Tricycle Daily Dharma March 31, 2012 ~ The Sacredness of Life

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 31, 2012

The Sacredness of Life

Life is possible. Situations are possible. And anybody can start to gain some kind of insight and appreciation of their lives. That’s what we call 'sacred.' It doesn’t mean something dramatic, but something very simple. There’s a sacredness to everyone’s life.
 
- Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, "A New Place, A New Time"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/interview/new-place-new-time

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 3/31/12

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Compassion is the best healer. - Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Ultimate Healing

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 30, 2012 ~ The Perfect Zen Student

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 30, 2012

The Perfect Zen Student

When things are running smoothly, the refrigerator is very much like some people's idea of the perfect Zen student. It is calm, cool, and quiet, and it possesses its own inner light.
 
- Gary Thorp, "Infinite Winter"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/afterword/infinite-winter

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 29, 2012 ~ Straight Ahead

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 29, 2012

Straight Ahead

Go very deep into yourself. Let body and mind fall away. Experience the absolute basis of reality. But the path doesn't end there. This is just the peak of the mountain. You need to continue the journey. Where do you go when you’re at the peak? Straight ahead. It’s always straight ahead. Straight ahead when you’re on the peak means down the other side of the mountain back into the marketplace. That’s where your realization needs to manifest. Otherwise, what’s the point?
 
- John Daido Loori, "Straight Ahead"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/special-section/straight-ahead-an-interview-with-john-daido-loori

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 28, 2012 ~ The Perfection of Purity

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 28, 2012

The Perfection of Purity

Sustaining and furthering insight into selflessness is the act of purification, and yet the purpose of it all is not the process of purification but the nature of life when the goal has been reached. When the realization of this nature is complete, the heart has arrived at perfect nirvana, free from any clinging whatsoever. It is the realization that there is no one here to be pure or impure—only a quality of brightness and ease, a rich and fearless peace. This is the perfection of purity.
 
- Amaro Bhikkhu, “The Perfection of Purity”

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/-practice/practices-purification?page=0,2

Daily Buddhist Wisdom 3/27/2012 (One of the major aims...)

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	One of the major aims and purposes of religious practice for the individual is an inner transformation from an undisciplined, untamed, and unfocused state of mind towards one that is disciplined, tamed and balanced. - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 27, 2012 ~ Having Good Purpose

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 27, 2012

Having Good Purpose

In America and Europe, everyone is very active. But if you become too active, you lose the essence of Buddhism. You only have the Buddhist labels. One must cultivate peace to be compassionate. Without this, what you do, even as an 'engaged Buddhist' is just a lot of activity with no good purpose.
 
- Sulak Sivaraksa, “In Exile from Siam”

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/in-exile-siam-an-interview-with-sulak-sivaraksa

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 26, 2012 ~ Facing Challenges and Obstacles

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 26, 2012

Facing Challenges and Obstacles

When challenges or obstacles arise for us, we don’t have to get so intimidated; we can say, 'Yes, it’s an obstacle, but it is not intrinsically bad; it’s not going to destroy me.' To create a relationship with the obstacle, learn about it, and finally overcome it is going to be a helpful thing to do. It gives us a chance to cultivate wisdom and skillful means. It gives us confidence. We cannot eliminate all of the challenges or obstacles in life—our own or anyone else’s. We can only learn to rise to the occasion and face them.
 
- Dzigar Kongtrul, “Old Relationships, New Possibilities”

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http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/old-relationships-new-possibilities?page=0,0

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 3/26/12 (It is not proper...)

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	It is not proper to watch other people. This will not help your practice. If you are annoyed, watch the annoyance in your own mind. If others' discipline is bad or they are not good monks, this is not for you to judge. You will not discover widsom watching others. Monks' discipline is a tool to use for your own meditation. It is not a weapon to use to criticize or find fault. No one can do your practice for you, nor can you do practice for anyone else. Just be mindful of your own doings. This is the way to practice. - Ajahn Chah, "Bodhinyana"

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 3/25/2012

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Here, from within my heart, I make the vow to shun all evil to achieve the good. From deep within my heart I seek my refuge. - Buddha

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 25, 2012 ~ An Innocent Mind

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 25, 2012

An Innocent Mind

What can be described is the known, and the freedom from the known can come into being only when there is a dying every day to the known, to the hurts, the flatteries, to all the images you have made, to all your experiences— dying every day so that the brain cells themselves become fresh, young, innocent.
 
