If you seek after truth...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	If you seek after truth, you should investigate things in such a way that your consciousness as you investigate is not distracted by what you find, or diffused and scattered; neither is it fixed and set. For the one who is not swayed, there will be a transcending of birth, death, and time. Whether you walk or stand or lie down, Stretch your limbs or draw them in again, Let you do all these things attentively, Above, across, and back again. Whatever your place in the world, Let you be the one who views the movement Of all compounded things with attention. - Itivuttaka Sutta

Tricycle Daily Dharma January 31, 2012 ~ Attaining Freedom

Tricycle Daily Dharma January 31, 2012

Attaining Freedom

"Sometimes people get very rigid and tense trying to be good, disciplined, and ethical. Tension can also arise when we become more aware of the immense amount of destruction—seen and unseen, intentional and unintentional—that our mere physical existence causes. From a Buddhist point of view, however, this is what it means to be born in samsara, and this is why we need to attain freedom from samsara."
 
~Khandro Rinpoche, "Complete Abandon"

Real peace...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Real peace [is] not just the absence of violence or of war... A mere absence of war is not genuine, lasting world peace. Peace must develop on mutual trust. - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Tricycle Daily Dharma January 30, 2012 ~ Winds of Emotion

Tricycle Daily Dharma January 30, 2012

Winds of Emotion

Awareness is the basis, or what you might call the “support,” of the mind. It is steady and unchanging, like the pole to which the flag of ordinary consciousness is attached. When we recognize and become grounded in awareness of awareness, the “wind” of emotion may still blow. But instead of being carried away by the wind, we turn our attention inward, watching the shifts and changes with the intention of becoming familiar with that aspect of consciousness that recognizes "Oh, this is what I’m feeling, this is what I’m thinking." As we do so, a bit of space opens up within us.
 
~Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, "The Aim of Attention"

Tricycle Daily Dharma January 29, 2012 ~ Skillful Attitudes

Tricycle Daily Dharma January 29, 2012

Skillful Attitudes

"Skillful attitudes of mind are the key to facing potentially explosive situations and the ongoing highs and lows of life and practice. In fact, recognizing these attitudes and cultivating their antidotes is the foundation for all spiritual growth. By cultivating skillful attitudes of mind, we will respond to more and more of life with awareness and wisdom. With steady awareness of the way things are, the perseverance to stay with that awareness, and the willingness to learn from it, we maximize our sense of well-being."
 
~Steve Armstrong, "Got Attitude?"

If the perfection of generosity...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	If the perfection of generosity Were the alleviation of the world's poverty, Then since beings are still starving now In what manner did the previous Buddhas perfect it? The perfection of generosity is said to be The thought to give all beings everything, Together with the fruit of such a thought. Hence it is simply a state of mind. - Santideva, "Bodhicaryavatara"

Tricycle Daily Dharma ~ January 28, 2012

Tricycle Daily Dharma ~ January 28, 2012

Money Mind

"By learning to let go of personal biases, we can understand and acknowledge that money is neither for us nor against us. Money can be seen more simply, as a form of energy that comes and goes. Our path then is to join our meditative practice and insight with our everyday situations, to learn to ride this powerful energy, instead of being ridden by it."
 
~Daniel Naistadt, "The Money Mind"

Brute force...

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Brute force, no matter how strongly applied, can never subdue the basic human desire for freedom and dignity. It is not enough, as communist systems have assumed, merely to provide people with food, shelter and clothing. Human nature needs to breathe the precious air of liberty. - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Tricycle Daily Dharma ~ Forgive and forget

Tricycle Daily Dharma ~ January 27, 2012

Forgive and Forget

"To forgive does not necessarily mean to forget. Sometimes to forget is not wise, but to forgive is wise. And it is at times not easy. It can, in fact, be quite challenging. It will come as no surprise that one of the most difficult people to forgive can be yourself. Yet with patience and gentle determination, it can be done."
 
~Allan Lokos, "Lighten Your Load"

May all be free...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	May all be free from sorrow, and the causes of sorrow, May all never be separated from the sacred happiness which is sorrowless. - Buddhist prayer

...made of dust...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Just as material things are made of dust, so too are our perceptions and thoughts mere dust. Just as it takes only a moment to wipe the dust from the surface of a mirror, so it takes only a moment to become enlightened, the moment all defiled intentions are cleared from our consciousness, we will see ourselves in the mirror of perfect truth. - Master Hsing Yun, "Describing the Indescribable"

Tricycle Daily Dharma January 26, 2012

Great Compassion The virtues of great compassion are infinite; they could be expounded upon forever without exhausting them, but it boils down to this: Whoever has great compassion can extinguish all obstructions caused by past actions and can fulfill all virtues; no principle cannot be understood, no path cannot be practiced, no knowledge not attained, no virtue not developed. Just as when you want to win people’s hearts you first love their children, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas consider all living beings their children, so if you love all living beings equally, all the Buddhas will be moved to respond. - Zen Master Torei, "Great Compassion"

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

The man of...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	The man of conviction endowed with virtue, glory, & wealth: wherever he goes he is honored. - Dhammapada 21, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

...do not compare your actions to your partner's...

