Daily Buddhist Verses

goldevil

11 Sep 07, 11:38

even universe has birth and death .

death of something in the universe gives rise to another thing in the universe .

cycle

11 Sep 07, 13:24

The Buddha has never forced others to do what others do not like to do. He merely taught virtue and evil, and the choice in one's own life is in one's hands. To find one's peace of mind, one should see that all phenomena are impermanent. Only through that it is possible to be detached in adverse circumtances and to have freedom from vexations. The Buddha's teachings allow us to know that there is no one in the world who can bring you suffering, only yourself. These are indeed words of wisdom and food for thought.

~ Ven. Fazhao

An Eternal Now

12 Sep 07, 20:58

It is absolutely necessary for you to seek to obtain genuinely accurate insight and understanding. Then you can travel freely anywhere and avoid being confused by the common sort of spiritual charmer.

- Lin Chi (d 867?)

http://www.dailyzen.com/default.asp

cycle

14 Sep 07, 08:50

'The truth of suffering' may sound pessimistic for a new comer. But of course it isn't. It is about understanding what suffering is...that the condition to exist in samsara is suffering. Meaning in order to get cured we have to understand what needs to be cured and so the example that was given by Buddha was illness and that is what has to be understood.

~ Trinley Thaye Dorje

An Eternal Now

17 Sep 07, 03:44

Form is like a lump of foam,
Feeling like a water bubble;
Perception is like a mirage,
Volitions like a plantain trunk,
And consciousness like an illusion,
So explained the Kinsman of the Sun.

However one may ponder it
And carefully investigate it,
It appears but hollow and void
When one views it carefully.

-- Samyutta Nikaya 22.95

cycle

18 Sep 07, 13:37

Since we benefit from the education we receive from the Buddha, what can we do to repay his kindness?

Nowadays, most people enshrine and worship him, making daily offerings to his image on an altar. Is this the right way to repay him? No. These are only rituals to remind us not to forget the Buddha's kindness. The Buddha's wish is for all sentient beings to hear the truth, practice accordingly and receive the benefits to attain Buddhahood. The only way we can repay him is to take his heart as our own. Only in this way can we repay our respected teacher.

Therefore, we can request the turning of the Dharma-wheel, in other words, we invite knowledgeable masters to teach us about the sutras. This is also the greatest good deed and virtue. Why? Because it brings the teachings to the world.

But if no one invites Dharma masters to lecture, they will not have the opportunity to do so. So, people who invite them to give Dharma talks will obtain great merits.

~ Ven Master Chin Kung, Buddhism: The Wisdom of Compassion and Awakening

cycle

19 Sep 07, 13:14

Some know not that life ends in death.
Thought of death prevents quarreling.

Still others do not understand that we must perish in this world,
those who understand this,
their quarrels are allayed.

~ Dhammapada

cycle

24 Sep 07, 12:11

A Bodhisattva does not take "Himself" seriously - because he realised he has no self. You can push his buttons all the way and he stays cool. He takes it in good nature because he realised his empty nature. In fact, he has no real buttons to push at all, and he helps others understand that they have none either.

~ Zeph, The Daily Enlightenment.

cycle

24 Sep 07, 12:13

Be at least 95% mindful of ourselves, leaving no more than 5% for the external.

~ Ajahn Brahmavamso

cycle

24 Sep 07, 12:16

The whole of the universe is contained within our mind. We have infinite levels, infinite depths.

~ Tenzin Palmo

cycle

25 Sep 07, 12:53

The Buddha, in the course of his development, gave his body to needy people, a tiger, etc. without regret and without fear of pain but with joy and happiness. The Buddha dedicated himself to others and that most perfect kind of loving, kindness and compassion is what we need to develope. And so we need to change and develope our intention. In doing so, we have to examine our own capabilities and not force ourselves to do something beyond our abilities. To work within our abilities, without hesitatioon and just for the benefits of others, this is the true Buddhist way of life.

~ Ven. Shangpa Rinpoche

cycle

25 Sep 07, 12:56

To avoid all evil,
to cultivate good,
and to purify one's mind -
this is the teaching of the Buddhas.

~ Dhammapada 183

Isis

27 Sep 07, 01:41

When Lord Buddha spoke about suffering, he wasn't referring simply to superficial problems like illness and injury, but to the fact that the dissatisfied nature of the mind itself is suffering.

Â–Lama Thubten Yeshe

cycle

27 Sep 07, 11:32

Meditation is not just about sitting in a cave for 12 years. It's everyday life. Where else do you practise generosity, patience, ethics? How much patience did I have to have sitting up in my cave listening to the wholves howl? The point goes home. Ultimately the Buddhadharma is about transforming the mind, which in Buddhist parlance includes the heart. The transformation of the heart/mind cannot be achieved if we only sit in meditation and ignore the dharma of our everyday life.

~ Tenzin Palmo

cycle

28 Sep 07, 10:59

Though one may conquer
a thousand times a thousand men in battle,
yet he indeed is the noblest victor
who conquers himself.

~ Dhammapada 103

cycle

28 Sep 07, 11:06

Buddha was the embodiment of all the virtues he preached. During his successful and eventful ministry of 45 years he translated all his words into action, and in no place did he give vent to any human frailty, or any base passion. The Buddha's moral code is the most perfect which the world has ever know.

