Expect great things and watch for them.

Expect great things and watch for them.
Anticipate happy, healthy, abundant, overwhelming, energetic, creative moments and welcome them as they arrive in all shapes and sizes.
Expect that you will enjoy where you are now and who you are with and those times and places and people will get better and better. Richer and richer. More and more fulfilling.

ABRAHAM HICKS Anger And Job

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESHHCzEqINg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Your Job

Your Job
Is to connect with your own source. Your own inner wavelength. Your real self - REAL SELF.

Whenever you see yourself as disconnected, discontent, unhappy, lazy, lethargic, angry, jealous ...

STOP. Relax.
Do whatever you can to get back in alignment.

Relax

The best you can do right now is to relax.

Relax

Relax

The best you can do right now is to relax.

Motivation

Just do it!

& keep smiling :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbKkkZNwmN4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Get Happy

Get Happy
Be Happy
Stay Happy

What are you doing right now?
Do you enjoy it?
Why not?
It's too hard.
It's beneath me.
It's keeping me from doing ... (something I really enjoy.)

Stop.

If you perceive you are stuck doing something you hate, look at the bigger picture. Is it part of a job that's better overall?
Focus on that.
Is it part of a relationship you generally want to be in?
Focus on that.
Are there benefits to doing that thing that causes some temporary frustration?
Focus on that.
And watch things get better quicker.

Abraham Hicks - Do It in Hours, Not Years

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aei-s0tkh_8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Peace

The Dalai Lama ... Lasting Peace

May all beings have happiness, health, wealth, wisdom ...

Creating Positive Thoughts

You are peace, silence, balance. Touch these daily.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFCEFUNVeOU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I intend

I intend that all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness,
Health and the causes of health,
Wealth and the causes of Wealth,
Wisdom and the causes of Wisdom,
Peace and the causes of Peace...

What is there to get upset about?

In Sogyal Rinpoche's book the Tibetan book of living and dying, he clearly state that there are periods of uncertainty for everyone. (Page 108 in the section about uncertainty and opportunity ) If even the greatest masters are uncertain at a crucial point in decision-making then how can we say we are masters of our own destiny?

Many of life's moments are just luck, randomness, chance. What else is the result of uncertainty?

THE MOST PROFOUND QUESTION

Why do they (we) do that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGxZngLecK0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

WOW

You are in charge!

Can you feel it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDIZG5gImeY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Abraham Hicks -- Setting Your Vibrational Tone and the Law of Attraction

Abraham Hicks

I found this great Abraham Hicks video that talks about the law of attraction

A few things that seem toreally stand out in the video:

Set your vibrational tone to something that pleases you.

Be selfish

If you are not selfish enough to find vibrational harmony at the source then you have nothing to give.

Pay attention to what you are receiving and to what you have now.

Nothing is more important than, "I feel good."

As you look for reasons to feel good you find reasons to feel good.

As you find reasons to feel good you find things that make you feel good

As you find these you start to feel good and as you feel good you let it in -- abundance and clarity. ~~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12BhS22ZySA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Trust ... All

No one really knows.

You can't do it wrong

OM

http://www.cocoabox.com

A Passing, Transitioning, an End and a Begining

A close friend of mine passed recently (and suddenly) and I was given the incredible opportunity to say a few words at a gathering where we celebrated his life. 

~~~~ Thank You ~~~

This is a short quote from From Sogyal Rinpoche's book
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

MY OWN FIRST EXPERIENCE of death ( says SR ) came when I was about seven.
We were preparing to leave the eastern highlands to travel to central Tibet.
Samten, one of the personal attendants of my master, was a wonderful monk who was kind to me during my childhood.
He had a bright, round, chubby face, always ready to break into a smile.
He was everyone's favorite in the monastery because he was so good-natured. …
… suddenly Samten fell ill, and it was clear he was not going to live.
We had to postpone our departure.
I will never forget the two weeks that followed.
The rank smell of death hung like a cloud over everything, …
 The monastery was saturated with an intense awareness of death.
This was not at all morbid or frightening, however;
  Samten's death took on a special significance.

It became   …  a teaching   …   for us all.

**

Chris gave many teachings.  He often worked with me on GRATITUDE and TRUSTING the PROCESS .

Like a great friend and a great teacher, Chris would work gently, patiently, and frequently.  We'd check in often …
**
 I'd tell him how angry I was about something at work
…
and he'd mention  … that he enjoyed saying thank you …
for the warm water …  that he had in the shower / before work / that morning.
...

Then I'd tell him how angry I was about something that had happened at home
and he'd hint at how fruitful it was for him to say "thank you…"
for the lunch we were enjoying at that moment,
 for the people who brought it to us,
 for the ability to sit quietly and taste it.

Later I'd stop by and tell him how frustrated I was about money
and he'd suggest ...    just saying ….  Thank you.

*******

So one day I decided to escape my family, my work and spend money I'm not sure I really had at the time …  on  a workshop  … at Kripalu

I was very lucky.  I met this greaat teacher who travels the world, Bhagavan Das
I got to chant with him -
I bought his Book … and his CD.
And he gave everyone who was there
a special teaching with two secret mantras:

And I came back very energized and excited,
so I wanted to check in and share this with Chris

I found him and told him
 that I had met this great teacher -
 a kirtan singer Bhagavan Das
 who travels the world
 and I bought his Book … and his  CD
 And that we all got
 two secret mantras.

The first was …
"Thank You"
the second was
" I love you."
...
** If Chris was ever astonished or frustrated by my inability to catch on quickly, he never showed it.

He simply laughed his deep laugh,  and smiled his huge smile,    and said,

"Thank you.  Thanks for being you,  and for doing what you do,
you are doing it so perfectly." "I love you."

********** 

Like any good teacher, he hinted at these things, revealed these secret truths, and worked to help me see them … many …. many … many
many times…

Most recently I had been trying to learn from Chris that  I (we) everyone & everything, is really perfect as it is. 

At least that's what I think we were working on.  I don't know.   I don't always catch on right away.

Right now without my friend, and my teacher,
I feel like the lost child in the woods who has to find his way home.
I feel like the little boy thrown in the lake by his father who has to sink or swim.

I feel  that:
As difficult as this passing is. 
As much as I don't want to be doing this right now because…
 I don't want to believe Chris has moved on.

This is another teaching.

Thank you … (I love you.)

The essence of Buddhism - Sogyal Rinpoche

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4gH__XJFCc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

God, Shiva, the Hidden Essence , Buddha Nature...

God, Shiva, the Hidden Essence , Buddha Nature...

"Saints and mystics throughout history have adorned their realizations with different names and given them different faces and interpretations, but what they are all fundamentally experiencing is the essential nature of the mind. Christians and Jews call it "God"; Hindus call it "the Self," "Shiva," "Brahman," and "Vishnu"; Sufi mystics name it "the Hidden Essence"; and Buddhists call it "buddha nature." At the heart of all religions is the certainty that there is a fundamental truth, and that this life is a sacred opportunity to evolve and realize it." -The Tibetan Book of the Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche - Pg. 48

Though we have this inner nature. We don't see it. It is obscured or hidden by our ordinary mind.
P 49.

God, Shiva, the Hidden Essence , Buddha Nature...

God, Shiva, the Hidden Essence , Buddha Nature...

