Light another's latern, brightens your own way

Nichiren writes, "If you light a lantern for another, it will also brighten your own way." Please be confident that the higher your flame of altruistic action burns, the more its light will suffuse your life with happiness. Those who possess an altruistic spirit are the happiest people of all.

Life is so short...

"Life is too short to wake up with regrets.  So love the people who treat you right.  Forget about those who don't.  Believe everything happens for a reason.  If you get a chance, take it.  If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would most likely be worth it."

 

 

 

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle"

 

“To the world, you might be one person, but, to one person, you might be the world!”

 

“Live well, Love Much, Laugh OFTEN”…

 

Cultivate Happiness

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, 
and the life of the candle will not be shortened. 
Happiness never decreases by being shared.

 

~B

Live in Joy

Live in Joy, In love, 
Even among those who hate. 

Live in joy, In health, 
Even among the afflicted. 

Live in joy, In peace, 
Even among the troubled. 

Look within. Be still. 
Free from fear and attachment, 
Know the sweet joy of living in the way.        

b

Sift speech through a sieve

"The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve. - B"

Calmness

"We say, 'In calmness there should be activity; ' in activity there should be calmness.' Actually, they are the same thing; to say 'calmness' or to say 'activity' is just to express different interpretations of one fact. There is harmony in our activity, and where there is harmony there is calmness.
- D.T. Suzuki..."

Be wise, disciplined and non-violent and you will find peace. Be aware both night and day, continue your practice, and you will attain Nirvana. - B

We are molded by out thoughts...

"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."
b

Ego

"The Saint is a man who disciplines his ego. The Sage is a man who rids himself of his ego."

- Fingers Pointing Toward the Moon

Google Reader

"Despite the appearance of being separate individuals, we are all connected to patterns of intelligence governing the cosmos. - Deepak Chopra"

Never fear...depend on no one

"The whole secret of existence is to
have no fear. Never fear what will
become of you, depend on no one.
Only the moment you
reject all help are you freed."

~B

Love yourself first

"You yourself, as much as anybody
in the entire universe,
deserve your love and affection."

~B

Formula for success

It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure.

- Tom Watson, founder of IBM

New work mantra

Work whenever and wherever you want, but get your work done.

Timothy Ferriss

A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.

Henry David Thoreau

Work

Work spares us from three evils:
Boredom
Excess
Vice.

Voltaire

Bliss is the Absence of pain and pleasure

"On the phenomenal plane we seek pleasure and the avoidance of pain. On the noumenal plane we know the absence of both - which is Bliss."

- Why Lazurus Laughed by Wei Wu Wei

Have faith

I hope your day ended up with you being able to achieve the things most important to you.  If not, then there is another plan already in place.  Have faith.

 

Frank Peck

 

 

 

 

Be friends with your enemies

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

Sun Tzu, 400 BC

If you're praying, you are not worrying

If you are worrying, you are not praying.
If you are praying, you are not worrying.

Moses Moore

Work on yourself first

No one can please everyone. Your mental peace is more important. If you are in peace, then others around you will feel peace. So your best effort should be to work on yourself."

~Baba Hari Dass

Lets do this

Let's do this like Buddhists cause we've been through this.

Moses at Court

Selflessness, self-mastery, service, awareness, non-attachment...

The greatest achievement is selflessness. The greatest worth is self-mastery. The greatest quality is seeking to serve others. The greatest precept is continual awareness. The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything. The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways. The greatest magic is transmuting the passions. The greatest generosity is non-attachment. The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind. The greatest patience is humility. The greatest effort is not concerned with results. The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go. The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances. - Atisha ...

Laugh

Once we can laugh at something it ceases to have power over us. - Roberto Benigni

Our Father

 

"Some one once said that every man is trying to either live up to his father's achievements or make up for his mistakes.'' 

Barack Hussein Obama

Infinite

If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.   William Blake...

One word

Better than a thousand hollow words,
Is one word that brings peace."

~B

Meditate therein day and night

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

- Joshua 1:8

 

Enlightened Perspective

ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE

Written by Andy Rooney, a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words.

 

I've learned....That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand. 

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned... That life is tough , but I'm tougher.