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"

Don't ask about caste or riches...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Don't ask about caste or riches but instead ask about conduct. Look at the flames of a fire. Where do they come from? From a piece of woodand it doesn't matter what wood. In the same way, a wise person can come from wood of any sort. It is through firmness and restraint and a sense of truth that one becomes noble, not through caste. - Sutta Nipata

This mind and body...

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	This mind and body is our household. If this inner household is not in order, no outer household can be in order. - Ayya Khema, "Being Nobody, Going Nowhere"

Like a deep lake...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Like a deep lake, clear, unruffled, & calm: so the wise become clear, calm, On hearing words of the Dhamma. - Dhammapada, 6, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

The living eye...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	The living eye of Zen sees clearly through the heavens: the livelihood of the six senses takes place everywhere, without borrowing the form or appearance of another. - Tzu-te

If happiness...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	If happiness hasn't been recognized when alone, a group of people will be a cause of distraction. - Adept Godrakpa, "Hermit of Go Cliffs"

It is through not...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	It is through not understanding, not penetrating four things that we have run so erratically, wandered on so long in this round of existence, both you and I. What are the four? Goodness, concentration, wisdom, and liberation. When these four things are understood and penetrated, craving for superficial existence is rooted out and that which leads to continued return to the same conditions is ended. There is no more constant journeying. - Digha Nikaya

Not disparaging, not injuring...

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Not disparaging, not injuring, restraint in line with the Patimokkha, moderation in food, dwelling in seclusion, commitment to the heightened mind: this is the teaching of the awakened. - Dhammapada, 14, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Someone who is about to...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Someone who is about to admonish another must realize within himself five qualities before doing so [that he may be able to say], thus: "In due season will I speak, not out of season. In truth I will speak, not in falsehood. Gently will I speak, not harshly. To his profit will I speak, not to his loss. With kindly intent will I speak, not in anger." - "Vinaya Pitaka," translated by F.S. Woodward

There is no pleasure...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	There is no pleasure without some degree of pain. There is no pain without some amount of pleasure. - Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English"

This body...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	This body, bhikkhus, is perishable, consciousness is of a nature to dissolve, and all objects of clinging are impermanent, suffering and subject to change. - Itivuttaka

The purpose...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	The purpose of all the major religious traditions is not to construct big temples on the outside, but to create temples of goodness and compassion inside, in our hearts. - His Holiness the Dalai Lama, "The Good Heart"

The essential truth...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	The essential truth of suffering is that neither individual nor social problems are due chiefly to external conditions. - B. Alan Wallace, Tibetan Buddhism From the Ground Up

From passion...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	From passion arises sorrow and from passion arises fear. If a man is free from passion, he is free from fear and sorrow. - The Buddha

Do not just memorize...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Do not just memorize sayings, recite words, and discuss Zen and the way based on books. The Zen way is not in books. Even if you can recite the teachings of the whole canon and all the masters and philosophers, they are just useless words of no avail when you are facing death. - Chien-ju

Delightful wilds...

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Delightful wilds where the crowds don't delight, those free from passion delight, for they're not searching for sensual pleasures. - Dhammapada 7, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Conquer your foe...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Conquer your foe by force, you increase his enmity; conquer by love, and you will reap no after-sorrow. - Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King

Don't be discriminatory...

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Dont be discriminatory, dont keep a grasping and rejecting attitude. For this reason it is said, Truth has no comparison, because it is not relative to anything. - Hui-chung

You tell me to stand still...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	"You tell me to stand still, but I am not walking," he shouted, "whereas you who are walking say you are still. How is it that you are standing still but I am not?" The Buddha turned round. "My legs move but my mind is still," he said. "Your legs are still but your mind moves all the time in a fire of anger, hatred, and feverish desire. Therefore, I am still but you are not." - Majjhima Nikaya

The tangle's inside you....

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Not by matted hair, by clan, or by birth, is one a brahmin. Whoever has truth & rectitude: he is a pure one, he, a brahmin. What's the use of your matted hair, you dullard? What's the use of your deerskin cloak? The tangle's inside you. You comb the outside. - Dhammapada, 26, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

When you see a truck bearing down on you...

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	When you see a truck bearing down on you, by all means jump out of the way. But spend some time in meditation, too. Learning to deal with discomfort is the only way you'll be ready to handle the truck you didn't see. - Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English"