"Saints and mystics throughout history have adorned their realizations with different names and given them different faces and interpretations, but what they are all fundamentally experiencing is the essential nature of the mind. Christians and Jews call it "God"; Hindus call it "the Self," "Shiva," "Brahman," and "Vishnu"; Sufi mystics name it "the Hidden Essence"; and Buddhists call it "buddha nature." At the heart of all religions is the certainty that there is a fundamental truth, and that this life is a sacred opportunity to evolve and realize it." -The Tibetan Book of the Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche - Pg. 48

A gift from a friend.

Why I like Thich Nhat Hanh's writing.

In the diamond that cuts through illusion which are commentaries on the prajna paramita diamond Sutra.

P68
What you think Subhuti? Does a bodhisattva create a serene and beautiful go to field? No world on one why to create a serene and beautiful Buddha field is not in fact creating a serene and beautiful Buddha. That is why it is called creating a serene and beautiful Buddha field.

This has been explained by many in equally difficult to grasp translations. This is much more understandable.

"Upon attaining enlightenment, all Buddhists and bodhisattvas open a new world for people on the path of realization who want to study and practice with that. Every Buddha creates a pure land as a practice center. A pure land is a fresh, beautiful place where people are happy and peaceful. Creating a pure land is called setting up a serene and beautifulBuddha field. Teachers and students work together to make such a place beautiful, pleasant, and fresh, so that many people can go there to live and practice. The greater their power of awakening and piece the more pleasant is there pure land.

Amitabha Buddha has a pure land in the Western Paradise. Akshobya Buddha has a place called wondrous joy.After a period of practice, if you have some attainment and peace you may wish to share them with others and establish a small practice community. But this should always be done in the spirit of formlessness do not be bound by the practice center you establish.To create a serene and beautiful Buddha field is not in fact creating a serene and beautiful Buddha field means to do so in the spirit of formlessness. Do not let yourself be devoured by your Buddha field or you you will suffer. Do not allow yourself to be burnt out in the process of setting up a practice center.

A Walking Meditation - by Thich Nhat Hanh

A Walking Meditation - Thich Nhat Hanh
Your Steps Are Most Important

What activity is most important in your life? To pass an exam, get a car or a house, or get a promotion in your career? There are so many people who have passed exams, who have bought cars and houses, who have gotten promotions, but still find themselves without peace of mind, without joy, and without happiness. The most important thing in life is to find this treasure, and then to share it with other people and with all beings.

In order to have peace and joy, you must succeed in having peace within each of your steps. Your steps are the most important thing. They decide everything. I am lighting a stick of incense and joining my palms together as a lotus bud to pray for your success.

You Can Do It

Walking meditation is practicing meditation while walking. It can bring you joy and peace while you practice it. Take short steps in complete relaxation; go slowly with a smile on your lips, with your heart open to an experience of peace. You can feel truly at ease with yourself. Your steps can be those of the healthiest, most secure person on earth. All sorrows and worries can drop away while you are walking. To have peace of mind, to attain self-liberation, learn to walk in this way. It is not difficult. You can do it. Anyone can do it who has some degree of mindfulness and a true intention to be happy.

Going Without Arriving

In our daily lives, we usually feel pressured to move ahead. We have to hurry. We seldom ask ourselves where it is that we must hurry to.

When you practice walking meditation, you go for a stroll. You have no purpose or direction in space or time. The purpose of walking meditation is walking meditation itself. Going is important, not arriving. Walking meditation is not a means to an end; it is an end. Each step is life; each step is peace and joy. That is why we don't have to hurry. That is why we slow down. We seem to move forward, but we don't go anywhere; we are not drawn by a goal. Thus we smile while we are walking.

Trouble-Free Steps

In our daily life, our steps are burdened with anxieties and fears. Life itself seems to be a continuous chain of insecure feelings, and so our steps lose their natural easiness.

Our earth is truly beautiful. There is so much graceful, natural scenery along paths and roads around the earth! Do you know how many dirt lanes there are, lined with bamboo, or winding around scented rice fields? Do you know how many forest paths there are, paved with colorful leaves, offering cool and shade? They are all available to us, yet we cannot enjoy them because our hearts are not trouble-free, and our steps are not at ease.

Walking meditation is learning to walk again with ease. When you were about a year old, you began to walk with tottering steps. Now, in practicing walking meditation you are learning to walk again. However, after a few weeks of practice, you will be able to step solidly, in peace and comfort. I am writing these lines to assist you in doing that. I wish you success.

