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The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that's wrong with the world.
- Paul Farmer
We ordinary individuals share the characteristic of having our attempts to gain happiness thwarted by our own destructive self-centeredness. It is unsuitable to keep holding onto the self-centered attitude while ignoring others.
If two friends find themselves floundering in a muddy swamp they should not ridicule each other, but combine their energies to get out. Both ourselves and others are in the same position of wanting happiness and not wanting suffering, but we are entangled in a web of ignorance that prevents us from achieving those goals. Far from regarding it as an "every man for himself" situation, we should meditate upon the equality of self and others and the need to be helpful to other beings.
- From Bodhicitta: Cultivating the Compassionate Mind of Enlightenment by Ven. Lobsang Gyatso
To love our enemy is impossible. The moment we understand our enemy, we feel compassion towards him/her, and he/she is no longer our enemy.
- Thich Nhat Hanh
The practice of compassion begins at home. We have our parents, our children, and our brothers and sisters, who perhaps irritate us the most, and we begin our practice of loving-kindness and compassion with them. Then gradually we extend our compassion out into our greater community, our country, neighbouring countries, the world, and finally to all sentient beings equally without exception.
Extending compassion in this way makes it evident that it is not very easy to instantly have compassion for "all sentient beings." Theoretically it may be comfortable to have compassion for "all sentient beings," but through our practice we realize that "all sentient beings" is a collection of individuals. When we actually try to generate compassion for each and every individual, it becomes much more challenging. But if we cannot work with one individual, then how can we work with all sentient beings? Therefore it is important for us to reflect more practically, to work with compassion for individuals and then extend that compassion further.
- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Trainings in Compassion
An affectionate disposition not only makes the mind more peaceful and calm, but it affects our body in a positive way too.
I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion, and elimination of ignorance, selfishness, and greed.
Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.
I feel that the essence of spiritual practice is your attitude toward others. When you have a pure, sincere motivation, then you have right attitude toward others based on kindness, compassion, love and respect.
I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
It is easy to point out the mistakes of others, while it is hard to admit one´s own mistakes. A man broadcasts the sins of others without thinking, but he hides his own sins as a gambler hides his extra dice.
My message is the practice of compassion, love and kindness. Compassion can be put into practice if one recognizes the fact that every human being is a member of humanity and the human family regardless of differences in religion, culture, color and creed. Deep down there is no difference.
The realization that we are all basically the same human beings who seek happiness and try to avoid suffering is very helpful in developing a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood; a warm feeling of love and compassion for others.
This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.
When you think everything is someone else´s fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself, you will learn both peace and joy. Pride leads to violence and evil. The truly good gaze upon everything with love and understanding.
After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say 'I want to see the manager'
~ William S. Burroughs
A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.
~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca
If you're sincerely interested in being a more loving, good-hearted person then it can be particularly helpful at the beginning to recognise that it's mainly through your practice with difficult people that you will become confident that your inner development is bearing fruit.
~ Lorne Ladner, "The Lost Art of Compassion"
Often it is difficult people who are suffering the most intensely and who are therefore most in need of compassion.
~ Ditto
"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
~ Rumi
"Love, like a river, will cut a new path whenever it meets an obstacle."
~ Crystal Middlemas
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart."
~ Helen Keller
"A heart that loves is always young."
~ Proverb
"Everyone admits that love is wonderful and necessary, yet no one agrees on just what it is."
~ Diane Ackerman
"There is a law that man should love his neighbor as himself. In a few hundred years it should be as natural to mankind as breathing or the upright gait; but if he does not learn it he must perish."
~ Alfred Adler
"Women wish to be loved not because they are pretty, or good, or well bred, or graceful, or intelligent, but because they are themselves."
~ Henri Frederic Amiel
"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart."
~ Marcus Aurelius
"Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within."
~ James Baldwin
"To try to write love is to confront the muck of language: that region of hysteria where language is both too much and too little, excessive and impoverished."
~ Roland Barthes
"Love seeks no cause beyond itself and no fruit; it is its own fruit, its own enjoyment. I love because I love; I love in order that I may love."
~ St. Bernard
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
~ Bible
"To be among people one loves, that's sufficient; to dream, to speak to them, to be silent among them, to think of indifferent things; but among them, everything is equal."
~ Jean De La Bruyere
Two Zen monks were walking down the road.
First monk says: "These pine trees are magnificent."
The second monk slaps him across the face.
First monk: "Why did you do that?"
"I'm a Zen monk so I can get away with all kinds of weird stuff like that."
No need 2 apologise! Glad to hear you're enjoying the quotes.
Here's another little Buddhist story -
The Buddha-to-be was once born as a hare, Sasa, who lived in a forest with an otter, a jackal and a monkey. One day the hare resolved to offer his body to anyone seeking alms, and the God Saka decided to test him. Disguised as a Brahmin, he asked the animals for alms. The other creatures offered food but the hare, true to his resolve, offered his own body. The Brahmin agreed and lit a fire. The hare leapt into the flames - but the fire burnt cold. Saka revealed himself and, declaring that the hare's virtue should be known forever,marked the hare's shape on the moon.
"Just as a bird with unfledged wings cannot fly up into the sky, so without the power of wisdom, we cannot work for the good of others."
~ Atisha
"He who understands the true nature of life is the happiest individual, for he is not upset by the fleeting nature of things. He tries to see things as they are and not as they seem to be."
~ Piyadassi Thera
"Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love & wisdom."
~ Rumi
"Be humane and charitable; love you fellows; pardon those who have wronged you."
~ Zoroaster
More to come maybe ... as I thumb through the book
"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
If all misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be contented to take their own and depart.
A man's heart away from nature becomes hard; lack of respect for growing, living things soon leads to a lack of respect for humans too.
"Learn to let go. That is the key to happiness."
~ Buddha
"Study the teachings of the pine tree, the bamboo and the plum blossom. The pine is evergreen, firmly rooted, and venerable. The bamboo is strong, resilient, unbreakable. The plum blossom is hardy, fragrant and elegant."
~ Morihei Ueshiba
"Do not believe anything because it is said by an authority, or if it is said to come from angels, or from Gods, or from an inspired source. Believe it only if you have explored it in your own heart and mind and body and found it to be true. Work out your own path, through diligence."
~ Guatama Buddha
"Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too self-full to seekother than itself."
~ Kahlil Gibran
"Only in the absolute absence of all conceptualization is to be found the perfect peace of Absolute Presence. The only true meditation is the constant impersonal witnessing of all that takes place in one's life as mere movements in the universal Consciousness."
~ Ramesh Balsekar
"With good will for the entire cosmos, cultivate a limitless heart: Above, below, & all around, unobstructed, without hostility or hate."
~ Sutta Nipata
"The state of self-realization, as we call it, is not attaining something new or reaching some goal which is far away, but simply being that which you always are and which you always have been."
~ Ramana Maharshi
"Language and words are merely symbols with which to express the truth. But to mistake words for the truth is just as laughable as to mistake the finger for the moon."
~ Huineng
"Life is a mystery; the more you know it, the more beautiful it is. A moment comes when suddenly you start living it, you start flowing with it. An orgasmic relationship evolves between you and life, but you cannot figure out what it is. That's the beauty of it, that's its infinite depth."
