Do not be one who stretches out his hands to receive but closes them when it comes to giving.
-The Didache
***
A pious fool is he who sees a child struggling in water and says, "I'll take off my tefillin and then save the child."
- Talmud Jerushalmi: Sota
***
You really have to know your own fundamental mind before you can stop and rest.
If you know your mind and arrive at the fundamental, that is like space merging with space.
-Ta-tu
From "The Pocket Zen Reader,"
****
He who is outside the door has already got a good part of his journey behind him.
-Dutch proverb
***
Imagine yourself entering the presence of a mighty emperor. You are overwhelmed with awe at his power, and with a sense of your own insignificance. Your entire attention is absorbed by the emperor’s greatness, so you are utterly unaware of his physical presence and of the other people around him. When you leave his presence, people ask you about the other people, about his physical appearance, and about your own experience of being in his presence. But you are unable to answer.
This is a parable for losing the sense of self.
-Qushayri, "Risalah"
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
"The results of karma cannot be known by thought, and so should not be speculated about. Thus, thinking, one would come to distraction and distress.
"Therefore, Ananda, do not be the judge of people; do not make assumptions about others. A person is destroyed by holding judgments about others."
-Anguttura Nikaya
From "Teachings of the Buddha,"
Quote
-
Guest
If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.
-Mark 9:35 (Revised Standard Version)
***
A superior being does not render evil for evil. Never harm the wicked or the good or even criminals meeting death. A noble soul is always compassionate, even toward those who enjoy injuring others or who are actually committing cruel deeds--for who is without fault?
-Ramayana
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,"
***
When you experience pain,
ask God for forgiveness.
By the command of the Creator,
it will be eliminated.
For when He decrees, pain becomes joy,
and fetters become freedom.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Better
than if there were thousands
of meaningless words is
one
meaningful
word
that on hearing
brings peace.
-Dhammapada, 8, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
-Mark 9:35 (Revised Standard Version)
***
A superior being does not render evil for evil. Never harm the wicked or the good or even criminals meeting death. A noble soul is always compassionate, even toward those who enjoy injuring others or who are actually committing cruel deeds--for who is without fault?
-Ramayana
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,"
***
When you experience pain,
ask God for forgiveness.
By the command of the Creator,
it will be eliminated.
For when He decrees, pain becomes joy,
and fetters become freedom.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Better
than if there were thousands
of meaningless words is
one
meaningful
word
that on hearing
brings peace.
-Dhammapada, 8, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
-
Guest
Take your burdens, and troubles, and losses, and wrongs, if come they must and will, as your opportunities, knowing that God has girded you for greater things than these.
-Horace Bushnell
***
Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.
-Abraham Lincoln
***
Anger deprives a sage of his wisdom, a prophet of his vision.
- Rabbi Simeon b. Lakish, Talmud: Pesahim, 66b
***
Having realized his own self as the Self a person becomes selfless.
-Maitrayana Upanishad
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,
***
Blessed are the believers who are worthy of trust, who keep their promises, and who never neglect their prayers. They are the heirs of paradise; they will live there forever.
-Qur'an, Al-Mu'minun, Surah 23:8-11
From "366 Readings From Islam
***
"How can I tell that you are an enlightened person?" asked Sela the brahman of the Buddha.
"I know what should be known," answered the Buddha, "and what should be cultivated, I have cultivated. What should be abandoned, I have let go, In this way, O brahman, I am awake."
-Sutta Nipata
From "Buddha Speaks,
-Horace Bushnell
***
Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.
-Abraham Lincoln
***
Anger deprives a sage of his wisdom, a prophet of his vision.
- Rabbi Simeon b. Lakish, Talmud: Pesahim, 66b
***
Having realized his own self as the Self a person becomes selfless.
-Maitrayana Upanishad
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,
***
Blessed are the believers who are worthy of trust, who keep their promises, and who never neglect their prayers. They are the heirs of paradise; they will live there forever.
-Qur'an, Al-Mu'minun, Surah 23:8-11
From "366 Readings From Islam
***
"How can I tell that you are an enlightened person?" asked Sela the brahman of the Buddha.
"I know what should be known," answered the Buddha, "and what should be cultivated, I have cultivated. What should be abandoned, I have let go, In this way, O brahman, I am awake."
-Sutta Nipata
From "Buddha Speaks,
-
Guest
The life of faith does not earn eternal life: it is eternal life. And Christ is its vehicle.
-William Temple
***
A man cannot say to the Angel of Death, "Wait till I make up my accounts."
- Ecclesiastes Rabbah 8
***
"As rivers lose their private name and form
When they reach the sea, so that people speak
Of the sea alone, so all these sixteen
Forms disappear when the Self is realized.
Then there is no more name and form for us,
And we attain immortality."
-Prashna Upanishad
***
I am the Word of God living through His Essence. I am the Food of the soul, the Spirit of purity. I am the Fountain of the Water of Life. I deliver the lovers of God from death. If your greed had not raised such a stench, God would have poured a remedy of water on your graves. I accept the warning of the Sage; I will not allow my heart to be sickened by ridicule.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
"Great Teacher," said Upashiva, "when one is free from attachment and craving, when everything is let go and one depends on emptiness, will one be permanently in that state?"
"When you are free from craving for sense pleasures and when you are aware of emptiness, you are free in a supreme way and that will not change. It is like a flame struck by a gust of wind. In a flash the flame has gone out. Similarly, the person is suddenly free and no more words can be said. When all the ways of being a self are let go and when all phenomena are seen to be empty, then all the ways of describing this have also vanished."
-Sutta Nipata
From "Buddha Speaks,"
***
Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.
-Sigmund Freud
-William Temple
***
A man cannot say to the Angel of Death, "Wait till I make up my accounts."
- Ecclesiastes Rabbah 8
***
"As rivers lose their private name and form
When they reach the sea, so that people speak
Of the sea alone, so all these sixteen
Forms disappear when the Self is realized.
Then there is no more name and form for us,
And we attain immortality."
