┌─见───心境事───思想诤执──┐

│ ＞＜ ＞＜ │

自心痴闇─┼─慢───我他事───法制诤执──┼─人类颠倒

│ ＞＜ ＞＜ │

└─爱───我物事───经济诤执──┘

by 印顺法师

一个贫穷的人，拿着唯一的一块铜钱到店里去购买食物，可是，当店里的人接过铜钱一看，发现那是假的，于是将钱退还，不肯把食物给他。穷人听说钱是假的，急得眼泪都掉下来，心想：家里的老母亲又要挨饿，怎么办？

正当他伤心难过的时候，一位军人从门外经过，问明了原委，随即拿出一块钱来给他，那块假铜钱随手就往上衣口袋里放。穷人感激涕零的买了食物回家，军人也随军队上前方作战。

有一天，敌人的一颗子弹射过来，这个军人来不及卧倒，只感到前胸像被震了一下，可是并没有受伤，他摸摸全身，从上衣口袋里掏出一块铜钱，发现铜钱的正中央凹了下去，这时他才明白，原来是这块铜钱救了他的命。

从这个故事我们可以知道，这是一件利人又利己的事情，救人的急难，等于救自己一样。

by 星云法师

According to the Pali Canon, the four foundations of mindfulness are :

1) Mindfulness of one's body in stillness and in motion.
2) Mindfulness of one's sensory experience as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral.
3) Mindfulness of one's mental afflictions: desire, anger, and delusion.
4) Mindfulness of all mental contents, including the teachings of the Buddha. Being mindful of the constant changes in one's physical and mental states, one comes to the insight that phenomena are impermanent and there is no self in control.
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The Mahayana doctrine also includes a set of four remembrances:
1) Observe that the body is impure.
2) Observe that all sensory experiences come down to misery.
3) Observe that the mind is constantly changing.
4) Observe that all dharmas have no selves.

Everything is interdependently arisen. Everything comes into being by depending on something else. For us as humans to experience goodness or benefit, we have to depend upon others to experience that goodness, benefit or happiness. Without depending on others, it is very difficult for anything good to happen to us.

Since we all live in a human society on one single planet, we have to depend upon each other. The best way to depend upon and communicate with each other is through having loving kindness and compassion. If we have these qualities, we will be able to relate with each other, we will have connections with each other, and we can depend upon each other. But if we don't have any loving kindness and compassion, the entire path of depending upon, communicating with and having connections with each other will become destroyed.

If we have loving kindness and compassion with an attitude that we are contributing to this interdependence of humans, things will come along well for ourselves, things will come along well for others and the whole world will benefit. When that happens we will not need armies or a lot of laws or police.

by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

佛陀说：「生命在呼间。」人无法管住自己的生命，更无法挡住死期，让自己永住人间。既然生命去来这么无常，我们更应该好好地爱惜它、利用它、充实它，让这无常、宝贵的生命，散发它真善美的光辉，映照出生命真正的价值。

by 证严法师

讲修行，讲不修行，都是一句空话。你我透彻 自己这一段心光，当下了无其事，还说什么修与不修。试看本师释迦牟尼佛的表现，出家访道，苦行六年证道，夜睹明星，叹曰：“奇哉!奇哉!大地众生皆有如来智慧德相，只因妄想执着，不能证得；若离妄想，则清净智，自然智，无师智，自然现前。”

by 虚云法师

Feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back.

They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.

by Pema Chodron

The sense bases include two sets of six: six sense organs (or internal sense bases) and six sense objects (or external sense bases).

Based on these six pairs of sense bases, a number of mental factors arise.

The twelve sense bases, that is, the sense organs and their objects are :

1) Eye and Vision
2) Ear and Hearing
3) Nose and Olfaction
4) Tongue and Taste
5) Skin and Touch
6) Mind and Thought

Thus, for instance, when an ear and sound are present, the associated consciousness arises. The arising of these three elements – ear, sound and ear-related consciousness – lead to what is known as "contact" which in turn causes a pleasant or unpleasant or neutral "feeling" or "sensation" to arise. It is from such a sensation that "craving" arises.

To overcome craving and its resultant suffering, one should develop restraint of and insight into the sense bases.

The Buddha's Great Disciple Sariputta shares that the actual suffering associated with sense organs and sense objects is not inherent to these sense bases but is due to the "fetters" (here identified as "craving") that arise when there is contact between a sense organ and sense object.

Buddha states that one abandons the fetters "when one knows and sees ... as impermanent".

If you want to understand suffering you must look into the situation at hand. The teachings say that wherever a problem arises it must be settled right there. Where suffering lies is right where non-suffering will arise, it ceases at the place where it arises. If suffering arises you must contemplate right there, you don't have to run away. You should settle the issue right there. One who runs away from suffering out of fear is the most foolish person of all. He will simply increases his stupidity endlessly.

by Ajahn Chah

从许多事情看，一个人作恶作善，不但佛菩萨和天地鬼神都知道，并且多少年也不会消失，好象有个档案袋，详细记下善与恶，随着业识一世一世地流转，切不可说因缘果报是迷信，正象经说：“假使百千劫，所作业不亡，因缘会遇时，果报还自受。”

by 净空法师

What is the difference between complaining and discussing certain topics in a constructive way?

