no one left behind

2009-12-31T17:15:00.000-05:00

Character
To forgive and forget is to reflect love. Situations pass, they cease to exist, but they continue to be alive in the mind. Open your heart and be generous, free yourself from that sorrow, forgive and forget and you will live every moment in peace.

2009-12-31T16:48:00.001-05:00

Total negation is the essence of the positive. When there is negation of all those things that thought has brought about psychologically, only then is there love, which is compassion and intelligence.

~Jiddu Krishnamurti

2009-12-27T18:34:00.001-05:00

To find the universal elements enough;
to find the air and the water exhilarating;
to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter;
to be thrilled by the stars at night:
to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring...
these are some of the rewards of the simple life.

John Burroughs, 1837-1921

2009-12-27T16:41:00.000-05:00

The most valuable of yoga postures is to stand unshaken in calm inner serenity amidst the crash of breaking worlds.

-- Paramahansa Yogananda

2009-12-11T16:09:00.001-05:00

True compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason...Compassion without attachment is possible. Therefore, we need to clarify the distinctions between compassion and attachment. True compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason. Therefore, a truly compassionate attitude towards others does not change even if they behave negatively. Genuine compassion is based not on our own projections and expectations, but rather on the needs of the other...

~The Dalai Lama

2009-12-11T16:06:00.000-05:00

If there is love, there is hope that one may have real families, real brotherhood, real equanimity, real peace. If the love within your mind is lost and you see other beings as enemies, then no matter how much knowledge or education or material comfort you have, only suffering and confusion will ensue.

~The Dalai Lama

2009-11-22T02:38:00.001-05:00

Youthfulness is not determined by age. It is determined by one's life force. One who possesses hope is forever young. One who continually advances is forever beautiful.

Daisaku Ikeda
Japanese Author, Poet and Peace Activist

2009-11-16T15:31:00.000-05:00

Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially where the welfare of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict upon our soul when we look the other way.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1929-1968

2009-10-30T02:42:00.001-04:00

We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.

~The Buddha

2009-10-27T18:28:00.001-04:00

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.

~The Buddha

hear this and understand it. it is the way to TRUE ENLIGHTENMENT!!

2009-10-25T05:09:00.001-04:00

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

~The Buddha

2009-10-22T03:16:00.001-04:00

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.

~The Buddha

2009-10-19T18:16:00.000-04:00

Only a powerful soul can offer love. Only a powerful soul can afford to be humble. If we are weak, then we become selfish. If we are empty, we take; but if we are filled, we automatically give to all. That is our nature.

Dadi Prakashmani, 1922-2007
Indian Peace Activist and Spiritual Leader

2009-10-17T18:56:00.001-04:00

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

~The Buddha

2009-10-17T04:03:00.000-04:00

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.

~The Buddha

2009-09-19T18:47:00.000-04:00

Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.

~The Dhammapada

2009-09-16T01:31:00.000-04:00

There is an extremely easy way to become Buddha. Refraining from all evil, not clinging to birth and death, working in deep compassion for all sentient beings, respecting those over you and pitying those below you, without any detesting or desiring, worrying or lamentationthis is what is called Buddha. Do not search beyond it.

- by Zen Master Dogen

2009-09-15T04:03:00.001-04:00

Oh soul, you worry too much.
You have seen your own strength.
You have seen your own beauty.
You have seen your golden wings.
Of anything less, why do you worry?
You are in truth the soul, of the soul, of the soul.

Jalal al-Din Rumi, 1207-1273
13th Century Persian Poet

2009-09-10T01:50:00.000-04:00

"We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection."

~Dalai Lama

2009-08-30T18:34:00.000-04:00

"The main difference between us, Buddhism and other philosophies, is that we do not accept the notion of a living god, but rather that we are responsible for our future happiness."

~Tenzin Gyatso The 14th Dalai Lama

2009-08-15T21:38:00.001-04:00

The essence of love and compassion is understanding, the ability to recognize the physical, material, and psychological suffering of others, to put ourselves "inside the skin" of the other. We "go inside" their body, feelings, and mental formations, and witness for ourselves their suffering. Shallow observation as an outsider is not enough to see their suffering. We must become one with the subject of our observation. When we are in contact with another's suffering, a feeling of compassion is born in us. Compassion means, literally, "to suffer with."

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

2009-08-15T20:45:00.000-04:00

The layman Vimalakirti said, "Because the world is sick, I am sick. Because people suffer, I have to suffer." This statement was also made by the Buddha. Please don't think that because you are unhappy, because there is pain in your heart, that you cannot go to the Buddha. It is exactly because there is pain in your heart that communication is possible. Your suffering and my suffering are the basic condition for us to enter the Buddha's heart, and for the Buddha to enter our hearts.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

2009-08-12T02:54:00.001-04:00

He who treads the Path in earnest Sees not the mistakes of the world; If we find fault with others We ourselves are also in the wrong.

