I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. - Stephen CoveySome more of his stuff.
387 The sun is bright by day, the moon shines by night, the warrior is bright in his armour, the Brahmana is bright in his meditation; but Buddha, the Awakened, is bright with splendour day and night.
406 Him I call indeed a Brahmana who is tolerant with the intolerant, mild with violent, and free from greed among the greedy.
407 Him I call indeed a Brahmana from whom anger and hatred, pride and hypocrisy have dropt like a mustard seed from the point of a needle.
360 Restraint in the eye is good, good is restraint in the ear, in the nose restraint is good, good is restraint in the tongue.
361 In the body restraint is good, good is restraint in speech, in thought restraint is good, good is restraint in all things. A Bhikshu, restrained in all things, is freed from all pain.
363 The Bhikshu who controls his mouth, who speaks wisely and calmly, who teaches the meaning and the law, his word is sweet.
367 He who never identifies himself with name and form, and does not grieve over what is no more, he indeed is called a Bhikshu.
368 The Bhikshu who behaves with with kindness, who is happy in the doctrine of Buddha, will reach the quite place (Nirvana), happiness arising from the cessation of natural inclinations.
372 Without knowledge there is no meditation, without meditation there is no knowledge: he who has knowledge and meditation near unto Nirvana.
375 And this is the beginning here for a wise Bhikshu: watchfulness over the senses, contentedness, restraint under the law; keep noble friends whose life is pure, and who are not slothful.
381 The Bhikshu, full of delight, who is happy in the doctrine of Buddha will reach the quite place (Nirvana), happiness consisting in the cessation of natural inclinations.
338 As a tree, even though it has been cut down, is firm so long as its root is safe, and grows again, thus, unless the feeders of thirst are destroyed, this pain (of life) will return again and again.
342 Beset with lust, men run about like a snared hare; held in fetters and bonds, they undergo pain for long time, again and again.
349 If a man is tossed about by doubts, full strong passions, and yearning only for what is delightful, his thirst will grow more and more, and he will indeed make fetters strong.
351 He who has reached the consummation, who does not tremble, who is without thirst and without sin, he has broken all the thorns of life: this will be his last body.
356 The fields are damaged by weeds, mankind is damaged by passion: therefore a gift bestowed on the passionless brings great reward.
357 The fields are damaged by weeds, mankind is damaged by hatred: therefore a gift bestowed on those who do not hate brings great reward.
358 The fields are damaged by weeds, mankind is damaged by vanity: therefore a gift bestowed on those who are free from vanity brings great reward.
359 The fields are damaged by weeds, mankind is damaged by lust: therefore a gift bestowed on those who are free from lust brings great reward.
320 Silently I endure abuse as the elephant in battle endures the arrow sent from the bow: for the world is ill-natured.
325 If a man becomes fat and a great eater, if he is sleepy rolls himself about, that fool, like a hog fed on grains, is born again and again.
326 This mind of mine went formerly wandering about as it liked, as it listed, as it pleased; but I shall now hold it in thoroughly, as the rider who holds the hook holds in the furious elephant.
330 It is better to live alone, there is no companionship with a fool; let a man walk alone, let him commit no sin, with few wishes, like an elephant in the forest.
331 If the occasion arises, friends are pleasant; enjoyment is pleasant, whatever be the cause; a good work is pleasant in the hour of death; the giving up of all grief is pleasant.
332 Pleasant in the world is the state of a mother, pleasant the state of a father, pleasant the state of a Samana, pleasant the state of a Brahmana.
333 Pleasant is virtue lasting to old age, pleasant is a faith firmly rooted; pleasant is attainment of intelligence, pleasant is avoiding of sins.
307 Many men whose shoulders are covered with yellow gown are ill-conditioned are unrestrained; such evil-doers by their deeds go to hell.
309 Four things does a reckless man gain who covets his neighbour's wife,- demerit, uncomfortable bed, thirdly punishment, and lastly, hell.
311 As a grass-blade, if badly grasped, cuts the arm, badly-practised asceticism leads to hell.
313 If anything is to be done, let a man do it, let him attack it vigorously! A careless pilgrim only scatters the dust of his passions more widely.
316 They who are ashamed of what they ought not to be ashamed of, and are not ashamed of what they ought to be ashamed of, such men, embracing false doctrines, enter the evil path.
317 They who fear when they ought not to fear, and fear not when they ought to fear, such men, embracing false doctrines, enter the evil path.
318 They who see sin where there is no sin, and see no sin where there is sin, such men, embracing false doctrines, enter the evil path.
319 They who see sin where there is sin, and no sin where there is no sin, such men, embracing the true doctrine, enter the good path.
290 If by leaving a small pleasure one sees a great pleasure, let a wise man leave the small pleasure, and look to the great.
292 What ought to be done is neglected, what ought not to be done is done; the desires of unruly, thoughtless people are always increasing.