I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

My dog digs the outer

My dog digs the outer banks

"Learn From the past, watch the present and create the future"  Jesse Conrad and Jeff Schneider

 

Control the breath, control the mind

"When the breath wanders the mind also is unsteady. But when the breath is calmed the mind too will be still, and the yogi achieves long life. Therefore, one should learn to control the breath. "

~Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Once you realize you are not present...

Once you realize you are not present, you are present.

E Tolle

Go on your way alone

But if you do not find an intelligent companion, a wise and well-behaved person going the same way as yourself, then go on your way alone, like a king abandoning a conquered kingdom, or like a great elephant in the deep forest. - B

 

Chose laughter over tears

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.

  - Kurt Vonnegut

Thinking makes it so

There is nothing neither good nor bad but thinking makes it so.

Hamlet

Forgo your anger for a moment

Forgo your anger for a moment and save yourself a hundred days of trouble.

Chinese Proverb

Just a billion?

A.

A billion seconds ago it was 1959. 

B.

A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive. 

C.

A billion hours ago our ancestors were 
living in the Stone Age. 

D.

A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet. 

E.

A billion dollars ago was only

8 hours and 20 minutes,

at the rate our government

is spending it.

 

While this thought is still fresh in our brain...

let's take a look at New Orleans ....

 It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division.

 

Louisiana Senator,

Mary Landrieu (D)

is presently asking Congress for

250  BILLION DOLLARS

to rebuild New Orleans .  Interesting number...

what does it mean? 

A.

Well... if you are one of the 484,674 residents of  New Orleans

(every man, woman, and child)

you each get $516,528.

B.

Or... if you have one of the 188,251 homes in 
New Orleans , your home gets  $1,329,787. 

C.

Or... if you are a family of four...

 your family gets  $2,066,012.

Washington, D. C

 

< HELLO! >

Are all your calculators broken??

Accounts Receivable Tax 
Building Permit Tax 
CDL License Tax 
Cigarette Tax 
Corporate Income Tax 
Dog License Tax 
Federal Income Tax < BR>Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) 
Fishing License Tax 
Food License Tax 
Fuel Permit Tax 
Gasoline Tax 
Hunting License Tax 
Inheritance Tax 
Inventory Tax 
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax) 
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax) 
Liquor Tax 
Luxury Tax 
Marriage License Tax 
Medicare Tax 
Property Tax 
Real Estate Tax 
Service charge taxes 
Social Security Tax 
Road Usage Tax (Truckers) 
Sales Taxes 
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax  
State Income Tax  
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA) 
Telephone Federal Excise Tax 
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax 
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Ta x 
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax  
Telephone State and Local Tax 
Telephone Usage Charge Tax 
Utility Tax 
Vehicle License Registration Tax 
Vehicle Sales Tax 
Watercraft Registration Tax 
Well Permit Tax 
Workers Compensation Tax 

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago...
and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.

We had absolutely no national debt...

We had the largest middle class in the world...

and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. 

What happened?

Can you spell 'politicians!' 

And I still have to

press "1"

for English. 

I hope this goes around the

USA

at least 100 times 

What the heck happened?????

 

 

 

Dance in the rain

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.....It's about learning to Dance in the rain!

 

Ann Robins

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle...

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

 

"To the world, you might be one person, but, to one person, you might be the world!"

 

"Live well, Love Much, Laugh OFTEN"…

 

"Life is too short to wake up with regrets.  So love the people who treat you right.  Forget about those who don't.  Believe everything happens for a reason.  If you get a chance, take it.  If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would most likely be worth it."

 

Blessed

If I get up in the morning, I have been blessed.

Liz, Williamsburg, age 77, survivor of 30 years alchoholism, suicidal attempts, cancer, working full time.

Work

Work flows to those who do it.

Horace Fralin

Leadership

A leader is best when people barely know that he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worst when they despise him. Fail to honor people, They fail to honor you. But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aims fulfilled, they will all say, "We did this ourselves."

The infinite

The universe is deathless; Is deathless because, having no finite self, it stays infinite. A sound man by not advancing himself stays the further ahead of himself, By not confining himself to himself sustains himself outside himself: By never being an end in himself he endlessly becomes himself.

