Tara

Truth is ever present

Truth is perfect and complete in itself. It is not something newly discovered; it has always existed. Truth is not far away; it is ever present. It is not something to be attained since not one of your steps leads away from it.

– Dogen Zenji

from the book “Buddhism and Zen”

Just Dharma Quotes

Path To Nowhere

My path is the path of stopping, the path of enjoying the present moment. It is a path where every step brings me back to my true home. It is a path that leads nowhere. I am on my way home. I arrive at every step.

– Thich Nhat Hanhfrom the book “I Have Arrived, I Am Home: Celebrating 20 Years of Plum Village Life”

Just Dharma Quotes

Free yourself

Just Dharma Quotes

Each one of us is responsible for other living beings’ happiness

Each one of us is responsible for other living beings’ happiness, besides our own. As a result, your loving kindness is the most wish-fulfilling thing in life, more precious than anything else in this world. That makes for a most satisfying, fulfilling life.

~Lama Zopa Rinpoche~

Tao & Zen

We are so addicted, either to materialism or to transcending material reality, that we don’t see the Universe right in front of us

“We are so addicted, either to materialism or to transcending material reality, that we don’t see [the Universe] right in front of us, in the beggar, the starving child, the brokenhearted woman; in our friend; in the cat; in the flea. We miss it.

All mystical systems are addicted to transcending this reality. This addiction is part of the reason why the world is being destroyed. The monotheistic religions honor an off-planet God and would sacrifice this world and its attachments to the adoration of that God.

But the “God” I met was both immanent and transcendent. This world is not an illusion, and the philosophies that say it is are half-baked half-truths. In an authentic mystical experience, the world does disappear and reveal itself as the dance of the divine consciousness.

But then it reappears, and you see that everything you are looking at is God/Universe, and everything you’re touching is God/Universe. This vision completely shatters you.”

~Andrew Harvey

Artwork by Cameron Grey

Tao & Zen

Nothing makes sense

Thich Nhat Hanh Philosophy & Practice

Practice until you see yourself in the cruelest person on Earth

“Practice until you see yourself in the cruelest person on Earth, in the child starving, in the political prisoner. Continue until you recognize yourself in everyone in the supermarket, on the street corner, in a concentration camp, on a leaf, in a dewdrop. Meditate until you see yourself in a speck of dust in a distant galaxy. See and listen with the whole of your being. If you are fully present, the rain of Dharma will water the deepest seeds in your consciousness, and tomorrow, while you are washing the dishes or looking at the blue sky, that seed will spring forth, and love and understanding will appear as a beautiful flower.”

~Thich Nhat Hanh

Tao & Zen

For things to reveal themselves to us…

Tao & Zen

All without exception

The Dharma which I teach is totally pure and makes no distinctions between race or caste, between rich or poor, between good and bad. It is like washing in pure water. The water washes all races and castes, rich and poor, good and bad, without distinction. It is like a fire which burns all substances without exception: mountains, rocks, sky and earth. My teaching is like the sky under which all find a place: men, women, boys, girls, rich and poor, all without exception.

– Buddha

Sutra of the Wise and Foolish

Just Dharma Quotes

Never take it for granted

Since my son died eight months ago, it seems my Joie de vivre is gone forever. I have consumed countless hours of Buddhist philosophy but to no avail, it is like water off a duck’s back. I fear the future, regret the past, and tolerate the present. All of my responsibilities seem overwhelming. By global standards I am a wealthy man, still, anxiety haunts me day and night. I seek no advice, there is none that will suffice. I wish only to tell you this. All philosophy aside, the best reason to enjoy the present is because in the blink of an eye something irrevocable may occur and the best of life will suddenly be behind you, and all the philosophy ever conceived will not fix it. If you are finding joy in life never never never take it for granted!

Fred Nesbitt‎Thich Nhat Hanh Philosophy & Practice