You Are IT

The human mind has the tendency to manufacture concepts and beliefs in relationship to things that are inherently transcendental. This often leads us to suffer the old curse of “mistaking the finger pointing to the moon for the moon itself.”

The cause of this mistaken perception is the ego, since the ego’s only occupation is to sustain its flimsy existence or world of illusion. It always tries its best to create hindrances to the realization of truth.

-Tulku Thubten Rinpoche

Tao follows the way of the watercourse

As the heart/mind through meditation

Returns to the sea

Life is a garden,
not a road.
We enter and exit
through the same gate
wandering.
Where we go matters less
than what we notice.

— Bokonon

Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.

– Hans Margolius

Whenever there is attachment in my mind
And whenever there is the desire to be angry,
I should not do anything nor say anything,
But remain like a piece of wood.

Whenever I have distracted thoughts, the wish to verbally belittle others, Feelings of self-importance and self-satisfaction;
When I have the intention to describe the faults of others,
Pretension and the thoughts to deceive others;

Whenever I am eager for praise
Or have the desire to blame others;
Whenever I have the wish to speak harshly and cause dispute; At (all) such times I should remain like a piece of wood.

– Shantideva

No one imagines that symphony is supposed to improve as it goes along, or that the whole object of playing is to reach the finale. The point of music is discovered in every moment of playing and listening to it. It is the same, I feel, with the greater part of our lives, and if we are unduly absorbed in improving them we may forget altogether to live them.

— Alan Watts

Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.

~ Luke 9:58

The holy man is beyond time, he does not depend on any view nor subscribe to any sect; all current theories he understands, but he remains unattached to any of them.

– Buddha

Having mastered the body through the Yogic teachings so that it becomes a fit habitation for the soul; having the senses, emotions and mind under control, the wise person discards the wornout sheaths of desire, fear and confusion and passes into the state of enlightenment and freedom.

– Bhagavad Gita

We can reject everything else: religion, ideology, all received wisdom. But we cannot escape the necessity of love and compassion. This, then, is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple.

The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need. So long as we practice these in our daily lives, then no matter if we are learned or unlearned, whether we believe in Buddha or God, or follow some other religion or none at all, as long as we have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility, there is no doubt we will be happy.

– Dalai Lama