Shaking Off the Burden of Worries

If I had the Buddha's eyes and could see through everything, I could discern the marks of worry and sorrow you leave in your footprints after you pass, like the scientist who can detect tiny living beings in a drop of pond water with a microscope. Walk so that your footprints bear only the marks of peaceful joy and complete freedom. To do this, you have to learn to let go – let go of your sorrows, let go of your worries. That is the secret of walking meditation.

This World Contains All the Wonders of the Pure Land

To have peace and joy and inner freedom, you need to learn how to let go of your sorrows and worries, the elements that create unhappiness. First of all, notice that this world contains all the wonders you could expect to find in the Buddha Land. It is only because of our veil of sorrows and worries that we cannot always see these wonders.

I always think that I like this world even better than I would the Pure Land because I like what this world offers: lemon trees, orange trees, banana trees, pine trees, apricot trees, and willow trees. Some people say that in the Pure Land there are valuable lotus ponds, seven-gem trees, and roads paved with gold, and that there are special celestial birds. I don't think I would like these very much. I would rather not walk on roads paved with gold and silver. I wouldn't even use roads that were lined with marble here on earth. Dirt roads with meadows on both sides are my favorite; I love pebbles and leaves covering the ground. I love bushes, streams, bamboo fences, and ferries.

When I was a young novice, I told my Master, 'If the Pure Land doesn't have lemon trees, then I don't want to go.' He shook his head and smiled. Maybe he thought I was a stubborn youngster. However, he did not say that I was right or wrong. Later when I realized that both the world and the Pure Land come from the mind, I was very happy. I was happy since I knew that lemon trees and star-fruit trees exist also in the Pure Land, with dirt roads and green grass on all sides.

I knew that if I kept my eyes open in mindfulness and my steps at ease, I could find my Pure Land. That is why I do not let a single day pass without practicing walking meditation.

The Seal of an Emperor

Choose a nice road for your practice, along the shore of a river, in a park, on the flat roof of a building, in the woods, or along a bamboo fence. Such places are ideal, but they are not essential. I know there are people who practice walking meditation in reformation camps, even in small prison cells.

It is best if the road is not too rough or too steep. Slow down and concentrate on your steps. Be aware of each move. Walk straight ahead with dignity, calm, and comfort. Consciously make an imprint on the ground as you step. Walk as the Buddha would. Place your foot on the surface of the earth the way an emperor would place his seal on a royal decree.

A royal decree can bring happiness or misery to people. It can shower grace on them or it can ruin their lives. Your steps can do the same. If your steps are peaceful, the world will have peace. If you can take one peaceful step, you can take two. You can take one hundred and eight peaceful steps.

A Lotus Flower Blooms Beneath Each Step

When an artist or a sculptor creates a picture or a statue of Buddha sitting upon a lotus flower, it is not just to express his reverence towards the Buddha. The artist must above all want to show the Buddha's state of mind as he sits: the state of complete peace, complete bliss. We all sit several times a day, but few of us can sit in peace and with ease, few of us can sit majestically like the Buddha. Most of us get restless after a while, as if we were sitting on hot coals. The Buddha may sit on the grass or on a rock, but he looks as serene as he would look sitting on a lotus flower.

When I first entered the monastery, my master taught me to observe this thought just before sitting: 'Sitting with my back straight, I wish all beings may be seated on the platform of enlightenment, their hearts freed from all illusion and mistaken views.' Only after I said that would I slowly sit down. That is the way to learn to sit like a Buddha.

I have a message for students of Pure Land Buddhism: Sit on a Lotus Throne right now, at this moment; do not wait until you get to the Pure Land. Be reborn on a lotus flower in each present moment. Don't wait until you face death. If you can experience rebirth on a lotus flower now, if you can sit on a lotus flower now – then you won't have any doubt about the existence of the Pure Land. The same is true for walking. The Infant Buddha is often portrayed taking his first seven steps on earth, causing a lotus flower to appear in each of his footsteps. We should all cause a lotus flower to bloom with each of our peaceful steps. Next time you practice walking meditation, please try visualizing a lotus flower opening as your feet touch the ground, like a newborn Buddha. Don't feel unworthy of this vision. If your steps are serene, they are worthy of this flowering. You are a Buddha, and so is everyone else. I didn't make that up. It was the Buddha himself who said so. He said that all beings had the potential to become awakened. To practice walking meditation is to practice living in mindfulness. Mindfulness and enlightenment are one. Enlightenment leads to mindfulness and mindfulness leads to enlightenment.

