IMO, the best quote that represents what the Buddha taught is from Dhammapada 183: "To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one's mind — this is the teaching of the Buddhas."Strive4Karuna wrote: ↑Tue May 22, 2018 6:25 pm There is a quote on a poster that says something a long the lines of "Do not live in the past or anticipate troubles in the future, live earnestly in the present."
Is this a real Buddha quote? Is this quote a good representation of what the Buddha taught?
Having said that, I don't think a quote or two or many can represent what the Buddha taught. Even distilling it down to that quote above brings up more questions. What is evil and how does one avoid it? What is good and how does one cultivate it? How does one cleanse one's mind? There are a lot of details that go into those answers that can be gleaned by learning, study, and contemplation.
Your post reminds me of a teaching Ajahn Sona gave in one of his talks about energy. He basically said to use energy to arouse energy: start with just a little and keep it going from there until it gathers momentum. He used the example of cleaning your house: you summon the energy to do one thing, then you do another, then another, you gather momentum and before you know it you've cleaned half the house. I find this really relatable and it's also in the suttas (SN 46.51).Recently, ive been thinking a lot about the future. I am a loner, I have not had any friends for the past 5 or 6 years now. Have never been in a relationship and do not see it ever happening. I will never get married or have a family of my own. Being the youngest in my family, I have grown fearful about the future that one day my mother will pass away and I will feel so lonely. It is very painful for me to think about this day and I want to prepare myself right now. I want to be strong enough to deal with this the day it comes. I dont want to be the weak minded person I am and feel like my whole life is over the day my mother passes.
According to the Buddhas teachings, is it wrong for me to worry about troubles like this in the future? Even though I dont have friends right now, I dont get lonely. As long as I have my mother by myside I am okay. But the day my mother passes my whole world will come crashing down and I do not know if I will have any desire to be alive anymore or just wish to be dead.
What can I do to better prepare myself for this day. I need to be stronger mentally, I am way too weak minded.
Beyond that, I'd suggest letting go of negative views of yourself as soon as they arise. And when you've found they've rearisen, let them go again. It's like breath meditation in that you keep returning back despite straying again and again. MN 20 gives useful tools. Cultivating the brahmaviharas are always helpful. Reflect on the 5 subjects of frequent recollection (AN 5.57).
Hope some of that helps.