Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are.
     -- The Dalai Lama

When you know for yourselves These teachings are beneficial, these teachings are without fault, these teachings would be accepted by the wise, these teachings, when fully taken up, lead to well-being, to ease, you should live embracing those teachings.
     -- The Buddha, Kesamutti Sutta

While Param-Atman is never in doubt, the individual always lives in doubt. Because of this he is always wanting miracles to happen in order to establish his faith. But even if a miracle does happen and his faith is established once, that faith is shaken again and again by subsequent doubts, and he wants fresh and repeated miracles to re-establish it. He fails to realise that he is constantly living in the midst of the most wonderful miracle, the world itself.
     -- Shantanand Saraswati, Good Company

Though each washes equally as water, a well is not a pond, a pond is not a stream or a river, nor is a valley stream or a ditch a sea. As the Tathagata, the world's hero, is free in the Law, all the laws preached by him are also like this. Though preaching at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end all alike effectively wash off the delusions of living beings, the beginning is not the middle, and the middle is not the end. Preaching at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end are the same in expression but different from one another in meaning.
     -- The Buddha, The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings

I do dimly perceive that whilst everything around me is ever changing and ever dying, there is underlying all that change a living power that is changeless, that holds all together, that creates, dissolves, and recreates. This informing power or spirit is God.
     -- Mahatma Gandhi, Pathway to God

aerowolf

• For footpad, a number of Buddhist centres in Zurich;


• For gravecat, Diamond Way Buddhism and the FWBO Centre in Liverpool;


• For torque_tiger, fubuki_, and salith, although I've mentioned this many times, the FWBO Centre in Sheffield;


• Some information on Buddhism for beginners (and sceptical Westerners);


• Introducing Buddhism: A Guide for Western Beginners, in the Zen tradition;


• And finally, a friend's insightful blog post on Religious Tolerance.

Nitai, ISKCON monk, giving a teaching from the Bhagavad-Gita

There are many Indian religious systems that involve strong devotion to the guru, and there are many adherents who totally dedicate their lives to spiritual practice. They are impressive. Mindful of the impermanence of this life, they put great effort into religious devotion. But only Buddhism sees the very apprehension of self to be faulty, and instead puts forth a view of selflessness.

     -- His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, Becoming Enlightened

The Dalai Lama [...] states that one may practice the dharma by following the teachings and practices of non-Buddhist traditions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or Hinduism. [...] In this sentiment he hearkens back to the historical Buddha, Śākyamuni. [...] As he was about to die, the Buddha was questioned by some of his students, who were concerned that after the master's death people might begin propounding doctrines that had not been spoken by the Buddha himself and that these people might tell others that their doctrines were the actual words of the Buddha. In reply, the Buddha told them, "Whatever is well-spoken is the word of the Buddha." In other words, if a particular teaching results in greater peace, compassion, and happiness, and if it leads to a lessening of negative emotions, then it can safely be adopted and practiced as dharma, no matter who originally propounded it.

     -- John Powers, Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism

God creates our bodies, God bestows our nature. Inside and outside are both from God; how dare we derange them? We are within God, God is in our hearts; if we see the universe and emulate its purity, this is not different from the Great Way. If we have even a little selfish intent, we experience penalties that are not trivial.
The physical body is God-given nature; if you act in accord with God-given nature, you will spontaneously be free of the burden of human desires. Daily tasks are norms; act in obedience to the laws of God and there will be no mistaken excesses.

     -- The Cultivation of Realization, trans. Thomas Cleary (in Taoist Meditation)

[T]he Hare Krishna mantra is not sectarian. Because we are chanting these three names -- Hare, Krishna and Rāma -- someone may think, "These are Hindu names. Why should we chant these Hindu names?" There are some sectarian people who may think like that. But Lord Caitanya says, "It doesn't matter. If you have some other bona fide name of God, you can chant that. But chant God's name." That is the instruction of this Krishna consciousness movement. So do not think that this movement is trying to convert you from Christian to Hindu. Remain a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim. It doesn't matter. But if you really want to perfect your life, then try to develop your dormant love for God. That is the perfection of life.
[...]
You may profess any religion, but to test whether your religion is perfect or whether you are perfect, you have to see whether you have developed your love for God. Now we are distributing our love among so many things. But when all this love is concentrated simply on God, that is the perfection of love.

     -- A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, talk given at Northeastern University, Boston, Summer 1969 (as reproduced in The Journey of Self-Discovery)

aerowolf

• Schrödinger's Dog - Shades of Gray (125bpm, 2:41, 4.2mb)
  
  Icy synths and jangly guitars combine with echoed beats and sweeping pads. Ambient electronica in a melancholy key.

tekaril

• Schrödinger's Dog - Kyoto Midnight Garden (160bpm, 4:10, 6mb)
  
  This started off as a few ideas while I was away from home, then later became a drum'n'bass track, and the final version (thanks Ishkur and Wiki) is pretty much neurofunk. Inspired by roughly equal parts Susumu Yokota and Ken Ishii, with a dash of Ghost in the Shell philosophy. Really pleased with this one.

kitsunefury

steel_phoenix

kyu_diary

In order to develop an appreciation of your collection you have to start with one item. One has to find a stepping stone, a source of inspiration. Perhaps you would not have to go through the rest of the items in your collection if you studied just one piece of material. That one piece of material could be a sign-post you managed to confiscate in New York City, it could be as insignificant as that. But one must start with one thing, see its simplicity, the rugged quality of this piece of junk or this beautiful antique. If we could manage to start with just one thing, then that would be the equivalent of having one object in an empty room. I think it is a question of finding a stepping stone. Because we have so many posessions in our collection, a large part of the problem is that we do not know where to begin. One has to allow one's instinct to determine which will be the first thing to pick up.

     -- Chögyam Trungpa, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism