Apakah otoritas menciptakan ketertibanSaya tahu, mau tidak mau akan muncul pertanyaan: Jika kita tidak punya otoritas apa pun, apakah tidak akan terjadi anarki? Tentu saja bisa terjadi. Tetapi, apakah otoritas menciptakan ketertiban (order)? Ataukah, itu hanya menciptakan pengikut-pengikut buta, yang tidak punya arti apa-apa, selain menghasilkan kerusakan, kesengsaraan? Tetapi, jika kita mulai memahami diri kita--yang adalah proses yang amat rumit--maka kita juga mulai memahami anatomi otoritas. Lalu saya rasa kita akan bisa menemukan--sebagai individu-individu--apa yang benar. Tanpa paksaan masyarakat, tanpa otoritas sebuah agama atau seseorang, betapa pun besar, tanpa pengaruh orang lain, kita akan bisa menemukan dan mengalami sendiri sesuatu yang berada di atas sekadar penalaran, di atas pernyataan-pernyatan pintar dari pikiran.J Krishnamurti - Hamburg, 1956, Talk 1[Dari: JKrishnamurti.org - Daily Quote]Semar: Dalam uraian singkat K ini terkandung beberapa hal penting: - otoritas batiniah (agama, seorang guru dsb) hanya menghasilkan "pengikut buta", yang menghasilkan kerusakan & kesengsaraan; - kebenaran harus ditemukan sendiri, tanpa paksaan masyarakat, tanpa otoritas batiniah dari luar; - kebenaran dimulai dengan memahami diri sendiri; - kebenaran itu mengatasi penalaran, mengatasi pikiran yang pintar.
Menyimak dengan NyamanPernahkah Anda duduk dengan sangat diam, bukan memusatkan perhatian pada sesuatu, bukan berupaya untuk berkonsentrasi, melainkan dengan batin sangat hening, sungguh-sungguh diam? Maka Anda akan mendengar segala sesuatu, bukan? Anda mendengar suara-suara yang jauh maupun yang lebih dekat, suara-suara yang amat dekat, yang muncul di dekat Andayang sesungguhnya berarti Anda tengah menyimak terhadap segala sesuatu. Batin Anda tidak terkungkung pada satu alur sempit. Jika Anda dapat menyimak dengan cara ini, menyimak dengan nyaman, tanpa tegang, Anda akan mendapati suatu perubahan luar biasa terjadi dalam diri Anda, perubahan yang terjadi tanpa Anda kehendaki, tanpa Anda minta; dan dalam perubahan itu terdapat keindahan luhur dan kedalaman pencerahan.[Dari: J. Krishnamurti - The Book of Life]
Mengesampingkan Tabir-TabirBagaimana Anda menyimak? Apakah Anda menyimak dengan proyeksi-proyeksi Anda, melalui proyeksi Anda, melalui ambisi, keinginan, ketakutan, kecemasan Anda, dengan hanya mendengar apa yang Anda ingin dengar, hanya apa yang memuaskan, apa yang memenuhi dahaga, apa yang memberikan kenyamanan, apa yang untuk sementara meringankan penderitaan Anda? Jika Anda menyimak melalui tabir keinginan-keinginan Anda, maka jelas Anda menyimak suara Anda sendiri; Anda menyimak keinginan-keinginan Anda sendiri. Dan adakah bentuk menyimak lain? Bukankah penting untuk menemukan bagaimana menyimak, bukan hanya menyimak apa yang dikatakan, melainkan juga menyimak segala sesuatu--menyimak kebisingan di jalan-jalan, menyimak kicau burung, menyimak berisiknya trem di jalan, menyimak laut yang tidak bisa diam, menyimak suara suami Anda, menyimak istri Anda, menyimak teman-teman Anda, menyimak tangis bayi? Penyimakan menjadi penting hanya bila kita tidak memproyeksikan keinginan-keinginan kita melalui apa yang kita simak. Dapatkah kita mengesampingkan semua tabir itu, yang melaluinya kita menyimak, dan sungguh-sungguh menyimak? [Dari: J. Krishnamurti - The Book of Life]Semar: Menyimak hanya tidak terdistorsi apabila tidak dicampuri oleh pikiran, keinginan, ketidaksenangan, harapan, kekecewaan, ingatan, pengetahuan, pengalaman, gambaran (images) dsb tentang apa yang kita simak.
Menyimak Tanpa PikiranSaya tidak tahu apakah Anda pernah menyimak seekor burung. Menyimak sesuatu menuntut bahwa batin Anda harus hening--bukan keheningan mistikal(*), melainkan sekadar hening. Saya mengatakan sesuatu kepada Anda, dan untuk menyimak saya, Anda harus hening, bukan membiarkan segala macam gagasan bergumam di dalam batin Anda. Ketika Anda memandang sekuntum bunga, Anda memandangnya, bukan memberinya nama, bukan menggolongkannya, bukan berkata bunga itu termasuk spesies anu--kalau Anda lakukan itu, Anda tidak lagi memandangnya. Dengan demikian saya berkata, menyimak adalah salah satu hal yang paling sulit dilakukan--menyimak seorang komunis, menyimak seorang sosialis, menyimak anggota parlemen, menyimak sang kapitalis, menyimak siapa pun, menyimak istri Anda, menyimak anak-anak Anda, menyimak tetangga Anda, menyimak kondektur bus, menyimak seekor burung--sekadar menyimak. Hanya apabila Anda menyimak tanpa gagasan, tanpa pikiran, maka Anda berhubungan secara langsung (directly in contact); dan dengan berhubungan langsung, Anda akan memahami apakah yang dikatakannya itu benar atau salah; Anda tidak perlu berdiskusi.[Dari: J. Krishnamurti - The Book of Life]Semar: -------------- (*) keheningan mistikal = keheningan yang dicapai dengan berkonsentrasi pada satu obyek, sampai masuk ke dalam keadaan terpusat (absorption), di mana semua rangsangan dari pancaindra tidak bisa sampai ke otak: tidak mendengar apa-apa, tidak melihat apa-apa, tidak merasakan apa-apa ...
Bikinan manusia untuk mengendalikan manusia... agama bukanlah dogma, tidak ada kaitannya dengan kepercayaan; agama bukan berarti pergi ke gereja (tempat ibadah) atau mengerjakan ritual tertentu. Tidak satu pun dari semua itu adalah agama; agama adalah sekadar bikinan manusia untuk mengendalikan manusia. Dan jika kita ingin menemukan, apakah ada suatu realitas, sesuatu yang berada di luar bikinan pikiran, kita harus mengesampingkan semua keabsurdan ini, pikiran kekanak-kanakan ini. Sangat sukar bagi kebanyakan orang untuk mengesampingkan semua itu, karena di dalam melekat pada kepercayaan-kepercayaan mereka merasa aman, itu memberi mereka harapan tertentu. Tetapi untuk menemukan realitas, mengalami sesuatu yang berada di luar pikiran, pikiran harus berhenti mencari bentuk rasa aman apa pun. Ia harus lepas dari semua perlindungan. Hanya batin yang demikian yang murni, lalu baru mungkin batin mengalami sesuatu yang berada di luar dirinya.J Krishnamurti - Hamburg, 1956, Talk 1[Dari: JKrishnamurti.org - Daily Quote]Semar: Sudah jelas ... Contohnya: dalam Agama Buddha dikenal "Tri-ratna" (Tiga Perlindungan): "Berlindung kepada Buddha, berlindung kepada Dharma, dan berlindung kepada Sangha(*)." ... Dalam menyadari diri sendiri, semua itu harus runtuh. ... Itulah bedanya agama dan meditasi. ------------- (*) Sangha = perhimpunan para bhikkhu
Terdidik untuk mengutukAnda akan mendapati bahwa luar biasa sulit untuk mengamati diri Anda di dalam cermin hubungan (mirror of relationship), tanpa pengutukan apa pun terhadap apa yang Anda lihat; dan jika Anda mengutuk apa yang Anda lihat, Anda tidak memahaminya. Untuk bisa memahami sesuatu seperti apa adanya, pengutukan, penghakiman, penilaian, harus pergi--yang amat sukar, oleh karena sekarang ini kita terlatih, terdidik untuk mengutuk, menolak, menyetujui, mengingkari.Dan itu baru awalnya, suatu awal yang sangat dangkal. Tetapi orang harus melewatinya, orang harus memahami seluruh proses batiniah, bukan hanya secara intelektual, dengan kata-kata, melainkan sementara orang hidup dalam keseharian, mengamati diri sendiri dalam cermin hubungan ini. Orang harus secara aktual mengalami apa yang tengah berlangsung di dalam batin--memeriksanya, sadar/eling akan seluruh isinya, tanpa mengingkari, menekan, atau mengesampingkannya. Maka, jika Anda berjalan sejauh itu, dan jika Anda sungguh-sungguh serius, Anda akan menemukan bahwa batin tidak lagi memproyeksikan gambaran apa pun, tidak lagi menciptakan mitos apa pun, ilusi apa pun; ia mulai memahami totalitas dirinya sendiri, dan dengan demikian sangat jernih, sederhana, hening.J Krishnamurti - Hamburg, 1956, Talk 1[Dari: JKrishnamurti.org - Daily Quote]Semar: Mengenal diri sendiri secara total bukan terjadi di dalam meditasi, dalam arti duduk diam di tempat yang sepi, melainkan di dalam cermin hubungan (mirror of relationship): hubungan dengan orang (istri/suami, anak, tetangga, orang yang tidak dikenal dsb), dengan masyarakat, penguasa dan peraturan, dengan alam sekitar, dengan ide-ide, keyakinan/iman, harapan, kekecewaan, kepuasan, penderitaan dsb
Di Luar Kebisingan Kata-KataMenyimak (listening) adalah seni yang tidak mudah didapat, tetapi di situ terdapat keindahan dan pemahaman luhur. Kita menyimak dengan berbagai kedalaman diri kita, tetapi cara menyimak kita selalu disertai suatu prakonsepsi atau berangkat dari suatu sudut pandang tertentu. Kita tidak sekadar menyimak; selalu ada tabir menyela berupa pikiran-pikiran, kesimpulan-kesimpulan dan prasangka-prasangka kita sendiri. ... Untuk dapat menyimak haruslah ada keheningan di-dalam, kebebasan dari ketegangan untuk memperoleh sesuatu, suatu perhatian yang rileks. Keadaan yang waspada tapi pasif ini mampu mendengar apa yang berada di luar kesimpulan kata-kata. Kata-kata membingungkan; itu hanya cara berkomunikasi lahiriah; tetapi untuk menghayati di luar kebisingan kata-kata haruslah ada sikap pasif tapi waspada di dalam menyimak. Mereka yang mencinta dapat menyimak; tetapi amat jarang orang menemukan seorang penyimak. Kebanyakan dari kita selalu mengejar hasil, menggapai cita-cita; kita selamanya mengatasi dan menaklukkan, dan dengan demikian tidak menyimak. Hanya di dalam menyimak kita mendengar nyanyian kata-kata.[Dari: J. Krishnamurti - The Book of Life]Semar: Kita mengira kita sudah tahu dan sudah melakukan penyimakan (listening). Tapi cara kita menyimak kebanyakan keliru: kita menyimak dengan pikiran, dengan tujuan. ... Dalam MMD, kita harus mulai belajar menyimak kembali dari nol: menyimak tanpa pikiran & tanpa tujuan.
>> Menyimak dengan Nyaman>> Pernahkah Anda duduk dengan sangat diam, bukan memusatkan perhatian >pada sesuatu, bukan berupaya untuk berkonsentrasi, melainkan dengan >batin sangat hening, sungguh-sungguh diam? Maka Anda akan mendengar >segala sesuatu, bukan? Anda mendengar suara-suara yang jauh maupun >yang lebih dekat, suara-suara yang amat dekat, yang muncul di dekat >Andayang sesungguhnya berarti Anda tengah menyimak terhadap segala >sesuatu. Batin Anda tidak terkungkung pada satu alur sempit. Jika >Anda dapat menyimak dengan cara ini, menyimak dengan nyaman, tanpa >tegang, Anda akan mendapati suatu perubahan luar biasa terjadi dalam >diri Anda, perubahan yang terjadi tanpa Anda kehendaki, tanpa Anda >minta; dan dalam perubahan itu terdapat keindahan luhur dan kedalaman >pencerahan.>> >> [Dari: J. Krishnamurti - The Book of Life]>> >> Semar: >> Sudah jelas.>>>Apakah MENDENGAR bisa diganti MERASAKAN apa-apa pada tubuh, MELIHAT >APA YANG DIPIKIRKAN?.