~ Osho
"The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up and does not stop until you get into the office."
~ Robert Frost
To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places -- and there are so many -- where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.
- Howard Zinn
The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another
- Thomas Merton
A good motivation is what is needed: compassion without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their human rights and dignities. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities.
- Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
- Leo Buscaglia
Everything is material for the seed of happiness, if you look into it with inquisitiveness and curiosity. The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment. There always is the potential to create an environment of blame -- or one that is conducive to loving-kindness.
- Pema Chodron
The act of compassion begins with full attention, just as rapport does. You have to really see the person. If you see the person, then naturally, empathy arises. If you tune into the other person, you feel with them. If empathy arises, and if that person is in dire need, then empathic concern can come. You want to help them, and then that begins a compassionate act. So I'd say that compassion begins with attention.
- Daniel Goleman
“We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”
“To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting.”
“I don't know what it is about you that closes and opens; only something in me understands the voice of your eyes is deeper than all the roses.”
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
“The earth laughs in flowers.”
“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”
“Love is the voice under all silences, the hope which has no opposite in fear; the strength so strong mere force is feebleness: the truth more first than sun, more last than star...”
"If we imagine that our mind is like the blue sky, and that across it pass thoughts as clouds, we can get a feel for that part of it which is other than our thoughts. The sky is always present; it contains the clouds and yet is not contained by them. So with our awareness. It is present and encompasses all our thoughts, feelings, and sensations; yet it is not the same as them. To recognize and acknowledge this awareness, with its spacious, peaceful quality, is to find a very useful resource within. We see that we need not identify with each thought just because it happens to occur. We can remain quiet and choose which thought we wish to attend to. And we can remain aware behind all these thoughts, in a state that offers an entirely new level of openness and insight."
From: 'How Can I Help; Stories and Reflections on Service' Ram Dass and Paul Gorman
"Acceptance of one's life has nothing to do with resignation; it does not mean running away from the struggle. On the contrary it means accepting it as it comes. To accept is to say yes to life in its entirety."
~ Paul Tournier
"Some people confuse acceptance with apathy but there's all the difference in the world. Apathy fails to distinguish what can and cannot be helped; acceptance makes the distinction. Apathy paralyzes the will-to-action; acceptance frees it by relieving it of impossible burdens."
~ Arthur Gordon
"Let us learn to accept ourselves--accept the truth that we are capable in some directions and limited in others, that genius is rare, that mediocrity is a portion of almost all of us, but that we can contribute from the storehouse of our skills to the enrichment of our common life."
~ Joshua Liebman
"Ask not that events should happen as you will, but let your will be that events should happen as they do, and you shall have peace."
~ Epictetus
"Our very first problem is to accept our present circumstances as they are, ourselves as we are, and the people about us as they are. This is to adopt a realistic humility without which no genuine advance can even begin. . . . Provided we strenuously avoid turning these realistic surveys of the facts of life into unrealistic alibis for apathy or defeatism, the can be the sure foundation upon which increased emotional health and therefore spiritual progress can be built."
~ As Bill Sees It
If you want more ... plug the following into google -
Two Zen monks were walking down the road.
First monk says: "These pine trees are magnificent."
The second monk slaps him across the face.
First monk: "Why did you do that?"
"I'm a Zen monk so I can get away with all kinds of weird stuff like that."
PAHAHAHAHA this is great! BTW, thanks for keeping on posting all these great quotes. I come in and copy a few pretty regulary.
One of my favorites: "Things are not what they appear to be, nor are they otherwise".
Another good one that makes me laugh whenever I think of it: "I have experienced many terrible things in life, some of which actually happened" ~Mark Twain
You're more than welcome! Nice 2 get some feedback ...
Here's a few more from the Buddha himself -
"People with opinions just go around bothering each other."
"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."
"Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind."
On life's journey
Faith is nourishment,
Virtuous deeds are a shelter,
Wisdom is the light by day and
Right mindfulness is the protection by night.
If a man lives a pure life nothing can destroy him;
If he has conquered greed nothing can limit his freedom.
Believe nothing on the faith of traditions,
even though they have been held in honor
for many generations and in diverse places.
Do not believe a thing because many people speak of it.
Do not believe on the faith of the sages of the past.
Do not believe what you yourself have imagined,
persuading yourself that a God inspires you.
Believe nothing on the sole authority of your masters and priests.
After examination, believe what you yourself have tested
and found to be reasonable, and conform your conduct thereto.
There is no fire like greed,
No crime like hatred,
No sorrow like separation,
No sickness like hunger of heart,
And no joy like the joy of freedom.
Health, contentment and trust
Are your greatest possessions,
And freedom your greatest joy.
Look within. Be still.
Free from fear and attachment,
Know the sweet joy of living in the way.
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
~ Melody Beattie
"Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul."
~ Henry Ward Beecher
"There is a calmness to a life lived in Gratitude, a quiet joy."
~ Ralph H. Blum
"Grace is available for each of us every day -- our spiritual daily bread -- but we've got to remember to ask for it with a grateful heart and not worry about whether there will be enough for tomorrow."
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach
"Gratitude helps you to grow and expands; gratitude brings you and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you."
~ Eileen Caddy
There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as if everything is.
~ Albert Einstein
"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory."
~ Betty Smith
"To see the world in a grain of sand and Heaven in a wildflower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour."
~ William Blake
"Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some"
~ Charles Dickens
"Many times a day I realize how much my own life is built on the labors of my fellowmen, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received."
~ Albert Einstein
"To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven."
~ Johannes A. Gaertner
"Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted--a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul."
~ Rabbi Harold Kushner
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to live on this beautiful and astonishing planet Earth. In the morning, I wake up with a sense of gratitude."
~ Earl Nightingale
"Be thankful. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Thankfulness is much more dependent on attitude than circumstance. When you feel the lack of what you don't have, thank God for what you do have! At any time, there is more going right in the life of a committed Christian than there is going wrong. It's just that the wrong makes a lot more noise than the right."
~ Jim Stephens
No longer forward nor behind
I look in hope or fear;
But, grateful, take the good I find,
The best of now and here.
~ John Greenleaf Whittier
"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."
~ G.K. Chesterton
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live."
~ Attributed to Jacqueline Winspear
"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude."
~ Cynthia Ozick
"Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos - the trees, the clouds, everything."
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
"Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road."
~ John Henry Jowett
Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
A group of professionals posed the question “What does love mean?” to a group of 4-8 year-olds and the answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
“Love is that first feeling you feel before all the bad stuff gets in the way.”
“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.”
“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”
“Love is when someone hurts you. And you get so mad but you don’t yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings.”
“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”
“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My mommy and daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.”
“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”
“When you tell someone something bad about yourself and you’re scared they won’t love you anymore. But then you get surprised because not only do they still love you, they love you even more.”
“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.”
“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.”
“Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.”
“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.”
“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.”
“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and the little stars come out of you.”
“Love is when mommy sees daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.”
“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”
Glad you liked it - kids do say the darndest things - I have a book called "The little book of kids talk". Worth checkin out if you ever see it anywhwere!
Here's one more - not from children -
"Understand the obstructions you are putting in the way of love, freedom, and happiness and they will drop. Turn on the light of awareness and the darkness will disappear. Happiness is not something you acquire; love is not something you produce; love is not something you have; love is something that has you."
