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| There was no possible escape for the poor... |
06-12-2010 |
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| There was no possible escape for the poor monkeys, who were not only drunk but also weighed down by heavy wooden clogs!
We humans are no different from the monkeysWe, too, know of the dangers of the five desiresYet, while we may resist them for a while -- at certain times -- few of us can do so at all timesThis is the rationale for seeking rebirth in the Pure Land, an ideal environment, free of temptation, free of suffering:
"In an infinite time in the past, Bhiksu Dharmakara [the future Buddha Amitabha] observed the misery of all sentient beings, and moved by compassion, vowed to establish a pure and perfect land where all could be liberated " Editor: na
PARABLE 004: ATTACHMENT (NEITHER HATRED NOR LOVE)
"It once happened that a monk, having awakened to the Way under the eminent Master Fu Shan, went to reside in a famous monasteryAlthough living among the Great Assembly, he did not practice meditation or seek guidance in the Dharma; all he did all day was lie sleepingUpon hearing this, the abbot arrived at the meditation hall, a big staff in handSeeing the
guest master reclining with eyes closed, he admonished: 'This place does not have surplus rice to allow you to do nothing but eat and rest!' Reply: 'What would you, High Master, advise me to do?' The abbot said: 'Why don't you sit in meditation?' Answer: 'Succulent food cannot tempt those who have eaten their fill' The abbot continued, chanel jumbo bag 'A great many people are unhappy with you' Answer: 'If they were happy, what would I gain?' Hearing these unusual replies, the abbot inquired further, 'Who was your master?' Answer: 'I arrived here after having studied under the eminent Master Fu Shan' The abbot said, 'No wonder you are so headstrong!' They then clasped hands, laughing aloud, and headed toward the abbot's quarters
"One day, many years later, the guest Zen Master, having washed himself, ascended the Dharma seat, bid farewell to the Great Assembly, wrote a parting stanza, immediately dropped the pen and expired in a seated positionThe guest master, as we can see, conducted himself easily and freely, having mastered life and deathIs it not because he had truly internalized the meaning of the passage 'when neither hatred nor love disturbs our mind, serenely we sleep?'" (quotation from the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch Hui-neng
Master Tam: 157-160
PARABLE 005: ATTACHMENT (MONK / YOUNG GIRL)
The following story forms the basis of a well-known koan
"Once there was a devoted old woman who built a place of retreat for a monk, arranging that he would not lack for anything, so that he could concentrate upon his meditation and practiceOne day, after twenty years, she instructed her daughter: 'Today, after serving the Master his meal, take advantage of the situation to embrace him tightly, asking him at the same time, 'how does chanel shopping bags it feel to be hugged these days?' Come back and let me know his answer as faithfully as you can'
The daughter dutifully did as she was told, putting her arms around the Master and asking the questionThe Master replied, 'I am not moved in the very least by sexual desire, no different from a dried up tree leaning against a cold mass of rocks in the middle of winter, when not even a drop of warmth can be found' The young girl repeated the answer to her mother, who said unhappily, 'I have really wasted my time and effort during the last
twenty yearsLittle did I know that I was only supporting a common mortal!' Having said this, she went out, evicted the monk, lit a fire and burned the meditation hut to the ground
In truth, it is rare enough these days for anyone to cultivate to the level of that monkAs far as the old woman is concerned, she is said to have been a saint in disguiseHer action of burning down the hut was to 'enlighten' the MasterWhy is this so? It is because, while not moved by sexual desire, he still saw himself as pure and was still attached to the empty and still aspects of samadhiThus, he had not attained true and complete Awakening Master Tam: 147
PARABLE 006: DAUGHTER OF GENGHIS KHAN
"Seated on the ground, I watched with amusement the various performances in which lama and believers played their parts with the utmost gravity, tinged, however, by that special good humour and chanel cambon bag overflowing gaiety which makes life among Tibetans so pleasantI delightedly forgot Western lands, that I belonged to them, and that they would probably take me again in the clutches of their sorrowful civilizationI felt myself a simple dokpa of the Koko norI chatted with the women about my imaginary black tent in the Desert of Grass, my cattle, and the feast days when the menfolk race on horseback and show their cleverness as marksmen
I knew by heart the region I described, for I had lived there long, and my enthusiasm for my so-styled mother country was so genuinely sincere that no one could have guessed my lieAfter all, was it entirely a lie? I am one of the Genghis Khan race who, by mistake and perhaps for her sins, was born in the OccidentSo I was once told by a lamaavid-Neal: 61
PARABLE 007: ATTACHMENT (TEACHING OF THE BUDDHA)
For the seasoned practitioner, even the Dharma (teachings of the Buddha) must not become an attachmentAs an analogy, to clean one's shirt, it is necessary to use soapHowever, if the soap is not then rinsed out, the garment will not be truly cleanSimilarly, the practitioner's mind will not be fully liberated until he severs attachment to everything, including the Dharma itselfEditor: na
PARABLE 008: ATTACHMENT (TO EXTERNAL FORMS OF CULTIVATION)
"There was once a Zen Master who practiced meditation with extreme diligenceHe usually slept in a sitting position rather chloe dior than lying down, and hardly rested much at allHowever, despite practicing meditation for many years, he still had not become enlightened to the WayOne day, a novice of unknown provenance sought permission to join the OrderThis novice was habitually lazy, to the point where he would often remain in bed even after the bell announcing the early prayer session had been rungInformed of this, the Master summoned him and scolded him in the following terms, 'How is it that you have joined the Order but are still so lazy as to be always lying down? Don't you remember what the rules of discipline say: 'Remaining in bed and failing to arise after hearing the bell will bring the future retribution of rebirth as a snake?' The novice replied, 'You said, Master, that I often lie down and therefore will become a snakeHow about you, who are attached to the sitting posture? You will be reborn a toadWhat can you ever hope to awaken to?'
