No.168 - The Endless Samsara.

Again and again they sow the seed;

Again and again the sky-king rains.
Again and again the farmers plough the fields;
Again and again the land produces grain.

Again and again the beggars come and beg;
Again and again the generous donors give.
Again and again when many gifts are given,
Again and again the donors reach the heavens.

Again and again the dairymen milk the herds;
Again and again the lamb goes to its Mother.

Again and again we weary and we toil;
Again and again the heedless come to birth.
Again and again comes birth, and dying follows;
Again and again are we carried to the grave.

Only by gaining the Path for not returning,
is a person of Wisdom not again and again reborn.

-Samyutta Nikaya (S.VII)

No.167 - Practice Virtues to go to the Pure Realm.

It is just as when important lamas or dignitaries travel, their monks and attendants go on before them to prepare the place and the kitchen so that they can welcome them, it is said that in exactly the same way, due to their specific karmic perceptions, evildoers will behold the henchmen of Yama. Welcoming them and leading them to hell, while those who have practiced virtue will be greeted by celestial beings and by their gurus, and will be led to the pure realms.

Summing up the situation, Shantiveda says that the thought never came to his mind that he himself was a brief and transient phenomenon – like a traveler passing through or an insect that lives for only a season. He does not know where he comes from and where he will go. And the time will soon arrive when he will cease to be. Without knowledge and understanding, he says, he has clung to the notion that things are permanent; he was confused about what was to be done and what was not to be done.

 The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech (Verse 37/38)

No.166 - Teaching A Child.

“TEACHING A CHILD – Sometimes the breath isn’t right. It’s too long, too short, and it puts you in a frenzy. That’s because you’re fixing your mind too strongly on it, you’re squeezing it too much. It’s like teaching a child how to sit. If you beat it every time, will it become intelligent? You’re controlling it too much. It’s the same here. Think about it: When you walk from your house to your orchard, or from your house to your workplace, why aren’t you irritated by the breath? Because you don’t grab hold of it. You leave it alone in line with its affairs. The parts of the body that hurt are because you focus and fix your mind on them too strongly.”

- Venerable Ajahn Chah.

No.165 - Spiritual lines

 “May the poor find wealth,

Those weak with sorrow find joy.

May the forlorn find new hope,

Constant happiness and prosperity.

May the frightened cease to be afraid.

And those bound be free.

May the weak find power,

And may their hearts join in friendship. “

-by The Dalai Lama / An Open Heart.

I have chosen few lines that I feel would be acceptable to people of all faiths and even to those with no spiritual belief. In reciting these verses, you can reflect upon the fact that, fundamentally, all beings are equal to you in their wish for happiness and their desire to overcome suffering. Recognizing this, you make a pledge to develop a good heart.

-by The Dalai Lama / An Open Heart.

No.164 - Compassion and Non-violence.

“Once you become a more compassionate person, you have real conviction. You become a calmer and happier person, have less fear and more self-confidence; you become more open-minded and have better communication with other people; you gain more friends and more smiles.”

- His Holiness The Dalai Lama – The Transformed Mind/Compassion and Non-violence.