Words are only words

“Words are only words; to attract others to the Dhamma, far more useful is the example you set by your way of life. Therefore the great Teacher said, Brahmacariyaṃ pakāsetha: be a shining example of the Dhamma by applying it yourself. This is the best way to encourage others to practice it.

"Suppose you point with your finger in a particular direction and say, ‘This is the right path that all must follow to reach liberation. This is the direct way to real happiness.’ Before examining the path, people will first look at your finger. If it is stained with dirt or blood, what confidence can they have in the way to which you point? Develop purity in yourself if you wish to encourage others to follow the path of purification." ~ SN Goenka

Practicing the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma

"One of Ajaan Mun’s favorite topics for a Dhamma talk was the theme of practicing the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma—in other words, in accordance with what the Dhamma demands, not in accordance with what our likes and dislikes demand.

As the Dhamma comes to the West this is probably one of the hardest things for Westerners to appreciate. Everywhere you look, the Dhamma is being remade, recast, so that people will like it. Things that people don’t like are quietly cut away; and if things that people like are missing, they’re added on. And so the creature that comes out is like the old cartoon of a committee designing a bird: The bird looks pretty good to begin with, but then after the committee’s done with it, it looks like an ostrich with no legs. It can’t walk and it can’t fly, but it sells. In this country of ours, where democracy and the marketplace are all-powerful, the question of what sells determines what’s Dhamma, even if it can’t walk or fly. And who loses out? We lose out.

The Dhamma doesn’t lose out; it’s always what it is. But we like to add a little here, take away a little there, and as a result we end up with nothing but things we already like and already dislike. " ~ Ajahn Thanissaro

Deep wisdom from Buddhist master Thrangu Rinpoche

by Jane Marshall, Edmonton Journal, September 26, 2015 Edmonton, Canada -- I’m drawn to the philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism, which inspired my new book Back Over the Mountains: A Journey to the Buddha Within. For the past seven years I’ve been devouring books about meditation and yogis in Himalayan caves. I’ve travelled twice to Nepal in search of sacred places and wise teachings. But last weekend all I had to do was drive to the Varscona Hotel on Whyte Avenue. The Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche — born in Tibet in 1933 — was in town giving weekend teachings at the request of Karma Tashi Ling Buddhist Meditation Society. He resides in Nepal and is a world-renowned Buddhist master. I visited several of his projects during my trips to Nepal, including Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School, which educates Himalayan children. But I’d never met him in person, so I was thrilled to hear of his arrival in Edmonton.