Immediately after this exchange, the novice disappearedHowever, the Master had been awakened
As the story goes, the novice was in fact a Bodhisattva, who had assumed the appearance of a novice in order to enlighten the Master (Master Tam)
Note: "The Master picked up a brick and began grinding it with a stoneThe student asked what he was doing, and the Master replied, 'I am trying to polish this brick into a mirror' - 'But no amount of polishing will ever make a mirror out of a omega seamaster watch br |
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| THE STRING QUARTET
Well, here we are, and... |
06-11-2010 |
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THE STRING QUARTET
Well, here we are, and if you cast your eye over the room you will see
that Tubes and trams and omnibuses, private carriages not a few, even, I
venture to believe, landaus with bays in them, have been busy at it,
weaving threads from one end of London to the otherYet I begin to have
my doubts--
If indeed it's true, as they're saying, that Regent Street is up, and the
Treaty signed, and the weather not cold for the time of year, and even at
that rent not a flat to be had, and the worst of influenza its after
effects; if I bethink me of having forgotten to write about the leak in
the larder, and left my glove in the train; if the ties of blood require
me, leaning forward, to accept cordially the hand which is perhaps
offered hesitatingly--
"Seven years since we met!"
"The last time in Venice
"And where are you living now?"
"Well, the late afternoon suits me the best, though, if it weren't asking
too much----"
"But I knew you at once!"
"Still, the war made a break----"
If the mind's shot through by such little arrows, and--for human society
compels it--no sooner is one launched than another presses forward; if
this engenders heat and in addition they've turned on the electric light;
if saying one thing does, in so many cases, leave behind it a need to
improve and revise, stirring besides regrets, pleasures, vanities, and
desires--if it's all the facts I mean, and the hats, the fur boas, the
gentlemen's swallow-tail coats, and pearl tie-pins that come to the
surface--what chance is there?
Of what? It fendi b bag becomes every minute more difficult to say why, in spite of
everything, I sit here believing I can't now say what, or even remember
the last time it happened
"Did you see the procession?"
"The King looked coldBut what was it?"
"She's bought a house at Malmesbury
"How lucky to find one!"
On the contrary, it seems to me pretty sure that she, whoever she may be,
is damned, since it's all a matter of flats and hats and sea gulls, or so
it seems to be for a hundred people sitting here well dressed, walled in,
furred, repleteNot that I can boast, since I too sit passive on a gilt
chair, only turning the earth above a buried memory, as we all do, for
there are signs, if I'm not mistaken, that we're all recalling something,
furtively seeking somethingWhy fidget? Why so anxious about the sit of
cloaks; and gloves--whether to button or unbutton? Then watch that
elderly face against the dark canvas, a moment ago urbane and flushed;
now taciturn and sad, as if in shadowWas it the sound of the second
violin tuning in the ante-room? Here they come; four black figures,
carrying instruments, and seat themselves facing the white squares under
the downpour of light; rest the tips of their bows on the music stand;
with a simultaneous movement lift them; lightly poise them, and, looking
across at the player opposite, the first violin counts one, two, three--
Flourish, spring, burgeon, burst! The pear tree on the top of the
mountainFountains jet; drops descendBut the waters of the Rhone flow
swift and deep, race under the arches, and sweep the trailing vintage hermes water
leaves, washing shadows over the silver fish, the spotted fish rushed
down by the swift waters, now swept into an eddy where--it's difficult
this--conglomeration of fish all in a pool; leaping, splashing, scraping
sharp fins; and such a boil of current that the yellow pebbles are
churned round and round, round and round--free now, rushing downwards, or
even somehow ascending in exquisite spirals into the air; curled like
thin shavings from under a plane; up and upHow lovely goodness is in
those who, stepping lightly, go smiling through the world! Also in jolly
old fishwives, squatted under arches, oh scene old women, how deeply they
laugh and shake and rollick, when they walk, from side to side, hum, hah!
"That's an early Mozart, of course--"
"But the tune, like all his tunes, makes one despair--I mean hopeWhat
do I mean? That's the worst of music! I want to dance, laugh, eat pink
cakes, yellow cakes, drink thin, sharp wineOr an indecent story, now--I
could relish thatThe older one grows the more one likes indecency
Hall, hah! I'm laughingWhat at? You said nothing, nor did the old
gentleman oppositeBut suppose--suppose--Hush!"
The melancholy river bears us onWhen the moon comes through the
trailing willow boughs, I see your face, I hear your voice and the bird
singing as we pass the osier bedWhat are you whispering? Sorrow,
sorrowWoven together, like reeds in moonlightWoven
together, inextricably commingled, bound in pain and strewn in
sorrow--crash!
The boat sinksRising, the figures ascend, but now leaf thin, tapering
to a dusky wraith, which, fiery tiffany and co necklace tipped, draws its twofold passion from my
heartFor me it sings, unseals my sorrow, thaws compassion, floods with
love the sunless world, nor, ceasing, abates its tenderness but deftly,
subtly, weaves in and out until in this pattern, this consummation, the
cleft ones unify; soar, sob, sink to rest, sorrow and joy
Why then grieve? Ask what? Remain unsatisfied? I say all's been settled;
yes; laid to rest under a coverlet of rose leaves, fallingOne rose leaf, falling from an enormous height, like a
little parachute dropped from an invisible balloon, turns, flutters
waveringlyThat's the worst of music--these silly
dreamsThe second violin was late, you say?"
