Quotes from the Buddha

“One who is virtuous and wise shines forth like a blazing fire; like a bee collecting nectar he acquires wealth by harming none.”

“Wisdom is man's most precious gem, merit no thief can ever steal.”

"In every virtue all-accomplished, with wisdom full and mind composed, looking within and ever mindful - thus one crosses the raging flood.”

"Were there a mountain all made of gold, doubled that would not be enough to satisfy a single man: know this and live accordingly.”

"Here in the world one should train carefully to purify virtue; for virtue when well cultivated brings all success to hand.”

“Virtue is the foundation, the forerunner and origin of all that is good and beautiful; therefore one should purify virtue.”

"Honour the man who is awake and shows you the way. Honour the fire of his sacrifice."

"One who is wise, having understood, will always cherish and serve true friends just as a mother tends her only child.”

“A friend who always lends a hand, a friend in both sorrow and joy, a friend who offers good counsel, a friend who sympathises too.”

“For one whose friend has passed away, for one whose teacher no more lives, there is no other friend in this world like mindfulness of the body.”

“Desire to learn increases learning; learning makes wisdom increase. By wisdom is the goal known; knowing the goal brings happiness.”

“Wonderful it is to train the mind so swiftly moving, seizing whatever it wants. Good is it to have a well-trained mind, for a well-trained mind brings happiness.” 

"As a fletcher straightens an arrow, even so one who is wise will straighten out the fickle mind, so unsteady and hard to control.”

“This type of person is like a giant cloud filled with rain, thundering and pouring down refreshing water everywhere, drenching the highlands and lowlands too, generous without distinctions.” 

“With his wealth collected justly, won through his own efforts, he shares both food and drink with beings who are in need.”

“Giving food one gives strength, giving clothes one gives beauty, giving lamps one gives sight, giving transport one gives delight.”

"He has come to the end of the way. All that he had to do he has done. And now he is one."

“Whoever acts, strives and toils shall acquire wealth; by truthfulness one gains good repute, and by giving one binds friends.”

“The wise man continues to live even if he should lose his wealth. But the rich man without wisdom is not alive even now.”

“Knowing that the other person is angry, one who remains mindful and calm acts for his own best interest and for the other's interest, too.”

"Possessed of energy and perseverance, be always earnest in applying yourself. The wise one should not be confident until the end of suffering is reached.”

“One should utter only words which do no harm to oneself and cause no harm for others: that is truly beautiful speech.”

“When alive, the body is supple, yielding. In death, the body becomes hard, unyielding. Living plants are flexible, In death, they become dry and brittle. Therefore, stubborn people are disciples of death, but Flexible people are disciples of life.”

THE STORY OF HOW I WAS ASSISTED IN OVERCOMING MY VICTIM MENTALITY

Ananda (a master of awareness) opened my eyes. When driving along the dirt roads of the farmlands, he asked me to scream out the window as loud as I could. I could not do this. The reasons for this were complicated. I was stuck in my conditioning. Luckily I was not alone. Ananda was provoking me so well he only kept one eye on the road and the wheel. The other eye was on me. The vehicle sped up and momentarily lost control and at last I screamed with my head out the window and the wind in my face. The effect of this was neither here nor there however a barrier of resistance was overcome.

What lives in that barrier between is lived trauma. Some of us take heavy blows in life without the opportunity to release those blows. The opportunity to release our trauma is very valuable.

When driving on the dirt roads of the farmlands, Ananda conducted a further healing. He began to tell me the story of how long distance swallows in their migrations across continents, cover themselves with ticks before their flight. These ticks suck blood from the birds, and thus the birds are able to eat these ticks during flights and gain the sustenance from eating their own blood. It was not so much the story but the telling of the story that got to me that day. The words were significant and struck at the core of my trauma. I felt quite weak. Ananda continued to tell the story slowly and methodically from every angle conceivable, so much so I became overpowered and in a single instance of near absolute loss I said to myself, "Almighty LORD, I am now in your hands!" And I lost consciousness. Ananda used a very good technique to awaken my physical body. He put his finger in my mouth and pulled the skin off the inside of the lip and this sharp pain jolted me back into existence.

In 1988 at the age of twelve I experienced ‘near death'. It was deep in a coma. I began to be touched by prayer. Alike the struggle of tug of war , the 'me' that was residing in bodily despair and near death was being pulled back into the 'eternal me' that was being awakened by collective prayer. My soul was recharged by the power of love. The kiss of life is love.

Illness shakes your world, helping you to learn which kind of a survivor you are. To realise this is the greatest of all riches. Serious illness is a human privilege to forget your social conditioning and remember your divine purpose. When we fall down and became crippled, there is an opportunity for the true colours of humanity to become visible.

And thus, through the experience of serious illness my life completely changed. Healing is the transformation of the self. Healing is to embrace the consequence of faith . Healing is to recognise the miracle and act accordingly.