General forum on the teachings of all schools of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Topics specific to one school are best posted in the appropriate sub-forum.
Let's start a thread of powerful and insightful quotes from past masters. Please keep them relatively short and provide the author and/or text.
I'll get the ball rolling.
Unless you reflect on the truth of suffering to the point of actually becoming revolted by cyclic existence, your desire to attain liberation will be mere words, and whatever you do will lead to origins of further suffering. -Tsong Khapa in Lam Rim Chen Mo
What people usually consider blessings are what I would call ‘superficial blessings.’ It’s like when you have something you want to get rid of you ask, “Please bless me to be free from what I don’t like,” whether this is being sick or in pain, evil spirits are attacking you, your business isn’t going that well, etc.. So, people ask for something to wear around their necks, something to eat, maybe some charm to be made and so on. Then when they are feeling better, the evil spirits are repelled, business is going well or whatever, they say, “I got the blessings.” These are known as ‘superficial blessings.’
On the other hand, the real blessings are the oral instructions on how to become enlightened in a single lifetime, which you can receive from a qualified master.
- Tulku Urgyen
How foolish you are,
grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention!
- Vasubandhu
“We should know that Amida’s Primal Vow does not discriminate whether one is young or old, good or evil, and that true entrusting alone is needed, for it is the Vow that seeks to deliver sentient beings burdened with foolishness and blind passions.” - Shinran
Impermanent are compounded things,
prone to rise and fall,
Having risen, they are destroyed,
their passing truest bliss
- Indra, at the Buddha's Parinirvana.
"Men must want to do things out of their own innermost drives. People, not commercial organizations or chains of command, are what make great civilizations work. Every civilization depends upon the quality of the individuals it produces. If you over-organize humans, over-legalize them, suppress their urge to greatness - they cannot work and their civilization collapses."
- A letter to CHOAM, attributed to the Preacher
If you attach to this life, you are not a dharma practitioner.
If you attach to this samsara, you do not have renunciation.
If you attach to your self interest, you do not have bodhicitta.
If you grasp, you don't have the right view.
(Bodhisattva Manjushri to Sakyapa Kunga Nyingpo)
I am not here nor there.
I am not right nor wrong.
I do not exist neither non-exist.
I am not I nor non-I.
I am not in samsara nor nirvana.
To All Buddhas, I bow down for the teaching of emptiness. Thank You!
Meditate again and again until you have turned your mind away from the activities of this life, which are like adorning yourself while being led to the execution ground.
“Sitting itself is the practice of the Buddha. Sitting itself is non-doing, it is nothing but the true form of the self. Apart from sitting there is nothing to seek as the buddha-dharma.” (Shobogenzo Zuimonki, 2-22, transl. Okumura)
tomamundsen wrote:I think Huseng is a closet Gelugpa
Not really closet. My guru is a geshe from the Gelug-pa lineage.
I'm kind of an eclectic Buddhist of sorts. I don't identify as a Tibetan Buddhist (or as a Chinese or Japanese Buddhist for that matter), but I do have practices from TB. I just don't know enough about Tibetan Buddhist history and practices to merit participating in serious discussions on the subject.
The guiding Master subdues the multitudes of demons,
he is courageous, strong, and invincible.
Within the light he proclaims the wonderful meaning.
He is this way because of his kindness and compassion.
tomamundsen wrote:I think Huseng is a closet Gelugpa
Not really closet. My guru is a geshe from the Gelug-pa lineage.
I'm kind of an eclectic Buddhist of sorts. I don't identify as a Tibetan Buddhist (or as a Chinese or Japanese Buddhist for that matter), but I do have practices from TB. I just don't know enough about Tibetan Buddhist history and practices to merit participating in serious discussions on the subject.
This is interesting - I always thought you followed Chinese Mahayana teachings in general, and did practices from one of the classical schools (such as Tiantai or Huayan).
"Men must want to do things out of their own innermost drives. People, not commercial organizations or chains of command, are what make great civilizations work. Every civilization depends upon the quality of the individuals it produces. If you over-organize humans, over-legalize them, suppress their urge to greatness - they cannot work and their civilization collapses."
- A letter to CHOAM, attributed to the Preacher
"All things prevail for him for whom this emptiness prevails. Nothing prevails for him for whom emptiness does not prevail. For whom this emptiness prevails, for him all things - mundane and supramundane - prevail. - Why? - Because dependent co-arising prevails for him whom emptiness prevails...."
All things have the nature of mind. Mind is the chief and takes the lead. If the mind is clear, whatever you do or say will bring happiness that will follow you like a shadow.
All things have the nature of mind. Mind is the chief and takes the lead. If the mind is polluted, whatever you do or say leads to suffering which will follow you, as a cart trails a horse.
Dharmapada, 1-1,2
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”
"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche