Quote of the day

[Middleway]

I am starting this thread so we can share great quotes we come across and perhaps discuss them. This will be useful on slow days on the forum. I will start with one of my favorite quotes (by Osho).

“I'm simply saying that there is a way to be sane. I'm saying that you can get rid of all this insanity created by the past in you. Just by being a simple witness of your thought processes.

It is simply sitting silently, witnessing the thoughts, passing before you. Just witnessing, not interfering not even judging, because the moment you judge you have lost the pure witness. The moment you say “this is good, this is bad,” you have already jumped onto the thought process.

It takes a little time to create a gap between the witness and the mind. Once the gap is there, you are in for a great surprise, that you are not the mind, that you are the witness, a watcher.

And this process of watching is the very alchemy of real religion. Because as you become more and more deeply rooted in witnessing, thoughts start disappearing. You are, but the mind is utterly empty.

That’s the moment of enlightenment. That is the moment that you become for the first time an unconditioned, sane, really free human being.”
― Osho

[stillpointdancer]

I am starting this thread so we can share great quotes we come across and perhaps discuss them. This will be useful on slow days on the forum. I will start with one of my favorite quotes (by Osho).

“I'm simply saying that there is a way to be sane. I'm saying that you can get rid of all this insanity created by the past in you. Just by being a simple witness of your thought processes.

It is simply sitting silently, witnessing the thoughts, passing before you. Just witnessing, not interfering not even judging, because the moment you judge you have lost the pure witness. The moment you say “this is good, this is bad,” you have already jumped onto the thought process.

It takes a little time to create a gap between the witness and the mind. Once the gap is there, you are in for a great surprise, that you are not the mind, that you are the witness, a watcher.

And this process of watching is the very alchemy of real religion. Because as you become more and more deeply rooted in witnessing, thoughts start disappearing. You are, but the mind is utterly empty.

That’s the moment of enlightenment. That is the moment that you become for the first time an unconditioned, sane, really free human being.”
― Osho

Take away the 'very alchemy of real religion' bit and I'm with you there.

[raushan]

Nice Middleway

On Courage, I found these lines helpful for me from Ajahn Brahm

Corageous is so different than will power. Courageous people aren't necessary strong will people. Infact you find this strong will people when put in a difficult situation they are the ones who backle, there is the reason for that because strong will people are control freak and life come into situations when you can't control. People don't know what to do then they become cowards but those who got compassion and wisdom it turns ordinary people in heroes.

Even in meditation so often people use will power instead of courage. Courage is to just sit here and let go what happens that takes actually lot of courage to stop controlling things. Courage is parts of letting go to let go all the things you attached to.

Be courageous enough to see where this leads because if you ever want to find and meaning in life that takes some of the biggest amount of courage because a lot of us are in denial of who we are.
It takes courage to admit reality of this life.

[Middleway]

Even in meditation so often people use will power instead of courage. Courage is to just sit here and let go what happens that takes actually lot of courage to stop controlling things. Courage is parts of letting go to let go all the things you attached to.

Beautifully said. Courage is to let go of our anxieties....whether we will have enough to eat tomorrow, whether we will have roof on our head, whether our partner will still support us and not abandon us if we get sick or disabled etc. etc. Courage is letting go of this fear, anxieties and insecurities. But how do we let go of these fears?

This reminds me of another quote by Osho in his book "Courage: The joy of living dangerously". Courage is not the absence of fear, says Osho. It is, rather, the total presence of fear, with the courage to face it.

[Harry]

'Be happy in the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more' - Mother Teresa

[Middleway]

Better it is to live one day seeing the rise and fall of things than to live a hundred years without ever seeing the rise and fall of things. - Dhammapada

[Middleway]

What you think about yourself, what others think about you is of no existential significance. - Sadhguru

[Middleway]

“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

[Matthew]

The "Hopi three" words of wisdom:

~ Show up for your life
~ Be in the moment - nothing else exists
~ Watch the movie - be the witness

[Frightful]

Attributed to Lao Tzu:

“If you are depressed you are living in the past.
If you are anxious you are living in the future.
If you are at peace you are living in the present.”