~ Anthony de Mello
Words, no matter whether they are vocalised and made into sounds or remain unspoken as thoughts, can cast an almost hypnotic spell on you. You easily lose yourself in them, become hypnotized into explicitly believing that when you have attached a word to something, you know what it is. The fact is: You don't know what it is. You have only covered up the mystery with a label. Everything, a bird, a tree, even a simple stone, and certainly a human being, is ultimately unknowable. This is because it has unfathomable depth. All we can perceive, experience, think about is the surface layer of reality, less than the tip of an iceberg.
~ Eckhart Tolle "A New Earth"
I highly recommend this book - have read it a few times. Goes into great detail about the ego and how 2 rise above it ...
Life is like stepping onto a boat which is about to sail out to sea and sink.
~ Shunryu Suzuki Roshi
Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever.
~ Margaret Cho
All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child.
~ Marie Curie
Our society's values are being corrupted by advertising's insistence on the equation: Youth equals popularity, popularity equals success, success equals happiness.
~ John Arbuthnot Fisher
We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true!
~ Robert Wilensky
Some minds are like concrete: thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
~ Anon
A bird does not sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song.
~ Chinese proverb
Around us, life bursts forth with miracles - a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. Each human being is a mmultiplicity of miracles. Eyes that see thousands of colours, shapes and forms; ears that hear a bee flying or a thunderclap; a brain that ponders a speck of dust as easily as the entire cosmos; a heart that beats in rhythm with the heartbeat of all beings. When we are tired and feel discouraged by life's daily struggles, we may not notice these miracles, but they are always there.
"Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself. I mean do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage. How are we to be patient in dealing with our neighbour's faults if we are impatient in dealing with our own? He who is fretted by his own failings will not correct them. All profitable correction comes from a calm and peaceful mind."
Just as the highest and the lowest notes are equally inaudible, so perhaps, is the greatest sense and the greatest nonsense equally unintelligible.
~ Allan Watts
Renunciation is not getting rid of the things of this world, but accepting that they pass away.
~ Aitken Roshi
Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn't more complicated that that. It is opening to or recieving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.
~ Sylvia Boorstein
The water a cow laps turns into milk.
The water a snake licks changes into poison.
What do things that you touch turn into?
Seeking happiness outside ourselves is like waiting for sunshine in a cave facing north.
Develop the mind of equilibrium.
You will always be getting praise and blame,
but do not let either affect the poise of the mind:
follow the calmness, the absence of pride.
~ Sutta Nipata
Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down,
As long as you are awake,
Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.
~ Sutta Nipata
"Buddha made a distinction between ultimate truth and conventional truth. The idea of self is merely a convention. Foreigner, you - the interviewer; these are all conventions. *Laughter* In ultimate reality there isn't anybody. There is only earth, water, fire, air. Elements which have combined temporarily. We call the body a person - mind, but ultimately there is no me, there is only not-self. When we see beyond self, we no longer cling to happiness, and when we stop clinging, we can begin to be happy." --Ajahn Chah
We often think of peace as the absence of war; that if the powerful countries would reduce their arsenals, we could have peace. But if we look deeply into the weapons, we see our own minds - our prejudices, fears, and ignorance. Even if we transported all the bombs to the moon, the roots of war and the reasons for bombs would still be here, in our hearts and minds, and sooner or later we would make new bombs. Seek to become more aware of what causes anger and separation, and what overcomes them. Root out the violence in your life, and learn to live compassionately and mindfully
If you are motivated by loving kindness and compassion, there are many ways to bring happiness to others right now, starting with kind speech.
Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. With mindfulness, we know what to do and what not to do to help.
If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.
A Zen master once said to me, "Do the opposite of whatever I tell you."
So I didn't.
Anon
A small drop of ink makes thousands, perhaps millions … think.
Lord Byron
According to a study, they found common words used by happy people are, joy, love and hopeful. And they also found common words used by other people to describe happy people. Annoying, irritating, obnoxious...
Jay Leno
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance – it is the ILLUSION of knowledge.
Daniel Boorstin
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.
Judith Kelman
The self must know stillness before it can discover its true song.
~ Ralph Brum
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
~ Buddha
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own self in all beings, and all beings in his own self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.
~ Buddha
Truths cannot be acquired from words out of other people’s mouths. Before Truths can be internalized, they must come from one’s own realizations and practices. Through a lifetime of personal practice, human beings are capable of revealing all of the secrets of the cosmic essence. You are your own best judge.
~ Buddha
Each one of us has all the wisdom and knowledge we ever need right within us. It is available to us through our intuitive mind, which is our connection with universal intelligence.
~ Shakti Gawain
There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain or improving, and that’s your own self.
~ Aldous Huxley
Meditation is simply about being yourself and knowing about who that is. It is about coming to realize that you are on a path whether you like it or not, namely the path that is your life.
~ Jon Kabat-Zinn
"Some people think that Buddhist practice and meditation are about stopping thoughts. As the saying goes, if that were true, a coconut would be enlightened..... Let's remember that upon attaining enlightenment the Buddha smiled. This is very important. He didn't have to smile. He could have grimaced or remained neutral, but he smiled..... After reading Milarepa 25 times I had the insight that Mila was in fact a comedian."
~ Robert Thurman
"When we come into contact with the other person, our thoughts and actions should express our mind of compassion, even if that person says and does things that are not easy to accept. We practice in this way until we see clearly that our love is not contingent upon the other person being lovable."
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti
Just as a mother would protect with her life her own son, her only son, so one should cultivate an unbounded mind towards all beings, and loving-kindness towards all the world. One should cultivate an unbounded mind, above and below and across, without obstruction, without enmity, without rivalry. Standing, or going, or seated, or lying down, as long as one is free from drowsiness, one should practice this mindfulness. This, they say, is the holy state here.
~ Sutta Nipata
The fool thinks he has won a battle when he bullies with harsh speech,
but knowing how to be forbearing alone makes one victorious.
~ Samyutta Nikaya
Things are not what they appear to be: nor are they otherwise.
~ Surangama Sutra
I know not of any single thing that brings such woe as the mind that is untamed, uncontrolled, unguarded, and unrestrained.
Such a mind indeed brings great woe.
I know not of a single thing that brings such bliss as the mind that is tamed, controlled, guarded and retrained.
Such a mind indeed bring great bliss.
Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache:
You won't be able to find it.
But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.
~ Ajhan Chah
The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes.
~ Pema Chodron
Remember always that you are just a visitor here, a traveler passing through. your stay is but short and the moment of your departure unknown.
None can live without toil and a craft that provides your needs is a blessing indeed. But if you toil without rest, fatigue and wearness will overtake you, and you will denied the joy that comes from labour's end.
Speak quietly and kindly and be not forward with either opinions or advice. If you talk much, this will make you deaf to what others say, and you should know that there are few so wise that they cannot learn from others.
Be near when help is needed, but far when praise and thanks are being offered.
Take small account of might, wealth and fame, for they soon pass and are forgotten. Instead, nurture love within you and and strive to be a friend to all. Truly, compassion is a balm for many wounds.
Treasure silence when you find it, and while being mindful of your duties, set time aside, to be alone with yourself.
Cast off pretense and self-deception and see yourself as you really are.
