"Each man is his own absolute law-giver, the dispenser of glory or gloom to himself; the decreer of his life, his reward, his punishment."

Ajahn Chah - Let Your Aim be Nibbana | Theravada Dhamma Blog

Ajahn Chah - Let Your Aim be Nibbana Theravada Dhamma Blog: This is the way of the Buddha. The Buddha gave his teachings out of the wish to benefit all beings. He wished for us to go beyond suffering and to attain peace. It is not that we have to die first in order to transcend suffering… We shouldn’t think that we will attain this after death… we can go beyond suffering here and now, in the present. We transcend within our perception of things, in this very life, through the view that arises in our minds. Then, sitting, we are happy; lying down, we are happy; wherever we are, we are have happiness. We become without fault, experiencing no ill results, living in a state of freedom. The mind is clear, bright, and tranquil. There is no more darkness or defilement. That is someone who has reached the supreme happiness of the Buddha’s way. Please investigate this for yourselves. All of you lay followers, please contemplate this to gain understanding and ability. If you have suffering, then practice to alleviate your suffering. If it is great, make it little, and if it is little, make an end of it. Everyone has to do this for themselves, so please make an effort to consider these words. May you prosper and develop.

Ajahn Chah - Let Your Aim be Nibbana | Theravada Dhamma Blog

Ajahn Chah - Let Your Aim be Nibbana Theravada Dhamma Blog: Actually, for most of us, if something is displeasing, we don’t really want to know about it. We get caught up in the aversion to it. If we dislike someone, we don’t want to look at their face or get anywhere near them. This is the mark of a foolish, unskillful person; this is not the way of a good person. If we like someone, then of course we want to be close to them, we make every effort to be with them, taking delight in their company. This is foolishness, also. They are actually the same, like the palm and back of the hand. When we turn the hand up and see the palm, the back of the hand is hidden from sight. When we turn it over, then the palm is not seen. Pleasure hides pain, and pain hides pleasure from our sight. Wrong covers up right, right covers wrong. Just looking at one side, our knowledge is not complete.

Ajahn Chah - Let Your Aim be Nibbana | Theravada Dhamma Blog

Ajahn Chah - Let Your Aim be Nibbana Theravada Dhamma Blog: The dhamma which the Teacher expounded was for going beyond suffering. What is this ‘going beyond suffering’ all about? What should we do to ‘escape from suffering’? It is necessary for us to do some study; we need to come and study the thinking and feeling in our hearts. Just that. It is something we are presently unable to change. If we can change it, we can be free of all suffering and unsatisfactoriness in life, just by changing this one point, our habitual world view, our way of thinking and feeling. If we come to have a new sense of things, a new understanding, then we transcend the old perceptions and understanding.

Beyond the Singularity: This is the End of What World? | Reality Sandwich

Beyond the Singularity: This is the End of What World? Reality Sandwich: There are rationalists who believe that Hell is only a myth, not a reality. But myths describe more accurately the Real than any metaphysical tract can accomplish. Nightmares are very Real. Where do they occur? In what space are those anxiety-oozing worlds born? Hell is a nightmare that occurs for some only at death, a nightmare from which it is hard indeed to awaken, that can seem to go on for eternity. And has not this so-called waking world become an all too real nightmare? Only the Dreamer of this wonderful, miraculous, horrific, terrifying dream can truly awaken us. But we are that Dreamer. Our loss of lucidity, of Self-realization, has led to the loss of love, wisdom, empowerment, goodness and generosity from the world; and thus has led to ever increasing pressures of lack, desire, craving, fury, hatred, bestiality, perversion-producing the very nightmare for which we wrongly blame either God or chance. The ego blames its karmic suffering on everyone and every thing except its own stubborn refusal to get Real, to love, to open itself to Truth.

Beyond the Singularity: This is the End of What World? | Reality Sandwich

Beyond the Singularity: This is the End of What World? Reality Sandwich: the world cannot end, because there never was a world. Only ignorance, disguised as knowledge, the mental knowledge of the ego, in the form of language, created the illusion of a world. "I am Shiva."

Ajahn Brahm - RIP now while you can still enjoy it | Theravada Dhamma Blog

Ajahn Brahm - RIP now while you can still enjoy it Theravada Dhamma Blog: As I have often said, the only place in our modern societies where you find people resting in peace, is in the cemeteries, but then it’s too late to enjoy it. So I say RIP now, while you can still enjoy it. I’m making the observation that you only find peace, when you realize that what’s done, is finished. The past is gone; let it go. One of the signs of true spirituality – of whatever tradition – is forgiveness and letting go. I was once asked how many times you should forgive, and I replied, ”Always one more time,” that is, forever.

Ajahn Brahm - RIP now while you can still enjoy it | Theravada Dhamma Blog

Ajahn Brahm - RIP now while you can still enjoy it Theravada Dhamma Blog: One of my favourite stories is about the abbot who was building the main hall for his monastery. It takes a lot of time and effort to make such a big building, and the building work was still in progress when the time came for annual rains retreat. The abbot told the builders to go home and come back in 3 months. A few days later, a visitor came to the temple and asked when the hall was going to be finished the abbot replied ” It is finished ” the visitor was quite stunned and said ” What do you mean it is finished? There is no roof are you going to leave it like that? There is no glass in the windows, there are pieces of wood and cement bags all over the floor”. To which the abbot unforgettably replied: “What is done is finished.”

