5th Contemplation: The Certainty of Death | Great Middle Way

5th Contemplation: The Certainty of Death | Great Middle Way:

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Whoever has lived and will live

Must discard this body and depart.

Cognizant of death, the wise become realized.

They come to abide in the dharma

And practice.

All the transient beings that have lived

In the past have died.

All who will live in the future also will die.

Among those who presently live as well

No one will escape death.

From the time of my birth until today

How many who were close to me have died?

How many who were strangers or enemies have died?

There is no reason to be confident

That I shall remain when they have all departed.

I must quickly recognize the truth

That has been realized by the holy ones

Who exert themselves at every moment.

In this short life

I will no longer postpone spiritual practice

From avoidance or apathy.

4th Contemplation: The Importance of This Life | Great Middle Way

4th Contemplation: The Importance of This Life | Great Middle Way:

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2nd Contemplation: A Precious Human Birth | Great Middle Way

2nd Contemplation: A Precious Human Birth | Great Middle Way:
By Tashi Nyima in 'The Great Middle Way'

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I am now free of the eight unfavorable states:

birth as a hell being, a hungry ghost,

an animal, a demigod, or a god[1];

grossly wrong views[2];

an unsuitable location for the practice of the Dharma;

and defective sensual and mental functions.

I am now endowed with the ten necessary conditions.

The five inner endowments:

a human birth in a central location,

proper sensual and mental functions,

uncorrupted karma[3], and faith in the Three Jewels;

And the five outer endowments:

the Buddha has appeared and taught the Dharma,

the Lord’s teachings survive,

the Dharma has countless followers,

and many support the teachings.

A human life such as I have now obtained

will be extremely difficult to achieve in the future.

I will not waste it in meaningless pursuits.

I must use it in service to the Dharma.

---

[1] These are states of unimaginable suffering, constant hankering, stupidity, aggressive jealousy, and indolence.

[2] The grossly wrong views are (1) denying the law of karma, (2) despising the Three Jewels, and (3) denying rebirth.

[3] Uncorrupted karma consists of (1) not being intimately related to those who oppose the Dharma, and (2) not deriving one’s sustenance from unsuitable occupations, such as hunting and prostitution.

Tashi Nyima | October 27, 2011 at 8:51 AM | Categories: Lamrim | URL: http://wp.me/p17iwB-oR

Vajra Guru Mantra for Maddy

Calming mantra with great power.

Let it wash over you to heal the pain.

1 Guided Meditation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

If everything is emptiness | Great Middle Way

If everything is emptiness | Great Middle Way:

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In the auto-commentary to The Fourth Council, the Omniscient Dolpopa asks the proponents of self-emptiness (rangtongpas), with folded hands:

How is the realization that everything is empty of self not the same as no realization?

How is the explanation of everything as empty of self not the same as no explanation?

How is stating that everything is empty of self not the same as not stating anything?

These are not merely clever questions with a polemical intent. They are sincere questions that every advocate of the rangtong view must answer to his/her own satisfaction, or else abandon that view of radical self-emptiness, which is either dangerously close (and thus leading) to nihilism, or nihilism itself.

If everything, including Buddha nature, were self-empty, then there would be no difference between the absolute and the relative.

While advocating neither, the Protector Nagarjuna warned us that nihilism is worse than eternalism. The Great Madhyamaka is neither nihilist nor eternalist. It is the Great Middle, beyond all extremes.

Buddha Nature is empty of all that is imaginary and dependent, and it is full of the perfect qualities of ultimate reality: True Purity, True Self, True Bliss, and True Permanence.

Wisdom of the Buddha

Wise Words

 I thought these were really good. They were sent to me by a friend with stage 4 cancer.

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio . 1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone. 8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. 12. It's OK to let your children see you cry. 13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. 15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks. 16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. 19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. 20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. 21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special. 22. Over prepare, then go with the flow. 23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple. 24. The most important sex organ is the brain. 25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you. 26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?' 27. Always choose life. 28. Forgive everyone everything. 29. What other people think of you is none of your business. 30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time. 31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 33. Believe in miracles. 34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do. 35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. 36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young. 37. Your children get only one childhood. 38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. 39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. 40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back. 41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 42. The best is yet to come. 43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 44. Yield. 45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift." Its estimated 93% won't forward this. If you are one of the 7% who will, forward this with the title '7%'. I'm in the 7%. Friends are the family that we choose.

Nectar and fragrance | Great Middle Way

Nectar and fragrance | Great Middle Way:



 "Nectar and fragrance''
Posted on October 17, 2011 by Tashi Nyima

Whatever, after due examination and analysis,


you find to be kind, conducive to the good,


the benefit, and the welfare of all beings,


accept and subscribe to that view,


and take it as your guide.


As the bee collects nectar and fragrance,


so let the sage dwell on earth.


—Buddha Shakyamuni


"


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Negative Emotions are the True Enemy

The fundamental philosophical principle of Buddhism is that all our suffering comes about as a result of an undisciplined mind, and this untamed mind itself comes about because of ignorance and negative emotions. For the Buddhist practitioner then, regardless of whether he or she follows the approach of the Fundamental Vehicle, Mahayana or Vajrayana, negative emotions are always the true enemy, a factor that has to be overcome and eliminated. And it is only by applying methods for training the mind that these negative emotions can be dispelled and eliminated. This is why in Buddhist writings and teachings we find such an extensive explanation of the mind and its different processes and functions. Since these negative emotions are states of mind, the method or technique for overcoming them must be developed from within. There is no alternative. They cannot be
removed by some external technique, like a surgical operation."
from 'Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection'

Toto had a haircut

Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience.
It isn't more complicated that that.
It is opening to or recieving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is,
without either clinging to it or rejecting it.
Sylvia Boorstein

Profound truth | Great Middle Way

Profound truth | Great Middle Way:

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Profound truth

by Tashi Nyima

Profound truth, so difficult to perceive

and taxing to understand—

but tranquilizing and sublime—

is not to be gained by mere reasoning.

It is perceived only by wisdom.

—Buddha Shakyamuni

The end of suffering | Great Middle Way

The end of suffering | Great Middle Way:
Posted on October 12, 2011 by Tashi Nyima

 "The end of suffering''

For one who clings, agitation exists,

but for one who clings not, there is no agitation.

Where there is no agitation, there is stillness.

Where there is stillness, there is no craving.

Where there is no craving, there is neither coming nor going.

Where there is no coming or no going,

there is neither arising nor passing away.

Where there in no arising nor passing away,

there is neither this birth nor a birth beyond,

nor a state between births.

This, verily, is the end of suffering.

–Buddha Shakyamuni"

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Broken China

I think I love the broken china in its broken state.  - More than when it is pushed into a formal, useful art piece