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If you really want to do something, you will find a way. If you don’t, you will find an excuse. —E. James Rohn
REALationship.
What comes, let it come. What stays, let it stay. What goes, let it go. —Papaji
It’s natural to feel disappointed when things don’t work
out as you had hoped, but the only natural response when that happens is to move on. Difficult as it may sometimes seem, it’s still easier than trying to cling to what is no longer there!
All you can do is remind yoursel...
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“Don’t believe everything you see, read, or hear from others, whether of authority, religious teachers or texts. Find out for yourself what is truth, what is real. Discover that there are virtuous things and there are non-virtuous things. Once you have discovered for yourself, give up the bad and embrace the good.
Compassion has no contingencies.
How do we know for certain that things we cannot see truly exist? Look at a picture of food, for example. The flavor, texture and scent are not in the photograph, but we know they’re there.
Whether we admit it or not, what we have is faith. We have tremendous faith that this unseen energy will keep the earth spinning, the grass growing, and our hearts beating five minutes from now. We don’t know this; we trust it.
God is not “out there” for us to pursue; God is in our heart to discover.
Just as when we say, “Namaste,” meaning the divinity in us acknowledges and respects the divinity in others, pay homage to the God within you, and celebrate your greatness every day. You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. —The Buddha
Your beliefs don’t make you a better person; your behavior does. —Anonymous
Meditation is a method of training the mind to remain calm despite the continuous flux of external conditions. Prayer is a way of expressing our deep appreciation to God, Mother Nature, or the Universe at large for the gift of life.
A true prayer is one of gratitude for the blessings in our lives; it is NOT a time to be greedy or to beg for more. We already have everything we need in order to be happy. So even saying, “God, please give me strength,” implies that we don’t already have it (when we actually do). Simply say, “Thank you for the strength,” and you will be empowered to tap into its unlimited supply.
Peace begins with YOU. So if you want to know how close we are to world peace, look within.
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is “thank you,” it will be enough. —Johannes Eckhart
We mistakenly worship the teachers instead of the teachings, idolize them to have been more than mere humans, and construct beautiful but unreasonably exaggerated tales of their lives.
You need not wait until December 31st to make resolutions, nor do you need to be at church in order to pray. Just express your appreciation for life itself by loving God, yourself, and others. Make THAT your resolution, and you will never know fear. Every day is the birth of a new you.
karma isn’t judgment; it’s consequence. WE are the ones responsible.
“Kindness is my religion,
focus on the teachings, not the teacher.
The Buddha was not a God. He never claimed to be a God, the son of God, or a messenger of God. He was a man who gained clear perspective of the world through nothing more than human effort. And if he was able to do it then, we can do it now!
Being enlightened isn’t something you “become”; it is something you continually do!
It is determined by your behavior, not...
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Not all those who wander are lost. —J.R.R. Tolkien
What I really like about Buddhism is that the Buddha was a simple man, not “holier than thou” or something we could never be. He was just like you and me. He wasn’t a God (although some sects refer to him as “Lord Buddha”), nor was he special in any way until the figurative lightbulb over his head turned on. Once he understood how the universe was interconnected, almost everyone thought he was crazy (some still do). But a few people realized he was on to something—something beautiful—and so his teachings started to spread to neighboring countries (and continue to).
I think of Buddhism as a philosophy, or a school of thought. You can be Christian or Jewish, for example, and still find the Buddha’s teachings helpful and motivational.
In the smallest nutshell I could possibly find, the Buddha taught that we cause our own suffering when we get attached to impermanent things. We cling to people, health and youth, even though we intellectually know that nothing lasts forever. That’s why the concept of “letting go” is so fundamental to Buddhism. Acknowledge everything that passes by like a cloud in the sky: some are beautiful, fluffy, and make us smile, while some are dark and cold—but they’re all impermanent.
There is beauty to impermanence, but it can only be experienced without attachment, when we enjoy each moment knowing full well that it will pass and make way for a new one. Only then can we actually celebrate every breath instead of...
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You can choose to be happy, or you can choose to be afraid . . . but the choice is always yours.
Spiritual practice doesn’t make your life longer; it makes it deeper.
Humility doesn’t mean thinking less of yourself; it means thinking of yourself less. —C. S. Lewis
“Don’t believe everything you see, read, or hear from others, whether of authority, religious teachers or texts. . . . Find out for yourself what is truth, what is real, and you will discover that there are virtuous things and non-virtuous things. Once you discover that for yourself, give up the bad and embrace the good.
I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become. —Carl Jung
Oftentimes the lesson we are to learn is when to say “no,” the right time to walk away, and when to remove ourselves from the very cause of anguish. After all, we are the ones who create the environment we live in.
Many churches do amazing, incredible, and wonderful things to help people of all walks of life, but some churches still preach hatred and judgment, so it has naturally become easier to do away with the church altogether than to try and make sense of it. I truly feel bad for the churches that do good in the world. Because the other ones taint their validity.
You can safely assume that you’ve created God in your own image if it turns out that your God hates the same people you do. —Anne Lamott
If you do not openly repent your wrongdoings, you are more likely to repeat them. —Cheng Yen
A lesson will repeat itself until you learn it. —Anonymous
serenity isn’t found at either end of the spectrum, but actually somewhere in between.
When you’re not standing at either end, but hanging out in the middle instead, nothing can offend you.
we all create much of our own suffering.
Remember: your beliefs don’t make you a better person, your behavior does!
You’re not stuck in traffic; you ARE traffic. We blame society, but we ARE society. —Anonymous
You’re not stuck in traffic; you ARE traffic. We blame society, but we ARE society. Anonymous
Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future, that he does not enjoy the present moment. As a result, he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then he dies having never truly lived. —The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprises him the most
Buddhism teaches us to be tolerant and accepting, but tolerance does NOT mean accepting what is harmful. Even if you think there are benefits to staying in a situation that is harmful, I urge you to reconsider. Abuse is never justified, and it
is only when we don’t love ourselves enough that we allow others to treat us with disrespect. When you love yourself, you can do anything with dignity and be appreciated for it, or you can take your skills elsewhere. Success means being happy, and nobody deserves to hate what they do for a living. So love yourself enough to choose happiness every time, and you will be the most successful person in the world!
Nobody looks back on their life and says, “I should have spent more time at the office,” so why do we make work our priority? If it’s because we regard those who work really hard and earn a lot of money as successful, then let’s reevaluate! They tend to have a lot of stress in their lives, high blood pressure, heart problems, ulcers, headaches and insomnia . . . Does that sound like success to you?
The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do. —Anonymous