-Prashna Upanishad
***
I am the Word of God living through His Essence. I am the Food of the soul, the Spirit of purity. I am the Fountain of the Water of Life. I deliver the lovers of God from death. If your greed had not raised such a stench, God would have poured a remedy of water on your graves. I accept the warning of the Sage; I will not allow my heart to be sickened by ridicule.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
"Great Teacher," said Upashiva, "when one is free from attachment and craving, when everything is let go and one depends on emptiness, will one be permanently in that state?"
"When you are free from craving for sense pleasures and when you are aware of emptiness, you are free in a supreme way and that will not change. It is like a flame struck by a gust of wind. In a flash the flame has gone out. Similarly, the person is suddenly free and no more words can be said. When all the ways of being a self are let go and when all phenomena are seen to be empty, then all the ways of describing this have also vanished."
-Sutta Nipata
From "Buddha Speaks,"
***
Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.
-Sigmund Freud
-
Guest
A good man does not sell his beast to a cruel person.
- Medieval Sefer Hasidim
***
"'You are the creator and destroyer,
And our protector. You shine as the sun
In the sky; you are the source of all light.
"'When you pour yourself down as rain on earth,
Every living creature is filled with joy
And knows food will be abundant for all.'"
-Prashna Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
Being observant of God is an act of devotion towards God. Sleep is an act of God drawing us near. That which is conferred upon us by God without our choice is positively superior to that which we send to Him. Sleep therefore is a wonderful gift of God bestowed upon His creatures.
-Junyayd, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
"But what makes these 'experts' preach their opinion and call it truth?" asked the inquirer. "Is it an inheritance of humankind to do this, or is it merely something they gain satisfaction from?"
"Apart from consciousness," answered the Buddha, "no absolute truths exist. False reasoning declares one view to be true and another view wrong. It is delight in their dearly held opinions that makes them assert that anyone who disagrees is bound to come to a bad end. But no true seeker becomes embroiled in all this. Pass by peacefully and go a stainless way, free from theories, lusts and dogmas."
-Majjhima Nikaya
From "Buddha Speaks,"
- Medieval Sefer Hasidim
***
"'You are the creator and destroyer,
And our protector. You shine as the sun
In the sky; you are the source of all light.
"'When you pour yourself down as rain on earth,
Every living creature is filled with joy
And knows food will be abundant for all.'"
-Prashna Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
Being observant of God is an act of devotion towards God. Sleep is an act of God drawing us near. That which is conferred upon us by God without our choice is positively superior to that which we send to Him. Sleep therefore is a wonderful gift of God bestowed upon His creatures.
-Junyayd, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
"But what makes these 'experts' preach their opinion and call it truth?" asked the inquirer. "Is it an inheritance of humankind to do this, or is it merely something they gain satisfaction from?"
"Apart from consciousness," answered the Buddha, "no absolute truths exist. False reasoning declares one view to be true and another view wrong. It is delight in their dearly held opinions that makes them assert that anyone who disagrees is bound to come to a bad end. But no true seeker becomes embroiled in all this. Pass by peacefully and go a stainless way, free from theories, lusts and dogmas."
-Majjhima Nikaya
From "Buddha Speaks,"
-
Guest
A Christian should always remember that the value of his good works is not based on their number and excellence, but on the love of God which prompts him to do these things.
-Juan De La Cruz (John of the Cross)
***
A man should love his wife as himself and honor her more than himself.
- Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 62b
***
"I got this today," they say; "Tomorrow I shall get that. This wealth is mine, and that will be mine too. I have destroyed my enemies. I shall destroy others too! Am I not like God? I enjoy what I want. I am successful. I am powerful. I am rich and well-born. Who is equal to me? I will perform sacrifices and give gifts, and rejoice in my own generosity." This is how they go on, deluded by ignorance. Bound by their greed, and entangled in a web of delusion, whirled about by a fragmented mind, they fall into a dark hell.
-Bhagavad Gita 16:13-16
***
The rank of a man of silence is better than divine service for sixty years.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by 'Imran bin Hussain
From "The Bounty of Allah
***
Following the course of least resistance makes for crooked rivers and crooked men.
-Lanny Henninger
***
Delightful wilds
where the crowds don't delight,
those free from passion
delight,
for they're not searching
for sensual pleasures.
-Dhammapada, 7, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
-Juan De La Cruz (John of the Cross)
***
A man should love his wife as himself and honor her more than himself.
- Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 62b
***
"I got this today," they say; "Tomorrow I shall get that. This wealth is mine, and that will be mine too. I have destroyed my enemies. I shall destroy others too! Am I not like God? I enjoy what I want. I am successful. I am powerful. I am rich and well-born. Who is equal to me? I will perform sacrifices and give gifts, and rejoice in my own generosity." This is how they go on, deluded by ignorance. Bound by their greed, and entangled in a web of delusion, whirled about by a fragmented mind, they fall into a dark hell.
-Bhagavad Gita 16:13-16
***
The rank of a man of silence is better than divine service for sixty years.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by 'Imran bin Hussain
From "The Bounty of Allah
***
Following the course of least resistance makes for crooked rivers and crooked men.
-Lanny Henninger
***
Delightful wilds
where the crowds don't delight,
those free from passion
delight,
for they're not searching
for sensual pleasures.
-Dhammapada, 7, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
-
Guest
A person should make ladders for himself by which he can sometimes go up to heaven.
- Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapiro
***
He runs without feet and holds without hands.
He sees without eyes and hears without ears.
He knows everyone, but no one knows him.
He is called the First, the Great, the Supreme.
-Shvetashvatara Upanishad 3:19
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
Each person behaves after his own manner, yet only your Lord knows who chose the best path to salvation.
-Qur'an, Al-Isra, Surah 17:84
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Prayer has the power to change mountains into highways.
-Wesley L. Duewel
***
You've got to continue to grow, or you're just like last night's cornbread--stale and dry.
-Loretta Lynn
***
Meditate on that which is beyond words and symbols. Forsake the demands of the self. By such forsaking you will live serenely.
-Sutta Nipata
- Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapiro
***
He runs without feet and holds without hands.
He sees without eyes and hears without ears.
He knows everyone, but no one knows him.
He is called the First, the Great, the Supreme.
-Shvetashvatara Upanishad 3:19
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
Each person behaves after his own manner, yet only your Lord knows who chose the best path to salvation.
