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"Because there is transgression,
there is birth. Because there is birth.
there is death. Birth and Death
arise from transgression. When all transgressions
have completely ceased,
then there is wisdom."
Love things the way they are,
and your love will be like the sun,
making the flowers grow.
Ajahn Brahm
3
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything - anger, anxiety, or possessions - we cannot be free.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh
“If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”
― Dogen
3
DavidA human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First NationsVeteran
Emptiness which is conceptually liable to be mistaken for sheer nothingness is, in fact, the reservoir of infinite possibilities.
~D.T. Suzuki
3
DavidA human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First NationsVeteran
Dukkha is the Sanskrit word which is usually translated as suffering. But suffering in a way is too strong a word in English. We can easily say ‘I’m not suffering, I’m fine’. Dukkha is the opposite of sukkha. And sukkha means happiness but it also means a kind of ease. You know when everything is ok, when everything is going well is sukkha. And so dukkha is dis-ease. The fact that everything is not quite right. Everything would be wonderful if only. That there is always if only. There’s an underlying dissatisfaction in our lives which makes everybody try so hard for happiness. And yet with all the amount of effort and time and money and thought we put into being happy, normally people still feel a sense of dis-ease inside that something is not quite right, something which is not satisfied within us.
@David said:
Dukkha is the Sanskrit word which is usually translated as suffering. But suffering in a way is too strong a word in English. We can easily say ‘I’m not suffering, I’m fine’. Dukkha is the opposite of sukkha. And sukkha means happiness but it also means a kind of ease. You know when everything is ok, when everything is going well is sukkha. And so dukkha is dis-ease. The fact that everything is not quite right. Everything would be wonderful if only. That there is always if only. There’s an underlying dissatisfaction in our lives which makes everybody try so hard for happiness. And yet with all the amount of effort and time and money and thought we put into being happy, normally people still feel a sense of dis-ease inside that something is not quite right, something which is not satisfied within us.
~ Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo
I think Dukkha can be translated as “dis-ease, suffering or discontedness”
The ego is a dream lived within to cope with the inanities of the human condition.
Egolessness is simply an awakening and a freedom found beyond this dream. ~@how~
Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind wrought.
If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts, suffering follows him like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox.
Dhammapada v. 1
Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind wrought.
If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts, happiness follows him like his never departing shadow.
Sotapanna: The “Stream Enterer”: one who has entered the stream leading to Nibbana. One who is freed from the first three fetters of self-view, sceptical doubt and attachment to precepts and practices. They have unshakable faith in the three jewels and are incapable of breaking the five moral precepts. They will be reborn seven times, at most, and not in a lower state than the human realm.
🙏🙏🙏
We feel ourselves surrounded by unpredictable and uncontrollable change. This provokes fear and anxiety. People adopt different strategies to deal with their unease. Some people try to make themselves so busy, physically and mentally, that they have no time to dwell on deeper matters.
It is the ideas behind the cartoon characters that can run off the edge of a cliff, but not fall as long as they don’t look down. Other people devote themselves single mindedly to a cause or a dream. Many people distract themselves with alcohol or illegal drugs.
Perhaps the most common response is to place faith in a changeless but benevolent supernatural force.
The Buddhist approach is different. The Buddha taught us to study change, to understand its causal nature.
When we look more closely within, we can discover the root cause of our fear and anxiety. The culprit is the idea we have of ourselves as a solid, separate independent entity. In fact, all that can be found is a flow of phenomena with no owner or controller standing behind it. We realise that we are not vulnerable, fragile creatures threatened by change. Our life is simply a particular expression of that same universal change that surrounds us. Seeing this, how could there be fear?
Ajahn Jayasaro - 17/6/2023
Here is a very straightforward mental task: be continuously aware for one full minute as you breathe in that you are breathing in, and as you breathe out that you are breathing out. Almost everybady finds this task extremely difficult.
But why is that?
