DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ 8/31/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	This robe of freedom from cold isn't matched by ordinary clothes. This concentration free of hunger is unequaled by ordinary meat and beer. This draught at the stream of enlightenment isn't matched by ordinary drink. This satisfaction born within isn't equaled by ordinary treasure. - Milarepa, "Drinking the Mountain Stream"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 31, 2012 ~ Cultivating Equanimity

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 31, 2012

Cultivating Equanimity

If you work hard at something but find that too many obstacles prevent you from accomplishing it, you may have to give up. In that case, you shouldn’t get depressed. Conditions aren’t right. Perhaps this will change, perhaps it won’t. You are not a failure. Becoming upset only causes suffering.
 

- Master Sheng Yen, "The Wanderer"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 30, 2012 ~ Nothing Lacking

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 30, 2012

Nothing Lacking

What is this? This is just your life. So you do your part, and the rest is clear. It is clear because there has never been anything lacking, despite any beliefs you might have, despite any ideas you might have. There has never been anything lacking.
 
- Elihu Genmyo Smith, "Do Your Best"

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 8/29/2012

	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 August 29, 2012 ~ Buddhism is Having Fun

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 29, 2012

Buddhism is Having Fun

The frustrating thing about our life is that there is no control over our emotions. That’s why there’s no fun. The whole purpose of Buddhism is to have fun, isn’t it? And in order to have fun you have to have control. If someone else has control over you, that’s it: there’s no fun.
 
- Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, "Do Nothing"

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 8/28/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	If we unbalance Nature, human kind will suffer. Furthermore, we must consider future generations: a clean environment is a human right like any other. It is therefore part of our responsibility towards others to ensure that the world we pass on is as healthy as, if not healthier than we found it. - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 28, 2012 ~ Transforming Obstacles

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 28, 2012

Transforming Obstacles

Every meditator has challenges. Rather then taking the obstacles as problems or as unfortunate distractions, a more useful attitude is to patiently and contentedly learn the skills and insights that can transform them into stepping stones along the path of practice.
 
- Gil Fronsdal, "Evaluate Your Meditation"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 27, 2012 ~ Getting a Sense of Humor

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 27, 2012

Getting a Sense of Humor

Fortunately, getting a sense of humor doesn’t come with a price tag. It simply requires understanding that everything we experience is universal; all the humiliations and hijinks are a part of life; each and every one of us gets to slip on the banana peel. So pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and laugh about it, for crying out loud.
 
- Josh Korda, "Now What?"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 26, 2012 ~ Nothing Born, Nothing Dying

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 26, 2012

Nothing Born, Nothing Dying

From the intrinsic standpoint—one of body, of Buddha-nature—non-killing means that there is nothing being born and nothing dying. The very notions of 'birth' and 'death' are extra. Life does not divide up into things to be killed or not killed; it is just this one body, constantly changing.
 
- Bernard Glassman, "Precept Study: Ethics in Action"

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 8/25/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Those who attain perfect wisdom are forever inspired by the conviction that the infinitely varied forms of this world, in all their relativity, far from being a hindrance and a dangerous distraction to the spiritual path, are really a healing medicine. Why? Because by the very fact that they are interdependent on each other and therefore have no separate self, they express the mystery and the energy of all-embracing love. Not just the illumined wise ones but every single being in the interconnected world is a dweller in the boundless infinity of love. - Prajnaparmita

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 25, 2012 ~ Being Careful with Thoughts

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 25, 2012

Being Careful with Thoughts

People are often careless about the thoughts they give rise to, assuming that once they forget about a thought, that thought is finished. This is not true. Once you give rise to a thought, it keeps functioning, and eventually its consequences return to you.
 
- Daehaeng Kun Sunim, "Thinking Big"

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 8/24/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	The one who thinks himself equal or inferior or superior to others is, by that very reason, involved in argument. But such thoughts as equal, inferior, and superior are not there in the one who is not moved by such measurements. Why should a wise person argue with another, saying: "This is a truth" and "This is a lie"? If such a one never entertains a thought about equal, inferior, or superior, with whom is he going to argue? The sage who has freed himself from dependence on others and from dependence on words and is no longer attached to knowledge does not risk the smothering of truth by engaging in disputes with people. - Sutta Nipata

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 24, 2012 ~ Stay with Your Broken Heart

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 24, 2012

Stay with Your Broken Heart

To stay with that shakiness—to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness and wanting to get revenge—that is the path of true awakening. Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.
 
- Pema Chödrön, "Stay with Your Broken Heart"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 23, 2012 ~ The Greater Joy

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 23, 2012

The Greater Joy

The scriptures say that when the mind indulges in sensual objects, it becomes agitated. This is the usual state of affairs in the world, as we can observe. In their quest for happiness, people mistake excitement of the mind for real happiness. They never have the chance to experience greater joy that comes with peace and tranquility.
 