The Miracle is Walking on Earth

Walking with ease and with peace of mind on the earth is a wonderful miracle. Some people say that only walking on burning coals or walking on spikes or on water are miracles, but I find that simply walking on the earth is a miracle. Neige Marchand, when translating The Miracle of Mindfulness into French, entitled the book La Miracle, C'est de Marcher sur Terre. I like that title very much.

Imagine that you and I were two astronauts. We have landed on the moon, and we find that we cannot return to earth because the engine of our ship is broken beyond repair. We will run out of oxygen before the control center on earth can send another ship up to rescue us. We know that we have only two more days to live. What would you and I think of, other than going back to our dear green planet and walking side by side, in peace and without worries? Only when confronted with death do we know the precious value of our steps on the green planet.

Now let's imagine ourselves as those astronauts who have somehow survived their experience. Let's celebrate our happiness and our joy at being able to walk on our dear earth again. We manifest this miracle in each of our steps. Lotus flowers bloom as we walk.

Maintain your practice, aware that your steps are creating miracles. The earth appears before your eyes as something miraculous. With that correct understanding, with that meditative thought, you will achieve blissful steps on this planet earth.

Stand on one foot, and be aware that it is resting upon the earth; see the great sphere upon which it rests. See it clearly – how wonderfully round it is. While walking, look down and anticipate the ground where you are about to place your foot, and when you do, mindfully experience your foot, the ground, and the connection between your foot and the ground. Think of your foot as an Emperor's seal.

In the meditation hall, while doing kinhin (walking meditation) remember 'The Emperor's Seal', or 'Lotus flowers blooming', or 'The earth appears' as themes of your walking meditation.

Living and Dying

It seems as if Death is a journey, but one that you are forced to take alone when you really might not want to do that.  Maybe you are sick and would like your mother, spouse, or a very close loving caring nurturing friend to come with you.  But you can't.  You have to try to prepare and board that vessel all alone.

A friend of mine gave me The Tibetan Book of LIving and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche.  At first I didn't like that it forces me to look at death so much.  Too depressing.  Why would anyone want to look at this all the time?  Daily, Sogyal Rinpoche seems to imply!  I keep thinking that if I look daily, I'll miss the good things in life.  I'll sit sadly one day thinking how much time I wasted dwelling on death. 

(artwork from   Goran Druskovic (~goran-d - on DeviantART.com)
http://goran-d.deviantart.com/art/Life-After-Death-Collision-21425770

This picture reminds me what Sogyal Rinpoche might be trying to tell me - that this life is an illusion.  He seems to be saying that the way we normally look at life and commonly ignore thinking about death, we walk through life in ignorance.    Even when he experienced the most bliss (p.46) , his teacher reminded him to be calm and not put any more emphasis on this over any other experience in life.  None of it is inherently good or bad.  But the way we look at events in life, we give them too much power.  They are an illusion.  We make these events seem too real.

Journalist Malcolm Browne's photograph of Thích Quảng Đức during his self-immolation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-immolation


If we don't prepare ourselves individually, the illusion will shatter just as we are about to die.  At the moment of death all of the things we had thought were real and would last just a bit longer are no longer available to us.  We cling to them, but there is nothing to hang on to and nothing to grasp them with anymore.  

Imagine you let  someone else pack your suitcase for a long journey and you arrive with no underwear.  Who can you blame?  It's your suitcase.  It's your journey.  You chose to let someone else pack your suitcase. 

I have to ask myself who is packing my suitcase for my final journey?  Sogyal Rinpoche seems to be trying to get me to think seriously about how important it is to prepare for this journey -- the one where I say goodbye to this body, this vessel, this vehicle, and jump, walk, run, float into the abyss.   I feel he is trying to tell me to use every moment to check my itinerary, my luggage, and my packing list.  What have I filled it with?  The only thing I can take with me is thoughts, mind, habits of mind, and habits of thought.  Did I let my parents and teachers fill my mind with thoughts that have gone unchecked but will  come back to haunt me at those critical transitional moments. 

