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...

cycle SG

The Buddha did not encourage householders to detach themselves from everything at once. Although He pointed out how attachments can create dissappointments. He knew that the life of those whose minds are still defiled, can become very miserable or dull without attachments. This does not mean the Buddha encouraged attachments. He was saying that while we allow ourselves to be attached at a lower stage of our spiritual development, we must discard them at the later stages.

~ Ven. Dr K Dhammananda, The purpose of Life

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Religious knowlegde is important to maintain a healthy mental attitude to face unfavourable worldly conditions. When changes and separation take place, we must adjust our way of life. It is meaningless to say Buddhism prohibits people from having craving and attachment. Emotional attachments to property, people or ideas carry no formal punishment tags. All that Buddhism does is to explain the repercussions that occur when one becomes a slave to craving and attachment. This is just like a parent advising a child not to play with fire.

~ Ven. Dr k Dhammananda, The Purpose of Life

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If only man can understand that life is short and that death is inevitable, he can solve many problems pertaining to life. In his resistance to death, man has achieved some prolongation of life which may equated to a child playing by the seaside, working desperately to build up his sandcastle before the next wave breaks over it.

~ Ven. Dr k Dhammananda

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Evil-doers are not wicked by nature.
They do evil because they are ignorant.

~The Buddha

An Eternal Now SG

Bodhicitta is like empty space, all its wonderful, virtuous qualities are boundless.

Avatamsaka Sutra

An Eternal Now SG

"Now this, monks, is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; seperation from what is pleasing is suffering in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.
~ The Buddha
SN 56:11

An Eternal Now SG

One instant is eternity;
eternity is the now.
When you see through this one instant
you see through the one who sees.

~ Wu Men

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Everybody is a VIP. Is it 'Very Important People'? No. It's ' Very Impermanent People'.

~ Bhikkhu Buddha Dhatu

Isis SG

haha

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When you have breathe your last breath, all your Bank Accounts have to be closed; only your Account of meritorious deeds will follow you through your rebirth.

~ Bhikkhu Buddha Dhatu

Isis SG

Slavery

The Buddha saw that all beings were slaves of lust and greed, and that moved him to great pity. Living beings serve their lust and greed even at the risk of their lives. They go out in search of the things their lust or greed urges them, and risk their lives to get them. They have to work daily for all their lives to satisfy their lust and greed, and after death, and in the next existence, too, they remain slaves of the same master, craving (tanha). There is no period of rest for them.

In this world a slave may remain a slave only during his lifetime, but a slave of lust has an unending term of servitude till the time of salvation when he becomes an arahant and thus ends his wandering through samsara.

Discourse on the Hemavata Sutta

By Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw

Isis SG

Listening to the Dhamma

To attain realization of the Dhamma while listening to a sermon, one must have a settled mind, for it is only through concentrated attention with a settled mind that one can attain samadhi, (concentration), and only samadhi can still the mind for insight. If the mind wanders during the sermon over domestic, economic, and other secular affairs, samadhi will not be attained. If anxiety sets in, it is all for the worse. If distraction and anxiety crop up, the essence of the Dhamma will slip, and as samadhi is lacking, there will be no insight, and if one cannot attain insight for vipassana, how can one attain realization of the Dhamma? Concentrated attention while listening to a sermon is, therefore, an important factor.

The listener must listen carefully, with full mental involvement, and the words of the Dhamma must be adhered to in practice. If one attends to a sermon in this way, one's mind will be calm and absorbed in the sermon; one will be free from interference, and thus attain purity of mind.

Discourse on the Hemavata Sutta

By Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw

Isis SG

The Deities' Dissatisfaction

Do not have the impression that if one becomes a celestial being owing to one's good deeds, one gets to a place where every wish is fulfilled and one does not need to have any more wishes; that is, one would be satisfied to the full. No being is ever satisfied with what has been given, and will always ask for more. To get more, further efforts have to be made, and suffering ensues from these efforts.

Discourse on the Hemavata Sutta

By Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw

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Wisdom comes through recognition of ignorance.

Man is not a fallen angel,
but an arising animal.

~ Ven. Dr k Sri Dhammananda

cycle SG

Anyone who can controls his own appetite, will be able to deal with greed.

~ Bhikkhu Buddha Dhatu

cycle SG

Only compassion in line with the Precepts, is true compasssion.

~ Ven. Guang Qing

An Eternal Now SG

Questioner: What is the best way to freedom?

Vishrant: Like the wind gently blowing through the trees , life gently carries on , the wind does not worry about where its been or where its going , it just keeps going , following the path of least resistance , what it can't go through , it goes around , no problem , just what is , life is just happening , let go , go with the flow , follow the path of least resistance . When there is no resistance life is beautiful . Accept everything.

An Eternal Now SG

If, because of your education, knowledge or whatever other attributes, you become conceited and lose your humility to confer with others or to accommodate their opinions, then there is no emptiness in your mind. As a result of this, there is a limit to your progress.

~ Master Shen Kai

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Once a man went to a Zen Master and asked him to teach what he doesn't know. Whenever the master begins to speak on a subject, he would immediately say, Oh! I know it already. The Master kept quite for a while. The man became impatient and pestered him. The Master asked him to fetch a cup filled with water and a jug full of water. He placed it before the man and started pouring water in the cup. The cup started overflowing. Seeing this, the exasperated man shouted at the Master saying, don't you see when the cup if full it can't take anymore? The Master gave a smile and said, that's your mind. Go. Empty it and come back. Only then it can take new thing.

Isis SG

Because I’m Here… An old monk was sweeping the yard in a monastery under the scorching sun. Another monk passed by and asked him, “How old are you? The old monk replied, “I’m seventy-seven.” “You are so old! Why are you still working so hard here?” “Well, because I’m here.” “But why are you working under the scorching sun?” “Because the sun is there.”; [Act without worrying about the results, and strive for excellence without dwelling on it. If we put all of our hearts into what we do without complaining, we can become one with the “Way.”

cycle SG

There is an analogy of the three kinds of pots - the stained pot, the upturned pot and the leaky pot. In the pot stained with poison, whatever food you put in is inedible. Similarly, if one listens to teachings[ Dhamma] with attachment or hatred there is no benefit. Secondly, like the upturned pot that has no space to contain anything; if one listen with a wondering mind, nothing is learnt. Thirdly, if one listens to teachings without reflection, one retains nothing, just like a leaky pot. These are the three faults you have to abandon.

~ Kangyur Khensur Lobsang Thubten Rinpoche

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