Do not envy others. If someone gets a larger piece of cake, be happy for them. They’ll get fat and you’ll stay thin.
If you have humility, you are willing to undertake anything to spread the dharma.
Some people like a harsh teacher. They feel the demands make them learn more quickly. Some like a gentle teacher because they feel that makes them learn more quickly.
Flaky devotionalism, bowing and scraping and sucking up to the teacher is very phony. It is counterproductive to enlightenment and spiritual development. What is necessary is mutual respect.
The more moral you pretend to be, the less moral you are; the less moral you try to be, the more moral you are.
Without humility, all spiritual progress stops.
It takes tremendous self-restraint on the part of the student not to want to monopolize the teacher’s attention, to live a very controlled life and a happy life, and of course, be dedicated to the cause.
Studying with a teacher doesn’t simply mean going to an occasional seminar or Zen retreat. It means fully applying yourself to what the teacher says, most of which is not verbal.
Don’t judge others. Always be open to them. Avoid the cult mentality, you know, the super-slick, “I’m superior because I meditate, because I’m on the pathway to enlightenment,” the subtle ego nonsense, terrible trap.
If one thinks of an enlightened person in a negative way, as it hits their aura, it returns very strongly.
We must control the tendencies within our being that are destructive, when we want to slam somebody else, hurt them, injure them, or push them out of the way. A reverence for life needs to be developed, in which all things are sacred.
Any individual is capable of realizing the truth at any time. No tradition is necessary, no chain, no lineage. Once you have realized the truth, once you have become consciousness itself, then you go beyond all such distinctions.
Simplify your life and your mind. Think more of infinity and less of yourself.
As a student of enlightenment your attitude should not be to become enlightened. It should be to learn.
Love makes you wise. Love unites. Pain divides. Hate divides even more. Hate separates and brings us down to a very physical plane. Love elevates us to a plane of spirit.
As you become more aware of your own imperfections, you simultaneously become more aware of the overall perfection of the universe.
In the process of self-discovery you will learn to be kind when you could be harsh. You will learn to forgive, mostly yourself. You will learn to be patient because you may have to wait quite a while to become that which you will eventually be.
All things are spiritual. It doesn’t matter what you do or who you are or what kind of blue jeans you wear, or whether you wear an ochre robe or whether you’re sober or asleep or dreaming. It’s all the same.
Those who practice deserve your respect. If you respect them, you respect yourself. It’s easy to be critical, but it does no good. What’s important is to be supportive of all who practice.
Select companions who are striving for enlightenment. They all have their imperfections, certainly, but at least their attention is moving in the right direction.