"I have no parents; I make heaven and earth my parents. I
have no friends; I make
my thoughts my friends. I have no enemy; I make carelessness
my enemy. I have
no armor; I make goodwill and honesty my armor. I have no
fortress; I make my
Immovable Mind my fortress. I have no sword; I make my sleeping
ego my sword. I
have no magic; I make submission to Divine Will my magic.
I have no miracles; I
make the Dharma my miracle."
-The Code of Wushido (Bushido), the creed of the
Samurai
"Beyond the beliefs of any one religion, there is the truth
of the human spirit. Beyond the power of nations, there is the power of
the human heart."
-Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche
"Just for today:
I will let go of anger.
I will let go of worry.
I will give thanks for my many blessings.
I will do my work honestly
I will be kind to my neighbor and every living thing."
-Ideals of the Emperor Meiji
"He who is full of virtue is like a newborn child.
Wasps and serpents will not sting him;
Wild beasts will not pounce upon him;
He will not be attacked by birds of prey.
His bones are soft, his muscles are weak,
But his grip is firm.
He has not experienced the union of man and woman, but is
whole.
His manhood is strong.
He screams all day without becoming hoarse.
This is perfect harmony."
-From verse 54,
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching.
"I have no idea."
-Bodhidharma, first Zen Patriarch, when asked
by a disgruntled Emperor of China: "Who do you think you are?"
"A small country has fewer people.
Though there are machines that can work ten to a hundred
times faster than man, they are not needed.
The people take death seriously and do not travel far.
Though they have boats and carriages, no one uses them.
Though they have armor and weapons, no one displays them.
Men return to the knotting of rope in place of writing.
Their food is plain and good, their clothes fine but simple,
their homes secure;
They are happy in their ways.
Though they live within sight of their neighbors,
And crowing cocks are heard across the way,
Yet they leave each other in peace while they grow old and
die."
-Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, verse 80
A description of a Taoist utopia.
"Consumerism is a pattern of behavior that helps
to destroy our environment, personal financial health, the common good
of individuals and human institutions."
-From the "Overcoming
Consumerism" web site.
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