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BlueStar
November 10th, 2010, 12:14 PM
http://reginazen.webs.com/Bamboo_Zen_by_MissNysha.jpg

A thread to post your favourite Zen quotes, stories, koans and insights. I'm really drawn to the simplicity of Zen.

What is Zen? When one monk was asked this, he simply lifted his finger and was silent. This is it. Now. There is no place and no thing it is not.

I already posted this in a blog, a little extract from Adyashanti's book Emptiness Dancing. He's relating an incident with his zen teacher. This really hit home for me.

“Everything is consciousness. Everything is God. Everything is One. Seeing that everything is One shoots a hole in trying to pin the pendulum swing of experience in any particular place. If it’s all One; it’s no more One when the pendulum is in the high state than when the pendulum is over in some other state.

Zen teachers don’t explain anything in an abstract way, which is both the beauty and the terror of it. My teacher’s way of explaining this would be to hold up his staff and say, “This is Buddha.” Then he would bang it on the ground and everyone would think, “Wow! That’s really wild Zen stuff. I wish I knew what he was talking about.” Then he would go -- bang, bang, bang, bang -- and he would say, “This is Zen. This is it!” And everyone would react, “Oh, wow!” People would wonder, “What? Where?” but nobody would say that. “It couldn’t be THAT because he’s just beating a stick on the ground.”

Since it’s not all One to the mind, the mind keeps looking for it, “Where is it? What state is it?” Because the me references everything to its own emotional state, that’s what it uses to decide what is true. It thinks that what is true is always a spiritually high emotional state, but this stick pounding is not a very spiritually high emotional state. Then, to make it worse, to make it more horrifying, he would say, “This is a concrete description of the truth. This is Buddha. This is not abstract.” Then we would really be defeated.

It’s a real blessing to have a teaching that insists upon being concrete, because he could just have said, as I sometimes do, “Everything is consciousness. It’s all One.” Then the mind thinks, “I got it. I’ll buy that. I know what that means.” But when a stick bangs on the ground and the teacher says, “That’s it!” you can’t wrap your mind around it. The banging of the stick is as much God as you’re ever going to get. Everything else after that is an abstraction, a movement away from the fact.

[...] There is no experience that is more the truth than any other experience, because in the centre of it all, there is no seeker. Right here, there is nothing. All is One.

You will discover there is no little “me” in the centre occupying the space. Without this me in the centre, there is nobody to judge whether a given experience is the right experience or whether it is spiritual. Do you get it? This is it! When my teacher banged his stick on the ground, he showed that everything was arising out of the centre where nothing is. All is an expression of that centre and is not separate from that centre. If you don’t see it HERE, you’re not going to see it anywhere. This is the Great Release -- the release from having to change anything to get to the Promised Land or to search for the enlightened experience. The enlightenment experience is that nothing needs to change. In fact, you can see from here that enlightenment itself is not an experience. And it’s not a spiritual high.”

http://scratchbook.ch/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/zen2.gif

BlueStar
November 10th, 2010, 12:17 PM
What is suffering? The desire for things to be other than they are. What is contentment? Accepting everything as it is - Daniel Levin

http://www.rheasrhapsody.co.uk/custom/med.jpg

BlueStar
November 10th, 2010, 06:56 PM
Barn's burnt down....now I can see the moon. Masahide

(My interpretation...our calamities always have an upside in some way!)

Lion Spirit Walker
November 10th, 2010, 09:05 PM
Truly appreciate this thread Rory. Tyvm. :two hearts:
...

All that has ever been
All that is
All that will ever be
Is All Now
...
:cool.3:

BlueStar
November 11th, 2010, 06:31 PM
Love that Michael.

My own mantra which helps whenever I find resistance kicking in:

It is as it is (until it isn't)

BlueStar
November 12th, 2010, 05:48 PM
"Thinking is more interesting than knowing, but less interesting than looking." Goethe

http://www.swingingfromthevine.com/wp-content/looking-glass-72.jpg

Lion Spirit Walker
November 13th, 2010, 01:36 AM
Once you Truly Understand,
you Truly Know nothing.

:two hearts:

BlueStar
November 13th, 2010, 01:24 PM
All opinions are equally invalid.

BlueStar
November 15th, 2010, 07:25 PM
Die while you're alive and be absolutely dead.

Then do whatever you want: it's all good.