Menyimak Tanpa UpayaAnda sekarang menyimak saya; Anda tidak berupaya untuk menyimak, Anda sekadar menyimak. Dan jika terdapat kebenaran dalam apa yang Anda dengar, Anda akan mendapati suatu perubahan luar biasa terjadi dalam diri Anda--suatu perubahan yang tidak dipikirkan dulu atau diinginkan, suatu transformasi, suatu revolusi menyeluruh, yang di situ kebenaran itu sendiri berkuasa dan bukan ciptaan batin Anda. Dan kalau boleh saya sarankan, Anda harus menyimak secara itu kepada segala sesuatu--bukan hanya kepada apa yang saya katakan, tetapi juga kepada apa yang dikatakan orang lain, kepada kicau burung-burung, kepada peluit lokomotif, kepada kebisingan bus yang melintas. Anda akan mendapati bahwa semakin banyak Anda menyimak kepada segala sesuatu, makin besar keheningan, dan lalu keheningan itu tidak terputus oleh kebisingan. Hanya jika Anda menentang sesuatu, hanya jika Anda mendirikan penghalang antara Anda dengan apa yang Anda tidak mau simak--hanya di situlah terdapat pergulatan.[Dari: J. Krishnamurti - The Book of Life]Semar: Di sinilah letak perbedaan mendasar antara MMD dengan meditasi vipassana tradisional. Di dalam MMD tidak ada konsentrasi, tidak ada pencatatan, tidak ada memperlambat gerakan secara disengaja; dalam MMD hanya ada sadar/eling, penyimakan terhadap segala sesuatu yang terjadi di luar & di dalam diri kita.
Mengejar pencapaian ... Anda menjadi penyebab perang… Selama ada nasionalisme, selama Anda menjadi seorang Jerman, seorang Rusia atau seorang Amerika, melekat pada kedaulatan, pada nasionalisme eksklusif, Anda pasti mengalami perang. Selama Anda seorang Kristen, dan saya seorang Hindu, atau Anda seorang Muslim dan saya seorang Buddhis, pasti akan ada perang. Selama Anda ambisius, ingin mencapai puncak di masyarakat Anda, mengejar pencapaian dan memuja kesuksesan, Anda akan menjadi penyebab perang.J Krishnamurti - Hamburg, 1956, Talk 1[Dari: JKrishnamurti.org - Daily Quote]Semar: Lihatlah perang yang terjadi di mana-mana pada saat ini. Kita ikut bertanggung jawab atas terjadinya semua peperangan itu, karena batin kita tidak berbeda dengan batin mereka yang berperang: penuh ambisi, rasa berbangsa, beragama secara eksklusif, ingin mencapai puncak kedudukan, bersaing dengan orang lain, kebencian, keserakahan, iri hati, dendam ... dsb.
Menyimak Membawa KebebasanBila Anda berupaya untuk menyimak, apakah Anda menyimak? Tidakkah upaya itu sendiri mengalihkan perhatian sehingga menghalangi penyimakan? Apakah Anda berupaya ketika Anda menyimak sesuatu yang menyenangkan Anda? ... Anda tidak menyadari kebenaran, Anda juga tidak melihat yang palsu sebagai palsu selama batin Anda dipenuhi daya upaya, dipenuhi pembandingan, dipenuhi pembenaran dan pengutukan. ...Menyimak itu sendiri adalah tindakan yang lengkap; tindakan menyimak itu membawa kebebasannya sendiri. Tetapi apakah Anda sungguh-sungguh berminat untuk menyimak, atau berminat untuk mengubah kegoncangan di dalam batin Anda? Jika Anda menyimak ... dalam arti menyadari konflik-konflik dan kontradiksi-kontradiksi Anda tanpa memaksakannya ke dalam suatu pola pikir tertentu, mungkin semua itu akan berakhir. Lihat, kita terus-menerus mencoba menjadi ini-itu, mencoba mencapai suatu keadaan tertentu, mencoba menangkap suatu pengalaman tertentu dan menghindari pengalaman lain, dengan demikian, batin terus-menerus sibuk dengan sesuatu; ia tidak pernah diam untuk menyimak bisingnya pergulatan dan kesakitannya sendiri. Bersikaplah sederhana ... dan jangan mencoba menjadi sesuatu atau menangkap suatu pengalaman.[Dari: J. Krishnamurti - The Book of Life]Semar: Kalau saya mencoba menyimak, saya tidak menyimak; kalau saya merasa menyimak, saya tidak menyimak. Sama seperti kalau saya mencoba mencinta, saya tidak mencinta; kalau saya merasa mencinta, saya tidak mencinta. Kalau saya mencoba menjadi orang baik, saya tidak baik; kalau saya merasa menjadi orang baik, saya tidak baik. Selama ada aku yang mencoba dan merasa, tidak ada penyimakan, tidak ada cinta, tidak ada kebaikan sejati.
Minggu, 20 April 2008
Mutiara kata Budha
Siapa Kawanmu Demikianlah Dirimu ada tertulisSiapa bergaul dengan orang bijak menjadi bijak, tetapi siapa berteman dengan orang bebal menjadi malang. Karena tidak mampu berenang, seekor kalajengking suatu hari meminta seekor kura-kura agar memberinya tumpangan di punggung untuk menyeberangi sungai. "Apa kamu gila?" teriak kura-kura itu. "Kamu akan menyengatku pada saat aku berenang dan aku akan tenggelam". Kalajengking itu tertawa sambil menjawab, "Kura-kura yang baik, jika aku menyengatmu, engkau akan tenggelam dan aku akan ikut bersamamu. Kalau begitu, apa gunanya? Aku tidak akan menyengatmu karena ini berarti kematianku sendiri!" Untuk beberapa saat, kura-kura itu berpikir tentang logika dari jawaban tersebut. Akhirnya dia berkata, "Kamu benar. Naiklah!". Kalajengking itu naik ke punggung kura-kura tadi. Namun baru setengah jalan, dia menyengat kura-kura itu dengan sengit. Sementara kura-kura mulai tenggelam perlahan-lahan menuju dasar sungai dengan kalajengking di atas punggungnya, dia mengerang dengan pedih, "Kamu sudah berjanji, namun sekarang engkau menggigitku! Mengapa? Sekarang kita sama-sama celaka." Kalajengking yang tenggelam itu menjawab dengan sedih, "Aku tidak dapat menahan diri. Memang sudah tabiatku untuk menyengat." Pelajari karakter seseorang sebelum menjadikannya sebagai kawan. Peran yang dia mainkan akan mempengaruhi kehidupan Anda!
Kekayaan tidak diukur dari seberapa banyaknya harta seseorang. Tetapi dari apakah ia merasa cukup
Kamu adalah orang yang mampu dan memikul tanggung jawab besar untuk kesejahteraan orang lain
Tunaikan tugasmu tetapi pada saat yang bersamaan, tunjukkan kedermawaanmu dengan menolong orang. Sumbangkan kelebihanmu
Jika anda memakai kata-kata yang salah, maka anda tidak akan mencapaihasil yang diingkan
Tradisi yang baik sebaiknya dipertahankan, sedangkan yang burukdihilangkan
Kamu adalah orang yang mampu dan memikul tanggung jawab besar untuk kesejahteraan orang lain
Memaafkan adalah obat dari kebencian dan balas dendam
Untuk mencapai sukses, orang tidak boleh menyia-yiakan kesempatan
Secara intuituf setiap orang merasakan bahwa segala kecantikan dan kebagusan barang-barang di dunia ini tidak lebih berharga dari sebutir cinta kasih dalam perbuatan
Bertindak bukan untuk keuntungan sendiri, tetapi untuk kebaikan bersama
Orang selalu siap melepaskan kemarahannya kepada orang lain yangmungkin tidak bersalah
Anda harus membuat penilaian sesuatu dan tidak mengikuti nasehat oranglain secara membabi buta
Segumpul awan lewat sudut pandang kita kelihatan seperti seekor anjing putih yang baik, atau bagaikan hati seorang kekasih atau seperti seorang ibu. Awan putih tetaplah awan putih, tidak peduli bagaimana kita menilainya, apakah kita menikmatinya dengan suka cita, atau sentimental dan sedih. Awan putih tetap awan putih, yang berbeda hanyalah di dalam hati dan pikiran kita.
Janganlah pelit memberikan dorongan pada orang-orang yang sedang mengejar cita-cita yang layak, pujian hangat akan membantu mereka maju.
Meskipun berilmu tinggi, jangan menindas orang lain, meskipun mempunyai kekuatan besar, jangan melukai orang lain.
yang keras akan rapuh, mudah retak, yang lunak akan bertahan, gigiyang keras dan lidah yang paling lunak, pada usia tua, semua gigi akanhilang, tetapi lidah tetap sempurna, pohon lebih kuat dari rumput,bila ada topan, pohon itu tumbang, namun rumput tetap utuh, angintidfak bertubuh dan berbentuk, namun ia bisa merobohkan gedung danpohon, air bisa berwujud apa pun, bisa menembus celah dan membentukgunung, ini berarti, sesuatu yang keras tidak selamanya kuat dan yanglunak betul-betul kuatSebelum meminta nasehat kepada seorang ahli, periksa dahulu kemampuanmu
Seorang pemimpin yang mampu adalah seseorang yang dapat mengatur suatu organisasi secara lancar tanpa harus menghabiskan seluruh energinya. Sangatlah mungkin membesarkan kapasitas seseorang untuk menjalankan suatu tugas, namun, melakukan lompatan yang terlalu besar akan membuat seseorang menjadi lelah dan kehilangan keberanian
Keberhasilan dan kegagalan merupakan hal yang sangat penting dalam pola pikir masyarakat. Penghargaan tidak harus selalu berwujud, penghargaan yang tidak berwujud seperti pujian, dukungan dan persetujuan dapat menjadi factor motivasi
Sebab dan akibat merupakan prinsip dasar dalam aturan alamiah. Sikap kita dalam memperlakukan orang lain akan mempengaruhi reaksi mereka terhadap kita. Untuk lebih banyak menemukan kinerja kita, kita hanya perlu mempelajari yang diberikan orang lain kepada kita.
Adalah perlu bagi seorang pemimpin untuk menjadi seorang penegak disiplin. Ada saat menjadi lembut dan baik seperti halnya, ada saat menjadi keras dan tegas
Kebutuhan seseorang terbatas, namun keinginan seseorang tak terbatas,terlalu banyak menikmati warna bisa merusak penglihatan, terlalubanyak menikmati bunyi akhia bisa merusak pendengaran, terlalu banyakmenikmati makanan bisa merusak rasa, terlalu banyak melakukan kegiatanseperti berburu, bisa merusak pikiran dan kesehatan mental, terlalubanyak mengumpulkan kekayaan membuat orang tidak merasa aman dan rusakmentalnya, jadi, orang yang hidup sederhana hanya mencari makan, bukankepuasan rasa, dia lebih suka hidup sederhana
Air akan meluap jika dituangkan terlalu penuh, selama pisau masihcukup tajam, jangan diasah lagi, pisau yang terlalu tajam akan mudahputus, orang yang mempunyai terlalu banyak barang berharga menimbulkaniri hati dan diperhatikan penjahat, berbahaya melakukan sesuatu yangberlebihan
Seringkali kita tidak dapat melihat kesalahan kita secara objektif. Orang ketiga atau orang yang lebih berpengalaman mungkin dapat membantu kita untuk melihat kekurangan kita, dan membawa kita selangkah lebih dekat kepada kesempurnaan
Kehormatan menuju kepuasan dan kekayaan menyebabkan iri hati, orang mulai berencana memenuhi keinginannya, keserakahan itu adalah penyebab utama timbulnya masalah di masyarakat kita
Alam semesta tidak memihak dan tidak mementingkan diri sendiri, semua hal diperlakukan sama, tanpa menunjukkan suka atau tidak suka pada semuanya itu, orang yang bijaksana juga tidak memihak dan tidak mementingkan diri sendiri, baginya semua sama, alam semesta seperti tungku, bagian dalamnya cekung dan karena cekung itu, alam dapat membuat apa saja, dari sini, kita dapat melihat bahwa semakin kita berusaha menjadi pandai dan produktif, semakin banyak membuat kesalahan yang mengakibatkan kegagalan, lebih baik hidup sederhana dan tenang
Yang bijaksana mendengarkan nasehat, namun mengambil keputusan sendiri setelah mempertimbangkan dengan seksama. Sambil memperhitungkan segala keadaan, mereka bertindak bijaksana dengan nalar
Dalamnya laut tidak bisa diukur, demikian juga jalan hidup seseorang,dalam mengejar ambisi, seseorang tidak tahu kapan harus berhenti,astaga ! yang diperoleh bukan kepuasaan dan kenyamanan, tapi rasatakut yang terus menerus dan bencana akan menimpannya
Orang di dunia menganggap reputasi dan keberhasilan terlalu serius,sehingga dia gelisah jika dipuji dan dihina, hidup dalam ketakuatanmendatangkan bencara, mengapa ? Di mata orang, kedudukan yang tinggidianggap mulia, membuat dia merasa lebih tinggi daripada orang lain,karena itu ada rasa takut, jika hilang, dia akan mendapatkan kesulitan
Langit adalah adil, dan tidak ada yang dikecualikan. Yang bisa menolong dirimu adalah dirimu sendiri
Semasa masih hidup orang mesti menghargai keindahan dan misteri kehidupan dari sudut pandang kehidupan. Tidaklah penting terlalu merisaukan keadaan setelah mati. Untuk hari ini hiduplah pada hari ini. Tak ada yang perlu dirisaukan tentang besok, karena besok akan datang besok
Orang tidak perlu mementingkan diri sendiri, kalau seseorang tidak mementingkan hidup atau mati, semua penghinaan dan kebaikan hati tidak menggoyahkannya dan tidak ada rasa takut
Penghinaan dianggap rendah, orang malu jika dihina, maka orang takut jika dihina atau dipandang rendah, kita mempunyai masalah besar sebab selalu memikirkan kepentingan diri sendiri, bila anda tidak mempunyai ego, apa akan mendapat bencana ? jadi seseorang tidak mementingkan diri sendiri, dunia boleh dipercayakan kepadanya
Seorang yang bijaksana seharusnya tidak berkawan dengan para pendendam, pemarah, pendengki ataupun mereka yang bergembira atas penderitaan orang lain. Sesungguhnya, bergaul dengan orang-orang yang berperilaku buruk adalah tidak menguntungkan.
