| Thought for the day: May 5, 2008 If you want to become enlightened you must first make yourself available. |
| Thought for the day: May 9, 2008 Good ideas certainly do occur during meditation; but never allow them to hijack your session. |
| Thought for the day: May 12, 2008 Regarding earning money, a disciple of my Teacher, Master Hsuan Hua, follows the following principle which he attributes to lessons learned in life and from our teacher: Always put people first not money... If you put people first the money will follow.... |
| Thought for the day: May 15, 2008 When in meditation and your busy mind is quietted, ask yourself who it is that is aware of this stillness. When you stir the mind with this thought, excluding all others, this is vipasana, or insight meditation. The former quiet and peaceful state is samatha, quiescence meditation. Generally speaking, one first practices samatha until one can easily sit undistracted in stillness. Later, when distracting thoughts have lost their power to lead the mind away from its center, one introduces vipasana. As one's skill develops the two become inseparable. |
| Thought for the day: May 17, 2008 When it is said that the seed of enlightenment is within each and every thought; what does this mean? Why is it that we are all not enlightened? We all certainly have thoughts, and yet instead of becoming enlightened by them, we tend to become more and more entangled. Each thought leads to another and thus we have a head full of many thoughts. This diversity of thought exists because we follow one thought to the next and a single thought soon leads to a diversity of thought. This diversity of thought leads to a dissipation of energy, like a light beam being diffused by a lens. If through meditation we can learn to turn thought around instead of following them, the light that goes out is reversed and shines within. In other words, when we look into thought and inquire into its source, asking ourselves, "from where does this thought arise,?" the habit of thought leading us outside will gradually be broken. When this occurs we will discover the power of a single thought to illumine within. |
| Thought for the day: May 18, 2008 Analytical meditation is reasoned contemplation, which can be discursive, about a single topic. As long as our inner dialogue or reasoning remains on topic, we are engaged in analytical meditation. When sutras teach us to abandon all thinking, they are not referring to analytical mediation. On the contrary, sutras encourage us to practice this kind of meditation so that we can balance concentration with understanding. |
| Thought for the day: May 24, 2008 "Fox doubts" is a Buddhist term referring to the kind of self doubt that often blocks a decision to practice the dharma before one even begins. It comes in the guise of self doubt, doubting one's worthiness or ability, and if it is not recognized and cast aside, it can lead to slowed progress or no progress. If the effort is sincere and the intention is right, never fear stepping off a hundred foot cliff. |
| Thought for the day: May 19, 2008 If you cannot refrain from judging people, judge them like a junk collector viewing a trash heap, always looking for what may be of value. |
| Thought for the day: May 23, 2008 Concentration is gathering all thoughts to a single point. Wisdom is knowing where to direct it. |
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