Words of Osho

InterBeing

THE FOURTEEN PRECEPTS
OF ENGAGED BUDDHISM

By Thich Nhat Hanh

(From the book Interbeing)

1
Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory,

or ideology, even Buddhist ones.

Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means;

they are not absolute truth.

2
Do not think the knowledge you presently possess

is changeless, absolute truth.

Avoid being narrow minded and bound to present views.

Learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be

open to receive others' viewpoints.

Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge.

Be ready to learn throughout your entire life

and to observe reality in yourself

and in the world at all times.

3
Do not force others, including children,

by any means whatsoever,

to adopt your views, whether

by authority, threat, money, propaganda,

or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue,

help others renounce fanaticism and narrow-mindedness.

4
Do not avoid suffering or close your eyes before suffering.

Do not lose awareness of the existence of suffering

in the life of the world.

Find ways to be with those who are suffering,

including personal contact,

visits, images and sounds.

By such means, awaken yourself and others

to the reality of suffering in the world.

5
Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry.

Do not take as the aim of your life

fame, profit, wealth, or sensual pleasure.

Live simply and share time, energy,

and material resources

with those who are in need.

6
Do not maintain anger or hatred.

Learn to penetrate and transform them

when they are still seeds in your consciousness.

As soon as they arise,

turn your attention to your breath in order

to see and understand the nature of your hatred.

7
Do not lose yourself in dispersion

and in your surroundings.

Practice mindful breathing

to come back to what is happening

in the present moment.

Be in touch with what is wondrous, refreshing,

and healing both inside and around you.

Plant seeds of joy, peace, and understanding

in yourself in order to facilitate the work of transformation

in the depths of your consciousness.

8
Do not utter words that can create discord and cause

the community to break.

Make every effort to reconcile and resolve
all conflicts, however small.

9
Do not say untruthful things for the sake of

personal interest or to impress people.

Do not utter words that cause division and hatred.

Do not spread news that you do not know to be certain.

Do not criticize or condemn things of which you are not sure.

Always speak truthfully and constructively.

Have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice,

even when doing so may threaten your own safety.

10
Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit,

or transform your community into a political party.

A religious community, however, should take a clear stand against

oppression and injustice and should strive to change

the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts.

11
Do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature.

Do not invest in companies that

deprive others of their chance to live.

Select a vocation that helps realise your ideal of compassion.

12
Do not kill. Do not let others kill.

Find whatever means possible

to protect life and prevent war.

13
Possess nothing that should belong to others.

Respect the property of others,

but prevent others from profiting

from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.

14
Do not mistreat your body.

Learn to handle it with respect.

Do not look on your body as only an instrument.

Preserve vital energies (sexual, breath, spirit)

for the realisation of the Way.
(For brothers and sisters who are not monks and nuns:)

Sexual expression should not take place

without love and commitment.

In sexual relations,

be aware of future suffering that may be caused.

To preserve the happiness of others,

respect the rights and commitments of others.

Be fully aware of the responsibility of

bringing new lives into the world.

Meditate on the world into which you are bringing new beings.

From the book 'Interbeing':

Fourteen Guidelines for Engaged Buddhism,

revised edition: Oct. l993 by Thich Nhat Hanh,

published by Parallax Press, Berkeley, California

Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk, poet, peace activist, and the author of Being Peace, The Miracle of Mindfulness, and many other books. He lives in a monastic community in south-western France called Plum Village, where he teaches, writes, gardens, and works to help refugees world-wide. He conducts retreats throughout the world on the art of mindful living, and has conducted special retreats for American Vietnam War veterans, psychotherapists, artists, environmental activists and children.

Inner Calm and Clarity

Inspirational Story
" Lord Buddha and The Brahmin"..

Lord Buddha was sitting under a banyan tree.
One day, a furious Brahmin came to him and started abusing him.

The Brahmin thought that Lord Buddha
would reciprocate in the same manner,
but to his utter surprise,
there was not the slightest change
in the expression on his face.

Now, the Brahmin became more furious.
He hurled more and more abuses at Buddha.
However, Lord Buddha was completely unmoved.
Actually there was a look of compassion on his face.

Ultimately the Brahmin was tired of abusing him.
He asked, "I have been abusing you like anything,
but why are you not angry at all ?"

Lord Buddha calmly replied,
"My dear brother, I have not accepted
a single abuse from you."

"But you heard all of them, didn't you?"
The Brahmin argued half-heartedly.

Buddha said,
"I do not need the abuses,
so why should I even hear them?"

