Author: Posts

Seeking security and perfection is like trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  There is no fresh air, no room for something to come and interrupt all that and sooner or later you will have an experience you can’t control.  Life is challenging; sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter.  Try to experience each moment as new and fresh.

Through our life we have failures, humiliation and acquire scars from injuries; both physical and emotional trauma.  The true course of healing is up to us alone.  Through self-cultivation we can overcome our personal phobias and emotional scars.   As we do this, try to acquire as few new problems as possible. 

Begin a difficult task in its easy stage because larger problems grow from small ones.  Be aware of those who promise quick and easy solutions.  Accept problems as challenges; do not dwell on them, take action. You can accomplish great tasks with a series of small acts.

Before you make a change ponder over it again and again.  After the change is made, it is necessary for some time to note carefully how the improvements bear the test of actuality.  This will bring you good fortune.

Quote: Believe nothing, no matter where you heard it or who said it, even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. —The Buddha

Whether we experience what happens to us as an obstacle and enemy or a teacher and friend depends entirely on our perception of reality. It really depends on our relationship with ourselves.

It is our own experiences that are our ultimate teachers.  We should engage in society and activities of the world, and constantly test ourselves against the flux of circumstances.  This way you can confirm your thoughts and compensate for your short comings.

Respond to things in the appropriate way; if asked, answer, otherwise mind your own business.  A good word can rationalize a selfish act and a good deed can sometimes serve as a mask for living extravagantly from the misery of others.  Therefore, all words and deeds must come from your heart, no motives.

A project still in its beginning that has not been challenged, brings no blame, since there has been no opportunity to make mistakes.  Remain conscious of the difficulties to be overcome and this will keep you from arrogance and wastefulness.

Quote: Be it remembered that we command nature, as it were, by obeying nature’s laws.

Let things that enter your life wake you up.  To do this: be open, be curious, accept everything that comes along and let it teach you what it will.  You can try to do everything to make your world perfect, but the old stuff always appears until you have learned your lesson.

A good social gathering with food requires participation, in the efforts of organization, work to be done and attendance.  This is in turn gives back sustenance for body and soul, a sense of belonging that cannot be done by individuals alone.

A great person realizes and admits when he makes a mistake, then sets about correcting it.  They consider a person who points out their faults as a most benevolent teacher.  He who does not meddle in the affairs of others and is a light to all.

All things change, prosperity is followed by decline; this is an eternal natural law.  Evil can be checked but not permanently abolished, it always returns.  This idea might produce melancholy, but should not, it ought only to keep us from falling into illusion when good fortune comes to us.

Quote: For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required. Luke 12:48

Do not judge or try to grasp whatever arises in the mind. What we call good or bad, we should simply acknowledge as just thinking.  This discipline prepares us to stop struggling and discover a fresh unbiased state of being.

The key to understanding everything is within ourselves.  Practice concentration by devoting yourself to contemplation and meditation, establishing communion with those deeper aspects of ourselves and the universe.

Without good and evil, we simply live totally in our human natures, not compromising anyone else.  Give evil nothing to oppose and it will disappear by itself, just step out of its way. Do this by living a virtuous, selfless life and being of service to all.

If you find yourself confronted by insurmountable limitations, know where to stop.  If you understand this and do not go beyond the limits set, you will accumulate an energy that enables you when the time comes, to act with great force.

Quote: It’s the little things that build big things.

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.