Despite all appearances, no one is really evil. They are led astray by ignorance. If you ponder this truth always you will offer more light, rather then blame and condemnation.
You, no less than all beings have Buddha Nature within. Your essential Mind is pure. Therefore, when defilements cause you to stumble and fall, let not remose nor dark foreboding cast you down. Be of good cheer and with this understanding, summon strength and walk on.
Faith is like a lamp and wisdom makes the flame burn bright. Carry this lamp always and in good time the darkness will yield and you will abide in the Light.
~ Dhammavadaka
Suffering originates from various causes and conditions. But the root cause of our pain and suffering lies in our own ignorant and undisciplined state of mind. The happiness we seek can be attained only through the purification of our minds.
~ Dalai Lama
Imagine that you had gone all your life without ever washing, and then one day you decide to take a shower. You start scrubbing away, but then watch in horror as the dirt begins to ooze out of the pores of your skin and stream down your body. Something must be wrong: You were supposed to be getting cleaner and all you can see is grime. You panic and fling yourself out of the shower, convinced that you should never have begun. But you only end up even more dirty than before. You have no way of knowing that the wisest thing to do is to be patient and to finish the shower. It may look for a while as if you are getting even dirtier, but if you keep on washing, you will emerge fresh and clean. It’s all a process, the process of purification. Whenever doubt arises, see it simply as an obstacle, recognize it as an understanding that is calling out to be clarified or unblocked, and know that it is not a fundamental problem but simply a stage in the process of purification and learning. Allow the process to continue and complete itself, and never lose your trust or resolve. This is the way followed by all the great practitioners of the past, who used to say: “There is no armor like perseverance.”
~ Sogyal Rinpoche
In Tibet we say: “Negative action has one good quality: it can be purified.” So there is always hope. Even murderers and the most hardened criminals can change and overcome the conditioning that led them to their crimes. Our present condition, if we use it skillfully and with wisdom, can be an inspiration to free ourselves from the bondage of suffering.
Here's a couple on psychology from the Quote Garden site -
A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother.
~ Author Unknown
Behavioral psychology is the science of pulling habits out of rats.
~ Douglas Busch
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.
~ Paul Dudley White
But my dear man, reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.
~ Alan Watts
The aim of psychoanalysis is to relieve people of their neurotic unhappiness so that they can be normally unhappy.
~ Sigmund Freud, attributed
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
~ Ben Williams
If my devils are to leave me, I am afraid my angels will take flight as well.
~ Rainer Maria Rilke, on leaving psychotherapy
The conscious mind may be compared to a fountain playing in the sun and falling back into the great subterranean pool of subconscious from which it rises.
~ Sigmund Freud
Men will always be mad, and those who think they can cure them are the maddest of all.
~ Voltaire
If you talk to God, you are praying. If God talks to you, you have schizophrenia.
~ Thomas Szasz
If the love within your mind is lost and you see other beings as enemies, then no matter how much knowledge or education or material comfort you have, only suffering and confusion will ensue.
In Buddhism, both learning and practice are extremely important, and they must go hand in hand. Without knowledge, just to rely on faith, faith, and more faith is good but not sufficient. So the intellectual part must definitely be present. At the same time, strictly intellectual development without faith and practice, is also of no use. It is necessary to combine knowledge born from study with sincere practice in our daily lives. These two must go together.
The fundamental philosophical principle of Buddhism is that all our suffering comes about as a result of an undisciplined mind, and this untamed mind itself comes about because of ignorance and negative emotions. For the Buddhist practitioner then, regardless of whether he or she follows the approach of the Fundamental Vehicle, Mahayana or Vajrayana, negative emotions are always the true enemy, a factor that has to be overcome and eliminated. And it is only by applying methods for training the mind that these negative emotions can be dispelled and eliminated. This is why in Buddhist writings and teachings we find such an extensive explanation of the mind and its different processes and functions. Since these negative emotions are states of mind, the method or technique for overcoming them must be developed from within. There is no alternative. They cannot be removed by some external technique, like a surgical operation."
The purpose of all the major religious traditions is not to construct big temples on the outside, but to create temples of goodness and compassion inside, in our hearts.
The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change. So that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger, but in wisdom, understanding and love.
~ Jennifer Edwards
View all problems as challenges.
Look upon negativities that arise as opportunities to learn and to grow.
Don't run from them, condemn yourself, or bury your burden in saintly silence.
You have a problem? Great.
More grist for the mill. Rejoice, dive in, and investigate.
~ Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English"
The religion of future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description... If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism.
~ Albert Einstein
Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn't more complicated that that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.
~ Sylvia Boorstein
One should follow a man of wisdom who rebukes one for one's faults, as one would follow a guide to some buried treasure. To one who follows such a wise man, it will be an advantage and not a disadvantage.
These teachings are like a raft, to be abandoned once you have crossed the flood. Since you should abandon even good states of mind generated by these teachings, how much more so should you abandon bad states of mind!
~ The Dhammapada
Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then, as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down,
As long as you are awake,
Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.
~ Sutta Nipata
Do not try to become anything.
Do not make yourself into anything.
Do not be a meditator.
Do not become enlightened.
When you sit, let it be.
What you walk, let it be.
Grasp at nothing.
Resist nothing.
~ Ajhan Chah
Suttas are not meant to be 'sacred scriptures' that tell us what to believe. One should read them, listen to them, think about them, contemplate them, and investigate the present reality, the present experience with them. Then, and only then, can one insightfully know the truth beyond words.
~ Venerable Sumedho
Each and every human being on Earth has both the responsibility and the privilege of viewing themselves as Divine beings with the power to bring about peace
~ James Twyman
I found that in prison that I had more time to read the Bible, I had more time to contemplate life, and more time to look upon my fellow man. And I worked very hard during the period in there to help other people in the same situation. And I think that even in the most dastardly people, there is a goodness there, and you've got to find that goodness.
~ Alan Bond
I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?
~ Mother Teresa
When you pass people on the street, mentally reach out and touch them in the heart and silently project the though "love", or project admiration for them even though you don't know them.
~ Stuart Wilde
Spiritual progress is like detoxification. Things have to come up in order to be released. Once we have asked to be healed, then our unhealed places are forced to the surface.
~ Marianne Williamson
For me, the different religions are
beautiful flowers from the same garden,
or they are branches of the same majestic tree.
Therefore, they are equally true,
though being received and interpreted
through human instruments equally imperfect.
~ Mahatma Gandhi ~
You pray in your distress and in your need.
Would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy
and in your days of abundance.
~ Kahlil Gibran ~
If you have no time for prayer and meditation,
you will have lots of time for sickness and trouble.
~ Emmet Fox ~
A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen. The master poured the visitor's cup to the brim, and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself.
"It's overfull! No more will go in!" the professor blurted. "You are like this cup," the master replied, "How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup."
That comes from Zen Stories to Tell your Neighbours
Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.
Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results.
~ James Allen
If everyone thought before they spoke, the silence would be deafening.
~ George Barzan
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.
~ Buddha
Like snowflakes, the human pattern is never cast twice. We are uncommonly and marvelously intricate in thought and action, our problems are most complex and, too often, silently borne.