It lies in our attitude - our motivation - for speaking. Discussing a situation involves taking a more balanced approach, in which we actively try to understand the origin of the problem and think of a remedy. In our mind we become proactive, not reactive. We assume responsibility for what is our responsibility and stop blaming others when we cannot control a situation.

Thus, we can discuss our health without complaining about it. We simply tell others the facts and go on. If we need help, we ask for it directly, instead of lamenting in the hopes that someone will rescue us or feel sorry for us.

Similarly, we can discuss our financial situation, a friendship gone awry, an unfair policy at work, the uncooperative attitude of a salesperson, the ills of society, the misconceptions of political leaders, or the dishonesty of CEOs without complaining about them. This is far more productive, because discussion with knowledgeable people can help give us a new perspective on the situation, which, in turn, helps us deal with it more effectively.

For Buddhist practitioners, several meditations act as healthy antidotes to the habit of complaining.

Meditating on impermanence is a good start; seeing that everything is transient enables us to set our priorities wisely and determine what is important in life. It becomes clear that the petty things we complain about are not important in the long run, and we let them go.

Meditating on compassion is also helpful. When our mind is imbued with compassion, we don't see others as enemies or as obstacles to our happiness.

Instead, we see that they do harmful actions because they wish to be happy but don't know the correct method for attaining happiness. They are, in fact, just like us: imperfect, limited sentient beings who want happiness and not suffering.

Thus we can accept them as they are and seek to benefit them in the future. We see that our own happiness, in comparison to the problematic situations others' experience, is not so important. Thus we are able to view others with understanding and kindness, and automatically any inclination to complain about, blame, or judge them evaporates.

Meditating on the nature of cyclic existence is another antidote. Seeing that we and others are under the influence of ignorance, anger, and clinging attachment, we abandon idealistic visions that things should be a certain way.

As a friend always says to me when I mindlessly complain, "This is cyclic existence. What did you expect?"

Well, I suppose that at that moment, I expected perfection, i.e. that everything should happen the way I think it should, the way I want it to. Examining the nature of cyclic existence frees us from such unrealistic thinking and from the complaining it foments.

In his Guide to a Bodhisattva's Way of Life, Shantideva counsels us, "If something can be changed, work to change it. If it cannot, why worry, be upset, and complain?"

Wise advice. We need to remember it when the urge arises to complain.

by Thubten Chodron

依佛法说：内有不和（不平）的心因，外有不平（不和）的事缘，彼此相互影响，这
才兴风作浪，造成从来难得和平的局面。 不和，佛典称之为诤。诤，见于语言文字，
见于行动，而实深刻的存于内心。

扼要来说：内心的诤有二：一、见诤；二、爱诤。这二者又根源于「受」与「想」，
所以称受想为「诤根」。

见，是见解，这里专指主观的成见、偏见、倒见、邪见。当人类触对对象时，必然
的摄取境相。所取的境相，有著局限性，片面性；摄取境相时，必觉有异于其它的
特性，如此而并不如彼（「取境分齐」），这才成为一个个的心象。

爱，是贪欲。权力、名誉、生命，都是人类所贪著的；而衣食住等经济生活（及男
女性生活），尤为欲界人类贪求的对象。在我们触对对象时，内心必起反应而领
「受」于心。这一内心的反应，有自己主观的标准，起著合意的，不合意的，或无
所谓的领受。合意的乐受，即引起爱欲而恋恋不舍。没有得到的，一心一意的去追
求。得到了，一心一意的希望增多，无限的增多；保有，永远的保有。所以说：受
为爱欲的根源。

见与爱，为精神生活与物质生活中的两大诤执，而这实根源于认识中的受与想。佛
说五蕴，特立受、想为二蕴，即重视他是见诤与爱诤的根源。 如广泛的说，内心的
一切活动，无论为感情的，意志的，知识的，凡不能正确而恰当的，一切是诤，一
切是「烦动恼乱」，不得和谐的安宁。

所以说：「一切烦恼，皆名为诤」。尤其是狂喜时，愤怒时，渴想时，失望时，悲
痛时，恐怖时，忧虑时，内心是：烈火一样的在焚烧，狂飙一样的在震动，山一样
的险峻，海浪一样的汹涌，电一样的闪烁，烦动恼乱到极点。

