Unconditional
love really exists in each of us. It is part of our deep inner being.
It is not so much an active emotion as a state of being. It’s not ‘I
love you’ for this or that reason, not ‘I love you if you love me.’ It’s
love for no reason, love without an object.
A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Friday, December 23, 2016
Via Daily Dharma/ December 22, 2016: Buddhism for Everyone
If
I truly believe that Buddhism is for everyone, then I have to act that
way. It requires introspection and a commitment to weeding out
everything within that prevents that compassion and acceptance from
happening.
—Myokei Caine-Barrett, "A Right to the Dharma"
—Myokei Caine-Barrett, "A Right to the Dharma"
Via Daily Dharma / December 23, 2016: The Constant Dharma
As
long as you give the Dharma to nourish others, it will be there. As
long as you are alive and are able to practice, this will be true.
—Sheng Yen, "Rich Generosity"
—Sheng Yen, "Rich Generosity"
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / December 20, 2016: You Are Already Whole
You
and I don’t manifest in the universe as meaning, we manifest as living
human beings. We’re not here to represent something else. We’re here in
our own right.
—Lin Jensen, "Wash Your Bowl"
—Lin Jensen, "Wash Your Bowl"
Monday, December 19, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / December 19, 2016: One Stitch at a Time
When
you think how many yards you will sew, chanting the Buddha’s name with
every stitch, if you count all the stitches, you say, ‘I cannot do it!’
But, if you do this stitch: one stitch. One stitch. One stitch
continuously, you will finish.
—Tomoe Katagiri, "Oneness With Every Stitch"
—Tomoe Katagiri, "Oneness With Every Stitch"
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / December 18, 2016: Pattern Recognition
When
fear arises within our meditation, we apply an antidote. Recognizing
what is happening at each instant as mind, we remain in the present. It
is important to remember that patterns don’t have to repeat themselves.
—Lama Tsony, "Facing Fear"
—Lama Tsony, "Facing Fear"
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / December 17, 2016: Nothing to Gain
If
you wonder what Buddhism has to offer you, the answer is: nothing. If
you think that becoming a Buddhist will bring you all sorts of goodies
and fringe benefits, forget it.
—Trinlay Tulku Rinpoche, "East is West"
—Trinlay Tulku Rinpoche, "East is West"
Friday, December 16, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / December 16, 2016: Renounce Your Self-Importance
Buddhism
means not being concerned with whether you’re seen as a hot-shot Dalai
Lama, or a hot-shot Pope, or a hot-shot parent, or even a halfway decent
anything. . . . The ego is just a construct. Get over it.
—Christine Cox, "The Groucho Moment" |
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Via Daily Dharma / December 15, 2016: Take the Time to Speak Clearly
The
little things you say or do can become the triggers for others’
awakening. You need to take the time to talk from your depth.
—James Veliskakis, "Three Lives: From Biker to Buddhist" |
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Via Ram Dass
Try
to cultivate a spaciousness or an awareness around emotions like anger
and sadness that allows you to acknowledge the feelings. It comes back
to the word “appreciating” again. Acknowledge the feelings and allow
them, and see them as part of the human condition. They’re all generated
– they’re subtle thought forms, emotions are really subtle thought
forms – and they all arise in response to something. They’re reactions
that come. If someone does something, you have a certain emotional
response, and you have a certain reactive domain that you get into –
you’re cultivating a quietness in yourself that just watches these
things coming and going and arising and passing away.
You learn not to act out your emotions, but just to appreciate and allow them. That’s part of the way in which you use them spiritually. Spiritually, you don’t act out them out, you just acknowledge them. You don’t deny them though. You don’t push them down. You acknowledge that, “I’m angry,” but you don’t have to say, “Hey, I’m angry!” You acknowledge it; you don’t deny it. That’s the key.
You learn not to act out your emotions, but just to appreciate and allow them. That’s part of the way in which you use them spiritually. Spiritually, you don’t act out them out, you just acknowledge them. You don’t deny them though. You don’t push them down. You acknowledge that, “I’m angry,” but you don’t have to say, “Hey, I’m angry!” You acknowledge it; you don’t deny it. That’s the key.
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