"There's old MrsMunro, feeling her way out--blinder each year, poor
woman--on this slippery floor
Eyeless old age, grey-headed SphinxThere she stands on the pavement,
beckoning, so sternly, the red omnibus
"How lovely! How well they play! How--how--how!"
The tongue is but a clapperThe feathers in the hat
next me are bright and pleasing as a child's rattleThe leaf on the
plane-tree flashes green through the chink in the curtainVery strange,
very exciting
"How--how--how!" Hush!
These are the lovers on the grass
"If, madam, you will take my hand--"
"Sir, I would trust you with my heartMoreover, we have left our bodies
in the banqueting hallThose on the turf are the shadows of our souls
"Then these are the embraces of our souls The lemons nod assentThe
swan pushes from the bank and floats dreaming into mid streamHe followed me down the corridor, and, as we turned the
corner, trod on the lace chanel earrings fake of my petticoatWhat could I do but cry 'Ah!'
and stop to finger it? At which he drew his sword, made passes as if he
were stabbing something to death, and cried, 'Mad! Mad! Mad!' Whereupon I
screamed, and the Prince, who was writing in the large vellum book in the
oriel window, came out in his velvet skull-cap and furred slippers,
snatched a rapier from the wall--the King of Spain's gift, you know--on
which I escaped, flinging on this cloak to hide the ravages to my
skirt--to hideBut listen! the horns!"
The gentleman replies so fast to the lady, and she runs up the scale with
such witty exchange of compliment now culminating in a sob of passion,
that the words are indistinguishable though the meaning is plain
enough--love, laughter, flight, pursuit, celestial bliss--all floated out
on the gayest ripple of tender endearment--until the sound of the silver
horns, at first far distant, gradually sounds more and more distinctly,
as if seneschals were saluting the dawn or proclaiming ominously the
escape of the loversThe green garden, moonlit pool, lemons, lovers,
and fish are all dissolved in the opal sky, across which, as the horns
are joined by trumpets and supported by clarions there rise white arches
firmly planted on marble pillars
Confusion and chaos trod to earthBut this city to which we travel has
neither stone nor marble; hangs enduring; stands unshakable; nor does a
face, nor does a flag greet or welcomeLeave then to perish your hope;
droop in the desert my joy; naked advanceBare are the pillars;
auspicious to none; casting no shade; resplendent; buy chanel bags sev |
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| This is why I cringe every time I hear a parent... |
06-10-2010 |
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| This is why I cringe every time I hear a parent advise their children to go to school, so they can find a safe, secure jobAn employee with a safe, secure job, without financial aptitude, has no escape
Average Americans today work five to six months for the government before they make enough to cover their taxesIn my opinion, that is a long timeThe harder you work, the more you pay the governmentThat is why I believe that the idea of "Take from the rich" backfired on the very people who voted it in
Every time people try to punish the rich, the rich don't simply
comply, they reactThey have the money, power and intent to change thingsThey do not just sit there and voluntarily pay more taxesThey search for ways to minimize their tax burdenThey hire smart attorneys j and accountants, and persuade gucci hobo politicians to change laws or create legal loopholesThey have the resources to effect change
The Tax Code of the United States also allows other ways to save on taxesMost of these vehicles are available to anyone, but it is the rich who usually look for them because they are minding their own businessFor example, "1031" is jargon for Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code, which allows a seller to delay paying taxes on a piece of real estate; that is sold for a capital gain through an exchange for a more expensive piece of real estateReal estate is one investment vehicle that allows such a great tax advantageAs long as you keep trading up in value, you I will not be taxed on the gains, until you liquidatePeople who do not take advantage of these tax savings offered legally are missing a great opportunity to gucci backpacks build their asset columns
The poor and middle class do not have the same resourcesThey sit there and let the government's needles enter their arm and allow the blood donation to beginToday, I am constantly shocked at the number of people who pay more taxes, or take fewer deductions, simply because they are afraid of the governmentAnd I do know how frightening and intimidating a government tax agent can be I have had friends who have had their businesses shut down and destroyed, only to find out it was a mistake on the part of the governmentBut the price of working from January to mid-May is a high price to pay for that intimidationMy poor dad never fought backMy rich dad didn't eitherHe just played the game smarter, and he did it through corporations-the biggest secret of the rich
You may remember the balenciaga motorcycle handbag first lesson I learned from my rich dadI was a little boy of 9 who had to sit and wait for him to choose to talk to meI often sat in his office waiting for him to "get to me He was ignoring me on purpose He wanted me to recognize his power and desire to have that power for myself one dayFor all the years I studied J and learned from him, he always reminded me that knowledge was powerAnd with money comes great power that requires the right knowledge to keep it and make it multiplyWithout that knowledge, the world pushes you around Rich dad constantly reminded Mike and me that the biggest bully was not the boss or the supervisor, but the tax manThe tax man will always take more if you let him
The first lesson of having money work for me, as opposed to working for money, is really all about powerIf you black fendi spy work for money, you give the power up to your employerIf your money works for you, you keep and control the power
Once we had this knowledge of the power of money working for us, he wanted us to be financially smart and not let bullies push us aroundYou need to know the law and how the system worksIf you're ignorant, it is easy to be bulliedIf you know what you're talking about, you have a fighting chanceThat is why he paid so much for smart tax accountants and attorneysIt was less expensive to pay them than pay the governmentHis best lesson to me, which I have used most of my life, is "Be smart and you won't be pushed around as much He knew the law because he was a law-abiding citizenHe knew the law because it was expensive to not know the law "If you know you're right, you're not afraid of fighting costume chanel jewelry bac |
