Quotations Search Results
We found 673 matching quotes
Girl in a Box
“In front of the center just after sunset, I watched one of the Tibetan lamas laughing as he gazed at a mosquito filling up with blood, his blood. He looked directly at me with an openhearted, innocent smile. Holding his arm up, he laughed, repeating one of the few English words he knew.
‘Generosity.’
The mosquito’s body engorged, turning blood red. After drinking its fill, it flew away, very much alive.
In my cleaning frenzy, I hadn’t noticed Lama Norlha or several of the nuns enter the room. But while I was unceremoniously sucking the dead roaches into the dirt-laden fluffy debris already in the Electrolux, a few of the nuns began crying at the sight of those tiny — and dead — sentient beings.
Lama Norlha approached, so I turned off the jet engine whir of the vacuum. He stepped directly in front of me. “Some nuns very upset.”
I put my hands behind my back and stared at the ground, attempting to demonstrate my reverence and respect. How could I be so brash? I wasn’t being at all respectful of the lives of these little creatures. I didn’t show the kind of non-violent regard the lama had shown to the mosquito. I didn’t see roach killing fields, only something in need of cleaning.
‘Oh Lama. I’m sorry.’
He beamed a big untroubled grin, ‘No problem. This good. You clean. Kalu Rinpoche bless roaches when he arrive.’
As he walked away, I took a relieved breath, imagining someone building a sanctified roach coffin. The roach corpses could then be delivered to Kalu Rinpoche for his blessing.”
Tibetan Buddhist caring for sentient beings.
Making Room
“Lady Gaga came to our Harlem drop-in center early the next afternoon, arriving with her mother, Cynthia, and two huge SUVs packed with gifts. Again, the kids had no idea what was about to unfold …
“The next few hours were an extravaganza. First Gaga, her mother, and her assistants organized the huge piles of scarves, hats, socks, and makeup, handing them out to all the individual youths, some of whom continued crying, while others held up their phones to film the spectacle. As she handed out the gifts, many of the youths stammered out confessions of their undying devotion.
“ 'When my parents pushed me out for being gay, all I had was you, and Born This Way on auto-repeat,' one bearded young man told Gaga. She hugged him, and tears streamed from his mascara-lined eyes.
“ 'Thank you for being alive,' she said as the two emerged from their embrace.”
Lady Gaga in Harlem.
Receiving Requests for Contributions
The request comes by phone or through the mail. Yet another worthy cause is making its appeal: “We need your help now!” you are told. Each request comes from an organization that is making a real contribution, but the calls and letters are endless. Unable to take the time to examine the merits of each request, you feel hassled and overwhelmed, so it is easy to avoid the requests. However, you could choose to see this same scenario in a new way. What if you recognized that the calls and letters are coming your way because you have been generous enough to give before? What if you took pleasure in knowing that you are considered to be someone who cares?
Meditation
Help me to realize that the people who call or write me are doing a mitzvah. They are doing the work of the gabba’ei tzedakah, the traditional tzedakah collectors, and I am privileged to honor them for their commitment. Help me to be patient with them and supportive of their efforts, even if I do not choose to make a contribution. Grant me the wisdom to know which causes I should be supporting this year and when I should be especially generous.
Ritual
Hold a family meeting so you can decide which causes are important to some or all of you and to which you will contribute. Let each member of the family have some say in making these decisions. Keeping in mind how difficult it can be to find presents each year for family members, friends, and teachers, consider giving the present of a donation (or a membership) in someone’s honor, matching up the cause with the recipient who will be touched by your gesture, made in his or her name.
Blessing
(As you sit down together to make your decisions) Blessed is the One who commands us to repair the world.
Teaching
The verse “They who provide charity for the many are like stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3) refers to collectors for charity. (Babylonian Talmud: Baba Batra 8b)
Rabbi Eleazar said: One who leads others to do good is greater than one who oneself does good, for it is said, “One who causes the giving of charity confers peace” (Isaiah 32:17). (Babylonian Talmud: Baba Batra 9a)
Generosity does not begin with a lot of cash, but with that wealth of spirit that shows others we care. We esteem those who give with nedivut (generosity), as did the biblical poet who said, “He who gives freely to the poor, his beneficence lasts and lasts, and his strength is exalted in honor” (Psalms 112:9). (Eugene Borowitz and Frances Weinman Schwartz, The Jewish Moral Virtues)
A teaching and practices for meeting the sacred responsibility to care for others and the world.
Juno
Juno (Ellen Page), a precocious and spunky 16 year old, has sex with her boyfriend, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), in a big comfortable chair. Later after taking several pregnancy tests in a row at a drug store, Juno discovers that it truly was a momentous event. Since, as she puts it, "pregnancy can lead to an infant," she makes a hasty trip to a clinic to get an abortion, but she cannot bring herself to do it. Knowing she's not equipped to raise a child, she decides to give the baby up for adoption. All she wants is for the child to have a loving family, and Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa Loring (Jennifer Garner) seem to be perfect. Juno's best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) finds their ad for a child in the Pennysaver newspaper right next to the ads for exotic birds.