Why can't you just think about the things you want to think about, and not think about the things you don't want to think about. You can decide to keep your hands still in your lap and do it. Why can't you just decide to make your mind still and do that? Why are you unable to ever be sure what your next thought will be?
Questions like these have important implications, Consider the role your views, opinions and beliefs play in your sense of who you are. Those views, opinions and beliefs may seems solid and substantial, bedrocks of your personality and identity. But the mental stuff of which they are composed is thought, And thought is the opposite of solid and substantial. This is one of the reasons why Buddhist meditation can be so world-shaking. It makes you question everything you hold most dear. Including the very you who is asking the questions.
If you are blessed with at least one good friend, if you find joy in generosity and kindness, if you have clear moral boundaries, you can assimilate the discoveries made during meditation. They do not fill you with fear: they feel like a huge weight falling from your shoulders.
Ajahn Jayasaro
24/06/2023
A refuge is a place of safety and calm. Whatever the external circumstances may be, a refuge provides us with all that we need to survive and flourish. The Buddha taught that the true refuge is internal and that it is something that we must create for ourselves. On one occasion, he listed ten virtues that contribute to the feeling of inner refuge:
1) Adopting appropriate boundaries for one's actions and speech.
2) Reading, studying widely and in depth.
3) Cultivating good, healthy relationships.
4) Being easy to speak to, open to feedback.
5) Finding ways and developing skills to contribute to the welfare of one's community.
6) Cultivating love for the Dhamma, finding joy in the teachings.
7) Making a steady effort to abandon the unwholesome and develop the wholesome. Diligent, brave, preserving and resilient in one's efforts.
8) Being at peace with and appreciative of the material supports one has acquired through honest endeavour.
9) Developing mindfulness. Knowing how to bear in mind, moment by moment, everything that is most relevant right now to growth in Dhamma.
10) Knowing how to think clearly, how to reflect, how to learn from experience. Seeing things in their true light.
“The sequence between shamatha and vipashyana makes perfect sense: first refine your powers of attention, then use them to explore and purify the mind, which can be directly examined only through first-person observation.”
"How we relate to this moment is sowing the seeds of how we will relate to not just the next moment, but the next day, the next week, month, year, where we are further strengthening pre-existing propensities, pre-existing habits, pre-existing fears, pre-existing prejudices "
~Pema Chodron~ "Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change"
3
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
“Q: What about other methods of practice? These days there seem to be so many teachers and so many different systems of meditation that it is confusing.
A: It is like going into town. One can approach from the north, from the southeast, from many roads. Often these systems just differ outwardly. Whether you walk one way or another, fast or slow, if you are mindful, it is all the same. There is one essential point that all good practice must eventually come to – not clinging. In the end, all meditation systems must be let go of. Neither can one cling to the teacher. If a system leads to relinquishment, to not clinging, then it is correct practice.
You may wish to travel, to visit other teachers and try other systems. Some of you have already done so. This is a natural desire. You will find out that a thousand questions asked and knowledge of many systems will not bring you to the truth. Eventually you will get bored. You will see that only by stopping and examining your own mind can you find out what the Buddha talked about. No need to go searching outside yourself. Eventually you must return to face your own true nature. Here is where you can understand the Dhamma.”
(Question asked of Ajahn Chah)
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
“Sometimes you may see other monks behaving badly. You may get annoyed. This is suffering unnecessarily. It is not yet our Dhamma. You may think like this: “He is not as strict as I am. They are not serious meditators like us. Those monks are not good monks”. This is a great defilement on your part. Do not make comparisons. Do not discriminate. Let go of your opinion as watch your opinions and watch yourself. This is our Dhamma. You can’t possibly make everyone act as you wish or be like you. This wish will only make you suffer. It is a common mistake for meditators to make, but watching other people won’t develop wisdom. Simply examine yourself, your feelings. This is how you will understand.”