Will I see Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, or God and not know what to do or say?  Will I scream and cry as if the world has done me wrong because I think I should live just a little bit longer and do it in a way that leaves a scary, useless, helpless, frustrating impression on those around me? 

I don't know with any certainty what will happen when I die.  I don't know why a monk in Vietnam or Tibet would set him or her self on fire and choose to meet death painfully and suddenly.  I do believe that I have to pack my own suitcase.  I have to take full responsibility for my journey.  It is useless for me to blame anyone.  Any thought, idea, or advice others gave me needs to be checked.  I need to use the time I have to check and to practice watching how I react habitually to thoughts that I like and those I don't like.  It's impossible for me to think that I'll be any more capable of controlling my thoughts at death than I can control them in a moment of anger when I'm seething, in a moment of  greed when I'm desiring, a moment of lust or bliss when I'm clinging, a moment of distraction when I'm somewhere else.  I can use life to practice what Sogyal Rinpoche is trying to teach me and I can do it in a way that actually allows me to enjoy life by being a bit more aware of what is really going on around me right now.

I feel like I'm grasping at straws here and have a long way to go but thank you for any thoughts or comments...

(Dreams by ~whisperfall at DeviantArt.com)
http://whisperfall.deviantart.com/art/Dreams-144932089

Biorhythm

Does this help predict how a day will go? I was depressed a few days ago things seem to be getting better now.

Biorhythm
http://www.degraeve.com/bio.php

I am depressed.

I am depressed.
Who is depressed?
I the awareness around ... me ... ?

I'm seeing things sadly right now, but I know it is temporary.
I know there are people who have it much worse.

Sogyal Rinpoche says that many masters recommend looking at everything as if it is a dream.
It's all impermanent, the bad and good in a dream are not so nerve racking that we have to spend all our energy avoiding the bad and clinging to the good.

Just sitting for a bit with this seems to help too.

Now I'll meditate for 20 minutes and see what thoughts come up.

~ ~ ~

Now thing seem calm. Relaxed. Enjoyable.

I can appreciate simple things. Photographs in my meditation room of teachers and family. Simple designs in thanks hanging on the wall.

Nagging projects and annoying co-workers seem to be more tolerable.

I need to remember this. I need to see if I can carry the feeling (the energy) throughout the day. But I can already feel the positive energy slipping away. The pressure of the rotten routine is waiting to pour back in. Why is the effect of meditation so short lived? What am I missing that would help me feel this calm during the day?

Maybe I need to try fitting in an afternoon meditation.

But is that just masking the real problem? Like taking a pill to kill the pain rather than working to remove the root cause of the pain?

Am I depressed, really?

Can a great teacher give me information or tools to erase or cope with this state of mind?

Is it all up to me?

Simple joys

Depression.

Depression.
Don't care.
Tired
Bored.
Nothing matters.
Retreat.
Hide
Avoid.
Hostile.
Nobody can help.
Alone.
On my own.
It's up to me.
Lazy.
Lethargic
Weak.

The Art of Peace

The Spirit of the Warrior

The Spirit of the Warrior

Although we have been made to believe that if we let go we will end up with nothing, life itself reveals again and again the opposite: that letting go is the path to real freedom.

Just as when the waves lash at the shore, the rocks suffer no damage but are sculpted and eroded into beautiful shapes, so our characters can be molded and our rough edges worn smooth by changes. Through weathering changes we can learn how to develop a gentle but unshakable composure. Our confidence in ourselves grows, and becomes so much greater that goodness and compassion began naturally to radiate out from us and bring joy to others. That goodness is what survives death, a fundamental goodness that is in every one of us. The whole of our life is a teaching of how to uncover that strong goodness, and a training toward realizing it.

So each time the losses and deceptions of life teach us about impermanence, they bring us closer to the truth. When you fall from a great height, there is only one possible place to land: on the ground, the ground of truth. And if you have the understanding that comes from spiritual practice, then falling is in no way a disaster but the discovery of an inner refuge.

Difficulties and obstacles, if properly understood and used, can often turn out to be an unexpected source of strength. To be a spiritual warrior means to develop a special kind of courage, one that is innately intelligent, gentle, and fearless. Spiritual warriors can still be frightened, but even so they are courageous enough to taste suffering, to relate clearly to their fundamental fear, and to draw out without evasion the lessons from difficulties. As Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche tells us, becoming a warrior means that "we can trade our small-minded struggle for security for a much vaster vision, one of fearlessness, openness, and genuine heroism .. ." To enter the transforming field of that much vaster vision is to learn how to be at home in change, and how to make impermanence our friend.

