I grew up in a gym in Miami, the one where Muhammad Ali trained. I had 142 amateur fights and lost three.
All the harm, fear, and suffering in the world are caused by attachment to the self: Why should I hold on to this great demon?
Partake of this sacred mystery: to take the place of others, giving them his own.
Death will be so quick to swoop on you; Gather merit till that moment comes! Wait till then to banish laziness? Then there'll be no time, what will you do? "This I have not done. And this I'm only starting. And this - I'm only halfway through. . . " Then is the sudden coming of the Lord of Death, And oh, the thought 'Alas, I'm finished. '
What need is there to say more? The childish work for their own benefit, The Buddhas work for the benefit of others. Just look at the difference between them.
Whenever conflict arises among living creatures the sense of ownership is the cause.
Take advantage of this human boat; Free yourself from sorrow's mighty stream! This vessel will be later hard to find. The time that you have now, you fool, is not for sleep!
I know that I cannot control anyone else's actions but my own, and how I choose to react to situations.
I had grown up among engineers, and I could remember the engineers of the twenties very well indeed: their open, shining intellects, their free and gentle humor, their agility and breadth of thought, the ease with which they shifted from one engineering field to another, and, for that matter, from technology to social concerns and art. Then, too, they personified good manners and delicacy of taste; well-bred speech that flowed evenly and was free of uncultured words; one of them might play a musical instrument, another dabble in painting; and their faces always bore a spiritual imprint.
Songs, and songwriting keeps me inspired, moving forward. I tend to scribble down notes, lyrics or just random thoughts on pieces of paper, backs of cigarette packs, sometimes on my shirt cuff. Rock n’ roll is closest thing I’ve got to a spiritual power. It’s been the higher voice in my life and it’s never let me down.
The true value of communication is often not so much what you say to each other but the simple, powerful fact that you care enough to say something to each other so often.