Author: Posts

We regard loneliness as being alone, as a heartache, something we choose not to invite in.  We desire to escape it and find someone to keep us company.  Rest in the middle; then we can have a relationship with loneliness, a relaxed and cooling relationship that turns our fearful patterns around.

We must not accept the judgement of others as a measure of our own self-worth, instead live your life in simplicity.  We all have flaws, take stock of yours according to your own judgement and use them as a measure for self-improvement.

In serving humanity it is important to be modest because nurturing this will give you enormous capacity.  This will give you a clear vision and you will live a long full life.  Let go and make use of anything that comes your way; this way you can care for people’s welfare.

To bring about abundance, a union of clarity of mind and energetic movement is needed.  If you possess these two attributes and go forward, your influence will be felt and you will be met with recognition.  However once abundance is achieved, we also must prepare for the decline that must follow.

Quote: The man who never alters his opinions is like standing water and breeds reptiles of the mind.

Do not cause harm to yourself or others by being aggressive through your actions, speech or thoughts.  We cause harm to ourselves by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.

The laughter of children is uplifting; their sounds evoke the ideal of a simple and pure act. There are no concepts, no ideologies, only the innocent pleasure of life.  The optimism of children will continue to resonate with cheer and hope for us all.

Self-cultivation involves the holistic integration of mind, body and spirit, this way you achieve unity within and without.  When we emphasize just the body with the exclusion of mind or spirit, we are not balanced and this leads to exhaustion. 

If we are to lead others we first must learn to serve.  We must remain accessible and responsive to the views of those we lead. At the same time, we must have firm principles so that we do not vacillate when there is only a question of current opinion.

Quote: Understanding human needs is half the job of meeting them.

Look for the gaps, that space between thoughts, the natural occurrence after an unexpected noise, shock or moment of awe.  These moments can be powerful and they can bring us unshakeable confidence in ourselves. Also, by being present like this, it will help us not to buy into negative or limiting stories.

We understand the need to retreat into nature.  We cannot maintain the fertility of our beings without this renewal.  If you cannot retreat into nature each day, find a quiet time each day to withdraw into yourself.  This will bring renewal as well.

Make no one a foe, then harmony and tranquility will be yours.  If we rule ourselves with felicity, then everyone gains and we can all live in simplicity.  Let go of desire for the common good, and good will be as common as grass.  The world will, in turn, govern itself.

If we wish to know what a person is like we need only to observe on whom he bestows his care and what side of his own nature he cultivates and nourishes.  If we want to take care of the world, cultivate and nourish the good parts of your character and the world changes with you.

Quote: The soul, like the body, lives by what it feeds on.

The way to dissolve our resistance to life is to meet it face to face.  When we resent the cold, feel its iciness and bite; when we resist the rain, feel its wetness.  Cold and rain, many things we resist, will go on forever so look closely and open your mind. Then all things can be appreciated.

In communications, misunderstanding is a perennial problem.  We each view things differently to some degree.  Words themselves are imperfect; the symbol is not the same as the reality.  We know there is no absolute truth in the world, only varying degrees of ambiguity.

If you want to become a better person, study that which serves the nature of life, and then offer it to the world.  If you study with devotion and wholeheartedly, all things in the universe will be in harmony and everything in your life will reflect this practice.

The real nature of man is originally good, but it became clouded by contact with earthly things and therefore needs purification before it can shine forth in its native clarity.  Practice purification, this will widen your awareness and bring you clarity.

Quote: The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.

When others say or do something and you act in your habitual ways, with anger, greed and so forth, this gives you a chance to look at your habitual patterns and work with them honestly and compassionately.  This will lead to the path of awakening.

You cultivate skills as you go through life, maybe in your work, in the arts or in competition.  Self-cultivation for any reason is not merely for the acquisition of new skills, it is a path to your innermost being and understanding of self.

Interfering with nature is to seek control, seeking control creates distress.  Creating distress produces exhaustion, this negates life and its longevity.  Let things come and go without desire, without expecting results; then you will not be disappointed and your spirit will not grow old.

If you want to succeed in removing an obstacle, join forces with friends of like mind.  You also must have the will to persevere even if the action appears to lead away from the goal.  An obstruction that only lasts for a time is useful for self-development.

