#buddhism

"Guarding knowledge is not a good way to understand. Understanding means to throw away your knowledge."

"Accepting the reality of change gives rise to equanimity."

"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are."

"A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but if he is peaceful, loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise."

"Even if things don't unfold the way you expected, don't be disheartened or give up. One who continues to advance will win in the end."

"It turned out this man worked for the Dalai Lama. And she said gently-that they believe when a lot of things start going wrong all at once, it is to protect something big and lovely that is trying to get itself born-and that this something needs for you to be distracted so that it can be born as perfectly as possible."

"We need the courage to learn from our past and not live in it."

"This body is fragile. It is just flesh. Listen to the heartbeat. Life depends on the pumping of a muscle."

"Shall any gazer see with mortal eyes,Or any searcher know by mortal mind,Veil after veil will lift--but there must be Veil upon veil behind."

"The five points of yama, together with the five points of niyama, remind us of the Ten Commandments of the Christtian and Jewish faiths, as well as of the ten virtues of Buddhism. In fact, there is no religion without these moral or ethical codes. All spiritual life should be based on these things. They are the foundation stones without which we can never build anything lasting. (127)"

"My experience with forgiveness is that it sort of comes spontaneously at a certain point and to try to force it it's not really forgiveness. It's Buddhist philosophy or something spiritual jargon that you're trying to live up to but you're just using it against yourself as a reason why you're not okay."

"Living in a world such as this is like dancing on a live volcano."

"According to the Buddha's teaching the beginning of the life-stream of living beings is unthinkable. THe believer in the creation of life by God may be astonished at this reply. But if you were to ask him 'What is the beginning of God?' he would answer without hesitation 'God has no beginning', and he is not astonished at his own reply."

"When the Aggregates arise, decay and die, O bhikkhu, every moment you are born, decay, and die."

"Mindfulness, also called wise attention, helps us see what we’re adding to our experiences, not only during meditation sessions but also elsewhere."

"A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, can even enable a change in the destiny of all humankind."

"People turn to meditation because they want to make good decisions, break bad habits & bounce back better from disappointments."

"You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself."

"Not thinking about anything is Zen. Once you know this, walking, sitting, or lying down, everything you do is Zen."

"How aware are we of our own inner life, our spirituality-something so intangible yet so priceless? How much effort do we make to perceive that which is not obvious, which can neither be seen nor heard? I believe the exploration and enrichment of the human spirit is what determines our very humanity. Such enrichment provides an inner compass that can lead civilizations to greatness."