Sentient beings are equal in wanting happiness and not wanting suffering. They are equal in having a right to happiness and freedom from suffering. - Jampa Tegchock
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Point directly at the human mind, see its nature, and become Buddha.
- Bodhidharma The world can only judge Buddhism by your actions, by your love, your life.- Allan Bennett "When a painful feeling comes up, we often try to suppress it. We don’t feel comfortable when our suffering surfaces, and we want to push it back down or cover it up. But as a mindfulness practitioner, we allow the suffering to surface so we can clearly identify it and embrace it. This will bring transformation and relief. The first thing we have to do is accept the mud in ourselves. When we recognize and accept our difficult feelings and emotions, we begin to feel more at peace. When we see that mud is something that can help us grow, we become less afraid of it." - Thich Nhat Hanh in his book The Art of Living
A great inner revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of an entire society and, further, will cause a change in the destiny of humankind. – Daisaku Ikeda
I saw a maple tree that had grown around a big rock, wrapping it with its large roots. I imagine that this large rock must have caused the tree a lot of trouble, yet the maple managed to not only grow around it, but also embrace the rock and make it a part of itself. We all face big obstacles too. But with patience and natural simplicity, we can be like that tree—accepting, embracing, and transforming our suffering, no matter how major, as integral parts of our being. - Liu Yingzhao
Research consistently reveals that meditation does increase a person’s happiness level. You can do a quick online search for this to find ample convincing studies.
However, the key is to meditate and keep meditating regularly. In his book, No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering,Thich Nhat Hanh shares an insight which helped him in his meditation practice: “When I was a young monk, I wondered why the Buddha kept practicing mindfulness and meditation even after he had already become a buddha. Now I find the answer is plain enough to see. Happiness is impermanent, like everything else. In order for happiness to be extended and renewed, you have to learn how to feed your happiness. Nothing can survive without food, including happiness; your happiness can die if you don’t know how to nourish it. If you cut a flower but you don’t put it in some water, the flower will wilt in a few hours.” So, even if you are satisfied with your current happiness level, it still needs to be nourished through regular meditation. To study Buddhism is to study loss. Shakamuni Buddha is a good example. He left his father’s palace, his beautiful wife, his lovely child and gave up his splendid clothes to become a beggar. He practiced begging with bare feet and a shabby robe for the rest of his life. All the Buddhas and ancestors suffer loss intentionally.
- Homeless Kodo Sawaki  October 12 is Thich Nhat Hanh's birthday (though he prefers to call it 'continuation day') and he turns 95. Here are some words of wisdom from this modern Buddha:
When you have found a way to do good, you are at peace with yourself and happiness becomes possible. A friend can be a teacher, a fellow practitioner can be a teacher, and you yourself can be a teacher. A teacher is anyone who helps you practice and find more freedom—even freedom from your teacher. When you are enlightened, your karma can only be good karma. You have no discrimination, no anger, and no fear, so what you think, what you say, and what you do can only bring good results To be happy is the real success. When you are happy, you don’t need to compete anymore. You compete because you are not happy. The practice of meditation can help you suffer less and be happy. Buddhism is the teaching of waking up. Our society needs a collective awakening in order to save ourselves from our crises. |
Victor M. Parachin ...is aVedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Archives
October 2021
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