Author: Posts

Our habitual tendency is to struggle with what is happening to us or the world around us.  The main point of these teachings is to dissolve this dualistic way of thinking, because everything that happens is workable.  We can do this by moving towards difficulties.

Self-cultivation is an endeavor we take up because it is our ultimate mode of being.  When we start, we have expectations but usually our practice does not give us the results we expect.   However, what we do get is a greater inner understanding of life and ourselves.

Shining the light on yourself will never boost your eminence.  Being self-righteous precludes you from being right.  Parading yourself parodies leadership.  Boasting about yourself will never boost your eminence.  Avoid the cultivation of these ego-bloated voids.

It is an incentive for you when good starts to prevail, to join the upward trend, but don’t be carried away by the current of the time.  We must adhere to what is right, and be aware that everything is transitory, because descent must follow every rise, this is a natural law.

Quote: Respect all people and treat them equally; this is called equality.

When we cling to thoughts and memories, we are clinging to what cannot be grasped.  When one thought has entered and another has not yet begun, rest in that gap.  Train in returning to that the present moment, all compassion and inspiration comes from that.

As we mature, we have created layers of interpretation and biased perception, those are our templates for living.  What if we changed or eliminated our templates, and gave up our prejudices, loving every experience as if it was new and fresh like a child at play?

There is a powerful force that exists that is always available to you.  When clarity and purity are cultivated, it reveals itself.  When sincerity is unconditional it unveils itself.  If you are willing to live by it, you will see it everywhere, even in the most ordinary things.

Generally, when something is complete, we let the success turn our heads and look for something else to do.  When something is complete, we should guide its course to the start of another new achievement, this way the first achievement will not start to decay or decline.

Quote: We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.  Aristotle

A self-cultivation practice will not make you a different person, it really is about befriending who you already are. The ground of practice is you or me or whoever we are right now, just as we are. That’s what we come to know with tremendous curiosity and interest.

Pay attention to your breathing. Breathing regulates your heartbeat, feeds your brain, and makes your blood red. When you breathe, the energy field of your body is sustained by breathing and set into motion. As we breathe the universe breathes, the world breathes, and thus sustains all life.

The mind is desperate to fix the river in place. Possessed by ideas of the past, preoccupied with images of the future, it overlooks the plain truth of the present moment. Dissolve your mind, let it be quiet, and find peace and clarity in the present moment.

Adornment is not putting on external ornamentation, it is more important to enhance the inner essence and thereby improve our inner vitality, warmth, and life balance. We see real beauty when there is vitality, warmth, balance, and order showing through a creature or a creation.

Quote: People’s thoughts alone do not determine their futures. People decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.

When we feel most stuck, even then we are never separated from the awakened state.  When our neurosis feels far more basic than our wisdom it is there for us.  Even ordinary people like us can find this openness of our heart, it is our true and natural condition.

Water is soft, it overcomes obstacles because it is relentless, it will even wear down rocks because of its perseverance, it never gives up.  If we relentlessly express our true nature and persevere, we will be successful.  We acquire such perseverance by starting out as small drops.

We cannot keep a past moment, the present moment cannot be held, the moment of the future cannot be caught.  We are possessed by ideas of the past, preoccupied with images of the future, but we overlook the plain truth of the present moment.

We are often among people who don’t belong to our own sphere.  In this case we should be aware not to become intimate with them through force of habit.  Maintaining sociability without intimacy is the only attitude towards such people, giving us freedom.

Quote: If you choose to activate your potential, it starts with awareness and then a plan.

What causes suffering is trying to avoid the facts of life, trying to avoid pain and trying to seek happiness, but pain and difficulty are all a part of life and cannot be avoided.  Practice accepting all that comes your way and looking for the learning and healing that all things bring you.

We are all on a path through life.  It is the change from one stage to another, the dealing with circumstances, the expression of your inner character against the background of nature and society.  On a metaphysical level it is the evolution, and movements of the cosmos itself.

We are stuffed with trivia; the more trivia, the more anxieties.  We are led to believe consequences are grave when we fail to distinguish good from evil.  Don’t become obsessed with trivialities, be open and accept all things as they are and share this simple idea with others.

When things reach their upper limit, they alternate and change direction.  If the situation is unfavorable, do not blame others and restrain yourself to keep the situation from worsening.  Only by accepting the situation and being patient will you find success.

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

In any situation we can find out what is true by studying ourselves, look at all your emotions both the good and the painful, everything.  There is a lot of encouragement to do this, and self-cultivation gives us the method.  You have to find out for yourself what is true.

All that is good and unique in you should be brought out.  Never hold back thinking that you will wait for a better time.  The good in you is like the water in a well; the more you draw from it the more freshwater comes in.  If you don’t draw from it, the water will only become stagnant.

Embrace simplicity and integrity, consume only the needs of your body and spirit.  Allow your love and concern for others to define your essentiality.  If this is not enough, stay in your center and let all things take their course, thusly you will benefit a hundredfold.

When you discover you are distancing and alienating yourself from others, you need to  set about eliminating that which blocks your way.  Rouse yourself inwardly, with moderation and goodwill, hasten to that which supports you, then all occasion for remorse will disappear.

Quote: A good attitude is the number one thing essential to healing.

Self-cultivation takes us just as we are with our confusion and our sanity, it gives us time alone with ourselves.  In time it teaches you to accept who you are, as you are, an unconditional friendliness with ourselves, a simple direct relationship with the way we are.

Life slowly begins to make sense gathered from glimpses and inferences.  It may well take many years for this mysterious life to come together and to reveal the whole, but be prepared to go the distance, because when it begins to come together you get a tremendous feeling of assurance.

Studying the teachings of the ancients, will help you dissolve all concepts of duality, and teach you to be of service to others without expectation of reward.  They gently show you how to eliminate all obstacles in your path, so you can understand their subtle truths.

In times of abundance, treasure and use the plenitude well, and sustain the times of abundance as long as possible.  In times of decline explore new possibilities rather than staying with your old ways.  The key is not to dwell on old ways and trivial things.

Quote: To know when nothing can be done and be at peace with that.

Life is a good teacher and a good friend; things are always changing. That off-center state we feel with change is the ideal situation where we can open our hearts and minds beyond limit.  That state is a very tender, nonaggressive, open-ended state of affairs.

If you spend your time fretting about things you will ruin your day with this emotional turmoil.  Take the time each day to relax and set aside all your cares until a feeling of serenity comes over you, then you will find the turmoil of the day will settle and be quieter.

To be the best leader keep your words in harmony with your actions, this way those you lead will feel they have done the work themselves; they will be hardly aware that you exist.  If you don’t trust people you lead, you make them untrustworthy.

What has been spoiled by man’s fault can be made good through man’s work.  Once we know the causes of decay, we must not recoil from working diligently on them even if it is difficult. We must work tirelessly towards improving conditions in the world.

Quote: Knowledge depends on something to be accurate, and what it depends on is itself uncertain.

A good time to start a self-cultivation practice is right now, do not wait for the right time.  Even if you feel depressed, tired, or too addicted to your habits, start right now.  The idea is to start with small things, but be consistent and add a little each day, the benefits are endless.

Don’t hold back from achieving your heart’s desires.  Holding back from expressing yourself, causes your creativity to stagnate.  In the beginning one must adhere to some sort of structure until you obtain the proper understanding to behave with uninhibited spontaneity.

The ancients were amazed at the harmony of natural laws, they reveal  an intelligence of such superiority, in comparison with them, all the systematic thinking of human beings is an insignificant reflection.  This understanding  is all you need for guidance in your life.

When you undertake an enterprise in extraordinary times, you need to be cautious.  Enterprises will not succeed unless the utmost caution is taken at the beginning and laying of the foundation.  Once you have a firm foundation the rest of the enterprise will fall into place.

Quote: No thinking, no mind, no mind, no problem.