然一切烦恼中，重要而根本的，是「爱」、「见」、「慢」、「无明」。

爱有自体爱、境界爱；或色（性欲）、欲（资生物）、定境爱。

见有我见、我所见，常见、断见，一见、异见，有见、无见等执见。

慢，主要的是我慢，这是个性（人格性）的特征。每一生命，虽为前后的不断似续，
同时的相互依存，而现为一合相，即形成一个个的单位。由于个体独存的错觉，在
接物待人时，总是自他对立而着重自己，流露自尊自大的我慢。即使是事实所逼，
自惭形秽，自卑中也不脱「卑慢」的因素。从深细的自尊自重感，发展为妄自尊大
的优越感，控制一切的主宰欲（权力欲）。

现实是不能尽如人意的，因而转化为镇恚、忿怒、敌视、仇恨、怨结、残酷。甚至
见到他人的境遇良好，虽无关自己，也要嫉妒而心里难过起来。这比起执见与物欲，
要严重得多。在同一思想，物资平衡分配的场所，每因意气、权力的争夺而事态恶
化，即因慢而诤的实证。见从识别而来，爱从领受（情）而来，慢从形成个性的意
志中来。

这三者，同为不能正确而恰当的心理活动，无明是这一切的通相。如约特殊的意义
说，无明是不能觉了事事物物的真相，特别是不能认识自己，不觉自我（无我的假
我）的真相。

无明或称愚痴，虽似乎重于知识的谬误，而实形容知情意的共同错乱，心意
的盲目活动。因此，归根结底的说，内心的根本诤因，是无明──不能觉了自我的
迷蒙。这是世间不得和平的诤因，也是人生不得解脱的错乱根本。

by 印顺法师

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.

by Buddha
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I would like to explain the meaning of compassion which is often misunderstood. Genuine compassion is based not on our own projections and expectations, but rather on the rights of the other: irrespective of whether another person is a close friend or an enemy, as long as that person wishes for peace and happiness and wishes to overcome suffering, then on that basis we develop a genuine concern for his or her problems. This is genuine compassion.

Usually when we are concerned about a close friend, we call this compassion. This is not compassion; it is attachment. Even in marriage, those marriages that last only a short time, do so because of attachment - although it is generally present - but because there is also compassion. Marriages that last only a short time do so because of a lack of compassion; there is only emotional attachment based on projection and expectation. When the only bond between close friends is attachment, then even a minor issue may cause one´s projections to change.

As soon as our projections change, the attachment disappears, because that attachment was based solely on projection and expectation. It is possible to have compassion without attachment, and similarly, to have anger without hatred.

Therefore we need to clarify the distinctions between compassion and attachment, and between anger and hatred. Such clarity is useful in our daily life and in our efforts toward world peace. I consider these to be basic spiritual values for the happiness of all human beings, regardless of whether one is a believer or a nonbeliever.

by Dalai Lama

Dhamma is in your mind, not in the forest. Don't believe others. Just listen to your mind. You don't have to go and look anywhere else. Wisdom is in yourself, just like a sweet ripe mango is already in a young green one.

by Ajahn Brahm

It is through the five aggregates that the world is experienced, and nothing is experienced apart from the five aggregates.

The five aggregates are :

1) "Form" or "Matter"
External and internal matter. Externally, "Form" is the physical world. Internally, "Form" includes the material body and the physical sense organs.

2) "Sensation" or "Feeling"
Sensing an object as either pleasant or unpleasant or neutral.

3) Perception", "Conception" or "Cognition"
Register whether an object is recognized or not ( for instance, the sound of a whistle or the shape of a flower ).

4)  "Mental Formations"
All types of mental habits, thoughts, ideas, opinions, prejudices, compulsions, and decisions triggered by an object.

5) "Consciousness" or "Discernment"
The base that supports and discerns all experiences.

一切唯心造，只要人人心存善念，人间就是净土，清净的景象就在周围。

by 证严法师

Training this mind... actually there's nothing much to this mind. It's simply radiant in and of itself. It's naturally peaceful. Why the mind doesn't feel peaceful right now is because it gets lost in its own moods. There's nothing to mind itself. It simply abides in its natural state, that's all. That sometimes the mind feels peaceful and other times not peaceful is because it has been tricked by these moods. The untrained mind lacks wisdom. It's foolish. Moods come and trick it into feeling pleasure one minute and suffering the next. Happiness then sadness. But the natural state of a person's mind isn't one of happiness or sadness. This experience of happiness and sadness is not the actual mind itself, but just these moods which have tricked it. The mind gets lost, carried away by these moods with no idea what's happening. And as a result, we experience pleasure and pain accordingly, because the mind has not been trained yet. It still isn't very clever. And we go on thinking that it's our mind which is suffering or our mind which is happy, when actually it's just lost in its various moods.

The point is that really this mind of ours is naturally peaceful. It's still and calm like a leaf that is not being blown about by the wind. But if the wind blows then it flutters. It does that because of the wind. And so with the mind it's because of these moods - getting caught up with thoughts. If the mind didn't get lost in these moods it wouldn't flutter about. If it understood the nature of thoughts it would just stay still. This is called the natural state of the mind. And why we have come to practice now is to see the mind in this original state. We think that the mind itself is actually pleasurable or peaceful. But really the mind has not created any real pleasure or pain. These thoughts have come and tricked it and it has got caught up in them. So we really have to come and train our minds in order to grow in wisdom. So that we understand the true nature of thoughts rather than just following them blindly.

