If we look at our habitual mind without deception or judgment, we will see beyond it to who we truly are. Beyond the "self" and what it does or doesn't want, beyond the self that is constantly fighting or tugging at the world lies our true nature and true face. This is the face of... Continue Reading →
When we are young we have many vanities. We envy our friends; we want what they have and we want to do what they do. But as we age, we know time is limited. We can’t afford to live in vain. That is when many practice in earnest: with reason, motivation and a full heart.... Continue Reading →
Stop Running Away If there are whole parts of yourself that you are always running from, that you even feel justified in running from, then you’re going to run from anything that brings you into contact with your feelings of insecurity. And have you noticed how often these parts of ourselves get touched? The closer... Continue Reading →
We can quite safely say that hope, or a sense of promise, is a hindrance on the spiritual path. Creating this kind of hope is one of the most prominent features of spiritual materialism. There are all kinds of promises, all kinds of proofs. We find the same approach as that of a car salesman.... Continue Reading →
Happy New Year Lovelies! As we start a New Year let's draw inspiration & comfort from this Metta Prayer MAY WE FEEL SAFE, PROTECTED & BE FREE FROM FEARMAY WE ENJOY GOOD HEALTH, VITALITY & WELLBEINGMAY WE LOOK AT OURSELVES WITH LOVE & UNDERSTANDINGMAY WE LIVE IN PEACE & HARMONY MAY WE DEVELOP A SOFT,... Continue Reading →
"From the earth’s point of view, the sun shines with varying degrees of brightness, but from its own point of view, it always shines with the same intensity. Likewise, from the mind’s point of view, there are various degrees or states of awareness, but from the point of view of awareness, which is the only... Continue Reading →
Compassion is the ultimate attitude of wealth: an anti-poverty attitude, a war on want. It contains all sorts of heroic, juicy, positive, visionary, expansive qualities. And it implies larger scale thinking, a freer and more expansive way of relating to oneself and the world. It is the attitude that one has been born fundamentally rich... Continue Reading →
Most of us search for peace and happiness in our thoughts, feelings, activities, relationships and our experiences of the body and the world. We hope for a time in the future when our minds and the world will settle down, so we can finally experience the peace of mind for which we long. However, this... Continue Reading →
If victory is the notion of no enemy, then the whole world is a friend. That seems to be the warrior's philosophy. The true warrior is not like somebody carrying a sword and looking behind his own shadow, in case somebody is lurking there. That is the setting-sun warrior's point of view, which is an... Continue Reading →
This world needs tremendous help. Everybody's in trouble. Sometimes they pretend not to be, but still, there's a lot of pain and hardship. Everybody, every minute, is tortured, suffering a lot. We shouldn't just ignore them and save ourselves alone. That would be a tremendous crime. In fact, we can't just save ourselves, because our... Continue Reading →
Like an old man watching children at play, we need to see through our own seriousness. No matter how seriously the children go about their games, the old man is amused and never for a moment takes them to be real. We can watch our thoughts and emotions in the same way. Without taking them... Continue Reading →
Whenever you look at your mind, you can't help but recognize your similarity to those around you. When you see your own desire to be happy, you can't avoid seeing the same desire in others, and when you look clearly at your own fear, anger, or aversion, you can't help but see that everyone around... Continue Reading →
“This perpetual longing for happiness – which can, by definition, never be fulfilled because that very search itself denies the happiness that is present in our own being now – condemns us to an endless search in the future and thus perpetuates unhappiness. It is for this reason that the poet said, “Most men lead... Continue Reading →
Enlightenment is referred to as en-lighten-ment. It is further luminosity; it illuminates life. Up to this point, we had a very bad lighting system; but now we are getting a better lighting system, so we begin to see every curve of skin, every inch of our world, properly. We might get irritated by such sharpness... Continue Reading →
Though we're conditioned to identify with the thoughts that pass through our awareness rather than with awareness itself, the awareness that is our true nature is infinitely flexible. It is capable of any and every sort of experience - even misconceptions about itself as limited, trapped, ugly, anxious, lonely, or afraid. When we begin to... Continue Reading →
"An old man meets a young man who asks: “Do you remember me?” And the old man says no. Then the young man tells him he was his student, and the teacher asks: “What do you do, what do you do in life?” The young man answers:“Well, I became a teacher.”“Ah, how good, like me?”... Continue Reading →
Once someone asked a well-known Thai meditation master Ajahn Chah, "In this world where everything changes, where nothing remains the same, where loss and grief are inherent in our very coming into existence, how can there be any happiness? How can we find security when we see that we can't count on anything being the... Continue Reading →
The Buddha said that karma is intention. In other words, the important point is not so much what we do, but why we are doing it - Tenzin Palmo