— Ajahn Chah
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
“Q: What is the biggest problem of your new disciples?
A: Opinions. Views and ideas about all things. About themselves, about practice, about the teachings of the Buddha. Many of those who come here have a high rank in the community. There are wealthy merchants or college graduates, teachers and government officials. Their minds are filled with opinions about things. They are too clever to listen to others. It is like water in a cup. If a cup is filled with dirty, stale water, it is useless. Only after the old water is thrown out can the cup become useful. You must empty your minds of opinions, then you will see. Our practice goes beyond cleverness and beyond stupidity. If you think, “I am clever, I am wealthy, I am important, I understand all about Buddhism”. You cover up the truth of anatta or no-self. All you will see is self, I, mine. But Buddhism is letting go of self. Voidness, emptiness, Nibbana.”
(Question asked of Ajahn Chah)
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
“You must examine yourself. Know who you are. Know your body and mind by simply watching. In sitting, in sleeping, in eating, know your limits. Use wisdom. The practice is not to try to achieve anything. Just be mindful of what is. Our whole meditation is looking directly at the mind. You will see suffering, its cause and its end. But you must have patience; much patience and endurance. Gradually you will learn.”
Much of our planning is like waiting to swim in a dry ravine.
Many of our activities are like housekeeping in a dream.
Delirious with fever, one does not recognise the fever.
Paltrul Rinpoche
3
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited October 2023
“The Buddha said, “You should know the world. It dazzles like a king’s royal carriage. Fools are entranced, but the wise are not deceived.” It’s not that he wanted us to go all over the world looking at everything, studying everything about it. He simply wanted us to watch this mind which attaches to the world. When the Buddha told us to look at the world he didn’t want us to get stuck in it, he wanted us to investigate it, because the world is born just in this mind. Sitting in the shade of a tree you can look at the world. When there is desire the world comes into being right there. Wanting is the birth place of the world. To extinguish wanting is to extinguish the world.”
— Ajahn Chah
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
“So the Buddha exhorted his disciples to practise with the mind, because the world is born in this mind, the eight worldly dhammas are there. The eightfold path, that is, investigation through calm and insight meditation, our diligent effort and the wisdom we develop, all these things loosen the grip of the world. Attachment, aversion and delusion become lighter, and being lighter, we know them as such. If we experience fame, material gain, praise, happiness or suffering we’re aware of it. We must know these things before we can transcend the world, because the world is within us.”
— Ajahn Chah
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited November 2023
“The Buddha’s teaching states that there is no better means to overcome suffering than to see that “this is not my self,” “this is not mine.” This is the greatest method.”
— Ajahn Chah
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
“If you want to know the Dhamma where should you look? You must look within the body and the mind. You won’t find it in the shelves of a bookcase.”
— Ajahn Chah
Others will never fully know how much you sacrifice for them.
Knowing this, may there be peace of mind.
You will never fully know how much others sacrifice for you.
Knowing this, may there be gratitude in mind.
I think the essence of Buddhism is to realize your true nature. Only then will you be able to experience your true nature. The statue of Buddha in lotus posture is a clear example of this. Below quote beautifully states it:
"One may conquer a thousand men in the battle a thousand times, yet he indeed is the greatest victor who conquers himself. It is far better to conquer yourself than others because then the victory is yours. No one could turn that triumph back into defeat, Not even angels, spirits, demons, or the creator."
Dhammapada:103-105
@Jeroen, Thanks for adding some beautiful words....
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
“The proliferating mind tries to avoid this truth, saying, “that’s good” or “this is beautiful,” but if there is Buddho in the mind it can no longer deceive us, because we know the mind as it is. The mind can no longer create deluded mental states, because there is the clear awareness that all mental states are unstable, imperfect, and a source of suffering to one who clings to them.”
— Ajahn Chah
Being heedless means neglecting the things that truly nourish our life, and giving time to things that drain our energy, and make us feel agitated and depressed.
