Via Ram Dass

August 10, 2016

As long as you have certain desires about how it ought to be you can’t see how it is.

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 10/08/2016

“A mente é um fluxo de pensamentos que nasce a partir da ideia de eu. O ego, ao encarnar em um corpo, cria um eu para poder sobreviver; e a partir dessa ideia de eu, pensamentos são criados. A ideia de eu gera a ideia de meu, e a partir desse binômio eu-meu, nascem todas as outras formas de pensamento. Um mundo inteiro é criado para sustentar essa falsa identidade. Por isso, no universo do yoga, costuma-se dizer que é preciso acessar o estado de ‘não-mente’; pois a mente está identificada com esse mundo ilusório criado pelo falso eu.”

“La mente es un flujo de pensamientos que nace a partir de la idea del yo. El ego, al encarnar en un cuerpo, crea un yo para poder sobrevivir, y a partir de esa idea de yo, son creados pensamientos. La idea de yo genera la idea de mío, y a partir de ese binomio yo-mío, nacen todas las otras formas de pensamiento. Un mundo entero es creado para sustentar esa falsa identidad. Por eso, en el universo del yoga, se acostumbra decir que es necesario acceder al estado de ‘no-mente’, porque la mente está identificada con ese mundo ilusorio creado por el falso yo.”

“The mind is a flow of thoughts that is born from the idea of self. The ego, when it incarnates in a body, creates this ‘I’ to survive. From this idea of self, thoughts are created. The idea of ‘me’ creates the idea of ‘mine’ and from this dual role of ‘me’ and ‘mine’, all other forms of thought are born. A whole world is created to sustain this false identity. Therefore, in the world of yoga, it is said that we need to access the state of ‘no-mind’, because the mind is identified with the illusory world created by this false self.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 10, 2016: The Virtue of Impatience

As a writer and Zen practitioner I hear myself extolling the virtues of patience when I realize that while patience is absolutely necessary, impatience is also necessary . . . The tension that exists between patience and impatience is so fertile. That’s where the energy comes from.

—Ruth Ozeki, "Memories in the Mirror"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 09/08/2016

“Estamos lutando para vencer nossos inimigos, que são os nossos próprios pensamentos. Nessa batalha, nos tornamos vitoriosos quando podemos flechar o inimigo antes mesmo dele apontar sua flecha para nós, ou seja, quando podemos deter o pensamento antes que ele se exteriorize. Para isso, precisamos manter nossa flecha sempre apontada na direção do coração do inimigo, o que significa que nossa atenção precisa estar sempre voltada para o apego, pois ele é que sustenta o pensar compulsivo.”

“Estamos luchando para vencer a nuestros enemigos, que son nuestros propios pensamientos. En esta batalla, nos volvemos victoriosos cuando podemos flechar al enemigo antes de que él apunte su flecha hacia nosotros, es decir, cuando podemos detener el pensamiento antes que se exteriorice. Para esto, necesitamos mantener apuntada nuestra flecha siempre en dirección al corazón del enemigo, esto significa que nuestra atención necesita estar siempre puesta en el apego, porque es lo que sustenta el pensar compulsivo.”

“We are fighting to overcome our enemies, which are our own thoughts. In this battle, we are victorious when we're able to take down our 'enemy' before he is even able to aim his arrow. This analogy refers to us being able to stop our thoughts before they become externalized. In order to do so, we must always have our arrows aimed at the 'enemy' — our attachments — as they sustain our compulsive thinking.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 9, 2016: The Dharma of Deep Welcome

If you can create an opportunity for people to show up exactly as they are and for others to welcome that, I think that’s the dharma right there.

—Sebene Selassie, "Buddhism in the Next Generation"

Via Tricycle: Brief Teachings Spring 2016 Select wisdom from sources old and new

This impulse to record and create meaning of the little details and moments of life—as [Georgia] O’Keeffe said, “to paint what I see”—is arguably the birthplace of art, and it starts with being awake to the moments of our lives as they are passing. It begins, in other words, with mindfulness.

—Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire, "Brief Teachings Spring 2016"

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Via Daily Dharma / August 7, 2016: Art Begins with Mindfulness

This impulse to record and create meaning of the little details and moments of life—as [Georgia] O’Keeffe said, 
“to paint what I see”—is arguably the birthplace of art, and it starts with being awake to the moments of our lives as they are passing. It begins, in other words, with mindfulness.

—Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire, "Brief Teachings Spring 2016"

Via Ram Dass

August 7, 2016

If I go into the place in myself that is love, and you go into the place in yourself that is love, we are together in love. Then you and I are truly in love, the state of being love. That’s the entrance to Oneness. That’s the space I entered when I met my guru.

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 08/08/2016

“Quando pode observar os pensamentos, as emoções e as sensações que passam por você sem criticar ou julgar, você está obtendo uma grande vitória sobre a mente. Em outras palavras, você está se tornando senhor da própria mente. Dessa maneira, você começa a acessar o nível da alma e a empoderar o espírito. Você começa a se perceber como um fragmento do Divino. Mas esse fragmento não se divide, ele é eterno, pois ele é o próprio Divino. Você tem um vislumbre da Unidade.”

“Cuándo puedes observar los pensamientos, emociones y sensaciones que pasan por ti sin criticar o juzgar, estás obteniendo una gran victoria sobre la mente. En otras palabras, te estás convirtiendo en señor de tu propia mente. De esta manera, comienzas a acceder al nivel del alma y empoderar al espíritu. Empiezas a percibirte como un fragmento de lo Divino. Pero este fragmento no se divide, es eterno, porque es la propia Divinidad. Tienes una vislumbre de la Unidad.”

“When we can observe our thoughts, emotions and sensations that pass through us without criticizing or judging them, we gain a great victory over the mind. We become sovereign over the mind. As such, we begin to have access to the level of the soul that empowers the spirit. We begin to perceive ourselves as a piece of the divine. This fragment is not divided. It is eternal because it is divinity itself. We are given a glimpse of unity.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 8, 2016: A Child’s View of Buddha

I think Buddha is light. In this light is a triangle of all-colored light, and inside the light is a human-animal-sea-creature-bird-Being.

—Caroline Kornfield, "Children Talking about ‘Buddha’"

Via Daily Dharma / August 6, 2016: Meeting Every Moment Completely

What is essential in the practice [of kyosaku, the “encouragement stick”] is to meet each moment completely, to be whole, to meet each back, each shoulder, each need as required. To be nothing but the stick and the blow.

—Sallie Jiko Tisdale, "The Encouragement Stick: 7 Views"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 05/08/2016

“A meditação em si não é uma técnica e não requer esforço. Porém, para que a meditação possa acontecer, se faz necessário dedicar-se a uma técnica específica, a fim de desenvolver a disciplina e a concentração necessárias para essa experiência. Mas esse é um processo que tem suas fases: às vezes você se sente muito bem e realiza sua prática com grande facilidade, mas, às vezes, quando se depara com camadas muito profundas de resistência e apego, você precisa fazer um grande esforço para ficar quieto. Nesse caso, eu sugiro que você temporariamente faça outra coisa, de preferência alguma atividade física.”

“La meditación en sí misma no es una técnica y no requiere esfuerzo. Sin embargo, para que la meditación suceda, es necesario dedicarse a una técnica específica, con el fin de desarrollar la disciplina y la concentración necesaria para esta experiencia. Pero este es un proceso que tiene sus fases: a veces te sientes muy bien y realizastu práctica con gran facilidad, pero a veces, cuando te enfrentascon capas muy profundas de resistencia y apego, necesitas hacer un gran esfuerzo para quedarte quieto. En este caso, te sugiero que temporalmente que hagasotra cosa, de preferencia alguna actividad física.”