• He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know.

• He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.

• He who obtains has little; he who scatters has much.

• I am not at all interested in immortality, only in the taste of tea.

 

Since before time and space were,
the Tao is.
It is beyond is and is not.
How do I know this is true?
I look inside myself and see.

Mastering yourself

Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.

 

Laozi

A journey of a thousand miles started with a first step.

The true traveler has no itinerary, nor no designated time of arrival.

ihttp://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Laozi

Laozi

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Laoz

Einstein's realization

The belief in an external world independent of the perceiving subject is the basis of all natural science. Since, however, sense perception only gives information of this external world or of "physical reality" indirectly, we can only grasp the latter by speculative means. It follows from this that our notions of physical reality can never be final. We must always be ready to change these notions - that is to say, the axiomatic basis of physics - in order to do justice to perceived facts in the most perfect way logically. -Einstein ...

Pray continuously

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving. 

Colossians 4:2

When God Paints

 

'The Day God Dropped the Paint Box'. This is a real place outside Bakersfield , California     When God Paints...           We live in an awesome world. Make it an awesome day. Peace To All and May God Bless You. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Apology

An apology is a good way to have the last word.

Crewe Baptist Church

Say much little

 

Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the greatest speeches in the history of America 130 years ago.

Total words: 272

100 Billion

There are 100 Billion stars in our medium size galaxy.  To count to 100 Billion would take 3,000 years nonstop, and then some.  There are 100 Billion galaxies in our Universe.

When you come to a fork in the road...

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.

Warren Buffet, quoting Yogi Bear

 

T

Light that is within

 “Yes, you do light up a room! “

 

 

“You just aren't too hard to love.  Thanks for being who you are.  You do light up a room when you come in.  Smiling when you arrive is what everybody does.”  THE Pastor Chip

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.

Colossians 4:2

To heal the mind...

"In the West, the word meditation means a concentrated state of mind in serious reflection. The Latin root of the word meditation, mederi, means "to heal." It is an effort to heal afflictions of the mind, the hurt ego, by trying to understand the cause of the problem and finding a way to solve it, that is, by knowing what counter-measures to take. To meditate thus, is to deepen a state of understanding"  

 

Shivapremananda

--
.

You deserve love

'You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection’. - B

Human stupidity

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity...and

I'm not sure about the universe.
- Albert Einstein

Partnership

Some think competition.  We think partnership.

JEFFERSON

Thomas JEFFERSON, who lived to be 83 when life expectancy was 40, walked 4 miles every day.

Nothing we do lacks importance

No matter what one does, whether one's deeds serve virtue or vice, nothing lacks importance. All actions bear a kind of fruit. 

– B Courtesy of Dr. Jeanne Yetz

 

 

 

 

 

This is the way of peace: "Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love."

 - Peace Pilgrim...

Puprpose of life is to be happy

Whether we are rich or poor, educated or uneducated, whatever our nationality, color, social status, or ideology may be, the purpose of our lives is to be happy.

~Tenzin Gyatso

Everything springs only from yourself

When you think everything is someone else´s fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself, you will learn both peace and joy. Pride leads to violence and evil. The truly good gaze upon everything with love and understanding.

~Tenzin Gyatso

Awareness

Once you are living your life in awareness, it will be as though you stand high above others, witnessing their suffering, while you do not suffer at all. - B

Running

"I run because it's my passion, and not just a sport. Every time I walk out of the door, I know why I'm going where I'm going and I'm already focused on that special place where I find my peace and solitude. Running, to me, is more than just a physical exercise...."

Sasha Azevedo

Devote yourselves to prayer

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving. 

Colossians 4:2 

Lance Armstrong

"I take nothing for granted. I now only have good days or great days."

- Lance Armstrong, who nearly died from testicular cancer

The Eternal

"Our theories of the eternal are as valuable as are those which a chick which has not broken its way through its shell might form of the outside world.

- B"

Play your part in the comedy, but don't identify yourself with your role!

 

- Why Lazurus Laughed by Wei Wu Wei...

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

 
~B

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.  

 
~B

Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.  

 
~B