The Buddha said:
“Heedfulness is the way to the Deathless; Heedlessness is the way to death. Realising this distinction, the wise rejoice in heedfulness, the path of the noble ones.”
Listen to the news every day.
Listen many times.
Not the news on a screen or in the Newspaper but the new of your body and mind.
This is the most important news.
What is happening right now?
Observe how your actions and speech affect your mind.
Observe how your mental states condition your action and speech.
This is how we investigate the law of kamma in every day life.
“Householder, there are these five reasons to get rich. What five?
Firstly, with his legitimate wealth—earned by his efforts and initiative, built up with his own hands, gathered by the sweat of the brow—a noble disciple makes himself happy and pleased, keeping himself properly happy. He makes his mother and father happy … He makes his children, partners, bondservants, workers, and staff happy … This is the first reason to get rich.
Furthermore, with his legitimate wealth he makes his friends and colleagues happy … This is the second reason to get rich.
Furthermore, with his legitimate wealth he protects himself against losses from such things as fire, water, kings, bandits, or unloved heirs. He keeps himself safe. This is the third reason to get rich.
Furthermore, with his legitimate wealth he makes five spirit-offerings: to relatives, guests, ancestors, king, and deities. This is the fourth reason to get rich.
Furthermore, with his legitimate wealth he establishes an uplifting religious donation for ascetics and brahmins—those who avoid intoxication and negligence, are settled in patience and gentleness, and who tame, calm, and extinguish themselves—that’s conducive to heaven, ripens in happiness, and leads to heaven. This is the fifth reason to get rich.
These are the five reasons to get rich.
Now if the riches a noble disciple gets for these five reasons run out, he thinks: ‘So, the riches I have obtained for these reasons are running out.’ And so he has no regrets.
But if the riches a noble disciple gets for these five reasons increase, he thinks: ‘So, the riches I have obtained for these reasons are increasing.’ And so he has no regrets in both cases.
Comments
When you stop complaining, you stop suffering.
Ajahn Brahm
True enough but a bit Stoic/Protestant for me …
Complain about yourself (As Ajahn Brahm does in his Buddha Dad humour). 'Nobody knows the trouble I seen' I think is a spiritual?
Throwing away Zen mind is correct Zen mind. Only keep the question ‘What is the best way of helping other people?
— Seung Sahn
"Because there is transgression,
there is birth.
Because there is birth.
there is death.
Birth and Death
arise from transgression.
When all transgressions
have completely ceased,
then there is wisdom."
~From the Shurangama Sutra~
Love things the way they are,
and your love will be like the sun,
making the flowers grow.
Ajahn Brahm
“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything - anger, anxiety, or possessions - we cannot be free.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh
To abstain from evil
To cultivate the good
And to purify the mind
This is the teaching of the Buddhas
Dhammapada v.183
“If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”
― Dogen
Emptiness which is conceptually liable to be mistaken for sheer nothingness is, in fact, the reservoir of infinite possibilities.
~D.T. Suzuki
Dukkha is the Sanskrit word which is usually translated as suffering. But suffering in a way is too strong a word in English. We can easily say ‘I’m not suffering, I’m fine’. Dukkha is the opposite of sukkha. And sukkha means happiness but it also means a kind of ease. You know when everything is ok, when everything is going well is sukkha. And so dukkha is dis-ease. The fact that everything is not quite right. Everything would be wonderful if only. That there is always if only. There’s an underlying dissatisfaction in our lives which makes everybody try so hard for happiness. And yet with all the amount of effort and time and money and thought we put into being happy, normally people still feel a sense of dis-ease inside that something is not quite right, something which is not satisfied within us.
~ Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo
I think Dukkha can be translated as “dis-ease, suffering or discontedness”
The ego is a dream lived within to cope with the inanities of the human condition.
Egolessness is simply an awakening and a freedom found beyond this dream.