-Qur'an, Al-Isra, Surah 17:84
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Prayer has the power to change mountains into highways.
-Wesley L. Duewel
***
You've got to continue to grow, or you're just like last night's cornbread--stale and dry.
-Loretta Lynn
***
Meditate on that which is beyond words and symbols. Forsake the demands of the self. By such forsaking you will live serenely.
-Sutta Nipata
-
Guest
A person's nature can be recognized through three things: his cup, his purse, and his anger.
- Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin 65b
***
The continuous and unbroken awareness of the indwelling presence, the inner light of consciousness, is the supreme meditation and devotion.
-Maharamayana
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,"
***
Listen to your heart and not your ego. Your ego prompts you to boast of vain assertions to obtain the glory of this world. Turn away from vanity and seek Him in the recesses of your heart and soul.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
From "The Bounty of Allah
***
It is not proper to watch other people. This will not help your practice. If you are annoyed, watch the annoyance in your own mind. If others' discipline is bad or they are not good monks, this is not for you to judge. You will not discover widsom watching others. Monks' discipline is a tool to use for your own meditation. It is not a weapon to use to criticize or find fault. No one can do your practice for you, nor can you do practice for anyone else. Just be mindful of your own doings. This is the way to practice.
-Ajahn Chah, "Bodhinyana"
From "365 Buddha
***
- Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin 65b
***
The continuous and unbroken awareness of the indwelling presence, the inner light of consciousness, is the supreme meditation and devotion.
-Maharamayana
Reprinted with permission from "The Wisdom of the Hindu Gurus,"
***
Listen to your heart and not your ego. Your ego prompts you to boast of vain assertions to obtain the glory of this world. Turn away from vanity and seek Him in the recesses of your heart and soul.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
From "The Bounty of Allah
***
It is not proper to watch other people. This will not help your practice. If you are annoyed, watch the annoyance in your own mind. If others' discipline is bad or they are not good monks, this is not for you to judge. You will not discover widsom watching others. Monks' discipline is a tool to use for your own meditation. It is not a weapon to use to criticize or find fault. No one can do your practice for you, nor can you do practice for anyone else. Just be mindful of your own doings. This is the way to practice.
-Ajahn Chah, "Bodhinyana"
From "365 Buddha
***
-
Guest
A small act done modestly is a thousand-fold more acceptable to God than a big act done in pride.
- Orhot Tzaddikim, 15C
***
The highest form of grace is silence.
-Swami Chinmayananda
***
The object of search is never withheld from the seeker. Thus the sun is paired with heat and the cloud with water. This present world is the Creator's prison. You chose to invite punishment, so suffer punishment! God said, "To whom We bestowed a particular disposition, We also sent the appropriate provision."
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Don't be heedless of evil
('It won't come to me').
A water jar fills;
even with water
falling in drops.
With evil--even if
bit
by
bit
habitually--
the fool fills himself full.
-Dhammapada, 9, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
- Orhot Tzaddikim, 15C
***
The highest form of grace is silence.
-Swami Chinmayananda
***
The object of search is never withheld from the seeker. Thus the sun is paired with heat and the cloud with water. This present world is the Creator's prison. You chose to invite punishment, so suffer punishment! God said, "To whom We bestowed a particular disposition, We also sent the appropriate provision."
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Don't be heedless of evil
('It won't come to me').
A water jar fills;
even with water
falling in drops.
With evil--even if
bit
by
bit
habitually--
the fool fills himself full.
-Dhammapada, 9, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
-
Guest
Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders and they will instruct you.
- Deuteronomy 32:7
***
All those who take refuge in me, whatever their birth, race, sex, or caste, will attain the supreme goal; this realization can be attained even by those whom society scorns. Kings and sages too seek this goal with devotion. Therefore, having been born in this transient and forlorn world, give all your love to me. Fill your mind with me; love me; serve me; worship me always. Seeking me in your heart, you will at last be united with me.
-Bhagavad Gita 9:32-34
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
Glory be to Him who created everything in pairs: plants, human beings, and even entities they have no knowledge of. Of the many, one sign is the night. We strip it of the light of day, and abject darkness surrounds everything. The sun hastens to its resting place, its course determined by the Mighty, the All-Knowing Lord. Also ordained by the Almighty Lord are the phases of the moon, which decreases daily until it looks like a bent and shriveled palm stalk. Neither can the sun overtake the moon, nor night outstrip the day. Both float in orbits of their own.
-Qur'an, Ya Sin, Surah 36:36-40
From "The Bounty of Allah
***
Monks, we who look at the whole and not just the part, know that we too are systems of interdependence, of feelings, perceptions, thoughts, and consciousness all interconnected. Investigating in this way, we come to realize that there is no me or mine in any one part, just as a sound does not belong to any one part of the lute.
-Samyutta Nikaya
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
We grow old as soon as we cease to love and trust.
-Madame de Choiseul
- Deuteronomy 32:7
***
All those who take refuge in me, whatever their birth, race, sex, or caste, will attain the supreme goal; this realization can be attained even by those whom society scorns. Kings and sages too seek this goal with devotion. Therefore, having been born in this transient and forlorn world, give all your love to me. Fill your mind with me; love me; serve me; worship me always. Seeking me in your heart, you will at last be united with me.
-Bhagavad Gita 9:32-34
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
Glory be to Him who created everything in pairs: plants, human beings, and even entities they have no knowledge of. Of the many, one sign is the night. We strip it of the light of day, and abject darkness surrounds everything. The sun hastens to its resting place, its course determined by the Mighty, the All-Knowing Lord. Also ordained by the Almighty Lord are the phases of the moon, which decreases daily until it looks like a bent and shriveled palm stalk. Neither can the sun overtake the moon, nor night outstrip the day. Both float in orbits of their own.
-Qur'an, Ya Sin, Surah 36:36-40
From "The Bounty of Allah
***
Monks, we who look at the whole and not just the part, know that we too are systems of interdependence, of feelings, perceptions, thoughts, and consciousness all interconnected. Investigating in this way, we come to realize that there is no me or mine in any one part, just as a sound does not belong to any one part of the lute.