- Jiddu Krishnamurti, “A Still Mind”

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http://www.tricycle.com/brief-teachings/still-mind

Daily Buddhist Wisdom 3/23/12

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Life responds when we risk. - Rodney Smith, "Lessons From the Dying"

Just as sharp-bladed grass...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Just as sharp-bladed grass, if wrongly held, wounds the very hand that holds it-- the contemplative life, if wrongly grasped, drags you down to hell. - Dhammapada, 22, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 23, 2012 ~ Constant Vigilance

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 23, 2012

Constant Vigilance

The crucial point is to maintain constant vigilance over and awareness of our mental state so that, at the moment that afflictive emotions rise up, they will not trigger a chain of deluded thoughts. Thus, we neither let desire overwhelm our mind, nor do we repress it while leaving it intact in a hidden corner of the mind. We simply become free from its alienating power.
 
- Matthieu Ricard, “Working with Desire”

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/special-section/working-desire

What is totality?...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	What, monks, is totality? It is just the eye with the objects of sight, the ear with the objects of hearing, the nose with the objects of smell, the body with the objects of touch and the mind with the objects of cognition. This, monks, is called totality. - Samyutta Nikaya

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 22, 2012 ~ Understanding Boundaries

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 22, 2012

Understanding Boundaries

Boundaries play an interesting and sometimes complicated role in developing compassion. They are like the stake and wires that are used to help keep young trees rooted and growing straight. Early on in our practice or when we’re faced with difficult, new challenges, a lack of healthy boundaries can lead to our compassion being blown away before it’s had a chance to take root. As we develop, though, boundaries held too tightly can stifle our compassion and keep it from reaching maturity. In the process of developing compassion, we need to become skillful at knowing when to apply boundaries and when to relax or release them.
 
- Lorne Ladner, "Taking a Stand"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/insights/taking-a-stand

When other beings...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	When other beings, especially those who hold a grudge against you, abuse and harm you out of envy, you should not abandon them, but hold them as objects of your greatest compassion and take care of them. - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 21, 2012 ~ Touching Enlightenment

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 21, 2012

Touching Enlightenment

Unwilling to fully live the life that is arriving in our bodies moment by moment, we find ourselves left with no real life at all. In our state of disembodied dissatisfaction we may think, 'I feel like I’m disconnected. Maybe I need to change my job, or change my relationship, maybe, maybe, maybe.' But the fact is that the fullness of our human existence is already happening all the time.
 
- Reggie Ray, "Touching Enlightenment"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/-practice/touching-enlightenment?page=0,0

It is very important...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	It is very important that you do not compare your actions to your partner's or judge your partner's behavior as unskillful. Rather, focus on your own actions and take responsibility for them. Recall those times when you looked into your partner's eyes and saw the pain you caused this person you love to suffer. If you can admit your own faults, if you can see how hurtful your actions were and tap into a sense of concern for your partner's well-being, then compassion and loving-friendliness will flow. - Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 20, 2012 ~ Practicing With Loss

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 20, 2012

Practicing With Loss

Loss is a fact of life. Impermanence is everywhere we look. We are all going to suffer our losses. How we deal with these losses is what makes all the difference. For it is not what happens to us that determines our character, our experience, our karma, and our destiny, but how we relate to what happens.
 
- Lama Surya Das, "Practicing With Loss"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/special-section/practicing-loss

You follow desire...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	You follow desire, and you are not satisfied. Again you follow desire, and again you are not satisfied. Again you try, and again you are not satisfied. - Lama Zopa Rinpoche, "Transforming Problems Into Happiness"

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 19, 2012 ~ One Hundred Percent One

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 19, 2012

One Hundred Percent One

Human beings understand too much. But what they understand is just somebody’s opinion. Like a dog barking. American dog say, 'Woof, woof.' Korean dog say, 'Mung, mung.' Polish dog say, 'How, how.' So which dog barking is correct? That is human beings’ barking, not 'dog' barking. If dog and you become one hundred percent one, then you know sound of barking. This is Zen teaching. Boom! Become one.
 