~@how~
Some wonderful quotes from our diaspora of dharma delights ❣️
Traditionally when the Buddha awakened, with no quote to be heard, she touched the ground.
Saw the morning star, left the sleeping world and grounded. 🏜️
I am a sukkha/sucker for a happy/hippy ending … 🎭
Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind wrought.
If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts, suffering follows him like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox.
Dhammapada v. 1
Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind wrought.
If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts, happiness follows him like his never departing shadow.
Dhammapada v. 2
Sotapanna: The “Stream Enterer”: one who has entered the stream leading to Nibbana. One who is freed from the first three fetters of self-view, sceptical doubt and attachment to precepts and practices. They have unshakable faith in the three jewels and are incapable of breaking the five moral precepts. They will be reborn seven times, at most, and not in a lower state than the human realm.
🙏🙏🙏
Nibbana is the only thing that is ever really here as it’s the only thing that is lasting and permanent.
Ajahn Anan Akincano
We feel ourselves surrounded by unpredictable and uncontrollable change. This provokes fear and anxiety. People adopt different strategies to deal with their unease. Some people try to make themselves so busy, physically and mentally, that they have no time to dwell on deeper matters.
It is the ideas behind the cartoon characters that can run off the edge of a cliff, but not fall as long as they don’t look down. Other people devote themselves single mindedly to a cause or a dream. Many people distract themselves with alcohol or illegal drugs.
Perhaps the most common response is to place faith in a changeless but benevolent supernatural force.
The Buddhist approach is different. The Buddha taught us to study change, to understand its causal nature.
When we look more closely within, we can discover the root cause of our fear and anxiety. The culprit is the idea we have of ourselves as a solid, separate independent entity. In fact, all that can be found is a flow of phenomena with no owner or controller standing behind it. We realise that we are not vulnerable, fragile creatures threatened by change. Our life is simply a particular expression of that same universal change that surrounds us. Seeing this, how could there be fear?
Ajahn Jayasaro - 17/6/2023
Here is a very straightforward mental task: be continuously aware for one full minute as you breathe in that you are breathing in, and as you breathe out that you are breathing out. Almost everybady finds this task extremely difficult.
But why is that?
Why can't you just think about the things you want to think about, and not think about the things you don't want to think about. You can decide to keep your hands still in your lap and do it. Why can't you just decide to make your mind still and do that? Why are you unable to ever be sure what your next thought will be?
Questions like these have important implications, Consider the role your views, opinions and beliefs play in your sense of who you are. Those views, opinions and beliefs may seems solid and substantial, bedrocks of your personality and identity. But the mental stuff of which they are composed is thought, And thought is the opposite of solid and substantial. This is one of the reasons why Buddhist meditation can be so world-shaking. It makes you question everything you hold most dear. Including the very you who is asking the questions.
If you are blessed with at least one good friend, if you find joy in generosity and kindness, if you have clear moral boundaries, you can assimilate the discoveries made during meditation. They do not fill you with fear: they feel like a huge weight falling from your shoulders.
Ajahn Jayasaro
24/06/2023
We are prisoners of our own concepts
Ajahn Brahm
A refuge is a place of safety and calm. Whatever the external circumstances may be, a refuge provides us with all that we need to survive and flourish. The Buddha taught that the true refuge is internal and that it is something that we must create for ourselves. On one occasion, he listed ten virtues that contribute to the feeling of inner refuge:
1) Adopting appropriate boundaries for one's actions and speech.
2) Reading, studying widely and in depth.
3) Cultivating good, healthy relationships.
4) Being easy to speak to, open to feedback.
5) Finding ways and developing skills to contribute to the welfare of one's community.
6) Cultivating love for the Dhamma, finding joy in the teachings.
7) Making a steady effort to abandon the unwholesome and develop the wholesome. Diligent, brave, preserving and resilient in one's efforts.
8) Being at peace with and appreciative of the material supports one has acquired through honest endeavour.