- Bunan

Lion Spirit Walker
November 15th, 2010, 08:32 PM
Hahahahhaa. Love this. Right On!

Die while you're alive and be absolutely dead.

Then do whatever you want: it's all good.

- Bunan

BlueStar
November 16th, 2010, 06:38 PM
(You'll probably like this one two LOL)

"Where there are humans,
you'll find flies
and Buddhas."
- Issa

Lion Spirit Walker
November 17th, 2010, 12:22 AM
Haha. Right you are mydear friend. :)

(You'll probably like this one two LOL)

"Where there are humans,
you'll find flies
and Buddhas."
- Issa

Lion Spirit Walker
November 17th, 2010, 01:38 AM
"I wouldn't buy just anyones cockatoo." -Bono
True depth can even be found in the shallows. ;)

BlueStar
November 18th, 2010, 05:46 PM
Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream

http://static.desktopnexus.com/thumbnails/139492-bigthumbnail.jpg

BlueStar
November 21st, 2010, 08:41 PM
"My life is a succession of events, just like yours. Only I am detached and see the passing show as a passing show, while you stick to things and move along with them."
Nisargadatta Maharaj

Lion Spirit Walker
November 25th, 2010, 05:38 AM
To allow the experience to be. Without allowing the experience to be you.

Lion Spirit Walker
November 25th, 2010, 05:39 AM
In the darkness I see the light.

BlueStar
November 25th, 2010, 05:48 PM
To allow the experience to be. Without allowing the experience to be you.

I LOVE that!! I will quote you on that! So very true :)

BlueStar
November 27th, 2010, 11:47 AM
From Daniel Levin's Zen Book:

"I remember being at Disneyland many years ago with someone who was visiting there for the first time. In those days, they used to have a boat ride that ran along an obstacle course. As the boat moved, things would jump up and attack it, spray it with water, or appear to be on a collision course with it. I remember that my friend sailed the boat by taking every precaution to get us safely across the water. When his wife asked him a question, he replied "Not now! Can't you see how much I have to concentrate to get us through this obstacle course?"

Little did he realise that the boat was on a track and nothing he did would make a difference in our passage from start to end. I always thought this to be analogous to life: We toil so hard, thinking that what we do is so important, when quite possibly we're on a track and everything is our life is already being cared for by something greater than ourselves. Wouldn't that be interesting?"

BlueStar
November 29th, 2010, 01:33 PM
http://www.antonymayfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/see.jpg

"The whole of life lies in the verb seeing." Pierre Tielhard

BlueStar
December 4th, 2010, 06:40 PM
Every molecule preaches perfect law,
Each moment chants true sutra:
The most fleeting thought is timeless,
A single hair's enough to stir the sun.
- Shutaku

BlueStar
December 6th, 2010, 07:15 PM
A very famous Zen story, with a great message for all of us.

Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed.

As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. "Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!"

"Brother," the second monk replied, "I set her down on the other side, why are you still carrying her?"

http://enlightenyourday.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/flowing-river-zen.jpg

Lion Spirit Walker
December 8th, 2010, 08:53 PM
Very Cool. ;)

Lion Spirit Walker
December 8th, 2010, 08:54 PM
You can lose your sight and still see.
So why do you not see while you have sight?

BlueStar
December 9th, 2010, 02:41 PM
You can lose your sight and still see.
So why do you not see while you have sight?

I love that :) Deeply true and a very relevant question

Lion Spirit Walker
December 10th, 2010, 08:40 AM
If your are near you know.
If you are there you understand.
If you are you grow.

Kiran
December 10th, 2010, 10:23 AM
If your are near you know.
If you are there you understand.
If you are you grow.

I like this Michael :)

BlueStar
December 10th, 2010, 06:09 PM
The most important place in the world is the place you're at.
The most important person in the world is the person you're with*.
The most important thing in the world is the thing you're currently doing.

(* or animal, flower, plant - and of course yourself)

Lion Spirit Walker
February 3rd, 2011, 01:16 AM
Sleep if you must.
Dream if you desire.
But remember to Awaken.

BlueStar
February 3rd, 2011, 02:51 PM
Sleep if you must.
Dream if you desire.
But remember to Awaken.

Absolutely LOVE that, my Zen friend :) So pertinent!

BlueStar
February 3rd, 2011, 02:52 PM
The essence of Zen and of awakened living, I may have said it before, can be summed up in 3 words:

Just this, now.

Just this. Now.

