Quotes from Woody Hochswender

Buddhism is a beautiful philosophy, but above all, it is about action.

We really are the architects of our existence, and our surroundings do reflect precisely what we have built.

Society is complex and harsh, demanding that you struggle hard to survive. No one can make you happy. Everything depends on you as to whether or not you attain happiness…. A human being is destined to a life of great suffering if he is weak and vulnerable to his external surroundings.

No matter what a person may be exhibiting at any given moment, it is only one part of a whole human being; each person contains the seed of enlightenment within and therefore deserves respect. While

Buddhism finds happiness in the midst of rather than the absence of problems.

The reason so many people are unhappy is, for the most part, delusion. They believe the predominant myths that our culture propagates about happiness.

There's no way out of this mess, except to become enlightened and then enjoy it. —Robert Thurman A

Buddhism clearly explains that suffering emerges in our hearts because we forget the principle of impermanence and believe that what we possess will last forever.

To Nichiren, "freedom" meant not an escape from the realm of changing phenomena but the discovery of an absolute point of reliance within ourselves.

Buddhism teaches us to recognize these cycles of impermanence and have the courage to accept them.

three thousand realms in a single moment of life.

In Nichiren's own words, "A blue fly, if it clings to the tail of a thoroughbred horse, can travel ten thousand miles, and the green ivy that twines around

All the happiness in the world comes from thinking of others; all the suffering in the world comes from thinking of only oneself." By concerning yourself with the problems of others, your own problems become diminished, both in perspective, because you realize that perhaps other people have more serious obstacles than yours, and in reality, because when you stop focusing on your own difficulties they lose their mastery over you.

Today's problem is replaced by new prob lems in an unending procession. We seem barely to have a chance to catch our breath before new challenges confront us.

Sustainable happiness is not the absence of problems. As Nichiren writes: "Though worldly troubles may arise, never let them disturb you. No one can avoid problems, not even sages or worthies.

Buddhist practice is about developing character. And relationships are the forum, the classroom, in which we learn how.