OK so in a relationship, for example,… talk about hetro sexual world for a moment… to secrifice for your loved one…

What I mean by scrifice and what generally meant is give up some values which are important to your for something else which is lesser value or nonvalue. That is sacrifice. I don’t approve of that. Now, if you love your husband or wife, and you have to select between spending money for your spouse who is ill or going to a night club. It is not a sacrifice to spend money for your spouse if he or she is your value. That is what you want to do. But, if you let for your husband or wife die in order to save your neighbour, that would be alturism. If you reject or pass up something or someone which is valuable to you in favour of something or someone who is stranger or in worse an enemy. If you sacrifice a friend in favour of an enemy, that is alturism.

The one that is unbounded unconditioned, limitless
That which we may call You, or he, or She
Shows through countless faces
While sitll being only that Absolute Reality

May we know That and be free from suffering
Whether with two legs, four legs or no legs
You, Oh, One without a second

Let us meditate on That, the supreme consciousness,
with countless forms, yet yourself formless Being itself…

Like ink and the many words
Like sand, and counless sand castles

Through the Play, the Dance of Illusion
You, the Unity, appear as Diversity

How beautiful you are, Oh, One, in your diversity
Being both joy and sorrow, while still that One

Let us remember that Bliss, which is Always There
Underneath, not dependent on the multiplicy of the second

Let us remember, remember, remember
Like lost keys,
or the misplaced note of an old friend

Let us be still and quiet
Not forcing with analysis

But allowing, inviting
The faded secret to come forward on its own

As the Atlantic need not reject the pacific to know the ocean
We need not reject one another to know the Truth

As we need not reject the ocean to follow the river to its source
We need not reject religions or cultures to recede into the Nondual Reality

All roses are flowers, but not all flowers are roses
One can contain the other
But the second cannot contain the first

The whole contains the part
But the part is not the whole

So too, only the Infinite, Nondual contains the dual

While we peel away the layers of the onion
Let us remember the core,
Which itself, is but a phantom

After all, let us remember, remember, remember
There is no core
There is truly no core

As we are Absolute Nondual Reality
Without a second

Procrastination is a strange phenomenon. Experts define it as an intention to do something, but acting contrary to the intention by postponing it or doing something else. It often seems to be a good solution for making life more enjoyable (by delaying unpleasant responsibilities), but procrastination almost always makes things more difficult and stressful. It may provide temporary relief, but that looming deadline, those extra pounds that need to be taken off, or that annoying visit to your Great Aunt Janice, can’t be put off forever. Many people struggle for years to free themselves from its chains in order to forge ahead towards academic success, fulfilling relationships, a clean house, or a healthy body.

Although it may seem as though putting something off until later isn’t a big deal, studies have shown that it can turn into a serious habit. Not only can it pervade into all areas of your life, but it can result in lost opportunities, career troubles, unnecessary expenses (e.g. late fees) and even health problems. The tendency to procrastinate may also be the sign of a deeper issue, often linked to Depression, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Anxiety.

A donkey with a load of holy books is still a donkey.

Whatever you have in your mind – forget it;
Whatever you have in your hand – give it;
Whatever is to be your fate – face it!

For every sin but the killing of Time there is forgiveness.

Pray for what you want, but work for the things you need.

If someone remarks: “What an excellent man you are!” and this pleases you more than his saying, “What a bad man you are!” know that you are still a bad man.

Happy are those who find fault with themselves instead of finding fault with others.

What is done for you – allow it to be done.
What you must do yourself – make sure you do it.

“The sun never says to the earth,
‘You owe me.’

Look what happens with a love like that.
It lights up the whole sky.”

“I searched for God and found only myself. I searched for myself and found only God”

IF words come out of the heart, they will enter the heart, but if they come from the tongue, they will not pass beyond the ears.

Enlightenment must come little by little-otherwise it would overwhelm.

Lin Chi Zen Master said, “If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. If you meet a Patriarch, kill the Patriarch.” Zen Master Seung Sahn says that in this life we must all kill three things: First we must kill our parents. Second, we must kill the Buddha. And lastly, we must kill him! This kind of speech is sometimes perplexing to people raised in the Judaeo-Christian tradition since we would never say this about Jesus or one of the Prophets. But the meaning here is very interesting and goes far beyond the martial language of the metaphor. Buddhism is quite unique in that its founder never said, “Believe what I say.” Buddhism means find out for yourself.. i.e., kill the Buddha.

