Men are men, vows are words, and words are wind.
It is compassion, then, that is the best protection; it is also, as the great masters of the past have always known, the source of all healing.
Ask yourself these two questions: Do I remember at every moment that I am dying, and that everyone and everything else is, and so treat all beings at all times with compassion? Has my understanding of death and impermanence become so keen and so urgent that I am devoting every second to the pursuit of enlightenment? If you can answer "yes" to both of these, then you really understand impermanence.
Normally we do not like to think about death. We would rather think about life. Why reflect on death? When you start preparing for death you soon realize that you must look into your life now. . . and come to face the truth of your self. Death is like a mirror in which the true meaning of life is reflected.
Real devotion is an unbroken receptivity to the truth
In meditation take care not to impose anything on the mind, or to tax it. When you meditate there should be no effort to control, and no attempt to be peaceful. Don't be overly solemn or feel that you are taking part in some special ritual; let go even of the idea that you are meditating. Let your body remain as it is, your breath as you find it, and remain in your natural condition of unchanging pure awareness.
So often we want happiness, but the very way we pursue it is so clumsy and unskillful that it brings only more sorrow. Usually we assume we must grasp in order to have that something that will ensure our happiness. [. . . ] Learning to live is learning to let go.
Keep my word' is such a strange expression. At first glance, it just means 'Be true to what you agreed on. But it could also mean, 'Hold your words back. ' Keep them in. Let your actions speak instead.
The cat is the only animal without visible means of support who still manages to find a living in the city.
Negotiating with Disney isn't like good copbad cop; it's like bad copAntichrist.
One can only be in awe of the creativity of chocolate marketers. My take is that if there is a health benefit, it is small.