-Samyutta Nikaya
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
We grow old as soon as we cease to love and trust.
-Madame de Choiseul
-
Guest
I choose goodness...I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.
***
Do not mourn the worldly loss;
ask for your soul to be saved.
Many delighted in what you hold dear.
In the end it left them and became mere wind.
Escape from its love before it escapes you.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Right is right, even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.
-William Penn
***
Shed passion
& aversion, monks--
as a jasmine would,
its withered flowers.
-Dhammapada, 25, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
Forgiveness is giving up the possibility of a better past.
-Unknown
***
Imagination was given to us to compensate for what we are not; a sense of humor was given to us to console us for what we are.
-Mark McGinnis
***
Do not mourn the worldly loss;
ask for your soul to be saved.
Many delighted in what you hold dear.
In the end it left them and became mere wind.
Escape from its love before it escapes you.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Right is right, even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.
-William Penn
***
Shed passion
& aversion, monks--
as a jasmine would,
its withered flowers.
-Dhammapada, 25, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
Forgiveness is giving up the possibility of a better past.
-Unknown
***
Imagination was given to us to compensate for what we are not; a sense of humor was given to us to console us for what we are.
-Mark McGinnis
-
Guest
"Hard as the world is to explain with the Almighty, it is harder yet without the Holy One."
- Moses Montefiore (1784-1855), British official and Jewish communal leader
***
"That which moves about in joy in the dreaming state is the Self, fearless and deathless. That is Brahman, the supreme."
-Chandogya Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
On the spiritual path no one has higher or lower status than anyone else.
-Nizam al-Din, “Fawa’id al-Fu’ad”
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
"How, dear sir, did you cross the flood?"
"By not halting friend, and by not straining I crossed the flood."
"But how is it, dear sir, that by not halting and by not straining you crossed the flood?"
"When I came to a standstill, friend, then I sank; but when I struggled, then I got swept away. It is in this way, friend, that by not halting and by not straining I crossed the flood."
-Buddha, "The Connected Discourses of the Buddha"
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001
***
Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God.
-Andrew Murray
***
A man does not have to be an angel in order to be a saint.
-Albert Schweitzer
- Moses Montefiore (1784-1855), British official and Jewish communal leader
***
"That which moves about in joy in the dreaming state is the Self, fearless and deathless. That is Brahman, the supreme."
-Chandogya Upanishad
Excerpted from The Upanishads
***
On the spiritual path no one has higher or lower status than anyone else.
-Nizam al-Din, “Fawa’id al-Fu’ad”
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
"How, dear sir, did you cross the flood?"
"By not halting friend, and by not straining I crossed the flood."
"But how is it, dear sir, that by not halting and by not straining you crossed the flood?"
"When I came to a standstill, friend, then I sank; but when I struggled, then I got swept away. It is in this way, friend, that by not halting and by not straining I crossed the flood."
-Buddha, "The Connected Discourses of the Buddha"
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001
***
Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God.
-Andrew Murray
***
A man does not have to be an angel in order to be a saint.
-Albert Schweitzer
-
Guest
Behold, Arjuna, a million divine forms, with an infinite variety of color and shape. Behold the gods of the natural world, and many more wonders never revealed before. Behold the entire cosmos turning within my body, and the other things you desire to see.
But these things cannot be seen with your physical eyes; therefore I give you spiritual vision to perceive my majestic power.
-Bhagavad Gita 11:5-8
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
Those who steadily seek absolution shall find that the Lord eases their way out of every difficulty, providing for them from unimaginable bounty.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abd'Allah ibn Abbas
From "The Bounty of Allah."
***
"Hate the sin, love the sinner," is often correct, but those who love Hitler are less likely to fight him than those who hate him.
- Dennis Prager
***
And what, monks, is Right View? It is, monks, the knowledge of suffering, the knowledge of the origin of suffering, the knowledge of the cessation of suffering, and the knowledge of the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering. This is called Right View.
-Digha Nikaya
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
***
But these things cannot be seen with your physical eyes; therefore I give you spiritual vision to perceive my majestic power.
-Bhagavad Gita 11:5-8
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
Those who steadily seek absolution shall find that the Lord eases their way out of every difficulty, providing for them from unimaginable bounty.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abd'Allah ibn Abbas
From "The Bounty of Allah."
***
"Hate the sin, love the sinner," is often correct, but those who love Hitler are less likely to fight him than those who hate him.
- Dennis Prager
***
And what, monks, is Right View? It is, monks, the knowledge of suffering, the knowledge of the origin of suffering, the knowledge of the cessation of suffering, and the knowledge of the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering. This is called Right View.
-Digha Nikaya
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations,"
***
-
Guest
Disparaging words pain a man even when uttered in jest.
Therefore, those who know human nature are courteous even to their enemies.
-Tirukkural 100:995
Excerpted from the Tirukkural, translated by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
***
God is the guardian of all who believe. He leads them from darkness to light. As for those who do not believe, their guardians are their false gods, who lead them from light to darkness. They are the heirs of hell, and will live there for ever.
-Qur'an, Al-Baqara, Surah 2:257
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
A man is what he is, not what he used to be.
- Yiddish proverb
***
"In every direction," said the Buddha, "above, below, around, and within, you see things you know and recognize. Put them down. Do not let consciousness dwell on the products of existence and things that come and go, for there is no rest of relief there. When you understand that by taking the objects of the world for granted as total reality, you are tied to the world, then this understanding will release you from your dependence on objects and will stop your craving and your desire for constant becoming. Then you can let go your hold and engage with things as they are, instead."
-Sutta Nipata
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
When you look at the life Jesus lived…
You don’t find Jesus distracted.
You don’t find Jesus rushed.
You don’t find Jesus worried.
You don’t find Jesus having to do it all.
You don’t find Jesus living with guilt.
-Rob Bell
***
The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running.
-Anonymous
Therefore, those who know human nature are courteous even to their enemies.
-Tirukkural 100:995
Excerpted from the Tirukkural, translated by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
***
God is the guardian of all who believe. He leads them from darkness to light. As for those who do not believe, their guardians are their false gods, who lead them from light to darkness. They are the heirs of hell, and will live there for ever.
-Qur'an, Al-Baqara, Surah 2:257
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
A man is what he is, not what he used to be.
- Yiddish proverb
***
"In every direction," said the Buddha, "above, below, around, and within, you see things you know and recognize. Put them down. Do not let consciousness dwell on the products of existence and things that come and go, for there is no rest of relief there. When you understand that by taking the objects of the world for granted as total reality, you are tied to the world, then this understanding will release you from your dependence on objects and will stop your craving and your desire for constant becoming. Then you can let go your hold and engage with things as they are, instead."
-Sutta Nipata
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
When you look at the life Jesus lived…
You don’t find Jesus distracted.
You don’t find Jesus rushed.
You don’t find Jesus worried.
You don’t find Jesus having to do it all.
You don’t find Jesus living with guilt.
-Rob Bell
***
The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running.
-Anonymous
-
Guest
Once the ego is overcome peace follows. "Only God and no living creature has the power to control destinies." With that conviction entrust all your cares to the Lord and follow the path of the Truth, conforming to the divine edicts, until you attain union with Him and become as pure as Adam before whom all creatures prostrated.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
A man should never impose an overpowering fear upon his household.
- Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 6b
As cited
***
As a tree with strong uninjured roots, though cut down, grows up again, so, when deep craving is not rooted out, suffering arises again and again.
-Dhammapada
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
Suffering may be someone’s fault or it may not be anyone’s fault. But if given to God, our suffering becomes an opportunity to experience the power of God at work in our lives and to give glory to Him.
-Anne Graham Lotz
***
To describe happiness is to diminish it.
-Henri Stendhal
***
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, "Fayuz E Yazdani"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
A man should never impose an overpowering fear upon his household.
- Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 6b
As cited
***
As a tree with strong uninjured roots, though cut down, grows up again, so, when deep craving is not rooted out, suffering arises again and again.
-Dhammapada
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
Suffering may be someone’s fault or it may not be anyone’s fault. But if given to God, our suffering becomes an opportunity to experience the power of God at work in our lives and to give glory to Him.
-Anne Graham Lotz
***
To describe happiness is to diminish it.
-Henri Stendhal
***
-
Guest
If you wish for light, be ready to receive light.
Nourish your ego and be deprived of light.
If you wish to find a way out of this prison,
do not turn away;
bow down in worship and draw near.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
A wise man will carefully avoid excess, lest he give the impression of haughtiness.
- Maimonides
***
All formations are transient; all formations are subject to suffering; all things are without a self.
Therefore, whatever there be of form, of feeling, perception, mental formations, or consciousness, whether past, present, or future, one's own or external, gross or subtle, lofty or low, far or near, one should understand according to reality and true wisdom: 'This does not belong to me; this am I not; this is not my Self.'
-Anguttara Nikaya and Samyutta Nikaya
From "Teachings of the Buddha,"
***
It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'
-Luke 4:4 (Revised Standard Version)
***
Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it.
-Margaret Thatcher
**
"But what makes these 'experts' preach their own opinion and call it truth?" asked the inquirer. "Is it an inheritance of humankind to do this, or is it merely something they gain satisfaction from?"
"Apart from consciousness," answered the Buddha, "no absolute truths exist. False reasoning declares one view to be true and another view wrong. It is delight in their dearly held opinions that makes them assert that anyone who disagrees is bound to come to a bad end. But no true seeker becomes embroiled in all this. Pass by peacefully and go a stainless way, free from theories, lusts, and dogmas."
-Majjhima Nikaya
From "Buddha Speaks,"
Nourish your ego and be deprived of light.
If you wish to find a way out of this prison,
do not turn away;
bow down in worship and draw near.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
***
A wise man will carefully avoid excess, lest he give the impression of haughtiness.
- Maimonides
***
All formations are transient; all formations are subject to suffering; all things are without a self.
Therefore, whatever there be of form, of feeling, perception, mental formations, or consciousness, whether past, present, or future, one's own or external, gross or subtle, lofty or low, far or near, one should understand according to reality and true wisdom: 'This does not belong to me; this am I not; this is not my Self.'
-Anguttara Nikaya and Samyutta Nikaya
From "Teachings of the Buddha,"
***
It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'
-Luke 4:4 (Revised Standard Version)
***
Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it's when you've had everything to do, and you've done it.
-Margaret Thatcher
**
"But what makes these 'experts' preach their own opinion and call it truth?" asked the inquirer. "Is it an inheritance of humankind to do this, or is it merely something they gain satisfaction from?"
"Apart from consciousness," answered the Buddha, "no absolute truths exist. False reasoning declares one view to be true and another view wrong. It is delight in their dearly held opinions that makes them assert that anyone who disagrees is bound to come to a bad end. But no true seeker becomes embroiled in all this. Pass by peacefully and go a stainless way, free from theories, lusts, and dogmas."
-Majjhima Nikaya
From "Buddha Speaks,"
-
Guest
But there is no end to my divine attributes, Arjuna; these I have mentioned are only a few. Wherever you find strength, or beauty, or spiritual power, you may be sure that these have sprung from a spark of my essence.
-Bhagavad Gita 10:40-41
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
All my days I have been raised among the Sages, and I found nothing better for oneself than silence; not study, but practice is the main thing; and one who talks excessively brings on sin.
- Shimon ben Rabban Gamliel, Pirkei Avot 1:17
***
So:
The enlightened man--
Discerning, learned,
Enduring, dutiful, noble,
Intelligent, a man of integrity:
Follow him
--one of this sort--
as the moon, the path
of the zodiac stars.
-Dhammapada, 15, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
If you do a good job for others, you heal yourself at the same time, because a dose of joy is a spiritual cure.
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
***
Humility does not mean you think less of yourself. It means you think of yourself less.
-Ken Blanchard
***
-Bhagavad Gita 10:40-41
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
All my days I have been raised among the Sages, and I found nothing better for oneself than silence; not study, but practice is the main thing; and one who talks excessively brings on sin.