~ Alice Childress
Remember, in our inmost being, we are all completely lovable because spirit is love. Beyond what anyone can make you think or feel about yourself, your unconditioned spirit stands, shining with a love nothing can tarnish.
~ Deepak Chopra
The happiest person is the person who thinks the most interesting thoughts.
~ Timothy Dwight
When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.
~ Albert Einstein
If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.
~ Mary Engelbreit
We are disturbed not by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens.
~ Epictetus
We always attract into our lives whatever we think about most, believe in most strongly, expect on the deepest level, and imagine most vividly.
~ Shakti Gawain
Comments
Here's a few more from that viewonbuddhism site -
The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that's wrong with the world.
- Paul Farmer
We ordinary individuals share the characteristic of having our attempts to gain happiness thwarted by our own destructive self-centeredness. It is unsuitable to keep holding onto the self-centered attitude while ignoring others.
If two friends find themselves floundering in a muddy swamp they should not ridicule each other, but combine their energies to get out. Both ourselves and others are in the same position of wanting happiness and not wanting suffering, but we are entangled in a web of ignorance that prevents us from achieving those goals. Far from regarding it as an "every man for himself" situation, we should meditate upon the equality of self and others and the need to be helpful to other beings.
- From Bodhicitta: Cultivating the Compassionate Mind of Enlightenment by Ven. Lobsang Gyatso
To love our enemy is impossible. The moment we understand our enemy, we feel compassion towards him/her, and he/she is no longer our enemy.
- Thich Nhat Hanh
The practice of compassion begins at home. We have our parents, our children, and our brothers and sisters, who perhaps irritate us the most, and we begin our practice of loving-kindness and compassion with them. Then gradually we extend our compassion out into our greater community, our country, neighbouring countries, the world, and finally to all sentient beings equally without exception.
Extending compassion in this way makes it evident that it is not very easy to instantly have compassion for "all sentient beings." Theoretically it may be comfortable to have compassion for "all sentient beings," but through our practice we realize that "all sentient beings" is a collection of individuals. When we actually try to generate compassion for each and every individual, it becomes much more challenging. But if we cannot work with one individual, then how can we work with all sentient beings? Therefore it is important for us to reflect more practically, to work with compassion for individuals and then extend that compassion further.
- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Trainings in Compassion
Have a good one!
I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion, and elimination of ignorance, selfishness, and greed.
Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.
I feel that the essence of spiritual practice is your attitude toward others. When you have a pure, sincere motivation, then you have right attitude toward others based on kindness, compassion, love and respect.
I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
It is easy to point out the mistakes of others, while it is hard to admit one´s own mistakes. A man broadcasts the sins of others without thinking, but he hides his own sins as a gambler hides his extra dice.
My message is the practice of compassion, love and kindness. Compassion can be put into practice if one recognizes the fact that every human being is a member of humanity and the human family regardless of differences in religion, culture, color and creed. Deep down there is no difference.
The realization that we are all basically the same human beings who seek happiness and try to avoid suffering is very helpful in developing a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood; a warm feeling of love and compassion for others.
This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.
When you think everything is someone else´s fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself, you will learn both peace and joy. Pride leads to violence and evil. The truly good gaze upon everything with love and understanding.
~ William S. Burroughs
A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.
~ Lucius Annaeus Seneca
If you're sincerely interested in being a more loving, good-hearted person then it can be particularly helpful at the beginning to recognise that it's mainly through your practice with difficult people that you will become confident that your inner development is bearing fruit.
~ Lorne Ladner, "The Lost Art of Compassion"
Often it is difficult people who are suffering the most intensely and who are therefore most in need of compassion.
~ Ditto
Enjoy!
~ Rumi
"Love, like a river, will cut a new path whenever it meets an obstacle."
~ Crystal Middlemas
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart."
~ Helen Keller
"A heart that loves is always young."
~ Proverb
"Everyone admits that love is wonderful and necessary, yet no one agrees on just what it is."
~ Diane Ackerman
"There is a law that man should love his neighbor as himself. In a few hundred years it should be as natural to mankind as breathing or the upright gait; but if he does not learn it he must perish."
~ Alfred Adler
"Women wish to be loved not because they are pretty, or good, or well bred, or graceful, or intelligent, but because they are themselves."
~ Henri Frederic Amiel
"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart."
~ Marcus Aurelius
"Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within."
~ James Baldwin
"To try to write love is to confront the muck of language: that region of hysteria where language is both too much and too little, excessive and impoverished."
~ Roland Barthes
"Love seeks no cause beyond itself and no fruit; it is its own fruit, its own enjoyment. I love because I love; I love in order that I may love."
~ St. Bernard
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
~ Bible
"To be among people one loves, that's sufficient; to dream, to speak to them, to be silent among them, to think of indifferent things; but among them, everything is equal."
~ Jean De La Bruyere
More 2 follow ... if you behave yourselves
Cheerio
First monk says: "These pine trees are magnificent."
The second monk slaps him across the face.
First monk: "Why did you do that?"
"I'm a Zen monk so I can get away with all kinds of weird stuff like that."
"Who are you?" inquired Hakuin.
"I am a samurai", the warrior replied.
"You, a soldier!" sneered Hakuin, "What kind of ruler would have you as his guard? You look like a beggar".
Nobushige became so angry that he began to draw his sword.
Hakuin continued: "So you have a sword! Your weapon is probably to dull to cut off my head."
Nobushige drew his sword.
Hakuin remarked: "Here open the gates of hell!"
At these words the samurai, perceiving the master's discipline, put away his sword and bowed.
"Here open the gates of paradise", said Hakuin.
From 'Zen flesh, Zen bones'
No need 2 apologise! Glad to hear you're enjoying the quotes.
Here's another little Buddhist story -
The Buddha-to-be was once born as a hare, Sasa, who lived in a forest with an otter, a jackal and a monkey. One day the hare resolved to offer his body to anyone seeking alms, and the God Saka decided to test him. Disguised as a Brahmin, he asked the animals for alms. The other creatures offered food but the hare, true to his resolve, offered his own body. The Brahmin agreed and lit a fire. The hare leapt into the flames - but the fire burnt cold. Saka revealed himself and, declaring that the hare's virtue should be known forever,marked the hare's shape on the moon.
The Sasa Jataka
Have a good one!
"Just as a bird with unfledged wings cannot fly up into the sky, so without the power of wisdom, we cannot work for the good of others."
~ Atisha
"He who understands the true nature of life is the happiest individual, for he is not upset by the fleeting nature of things. He tries to see things as they are and not as they seem to be."
~ Piyadassi Thera
"Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love & wisdom."
~ Rumi
"Be humane and charitable; love you fellows; pardon those who have wronged you."
~ Zoroaster
More to come maybe ... as I thumb through the book
~ Albert Einstein
Worth pluggin into Google ...
Mark Twain
Here's a couple more -
If all misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be contented to take their own and depart.
A man's heart away from nature becomes hard; lack of respect for growing, living things soon leads to a lack of respect for humans too.
Have a good one!
Whatever you find yourself thinking, let that thought rise and settle, without any constraint.
Don’t grasp at it, feed it, or indulge it, don’t cling to it, and don’t try to solidify it.
Neither follow thoughts nor invite them; be like the ocean looking at its own waves, or the sky gazing down on the clouds that pass across it.