Karena tiga hal orang bijaksana dapat dikenal. Apakah ketiga hal tersebut ? Orang bijaksana memandang segala kekurangannya sebagaimana adanya. Bila orang bijaksana mengetahui seuatu kekurangan, ia berusaha untuk memperbaikinya. Dan bila orang lain yang mengakui kekurangannya, orang bijaksana akan memakluminya
Semasa masih hidup orang mesti menghargai keindahan dan misteri kehidupan dari sudut pandang kehidupan. Tidaklah penting terlalu merisaukan keadaan setelah mati. Untuk hari ini hiduplah pada hari ini. Tak ada yang perlu dirisaukan tentang besok, karena besok akan datang besok (Tipitaka) sombong
The whole foundation of meditation is to make you so alertthat you can see the forming of seeds and desires and drop them.Osho
Ada enam keburukan yang akan didapat oleh seseorang penjudi. Bila menang, ia akan dibenco oleh lawannya, ia akan bersedi karena kehilangan hartanya. Kata-katanya tidak dipercaya orang. Ia tidak diterima, baik oleh teman-temannya maupun pejabat pemerintah. Ia juga tidak diterima sebagai menantu, karena masyarakat mengatakan bahwa seorang penjudi tidak dapat memberi nafkah isterinya
Ada tiga macam pikiran yang tidak bermanfaat. Ketiga macam pikiran itu adalah pikiran yang selalu mementingkan diri sendiri, pikiran yang selalu mencari keuntungan, dan pikiran yang selalu iri terhadap orang lain
Cara memerintah terbaik adalah memerintah tanpa paksaan, biarkanpenduduk mengerjakan apa yang mereka sukai dan hidup menurutkeinginannya sambil memberikan hasil yang banyak sehingga penduduktidak sadar akan apa yang telah dicapai pemerintahnya, denganmengatakan bahwa itu datang secara spontan
Pada mulanya pikirang orang jernuh, tenang dan damai, namun pikiranini seringkali menjadi gelap oleh keinginan-keinginan yang merusak,akibatnya pikiran terbawa untuk memandang segala sesuatu secara tidakbenar dan perbuatannya menjadi tidak benar pula, jadi, kita harusberusaha keras berpikiran jernih dan tenang kembali, maka kita bisamelihat secara jelas roda kehidupan dan segala sesuatu berkembangsecara alami
Kekayaan tidak diukur dari seberapa banyaknya harta seseorang. Tetapi dari apakah ia merasa cukup
Kamu adalah orang yang mampu dan memikul tanggung jawab besar untuk kesejahteraan orang lain
Tunaikan tugasmu tetapi pada saat yang bersamaan, tunjukkan kedermawaanmu dengan menolong orang. Sumbangkan kelebihanmu
Jika anda memakai kata-kata yang salah, maka anda tidak akan mencapaihasil yang diingkan
Tradisi yang baik sebaiknya dipertahankan, sedangkan yang burukdihilangkan
Kamu adalah orang yang mampu dan memikul tanggung jawab besar untuk kesejahteraan orang lain
Memaafkan adalah obat dari kebencian dan balas dendam
Untuk mencapai sukses, orang tidak boleh menyia-yiakan kesempatan
Secara intuituf setiap orang merasakan bahwa segala kecantikan dan kebagusan barang-barang di dunia ini tidak lebih berharga dari sebutir cinta kasih dalam perbuatan
Bertindak bukan untuk keuntungan sendiri, tetapi untuk kebaikan bersama
Orang selalu siap melepaskan kemarahannya kepada orang lain yangmungkin tidak bersalah
Anda harus membuat penilaian sesuatu dan tidak mengikuti nasehat oranglain secara membabi buta
Segumpul awan lewat sudut pandang kita kelihatan seperti seekor anjing putih yang baik, atau bagaikan hati seorang kekasih atau seperti seorang ibu. Awan putih tetaplah awan putih, tidak peduli bagaimana kita menilainya, apakah kita menikmatinya dengan suka cita, atau sentimental dan sedih. Awan putih tetap awan putih, yang berbeda hanyalah di dalam hati dan pikiran kita.
Janganlah pelit memberikan dorongan pada orang-orang yang sedang mengejar cita-cita yang layak, pujian hangat akan membantu mereka maju.
Meskipun berilmu tinggi, jangan menindas orang lain, meskipun mempunyai kekuatan besar, jangan melukai orang lain.
yang keras akan rapuh, mudah retak, yang lunak akan bertahan, gigiyang keras dan lidah yang paling lunak, pada usia tua, semua gigi akanhilang, tetapi lidah tetap sempurna, pohon lebih kuat dari rumput,bila ada topan, pohon itu tumbang, namun rumput tetap utuh, angintidfak bertubuh dan berbentuk, namun ia bisa merobohkan gedung danpohon, air bisa berwujud apa pun, bisa menembus celah dan membentukgunung, ini berarti, sesuatu yang keras tidak selamanya kuat dan yanglunak betul-betul kuatSebelum meminta nasehat kepada seorang ahli, periksa dahulu kemampuanmu
Seorang pemimpin yang mampu adalah seseorang yang dapat mengatur suatu organisasi secara lancar tanpa harus menghabiskan seluruh energinya. Sangatlah mungkin membesarkan kapasitas seseorang untuk menjalankan suatu tugas, namun, melakukan lompatan yang terlalu besar akan membuat seseorang menjadi lelah dan kehilangan keberanian
Keberhasilan dan kegagalan merupakan hal yang sangat penting dalam pola pikir masyarakat. Penghargaan tidak harus selalu berwujud, penghargaan yang tidak berwujud seperti pujian, dukungan dan persetujuan dapat menjadi factor motivasi
Sebab dan akibat merupakan prinsip dasar dalam aturan alamiah. Sikap kita dalam memperlakukan orang lain akan mempengaruhi reaksi mereka terhadap kita. Untuk lebih banyak menemukan kinerja kita, kita hanya perlu mempelajari yang diberikan orang lain kepada kita.
Adalah perlu bagi seorang pemimpin untuk menjadi seorang penegak disiplin. Ada saat menjadi lembut dan baik seperti halnya, ada saat menjadi keras dan tegas
Kebutuhan seseorang terbatas, namun keinginan seseorang tak terbatas,terlalu banyak menikmati warna bisa merusak penglihatan, terlalubanyak menikmati bunyi akhia bisa merusak pendengaran, terlalu banyakmenikmati makanan bisa merusak rasa, terlalu banyak melakukan kegiatanseperti berburu, bisa merusak pikiran dan kesehatan mental, terlalubanyak mengumpulkan kekayaan membuat orang tidak merasa aman dan rusakmentalnya, jadi, orang yang hidup sederhana hanya mencari makan, bukankepuasan rasa, dia lebih suka hidup sederhana
Air akan meluap jika dituangkan terlalu penuh, selama pisau masihcukup tajam, jangan diasah lagi, pisau yang terlalu tajam akan mudahputus, orang yang mempunyai terlalu banyak barang berharga menimbulkaniri hati dan diperhatikan penjahat, berbahaya melakukan sesuatu yangberlebihan
Seringkali kita tidak dapat melihat kesalahan kita secara objektif. Orang ketiga atau orang yang lebih berpengalaman mungkin dapat membantu kita untuk melihat kekurangan kita, dan membawa kita selangkah lebih dekat kepada kesempurnaan
Kehormatan menuju kepuasan dan kekayaan menyebabkan iri hati, orang mulai berencana memenuhi keinginannya, keserakahan itu adalah penyebab utama timbulnya masalah di masyarakat kita
Alam semesta tidak memihak dan tidak mementingkan diri sendiri, semua hal diperlakukan sama, tanpa menunjukkan suka atau tidak suka pada semuanya itu, orang yang bijaksana juga tidak memihak dan tidak mementingkan diri sendiri, baginya semua sama, alam semesta seperti tungku, bagian dalamnya cekung dan karena cekung itu, alam dapat membuat apa saja, dari sini, kita dapat melihat bahwa semakin kita berusaha menjadi pandai dan produktif, semakin banyak membuat kesalahan yang mengakibatkan kegagalan, lebih baik hidup sederhana dan tenang
Yang bijaksana mendengarkan nasehat, namun mengambil keputusan sendiri setelah mempertimbangkan dengan seksama. Sambil memperhitungkan segala keadaan, mereka bertindak bijaksana dengan nalar
Dalamnya laut tidak bisa diukur, demikian juga jalan hidup seseorang,dalam mengejar ambisi, seseorang tidak tahu kapan harus berhenti,astaga ! yang diperoleh bukan kepuasaan dan kenyamanan, tapi rasatakut yang terus menerus dan bencana akan menimpannya
Orang di dunia menganggap reputasi dan keberhasilan terlalu serius,sehingga dia gelisah jika dipuji dan dihina, hidup dalam ketakuatanmendatangkan bencara, mengapa ? Di mata orang, kedudukan yang tinggidianggap mulia, membuat dia merasa lebih tinggi daripada orang lain,karena itu ada rasa takut, jika hilang, dia akan mendapatkan kesulitan
Langit adalah adil, dan tidak ada yang dikecualikan. Yang bisa menolong dirimu adalah dirimu sendiri
Semasa masih hidup orang mesti menghargai keindahan dan misteri kehidupan dari sudut pandang kehidupan. Tidaklah penting terlalu merisaukan keadaan setelah mati. Untuk hari ini hiduplah pada hari ini. Tak ada yang perlu dirisaukan tentang besok, karena besok akan datang besok
Orang tidak perlu mementingkan diri sendiri, kalau seseorang tidak mementingkan hidup atau mati, semua penghinaan dan kebaikan hati tidak menggoyahkannya dan tidak ada rasa takut
Penghinaan dianggap rendah, orang malu jika dihina, maka orang takut jika dihina atau dipandang rendah, kita mempunyai masalah besar sebab selalu memikirkan kepentingan diri sendiri, bila anda tidak mempunyai ego, apa akan mendapat bencana ? jadi seseorang tidak mementingkan diri sendiri, dunia boleh dipercayakan kepadanya
Seorang yang bijaksana seharusnya tidak berkawan dengan para pendendam, pemarah, pendengki ataupun mereka yang bergembira atas penderitaan orang lain. Sesungguhnya, bergaul dengan orang-orang yang berperilaku buruk adalah tidak menguntungkan.
