Daily Buddhist Verses

last SG · 2005-05-29T17:49:29+00:00

Our normal way of relating people is to see ourself as separate from the others.To objectify beings as separate you and make them an object of attachment is...

An Eternal Now SG

Bhikkhus, when the heart-deliverance of loving-kindness is maintained in being, made much of, used as one's vehicle, used as one's foundation, established, consolidated, and properly managed, then eleven blessings can be expected. What are the eleven?

A man sleeps in comfort; he wakes in comfort; he dreams no evil dreams; he is dear to human beings; he is dear to non-human beings; the gods guard him; no fire or poison or weapon harms him; his mind can be quickly concentrated; the expression of his face is serene; he dies without falling into confusion; and, even if he fails to penetrate any further, he will pass on to the world of High Divinity, to the Brahma world.

7. From the Samyutta Nikaya, 20:3

cycle SG

In our daily lives problems are bound to arise. The biggest problems in our lives are the ones that we inevitably have to face, like old age, illness, and death. Trying to avoid our problems or simply not thinking about them may provide temporary relief, but I think that there is a better approach. If you directly confront your suffering, you will be in a better position to appreciate the depth and nature of the problem. If you are in a battle, as long as you remain ignorant of the status and combat capability of your enemy, you will be totaly unprepared and paralysed by fear. However, if you know the fighting capability of your opponents, what sort of weapons they have and so on, then you are in a much better position when you engage in a war. In the same way, if you confront your problems rather than avoid them, you will be in a better position to deal with them.

~ The Dalai Lama

cycle SG

Abandoning idle chatter, one abstains from idle chatter. One speaks in season, speaks what is factual, what is in accordance with the goal, the Dhamma, and the Vinaya. One speaks words worth treasuring, seasonable, reasonable, circumscribed, beneficial.

~ Buddha

cycle SG

Needs are few, wants are too many.

~ Zen Master Sheng Yan

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And how is a monk content? Just as a bird, wherever it goes, flies with its wings as its only burden; so too is he content with a set of robes to provide for his body and alms food to provide for his hunger. Wherever he goes, he takes only his barest necesseities along. This is how a monk is content.

~ DN 2

cycle SG

Success can be categorised into three types. One is success in financial wealth, the second is successs in power, and third is success in human character. The first two types are delusional.

~ Zen Master Sheng Yan, Ru he du guo ku ri zi

cycle SG

It does not mean that if you practise Buddhism and meditation, you are going to get better parking lots and everything. But what it means is that as you go along, what approach are you going to take? If you are coming from a fatalistic viewpoint, then you think nothing is going to work out. It makes living life right now very difficult.

But if you say, "it is actually part of the spiritual journey and part of being a Buddhist and so forth", it is actually saying, "right now we do what we can". And our actions right now have the ability to change the course of our future.

~ Saykong Mipham Rinpoche, Vaidurya Vol.44

cycle SG

There was once a woman suffering from a severe eye disease.
A friend of hers asked, "Is it painful? "
The woman answered, " Yes, indeed. "
The friend said, " That means to have eyes will bring pains. Although my eyes are not giving me any pains yet, but I better dig them out first before such a day comes."
Someone overheard her and said, "A person with eyes may or may not suffer from pains of the eyes; but a person without eyes may suffer for the rest of his life."

~ Parable from sutra- Bai Yu Jing

An Eternal Now SG

"As the wise test gold by burning, cutting and rubbing it, So, bhikshus, should you accept my words -- after testing them, and not merely out of respect."

-The Buddha, Jnanasara-samuccaya

cycle SG

A 16 years old fine young man was holding a feast for his guests, and a priest from another faith was invited.

Shortly after taking his seat, the priest started to laugh to himself.

" Why are you laughing? " someone asked him.

"I saw a mountain 50 000 miles away from here, at the foot of this mountain is a river, and a monkey fell into the river; it is so funny." The priest replied.

The fine young man knew that the priest was boasting. So he placed lots of delicious dishes inside a bowl, covered the dishes with rice, and have his helpers to serve the bowl to the priest. The bowls of the other guests were filled with delicious dishes on top with rice below.

Then everyone started to eat except the priest, starring into his bowl.

The young host asked him, "Why aren't you eating? "

" There is no other dishes, how to eat ? " the priest replied.

" You can see a monkey falling into a river 50 000 miles away, yet you cannot see the dishes placed under your rice? " the young host asked.

Hearing this, the embarrassed and angry priest left without touching his food.

~ A parable from sutra - Zhong jing xuan zha bi yu.

An Eternal Now SG

"With regard to external factors, I don't envision any other single factor like friendship with admirable people as doing so much for a monk in training, who has not attained the goal but remains intent on the unsurpassed safety from bondage. A monk who is a friend with admirable people abandons what is unskillful and develops what is skillful."

