our emotional distortions, our labels and concepts, our previous
experiences, and our habitual tendencies. - Tashi Nyima
All that we perceive is a projection of our sense limitations,
our emotional distortions, our labels and concepts, our previous experiences, and our habitual tendencies. - Tashi Nyima “There is no doubt in my mind that Buddhism is a religion. It has rituals, traditions, schools and hierarchical structures. However, Buddhist philosophy in it’s purest form, is just a set of principles to help you become awake to the life that you have so that you can live it more completely. If we go back to the original ideas and strip away thee extras, if we take the ‘ism’ out of what a brother named Buddha tuaght, then it’s no more and no less than a way of planning your life. It’s setting up ykour social structures and actively engaging your time on this planet by waking up and getting a fundamental grasp on what’s really important.” - Angel Kyodo Williams
(Being Black by Angel Kyodo Williams) In everyday life this is one of the greatest problems we have,
the way we cause problems because of our speech, especially in relationships: how we can hurt each other with wrong speech.... The Buddha encouraged us to speak gentle words, kind words, helpful words, words which can be healing to others. On the other hand we can hurt another person with our words, they can be more harmful, they can hurt another person, more than something physical. - Godwin Samarartne Vegetarianism was for thousands of years a principle of health and environmental ethics throughout India. Though Muslim and Christian colonization radically undermined and eroded this ideal, it remains to this day a cardinal ethic of Hindu thought and practice.
- Hinduism Today Magazine In his book A Code of Jewish Ethics (Vol 1) Rabbi Joseph Telushkin stresses the importance of expressing gratitude and showing appreciation to someone who was kind enough to help us. He offers four ways of doing this:
1. Remember and acknowledge the good done even by those who later do wrong. 2. Never use a persons bad deeds as an excuse to forget or ignore the good that person has done. 3. Show gratitude not only to those who help you, but to those who help the people you love. 4. If possible, return the kindness by helping not just the person who was helpful to you but also to his or her family. We can see people putting great effort into achieving their dreams. However, many give up their endeavors once they face obstacles and discouragement. One will be annihilated when one ceases to move forward. - Hsing Yun
The Buddha's patience is not the patience of a water buffalo who simply endures the work and punishments imposed on it. Instead, it’s the patience of a warrior who, despite wounds and setbacks, never abandons the desire to come out victorious.
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu It is important for us also sometimes to think of the good things we have done. This can give us lots of joy, lots of happiness, lots of lightness, and it will also be an incentive to do more and more such actions of love. - Godwin Samararatne
Gratitude is rooted in remembrance. Therefore we must make a conscious effort to recall how others have helped us; if we don't do this, we will forget. - Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
"The spirit to strive is easily observed in nature. Salmon swim upstream to lay eggs and multiply their offspring. A few blades of grass can survive between bricks. All the animals and plants in the wold strive to survive. How is it that we humans do not do the same? We should never give up the effort to improve ourselves. Any kind of job has its difficulties. However, with the spirit to strive for the best, we can produce outstanding achievements in any task. We can see restaurant workers waking up before dawn to prepare food for early business. Also, the street cleaner sweeps the street during midnight, so that people can enjoy a clean environment in the morning. It is evident that many people are doing the best they can to survive." - Hsing Yun
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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
May 2024
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