If people get angry and they have weapons, they can do horrible damage. If they’re angry and they don’t have weapons, maybe they hit each other with their fists, but that’s not so bad. We must speak out about this terrible spreading of weapons. We must make a change. - Dalai Lama
“Excuse me,” said one fish to another, “you are older and have more experience, and probably will be able to help me. Tell me, where can I find the Ocean? I have been looking for it everywhere, and cannot find it.”
“The Ocean,” replied the older fish, “is where you are right now.” “This!? This is just water! I’m looking for the Ocean,” countered the little fish, totally disappointed, while swimming away to search somewhere else. —Traditional Buddhist Teachin Western students should not to take teachers so quickly. They should spy on their teachers for many years. You must be convinced that a teacher is authentically awakened in some way that will be of benefit in your life. Only then follow them. - Dalai Lama
People under the influence of ignorance and confusion dislike monasteries and the kind of quiet and secluded places that are conducive to spiritual practice. People governed by confusion head straight for town because they prefer the distraction of worldly activities. - Geshe Sonam Rinchen
Meditation is training the mind to be free from psychic irritants. I’d like to advise people: the breath is the most effective subject of meditation and is available to every person at every moment. - Bhante Gunartana
(public domain photo from www.pixabay.com) Rigor mortis is one of the recognizable signs of death. A body is stiff, rigid, unable to move. Buddhism identifies five kinds of inactive, rigid people comparing them to a dead person. According to the Agama Sutra, these five are:
My very strong advice is that people understand that they are not going to live forever. We are all born with a one-way ticket. We’re all marching, marching, marching onwards, towards the end of our journey. - Bhante Gunartana
We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow our minds and hearts to heal. Meditation can help us embrace our worries, our fear, our anger; and that is very healing. - Thich Nhat Hanh
The therapeutic power of meditation is very great, as modern scientific studies are now showing. The practices of mindful breathing, sitting meditation and walking meditation release tensions in the body and also in the mind. When we give ourselves the chance to let go of all our tension, the body's natural capacity to heal itself can begin to work. Animals in the forest know this; when they get wounded, ill or overtired, they know what to do. They find a quiet place and lie down to rest. They don't go chasing after food or other animals -- they just rest. After some days of resting quietly, they are healed and they resume their activities. - Thich Nhat Hanh
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Victor M. Parachin ...is aVedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Archives
July 2024
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