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“Because there is suffering in your heart, it is possible for you to enter my heart.”
Suffering is the means the Buddha used to liberate himself, and it is also the means by which we can become free.
To suffer is not enough.
Without suffering, you cannot grow.
The Buddha called suffering a Holy Truth, because our suffering has the capacity of showing us the path to liberation.
Dharma, the Way of Understanding and Love.
realizing complete, perfect awakening (samyak sambodhi),
complete, perfect awakening (samyak sambodhi),
his Great Passing Away (mahaparinirvana).
Great Passing Away (mahaparinirvana).
Our suffering is holy if we embrace it and look deeply into it.
Our suffering is holy if we embrace it and look deeply into it.
For “truth,” the Chinese use the characters for “word” and “king.
The First Noble Truth is suffering (dukkha).
The First Noble Truth is suffering (dukkha).
The root meaning of the Chinese character for suffe...
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The Second Noble Truth is the origin, roots, nature, creation, or arising (samudaya) of suffering.
The Second Noble Truth is the origin, roots, nature, creation, or arising (samudaya) of suffering.
The Third Noble Truth is the cessation (nirodha) of creating suffering by refraining from doing the things that make us suffer.
The Third Noble Truth is the cessation (nirodha) of creating suffering by refraining from doing the things that make us suffer.
The Fourth Noble Truth is the path (marga) that leads to refraining from doing the things that cause us to suffer.
The Fourth Noble Truth is the path (marga) that leads to refraining from doing the things that cause us to suffer.
The Buddha called it the Noble Eightfold Path.
Right View, Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Diligence, Right Mindfuln...
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The transmission of the teachings of the Buddha can be divided into three streams: Source Buddhism, Many-Schools Buddhism, and Mahayana Buddhism.
two schools: Mahasanghika (literally “majority,” referring to those who wanted changes) and Sthaviravada (literally, “School of Elders,” referring to those who opposed the changes advocated by the Mahasanghikas).
the Sthaviravada divided into two branches — Sarvastivada (“the School that Proclaims Everything Is”) and Vibhajyavada (“the School that Discriminates”).
The Vibhajyavadins, supported by King Ashoka, flourished in the Ganges valley, while the Sarvasti...
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The Buddha said many times, “My teaching is like a finger pointing to the moon. Do not mistake the finger for the moon.”
shamatha and vipashyana. We tend to stress the importance of vipashyana (“looking deeply”) because it can bring us insight and liberate us from suffering and afflictions. But the practice of shamatha (“stopping”)
Mindfulness is the energy that allows us to recognize our habit energy and prevent it from dominating us.
techniques to help us calm our body and mind and look deeply at them.
(1) Recognition
(2) Acceptance
(3) Embracing
(4) Looking deeply
(5) Insight
Stopping, calming, and resting are preconditions for healing.
If we cannot stop, the course of our destruction will just continue. The world needs healing.
Discourse on Turning the Wheel of the Dharma,
To understand the Four Noble Truths,
the wheel. The first turning is called “Recognition.”
We mak...
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effort to escape, but ...
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to suffer and not know that we are suffering is more painful than the burden endured by a mule carryi...
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Our suffering is us, and we need to treat it with kindness and nonviolence. We need to embrace our fear, hatred, anguish, and anger. “My dear suffering, I know you are there. I am here for you, and I will take care of you.”
The second turning of the wheel is called “Encouragement.”
The third turning of the wheel is called “Realization” and can be expressed as, “This suffering has been understood.”
Right View when we shop, cook, and eat.
Much of our suffering comes from not eating mindfully. We have to learn ways to eat that preserve the health and well-being of our body and our spirit. When we smoke, drink, or consume toxins, we are eating our own lungs, liver, and heart.
