THOUGHTS FOR
CONTEMPLATION
TEACHINGS OF THE BUDDHA
Ceasing to do evil,
Cultivating the good,
Purifying the heart:
This is the teaching of the Buddhas
Buddha, Dhammapada verse 183
Wisdom of Buddha
We are shaped by our thoughts;
we become what we think.
When the mind is pure, joy follows
like a shadow that never leaves.
DHAMMAPADA, Choices
Our life is shaped by our mind;
we become what we think.
Suffering follows an evil thought as
the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it.
Our life is shaped by our mind;
we become what we think.
Joy follows a pure thought
like a shadow that never leaves.
COMMENTARY
Nothing in the world happens by chance - not because things are predestined, but because everything is connected by cause and effect. This includes thoughts, because they both cause things to happen and are aroused by things that happen. What we think has consequences for the world around us, - for others, for the world, for ourselves - and sooner or later they will get back to us.
Actions in harmony with dharma (law essence holding life together, the law that all things and events are part of an indivisible whole) bring good karma and add to health and happiness. Selfish actions, at odds with the rest of life, bring unfavorable karma and pain. We punish and reward ourselves.
As Jesus taught: "As you sow, so shall you reap. With whatever measure you mete out to others, with the same measure it shall be meted out to you."
Radiate boundless love
towards the entire world.
- Buddha
Those who are free of resentful thoughts
surely find peace.
Wisdom of Buddha
Do only what you do not regret
and fill yourself with joy.
Wisdom of Buddha
You can search throughout the entire universe
for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself,
and that person is not to be found anywhere.
You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.
Just as a mother would protect
her only child with her life,
even so, let one cultivate
a boundless love towards
all beings.
- Buddha
From the Karaniya Metta Sutta
Wisdom of Buddha
Just as the pure and fragrant lotus flower grows out of the mud of a swamp rather than out of the clean loam of an upland field, so from the muck of worldly passions springs the pure Enlightenment of Buddhahood. Even the mistaken views of heretics and the delusions of worldly passions may be the seeds of Buddhahood.
If a diver is to secure pearls he must descend to the bottom of the sea, braving all dangers of jagged corral and vicious sharks. So man must face the perils of world passion if he is to secure the precious pearl of Enlightenment. He must first be lost among the mountainous crags of egoism and selfishness, before there will awaken in him the desire to find a path that will lead him to Enlightenment.
Wisdom of Buddha
The cause of human suffering is undoubtedly found in the thirsts of the physical body and in the illusions of worldly passion. If these thirsts and illusions are traced to their source, they are found to be rooted in the intense desires of physical instincts. Thus, desire, having a strong will-to-live as its basis, seeks that which it feels desirable, even if it is sometimes death.
This is called the Truth of the Cause of Suffering.
If desire, which lies at the root of all human passion, can be removed, then passion will die out, and all human suffering will be ended. this is called the Truth of the Cessation of Suffering.
In order to enter into a state where there is no desire and no suffering, one must follow a certain Path. The stages of this Noble Eightfold Path are:
Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech,
Right Behavior, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.
This is called the Truth of the Noble Path, the Cessation of the Cause of Suffering.
People should keep these Truths clearly in mind, for the world is filled with suffering and if anyone wishes to escape from suffering, he must sever the ties of worldly passion. The way of life which is free from all worldly passion and suffering can only be known through Enlightenment, and Enlightenment can only be attained through the discipline of the Noble Eightfold Path.
May all beings have happy minds.
Words of Buddha
When a man clearly understands the Fourfold Noble Truth, then the Noble Eightfold Path will lead him away from greed; and if he is free from greed he will not quarrel with the world, he will not kill, not steal, not commit adultery, not cheat, not abuse, not flatter, not envy, not lose his temper, not forget the transitory of life, nor will he be unjust.
Words of Buddha
Fundamentally, everyone has a pure clean mind, but it is usually covered over by the defilement and dust of worldly desires which have arisen from one's circumstances. This defiled mind is not of the essence of one's nature; something has been added, like an intruder or even a guest in a home, but not its host.
