THE WAY OF THE BUDDHA |
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Examples are better than oral teaching. A good man does not extol himself. A clever man never boasts. A great man never brags. Time unused is the longest time. There is no saturating the fire with fuel. No other foes are greater than birth and death. No other friends are greater than merits. The skilled man does not show off, but the man without knowledge usually shows off. The world is a ladder for some to go up and some down. Poverty with dignity is better than wealth based on shame. With the period of your life shortened, be careful not to lengthen egoism and vanity. Those with good eyes are inclined to fall into deep wells. A person with sweet words will feast you with an empty spoon. It is difficult to emerge from the world. It is easy to be submerged in it. A moral like of poverty is nobler than an immoral one in affluence. In working, walk not only with your feet, but also with your head. Do try to do good but not to be great, otherwise you will be in danger. It is easier to chain an elephant with lotus fiber than to teach a crazy person. Man is made by his five needs. The four fundamental needs keep his body. The fifth Dhamma nourishes his heart and mind. The thing that is the best is the cheapest. A man who will be the public leader, must know how to be a public follower. Everyone may be a fool but nobody is a fool for ever. Education is a guide; knowledge is a key. With Dhamma established in the mind, even bare rice is delicious enough. Merit is to be accumulated; Evil is to be abandoned. Ignorance is the real evil. Merit making calculated to impress is not real merit. Do not neglect recollection of death. Train yourself to die before the actual death. The world conceals the Dhamma; Hate and love conceal Nibbana. If everything is gotten dreamily, it will go away dreamily, too. Selfishness is the real enemy of peace. Virtue is more valuable than university degree. It is an ill wind that blows nobody good. Don’t escape when you have a problem because there always is a way to solve it. Good to forgive, the best to forget. The real lover is Dhamma. Not only to be receiver but also to be provider. The lion without teeth and nails should be defeated by the dog. Anxiety shortens life. To do good and evil unseen by others are always seen by oneself. Once born, a person should strive to make a name for himself; before dying, a person should strive to bequeath something good to the world. With mindfulness, a person always prospers. If there is nothing that you like, you must like the things that you have. The rich man is not necessarily wise; The poor man is not necessarily a fool; Money is not a symbol of virtue and honour. The Buddha image conceals the Buddha, the scripture conceals the Dhamma, yellow robes conceal the Sangha. All fears are climaxed in fear of death. Dhamma is a systematic practice for a man a every stage of his life. Giving education to an unreligious man, you make him a clever devil. Absence of intention and confession make an evil absolved. There is not any victory without a fight. It is water that makes the ship float, and it is the water that makes the ship sink. It is easy to know a man’s face, but it is difficult to know his thought. It is flooded water that makes mud; It is clean water that wipes away the mud.Living without hope is like burying oneself. Today is better than two tomorrows. The smallest hair casts its shadow. Selfishness is the father of all evil. Light dispels darkness Wisdom dispels ignorance The mad dog hates water; the sex crazed man hates Dhamma. Better is to speak unpleasant truth than to tell lies. To be the head of a donkey is better than to be the tail of a horse. Crying with the wise is better than laughing with the fool. A mind without work is the most troubled. To shoulder sufferings a fool submits himself to the weight of sufferings at the same place. He is seated until his legs become atrophied. He is thus over loaded all his life being always enslaved by sensual delight. There is no preventing a fire from emitting smoke. Others’ faults appear like a mountain, whereas one’s own seen nothing. Others’ smell appear to be intolerable, Whereas one’s own, however offensive, is always tolerable. When money speaks, truth is silent. Peace is the highest bliss. There is more happiness in giving than in taking. Constant dripping wears away the stone. Every bird must pick its own food into its own mouth. In time of suffering, only Dhamma is the real friend of the mind. A good conscience is a soft pillow. Clean, Clear, Calm; these are characteristics of a noble person. Time and tide wait for no man. Little sacrifice for larger gain is truly dropping a bait. Failure teaches a man how to succeed. Sport can be panacea only when the defeated can resignedly accept the defeat. Love is a flower garden to be watered by tears. Love born of money dies through lack of money. Defeat anger with non-anger. That is praised by the wise. Anger is but a kind of feeling. Do not be frustrated by it or give yourself to it. It does not matter who loves or hates, who praises or curses, who complains or argues against. What matters is our own mind, which must be kept calm and poised. Eat to live but not live to eat. Who undermines the dignity of woman. Intense suffering often makes a super man. Without recognition of death, how can there be any knowledge of it. He who knows himself does not extol himself. The best revenge is to stop revenge. Without a beginning, there is nothing to worry about the end. Results of giving food last until hunger comes back again. Results of giving clothes last until they are torn. Results of giving a house last until it is dilapidated. Results of giving medicines only delay the sickness. Results of giving the knowledge of Dhamma protect a person throughout his pilgrimage through rebirths. Flattering words are but honey-coated poison. He who borrows on interest pays back in tears. Man’s death is the least of all things material; what is left to the world is virtues and vices. There is the slightest chance that the planet will collide and explode. But a big chance is there for men to clash owning to the conflicts and vicious desires and there by bring about the destruction of this planet. Read not only books, but man also. There is no glory for a lazy person however good looking. A beautiful decorated coffin is not for the dead. A fool thinks of survival of this body at the expense of his spiritual death. Troubles and miseries come from men who are merely human beings not noble men high minded. Punctuality is the spirit of work. Abundance kills more than hunger. The simplicity of the good man is hard to follow. The simplicity of the evil man is easy to follow. Every honest work is honourable work. Self-extolment is not good to introduce one-self. The world is being brightly illumined. Of what use however are these illumination lights when due to them men’s minds are becoming more crude. One who can only hear but does not understand is as good as deaf. When all is void, what’s there of vice and virtue to dwell on. Physical charms attract the eyes. Goodness attracts the mind. Loss of money can be easily retrieved, whereas loss of virtue cannot be easily compensated. It is an old tradition to know to forget, but not to abandon the old tradition. As you sow so you reap. What are common between man and animals? To sustain life, to avoid danger, to rest and sleep and to have sexual intercourse. Only the Dhamma differentiates man from animals. Without good done in this life, it is useless hoping for heaven in the after life. Never is there any effect like that of Merit. To defeat others is the starting point of hatred and vengeance. The most valuable service is one rendered to our fellow humans. |
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