Author: Posts

The fixed idea that we have about ourselves as solid and separate from each other is limiting. Self-importance hurts us, limiting us to our narrow world of likes and dislikes.  We have alternatives, we can challenge our beliefs, our fixed version of reality and train in staying open and curious.

When faced with adversity we need first to look at ourselves and see if we have caused the problem.  If you have caused it, learn from your mistakes and go about correcting them.  If it was a character flaw that caused the error, then you must eradicate the character flaw.

Stop trying to control, let go of fixed plans and concepts.  If we make no one a foe and the less coercing we do, the more our tranquillities grow. When harmony reigns and we rule ourselves with felicity than everyone gains, and we can all live in simplicity and tranquility.

In ancient times moral strength was more important than physical strength.  Parading one’s powers and trying to outshine others brings about misfortune.  Be sincere and truthful, act with courtesy, do not attempt anything that is not in harmony with the times.

Quote: We all have this limited time on earth, how can we help others?

Are we going to spend this lifetime struggling against uncertainty and saying,  “I’m like this and you’re like that”?  Or are we going to train in letting go, reconnecting with the natural flexibility of our being and help others do the same?  If we do this, limitless possibilities open up.

It takes insight to be your own disciplinarian, giving thanks for your good fortune, and knowing there is no divine retribution for wickedness.  Instead practice being conscious and aware at all times.  Lead others without taking advantage of them or manipulating them.

Of all things we practice in self-cultivation it is important for beginners to study the ancient texts.  This enables one to perceive the hidden influences in every situation and thus establish a balanced and spiritually evolved means of responding to them.

Speaking clearly and acting simply in a nonaggressive manner with perseverance will help you succeed at any task.  The idea that “the yielding overcomes the rigid” or “the soft overcomes the hard” is the wisdom permeating these ancient teachings.

Quote: The secret of proper timing is hidden in one’s physical and mental balance with nature.

To undo our habitual patterns of the mind requires that we begin to turnaround some of  our most basic assumptions such as believing in a solid, separate self, continuing to seek pleasure and avoid pain, thinking that someone “out there” is to blame.  Then our suffering will ease.

In life attractions are endless.  We should do no more than we need to satisfy ourselves.  We must remember to look within, lingering there is a shimmering beauty and fantastic movement, this is the center, the eye of the storm, the still point of existence.

To interfere with nature is to try to seek control, this causes distress and produces exhaustion.  Let things come and go effortlessly without desire.  If you never expect results, you never will be disappointed; if you are never disappointed, your spirit never grows old.

After finishing your own tasks use your strength in the service of others.  Help where help is needed but weigh carefully how much you can help without doing harm.  Only when this feeling exists can you give yourself unconditionally, without hesitation.

Quote: We only move into the future when we turn to face our past and become what we are.

Every cell in our body is continuously changing, we are as impermanent as everything else.  Thoughts and emotions of being competent or that we’re hopeless rise and fall unceasingly, we are only basing these thoughts on the past and the fixed idea of who we are.

If your ambitions are the result of curiosity and inner desire, rather than greed or lust, and as long as they do no harm to others, they should be exercised rather than suppressed.  You may fulfill your ambitions and find out they no longer are important to you, then you are free to go on to something else.

In ancient times various holistic sciences were developed by highly evolved individuals to connect the individual mind with the universal mind.  If you seek out and study these teachings, it furthers the evolution of mankind as well as your own spiritual unfolding.

With your family the performance of moral duty is easier because of natural affection.  This same moral duty you practice with your family and that your family practices will also be reflected with all of your relationships outside of your family in society.

Quote: What you need is always right there in front of you.

We get caught up in looking for certainty and happiness rather than honoring what is happening right now.  If we run away from discomfort and pain, we will be unhappy and disappointed.  Touch the center of your pain, stay present to the ache of loss or disappointment, this is the trick.

In our actions we make arrangements that have a center or orientation, but all structure and orientation is arbitrary, it all depends on the observer and where it is observed from.  However, our center resides in our consciousness, but there is still no absolute measure.

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

The ancients believed divination could reach the truth by moving through illusions of separation and piercing the dividing lines between mundane and spiritual experience. In those now-distant-times divination was chosen over discussion in settling matters.

Quote: The secret of happiness you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. Socrates

Touch your heart or let your heart be touched and you will discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, how much space.  This feeling turns into a longing to be fully human.  It turns into a longing to be there for friends in trouble, and to be of real help for our planet.

