"...the idea that if we want one thing we must renounce something else is one of the worst aberrations ever invented. An individual who is truly alive should not settle for anything less than the totality of experience."
The environment where you are doing the meditation should be properly cleaned. While cleaning, you should cultivate the motivation that since you are engaged in the task of accumulating great stores of merit by inviting the hosts of buddhas and bodhisattvas to this environment, it is important to have a clean place. You should see that all external dirt and dust around you is basically a manifestation of the faults and stains within your own mind. You should see that the most important aim is to purge these stains and faults from within your mind. Therefore, as you cleanse the environment, think that you are also purifying your mind. Develop the very strong thought that by cleaning this place you are inviting the hosts of buddhas and bodhisattvas who are the most supreme merit field, and that you will subsequently engage in a path that will enable you to purge your mind of the stains and delusions.
At present we have this rare and good human life of freedom and fortune, but it won’t last forever. We are certain to die and don’t know when. At death nothing at all but our spiritual practice will be of any use to us. That is the only thing worth doing — everything else is a futile waste of energy. We tire ourselves for the sake of reward and reputation and in our search for the kind of companions we prefer, but we can take none of these with us when we die. They must be left behind and only the imprints of negative actions we have performed in the process of trying to acquire them accompany us to our next rebirth. This is not hard to understand, but we must remember it and think about it till it affects the way we think and feel.
"...every obstacle reveals the solution. It is not the obstacle that we must fear, but it is the mind that hinders the search for a solution."
Taoism is a philosophy based on individuals, families, and primary societies. The primary societies were the basic social structure in ancient time. Taoism does not oppose civilization either but insists that civilization should not destroy the primary societies and families or put undue strain on them. ... Taoism also represents the most ancient Chinese cultural traditions. For a Western reader to understand Taoism, it is a prerequisite to understand how the cultures of the West and East branched apart along the course of development of our human race.
"It is amazing how much psychological control many people relinquish to others. If we think that someone else disapproves of us, we are worried. If we think that someone else is pleased with us, we are happy. If we think that someone else holds views contrary to our own, we are insulted. If we think that someone else is contemptuous of us, we are angry. With all these others determining how we feel, it is sometimes difficult to find the actual self."
"Music and swordsmanship are said to be based on the same principles and share the same idea of spiritual perfection: The perfect tune makes no sound."
One should not view one’s dharma practice as being something decorative, regarding statues and images as material possessions or as furnishings for one’s house, or thinking that because there is an empty space on a wall one might as well put up a thangka for decoration. That kind of attitude should not be cultivated. When you arrange the statues or thangkas, you should do so out of a deep respect from the mind, moved by your faith and conviction. If you can arrange these physical representations — statues and so forth — out of deep respect and faith, that’s all right. On the other hand, the attitude that they are merely material possessions is dangerous and destructive. I think that some people who have a cupboard or the like in which they keep all their precious possessions may arrange an altar on it just for the sake of decoration. This is very wrong.
Having such motivations is not the proper way to become a Buddhist; the proper way to become a Buddhist is to bring about some positive change within the mind. Any practice that can give you more courage when you are undergoing a very difficult time and that can provide you with some kind of solace and calmness of mind is a true practice of the dharma.
"The 'Mandate of Heaven' is an ancient Chinese philosophical concept, which originated during the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE). The Mandate determines whether an emperor of China is sufficiently virtuous to rule; if he does not fulfill his obligations as emperor, then he loses the Mandate and thus the right to be emperor."
"How you handle those 'bad' things (bad being a relative term) is what causes your suffering, not the bad thing itself. Even pain can be handled in a way that will keep you from suffering. It isn’t easy, but it can be done. Attaching to 'bad things,' trying to control them, or letting them control you - these are the attitudes that cause suffering."
"Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one."
"Training for physical fitness and self-discipline seems to be the major objective for most serious practitioners today. The emphasis on self-discipline is amplified to the point where perfection of technique has become the paramount goal of the trainee. As such, karate training has almost become a philosophy that carries dedication to perfection into other area's of the karate practitioner's life. When this stage has been reached, one can truly be considered to be practicing karate as a do, or way of life."
"Ambition can be Zen-like or un-Zen-like. Ambition to live mindfully and succeed ultimately in the present moment is Zen-like. Ambition to get ahead of others, gain more material possessions, and achieve status at the expense of compassion is counterproductive to Zen living."
To avoid being hurt by thorns and brambles, we might consider covering all the mountains with leather. That would be impossible, but putting on shoes would serve the same purpose. Similarly, if we tried to subdue all our outer enemies, we would never succeed. Once one was eliminated, another would rise against us. While doing this, our anger would continue to breed new foes. The only way to overcome our enemies is to turn inward and kill the real one, which is our own hatred.
"Zen isn’t about wearing black and saying enigmatic things, spouting spiritual wisdom, or suddenly having a run of luck on the basketball court. Zen isn’t slick or dramatic or showy. It is ordinary, going through your everyday life without fanfare, fully awake, aware, and absorbed in whatever you do."
"Once humans start to think they understand the world, they start to mess it up by their forceful actions. Such stupidity can take hold whenever we think we have entered the threshold of full understanding but have not."