You will soon find that thoughts are like the wind; they come and go.
The secret is not to “think” about the thoughts but to allow them to flow through your mind, while keeping your mind free of afterthoughts.
~ Sogyal Rinpoche
Wishing you all a great day!
~ Michael Beckwith
~ Ashleigh Brilliant
~ Buddha
"Study the teachings of the pine tree, the bamboo and the plum blossom. The pine is evergreen, firmly rooted, and venerable. The bamboo is strong, resilient, unbreakable. The plum blossom is hardy, fragrant and elegant."
~ Morihei Ueshiba
"Do not believe anything because it is said by an authority, or if it is said to come from angels, or from Gods, or from an inspired source. Believe it only if you have explored it in your own heart and mind and body and found it to be true. Work out your own path, through diligence."
~ Guatama Buddha
"Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too self-full to seekother than itself."
~ Kahlil Gibran
"Only in the absolute absence of all conceptualization is to be found the perfect peace of Absolute Presence. The only true meditation is the constant impersonal witnessing of all that takes place in one's life as mere movements in the universal Consciousness."
~ Ramesh Balsekar
"With good will for the entire cosmos, cultivate a limitless heart: Above, below, & all around, unobstructed, without hostility or hate."
~ Sutta Nipata
"The state of self-realization, as we call it, is not attaining something new or reaching some goal which is far away, but simply being that which you always are and which you always have been."
~ Ramana Maharshi
"Language and words are merely symbols with which to express the truth. But to mistake words for the truth is just as laughable as to mistake the finger for the moon."
~ Huineng
"Life is a mystery; the more you know it, the more beautiful it is. A moment comes when suddenly you start living it, you start flowing with it. An orgasmic relationship evolves between you and life, but you cannot figure out what it is. That's the beauty of it, that's its infinite depth."
~ Osho
"The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up and does not stop until you get into the office."
~ Robert Frost
Have a good one!
To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places -- and there are so many -- where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.
- Howard Zinn
The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another
- Thomas Merton
A good motivation is what is needed: compassion without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their human rights and dignities. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities.
- Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
- Leo Buscaglia
Everything is material for the seed of happiness, if you look into it with inquisitiveness and curiosity. The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment. There always is the potential to create an environment of blame -- or one that is conducive to loving-kindness.
- Pema Chodron
The act of compassion begins with full attention, just as rapport does. You have to really see the person. If you see the person, then naturally, empathy arises. If you tune into the other person, you feel with them. If empathy arises, and if that person is in dire need, then empathic concern can come. You want to help them, and then that begins a compassionate act. So I'd say that compassion begins with attention.
- Daniel Goleman
Have a good one!
“To be nobody but yourself in a world that's doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting.”
“I don't know what it is about you that closes and opens; only something in me understands the voice of your eyes is deeper than all the roses.”
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
“The earth laughs in flowers.”
“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”
“Love is the voice under all silences, the hope which has no opposite in fear; the strength so strong mere force is feebleness: the truth more first than sun, more last than star...”
Cheers
From: 'How Can I Help; Stories and Reflections on Service' Ram Dass and Paul Gorman
Here's a few on acceptance -
"Acceptance of one's life has nothing to do with resignation; it does not mean running away from the struggle. On the contrary it means accepting it as it comes. To accept is to say yes to life in its entirety."
~ Paul Tournier
"Some people confuse acceptance with apathy but there's all the difference in the world. Apathy fails to distinguish what can and cannot be helped; acceptance makes the distinction. Apathy paralyzes the will-to-action; acceptance frees it by relieving it of impossible burdens."
~ Arthur Gordon
"Let us learn to accept ourselves--accept the truth that we are capable in some directions and limited in others, that genius is rare, that mediocrity is a portion of almost all of us, but that we can contribute from the storehouse of our skills to the enrichment of our common life."
~ Joshua Liebman
"Ask not that events should happen as you will, but let your will be that events should happen as they do, and you shall have peace."
~ Epictetus
"Our very first problem is to accept our present circumstances as they are, ourselves as we are, and the people about us as they are. This is to adopt a realistic humility without which no genuine advance can even begin. . . . Provided we strenuously avoid turning these realistic surveys of the facts of life into unrealistic alibis for apathy or defeatism, the can be the sure foundation upon which increased emotional health and therefore spiritual progress can be built."
~ As Bill Sees It
If you want more ... plug the following into google -
livinglifefully acceptance
Enjoy!
PAHAHAHAHA this is great! BTW, thanks for keeping on posting all these great quotes. I come in and copy a few pretty regulary.
Another good one that makes me laugh whenever I think of it: "I have experienced many terrible things in life, some of which actually happened" ~Mark Twain
Here's a few more from the Buddha himself -
"People with opinions just go around bothering each other."
"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."
"Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind."
On life's journey
Faith is nourishment,
Virtuous deeds are a shelter,
Wisdom is the light by day and
Right mindfulness is the protection by night.
If a man lives a pure life nothing can destroy him;
If he has conquered greed nothing can limit his freedom.
Believe nothing on the faith of traditions,
even though they have been held in honor
for many generations and in diverse places.
Do not believe a thing because many people speak of it.
Do not believe on the faith of the sages of the past.
Do not believe what you yourself have imagined,
persuading yourself that a God inspires you.
Believe nothing on the sole authority of your masters and priests.
After examination, believe what you yourself have tested
and found to be reasonable, and conform your conduct thereto.
There is no fire like greed,
No crime like hatred,
No sorrow like separation,
No sickness like hunger of heart,
And no joy like the joy of freedom.
Health, contentment and trust
Are your greatest possessions,
And freedom your greatest joy.
Look within. Be still.
Free from fear and attachment,
Know the sweet joy of living in the way.
from the Dhammapada, Words of the Buddha
Have a good one!
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
~ Melody Beattie
"Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul."
~ Henry Ward Beecher
"There is a calmness to a life lived in Gratitude, a quiet joy."
~ Ralph H. Blum
"Grace is available for each of us every day -- our spiritual daily bread -- but we've got to remember to ask for it with a grateful heart and not worry about whether there will be enough for tomorrow."
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach
"Gratitude helps you to grow and expands; gratitude brings you and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you."
~ Eileen Caddy
There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as if everything is.
~ Albert Einstein
"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory."
~ Betty Smith
"To see the world in a grain of sand and Heaven in a wildflower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour."
~ William Blake
"Reflect on your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some"
~ Charles Dickens
"Many times a day I realize how much my own life is built on the labors of my fellowmen, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received."
~ Albert Einstein
"To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven."
~ Johannes A. Gaertner
"Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted--a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul."
~ Rabbi Harold Kushner
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to live on this beautiful and astonishing planet Earth. In the morning, I wake up with a sense of gratitude."
~ Earl Nightingale
"Be thankful. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Thankfulness is much more dependent on attitude than circumstance. When you feel the lack of what you don't have, thank God for what you do have! At any time, there is more going right in the life of a committed Christian than there is going wrong. It's just that the wrong makes a lot more noise than the right."
~ Jim Stephens
No longer forward nor behind
I look in hope or fear;
But, grateful, take the good I find,
The best of now and here.
~ John Greenleaf Whittier
"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."
~ G.K. Chesterton
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live."
~ Attributed to Jacqueline Winspear
"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude."