—- Sogyal Rinpoche

"Tibetan Buddhists believe that serious illnesses like cancer can be a warning, to remind us that we have been neglecting deep aspects of our being, such as our spiritual needs. If we take this warning seriously and change fundamentally the direction of our lives, there is a very real hope for healing not only our body, but of our whole being."

"Tibetan Buddhists believe that serious illnesses like cancer can be a warning, to remind us that we have been neglecting deep aspects of our being, such as our spiritual needs. If we take this warning seriously and change fundamentally the direction of our lives, there is a very real hope for healing not only our body, but of our whole being."

Pg. 31 - Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

Reincarnation story. Very interesting 11 year old boy's story.

This boy has memories and thoughts that couldn't be made up. How is that?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF3KqGpxXvo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Recently reading the Eight Realizations of the Great Beings and a commentary by Thich Nhat Hanh made me think about how a teacher in todays schools might approach keeping up with the rapid and often painfil changes in technology.

Recently reading the Eight Realizations of the Great Beings and a commentary by Thich Nhat Hanh made me think about how a teacher in todays schools might approach keeping up with the rapid and often painfil changes in technology.

Eight Realizations for Technology and Education

The first realization is the awareness that the world is impermanent. Technology changes too rapidly for any sane person to keep up.

The second realization
Too much desire brings more suffering. Don't expect too much too soon. Baby steps.

The third realization
Be aware that the human mind is always searching for possessions and never feels fulfilled. Gathering too much is a trap.

The fourth realization
laziness is an obstacle
practice diligently .

The fifth realization
ignorance causes suffering. remember to listen and learn in order to develop understanding and eloquence.

The sixth realization
be generous. Treat all as equals.

The seventh realization
desire leads to difficulties. Although we are in this work
we should try not to be caught up in it. Live simply.

The eighth realization
the fire of change is causing endless suffering everywhere. We should help everyone we can.

One source of the Eight Realizations in their original form.

http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/beingssutra.pdf

http://www.drewking.com/8Great.htm

The Eight Realizations. Teaching. And Technology.

These Eight Realizations of the Great Beings made me think about how a teacher in todays schools might approach keeping up with the rapid and often painfil changes in technology.

Eight Realizations of the Great Beings
The first realization is the awareness that the world is impermanent. All political regimes are subject to fall; all things composed of the four elements are empty and contain the seeds of suffering. Human beings are composed of five skandhas, aggregates, and are without a separate self. They are always in the process of change – constantly being born and constantly dying. They are empty of self, without sovereignty. The mind is the source of all confusion, and the body is the forest of all impure actions. If we meditate on these facts, we can gradually be released from samsara, the round of birth and death.

The second realization is the awareness that more desire brings more suffering. All hardships in daily life arise from greed and desire. Those with little desire and ambition are able to relax, their bodies and minds free from entanglement.

The third realization is that the human mind is always searching for possessions and never feels fulfilled. This causes impure actions to ever increase. Bodhisattvas however, always remember the principle of having few desires. They live a simple life in peace in order to practice the Way, and consider the realization of perfect understanding as their only career.

The fourth realization is the awareness of the extent to which laziness is an obstacle to practice. For this reason, we must practice diligently to destroy the unwholesome mental factors which bind us, and to conquer the four kinds of Mara, in order to free ourselves from the prisons of the five aggregates and the three worlds.

The fifth realization is the awareness that ignorance is the cause of the endless round of birth and death. Therefore, bodhisattvas always remember to listen and learn in order to develop their understanding and eloquence. This enables them to educate living beings and bring them to the realm of great joy.

The sixth realization is the awareness that poverty creates hatred and anger, which creates a vicious cycle of negative thoughts and activity. When practicing generosity, bodhisattvas consider everyone, friends and enemies alike, as equal. They do not condemn anyone's past wrongdoings, nor do they hate those who are presently causing harm.