9) Developing mindfulness. Knowing how to bear in mind, moment by moment, everything that is most relevant right now to growth in Dhamma.
10) Knowing how to think clearly, how to reflect, how to learn from experience. Seeing things in their true light.
Ajahn Jayasāro
11/7/23
"Zen always aims at grasping the central fact of life, which can never be brought to the dissecting table of the intellect"
~DT Suzuki~
Zen proposes to discipline the mind itself to make it it's own master, through insight into its proper nature
~DT Suzuki~
"Our body is the bodhi tree,
And our mind a mirror bright.
Carefully we wipe them hour by hour,
And let no dust alight."
Shenxiu
"There is no bodhi tree,
Nor stand of a mirror bright.
Since all is void,
Where can the dust alight?"
Huineng
“A Tibetan aphorism states, “Let your mind be a gracious host in the midst of unruly guests.”
“The sequence between shamatha and vipashyana makes perfect sense: first refine your powers of attention, then use them to explore and purify the mind, which can be directly examined only through first-person observation.”
~Alan Wallace~
"How we relate to this moment is sowing the seeds of how we will relate to not just the next moment, but the next day, the next week, month, year, where we are further strengthening pre-existing propensities, pre-existing habits, pre-existing fears, pre-existing prejudices "
~Pema Chodron~ "Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change"
“Q: What about other methods of practice? These days there seem to be so many teachers and so many different systems of meditation that it is confusing.
A: It is like going into town. One can approach from the north, from the southeast, from many roads. Often these systems just differ outwardly. Whether you walk one way or another, fast or slow, if you are mindful, it is all the same. There is one essential point that all good practice must eventually come to – not clinging. In the end, all meditation systems must be let go of. Neither can one cling to the teacher. If a system leads to relinquishment, to not clinging, then it is correct practice.
You may wish to travel, to visit other teachers and try other systems. Some of you have already done so. This is a natural desire. You will find out that a thousand questions asked and knowledge of many systems will not bring you to the truth. Eventually you will get bored. You will see that only by stopping and examining your own mind can you find out what the Buddha talked about. No need to go searching outside yourself. Eventually you must return to face your own true nature. Here is where you can understand the Dhamma.”
(Question asked of Ajahn Chah)
“Sometimes you may see other monks behaving badly. You may get annoyed. This is suffering unnecessarily. It is not yet our Dhamma. You may think like this: “He is not as strict as I am. They are not serious meditators like us. Those monks are not good monks”. This is a great defilement on your part. Do not make comparisons. Do not discriminate. Let go of your opinion as watch your opinions and watch yourself. This is our Dhamma. You can’t possibly make everyone act as you wish or be like you. This wish will only make you suffer. It is a common mistake for meditators to make, but watching other people won’t develop wisdom. Simply examine yourself, your feelings. This is how you will understand.”
— Ajahn Chah
“Q: What is the biggest problem of your new disciples?
A: Opinions. Views and ideas about all things. About themselves, about practice, about the teachings of the Buddha. Many of those who come here have a high rank in the community. There are wealthy merchants or college graduates, teachers and government officials. Their minds are filled with opinions about things. They are too clever to listen to others. It is like water in a cup. If a cup is filled with dirty, stale water, it is useless. Only after the old water is thrown out can the cup become useful. You must empty your minds of opinions, then you will see. Our practice goes beyond cleverness and beyond stupidity. If you think, “I am clever, I am wealthy, I am important, I understand all about Buddhism”. You cover up the truth of anatta or no-self. All you will see is self, I, mine. But Buddhism is letting go of self. Voidness, emptiness, Nibbana.”
(Question asked of Ajahn Chah)
“You must examine yourself. Know who you are. Know your body and mind by simply watching. In sitting, in sleeping, in eating, know your limits. Use wisdom. The practice is not to try to achieve anything. Just be mindful of what is. Our whole meditation is looking directly at the mind. You will see suffering, its cause and its end. But you must have patience; much patience and endurance. Gradually you will learn.”