~ Cynthia Ozick
"Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos - the trees, the clouds, everything."
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
"Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road."
~ John Henry Jowett
Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
Author Unknown
Have a good one!
A group of professionals posed the question “What does love mean?” to a group of 4-8 year-olds and the answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
“Love is that first feeling you feel before all the bad stuff gets in the way.”
“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.”
“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”
“Love is when someone hurts you. And you get so mad but you don’t yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings.”
“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”
“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My mommy and daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.”
“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”
“When you tell someone something bad about yourself and you’re scared they won’t love you anymore. But then you get surprised because not only do they still love you, they love you even more.”
“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.”
“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.”
“Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.”
“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.”
“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.”
“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and the little stars come out of you.”
“Love is when mommy sees daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.”
“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”
Cheers
Glad you liked it - kids do say the darndest things - I have a book called "The little book of kids talk". Worth checkin out if you ever see it anywhwere!
Here's one more - not from children -
"Understand the obstructions you are putting in the way of love, freedom, and happiness and they will drop. Turn on the light of awareness and the darkness will disappear. Happiness is not something you acquire; love is not something you produce; love is not something you have; love is something that has you."
~ Anthony de Mello
Leads us to this page -
wikiquote Anthony de Mello
Have a good one!
Couldn't find the book of kid's talk on the web. Pity.
Did find a humorous site - plug the following into Google -
out of the mouths of babes humormatters
Enjoy!
~ Eckhart Tolle "A New Earth"
I highly recommend this book - have read it a few times. Goes into great detail about the ego and how 2 rise above it ...
Cheers
~ Shunryu Suzuki Roshi
Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever.
~ Margaret Cho
All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child.
~ Marie Curie
Our society's values are being corrupted by advertising's insistence on the equation: Youth equals popularity, popularity equals success, success equals happiness.
~ John Arbuthnot Fisher
We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true!
~ Robert Wilensky
Some minds are like concrete: thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
~ Anon
A bird does not sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song.
~ Chinese proverb
Enjoy!
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
~ St. Francis de Sales
Have a good one!
~ Allan Watts
Renunciation is not getting rid of the things of this world, but accepting that they pass away.
~ Aitken Roshi
Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn't more complicated that that. It is opening to or recieving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.
~ Sylvia Boorstein
The water a cow laps turns into milk.
The water a snake licks changes into poison.
What do things that you touch turn into?
Seeking happiness outside ourselves is like waiting for sunshine in a cave facing north.
Develop the mind of equilibrium.
You will always be getting praise and blame,
but do not let either affect the poise of the mind:
follow the calmness, the absence of pride.
~ Sutta Nipata
Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down,
As long as you are awake,
Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.
~ Sutta Nipata
Cheers
Here's a couple from Thich Nhat Hanh -
We often think of peace as the absence of war; that if the powerful countries would reduce their arsenals, we could have peace. But if we look deeply into the weapons, we see our own minds - our prejudices, fears, and ignorance. Even if we transported all the bombs to the moon, the roots of war and the reasons for bombs would still be here, in our hearts and minds, and sooner or later we would make new bombs. Seek to become more aware of what causes anger and separation, and what overcomes them. Root out the violence in your life, and learn to live compassionately and mindfully
If you are motivated by loving kindness and compassion, there are many ways to bring happiness to others right now, starting with kind speech.
Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. With mindfulness, we know what to do and what not to do to help.
If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.
Have a good one everybody!
So I didn't.
Anon
A small drop of ink makes thousands, perhaps millions … think.
Lord Byron
According to a study, they found common words used by happy people are, joy, love and hopeful. And they also found common words used by other people to describe happy people. Annoying, irritating, obnoxious...
Jay Leno
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance – it is the ILLUSION of knowledge.
Daniel Boorstin
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.
Judith Kelman
Enjoy!
Here's a few from the joyofquotes site -
The self must know stillness before it can discover its true song.
~ Ralph Brum
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
~ Buddha
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own self in all beings, and all beings in his own self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.
~ Buddha
Truths cannot be acquired from words out of other people’s mouths. Before Truths can be internalized, they must come from one’s own realizations and practices. Through a lifetime of personal practice, human beings are capable of revealing all of the secrets of the cosmic essence. You are your own best judge.
~ Buddha
Each one of us has all the wisdom and knowledge we ever need right within us. It is available to us through our intuitive mind, which is our connection with universal intelligence.
~ Shakti Gawain
There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain or improving, and that’s your own self.
~ Aldous Huxley
Meditation is simply about being yourself and knowing about who that is. It is about coming to realize that you are on a path whether you like it or not, namely the path that is your life.
~ Jon Kabat-Zinn
Cheers
~ Robert Thurman
"When we come into contact with the other person, our thoughts and actions should express our mind of compassion, even if that person says and does things that are not easy to accept. We practice in this way until we see clearly that our love is not contingent upon the other person being lovable."
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti
Namaste
~ Sutta Nipata
The fool thinks he has won a battle when he bullies with harsh speech,
but knowing how to be forbearing alone makes one victorious.
~ Samyutta Nikaya
Things are not what they appear to be: nor are they otherwise.
~ Surangama Sutra
I know not of any single thing that brings such woe as the mind that is untamed, uncontrolled, unguarded, and unrestrained.
Such a mind indeed brings great woe.
I know not of a single thing that brings such bliss as the mind that is tamed, controlled, guarded and retrained.
Such a mind indeed bring great bliss.
Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache:
You won't be able to find it.
But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.
~ Ajhan Chah
The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes.
~ Pema Chodron
Remember always that you are just a visitor here, a traveler passing through. your stay is but short and the moment of your departure unknown.
None can live without toil and a craft that provides your needs is a blessing indeed. But if you toil without rest, fatigue and wearness will overtake you, and you will denied the joy that comes from labour's end.
Speak quietly and kindly and be not forward with either opinions or advice. If you talk much, this will make you deaf to what others say, and you should know that there are few so wise that they cannot learn from others.
Be near when help is needed, but far when praise and thanks are being offered.
Take small account of might, wealth and fame, for they soon pass and are forgotten. Instead, nurture love within you and and strive to be a friend to all. Truly, compassion is a balm for many wounds.
Treasure silence when you find it, and while being mindful of your duties, set time aside, to be alone with yourself.
Cast off pretense and self-deception and see yourself as you really are.
Despite all appearances, no one is really evil. They are led astray by ignorance. If you ponder this truth always you will offer more light, rather then blame and condemnation.
You, no less than all beings have Buddha Nature within. Your essential Mind is pure. Therefore, when defilements cause you to stumble and fall, let not remose nor dark foreboding cast you down. Be of good cheer and with this understanding, summon strength and walk on.
Faith is like a lamp and wisdom makes the flame burn bright. Carry this lamp always and in good time the darkness will yield and you will abide in the Light.
~ Dhammavadaka
Have a good one!