- Seung Sahn, "BOOM!"

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http://www.tricycle.com/interview/boom

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 18, 2012

The Essence of Mind in a Single Moment

Instead of thinking of this and that, one thing after the other, let your mind recognize itself in a single moment. When the mind recognizes itself, there is no thing to see there. It’s just wide open. That’s because the essence of mind is empty. It’s wide open and free.
 
- Tsoknyi Rinpoche, "Dissolving the Confusion"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/dissolving-confusion

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 17, 2012 ~ Dualism and Swinging Doors

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 17, 2012

Dualism and Swinging Doors

Our usual understanding of life is dualistic: you and I, this and that, good and bad. But actually these discriminations are themselves the awareness of the universal existence. 'You' means to be aware of the universe in the form of you, and 'I' means to be aware of it in the form of I. You and I are just swinging doors.
 
- Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, "Breathing"

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 16, 2012

Putting the Body to Good Use

What should you do to put your body to good use? Most people have no idea. A craftsman who borrows some tools will try to make the best possible use of them while they are available. Your body, too, is actually on loan to you for the time being, for the brief period left before it is taken back from you by death. Had you better not use it to practice the dharma while you can?
 
- Dilgo Khyentse, “The Day After You Die”

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/insights/day-after-you-die

The Buddha said:...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	The Buddha said: "When a person has thoroughly understood the world, from top to bottom, when there is nothing in the world that agitates him anymore, then he has become somebody who is free from confusion and fears and tremblings and the longings of desire. He has gone beyond getting old and beyond birth and death." - Sutta Nipata

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 15, 2012 ~ Where the Mischief Comes From

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 15, 2012

Where the Mischief Comes From

When attention to the present moment falters and we drift into some version of 'I have to have it my way,' a gap is created in our awareness of reality as it is, right now. Into that gap pours all the mischief of our life. We create gap after gap after gap, all day long. The point of practice is to close those gaps, to reduce the amount of time that we spend being absent, caught in our self-centered dream.
 
- Charlotte Joko Beck, "Attention Means Attention"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/onpractice/on-practice

The more compassionate you are...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	The more compassionate you are, the more generous you can be. The more generous you are, the more loving-friendliness you cultivate to help the world. - Thich Nhat Hanh, "Buddhist Peacework"

This fundamental consciousness...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	This fundamental consciousness in itself is nothing at all. In the voidness of reality lack of realizer and realized is realized, lack of seer and seen is seen, lack of knower and known is known, lack of perceiver and perceived is perceived. - Milarepa, "Drinking the Mountain Stream"

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 14, 2012 ~ Heartfelt Advice

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 14, 2012

Heartfelt Advice

When we are deeply involved in the practice of the Buddha dharma, the sages advise that we practice a common sense of balance by learning to structure our mundane activities and dharma practice in ways that allow us success in both areas of our life. We should not fall into extremes, either of procrastinating in our dharma practice with the excuse of mundane distractions, or of allowing our mundane world to fall apart around us due to an overemphasis on dharma practice which ignores our mundane responsibilities.
 
- Lama Dudjom Dorjee, "Heartfelt Advice"

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http://www.tricycle.com/brief-teachings/heartfelt-advice

Your own self...

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Your own self is your own mainstay, for who else could your mainstay be? With you yourself well-trained you obtain the mainstay hard to obtain. - Dhammapada, 12, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 13, 2012 ~ Don't Go to War

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 13, 2012

Don't Go to War

We come upon our greediness, jealousy, or impatience, and the next impulse is to go to war with it. We don’t realize that all the while we’re strengthening the thing we’re fighting against. It’s like trying to push a beach ball into the water. Holding it down requires a huge amount of energy, and inevitably it pops back up with equal force, taking an unpredictable direction. But if you give the beach ball space and let it be, it will float effortlessly along the surface.
 
