Zen Kittens. Gautama Buddha

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       Credits

      MIND AND BODY

      10

      11

      Verse 1

      We need to maintain our physical health and mental abilities to keep them at their best.

      The body is a Bodhi tree,

      The mind like a bright mirror stand. Time and again brush it clean, And let no dust alight.

      12

      The best things we can be are useful and modest.

      Let him be able, and upright and straight, easy to speak to, gentle, and not proud.

      Verse 2

      13

      Our anger is visceral, physical. We must control these impulses.

      Beware of the anger of the body. Master the body. Let it serve truth.

      Verse 3

      14

      Do not obsess over physical pleasure or pain.

      Having abandoned sensuality—mindful, alert—don’t consort with suffering & stress

      Verse 4

      15

      Not everyone understands how to live mindfully. We must accept them as they are and focus on cultivating our selves.

      Careful amidst the careless, amongst the sleeping wide-awake, the intelligent man leaves them all behind

      Verse 5

      16

      17

      VERSE 6

      Anything that can be taken away from you, even your body, doesn’t define you. You are what is inside: your mind, heart, and spirit.

      Any kind of material form whatever, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near, all material form should be seen as it actually is with proper wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.

      18

      VERSE 7

      We must train ourselves to resist the influence of bad habits and negative thoughts that would break us.

      As rain breaks through an ill-thatched house, passion will break through an unreflecting mind.

      19

      VERSE 8

      Our self is at the heart of our experiences, so strive to keep the mind pure and strong.

      The ‘thusness’ of the mind, just that is true reality.

      20

      Verse 9

      Sometimes, our thoughts and emotions feel beyond our control. Remember that you have the power to change them.

      As the fletcher whittles and makes straight his arrows, so the master directs his straying thoughts.

      21

      VERSE 10

      Negative emotions will not leave on their own. It is up to us to draw their poison our of our hearts.

      Therefore, the