The seventh realization is that the five categories of desire lead to difficulties. Although we are in the world, we should try not to be caught up in worldly matters. A monk, for example, has in his possession only three robes and one bowl. He lives simply in order to practice the Way. His precepts keep him free of attachment to worldly things, and he treats everyone equally and with compassion.

The eighth realization is the awareness that the fire of birth and death is raging, causing endless suffering everywhere. We should take the Great Vow to help everyone, to suffer with everyone, and to guide all beings to the realm of great joy.

These eight realizations are the discoveries of great beings, buddhas and bodhisattvas who have diligently practiced the way of compassion and understanding. They have sailed the Dharmakaya boat to the shore of nirvana, but then they return to the ordinary world, having abandoned the five desires, with their minds and hearts directed toward the noble way, using these eight realizations to help all beings recognize the suffering in this world. If the disciples of the Buddha recite these eight realizations and meditate on them, they will put an end to countless misunderstandings and difficulties and progress toward enlightenment, leaving behind the world of birth and death, dwelling forever in peace.

http://www.drewking.com/8Great.htm

Teachers: ... meditation in the classroom ... !

Teachers: How to incorporate meditation into the classroom | florian yoga companion

Diversity

Diversity .

We believe in diversity at our school. Inclusiveness.

We like the quick students here. Not only quick but happy. Friendly and creative too. Quick to understand a difficult lesson. That's the best kind of student. Happy to do it smiling. My haven't we done well?

Aah, but the slow child. We dwell on that one. Complaining about the drain on the rest of the group. Never smiling. Always sad. Who can expect us to do much with this one?

We should not have let that one in.

What is death?

What is death? Taking off one garment changing dirty clothes clothes that are not only dirty but warm beyond further use. The closet is full of new clothes. Which outfit will you choose. Work ? Black tie? Business casual? Will you grab the first outfit that catches your eye? Will you choose something quick and comfortable or wait to see all the offerings ?

What habits and tendencies do you have that will put you right back in an outfit that you would really not have chosen if you could have put a little bit of thought into it?

Many Buddhist teachings seem to talk about death this way. It is simply a process in which you shed body. The used and broken outer shell. And you put on a new one. Actually you choose the new womb. that will help build this new you. You choose your environment you choose your parents but if that is true who would choose a wound that is polluted by drugs or an environment that is filled with hate? Who would choose to be retarded, deaf , or blind?.

I am no expert . I need to learn a bit more about this. But it seems to me that our fear ignorance greed anger jealousy and other emotions are fighting for survival at this death. These Buddhist teachings seem to say most of us have not taking enough time in life to practice for this potentially traumatic and emotionally draining event so the trauma comes from our habits and are ignorant and dealing with these habits . This can make that a painful and unproductive experience. If however we begin preparing for this event right now while we are alive we can meet our death in the process of dying in a much healthier and more productive way.

Many of us the 7 billion people here on earth today however don't want to think that reincarnation is a possibility. Most of us seem to believe that reincarnation is not true. Most of us believe in a death where Earth is simply tossed behind us when we are done with it we treat it like a consumer good when it's used up we leave it behind. Been there done that.

We don't come back we moved on. Based on our faith we go to heaven or hell based on our relationship with our god we are allowed to enter an internal heavenly abode where like our surrounding trash Sunday trash all past deeds are put behind us. None of that garbage is brought into heaven. It is all taken to some landfill or just left on earth can we or those fortunate enough to enter are in heaven never again to worry about our children or grand grandchildren who we leave behind in the dump we have created.

But is that really be Heaven and their god has set up? One where a fortunate you go on to a nest full of virgins or one with streets paved in gold?

I have to admit I'm still learning about this too . I'm no expert in heaven or hell or reincarnation. somewhere in the past I learned about parts of these things and in spite of all of my training I still don't know much about these answers

But I am curious. What if I do come back here? What of my current habits do follow me -- actually point me into -- my next existence? What now?

Is there anything I can really do to help?