Living a Life of Freedom
- Be humble to those below and respectful to those above. Bodhisattva practitioners, study this well!
- Contribute rather than compete. Use what you have been given wisely, and don't squander your good fortune.
- Love yourself, love others, love all sentient beings; liberate yourself, liberate others, liberate all sentient beings.
- Benefiting others takes a pure mind that seeks neither reward nor return.
- Love is involved in what you own and what you give to others, but the difference between helping yourself and helping others is that one is a selfdirected, possessive love; the other is a selfless, joyous, generous love.
- Demand right-minded conduct of yourself, do not use it as an excuse to harshly criticize others.
- Have the breadth of mind to serve as the stepping stone for another; be the kind of person that truly helps others to be successful.
- If you let other people misunderstand you, it's nobody's fault but your own.
- When you work with others, consider their needs. When you make a mistake, reflect upon your own conduct.
- Set others before you to complete yourself, respect others to put an end to enmity, praise others to encourage harmony.
- Unable to let go of attachment to self? No wisdom. Unable to let go of attachment to others? No compassion.
- Say "Blessings to you" when you meet another. This spreads good will and brings peace and calm.
- Offer friendship and a helping hand to others, and so be a beacon of harmony, happiness, peace and calm.
- Gossip less and you will have fewer disputes; be more truthful and sincere and you will have more peace and calm.
- Self confidence is recognizing your strong points; growth is knowing your weaknesses; respect is understanding another's position.
- Concern yourself with the happiness of others; downplay your own achievements.
- In dealing with those under you: show concern rather than reproach; give encouragement rather than direction; discuss rather than command.
- The obstinate afflict others and do themselves no good; the tolerant accord with others and bring peace to themselves.
- If you want to bring peace to others, be in harmony with them. If you wish to sway others, be accommodating. To establish harmony is to unite people, as the soft can conquer the hard.
- The meaning of life lies in continuous learning and giving of oneself; help others to succeed and you will grow.
- One with wisdom and restraint will never engage in frivolous chatter.
- Be polite and friendly when dealing with others, and you will pass all of your days in peace and tranquility.
- An intelligent person is not necessarily wise; a dull-witted person not necessarily foolish. Wisdom is not the same as knowledge; the difference lies in your attitude in dealing with people.
- Reduce others’ vexations with compassion: reduce your own with wisdom.
- Just as you would not ask others to wear your own shoes, don't make someone else's problems your own.
Living a Simple Life
- It is a great blessing to care for other people when they suffer; it is great wisdom to delight in helping others deal with their own problems.
- Clearly see that everything in the world is impermanent, and you can realize the inner world of true peace.
- When you meet others, connect with kindness, not resentment, and you will enjoy relationships of harmony and a life of joy.
- A smile and a good word are great gifts that create virtuous affinity with all.
- Reduce pointless emotions and avoid unnecessary trouble.
- What you offer repays what you have been given; when you repent, you strengthen your self-discipline.
- What is the best way to make progress? Devote yourself to the benefit of others. This is the true measure of success.
- When you interact with other people, be "square" within and "round" without. "Square" means to adhere to principle. "Round" means to be accommodating and understanding.
- If you can't be of help, at the very least, don't cause harm.
- In speech add a measure of virtue, take away a degree of vice. Act in this way and you cultivate great merit and blessing.
- Grow in harmony; strive in hope.
- Chances for success increase when you eliminate thoughts of gain, loss, success, or failure, and your thoughts turn to pure diligence.
- Warm is the family that lives in mutual love and respect. Cherish the family whose members help and understand one another.
- A boss should think less about profit and loss and more about honesty and reputation. This is the true strategy for success.
- If you hear gossip, be calm and reflect carefully. If it's true, it calls for change. If it's false, continue to do good work. A short temper can turn gossip into a deadly weapon.
- Enduring the suffering of the mind increases wisdom. Withstanding life's suffering increases virtuous retribution.
- Look at life and be filled with limitless hope. Look at death and be prepared at any time.
- Be clear about what is necessary for you to have. Untangle yourself from wants driven by passion.
- Decipher everything in a straightforward manner, but ponder the negative implications.
- When you fail, work very hard. When you succeed, work even harder. This is the model for successful enterprise and happiness at work.
- The most important concept in protecting the environment is "simplicity." Simplify your life and that will protect the environment.
- With maturity, there are no cares about the past; with intelligence, there are no doubts about the present; with an unobstructed mind, there is no worry about the future.
- Both favorable and unfavorable causes and conditions help us grow; treat them with equanimity and gratitude.
- See that neither the past, the future, fame, or position have anything to do with you. A happy and energetic life is itself freedom and good fortune.
- Education does not determine identity; competence does not determine integrity; fame does not determine virtue. No occupation is in itself great or lowly. Everything is decided by what you think and how you act.
- Here is a method to put an end to unhappiness: be sincere, active, and straightforward; don't be irresolute, passive, and dawdling.
- Doing everyday tasks will always be difficult, but if you carry on with faith and patience, at the very least you will meet some success.
- Live in this moment; don't regret the past; don't fear the future.
