Author: Posts

Notice your opinions.  If you are aggressive about your opinions, notice that; if you are nonaggressive, notice that.  By cultivating a mind that does not grasp at right and wrong, you will find a fresh state of being, the ultimate cessation of suffering comes from that.

Accept what comes your way without doubt and without fear of it.  Trust your inner knowing, this knowing will never betray you, such trust will dissolve all fear and regret.  This trust and knowing is all you need to resolve all inner and outer conflicts you may have.

When a simple natural way of living was forgotten, knowledge and teachers appeared, hypocrisy was inevitable.  When family relationships lost their harmony, filial piety and parental affection became the norm.  When a society succumbs to chaos and corruption, patriotism is born.

Virtue is the root of being human, so it should be a joy to practice and cultivate it continuously.  Joy is what makes virtue harmonious, virtue is that which completes joy.  If we create enjoyment without virtue this creates problems.  When virtue and joy coincide, this is called true happiness.

Quote: Life is what you do, by what is done to you.

Each moment is just what it is, it may be the only moment of our life.  We could get depressed about it, or we could appreciate it and delight in the preciousness of that moment.  We learn to appreciate every single moment of our life by constant practice.

Fate, we think, is a force that interferes with our lives.  Yet what we call fate is nothing more than the consequences of our own actions.  Each time we act we create a chain of events that is tied to us completely.  They cannot be severed; every act binds us further.

There is no one method for attaining realization, to regard one method as the right one is to create duality, which will delay your understanding of the truth.  Always keep your attitude unstructured, this will give you the freedom to learn and understand the truth.

When embarking on a new project or adventure, take the time to prepare and have the discipline to keep your mind still when it is time for stillness, and to take action when it is time for action.  The key to success is knowing when to advance and knowing when to keep still.

Quote: Challenges usually come in the form of other people.

Being satisfied with what we already have is the key to being alive in a full, unrestricted, and inspiring way.  Wake up, become more alert and curious about yourself.  Being who we are rather than trying to change and improve ourselves is all right, just be.  Any wisdom that exists, exists in what we already have.

By withdrawing into the sanctity of our souls, we can know ourselves.  This effort cannot be accomplished by others.  It can only be accomplished through living and engaging in ongoing contemplation.   Only we can enter this core of our being that reveals the secrets of life.

If you want to lead people keep your words in harmony with your actions.  Doing this the people you lead will feel a sense of accomplishment, because you have become part of those you lead. You blend so naturally with them they will feel they did the task by themselves.

When unfriendly forces are advancing, retreat is the right course of action.  We are not running away, but are offering some resistance, while planning for the time when the aggressive forces end.  Anger and hate are not resistance, all resistance must be done in a thoughtful and considerate way.

Quote: Only through contemplation and quietness does true intuition arise.

What seems undesirable in our lives doesn’t have to trigger habitual reactions.  Instead, practice gentleness and loving kindness towards every moment.  We can use difficult situations to encourage us to step out into that ambiguity, not knowing what’s ahead.

With the emergence of great possibilities comes the need for responsibility.  If you diverge from your life path to explore new vistas, remember how far you are going and remember to return at the proper times.  Remember only you can decide how to arrange your life.

The mind is originally empty, and when it remains empty without grasping or rejecting, it can respond to natural things without prejudice.  Your mind should be like a mirror reflecting everything, never refusing to show anything, and not retaining anything.  The mind should be as open as this.

In difficult times, a task can be accomplished by caution and deliberation.  If we wish to achieve something we first need to investigate the forces and bring these forces to bear in the proper place and the proper time, first we must be at the correct standpoint ourselves; only then can we work correctly.

Quote: By concentrating the thoughts, one can fly; by concentrating the desires one falls.

When something hurts in life, we want to get rid of it right away.  Doing this we naively cultivate a subtle aggressiveness against ourselves. Instead, we could aspire to be kind right in the moment, to relax, and open our heart and mind to what is right in front of us.

We talk of emptiness, but if we explore the idea of emptiness with our whole being, we will find there are endless possibilities that exist.  This exploration will give us the affirmation of our existence and that we are on the right path.  Emptiness should be your constant companion.

Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?  Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?  Never seeking fulfillment, you are never unfulfilled.  Not seeking, not expecting, be present and you will be able to welcome all things.

An exhausting situation can be caused by not having enough or being overwhelmed by having too much.  If you are stuck in an exhausting situation, discover the cause, and seek a solution.  Merely complaining and being resentful will only make the situation worse.

