| Buddhist Monk 2005-11-23, 1:00 am |
| The Eightfold Path of Buddhism - Right Views - Quotations by Zen Master
Rama, Dr. Frederick Lenz
Main Page:
www.ramaquotes.com
Buddhist Cosmology:
www.ramaquotes.com/html/right_views.html
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Buddhism is the process of getting to that part of us that is always
eternally happy.
The study of Buddhism is essentially the study of modification, how we
modify the state of mind we're in, how we modify the realm we're in.
Advanced Buddhist Yoga is the art of altering your karmic patterns.
At this point, you are so far away from what you really are, it is
ridiculous. The good news is that every step you take within brings
you more in touch with that which you really are.
Buddhism suggests that you have that choice; you are in the driver's
seat. Hertz or somebody has put you there. You have an absolute
choice about what you experience in your mind.
The study of enlightenment is really a reorganization of our perceptual
body or our perceptual field. We learn to see life more directly and
more clearly.
To become completely aware is the journey of enlightenment. There is
pain in it and suffering. But you already have those things so it
doesn't really matter.
The pathway to enlightenment is joyful. It may sound harsh. I suggest
just the opposite. It is rather easy compared to the possibilities of
staying in pain and illusion.
If you think of spiritual practice as unpleasant work - it is not
spiritual practice as I know it.
In the Far East, it is taken for granted that the training of a monk is
physically rigorous and academically challenging.
Most people we observe who practice self-discovery just get caught up
in a new description, a new "ism", a new religion, a new god. But
nothing changes.
People seem to get caught up in jargon like they get caught up in
ashrams and power structures and they never become free. They become
masters of jargon and power structures.
You never devote yourself to a teacher. You devote yourself to the
practice.
Selectively pick a teacher, one that you respect, not just someone who
can talk with wonderful poetic figures about enlightenment, but someone
who has the personal power to bring you into altered states of
awareness.
I think enlightenment is something that you decide to do after you have
met someone who is enlightened. Something touches your heart, your
being at a very deep level.
Through the practice of meditation and the auric empowerments and
guidance of an enlightened master, you can totally change your karmic
destiny.
Because someone is a lama or is part of a monastic order or claims to
be part of a succession, doesn't really mean they know anything.
Always examine the individual's consciousness, their ability to
transmit light.
Power is the big obstacle, or one of them, that you have to overcome
and learn to deal with effectively before you can reach enlightenment
Enlightenment is a journey. It is a journey that is made alone. It is
a journey that is made with a teacher.
What makes a difference is when we take our mind and put it into the
scriptures, when we read the Buddhist Canon, the Pali Canon, when we
read the Tibetan books, when we read anything inspiring - somebody
else's journey into the world of enlightenment.
Meditate on enlightenment. Read the exploits of the great teachers,
the great saints. They'll inspire you. Their power is there.
It is possible to wake up very quickly, to become enlightened, or you
can do it gradually.
- Zen Master Rama
www.ramaquotes.com
Thank you in advance for your religious tolerance.
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