NOTHING LASTS

Longtime acquainted friends and relatives will separate.
Possessions gained with exertion will be left behind.
Consciousness, the guest,
will leave the guest-house of the body.
To discard this life in mind,
is the practice of the Bodhisattva.

âKhenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, The Thirty Seven Practices of a
Bodhisattva, By Shantideva

BEING METICULOUS IS NOT BASED ON FEAR

Cessation and salvation come to you as you become a reasonable
person. You become reasonable and meticulous because you cease to be
sloppy and careless. Therefore, there is a sense of relief.
Meticulousness is exemplified by oryoki practice, a formal style of
serving and eating food that has its origins in Zen Buddhism. In this
practice you are aware of everything that is being done, every move.
At the same time, you are not uptight, for once you become
self-conscious, you begin to forget the oryoki procedures. This logic
also applies to keeping your room tidy, taking care of your clothing,
taking care of your lifestyle altogether. Being meticulous is not
based on fear; it is based on natural mindfulness.

From Chapter Seven, "Meditation as the Path to Buddhahood" in THE
TRUTH OF SUFFERING: and the Path of Liberation, page 72. Order your copy at:

http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-59030-668-0.cfm

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THE WORLDS OF DESIRE, FORM, AND FORMLESSNESS

The uninterrupted wisdom of consciousness manifests as the world of
desire.
The nature of consciousness manifests as the world of form.
The essence of consciousness, which is unborn, manifests as the
formless world.

âKunjed Gyalpo, The Fundamental Tantra Of The Dzogchen Semde

Quoted In Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche's Book, The Supreme Source,
Snow Lion Publications

Commentary on thick & thin

It comes down to some kind of commentary on thick & thin, hot & cold: medicine,art,illness_health,weather_whatever_you name it

You Cannot Fool Yourself

When we sit and practice, we begin to realize what is known as the
transparency and impermanence of time and space. We realize how much
we are dwelling on our little things and that we cannot catch any of
it and build a house on it. We cannot even lay the foundation. The
whole thing keeps shifting under our feet and under our seat. The rug
is being pulled out from under us completely, simply from that
experience of working with ourselves in our practice. When we realize
that we cannot catch hold of phenomena at all, that is what is known
as tondam, or "absolute truth." There is an absolute quality to the
fact that we cannot fool ourselves. We can try to fool our teacher,
who tells us to sit; and we might think that we can fool the dharma,
which says, "Go sit. That is the only way." But we cannot fool
ourselves. We cannot fool our essence. The ground we are sitting on
cannot be fooled.

From Chapter Ten, "The Five Paths," in THE TRUTH OF SUFFERING: and
the Path of Liberation. Order your copy at:

http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-59030-668-0.cfm