Lama Surya Das
I heard a Jataka Tale at the time the Buddha himself, is one of his earlier lives as Prince Mahasattva. One day the prince was wandering through a forest blighted by drought. Suddenly he came upon an emaciated tiger. Too weak to attack the prince, the tiger curled protectively around her cubs, who were crying with hunger. Moved by compassion, the prince said to himself, What is thi
I heard a Jataka Tale at the time the Buddha himself, is one of his earlier lives as Prince Mahasattva. One day the prince was wandering through a forest blighted by drought. Suddenly he came upon an emaciated tiger. Too weak to attack the prince, the tiger curled protectively around her cubs, who were crying with hunger. Moved by compassion, the prince said to himself, What is thi
s life for, if not to help others? He disrobed and lay down infront of the tiger. Then he grabbed a sharp stone and tore his flesh until it bled. Smelling the blood, the tiger and her clubs feasted on the body until not a scarp left. They survived and lived ong lives.
Awestruck by the extreme nature of this story, which reflects just how deeply compassion is valued in Asian and Buddhist tradition. I visited Namo Budhha, the very place where this selfless act allegedly occurred. It's situated on a ridge of the mountains east of Kathmandu, and a tree filled with the prayer flags of visiting prilgrims is said to mark the actual spot where Prince Mahasattva offered his life to the tiger and her cubs. I spent a few nights at the small retreat center there and, accordingly to my lama's instructions, contemplated the nature of life, birth, death, suffering, and altruism.
Awestruck by the extreme nature of this story, which reflects just how deeply compassion is valued in Asian and Buddhist tradition. I visited Namo Budhha, the very place where this selfless act allegedly occurred. It's situated on a ridge of the mountains east of Kathmandu, and a tree filled with the prayer flags of visiting prilgrims is said to mark the actual spot where Prince Mahasattva offered his life to the tiger and her cubs. I spent a few nights at the small retreat center there and, accordingly to my lama's instructions, contemplated the nature of life, birth, death, suffering, and altruism.
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One of the best examples of this kind of Bodhicitta attitude was expressed by Anne Frank, the German Jewish teenager who, along her family and four others, hid out from Nazi persecutors for twenty-five months in an Amsterdam attic before being deported to a concentration camp, where she died in March 1945. Shortly before she was betrayed and captured, she wrote in her
diary: "It's wonder I haven'
diary: "It's wonder I haven'
t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, inspite of everything, that people are truly good at heart." How could such radiant, splendid words of wisdom spring forth from such a young and inexperienced woman if the clear light of Buddha-ness were not inherent within her?
Anne Frank's words have resonated with millions of people who have read her diary or seen plays or movies based on her life, they impressed us still today. We instinctively recognise their fundamental truth and value.
Anne Frank's words have resonated with millions of people who have read her diary or seen plays or movies based on her life, they impressed us still today. We instinctively recognise their fundamental truth and value.
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* Things that are too high will fall easily.
* Things that are too white will get dirty easily.
* Things that are too long will be easy to break.
Lao Zi further used the tree and water to support his ideology. Whatever that is hard will be stiff, and whatever that is soft will be tender.Water is soft and yet it can erode rocks and mountains that are hard; dripping water wears the stone that even a
* Things that are too white will get dirty easily.
* Things that are too long will be easy to break.
Lao Zi further used the tree and water to support his ideology. Whatever that is hard will be stiff, and whatever that is soft will be tender.Water is soft and yet it can erode rocks and mountains that are hard; dripping water wears the stone that even a
hammer cannot break. Wind has no form and yet it can uproot trees. When strong wind combines with water, the power is enormous, like the 2008 cyclone disaster in Myanmar that killed over 100,000 people. On the other hand, a fully grown tree that is hard and stiff will be more easily broken than a small plant, which is small and tender.
In many contemporary societies, the standard teachings are to exhibit strength and intelligence by emphasizing success, material achievement, victory, and getting ahead of one's competitors.
On the other hand, Lao Zi emphasized the reverse- modesty, fruglity, sinplicity, pliancy, non-competitiveness, and self-forgetting. To Lau Zi, one must try to attain emptiness and thus enjoy eternal tranquility. One must first engage in self-examination, understand the self, and the overcome the self. Returning to simplicity and genuineness are the greatest wisdom. To Lao Zi, petty intelligence is much less significant than great wisdom.
To move forward is to exert one's strength or energy.
In many contemporary societies, the standard teachings are to exhibit strength and intelligence by emphasizing success, material achievement, victory, and getting ahead of one's competitors.
