Author: Posts

Caring for things, in moments of appreciation, in moments of gratitude, letting go of holding on to ourselves, and looking at the world around us; whenever we connect with sorrow or joy, dropping our resentments and complaints; this will awaken our heart.

Do you ever think of getting old?  Maybe we are old and have gained the wisdom we need but are too weak to take action.  Regardless of how old and weak you are, value your time and take whatever action you can to make this earth a better place.

If you want love and respect from people, treat everybody with love and respect.  If you compete with no one, no one will compete with you.  If you are not guided by your ego and emotions and let yourself be guided by wisdom instead, you will be able to respond to your needs and those of others.

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: There is no real philosophy until the mind turns round and examines itself.

If we try to protect ourselves from suffering, we become fearful and alienated, caring only for the people close to us.  If we primarily try to shield ourselves from discomfort we suffer, but if we don’t close off and let our heart hurt, we discover our kinship with all beings.

Our lives are a tapestry woven of both mistakes and success.  Success only comes from the threat of failure.  Without that pressure we would not plan, utilize wisdom, or exercise care.  We must make our decisions as best we can and, as we mature, we will be able to see our way better.

When we think we know the answers we are difficult to guide.  When we realize we don’t know it becomes easy to find our way.  By keeping your mind open you become aware of numerous possibilities. The ancients taught the supreme value of a beginner’s mind.

Energy that is renewing itself must be allowed to reinforce itself by rest.  The return of health after illness, the return of understanding after estrangement, both must be treated tenderly and with care at the beginning so that the return may lead to flowering.

Quote: If we can change someone’s vision of the future, we can change the way they make decisions today.

There is often a discrepancy between our ideals and what we encounter.   It’s the rub between these two things, the squeeze between vision and reality that causes you to grow up, wake up, to be alive and compassionate.  This rub is one of your most productive places to learn about yourself.

Cease all distinctions between the self and others.  We label things as inside us or outside us, as subjective or objective.   When we train in seeing that we are not different, we come to understand there is no us, no “other”, that everything and everybody is part of the whole.

Do not accumulate possessions or teach others to amass things.  Devote yourself to learning the natural rhythms of nature and follow them.  Live simply and serenely, sensitive to the changes that naturally occur, and adjust so you are compatible with the energies of the day.

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: To have a fulfilling life it helps to remember that it doesn’t really matter what you do, it matters how you do it.

When others have problems, let them be, do not give advice or try to solve their problems for them.  If they ask you for support, listen attentively, you will find this to be the most help you can give them.  They know their problems best and usually will come up with a solution on their own.

Reading books can help and give you a deep theoretical background of things but, true understanding of life should start with an experienced teacher but, you must wholeheartedly take up the activity and practice it diligently to really understand things.

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

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: If the only prayer you say in your whole life is “Thank you,” that would suffice.

We don’t open our hearts and minds to others because it confuses us and we don’t feel brave or sane enough to open up.  To help open up, look clearly and compassionately at yourself, then feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else’s eyes.

The ancients say the world is a dream from which there is no escaping.  They hold the outer reality as unreal, but there is an inner reality too.  Some do not readily accept the conditions of this existence.  We have eyes to see, but we also have a voice to refute the existential delusion.

There are three kinds of energy.  The first is earth energy or your physical energy.  The second is heaven energy centered in the mind, it expresses itself as knowledge and wisdom.  The third is harmonized energy centered in the heart, it is expressed as spiritual insight.

Excess and insufficiency are going beyond the middle way.  Generally, insufficiency is better than excess.  When you accomplish small things, you will be able to judge if it is enough or not enough and be able to adjust your reactions so that you can stay in balance.

Quote: Without good and evil we simply will live totally in our human natures.

Whenever you feel uncomfortable and don’t know what to do, find some place to look at the openness of the sky and experience the freshness, free of hope and fear, just completely open.  This open space permeates everything and is available to us every moment of our lives.

You may outgrow a community or group you belong to, when this happens it is all right to let go.  You may outgrow a particular stage, but there is always a new one to explore.  Sometimes you need to break the rules and do a fresh start; do so with joy in your heart and you will be correct.

Realize and admit when you make a mistake, then set about correcting it.   Consider a person who points out your faults as your most benevolent teacher.  Think of your enemy as the shadow you cast.  Do not meddle in the affairs of others and you will be a light to all.

If you want to practice virtue, you first must become virtuous yourself.  The practice of virtue is the study of body and mind, nature and life. Practice the worthy qualities about yourself a little each day to start and work diligently on your bad habits by changing your belief in them.

Quote: The wind of harmony is fed by the flames of love.

Whether we are talking, eating, listening whatever we are doing, the reason we are here in this world is to study ourselves.  We study ourselves to find out how vast and uncomplicated our minds really are.  We can only find this unbiased truth by our own direct experiences.

Do not pretend you are anyone but yourself, there is no need to feel insecure in your perceptions.  Through self-cultivation undertake to perfect who you are, there is no need to try to become someone other than who you are.  Accept yourself with your sad and happy moments accept them all.

Dissolve all ties to the gross worldly realm of duality, conflict and dogma.  Learn to value what is important today in the subtle realm, rather than what appears to be desirable tomorrow in the worldly realm.  You can do this by living a virtuous, selfless life and being of service to all.

If you want external influences not to affect you, be aware of them and have an open mind.  First, by overcoming your own self-importance; if the self is not overcome, one cannot remove the past conditioning of the self.  Having awareness and an open mind reverses the course of past conditioning.

Quote: I pursue the spiritual because it gives me tremendous satisfaction.

Trying to tie up all the loose ends and finally getting it right is rejecting a lot of your basic experiences.  The essence of life is that it is challenging.  Sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter.   Sometimes you are tense, sometimes relaxed and open.  To live life fully is to experience each moment as completely new and fresh.

If you cease exercising your body, mind and spirit they stop growing and they begin to atrophy.  Muscles do not strengthen without resistance.  Mental faculties do not sharpen without critical thinking.  The spirit does not soar without something to excite it.

Greed for spirituality is no different than greed for material wealth.  It is self-centered, dualistic thinking and an obstacle to your attainment.  If you desire spirituality, practice high awareness, undiscriminating virtue, and be of service to all of humanity.

We must not protest or revolt because something is wrong, but more importantly, if we want to establish a new system or better order, we must work diligently with people of like mind.  The key is to seek out these wise and virtuous persons to work with to establish a new way.

Quote: Life is not a problem to be solved, but an experience to be had.  Alan Watts

What we regard as obstacles are not really our enemies but could be considered our teachers and friends.  What we call obstacles is the way our experiences teach us where we are stuck.  How we experience obstacles depends mostly on our relationship with ourselves.

If you cannot solve a problem all at once, at least make a stab at it.  Reduce your problems into smaller, more manageable packages and you can make progress toward achievement.  If you work with the current of life, you will find success comes from building on small things.

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

During the process of development, progress frequently comes to a standstill.  There might be an obstruction owing to one’s lack of experience or exterior circumstances.  In this situation, store up your energy preparing for your next move but remain calm and truthful.

Quote: Today is the ideal moment between yesterday and tomorrow.