~ Dalai Lama
Imagine that you had gone all your life without ever washing, and then one day you decide to take a shower. You start scrubbing away, but then watch in horror as the dirt begins to ooze out of the pores of your skin and stream down your body. Something must be wrong: You were supposed to be getting cleaner and all you can see is grime. You panic and fling yourself out of the shower, convinced that you should never have begun. But you only end up even more dirty than before. You have no way of knowing that the wisest thing to do is to be patient and to finish the shower. It may look for a while as if you are getting even dirtier, but if you keep on washing, you will emerge fresh and clean. It’s all a process, the process of purification. Whenever doubt arises, see it simply as an obstacle, recognize it as an understanding that is calling out to be clarified or unblocked, and know that it is not a fundamental problem but simply a stage in the process of purification and learning. Allow the process to continue and complete itself, and never lose your trust or resolve. This is the way followed by all the great practitioners of the past, who used to say: “There is no armor like perseverance.”
~ Sogyal Rinpoche
In Tibet we say: “Negative action has one good quality: it can be purified.” So there is always hope. Even murderers and the most hardened criminals can change and overcome the conditioning that led them to their crimes. Our present condition, if we use it skillfully and with wisdom, can be an inspiration to free ourselves from the bondage of suffering.
Cheers
A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother.
~ Author Unknown
Behavioral psychology is the science of pulling habits out of rats.
~ Douglas Busch
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.
~ Paul Dudley White
But my dear man, reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.
~ Alan Watts
The aim of psychoanalysis is to relieve people of their neurotic unhappiness so that they can be normally unhappy.
~ Sigmund Freud, attributed
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
~ Ben Williams
If my devils are to leave me, I am afraid my angels will take flight as well.
~ Rainer Maria Rilke, on leaving psychotherapy
The conscious mind may be compared to a fountain playing in the sun and falling back into the great subterranean pool of subconscious from which it rises.
~ Sigmund Freud
Men will always be mad, and those who think they can cure them are the maddest of all.
~ Voltaire
If you talk to God, you are praying. If God talks to you, you have schizophrenia.
~ Thomas Szasz
Enjoy!
If the love within your mind is lost and you see other beings as enemies, then no matter how much knowledge or education or material comfort you have, only suffering and confusion will ensue.
In Buddhism, both learning and practice are extremely important, and they must go hand in hand. Without knowledge, just to rely on faith, faith, and more faith is good but not sufficient. So the intellectual part must definitely be present. At the same time, strictly intellectual development without faith and practice, is also of no use. It is necessary to combine knowledge born from study with sincere practice in our daily lives. These two must go together.
The fundamental philosophical principle of Buddhism is that all our suffering comes about as a result of an undisciplined mind, and this untamed mind itself comes about because of ignorance and negative emotions. For the Buddhist practitioner then, regardless of whether he or she follows the approach of the Fundamental Vehicle, Mahayana or Vajrayana, negative emotions are always the true enemy, a factor that has to be overcome and eliminated. And it is only by applying methods for training the mind that these negative emotions can be dispelled and eliminated. This is why in Buddhist writings and teachings we find such an extensive explanation of the mind and its different processes and functions. Since these negative emotions are states of mind, the method or technique for overcoming them must be developed from within. There is no alternative. They cannot be removed by some external technique, like a surgical operation."
The purpose of all the major religious traditions is not to construct big temples on the outside, but to create temples of goodness and compassion inside, in our hearts.
The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change. So that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger, but in wisdom, understanding and love.
~ Jennifer Edwards
View all problems as challenges.
Look upon negativities that arise as opportunities to learn and to grow.
Don't run from them, condemn yourself, or bury your burden in saintly silence.
You have a problem? Great.
More grist for the mill. Rejoice, dive in, and investigate.
~ Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English"
~ Albert Einstein
Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn't more complicated that that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.
~ Sylvia Boorstein
One should follow a man of wisdom who rebukes one for one's faults, as one would follow a guide to some buried treasure. To one who follows such a wise man, it will be an advantage and not a disadvantage.
These teachings are like a raft, to be abandoned once you have crossed the flood. Since you should abandon even good states of mind generated by these teachings, how much more so should you abandon bad states of mind!
~ The Dhammapada
Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then, as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down,
As long as you are awake,
Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.
~ Sutta Nipata
Do not try to become anything.
Do not make yourself into anything.
Do not be a meditator.
Do not become enlightened.
When you sit, let it be.
What you walk, let it be.
Grasp at nothing.
Resist nothing.
~ Ajhan Chah
Suttas are not meant to be 'sacred scriptures' that tell us what to believe. One should read them, listen to them, think about them, contemplate them, and investigate the present reality, the present experience with them. Then, and only then, can one insightfully know the truth beyond words.
~ Venerable Sumedho
I found a few more ...
Each and every human being on Earth has both the responsibility and the privilege of viewing themselves as Divine beings with the power to bring about peace
~ James Twyman
I found that in prison that I had more time to read the Bible, I had more time to contemplate life, and more time to look upon my fellow man. And I worked very hard during the period in there to help other people in the same situation. And I think that even in the most dastardly people, there is a goodness there, and you've got to find that goodness.
~ Alan Bond
I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?
~ Mother Teresa
When you pass people on the street, mentally reach out and touch them in the heart and silently project the though "love", or project admiration for them even though you don't know them.
~ Stuart Wilde
Spiritual progress is like detoxification. Things have to come up in order to be released. Once we have asked to be healed, then our unhealed places are forced to the surface.
~ Marianne Williamson
Have a good one!
beautiful flowers from the same garden,
or they are branches of the same majestic tree.
Therefore, they are equally true,
though being received and interpreted
through human instruments equally imperfect.
~ Mahatma Gandhi ~
You pray in your distress and in your need.
Would that you might pray also in the fullness of your joy
and in your days of abundance.
~ Kahlil Gibran ~
If you have no time for prayer and meditation,
you will have lots of time for sickness and trouble.
~ Emmet Fox ~
Namaste
He who angers you conquers you.
~ Elizabeth Kenny
Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.
~ T.S. Eliot
We are not creatures of circumstance; we are creators of circumstance.
~ Benjamin Disraeli
Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.
~ Ryunosuke Satoro
Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience.
~ Unknown
I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education.
~ Wilson Mizner
Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark.
~ Rabindranath Tagore
The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.
~ Theodore Hesburgh
Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.
~ Mark Twain
Forgiveness and letting go are steps on our road back to happiness.
~ Tina Dayton
For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.
~ Albert Einstein
Have a nice day!
"It's overfull! No more will go in!" the professor blurted. "You are like this cup," the master replied, "How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup."
That comes from Zen Stories to Tell your Neighbours
Cheers
~ Saint Francis de Sales
Cheers
~ James Allen
If everyone thought before they spoke, the silence would be deafening.
~ George Barzan
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.
~ Buddha
Like snowflakes, the human pattern is never cast twice. We are uncommonly and marvelously intricate in thought and action, our problems are most complex and, too often, silently borne.
~ Alice Childress
Remember, in our inmost being, we are all completely lovable because spirit is love. Beyond what anyone can make you think or feel about yourself, your unconditioned spirit stands, shining with a love nothing can tarnish.
~ Deepak Chopra
The happiest person is the person who thinks the most interesting thoughts.
~ Timothy Dwight
When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.
~ Albert Einstein
If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.
~ Mary Engelbreit
We are disturbed not by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens.
~ Epictetus
We always attract into our lives whatever we think about most, believe in most strongly, expect on the deepest level, and imagine most vividly.
~ Shakti Gawain
Have a good one!
from Buddism to be a Buddhist
use it to be what you already are
The Dalai Lama