- Sayadaw U Pandita, "A Perfect Balance"

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ Extra _/|\_

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	This is the work of those who are skilled and peaceful, who seek the good: May they be able and upright, straightforward, of gentle speech and not proud. May they be content and easily supported, unburdened, with their senses calmed. May they be wise, not arrogant and without desire for the possessions of others. May they do nothing mean or that the wise would reprove. May all things be happy. May they live in safety and joy. - Metta Suta

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 8/22/2012

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Suffering chastens us and makes us remember. We are like the child who tries to pick up fire and is unlikely to do it again, once she has seen the consequences. With material things, seeing is easy; but when it comes to picking up the fires of greed, aversion, and delusion, most of us arent even aware were holding fires at all. On the contrary, we misguidedly believe them to be lovable and desirable, and so we are never chastened. We never learn our lesson. - Buddhadhasa Bhikku, "Heartwood of the Bodhi Tree"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 22, 2012 ~ Compassion Despite Dislike

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 22, 2012

Compassion Despite Dislike

Remember that you don’t have to like or admire someone to feel compassion for that person. All you have to do is wish for that person to be happy.
 
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu, "Head & Heart Together"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 21, 2012 ~ Refraining from Harm

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 21, 2012

Refraining from Harm

To realize truly that there is only this nature, with no 'other' outside us, is to naturally want to refrain from causing harm, just as we refrain from doing harm to one of our own limbs or eyes.
 
- Bodhin Kjolhede, "Pain, Passion, and the Precepts"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 20, 2012 ~ Aligning with the Cosmic Order

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 20, 2012

Aligning with the Cosmic Order

Buddhist practice, in its traditional context, is to align oneself more and more deeply with the cosmic order. Transcendence occurs when that coming into alignment is complete.
 
- Linda Heuman, "What's at Stake as the Dharma Goes Modern?"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 19, 2012 ~ Skillful Speech

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 19, 2012

Skillful Speech

Silence offers us, and those around us, the spaciousness we need to speak more skillfully. When we speak with greater skill, our true self—our compassionate, loving self—emerges with gentle ease. So before you speak, stop, breathe, and consider if what you are about to say will improve upon the silence.
 
- Allan Lokos, "Skillful Speech"

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 8/18/2012

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Gone to the beyond of becoming, you let go of in front, let go of behind, let go of between. With a heart everywhere let go, you don't come again to birth & aging. - Dhammapada, 24, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 18, 2012 ~ Vision and Routine

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 18, 2012

Vision and Routine

The key to development along the Buddhist path is repetitive routine guided by inspirational vision. It is the insight into final freedom—the peace and purity of a liberated mind—that uplifts us and impels us to overcome our limits. But it is by repetition—the methodical cultivation of wholesome practices—that we cover the distance separating us from the goal and draw ever closer to awakening.
 
- Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, "Vision and Routine"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 17, 2012 ~ Inhabiting Our Body

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 17, 2012

Inhabiting Our Body

As we inhabit our body with increasing sensitivity, we learn its unspoken language and patterns, which gives us tremendous freedom to make choices. The practice of cutting thoughts and dispersing negative repetitive patterns can be simplified by attending to the patterns in the body first, before they begin to be spun around in the mind.
 
- Jill Satterfield, "Meditation in Motion"

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 8/16/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Here he's tormented he's tormented hereafter. In both worlds the wrong-doer's tormented. He's tormented at the thought, 'I've done wrong.' Having gone to a bad destination, he's tormented all the more. Here he delights he delights hereafter. In both worlds the merit-maker delights. He delights at the thought, 'I've made merit.' Having gone to a good destination, he delights all the more. - Dhammapada, 17-18, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 16, 2012 ~ At Home with Ourselves

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 16, 2012

At Home with Ourselves

Simply watching also allows us to stop struggling: to stop trying so hard to accomplish, to prove ourselves, to measure up—to cover over whatever sense of lack we might have. It may be frightening when we first stop struggling; we’ve become accustomed to this way of being, and feel anxious about leaving the comfort of the familiar. But when we stop the struggle, we then have the space to be at home with ourselves.
 
- Ezra Bayda, "Reflect, Without Thinking"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 15, 2012 ~ Three Helpful Phrases

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 15, 2012

Three Helpful Phrases

'No matter what comes up, we can learn new ways of being with it.' 'We have a capacity to meet any thought or emotion with mindfulness and balance.' 'Whatever disagreeable emotion is coursing through us, we can let it go.' Rereading those words may keep you going when sitting down to practice is the last thing you want to do.
 
- Sharon Salzberg, "Sticking with It"

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 8/14/2012

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	When you ride in a boat and watch the shore, you might assume that the shore is moving. But when you keep your eyes closely on the boat, you can see that the boat moves. Similarly, if you examine myriad things with a confused body and mind you might suppose that your mind and nature are permanent. When you practice intimately and return to where you are, it will be clear that nothing at all has unchanging self. - "Actualizing the Fundamental Point" by Zen Master Dogen

ricycle Daily Dharma August 14, 2012 ~ Choosing Inner Peace

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 14, 2012


Choosing Inner Peace

If we had to make a choice between outer pleasure, comfort and peace, and inner freedom and ultimate happiness, we should choose inner peace. If we could find that within, then the outer would take care of itself.
 
- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, "Invisible Realities"

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 8/13/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	When we say, "I take refuge in the Buddha," we should also understand that "The Buddha takes refuge in me," because without the second part the first part is not complete. The Buddha needs us for awakening, understanding, and love to be real things and not just concepts. They must be real things that have real effects on life. Whenever I say, "I take refuge in the Buddha," I hear "the Buddha takes refuge in me." - Thich Nhat Hanh, "Being Peace"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 13, 2012 ~ Taking a Look at Pleasure

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 13, 2012

Taking a Look at Pleasure

We don’t have to deny that pleasant feelings are pleasurable. But we must remember that like every other feeling, pleasure is impermanent. Wishing to keep any person, place, possession, or experience with us forever is hopeless!
 
- Bhante Gunaratana, “Desire and Craving”

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 12, 2012 ~ What You're Made Of

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 12, 2012

What You're Made Of

So we may well ask, what exactly are we? This is a question that, in this meditation, we can consider experientially rather than through discursive thought. Rather than try to work out an answer in logical terms, we simply ask the question, and sit, and listen patiently for the heart’s intuitive response.
 
- Bodhipaksa, "What You're Made Of"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 11, 2012 ~ The Undoing of Desire

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 11, 2012

The Undoing of Desire

Buddhism teaches us that desire, for all the agony and ecstasy, is no match for the truth.
 
- Joan Duncan Oliver, "Drink And A Man"

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 8/10/2012

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	To my mind, democracy is more compassionate, more harmonious, more friendly than any other system. It respects others' rights and considers others equally as human brothers and sisters. Although you might disagree with them, you have to respect their wishes. - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 10, 2012 ~ In Dialogue with Our Desires

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 10, 2012

In Dialogue with Our Desires

Although desires can be remarkably stubborn, they share a goal—happiness—and this can form the common ground for an effective dialogue: If a desire doesn’t really produce happiness, it contradicts its reason for being.
 
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu, "Pushing the Limits"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 9, 2012 ~ Meditation Needs Morality

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 9, 2012

Meditation Needs Morality

If you are not leading a morally upright life, you cannot expect to sit down on a little pillow and find yourself secluded from sense desires, secluded from unwholesome states of mind. If there is not sufficient morality, there is too much to desire, too much hate or fear, too much to worry about.
 
- Leigh Brasington, "A Mind Pure, Concentrated, and Bright"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 8, 2012 ~ Welcoming Everything that Arises

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 8, 2012

Welcoming Everything that Arises

Thoughts come and go. Feelings come and go. Allow yourself to experience the transient nature of thoughts and feelings, welcoming everything that arises as Just this, not me, not mine.
 
- Sandra Weinberg, "Eating and the Wheel of Life"

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 8/8/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	At the time for initiative he takes no initiative. Young, strong, but lethargic, the resolves of his heart exhausted, the lazy, lethargic one loses the path to discernment. - Dhammapada 280, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 8/3/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	If you really want freedom, happiness will arise From happiness will come rapture When your mind is enraptured, your body is tranquil When your body is tranquil, you will know bliss Because you are blissful, your mind will concentrate easily Being concentrated, you will see things as they really are In so seeing, you will become aware that life is a miracle Being so aware, you will lose all your attachments As you cease grasping, so you will be freed. - Digha Nikaya

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 3, 2012 ~ Everyday Bodhisattva

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 3, 2012

Everyday Bodhisattva

The bodhisattva aspiration is an everyday matter—everyday both in the sense of needing to be renewed as each day passes, and in the sense of applying to simple tasks, to ordinary actions motivated by a longing to reduce the difficulty and increase the happiness of those with whom we share our lives.
 
- Manjusura, "An Everyday Aspiration"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 2, 2012 ~ Deep Listening, Deep Loving

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 2, 2012

Deep Listening, Deep Loving

Our training begins with learning first to listen to ourselves until we know our deepest aspirations, shortcomings, sufferings, and joys. Next, we must learn to listen deeply to our partner and family. Right speech prompts us to ask our loved ones: 'What could I do to make you happier?' and then to listen to the reply without judging or reacting. Right speech prompts us to say, 'Thank you for being here for me. Your presence enriches my life. Please tell me how I can love you better.'
 
- Sister True Virtue, "The Fourth Precept: Right Speech"

Daily Buddhist Wisdom ~ 8/1/2012

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Take no pleasure in worldly talk; Take delight in what passes beyond the world. Cause good qualities to grow in others In the same way (you wish them) for yourself. - Nagarjuna, "Precious Garland"

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 1, 2012 ~ Letting Go

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 1, 2012

Letting Go

It is hard to let go of things, harder to let go of ideas, and even harder to let go of spiritual pretensions. Over time, as we familiarize ourselves with the many subtle twists and turns of letting go, we begin to be more savvy about how ego steps in to appropriate the entire process. In the millions of mini-decisions we make day by day and moment by moment, we are challenged each time either to let go or to re-solidify.
 
- Judy Lief, "Letting Go"