Juno's working-class dad, Mac (J. K. Simmons), and stepmother, Brenda (Alison Janney), are taken aback by the news but immediately offer to stand by their daughter and support her in every way they can. Mac insists on going along to meet the yuppie prospective parents who live in one of those McMansion houses in a suburban development. They have tried to adopt before and know that it is a hard road fraught with difficulties. Juno is very upfront with them; she doesn't want to sell her baby, and she'll be happy to keep them informed about how it's "cookin'." After the deal is sealed with the papers prepared by their lawyer, the Lorings seem quite relieved. Juno, only guessing at what lies ahead, admits it would be great all around if she could just give birth as soon as possible and make the transfer as simple as possible. "Can't we just kick it old school? I could just put the baby in a basket and send it your way. You know, like Moses in the reeds."
Juno is directed by Jason Reitman who demonstrated his facility for working with quick-witted and snappy dialogue in Thank You for Smoking. The screenplay by Diablo Cody is one of the brightest, funniest, and best of the year. But what really shines here is the superlative performance by Canadian Ellen Page! She makes Juno into a spunky and idiosyncratic young woman who always has something interesting to say. On the ethical level, she is a kind and generous soul whose exquisite act of selfless love is nothing short of a miracle to Vanessa, a woman who feels her life is not complete without a child.
Juno's teenage pregnancy compels her to grow up fast and to make important decisions on a regular basis. She has several close encounters with Mark Loring and discovers she shares with him a love of music and a passion for schlock horror movies, which complicates her already jumbled life. At school, she has to deal with all the stares and snickers of her classmates. And when Juno finds out that Paulie is taking another girl to the prom, she has a snit fit.
Remarkably, Juno bears all the challenges of her pregnancy very well, and despite her quip to her dad that she's dealing with things "way beyond my maturity level," she demonstrates that her heart is big enough to take it all in and give back in abundance. A final note of praise to the wonderful songs by Kimya Dawson.
Special DVD features include a commentary by director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody; deleted scenes; a gag reel and a gag take; cast and crew jam; screen tests; Way Beyond "Our" Maturity Level: Juno - Leah - Bleeker; Diablo Cody is Totally Boss; Jason Reitman For Shizz; and Honest to Blog! Creating Juno.
A bright and funny comedy about precocious and big-hearted teenager on a mission of love.
The Monastery: Mr. Vig & The Nun
Showing at the Film Forum, New York City, August 31 - September 11, 2007
Mr. Vig is an idiosyncratic 86-year-old bachelor who owns a castle in Denmark. He is a lonely man who never married and states at one point in this documentary directed by Pernille Rose Gronkjaer that the only person he ever loved was his father. His mother was constantly criticized for everything she ever did. That made such an impression on Mr. Vig that he never got on well with women. He admits that his peculiar obsession with noses has also been part of the reason why he never was involved in an intimate relationship.
For years, Mr. Vig has wanted to turn his castle into a monastery. This yearning finally becomes a possibility when the Russian Orthodox church sends Sister Amvrosija to check out the castle and assess the options. She is a very efficient women who immediately gives Mr. Vig her daily schedule which includes many hours in prayer. He continues to putter around the castle making repairs. Sister Amvrosija is distraught about the bad leak in the roof and wants it all repaired. Mr. Vig wonders whether she is exaggerating things, and they clash over the matter. It also bothers him to have her and the nuns who have come with her constantly under foot. He is used to living as a hermit, as evidenced by his wild white beard and patched clothes.
The Monastery: Mr Vig & The Nun is an engaging documentary about the difficult spiritual practice of generosity. All the world's religions emphasize the value of giving to others. Mr. Vig's heart is in the right place when he decides to turn his castle into a Russian Orthodox monastery, and Sister Amvrosiha assures him that his good deed will please God. But his ego gets in the way of his generosity, and when he starts asserting his rigid views, the entire project is put in jeopardy.
It is fascinating to watch this spiritual drama play out before our eyes. Letting go is one of the ingredients of generosity, and it is not easy for any of us to relinquish ideas and habit energies which have animated our lives.
Where and When?
A psychologically rich documentary about generosity and the difficulty we all have in letting go of rigid habits.
Boys on the Side
Jane, a cynical club singer in New York City, decides to jump-start her dead-in-the-water career by moving to Los Angeles. She hitches up with Robin, an uptight young woman in real estate who is driving to San Diego. The two couldn't be more different in background and temperament.
For example, one evening at a motel, Robin watches The Way We Were and cries. Jane can barely stifle her laughter over the romantic melodrama unfolding on the screen. The two women stop in Pittsburgh so Jane can visit Holly, a friend. They catch her in the midst of a battering by her drug dealing lover. Given his rage and hatred of women, they are lucky to escape with their lives.