Karena tiga hal orang bijaksana dapat dikenal. Apakah ketiga hal tersebut ? Orang bijaksana memandang segala kekurangannya sebagaimana adanya. Bila orang bijaksana mengetahui seuatu kekurangan, ia berusaha untuk memperbaikinya. Dan bila orang lain yang mengakui kekurangannya, orang bijaksana akan memakluminya
Semasa masih hidup orang mesti menghargai keindahan dan misteri kehidupan dari sudut pandang kehidupan. Tidaklah penting terlalu merisaukan keadaan setelah mati. Untuk hari ini hiduplah pada hari ini. Tak ada yang perlu dirisaukan tentang besok, karena besok akan datang besok (Tipitaka) sombong
The whole foundation of meditation is to make you so alertthat you can see the forming of seeds and desires and drop them.Osho
Ada enam keburukan yang akan didapat oleh seseorang penjudi. Bila menang, ia akan dibenco oleh lawannya, ia akan bersedi karena kehilangan hartanya. Kata-katanya tidak dipercaya orang. Ia tidak diterima, baik oleh teman-temannya maupun pejabat pemerintah. Ia juga tidak diterima sebagai menantu, karena masyarakat mengatakan bahwa seorang penjudi tidak dapat memberi nafkah isterinya
Ada tiga macam pikiran yang tidak bermanfaat. Ketiga macam pikiran itu adalah pikiran yang selalu mementingkan diri sendiri, pikiran yang selalu mencari keuntungan, dan pikiran yang selalu iri terhadap orang lain
Cara memerintah terbaik adalah memerintah tanpa paksaan, biarkanpenduduk mengerjakan apa yang mereka sukai dan hidup menurutkeinginannya sambil memberikan hasil yang banyak sehingga penduduktidak sadar akan apa yang telah dicapai pemerintahnya, denganmengatakan bahwa itu datang secara spontan
Pada mulanya pikirang orang jernuh, tenang dan damai, namun pikiranini seringkali menjadi gelap oleh keinginan-keinginan yang merusak,akibatnya pikiran terbawa untuk memandang segala sesuatu secara tidakbenar dan perbuatannya menjadi tidak benar pula, jadi, kita harusberusaha keras berpikiran jernih dan tenang kembali, maka kita bisamelihat secara jelas roda kehidupan dan segala sesuatu berkembangsecara alami
Kata Bijak
If those who are like wanton childrenAre by nature prone to injure others,What point is there in being angry--Like resenting fire for its heat?-Bodhicaryavatara
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
Chicken: What's Disgusting?In a box of fried chicken meat, it's considered disgusting when there is a fried chicken head in it - as if chickens should originally be headless and dismembered into nothing but fried wings, thighs and breasts. But what's really disgusting is that a chicken's head was lopped off with other parts for your fried chicken. Or is the really disgusting fact that you forgot this? What else could it be? ~shia
Vegetarianism: Primary FoodWhen vegetarian food is mentioned, it comes to the minds of many that mock meats are referred to - as if they are the primary vegetarian food. Hey! What about fruits and vegetables, nuts and legumes, grains and others? These are the real basic vegetarian foods. This means most people are already vegetarians too - some of the time at least - for few eat absolutely nothing but meat.In fact, vegetarian food is so primary that real meat and mock meat cannot exist without it. Even most animals eaten by humans are vegetarians. Even carnivorous animals eaten by humans devoured vegetarian animals. To be vegetarian is to eat and live low on the food web - to save resources, and most of all, to save more lives from unnecessary suffering.~shian
[Preceding story: Before reaching enlightenment, the Buddha was born as Prince Visvantara, who, despite facing many challenges and adversity, brought all of his heart and courage to bear against a single enemy--human suffering.] In giving we not only find wealth while in cyclic existence but we achieve the zenith of prosperity in supreme enlightenment. Therefore we all have to practice giving. A Bodhisattva's giving is not just overcoming miserliness and being generous to others; a pure wish to give is cultivated, and through developing more and more intimacy with it, such giving is enhanced infinitely.Therefore it is essential to have the firm mind of enlightenment rooted in great love and compassion and, from the depths of one's heart, to either give one's body, wealth and virtues literally to sentient beings as infinite as space, or to dedicate one's body, wealth and virtues for them while striving in all possible ways to enhance the wish to give infinitely. As mentioned in "Engaging in Bodhisattva Activities" and in "The Precious Garland," we should literally give material help to the poor and needy, give teaching to others, and give protection to them, even the small insects, as much as we can. In the case of things which we are not able to part with, we should cultivate the wish to give them away and develop more and more intimacy with that wish.--from "Generous Wisdom: Commentaries by H.H. the Dalai Lama XIV on the Jatakamala" translated by Tenzin Dorjee edited by Dexter Roberts~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Even Buddha died. His death was a teaching to shock the naive, the indolent, and the complacent, to wake us up to the truth that everything is impermanent and death an inescapable fact of life. As he was approaching death, Buddha said:Of all footprintsThat of the elephant is supreme.Of all mindfulness meditationsThat on death is supreme. Sogyal Rinpoche~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In the ordinary mind, we perceive the stream of thoughts as continuous, but in reality this is not the case. You will discover for yourself that there is a gap between each thought. When the past thought is past, and the future thought has not yet arisen, you will always find a gap in which the Rigpa, the nature of mind, is revealed. So the work of meditation is to allow thoughts to slow down, to make that gap become more and more apparent. Sogyal Rinpoche ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Visualize someone to whom you feel very close, particularly someone who is suffering and in pain. As you breathe in, imagine you take in all their suffering and pain with compassion, and as you breathe out, send your warmth, healing, love, joy, and happiness streaming out to them. Now, gradually widen the circle of your compassion to embrace first other people to whom you also feel very close, then to those about whom you feel indifferent, then to those whom you dislike or have difficulty with, then even to those whom you feel are actively monstrous and cruel. Allow your compassion to become universal, and to enfold in its embrace all sentient beings, and all beings, in fact, without any exception. Sogyal Rinpoche~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sometime, somewhere you need to take something to be the truth. But if you cling to it too strongly, then even when the truth comes in person and knocks on your door, you will not open it.
BUDDHA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the time of Buddha, there lived an old beggar woman called Relying on Joy. She used to watch the kings, princes, and people making offerings to Buddha and his disciples, and there was nothing she would have liked more than to be able to do the same. But she could only beg enough oil to fill a single lamp. However, as she placed it before Buddha she made this wish: "I have nothing to offer but this tiny lamp. But through this offering, in the future may I be blessed with the lamp of wisdom. May I free all beings from their darkness. May I purify all their obscurations, and lead them to enlightenment." That night, the oil in all the other lamps went out. But the beggar woman’s lamp was still burning at dawn, when Buddha’s great disciple Maudgalyayana came to collect the lamps. He saw no reason why one lamp was still alight and tried to snuff it out. But whatever he did, the lamp kept burning. Buddha had been watching all along, and said: "Maudgalyayana, do you want to put out that lamp? You cannot. You could not even move it, let alone put it out. If you were to pour the water from all the oceans over this lamp, it still wouldn’t go out. The water in all the rivers and lakes of the world could not extinguish it. Why not? Because this lamp was offered with devotion, and with purity of heart and mind. And that motivation has made it of tremendous benefit."Sogyal Rinpoche
Just as a writer learns the spontaneous freedom of expression only after years of often grueling study, and just as the simple grace of a dancer is achieved only with enormous, patient effort, so when you begin to understand where meditation will lead you, you will approach it as the greatest endeavor of your life, one that demands of you the deepest perseverance, enthusiasm, intelligence, and discipline. Sogyal RinpocheThere is only one way of attaining liberation and of obtaining the omniscience of enlightenment: following an authentic spiritual master. He is the guide that will help you to cross the ocean of samsara. The sun and the moon are reflected in clear, still water instantly. Similarly, the blessings of all the buddhas are always present for those who have complete confidence in them. The sun’s rays fall everywhere uniformly, but only where they are focused through a magnifying glass can they set dry grass on fire. When the all-pervading rays of the Buddha’s compassion are focused through the magnifying glass of your faith and devotion, the flame of blessings blazes up in your being.
DILGO KHYENTSE RINPOCHESince everything is but an apparition,Perfect in being what it is,Having nothing to do with good or bad,Acceptance or rejection You might as well burst out laughing! LONGCHENPA
The state we call realisation is simply being oneself,not knowing anything or becoming anything.Sri Ramana Maharshi
Fault: Whose World?So... It's not my fault!It's the world's fault.So... It's my fault!I'm part of the world too.~shian
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day Rest in natural great peaceThis exhausted mindBeaten helpless by karma and neurotic thought,Like the relentless fury of the pounding wavesIn the infinite ocean of samsara. Rest in natural great peace. ~ NYOSHUL KHEN RINPOCHE
Expectations: Wrong PerceptionZeph: This seems too sour.Seph: What did you order?Zeph: Lemon juice from the menu.Seph: But the receipt says it's calamansi lime juice.Zeph: Suddenly, this juice is okay.When we let go of expectations, things might not seem so bad.When we cling to perceptions, things might go bad. ~ shian
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day The most important thing is not to get trapped in what I see everywhere in the West, a “shopping mentality”: shopping around from master to master, teaching to teaching, without any continuity or real, sustained dedication to any one discipline. Nearly all the great spiritual masters of all traditions agree that the essential thing is to master one way, one path to the truth, by following one tradition with all your heart and mind to the end of the spiritual journey, while, of course, remaining open and respectful toward the insights of all others. In Tibet we used to say: “knowing one, you accomplish all.” The modem faddish idea that we can always keep all our options open and so never need commit ourselves to anything is one of the greatest and most dangerous delusions of our culture, and one of ego’s most effective ways of sabotaging our spiritual search.
As soon as you trust yourself,you will know how to live.
Goethe
Conquer the angry by love. Conquer the ill-natured by goodness. Conquer the miser with generosity. Conquer the liar with truth.~ The Buddha (Dhammapada)
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day At the moment of death, our state of mind is all-important. If we die in a positive frame of mind, we can improve our next birth, despite our negative karma. And if we are upset and distressed, it may have a detrimental effect, even though we may have used our lives well. This means that the last thought and emotion that we have before we die has an extremely powerful determining effect on our immediate future. This is why the masters stress that the quality of the atmosphere around us when we die is crucial. With our friends and relatives, we should do all we can to inspire positive emotions and sacred feelings, like love, compassion, and devotion, and all we can to help them to “let go of grasping, yearning, and attachment.”
Truth: Timeless StuffQ: I was wondering if the “version” of Buddhism I knew became outdated...A: Some forms of Buddhist culture might be so in time, but the timeless truth that the Buddha realised, and the path he taught that leads to the truth can never be outdated. If the truth keeps changing, no one would be able to find it! Even if we are not talking about specifically “Buddhist truth”, universal truth has to be constant - that's what makes it universal! That said, Buddhists would consider “Buddhist truth” as the same one universal truth - that all Buddhas of the past, present and future realise.~ shian
Everything is dependent on everything else,everything is connected, nothing is separate.Therefore everything is going in the only way it can go.If people were different everything would be different.They are what they are, so everything is as it is.G.I. Gurdjieff
Rebirth: Trade InMaintain your present phone well, even if you don't like it.Because if it is in a good condition, you can trade it in for good value, for a better phone.Likewise, maintain this life well, even if you don't like it.Because if it is in a good condition, you can trade it in for good value, for a better rebirth.(Giving up on life is thus a big no-no.)
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day Lifetimes of ignorance have brought us to identify the whole of our being with ego. Its greatest triumph is to inveigle us into believing its best interests are our best interests, and even into identifying our very survival with its own. This is a savage irony, considering that ego and its grasping are at the root of all our suffering. Yet, ego is so terribly convincing, and we have been its dupe for so long, that the thought that we might ever become egoless terrifies us. To be egoless, ego whispers to us, is to lose all the rich romance of being human, to be reduced to a colorless robot or a brain-dead vegetable.
Rigpa Glimpse of the DayAs you continue to meditate on compassion, when you see someone suffer, your first response becomes not mere pity but deep compassion. You feel for that person respect and even gratitude, because you now know that whoever prompts you to develop compassion by his or her suffering is in fact giving you one of the greatest gifts of all, as you are being helped to develop that very quality you need most in your progress toward enlightenment. That is why we say in Tibet that the beggar who is asking you for money, or the sick, old woman wringing your heart, may be the buddhas in disguise, manifesting on your path to help you grow in compassion and so move toward buddahood.
The whole function of meditation is to see oneself,to accept oneself,to love oneself.Osho
Worry: No PointThe 100% effective way to be free of worries:1. If worried, see 2. 2. If something can be done to resolve your worry, see 3.If nothing can be done to resolve your worry, see 4.3. Resolve your worry by doing it. If still worried, see 1.4. You have nothing worth worrying about!“If there is a way to overcome the suffering, then there is no need to worry. If there is no way to overcome the suffering, then there is no use in worrying.”
Shantideva
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day For most of us, karma and negative emotions obscure the ability to see our own intrinsic nature, and the nature of reality. As a result we clutch on to happiness and suffering as real, and in our unskillful and ignorant actions go on sowing the seeds of our next birth. Our actions keep us bound to the continuous cycle of worldly existence, to the endless round of birth and death. So everything is at risk in how we live now at this very moment: How we live now can cost us our entire future. This is the real and urgent reason why we must prepare now to meet death wisely, to transform our karmic future, and to avoid the tragedy of falling into delusion again and again and repeating the painful round of birth and death. This life is the only time and place we can prepare in, and we can only truly prepare through spiritual practice: This is the inescapable message of the natural bardo of this life.
