Friday, March 26, 2010

Supreme Master Ching Hai...

- "Say sorry only once, and get better all the time. That's the best way to apologize."
- "We should hold correct concepts about practicing; otherwise it's only a kind of possession. Without the correct concept, it's very easy to get possessed. No matter what kind of situation we face, we should be brave and should use wisdom to judge. We should first think: 'Is it correct to do this in this way? Is it logical?' We should believe it only when it is logical."
- "God truly gives us only comfort. If at this moment, he gives us some sorrow, it is to remind us of the ephemeral nature of this world, and to remind us that we have to get back into the safety of the fortress, of the Kingdom of God."
- "We must think clearly when making a decision. If we know from within that it is wrong, it is better not to go through with it just to save face, or as a habitual action, or for the convenience of a fleeting concept. Otherwise, we will create very destructive consequences for our future."
- "We should never fear when we do something good, noble, righteous and spiritual."
- "The things that give you the greatest fear, you should try to get through and overcome them. In order to help us break these prejudices God Almighty has to use a reverse method to teach us."
- "Until we know everything we'd better not accuse, blame, or criticize anything, because God makes everything, it's for some purpose. It's just that we don't know."
- "Reincarnation is a return cycle. If you have not found an exit leading you to paradise, you must go back. Just like on a freeway, if you cannot find an exit, you must return in order to find it. This is reincarnation."
- "We have to bring peace everywhere. We have to cultivate it within so that everywhere we go, we represent that. We are the peace, we are the Kingdom of God, we are the angel, we are the Buddha."
- "Because God wants to bless the earth through us, we came down to be a link between heaven and earth. But because we have been exhausted and tired for so long, we have forgotten our great mission. This is why a master comes once in a while to remind us of our true nature. This is why we are here."
- "It is very important for parents to take good care of their children. They also have to be serious in learning and getting enlightenment, to fully comprehend the teachings and morals. Only after enlightenment can we help our children by guiding them in a correct and better direction."
- "Whether a person is good or bad should only be judged by his purposes and intentions, not by his actions."
- "We don't learn so that other people will know. We learn so that we know and that we can bless the world silently through our inner glory and inner love."
- "Each one of you is a wonderful piece of creation, a wonderful book of poetry and life, a real thing, a real creature, with a real history. Each one of you has a real history, and you should treasure that."
- "Actually, most people do not know the valuable lesson of possessionlessness, because possessionlessness means fearlesssness. When we don't have fame and we don't have possessions, we fear nothing, because we have nothing to lose. If we gain something, it's okay; we might think about it. But if we lose, that's it. When you have nothing, how can you lose?"
- "It is not good enough just to help others, but we have to help them the way they need it, not the way we want to do it. We are never considerate enough in this respect."
- "Always, always, be attentive; otherwise, it's easy to just pass a day, pass two days, pass three days, pass your whole life in self-illusion, in bad habits, and not get into a higher level of consciousness, not be able to understand the deeper meaning of spiritual life."
- "But very few people wholeheartedly devote their attention to the present moment. That's why everyone suffers so much."
- "Don't be defeated by obstacles and ordeals. Perhaps, we don't know how to react today, so we are frightened and defeated; try again tomorrow. We shall overcome someday."
- "The more you love life, the more you give life, and the more you expand and become great. The Buddha is everywhere because He loved all life, identified with all life. So He became Ju-Lai. Ju-Lai means He doesn't come and He doesn't go anywhere, but He's everywhere. He doesn't go anywhere because He has expanded Himself. He doesn't kill life but gives and sustains life. Therefore, He has life. You know, karma, cause and condition."
- "The less we think of the mundane world, the less karma we will gain; the more we think of our Master, the more blessings will be bestowed upon us."
- "When we meditate, if we focus our attention completely on one point and then place before it any problems we have, they will be solved immediately."
- "We should think more positively, optimistically, and courageously, and then it will become a habit, for everything is created by the mind."
- "The more we practice spiritually, the better we should be able to understand others and treat them magnanimously. We should be more capable of accepting other people's opinions and levels of understanding, as well as respecting their freedom of thought. This is a free universe!"
- "The person who enjoys the greatest freedom is the one who is most responsible; because he is responsible, he is free."
- "As soon as you become centered within yourself, love will flow. Then you will forget the anger. You will think it is a small matter and it's easy to love the neighbor or love the enemy."
- "Certain kinds of things in the material kingdom will affect us more or less. Therefore, the food we take also affects us mentally, bodily, also spiritually, and this has been proved since time immemorial."
- "When we work, we should introspect as to whether we are really making an unconditional contribution or not. Otherwise, we should ask God to check and show us our intentions, as well as to help us uphold the spirit of righteousness and preserve a heart of purity."
- "When our actions, speech and thoughts are pure, our body will feel clean and comfortable, and we will be happy spiritually. We will not be affected by anything that others do. We just feel blissful. We will attain the perfection of patience."
- "The more we benefit sentient beings, the more we benefit ourselves; such is the law of spiritual practice."
- "Each of us is given human life only for the purpose of realising God. If we forsake this duty, we will never be happy in this life or in many other lives. If we realised how we struggled in our mother's womb, how we repented our past lives' mistakes, and how we promised God to utilise this present life in a very meaningful way to serve Him, before we were born, then we would never waste one second to think of anything else but try our best in all our leisure time to realise God!"

