Words of THE BUDDHA....

Long is the night to the sleepless; long is the league to the weary. Long is worldly existence to fools who know not the Sublime Truth.

Should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let him resolutely pursue a solitary course; there is no fellowship with the fool.

The fool worries, thinking, "I have sons, I have wealth." Indeed, when he himself is not his own, whence are sons, whence is wealth?

A fool who knows his foolishness is wise at least to that extent, but a fool who thinks himself wise is a fool indeed.

Though all his life a fool associates with a wise man, he no more comprehends the Truth than a spoon tastes the flavor of the soup.

Though only for a moment a discerning person associates with a wise man, quickly he comprehends the Truth, just as the tongue tastes the flavor of the soup.

Fools of little wit are enemies unto themselves as they move about doing evil deeds, the fruits of which are bitter.

Ill done is that action of doing which one repents later, and the fruit of which one, weeping, reaps with tears.

Well done is that action of doing which one repents not later, and the fruit of which one reaps with delight and happiness.

So long as an evil deed has not ripened, the fool thinks it as sweet as honey. But when the evil deed ripens, the fool comes to grief.

Month after month a fool may eat his food with the tip of a blade of grass, but he still is not worth a sixteenth part of the those who have comprehended the Truth.

Truly, an evil deed committed does not immediately bear fruit, like milk that does not turn sour all at once. But smoldering, it follows the fool like fire covered by ashes.

To his own ruin the fool gains knowledge, for it cleaves his head and destroys his innate goodness.

The fool seeks undeserved reputation, precedence among monks, authority over monasteries, and honor among householders.

"Let both laymen and monks think that it was done by me. In every work, great and small, let them follow me" — such is the ambition of the fool; thus his desire and pride increase.

One is the quest for worldly gain, and quite another is the path to Nibbana. Clearly understanding this, let not the monk, the disciple of the Buddha, be carried away by worldly acclaim, but develop detachment instead.

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Of course the atheistic Buddhist has no soul, as portrayed by most Christians.

However, our philosophy, and an incy wincy part of the Pali scriptures written and translated above, obviously contain no meaning nor reality for the Christian who believes Buddhists are wrong, heartless and completely disjointed from care!

Care to be a fool?

-m.

Originally posted by mikelom
Long is the night to the sleepless; long is the league to the weary. Long is worldly existence to fools who know not the Sublime Truth.

Should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let him resolutely pursue a solitary course; there is no fellowship with the fool.

The fool worries, thinking, "I have sons, I have wealth." Indeed, when he ...[text shortened]... hists are wrong, heartless and completely disjointed from care!

Care to be a fool?

-m.

Originally posted by karoly aczel
The Buddha preaches the "middle way " in all things. (This includes things like moderation of personal habits, a "feminine" approach to spritituality and empathy/compassion towards all sentient beings).

I hope my comments here are not foolish, I hope I have taken your post in the right spirit here.

Originally posted by mikelom
Your comments are neither foolish nor unempathetic. I have found many of your recent posts quite resonable and containing their own wisdom.

With regards to Buddhism, and Thailand specifically, you have shown passion and acceptance and care.

-m. 🙂

Originally posted by karoly aczel
Thank you, Mike.
One of the most important tennets of Buddhism is compassion. True compassion should lead the way to understanding, and with understanding/knowledge comes clarity on what is more important, and what can take a back seat.

This comes back to the individual ,(buddhists), clear evaluation of what is important - he/she can prioritize a ...[text shortened]... this for 10 mins to be absolutely clear on the best steps to take to do the best for all.

Originally posted by black beetle
The fact that some persons cannot find easily their position in the world can become their bigger asset, their passport towards a way of living as they dream it: needless to try to reform your nature. Instead of trying the impossible, accept the fact that you can always offer the other people unique things thanks to your unique personality. You don’t ha ...[text shortened]... g that the Secret is afar or too weird, you ‘ll see the glimpse of It in your everyday reality😵

Originally posted by karoly aczel
Aye.

Perhaps instead of "reform" , I should go with "refine" (?)

(I am not one to cry out for a drop of water , as I realize it is raining all around me - no pun intended, Mike 🙂 )

Originally posted by black beetle
Nope; since you know the drill, you should go exactly the way you please according to your own evaluation of the mind😵