Now the Brahmin was even more puzzled.
He could not understand the calm reply from Lord Buddha.

Looking at his disturbed face,
Buddha further explained,
"All those abuses remain with you."

"It cannot be possible.
I have hurled all of them at you,"
the Brahmin persisted.

Buddha calmly repeated his reply,
"But I have not accepted
even a single abuse from you !
Dear brother,
suppose you give some coins to somebody,
and if he does not accept them,
with whom will those coins remain?"

The Brahmin replied,
"If I have given the coins and not needed by someone,
then naturally they would remain with me."

With a meaningful smile on his face,
Buddha said,
"Now you are right.
The same has happened with your abuses.
You came here and hurled abuses at me,
but I have not accepted a single abuse from you.
Hence, all those abuses remain with you only.
So there is no reason to be angry with you."

The Brahmin remained speechless.
He was ashamed of his behavior
and begged for Buddha's forgiveness.

Lesson to Learn from This Story :
Inner calmness and peace are keys to contented life.
You know who you are and what you want in life,
so do not respond to what person said about you in anger.
Control your anger with patience and calmness.
That is biggest strength of Wise men.
Never take some one for granted,
Hold every person Close to your Heart
because you might wake up one day
and realize that you have lost a diamond
while you were too busy collecting stones…"

Fearless

Nothing in LIfe is to be feared.

It is only to be Understood.

Marie Curie

Act Now!

JUST DO IT!
"Do more than belong: participate.

Do more than care: help.

Do more than believe: practice.

Do more than be fair: be kind.

Do more than forgive: forget.

Do more than dream: work."

William Arthur Ward

"Don't wait for someone to take you under their wing.

Find a good wing and climb up underneath it."

Frank C. Bucaro

"Whenever you are asked if you can do a job,

tell 'em, 'certainly I can!'

- and get busy and find out how to do it."
Theodore Roosevelt

"Someone once asked me

what I want on my epitaph when I pass away.

Just the words – ‘I tried.’

That's what this game of life is all about.

Trying.

There's the tryers, the criers, and the liars."
Mickey Rooney

"When you're doing something,

just do it!"
Zen Master Seung Sahn

Walk your Talk!

I don't know what will happen to you when you watch this...
I hope it's a cry of love and compassion...
Walk your Talk when you finish crying.
I am joining you as well....

Walk

Walk as if your feet

were kissing the earth.

Barbara Ann Kipfer

ENERGY

"Your mental energy is limited

by your physical energy.

How do you develop

more energy of all kinds?

You start by putting your body

in top physical condition.

Unless you do that,

all your other activities won't help much

--you'll be stuck with

the mental and emotional energy

that you have now."

Tom Hopkins

Strategic Planning

STRATEGIC PLANNING

"The will to win is important,
but the will to prepare is vital."
Joe Paterno

"The difference between great people and everyone else
is that great people create their lives actively,
while everyone else is created by their lives,
passively waiting to see where life takes them next.
The difference between the two is the difference
between living fully and just existing."
Michael E. Gerber

"Expect the best,
plan for the worst,
and prepare to be surprised."
Denis Waitley

"I can give you a six-word formula for success:
Think things through - then follow through."
Captain Edward V. Rickenbacker

Our Deepest Fear

OUR DEEPEST FEAR

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest

the glory of God that is
within us.

It is not just in some of us;

it is in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,

we unconsciously
give other people permission

to do the same.

As we are liberated
from our own fear,
our presence automatically
liberates others.

Happy Niu(牛）Year 2009!

RESULTS

"I want to demonstrate by my life and my results, not my talk, not my wishes, but by my results." -- Gerry Robert

"It is not what you say or hope or wish or intend but only what you do that counts. Your choices tell you unerringly who you really are." -- Brian Tracy

"Life asks us to make measurable progress in reasonable time. That’s why they make those fourth grade chairs so small – so you won’t fit in them at age twenty-five!" -- Jim Rohn

"We will receive not what we idly wish for but what we justly earn. Our rewards will always be in exact proportion to our service." -- Earl Nightingale

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Do you have a personal and professional Plan, Do and Review in your life?

It’s 2009 and this is a great time to Plan, Do and Review for 2009. Will you be focused and on course for reaching your goals? Are you on the right track mentally, physically, spiritually, financially, relationally, etc.?

As Jim Rohn would say... "Now is the time to fix the next 10 years!"
Plan your Work and Work your Plan!
Happy Niu(牛）Year to ALL!