Religious Thought 281

Blame does not disturb him, Nor does praise delight him. He neither rejoices in life, Nor fears death. His mind is calm. Never seeking the solitude of the forest, Nor running from the crowd. Always and everywhere, He is one and the same.

- Ashtavakra Gita 18:99-100

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[I]ndulge in lust a little, and like the child it grows apace. The wise man hates it therefore; who would take poison for food? Every sorrow is increased and cherished by the offices of lust. If there is no lustful desire, the risings of sorrow are not produced, the wise man seeing the bitterness of sorrow, stamps out and destroys the risings of desire;...

- Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King

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Religious Thought 280

There are men who allay today's trials and avert tomorrow's troubles. Befriend and look after them. To cherish and befriend men of greatness Is the rarest of all rare things.

- Tirukkural 45: 442-443

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In religion there are no national boundaries. A religion can and should be used by any people or person who finds it beneficial.

- His Holiness the Dalai Lama

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Religious Thought 279

“Water is sufficient to cleanse the body, But only truthfulness will purify the mind. Not all lamps are effective lamps. The lamp of nonlying is the wise man's lamp. Among all great truths which we have ever beheld, Not one can equal the goodness of veracity.”

- Tirukkural, 30: 298-300

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“"Where, for instance, is the identity of myself? There's a special quality that makes me different from everything else and also from all other selves. And I want that identity, my own self, to continue. So where does that identity dwell?" "Where indeed?" asked the Buddha. "That self to which you cling is in constant change. Years ago you were a baby, then a youth, and now a man. Which is your true selfthat of yesterday, that of today, or that of tomorrow which you so long to preserve?" "I see I have misunderstood things," replied Kutadanta slowly, "and although I find it hard to endure the light, the truth now dawns on me that there is no separate and enduring self. I will take my refuge in your teaching and find that which is continuing and everlasting in the truth."”

- Majjhima Nikaya

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Religious Thought 278

“Said Uddalaka to Shvetaketu: "As bees suck nectar from many a flower And make their honey one, so that no drop Can say, 'I am from this flower or that,' All creatures, though one, know not they are that One. There is nothing that does not come from him. Of everything he is the inmost Self. He is the truth; he is the Self supreme. You are that, Shvetaketu; you are that."”

- Chandogya Upanishad

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“At a time when people are so conscious of maintaining their physical health by controlling their diets, exercising and so forth, it makes sense to try to cultivate the corresponding positive mental attitudes too.”

- His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 1963

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COOL PHOTOS 034