- Aura Glaser, "Into the Demon's Mouth"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/demons-mouth?page=0,0

There is no other task...

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	There is no other task but to know your own original face. This is called independence; the spirit is clear and free. If you say there is some particular doctrine or patriarchy, youll be totally cheated. Just look into your heart; there is a transcendental clarity. Just have no greed and no dependency and you will immediately attain certainty. - Yen-tou

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 12, 2012 ~ Where Will You Find Buddha?

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 12, 2012

Where Will You Find Buddha?

Trying to find a Buddha or enlightenment is like trying to grab space. Space has a name but no form. It's not something you can pick up or put down. And you certainly can't grab it. Beyond this mind you'll never see a Buddha. The Buddha is a product of your mind. Why look for a Buddha beyond this mind?
 
- Bodhidharma, "The Snaggletoothed Barbarian"

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http://www.tricycle.com/onpractice/snaggletoothed-barbarian

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 11, 2012 ~ Continuous Mind, Continuous Love

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 11, 2012

Continuous Mind, Continuous Love

If we believe that mind is continuous, our love for others becomes continuous. If we recognize this continuity, we do not trust temporary, tangible circumstances or take them too seriously.
 
- Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, "Continuous Mind"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/continuous-mind

For those who are ready...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	For those who are ready, the door To the deathless state is open. You that have ears, give up The conditions that bind you, and enter in. - Majjhima Nikaya

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 10, 2012 ~ There's No Going Back

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 10, 2012

There's No Going Back

One of the main things that happens when you meditate is that regret starts to surface and you start to think about your life. Meditation neutralizes denial after a while and opens up the circuits and things start to flow in, and then you begin to realize that regret is a distortion of what’s real. What’s real is that this is your life, and it happened, and there’s no going back. There’s only altering your attitude and perception about it so that you can go forward.
 
- Lewis Richmond, "Aging as a Spiritual Practice"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/practice/aging-spiritual-practice?page=0,0

Try to be reasonable...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Try to be reasonable in the way you grow, and don't ever think it is too late. It is never too late. Even if you are going to die tomorrow, keep yourself straight and clear and be a happy human being today. If you keep your situation happy day by day, you will eventually reach the greatest happiness of enlightenment. - Lama Thubten Yeshe, "The Bliss of Inner Fire"

The worthies of the past ages...

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	The worthies of past ages all sought the truth and did not deceive themselves. They were not like moths throwing themselves into flames, destroying themselves in the process. - Ta-sui

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 9, 2012 ~ Setting a Steady Course

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 9, 2012

Setting a Steady Course

To question is unbelievably powerful. But if you question all the time and you remain in doubt, going first this way and then that, conviction is absent. If you develop a line of inquiry and learn from your experience, conviction grows. Then you put that conviction into practice but remain open to new information and experience. You set a steady course and remain willing to grow and learn. That is powerful.
 
- Segyu Rinpoche, "Buddhist Training for Modern Life"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/interview/buddhist-training-modern-life?page=0,0

As free human beings....

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	As free human beings we can use our unique intelligence to try to understand ourselves and our world. But if we are prevented from using our creative potential, we are deprived of one of the basic characteristics of a human being. - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 8, 2012 ~ Being the Question

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 8, 2012

Being the Question

If we attempt to explain the experience of 'being the question,' we can only talk around it. Because 'being' is an experience, and the moment we try to describe it we shut down around an idea. But perhaps we could attempt to describe it by saying that being the question has something to do with our ability to tolerate or bear witness to the full expressions of experience, rather than closing down around them and then reacting to them through our preferences.
 
- Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyal, "The Power of an Open Question"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/practice/power-open-question

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 7, 2012 ~ The World as a Pure Land

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 7, 2012

The World as a Pure Land

The Pure Land is never apart from this world, and we have the ability to work to alleviate more of the world’s suffering. Thankful for the blessings we receive, we can try to be kinder, more open-minded, and more accepting of one another. And we can work to eliminate barriers between people, so that our togetherness is brought to light and honored.
 