- Shimon ben Rabban Gamliel, Pirkei Avot 1:17
***
So:
The enlightened man--
Discerning, learned,
Enduring, dutiful, noble,
Intelligent, a man of integrity:
Follow him
--one of this sort--
as the moon, the path
of the zodiac stars.
-Dhammapada, 15, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
If you do a good job for others, you heal yourself at the same time, because a dose of joy is a spiritual cure.
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
***
Humility does not mean you think less of yourself. It means you think of yourself less.
-Ken Blanchard
***
-
Guest
The divine bounty filled him (Muhammad) with peace and strength, strength that helped him cheerfully endure all the afflictions that knocked him about.
-Rumi, Mathnawi
***
Arjuna, those who eat too much or eat too little, who sleep too much or sleep too little, will not succeed in meditation. But those who are temperate in eating and sleeping, work and recreation, will come to the end of sorrow through meditation. Through constant effort they learn to withdraw the mind from selfish cravings and absorb it in the Self. Thus they attain the state of union.
-Bhagavad Gita 6:16-18
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
A small act done modestly is a thousand-fold more acceptable to God than a big act done in pride.
- Orhot Tzaddikim, 15C
***
"In your seeing," he said, "there should be only the seeing. In your hearing, nothing but the hearing; in your smelling, tasting, and touching, nothing but smelling, tasting, and touching; in your thinking, nothing but the thought."
-Khuddaka Nikaya
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
Joy runs deeper than despair.
-Corrie Ten Boom
***
The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (submitted by LamaOsal)
-Rumi, Mathnawi
***
Arjuna, those who eat too much or eat too little, who sleep too much or sleep too little, will not succeed in meditation. But those who are temperate in eating and sleeping, work and recreation, will come to the end of sorrow through meditation. Through constant effort they learn to withdraw the mind from selfish cravings and absorb it in the Self. Thus they attain the state of union.
-Bhagavad Gita 6:16-18
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
A small act done modestly is a thousand-fold more acceptable to God than a big act done in pride.
- Orhot Tzaddikim, 15C
***
"In your seeing," he said, "there should be only the seeing. In your hearing, nothing but the hearing; in your smelling, tasting, and touching, nothing but smelling, tasting, and touching; in your thinking, nothing but the thought."
-Khuddaka Nikaya
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
Joy runs deeper than despair.
-Corrie Ten Boom
***
The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (submitted by LamaOsal)
-
Guest
If a man inflicts sorrow on another in the morning,
Sorrow will come to him unbidden in the afternoon.
-Tirukkural 32:319
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
Forgive us, our Lord. Overlook our transgressions and remit from us our evil deeds. Condemn us not for our corruption; save us from public scorn. O Merciful, You Yourself is decreed, “I alone and no other accept repentance of My servants and remit from them their evil deeds.” So absolve us of our sins, O Benevolent Lord.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, “Fayuz E Yazdani”
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Anyone who repudiates idolatry is a Jew.
- Rabbi Johanan bar Nappaha, Talmud: Megilla, 13a
***
A person getting enlightened is like the moon reflecting in the water. The moon does not get wet, the water is not disturbed. Though it is a great expanse of light, it reflects in a little bit of water; the whole moon and the whole sky reflect even in the dew on the grass; they reflect even in a single drop of water. Enlightenment not disturbing the person is like the moon not piercing the water. A person not obstructing enlightenment is like the dewdrop not obstructing the heavens.
-Dogen, "Flowers Fall"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations
***
To love God is greater than to know him.
-St. Thomas Aquinas
***
Sorrow will come to him unbidden in the afternoon.
-Tirukkural 32:319
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
Forgive us, our Lord. Overlook our transgressions and remit from us our evil deeds. Condemn us not for our corruption; save us from public scorn. O Merciful, You Yourself is decreed, “I alone and no other accept repentance of My servants and remit from them their evil deeds.” So absolve us of our sins, O Benevolent Lord.
-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, “Fayuz E Yazdani”
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Anyone who repudiates idolatry is a Jew.
- Rabbi Johanan bar Nappaha, Talmud: Megilla, 13a
***
A person getting enlightened is like the moon reflecting in the water. The moon does not get wet, the water is not disturbed. Though it is a great expanse of light, it reflects in a little bit of water; the whole moon and the whole sky reflect even in the dew on the grass; they reflect even in a single drop of water. Enlightenment not disturbing the person is like the moon not piercing the water. A person not obstructing enlightenment is like the dewdrop not obstructing the heavens.
-Dogen, "Flowers Fall"
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations
***
To love God is greater than to know him.
-St. Thomas Aquinas
***
-
Guest
All is change in the world of the senses,
But changeless is the supreme Lord of Love,
Meditate on him, be absorbed in him,
Wake up from this dream of separateness.
-Shvetashvatara Upanishad
From The Upanishads
***
Whenever a transgressor is praised, the Almighty Allah becomes enraged, and the Throne shudders in dismay.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Anas bin Malik
From "The Bounty of Allah."
***
Depression does tremendous damage. Use every ploy you can think of to bring yourself to joy.
- Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
***
A gift of Dhamma conquers all gifts;
the taste of Dhamma, all tastes;
a delight in Dhamma, all delights;
the ending of craving, all suffering
and stress.
-Dhammapada, 24, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
Enthusiasm is as good a thing in the Church as fire is in a cook stove.
-Billy Sunday
***
When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall, always.
-Mahatma Gandhi
***
But changeless is the supreme Lord of Love,
Meditate on him, be absorbed in him,
Wake up from this dream of separateness.
-Shvetashvatara Upanishad
From The Upanishads
***
Whenever a transgressor is praised, the Almighty Allah becomes enraged, and the Throne shudders in dismay.
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Anas bin Malik
From "The Bounty of Allah."
***
Depression does tremendous damage. Use every ploy you can think of to bring yourself to joy.
- Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
***
A gift of Dhamma conquers all gifts;
the taste of Dhamma, all tastes;
a delight in Dhamma, all delights;
the ending of craving, all suffering
and stress.
-Dhammapada, 24, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
Enthusiasm is as good a thing in the Church as fire is in a cook stove.
-Billy Sunday
***
When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall, always.
-Mahatma Gandhi
***
I believe there is an important distinction to be made between religion and spirituality. Religion I take to be concerned with belief in the claims to salvation of one faith tradition or another--an aspect of which is acceptance of some form of meta-physical or philosophical reality, including perhaps an idea of heaven or hell. Connected with this are religious teachings or dogma, ritual, prayers and so on. Spirituality I take to be concerned with those qualities of the human spirit--such as love and compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, a sense of responsibility, a sense of harmony, which bring happiness to both self and others.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
-
Guest
Each penitent thought is a voice of God.
- Baal Shem Tov
***
Before enlightenment,
I chopped wood and carried water.
After enlightenment,
I chopped wood and carried water.
-Zen saying
***
Where there is great love there are always miracles.
-Willa Cather
***
Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest.
-Mark Twain
***
- Baal Shem Tov
***
Before enlightenment,
I chopped wood and carried water.
After enlightenment,
I chopped wood and carried water.
-Zen saying
***
Where there is great love there are always miracles.
-Willa Cather
***
Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest.
-Mark Twain
***
-
Guest
Shed tears when you are aggrieved.
Your grief will heal those in grief.
Be steadfast and awaken, fast regularly, starve!
Starvation is one of the labors of surrender.
-Sha'wana in "Rabi'a the Mystic"
From "The Bounty of Allah."
***
A poor man's prayer breaks through all barriers and storms its way into the presence of the Almighty.
- Zohar, Genesis
***
All states that can be returned to external causes are obviously not you, but that which cannot be returned to anywhere, if it is not you, what is it? Therefore, you should know that your mind is fundamentally wonderful, bright, and pure and that because of your involvement with the things of the world you have covered it up and lost it. In this way you are caught on the endless wheel of becoming this or that, sinking and floating in that sea of endless becoming. Awaken yourself now to your own bright mind.
-Surangama Sutra
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
A man may study because his brain is hungry for knowledge, even Bible knowledge. But he prays because his soul is hungry for God.
-Leonard Ravenhill
***
What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?
-Vincent Van Gogh
Your grief will heal those in grief.
Be steadfast and awaken, fast regularly, starve!
Starvation is one of the labors of surrender.
-Sha'wana in "Rabi'a the Mystic"
From "The Bounty of Allah."
***
A poor man's prayer breaks through all barriers and storms its way into the presence of the Almighty.
- Zohar, Genesis
***
All states that can be returned to external causes are obviously not you, but that which cannot be returned to anywhere, if it is not you, what is it? Therefore, you should know that your mind is fundamentally wonderful, bright, and pure and that because of your involvement with the things of the world you have covered it up and lost it. In this way you are caught on the endless wheel of becoming this or that, sinking and floating in that sea of endless becoming. Awaken yourself now to your own bright mind.
-Surangama Sutra
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
A man may study because his brain is hungry for knowledge, even Bible knowledge. But he prays because his soul is hungry for God.
-Leonard Ravenhill
***
What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?
-Vincent Van Gogh
-
Guest
The visions now revealed to you,
once they seemed absurd to you.
From ten prisons His bounty released you.
Make not the desert a prison for you.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Investigate well, show favor to none, maintain impartiality,
consult the law, then give judgment--that is the way of justice.
-Tirukkural 55:541
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
Engage in Torah and charity even with an ulterior motive, for that habit of right doing will lead also to right motivation.
- Talmud: Pesahim, 50b
***
Contrary to what some people might believe, there is nothing wrong with having pleasures and enjoyments. What is wrong is the confused way we grasp onto these pleasures, turning them from a source of happiness into a source of pain and dissatisfaction.
-Lama Thubten Yeshe, "Introduction to Tantra"
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001
***
My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.
-John 4:34 (Revised Standard Version)
***
Bodies come and go like clothes.
-Sankara
once they seemed absurd to you.
From ten prisons His bounty released you.
Make not the desert a prison for you.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Investigate well, show favor to none, maintain impartiality,
consult the law, then give judgment--that is the way of justice.
-Tirukkural 55:541
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
Engage in Torah and charity even with an ulterior motive, for that habit of right doing will lead also to right motivation.
- Talmud: Pesahim, 50b
***
Contrary to what some people might believe, there is nothing wrong with having pleasures and enjoyments. What is wrong is the confused way we grasp onto these pleasures, turning them from a source of happiness into a source of pain and dissatisfaction.
-Lama Thubten Yeshe, "Introduction to Tantra"
Copyright Wisdom Publications 2001
***
My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.
-John 4:34 (Revised Standard Version)
***
Bodies come and go like clothes.
-Sankara
-
Guest
As a man from Gandhara, blindfolded,
Led away and left in a lonely place,
Turns to the east and west and north and south
And shouts, 'I am left here and cannot see!'
Until one removes his blindfold and says,
'There lies Gandhara; follow that path,'
And thus informed, able to see for himself,
The man inquires from village to village
And reaches his homeland at last--just so,
My son, one who finds an illumined teacher
Attains to spiritual wisdom in the Self.
-Chandogya Upanishad
***
If Allah is your protector, none can overcome you, and if He forsakes you, then who can help you? Trust Allah and have faith in His sovereign power.
-Qur'an, Al-Imran, Surah 3:160
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Hard to hold down,
nimble,
alighting wherever it likes:
the mind.
Its taming is good.
The mind well-tamed
brings ease.
-Dhammapada, 3, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
The Lord can clear the darkest skies
Can give us day for night.
Make drops of sacred sorrow rise
To rivers of delight.
-Isaac Watts
***
You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.
-Beverly Sills
***
Led away and left in a lonely place,
Turns to the east and west and north and south
And shouts, 'I am left here and cannot see!'
Until one removes his blindfold and says,
'There lies Gandhara; follow that path,'
And thus informed, able to see for himself,
The man inquires from village to village
And reaches his homeland at last--just so,
My son, one who finds an illumined teacher
Attains to spiritual wisdom in the Self.
-Chandogya Upanishad
***
If Allah is your protector, none can overcome you, and if He forsakes you, then who can help you? Trust Allah and have faith in His sovereign power.
-Qur'an, Al-Imran, Surah 3:160
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Hard to hold down,
nimble,
alighting wherever it likes:
the mind.