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| As they went along, they talked less and less;... |
06-09-2010 |
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As they went along, they talked less and less; the
path sloped relentlessly upward, and they needed their
breath just for breathingThe only sound was the light pat-pat of their footstepsLina and Doon took turns
carrying Poppy on their backs--she had gotten tired of
walking very soon and cried to be picked upTwice,
they stopped and sat down to rest, leaning against the
walls of the passage and taking drinks from Doon's
bottle of water
251
"How many hours do you think we've been
walking?" Lina asked
"I don't know," Doon saidWe must be nearly there
They climbed on and onTheir first candles had
long ago burned down to the last inch, as had their
second dior saddle candlesFinally, when their third ones were
about halfway gone, Lina began to notice that the air
smelled differentThe cold, sharp-edged rock smell of
the tunnel was changing to something softer, a strange,
lovely smellAs they rounded a corner, a gust of this
soft air swept past them, and their candles went out
Doon said, Til find a match," but Lina said, "No,
wait Look
They were not in complete darknessA faint haze
of light shone in the passage ahead of them"It's the
lights of the city," breathed Lina
Lina set Poppy down"Quick, Poppy," she said,
and Poppy began to trot, keeping close at Lina's heels
The strange, lovely smell in the air grew strongerThe
passage came to an end a omega seamaster de ville few yards farther along, and
before them was an opening like a great empty doorway
Without a word, Lina and Doon took hold of each
other's hands, and Lina took hold of Poppy'sWhen
they stood in the doorway and looked out, they saw no
new city at all, but something infinitely stranger: a land
vast and spacious beyond any of their dreams, filled
with air that seemed to move, and lit by a shining
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silver circle hanging in an immense black sky
In front of their feet, the ground swept away in a
long, gentle slopeIt was not bare stone, as in Ember;
something soft covered it, like silvery hair, as high as
their kneesDown the slope was a tumble of dark,
rounded shapes, omega seamaster fake and then another slope rose beyond
thatWay off into the distance, as far as they could see,
the land lay in rolling swells, with clumps of shadow in
the low places between them
"Doon!" cried Lina"More lights!" She pointed at
the sky
He looked up and saw them--hundreds and hundreds
of tiny flecks of light, strewn like spilled salt
across the blacknessThere was
nothing else to sayThe beauty of these lights made his
breath stop in his throat
They took a few steps forwardDoon bent to feel
the strands that grew out of the ground, almost higher
than Poppy's head; they were cool and smooth and
soft, and there was dampness on them
"Breathe," said LinaShe opened her mouth tiffany knockoff and
took in a long breath of air
"It's sweet," he said
They held their hands out to feel the long stems as
they waded slowly through themThe air moved
against their faces and in their hair
"Hear those sounds?" said DoonA high, thin
chirruping sound came from somewhere nearbyIt
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was repeated over and over, like a question"What could it be?"
"Something alive, I thinkMaybe some kind of
bug
"A bug that singsHer face
was shadowy in the silver light"It's so strange here,
Doon, and so hugeIt feels like a dreamMaybe that's why it feels familiarI
might have dreamed about this place
They walked until they came to where the dark
shapes billowed up from the cartier clock ground |
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| She went on to the first line"This offic... |
06-08-2010 |
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She went on to the first line"This offic doc"
probably meant "This official document Maybe
"secur" meant "secure Then there were
the words "period" and "ears" and "city But after that,
so much was missing
She studied the line next to the number 1That could be Expect or Expert or so many thingsThat might be part of a word like
"drive" or "strive What could ip and ork possibly be?
They were so close together, maybe they were part of
one wordWhat ended with -ip? Whip, Lina thoughtWhat ended with -ork? Fork came to mind
immediatelyNothing she could
think of made sense
Maybe it wasn't forkWhat else ended in ork? Starling at the beginning of the alphabet, Lina went
through all the words that rhymed with forkMost of
them louis vuitton neo cabby were nonsense: bork, dork, gork, hork, jorkThis isn't going to work, she thought miserablyworkl The word could be work
Then what would the first part be? Tripwork? Flip
work? But maybe there was a letter between the p and
the wDipswork? Pipswork?
Suddenly it came to herPipeworks!
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That had to be itSomething in this message was about
the Pipeworks!
Lina looked back at Exp and rivRiv! That could be riverl Rapidly she ran her eyes down the pageIn line
3, she saw iverb nk--that looked like riverbankThe
word door jumped out at her from line 4, whole on its
scrap of paperLina took a quick breathA door! What
if it was the one she'd wished for, the one that led to the
other city? Maybe her city was real after all, old omega watches and these
were instructions for finding it!
She wanted to leap from her chair and shoutThe
message had something to do with the river, a door,
and the PipeworksAnd who did she know who knew
about the Pipeworks? Doon, of course
She pictured his thin, serious face, and his eyes
looking out searchingly from beneath his dark eyebrows
She pictured how he used to bend over his work at school, holding his pencil in a hard grip, and how, during free time, he was usually off by himself in a
corner studying a moth or a worm or a taken-apart
clockThat was one thing, at least, that she liked about Doon: he was curiousHe paid attention to things
And he cared about things, tooShe remembered
how he'd been on Assignment Day, so jumbo chanel flap bag furious at the
mayor, so eager to trade his good job for her bad one so he could help save the cityAnd he'd taken
Poppy inside his father's shop on the day of the blackout so she wouldn't be afraid
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Why had she stopped being friends with Doon?