Quote: Never do anything against conscience, even if the state demands it. —Einstein

Meditation is not some special ideal, it’s just being there with the experience, whatever it is.  The very moment is the perfect meditation teacher; just being there with what is going on and nothing more. Awareness is a friend in our ordinary lives of pleasure and pain.

Spirituality cannot be attained by external means or from others telling you about their idea of it.  True spirituality is liberating; it is an organic part of everyday life. Spirituality occurs once we are free from the delusion of reality and the idea that we need something special to be happy.

Our intuition must be our main guide in life, you have an inner knowing; use it.  If you cultivate it, you will be genuine, and you will come to know others by what you do yourself.  Seek out what links your mind with the universal mind, by doing so, you will help all beings.

If you wish to influence others, first start by cultivating your own personality.  This development must be allowed to take its course; being hasty would not be wise.  Gentleness that is adaptable, but at the same time penetrating, is the outer form that should proceed from inner calm.

Quote: Don’t worry about life, just do it, you don’t have to be perfect.

Everyday there is aggression throughout the world and that pain goes on and on.  Ask yourself, “Am I going to add to the aggression in the world?”  When things get edgy, take time to ask yourself, “Am I going to practice peace or am I going to war?”

Only when wisdom, courage, timing and perseverance are combined can one have a sound basis for initiative.  Initiative must be guided by both intellect and experience. We can only learn this from others and we must test what we learn in the world.   

Living life is easy if you don’t cling to good and bad.  Let go of preferences and everything will become clear.  A natural person has two attributes: awareness and action.  We cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of the world; we all need to increase our service along with our understanding.

If you are faced with a superior foe, it would be hopeless to fight him.  An orderly retreat is the correct procedure.  It is by no means a sign of strength or courage to engage in a hopeless struggle regardless of circumstances.

Quote:  Peacefulness is the natural seed of a violent world.

When we act out or tell someone off there is some relief for the moment, but it doesn’t last.  If we surrender and drop the story line, there is tenderness under all that harshness.  Being kind to ourselves, we become kind to others.  This will bring us the relief we want.

Unify all areas of your life and unify all distinctions into a whole.  There cannot be diversity within unity. When our consciousness is unified there is only brightness, all else disperses.  This way you can embody all things.

We cannot attain clarity and simplicity by avoiding the world.  Do your work, take care of others, practice virtue without expecting it of others and when you understand the higher truths, retain an ordinary manner.  This is true clarity, true simplicity, true living.

Your only salvation when you are entangled in conflict is to be clear headed and outwardly strong.  This will enable you to meet your opponent halfway.  To carry the conflict to the end, even though you are right, will have bad effects for you because the enmity is then perpetuated.

Quote: How do we make every day better?

To be fearless is not really to overcome fear, it’s to come to know its nature.  To do this develop compassion for yourself and not always wanting things to work out on your own terms, begin to relax, befriend your feelings and learn to relate to them.

Influencing others requires perception.  We need to know when to act, when to be passive, when others are receptive to us and when they will not listen.  This takes experience of course, so just keep practicing or make a game for yourself out of it.

Practice the four cardinal virtues.  Firstly, reverence for all life, love and respect for all beings and things.  The second natural sincerity, honesty, simplicity, and faithfulness.  Thirdly, kindness, and being gentle with yourself and others.  The fourth service to others with no expectation of reward.

 Our independence should not be based on rigidity and immobility of character, but by keeping abreast of the times and changing with them.  What endures is the unswerving directive, the inner law of your being, which determines all your actions.

Quote: An act done to another is done to yourself.

When we think something is going to bring pleasure or misery, we don’t know.  Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all.  We don’t know if it is the end of a story or the beginning of a great adventure.

Spiritual attainment lies in the ordinary everyday things you do and the only way to describe it is by comparing it to ordinary things.  If you regard spirituality as extraordinary, then it remains outside yourself -a myth, a fantasy, an unnamable quantity.  But, once you know it, it is part of your daily life.

Give yourself up to whatever the moment brings, there is nothing to hold onto.  Let go of illusions, offer no resistance to things.  Don’t think about your actions, just flow from the core of your being, hold nothing back from life.

True greatness depends on being in harmony with what is right and doing things in harmony with the established order.  We should go on quietly and perseveringly working at the removal of resistance, then success will come.  The less power you apply outwardly the greater the effect.

Quote: A man has no ears for that to which experience has given him no access. Nietzsche