tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52937930402996956132023-12-15T19:06:57.323-05:00The Italian BuddhistWalking the path of mindfulness one breath at a time. I'm just doing my part to live a peaceful life as an Italian American Buddhist in Buffalo, NY of all places! I am a Buddhist who follows in the tradition of the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and HH the 14th Dalai Lama but I enjoy teachings from all Buddhist traditions.
I try to be open to everything.
I wish you peace! Feel free to contact me at: bhodi@italianbuddhist.com, www.facebook.com/italianbuddhistBhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-68546105628658941812021-04-20T02:31:00.000-04:002021-04-20T02:31:11.997-04:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1h-bpf0SiJGWiHz3lh-31LrjjBMsBUXZyLQdTME4DA5VZYLn8ljtF0ne9CecURgfrRneKZ4f9JFIp0LZ3DEq262WOMdgl4zEZDli5uARPKWsVufRAGqRIAhiywAiol-w76qYAV49rHC_/s940/d13b0c7ddb7bf40ca0a3a4af2bf44c07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1h-bpf0SiJGWiHz3lh-31LrjjBMsBUXZyLQdTME4DA5VZYLn8ljtF0ne9CecURgfrRneKZ4f9JFIp0LZ3DEq262WOMdgl4zEZDli5uARPKWsVufRAGqRIAhiywAiol-w76qYAV49rHC_/w288-h242/d13b0c7ddb7bf40ca0a3a4af2bf44c07.jpg" width="288" /></a></div> <p></p><h2 style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 18px;">METTA MEDITATION</h2><p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 18px; padding: 0px;">The practice of Metta meditation is a beautiful support to other awareness practices. One recites specific words and phrases evoking a "boundless warm-hearted feeling." The strength of this feeling is not limited to or by family, religion, or social class. We begin with our self and gradually extend the wish for well-being happiness to all beings.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 18px; padding: 0px;">There are different descriptions of the practice. The following is a basic set of instructions from the book <a href="http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/imc-iah.html" style="color: #336666; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none;"><i>"The Issue at Hand"</i></a> by <a href="http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/imc-teachers.html" style="color: #336666; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none;">Gil Fronsdal</a>.</p><h3 style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 18px;">Brief Instructions for Loving-Kindness Meditation</h3><p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 18px; padding: 0px;">To practice loving-kindness meditation, sit in a comfortable and relaxed manner. Take two or three deep breaths with slow, long and complete exhalations. Let go of any concerns or preoccupations. For a few minutes, feel or imagine the breath moving through the center of your chest - in the area of your heart.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 18px; padding: 0px;">Metta is first practiced toward oneself, since we often have difficulty loving others without first loving ourselves. Sitting quietly, mentally repeat, slowly and steadily, the following or similar phrases:</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 18px; padding: 0px;">May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be peaceful and at ease.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 18px; padding: 0px;">While you say these phrases, allow yourself to sink into the intentions they express. Loving-kindness meditation consists primarily of connecting to the intention of wishing ourselves or others happiness. However, if feelings of warmth, friendliness, or love arise in the body or mind, connect to them, allowing them to grow as you repeat the phrases. As an aid to the meditation, you might hold an image of yourself in your mind's eye. This helps reinforce the intentions expressed in the phrases.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 18px; padding: 0px;">After a period of directing loving-kindness toward yourself, bring to mind a friend or someone in your life who has deeply cared for you. Then slowly repeat phrases of loving-kindness toward them:</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 18px; padding: 0px;">May you be happy. May you be well. May you be safe. May you be peaceful and at ease.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 18px; padding: 0px;">As you say these phrases, again sink into their intention or heartfelt meaning. And, if any feelings of loving-kindness arise, connect the feelings with the phrases so that the feelings may become stronger as you repeat the words.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 18px; padding: 0px;">As you continue the meditation, you can bring to mind other friends, neighbors, acquaintances, strangers, animals, and finally people with whom you have difficulty. You can either use the same phrases, repeating them again and again, or make up phrases that better represent the loving-kindness you feel toward these beings. In addition to simple and perhaps personal and creative forms of metta practice, there is a classic and systematic approach to metta as an intensive meditation practice. Because the classic meditation is fairly elaborate, it is usually undertaken during periods of intensive metta practice on retreat.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 18px; padding: 0px;">Sometimes during loving-kindness meditation, seemingly opposite feelings such as anger, grief, or sadness may arise. Take these to be signs that your heart is softening, revealing what is held there. You can either shift to mindfulness practice or you can—with whatever patience, acceptance, and kindness you can muster for such feelings—direct loving-kindness toward them. Above all, remember that there is no need to judge yourself for having these feelings.