She vaguely recalled the incident of the light poleIt
seemed silly now, and long agoThe more she thought
about Doon, the more it seemed he was the very person--the only person--who might be interested in
what she had found
She placed the plain sheet of paper over the
Instructions and put the box on topI'll go and find
Doon, she thoughtTomorrow was Thursday--their
day offShe would find him tomorrow and ask for his
help
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CHAPTER 8
Explorations
Doon had chanel white watch taken to wandering the Pipeworks aloneHe
would go to his assigned tunnel and do his job
quickly--once you got good at using your wrenches and brushes and tubes of glue, it wasn't hardMost of
the workers did their jobs quickly and then gathered in
little groups to play cards or have salamander races or just talk and sleep
But Doon didn't care about any of thatIf he was going to be stuck in the Pipeworks, he would at least
not waste the time he hadSince the long blackout,
everything seemed more urgent than everWhenever
the lights flickered, he was afraid the ancient generator
might be shuddering to a permanent halt
So while the others lounged around, he headed
out toward the edges of the Pipeworks to see what he
could black fendi spy s |
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| Westerners don't need snacks to send off their... |
06-07-2010 |
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| Westerners don't need snacks to send off their wineAnyway, because he drank the wine, he wanted the meat and thus broke the precept against killingSince he took the chicken without the owner's permission, he also broke the precept against stealingThen the neighbor lady walked in and said, 'Say, did you see my chicken?'
Drunk as he was, and full of chicken, he slurred, 'No didn't see no chickenullet didn't run over here' So saying, he broke the precept against lyingThen he took a look at the woman--she was quite pretty--and forthwith he broke the precept against sexual misconductA little drink of brandy led him to transgress all five of the preceptsTherefore, the precept against taking intoxicants is very important
Master Hsuan Hua: 60-61
Note: Bodhisattva PreceptsSelling alcoholic beverages is considered a major offense while consuming alcoholic beverages is only a secondary oneThis is because Bodhisattvas place compassion first and foremost and aim at benefitting others -- to sell liquor is to harm others, to chanel classic flap consume liquor is to harm mainly oneselfWhy should we not consume alcoholic beverages? Buddhism prohibits alcoholic beverages not to deny enjoyment of life, but because alcohol clouds the mind and prevents one's innate wisdom from emergingThus, to sell liquor goes against the Bodhisattva's
compassionate goal -- to help sentient beings develop wisdom and achieve Buddhahood
See also Parable: Brahma Net Sutra (no061)
PARABLE 0112: PRECEPTS ARE THE BASIS OF ALL GOOD
"As an acrobat clears the ground before he shows his tricks, so good conduct (keeping the precepts) is the basis of all good qualities" (Questions of King Milinda31
PARABLE 0113: KEEPING THE PRECEPTS
"The Maha-Maya Sutra recounts the tale of Malika, the wife of King Prasenajit, who lies, seductively adorns her body, entertains, and serves wine to the king
When the Buddha was in the world, King Prasenajit's Queen had received the eight precepts of a laypersonOne time, King Prasenajit wanted to kill his cookWhen his Queen heard about this she wanted to save the replica fendi spy cook, so she bedecked herself in fine adornments, put on fragrant powders, placed flowers in her hair, and prepared delicious food and wineThen she took along several ladies-in-waiting and went to see the KingKing Prasenajit was extremely pleased with the wine and the food, and afterwards the Queen beseeched the King to forgo his idea of killing the cookThe King consented, and so in this way the cook was saved
The next day, the Queen went to the Buddha's place and repentedShe had already taken the eight lay precepts, and one of them is that one can't put fragrant oils or perfumes on one's body or flowers in one's hairShe had also drunk wine the previous dayut since the only reason she did all that was because she wanted to save the cook's life, the Buddha said, 'Not only have you not transgressed the precepts, you actually have gained merit and virtue'"
(Master Hsuan Hua)
"Because her motives were wholesome and pure, the Buddha praises her actionsChan-jan notes: 'This story tells of breaking the precepts to save necklace pearl chanel beings because of the Bodhisattva's basic desire to benefit othersAs such,
it is known as 'good in the midst of evil'nyone wishing to follow this example must assess his or her motives judiciouslyIf one is just indulging desire, it is not on the order of observance of the precepts'"
Donner/Stevenson:309
PARABLE 0114: FOOTPRINTS OF THE SAGES
A story is told in the sutras of three deities who were trying to wash a Bhiksu's robe in the Ganges but could not soak it throughYet, as soon as they took a single grain of rice donated to a temple and placed it on the robe, the robe sank to the bottom
The story illustrates how important offerings of the believers are, particularly if they are made with a pure mindIf a monk or nun accepts such offerings, but does not cultivate the precepts, these offerings become great liabilities, leading the errant cleric down the path of perditionEven deities and ghosts follow such a cleric and sweep away his very footprints to prevent anyone from following his example
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PARABLE 0115: chanel white watches (OBSERVING THE) PRECEPTS
Bhiksu bound by reeds
In the time of the Buddha, there was a Bhiksu who observed the precepts to the letterOne day, he was accosted by brigands who stole his clothes and begging bowl and, fearing reprisal, were about to kill himFortunately, there was someone among them who knew about BuddhismHe said, "There is no need to kill himJust tie his hands and feet and leave him among the living reeds The Bhiksu thus bound did not move lest he uproot the fresh reeds and thus break the precept not to killWhen the brigands had left, a passer-by saw the monk and untied himHenceforth, he became known as the Bhiksu bound by reeds
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PARABLE 0116: (THE PERFECTION OF) PRECEPTS / VIMALAKIRTI