Its taming is good.
The mind well-tamed
brings ease.
-Dhammapada, 3, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
The Lord can clear the darkest skies
Can give us day for night.
Make drops of sacred sorrow rise
To rivers of delight.
-Isaac Watts
***
You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.
-Beverly Sills
***
-
Guest
A man must always be exceedingly careful to show honor to his wife.
- Babylonian Talmud, Bava Mezia, 59a
***
"Monks, if people speak badly of me or badly of the teaching or of our order of monks, you should not because of their ill will hold any thoughts of enmity toward them or any spite, nor even be at all worried. For if you are angry or displeased with them it will hurt you more than them. Indeed, if you were to feel angry or displeased, would you then be able to know what is well intended and what is badly intended from others?"
"No, we would not be able to know this."
"So, if others speak ill of me or the teaching or the order, you should with goodwill unravel the untruth of what they have said and make it all clear to them, saying, 'For this reason, that is false; for this reason, that is untrue; these things are not within us."
-Digha Nikaya
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
- Babylonian Talmud, Bava Mezia, 59a
***
"Monks, if people speak badly of me or badly of the teaching or of our order of monks, you should not because of their ill will hold any thoughts of enmity toward them or any spite, nor even be at all worried. For if you are angry or displeased with them it will hurt you more than them. Indeed, if you were to feel angry or displeased, would you then be able to know what is well intended and what is badly intended from others?"
"No, we would not be able to know this."
"So, if others speak ill of me or the teaching or the order, you should with goodwill unravel the untruth of what they have said and make it all clear to them, saying, 'For this reason, that is false; for this reason, that is untrue; these things are not within us."
-Digha Nikaya
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader,"
***
-
maheroonPradhan
- Posts: 75
- Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 2:54 pm
-
Guest
This world is full of remedies. But you have no remedy until God opens a window for you. You may not be aware of that remedy just now. In the hour of need it will be made clear to you. The Prophet said God made a remedy for every pain.
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Cultivate modesty in the midst of good fortune,
But in times of adversity preserve your dignity.
-Tirukkural 97:963
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
Grant that I may not pray alone with the mouth; help me that I may pray from the depths of my heart.
-Martin Luther
***
To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.
-Johannes A. Gaertner
-Rumi, "Mathnawi"
From "The Bounty of Allah,"
***
Cultivate modesty in the midst of good fortune,
But in times of adversity preserve your dignity.
-Tirukkural 97:963
Excerpted from the Tirukkural
***
Grant that I may not pray alone with the mouth; help me that I may pray from the depths of my heart.
-Martin Luther
***
To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.
-Johannes A. Gaertner
-
Guest
So you have failed? You cannot fail. You have not failed; you have gained experience. Forward!
-St. Josemaría Escrivá
***
There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.
-Leonard Cohen
***
Established within themselves, they are equal in pleasure and pain, praise and blame, kindness and unkindness. Clay, a rock, and gold are the same to them. Alike in honor and dishonor, alike to friend and foe, they have given up every selfish pursuit. Such are those who have gone beyond the gunas.
-Bhagavad Gita 14:24-25
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
True ecstasy is passive: it overwhelms the heart without any intention or deliberate effort. It is the fruit of spiritual devotion and worship. The deeper is your devotion to God, and the more intense is your worship, the more likely you are to receive ecstasy from God. In a state of ecstasy the heart is lost to God.
-Qushayri, "Risalah"
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
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Circumstances are beyond the control of man; but his conduct is in his own power.
- Benjamin Disraeli, English statesman and novelist (1804-81)
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A blessing: the arising of Awakened Ones.
A blessing: the teaching of true Dhamma.
A blessing: the concord of the Sangha.
The austerity of those in concord
is a blessing.
-Dhammapada, 14, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
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Blessed is the man who finds out which way God is moving and then gets going in the same direction.
-Unknown
-St. Josemaría Escrivá
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There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.
-Leonard Cohen
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Established within themselves, they are equal in pleasure and pain, praise and blame, kindness and unkindness. Clay, a rock, and gold are the same to them. Alike in honor and dishonor, alike to friend and foe, they have given up every selfish pursuit. Such are those who have gone beyond the gunas.
-Bhagavad Gita 14:24-25
Excerpted from The Bhagavad Gita
***
True ecstasy is passive: it overwhelms the heart without any intention or deliberate effort. It is the fruit of spiritual devotion and worship. The deeper is your devotion to God, and the more intense is your worship, the more likely you are to receive ecstasy from God. In a state of ecstasy the heart is lost to God.
-Qushayri, "Risalah"
From "366 Readings From Islam,"
***
Circumstances are beyond the control of man; but his conduct is in his own power.
- Benjamin Disraeli, English statesman and novelist (1804-81)
***
A blessing: the arising of Awakened Ones.
A blessing: the teaching of true Dhamma.
A blessing: the concord of the Sangha.
The austerity of those in concord
is a blessing.
-Dhammapada, 14, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
***
Blessed is the man who finds out which way God is moving and then gets going in the same direction.
-Unknown
-
Guest
Every morning two angels come down from the Heaven. One says, "O Allah! Reward all those who give in Your cause," while the other says, "O Allah! Uproot every miser who withholds."
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Hurairah
From "The Bounty of Allah."
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Concentrate on three things and you will not fall into the grip of sin. Know from where you came, where you are going, and before Whom you will have to give account and reckoning.
- Pirkei Avot 3:1
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Anger is the real destroyer of our good human qualities; an enemy with a weapon cannot destroy these qualities, but anger can. Anger is our real enemy.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
From "The Pocket Dalai Lama,"
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May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. The rain falls soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
-Irish blessing
***
-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Abu Hurairah
From "The Bounty of Allah."
***
Concentrate on three things and you will not fall into the grip of sin. Know from where you came, where you are going, and before Whom you will have to give account and reckoning.
- Pirkei Avot 3:1
***
Anger is the real destroyer of our good human qualities; an enemy with a weapon cannot destroy these qualities, but anger can. Anger is our real enemy.
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
From "The Pocket Dalai Lama,"
***
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. The rain falls soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
-Irish blessing
***