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Do enlightenment and alcohol mix? No. Enlightenment is about freedom—not freedom to play out one’s cravings, but freedom from one’s cravings. - Bodhin Kjolhede
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Joy has many different flavors. It might overflow from us in song or dance, or it might gently arise as a smile or a sense of inner fullness. Joy is not something we have to manufacture. It is already in us when we come into the world, as we can see in the natural delight and exuberance of a healthy baby. We need only release the layers of contraction and fear that keep us from it. - James Baraz
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Enlightenment is our true nature and our home, but the complexities of human life cause us to forget. That forgetting feels like exile, and we make elaborate structures of habit, conviction, and strategy to defend against its desolation. But this condition isn’t hopeless; it’s possible to dismantle those structures so we can return from an exile that was always illusory to a home that was always right under our feet. - Joan Sutherland
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Nowadays, everybody wants to change the world. But I think the best thing to do is to change yourself. We are all part of this world and we influence each other every day. If you can change yourself in a positive direction, then you can influence three or four other people. Then they can positively influence another three or four people, and so on. - Mingyur Rinpoche
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Do not neglect this body. This is the house of God; take care of it, only in this body can God be realized. - Nisargadatta Maharaj
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The Buddha used humor when he offered his teachings. One example revolves around a debate he had with Vedic Braham priests who taught this about the importance of bathing in the Ganges river:
“No matter what evil deeds you have done, bathing in the holy Ganga River will wash away your sins and you will go to heaven upon your death. But if you do not bathe in the Ganga River, no matter how good you have been throughout your life, you will not be accepted into heaven.”
One day, a person who had heard of this belief went to the Buddha and asked if the Brahmans were telling the truth. The Buddha answered with a smile on his face: “If what they say is true, the fish in the river will be the first ones to go to heaven.”
Clearly, the Buddha did not support simplistic, superstitious approaches to life and to personal responsibility for our actions.
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If you seek enlightenment outside yourself, then your performing even ten thousand practices and ten thousand good deeds will be in vain. It is like the case of a poor man who spends night and day counting his neighbor’s wealth but gains not even half a coin. - Nichiren
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“Through the years slouching in chairs, overeating, work and other tensions prohibit the complete and efficient use of the lungs, allowing the lower portions to stagnate with uncirculated air. Pneumonia and other diseases of the lungs can often be avoided by proper ventilation of the lung tissues. Poor breathing causes the muscles of the abdomen, chest and diaphragm to begin to atrophy. Then, as a person grows older, the improper breathing patterns of a lifetime are a prime contributing cause of forgetfulness, lack of mental clarity, and feeling of continual physical listlessness. Because we are generally so unaware of this vital functioning of our body, we, rarely connect our shallow breathing with the feeling that something is amiss inside.” - Suza Norton from her book Yoga For People Over 50
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Most religions have scriptures which are used as authoritative guides for living. However, ‘scriptures’ should not be viewed merely as wisdom written in books. The entire world ought to be viewed as a ‘scripture’. When we look around, we can see scripture. When we listen, we can hear scripture. When others act, we can see scripture. Furthermore, we are scriptures to others. By our words and actions – good and bad - others see living scriptures guiding them how to live wisely and skillfully. Our lives ‘recite’ scripture by the way we respond, think, speak and act. Don’t rely only on the written word; also pay attention to the living word. - VMP
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Not to advance is to retreat. - Nicherin