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22 October 2007

quoting the sages

During my retreat the teachers read many quotes from many sources. Here are some of my favorites....


"In your investigation of the world, never allow the mind to leave the body. Examine its nature, see the elements that comprise it, see the impermanence, the suffering, the selflessness of the body while sitting, walking, standing, lying down. When its true nature is seen fully and lucidly by the heart, the wonders of the world will become clear. In this way, the purity of the mind can shine forth, timeless and delivered." Ajahn Mun


"The essence of pleasure is acceptance. Whatever may be be situation, if it is acceptable, it is pleasant. If it is not acceptable, it is painful. You will find in acceptance of pain a joy which pleasure cannot yield, for the simple reason that acceptance of pain takes you much deeper than pleasure does. The personal self by its very nature is constantly pursuing pleasure and avoiding pain. The ending of this pattern is the ending of self. The ending of the self with its desires and fears enables you to return to your real nature, the source of all happiness and peace." Sri Nisargadatta, I Am That


"Ultimately you must choose between the discomfort of becoming aware of your mental afflictions and the discomfort of being ruled by them." Mingyur Rinpoche, The Joy of Living


"My life is filled with terrible misfortune...most of which hasn't happened." Mark Twain


May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May all beings never be parted from freedom's true joy.
May all beings dwell in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion.

om mani pedme hum

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this. These are very helpful quotes with tons and tons of wisdom behind them (and yeah, I used to be a big worrier--like Mark Twain said, most of what I worried about never happened!)

Linda-Sama said...

"like Mark Twain said, most of what I worried about never happened!"

as with most people! 99.9% of the time we're obsessed with the past and anticipating the future -- "leaning into the next moment" as the teachers said during the retreat.

Why?

It's so simple as to be almost imbecilic: they're just thoughts.

and that's one of those A HA moments that begins the path to awakening.

Fran said...

This is brilliant and I thank you for sharing these words.

Mark Twain's words are great, aren't they?

Ah-
To.
Just.
Be.