From cgimian at suchns.com Wed Jan 4 05:42:51 2006 From: cgimian at suchns.com (Carolyn Gimian) Date: Wed Jan 4 05:43:03 2006 Subject: [OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: The Mark of Perfect Practice Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20060104062800.0383b6c0@pop3.suchns.com> Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week January 4, 2006 THE MARK OF PERFECT PRACTICE A mind training slogan and commentary: If you can practice even when distracted, you are well trained. Commentary: Whenever there is the sudden glimpse or sudden surprise of losing one's grip, that seeming fear of losing the grip of one's reality can be included properly [in one's practice.]....It is not your chauvinistic trip, that you are a fantastically powerful and strong person and also have a sense of mindfulness taking place all the time. But when something hits you, which is a result of unmindfulness, then suddenly that unmindfulness creates a reminder automatically. So you actually get back on track, so to speak, able to handle your life. We begin to realize that we can practice in spite of our wandering thoughts.... For instance, if you are a good rider, your mind might be wandering, but you will not fall off your horse. In other words, even if you are drifting off, if that process of drifting off can bring you back, that is the mark of perfect practice. From TRAINING THE MIND: and Cultivating Loving Kindness, edited by Judith Lief. Shambhala Library Edition, pages 138-141. Slogans translated by Chogyam Trungpa and the Nalanda Translation Committee. All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission. Please send comments on and contributions to OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK to the list moderator, Carolyn Gimian at: carolyn@shambhala.com. OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK now has 3,790 subscribers. Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources. TO SUBSCRIBE visit the Chogyam Trungpa website at http://chogyamtrungpa.com OR go to http://oceanofdharma.com From cgimian at suchns.com Sat Jan 7 19:59:25 2006 From: cgimian at suchns.com (Carolyn Gimian) Date: Sat Jan 7 19:59:37 2006 Subject: [OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Compassion without Ground Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20060107205504.0357a4c8@pop3.suchns.com> Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week January 7, 2006 COMPASSION WITHOUT GROUND In order to have an affectionate attitude to somebody else, you have to be without ground to begin with. Otherwise you become an egomaniac, trying to attract people out of your seduction and passion alone, or your arrogance. Compassion develops from shunyata [emptiness], or non-ground, because you have nothing to hold onto, nothing to work with, no project, no personal gain, no ulterior motives. Therefore, whatever you do is a clean job, so to speak. So compassion and shunyata work together. It is like sunning yourself at the beach: for one thing you have a beautiful view of the sea and ocean and sky and everything, and there is also sunlight and heat and the ocean coming toward you. From TRAINING THE MIND: and Cultivating Loving Kindness, edited by Judith Lief. Shambhala Library Edition, pages 130. Slogans translated by Chogyam Trungpa and the Nalanda Translation Committee. All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission. Please send comments on and contributions to OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK to the list moderator, Carolyn Gimian at: carolyn@shambhala.com. OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK now has 3,797 subscribers. Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources. TO SUBSCRIBE visit the Chogyam Trungpa website at http://chogyamtrungpa.com OR go to http://oceanofdharma.com From cgimian at suchns.com Wed Jan 11 21:30:10 2006 From: cgimian at suchns.com (Carolyn Gimian) Date: Wed Jan 11 21:30:21 2006 Subject: [OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Absorb the Blame Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20060111222226.03ca7008@pop3.suchns.com> Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week January 11, 2006 ABSORB THE BLAME A mind training slogan and commentary: Drive all blames into one. Abridged Commentary: You actually might say: "Okay, the blame is mine." Once you begin to do that, it is the highest and most powerful logic, the most powerful incantation you can make. Your can absorb the poison -- then the rest of the situation becomes medicine. If nobody is willing to absorb the blame, it becomes a big international football....Everybody tries to pass it on to each other and nothing happens. As far as international politics is concerned, somebody is always trying to put the blame on somebody else, to pass that huge, overbuilt, gooey, dirty, smelly, gigantic football with all sort of worms coming out of it. People say, "It's not mine, it's yours."....So even from the point of view of political theory -- if there is such a thing as politics in Buddhism -- it is important for individuals to absorb unjustified blame and to work with that. It is very important and necessary. From TRAINING THE MIND: and Cultivating Loving Kindness, edited by Judith Lief. Shambhala Library Edition, pages 65, 71-72. Slogans translated by Chogyam Trungpa and the Nalanda Translation Committee. All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission. Please send comments on and contributions to OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK to the list moderator, Carolyn Gimian at: carolyn@shambhala.com. OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK now has 3,809 subscribers. Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources. TO SUBSCRIBE visit the Chogyam Trungpa website at http://chogyamtrungpa.com OR go to http://oceanofdharma.com From cgimian at suchns.com Mon Jan 16 15:42:24 2006 From: cgimian at suchns.com (Carolyn Gimian) Date: Mon Jan 16 15:42:43 2006 Subject: [OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Idiot Compassion Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20060116163556.04215ba8@pop3.suchns.com> Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week January 16, 2006 IDIOT COMPASSION Student: Could you briefly describe idiot compassion? Chogyam Trungpa: Idiot compassion is the highly conceptualized idea that you want to do good....Of course, [according to the mahayana teachings of Buddhism] you should do everything for everybody; there is no selection involved at all. But that doesn't mean to say that you have to be gentle all the time. Your gentleness should have heart, strength. In order that your compassion doesn't become idiot compassion, you have to use your intelligence. Otherwise, there could be self-indulgence of thinking that you are creating a compassionate situation when in fact you are feeding the other person's aggression. If you go to a shop and the shopkeeper cheats you and you go back and let him cheat you again, that doesn't seem to be a very healthy thing to do for others. From GLIMPSES OF MAHAYANA in THE COLLECTED WORKS OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, Volume Two: pages 407-408, 410. All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission. Please send comments on and contributions to OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK to the list moderator, Carolyn Gimian at: carolyn@shambhala.com. OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK now has 3,827 subscribers. Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources. TO SUBSCRIBE visit the Chogyam Trungpa website at http://chogyamtrungpa.com OR go to http://oceanofdharma.com From cgimian at suchns.com Thu Jan 19 20:19:21 2006 From: cgimian at suchns.com (Carolyn Gimian) Date: Thu Jan 19 20:19:42 2006 Subject: [OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Openness Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20060119211230.042f9728@pop3.suchns.com> Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week January 19, 2006 OPENNESS The paramita [or the practice] of generosity is symbolized by a wish-fulfilling jewel. The Tibetan word for generosity, jinpa, means giving, opening or parting. So the notion of generosity means not holding back but giving constantly. Generosity is self-existing openness, complete openness. You are no longer subject to cultivating your own scheme or project. And the best way to open yourself up is to make friends with yourself and with others. From TRAINING THE MIND: and Cultivating Loving Kindness, edited by Judith Lief. Shambhala Library Edition, page 9. Slogans translated by Chogyam Trungpa and the Nalanda Translation Committee. All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission. Please send comments on and contributions to OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK to the list moderator, Carolyn Gimian at: carolyn@shambhala.com. OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK now has 3,836 subscribers. Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources. TO SUBSCRIBE visit the Chogyam Trungpa website at http://chogyamtrungpa.com OR go to http://oceanofdharma.com From cgimian at suchns.com Tue Jan 24 08:10:31 2006 From: cgimian at suchns.com (Carolyn Gimian) Date: Tue Jan 24 08:10:44 2006 Subject: [OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Relating to Confused Emotions Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20060124090432.042f9728@pop3.suchns.com> Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week January 24, 2006 RELATING TO CONFUSED EMOTIONS The essence of samsara [confused existence] is found in the misunderstandings of bewilderment, passion, and aggression, so the situation also provides the possible means of eliminating their aggravations. Unless you relate to these as path -- understanding them, working with them, treading on them -- you do not discover the goal. So therefore, as Buddha says, "Suffering should be realized, the origin should be overcome and, by that, cessation should be realized because the path should be seen as the truth." Seeing the truth as it is, is the goal as well as the path. For that matter, discovering the truth of samsara IS the discovery of nirvana [liberation], for truth does not depend on other formulae or alternative answers. The reality of samsara is equally the reality of nirvana. This truth is seen as one truth without relativity. From "The Wheel of Life" in THE COLLECTED WORKS OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, Volume Two: page 483. All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission. Please send comments on and contributions to OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK to the list moderator, Carolyn Gimian at: carolyn@shambhala.com. OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK now has 3,851 subscribers. Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources. TO SUBSCRIBE visit the Chogyam Trungpa website at http://chogyamtrungpa.com OR go to http://oceanofdharma.com From cgimian at suchns.com Sat Jan 28 16:57:50 2006 From: cgimian at suchns.com (Carolyn Gimian) Date: Sat Jan 28 16:58:05 2006 Subject: [OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: The Truth of Suffering Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20060128175208.03680ae0@pop3.suchns.com> Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week January 28, 2006 THE TRUTH OF SUFFERING We must work with our fears, frustrations, disappointments, and irritations, the painful aspects of life. People complain that Buddhism is an extremely gloomy religion because it emphasizes suffering and misery. Usually religions speak of beauty, song, ecstasy, bliss. But according to Buddha, we must begin by seeing the experience of life as it is. We must see the truth of suffering, the reality of dissatisfaction. We cannot ignore it and attempt to examine only the glorious, pleasurable aspects of life....So all sects and schools of Buddhism agree that we must begin by facing the reality of our living situations. We cannot begin by dreaming. From THE MYTH OF FREEDOM and the Way of Meditation, Shambhala Library Edition, pages 3-4. All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission. Please send comments on and contributions to OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK to the list moderator, Carolyn Gimian at: carolyn@shambhala.com. OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK now has 3,873 subscribers. Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources. TO SUBSCRIBE visit the Chogyam Trungpa website at http://chogyamtrungpa.com OR go to http://oceanofdharma.com From cgimian at suchns.com Tue Jan 31 06:46:17 2006 From: cgimian at suchns.com (Carolyn Gimian) Date: Tue Jan 31 06:50:43 2006 Subject: [OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Doing Nothing Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20060131073554.0375d5b8@pop3.suchns.com> Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week January 31, 2006 DOING NOTHING In Buddhism, we express our willingness to be realistic through the practice of meditation. Meditation is not a matter of trying to achieve ecstasy, spiritual bliss, or tranquillity, nor is it attempting to become a better person. It is simply the creation of a space in which we are able to expose and undo our neurotic games, our self-deceptions, our hidden fears and hopes. We provide space through the simple discipline of doing nothing. Actually, doing nothing is very difficult. At first, we must begin by approximating doing nothing, and gradually our practice will develop. So meditation is a way of churning out the neuroses of mind and using them as part of our practice. Like manure, we do not throw our neuroses away, but we spread them in our garden. They become part of our richness. From THE MYTH OF FREEDOM and the Way of Meditation, Shambhala Library Edition, page 4. All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission. Please send comments on and contributions to OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK to the list moderator, Carolyn Gimian at: carolyn@shambhala.com. OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK now has 3,881 subscribers. Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources. TO SUBSCRIBE visit the Chogyam Trungpa website at http://chogyamtrungpa.com OR go to http://oceanofdharma.com