There's so much nonsense going on wherever we look these days that sometimes the best we can do is find something that makes us laugh. I found this painting by an old favorite artist, Charles Bragg, and it turned out it fitted very nicely with these wisdom lessons sent by a dear friend several months ago.
If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?
Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?
Drink tea and nourish life; with the first sip, joy; with the second sip, satisfaction; with the third sip, peace; with the fourth, a Danish.
Wherever you go, there you are. Your luggage is another story.
Accept misfortune as a blessing. Do not wish for perfect health, or a life without problems. What would you talk about?
There is no escaping karma. In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was that?
Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.
The Tao does not speak. The Tao does not blame. The Tao does not take sides. The Tao has no expectations.
The Tao demands nothing of others. The Tao is not Jewish.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Forget this and attaining Enlightenment will be the least of your problems.
Let your mind be as a floating cloud. Let your stillness be as a wooded glen. And sit up straight. You'll never meet the Buddha with such rounded shoulders.
Deep inside you are ten thousand flowers.
Each flower blossoms ten thousand times.
Each blossom has ten thousand petals.
You might want to see a specialist.
Be aware of your body. Be aware of your perceptions. Keep in mind that not every physical sensation is a symptom of a terminal illness.
The Torah says, Love your neighbor as yourself.
The Buddha says, There is no self.
So, maybe we're off the hook.
♡
Deep inside you are ten thousand flowers.
ReplyDeleteEach flower blossoms ten thousand times.
Each blossom has ten thousand petals.
love this
namaste
Oh, good ones! Thanks for the chuckles, much needed in this crazy mixed up world.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. ROTFL. What a marvellous start to the day! :-)
ReplyDeleteMany a Nobel Peace Prize winner scoffs at your karma, kooky yahoos!
ReplyDeletethis made my morning..thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteA-one. What a great read.............!!!!!!!!!! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt irks my cat no end when she settles onto my lap for some quiet time while I am at the computer, and I wind up guffawing and disturbing her instead. You provided one of those moments for both of us just now!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid this describes me in this incarnation(if there is such a thing)!....
"There is no escaping karma. In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was that? "
The salt and the guilt could as easily be dished up by a Catholic... But then again, the first Catholics were Jews.
ReplyDelete"The Torah says, Love your neighbor as yourself.
ReplyDeleteThe Buddha says, There is no self.
So, maybe we're off the hook."
And that, Steve, is the difference between Jews and Catholics - Catholics are never off the hook!
Once when Brendan Behan was asked what religion he was, he replied,
"I'm a bad Catholic ..."
ah sweets, thank you for the grins...these are wonderful! xox
ReplyDeletelol, thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteYou've made me laugh - again. That portrayal of Leda and the Swan you sent to me in email takes the prize, though! :-D
ReplyDeleteAll the love,
Gina
liberality - The proof of the wisdom of Tao is that it still resonates as truth 2600 years later.
ReplyDeletemarja-leena - Excellent. I'm glad you enjoyed.
francis - Nothing like a good laugh to start the day.
nancy - You're welcome.
randal - You mean the one who's fired more missile than any other?
kay - Glad you liked it.
okjimm - Almost as good as a beer.
lydia - Sorry for the irked cat but I'm happy you enjoyed it. That one describes me too. It's a failing hard to avoid.
steve - That's where the religion first went off the rails.
francis - Thanks for reminding me of the Vatican Rag. 'There the guy who's got religion'll tell you if you sin's original.
linda - Grins are becoming more and more necessary.
claire - Fun is always welcome.
pagan sphinx - Good. I may post Leda one of these days as I lol'd when I saw it too.
lol, yep, i have been here and now i remember it was just yesterday too...oh my, the mind is gone ... oh well.. at least i WAS here!! xoxox
ReplyDeleteYou've provided me with a much needed belly-laugh; now I need to provide myself with a much needed change of undies.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're proud of yourself.
linda - You're always as welcome here as you are at home, my dear :-)
ReplyDeletecr - Always change them at least once a week whether you need to or not.
These are hilarious! I even squared my shoulders after I read it.
ReplyDeletelisa - The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single Oy.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan -always interesting as usual.
ReplyDeleteThey say the pot of gold is at the end of the rainbow - but nothing could be further from the truth – the rainbow is already the pot of gold.
Best wishes
lindsay - Wise words. I'm reminded of the adage that it's not the destination that's important but the roads we travel.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you.
Buddhism and atheism are a perfect match: You are responsible for your own contentment; live in the beauty of the moment; reject the contentions of religion, politics, dogma and greed; make love and drink wine while everyone else in in church.
ReplyDelete@Ol'Buzzard. Oy vey, you mean we can't even blame God for all the drek now?
ReplyDeleteol'buzzard - The thing I like about Buddhists is they don't proselytize their philosophy as a religion even though many adherents are deeply spiritual. Clinging to dogma of any kind is the sign of intellectual laziness and fear. Stop me before I say idiocy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming by. I'll come to visit.
francis - Just in case OB doesn't return: I guess free will means being free to be ignorant. Once I stepped outside the room the box was in the air was much fresher.