Quote: The situation may be created by others, but the creation of life is up to oneself.

Our life’s path is not prefabricated, it doesn’t already exist.   The path is the moment-by-moment evolution of our thoughts and our emotions. This is encouraging because our source of wisdom is whatever is going to happen to us today, whatever is happening at this very instant.

People say the mountains contain the answers; these mountains represent the unknown aspects of our mind.  Meditation is used to find this unknown aspect of our mind.  Meditation is a process of discovery, of slowly exploring how you function as a human being. 

Can you let go of dualities and embrace life without skepticism or panic?  Then you will be able to reach the heart of oneness.  Avoid thinking of the Oneness as unusual, exalted, sublime, transcendental, it is beyond all that.  It is simply the direct essential and complete truth.

Harmonious progress can be made by knowing when to hurry and when to relax, discernment of what is conducive to good results, and what leads to bad results.  Being firm and flexible at appropriate times, in order to balance firmness and flexibility and knowing when to stop at enough.

Quote: Coax your mind from its wandering and keep to its original oneness.

The concept of problems and solutions can keep us stuck thinking there is a right way and a wrong way.  We need a more open-ended approach; it is more about keeping your heart and mind open, having loving-kindness for yourself to be open to whatever arises without hope of fruition. 

We crave entertainment; events do not even have to be actual.  True reality lies in withdrawing from the swirling variations of the outside world.  Look within and slowly peel away the layers of subjectivity and you will enter into a silence that feels perfect and whole.

Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking about yourself.  When we don’t see the self as self what do we have to fear?  See the world as yourself, treat the world as yourself, love the world as yourself, have faith in the way things are, then you can care for all things.

Talents and abilities are gifts that you possess that have a higher purpose behind them, but they only gain value by what they are used for.  The integrity of your gifts will lose their power if you boast about them or become distracted by comparing them to others.

Quote: Act without any expectations.

When we see our habitual patterns and thoughts, even if it is just for a moment, we start to discover ways to change them.  This teaching is to relate compassionately with where we are and begin to see our present situation as workable.  Do this by making life personal and explore it wholeheartedly.

You must learn to be independent and stand alone.  This doesn’t mean that you won’t join others, but when you do; you do so as an individual who cooperates just as much as necessary.  In this way you will never be lost in a group, and you will never fear being alone.

If the senses are cluttered with objects, they lose their acuteness and eventually decay.  Desires wither the heart, let go of them and your heart will naturally overflow with love.  Reflect whatever happens without judgement and treat yourself with compassion and kindness.

To find your true nature, seek harmony and balance in the five virtues: benevolence, justice, courtesy, knowledge, and truthfulness.  If you work diligently in this way, you will be able to assist others and the world to find this balance and bringing tranquility to all.

Quote: Step back from your own mind and thus understand all things.

The journey to peace and happiness is a process of letting go of attachments both physical and mental.  To do this open your heart up and surrender to life, but we cannot do this on certain occasions or situations, our surrender must be constant and genuine all the time.

When we join with others the accomplishments are greater than what we can achieve on our own.  One must be careful not to lose one’s own personality when joining with others, the idea is integration not assimilation.  No matter what is achieved we each walk this path independently.

We make a clay pot, but it is the inner empty space we use.  We build a house, but it is the inner space that makes it livable.  We work with being, but non-being is what we use.  Non-being and being create each other.  Therefore, being is for benefit and non-being is for usefulness.

To set limits on your expenditures and bounds on your moral conduct is regarded as morally correct.  If you do not exercise restraint, it will create unhappiness, but restraint should not be excessive.  Strike a balance between excess and insufficiency and follow the central path.

Quote:   Choose good and hold fast to it.

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 gap, the present moment, all compassion and inspiration comes from that.

Creativity does not mean the arbitrary making of something out of our cultured minds.  Rather it is spontaneous movement in harmony with life’s rhythms.  The ultimate level of creativity is when a skill has been mastered so thoroughly it can be forgotten.

Try to live like every other species, seeking no reward, taking no pride, guiding without enslaving.  Purge your mind of coercion, allowing your heart unfettered joy.  Cleanse the inner vision, leaving your mind in spiritual purity.  Do this by letting things go and staying in your center.

When a relationship or a business is in a period of abundance and prosperity, great caution should be taken to prevent disharmony and overdoing.  People become used to an easy situation, but they have a tendency to neglect the natural law of cause and effect.

Quote: Detachment results in clarity; clarity expresses itself in love.