Buddhism-Buddhism

The way to develop love

Comment July 31, 2015

The way to develop love is through thinking out the evils of hate, and the advantages of non-hate; through thinking out according to actuality, according to karma, that really there is none to hate, that hate is a foolish way of feeling which breeds more and more darkness, that obstructs right understanding. Hate restricts; love release. Hatred strangles; love enfranchises. Hatred brings remorse; love brings peace. Hatred agitates; love quietens, stills, calms. Hatred divides; love unites. Hatred hardens; love softens. Hatred hinders; love helps. And thus through a correct study and appreciation of the effects of hatred and the benefits of love, should one develop love. ~Ven. Piyadassi
To the Ocean

Comment July 31, 2015

The streams, lakes, and rivers that flow down to the ocean,
when they reach the ocean, all have the same blue color,
the same salty taste. The same with human beings:
It doesn’t matter where they’re from — when they reach
the stream of the Dhamma, it’s all the same Dhamma.

~by Ajahn Chah

Continue reading →
Your Real Home

Comment July 30, 2015

Your external home isn’t your real home.
It’s your supposed home, your home in the world.
As for your real home, that’s peace.
The Buddha has us build our own home
by letting go till we reach peace.

“In Simple Terms: 108 Dhamma Similes”, by Ajahn Chah
translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 2 November 2013
Link source
The Saw

Comment July 28, 2015

by Ajahn Chah

…But when the mind sees and knows everything, it doesn’t carry the Dhamma along with it. Like this saw: They’re going to use it to cut wood. When all the wood is cut and everything is done, they put the saw away. They don’t need to use it anymore. The saw is the Dhamma. We have to use the Dhamma to practice the paths leading to the fruitions. When the job is done, we put the Dhamma that’s there away. Like a saw used to cut wood: They cut this piece, cut that piece. When they’re finished cutting, they put the saw away here. When that’s the case, the saw has to be the saw; the wood has to be the wood.

This is called reaching the point of stopping, the point that’s really important. That’s the end of cutting wood. We don’t have to cut wood, for we’ve cut enough. We take the saw and put it away.

“In Simple Terms: 108 Dhamma Similes”, by Ajahn Chah
translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 2 November 2013
Link source
The Tail of the Snake

Comment July 28, 2015

by Ajahn Chah

We human beings don’t want suffering. We want nothing but pleasure. But actually, pleasure is nothing but subtle suffering. Pain is blatant suffering. To put it in simple terms, suffering and pleasure are like a snake. Its head is suffering; its tail is pleasure. Its head contains poison. Its mouth contains poison. If you get near its head, it’ll bite you. If you catch hold of its tail it seems safe, but if you hold onto its tail without letting go, it can turn around and bite you just the same. That’s because both the head of the snake and the tail of the snake are on the same snake.

Both happiness and sadness come from the same parents: craving and delusion. That’s why there are times when you’re happy but still restless and ill at ease — even when you’ve gotten things you like, such as material gain, status, and praise. When you get these things you’re happy, but your mind isn’t really at peace because there’s still the sneaking suspicion that you’ll lose them. You’re afraid they’ll disappear. This fear is the cause that keeps you from being at peace. Sometimes you actually do lose these things and then you really suffer. This means that even though these things are pleasant, suffering lies fermenting in the pleasure. We’re simply not aware of it. Just as when we catch hold of a snake: Even though we catch hold of its tail, if we keep holding on without letting go, it can turn around and bite us.

So the head of the snake and the tail of the snake, evil and goodness: These form a circle that keeps turning around. That’s why pleasure and pain, good and bad are not the path.

“In Simple Terms: 108 Dhamma Similes”, by Ajahn Chah
translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 2 November 2013
Link source
Ten Meritorious Deeds

Comment July 28, 2015

by Ven. Dr. K Sri Dhammananda

The Buddha taught ten meritorious deeds for us to perform in order to gain a happy and peaceful life as well as to develop knowledge and understanding.

The ten meritorious deeds are:

1. Charity
2. Morality
3. Mental culture
4. Reverence or respect
5. Service in helping others
6. Sharing merits with others
7. Rejoicing in the merits of others
8. Preaching and teaching the Dhamma
9. Listening to the Dhamma
10. Straightening one’s views

The performance of these ten meritorious deeds will not only benefit oneself, but others as well, besides giving benefits to the recipients. Moral conduct benefits all beings with whom one comes into contact. Mental culture brings peace to others and inspires them to practise the Dhamma. Reverence gives rise to harmony in society, while service improves the lives of others. Sharing merits with others shows that one is concerned about others’ welfare, while rejoicing in others’ merits encourages others to perform more merits. Teaching and listening to the Dhamma are important factors for happiness for both the teacher and listener, while encouraging both to live in line with Dhamma. Straightening one’s views enables a person to show to others the beauty of Dhamma. In the Dhammapada, the Buddha taught:

‘Should a person perform good,
He should do it again and again;
He should find pleasure therein;
For blissful is the accumulation of good.’
‘Think not lightly of good, saying,
‘It will not come near to me’?
Even by the falling of drops a water-jar is filled.
Likewise the wise man, gathering little by little,
Fills himself with good.’
Violence

Comment July 27, 2015

All beings tremble before violence.
All fear death.
All love life.

See yourself in others.
Then whom can you hurt?
What harm can you do?

He who seeks happiness
By hurting those who seek happiness
Will never find happiness.

For your brother is like you.
He wants to be happy.
Never harm him
And when you leave this life
You too will find happiness.

Never speak harsh words
For they will rebound upon you.

Angry words hurt
And the hurt rebounds.

Like a broken gong
Be still, be silent.
Know the stillness of freedom
Where there is no more striving. Continue reading →
Every minute of your life

Comment July 26, 2015

Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something
outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious
is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family.
Every minute should be enjoyed and savored. ~Earl Nightingale
Yourself

Comment July 26, 2015

Love yourself and watch –
Today, tomorrow, always.

First establish yourself in the way,
Then teach,
And so defeat sorrow.

To straighten the crooked
You must first be a harder thing –
Straighten yourself.

You are the only master.
Who else?
Subdue yourself,
And discover your master.

Willfully you have fed
Your own mischief.
Soon it will crush you.

By your own folly
You will be brought as low
As your worst enemy wishes.
So the creeper chokes the tree.

How hard it is to serve yourself,
How easy to lose yourself
In mischief and folly.

The kashta reed dies when it bears fruit.
So the fool,
Scorning the teachings of the awakened,
Spurning those who follow the law,
Perishes when his folly flowers. Continue reading →
The Master

Comment July 26, 2015

At the end of the way
The master finds freedom
From desire and sorrow –
Freedom without bounds.

Those who awaken
Never rest in one place.
Like swans, they rise
And leave the lake.

On the air they rise
And fly an invisible course,
Gathering nothing, storing nothing.
Their food is knowledge.
They live upon emptiness.
They have seen how to break free.

Who can follow them?
Only the master,
Such is his purity.

Like a bird,
He rises on the limitless air
And flies an invisible course.
He wishes for nothing.
His food is knowledge.
He lives upon emptiness.
He has broken free.

He is the charioteer.
He has tamed his horses,
Pride and the senses.
Even the gods admire him. Continue reading →

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