At one time, the citizens of Kesaputta asked the Buddha what they should believe. They were very confused by the many religions in vogue at that time. The Buddha said, “Do not accept anything by mere tradition. Do not accept anything just because it accords with your scriptures. Do not accept anything because it agrees with your opinions or because it is socially acceptable. Do not accept anything because it comes from the mouth of a respected person. Rather, observe closely and if it is to the benefit of all, accept and abide by it.” This Sutta – the Kalama Sutta – is the root of Zen-style inquiry into the true self.

The Buddha says in the Diamond Sutra that in his whole teaching career he never spoke a single word. In Zen, we are admonished that understanding cannot help us. The wind does not read. So, what are we left with? just before he died the Buddha said, “Life is very short, please investigate it closely.” We are left with the great question: What am I? What is a human being? In his great compassion the Buddha leaves us only with footprints pointing the way… in the end he cannot help us; we must find the answer ourselves. Zen, too, asks the question but does not have the answer. But you do, if you look inside.

© Providence Zen Center

• The Devas and Asuras represent the positives and negatives respectively of one’s personality. The participation of both the Devas and the Asuras signifies that when one is seeking bliss through spiritual practice, one has to integrate and harmonise both the positive and negative aspects and put both the energies to work for the common goal.
• The ocean of milk is the mind or the human consciousness. The mind is like an ocean while the thoughts and emotions are the waves in the ocean.
• Mandhara, the mountain symbolises concentration. The word Mandhara is made up of two words Mana (mind) and Dhara (a single line) which means holding the mind in one line. This is possible only by concentration.
• Mount Mandhara was upheld by Lord Vishnu as a Kurma (tortoise). The tortoise here symbolises the withdrawal of the senses into oneself (just as a tortoise withdraws its head into its shell) as one practices mental concentration and meditation or contemplation.
• Vasuki symbolises desire. Vasuki used in the churning of the ocean denotes that the Devas and the demons held desire (to seek immortality) as a rope and churned the mind with the help of concentration and withdrawal of the senses. Desire, if not controlled will overpower and destroy an individual.
• The Halahala poison symbolises suffering and pain (counter-reaction of the mind and body) that one undergoes at the beginning of spiritual sadhana (practice). When the mind is subjected to intense concentration, the first thing that comes out of the process is intense suffering and great inner turmoil. These must be resolved otherwise further progress is not possible.
• Lord Shiva symbolises the ascetic principle. His role in this story as the consumer of poison suggests that one can deal with the early problems of spiritual life by cultivating the qualities of Lord Shiva, namely, courage, initiative, willingness, discipline, simplicity, austerity, detachment, compassion, pure love and asceticism.
• The various precious objects that come out of the ocean during the churning stand for the psychic or spiritual powers (Siddhis) which one gains as s/he progresses spiritually from stage to stage. The seeker should be careful about these powers as they can hamper her/his progress unless s/he uses them judiciously, not for selfish gains but for others’ welfare. This is the reason why the Gods and demons distributed these objects as they did not want to lose sight of their original aim which was to gain immortality.
• Dhanvantari symbolises health and signifies that immortality (longevity, to be correct) or spiritual success can be achieved only when the body and the mind are in a perfect state of health.
• Mohini symbolises delusion of the mind in the form of (or originating from) pride. It is the pride of achievement to which the asuras or the demons succumbed and thus lost sight of their goal. Pride and egoism are the last hurdles one has to overcome in spiritual life before experiencing self-realisation.
• The Amrit symbolises the ultimate achievement of the goal of self-realistion.

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”

“The mind is everything. What you think you become.”

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

“A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker. “

“A jug fills drop by drop.“

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him. “

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.“

“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.“

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. “

“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.“

“Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence. “

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.“

“Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.“

“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.“

“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.“

“Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.“

“Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.“

“He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.“

“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.“

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.“

“However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?“

“In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.“

“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then beleive them to be true.“

“It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.“

“It is better to travel well than to arrive.“

“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.“

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.“

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.“

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.“

“The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.“

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.“

“The tongue like a sharp knife… Kills without drawing blood.“

“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.“

“The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.“

“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.“

“There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it. “

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.“

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.“

“To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.“

“To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.“

“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.“