We must remember that the point of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism but to study ourselves. It is easy to fall in love with the stories of forest monks and hermits in a cave, but that really has nothing to do with our practice. It is easy to become scholarly and become a fountain of knowledge but how much is put into actual practice? It is important that the main subject is ourselves. If we can understand our own self better, we have a good practice whether we can recite verses from the heart or not.
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This life of ours would not cause
you sorrow
if you thought of it as like
the mountain cherry blossoms
which bloom and fade in a day.
Murasaki Shikibu
Many people devote a great deal of time to the idea of rebirth. I do not mean to minimize it, but I think the time would be better spent concentrating on this birth, this very life we have. We cannot erase what happened yesterday. We cannot control the future. However, we can look for wisdom and grace in the present. The man who walks with his head looking way up at the mountain top may fall into a hole if he is not paying attention to the ground where he currently is walking on.
—–
It is the calm and silent water that drowns a man.
—–
The young bride to be
Fresh and young, excited
A new road awaits ahead
There is nothing like quiet to help settle the mind. Quiet gives the mind a cool drink of water. Our minds are constantly churning all day. A car engine that never gets a chance to rest will eventually burn itself out. The same is true of the mind. It needs a rest. It needs a quiet, dark garage to refresh itself. We cannot hear ourselves if we are constantly bombarding the mind with noise.
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Today I experienced a deep Samadhi experience. The mind tranquil, the body seemed so far away. Words cannot adequately describe the feelings I had and the experience itself. The mind was calm like a reflection pool, non-clinging, and the body was one with all. There was an intense absorption , yet a relaxed discernment. Time disappears without noticing. Samadhi is a wonderful encounter. It does not happen often to me, but when it does and Icome out of it, I feel truly blessed.
Practice is called practice because that is what we do, practice. Some say practice makes perfect but in our case we just practice. We should be like snowflakes; each snowflake that falls to the ground falls in its own perfect place. We are like the snowflakes. We have our own identity. What we should do is drift down from the sky and find our own resting place. Perfect.
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Hear and forget, see and remember, do and understand.—Conficius
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Water splashing off roof
Blinds blowing by the window
Melancholy day
It is good to stay open-minded about things. We might have preconceptions about how things are or are going to be, but we must remember that all things have the ability to change. What we found good yesterday may not be so good today. What we do not like today, we may find pleasing tomorrow. Staying open-minded means we have a fresh mind. A fresh mind is a beginner’s mind that knows no limits.
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If you can dare to be foolish, soon the world begins revealing its mysteries–Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
It is natural for a person to age. We may not like it, but it happens. No matter how many doctors you see or pills you take, you cannot stop getting older. It is not natural for one to try to stop the aging process. Trying to change what is natural is a risky proposition as the Tao Te Ching tells us in Verse 29.
Those who wish to change the world
According with their desire
cannot succeed.
Spring follows winter, summer follows spring. There are no alternatives. It is pointless to try to change what is natural. Learn to age gracefully. As the years pass, acquire the wisdom to accept what is inevitable. Doing so shows a healthy practice.
There is a saying “great wisdom is like ignorance”. Innocence is a form of ignorance, yet in this sense, it does not indicate a lack of knowledge or a display of stupidity. It means knowing what is needed and what is not needed. It is the difference between clutter and organization. There are many things that we really do not need to know or to carry around with us. Buddha once told a story of someone crossing a river with a raft. Once over on the other side, it was useless to carry the raft around. Lao Tzu said that to attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day. Think of if you were building a stone wall. Would it be wise to collect every small pebble, every large boulder you could find? It would be far wiser to only collect those stones that are the right size and shape for your wall.Thus, only collect what is useful. We gather stones of information every day. Discard what is not needed. Keep only those stones that bring harmony, balance, and unity with the Way. Lao Tzu said that to attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day. Think of if you were building a stone wall. Would it be wise to collect every small pebble, every large boulder you could find? It would be far wiser to only collect those stones that are the right size and shape for your wall.
Thus, only collect what is useful. We gather stones of information every day. Discard what is not needed. Keep only those stones that bring harmony, balance, and unity with the Tao.
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Lightning and thunder
Morning sky quite threatening
Quiet and darkness pervades
When water boils and reaches its maximum temperature, it turns to steam, cooling ,condensing, and once again it is cool water. When one has a fever, the body sweats, the fever breaks, and the temperature returns to normal. When there is too much yin, yang begins to arise and balances things out and vice versa. The Tao is all about maintaining balance.
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The cold bare branches
Just outside my apartment
Dancing in the wind
The Tao teaches us that seeds must wait for the sun and rain, the fruit of the trees must wait for summer to ripen, the animals that hibernate must wait for spring to come out once more. Perhaps we can learn from these examples and cultivate patience. The sun cannot rise until the night is over. The snow cannot melt from a mountaintop until it is warm enough. Be patient, all things shall come in time.
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Pregnant teenage girl
Getting off the high school bus
What have you done to your life?
It is important to always try to remain impartial. When we are impartial, our mind can remain at peace and not be stirred up by emotion. The trees give shade to everyone. All may drink from the river. When we cannot be impartial, we should try to see both sides at least. It may help us keep our balance and perspective.
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Frozen evergreen
Draped in freshly fallen snow
Off I-93