- Jeff Wilson, "Come Together"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/insights/come-together

When mind and Buddha...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	When mind and Buddha are both observed, that is seeing; when mind and Buddha are both forgotten, that is stopping. Once concentration and insight are balanced, what mind is not Buddha, what Buddha not mind? Mind and Buddha being thus, then myriad situations, myriad conditions, are all meditation. - Tsao-tang

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 6, 2012 ~ We Are Not Alone

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 6, 2012

We Are Not Alone

Sometimes when I’m asked to describe the Buddhist teachings, I say this: Everything is connected; nothing lasts; you are not alone. This is really just a restatement of the traditional Three Marks of Existence: non-self, impermanence, and suffering. The fact that we all suffer means we are all in the same boat, and that’s what allows us to feel compassion.
 
- Lewis Richmond, "The Authentic Life"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/interview/authentic-life?page=0,0

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 5, 2012 ~ Everyday Practice

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 5, 2012

Everyday Practice

If we are intelligent enough to understand the instructions and if we have the perseverance, then we can remind ourselves about how to really practice at any given moment during the day. The skilled practitioner is someone who goes to work and then while working also develops spiritual qualities.
 
- Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche, "Keeping a Good Heart"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/feature/keeping-good-heart?page=0,0

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 4, 2012 ~ Letting Go of Fixation

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 4, 2012

Letting Go of Fixation

Letting go of fixation is effectively a process of learning to be free, because every time we let go of something, we become free of it. Whatever we fixate upon limits us because fixation makes us dependent upon something other than ourselves. Each time we let go of something, we experience another level of freedom.
 
- Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, "Letting Go of Spiritual Experience"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/letting-go-spiritual-experience

This mind is...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	This mind is an uncertain thing. This body is uncertain. Together they are impermanent. Together they are a source of suffering. Together they are devoid of self. These, the Buddha pointed out, are neither being, nor a person, nor a self, nor a soul, nor us, nor they. They are merely elements: earth, water, fire and wind. Elements only! - Ajahn Chah, "Bodhinyana"

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 3, 2012

A Magician's Illusion

When people praise us and we glow with delight, it is because we think that being praised is beneficial. But that is like thinking that there is some substance to a rainbow or a dream. However much benefit appears to accrue from praise and acclaim, actually there's none at all. However convincing it seems, it is as unreal as a magician's illusion.
 
- H.H. the Dalai Lama, "Bad Reputation"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

http://www.tricycle.com/insights/bad-reputation

If your respectful...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	If you're respectful by habit, constantly honoring the worthy, four things increase: long life, beauty, happiness, strength. - Dhammapada, 8, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

He who...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	He who, depraved, devoid of truthfulness & self-control, puts on the ochre robe, doesn't deserve the ochre robe. But he who is free of depravity endowed with truthfulness & self-control, well-established in the precepts, truly deserves the ochre robe. - Dhammapada, 1, translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 2, 2012 ~ Growing Through

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 2, 2012

Growing Through

Even on a small scale in daily life situations, such as when we feel bored or ill at ease, instead of trying to avoid these feelings by staying busy or buying another fancy gadget, we learn to look more clearly at our impulses, attitudes, and defenses. In this way dukkha guides and deepens our motivation to the point where we’ll say, 'Enough running, enough walls, I’ll grow through handling my blocks and lost places.'
 
- Ajahn Sucitto, "From Turning the Wheel of Truth: Commentary on the Buddha's First Teaching"

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 1, 2012 ~ Trusting in Yourself

Tricycle Daily Dharma March 1, 2012

Trusting in Yourself

The Buddha is saying, 'You are this.' He doesn’t say, 'I have something extra that I am going to give you.' Trust in yourself, trust in who you are. Sit down, breathe, be listening right now, hearing right now. Be intimate. But you have to do it for yourself.
 
- Elihu Genmyo Smith, "No Need to Do Zazen, Therefore Must Do Zazen"

From what's loved is...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	From what's loved is born grief, from what's loved is born fear. For one freed from whats loved there's no grief —so how fear? - Dhammapada, 213, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu