Tricycle Daily Dharma September 30, 2012

The Fabric of the Self When we turn our attention to our bodies, feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness, we find that we are woven of the quixotic threads of ongoing stories. For only such a self can create and be created. A fixed, intractable one is as good as dead. - Stephen Batchelor, "A Democracy of the Imagination"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 29, 2012

The Source Within Us When we use our attention to touch and open the deeper truth in a person, we not only catalyze the experience of love, we become love. The source of love is revealed to be within us; we no longer have to go looking for it somewhere outside. - Nicole Daedone, "Love Becomes Her"

DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ 9/28/2012

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	The happiness we seek, a genuine lasting peace and happiness, can be attained only through the purification of our minds. This is possible if we cut the root cause of all suffering and miseryour fundamental ignorance. - His Holiness the Dalai Lama, The World of Tibetan Buddhism

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 28, 2012

We’re in This Together People need to see that if you hurt another person, you hurt yourself, and if you hurt yourself, you're hurting another person. And then to begin to see that we are not in this alone. We are in this together. For me, that's where the true morality comes from. - Pema Chödrön, "No Right, No Wrong"

DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ 9/27/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	He who seeks happiness should withdraw the arrow; his own lamentations, longings and grief. With the arrow withdrawn, unattached, he would attain to peace of mind; and when all sorrow has been transcended he is sorrow-free and has realized Nibbana. - Sutta Nipata

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 27, 2012

Joyful Dependence We depend through the whole of life on the support of others—upon the natural world, upon other people, and, spiritually, upon the tradition of wisdom that has come down to us through human history. In the traditional Buddhist way, our dependency is not a cause for despair but rather leads to a sense of wonderment and gratitude, which is the moving force of true spirituality. - Dharmavidya David Brazier, "Living Buddhism"

DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ 9/26/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Attentiveness is the path to true life; Indifference is the path to death. The attentive do not die; The indifferent are as if they are dead already. - Dhammapada

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 26, 2012

The World as Self The way we define and delimit the self is arbitrary. We can place it between our ears and have it looking out from our eyes, or we can widen it to include the air we breathe, or at other moments we can cast its boundaries farther to include the oxygen-giving trees and plankton, our external lungs, and beyond them the web of life in which they are sustained. - Joanna Macy, "Positive Disintegration"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 25, 2012

Genuine Discernment The fundamental aim of Buddhist practice is not belief; it’s enlightenment, the awakening that takes place when illusion has been overcome. It may sound simple, but it’s probably the most difficult thing of all to achieve. It isn’t some kind of magical reward that someone can give you or that a strong belief will enable you to acquire. The true path to awakening is genuine discernment; it’s the very opposite of belief. - Trinlay Tulku Rinpoche, “The Seeds of Life”

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 23, 2012

Deep Acceptance Implicit in Buddhist compassion is a genuine awareness and deep acceptance of things as they truly are, painful as that may be. From this soil of clarity and connection, compassion is said to arise of itself. - Allan Hunt Badiner, "Is the Buddha Winking at Extinction?"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 22, 2012

Life is Dharma Now we have the attitude of, 'Well, how does the dharma fit in with my life?' The dharma can't fit in with our life. The dharma is our life, and it's not about convenience. - Natalie Goldberg, "Face-to-Face with Natalie Goldberg"

DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ 9/21/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	"Where, for instance, is the identity of myself? There's a special quality that makes me different from everything else and also from all other selves. And I want that identity, my own self, to continue. So where does that identity dwell?" "Where indeed?" asked the Buddha. "That self to which you cling is in constant change. Years ago you were a baby, then a youth, and now a man. Which is your true selfthat of yesterday, that of today, or that of tomorrow which you so long to preserve?" "I see I have misunderstood things," replied Kutadanta slowly, "and although I find it hard to endure the light, the truth now dawns on me that there is no separate and enduring self. I will take my refuge in your teaching and find that which is continuing and everlasting in the truth." - Majjhima Nikaya

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 21, 2012

The True Nature of Suffering Shakyamuni Buddha taught that all suffering can be overcome by understanding its true nature. This is a profound and subtle process. It can take a while. - Patricia Anderson, "Good Death"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 20, 2012

Overcoming Harmful Habits When you admit to yourself, 'I must make this change to be more happy'—not because the Buddha said so, but because your heart recognized a deep truth—you must devote all your energy to making the change. You need strong determination to overcome harmful habits. - Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Getting Started"

DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ Chien-ju (an interesting point of view on dealing with birth and death)

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	If you really want to deal with birth and death, just avoid drifting off under any circumstances, whether you are dressing or eating, attending the calls of nature, walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. Be like someone who sees a ferocious tiger, totally engrossed in getting away and escaping with his life. Or be like someone on a battle front, who only wants to kill the leader of a rebellion only when he has taken the leaders head can he rest. Why bother with grasping and rejection, purity and defilement, profane and sacred, right and wrong, and so on? Otherwise, its all a waste of effort-when will peace ever be attained? If you work in this way, it has some relevance to birth and death; otherwise, its all contrivance, without benefit on the way. A former teacher said, Dont get stuck in small successes, you must reach the state of the ancients before you attain freedom in life and death. Otherwise it is all something on the shore of birth and death; theres really no end in sight. - Chien-ju

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 19, 2012

Sharing Happiness Whatever realization may come by way of silence, our happiness is never won that way. Happiness is not happiness unless it is shared. For happiness is the one thing in all the world that comes to us only at the moment we give it, and is likewise increased by being given away. - Clark Strand, "The Wisdom of Frogs"

DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ 9/18/2012

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Whatever happiness is in the world has arisen from a wish for the welfare of others; whatever misery there is has arisen from indulging selfishness. - Buddhist proverb

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 18, 2012

When Pain Happens to Us We suffer because we marry our instinctive aversion to pain to the deep-seated belief that life should be free from pain. In resisting our pain by holding this belief, we strengthen just what we're trying to avoid. When we make pain the enemy, we solidify it. This resistance is where our suffering begins. - Ezra Bayda, "When It Happens to Us"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 17, 2012

Living Beyond Words Zen practice is always about returning to that place where there are no words. Early on, I realized that to use words, you have to live life beyond words, before words, without words. Only then do you have the right to speak. - Seido Ray Ronci, "No Words"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 16, 2012

Do Less, Accomplish More We are born with all the wisdom, playfulness, and imagination we need; we just sometimes need a reminder to return to our senses and get out of our own way. Let go of whatever fears, assumptions, distractions, resistance, and busyness may be hampering you. Allow yourself to think and feel and live that way. - Marc Lesser, "Do Less, Accomplish More"

DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ 9/15/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Internal peace is an essential first step to achieving peace in the world. How do you cultivate it? It's very simple. In the first place by realizing clearly that all mankind is one, that human beings in every country are members of one and the same family. - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 15, 2012

Letting Go of Getting The first thing to let go of is trying to "get" love, and instead to give it. That's the secret of the spiritual path. - Ayya Khema, "What Love Is"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 14, 2012

The Noblest Thing You Can Do Walking the path toward the complete ending of clinging and suffering is the noblest thing a person can do. It opens the fist of the mind, and allows a person to walk in the world with gift-bestowing hands. - Gil Fronsdal, "The Good News"

DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ 9/13/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	The everyday life of people is like clouds and water, but clouds and water are free while people are not. If they would get to be as free as clouds and water, where would people's compulsive mundane routines arise? - Dogen, "Rational Zen"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 13, 2012

No Quick Answers Religion should not be giving you explanations or quick answers, which is what we kind of expect—we type something into Google and up comes the answer. Instead, religion should help you to live with questions for which there are no answers, like cruelty and pain and suffering and death, capitalism and injustice. It should teach us to live with these questions so that whatever horror or sorrow or dukkha is going on out there, you can live with it creatively, not turn your back to it. - Karen Armstrong, "Compassion Restored"

DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ 9/12/2012

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	The darkness of ages cannot shroud the glowing sun; The long eons of Samsara neer can hide the Minds brilliant Light. - Tilopa, "The Song of Mahamudra"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 12, 2012

Practicing With Loss 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"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 11, 2012

Compassion, Not Coddling We should be compassionate to all. But compassion sometimes has to be harsh. How else can we pinpoint where the problem really lies? Hatred’s hold on us is so strong. Simple coddling will not do the job. - Nawang Gehlek Rimpoche, "The Real Enemy"

DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ 9/10/2012

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	It is like the water of the ocean: even without wind there are waves everywhere. Suddenly knowing of the waves all around is the gross within the subtle; letting go of knowledge in the midst of knowing is like the subtle within the subtle. This is the sphere of the enlightened. - Pai-chang

Tricycle Daily Dharma / 9/10/2012

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 10, 2012

No Reason to be Unhappy Whether we are suffering at present or have suffered in the past, there is no reason to be unhappy. If we can remedy it, then why be unhappy? And if we cannot, there's no use in being unhappy about it—it's just one more thing to be unhappy about, which serves no purpose at all. - H.H. the Dalai Lama, "Enduring the Fires"

Tricycle Daily Dharma 9/9/2012

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 9, 2012

The Poignancy of this Fleeting Moment Awareness itself is the primary currency of the human condition, and as such it deserves to be spent carefully. Sitting quietly in a serene environment, letting go of the various petty disturbances that roil and diminish consciousness, and experiencing as fully as possible the poignancy of this fleeting moment—this is an enterprise of deep intrinsic value, an aesthetic experience beyond words. - Andrew Olendzki, "Busy Signal"

DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ 9/5/2012

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Don't forget to bring the good experiences of meditation into your daily activities. Instead of acting and reacting impulsively and following your thoughts and feelings here and there, watch your mind carefully, be aware, and try to deal skillfully with problems as they arise. If you can do this each day, your meditation will have been successful. - Kathleen McDonald, "How to Meditate"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 5, 2012 ~ Accessing Joy

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 5, 2012

Accessing Joy

Whether we are paying careful attention to wholesome states when they arise, reflecting on gratitude, or feeling the delight of living with integrity (which the Buddha called 'the bliss of blamelessness'), we can access joy by shifting the focus of our awareness to what uplifts the heart.
 

- James Baraz, "Lighten Up!"

DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ 9/4/2012

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Having applied himself to what was not his own task, and not having applied himself to what was, having disregarded the goal to grasp at what he held dear, he now envies those who kept after themselves, took themselves to task. - Dhammapada, 16, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 4, 2012 ~ Be Who You Are

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 4, 2012

Be Who You Are

Don’t try to do anything at all except what you’re doing, which will seem like nothing to most observers. Little do they know! Even if what you’re doing is being distracted and hating sitting on your cushion accomplishing nothing—just do that. Don’t try to be anything other than who and what you are.
 

- Brad Warner, "How to Not Waste Time"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 3, 2012 ~ No-working is True Working

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 3, 2012

No-working is True Working

The idea of naturalness is that no-working is true working. It’s the understanding that things don’t happen due to your own calculation and effort. You don’t sit there thinking, 'All right now, if I’m able to follow the eightfold path and do everything the right way, then I will attain awakening.' That’s your own deluded, ego-based effort. I did this, I am able to do that—the moment you start thinking that way, your ego mind comes into play. Yet when the karmic conditions are right, when your causes and conditions come together, you can progress along the path.
 

- Reverend Patricia Kanaya Usuki, "The Great Compassion"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 2, 2012 ~ Fundamental Well-Being

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 2, 2012

Fundamental Well-Being

We need to see the primordial potential in all of our experiences in the same way a doctor sees the health and well-being in his patients. If a patient didn’t possess a fundamental well-being, what would be the point of prescribing such antidotes as medicines, exercise, or new diets?
 

- Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, "Free Expression"

DAILY BUDDHIST WISDOM ~ 9/1/2012

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Tibetan lamas often say: "Not seeing is the perfect seeing." Strange words, perhaps, but they have a profound meaning. They describe the advanced meditator's experience of spacious, universal reality, the experience beyond dualism. - Lama Thubten Yeshe, "Introduction to Tantra"

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 1, 2012 ~ Accepting Thoughts

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 1, 2012

Accepting Thoughts

Don’t feel disturbed by the thinking mind. You are not practicing to prevent thinking, but rather to recognize and acknowledge thinking whenever it arises.
 

- Sayadaw U Tejaniya, "Observing Minds Want to Know"