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ficial or helpful to us such as faith, confidence, compassion, aspiration of enlightenment for all beings. In terms of what is harmful we are concerned with the afflicted states of mind such as passionate attachment, hatred from the very depths, the ignorance of dark obscuration, our discursive thought, and our belief and holding onto a self. Then with this understanding, whatever good qualities that needed to be developed and whatever negative kleshas there are will be abandoned. So along the way all the good qualities such as faith and confidence in the buddha, the dharma, and the sangha; the energy to practice, loving-kindness and compassion will become stronger and stronger. And also at the end of this path wisdom will be unveiled, clarified, illuminated just through the understanding the mind as it is.
~ by The Ven. Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
~ by The Ven. Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
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If one mind is is continually wandering here and there, being carried away by this thought and that thought, and is endlessly distracted and unable to rest anywhere, then it is very difficult for any spiritual growth and development to come
about. In contrast, if one mind's can be placed somewhere and rest there, then one can become accustomed to whatever is taking place in one' own mind. Otherwise one's mind is just like a flag waving in the wind. It is helpless being blown this way and then that way.
The practice of shamatha ( concentration meditation ) is the practice of allowing one's mind to stay somewhere, to rest somewhere, and to be peaceful, to be calmed in that way. However, if you were to stop there and relax with this, that is not enough. It is important to also to develop vipashyana ( insight meditation ) which is a clear and intense seeing.
~ The moonlight of Mahamudra
The practice of shamatha ( concentration meditation ) is the practice of allowing one's mind to stay somewhere, to rest somewhere, and to be peaceful, to be calmed in that way. However, if you were to stop there and relax with this, that is not enough. It is important to also to develop vipashyana ( insight meditation ) which is a clear and intense seeing.
~ The moonlight of Mahamudra
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~ Amy Schmidt- Fearlessness
Dipa Ma and I were on an airplane coming to the States from India. It was very, very turbulent, and at one point the plane hit an air pocket and dropped. Drinks and other objects flew up to the ceiling as the pla
Dipa Ma and I were on an airplane coming to the States from India. It was very, very turbulent, and at one point the plane hit an air pocket and dropped. Drinks and other objects flew up to the ceiling as the pla
ne dropped downward before hitting stable air again. I kind of screamed. Dipa Ma was sitting across the aisle from me, and she reached out and took my hand, and she just held it. Then she whispered," The daughters of the Buddhas are fearless."
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~ Adyashanti - You are Emptiness
The purpose of meditation is to find the meditator. When you look for the meditator, you won't find him, her, or it. All you'll find is silent Emptiness. In finding Emptiness, the mind stops. If you let it,
The purpose of meditation is to find the meditator. When you look for the meditator, you won't find him, her, or it. All you'll find is silent Emptiness. In finding Emptiness, the mind stops. If you let it,
Emptiness will stop the mind- unless you run back into samsara, into the mind's drama of thinking, striving and confusion. When you allow Emptiness to stop your mind, you'll awaken and realise that you are that Emptiness. You'll realise that you are not the mind or the body or any meditative phenomena. You are Emptiness. Emptiness means limitless, boundless, Pure Consciousness.
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One of the great masters wrote in one of his books, saying that the sage, Confucius started reading and analysed I-Ching at the age of 50. Confucius used to make amendments on most of the old classical Chinese books. But as for this famous
book, he couldn't add in and take out words from it.
Because of such statement, I also bought this book and studied it. It was very difficult to understand this book of wisdom. So I picked and studied only the law of nature related to human race.
Whenever my friends have problems like loosing a job, failing in business and loosing a boy friend and a girl friend used to ask me for advice I will explain the theory of the 'ladder.'
I told them that I-Ching explained that our life is like roller coaster. It started off in life with broken lines arranged like a ladder. We always started our life quite well after we finished our education. The first broken lines would join up to form a straight line. As we moved up the ladder, the second and third broken lines would also join to form straight lines when our fortune and luck had become better.
The book warns us not to hasten to climb up to the maximum sixth lines. Once we reach there, we will be coming down from the sixth to the fifth lines and continue to go down to the rock bottom if we are not mindful. It means to say when a person is too greedy and try very hard to reach the top, then that person will suffer and will become a backrupt eventually and some may take their own lives.
This format can apply to any country"s economy, America and Europe have climbed up their maximum capacity and now they are facing the music of proverty of moving down the ladder. China and India and many other developing countries are moving up the economic ladder. If they move up to the maximum too fast, you can expect them to come down again in the future. The goverment Singapore is smart and when it moves up to the third and fourth economic ladder, it just moves side way for many years maintaining only 3 to 5 % of growth. We are lucky to have such a government to maintain a situation where we have almost full employment.
If you have reached the rock bottom, you need not worry because the next round of fortune is waiting for you. At the end of a dark tunnel you will see the light at the end of it. And learn to be mindful to maintain your good fortune and health. Do good will beget goodness. ( 2 cents opinion )
Because of such statement, I also bought this book and studied it. It was very difficult to understand this book of wisdom. So I picked and studied only the law of nature related to human race.
Whenever my friends have problems like loosing a job, failing in business and loosing a boy friend and a girl friend used to ask me for advice I will explain the theory of the 'ladder.'
I told them that I-Ching explained that our life is like roller coaster. It started off in life with broken lines arranged like a ladder. We always started our life quite well after we finished our education. The first broken lines would join up to form a straight line. As we moved up the ladder, the second and third broken lines would also join to form straight lines when our fortune and luck had become better.
