The Jewel in the Crown Sutra States

The Jewel in the Crown Sutra states, "Donning the armor of loving-kindness, while abiding in the state of great compassion, practice meditative stabilization that actualizes the emptiness possessing the best of all qualities. What is the emptiness possessing the best of all qualities? It is that which is not divorced from generosity, ethics, patience, effort, meditative stabilization, wisdom, or skillful means." Bodhisattvas must rely on virtuous practices like generosity as means to thoroughly ripen all sentient beings and in order to perfect the place, body, and manifold retinue.

--from Stages of Meditation by Kamalashila

Although I have high status

Although I have high status,
my merit is less than an evil spirit's.
Although I am a great religious teacher,
my passions are grosser than a demon's.
Roar and thunder on the head of the destroyer,
false construction!
Mortally strike at the heart of the butcher,
the enemy, Ego!


--Dharmaraksita, Peacock In The Poison Grove, Wisdom Publications

Phenomena are the radiance of the innate absolute

Phenomena are the radiance of the innate absolute; Mind's nature is the wisdom of the innate absolute. The ultimate teacher - phenomena and mind merged in one taste - Dwells naturally within myself. Ah Ho! What a Joy!

--Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Attentiveness

Attentiveness is the path to true life; Indifference is the path to death. The attentive do not die; The indifferent are as if they are dead already already.

--Dhammapada

If you want to see where the mind is going

The Buddha Shakyamuni said, “If you want to see where the mind has been look at your body; and if you want to see where the mind is going look at your present actions.”

--H.E. Kalu Dorje Chang

Read the Whole Teaching At The Link Below: http://www.shenpen-osel.org/issue6.pdf

Something is Thinking

No trace of substance remains in us unchanged. we live in the midst of a uninterrupted current of relations which condition our existence at every instant. We have no possibility of speaking of our self, our being. The Buddhists can't follow Descartes in his famous "ergo." Nothing naturally follows from thought to being, since both are elements of the same changing stream. Instead of affirming, "I think therefore I am," we could say, at most, "I think, therefore I think," or else, as Nietzsche says, 'Something is thinking."

--HH the XIV Dalai Lama, Violence and Compassion

This quote courtesy of http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShangpaNY/

Can a thought look at a thought?

Can thought look at thought? No. Just as a blade cannot cut itself, or a fingertip touch itself, so thought cannot see thought.

--Sikshasamuccaya

If we are speaking of a way out all the time then we are dealing in fantasy

Q: You describe some seemingly inescapable situation situation in which we are all trapped,
in which we have become enmeshed... (Samsara?)


A: You see, the whole point is that if we are speaking of a way all out all the time,
then we are dealing in fantasy, the dream of escape, salvation, enlightenment.
We need to be practical. We must examine what is here, now, our neurotic mind.
Once we are completely familiar with the negative aspects of state of our being,
then we know the "way out" automatically.


But if we talk about how beautiful and joyous our attainment of the goal will be,
then we become extremely insincere and romantic; and this approach becomes an obstacle.


That is why the Buddha first taught about suffering - Dukkha,
and why he did not begin by teaching the beauty of the enlightenment experience.


--Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, from: Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism,
Shambhala Publications

Stepping out ofthe bureaucracy of ego

It is important to see that the main point of any spiritual practice is to step out of the bureaucracy of ego. This means stepping out of ego's constant desire for a higher, more spiritual, more transcendental version of knowledge, religion, virtue judgement, comfort or whatever it is that the particular ego is seeking. One must step out of spiritual materialism.

--Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, from: Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism,

Transparency of Concepts

In the absence of thoughts and emotions, the Lords (the forces of materialism) bring up a still more powerful weapon, concepts. Labeling phenomena creates a feeling of a solid, definite world of "things." Such a solid world reassures us that we are a solid, continuous thing as well. The world exists, therefore I, the perceiver of the world, exist. Meditation involves seeing the transparency of concepts, so that labeling no longer serves as a way of solidifying our world and our image of self. Labeling becomes simply the act of discrimination.

--Chogyam Trunpa Rinpoche, From: "The True Spiritual Path," in THE ESSENTIAL CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, Pg. 46

Obstacles

Obstacles can arise from good as well as bad circumstances, but they should never deter or overpower you. Be like the earth, which supports all living creatures indiscriminately, without distinguishing good from bad. The earth is simply there. Your practice should be strengthened by the difficult situations you encounter, just as a bonfire in a strong wind is not blown out, but blazes even brighter.

--Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
http://www.shechen.org/teach_three_dkr.html

Each Individual

Each individual has an opportunity to make a difference.

--H.H. the XIV Dalai Lama

We need to correct or overcome all the wrongs and bad circumstances we experience

We need to correct, or to overcome, all the wrongs or bad circumstances that we experience. Instead of having a negative attitude toward practice and not wanting to practice any longer-- --whenever such perversions and problems occur, they should be overcome...

To correct all wrongs means to stamp on the kleshas. Whenever you don't want to practice-- --stamp on that, and then practice. Whenever any bad circumstance comes up that might put you off--

--stamp on it. In this slogan you are deliberately, immediately, and very abruptly suppressing the kleshas.



--Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, from: Training the Mind and Cultivating Loving-Kindness , Pg. 212-213, Slogan # 40

The experiences that you normally regard as pleasurable and happy

Generally, the experiences that you normally regard as pleasurable and happy, such as having the physical comfort of good facilities and so forth, if they are examined at a deeper level, will be revealed to be changeable and therefore in the nature of suffering. They provide you with temporary satisfaction; because of that temporary satisfaction you regard them as experiences of happiness. But if you keep on pursuing them, they will again lead to the experience of suffering. Most of these pleasurable experiences are not really happiness in the true sense of the word, but only appear as pleasure and happiness in comparison to the obvious sufferings that you have.

--H.H. the Dalai Lama, Path to Bliss: A Practical Guide to Stages of Meditation, Snow Lion