"Once when the Buddha Shakyamuni was in the world, there were two Bhikshus cultivating in the mountainsOne day, one of the Bhikshus went
down the mountain to get food and left the other one sleepingIn India at that time, the Bhikshus simply wore their sashes wrapped around them; they did not wear clothing lady dior bag undernea |
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| She found the climate of Edinburgh good
for... |
06-06-2010 |
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| She found the climate of Edinburgh good
for herIt was too bleak for JuliaPerhaps, too, she found the
associations painful, for her brother, the famous archaeologist, had
died there; and she had loved her brotherShe lived in a little house
off the Brompton Road entirely alone
Fanny Wilmot saw the pin; she picked it upShe looked at Miss Craye
Was Miss Craye so lonely? No, Miss Craye was steadily, blissfully, if
only for that moment, a happy womanFanny had surprised her in a moment
of ecstasyShe sat there, half turned away from the piano, with her
hands clasped in her lap holding the carnation upright, while behind her
was the sharp square of the window, uncurtained, purple in the evening,
intensely purple after the brilliant electric lights which burnt
unshaded in the bare music roomJulia Craye, sitting hunched and
compact holding her flower, seemed to emerge out of the London night,
seemed to fling it like a cloak behind her, it seemed, in its bareness
and intensity, the effluence of her spirit, something she had made which
surrounded her
All seemed transparent, for a moment, to the gaze of Fanny Wilmot, as if
looking through Miss Craye, she saw the very fountain of her being
spurting its pure silver dropsShe saw back and back into the past
behind herShe saw the green Roman vases stood in their case; heard the
choristers playing cricket; saw Julia quietly descend the curving steps
on to the lawn; then saw her pour out tea beneath the cedar tree; softly
enclosed the old man's hand in hers; saw her going round and about the
corridors of that ancient Cathedral dwelling big black bag place with towels in her
hand to mark them; lamenting, as she went, the pettiness of daily life;
and slowly ageing, and putting away clothes when summer came, because at
her age they were too bright to wear; and tending her father's sickness;
and cleaving her way ever more definitely as her will stiffened towards
her solitary goal; travelling frugally; counting the cost and measuring
out of her tight shut purse the sum needed for this journey or for that
old mirror; obstinately adhering, whatever people might say, in choosing
her pleasures for herselfShe saw Julia----
Julia blazedOut of the night she burnt like a dead
white starJulia opened her armsJulia kissed her on the lips
"Slater's pins have no points," Miss Craye said, laughing queerly and
relaxing her arms, as Fanny Wilmot pinned the flower to her breast with
trembling fingers
THE LADY IN THE LOOKING-GLASS
A REFLECTION
People should not leave looking-glasses hanging in their rooms any more
than they should leave open cheque books or letters confessing some
hideous crimeOne could not help looking, that summer afternoon, in the
long glass that hung outside in the hallChance had so arranged it
From the depths of the sofa in the drawing-room one could see reflected
in the Italian glass not only the marble-topped table opposite, but a
stretch of the garden beyondOne could see a long grass path leading
between banks of tall flowers until, slicing off an angle, the gold rim
cut it off
The house was empty, and one felt, since one was the only person in the
drawing-room, like one of those naturalists who, louis vuitton purses covered with grass and
leaves, lie watching the shyest animals--badgers, otters,
kingfishers--moving about freely, themselves unseenThe room that
afternoon was full of such shy creatures, lights and shadows, curtains
blowing, petals falling--things that never happen, so it seems, if
someone is lookingThe quiet old country room with its rugs and stone
chimney pieces, its sunken book-cases and red and gold lacquer cabinets,
was full of such nocturnal creaturesThey came pirouetting across the
floor, stepping delicately with high-lifted feet and spread tails and
pecking allusive beaks as if they had been cranes or flocks of elegant
flamingoes whose pink was faded, or peacocks whose trains were veiled
with silverAnd there were obscure flushes and darkenings too, as if a
cuttlefish had suddenly suffused the air with purple; and the room had
its passions and rages and envies and sorrows coming over it and
clouding it, like a human beingNothing stayed the same for two seconds
together
But, outside, the looking-glass reflected the hall table, the
sunflowers, the garden path so accurately and so fixedly that they
seemed held there in their reality unescapablyIt was a strange
contrast--all changing here, all stillness thereOne could not help
looking from one to the otherMeanwhile, since all the doors and
windows were open in the heat, there was a perpetual sighing and ceasing
sound, the voice of the transient and the perishing, it seemed, coming
and going like human breath, while in the looking-glass things had
ceased to breathe and lay still in the trance of immortality
Half an rolex chain hour ago the mistress of the house, Isabella Tyson, had gone
down the grass path in her thin summer dress, carrying a basket, and had
vanished, sliced off by the gilt rim of the looking-glassShe had gone
presumably into the lower garden to pick flowers; or as it seemed more
natural to suppose, to pick something light and fantastic and leafy and
trailing, travellers' joy, or one of those elegant sprays of convolvulus
that twine round ugly walls and burst here and there into white and
violet blossomsShe suggested the fantastic and the tremulous
convolvulus rather than the upright aster, the starched zinnia, or her
own burning roses alight like lamps on the straight posts of their rose
treesThe comparison showed how very little, after all these years, one
knew about her; for it is impossible that any woman of flesh and blood
of fifty-five or sixty should be really a wreath or a tendrilSuch
comparisons are worse than idle and superficial--they are cruel even, for
they come like the convolvulus itself trembling between one's eyes and