Acceptance is a dynamic act.  It should not signify inertness, stagnation, or inactivity.  Acceptance is acting within the framework of circumstances that are available to you at the time.  Ascertain what the situation requires, then implement what you think is best. 

If you close your mind in judgement and traffic with desires, your heart will be troubled.  Do your work cooperatively and joyfully, assume responsibility for problems, practice virtue without demanding it from others.  If you understand the higher truths retain an ordinary manner.

If we can bring ourselves to set aside pride and follow the examples of good people, good fortune will result.  If we associate with people sharing the same views and come together in full public knowledge, without selfish motives, then you are in harmony with the times.

Quote: To rebel is to leave the central path, such action is bound to fail.

What we struggle with all our lives are just ordinary experiences.  Everything is unpredictable, so we need to stop struggling against the nature of reality.  Life does continually go up and down.  Recognize this to be real and true, and you will be able to relax and accept things as they are.

When we do self-cultivation, we should do it without any thought of gain and holding no expectations.  We are taught what to expect from books and teachers so we are prepared for the experiences that might occur, but they are merely descriptions of what you may encounter.

Practice the four cardinal virtues.  First reverence for all life; love and respect all beings and things.  Second, sincerity; this manifests as honesty, and simplicity.  Third, kindness; being gentle with yourself and others.  The fourth, service to others with no expectation of reward.

It may be impossible to counteract the conditions of the time, it is not cowardice but wisdom to remain quiet and avoid action and wait for an appropriate time.  A law of nature is at work, evil is not destructive to the good alone but inevitably destroys itself as well.

Quote: Thanks for everything I have no complaints whatsoever.

We can let the circumstances of life harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and more afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder and more open to what scares us.  We always have that choice.  Don’t let life harden your heart.

We must discover the path for ourselves, not merely copying the ways of the past.  We must adapt to the times, but it is no excuse for adulteration or shortcuts.  Once we find the true path of today, we must walk it with the same determination as the ancients.

What good is it to spend your life accumulating material things or conforming your behavior to others conventions?  Give yourself up to whatever the moment brings, there is nothing to hold onto.  Don’t think about your actions just let them flow, hold nothing back from life.

What is called “common good may” not always serve well.  Unity may be cohesion for society, but unity of what?  Dedicated to what?  Shared life should be held together by choices, not by decree.  To be true to yourself do not give up too much and certainly not your center.

Quote: Compassion is both a force in the universe as well as a human experience.

When we open ourselves up to the continually changing, impermanent nature of our own being and that of reality, we increase our capacity to care about others and not to be afraid.  We begin to think of our life as offering endless opportunities to start to do things differently.

Once you realize the learning you need is found within yourself, you shift your attention and then you learn to tap into your true spirit.  If someone had told you what to look for, you might never be sure of your experiences.  When you get a glimpse of the source, there is no doubt.

Don’t only be absorbed in your own needs, take the needs of all people as your own.  Be good to those who are good, also be good to those absorbed in their own needs. Trust those who trust, also trust those who are not trustworthy.  Merge with all others rather than stand apart judgmentally. 

We must understand the demands of the times to find the necessary offset for its deficiencies and damages.  By being responsible for your own well-being, conscientious in your actions, and simple in your expenditures, you will find the necessary offset.

Quote: True Mastery is letting things take their course.

All of us, including animals, believe the best way to live is to avoid pain and discomfort.  A more interesting way to live is to be curious, whether the object of our curiosity is bitter or sweet.  We can endure a lot to find out how we tick and how our world ticks, how the whole thing “just is”.

We all want to be daring, creative, original and do things in new ways, but unless we return over and over again to the basics and remember our roots, we cannot truly soar.  Without this thorough grounding, we cannot be creative and never issue forth with true power.

Do you wish to free yourself of mental and emotional knots?  There are two paths available.  The first being acceptance, affirm everyone and everything.  The second is that of denial, recognizing that everything you see and think is a falsehood.  Both paths lead you to awareness of the great oneness.

You cannot avoid difficult situations.  Remain calm and establish a positive attitude while looking for ways to solve the problem and consider a way to prevent the situation from worsening.  You can always find a way to transform a bad situation into something positive.

Quote: Play the game of life, be receptive to whatever comes to you, good or bad.