On the road, the three relax and luxuriate in each other's company. But they do have serious questions about one another. Jane can't understand why her friend constantly chooses men who humiliate and abuse her. Holly wonders why Jane hasn't told Robin that she's a lesbian. And when they pull into Tucson, Robin has to be hospitalized. The two other women are shocked to learn that she has AIDS.
It is a delight to watch Whoopi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, and Drew Barrymore tackle the idiosyncrasies of these colorful characters. Director Herbert Ross brings the same sensitivity to this women's drama as he did to The Turning Point and Steel Magnolias.
The film is essentially about the way these three are thrown together by chance and then become a family. It is also about the strange yet wonderful ties of friendship which link people together when they least expect it.
But most of all, Boys on the Side is about generosity and care. Jane, Robin, and Holly set up house together in Tucson. They come to rely upon each other especially when Holly gets in trouble with the law and admits that she is pregnant. Robin's health worsens and she learns to lean on Jane. How to help and be helped by those who cherish us is sometimes difficult to know. But it is a lesson worth learning. As Merle Shain has written, "We must find ourselves in others, and in loving and caring for them, we love and care for ourselves."
A touching drama about some idiosyncratic people who must learn how to help and be helped by those who cherish them.
Lewis Richmond, Work as a Spiritual Practice
The ringing phone stands for everything in our life that we cannot control, everything that makes our life unpredictable, confusing, and difficult. For those of us who think of spiritual life as something to be found in a church, a retreat center, or a walk by the seashore, the ringing phone is the last thing we wish to hear.
But for those who are willing to see a spiritual opportunity in the ordinariness of everyday circumstance, the ringing phone is no less profound an encounter than the cypress tree in the garden. . . .
To understand that a sound is not something outside ourselves, but something within, is a shift of consciousness that can lead to a different understanding of who we are for others and who others are for us. From that insight comes generosity, compassion, and wisdom.
The ringing phone stands for the uncontrollable
Donald Altman, Living Kindness
In Islam, giving is recognized as a form of surrender to God's will. It is so vital that zakat, a purifying payment or charity, is one of the religion's "five pillars." Traditionally, an annual payment is made for distribution to those in need. Muhammad, the prophet who received the word of the holy Qur'an from God, was himself an orphan who routinely offered food and assistance to the poor. This form of giving is not exclusionary and meant only for other Muslims, but for anyone in need.
Giving is a form of surrender to God
Deep Hope
Diane Eshin Rizzetto is the Abbess and Guiding Teacher of the Bay Zen Center in Oakland, California. A dharma heir of Charlotte Joko Beck, she is a founding member of the Ordinary Mind Zen School. Her previous book is Waking Up to What You Do: A Zen Practice for Meeting Every Situation with Intelligence and Compassion.
The subtitle of this richly human book reveals that it is deeply relevant to our times. It is filled with top-drawer practices that are in sync with the author's wonderful readings and interpretations of the Buddhist paramitas. A poignant quotation by Mother Teresa sets the stage for what follows: "The problem with the world is that we draw the circle of our family too small. "
Rizzetto does justice to the grand themes of the paramitas or "perfections":
Giving and Receiving
Taking Skillful Action
Practicing Patience
Engaging Effort
Meditating
Seeing Clearly
Throughout our careers and especially while living amidst the pressure of New York City, we found it very hard to practice patience. Here's how Rizzetto frames this challenge:
"Sometimes it seems that this paramita if one of the hardest paramitas to practice, for it asks us to persevere in the midst of great difficulty. But Practicing Patience is more than simply enduring or getting through difficult times. It asks us to take refuge in just continually knowing that no matter how things turn out, we will engage fully in life's circumstances."
Each chapter includes practices for engaging that paramita. For patience, these include becoming familiar with your body's ways of expressing impatience, expanding your view to see what you are leaving out of the situation, and accepting where you are ("being just this moment is the way of compassion").
See the excerpt for practices about giving and receiving.
Pay it Forward Spiritual Practice
A wonderful reading and interpretation of the Buddhist paramitas.
A Look at Modern Social Issues
Venerable Master Hsing Yun is founder of the Fo Guang Shan, an order of Buddhists dedicated to making Humanistic Buddhism useful and relevant to today's spiritual seekers. The author has written many books including Let Go, Move On, a collection of 80 columns written for Merit Times. This volume consists of a series of lectures on the difficult and profound social issues facing individuals around the world.
"Life is vital, flexible, and versatile," Hsing Yun writes, and we must meet its challenges with love, kindness, compassion, and generosity. This was the way of the Buddha. His life was so filled with compassion that a drunken elephant once gave up its animal nature and began to weep upon seeing the Buddha. A killer dropped his knife in the presence of this calm and centered one.
The Buddhist tradition is organized around respecting and caring for all of life. These principles provide a foundation for the discussion of issues such as cloning, animal testing, suicide, euthanasia, organ donation, problems of aging, hospice care, and death. This is a very valuable contribution to the discussion of social ethics in our time.
Examines social issues such as cloning, suicide, euthanasia, aging, and death from a Buddhist perspective.