the truthThere must be truth; there must be a wallYet it was strange
that after knowing her all these years one could not say what the truth
about Isabella was; one still made up phrases like this about
convolvulus and travellers' joyAs for facts, it was a fact that she
was a spinster; that she was rich; that she had bought this house and
collected with her own hands--often in the most obscure corners of the
world and at great risk from poisonous stings and Oriental diseases--the
rugs, the chairs, the cabinets which now lived their nocturnal hermes vintage life
before one's eyesSometimes it seemed as if they knew more about her
than we, who sat on them, wrote at them, and trod on them so carefully,
were allowed to knowIn each of these cabinets were many little
drawers, and each almost certainly held letters, tied with bows of
ribbon, sprinkled with sticks of lavender or rose leavesFor it was
another fact--if facts were what one wanted--that Isabella had known many
people, had had many friends; and thus if one had the audacity to open a
drawer and read her letters, one would find the traces of many
agitations, of appointments to meet, of upbraidings for not having met,
long letters of intimacy and affection, violent letters of jealousy and
reproach, terrible final words of parting--for all those interviews and
assignations had led to nothing--that is, she had never married, and yet,
judging from the mask-like indifference of her face, she had gone
through twenty times more of passion and experience than those whose
loves are trumpeted forth for all the world to hearUnder the stress of
thinking about Isabella, her room became more shadowy and symbolic; the
corners seemed darker, the legs of chairs and tables more spindly and
hieroglyphic
Suddenly these reflections were ended violently--and yet without a
soundA large black form loomed into the looking-glass; blotted out
everything, strewed the table with a packet of marble tablets veined
with pink and grey, and was goneBut the picture was entirely altered
For the moment it was unrecognizable and irrational and entirely out of
focusOne could not relate these tablets to any human chanel bags pink purpos |
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| A "stop" is simply a computer command that sells... |
06-05-2010 |
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| A "stop" is simply a computer command that sells your stock automatically if the price begins to drop, helping to minimize your losses and maximize some gainsIt's a great tool for those who are terrified of losing
So whenever I hear people focusing on their "I don't wants," rather than what they do want, I know the "noise" in their head must be loudChicken Little has taken over their brain and is yelling, "The sky is falling and toilets are breaking So they avoid their "don't wants," but they pay a huge priceThey may never get what they want in life
Rich dad gave me a way of looking at Chicken Little "Just do what Colonel Sanders did At the age of 66, he lost his fendi replica spy bag business and began to live on his Social Security checkHe went around, the country selling his recipe for fried chickenHe was turned down 1,009 times before someone said "yes And he went on to become a
multimillionaire at an age when most people are quitting "He was a brave and tenacious man," rich dad said of Harlan Sanders
So when you're in doubt and feeling a little afraid, just do what ColSanders did to his little chickenBusy people are often the most lazyWe have all heard stories of a businessman who works hard to earn moneyHe works hard to be a good provider for his wife and childrenHe spends long hours at the office and brings work home on weekendsOne day he comes balenciaga bag home to an empty houseHis wife has left with the kidsHe knew he and his wife had problems, but rather than work to make the relationship strong, he stayed busy at workDismayed, his performance at work slips and he loses his job
Today, I often meet people who are too busy to take care of their wealthAnd there are people too busy to take care of their healthThe cause is the sameThey're busy, and they stay busy as a way of avoiding something they do not want to faceNobody has to tell themIn fact, if you remind them, they often respond with anger or irritation
If they aren't busy at work or with the kids, they're often busy watching TV, fishing, playing golf or spy bag fendi shoppingYet, deep down they know they are avoiding something important That's the most common form of lazinessLaziness by staying busy
So what is the cure for laziness? The answer is a little greed
For many of us, we were raised thinking of greed or desire as bad"Greedy people are bad people," my mom use to sayYet, we all have inside of us this yearning to have nice things, new things or exciting thingsSo to keep that emotion of desire under control, often parents found ways of suppressing that desire with guilt
"You only think about yourselfDon't you know you have brothers and sisters?" was one of my mom's favoritesOr "You want me to buy you what?" was a favorite of my dad "Do miu miu black bag you think we're made of money? Do you think money grows on trees? We're not rich people, you know
It wasn't so much the words but the angry guilt-trip that went with the words that got to me
Or the reverse guilt-trip was the "I'm sacrificing my life to buy this for youI'm buying this for you because I never had this advantage when I was a kid I have a neighbor who is stone broke, but can't park his car in his garageThe garage is filled with toys for his kidsThose spoiled brats get everything they ask for "I don't want them to know the feeling of want" are his everyday wordsHe has nothing set aside for their college or his retirement, but his kids have every toy ever dolce and gabbana knock off |
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| The sight of her neighbors' , messy, crumpled... |
06-04-2010 |
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| The sight of her neighbors' , messy, crumpled used toothpaste tubes had gotten to her"What are you boys doing?" she asked"And I don't want to hear again that it's a business secretDo something with this mess or I'm going to throw it out
Mike and I pleaded and begged, explaining that we would soon have enough and then we would begin productionWe informed her that we were waiting on a couple of neighbors to finish using up their toothpaste so we could have their tubesMom granted us a one-week extension