What is most relevant to me is the order of the wording....under certain circumstances we can be in the present -and- be miserable, but *when* we are at peace, we are in the present.  It goes along with another argumentative approach that seems wise---not all abused children turn into mass murderers, but all mass murderers were abused as children. (....this latter observation from the late Alice Miller.)

[BeHereNow]

Love this thread!

"Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.  Always work with it, not against it.  This will miraculously transform your whole life." 

- Eckhart Tolle

[Ben-meijer]

see pic

[Ben-meijer]

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[Ben-meijer]

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[Ben-meijer]

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[Ben-meijer]

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[raushan]

 . Some are funny.

[Middleway]

“All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.” - Buddha

Our mind simulates external inputs which is what we experience. I "hear" thunder for example. But my mind simulates the sound which is what I experience. If my ears are not functioning, then there is no simulation and therefore, I do not experience sound. Same goes for all other senses.

I heard a Buddhist monk say the other day "external world exists, but it is not real. Our mind is real but does not exist". Very profound insight.

External world exists but what we really experience is our mind simulation only. So, the external world we experience is not real. Our mind is real because we experience it. However, it does not exist.

[Nicky]

“All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.” - Buddha

Our mind simulates external inputs which is what we experience. I "hear" thunder for example. But my mind simulates the sound

Fake quote of the day. 

The real quote is not about 'consciousness' ('vinnana'), which sees, hears, experiences, etc.

The real quote is about 'mano' ('the intellect'), which makes decisions.

The quote is about how the mind creates kamma:

Manopubbaṅgamā dhammā manoseṭṭhā manomayā Manasā ce paduṭṭhena bhāsati vā karoti vā Tato naṃ dukkhamanveti cakkaṃ'va vahato padaṃ.
 
Manopubbaṅgamā dhammā manoseṭṭhā manomayā Manasā ce pasannena bhāsati vā karoti vā Tato naṃ sukhamanveti chāyā'va anapāyinī

1. Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts suffering follows him like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox.

2. Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows him like his never-departing shadow.

[Middleway]

“All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.” - Buddha

Our mind simulates external inputs which is what we experience. I "hear" thunder for example. But my mind simulates the sound

Fake quote of the day. 

The real quote is not about 'consciousness' ('vinnana'), which sees, hears, experiences, etc.

The real quote is about 'mano' ('the intellect'), which makes decisions.

The quote is about how the mind creates kamma:

Manopubbaṅgamā dhammā manoseṭṭhā manomayā Manasā ce paduṭṭhena bhāsati vā karoti vā Tato naṃ dukkhamanveti cakkaṃ'va vahato padaṃ.
 
Manopubbaṅgamā dhammā manoseṭṭhā manomayā Manasā ce pasannena bhāsati vā karoti vā Tato naṃ sukhamanveti chāyā'va anapāyinī

1. Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts suffering follows him like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox.

2. Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows him like his never-departing shadow.

Indeed! It is a fake quote. I got it from here.

http://www.realbuddhaquotes.com/#ath

But it is good fake quote though. 

[Middleway]

"The purpose of existence is to exist. It is too fantastic to have a meaning." - Sadhguru

[Matthew]

"The meaning of life is the life that you lead. The things that you do, the words that you say, and the thoughts you have - these give meaning each day".

[Middleway]

There is no other space, no other time. This moment is all. In this moment the whole existence converges, in this moment all is available. - Osho

[chin]

"It's not what you experience, but how you relate to it that matters" - Mark Epstein

[Middleway]

In days gone by, Ch'an master Hui Chueh of Lang Yeh mountain had a woman disciple who called upon him for instruction. The master taught her to examine the sentence: "Take no notice."

She followed his instructions strictly without backsliding. One day, her house caught fire, but she said: "Take no notice." Another day, her son fell into the water and when a bystander called her, she said: "Take no notice." She observed exactly her master's instructions by laying down all casual thoughts.

One day, as her husband lit the fire to make fritters of twisted dough, he threw into the pan full of boiling oil a batter which made a noise. Upon hearing the noise, she was instantly enlightened. Then she threw the pan of oil on the ground, clapped her hands and laughed.

Thinking she was insane, her husband scolded her and said: "Why do you do this? Are you mad?" She replied: "Take no notice!"