True Friend - Thich Nhat Hanh

A true friend is someone who can offer peace and happiness. If you're a true friend to yourself, you need to be able to offer yourself true peace and true happiness.

SUPERSTITIONS AND DOGMAS

All ailments have cures but not superstitions. And if for some reason or other, any superstition crystallises into a religion, it easily becomes an almost incurably malady. In the performance of certain religious functions, even educated people of today forget their human dignity to accept the most ridiculous, superstitious beliefs.

Superstitious beliefs and rituals were adopted to decorate a religion in order to attract the multitude. But after sometime, the creeper which is planted to decorate the shrine as it were, outgrows and outshines the shrine, with the result that religious tenets are relegated to the background and superstitious beliefs and rituals become predominant -- the creeper eclipsing the shrine.

Like superstition, dogmatic belief also chokes the healthy growth of religion. Dogmatic belief and intolerance go hand-in-hand. One is reminded of the Middle Ages with its pitiless inquisitions, cruel murders, violence, infamy, tortures, and burning of innocent beings. One is also reminded of the barbaric and ruthless crusades.

Nanda-manava-puccha: Nanda's Questions ~ Sn 1077-1083

[Nanda:]
There are in the world sages, they say
— in what way?
Do they call one a sage
for possessing knowledge
or possessing a way of life?

[The Buddha:]
Not on account of his views,
learning,
or knowledge
do the skilled here, Nanda,
call one a sage.
Those who live
disarmed,
undesiring,
untroubled:
those, I say, are called sages.

Something To Lighten up your Day Part 8

http://playingforchange.com/episodes/one-love-live-from-madrid/

Whenever the Playing For Change Bank takes the stage, there is always a tremendous amount of love and energy in the air.  For this very special performance it was even more palpable, as the band was joined by many of our friends featured in our various Song Around the World: Tula's amazing vocals, Roberto Lupti playing the National steel slide guitar, Francis Vigurie on the bongos, Stefano Tomaselli on the sax, Vengkat playing the tablas, and the beautiful choir vocals of Sinamuya.

This performance served as a powerful milestone in the evolution of Playing For Change. Seeing so many talented musicians from all different cultures and walks of life united on stage for this very special night was a physical manifestation of our mission: to connect the world and bring peace through music. 

Happiness and Sadness

ความดีใจ ความเสียใจ
มันเกิดจากพ่อแม่เดียวกัน
คือตัณหาความลุ่มหลงนั่นเอง

- หลวงปู่ชา สุภทฺโท -

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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Summary of the Middle Way (The Path of Purification)

as I understand Sayadaw U Ottamasara's teaching.
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What is The Middle way?

The Middle way is abandoning the two extremes; one extreme of hatred and other extreme of craving.

The Middle way is Neither Rejecting Nor Attaching the Created truths. It is free from Disliking (desire to reject) and Liking (desire to attach), thinking the created truths as reality or real existence.

The Middle way is “seeing-only”, “hearing-only”, “smelling-only”, “tasting-only”, touching-only” and "thinking-only". That means to use-only, to know-only, to be mindful-only, to experience-only of the Created truths.

Dana Parami

Giving (dana) is one of the essential preliminary steps of Buddhist practice. When practiced in itself, it is a basis of merit or wholesome kamma. When coupled with morality, concentration and insight, it leads ultimately to liberation from samsara, the cycle of repeated existence. Even those who are well-established on the path to emancipation continue to practice giving as it is conducive to wealth, beauty and pleasure in their remaining lifetimes. Bodhisattas complete the danaparami or perfection of giving to the ultimate degree by happily donating their limbs and their very lives to help other beings.