The Buddha taught three cycles of teachings. His first cycle of teachings cover the basics, the prerequisites. This would include the Dharmapada. Frederick Lenz More Quotes by Frederick Lenz More Quotes From Frederick Lenz I recommend for everyone the study of some type of sports or athletics, particularly martial arts. Always check with your doctor first, naturally. Frederick Lenz health sports art All success in sports and athletics, from the Zen point of view, comes from the mind. No matter what kind of shape your body is in, there is disharmony in the being. Frederick Lenz buddhism health sports There are lots of people who work out and aren't at all powerful in terms of their mind or their spirits. Frederick Lenz buddhism health powerful If your intent is that athletics and sports are tools or devices to reach higher levels of mind, then your workout sessions become meditation. Frederick Lenz health workout sports Allow the emptiness inherent within actions and experiences to guide and shape your choices. Let your actions direct you, the actor, not the other way around. Frederick Lenz buddhism health choices In the Zen of sports and athletics, we seek to bring discipline and control into our physical movements, but at the same time to eliminate the self that gets in the way of perfect play. Frederick Lenz buddhism health sports In the West, we think of sports and athletics as individual achievement, the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat; it all revolves around the ego. This has nothing to do with the Zen of sports and athletics. Frederick Lenz buddhism health sports If someone else runs faster than you or makes more money than you or is more adept at anything, that doesn't mean you have lost. You are measuring yourself only against yourself and your tendencies not to do all that you are capable of doing. Frederick Lenz health running mean Winning has to do with gaining personal power through the practice of meditation and mindfulness; not draining your energy on ridiculous things and people. Frederick Lenz buddhism health winning The strategy of winning is gaining personal power. There are no techniques to learn that will cause you to win. You need power, balance and wisdom to win and to learn from your loses. Frederick Lenz buddhism health winning Be a perfect flow of energy in whatever you chose to do. This is perfect action. Frederick Lenz buddhism health perfect Before beginning an activity always first empty yourself of thoughts regarding what you are about to do. Frederick Lenz buddhism health firsts To do something perfectly, you must not think about what you are doing at all ... Your thoughts are what create imperfections in your actions. They alienate you from the true reality of any action you perform. Frederick Lenz buddhism health reality When your spirit is free and your body is well developed, magic occurs. You are able to let go and become the play. Frederick Lenz buddhism health letting-go Allow the inherent emptiness within what you are about to do direct you. Frederick Lenz buddhism emptiness health Instead of your ego directing you and making countless mistakes, allow yourself to be guided by the invisible principles of the universe within your action. Frederick Lenz buddhism health mistake When you can become completely impassive in play, then you become fluid and completely unpredictable. No one knows, including yourself, what you will do next. You couldn't even explain it. Frederick Lenz buddhism health play If I have led my life totally deliberately, then when I come to the end of the diving board, I can just fall off the diving board and it will be perfect. I won't even remember what happened. Frederick Lenz buddhism health fall You can hit a home run. If you are honest, you'll know when it's perfect because at that critical moment of connection, there was no sense of being there. That is perfect play. There is no self involved. Frederick Lenz health home running If all the members of a team have synchronized their energy and they have all subordinated their egos to success of the team, then we have a functioning unit. If we have a lot of hotshots who want attention, you won't really play that well. Frederick Lenz buddhism health team