The mind is naturally peaceful. It's in order to understand just this much that we have come together to do this difficult practice of meditation.

by Ajahn Chah

You are not the limited, anxious person you think you are. Any trained Buddhist teacher can tell you with all the conviction of personal experience that, really, you’re the very heart of compassion, completely aware, and fully capable of achieving the greatest good, not only for yourself, but for everyone and everything you can imagine.

The only problem is that you don’t recognize these things about yourself. In the strictly scientific terms I’ve come to understand through conversations with specialists in Europe and North America, most people simply mistake the habitually formed, neuronally constructed image of themselves for who and what they really are. And this image is almost always expressed in dualistic terms: self and other, pain and pleasure, having and not having, attraction and repulsion. As I’ve been given to understand, these are the most basic terms of survival.

Unfortunately, when the mind is colored by this dualistic perspective, every experience—even moments of joy and happiness—is bounded by some sense of limitation. There is always a but lurking in the background. One kind of but is the but of difference. “Oh, my birthday party was wonderful, but I would have liked chocolate cake instead of carrot cake.” Then there is the but of “better.” “I love my new house, but my friend John’s place is bigger and has much better light.” And finally there is the but of fear. “I can’t stand my job, but in this market how will I ever find another one?” Personal experience has taught me that it’s possible to overcome any sense of personal limitation.

by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

十八界， 即"六根"、" 六尘"、"六识"三者。

十八界是以人的认识为中心， 对世界一切现象和事物所作的分类。

一人一身即具此十八界。 其中的六根有认识功能； 六尘作为认识对象； 六识则为随生的感受与观念。

总起来说， 此十八界依次为：

"六根" : (1)眼界、(2)耳界、(3)鼻界、(4)舌界、(5)身界、(6)意界；
"六尘" : (7)色界、(8)声界、(9)香界、(10_)味界、(11)触界、(12)法界；
"六识" : (13)眼识界、(14)耳识界、(15)鼻识界、(16)舌识界、(17)身识界、(18)意识界。

四安 ：提升人品的主张
安心—在于少欲知足
安身—在于勤劳俭朴
安家—在于敬爱互助
安业—在于服务奉献

四它 ：解除困境的主张
面对它—正视困境的存在
接受它—接受困境的事实
处理它—以悲智处理困境
放下它—处理后心无牵挂

四要 ：安定人心的主张
需要的不多
想要的太多
能要，该要的才要
不能要，不该要的绝对不要

四感 ：与人相处的主张
感恩 —使我们成长的因缘
感谢—给我们历练的机会
感化—用佛法转变自己
感动—用行动影响他人

四福 ：增进福祉的主张
知福—是最大的幸福
惜福—是最好的储备
培福—时时都有福
种福—人人都享福

by 圣严法师

学佛的人，心有所求最好劝人求佛菩萨，求「人」求不到，我们会生烦恼。

求佛菩萨、相信佛菩萨，缘成熟的时候，佛菩萨自然会为我们安排一切。

by 净空法师

六识: 眼耳鼻舌身意。各有识也。

谓依五根。能见五尘而为五识。于五尘境而起分别。为第六识。

识者了别之义，以能了别诸尘之故。

(1) 眼识谓眼根若对色尘。即生眼识。眼识生时。但能见色。而未起分别也。
(2) 耳识谓耳根若对声尘。即生耳识。耳识生时。但能闻声。而未起分别也。
(3) 鼻识谓鼻根若对香尘。即生鼻识。鼻识生时。但能齅香。而未起分别也。
(4) 舌识谓舌根若对味尘。即生舌识。舌识生时。但能尝味。而未起分别也。
(5) 身识谓身根若对触尘。即生身识。身识生时。但能感触。而未起分别也。
(6) 意识谓意根若对法尘。即生意识。意识生时。即能于五尘之境分别善恶好丑也。

平常一般人总喜欢把苦和乐，难和易，分得很清楚，因此，苦的时候难过，乐的时候欢喜；有收获的时候雀跃鼓舞，困难的时候伤心颓丧。假如一个人能够把这些对待的事情调和，不偏激、不极端，那么生也好、死也好、苦也好、乐也好、难也好、易也好，这不是很洒脱自在的生活吗？

by 星云法师

We were there before, will we be back?
No form...no birth, no he no she so no
desire no lust. ...no sickness, no old age so
no pain no suffering... no death so
no fear no stress
We were glowing, bright, beautiful...
in the dark... no day no night, no month no year...
no concept of time, its perpetual.
Plenty of us around, millions, billions.
Happy to be in each other's company, immersed in joy.
Since there is no form... there are no senses. No smell,
no sight, no feel, no sound, no taste, therefore
there is no desire no craving.
Since there is no form, there is no self... I, me, my.
"I am good, I am better,
He hurt me. He betrayed me. He does not respect me.
My property. My money. My idea. My territory..."
No I, no me, no my so there is no dispute,
no war, no killings...
We were there before, so quiet, peaceful and tranquil,
because there is no sound... no speech, no lies.
We were there before, so empty,
no need for procession...
no need for stealing, no need for clinging.
We were there before, so bright
so beautiful so much joy.
Silently watching the other creatures of
the other realms... with a gentle smile
and... sigh, there you go again...
We were there before,
will we be back?

