Learn to accept the transitory nature of existence of the body and the mind; see eternity in everything, this world, the other worlds, and nirvana.
In order not to lose your resolve and purpose, you need to unite with others of like mind and work with an advanced Teacher who is in touch with, and can transfer, knowledge and power.
Your journey is to see how deeply you can interface your mind with infinity. That’s the journey of a monk – to see.
Gaining energy is accomplished by meditating, by right actions, right thoughts, right deeds, by studying with a real teacher or by just studying the teachings, by creating happiness in your life, and by never giving up.
Determine where you are and where you wish to be. Then use all of your self-effort to make that happen, following the guiding principles of all the Buddhas and bohisattvas and seekers of the dharma, of enlightenment.
You must be kind to others. You must foster a caretaker personality of gentleness and perseverance, even in the midst of adversity.
A way of spreading the dharma is just telling people, sharing with them your experiences. Never push it, never be a missionary. Be completely selfless; realize you’re only an instrument of eternity.
Care, but don’t be pushy! Don’t preach about enlightenment to people who don’t really want to hear about it.
Share the way by being a good example.
Be fair. Don’t present your version of the truth to others. Lose your ulterior motives! Be accurate and pure in your presentation of the way, and you will become the way.
The etiquette is higher consciousness, sensitivity, gentleness, gracefulness, intensity, power, and knowledge.
It is good to have respect for all beings because who knows what anyone can do?
We must be able to deal with ridicule and scorn, which it always seems that Buddhists receive. But we feel that it doesn’t matter. God’s laughing at us; God’s laughing at God. We can take a joke too. We’re pretty funny.
You don’t want to become so sensitive that you can’t interact with people in the world. If you get to that point, you are not practicing psychic development. You are running away from the world, and you’ve made yourself weak.
Self-discover is not as someone would have us think, a heavy, awesome, moral process where everyone sits around and frowns. As you progress towards enlightenment, you become funny.
Enlightenment is not about being political. It is not a social club. Ashrams often turn into that, I know. Societies of enlightenment often just become cliques.
I think cosmopolitan spirituality is the best, where we go beyond “My teacher is better than yours” or “My meditation form is better than yours.” It’s not Ford versus Chevy. But it’s rather the transition of our limited awareness into eternity.
Feel the underlying meaning of the teachings that are espoused by me or anyone else. The word’s don’t mean much. Words are supposed to be catalysts for higher states of attention. That is where the action is.
There is no letter of the law to follow in Zen. There is a lot of etiquette, but there are no rules.
Zen is discipline – the discipline of living life, the discipline of taking a breath, the discipline of not knowing and not trying to know.