Pema ChödronTimes are difficult globally; awakening is no longer a luxury or an ideal. It’s becoming critical. We don’t need to add more depression, more discouragement, or more anger to what’s already here. It’s becoming essential that we learn how to relate sanely with difficult times. The earth seems to be beseeching us to connect with joy and discover our innermost essence. This is the best way that we can benefit others.
Utilizing Illness on the Path ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheKeep in mind the many other beings who are suffering in the same way as you are, and pray that your suffering may absorb theirs, and that they may be liberated from all suffering. In this way, illness can teach us compassion.
The Power of Emotions ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaMost people who would like to give up eating meat but have been unable to do so say the reason is because of the flavor and because of habit. Many people say they just like how meat tastes. What keeps them eating meat is craving the taste on their tongues. This is the power that emotions have in the face of our intellect. Because they are enslaved to their emotional craving for meat, many people do not want to give up meat even when they know that it is the right thing to do. Apart from that desire for the flavor, most people have no real reason to keep eating meat.
The need to recognize our essential buddhanature ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheGenerally speaking, the ultimate message of Buddhism is that you possess buddhanature. In other words, you already and quite naturally have within you the qualities of complete enlightenment. But you need to realize this. The fact that you don’t have this realization is the reason why you are wandering in samsara. According to Nagarjuna, the Buddha didn’t say that you need to abandon samsara in order to gain enlightenment. What he said was that you need to see that samsara is empty, that it has no inherent existence. This is the same as saying that you need to recognize your essential buddhanature.
Awareness and apprehended objects ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheJust as space isn’t defined by the objects that move through it, awareness isn’t defined by what it apprehends.
So the sage does not adhere ~ Buddha Shakyamuni
Buddha ShakyamuniAs a water bead on a lotus leaf, as water on a red lily, does not adhere, so the sage does not adhere to the seen, the heard, or the sensed.
Let nature teach you ~ Ajahn Chah
Ajahn ChahThe forest is peaceful, why aren’t you? You hold on to things causing your confusion. Let nature teach you. Hear the bird’s song then let go. If you know nature, you’ll know Dhamma. If you know Dhamma, you’ll know nature.
Mutual support ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat HanhYou are me, and I am you.
Isn’t it obvious that we “inter-are”?
You cultivate the flower in yourself,
so that I will be beautiful.
I transform the garbage in myself,
so that you will not have to suffer.I support you;
you support me.
I am in this world to offer you peace;
you are in this world to bring me joy.
A valid thing to do ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaWhen a person sits and meditates, it is a special situation, a sacred act. In meditation, even the most impure, crude, or confused thoughts are regarded as sacred. You may fall asleep on your cushion or feel that you have not actually meditated at all. Even daydreams on the cushion are important. You should have the attitude that you are involved with a system and a tradition that is valid and has its roots in solid thinking. Meditation is a definite approach, an extremely valid thing to do.
Experience enslaved to ignorance ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaSuffering is nothing
but experience enslaved to ignorance.
The futility of ordinary pursuits ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheWhy would you invest all that energy on those plans for the future if you were not somehow blindly convinced that you are still sure to be here in this world for a long time to come? The great practitioners of the past described themselves as “yogis with the thought of impermanence implanted firmly in their hearts.” They saw clearly the futility of ordinary pursuits. Their minds were entirely turned toward the Dharma
The path of curiosity ~ Pema Chödron
Pema ChödronThe path of meditation and the path of our lives altogether has to do with curiosity, inquisitiveness. The ground is ourselves; we’re here to study ourselves and to get to know ourselves now, not later. People often say to me, “I wanted to come and have an interview with you, I wanted to write you a letter, I wanted to call you on the phone, but I wanted to wait until I was more together.” And I think, “Well, if you’re anything like me, you could wait forever!” So come as you are. The magic is being willing to open to that, being willing to be fully awake to that. One of the main discoveries of meditation is seeing how we continually run away from the present moment, how we avoid being here just as we are. That’s not considered to be a problem; the point is to see it.
Cultivating boundless compassion ~ 17th Karmapa
17th KarmapaWe should use our creativity and imagination and our senses to cultivate compassion and extend it to all sentient beings. We should try and free our compassion so that it can travel beyond our own bodies and seep throughout the environment. If we use our imagination in this way then our compassion can help beings.
For example, when the wind blows we can imagine that our compassion is spreading throughout space to benefit beings and enter their hearts. We can also imagine that our compassion is flowing out on the clouds towards sentient beings.
If we train ourselves in this way there will come a time when our compassion is natural and benefits beings. This is what happened to Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.
Practice ~ Longchenpa
LongchenpaPractice guru yoga, pray with single-minded attention, and direct all virtuous actions to the benefit of all beings, your very own parents.
Knowing happiness and unhappiness ~ Ajahn Chah
Ajahn ChahWe say that a meditator should not walk the way of happiness or unhappiness, rather he should know them. Knowing the truth of suffering, he will know the cause of suffering, the end of suffering and the way leading to the end of suffering. And the way out of suffering is meditation itself. To put it simply, we must be mindful.
Heart of sadness ~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Khyentse RinpocheKongtrul Rinpoche suggested we pray to the guru, buddhas, and bodhisattvas and ask them to grant their blessings, “So I may give birth to the heart of sadness.”
But what is a “heart of sadness”? Imagine one night you have a dream. Although it is a good dream, deep down you know that eventually you will have to wake up and it will be over. In life, too, sooner or later, whatever the state of our relationships, or our health, our jobs and every aspect of our lives, everything, absolutely everything, will change.
And the little bell ringing in the back of your head to remind you of this inevitability is what is called the “heart of sadness.” Life, you realise, is a race against time, and you should never put off dharma practice until next year, next month, or tomorrow, because the future may never happen.
The possibilities within us ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheOf course, developing loving-kindness and compassion toward those we know already isn’t so hard after a bit of practice. It’s a little bit more of a stretch to extend the same sense of warmth and relatedness toward those we don’t know, and in many cases, can’t even possibly know. As we hear about tragedies around the world, or even in our neighborhoods, a sense of helplessness and hopelessness may develop. There are only so many causes we can join, and sometimes our work and family lives prevent us from helping out in a direct way. The practice of immeasurable loving-kindness/compassion helps to relieve that sense of hopelessness. It also fosters a sense of confidence that whatever situation in which we find ourselves and whomever we face, we have a basis for relating in a way that is not quite so fearful or hopeless. We can see possibilities to which we might otherwise be blind and begin to develop a greater appreciation for the possibilities within us.
Wherever we walk ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat HanhWherever we walk, whether it’s the railway station or the supermarket, we are walking on the earth and so we are in a holy sanctuary. If we remember to walk like that, we can be nourished and find solidity with each step.
Self-deception creates a dream world ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaSelf-deception seems always to depend upon the dream world, because you would like to see what you have not yet seen, rather than what you are now seeing. Self-deception manifests in trying to create or recreate a dream world, the nostalgia of the dream experience. The opposite of self-deception is just working with the facts of life.
Putting the mind at ease ~ 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai LamaFrom my own limited experience, I have found that the greatest inner tranquility comes from developing love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts our mind at ease. It helps remove our own fears and insecurities and gives us strength to face obstacles – it is the ultimate source of success in life.