by James Khoo
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Art by Dean Forbes

Start by thinking, "Everyone wants to be happy, just like me, and nobody wants to suffer, just like me."

If we focus on that thought alone, there is no space left for anxiety in our minds anymore. When we look at each living being with this recognition and immerse our minds in that thought, our mind will automatically become very open and caring.

Try doing this today. Whenever you are looking at people -- for example, when you are in a shop, on the street, in a bus -- think, "This is a living being that has feelings, someone who wants to be happy and doesn't want to suffer. This person is just like me."

You will find that you will no longer feel that they are complete strangers. You will feel like you know them in some way and will respect each of them.

by Thubten Chodron

Basically we are all the same human beings with the same potential to be a good human being or a bad human being ... The important thing is to realize the positive side and try to increase that; realize the negative side and try to reduce. That's the way.

by Dalai Lama

十二处是佛教常见名相，指六根加上六境(尘)。

六根与六境的相互作用使众生蒙蔽本有的真心,生出了种种虚妄分别心，造作种种业因， 感受种种果报。

佛告舍利弗说， 六根六尘都是由真空实相上幻化出来的虚妄法， 本来并非实有， 如果能够了解引理， 虽有六根对待诸尘， 但仍可以不受诸尘所染。

水与冰∶水本是无分别的，一味相融的；但结成的冰块，就各各不同。这块大，那块小；那块化成水，这块还是坚结的。众生也如此，本来息息 相关，相依相存。由於众生的无始蒙昧，不与平等一味相契合，而形成独立的形态。

by 印顺法师

我们要做好社会的环保，也要做好内心的环保。

by 证严法师

六境又称为六尘:
(1) 色、(2) 声、(3) 香、(4 )味、(5) 触、(6) 法。

它们是六根作用时不可少的境界， 即眼能视色， 耳能闻声， 鼻能嗅香， 舌能尝味， 身有所触， 意有所思所念。 总之， 六境包含了一切可认知的对象。

"六境"有引诱众生心思向外的可能， 即说它们易于蒙蔽众生本有的真心。

Just consider...Suppose we begin to possess an very expensive object. The minute that thing comes into our possession our mind changes...'Now, where can I keep it? If I leave it there somebody might steal it'...We worry ourselves into a state, trying to find a place to keep it. And when did the mind change? It changed the minute we obtained that object -- suffering arose right then. No matter where we leave that object we can't relax, so we're left with trouble. Whether sitting, walking, or lying down, we are lost in worry.

by Ajahn Chah

Among all living creatures studied thus far by modern scientists, only human beings can be said with absolute certainty to have been endowed with the ability to make deliberate choices about the direction of their lives, and to discern whether those choices will lead them through the valley of transitory happiness or into a realm of a lasting peace and well-being. Though we may be genetically wired for temporary happiness, we’ve also been gifted with the ability to recognize within ourselves a more profound and lasting sense of confidence, peace, and well-being.

Among sentient beings, human beings appear to stand alone in their ability to recognize the necessity to forge a bond between reason, emotion, and their instinct to survive, and in doing so create a universe—not only for themselves and the human generations that follow, but also for all creatures who feel pain, fear and suffering—in which we are all able to coexist contentedly and peaceably.

by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

凡夫只认现境，不了自心。依于六根，接于六尘，而生六识。

(1) 眼　能见色者是。以能对色而生眼识，故谓眼根。
(2) 耳　能闻声者是。以能对声而生耳识，故谓耳根。
(3) 鼻　能嗅香者是。以能对香而生鼻识，故谓鼻根。
(4) 舌　能尝味者是。以能对味而生舌识，故谓舌根。
(5) 身　能感触者是。以能对触而生身识，故谓身根。
(6) 意　能知法者是。以能对法而生意识，故谓意根。

If you listen to the Dhamma teachings but don't practice you're like a ladle in a soup pot. The ladle is in the soup pot every day, but it doesn't know the taste of the soup. You must reflect and meditate.

by Ajahn Brahm

We don't set out to save the world; we set out to wonder how other people are doing and to reflect on how our actions affect other people's hearts.

by Pema Chodron

When Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara was practicing the profound Prajna Paramita, he illuminated the Five Skandhas and saw that they are all empty, and he crossed beyond all suffering and difficulty.

