INSPIRATIONAL READINGS

One of master Gasan’s monks visited the university in Tokyo. When he returned, he asked the master if he had ever read the Christian Bible. “No,” Gasan replied, “Please read some of it to me.” The monk opened the Bible to the Sermon on the Mount in St. Matthew, and began reading. After reading Christ’s [...]

It is too clear and so it is hard to see. A dunce once searched for a fire with a lighted lantern. Had he known what fire was, He could have cooked his rice much sooner. -   Joshu Washes the Bowl, The Gateless Gate #7 Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, p. 176 Translated by Paul Reps [...]

“It is impossible to have perfect knowledge of every situation before making a decision, and we would paralyze ourselves if we insisted on it… Most of the mistakes he made in his life came from acting too hastily rather than too slowly. Don’t hurry, he would say; think, analyze, then act.” ~Richard Stengel, Mandela’s Way

“The sixth patriarch of Zen heard two monks arguing, one saying it is the flag moving, one saying it is the wind moving. As they argued ceaselessly back and forth like this, the patriarch said, “It is not the wind moving, it is not the flag moving–it is your minds moving.” Dogen

“All major religious traditions carry basically the same message; that is love, compassion and forgiveness the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.” Dalai Lama

“The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.” Thomas Merton quotes (American and Trappist Monk t Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey in Trappist, Kentucky, 1915-1968)

A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble. Mohandas Gandhi

“We are as selves quite like the flame of a candle. As wax melts near a lit wick and burns, it emits light near the tip of the candle that appears as a more-or-less fixed shape. It is this seemingly unchanging shape that we refer to as flame. What we call I is similar to [...]

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence.  When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.” Thich Nhat Hanh

“Meditation is an instrument or technique to shape or transform the mind. According to my own meager experience of meditation as a simple Buddhist monk, as I get older, even though many of the problems I face become more serious and my responsibilities become more challenging, my mind is becoming calmer.  The result of a [...]