A monk who is a friend
to admirable people
-- who's reverential, respectful,
doing what his friends advise
mindful, alert,
attains step by step
the ending of all fetters.

Iti 17

An Eternal Now SG

As he was seated to one side, Ven. Ananda said to the Blessed One, "This is half of the holy life, lord: having admirable people as friends, companions, & colleagues."

"Don't say that, Ananda. Don't say that. Having admirable people as friends, companions, & colleagues is actually the whole of the holy life. When a monk has admirable people as friends, companions, & colleagues, he can be expected to develop & pursue the noble eightfold path.

"And how does a monk who has admirable people as friends, companions, & colleagues, develop & pursue the noble eightfold path? There is the case where a monk develops right view dependent on seclusion, dependent on dispassion, dependent on cessation, resulting in letting go. He develops right resolve... right speech... right action... right livelihood... right effort... right mindfulness... right concentration dependent on seclusion... dispassion... cessation, resulting in letting go. This is how a monk who has admirable people as friends, companions, & colleagues, develops & pursues the noble eightfold path.

"And through this line of reasoning one may know how having admirable people as friends, companions, & colleagues is actually the whole of the holy life: It is in dependence on me as an admirable friend that beings subject to birth have gained release from birth, that beings subject to aging have gained release from aging, that beings subject to death have gained release from death, that beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair have gained release from sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair."

SN 45.2

An Eternal Now SG

“If you touch one thing with deep awareness, you touch everything.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

An Eternal Now SG

"The Buddhas message was simple but profound. Neither a life of self-indulgence nor one of self-mortification can bring happiness. Only a middle path, avoiding these two extremes, leads to peace of mind, wisdom, & complete liberation from the dissatisfactions of life.

~Bhante Gunaratana
Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness

An Eternal Now SG

Cease from practice based on intellectual understanding, pursuing words, and following after speech, and learn the backward step that turns your light inward to illuminate your self.

Body and mind of themselves will drop away, and your original face will be manifest.

- Dogen

An Eternal Now SG

This is by our forummer, Longchen:

Dear Friends,

If you want to experience non-duality, you must completely let go. That means you must not argue with yourself and you must not run away from any sensation, thoughts or feeling that is being felt at that moment.

You must not give yourself excuse to be not what you are at that moment. You must not reason yourself away from the situation that you are in at that particular moment.

If this persist long enough, something 'magical' will be percieved...

cycle SG

"'Stress should be known. The cause by which stress comes into play should be known. The diversity in stress should be known. The result of stress should be known. The cessation of stress should be known. The path of practice for the cessation of stress should be known.' Thus it has been said. Why was it said?

"Birth is stress, aging is stress, death is stress; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair are stress; association with what is not loved is stress, separation from what is loved is stress, not getting what is wanted is stress. In short, the five aggregates for sustenance are stress.

"And what is the cause by which stress comes into play? Craving is the cause by which stress comes into play.
"And what is the diversity in stress? There is major stress and minor, slowly fading and quickly fading. This is called diversity in stress.
"And what is the result of stress? There are some cases in which a person overcome with pain, his mind exhausted, grieves, mourns, laments, beats his br east, & becomes bewildered. Or one overcome with pain, his mind exhausted, comes to search outside, 'Who knows a way or two to stop this pain?' I tell you, monks, that stress results in either bewildment or in search.

"And what is the cessation of stress? From the cessation of craving is the cessation of stress; and just this noble eightfold path is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress: right view, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. "

~AN VI.63

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The Mangala Sutta states, "Support for one's parents, assistance to one's wife and children, consistency in one's work: This is the highest protection." When you have a family, do not forget your responsibility, then happiness will follow you. When you work in a society, do not forget to be a upright person, then you will be accepted by the society. Remember not to give up on yourself, not to blame life and not to waste your resources. Everyone has his own stories and his own paths. Whatever it is, do not blame life for giving us a heavy burden. Being strong is an encouragement to oneself.

~ Ven. Shi Fazhao, Vaidurya Vol.44

An Eternal Now SG

Questioner: In certain situations in life I feel blocked by a fear which prevents me from acting. How can I be free from this obstacle?

Jean Klein: First free yourself from the word, the concept, 'fear'. It is loaded with memory. Face only the perception. Accept the sensation
completely. When the personality who judges and controls is completely absent, when there is no longer a psychological relationship with the
sensation, it is really welcomed and unfolds. Only in welcoming without a welcomer can there be real transformation.

We are in essence one with all existence; when we truly observe ourselves there is ultimately no observer, only observation - awareness.

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