- A good method to lighten strain and stress: lessen the mind of gain and loss; increase the mind of appreciation.
- Have no complaints or regrets about the past. Be ready and prepared for the future. In the present make every step sure and steady.
- Don't just express gratitude. Make it a reality.
- First, have no worries no matter what you do. Simply choose the right person, adopt the right approach, and when the time is right, you will overcome what is before you.
- Will I gain or lose, be helped or harmed? Put that down! Then you will develop penetrating wisdom that encompasses heaven and earth and all phenomena.
May you have Good Luck and Good Fortune
- Let the doctor care for your disease. Let the bodhisattva care for your life. Once you do this you will become a healthy person with no worries.
- People usually have no insight into themselves and consequently cause themselves unnecessary trouble.
- The first important task in life is to learn to be a good and useful person. Work with all your heart and mind to the best of your ability, according to what is required of you.
- It is all right to express feelings in handling personal affairs, but you must use a principled approach in public matters.
- Rather than fighting for something you cannot get, it is better to cherish and use what you already have.
- Do not care about what is past or in the future, good or bad. It is best to care only about what is present.
- If you truly let go of everything, then you can encompass everything and everything becomes yours.
- In approaching a method of meditation, once you can pick it up, you can begin to exercise effort. With effort you can put down your thoughts. Progress lies within this picking up and putting down.
- Don't measure yourself as high or low in comparison to others. Just work with all your heart and mind.
- Nothing around you is either good or bad, but seems so according to how you look at it.
- Once the dust from a catastrophe has settled, you reach a critical point where positive thinking can begin and important lessons can be learned.
- With no greed and no grasping, you can maintain your dignity and be unaffected by others.
- If you can cherish causes and conditions as they transpire from moment to moment, then each moment is unique.
- If you put your "self" in everything, then you have problems and trouble. Remove "self" concern with gain and loss and you will achieve liberation.
- Happiness does not derive from how famous you are or how much money you have; rather it is a measure of inner peace and contentment with few desires.
- Let words reflect deeds! Let a true mind speak true words. Let a good heart speak good words. This is true eloquence.
- We may be ordinary sentient beings, but we should shoulder our responsibilities and let go of our attachments as best we can.
- When you are busy, don't feel overwhelmed. When there is nothing to do, don't feel bored. In this way you will not be swayed by every turn in life and be utterly lost.
- Don't get carried away when the sailing is smooth; don't lose heart and give up when the boat starts to toss and turn.
- A narrow mind and insatiable greed will deprive even the wealthy of happiness.
- Advance your life in simplicity. Shine in difficulty.
- Seek abundance in calm and stability; See dignity in adversity.
- Keeping your emotions steady is the foundation of unobstructed success.
Spiritual Development
- When the mind is undisturbed by circumstances, that is the result of meditative concentration. When the mind is not separate from circumstances, that is the function of wisdom.
- Retreat to advance; be silent to debate. These are the best methods to foster self development and to help others.
- Buddha in mind, speech, and daily life.
- Compassion is judicious affection. Wisdom is flexible intelligence.
- North, south, east, west - all directions are fine. Walking, resting, sitting, sleeping - these are not separate from the Way. Always maintain a mind of humility. Repentance and repayment of kindness are qualities that will keep you walking on the Way.
- A practitioner should be honest and sincere, and harbor no evil thoughts. This is the meaning of “a straightforward mind is the ground of the Way.”
- When vexations arise, do not contend with them, but extinguish them with a mind of humility, repentance, and gratitude.
- To wholly experience life is to practice Chan.
- A healthy body and mind constitute life's greatest treasure.
- Breathing is wealth - as long as you are alive there is hope.
- When your mind is tied into a knot, it is best to reflect deeply into the place where mind arises and thoughts move.
- When vexations descend upon you, it is best to enjoy the sensation of breathing.
- An encumbered mind sees a world out of balance. An undisturbed mind sees a world of beauty.
- A closed and clouded mind is suffering. An open and clear mind can transform suffering into happiness.
- The arising and perishing of phenomena is the way of the world. The wise thoroughly penetrate this arising and perishing.
- Transform your mind and transform your destiny.
- Wisdom is not merely understanding the sutras; it includes the skillful means to transform vexations.
- Vexation is bodhi, but that doesn't mean there is no vexation. Vexations exist, but don't see them as vexations.
- With a peaceful mind and physical harmony you will live in happiness.
- When angry, learn to contemplate and illuminate the mind. Consider your thoughts and ask yourself, “Why do I want to feel angry?"
- Mind engaged - things to do. Mind let go - nothing to do.
- Self-affirmation, self-transformation, and self-dissolution are the three stages in the path from “self” to “no-self.”
- Emphasize the cultivation of virtuous karmic causes; do not simply expect delightful karmic effects.
- When you recognize that you lack wisdom, your wisdom has already increased imperceptibly.
- Mind should be like a wall, unmoving but functioning.
- Be a spotless mirror - clearly and vividly reflecting everything and stained by nothing.
- When everyone is blindly battling each other, it is best to choose another path.