That's all there ever is. Just this, now!

Lion Spirit Walker
February 7th, 2011, 04:31 AM
If I may my dear friend add a couple words to this Truth you've so accurately expressed....
All that has ever been,
All that will ever be,
Is All Now.
;)
Rory, you are truly wise beyond your years. Tyvm for sharing Now.

BlueStar
February 8th, 2011, 12:52 PM
Thanks my friend. What you wrote reminds me of what I believe is referred to as Tattvamasi, the essential truth pointed to in the ancient Vedas:

I am that.
Thou art that.
All this is that.
And that alone IS.

The basic truth of life in a nutshell!

Lion Spirit Walker
February 10th, 2011, 11:17 PM
We are in this existance both Life and Body.
One is eternal and timeless. The other weathers with the passage of time, until it is no longer capable of containing the Life.
Each of us must face this truth.
How we react to it is up to us.
I choose grace.

BlueStar
February 11th, 2011, 03:03 PM
Beautifully expressed my wise and beautiful friend.

It's interesting how Buddhism and other Eastern approaches emphasise the impermanence of the form and recommend contemplating its dissolution. Ramana Maharshi, one of the greatest sages of the 20th century reached enlightenment while lying awake as a child imagining the death of his body. That moment consciousness was freed from its identification with form and for the rest of his body's existence, his consciousness was at one with the infinite.

Lion Spirit Walker
February 11th, 2011, 07:28 PM
How might we consider the eternal without considering that which is bound to time?
How might we consider the light without considering the dark?
The right to the left, as with the day to the night.

Lion Spirit Walker
February 14th, 2011, 11:18 PM
There are two places where you may witness eternity, yet both are the same.
Look Out. Look In.

...
:cool.3:

Lion Spirit Walker
February 26th, 2011, 02:00 AM
You may have all the riches and power of the world, but you still leave it as you came into it.
Seek the lessons of Life, not the riches of a single lifetime.

Lion Spirit Walker
March 30th, 2011, 07:51 PM
Isn't the smallest grain of sand as mighty as the largest star?
Isn't the sugar ant as alive as all Life collectively upon planet Earth?

BlueStar
July 4th, 2011, 06:51 PM
Life is the sunshine and the showers. One isn't better or more 'right' than the other.

Lion Spirit Walker
July 6th, 2011, 02:48 AM
Completely agree my friend.
It's very good to see you post here again. :)
Lol. All with purpose...

BlueStar
July 12th, 2011, 06:38 PM
No seed ever sees the flower (Zen saying)

http://www.miroertel.com/imgs/poppy-seed-flower-09.jpg

BlueStar
July 13th, 2011, 06:43 PM
If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything;
it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are
many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.
Shunryu Suzuki-Roshi

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_4A9r9yKkkNs/TIt5GfzLEjI/AAAAAAAAF00/UD5Wf7VBNfM/s1600/Zen++Monk.jpg

SoulChild
July 20th, 2011, 04:36 PM
Great thread team! =)

Lion Spirit Walker
July 28th, 2011, 11:14 PM
Be steady and true of your steps. As no one walks your path but you.

BlueStar
August 5th, 2011, 06:47 PM
"Consider the trees
which allow the birds
to perch and fly away
without either inviting
them to stay or
desiring them never to depart.
If your heart can be like this,
you will be near to the way."

http://ih1.redbubble.net/work.4222095.1.flat,550x550,075,f.bird-perched-in-the-wilting-tree.jpg

BlueStar
August 6th, 2011, 01:24 PM
"It is everywhere" Chuang-tzu

http://www.kewlwallpapers.com/images/wallpapers/ws_Vast_canyon_1280x800-853250.jpeg

Lion Spirit Walker
August 9th, 2011, 12:50 AM
'One who assist the ruler of men with the Way
does not use force of arms against all under heaven;
Such a course is likely to boomerang.

Where armies have been stationed,
briars and brambles will grow.

A good general fulfills his purpose
and that is all.
He does not use force
to seize for himself.

He fulfills his purpose,
but is not proud;
He fulfills his purpose,
but is not boastful;
He fulfills his purpose,
but does not brag;
He fulfills his purpose
only because he has no other choice.

This is called "fulfilling one's purpose without using force."

If something grows old while still in it's prime,
This is called "not being in accord with the Way."
Not being in accord with the Way
leads to an early demise.'

