Awakening The Buddha Within - Lama Surya Das

paperflower SG

if i had my life over again i should form the habit of nightly composing myself to thoughts of death. i would practice, as it were, the remembrance of death. there is no other practice which so intensifies life. death, when it approaches, ought not to take one by surprise. it should be part of the full expectancy of life. without an ever-present sense of death life is insipid. you might as well live on the whites of eggs.

- Muriel Spark

paperflower SG

Enlightenment is the Goal;

Meditation is the Way.

you are the Buddha. you are the truth. then why do you not feel it? why don't you know it through and through? because there is a veil in the way, which is attachment to appearances, such as the belief that you are not Buddha, that you are a separate individual, an ego. if you cannot remove this veil all at once, then it must be dissolved gradually.

if you have seen through it totally, even one glimpse, then you can see through it at any time. wherever you are, whatever presents itself, however things seem to be; simply refer to that ever-present, spacious openness and clarity.

- Kalu Rinpoche

An Eternal Now SG

Hi Paperflower, thanks for sharing with us much valuable and wonderful teachings Smile

An Eternal Now SG

Padmasambhava is 8th century, not 18th..

paperflower SG

oops sorry.....
ok i'll amend it.

Thusness SG

Thanks. Enlightening and great effort. Smile

NewAge SG

Profund it is

paperflower SG

as long as the teachings from any good masters can be reached out to anyone willing to hear and receive, i'd be most delighted glad to share.

paperflower SG

using a mantra to find your own voice

mantras are sacred words of great power and blessings. the word "mantra" is literally translated as "something to lean the mind (manas) upon". and that's what a mantra can do.

mantra practice can be relied upon as a quick, effective, powerful way of focussing, stabilising and freeing the mind. mantra practice can help inculcate constructive states of mind; reinforce mind-training. it enhances our basic intelligence, wakefulness, concentration and present awareness.

paperflower SG

there are different kinds of mantras: healing, wisdom, compassion, awareness, purification, wrathful (used to dispel obstacles).

we sometimes hear short one-syllable mantras such as "Om" or "Ah". these are known as seed syllable mantras. like the seed of a beautiful plant, the single syllable carries within it all the teachings, mysteries, wisdom and realisations of the final fruit or flower of awakened enlightenment.

paperflower SG

mantra practice, a highly effective centering skill, can legitimately be regarded as a tool of transcendence or a kind of technology of the sacred. while we chant the mantras, we concentrate on breathing, hold a visualisation in our head and hold a mala (rosary) for centering as well as a way to keep track of the number of recitations.

mantra meditation can alter the atmosphere and effect swift transformation, both externally in the world and within ourselves.

paperflower SG

the temple bell stops
but the sound keeps coming
out of the flowers

- Zen Haiku Master Basho

paperflower SG

on an innate or secret level, there is the ultimate centering device, the mystical, wordless, effortless mantra of indwelling wisdom. here is a place that you can rely upon, a place where you can lean your mind.

the innermost, most secret, mystic, nonverbal mantra is the intrinsic, ever-present reality of "isness" itself, indescribable and self-authenticating.

paperflower SG

the Indian philosopher sage named Nagarjuna who lived in about the 1st century AD rediscovered the one hundred thousand verses of the Sutra of Transcendental Wisdom. because he brought these highly treasured teachings about emptiness back from the Nagas, his name became Nagarjuna - literally translated as "charioteer of the Nagas".

the original exponent of Madhyamika, the Great Middle Way doctrine of
Buddhist logic and epistemology, Nagarjuna is considered the Buddhist philosopher of relativism.

Madhyamika reveals how it is that nothing exists independently. everything is conventionally, relatively real, arising through interdependent causes and effects. nothing exists forever in any ultimate sense. things just appear to be real and substantial, without being exactly so.

this is the mysterious, fertile intersection of the void of nothingness and everything we so vividly experience.

paperflower SG

Craving: A Major Challenge To Right Action

the secret waits for eyes unclouded by longing.
- Tao Te Ching: The Way And Its Power

craving or lust is one of the 5 primary hindrances or challenges, that Buddha warned seekers they would meet them on the path to awakening. when Buddha Dharma speaks about craving, it implies psychological hunger and thirst, unhealthy desire, longing, attachment and pychological fixation.

who among us is so completely fulfilled and contented that he or she is above "wanting" of any kind?

as we try to purify and refine our actions, we need to be aware of the myriad ways by which our desires create pitfalls on the spiritual path.

paperflower SG

is there anything or anyone you crave so much that it clouds your judgement and vision? what do you hunger for? is there anything that engenders feelings so intense that your pursuit of it becomes a substitute for furthering your inner development?

it has often been said that everyone has a price; what is yours?

don't sell yourself short, or you'll pay for it.

paperflower SG

when the Buddha gave the Fire Sermon to a thousand disciples at Gaya, he told them that "all is burning..... burning with the fire of lust, with the fire of hate, with the fire of delusion." desire nothing, and you will be liberated and free.

the third Zen patriarch sang, "the way is not difficult for those who have no preferences".

as you make the choices on which you will base your actions, watch to see what is motivating you. desirelessness is nirvanic peace. relinquishing attachment and clinging does ultimately pay off.

let go and let Buddha...

paperflower SG

Being Creative In Accomplishing Good Deeds

the Dharma consistently instructs us that it isn't enough to avoid negative behaviour; we must also encourage positive action.

at one time, entering a religious order was a realistic option for people who wanted to devote themselves to good works. but today, if you want to act on your compassionate intentions, you will probably have to do it within the context of the life you are now living.

when you are trying to reach out a helping hand, it's important to stay flexible and imaginative. it also helps if you focus on actions that are specific and doable. and remember: it's okay to have fun, after all, giving is an act of joy....

paperflower SG

compassion calls for empathy and listening to what is really being said. we must keep our channels open to the wide variety of possible responses that can appropriately address real needs. then enlightened activity can spontaneously flow through us and into the world.

Dancing with Life.........
activities are endless, like ripples on a stream.
they end only when you drop them.
human moods are like the changing highlights and shadows
on a sunlit mountain range.

all activities are like the games children play,
like castles being made of sand.
view them with delight and equanimity,
like grandparents overseeing their grandchildren
or a shepherd resting on a grassy knoll
watching over his grazing flock.

-Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche, From A Spontaneous Vajra Song

paperflower SG

You Can't Take It With You, But.......

everyone says that when you die, you can't take wealth, family or possessions with you. but there is something very important that you do take with you, that you can bank on and that's your accumulated virtue and wisdom - your karma.

when we die, so little remains with us from the life we are leaving that each of us is "like a hair pulled out of butter." nothing comes with us. all is left behind. the only thing that remains is the karma that we have accumulated through our actions, words and thoughts.

whether or not you believe in the traditional rebirth doctrine, consider that at that crucial stage of the journey, at death, each of us carries with us nothing more than our accumulated wisdom and virtue. this is an investment plan that can't go belly-up. you can place your faith in that.

« Previous Page Next Page »