Quotations Search Results
We found 673 matching quotes
Thomas Merton, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept
The spiritual life is essentially to love. One doesn't love in order to do what is good or to help or to protect someone. If we act that way, we are perceiving the other as a simple object, and we are seeing ourselves as wise and generous persons. This has nothing to do with love. To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.
To love is to be in communion with the other
Sara Maitland, A Big-Enough God
So, as it turns out, we do not have a little tame domestic God, thank God, but we do have a huge, wild, dangerous God — dangerous of course only if we think that God ought to be manageable and safe; a God of almost manic creativity, ingenuity and enthusiasm; a Big-Enough God, who is also a supremely generous and patient God; a God of beauty and chance and solidarity.
A God of beauty and chance and solidarity.
Rachel Naomi Remen, A Forgiving Heart
We strengthen life anytime that we listen generously or encourage someone to find meaning, or wonder about possibility, or dream or hope for escape from self-judgment and inner criticism, or know that they matter. Anytime we share someone's joy, we bless the life in them.
We strengthen life anytime that we listen
Brenda Shoshanna, Jewish Dharma
The Seven Kinds of Generosity Without Money
At Kozen-ji, a Zen temple in Japan, there is a plaque that lists the seven kind of generosity without money:
• Generosity with eyes — look at someone with gentle eyes.
• Generosity of a harmonious face — smile with a gentle-hearted face.
• Generosity with words — speak kind words.
• Generosity with body — work with sincere attitude.
• Generosity with heart — have deep concern for others.
• Generosity with giving your seat — give your seat to elders.
• Generosity with hospitality — welcome people with a kind heart.
Generosity without money
Eknath Easwaran, Words To Live By
Some people are a little more irritating and self-willed than others. But instead of criticizing such people, which only makes their alienation worse, we can focus all our attention on what is best in them. This most practical skill can help those around us tremendously — while it helps us get over our likes and dislikes as well. It is like turning a flashlight onto one particular spot, concentrating on what is kind, generous, and selfless in the other person. We'll find that this kind of support draws out and strengthens these very qualities in him or her.
Draws out and strengthens the good in others
Walter Brueggemann, Inscribing the Text
Since the lordly arrival of Jesus, the new order of the day is generosity, sharing, giving, not fearing, not collecting. Generosity is a way congruent with the way of Jesus who restarts the gifts of creation.
The new order of the day is generosity
Practicing Compassion through Organ Donation
In A Look at Modern Social Issues, the author addresses the question – “What is the Buddhist position on organ donation?” Venerable Master Hsing Yun writes:
"Organ donation is about reusing available resources to extend life, and that is a manifestation of the oneness and coexistence of all life. In the Buddhist tradition, the body is not considered something that belongs to the self, but rather it is something that results from the illusionary synthesis of the four elements. It is like a hotel room that we rent for a temporary stay….
"There are four key ways in which organ donation is meaningful and useful for society:
"It extends lifespans….
"It demonstrates inner generosity….
"It promotes the renewal of resources….
"It shows the oneness and coexistence of all life….”
An Internet search will help you identify how you can register as an organ donor in your state. A great place to start is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website: www.organdonor.gov.
Urging to affirm our oneness and coexistence by registering as an organ donor.
Community Use of Faith Buildings
Faith communities often demonstrate the democratic virtues of cooperation and generosity. In The Problem of Wealth, Elizabeth L. Hinson-Hasty discusses two churches in Louisville who share a building, the Covenant Community Church and James Lees Presbyterian Church. When the cost of maintenance of the space became unmanageable, they knew they needed to find another way to survive. They agreed on a new vision, rebranding the building as a "Social Collaboratory" where "[a]nyone in the local community could use the space as long as they covenanted to be part of the collaborator board. During board meetings, members made decisions about how to use the space by consensus. Ultimately, sixteen religious, justice, and arts groups met in the building." In a time when many smaller faith communities are shuttering or selling their buildings, such collaborations strongly dedicate a space to the practices of hospitality and connections.
Urging collaborative and community use of worship spaces.
A Blessed Life
One of Buddhism’s paths to awakening is called the “perfections,” or paramitas. These consist of ten guiding principles for creating a blessed life. These values guide you on a path that is personally and communally fulfilling. Most importantly, they are relevant to how you live each day of your life.
In this e-course, course leader Donald Altman broadens these Buddhist teachings to include wisdom from other wisdom traditions — since all the traditions embrace them. When he thinks of working with the ten enlightened principles, he is reminded of a favorite quote from Sufi mystic Inayat Khan, who said, "Freedom is not the path to freedom; discipline is the path to freedom."
When you sign up for this e-course, you receive 12 detailed emails, delivered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with practices, quotes, and inspirations. Each email focuses on practicing a guiding principle:
Intro Week 1: Introduction to the ten perfections, or paramitas.
This background information will describe put this overall practice in a daily context.
Perfection #1: Generosity
Tap altruism to feel the joy that comes from service and giving.
Perfection #2: Effort
Nothing gets done without first energizing your spiritual lamp!
Perfection #3: Patience
Open new pathways to patience, forgiveness and forbearance.
Perfection #4: Ethics
Explore how discipline and precepts can purify daily actions.
Perfection #5: Simplicity and Meditation
Use daily simplicity and contemplation to invite inner peace.
Perfection #6: Wisdom
Learn how to awaken to your innate wisdom and intuition.
Perfection #7: Truthfulness
Honor your deepest being by living your integrity and honesty.
Perfection #8: Steadfastness
Strengthen resolve and commitments to what matters in your life.
Perfection #9: Equanimity
Develop a steady and balanced perspective of daily life and others.
Perfection #10: Loving-Kindness
Empower yourself and others with this life-changing blessing.
Closure: Putting It All Together
We’ll explore how to continue working with these enlightened principles for a blessed life.
Donald Altman, profiled in our Living Spiritual Teachers project, is a psychotherapist, award-winning author, former Buddhist monk, and international mindfulness teacher and trainer. He is dedicated to bringing ancient spiritual practices, tools, and wisdom into modern living.
The ten perfections truly are a practical path for gaining greater freedom in your life — the freedom that comes from knowing how to live beneficially and inspire those around you by being the best person that you can be.
4 CEHs for chaplains available.
Ten guiding principles -- Paramitas -- from the Buddha.
Unleashing the Soul of Money
Lynne Twist is a global activist, fundraiser, and author of The Soul of Money. On this two-and-one-half hour program on two CDs, she presents many ideas on how to make the most of money as a vehicle for love, clarity, and our highest ideals. She states: "You don't have to compromise, eclipse, or dismiss your soul in the ways you use money, for when you change the way you view your money, all of your needs can be met."
She explores the "Three Toxic Myths About Money":
1. There is not enough.
2. More is better.
3. That's just the way it is.
Twist contends that seeing beyond the "great lie of scarcity" is the key to moving beyond an attachment to it. We must also give up our "financial sob stories" and realize that we can all tap into the natural flow of the abundance of life. Practicing gratitude is essential for experiencing what she calls "the exquisiteness of sufficiency." Using wisdom from her experiences with Mother Teresa, Buckminster Fuller, and others, Twist concludes with six practices to deepen your sense of sufficiency.
Ideas and practices to transform your views and uses of money.