“The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.” ~ Thucydides

"Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet.  It's a way of entering into the quiet that's already there -- buried under the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day." ~ Deepak Chopra

Unconditional Openness

"The peace that we are looking for is not peace that crumbles as soon as there is difficulty or chaos.  Whether we're seeking inner peace, global peace, or a combination of the two, the way to experience it is to build on the foundation of unconditional openness to all that arises.  Peace isn't an experience free of challenges, free of rough and smooth, it's an experience that's expansive enough to include all that arises without feeling threatened."  ~ Pema Chodron

'The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

"You have to constantly choose Peace, over and over, regardless of all doubts, curiosities, etc.  The more we let go, the more we understand, the less we need anything to turn out a certain way." ~ Innerhike

John Adams on Education, 1776

"Laws for the liberal education of youth, especially of the lower class of people, are so extremely wise and useful, that, to a human and generous mind, no expense for this purpose would be thought extravagant." ~ John Adams

Do everything with a mind that lets go. Do not expect praise or reward. ~ Achaan Chah

If peace mattered to you more than anything else and if you truly knew yourself to be spirit rather than a little “me,” you would remain nonreactive and absolutely alert when confronted with challenging people or situations. ~ Eckhart Tolle

State of Bliss

"If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. It's very important to be aware of them every time they come up."  ~ Dalai Lama

Deepak Chopra, M.D. on Mind and Body

".... Well, I had this background—this country's background. By which I mean its rich spiritual tradition. But I was also feeling intuitively just from watching my patients that there was some link between the mind and the body. Now, of course, we know from looking at brain scans that there's a direct connection. Thoughts, feelings, brain, body, even the immune system— 

Oprah: It's all connected. 

Deepak: All connected."

Fathers

I've had a hard life, but my hardships are nothing against the hardships that my father went through in order to get me to where I started.

- Bartrand Hubbard

True intelligence operates silently. Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Snapshot

"You might say . . .

'I know I am an immortal spirit,' or 'I am tired of this mad world, and peace is all I want' until the phone rings. Bad news: The stock market has collapsed; the deal may fall through; the car has been stolen; your motherinlaw has arrived; the trip is cancelled, the contract has been broken; your partner has left you; they demand more money; they say it’s your fault. Suddenly there is a surge of anger, of anxiety. A harshness comes into your voice; 'I can’t take any more of this.' You accuse and blame, attack, defend, or justify yourself, and it’s all happening on autopilot. Something is obviously much more important to you now than the inner peace that a moment ago you said was all you wanted, and you’re not an immortal spirit anymore either. The deal, the money, the contract, the loss or threat of loss are more important. To whom? To the immortal spirit that you said you are? No, to me. The small me that seeks security for fulfillment in things that are transient and gets anxious or angry because it fails to find it. Well, at least now you know who you really think you are.”

Eckhart Tolle ,  A New Earth

"Whatever path our activity takes, if our intention is to make ourselves useful to others, there is a good chance our conduct will be useful; whereas activities generally considered to be good, such as the practice of religion, risk causing more harm than good if they are not motivated by a desire to help our fellow beings.” ~ Dalai Lama

Life does not accommodate you; it shatters you. 
Every seed destroys its container, or else there would be no fruition.

~ Florida Scott-Maxwell

Guardians of Being

"The vital function that pets fulfill in this world hasn't been fully recognized.  They keep millions of people sane."

Millions of people who otherwise would be completely lost in their minds and in endless past and future concerns are taken back by their dog or cat into the present moment, again and again, and reminded of . . . the joy of Being.

 From Guardians of Being by Eckhart Tolle, art by Patrick McDonnell

Pointers on path of this thing called "Life" ...

“Every thought pretends that it matters so much, it wants to draw your attention completely. Don’t take your thoughts too seriously.”

“You are pure awareness disguised as a person.”

“The mind exists in a state of “not enough” and so is always greedy for more. When you are identified with the mind you get bored and restless very easily.”

“Life is happening on its own. Can you let it be?”

The essence of Eckhart Tolle’s teaching is to let life be, to simply let things happen around you instead of trying to manipulate and control life. As it happens, life is full of goodness and well-being, and you get to experience it’s joy when you let go of the resistance created by holding onto thoughts.

“If all the insects were to disappear from the earth, within 50 years all life on earth would end. If all human beings disappeared from the earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish."


~ Jonas Salk, an American medical researcher and virologist

Rescue Cat So Happy to Be With Dog

http://youtu.be/8FbU_rhFcOo

Do Nothing

"... the paths that help the most are those that develop the skill of letting go, allowing the mind to relax, releasing all effort, all trying to get somewhere. So, do not meditate with an intent to reach some enlightened state of being. But do take time to let the "doing mind" die away, to sink into your own being. Take time to learn to do nothing." ~ Peter Russell