Lion Spirit Walker
August 10th, 2011, 02:01 AM
'Some people want to win the world by changing it, they always come to grief. The world is a sacred object. Nothing should be done to change it, any attempt to change it is bound to damage it. To try and possess the world, and treat it as your own, is to lose it.
Under heaven some people lead, and some follow. Some are gentle, and some are hard. Some are hot with passion, and some are cool. Some are strong, and some are weak. Some succeed in what they do, and some fail.
Wise people steer a middle course between extremes. They can lead or follow, as circumstances require. They can be gentle or hard, as circumstances require. They can be hot or cool, as circumstances require. They can be strong or weak, as circumstances require. And they make no distinction between success and failure.'

BlueStar
August 26th, 2011, 06:06 PM
Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.
- Wu-men

http://sandimickel.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/seasons1.jpg

BlueStar
August 29th, 2011, 07:53 PM
One of my favourite Zen stories....

Once upon the time there was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.

“Maybe,” the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.

“Maybe,” replied the old man.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.

“Maybe,” answered the farmer.

The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.

“Maybe,” said the farmer.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dfqb01z9h10/TUrff-yWf3I/AAAAAAAAABo/klcUa0EbhMY/s1600/Zen04.jpg

Lion Spirit Walker
August 30th, 2011, 03:01 AM
Very cool... 'maybe'. ;)

BlueStar
August 31st, 2011, 06:32 PM
Look.
This little finger covers the eye and prevents the whole world from being seen.
In the same way this small mind covers the whole universe and prevents Reality from being seen.
See how powerful it is!

- Ramana Maharshi

http://kingsenglish.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/eye.jpg

Jordan
September 1st, 2011, 11:58 AM
Thank you blessed Ramana Maharshi... be blessed for sharing

BlueStar
September 2nd, 2011, 07:01 PM
I love Ramana, Jordan, couldn't help but share that :)

....

Things look small from the sky, but big from the ground.
There are no fixed perspectives in life.

http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/5619191.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cBTqCXlo7AE/TR3gQy3HPgI/AAAAAAAAAK4/4JUxhqIDN8k/s1600/16083mo2.jpg

BlueStar
September 6th, 2011, 06:43 PM
http://www.michaelppowers.com/wisdom/wake-up-sunrise.jpg

wake up, wake up

this night is gone

wake up


abandon abandon

even your dear self

abandon


there is an idiot

in our market place

selling a precious soul


if you doubt my word

get up this moment

and head for the market now


don’t listen to trickery

don’t listen to the witches

don’t wash blood with blood


first turn yourself upside down

empty yourself like a cup of wine

then fill to the brim with the essence

~ rumi

Lion Spirit Walker
September 9th, 2011, 02:25 AM
Life is always beginning, yet never ending...

Narnia
September 9th, 2011, 01:21 PM
This is such a wonderful thread ... I must remind folks of it ... *skipping over to fb right now to share it again!* :D

BlueStar
September 11th, 2011, 06:39 PM
You are That which is both inside and out; you're Shiva; you're everything, everywhere. Why, then, are you so deluded? Why do you run about like a frightened ghost?
~ Avadhuta Gita

http://img.wallpaperstock.net:81/eternity-wallpapers_5511_1024x768.jpg

BlueStar
September 12th, 2011, 07:17 PM
"Here it is - right now. Start thinking about it and you miss it."
Huang-po

http://knysnawellness.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/zen-druppels1.jpg

Lion Spirit Walker
September 12th, 2011, 11:18 PM
Right On! Right On!

BlueStar
September 14th, 2011, 07:44 PM
:)

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.
- Shunryu Suzuki-Roshu

http://www.escapetothealgarve.co.uk/images/weather/blueskies.jpg

BlueStar
October 16th, 2011, 02:49 PM
"There is nothing lacking in you!

You are no different than a Buddha."

Tao-Hsin

http://www.tybro.com/assets/images/Buddha_art_piece.jpg

BlueStar
October 17th, 2011, 07:34 PM
http://spiritualnetworks.com/file/pic/photo/2011/07/ehsanmeh-enlightenment-21.jpg



"A yogi has no particular path; he simply renounces imagining things.

His mind then ceases of its own accord, and the perfect state just naturally occurs."

Avadhuta Gita

Narnia
October 17th, 2011, 10:59 PM
Truth, Wisdom and Knowledge!!