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 18px; padding: 0px;">Here is the link to a free ebook on Metta practice:</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 18px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.buddhistelibrary.org/en/displayimage.php?album=103&pid=103#top_display_media" target="_blank">Metta Bhavana: Loving Kindness Practice</a><br /></p><br />Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-5595070858460704172017-04-18T19:00:00.000-04:002017-04-18T19:00:19.555-04:00Music and Spirituality by Dr. Ken Licata<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4Z-7Az44v-iixJpvjMojgRMY_5PV-oUy40d0f9jsq_QikQC5uzHZ0j_hsme2wLnutKHv5NihLHh1LZdZ07geV9YgTrje6r54yoZsSmKdX-RZUxi2w3wEj5eMr5ZfKKrDwDapuiw7gMCZ/s1600/color-and-sound-healing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4Z-7Az44v-iixJpvjMojgRMY_5PV-oUy40d0f9jsq_QikQC5uzHZ0j_hsme2wLnutKHv5NihLHh1LZdZ07geV9YgTrje6r54yoZsSmKdX-RZUxi2w3wEj5eMr5ZfKKrDwDapuiw7gMCZ/s320/color-and-sound-healing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
People have associated music and spirituality for as long as we can tell. Some music has served to draw communities together in ritual celebration, some has served more private spiritual quests. In any case, music continues as a vibrant form of expression and a vehicle for all manner of seekers, despite the fact that there is no simple definition for either music or spirituality. Pity the poor essayist (in this case, me) who tries to intelligibly relate the two.<br />
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For starters, let me address what makes music musical. Though we can commonly relate to the qualities of rhythm, melody and timbre, our cultural traditions have imposed various formats on their organization: scales and key signatures, songs with verses and choruses, fugues, ragas, rondos, tone rows and a zillion others. As the twentieth century developed, explorations of musical expression exceeded the traditional boundaries and led composer Edgard Varèse to expansively but simply define music as organized sound. That left room for more exotic pitch combinations and rhythms and for chance elements to become part of the fabric of music. More than once we’ve all heard (and maybe even spoken) the derisive question, “You call that music?” Well, yeah, I do. Even if it’s something I’d rather not listen to.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Music continues as a vibrant form of expression and a vehicle for all manner of seekers, despite the fact that there is no simple definition for either music or spirituality.”</span></div>
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If music is difficult to pin down, spirituality is more so. For our purposes here, I’ll settle on the common thread that my own studies of religious outlooks around the world suggests: connection to a larger whole. The animism of Africa and the Americas, the monotheism of Judeo-Christendom, the dance of Shiva, the turning of the karmic wheel – all share the value of a unifying principle of existence.<br />
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Now, in what seems like a digression, let me review a bit of late nineteenth and early twentieth century physics. Wait, what? No need for white knuckles; this will be a gentler journey than you expect. In the late 1800’s, light (a kind of radiant energy) was recognized as a sort of vibration, a trembling of an electromagnetic field. Not long after, radio waves and microwaves and x-rays became understood as siblings to light, similar in nature but different in how fast the field jiggles. The speed of jiggling we call “frequency” and in the case of FM radio, it gives rise to the numbers we use to tune in a particular station. But, in a paper that won him the Nobel Prize in Physics, Einstein posited that light, at the smallest scales, also has properties that we associate with particles. And in his Special Theory of Relativity, Einstein recognized that matter, which we also associate with particles (atoms, electrons and such), is really a frozen kind of energy. His colleague, Max Planck, worked out that different amounts of energy are associated with different frequencies. Distilling out the key points here, we have energy described in terms of vibration and matter described as energy.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwv78WqC_9qaOAnOucIPJq7ePpTJ2khTTsrhi9UO6afoTu2bj5cm1f6Dfa5xZfVKzKSZYte-ICwOovi7F1HsWIEakECYZs1HBx3dH5RLl54DOkLg790YeiOJSf6SErdjsVMkQds03ro0Os/s1600/IMG_7540-1024x768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwv78WqC_9qaOAnOucIPJq7ePpTJ2khTTsrhi9UO6afoTu2bj5cm1f6Dfa5xZfVKzKSZYte-ICwOovi7F1HsWIEakECYZs1HBx3dH5RLl54DOkLg790YeiOJSf6SErdjsVMkQds03ro0Os/s320/IMG_7540-1024x768.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Two further ideas from this realm: 1) Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity showed that time, space, energy and gravity are all tied to each other and 2) Based on astronomical observation and measurement, everything in the universe traces back to a highly compressed and unified state about fourteen billion years ago. The bottom line here is that in the twentieth century, our conception of physical reality evolved to suggest that everything is connected and that material and energy are, at their heart, vibrations. This overarching unity of all existence is a physical fact and requires no supposition of supernatural forces to link things up. So, no matter what form your spiritual beliefs take, the interconnectedness of everything is there for you on a purely physical basis. The notion that science has arrived at a cosmic view that harmonizes with much of the ancient wisdom of our spiritual traditions is both ironic and satisfying.<br />
<br />