Silk Road Visions: The Willingness To Live Makes Us Light In Dark Times

Silk Road Visions: The Willingness To Live Makes Us Light In Dark Times: "Your heart is your art!"

Aquarius Papers - Global Astrology: Astrology, Buddhism, and ways to end suffering

Aquarius Papers - Global Astrology: Astrology, Buddhism, and ways to end suffering: Every tendency can become a habit, and habits create lifestyle. To paraphrase a great astrologer-philosopher, character is destiny, in the sense that as you shape your character you shape your destiny. Your habits either contribute to your well-being, or not. A habit of positivity definitely makes one feel better than not. Give it a try! Enjoy the practice, and each time you are successful, you are generating personality integration. Eventually you will transcend suffering, will be able to assist others to transcend their suffering, and you will be stronger, clearer, and a blessing to your world. Aum.

Aquarius Papers - Global Astrology: Astrology, Buddhism, and ways to end suffering

Aquarius Papers - Global Astrology: Astrology, Buddhism, and ways to end suffering: The antidote for the tendency to suffer over suffering is an intense positivity, also known as goodwill. This is a self-generating radiance that external affairs cannot affect, but which can turn what is stagnant into something dynamic. The more you practice this eternal radiance, you are attuning your personality in harmony with your Inner Flame. Once a habit of positivity is practiced, you find that many things that once bothered you just glance off your "shell of personality" harmlessly, and you expend less effort struggling with things. Sometimes it’s easier, sometimes harder to practice the ideal of positivity, knowing the important from the unimportant, with detachment and dispassion. And of course the level of difficulty doesn’t matter, since it's all an evolving process of your own self-realization, and therefore it's all good.

Aquarius Papers - Global Astrology: Astrology, Buddhism, and ways to end suffering

Aquarius Papers - Global Astrology: Astrology, Buddhism, and ways to end suffering: The antidote for delusions or illusions based in misunderstanding is discrimination, or discernment. This is the ability to know the more valuable from the less valuable, the more relevant from the less relevant, the "real" from the "unreal." With discrimination we examine the relativity of a thing to everything else in the field of perception to come to an understanding of its place and function within a larger whole. Through discrimination we learn about what is valuable for our Higher Self's evolution, and can see why our ego had to go through certain lessons so we don't have to be trapped in those situations again. Even a negative or difficult experience can be turned to a positive realization if we see how it fits into our larger evolutionary path. Discernment helps us attach to our best interests, detach from unproductive behaviors when it’s time to move on, and avoid needless problems and suffering.

Aquarius Papers - Global Astrology: Astrology, Buddhism, and ways to end suffering

Aquarius Papers - Global Astrology: Astrology, Buddhism, and ways to end suffering: The antidote for aversion is dispassion, or indifference to the separate, fear-based ego-self and its opinions and perceptions. We all tend to avoid seeing certain things. With dispassion any thing can be observed without seeing only what we want to see. It doesn’t mean we will agree with all things – but it can result in a point of view where we see the impermanence of all views. Practicing this virtue helps us learn not to take things personally. Most of us are invested in subjective points of view. This gives rise to a degree of suffering when those views change or are challenged. Dispassion and inner equilibrium are naturally linked, with equipoise the strength and refuge of dispassion. Another benefit of dispassion is that a certain degree of detachment will naturally arise as well, as these two virtues tend to be mutually reinforcing.

Aquarius Papers - Global Astrology: Astrology, Buddhism, and ways to end suffering

Aquarius Papers - Global Astrology: Astrology, Buddhism, and ways to end suffering: The obvious antidote for attachment is detachment. Perhaps easier said than done, but not really, once you form the habit. Even to detach from detachment teaches detachment, much like the reward of patience is more patience. It is easy to see how various types of physical, emotional, and mental attachments lead to suffering. Attachment to perceptual traps leads to wars and conflicts, internal and external. Through detachment we come out of clutching, wandering aimlessly through painful experiences, and learn how not to magnetize unfortunate experiences and people to us.

Pushkar Lake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pushkar Lake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Pushkar is considered one of the most sacred places in India. It is also the belief of devotees that a dip in the waters of the lake on Kartik Poornima would equal the benefits that would accrue by performing yagnas (fire-sacrifices) for several centuries.[24] Pushkar is often called "Tirtha-Raj" – the king of pilgrimage sites related to water-bodies.[1][

The Penitentes

The Penitentes: they still survived in the rural districts of New Mexico, where the people were isolated from new

RUINS OF STONE MORADA, IN CAñON, ANGOSTURA
ideas and continued to hold the beliefs and customs of their ancestors. The prevailing opinion however is that the Penitentes are a continuation and survival of the Third Order of St. Francis.

Beauty Quotes and Sayings

Beauty Quotes and Sayings: The beauty of male has not yet been portrayed by the only one who can do so-the female.

Quote by Walter Pater: "She is older than the rocks among which she sits;..."

Quote by Walter Pater: "She is older than the rocks among which she sits;...": Walter Pater > Quotes > Quotable Quote
“She is older than the rocks among which she sits; like the vampire, she has been dead many times, and learned the secrets of the grave; and has been a diver in deep seas, and keeps their fallen day about her; and trafficked for strange webs with Eastern merchants, and, as Leda, was the mother of Helen of Troy, and, as Saint Anne, the mother of Mary; and all this has been to her but as the sound of lyres and flutes, and lives only in the delicacy with which it has molded the changing lineaments, and tinged the eyelids and the hands.”
― Walter Pater

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