Dare mighty things

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cappuccino
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Re: Dare mighty things

Post by cappuccino »

Pondera wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:44 am Yes, we destroy, pollute, and waste away every part of the earth we come into contact to.
this is a function of Kali Yuga
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Polar Bear
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Re: Dare mighty things

Post by Polar Bear »

I think the suttas can speak for themselves:
“Mendicants, I have learned these two things for myself—to never be content with skillful qualities, and to never stop trying.

I never stopped trying, thinking: ‘Gladly, let only skin, sinews, and bones remain! Let the flesh and blood waste away in my body! I will not stop trying until I have achieved what is possible by human strength, energy, and vigor.’

It was by diligence that I achieved awakening, and by diligence that I achieved the supreme sanctuary.

If you too never stop trying, thinking: ‘Gladly, let only skin, sinews, and bones remain! Let the flesh and blood waste away in my body! I will not stop trying until I have achieved what is possible by human strength, energy, and vigor.’ You will soon realize the supreme culmination of the spiritual path in this very life. You will live having achieved with your own insight the goal for which gentlemen rightly go forth from the lay life to homelessness.

So you should train like this: ‘We will never stop trying, thinking: “Gladly, let only skin, sinews, and bones remain! Let the flesh and blood waste away in my body! I will not stop trying until I have achieved what is possible by human strength, energy, and vigor.”’ That’s how you should train.”

- https://suttacentral.net/an2.1-10/en/sujato


Theodore Roosevelt:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
And then we have this sutta:
Mendicants, these five warriors are found in the world. What five?

Firstly, one warrior falters and founders at the mere sight of a cloud of dust. He doesn’t stay firm, and fails to plunge into battle. Some warriors are like that. This is the first warrior found in the world.

Furthermore, one warrior can prevail over a cloud of dust, but he falters and founders at the mere sight of a banner’s crest. He doesn’t stay firm, and fails to plunge into battle. Some warriors are like that. This is the second warrior found in the world.

Furthermore, one warrior can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest, but he falters and founders at the mere sound of turmoil. He doesn’t stay firm, and fails to plunge into battle. Some warriors are like that. This is the third warrior found in the world.

Furthermore, one warrior can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest and turmoil, but he’s killed or injured when blows are struck. Some warriors are like that. This is the fourth warrior found in the world.

Furthermore, one warrior can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest and turmoil and being struck. He wins victory in battle, establishing himself as foremost in battle. Some warriors are like that. This is the fifth warrior found in the world.
These are the five warriors found in the world.

...

Furthermore, one monk can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest and turmoil, and being struck. He wins victory in battle, establishing himself as foremost in battle.

What is his ‘victory in battle’? It’s when a mendicant has gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, when a female comes up to him. She sits right by him, lies down, or embraces him. But he disentangles and frees himself, and goes wherever he wants. He frequents a secluded lodging—a wilderness, the root of a tree, a hill, a ravine, a mountain cave, a charnel ground, a forest, the open air, a heap of straw.

Gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, he sits down cross-legged, with his body straight, and establishes his mindfulness right there. Giving up desire for the world, he meditates with a heart rid of desire, cleansing the mind of desire. Giving up ill will and malevolence, he meditates with a mind rid of ill will, full of compassion for all living beings, cleansing the mind of ill will. Giving up dullness and drowsiness, he meditates with a mind rid of dullness and drowsiness, perceiving light, mindful and aware, cleansing the mind of dullness and drowsiness. Giving up restlessness and remorse, he meditates without restlessness, his mind peaceful inside, cleansing the mind of restlessness and remorse. Giving up doubt, he meditates having gone beyond doubt, not undecided about skillful qualities, cleansing the mind of doubt. He gives up these five hindrances, corruptions of the heart that weaken wisdom. Then, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities, he enters and remains in the first absorption … second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption.

When his mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—he extends it toward knowledge of the ending of defilements. He truly understands: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’. He truly understands: ‘These are defilements’ … ‘This is the origin of defilements’ … ‘This is the cessation of defilements’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of defilements’. Knowing and seeing like this, his mind is freed from the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. When it is freed, he knows it is freed.

He understands: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is no return to any state of existence.’ This is his ‘victory in battle’.

I say that this person is like the warrior who can prevail over a cloud of dust and a banner’s crest and turmoil and being struck. He wins victory in battle, establishing himself as foremost in battle. Some people are like that. This is the fifth person similar to a warrior found among the monks.

These five people similar to warriors are found among the monks.”

- https://suttacentral.net/an5.75/en/sujato
:namaste:
"I don't envision a single thing that, when developed & cultivated, leads to such great benefit as the mind. The mind, when developed & cultivated, leads to great benefit."

"I don't envision a single thing that, when undeveloped & uncultivated, brings about such suffering & stress as the mind. The mind, when undeveloped & uncultivated, brings about suffering & stress."
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