The book warns us not to hasten to climb up to the maximum sixth lines. Once we reach there, we will be coming down from the sixth to the fifth lines and continue to go down to the rock bottom if we are not mindful. It means to say when a person is too greedy and try very hard to reach the top, then that person will suffer and will become a backrupt eventually and some may take their own lives.
This format can apply to any country"s economy, America and Europe have climbed up their maximum capacity and now they are facing the music of proverty of moving down the ladder. China and India and many other developing countries are moving up the economic ladder. If they move up to the maximum too fast, you can expect them to come down again in the future. The goverment Singapore is smart and when it moves up to the third and fourth economic ladder, it just moves side way for many years maintaining only 3 to 5 % of growth. We are lucky to have such a government to maintain a situation where we have almost full employment.
If you have reached the rock bottom, you need not worry because the next round of fortune is waiting for you. At the end of a dark tunnel you will see the light at the end of it. And learn to be mindful to maintain your good fortune and health. Do good will beget goodness. ( 2 cents opinion )
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The understanding of I-Ching helps me to lie low and be humble. I try these few years to stay along on the third or fourth line of the ladder where I can prevent myself of coming down. And at the same time I try to accumulate more merits by
helping others in many ways so as to help to open my wisdom as I go along with my spiritual practice.
Some friends of mine who had moved up to sixth level became arrogant and proud after making a lot of money, driving a expensive sports car and living in a big bungalow. And as a result, they met a commercial recession, so overnight, they lost everything and became bankrupt. Only one or two manage to climb back to the ladder again. Most of them until today become ordinary workers or taxi-drivers. Some of them have disappeared completely.
Even the top banks and commercial institutions can go bust one day once they rise up to the maximum of the ladder. In America, Europe, Japan and other countries, some of their banks and multi-corporations were facing the same fate of collapsing.
I use to advice most of friends not to arrogant and proud and learn to lie low to prevent and save more to face the rapids of commercial downturn.
Some friends of mine who had moved up to sixth level became arrogant and proud after making a lot of money, driving a expensive sports car and living in a big bungalow. And as a result, they met a commercial recession, so overnight, they lost everything and became bankrupt. Only one or two manage to climb back to the ladder again. Most of them until today become ordinary workers or taxi-drivers. Some of them have disappeared completely.
Even the top banks and commercial institutions can go bust one day once they rise up to the maximum of the ladder. In America, Europe, Japan and other countries, some of their banks and multi-corporations were facing the same fate of collapsing.
I use to advice most of friends not to arrogant and proud and learn to lie low to prevent and save more to face the rapids of commercial downturn.
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~ Ayya Khema
Where is happiness
In 1979 I decided to become a nun. Up until that time, I had tried a lot of things and had seen that the world cannot make one happy. In the course of travels it became clear to me that tranquility and peace having nothing to do with the most beautiful places on earth or the most interesting experiences. They are only to be found in one's own heart.
Where is happiness
In 1979 I decided to become a nun. Up until that time, I had tried a lot of things and had seen that the world cannot make one happy. In the course of travels it became clear to me that tranquility and peace having nothing to do with the most beautiful places on earth or the most interesting experiences. They are only to be found in one's own heart.
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~ Jack Kornfield
Spiritual life is not a process of seeking or gaining some extraordinary condition or special powers. In fact, such seeking can take us away from ourselves and from awakening. If we are not careful, we can easily find the t
Spiritual life is not a process of seeking or gaining some extraordinary condition or special powers. In fact, such seeking can take us away from ourselves and from awakening. If we are not careful, we can easily find the t
he great failures of our modern society-its ambitions, materialism, and individual isolation-repeated in our spiritual life.
In beginning a genuine spiritual journey, we have to stay much closer to home, to focus directly on what is right here infront of us, to make sure that our path is connected with love and a simple, compassionate presence. Listening with the heart to the mystery here and now is where meditation begins.
In beginning a genuine spiritual journey, we have to stay much closer to home, to focus directly on what is right here infront of us, to make sure that our path is connected with love and a simple, compassionate presence. Listening with the heart to the mystery here and now is where meditation begins.
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~ Sakyong Mipham
In shamatha meditation (concentration meditation) we train our minds in stability, clarity, and strength. Through this most basic form of sitting meditation, we discover that we can abide peacefully. It is the first step to becoming a buddha, which literally means"awakened one." We all have the potential to awaken from the sleep of ignorance to the truth of reality.
In shamatha meditation (concentration meditation) we train our minds in stability, clarity, and strength. Through this most basic form of sitting meditation, we discover that we can abide peacefully. It is the first step to becoming a buddha, which literally means"awakened one." We all have the potential to awaken from the sleep of ignorance to the truth of reality.
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~ Shunryu Suzuki-A swinging door
When we practice meditation our mind always follows our breathing. When we inhale, the air comes into the inner world. When we exhale, the air goes out to the outer world. The inner world is limitless, and t
When we practice meditation our mind always follows our breathing. When we inhale, the air comes into the inner world. When we exhale, the air goes out to the outer world. The inner world is limitless, and t
he outer world is also limitless. We say
"inner world" or "outer world," but actually there is just one whole world. In this limitless world, our throat is like a swinging door. The air comes in and goes out like someone passing through a swinging door. If you think, "I breathe," the "I" is extra. There is no you to say"I." What we call "I" is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale. It just moves;that is all. When your mind is pure and calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no "I," no world, no mind nor body; just a swinging door.
"inner world" or "outer world," but actually there is just one whole world. In this limitless world, our throat is like a swinging door. The air comes in and goes out like someone passing through a swinging door. If you think, "I breathe," the "I" is extra. There is no you to say"I." What we call "I" is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale. It just moves;that is all. When your mind is pure and calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no "I," no world, no mind nor body; just a swinging door.
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