People today do not want to have meritorious achievements. Instead, they become opportunists and try to rely on their good luck to achieve something without hard work. - Hsing Yun
Pessimism can be so deadly. The habit of worrying about problems or seeing only the negative aspect of a situation hardly leaves any room for healing. When the mind becomes encrusted and rigid with this attitude, then everything that happens appears tainted by pain and negativity. - Tulku Thondop
Buddhism is about becoming skilled in life. Change, troubled times and difficulty are inevitable. When we develop our inner strengths, we can enjoy these time as well as the moments of tranquility. - Pat Allwright
Yoga teaches us to put our own house in order before we begin telling others what they ought to do. - Paul Dukes
Death is unimportant to a yogi; he does not mind when he is going to die. What happens after death is immaterial to him. He is only concerned with life - how he can use his life for the betterment of humanity. Thus the yogi develops the quality of his life so that a good seed may emerge, and his next life may bring the harvest of spiritual fragrance. - B.K.S. Iyengar
Good health is far more than the absence of illness and disease. A person who enjoys good health is one whose body, mind, and emotions function optimally. In such a person, the body is in peak condition because of proper nutrition and regular exercise. A healthy mind empowers the individual to flourish because it is positive and hopeful. Similarly, the emotional life of a person is healthy when it exhibits confidence and courage, especially in those moments when life presents unwelcome changes and challenges. Good health is found in a person who feels safe, secure, stable yet is always able to adjust and adapt to adversity.
Craving is a cause of seeking.
Seeking is a cause of gaining material possessions. Gaining material possessions is a cause of assessing. Assessing is a cause of desire and lust. Desire and lust is a cause of attachment. Attachment is a cause of ownership. Ownership is a cause of stinginess. Stinginess is a cause of safeguarding. Owing to safeguarding, many bad, unskillful things come to be: taking up the rod and the sword, quarrels, arguments, and disputes, accusations, divisive speech, and lies. . . . Suppose there were totally and utterly no safeguarding for anyone anywhere. When there’s no safeguarding at all, with the cessation of safeguarding, would those many bad, unskillful things still come to be? - Buddha (Mahānidānasutta - translated by Ajahn Sujato) Go over this list today and see what thoughts, impressions, conclusions arise. 1. When was the last time I did something for the first time? 2. Am I experiencing joy daily? 3. Am I bringing joy to others daily? 4. Who do I love and what am I doing about it? 5. What have I done recently which is memorable? 6. Does it really matter what others think of me? 7. Where will I be in 3 or 4 years if I keep heading in this direction? 8. Am I who I want to be? 9. Who are my spiritual friends and how much time do I spend with them? 10. How would I like others to remember me after I die? Return to this list in six months reviewing it again. What’s changed? When we meditate, no matter what meditation we do, we always need to find a balance where we are concentrated and, at the same time, we are not tense. We need to keep our mind wide, not getting too tense or too relaxed, because then we cannot focus. We are aiming for this balance. - Hannah Nydahl
When the basis of our well-being is firm within, we can act with true courage and compassion for others, for we’re coming from a solid position of calmness and strength. - Thanissaro Bhikkhu
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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
April 2024
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