The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance;the wise grows it under his feet.James Oppenheim
Cycle: Messiness & TidinessSara showed Sam her friend's latest blog article, which featured a photo of his messy kitchen before tidying up, and a neat “after” photo. She asked Sam why their home kitchen isn't spic and span like that. Sam pointed at both the pictures in continual alternation and said... “Don't you see? Our kitchen is already like that... at once messy, at once tidy... It's a cycle! Why be attached to only one half of the cycle while having aversion to the other? I have made peace with the two sides of messiness and tidiness! It gets tidied when too messy, and messy after being tidy. It's just the way things go - due to impermanence! It's not as if we purposely want to mess things up or let them remain messy. A totally and constantly neat kitchen is probably one that is never in use!”~ shian
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day Enlightenment for Gautama [the Buddha] felt as though a prison which had confined him for thousands of lifetimes had broken open. Ignorance had been the jailkeeper. Because of ignorance, his mind had been obscured, just like the moon and stars hidden by the storm clouds. Clouded by endless waves of deluded thoughts, the mind had falsely divided reality into subject and object, self and others, existence and non-existence, birth and death, and from these discriminations arose wrong views—the prisons of feelings, craving, grasping, and becoming. The suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death only made the prison walls thicker. The only thing to do was to seize the jailkeeper and see his true face. The jailkeeper was ignorance. . . . Once the jailkeeper was gone, the jail would disappear and never be rebuilt again. ~ THICH NHAT HANH THE BUDDHA’S ENLlGHTENMENT
The more prohibitions you have, the less virtuous people will be.The more weapons you have, the less secure people will be.Lao Tzu
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day There is no swifter, more moving, or more powerful practice for invoking the help of the enlightened beings, for arousing devotion and realizing the nature of mind, than the practice of Guru Yoga. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche wrote: “The words Guru Yoga mean ‘union with the nature of the guru,’” and in this practice we are given methods by which we can blend our own minds with the enlightened mind of the master. The master—the guru—embodies the crystallization of the blessings of all buddhas, masters, and enlightened beings. So to invoke him or her is to invoke them all; and to merge your mind and heart with your master’s wisdom mind is to merge your mind with the truth and very embodiment of enlightenment.
Truth: First to FourthCyclops tells Xorn in “New X-Men: Imperial” by Grant Morrison - “Whoa, that's better. Sometimes you just don't know how bad you feel until the feeling's gone...” Sometimes, we lose awareness of how much Dukkha (existential dissatisfaction) we are experiencing until it lessens. This gives us hope though, that the end of Dukkha (realisation of the Third Noble Truth) is possible - Nirvana. Mindfulness of the existence of Dukkha is to realise the First Noble Truth. As such, recognising Dukkha as fully as we can urges us to walk the Noble Eightfold Path (Fourth Noble Truth) realise Nirvana as soon as we can -by eliminating the causes of Dukkha (Second Noble Truth).~ shian
Rigpa Glimpse of the DayTaking impermanence truly to heart is to be slowly freed from the idea of grasping, from our flawed and destructive view of permanence, from the false passion for security on which we have built everything. Slowly it dawns on us that all the heartache we have been through from grasping at the ungraspable was, in the deepest sense, unnecessary.At the beginning this too may be painful to accept, because it seems so unfamiliar. But as we reflect, slowly our hearts and minds go through a gradual transformation. Letting go begins to feel more natural, and becomes easier and easier.It may take a long time for the extent of our foolishness to sink in, but the more we reflect, the more we develop the view of letting go. It is then that a complete shift takes place in our way of looking at everything.Karma: On & OfflineTo a friend on his difficult colleague, whom I know vaguely... “It is hard to reconcile the character differences online and offline (i.e. intimidating online; pleasant offline). I notice most people tend to be quite different in real life versus in virtual life - but they seem to forget that virtual life is really equally real. Karma operates everywhere in intentional thought, word and deed - in space or cyberspace.”~ shianRigpa Glimpse of the Day As Buddha himself was passing away, he prophesied that Padmasambhava would be born not long after his death in order to spread the teaching of the Tantras. It was Padmasambhava who established Buddhism in Tibet in the eighth century. For us Tibetans, Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche, embodies a cosmic, timeless principle; he is the universal master. I have always turned to Padmasambhava in times of difficulty and crisis, and his blessing and power have never failed me. When I think of him, all my masters are embodied in him. To me he is completely alive at all moments, and the whole universe, at each moment, shines with his beauty, strength, and presence.
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day At the time of Buddha, there lived an old beggar woman called Relying on Joy. She used to watch the kings, princes, and people making offerings to Buddha and his disciples, and there was nothing she would have liked more than to be able to do the same. But she could only beg enough oil to fill a single lamp. However, as she placed it before Buddha she made this wish: “I have nothing to offer but this tiny lamp. But through this offering, in the future may I be blessed with the lamp of wisdom. May I free all beings from their darkness. May I purify all their obscurations, and lead them to enlightenment.” That night, the oil in all the other lamps went out. But the beggar woman’s lamp was still burning at dawn, when Buddha’s great disciple Maudgalyayana came to collect the lamps. He saw no reason why one lamp was still alight and tried to snuff it out. But whatever he did, the lamp kept burning. Buddha had been watching all along, and said: “Maudgalyayana, do you want to put out that lamp? You cannot. You could not even move it, let alone put it out. If you were to pour the water from all the oceans over this lamp, it still wouldn’t go out. The water in all the rivers and lakes of the world could not extinguish it. Why not? Because this lamp was offered with devotion, and with purity of heart and mind. And that motivation has made it of tremendous benefit.”
Ego: Illusory SatisfactionThe thing that one wants the most is not necessarily that which is truly needed or even possible to attain - satisfaction of the ego. Because the ego undergoes change, that which it craves changes too. How then, can the fleeting (ego) be totally satisfied with the fleeting (desires)? If one truly believes satisfaction of the ego is possible, one might want to try - but there will be no lasting satisfaction. As such, it is wiser to give up this quest, and to strive for the True Happiness that arises from realising the truth of non-self instead.~ shian
Instead of judging, start accepting yourselfwith all the imperfections, all the frailties,all the mistakes, all the failures.Don't ask yourself to be perfect.That is simply asking something impossible,and then you are feeling frustrated.You are a human being.Osho
Always rely on just a happy frame of mind.Don't think about anything that concerns others.Abandon all hope of results.Atisha
Humility v HumiliationWith palms together, Good Morning Everyone, Last night was wonderful. We had the distinct pleasure of attending the "Red & Black Ball" introducing the Pam American Dance Institute, an aspect of the New Mexico State University's Dance Department to the Las Cruces community. Throughout this elegant evening we were treated to hors d'oeuvres, drinks, a wonderful dinner and delightful dance performances, as well as live music and dancing with Bob Burns and the Mike Caranda Orchestra. The whole affair took place on the spacious patio plaza of the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum. The dance pieces were sensuously Pan American, tango, rumba, and Flamenco, but also included modern dance renditions that were just wonderful. Toward the end of the evening we were all invited to share the dance floor! Right, just after being lifted into a near dream state by such delightful body renditions of human passion and love, I don't think so. I thought about dancing, even asked My Little Honey to dance a waltz, she declined thinking I did not know how to dance a real waltz, Sometime later I told her I actually do know how to dance this form, but by then it was too late. Besides, My Left Foot wasn't behaving. As a day wears on, My Left Foot's ability to move wears out. so, by most evenings I drag it about, sometimes walking as if I were drunk, and other times just stumbling. Last night was one of those nights. Anyway, I had a dream last night, a terrifying dream actually. It involved pieces of my life which involved public humiliation as regards my ability to physically function. I recall saying to a karate instructor (in my dream) that I was getting worse and was no longer able to use my left arm and leg at all without serious spastic consequences. As I woke, I thought about the relationship[ between humility (a positive virtue in spiritual matters) and humiliation, a not so good condition of being humbled by others. What is this? What is the relationship between "humble", "humility", and "humiliation"? They all share the same root,(L.) humilus, which means lowly, earthy, grounded and the word is related to the root Latinate for human being, humus or homo. I am wondering if we practice to allow ourself to drop away, to render ourselves as humble human beings, and we are successful, how then, can we ever be humiliated? Is the sense of humiliation, which is what I was experiencing trying to walk at the Ball last night, an indicator of practice "success" or, to be honest, a lack thereof? I don't know. Perhaps, in the end, it really doesn't matter. It is the practice itself that matters. The more we practice humility, the less vulnerable to humiliation we can be. Be well.
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day Even Buddha died. His death was a teaching to shock the naive, the indolent, and the complacent, to wake us up to the truth that everything is impermanent and death an inescapable fact of life. As he was approaching death, Buddha said: Of all footprintsThat of the elephant is supreme.Of all mindfulness meditationsThat on death is supreme.
Mistake: No RepentanceIt is a most sorry thingnot to realisehow sorry one should be.- StonepeaceFailing to realise one's mistakeis one's greatest mistake;not the making of any other mistake.- Stonepeace
Meditation is the joy to be yourself.Meditation is the courage to be yourself.Meditation will make you unique and will make you rejoice in being different from the others.Meditation is the way to be yourself.Tishan
If you know your own worthwhat need you care about the acceptance or rejection of others?Unknown
True compassion is not just an emotional response, but a firm commitment founded on reason. Therefore, a truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change, even if they behave negatively. Through universal altruism, you develop a feeling of responsibility for others: the wish to help them actively overcome their problems. ~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Consumerism: Need vs. WantJan: Is it okay for me to buy this T-shirt?San: If you need it, just buy it - there's really no need to ask me!Jan: I guess I was hoping to hear the voice of conscience from you!San: I hope you heard it loud and clear - from me - and yourself within!Reduce, reuse, recycle -Buy less and waste less; Share more and save more. ~ shian
Karma: Not LuckThe idea of bad or good luck (in terms of random chance or mysterious blessings) is overrated because the bad and good always alternate in worldly life, while the bad can indirectly lead to the good and vice versa. There is also no such thing as a definite lucky or unlucky person - because the workings of dynamic karma are mixed with the positive and the negative. Even the gods eventually take a plummet when their seemingly everlasting good karma depletes due to complacency. Taking the blessings in life for granted is as bad as taking the unfortunate stuff in life too hard. The idea of luck is as overrated as the truth of Karma is underrated! The real way to increase so-called “luck” is to increase the creation of good karma. ~ shian
we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.-Thich Nhat Hanh, "Being Peace"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day In the ordinary mind, we perceive the stream of thoughts as continuous, but in reality this is not the case. You will discover for yourself that there is a gap between each thought. When the past thought is past, and the future thought has not yet arisen, you will always find a gap in which the Rigpa, the nature of mind, is revealed. So the work of meditation is to allow thoughts to slow down, to make that gap become more and more apparent.
Karma: Seed & FruitWA: The idea of Karma is often “sold” on the understanding that one “reaps what one sows”, and the word itself is very much misused by people on the everyday level.SS: Was discussing this recently with a friend - that it's not so much of reaping what one sows, but reaping what one grows. If we reap only what we sow, there's no sense of growth, and the results are rather pointless and deterministic. E.g. If I sow an apple seed, I will reap an apple seed (and nothing else!) - because I reap exactly what I sow! The truth is, the seed is but a cause, which upon the meeting of other conditions (such as soil, air, sunlight), grows into something more than a mere seed - e.g. a sapling, a tree, more apples... It's like “karmic interest accumulation” at play - which is very different from the popular but mistaken linking of karma as the Newtonian third law of physics - that “every action has an equal and opposite reaction” - because the “reaction” is not only seldom equal, it is not always opposite too. E.g Nurturing an apple seed does not yield non-apples or “anti-apples”! ~ shian
Always rely on just a happy frame of mind.Don't think about anything that concerns others.Abandon all hope of results.Atisha
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day We have been taught to spend our lives chasing our thoughts and projections. Even when the “mind” is talked about, it is only thoughts and emotions that are referred to; and when our researchers study what they imagine to be the mind, they look only at its projections. No one ever really looks into the mind itself, the ground from which all these expressions arise; and this has tragic consequences.
How to be HappyIf you want others to be happy, practise compassion.If you want to be happy, practise compassion. ~ the Dalai Lama
No more nonsense!Lose yourself, and the hell of your heart becomes a heaven.Lose yourself, and anything can be accomplished.Hakim Sanai
Job: Right Livelihood?Q: Working in an accounting firm, there is a customer that deals with alcohol. Is my job of Right Livelihood?A: The definition of Right Livelihood includes not trading in intoxicants. It can be vague whether accounting for a company dealing with intoxicants is considered being an “accomplice”. I guess this is where you have to make a judgment yourself. The truth is, there are many jobs which are indirectly linked to wrong livelihoods, and different Buddhists have different personal yardsticks to consider whether they are seriously implicated enough. That said, it is best to steer as far away from indirect links to wrong livelihoods as possible.Q: How about accounting for a meat wholesaler?A: This would be the same as the above – up to you to decide. Does accounting for such firms support their business? The nature of worldly life is interconnected. This is one reason why serious Buddhists become monastics – so as to be not linked at all to any unskillful livelihoods. It is possible to be less linked by a change of occupation – though this can prove very challenging to one's comfort zone. I’m sorry if the answers above seem unsubstantial. (For me personally, I would try to choose my clients – if possible. If this is not possible, I would change my job. But that’s just me.)~ shian
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day There are rough as well as gentle waves in the ocean; strong emotions come, like anger, desire, jealousy. The real practitioner recognizes them not as a disturbance or an obstacle but as a great opportunity. The fact that you react to arisings such as these with habitual tendencies of attachment and aversion is a sign not only that you are distracted but that you do not have the recognition and have lost the ground of Rigpa. To react to emotions in this way empowers them and binds you even tighter in the chains of delusion. The great secret of Dzogchen is to see right through them, as soon as they arise, to what they really are: the vivid and electric manifestation of the energy of Rigpa itself. As you gradually learn to do this, even the most turbulent emotions fail to seize hold of you and instead dissolve, as wild waves rise and rear and sink back into the calm of the ocean.
