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#2007 - Saturday, December 18, 2004 - Editor: Gloria Lee
No one ever promised
that the fastest horse in the race
was the easiest one to ride.
- Eric J. Joiner, Jr.
"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors."
- African Proverb
“A conflict in the known laws of physics means a failure to grasp a deep truth…”
- Brian Greene, The Fabric of the Cosmos, 2004, p. 17
"Remember this: The truth, when it arrives, is always
different
from what we thought it would be. If we imagine that we already
know the truth, that imagination is based on old and habitual
ideas.
But the truth is always something entirely new to the mind;
therefore, we cannot possibly imagine it. Just as we cannot know
what a new day is like before we experience it, we cannot think
accurately about a new truth until we first live it."
Vernon Howard, Psycho-Pictography, p. 228
posted to nondualnow by Ben Hassine
image: Night in the Park by Dusan Pajin, 1995
A snip from "A Still Forest Pool"..The Insight
meditation of Achaan Chah
Compiled and edited by Jack Kornfield and Paul Breiter.
The heart of the path is so simple. No need for long explanation.
Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they
are. That is all I do in my own practice.
Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into
anything.
Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you sit,
let
it be. When you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist
nothing.
Go Beyond Words: See for Yourself.
In my own practice, I did not know or study much. I took the
straightforward
teachings the Buddha gave and simply began to study my own mind
according to
nature. When you practice, observe your self. Then gradually
knowledge and vision
will arise of themselves. If you sit in meditation and want it to
be this way or that, you
had better stop right there. Do not bring ideals or expectations
to your practice. Take
your studies, you opinions, and store them away.
You must go beyond all words, all symbols, all plans for your
practice. Then you can
see for yourself the truth, arising right here. If you do not
turn inward, you will never
know reality. I took the first few years of formal Dharma text
study, and when I had
the opportunity, I went to hear various scholars and masters
teach, until such study
became more of a hindrance than a help. I did not know how to
listen to their sermons
because I had not looked within.
The great meditation masters spoke about the truth within
oneself. Practicing, I began
to realized that it existed in my own mind as well. After a long
time, I realized that
these teachers have really seen the truth and that if we follow
their path, we will
encounter everything they have spoken about. Then we will be able
to say, "Yes, they
were right. What else could there be? Just this." When I
practiced diligently,
realization unfolded like that.
If you are interested in Dharma, just give up, just let go.
Merely thinking about
practice is like pouncing on the shadow and missing the
substance. You need not study
much. If you follow the basics and practice accordingly, you will
see the Dharma for
yourself.
There must be more than merely hearing the words. Speak just
with yourself, observe
your own mind. If you cut off the verbal, thinking mind, you will
have a true standard
for judging. Otherwise, your understanding will not penetrate
deeply. Practice in this
way and the rest will follow.
posted to MillionPaths by Anton
Thought for the Day:
Divine purpose, dharma, moves through you.
The only question is
whether you pretend to fight it.
============
Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana --
 |
[323]
As if I asked a common Alms, By Emily Dickinson As if I asked a common
Alms, --from The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, ed. Thomas H. Johnson |
Sunset over Mount Lu
| WATERFALL AT LU-SHAN Sunlight streams on the river stones. From high above,the river steadily plunges- Three thousand feet of sparkling water- The Milky Way pouring down from heaven. Li T'ai-po
Wondrous Power of Kuan-yin |
KUAN-YIN
They say you cannot say
When will she appear,
Wherefrom will she come.
For ages I searched perfections
In old sutra
I saw them exemplified in sculptures
On the bodhisattva faces.
In time of great need
Surrounded by cruelty and suffering
Immersed in the great destruction
Complaining about my karma
On a rainy afternoon
Suddenly I met Kuan Yin.
Claiming to be ignorant of Buddhism
She manifested perfections
Demonstrating Compassion
Giving free lessons in kindness,
Wisdom in disguise
With virtue complete.
Dusan Pajin
from Dusan Pajin's exhibition http://afrodita.rcub.bg.ac.yu/~pajin/exhibit/index.html
On Peace
"If I do not cultivate a peaceful, loving,
and compassionate nature
within myself, then I cannot really contribute to peace in
society as a
whole. No matter what public statements I make or what physical
demonstrations I engage in, nothing done in the name of peace has
any
meaning as long as my own character remains violent and
intolerant.
As Shantideva said, 'It is impossible to cover the entire world
with
leather, but by covering one's feet with sandals the same effect
is
created. Likewise, it is impossible to bring this world into
harmony by
destroying all harmful beings that exist; but by covering one's
mind
with the gentleness of loving patience the whole world becomes
harmonious.'"
~Glenn Mullin
From the Article, "A Buddhist Vision of Peace,"
on the "Theosophical Society of America" web site:
http://www.theosophical.org/theosophy/questmagazine/septoct03/mullin
posted on Daily Dharma
[Some tiny bits are
spoken in the Dutch language but I don’t think it is too
disturbing. I watched it twice and can recommend it.]
A new documentary
film on the life and teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh:
http://cgi.omroep.nl/cgi-bin/streams?/tv/bos/archief/bb.20041212.rm
Thich Nhat Hanh, monk,
zen teacher, writer and peace activist, born in
Scenes from Plum Village include a retreat held for Israelis and Palestinians to come together.
We follow Thich Nhat Hanh around the
time of Memorial Day of 9/11 in