Teachings...

- Humans are the only hunters who kill when not hungry. -- Steven Spielberg
- For as long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed he who sows the seeds of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love. – PYTHAGORAS
- The diet of animals is vegetables and grains. Must the vegetables be animalised, must they be incorporated into the system of animals, before we get them? Must we obtain our vegetable diet by eating the flesh of dead creatures? God provided fruit in its natural state for our first parents. He gave to Adam charge over the garden, to dress it, and to care for it, saying, o you it shall be for meat. One animal was not to destroy another animal for food. - ELLEN WHITE, co-founder Seventh Day Adventists
- One who is dearest to God has no enemies among the living beings, who is non-violent to all creatures. -- Bhagavad Gita
- That of which we wouldn't want to be in our mouth when raw and dripping with blood is not our natural diet.
- Killing an animal to make a coat is a sin. It wasn't meant to be and we have no right to do it. A woman gains status when she refuses to see anything killed to be put on her back. Then she's truly beautiful. - DORIS DAY
- When a man wants to murder a tiger, it's called sport; when the tiger wants to murder him, it's called ferocity. - GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
- Love animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled. Do not trouble their joy, don't harass them, don't deprive them of their happiness, don't work against God's intent. Man, do not pride yourself on superiority to animals, they are without sin, and you, with your greatness, defile the earth by your appearance on it, and leave the traces of your foulness. - FYODOR DOSTOYEVSKY
- We consume the carcasses of creatures of like appetites, passions and organs with our own, and fill the slaughterhouses daily with screams of pain and fear. - ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
- I will not eat anything that walks, runs, skips, hops or crawls. God knows that I've crawled on occasion, and I'm glad that no one ate me. -- Alex Poulos
- Animals are my friends; and I don't eat my friends. -- George Bernard Shaw
- God loves you very much and if you want to see Hirm, I have to show you the way. ~ Supreme Master Ching Hai
- What I think about vivisection is that if people admit that they have the right to take or endanger the life of living beings for the benefit of many, there will be no limit for their cruelty - Leo Tolstoy
- The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man. - CHARLES DARWIN
- Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. - ALBERT EINSTEIN

The teachings by Supreme Master Ching Hai...