The moon is often hidden by clouds, but it is not moved by them and its purity remains untarnished. Therefore, people must not be deluded into thinking that this defiled mind is
that of their own true mind.
Wisdom of Buddha
The wise ones
fashioned speech with their thought,
sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve.
Words of Buddha
People forget that their lives will end soon.
But for those who remember,
quarrels come to an end.
Even death is not to be feared
by one who has lived wisely.
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha
Holding onto anger
is like grasping a hot coal with the intent
of throwing it at someone else;
you are the one that gets burned.
The diamond, the hardest of known substances, cannot be crushed. Sand and stones can be ground to powder but diamonds remain unscratched. Buddha-nature is like the diamond, and thus cannot be broken.
Human nature, both its body and mind,
will wear away, but the nature of Buddhahood can not be destroyed.
Buddha-nature is, indeed, the most excellent characteristic of human nature. Buddha teaches that, although in human nature there may be endless varieties such as men and women,
there is no discrimination with regard to
Buddha-nature.
Pure gold is procured by melting ore and removing all impure substances. if people would melt the ore of their minds and remove all the impurities of worldly passion and egoism, they would all recover the same pure Buddha-nature.
Buddha-nature and egolessness, Teaching of Buddha, Ch 3, #4, pg 156.
DHAMMAPADA, Choices
One who lives as though
the things of the world were pure,
with senses unguarded and
appetite immoderate, lazy and weak,
will be overpowered by bedevilment,
like a weak tree blown over by the wind.
One who lives as though
the things of the world are impure,
with senses guarded and
appetite moderate, faithful and diligent,
will not be overpowered by bedevilment,
like a rock mountain unshaken by the wind.
Better than a speech of a thousand vain words is one
thoughtful word which brings peace to the mind.
Better than a poem of a thousand vain verses is one thoughtful line which brings peace to the mind.
Better than a hundred poems of vain stanzas is one
word of the dharma that brings peace to the mind.
Whatever's not full makes noise.
Whatever is full is quiet.
Buddha, from the Sutta Nipata
Do not look at the faults of others,
or what others have done or not done;
observe what you yourself have done
and have not done.
However many holy words you read,
however many you speak,
what good will they do if you do not act upon them?
Even as a solid rock is unshaken by the wind,
so are the wise unshaken by praise or blame.
Buddha leads people, by merely indicating to them the Fourfold Noble Truths.
Those who understand it properly will attain Enlightenment; they will be able to guide and support others in this bewildering world, and they will be worthy of trust.
When the Fourfold Noble Truth is clearly understood, all the sources of worldly passion are dried up.
Advancing from this Fourfold Noble Truth, the disciples of Buddha will attain all other precious truths; they will gain the wisdom and insight to understand all meanings, and will become capable of preaching the Dharma to all the peoples of the world.
Teachings of Buddha, Fourfold Noble Truths, pg 80
Wisdom of Buddha
Following the Noble Path is like entering
a dark room with a light in hand:
the darkness will all be cleared away,
and the room will be filled with light.
People who understand the
meaning of the Noble Truths and
have learned to follow the Noble Path are
in possession of the light of wisdom that
will clear away the darkness of ignorance.
Wisdom of Buddha
No one saves us but ourselves.
No one can and no one may.
We ourselves must walk the path.
Be vigilant and go beyond death. If you lack vigilance, you cannot escape death. Those who strive earnestly will go beyond death; those who do not can never come to life. The wise understand this, and rejoice in the wisdom of the noble ones. Meditating earnestly and striving for nirvana, they attain the highest joy and freedom.
If you meditate earnestly, pure in mind and kind in deeds, leading a disciplined life in harmony with the dharma, you will grow in glory. If you meditate earnestly, through spiritual disciplines you can make an island for yourself that no flood can overwhelm.
- Dhammapada 2 : Vigilance 1,2