Spirit: Grave IssueQ: If the grave of an ancestor is not taken care of e.g. with shrubs growing all over, will it affect the descendants? Some say it is bad for the ancestor too.A: It would be “bad” for the ancestor if he/she is living in the grave or is attached to its “welfare”. This might be the case if the deceased is a wandering spirit, who sees the grave as home. Linked to the above, if would be bad for the descendants if the deceased is unhappy that the tomb is not tended well, thus possibly disturbing the descendants in person. That said, most of the deceased are reborn within 49 days of death. Only those who are not become wandering spirits. It is much more important to be good or filial to the person when the person is alive, and to do good and prayers in the name of the deceased to dedicate merits for him/her to have a better rebirth. It is also good too, to discourage attachment to the idea that the grave, urn or ancestral tablet is the final resting place for the deceased. This might lead one to be a wandering spirit hanging around the above - which is ultimately unfruitful for spiritual progress.
Let your actions be like clouds going by; the clouds going by are mindless. Let your stillness be as the valley spirit; the valley spirit is undying. When action accompanies stillness and stillness combines with action, then the duality of action and stillness no longer arises.-Pei-chien
From "Teachings of Zen", edited by Thomas Cleary, © 1998. By arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston, www.shambhala.com.
Karma: Fated Sickness?Q: If one has much sickness throughout life, does it mean one has too much bad karma, that this life is to pay off for the evil done in past lives?A: What this life is for is up to us. There is no need to see a life of suffering as being for the experiencing of bad karma only. It is more fruitful to see this life as a chance to accumulate good karma by doing good, even if it proves challenging, and to work towards enlightenment.Q: As it is not easy to be reborn a human, every single lifetime is thus important. If one falls sick frequently, isn't it a wasted life?A: It is not easy to be reborn human. To be human from life to life, one should observe the five precepts. While a person is sick, one can still observe the precepts, do good, and learn the Dharma too. It should not be wasted or seen as wasted.Q: What can one do to clear off bad karma?A: Do as much good as possible to benefit others. For sicknesses, other than taking proper medication and maintaining good health, animal liberation is recommended. Q: A fortune-teller once told me that my life is fated to always fall sick. What can I do?A: You should read the “Four Lessons of Liao Fan” to understand how Buddhism sees life and karma - as dynamic and in your control; not fatalistic - http://www.buddhanet.net/liaofans.htm - It is a true story of a man who turned his whole life around after being “accurately” told his ill fortune for life. ~ shian
The enlightened mind is like an unceasing flow and has no fixed abode.It does not identify itself with things and therefore there is noattachment.Such a mind is a liberated mind.Huineng
Prayers: Say What?Q: During prayers, what should we think or say? Do the enlightened (Buddhas and Bodhisattvas) hear all our prayers? Do they fulfill our wishes or is it our own merits that fulfill our wishes?A: We can contemplate anything positive. Many would wish well-being for others and oneself. As long as the spiritual goal of improving ourselves to help others better is kept in mind, this is okay. Yes, the enlightened are mindful of all who are mindful of them. Our merits can bear fruits through the assistance of those around us, including the enlightened. Reverencing the enlightened itself is meritorious too. The more selfless we are, the more are they able to help - as we would be more “in sync” with their selfless nature.~ shian
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day There are those who look on death with a naive, thoughtless cheerfulness, thinking that for some unknown reason death will work out all right for them, and that it is nothing to worry about. When I think of them, I am reminded of what one Tibetan master says: “People often make the mistake of being frivolous about death and think, ‘Oh well, death happens to everybody. It’s not a big deal, it’s natural. I’ll be fine.’” That’s a nice theory until one is dying.
Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrity.The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlesslysubmit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses hisintelligence.Albert Einstein
How to be Free of WorryIf you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying? ~ Shantideva
How to be Free of GreedHealth is the highest gain. [Not material things]Contentment is the greatest wealth. [Not money] The trustworthy are the best kinsmen. [Not always family]Nirvana is the highest bliss. [Not worldly happiness]- The BuddhaHow to be GenerousIf beings knew, as I know, the fruit of sharing gifts,they would not enjoy their use without sharing them,nor would the taint of stinginess obsess the heart and stay there.Even if it were their last bit, their last morsel of food,they would not enjoy its use without sharing it,if there were anyone to receive it.
The Buddha
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day Even within the human realm, all of us have our own individual karma. Human beings look much the same, but we perceive things utterly differently, and we each live in our own unique, separate, individual world. As Kalu Rinpoche says: “If a hundred people sleep and dream, each of them will experience a different world in his dream. Everyone’s dream might be said to be true, but it would be meaningless to ascertain that only one person’s dream was the true world and all others were fallacies. There is truth for each perceiver according to the karmic patterns conditioning his perceptions.”
It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others.If you succeed in judging yourself rightly,then you are indeed a man of true wisdom.A. de Saint Exupery
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day If all we know of mind is the aspect of mind that dissolves when we die, we will be left with no idea of what continues, no knowledge of the new dimension of the deeper reality of the nature of mind. So it is vital for us all to familiarize ourselves with the nature of mind while we are still alive. Only then will we be prepared for the time when it reveals itself spontaneously and powerfully at the moment of death; be able to recognize it “as naturally,” the teachings say, “as a child running into its mother’s lap”; and by remaining in that state, finally be liberated.
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
Chicken: What's Disgusting?In a box of fried chicken meat, it's considered disgusting when there is a fried chicken head in it - as if chickens should originally be headless and dismembered into nothing but fried wings, thighs and breasts. But what's really disgusting is that a chicken's head was lopped off with other parts for your fried chicken. Or is the really disgusting fact that you forgot this? What else could it be? ~shia
Vegetarianism: Primary FoodWhen vegetarian food is mentioned, it comes to the minds of many that mock meats are referred to - as if they are the primary vegetarian food. Hey! What about fruits and vegetables, nuts and legumes, grains and others? These are the real basic vegetarian foods. This means most people are already vegetarians too - some of the time at least - for few eat absolutely nothing but meat.In fact, vegetarian food is so primary that real meat and mock meat cannot exist without it. Even most animals eaten by humans are vegetarians. Even carnivorous animals eaten by humans devoured vegetarian animals. To be vegetarian is to eat and live low on the food web - to save resources, and most of all, to save more lives from unnecessary suffering.~shian
[Preceding story: Before reaching enlightenment, the Buddha was born as Prince Visvantara, who, despite facing many challenges and adversity, brought all of his heart and courage to bear against a single enemy--human suffering.] In giving we not only find wealth while in cyclic existence but we achieve the zenith of prosperity in supreme enlightenment. Therefore we all have to practice giving. A Bodhisattva's giving is not just overcoming miserliness and being generous to others; a pure wish to give is cultivated, and through developing more and more intimacy with it, such giving is enhanced infinitely.Therefore it is essential to have the firm mind of enlightenment rooted in great love and compassion and, from the depths of one's heart, to either give one's body, wealth and virtues literally to sentient beings as infinite as space, or to dedicate one's body, wealth and virtues for them while striving in all possible ways to enhance the wish to give infinitely. As mentioned in "Engaging in Bodhisattva Activities" and in "The Precious Garland," we should literally give material help to the poor and needy, give teaching to others, and give protection to them, even the small insects, as much as we can. In the case of things which we are not able to part with, we should cultivate the wish to give them away and develop more and more intimacy with that wish.--from "Generous Wisdom: Commentaries by H.H. the Dalai Lama XIV on the Jatakamala" translated by Tenzin Dorjee edited by Dexter Roberts~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Even Buddha died. His death was a teaching to shock the naive, the indolent, and the complacent, to wake us up to the truth that everything is impermanent and death an inescapable fact of life. As he was approaching death, Buddha said:Of all footprintsThat of the elephant is supreme.Of all mindfulness meditationsThat on death is supreme. Sogyal Rinpoche~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In the ordinary mind, we perceive the stream of thoughts as continuous, but in reality this is not the case. You will discover for yourself that there is a gap between each thought. When the past thought is past, and the future thought has not yet arisen, you will always find a gap in which the Rigpa, the nature of mind, is revealed. So the work of meditation is to allow thoughts to slow down, to make that gap become more and more apparent. Sogyal Rinpoche ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Visualize someone to whom you feel very close, particularly someone who is suffering and in pain. As you breathe in, imagine you take in all their suffering and pain with compassion, and as you breathe out, send your warmth, healing, love, joy, and happiness streaming out to them. Now, gradually widen the circle of your compassion to embrace first other people to whom you also feel very close, then to those about whom you feel indifferent, then to those whom you dislike or have difficulty with, then even to those whom you feel are actively monstrous and cruel. Allow your compassion to become universal, and to enfold in its embrace all sentient beings, and all beings, in fact, without any exception. Sogyal Rinpoche~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sometime, somewhere you need to take something to be the truth. But if you cling to it too strongly, then even when the truth comes in person and knocks on your door, you will not open it.
BUDDHA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the time of Buddha, there lived an old beggar woman called Relying on Joy. She used to watch the kings, princes, and people making offerings to Buddha and his disciples, and there was nothing she would have liked more than to be able to do the same. But she could only beg enough oil to fill a single lamp. However, as she placed it before Buddha she made this wish: "I have nothing to offer but this tiny lamp. But through this offering, in the future may I be blessed with the lamp of wisdom. May I free all beings from their darkness. May I purify all their obscurations, and lead them to enlightenment." That night, the oil in all the other lamps went out. But the beggar woman’s lamp was still burning at dawn, when Buddha’s great disciple Maudgalyayana came to collect the lamps. He saw no reason why one lamp was still alight and tried to snuff it out. But whatever he did, the lamp kept burning. Buddha had been watching all along, and said: "Maudgalyayana, do you want to put out that lamp? You cannot. You could not even move it, let alone put it out. If you were to pour the water from all the oceans over this lamp, it still wouldn’t go out. The water in all the rivers and lakes of the world could not extinguish it. Why not? Because this lamp was offered with devotion, and with purity of heart and mind. And that motivation has made it of tremendous benefit."Sogyal Rinpoche
Just as a writer learns the spontaneous freedom of expression only after years of often grueling study, and just as the simple grace of a dancer is achieved only with enormous, patient effort, so when you begin to understand where meditation will lead you, you will approach it as the greatest endeavor of your life, one that demands of you the deepest perseverance, enthusiasm, intelligence, and discipline. Sogyal RinpocheThere is only one way of attaining liberation and of obtaining the omniscience of enlightenment: following an authentic spiritual master. He is the guide that will help you to cross the ocean of samsara. The sun and the moon are reflected in clear, still water instantly. Similarly, the blessings of all the buddhas are always present for those who have complete confidence in them. The sun’s rays fall everywhere uniformly, but only where they are focused through a magnifying glass can they set dry grass on fire. When the all-pervading rays of the Buddha’s compassion are focused through the magnifying glass of your faith and devotion, the flame of blessings blazes up in your being.
DILGO KHYENTSE RINPOCHESince everything is but an apparition,Perfect in being what it is,Having nothing to do with good or bad,Acceptance or rejection You might as well burst out laughing! LONGCHENPA
The state we call realisation is simply being oneself,not knowing anything or becoming anything.Sri Ramana Maharshi
Fault: Whose World?So... It's not my fault!It's the world's fault.So... It's my fault!I'm part of the world too.~shian
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day Rest in natural great peaceThis exhausted mindBeaten helpless by karma and neurotic thought,Like the relentless fury of the pounding wavesIn the infinite ocean of samsara. Rest in natural great peace. ~ NYOSHUL KHEN RINPOCHE
Expectations: Wrong PerceptionZeph: This seems too sour.Seph: What did you order?Zeph: Lemon juice from the menu.Seph: But the receipt says it's calamansi lime juice.Zeph: Suddenly, this juice is okay.When we let go of expectations, things might not seem so bad.When we cling to perceptions, things might go bad. ~ shian
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day The most important thing is not to get trapped in what I see everywhere in the West, a “shopping mentality”: shopping around from master to master, teaching to teaching, without any continuity or real, sustained dedication to any one discipline. Nearly all the great spiritual masters of all traditions agree that the essential thing is to master one way, one path to the truth, by following one tradition with all your heart and mind to the end of the spiritual journey, while, of course, remaining open and respectful toward the insights of all others. In Tibet we used to say: “knowing one, you accomplish all.” The modem faddish idea that we can always keep all our options open and so never need commit ourselves to anything is one of the greatest and most dangerous delusions of our culture, and one of ego’s most effective ways of sabotaging our spiritual search.
As soon as you trust yourself,you will know how to live.
