"Although much of the [ground]work has already been done for us [by the enlightened beings of the past and present], we still have to use our own experience to arrive at our own unshakable confidence. We have to observe our heart, over and over again, both when it's open and when it's closed. We have... 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 →
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 →
"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 →
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 expression of cowardice. The true warrior always has a weapon, in any case....The definition of warriorship is fearlessness and gentleness. Those are... Continue Reading →
“Because I have experienced pain, I am able to embrace the pain of others. Because I have made mistakes, I am able to forgive others their mistakes. May my suffering become the seed of compassion” Haemin Sunim
It is essential to distinguish between two things: the person and their action. We criticize the action, not the person. The person is neutral: he or she wants to be happy and overcome suffering, and once their negative action stops, they will become a friend. The troublemaker is the afflictions and actions. Speaking out against... Continue Reading →
Perhaps while we are sitting in the plane or on the train, taking a stroll or driving in the car, we could practice loving kindness meditation or tonglen. We don't have to change our posture, just send out thoughts of loving-kindness. Imagine beautiful light radiating to fill the bodies of those around us and being... Continue Reading →
“We have to forgive ourselves. We have all made mistakes and acted stupidly. So what? We're human beings. If we were perfect then we wouldn't need a path, since we would already have arrived! It is because we have problems, because we have faults, because we've made stupid mistakes that we need a path. So... Continue Reading →
Maintaining care, we should always wish everyone the best, regardless of whether we can be the direct cause for their well-being. Many people make the mistake of thinking that when we wish others well, then we also have to be responsible for their well-being. We can't always be a direct support for people because their... Continue Reading →
Love is an opening of the heart. It's like the sun shining. The sun just naturally shines. It doesn't discriminate, shining on this person, but not on that one. It just shines because it is the nature of the sun to give warmth. And it's the equanimous quality of the heart that we have to... Continue Reading →
"I am not saying that you should go home and clear out all your things - that is not the point. The point is this question of opening the heart, of really being able to rejoice in giving to others - not just material things. Material things are good things to start with but we... Continue Reading →
“Most of us are slaves of our moods, of our feelings, of our emotions, of our memories, of our anxieties. We’re completely swept along by this. We suffer, and we cause others to suffer. But if we can become the masters of our mind, then we can use our mental faculties in a way which... Continue Reading →
We are so quick to judge one another. And just as we are hard on others we are even harder on ourselves. With mindfulness, our natural compassion grows. We can see that we are all carrying our own burden of tears. You and everyone you meet are sharing in some measure of the pain present... Continue Reading →
Bodhicitta is particularly available to us when we feel good heart; when we feel gratitude, appreciation or love in any form whatsoever. In any moment of tenderness or happiness, bodhicitta is always here. If we begin to acknowledge these moments and cherish them, if we begin to realize how precious they are, then no matter... Continue Reading →
Because experience happens so quickly, habitual responses can come out of our mouth before we know it. It helps to train ourselves to pause before our response. This is called the sacred pause. Before we speak, we can examine our motivation. Is our motivation one of compassion and concern for everyone? Or do we want... Continue Reading →
To work on the mind is a very vast subject; in fact it is the subject of the entire Buddha Dharma. In essence the main reason the mind generates it’s confusing passions and intense emotions is the strong clinging to I, me, and mine. Because of that clinging, we suffer when do not obtain all... Continue Reading →