299 The disciples of Gotama are always well awake, and their thoughts day and night are always set on their body.
300 The disciples of Gotama are always well awake, and their mind day and night always delights in compassion.
301 The disciples of Gotama are always well awake, and their mind day and night always delights in meditation.
303 A man full of faith, if endowed with virtue and glory, is respected, whatever place he may choose.
304 Good people shine from afar, like the snowy mountains; bad people are not seen, like shot by night.
305 Sitting alone, lying down alone, walking alone without ceasing, and alone subduing himself, let a man be happy near the edge of a forest.
273 The best ways is the eightfold; the best of truths the four words; the best of virtues passionlessness; the best of man who has eyes to see.
276 You yourself must make an effort. The Tathagatas (Buddhas) are only preachers. The thoughtful who enter the way are freed from the bondage of Mara.
277 'All created things perish,' he who knows and sees this becomes passive in pain; this is the way of purity.
278 'All created things are grief and pain,' he who knows and sees this becomes passive in pain; this is the way that leads to purity.
279 'All forms are unreal,' he who knows and sees this becomes passive in pain; this is the way that leads to purity.
280 He who does not rouse himself when it is time to rise, who, though young and strong, is full of sloth, whose will and thought are weak, that lazy and idle man never finds the way to knowledge.
281 Watching his speech, well restrained in mind, let a man never commit any wrong with his body! Let a man but keep these three roads of action clear, and he will achieve the way which is thought by the wise.
289 A wise and well-behaved man who knows the meaning of this, should quickly clear the way that leads to Nirvara.
258 A man is not learned because he talks much; he is who is patient, free from hatred and fear, he is called learned.
259 A man is not supporter of the law because he talks much; even if a man has learnt little, but sees the law bodily, he is supporter of the law, a man never neglects the law.
260 A man is not an elder because his head is grey; his age may be ripe, but he is called 'Old-in-vain.'
265 He who always quiets the evil, whether small or large, he is called Samana (a quiet man), because he has quieted all evil.
270 A man is not an elect (Ariya) because he injuries living creatures; because he has pity on all living creatures, therefore is a man called Ariya.
222 He who holds back rising anger like a rolling chariot, him I call a real driver; other people are but holding the reins.
226 Those who are ever watchful, who study day and night, and who strive after Nirvana, their passions will come to an end.
227 This is an old saying, O Atula, this is not as if of to-day: 'They blame him who sits silent, they blame him who speaks much, they also blame him who says little; there is no one on earth who is not blamed.'
228 There never was, there never will be, nor is there now, a man who is always blamed, or a man who is always praised.
231 Beware of bodily anger, and control thy body! Leave the sins of the body, and with thy body practise virtue!
232 Beware of the anger of the tongue, and control thy tongue! Leave the sins of the tongue, and practise virtue whit thy tongue!
233 Beware of the anger of the mind, and control thy mind! Leave the sins of the mind, and practise virtue whit thy mind!
234 The wise who control their body, who control their tongue, the wise who control their mind, are indeed well controlled.
239 Let a wise man blow off the impurities of himself, as a smith blows off the impurities of silver, one by one, little by little, and from time to time.
243 But there is a taint worse than all taints, - ignorance is the greatest taint. O mendicants! throw of that taint, and become taintless!
245 But life is hard to live for a modest man, who always looks for what is pure, who is disinterested, quite, spotless, and intelligent.
247 And the man who gives himself to drinking intoxicating liquors, he, even in this world, digs up his own root.
251 There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed.
253 If a man looks after the faults of others, and is always inclined to be offended, his own passions will grow, and he is far from destruction of passions.
155 There is no path through the air, a man is not a Samana outwardly. No creatures are eternal; but the awakened (Buddha) are never shaken.
96 His thought is quiet, quiet are his words and deed, when he has freedom by true knowledge, when he has thus become a quiet man.
99 Forests are delightful; where the world finds no delight, there the passionless will find delight, for they look for no pleasures.
103 If one man conquer in battle a thousand times thousand men, and if another conquer himself, he is the greatest of conquerors.
120 Even a good man sees evil days so long as his good deed does not ripen; but when his good deed ripens, then does the good man see good things.
182 Difficult (to obtain) is the conception of men, difficult is the life of mortals, difficult is the hearing of the True Law, difficult is the birth of the Awakened (the attainment of Buddhahood).
185 Not to blame, not to strike, to live restrained under the law, to be moderate in eating, to sleep and sit alone, and to dwell on the highest thoughts,-this is the teaching of the Awakened.
188 Men, driven by fear, go to many a refuge, to mountains and forests, to grows and sacred trees.
189 But that is not a safe refuge, that is not the best refuge; a man is not delivered from all pains after having gone to that refuge.
190 He who takes refuge with Buddha, the Law, and the Church; he who, with clear understanding , sees the four holy truths:-
204 Health is the greatest of gifts, contentedness the best riches; trust is the best of relationships, Nirvana the highest happiness.
63 The fool who knows his foolishness, is wise at least so far. But fool who thinks himself wise, he is called a fool indeed.
81 As a solid rock not shaken by the wind, wise people falter not amidst blame and praise.
It's wonderful when your weekend lasts until Monday 05:33 in the morning and you didn't expect it. Thank you for great friends.
