No.155 - The Teachings.

As long as the sun and the moon have not come to be, there is no shining forth of great light, no great radiance; only darkness and non-seeing prevail. There is no day or night; no months, half months or seasons are distinguishable. But when the sun and the moon have come to be, there is a shining forth of great light, great radiance; darkness and non-seeing are no more. Days, nights, months, half months and seasons come to be distinguishable.
In the same way, as long as the Tathagata, the Noble One, the fully enlightened Buddha has not come to be, there is no shining forth of great light, no great radiance; only darkness and non-seeing prevail. There is no proclaiming, no teaching, no explaining, no setting forth, no opening up, no analysis, no illuminating of the Four Noble Truths.
But when the Tathagata, the Noble One, the fully enlightened Buddha has come to be, there is a shining forth of a great light, a great radiance; darkness and non-seeing are no more. There is a proclaiming, a teaching, an explaining, a setting forth, an opening up, an analysis, an illuminating of the Four Noble Truths.

Samyutta Nikaya V.442

No.154 - Safe Refuge

To sacred hills, woods and groves,
To sacred trees and shrines
Do people go, gripped by fear.

But they are not safe refuges,
Not the best refuge.
Not by going there
Is one freed from all suffering.

But whoever takes refuge
In the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha
Will understand with wisdom
The Four Noble Truths:

Suffering, its cause, its overcoming,
And the Noble Eightfold Path
Leading to its overcoming.

And this is a safe refuge,
The best refuge.
Having taken refuge here,
One is freed from all suffering.

Dhammapada 1

No.153 - Reflections

"What do you think about this?" said the Lord. "What is the purpose of a mirror?"
"It is for the purpose of reflection, sir," replied Rahula.
"Even so, an action to be done by body, speech or mind should only be done after careful reflection."

Majjhima Nikaya I.415

No.152 - Proper conduct.

Unsurpassed is the Lord's way of teaching the Dhamma concerning one's proper conduct in virtue.
One should be honest and faithful, without deception, chatter, hinting or belittling, not always ready to add gain to gain, but with the sense-doors guarded, moderate in food, a maker of peace, observant, active and strenuous in effort, a meditator, mindful, with proper conversation, steady-going, resolute and sensible, not hankering after sense pleasures, but mindful and prudent. This is the unsurpassed teaching concerning a person's proper ethical conduct.
This the Lord fully comprehends and beyond it nothing lies to be further comprehended. And in such matters there is no other recluse or Brahmin who is greater or more enlightened than the Lord concerning ethical conduct.

Digha Nikaya III.107

No.151 - Profound knowledge.

For a disciple who has faith in the Teacher's instruction and who lives in harmony with it, his idea is: "The Teacher is the Lord; I am the disciple. The Lord knows; I do not." 

For a disciple who has faith in the Teacher's instruction and who lives in harmony with it, the Teacher's instruction is furthering in growth, strength-giving. The idea is: "Gladly would I have my skin, bone and sinews wither and my flesh dry up, if only I can struggle until I win that which can be won by human effort." 

For a disciple who has faith in the Teacher's instruction and who lives in harmony with it, one of two results are to be expected - profound knowledge here and now, or if there is any basis for rebirth remaining, the state of Non-Returning. 

No.150 - True Peace -Renunciation.

To attain the bliss of renunciation one has to understand what renunciation is. Becoming a monk and leading an ascetic life in  the forest is one form of renunciation. Another way to practice renunciation is by intentionally dissociating oneself from the trap of all sensual pleasures. Renunciation can be practiced by anyone, at anytime. who sincerely wishes to be free from suffering. Through the practice of renunciation, one is finally able to dispel the fog of defilement once and for all.

Let me explain with the following example:

There are two trees. One is fruitless. The other is fruitful. The latter is heavy with ripe juicy fruit, which is the object of human sensuality. Such a tree attracts those desirous of its fruits. It is true that the fruit of sensuality is indeed beautiful to behold. People will do almost anything to get at it. They will pick the tree bare and ruthlessly throw sticks and stones at it, in an attempt to get at the fruits that are out of reach. Soon enough that tree is stripped of its beauty.

The simple beauty of a tree without fruit, however, becomes more apparent when the fruit-bearing tree gets damaged. When one begins to trust that a life with nothing is a worthy life, then true peace is at hand. This is the life of one who is practicing renunciation.