Goethe
Conquer the angry by love. Conquer the ill-natured by goodness. Conquer the miser with generosity. Conquer the liar with truth.~ The Buddha (Dhammapada)
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day At the moment of death, our state of mind is all-important. If we die in a positive frame of mind, we can improve our next birth, despite our negative karma. And if we are upset and distressed, it may have a detrimental effect, even though we may have used our lives well. This means that the last thought and emotion that we have before we die has an extremely powerful determining effect on our immediate future. This is why the masters stress that the quality of the atmosphere around us when we die is crucial. With our friends and relatives, we should do all we can to inspire positive emotions and sacred feelings, like love, compassion, and devotion, and all we can to help them to “let go of grasping, yearning, and attachment.”
Truth: Timeless StuffQ: I was wondering if the “version” of Buddhism I knew became outdated...A: Some forms of Buddhist culture might be so in time, but the timeless truth that the Buddha realised, and the path he taught that leads to the truth can never be outdated. If the truth keeps changing, no one would be able to find it! Even if we are not talking about specifically “Buddhist truth”, universal truth has to be constant - that's what makes it universal! That said, Buddhists would consider “Buddhist truth” as the same one universal truth - that all Buddhas of the past, present and future realise.~ shian
Everything is dependent on everything else,everything is connected, nothing is separate.Therefore everything is going in the only way it can go.If people were different everything would be different.They are what they are, so everything is as it is.G.I. Gurdjieff
Rebirth: Trade InMaintain your present phone well, even if you don't like it.Because if it is in a good condition, you can trade it in for good value, for a better phone.Likewise, maintain this life well, even if you don't like it.Because if it is in a good condition, you can trade it in for good value, for a better rebirth.(Giving up on life is thus a big no-no.)
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day Lifetimes of ignorance have brought us to identify the whole of our being with ego. Its greatest triumph is to inveigle us into believing its best interests are our best interests, and even into identifying our very survival with its own. This is a savage irony, considering that ego and its grasping are at the root of all our suffering. Yet, ego is so terribly convincing, and we have been its dupe for so long, that the thought that we might ever become egoless terrifies us. To be egoless, ego whispers to us, is to lose all the rich romance of being human, to be reduced to a colorless robot or a brain-dead vegetable.
Rigpa Glimpse of the DayAs you continue to meditate on compassion, when you see someone suffer, your first response becomes not mere pity but deep compassion. You feel for that person respect and even gratitude, because you now know that whoever prompts you to develop compassion by his or her suffering is in fact giving you one of the greatest gifts of all, as you are being helped to develop that very quality you need most in your progress toward enlightenment. That is why we say in Tibet that the beggar who is asking you for money, or the sick, old woman wringing your heart, may be the buddhas in disguise, manifesting on your path to help you grow in compassion and so move toward buddahood.
The whole function of meditation is to see oneself,to accept oneself,to love oneself.Osho
Worry: No PointThe 100% effective way to be free of worries:1. If worried, see 2. 2. If something can be done to resolve your worry, see 3.If nothing can be done to resolve your worry, see 4.3. Resolve your worry by doing it. If still worried, see 1.4. You have nothing worth worrying about!“If there is a way to overcome the suffering, then there is no need to worry. If there is no way to overcome the suffering, then there is no use in worrying.”
Shantideva
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day For most of us, karma and negative emotions obscure the ability to see our own intrinsic nature, and the nature of reality. As a result we clutch on to happiness and suffering as real, and in our unskillful and ignorant actions go on sowing the seeds of our next birth. Our actions keep us bound to the continuous cycle of worldly existence, to the endless round of birth and death. So everything is at risk in how we live now at this very moment: How we live now can cost us our entire future. This is the real and urgent reason why we must prepare now to meet death wisely, to transform our karmic future, and to avoid the tragedy of falling into delusion again and again and repeating the painful round of birth and death. This life is the only time and place we can prepare in, and we can only truly prepare through spiritual practice: This is the inescapable message of the natural bardo of this life.
The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance;the wise grows it under his feet.James Oppenheim
Cycle: Messiness & TidinessSara showed Sam her friend's latest blog article, which featured a photo of his messy kitchen before tidying up, and a neat “after” photo. She asked Sam why their home kitchen isn't spic and span like that. Sam pointed at both the pictures in continual alternation and said... “Don't you see? Our kitchen is already like that... at once messy, at once tidy... It's a cycle! Why be attached to only one half of the cycle while having aversion to the other? I have made peace with the two sides of messiness and tidiness! It gets tidied when too messy, and messy after being tidy. It's just the way things go - due to impermanence! It's not as if we purposely want to mess things up or let them remain messy. A totally and constantly neat kitchen is probably one that is never in use!”~ shian
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day Enlightenment for Gautama [the Buddha] felt as though a prison which had confined him for thousands of lifetimes had broken open. Ignorance had been the jailkeeper. Because of ignorance, his mind had been obscured, just like the moon and stars hidden by the storm clouds. Clouded by endless waves of deluded thoughts, the mind had falsely divided reality into subject and object, self and others, existence and non-existence, birth and death, and from these discriminations arose wrong views—the prisons of feelings, craving, grasping, and becoming. The suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death only made the prison walls thicker. The only thing to do was to seize the jailkeeper and see his true face. The jailkeeper was ignorance. . . . Once the jailkeeper was gone, the jail would disappear and never be rebuilt again. ~ THICH NHAT HANH THE BUDDHA’S ENLlGHTENMENT
The more prohibitions you have, the less virtuous people will be.The more weapons you have, the less secure people will be.Lao Tzu
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day There is no swifter, more moving, or more powerful practice for invoking the help of the enlightened beings, for arousing devotion and realizing the nature of mind, than the practice of Guru Yoga. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche wrote: “The words Guru Yoga mean ‘union with the nature of the guru,’” and in this practice we are given methods by which we can blend our own minds with the enlightened mind of the master. The master—the guru—embodies the crystallization of the blessings of all buddhas, masters, and enlightened beings. So to invoke him or her is to invoke them all; and to merge your mind and heart with your master’s wisdom mind is to merge your mind with the truth and very embodiment of enlightenment.
Truth: First to FourthCyclops tells Xorn in “New X-Men: Imperial” by Grant Morrison - “Whoa, that's better. Sometimes you just don't know how bad you feel until the feeling's gone...” Sometimes, we lose awareness of how much Dukkha (existential dissatisfaction) we are experiencing until it lessens. This gives us hope though, that the end of Dukkha (realisation of the Third Noble Truth) is possible - Nirvana. Mindfulness of the existence of Dukkha is to realise the First Noble Truth. As such, recognising Dukkha as fully as we can urges us to walk the Noble Eightfold Path (Fourth Noble Truth) realise Nirvana as soon as we can -by eliminating the causes of Dukkha (Second Noble Truth).~ shian
Rigpa Glimpse of the DayTaking impermanence truly to heart is to be slowly freed from the idea of grasping, from our flawed and destructive view of permanence, from the false passion for security on which we have built everything. Slowly it dawns on us that all the heartache we have been through from grasping at the ungraspable was, in the deepest sense, unnecessary.At the beginning this too may be painful to accept, because it seems so unfamiliar. But as we reflect, slowly our hearts and minds go through a gradual transformation. Letting go begins to feel more natural, and becomes easier and easier.It may take a long time for the extent of our foolishness to sink in, but the more we reflect, the more we develop the view of letting go. It is then that a complete shift takes place in our way of looking at everything.Karma: On & OfflineTo a friend on his difficult colleague, whom I know vaguely... “It is hard to reconcile the character differences online and offline (i.e. intimidating online; pleasant offline). I notice most people tend to be quite different in real life versus in virtual life - but they seem to forget that virtual life is really equally real. Karma operates everywhere in intentional thought, word and deed - in space or cyberspace.”~ shianRigpa Glimpse of the Day As Buddha himself was passing away, he prophesied that Padmasambhava would be born not long after his death in order to spread the teaching of the Tantras. It was Padmasambhava who established Buddhism in Tibet in the eighth century. For us Tibetans, Padmasambhava, Guru Rinpoche, embodies a cosmic, timeless principle; he is the universal master. I have always turned to Padmasambhava in times of difficulty and crisis, and his blessing and power have never failed me. When I think of him, all my masters are embodied in him. To me he is completely alive at all moments, and the whole universe, at each moment, shines with his beauty, strength, and presence.
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day At the time of Buddha, there lived an old beggar woman called Relying on Joy. She used to watch the kings, princes, and people making offerings to Buddha and his disciples, and there was nothing she would have liked more than to be able to do the same. But she could only beg enough oil to fill a single lamp. However, as she placed it before Buddha she made this wish: “I have nothing to offer but this tiny lamp. But through this offering, in the future may I be blessed with the lamp of wisdom. May I free all beings from their darkness. May I purify all their obscurations, and lead them to enlightenment.” That night, the oil in all the other lamps went out. But the beggar woman’s lamp was still burning at dawn, when Buddha’s great disciple Maudgalyayana came to collect the lamps. He saw no reason why one lamp was still alight and tried to snuff it out. But whatever he did, the lamp kept burning. Buddha had been watching all along, and said: “Maudgalyayana, do you want to put out that lamp? You cannot. You could not even move it, let alone put it out. If you were to pour the water from all the oceans over this lamp, it still wouldn’t go out. The water in all the rivers and lakes of the world could not extinguish it. Why not? Because this lamp was offered with devotion, and with purity of heart and mind. And that motivation has made it of tremendous benefit.”
Ego: Illusory SatisfactionThe thing that one wants the most is not necessarily that which is truly needed or even possible to attain - satisfaction of the ego. Because the ego undergoes change, that which it craves changes too. How then, can the fleeting (ego) be totally satisfied with the fleeting (desires)? If one truly believes satisfaction of the ego is possible, one might want to try - but there will be no lasting satisfaction. As such, it is wiser to give up this quest, and to strive for the True Happiness that arises from realising the truth of non-self instead.~ shian
Instead of judging, start accepting yourselfwith all the imperfections, all the frailties,all the mistakes, all the failures.Don't ask yourself to be perfect.That is simply asking something impossible,and then you are feeling frustrated.You are a human being.Osho
Always rely on just a happy frame of mind.Don't think about anything that concerns others.Abandon all hope of results.Atisha
Humility v HumiliationWith palms together, Good Morning Everyone, Last night was wonderful. We had the distinct pleasure of attending the "Red & Black Ball" introducing the Pam American Dance Institute, an aspect of the New Mexico State University's Dance Department to the Las Cruces community. Throughout this elegant evening we were treated to hors d'oeuvres, drinks, a wonderful dinner and delightful dance performances, as well as live music and dancing with Bob Burns and the Mike Caranda Orchestra. The whole affair took place on the spacious patio plaza of the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum. The dance pieces were sensuously Pan American, tango, rumba, and Flamenco, but also included modern dance renditions that were just wonderful. Toward the end of the evening we were all invited to share the dance floor! Right, just after being lifted into a near dream state by such delightful body renditions of human passion and love, I don't think so. I thought about dancing, even asked My Little Honey to dance a waltz, she declined thinking I did not know how to dance a real waltz, Sometime later I told her I actually do know how to dance this form, but by then it was too late. Besides, My Left Foot wasn't behaving. As a day wears on, My Left Foot's ability to move wears out. so, by most evenings I drag it about, sometimes walking as if I were drunk, and other times just stumbling. Last night was one of those nights. Anyway, I had a dream last night, a terrifying dream actually. It involved pieces of my life which involved public humiliation as regards my ability to physically function. I recall saying to a karate instructor (in my dream) that I was getting worse and was no longer able to use my left arm and leg at all without serious spastic consequences. As I woke, I thought about the relationship[ between humility (a positive virtue in spiritual matters) and humiliation, a not so good condition of being humbled by others. What is this? What is the relationship between "humble", "humility", and "humiliation"? They all share the same root,(L.) humilus, which means lowly, earthy, grounded and the word is related to the root Latinate for human being, humus or homo. I am wondering if we practice to allow ourself to drop away, to render ourselves as humble human beings, and we are successful, how then, can we ever be humiliated? Is the sense of humiliation, which is what I was experiencing trying to walk at the Ball last night, an indicator of practice "success" or, to be honest, a lack thereof? I don't know. Perhaps, in the end, it really doesn't matter. It is the practice itself that matters. The more we practice humility, the less vulnerable to humiliation we can be. Be well.
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day Even Buddha died. His death was a teaching to shock the naive, the indolent, and the complacent, to wake us up to the truth that everything is impermanent and death an inescapable fact of life. As he was approaching death, Buddha said: Of all footprintsThat of the elephant is supreme.Of all mindfulness meditationsThat on death is supreme.