- The Sutra of Hui Neng

2009-08-09T18:02:00.000-04:00

Training is needed in order to love properly; and to be able to give happiness and joy, you must practice DEEP LOOKING directed toward the other person you love. Because if you do not understand this person, you cannot love properly. Understanding is the essence of love. If you cannot understand, you cannot love. That is the message of the Buddha.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

2009-08-09T17:53:00.000-04:00

Remember the clear light, the pure clear white light from which everything in the universe comes, to which everything in the universe returns; the original nature of your own mind. The natural state of the universe unmanifest. Let go into the clear light, trust it, merge with it. It is your own true nature, it is home.

- Tibetan Book of the Dead

2009-08-06T20:09:00.001-04:00

We really have to understand the person we want to love. If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love. If we only think of ourselves, if we know only our own needs and ignore the needs of the other person, we cannot love.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

2009-08-01T23:14:00.001-04:00

The best proof of love is trust.

- Joyce Brothers

2009-07-31T17:40:00.000-04:00

"The first virtue of all really great men is that they are sincere. They eradicate hypocrisy from their hearts." -- Anatole France

2009-07-29T02:56:00.001-04:00

Life's easy to live for someone unscrupulous, cunning as a crow, corrupt, back-biting, forward, & brash; But for someone who's constantly scrupulous, cautious, observant, sincere, pure in his livelihood, clean in his pursuits, it's hard.

- Dhammapada, 18, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

2009-07-27T21:58:00.001-04:00

And I saw the river
over which every soul
must pass
to reach the kingdom
of heaven
and the name of that river
was suffering:
and I saw a boat
which carries souls
across the river
and the name of that boat
was love.

Saint John of the Cross, 1542-1591
Spanish Mystic, Priest and Poet

2009-07-22T22:47:00.001-04:00

“For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.”

-Dr. Carl Sagan

2009-07-18T05:48:00.000-04:00

Think not of the faults of others, of what they have done or not done. Think rather of your own sins, of the things you have done or not done.

- Buddha

2009-07-13T18:43:00.000-04:00

“Hope is the companion of power, and mother of success; for who so hopes strongly has within him the gift of miracles.” -- Samuel Smiles

2009-07-12T00:51:00.000-04:00

What you are experiencing at this moment is the result of choices and decisions made in the past; what you will experience in the future depends on choices and decisions you make now. Happiness is a daily decision.

2009-07-07T15:30:00.000-04:00

Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: where we focus our attention.

- Greg Anderson

2009-06-22T14:37:00.000-04:00

When you realize where you come from, you naturally become tolerant, amused, kindhearted as a grandmother, and dignified as a king. Immersed in wonder, you can deal with whatever life brings you, and when death comes, you are ready.

Lao Tzu (Adapted)
Ancient Chinese Philosopher

2009-06-18T18:39:00.001-04:00

"Love doesn't need reason. It speaks from the irrational wisdom of the heart."

- Deepak Chopra

2009-06-16T00:09:00.000-04:00

I will greet this day with love in my heart. And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.

Og Mandino

2009-06-14T18:23:00.001-04:00

If we destroy something around us, we destroy ourselves. If we cheat another, we cheat ourselves.

~ Buddhist Saying

2009-06-13T21:07:00.001-04:00

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

~ Buddhist Saying

2009-06-11T02:21:00.001-04:00

"When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly." -- Barbara J. Winter

2009-06-04T13:05:00.001-04:00

Loss of mindfulness is why people engage in useless pursuits, do not care for their own interests, and remain unalarmed in the presence of things which actually menace their welfare.

Buddha

2009-05-27T12:10:00.001-04:00

An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.

~ Buddhist Saying

2009-05-26T23:02:00.001-04:00

Tough times never last, tough people do.

- Robert Schuller

2009-05-25T16:58:00.000-04:00

He who seeks happiness should withdraw the arrow; his own lamentations, longings and grief. With the arrow withdrawn, unattached, he would attain to peace of mind; and when all sorrow has been...

- Sutta Nipata

2009-05-25T15:42:00.000-04:00

"If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, then the world is yours and all that's in it." -- Rudyard Kipling

2009-05-24T20:08:00.001-04:00

Pay no attention to the faults of others,
things done or left undone by others.
Consider only what by oneself is done or left undone.

Buddhist Saying

2009-05-06T16:57:00.000-04:00

The most valuable learning is not about memorizing facts and figures. It is not about higher grade point averages and accumulating degrees. It is about life itself, and its impact is on the heart.

- Rodney Smith

2009-05-05T23:13:00.001-04:00

The best of all true things
is a true heart.
Without truth no happiness,
though you try
a million tricks.

- Kabir, a medieval poet-saint of India

2009-05-03T19:06:00.001-04:00

"To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never, to forget."
- Arundhati Roy

2009-05-03T19:01:00.000-04:00

My heart is so small
it's almost invisible.
How can You place such big sorrows in it?
"Look," He answered,
"your eyes are even smaller,
yet they behold the world."

Jalal ad-Din Rumi, 1207-1273

2009-04-29T17:47:00.000-04:00

In studying ourselves,
we find the harmony
that is our total existence.
We do not make harmony.
We do not achieve it or gain it.
It is there all the time.
Here we are, in the midst of this perfect way,
and our practice is simply to realize it and then
to actualize it
in our everyday life.

- Maezumi Roshi

2009-04-29T17:19:00.000-04:00

Make a gift of your life and lift all mankind by being kind, considerate, forgiving, and compassionate at all times, in all places, and under all conditions, with everyone as well as yourself. This is the greatest gift anyone can give.

David R. Hawkins
American Doctor, Author and Spiritual Teacher

2009-04-18T17:42:00.001-04:00

The Wonder of Silence
The disease of anger needs the medicine of tolerance; the pain of disappointment needs the medicine of hope; the violence of revenge and spite needs forgiveness; fear needs courage, ego needs self-respect. Through inner silence we receive the strength to heal.

2009-04-18T17:26:00.000-04:00

"The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance." -- Nathaniel Braden

"We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation." -- Jim Rohn

2009-04-14T17:22:00.000-04:00

Flow with whatever may happen
and let your mind be free;
Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing.
This is the ultimate.

-Chuang Tsu

2009-04-13T13:30:00.000-04:00

The fool who thinks he is a fool is for that very reason a wise man;
But the fool who thinks he is a wise man is rightly called a fool.

-Dhammapada 63

2009-04-13T13:18:00.001-04:00

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." -- Albert Einstein

2009-04-05T00:04:00.001-04:00

Thus shall ye think of this fleeting world:
A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream;
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud;
A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.

-Diamond Sutra

2009-04-04T23:14:00.000-04:00

BELIEF
"It is not so much what you believe in that matters, as the way in which you believe it and proceed to translate that belief into action." -- Lin Yutang

2009-04-01T17:21:00.001-04:00

You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously.
You will find peace not in denial, but in victory.

J. Donald Walters
American Yogi, Author and Spiritual Teacher

2009-03-30T16:53:00.001-04:00

"Man's greatest actions are performed in minor struggles. Life, misfortune, isolation, abandonment and poverty are battlefields which have their heroes - obscure heroes who are at times greater than illustrious heroes." -- Victor Hugo

2009-03-24T14:23:00.002-04:00

Contentment
The more positive the thoughts flowing through your mind, the more contented you will feel. It is easy to feel contented when you are praised and appreciated but to remain contented when we are being critised and rejected is the mark of real spiritual strength. The way to develop this level of strength is to learn about the way of loving. Only when you are in deep contemplation can you see the kind of love you need to express so that you yourself never reject or critise and always generate good wishes for others. Only then will you feel satisfied with whatever life throws at you.

2009-03-13T14:58:00.000-04:00

If you want the truth,
I’ll tell you the truth:
Listen to the secret sound,
the real sound,
which is inside you.

Kabir, 1440-1518
Indian Poet and Mystic

2009-03-07T16:34:00.000-05:00

Love me without fear
Trust me without questions
Need me without demanding
Want me without restrictions
Accept me without change
Desire me without inhibitions

For a love so free
Will never fly away

*Dick Sotpher*

2009-03-07T15:22:00.000-05:00

Whatever living beings there may be--feeble or strong, small or large, seen or unseen, those who live far or those near, those who are born and those who are yet to be born--may all beings, without exception, experience a happy mind.

Let one not deceive another nor despise any person whatever in any place. In anger or ill will let one not wish any harm to another.

Let one's thoughts of boundless love pervade the whole world without any obstruction, without any hatred, without any enmity.

-Samyutta Nikaya

2009-03-06T15:16:00.000-05:00

The pain, the discomfort, the sickness are what they are. We can always cope with the way life moves and changes. The mind of an enlightened human being is flexible and adaptable. The mind of the ignorant person is conditioned and fixed.

-Ajahn Sumedho,

2009-03-03T15:28:00.001-05:00

Balance
The indication of balance in life is a sense of well-being, optimism and a clear conscience. The foundation for achieving this is to look after myself spiritually - making my mind peaceful, loving and thoughtful at all times. Then I will instinctively know how much time to spend on my own well-being and how much on fulfilling other responsibilities. I can only give my best to others when I am myself at my best.

2009-03-03T15:23:00.000-05:00

Never Battle
Never fight. Nothing is worth fighting for. Wisdom never fights, it waits patiently, speaks positively, releases easily, sees benefit in everything and envisions a future of abundance...knowing that all needs will be met at the right moment, in the right way. If you think life is a struggle you will always be struggling, If you think life is a breeze, your attitudes and actions will convey lightness and easiness. And that's what attracts everything you need, and much more. Make today a breeze not a battle.

2009-01-28T16:45:00.000-05:00

Irrigators guide the water.
Fletchers shape the arrow shaft.
Carpenters shape the wood.
The wise control themselves.

-Dhammapada, 6, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

2009-01-20T14:55:00.000-05:00

If there is light in the soul
There will be beauty in the person.
If there is beauty in the person
There will be harmony in the house.
If there is harmony in the house
There will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation
There will be peace in the world.

Chinese Proverb

2009-01-17T20:27:00.000-05:00

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

~Buddha

2009-01-10T15:38:00.001-05:00

Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.
--Sigmund Freud

2008-12-22T23:02:00.000-05:00

Integrity
When the thoughts we think are the same as the words we speak, others will feel our integrity.

2008-12-18T17:37:00.001-05:00

IGNORANCE
As a Buddhist monk my concern extends to all members of the human family and, indeed, to all sentient beings who suffer. I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their own happiness or satisfaction.

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, Oslo, December 1989

2008-12-17T17:28:00.000-05:00

PEACE
"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."

2008-12-17T16:48:00.001-05:00

AFTER AWHILE YOU LEARN

After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand
and chaining a soul.
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't mean security.
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises.
And you begin to accept your defeats with your head up
and your eyes ahead with the grace of a woman or a man,
not the grief of a child, and learn to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you ask too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure that you really are strong
and you really do have worth.
And you learn, you learn.. with every goodbye
you learn.........

2008-12-15T19:04:00.000-05:00

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.
Without them humanity cannot survive.

- His Holiness the Dalai Lama

2008-12-12T14:20:00.000-05:00

Just as sharp-bladed grass,
if wrongly held,
wounds the very hand that holds it--
the contemplative life, if wrongly grasped,
drags you down to hell.

-Dhammapada, 22

2008-12-10T16:06:00.000-05:00

The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.

Rachel Naomi Remen, MD
American Author, Storyteller and Medical Doctor

2008-12-04T00:12:00.000-05:00

YES WE CAN!
-barack obama-
11-04-2008

2008-12-04T00:09:00.000-05:00

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these. ”

- George Washington Carver -

2008-12-03T13:29:00.000-05:00

Anything in life that we don't accept will simply make trouble for us until we make peace with it.
Shakti Gawain

2008-12-01T18:29:00.000-05:00

If, in your course, you don’t meet
your equal, your better,
then continue your course
firmly,
alone.
There’s no fellowship with fools.

-Dhammapada, 6, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

2008-11-18T16:05:00.001-05:00

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.

~ Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama ~

2008-11-11T16:56:00.001-05:00

"Until he extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace."

- Albert Schweitzer, physician/Nobel Laureate.

2008-11-05T15:06:00.001-05:00

"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment." -- Henry David Thoreau

2008-10-31T14:14:00.001-04:00

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
Nelson Mandela

2008-10-30T19:40:00.000-04:00

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life.

John Burroughs, 1837-1921
American Naturalist and Essayist

2008-10-29T17:44:00.000-04:00

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

2008-10-25T18:56:00.000-04:00

Talking comes by nature, silence by wisdom.

2008-10-24T14:35:00.001-04:00

"To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this, you need to experience solitude, which most people are afraid of, because in the silence you hear the truth and know the solutions."

- Deepak Chopra

2008-10-22T16:08:00.000-04:00

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

2008-10-18T14:25:00.000-04:00

Love is the ocean which accepts all manner of rivers without questioning their origin.

2008-10-13T23:25:00.000-04:00

"I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand."
-- Baruch Spinoza

2008-10-11T17:30:00.000-04:00

Move through life with lightness, touching the hearts of others without leaving a mark.

2008-06-28T16:32:00.001-04:00

"We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive."
--Albert Einstein

2008-06-28T15:54:00.000-04:00

Meditate on that which is beyond words and symbols. Forsake the demands of the self. By such forsaking you will live serenely.

-Sutta Nipata

2008-06-03T21:03:00.002-04:00

Come, be with me. Let your mind
Float free across the space of our separation.
Let it join with mine for an eternal moment.
Who are better joined?
Those who are together, each thinking
Of other people in other places?
Or we,who are in other places
Thinking of each other?
- Leonard Nimoy

2008-06-03T14:23:00.001-04:00

General standards of human rights apply to the people of all countries because, regardless of their cultural background, all humans share an inherent yearning for freedom, equality and dignity. Democracy and respect for fundamental human rights are as important to Africans and Asians as they are to Europeans and Americans.

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama, "Harvard International Review," 1995