Love is what changes us
Don’t try to change people, just love them. Love is what changes us. ~Unknown
Don’t try to change people, just love them. Love is what changes us. ~Unknown
Always take the lowest place. Wear simple clothes. Help other beings as much as you can. In everything you do, simply work at developing love and compassion until they have become a fundamental part of you. ~Patrul Rinpoche
May no living creature suffer,
Commit evil or ever fall ill.
May no one be afraid or belittled,
With a mind weighed down by depression.
~Shantideva’s prayer
This fresh present knowing,
Unbound by the intellect that clings to meditation,
Is naked unobstructed non-meditation.
Relax at ease
And settle in the state of naturalness.
This is the meaning of realization of meditation.
When thoughts move, let them.
Movement arises and is liberated without a trace.
When there is no movement, don’t search for it.
This is empty luminosity, naked empty awareness.
Tantric practice without suppression or cultivation of thoughts
Brings the accomplishment of the destruction of hope and fear.
There is nothing more to add to this.
Dudjom Rinpoche
From the book “Wisdom Nectar: Dudjom Rinpoche’s Heart Advice”
Place your mind before the mirror of eternity,
place your soul in the brightness of His glory,
place your heart in the image of the divine essence
and transform yourself by contemplation
utterly into the image of His divinity,
that you too may feel what His friends feel as they taste
the hidden sweetness that God himself has set aside
from the beginning for those who love Him.
Casting aside all things in this false and troubled world
that ensnare those who love them blindly,
give all your love to Him who gave Himself in all
for you to love:
Whose beauty the sun and moon admire, and whose gifts
are abundant and precious and grand without end.
~Saint Clare of Assisi
Shantideva cites three benefits of pain. First, it is valuable because through sorrow, pride is driven out. No matter how arrogant and condescending we’ve been, great suffering can humble us. The pain of a serious illness or loss of a loved one can be transformative, softening us and making us less self-centered.
The second benefit of pain is empathy: the compassion felt for those who wander in samsara. Our personal suffering brings compassion for others in the same situation. A young woman was telling me that when her baby died, she felt a deep connection to all the other parents who had lost children. This was, as she put it, the unexpected blessing of her sorrow.
The third value of suffering is that evil is avoided and goodness seems delightful. When we practice according to Shantideva’s instructions, we can get smarter about cause and result. Based on this understanding, we’ll have less inclination to cause harm, and more desire to gather virtue and benefit others.
Pema Chödron
From the book “No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva”
Castles and crowded cities are the places
Where now you love to stay;
But remember that they will fall in ruins
After you have departed from this earth.
Pride and vainglory are the lure
Which now you love to follow;
But remember, when you are about to die
They offer you no shelter and no refuge!
Kinsmen and relatives are the people
With whom now you love to live!
But remember that you must leave them all behind
When from this world you pass away!
Servants, wealth, and children
Are things that you love to hold;
But remember, at the moment of your death
Your empty hands can take nothing with you!
Vigor and health are dearest to you now;
But remember that at the moment of your death
Your corpse will be bundled up and borne away!
Now your organs are clear, your blood and flesh are strong and vigorous;
But remember, at the moment of your death
They will no longer be at your disposal!
Sweet and delicious foods are things
That now you love to eat;
But remember, at the moment of your death
Your mouth will let the spittle flow!
When of all this I think, I cannot help
But seek the Buddha’s teachings!
The enjoyments and pleasures of this world,
For me have no attraction.
I, Milarepa, sing of the Eight Reminders,
At the Guest House of Garakhache of Tsang.
With these clear words I give this helpful warning;
I urge you to observe and practice them!
Milarepa
from the book “The Hundred Thousand Songs Of Milarepa”
Listen, Atula. This is not new,
It is an old saying –
“They blame you for being silent,
They blame you when you talk too much
And when you talk too little.”
Whatever you do, they blame you.
The world always finds
A way to praise and a way to blame.
It always has and it always will.
But who dares blame the man
Whom the wise continually praise,
Whose life is virtuous and wise,
Who shines like a coin of pure gold?
Even the gods praise him.
Even Brahma praises him.
Beware of the anger of the body.
Master the body.
Let it serve truth.
Beware of the anger of the mouth.
Master your words.
Let them serve truth.
Beware of the anger of the mind.
Master your thoughts.
Let them serve truth.
The wise have mastered
Body, word and mind.
They are the true masters.
~Dhammapada
With gentleness overcome anger.
With generosity overcome meanness.
With truth overcome deceit.
~Dhammapada
Let go of anger.
Let go of pride.
When you are bound by nothing
You go beyond sorrow.
~Dhammapada