Tag Archives: Buddhism
It Doesn’t Matter
“Appreciate and rejoice, without any expectation. It doesn’t matter if people are unkind to you, it doesn’t matter if people betray you, it doesn’t matter if people don’t even say ‘thank you’ to you; by appreciating everything around you, from happy experiences to sad, your life will become meaningful, full of understanding, joy, strength and …
Just a Different Way to Be
“Picture a wave in the ocean. You can see it, measure it – its height, the way the sunlight refracts when it passes through – and it’s there, and you can see it, and you know what it is: it’s a wave. And then it crashes on the shore and it’s gone. But the water …
You Do Not Have To Be A Monk
“Some people think there is a difference between mindfulness and meditation, but this is not correct. The practice of mindfulness is simply to bring awareness into each moment of our lives. Mindful living is an art. You do not have to be a monk or live in a monastery to practice mindfulness. You can practice …
Not Just
“Spiritual practice is not just sitting and meditating. Practice is looking, thinking, touching, drinking, eating, and talking. Every act, every breath, and every step can be practice and can help us to become more ourselves.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
The Knowing
“Nothing that comes and goes is you. ‘I am bored.’ Who knows this? ‘I am angry, sad, afraid.’ Who knows this? You are the knowing, not the condition that is known.” ~Eckhart Tolle
Sacrifice and Destroy
“Each of us has our own idea of happiness. It’s because of this idea that we run after objects we desire. We sacrifice our time and, to a certain extent, destroy our bodies and our minds. According to the Buddha, happiness is simple– if we go home to the present moment, we realize that we …
Well Grounded
“When we recognize that we have a habit of replaying old events and reacting to new events as if they were the old ones, we can begin to notice when that habit energy comes up. We can then gently remind ourselves that we have another choice. We can look at the moment as it is, …
Right?
This excerpt from Answers from the Heart by Thich Nhat Hanh, ©2009, illustrates the fundamental difference between Buddhism and Christianity. Christianity is all about the destination, heaven or hell, while Buddhism is more concerned with the path: “If you don’t feel that you’re on the right path, happiness isn’t possible. This is true for …
Intercession
“The idea that each of us can be directly spiritual is radical. Most religions are based not on teaching adherents to be directly spiritual, but in persuading them to trust in the intercession of ministers or priests. The problem with this approach is that we cannot gain access to spirituality except through the medium of …
Betray the Mango
“It’s possible for us to have several spiritual roots. To me, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and all religions belong to the spiritual heritage of humankind. We can profit from all of these traditions. We should not confine ourselves to just one tradition. If you love mangoes, you are free to continue to eat mangoes, but no …
Lose Yourself
“Authentic human interactions become impossible when you lose yourself in a role.” ~Eckhart Tolle And that reminded me of this: Maude [to a motorcycle officer]: “Oh, don’t get officious. You’re not yourself when you’re officious– that is the curse of a government job.” from the movie Harold and Maude
The Noise In Our Heads
“Time goes by very quickly; one day we may be surprised to discover our life is nearing its end, and we don’t know what we’ve done with all the time we’ve lived. Maybe we’ve wasted entire days in anger, fear, and jealousy. We rarely offer ourselves the time and space to consider: Am I doing …
To Be
“We have a tendency to think in terms of doing and not in terms of being. We think that when we are not doing anything, we are wasting our time. But that is not true. Our time is first of all for us to be. To be what? To be alive, to be peaceful, to …
Big and Small
“Someone asked me, ‘Aren’t you worried about the state of the world?’ I allowed myself to breathe and then I said, ‘What is most important is not to allow your anxiety about what happens in the world to fill your heart. If your heart is filled with anxiety, you will get sick, and you will …
Communion
“Each day, devote some time to being physically alone, because that makes it easier to practice nourishing yourself and looking deeply. It is because you are comfortable in solitude that you can be in communion with the world.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
Milton’s Secret
I found a DVD of Milton’s Secret in the bargain bin, and I really wanted to like it. It stars my favorite actor, Donald Sutherland, and was written by Eckhart Tolle, who I think is Pretty Good. But something about it just didn’t click. It had the feeling of one of those “After School Specials” …
Stimulus/Response
Pema Chödron, on getting hooked (via Just Dharma Quotes): In Tibetan there is a word that points to the root cause of aggression, the root cause also of craving. It points to a familiar experience that is at the root of all conflict, all cruelty, oppression, and greed. This word is shenpa. The usual translation …
And It Cripples Us
“Every cell in the body is continuously changing. Thoughts and emotions rise and fall away unceasingly. When we’re thinking that we’re competent or that we’re hopeless– what are we basing it on? On this fleeting moment? On yesterday’s success or failure? We cling to a fixed idea of who we are and it cripples us. …
The Way We Want
“It is not life that causes suffering, but our expectation that life should be the way we want.” ~Kōdō Sawaki
Great Minds Think Alike
I love it when I find a common link between two (seemingly) very different people: “Around us, life bursts with miracles, a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. Each human being is a multiplicity …
Abbie's Tree House 