“Meditation itself is not a technique and doesn’t require effort. However, in order for meditation to happen, it is necessary to dedicate ourselves to a specific technique through which we can develop the discipline and concentration needed to set the stage for this experience to flourish. However, this is a process that has certain phases. Sometimes, we feel very good and we can perform our practice with great ease. Other times, when we are faced with very deep layers of resistance and attachment, we need to make great effort to stay quiet. In this case, I suggest you temporarily do something else, preferably some physical activity.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 5, 2016: Study Deepens Faith

Faith is a quality that grows as you question, explore, and really put teachings into practice. The more you study, the less dogmatic you get.

—Sharon Salzberg, "Then & Now"

Via Science and Metaphysics / FB:

Via Daily Dharma / August 4, 2016: Overcoming Hatred

Hatred is worse than anger. Anger, irritation, is not that bad. But it will definitely become hatred if you don’t take care of it.

—Ngawang Gelek Demo Rinpoche, "What to Do When the Anger Gets Hot"

Via Ram Dass

August 3, 2016

This is the path of love. The path of the heart. Like all paths, it is fraught with pitfalls and traps, and most of our emotions are either in the service of our minds or our frightening things that overwhelm us and make us afraid so we protect ourselves from them.

So we come through life a little bit like hungry ghosts. We are beings that have huge needs for love, but seemingly it’s like we have some kind of amoeba that doesn’t allow us to digest our food. So, though we get love, it goes through us and then we need love all over again. This conception is so deep within all of us that we’ve built an entire reality around it, and we think that’s the way it is; that everybody needs love and that if you don’t get it you are deprived, and that the more of it the better, and you need it every day from everything. In that sense it’s like an achievement; you see people that are achievers. The minute they achieve something it becomes irrelevant, and their awareness turns to the next achievement because they are addicted to the practice, not to the goal.

Via Daily Dharma / August 3, 2016: On Art-making

When you sit down, all that you’re exposed to is your own mind, there is nothing else... Just to remain in that space and to let things arise and fade without having to grasp at them makes one realize that everything is already here, that no higher teaching is needed or to be grasped at.

—Robert Beer, "Art Making the Artist"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día- Flower of the day - 02/08/2016

“O ódio é um mecanismo de defesa que se manifesta como destrutividade, tanto em relação ao outro como a si mesmo. Mas a destrutividade só se mantém porque existe uma ligação entre a energia sexual e o sofrimento, ou seja, existe um certo prazer envolvido nesse processo. Em algum momento da sua biografia, você teve que usar a sua energia vital, que é a mesma energia sexual, para anestesiar a dor, e isso estabeleceu uma conexão entre o prazer e o sofrimento. Por trás do ódio sempre existe dor. E por trás da dor está o verdadeiro Eu.”

“El odio es un mecanismo de defensa que se manifiesta como destructividad, tanto hacia el otro como hacia ti mismo. Pero la destructividad solo se mantiene porque existe una unión entre la energía sexual y el sufrimiento, es decir, hay cierto placer involucrado en este proceso. En algún momento de tu biografía, tuviste que utilizar tu energía vital, que es la misma energía sexual, para anestesiar el dolor, y esto estableció una conexión entre el placer y el sufrimiento. Por detrás del odio siempre hay dolor. Y por detrás del dolor está el verdadero Yo.”

“Hatred is a self defense mechanism that manifests as destruction both to ourselves as well as to the other. Destructivity continues because there exists a connection between our sexual energy and suffering. There is a certain pleasure that is involved in this process. At one point in our personal story, we had to use our vital energy, our sexual energy, to numb the pain. In doing so, a connection was made between pleasure and suffering. Behind hatred, there is always pain. Beyond this pain is the true self.”

Via Daily Dharma / August 2, 2016: Alternative Meditation

No matter who you are, you can’t sit still all the time. And some people just find it virtually impossible to stay seated and mindful with the levels of pain and agitation and anger they feel. But they can walk with it.

—Jon Kabat-Zinn, "Walking: Meditation on the Move"