~ Prof Max Muller, German Scholar

cycle

2 Oct 07, 11:21

People say they have no time for "meditation". It's not time! You can meditate walking down the corridor, waiting for the computer to change, at the traffic lights, standing in a queue, going to the bathroom, curling your hair. Just be there in the present, without the mental commentary. Start by choosing one action during the day and decide to be entirely present for that one action. Drinking the tea in the morning.

~ Tenzin Palmo

cycle

3 Oct 07, 12:49

The existence of the 6 Realms is true and factual in samsara. It is not a mere idealogical theory. It has been perceived by many good practitoners in the past. These good practitioners have seen the 6 Realms with their eyes. If these things do not exist, the Buddha will not have talk about them. The Buddha does not need to lie to us.

It is not a good reason to say they do not exist simply because we cannot see them or have not seen them. For example, there is moisture in the air though we cannot see them. Whelther we see them or not, there is moisture in the air. Science has yet been able to account for everything in the world.

~ Lati Rinpoche, Interview with Lati Rinpoche, For You Information.

An Eternal Now

4 Oct 07, 02:49

The people I meet nowadays are superficial. They think of merit as something that has form. They squander their wealth and butcher creatures of land and sea. They foolishly concern themselves with erecting statues and stupas, telling people to pile up lumber and bricks, to paint this blue and that green. They strain body and mind, injure themselves and mislead others. And they donÂ’t know enough to be ashamed. How will they ever become enlightened?

They see something tangible and instantly become attached. If you talk to them about formlessness, they sit there dumb and confused. Greedy for the small mercies of this world, they remain blind to the great suffering to come. Such disciples wear themselves out in vain. Turning from the true to the false, they talk about nothing but future blessings.

If you can simply concentrate your mindÂ’s Inner Light and behold its outer illumination, youÂ’ll dispel the three poisons and drive away the six thieves once and for all. And without effort gain possession of an infinite number of virtues, perfections, and doors to the truth, Seeing through the mundane and witnessing the sublime is less than an eye-blink away, Realization is now. Why worry about gray hair? But the true door is hidden and canÂ’t be revealed. I have only touched upon beholding the mind.

~ 1st Chan/Zen Patriarch Bodhidharma

An Eternal Now

4 Oct 07, 15:15

The World as Created From Mind

Take the analogy of an artist, who distinguishes in his laying out of all sorts of colored shapes
And falsely grasps at differences in their appearance,
While in the great seed there is no discrimination.

In the great seed there are no colored shapes,
And in the colored shapes there is no great seed.
Yet the colored shapes which can be gotten at
Are not apart from the great seed.

In the mind there are no colored paintings,
And in a colored painting there is no mind.
So it is that the colored painting which can be gotten at
Is not apart from the mind.

That mind which is constantly without abode
Is infinite and difficult to conceive of.
It reveals all the colored shapes,
Each lacking knowledge of the others.

Just as an artist, who is unable to know his own mind,
Paints because of what comes from the mind,
So too is the nature of all dharmas.

The mind is like an artist
Who is able to paint the entire world.
The five skandhas are wholly produced from it,
And there is no dharma which it does not create.

As is the mind, so too is the Buddha;
As is the Buddha, thus also are living beings.
One should know that the substance and nature of the Buddha
and the mind are both endless.

If a person knows that the activity of the mind creates all
worlds everywhere,
That person sees the Buddha and comprehends his real nature.

His mind does not dwell in his body,
And his body does not dwell in his mind.
Yet he is able to do the Buddha's work
With a freedom and ease never known before.

If a person wishes to understand
All Buddhas of the three periods of time,
He should contemplate the nature of the Dharma-realm
As created entirely from the mind alone.
(HYSC 30:54-70)

(for more info pls read the first post at http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=262408)

cycle

5 Oct 07, 12:37

In Chan school, there is a saying: "To perceive one's true nature is to perceive the Buddha-nature". This saying means if one is able to perceive Empitness based on the perception of conditioned arising, we will understand that whatever phenomenon, as long as it follows the workings of conditioned arising, is transient and will naturally perish. Thus, the self is nothing but the temporary existence of a combination of various causes and conditions. And since it is impermanent, there's no need to worry. Once we can understand this, we will be undisturbed by whatever happens to us and achieve liberation.

~ Zen master Shen Yan

cycle

16 Oct 07, 14:07

Breathing in, I know that anger is in me;
Breathing out, I know that I am my anger.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

cycle

16 Oct 07, 14:10

The hatred of those who mull over the wrong done to them keeps on growing.

Those who do not mull over the harm done to them are appeased.

~ Dhammapada

cycle

16 Oct 07, 14:13

So, death and ageing are a natural part of the world.
Thus, the wise grieve not, seeing the nature of the world.

~ The Sutta Nipata (581)

cycle

17 Oct 07, 13:05

Just contemplate: when you get angry you have to think, don't you? If you stop thinking, the anger will go away. To be angry you have to think: 'He said that to me, how dare he. That dirty so-and-so!' But if you should stop thinking and use the breath [breathing in and out], eventually that feeling of the body that comes with anger will fade out and the there is no anger. So if you feel angry, just reflect on what it feels like as a physical feeling. It's the same with any mood: contemplate, reflect on the mood that you're in. Work with it - not to analyse it or criticise it, but merely to reflect on how it is.

~ Ajahn Sumedho, The Way It Is