Shariputra, form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does not differ from form. Form itself is emptiness; emptiness itself is form. So too are feeling, cognition, formation, and consciousness.

Shariputra, all Dharmas are empty of characteristics. They are not produced, not destroyed, not defiled, not pure; and they neither increase nor diminish. Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, feeling, cognition, formation, or consciousness; no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no sights, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, or Dharmas; no field of the eyes up to and including no field of mind consciousness; and no ignorance or ending of ignorance, up to and including no old age and death or ending of old age and death. There is no suffering, no accumulating, no extinction, and no Way, and no understanding and no attaining.

Because nothing is attained, the Bodhisattva through reliance on Prajna Paramita is unimpeded in his mind. Because there is no impediment, he is not afraid, and he leaves distorted dream-thinking far behind. Ultimately Nirvana! All Buddhas of the three periods of time attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi through reliance on Prajna Paramita. Therefore know that Prajna Paramita is a Great Spiritual Mantra, a Great Bright Mantra, a Supreme Mantra, an Unequalled Mantra. It can remove all suffering; it is genuine and not false. That is why the Mantra of Prajna Paramita was spoken. Recite it like this:

Gaté Gaté Paragaté Parasamgaté

Bodhi Svaha!

by Buddhist Text Translation Society

All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.

by Dalai Lama

四念住又名四念处是:

(1) 观身不净
(2) 观受是苦
(3) 观心无常
(4) 观法无我

以四念住对治我们的常、乐、我、净四颠倒。

从前释尊在世时，有一次广大的集会，大家都去见佛。须菩提在山边考虑，我也去见佛吗？佛说「见缘起即见佛」，我为什麽不观察缘起呢？他观察一切从缘所生，都是无常演变；从无常的观察中，通达法性空，契入寂灭的圣境。当时释尊对一个最先见佛的弟子说∶你以为先见我吗？不！「须菩提先见我身」。

by 印顺法师

>内心思维的禅定。

Buddhism teaches that harboring the three poisons leads to evil (Akusala) and suffering (Dukkha).

The Three Poisons are :
1) Greed (Lobha)
2) Hate (Dvesha)
3) Ignorance (Moha)

It's like a child who is learning to write. At first he doesn't write nicely -- big, long loops and squiggles -- he writes like a child. After a while the writing improves through practice. Practicing the Dharma is like this. At first you are awkward...sometimes calm, sometimes not, you don't really know what's what. Some people get discouraged. Don't slacken off! You must persevere with the practice. Live with effort, just like the schoolboy: as he gets older he writes better and better. From writing badly he grows to write beautifully, all because of the practice from childhood.

by Ajahn Chah

情与无情总是缘。随缘一宿觉当年。庞公万物不为侣。吸尽西江只目前。

by 虚云法师

The Eight Worldly Conditions are :

1) Loss
2) Gain
3) Fame
4) Shame
5) Praise
6) Blame
7) Pleasure
8) Pain

These conditions among human beings are inconstant, impermanent, subject to change.

Knowing this, the wise mindful person, ponders these changing conditions. Desirable things don't charm the mind and undesirable ones bring no resistance.

The mindful person neither welcomes these conditions nor rebels against them.

I arrived early to lead my meditation class in a low-security prison. A crim who I had never seen before was waiting to speak with me. He was a giant of a man with bushy hair and beard and tattooed arms; the scars on his face told me he'd been in many a violent fight. He looked so fearsome that I wondered why he was coming to learn meditation. He wasn't the type. I was wrong of course.

He told me that something had happened a few days before that had spooked the hell out of him. As he started speaking, I picked up his thick Ulster accent. To give me some background, he told me that he had grown up in the violent streets of Belfast. His first stabbing was when he was seven years old. The school bully had demanded the money he had for lunch. He said no. The older boy took out a long knife and asked for the money a second time. He thought the bully was bluffing. He said no again. The bully never asked a third time, he just plunged the knife into the seven year-old's arm, drew it out and walked away.

He told me that he ran in shock from the schoolyard, with blood streaming down his arm, to his father's house close by. His unemployed father took one look at the wound and led his son to their kitchen, but not to dress the wound. The father opened a drawer, took out a big kitchen knife, gave it to his son, and ordered him to go back to school and stab the boy back.

That was how he had been brought up. If he hadn't grown so big and strong, he would have been long dead.

The jail was a prison farm where short-term prisoners, or long-term prisoners close to release, could be prepared for life outside, some by learning a trade in the farming industry. Furthermore, the produce from the prison farm would supply all the prisons around Perth with inexpensive food, thus keeping down costs. Australian farms grow cows, sheep and pigs, not just wheat and vegetables; so did the prison farm. But unlike other farms, the prison farm had its own slaughterhouse, on-site.

Every prisoner had to have a job in the prison farm. I was informed by many of the inmates that the most sought-after jobs were in the slaughterhouse. These jobs were especially popular with violent offenders. And the most sought-after job of all, which you had to fight for, was the job of the slaughterer himself. That giant and fearsome Irishman was the slaughterer.

