. The pain of a serious illness or loss of a loved one can be transformative, softening us and making us less self-centered.
The second benefit of pain is empathy: the compassion felt for those who wander in samsara. Our personal suffering brings compassion for others in the same situation. A young woman was telling me that when her baby died, she felt a deep connection to all the other parents who had lost children. This was, as she put it, the unexpected blessing of her sorrow.
The third value of suffering is that evil is avoided and goodness seems delightful. When we practice according to Shantideva’s instructions, we can get smarter about cause and result. Based on this understanding, we’ll have less inclination to cause harm, and more desire to gather virtue and benefit others.