On the other hand, Lao Zi emphasized the reverse- modesty, fruglity, sinplicity, pliancy, non-competitiveness, and self-forgetting. To Lau Zi, one must try to attain emptiness and thus enjoy eternal tranquility. One must first engage in self-examination, understand the self, and the overcome the self. Returning to simplicity and genuineness are the greatest wisdom. To Lao Zi, petty intelligence is much less significant than great wisdom.
To move forward is to exert one's strength or energy.
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No-mind and no abinding mind ; no dualistic mind, no discrimination, no judgement, no right or wrong, just be aware of your inner nature with right thinking, right speech and right action. No need to cultivate anything for your true self is pure with love, compassion and loving-kindness. The reflection, self-examination and realisation help you to see the truth and the reality of your existence. Fully and completely see your pure existence. That is more than enough.
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* In the midst of fortune lie the unseen seeds of misfortune.
* In the midst of success lie the unseen seeds of downfall.
* In the midst of equilbrium lie the unseen seeds of disequibrium
A harmless thing or situation can turn into a disaster. Stone by itself is harmless if we do nothing to it. However, when you take two stones and rub them together they can spark a fire and even burn down the ent
* In the midst of success lie the unseen seeds of downfall.
* In the midst of equilbrium lie the unseen seeds of disequibrium
A harmless thing or situation can turn into a disaster. Stone by itself is harmless if we do nothing to it. However, when you take two stones and rub them together they can spark a fire and even burn down the ent
ire forest. A thing or situation can turn from harmless to harmful and from harmful to harmless. The difference is in how a person use them.
Simplity is Supreme. No matter how wealthy a person is and how large his house is, how much living space can he occupy? He probably cannot sleep on two separate beds in a single night. Material wealth can only bring limited happiness. One has to transcend from fame and fortune to achieve unlimited and eternal happiness. Leading a simple lifestyle-with simple food, simple clothes adn simple shelter-does not need a lot of money. Then, why be busy for nothing?
Tao
Simplity is Supreme. No matter how wealthy a person is and how large his house is, how much living space can he occupy? He probably cannot sleep on two separate beds in a single night. Material wealth can only bring limited happiness. One has to transcend from fame and fortune to achieve unlimited and eternal happiness. Leading a simple lifestyle-with simple food, simple clothes adn simple shelter-does not need a lot of money. Then, why be busy for nothing?
Tao
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I remembered what my first Master told me," Let your cat watches the mice in you." In my younger days, I could not understand what he said. Does anyone of you understand this statement? I walked one big round looking for so many masters or the masters were looking for me. Only recently I started to look at this statement and tried to understand it.
1. Who and where is this cat?
2. What are the mice and where do they come from?
3. Why does the cat need to watch the mice in me ?
Open for discussion
1. Who and where is this cat?
2. What are the mice and where do they come from?
3. Why does the cat need to watch the mice in me ?
Open for discussion
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Someone just asked me how to throw the negativities out the window into the sky?
Use your hand to pluck the negative energy from your heart or your body and throw it away. Try to do many times. Gather all the negative energy and throw them away. If you do it long enough, you will find that your heart area is becoming lighter and lighter and you feel certain joy and happiness emerging like water from your heart and body. You will really feel good. For those who feel sad and have some anger or problems may try this method.
Use your hand to pluck the negative energy from your heart or your body and throw it away. Try to do many times. Gather all the negative energy and throw them away. If you do it long enough, you will find that your heart area is becoming lighter and lighter and you feel certain joy and happiness emerging like water from your heart and body. You will really feel good. For those who feel sad and have some anger or problems may try this method.
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~ William Blake
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour
(Please express your own understanding for this poem. Open discussion
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour
(Please express your own understanding for this poem. Open discussion
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~ Master Dakpo Tashi Namgyal
Five ways of sustaining the essense
Elevate your experience and remain wide open like the sky.
Expand your mindfulness and remain pervasive like the earth.
Steady your attention and remain unshakable like a mountain.
Brighten your awareness and remain shining like a flame.
Clear your thought-free wakefulness and remain lucid like a crystal.
Five ways of sustaining the essense
Elevate your experience and remain wide open like the sky.
Expand your mindfulness and remain pervasive like the earth.
Steady your attention and remain unshakable like a mountain.
Brighten your awareness and remain shining like a flame.
Clear your thought-free wakefulness and remain lucid like a crystal.
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Enlightenment is like a shadow following us. However we are mistaken by the entry of things through our senses as real. Besides that we can't let go what we have within us. We are so concerned with our physical aspects like hair and nails. We are so caught up with our emotional running thoughts. Once we decide to drop all these, enlightenment is no more a shadow, it appears to us as a real and perfect existence. (2 cents opinion )
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