He described the slaughterhouse to me. Super-strong stainless steel railings, wide at the opening, narrowed down to a single channel inside the building, just wide enough for one animal to pass through at a time. Next to the narrow channel, raised on a platform, he would stand with the electric gun. Cows, pigs or sheep would be forced into the stainless steel funnel using dogs and cattle prods.

He said they would always scream, each in its own way, and try to escape. They could smell death, hear death and feel death. When an animal was alongside his platform, it would be writhing and wriggling and moaning in full voice. Even though his gun could kill a large bull with a single high-voltage charge, the animal would never stand still long enough for him to aim properly. So it was one shot to stun, next shot to kill. One shot to stun, next shot to kill. Animal after animal. Day after day.

The Irishmen started to become excited as he moved to the occurrence, only a few days before, that he had unsettled him so much. He started to swear. In what followed, he kept repeating, " This is God's f...ing truth!" He was afraid I wouldn't believe him.

That day they needed beef for the prisons around Perth. They were slaughtering cows. One shot to stun, next shot to kill. He was well into a normal day's killing when a cow came up like he had never seen before. This cow was silent. There wasn't even a whimper. Its head was down as it walked purposely voluntarily, slowly into position next to the platform. It did not writhe or wriggle or try to escape.

Once in position, the cow lifted her head and stared at her executioner, absolutely still.

The Irishmen hadn't seen anything even close to this before. His mind went numb with confusion. He couldn't lift his gun; nor could he take his eyes away from the eyes of the cow. The cow was looking right inside him.

He slipped into timeless spaces. He couldn't tell me how long it took, but as the cow held him in eye contact, he noticed something that shook him even more. Cows have very big eyes. He saw in the left eye of the cow, above the lower eyelid, water begin to gather. The amount of water grew and grew, until it was too much for the eyelid to hold. It began to trickle slowly all the way down her cheek, forming a glistening line of tears. Long-closed doors were opening slowly to his heart.

As he looked in disbelief, he saw in the right eye of the cow, above the lower eyelid, more water gathering, growing by the moment, until it too, was more than the eyelid could contain. A second stream of water trickled slowly down her face. And the man broke down.

The cow was crying.

He told me that he threw down his gun, swore to the full extent of his considerable capacity to the prison officers, that they could do whatever they liked to him, " BUT THAT COW AIN'T DYING! "

He ended by telling me he was a vegetarian now.

That story was true. Other inmates of the prison farm confirmed it for me. The cow that cried taught one of the most violent of men what it means to care.

Many people talk of simplifying their lives, but find it hard to do.

Not only are we conditioned by the society around us, but we have also bought into this conditioning at some level.

This gives rise to fear of not being happy, successful, loved, or financially secure. By observing our mind in meditation, we become aware of the external conditioning and our internal fears as well as the civil war that occurs in our minds and lives when we try to simplify.

One part of our mind says, “Simplicity is the way to go. It will help the environment and lead to more equitable distribution of resources on the planet.” and another part says, “Are you crazy? What will other people think?” or “You won’t be secure in your old age!” or “My kids won’t have what all the other kids do and won’t fit in with their peers.”

One way to overcome this civil war is simply to identify it as civil war and press the mental pause button, breathe, and return to our compassionate motivation.

Another is to remember the benefits of simplifying our lives. Here are a few advantages to contemplate:

Simplicity involves letting go of life’s complications and learning to appreciate what is in front of us at any particular moment. Instead of longing for what we don’t have or craving for what think we should have, we turn our attention to what is here at the moment.

Thus we begin to connect at a deeper level with the people we live and work with. We have time to have a good conversation with them; we have time to become friends with ourselves. We are able to experience spring’s crisp air and summer’s feeling of abundance, to see the full moon in autumn and the snow in winter. We find beauty where we hadn’t noticed it before.

Don’t think simplifying your life entails forfeiting pleasure and security and condemning yourself to a life of sacrifice.

Instead, think of the contentment that will arise in your mind, the freedom from craving and dissatisfaction that you will experience. After all, discontent arises not from lacking what we want but from the strong craving to have it.

Simplicity brings less worry, not more. We don’t have to worry about having what others have, maintaining knowledge of the latest digital gadgetry, or wearing the latest style glasses. We are at peace inside ourselves. We know that the people who are our friends like us for our qualities, not because we exemplify a certain image (whatever the image of our social group happens to be at that time).

Simplicity brings more security, not less. We cease being afraid of our things being stolen or our reputation being trashed. We know that no one ever has enough money to feel completely secure, and so we are content with what we have.

By living simply, we regain our freedom to think for ourselves. Instead of allowing ourselves to be manipulated by the media into thinking we need this and that or believing that we should become what we aren’t, we are free to set our own values and live by them.

We also become free from the complications of having so many choices. We usually think that having a variety of choices is freedom, but if we observe,we find that it actually brings confusion.