Lion Spirit Walker
October 17th, 2011, 11:39 PM
A perfect state of simply Being in truth...

Lion Spirit Walker
October 19th, 2011, 02:20 AM
If I fail to realize love and respect within myself, how might I expect to find it within others?

BlueStar
October 30th, 2011, 07:37 PM
http://www.filemagazine.com/thecollection/archives/images/_MG_6051-1.jpg

To what shall I liken the world?
Moonlight, reflected in dewdrops,
Shaken from a crane's bill.
~ Dogen

http://flikieapp02.appspot.com/4a1ba0c984b842afa4d9a6f8ec547a36.jpg

Kiran
October 30th, 2011, 08:56 PM
http://www.filemagazine.com/thecollection/archives/images/_MG_6051-1.jpg

To what shall I liken the world?
Moonlight, reflected in dewdrops,
Shaken from a crane's bill.
~ Dogen

http://flikieapp02.appspot.com/4a1ba0c984b842afa4d9a6f8ec547a36.jpg

Wonderful dearest.....

Lion Spirit Walker
November 15th, 2011, 05:46 PM
More common sense (?) than 'zen'... But the only thing holding us back is ourselves.

Kiran
November 16th, 2011, 09:22 AM
More common sense (?) than 'zen'... But the only thing holding us back is ourselves.

Very true dearest, very true :girl_yes3 (1):

BlueStar
November 16th, 2011, 07:37 PM
"Where there are humans
you'll find flies,
and Buddhas"
~ Issa

Lion Spirit Walker
November 16th, 2011, 08:37 PM
"Where there are humans
you'll find flies,
and Buddhas"
~ Issa
I like this one. Ty my friend for the reminder. :)

BlueStar
November 17th, 2011, 01:16 PM
I like this one. Ty my friend for the reminder. :)

Hehe I love that one too :)

BlueStar
November 20th, 2011, 02:25 PM
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs25/i/2008/160/0/5/Clouded_Mind__by_WistfulAurora.jpg

The clouded mind sees nothing.

-- From The Shadow

BlueStar
November 24th, 2011, 07:33 PM
http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs46/f/2009/181/b/c/Shining_Moon__Mystic_Island_by_JJCheddar77.jpg

One moon shows in every pool ~ in every pool, the one moon
Zen saying

BlueStar
November 27th, 2011, 12:52 PM
When everything is seen as One,
we return to the Source
and stay where
we have always been.
~ Seng-t'san

http://www.diamondlady.net/the%20way%20home%20to%20oneness.jpg

BlueStar
December 1st, 2011, 01:17 PM
Whether talking or remaining silent,
Whether moving or standing quiet,
The Essence itself is ever at ease.
~ Daishi

Lion Spirit Walker
December 1st, 2011, 10:58 PM
It's All good medicine. Thank you my wonderful friend.

BlueStar
December 2nd, 2011, 07:38 PM
It's All good medicine. Thank you my wonderful friend.

You're welcome my friend. Glad you're enjoying :)

BlueStar
December 3rd, 2011, 06:40 PM
http://markkeathley.com/sites/markkeathley.com/files/images/SeasonsofLife2_0.jpg

“Ten thousand flowers in spring;
the moon in autumn;
a cool breeze in summer;
snow in winter.

If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life.”

-Wu-men

http://www.picturesofwinter.net/snow-2929.jpg

Kiran
December 5th, 2011, 09:01 PM
Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.
— Mother Teresa

BlueStar
December 6th, 2011, 01:11 PM
Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.
— Mother Teresa

Love that quote honey, thanks for sharing. I think that's the correct version too, I know the one that gets used most often has a subtle but crucial difference in the first line. It really is the essence of zen - doing 'small' things with great love. Every breath, every action, every moment :two hearts:

BlueStar
December 6th, 2011, 01:15 PM
Thinking is more interesting than knowing
but less interesting
than looking.
- Goethe

http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~sedwards/photos/kyle20050515/20050515-8942%20Kyle%20looking%20up.jpg

Kiran
December 6th, 2011, 03:58 PM
Love that quote honey, thanks for sharing. I think that's the correct version too, I know the one that gets used most often has a subtle but crucial difference in the first line. It really is the essence of zen - doing 'small' things with great love. Every breath, every action, every moment :two hearts:
Yes this really touched me. Anyone can do the big showy things, but its the little heartfelt things that truly count....working away quietly with no need or desire for thanks or pats on the back or ego smoothing, just doing the work. :two hearts:

BlueStar
December 6th, 2011, 07:24 PM
Yes this really touched me. Anyone can do the big showy things, but its the little heartfelt things that truly count....working away quietly with no need or desire for thanks or pats on the back or ego smoothing, just doing the work. :two hearts:

Definitely! :)

BlueStar
December 7th, 2011, 07:29 PM
When you realise how perfect everything is
you will tilt your head back
and laugh at the sky.
~ Buddha

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvdu8oh72n1qc6wuio1_r1_500.jpg

BlueStar
December 8th, 2011, 12:43 PM
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
~ Bertolt Brecht, western koan

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pt_xlxu6xZE/TlXsugt9giI/AAAAAAAAF-I/zRsDpUOeqz8/s1600/swiss+cheese.jpg

BlueStar
December 9th, 2011, 07:01 PM
Man's main task
is to give birth
to himself
~ Erich Fromm

http://in-my-opinion-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/appreciate-self-and-universe.jpg

BlueStar
December 10th, 2011, 07:27 PM
"Ah but I was so much older then.
I'm younger than that now."
- Bob Dylan

BlueStar
December 11th, 2011, 12:19 PM
http://www.7photographyquestions.com/images/27/flowing_water.jpg

Watch water flow--
there's no space it doesn't fill.
Be like water,
and give to everyone and everything.
Daniel Levin

BlueStar
December 13th, 2011, 06:35 PM
The true value of a human being
can be found in the degree to
which he has attained liberation
from the self.
Albert Einstein

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k1aaRSKZR_0/TWK_Wt5PYCI/AAAAAAAAAD0/euCIbv8UZrg/s1600/confidence1.jpg

BlueStar
December 17th, 2011, 07:24 PM
"You will not be punished for your anger;
you will be punished by your anger."
Buddha

Lion Spirit Walker
December 18th, 2011, 02:38 AM
Should each day be lived as though it were the last or as though it were the beginning?

BlueStar
December 18th, 2011, 09:41 AM
Should each day be lived as though it were the last or as though it were the beginning?

How about both? :D

BlueStar
December 19th, 2011, 06:26 PM
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4A9r9yKkkNs/TIuUkG6WttI/AAAAAAAAF08/xpzX3wYraqA/s1600/Buddha+Zen+Enlightened.jpg

"No self - no problem."
One Master's definition of Zen

BlueStar
December 28th, 2011, 07:24 PM
Even after all this time, the sun never says to the Earth “you owe me”. Look what happens with a love like that: it lights up the whole sky.
- Hafiz

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0AGfaI0Kako/TeohxKHUK1I/AAAAAAAAAPE/pFtOXRVz-3A/s1600/Sun_Sky2.195113946.jpg

BlueStar
January 2nd, 2012, 01:24 PM
All the fish needs is to get lost in the water. All man needs is to get lost in the Tao.
Chuang-Tzu

http://www.digifish.us/aquareal2/screenshot/05.jpg

BlueStar
January 5th, 2012, 07:35 PM
Nothing is more real than nothing.
Samuel Beckett

Lion Spirit Walker
January 8th, 2012, 09:06 AM
All that has ever been and all that will ever be is All Here Now.
Just as it has always been and always will be.

BlueStar
January 8th, 2012, 06:14 PM
http://www.ghostinthemachine.net/bluesky.jpg

Come away from the din.
Come away to the quiet fields,
over which the great sky stretches,
and where, between us and the stars,
there lies but silence;
and there, in the stillness
let us listen to the voice
that is speaking to us.
~ Jerome K. Jerome

Lion Spirit Walker
January 9th, 2012, 10:46 PM
Very cool.
:cool.3:

BlueStar
January 10th, 2012, 06:51 PM
What, then, is the heart of
the highest truth,
the core of knowledge,
the wisdom supreme?
It is, "I am the Self,
the formless One;
by my very nature
I am pervading all."
- Advadhuta Gita

Lion Spirit Walker
January 11th, 2012, 10:45 AM
... I Am.