Mistake: No RepentanceIt is a most sorry thingnot to realisehow sorry one should be.- StonepeaceFailing to realise one's mistakeis one's greatest mistake;not the making of any other mistake.- Stonepeace
Meditation is the joy to be yourself.Meditation is the courage to be yourself.Meditation will make you unique and will make you rejoice in being different from the others.Meditation is the way to be yourself.Tishan
If you know your own worthwhat need you care about the acceptance or rejection of others?Unknown
True compassion is not just an emotional response, but a firm commitment founded on reason. Therefore, a truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change, even if they behave negatively. Through universal altruism, you develop a feeling of responsibility for others: the wish to help them actively overcome their problems. ~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Consumerism: Need vs. WantJan: Is it okay for me to buy this T-shirt?San: If you need it, just buy it - there's really no need to ask me!Jan: I guess I was hoping to hear the voice of conscience from you!San: I hope you heard it loud and clear - from me - and yourself within!Reduce, reuse, recycle -Buy less and waste less; Share more and save more. ~ shian
Karma: Not LuckThe idea of bad or good luck (in terms of random chance or mysterious blessings) is overrated because the bad and good always alternate in worldly life, while the bad can indirectly lead to the good and vice versa. There is also no such thing as a definite lucky or unlucky person - because the workings of dynamic karma are mixed with the positive and the negative. Even the gods eventually take a plummet when their seemingly everlasting good karma depletes due to complacency. Taking the blessings in life for granted is as bad as taking the unfortunate stuff in life too hard. The idea of luck is as overrated as the truth of Karma is underrated! The real way to increase so-called “luck” is to increase the creation of good karma. ~ shian
we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.-Thich Nhat Hanh, "Being Peace"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day In the ordinary mind, we perceive the stream of thoughts as continuous, but in reality this is not the case. You will discover for yourself that there is a gap between each thought. When the past thought is past, and the future thought has not yet arisen, you will always find a gap in which the Rigpa, the nature of mind, is revealed. So the work of meditation is to allow thoughts to slow down, to make that gap become more and more apparent.
Karma: Seed & FruitWA: The idea of Karma is often “sold” on the understanding that one “reaps what one sows”, and the word itself is very much misused by people on the everyday level.SS: Was discussing this recently with a friend - that it's not so much of reaping what one sows, but reaping what one grows. If we reap only what we sow, there's no sense of growth, and the results are rather pointless and deterministic. E.g. If I sow an apple seed, I will reap an apple seed (and nothing else!) - because I reap exactly what I sow! The truth is, the seed is but a cause, which upon the meeting of other conditions (such as soil, air, sunlight), grows into something more than a mere seed - e.g. a sapling, a tree, more apples... It's like “karmic interest accumulation” at play - which is very different from the popular but mistaken linking of karma as the Newtonian third law of physics - that “every action has an equal and opposite reaction” - because the “reaction” is not only seldom equal, it is not always opposite too. E.g Nurturing an apple seed does not yield non-apples or “anti-apples”! ~ shian
Always rely on just a happy frame of mind.Don't think about anything that concerns others.Abandon all hope of results.Atisha
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day We have been taught to spend our lives chasing our thoughts and projections. Even when the “mind” is talked about, it is only thoughts and emotions that are referred to; and when our researchers study what they imagine to be the mind, they look only at its projections. No one ever really looks into the mind itself, the ground from which all these expressions arise; and this has tragic consequences.
How to be HappyIf you want others to be happy, practise compassion.If you want to be happy, practise compassion. ~ the Dalai Lama
No more nonsense!Lose yourself, and the hell of your heart becomes a heaven.Lose yourself, and anything can be accomplished.Hakim Sanai
Job: Right Livelihood?Q: Working in an accounting firm, there is a customer that deals with alcohol. Is my job of Right Livelihood?A: The definition of Right Livelihood includes not trading in intoxicants. It can be vague whether accounting for a company dealing with intoxicants is considered being an “accomplice”. I guess this is where you have to make a judgment yourself. The truth is, there are many jobs which are indirectly linked to wrong livelihoods, and different Buddhists have different personal yardsticks to consider whether they are seriously implicated enough. That said, it is best to steer as far away from indirect links to wrong livelihoods as possible.Q: How about accounting for a meat wholesaler?A: This would be the same as the above – up to you to decide. Does accounting for such firms support their business? The nature of worldly life is interconnected. This is one reason why serious Buddhists become monastics – so as to be not linked at all to any unskillful livelihoods. It is possible to be less linked by a change of occupation – though this can prove very challenging to one's comfort zone. I’m sorry if the answers above seem unsubstantial. (For me personally, I would try to choose my clients – if possible. If this is not possible, I would change my job. But that’s just me.)~ shian
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day There are rough as well as gentle waves in the ocean; strong emotions come, like anger, desire, jealousy. The real practitioner recognizes them not as a disturbance or an obstacle but as a great opportunity. The fact that you react to arisings such as these with habitual tendencies of attachment and aversion is a sign not only that you are distracted but that you do not have the recognition and have lost the ground of Rigpa. To react to emotions in this way empowers them and binds you even tighter in the chains of delusion. The great secret of Dzogchen is to see right through them, as soon as they arise, to what they really are: the vivid and electric manifestation of the energy of Rigpa itself. As you gradually learn to do this, even the most turbulent emotions fail to seize hold of you and instead dissolve, as wild waves rise and rear and sink back into the calm of the ocean.
Spirit: Grave IssueQ: If the grave of an ancestor is not taken care of e.g. with shrubs growing all over, will it affect the descendants? Some say it is bad for the ancestor too.A: It would be “bad” for the ancestor if he/she is living in the grave or is attached to its “welfare”. This might be the case if the deceased is a wandering spirit, who sees the grave as home. Linked to the above, if would be bad for the descendants if the deceased is unhappy that the tomb is not tended well, thus possibly disturbing the descendants in person. That said, most of the deceased are reborn within 49 days of death. Only those who are not become wandering spirits. It is much more important to be good or filial to the person when the person is alive, and to do good and prayers in the name of the deceased to dedicate merits for him/her to have a better rebirth. It is also good too, to discourage attachment to the idea that the grave, urn or ancestral tablet is the final resting place for the deceased. This might lead one to be a wandering spirit hanging around the above - which is ultimately unfruitful for spiritual progress.
Let your actions be like clouds going by; the clouds going by are mindless. Let your stillness be as the valley spirit; the valley spirit is undying. When action accompanies stillness and stillness combines with action, then the duality of action and stillness no longer arises.-Pei-chien
From "Teachings of Zen", edited by Thomas Cleary, © 1998. By arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston, www.shambhala.com.
Karma: Fated Sickness?Q: If one has much sickness throughout life, does it mean one has too much bad karma, that this life is to pay off for the evil done in past lives?A: What this life is for is up to us. There is no need to see a life of suffering as being for the experiencing of bad karma only. It is more fruitful to see this life as a chance to accumulate good karma by doing good, even if it proves challenging, and to work towards enlightenment.Q: As it is not easy to be reborn a human, every single lifetime is thus important. If one falls sick frequently, isn't it a wasted life?A: It is not easy to be reborn human. To be human from life to life, one should observe the five precepts. While a person is sick, one can still observe the precepts, do good, and learn the Dharma too. It should not be wasted or seen as wasted.Q: What can one do to clear off bad karma?A: Do as much good as possible to benefit others. For sicknesses, other than taking proper medication and maintaining good health, animal liberation is recommended. Q: A fortune-teller once told me that my life is fated to always fall sick. What can I do?A: You should read the “Four Lessons of Liao Fan” to understand how Buddhism sees life and karma - as dynamic and in your control; not fatalistic - http://www.buddhanet.net/liaofans.htm - It is a true story of a man who turned his whole life around after being “accurately” told his ill fortune for life. ~ shian
The enlightened mind is like an unceasing flow and has no fixed abode.It does not identify itself with things and therefore there is noattachment.Such a mind is a liberated mind.Huineng
Prayers: Say What?Q: During prayers, what should we think or say? Do the enlightened (Buddhas and Bodhisattvas) hear all our prayers? Do they fulfill our wishes or is it our own merits that fulfill our wishes?A: We can contemplate anything positive. Many would wish well-being for others and oneself. As long as the spiritual goal of improving ourselves to help others better is kept in mind, this is okay. Yes, the enlightened are mindful of all who are mindful of them. Our merits can bear fruits through the assistance of those around us, including the enlightened. Reverencing the enlightened itself is meritorious too. The more selfless we are, the more are they able to help - as we would be more “in sync” with their selfless nature.~ shian
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day There are those who look on death with a naive, thoughtless cheerfulness, thinking that for some unknown reason death will work out all right for them, and that it is nothing to worry about. When I think of them, I am reminded of what one Tibetan master says: “People often make the mistake of being frivolous about death and think, ‘Oh well, death happens to everybody. It’s not a big deal, it’s natural. I’ll be fine.’” That’s a nice theory until one is dying.
Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrity.The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlesslysubmit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses hisintelligence.Albert Einstein
How to be Free of WorryIf you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying? ~ Shantideva
How to be Free of GreedHealth is the highest gain. [Not material things]Contentment is the greatest wealth. [Not money] The trustworthy are the best kinsmen. [Not always family]Nirvana is the highest bliss. [Not worldly happiness]- The BuddhaHow to be GenerousIf beings knew, as I know, the fruit of sharing gifts,they would not enjoy their use without sharing them,nor would the taint of stinginess obsess the heart and stay there.Even if it were their last bit, their last morsel of food,they would not enjoy its use without sharing it,if there were anyone to receive it.
The Buddha
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day Even within the human realm, all of us have our own individual karma. Human beings look much the same, but we perceive things utterly differently, and we each live in our own unique, separate, individual world. As Kalu Rinpoche says: “If a hundred people sleep and dream, each of them will experience a different world in his dream. Everyone’s dream might be said to be true, but it would be meaningless to ascertain that only one person’s dream was the true world and all others were fallacies. There is truth for each perceiver according to the karmic patterns conditioning his perceptions.”
It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others.If you succeed in judging yourself rightly,then you are indeed a man of true wisdom.A. de Saint Exupery
Rigpa Glimpse of the Day If all we know of mind is the aspect of mind that dissolves when we die, we will be left with no idea of what continues, no knowledge of the new dimension of the deeper reality of the nature of mind. So it is vital for us all to familiarize ourselves with the nature of mind while we are still alive. Only then will we be prepared for the time when it reveals itself spontaneously and powerfully at the moment of death; be able to recognize it “as naturally,” the teachings say, “as a child running into its mother’s lap”; and by remaining in that state, finally be liberated.
Senin, 17 Maret 2008
According to Buddhism, there are five great opportunities which are difficult to obtain.
They are:
1. birth as a human being (manussatta-bhava-dullabha),
2. encountering a Buddha (buddhuppada-dullabha),
3. going forth from the life of a layperson and becoming a bhikkhu/bhikkhuni (pabbajita-bhava-dullabha),
4. attaining confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha
(saddha-sampattiyo-dullabha), and
5. hearing the true teaching (saddhamma-savanam atidulla-bha)
(Chiggala Sutta, S.v.456).
Des/boo-ngoh
1. birth as a human being (manussatta-bhava-dullabha),
2. encountering a Buddha (buddhuppada-dullabha),
3. going forth from the life of a layperson and becoming a bhikkhu/bhikkhuni (pabbajita-bhava-dullabha),
4. attaining confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha
(saddha-sampattiyo-dullabha), and
5. hearing the true teaching (saddhamma-savanam atidulla-bha)
(Chiggala Sutta, S.v.456).
Des/boo-ngoh
Can environmental factors overcome
Can environmental factors overcome the genetic factors totally.
Yes it can.
In case of gentically transmitted disease Phenylketouria, if the person is born and not treated
the person becomes mentally retarded.
If the person is given special food to avoid the disease to manifest then the person can be normal.
Following that line if a person is born with heavy Karma burden and can be spotted by an advanced practitioner, then he/she can be guided by the master to avoid ceerrtain unwholesome deeds and the heavy Karma burden can be prevented from ripening.
Des/boo-ngoh
Yes it can.
In case of gentically transmitted disease Phenylketouria, if the person is born and not treated
the person becomes mentally retarded.
If the person is given special food to avoid the disease to manifest then the person can be normal.
Following that line if a person is born with heavy Karma burden and can be spotted by an advanced practitioner, then he/she can be guided by the master to avoid ceerrtain unwholesome deeds and the heavy Karma burden can be prevented from ripening.
Des/boo-ngoh
Give love:
The most effective way to help yourself is to give love.
Love if it stays within may turn stale.
Love if given away is good for others and is good for you.
Des/bo-ngoh
Love if it stays within may turn stale.
Love if given away is good for others and is good for you.
Des/bo-ngoh
After all you have tried:
After all you have tried and nothing seems to happen and nothing changes accept it, as it is, it's Karma, it's Dharma, it's part of the practice.........
Of course something has happened.
The seeds are planted.
When will it sprout, it's all up to Karma.
When you plant the seed in the wild at least it comes back to you as an echo, after a pause.
Des/boo-ngoh
Of course something has happened.
The seeds are planted.
When will it sprout, it's all up to Karma.
When you plant the seed in the wild at least it comes back to you as an echo, after a pause.
Des/boo-ngoh
Langganan:
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