Isn't life "far from nice"? - mostly!

[lyra]

Isn't life "far from nice"? - mostly!

But we have to put up with it for a while!

I think I shall start sending in some ideas or thoughts
that make it seem nicer or more hopeful...

--
lyra

[lyra]

Here is one, (no, three...) from

"365 smiles from Buddha"

a nice cup of tea

In the old days a Zen master would
drive his pupil to the brink of distraction
in the quest for enlightenment.

One pupil
had finally reached the stage where he
 no longer
knew what to do.

All the concepts he had relied on all his life
 had been swept away.

"Now", said the master, "there is nothing left for you
but to have a cup of tea."

The pupil was enlightened.

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Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. (Anon)

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tao

When superior people hear of the Way
They try hard to practise it.

When the middling people hear of the Way
They sometimes keep to it,
and sometimes lose it.

When inferior people hear of the Way,
They laugh at it.

If they didn't laugh, it would not be the Way.

(Tao Te Ching)

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--
lyra

[lyra]

On 3/10/07, lyra wrote:

from "1001 ways to relax"

Blitz your backlog of chores,
starting early one morning,
straight after an early breakfast.

Working hard right up to mid-morning snack time
guarantees that you'll feel good about yourself.

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A glass prism placed on a window sill can make an
ever-changing dance of light that is relaxing to watch.

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Splash water on your face and wrists to wake yourself up.

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from "1001 meditations"

A multitude of reflections

"The moon is one, but on
agitated water it produces many reflections.

Similarly, ultimate reality is one,
yet it appears to be many
in a mind agitated by thoughts."

Maharamayana (11th century)

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The secret

"Look within! The secret is inside you!"

Hui Neng (638-713)

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A cloak of protection

"As I travel through the night,
protect me with a cloak of Heaven's shining might,
moon's floating light, ocean's swirling depth,
earth's grounding patience, wind's soaring wildness,
owl's piercing eyesight."

(adapted from an Icelandic prayer)

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--
lyra

[lyra]