BlueStar
January 12th, 2012, 03:24 PM
http://lh4.ggpht.com/-OfOiQPxdKs0/SOaAV5TiAPI/AAAAAAAAX50/mC9teFHgfNE/Sun%252520Shining%252520Down%252520on%252520the%252520Clouds.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xlIAkzdAklU/SppksytbAJI/AAAAAAAAcp0/dQ1PmES4Gxs/s400/river+flow.JPG

the sun shines not on us, but in us.
the rivers flow not past, but through us,
thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fibre
and cell of the substance of our bodies,
making them glide and sing.
- john muir

BlueStar
January 13th, 2012, 07:25 PM
What was your original face before your parents were born?
Zen koan

http://thirstygirlswhiskeyrebellion.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/questionmark.jpg

Lion Spirit Walker
January 13th, 2012, 11:42 PM
I like that. :) Good thought.

BlueStar
January 15th, 2012, 07:26 PM
I like that. :) Good thought.

Thank you. Thanks for sharing your thoughts/insights too, it's much appreciated. Anyone else is more than welcome too!

BlueStar
January 15th, 2012, 07:31 PM
The life of Zen begins, therefore, in a disillusion with the pursuit of goals which do not really exist, the good without the bad, the gratification of a self which is no more than an idea, and the morrow which never comes.
- Alan Watts

http://breakingmuscle.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/full_width/images/bydate/sep_14_2011_-_1051pm/shutterstock_58602289.jpg

BlueStar
January 30th, 2012, 06:31 PM
"One who lives in accordance with nature does not go against the way of things." Tao Te Ching

Lion Spirit Walker
February 1st, 2012, 02:16 AM
"One who lives in accordance with nature does not go against the way of things." Tao Te Ching
...
I truly appreciate this my good friend. 'True medicine.'
Tyvm.

Lion Spirit Walker
February 3rd, 2012, 01:56 AM
Allow the flow of all that truly is. It heals all things.

BlueStar
February 3rd, 2012, 06:53 PM
Allow the flow of all that truly is. It heals all things.

Beautifully expressed and so very true :)

BlueStar
February 3rd, 2012, 06:55 PM
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/106/313344590_7b0307bb59.jpg

"Move and the way will open."
Zen saying

BlueStar
February 7th, 2012, 07:33 PM
"The only Zen you find on mountain tops is the Zen you bring up there."
- Robert M. Pirsig

http://guyism.com/wp-content/uploads/person-on-mountain-top.jpg

BlueStar
February 7th, 2012, 07:34 PM
If anyone here is on twitter and enjoys the content of this thread, check out https://twitter.com/#!/Zen_Hamster :)

Lion Spirit Walker
February 8th, 2012, 03:35 AM
If anyone here is on twitter and enjoys the content of this thread, check out https://twitter.com/#!/Zen_Hamster :)
This is very cool. Hehehe. I love it.

BlueStar
February 8th, 2012, 06:51 PM
This is very cool. Hehehe. I love it.

Hoping it will entice you onto twitter, good sir ;)

BlueStar
February 8th, 2012, 06:54 PM
Overcome the compulsion to over-think and over-analyse.
Instead, look, listen, observe and see.
Life comes alive in wordless wonder.

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g364/RenaissanceWoman2011/Zen%20Kittens/ButterflyKitten1.jpg

BlueStar
February 9th, 2012, 07:25 PM
We are so much more than we allow ourselves to be.
We are the universe ~ we are life in perfect expression.
We are unlimited potentiality masquerading as a mere object limited in time and space.

BlueStar
February 11th, 2012, 07:15 PM
http://nothingnesss.webs.com/shutterstock_1972570.jpg

Be like water - flow, soft, gentle yet strong

Anjou
February 11th, 2012, 08:11 PM
http://nothingnesss.webs.com/shutterstock_1972570.jpg

Be like water - flow, soft, gentle yet strong

My stars, but this is beautiful... both the message and the image.

BlueStar
February 13th, 2012, 02:08 PM
My stars, but this is beautiful... both the message and the image.

Glad you liked it my friend :)

BlueStar
February 13th, 2012, 02:11 PM
Zen opens a man's eyes to the greatest mystery as it is daily and hourly performed; it enlarges the heart to embrace eternity of time and infinity of space as its every palpitation; it makes us live in the world as if walking in the garden of Eden.
~ D.T. Suzuki

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-REeveSLQrbc/TsPZFzysYeI/AAAAAAAAFfk/DsYB__JgSA4/s1600/zen-druppels1.jpg

Lion Spirit Walker
February 15th, 2012, 02:13 AM
If I had all the riches and power this world has to offer, would it truly mean anything if I had forgotten compassion???