— Ajahn Chah
Much of our planning is like waiting to swim in a dry ravine.
Many of our activities are like housekeeping in a dream.
Delirious with fever, one does not recognise the fever.
Paltrul Rinpoche
“The Buddha said, “You should know the world. It dazzles like a king’s royal carriage. Fools are entranced, but the wise are not deceived.” It’s not that he wanted us to go all over the world looking at everything, studying everything about it. He simply wanted us to watch this mind which attaches to the world. When the Buddha told us to look at the world he didn’t want us to get stuck in it, he wanted us to investigate it, because the world is born just in this mind. Sitting in the shade of a tree you can look at the world. When there is desire the world comes into being right there. Wanting is the birth place of the world. To extinguish wanting is to extinguish the world.”
— Ajahn Chah
“So the Buddha exhorted his disciples to practise with the mind, because the world is born in this mind, the eight worldly dhammas are there. The eightfold path, that is, investigation through calm and insight meditation, our diligent effort and the wisdom we develop, all these things loosen the grip of the world. Attachment, aversion and delusion become lighter, and being lighter, we know them as such. If we experience fame, material gain, praise, happiness or suffering we’re aware of it. We must know these things before we can transcend the world, because the world is within us.”
— Ajahn Chah
“The Buddha’s teaching states that there is no better means to overcome suffering than to see that “this is not my self,” “this is not mine.” This is the greatest method.”
— Ajahn Chah
“If you want to know the Dhamma where should you look? You must look within the body and the mind. You won’t find it in the shelves of a bookcase.”
— Ajahn Chah
Others will never fully know how much you sacrifice for them.
Knowing this, may there be peace of mind.
You will never fully know how much others sacrifice for you.
Knowing this, may there be gratitude in mind.
Anon
@Bunks So true, That anon sure gets about sacrificing themselves, chicken Bodhi, eggs and aboriginal Buddhists …
I think the essence of Buddhism is to realize your true nature. Only then will you be able to experience your true nature. The statue of Buddha in lotus posture is a clear example of this. Below quote beautifully states it:
"One may conquer a thousand men in the battle a thousand times, yet he indeed is the greatest victor who conquers himself. It is far better to conquer yourself than others because then the victory is yours. No one could turn that triumph back into defeat, Not even angels, spirits, demons, or the creator."
Dhammapada:103-105
I found many authentic buddha quotes here: 225 Buddha Quotes on Life, Love, Karma
Hope it helps every new buddhist
@Amitvikram It is an interesting quote which also points at humility, because in conquering yourself you are both the victor and the conquered…
@Jeroen, Thanks for adding some beautiful words....
“The proliferating mind tries to avoid this truth, saying, “that’s good” or “this is beautiful,” but if there is Buddho in the mind it can no longer deceive us, because we know the mind as it is. The mind can no longer create deluded mental states, because there is the clear awareness that all mental states are unstable, imperfect, and a source of suffering to one who clings to them.”
— Ajahn Chah
"Nothing gets more difficult with practice"
~Tibetan Buddhist saying~
“If not now, when?”
— Zen saying
“What in this moment is lacking?”
— Rinzai
Being heedless means neglecting the things that truly nourish our life, and giving time to things that drain our energy, and make us feel agitated and depressed.
The Buddha said:
“Heedfulness is the way to the Deathless; Heedlessness is the way to death. Realising this distinction, the wise rejoice in heedfulness, the path of the noble ones.”
Listen to the news every day.
Listen many times.
Not the news on a screen or in the Newspaper but the new of your body and mind.
This is the most important news.
What is happening right now?
Observe how your actions and speech affect your mind.
Observe how your mental states condition your action and speech.
This is how we investigate the law of kamma in every day life.
[AN 5.41 - Ādiyasutta - Getting Rich]