Posts (page 3)

People today have been confused for a long time. They do not know that their own mind is the real Buddha. They do not know that their own essence is the real Dharma. Wishing to seek Dharma, they attribute it to remote sages; wishing to seek Buddhahood, they do not observe their own mind.

- Master Chinul (1158-1210)

If you could understand a single grain of wheat, you would die of wonder.
- Martin Luther

A deep happiness
had seized me
My Christian friends say
that I have received
the Holy Spirit
It is only the truth of solitude
It is only the torn anemone
fastened to the rock
its root exposed
to the off-shore wind
O friend of my scribbled life
your heart is like mine -
your loneliness
will bring you home

- 1981, Leonard Cohen

If you want to be happy, be.

- Leo Tolstoy

"The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself."

- Henry Miller

"If we knew that tonight we were going to go blind, we would take a longing, last real look at every blade of grass, every cloud formation, every speck of dust, every rainbow, raindrop---everything."

- Pema Chödrön 

All conditioned phenomena

Are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow

Like the dew, or like lightning

You should discern them like this

- Buddha, from the Diamond Sutra translated by Charles Miller

To this place of retreat,
The world does not follow;
But many old ailments heal here.
I polish words of old poems;
View mountains, and sleep
Outside my hut.
Colored clouds
Cross the setting sun;
Cicadas ring in the leaves
Of trees.
With this my heart again
Knows happiness;
And who would have thought it,
Without wine or money?

- Yao Ho (831)

I have arrived
I am home
in the here
in the now
I am solid
I am free
in the ultimate I dwell.

- Thich Nhat Hanh 

THE TEN CARDINAL PRECEPTS (you could look at these as "The Buddhist 10 Commandments", I suppose)

I recognize that I am not separate from all that is. From this is the precept of not killing.
I Vow that I will reverence life, and never kill needlessly.

I will be satisfied with what I have. From this is the precept of not stealing.
I vow that I will never take anything that I have not bought or which has not been offered freely.

I will encounter all beings with respect and dignity. From this is the precept of not abusing others with sexual conduct.
I vow that I will never cause harm to another person or those close to them with sexual behavior.

I will be mindful of all that I hear and say. From this is the precept of not lying.
I vow that I will never speak lies to another, nor deceive myself.

I will cultivate a mind that sees clearly. From this is the precept of not abusing intoxicants.
I vow that I will not drink fermented liquids nor take drugs that dull the clarity of my mind.

I recognize that I am not separate from all that is, and that hate can never remedy hate. From this is the precept of not talking about others' errors and faults.
I vow that I will not spread gossip or stories intended to harm or defame others.

I recognize that all things are endowed with Awakened Nature, and all beings desire to escape suffering. From this is the precept of not elevating oneself over others.
I vow that I will not act with a motivation to gain praise or position over others, nor speak to elevate myself above another.

I know that the compassionate one desires to turn all of his abilities and possessions into gateways of freedom for other beings. From this is the precept of not being stingy.
I vow that I will help others whenever I can, in what way I can.

I know that all beings suffer, and that the way of awakening is to transform suffering into wisdom. From this is the precept of not giving oneself over to anger.
I vow that I will be mindful of my anger or other strong emotions that might motivate me to harm another, and transform them into beneficial action.

I will honor my life, and all life, as an instrument of awakening. From this is the precept of not speaking ill of the Three Jewels.
I vow that I will never speak ill of the Awakened One, the Path of Awakening, nor the Community of the Awakened.