We go into the market “for a minute” but get stuck in front of the apples. There are so many varieties, which do we choose? The same thing happens when we go to the isle with crackers or noodles. When we buy a new appliance, tool, or gadget, we can’t just sit down and use it. First have to spend hours selecting and programming all our preferences. We could be using our minds to follow the path to enlightenment, but instead our attention is enmeshed in choosing minute details that supposedly give us happiness, but in fact make us more confused.

Living simply, we no longer need a checklist. Have you noticed how glued we are to our daily checklists of things to do? We think the items on our lists are crucial and scurry around trying to finish these tasks.

But the more we do, the more we have to do and our list doubles. The sad thing is that our lists seem to lack really important items such as, “Look my children in the eyes with love and listen to how their day went,” “Tell my friends how much I appreciate their good qualities,” “Be generous to those who are destitute or ill,” “Sit down and be peaceful inside my own heart,” and “Meditate on the great kindness of all.”

Living simply frees up time and energy. Consider how much you need to buy just to have the job you have. Let’s say you work in an office—you need to have certain clothes, drive a particular type of car, and see the movies your colleagues. All these things cost money. So you work hard to get the things you need to maintain your job. Quite a vicious circle. But the mental state involved with simplicity lacks the neurotic caring about what others think of us.

Living simply doesn’t mean just simplifying our environment and possessions. It really entails simplifying our ideas, opinions, and preferences. We become aware of our judgmental mind that puts others down. We notice how attached we are to our preferences and how unhappy we become when we don’t get our way. We recognize how many opinions we have about so many different topics. Slowly we let go of these and close down the internal opinion factory. The resulting silence in our minds is blissful.

Initially it may take some self-discipline to remove ourselves from the wheel of complications and desires and to overcome the fear of doing so, but when we stick to it, the joy of simplicity will gradually blossom in our lives.

by Thubten Chodron

心量要大，自我要小。

by 圣严法师

The 'six realms of existence' or the 'six paths of rebirth', are the six main types of birth that beings may have within Buddhist cosmology.

Which state we are born into is driven by our karma - our actions and states of awareness from previous lives.

According to Buddhist teachings, we will endlessly incarnate within these realms until we receive and practice the teachings, and through them break free of the karma that pull us into the six realms, thereby attaining enlightenment.

The six realms are :

1) God Realm (Deva)
Defined by bliss and pleasurable states of all types, this realm is reminiscent of Greek myths about the realm of the gods.

But in Buddhism, this is not an immortal state, and also not the ideal one for attaining liberation. We can become addicted to pleasure here, including meditative bliss, and can become trapped, forgetting to work towards liberation, and falling into lower realms because of this forgetfulness and self-absorption.

2) Demi-God Realm (Asura) 
Also pleasurable, this realm is nevertheless defined by jealousy and competitiveness.

Although a birth here does offer more opportunities for pleasure than a human birth, here we are prone to coveting the pleasures of the Devas, which we can see (just as animals and humans can see each other) .

In this state, we are prone to envy and/or a sense of victimhood - that we are not getting our fair share - and become fixated on evening the score.

3) Human Realm 
A middle realm, our human existence is defined by our ability and free will to experience any state, from blissful to hellish.

It is therefore perfect for attaining enlightenment, because there is just enough suffering to motivate us to seek liberation (unlike in the god realms, where we are easily distracted by pleasure) but not so much that we cannot hear and practice the teachings (unlike in the lower realms, where we are so consumed by our suffering that we cannot practice).

From a human birth, we can cultivate the compassion and wisdom necessary to free ourselves from the entire wheel of samsara.

In this realm we also have the most control over our future births, because we can influence our karma through our choices, whereas in the other realms we generally do not move into another birth until the karma that has brought us there has run its course.

4) Animal Realm 
Within Buddhist cosmology, the animal realm is defined by ignorance, and an inability to think for oneself.

Life is one-dimensional and survival-oriented, with little free will or choice.

5) Hungry Ghost Realm (Preta)
This realm is defined by constant desire and greed.

In this realm, we are so overcome by our desire for more, more, more - whether food, drink, sex, wealth, or even certain emotional states - that we are consumed by it, and cannot focus on anything else.

It is analogous to the state of an addict, in which getting the next 'fix' trumps all other concerns.

In this state, we cannot practice the teachings because we cannot focus on anything other than our wants.

6) Hell Realm (Naraka) 
This realm is defined by hatred and rage, and by defining all other beings as enemies.

Within this realm, there is no opportunity for compassion or desire for the teachings to arise, as all our momentum goes toward fighting others, and suffering the consequences.

Depictions of this realm in various Buddhist schools is very similar to those found in other religions, with fiery torments.

But within Buddhist cosmology this state, like all the others, is not permanent. Instead, when the negative karma that brought us here has run out, we will be reborn into another realm, with the possibility of working towards a human birth again.

知识要用心体会，才能变成自己的智慧。

by 证严法师