The date to begin production was moved upMy first partnership was already being threatened with an eviction notice from our warehouse space by my own momIt chanel jumbo flap bag became Mike's job to tell the neighbors to quickly use up their toothpaste, saying their dentist wanted them to brush more often anywayI began to put together the production line
One day my dad drove up with a friend to see two 9-year-old boys in the driveway with a production line operating at full speedThere was fine white powder everywhereOn a long table were small milk cartons from school, and our family's hibachi grill was glowing with red hot coals at maximum heat
Dad walked up cautiously, having to park the car at the base of the driveway, since the production line blocked the carportAs he and his friend got closer, they saw a steel pot sitting on top chanel cambon purse of the coals, with the toothpaste tubes being melted downIn those days, toothpaste did not come in plastic tubesThe tubes were made of leadSo once the paint was burned off, the tubes were dropped in the small steel pot, melted until they became liquid, and with my mom's pot holders we were pouring the lead through a small hole in the top of the milk cartons
The milk cartons were filled with plaster-of-ParisThe white powder everywhere was the plaster before we mixed it with waterIn my haste, I had knocked the bag over, and the entire area look like it had been hit by a snowstormThe milk cartons were the outer containers for plaster-of-Paris molds
My dad and second hand chanel his friend watched as we carefully poured the molten lead through a small hole in the top of the plaster-of-Paris cube
"Careful," my dad said
I nodded without looking up
Finally, once the pouring was through, I put the steel pot down and smiled at my dad
"What are you boys doing?" he asked with a cautious smile
"We're doing what you told me to doWe're going to be rich," I said
"Yup," said Mike, grinning and nodding his head
"And what is in those plaster molds?" dad asked"This should be a good batch
With a small hammer, I tapped at the seal that divided the cube in
halfCautiously, I pulled up the top half of the plaster mold and a lead nickel fell out
"Oh, hermes tas my God!" my dad said"You're casting nickels out of lead
"That's right," Mike said"We doing as you told us to do
My dad's friend turned and burst into laughterMy dad smiled and shook his headAlong with a fire and a box of spent toothpaste tubes, in front of him were two little boys covered with white dust and smiling from ear to ear
He asked us to put everything down and sit with him on the front step of our houseWith a smile, he gently explained what the word "counterfeiting" meant
Our dreams were dashed"You mean this is illegal?" asked Mike in a
quivering voice
"Let them go," my dad's friend said"They might be developing a natural talent
My dad glared black chanel quilted at |
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| He made a sour
face'"Instructions for Egreston'... |
06-03-2010 |
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| He made a sour
face'"Instructions for Egreston' Who's Egreston? Or
Egresman? Or whoever it was? Why couldn't he have
been just an especially stupid Pipeworks guy who
needed instructions to find his way around?" He
shook his headI think maybe those
Instructions are just hogwash
"Hogwash? What's that?"
"It means nonsenseI read it in a book in the
library
"But they can't be nonsense! Why would they have
been kept in a box like that? With the strange lock?"
But Doon didn't want to think about the
Instructions right then"We'll figure it out tomorrow,"
he said"Right now, let's go find the guards
"Wait," said vintage omega watches Lina, catching hold of the sleeve of his
jacket"I have one more thing to tell you
"What?"
162
"My grandmother died
"Oh!" Doon's face fell"That's so sad," he said His sympathy made tears spring to Una's eyes
Doon looked startled for a moment, and then he took
a step toward her and wrapped his arms around her
He gave her a squeeze so quick and tight that it made
her cough, and then it made her laughShe realized all
at once that Doon--thin, dark-eyed Doon with his
troublesome temper and his terrible brown jacket and
his good heart--was the person that she knew better
than anyone nowHe was her best women rolex watches friend
"Thanks," she said
"Let's go and talk to the guard
They crossed the square and climbed the steps of
the Gathering HallSitting at the big reception desk
outside the door of the mayor's office was the assistant
guard, Barton Snode, the same one Lina had encountered
her first time hereHis
elbows were on the desk, and his chin was moving very
slowly from side to side
"Sir," said Doon, "we need to speak with you
The guard looked up
"In private," said Lina
The guard looked puzzledHis small eyes darted
back and forth"This is private," he said
"But anyone could come along," said Doon"What
163
we bag chloe paddington have to say is secret, and very important
"Very important?" said Snode"Secret?" His face
brightenedGrunting, he raised himself up from his
chair and motioned them into a narrow hallway off to
the side of the main hall"What is it?" he saidAs they spoke, interrupting each
other to make sure they got in all the details, the
guard's eyebrows gradually lifted higher and higher
over his eyes"You saw this room?" he said"This is
true? Are you sure?" He was chewing faster now"You
mean the mayor you mean the mayor is
At that moment, a little way down the hall, a
door openedThrough it came three more guards,
including--Lina knock off chanel spotted him by his beard--the chief
guardThey strode forward, talking to each other in
low voices, and as they passed, the chief guard threw a
quick glance at LinaDoes he recognize me? Lina wondered
Barton Snode finished his sentence in a husky
whisperthe mayor is stealing?"
"That's right," said Doon"We thought you should
be informed, because who else can arrest the mayor?
And once you've done that, the guards can put all the
things he's stolen back where they came from
"And then tell the city that a new mayor has to be
found," added Lina
Barton Snode leaned heavily against the wall
and rubbed a hand over his chanel 2.55 ch |
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