.:.
“The best thing any of us can do for a dying person is not to lie about what is happening to them.”
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“Most people meditate because they want to become better managers, or find partners, or be happy, or because they long for a calm, stress-free mind and life. For them, meditation is a way of preparing for life, not death, which makes it no less mundane than their other worldly pursuits, like shopping, eating out, exercising and socializing.”
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“Learn how to be aware without feeling that you always have to do something. Just notice.”
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“Karma is so powerful that it influences every moment of life and death. If you have good karma, no matter how often you move house, you will always end up somewhere lovely; however often you advertise for new domestic help, you will always find someone kind and honest; and whatever you eat will always taste delicious.”
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“don’t despise “me” just because it is an illusion. All our illusions are very powerful and the “me” illusion is the most powerful of all.”
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“If I strike a match to light a white candle, then use that candle to light a blue candle, is the same flame burning on both the white and the blue candles? Yes and no. And “yes and no” can be applied to all relative truths. If you were to ask, is today’s you the same as tomorrow’s you, the answer would be yes and no, because there is a continuation but only on the relative level.”
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“People sit on ghosts’ seats all the time because they cannot see the ghost that is already sitting there. You could be sitting on a ghost’s seat right now.”
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“Our sense of identity is defined by our nationality, religion and citizenship, then further shaped by the groups we support.”
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“The dead feel lost, abandoned and very lonely.”
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“Extreme emotions are very dangerous for dead people, but the dead only react strongly to the living when they are provoked. If a bardo being were to get angry because a loathed cousin had taken possession of a much-loved leather attaché case, that flash of emotion has the power to block the dead person’s progress through the karmic bardo of becoming and may even cause them to get stuck as a negative spirit. If that were to happen, their bardo experience would not be limited to forty-nine days, it could last for eons.”
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“Basically, what you retain is connected with how good you are at controlling your mind.”
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“Vivid or traumatic memories sometimes survive death subconsciously and may be why the mere thought of a spider makes some people cringe”
(Lo que me pasó con los militares)
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“The power of the arbitrariness of concepts is how illusion works. A scarecrow creates the illusion of a human being, and that illusion does a good job of keeping crows at bay. A medicinal placebo could be such a potent illusion that it cures a patient’s illness. And the illusion of democracy leads many people to believe that freedom and fairness exist in this world. This is how fundamentally illogical human beings function.”
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“One of the reasons Buddhists prepare for death and the bardos while they are still alive is to secure a better life next time around. In this context, “better” does not mean richer, healthier, or more beautiful. “Better” means that you are not greedy and that you are sane, loving, kind, honest and susceptible to the truth. In other words, “better” means that in your next life, you will be given the opportunity to become better acquainted with the dharma.”
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“Life and death are the same. So if thinking about death depresses you, contemplate life instead.”
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“if you are about to be reborn as a human being, you will experience hazy visions of your parents copulating. If you then feel desire for your mother and anger at your father, you will be reborn as a boy, a son; if you feel desire for your father and anger at your mother, you will be reborn as a girl, a daughter. The emotions that trigger our entrance into the human realm are therefore usually dominated by anger and desire.”
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“Whether they realize it or not, everyone you have a relationship with must have a connection with the dharma. Why? Because they have a connection with you and you have a connection with the dharma. The fact that you want to help them means they must have some merit. So, through you, your dying non-Buddhist friend must have an indirect connection with the dharma that could really benefit them. This is how connections work.”
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“As I have already said, the most important thing about the help you offer is your motivation. Whether the person you are trying to help is an atheist or very spiritual, a close friend or a complete stranger, if you have a kind heart and a pleasant smile, if you are warm, polite and humble, and if you genuinely wish to improve that person’s life or death, they will appreciate everything you do for them. In fact, they will probably appreciate your help more than the help they are offered by a closer friend or family member who acts out of duty, not love.”
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“Our eyes are not cameras that merely capture images of whatever stands directly in front of us; our eyes are driven by our minds. Mind chooses which images it registers, based on our cultural conditioning, hang-ups, the books we read, the coffee we drink, the people we hang out with, and so on; then mind chooses how to interpret those images.”
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