BlueStar
February 15th, 2012, 06:49 PM
Everything is only for a day, both that which remembers and that which is remembered.
- Marcus Aurelius

BlueStar
February 25th, 2012, 06:08 PM
To know yourself, be yourself.
To be yourself, stop imagining yourself to be this or that.
Just be.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj

http://enlightenyourday.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/listening.jpg

Lion Spirit Walker
February 26th, 2012, 03:45 AM
Because I Am.

BlueStar
February 26th, 2012, 07:28 PM
http://img.wallpaperstock.net:81/eternity-wallpapers_5511_1024x768.jpg

Read not the times,
Read the eternities.
Henry David Thoreau

BlueStar
March 5th, 2012, 08:16 PM
"If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind! The mind of the sage, being in repose, becomes the mirror of the universe, the speculum of all creation."
Chuang Tzu

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3519/3463736840_9609309ae9.jpg

BlueStar
March 5th, 2012, 08:25 PM
"Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself."
- Hermann Hesse

http://www.thebridgemaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/finding-stillness.jpg

Anjou
March 5th, 2012, 10:49 PM
These words have long been one of my steadfast truths.
What a wonderful image to accompany them.........


"Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself."
- Hermann Hesse

http://www.thebridgemaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/finding-stillness.jpg

Kiran
March 6th, 2012, 08:13 AM
"Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself."
- Hermann Hesse

http://www.thebridgemaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/finding-stillness.jpg

Agreed dearest! Shame some people just don't know how to stop and just be....

BlueStar
March 6th, 2012, 12:10 PM
It really is the key, isn't it? No matter what problems or stresses we face - so long as there isn't immediate physical danger, which is frankly very rare, problems just can't exist in that space of stillness...just peace... :)

Narnia
March 6th, 2012, 01:08 PM
Mmmm .... nice and warm indeed ... the place of stillness and peace. Thank you kindly for the reminder dearest! :two hearts:

Lion Spirit Walker
March 15th, 2012, 12:46 AM
The past should not be forgotten. The future should not be ignored. But the present is where we always are, it is our reality.

Kiran
March 15th, 2012, 09:17 AM
The past should not be forgotten. The future should not be ignored. But the present is where we always are, it is our reality.

Truth dearest, thank you.

BlueStar
March 16th, 2012, 07:20 PM
"All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit quiet in a room alone."
Blaise Pascal


http://www.the-exponent.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/monk-meditating-sagaing-myanmar-burma.jpg

BlueStar
April 9th, 2012, 07:28 PM
Sitting quietly, doing nothing,
Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.
Zen Proverb

http://www.zastavki.com/pictures/1024x768/2009/Nature_Fields_Spring_grass_016181_.jpg

BlueStar
April 12th, 2012, 07:18 PM
When you seek it, you cannot find it.
Zen proverb

BlueStar
April 18th, 2012, 06:04 PM
"There is a silence into which the world cannot intrude. There is an ancient peace you carry in your heart and have not lost."
A Course in Miracles

BlueStar
May 24th, 2012, 07:12 PM
People reveal themselves by their actions,
not their words or professed beliefs.
- Me

BlueStar
May 27th, 2012, 06:49 PM
http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumblarge_270/121096742442Ara6.jpg

You're only here for a short visit.
Don't hurry, don't worry.
And be sure to stop and smell the flowers.
Walter Hagen

http://www.inspirationline.com/images/smell-flowers.jpg

BlueStar
June 13th, 2012, 05:52 PM
"Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.
When you realise there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you."
Lao Tzu

BlueStar
June 13th, 2012, 05:53 PM
If you like these quotes, and are on twitter, be sure to follow my Twitter alter ego Zen Hamster, which I endeavour to update daily:

https://twitter.com/#!/zen_hamster

Enjoy!

Lion Spirit Walker
June 17th, 2012, 04:00 AM
"Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.
When you realise there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you."
Lao Tzu
The simplest truths are indeed the greatest. Thank you for this wonderful reminder.
p.s., Zen Hamster is the master. :)

BlueStar
November 23rd, 2012, 09:33 PM
sit in silence

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2660/3994131468_1849ae1532.jpg

Kiran
November 24th, 2012, 09:25 PM
Silence is good :)

I meant to thank you for all these posts Rory....I might not always reply but I do enjoy reading them. Love to you <3

BlueStar
November 26th, 2012, 12:51 PM
Thanks Lorri. I will try get back to it :)