Sunday 13 October 2013

From the book "Teachers of Wisdom"

Posted by drdoof on 16-07-2013, 8:48 AM :


Those who see worldly life as an obstacle to dharma see no dharma in everyday actions. They have not yet discovered that there are no everyday actions outside of dharma.

Dogen Zenji

quoted in the book "Teachers of Wisdom"

From the book "Thich Nhat Hanh: Essential Writings"

Posted by drdoof on 14-07-2013, 3:16 PM :


The practice of Zen is to eat, breathe, cook, carry water, and scrub the toilet — to infuse every act of body, speech, and mind — with mindfulness, to illuminate every leaf and pebble, every heap of garbage, every path that leads to our mind’s return home.

Thich Nhat Hanh

from the book "Thich Nhat Hanh: Essential Writings"
 
 

Saturday 5 October 2013

From the book "Food for the Heart: The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah"

Posted by drdoof on 14-07-2013, 8:30 AM :


The value of dhamma isn’t to be found in books. Those are just the external appearances of dhamma, they’re not the realization of dhamma as a personal experience. If you realize the dhamma you realize your own mind, you see the truth there. When the truth becomes apparent it cuts off the stream of delusion.
 
Ajahn Chah

from the book "Food for the Heart: The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah"

From the book "Practicing Peace in Times of War"

Posted by drdoof on 14-07-2013, 8:24 AM :


When you open yourself to the continually changing, impermanent, dynamic nature of your own being and of reality, you increase your capacity to love and care about other people and your capacity to not be afraid. You’re able to keep your eyes open, your heart open, and your mind open. And you notice when you get caught up in prejudice, bias, and aggression. You develop an enthusiasm for no longer watering those negative seeds, from now until the day you die. And, you begin to think of your life as offering endless opportunities to start to do things differently.
 
Pema Chödron

from the book "Practicing Peace in Times of War"

From the book "Enlightened Courage: An Explanation of the Seven-Point Mind Training"

Posted by drdoof on 13-07-2013, 9:23 AM :


When we have enough food and clothes, enjoy good health, have whatever we need and are without troubles of any sort, we should not become attached to these benefits nor dependent on them. Conversely, when we do not enjoy such good conditions, and when everything is going badly, we should use such a situation as a trigger for our courage and take them as the Bodhisattva path. We should not give up when conditions are difficult; on the contrary, that is precisely when we should practice the twofold Bodhicitta, bringing all our experiences onto the path.

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
from the book "Enlightened Courage: An Explanation of the Seven-Point Mind Training"

Thursday 3 October 2013

From: “The Heart Is Noble. Changing the World from the Inside Out”

Posted by drdoof on 12-07-2013, 7:54 PM :


If you find yourself angry at any government, please recollect how harmful anger is to yourself and others, and steady yourself with a firm resolve. Make an unwavering commitment to yourself that you will not allow your mind to become perturbed. Be immovable – unshakable from a peaceful state of mind.


(From: “The Heart Is Noble. Changing the World from the Inside Out”, pp. 138-139)

From the book "The Middle Way: Faith Grounded in Reason"

Posted by drdoof on 12-07-2013, 7:52 PM :


It is vital for us to obtain genuine confidence in the nature of mind and reality, grounded in understanding and reason. What we need is a skeptical curiosity and constant inquiry, a curious mind, drawn toward all possibilities; and when we cultivate that, the desire to deeply investigate naturally arises.

Dalai Lama

from the book "The Middle Way: Faith Grounded in Reason"