- "At times when I cannot teach you directly, I have to do it through other people -- fellow practitioners or your spouse. Therefore, when you go home, carefully observe every situation, listen, and watch carefully wherever you are, then you will be enlightened, and understand something. I am always educating you, but you also need to have a clear mind to perceive it. Otherwise, you may deceive yourself."
- "What is the spirit of Zen? It is to enjoy today, to do today. No matter happiness or suffering, it is all today. Understand? Don't bother about the past. The past cannot be retrieved, alas! The future is not here yet. But very few people will devote their attention wholeheartedly to the present moment. That's why everyone suffers so much."
- "If you truly believe in your goodness, in what you are doing, you will influence other people. So one person makes a lot of difference. But if you don't believe, they will influence you. They'll try to make a strong person out of your personality."
- "Sometimes we have the illusion that only a prosperous life can give us peace of mind, make us happy, and let us practice spiritually. This is not the truth! When we are happy and have peace of mind, we can pursue spiritual practice under any circumstances; it has nothing to do with being wealthy."
- "Try our best to pray for this world, for ourselves, to protect ourselves, our morality, purity and the eternal power within ourselves. This is the only way that can save ourselves."
- "The organizing ability of human beings can never surpass God's will. If we are not sincere, do not practice spiritually, and are impure in our actions, speech and thought, then no matter how well we plan, it just won't work."
- "Sometimes, people's faith and longing for the Truth are stronger in more difficult situations."
- "Why it is useless for most people to read the sutras? Because they only look for good rewards, for magic power, for their prayers to be fulfilled. They do not do it out of respect for the holy sutras, out of eagerness to understand how hard ancient people practiced, out of the spirit of learning from them. Therefore, it is useless."
- "To be a noble being is the only choice; to walk forward, it doesn't matter how difficult; to fly upward, it doesn't matter how far, or how high. We just have to try again and again."
- "God gives us children to remind us to be good teachers, because there is a child waiting for you, waiting for your help, for your guidance. God entrusts you with a child, a fresh soul in your hands, so that you can take care of him, polish him, and create a prototype out of him. Therefore, do not complain if you have children. They are your lessons in being a teacher."
- "Whatever we say creates a vibration; and accordingly, what we say, either good or bad, will affect us again in the future."
- "When we do something with concentration and spontaneity, the result will come out perfect. Because it comes out from God, from our real wisdom, from our real nature. Once we have some expectation or some pride in it, or some calculation in it, things go wrong."
- "When a Master comes to Earth, not only are the disciples uplifted and shown wisdom, but the whole race of humankind is purified and uplifted to a certain higher level of consciousness."
- "God is our true self, with all wisdom, beauty and virtues. And these are the true qualities of human."
- "A few obstacles are good for us. They gives us the incentive to strive; our willpower will thus grow stronger and our determination to seek the Truth will also become firmer."
- "If we truly seek the Truth, we won't mind any surroundings, and we can go through anything."
- "If everyone in this world would share with others what they have in excess, then peace and happiness would reign in the world. There would be no more war or theft."
- "We may be imperfect as human beings, but our perceptions must remain perfect at all times."
- "Heaven is here and now. Anywhere you go, make it a heaven. If you're happy, it's happy. If you're not happy, even if the situation around you is very merry, very boisterous, you will still feel miserable."
- "Cowardice and fear have trapped us in the cycle of transmigration for a very long time."
- "When things are going smoothly and easily, be particularly concentrated; don't take it for granted and lose your humility and penitence. Otherwise, you will become sluggish and slow down, and will not progress further."
- "If one could deal with matters according to the situation at the time, in a manner, whether soft or hard, bitter or sweet, all from one's heart, with sincerity and honesty, without any complicated concepts, then the world would be fine."
- "Everything in this world is just a reminder of the true happiness, the true glory and the true life that we should have and that we should know, because we have forgotten."
- "Death is not to be feared. At the time of death, we only fear that we have not learnt our lessons."
- "We are not the body, we are not the human beings that we think we are; we are Wisdom, we are love, we are extreme holiness."
- "Afraid of being criticized and judged by other people, you swallow your anger. This is not compassion, or gentleness. You are not doing this for the good of that person, but only for yourself! This is selfishness, not being a gentleman, not being a nice person."
- "For us, this feeling of fear is the most terrible thing. We should dread this fearful feeling, for it is this fearful feeling that makes us fear."
- "If and when we feel that our life is not going smoothly, we should understand that we have formed undesirable affinities in the past; therefore, we have to strive hard. If we have good affinities, we should also understand that we have done something good in the past; therefore, we must cherish them. We must strive persistently until our mind is entirely stable, absolutely uncaring about anything, not attached to any situation, and until nothing in this world can bind us. Then it is truly good."
- "Why are the Enlightened Masters capable of doing anything? It is because They are always in a state of concentration, focusing Their acts, speech and thoughts on whatever They are doing, and at the same time being omnipresent."
- "The most important and also the most difficult offering is to offer a special and gentle atmosphere to other people."
- "If we still demand something, or our heart is still attached to a certain place, we will be used by the King of Maya. When we have no more fears or demands, and we are content with anything we have, even if we have nothing, then there won't be any more traps. And we will not be afraid of any turmoil."
- "Maitreya means happiness, loving, love. That is the Buddha with love, who brings love, who brings happiness to people. Whoever does that is a Maitreya Buddha, and you yourself should be a Maitreya Buddha, bringing love and happiness to people. That's the way of a gentleman, the way of a big strong man."
- "Do everything for your family, your society, for yourselves. Don't wait for people to make your life better and brighter. Make your life yourself. You can do anything."
- "You have to understand that in order to have fun, you have to keep the rules and maintain discipline."
- The Master is more than just kind. Oh friends, I could never have enough time To tell you Her boundless Grace. Only in the remote corner of my heart I humbly shed tears! There is none in this world, Who is so full of Love and Mercy. It would be my great honor To be just a swallow, Standing on one leg, Life after life, Singing Her praises! ~ Quoted from 'The Silent Tears' by Supreme Master Ching Hai
- "The theory of reincarnation should not be taught, because we don't have an entity to reincarnate. What reincarnates are perhaps these clinging tendencies to the information we got, whether bad or good, and then that clinging tendency will go and find one instrument after another to satisfy our longing that we did not complete from our previous so-called birth. After the knowledge, the Wisdom or God-self that resides in this body leaves this temple, he or she will pass to another temple."
- "The various manifested forms of the Buddha, the Bodhisattvas, the Goddess of Mercy, Maria, Jesus, etc. are all from one Power. They are ever changing in order to suit the tastes of sentient beings. They speak different languages in order to liberate sentient beings in various corners of the Earth."
- "Whether you improve or not you can see by changes in your character, the broadness of your mind, and the expansion of your magnanimity. That is real improvement, your real level."
- "We should be as magnanimous as the creator. Since Hes can accommodate it all (all of creation), why can't we tolerate the thoughts of our relatives, friends and people we know? We should be able to do the same to attain the Anuttara- Shamyak-Sambodhi, the highest dimension, the highest level."
- "Simple living means staying where you are and enjoying what you have. This, in my way of thinking, is simple living."
- "True repentance is not just knowing our mistakes, nor is it saying that we won't make the same mistake again. It is correcting what we do, doing it well, and then doing it better."
- "If we currently have some vicious quality, we need not continue to blame ourselves, but just correct it. Because if we don't correct it, it is not good for us, regardless of the reason."
- "Only when we meditate on God, have direct contact with God through the Light and Sound, do we know. We know everything without even learning from anyone, without reading books, without reading newspapers. We understand profoundly, and everlastingly."
- "It's important for us to have virtuous friends, those who are kind and good, and who can talk with us about something good everyday, persuading us to go in the right direction. Then we'll walk on the right path and become better and better. Our good qualities will emerge and grow, and become more apparent. We'll know better which direction is the right one."

Pat Liew, British India..

"Failure is often that early morning hour of darkness which precedes the dawning of the day of success."

Tun Mahathir...

"...Don't always take the wide open front door through which everybody is passing."...

Lim Goh Thong...

"I have been to Hell, and was told to turn back and continue with my work."

Graham Baldwin...

- "....The way to get a beautiful rose is to prune it, not to cut it out totally. You must prune, train and let your people blossom in the right environment. Remember to give them responsibility while allowing them room to make mistakes...."
- "...Don't do anything dirty because one day it will come back to haunt you..."

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Doubts...

A weak man has doubts before a decision, a strong man has them afterwards.

Creating yourself...

LIFE ISN’T FINDING YOURSELF.
LIFE IS ABOUT CREATING YOURSELF.

Business learning...

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.