OK, so let’s tie this package up. Sound is a kind of vibration that travels through lots of different materials. Unlike light, it requires a solid, liquid or gas to carry its vibrational energy. But, like light, it is a vibration. And we’ve seen that the universe itself is made of matter and energy that are also vibrations. Given that correspondence, I have come to see music as a celebratory form of organized vibrations that resonate with all the other vibrations that make up our reality. So, for me, music IS a kind of spirituality. Its rhythms and pitches represent a celebration that all of existence is vibration and so it was no accident that in opening this essay I described music as a “vibrant” form of expression and a vehicle. Its ability to influence our mental states brings home the basic fact that we ourselves are little collections of vibrating bits of the universe that have the ability to contemplate the whole of existence, and to sing about it, blow our horns, and bang our drums.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhf_DrsA1mAUayySHarekw9F4zDa6_3vuG3bjIe0A3P4tebOJytTj7HGs6T30sn6_42RSB2Q-EWSqHYaX-y45BeIAbv7oCyPVN7aadVA59k0xaKfD022jgbY6bUaFUeyH1igSViw5Gy5VX/s1600/Strawberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhf_DrsA1mAUayySHarekw9F4zDa6_3vuG3bjIe0A3P4tebOJytTj7HGs6T30sn6_42RSB2Q-EWSqHYaX-y45BeIAbv7oCyPVN7aadVA59k0xaKfD022jgbY6bUaFUeyH1igSViw5Gy5VX/s200/Strawberry.jpg" width="200" /></a><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A native of Buffalo, New York Ken Licata received his Ph.D. in Science Education. He went on to be a science teacher and science education professor for over 30 years. An accomplished musician, Licata used his passion for music and science to touch the lives of thousands of students. Since retiring from teaching this rather humorous, spiritual character, can be seen performing with his band or on stage as a solo artist all over the Western New York area.</span></i><br />
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<br />Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-9451434062861732272017-04-18T00:55:00.003-04:002017-04-18T01:00:34.274-04:00Meister Eckhart<p> Although I am not a Christian, I find Meister Eckhart the 13th century Catholic monk, professor and mystic quite inspirational. This is a short bio from the Dominican Order. </p><p><br></p>
<p>Bio Meister Eckhart</p>
<p>Johannes Eckhart was one of the greatest of Christian mystics. He was born at Hochheim in Thringen, Germany, in 1260, and entered the Dominican order when he was 15. Later he became a distinguished professor and taught at different universities.</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>“The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God’s eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.”</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>- Meister Eckhart</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>Eckhart had a beautiful and powerful style which made him very popular in his own time. His writings also suggested a very close relationship between man and God. A relationship that seemed to bypass the church.</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>“I am as sure as I live that nothing is so near to me as God. God is nearer to me than I am to myself; my existence depends on the nearness and the presence of God.”</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>- Meister Eckhart</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>Unfortunately this led to accusations of heresy. Eckhart defended himself by saying that he believed in the indivisibility of God. And he was merely expressing his experiences of his profound contemplation upon God. The public eminence of Eckhart protected him from any harm but after his death many of his works were condemned and suppressed.</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>Perhaps because of this he became a marginalised figure. However recently his works have attracted interest of God seekers both Christian and non Christian. Eckhart’s sayings speak with the authority of one who has experienced mystic union</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>” I AM can be spoken by no creature,</p>
<p>but by God alone.</p>
<p>I must become God and</p>
<p>God must become me, so completely that</p>
<p>we share the same “I” eternally.</p>
<p>Our truest “I” is God.</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>(From: The Wisdom of the Christian Mystics Ed T.Freke)</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>Also like other great mystics he uses the vividness of spiritual allegories to paradoxically point us to what lies beyond words. Eckhart also often mentions the importance of silence.</p>
<p><br></p>
<p> ” In silence man can most readily preserve his integrity. “</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>Interestingly Eckhart uses language that exhorts the seeker to search for God within himself.</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>“God enters into you with all that is his, as far as you have stripped yourself of yourself in all things. It is here that you should begin, whatever the cost, for it is here that you will find true peace, and nowhere else.”</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>Meister Eckhart – Talks of Instruction</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>Since 1980 the Dominican Order have taken steps to reveal Meister Eckhart led an exemplary life and was a great Christian Mystic.</p>
Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-80320383594355986932016-02-24T11:47:00.000-05:002016-02-24T11:47:01.316-05:00Drop Beliefs!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mX0zFstI3bj-ISmDLK3Va-5FT-nrVPur4BHGWs_bpABwuyaOfVb3_RLlxM6qDdfMBwwPAJwwfqHTe-Wv_eGjh4HznKCmf7lkd2lacuVXdO_qn9bUzAYobTIRKJ3TQZ6IxcI4vkM6m7ud/s1600/675ee4763d50c9968dfc9f4baef5ef64.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mX0zFstI3bj-ISmDLK3Va-5FT-nrVPur4BHGWs_bpABwuyaOfVb3_RLlxM6qDdfMBwwPAJwwfqHTe-Wv_eGjh4HznKCmf7lkd2lacuVXdO_qn9bUzAYobTIRKJ3TQZ6IxcI4vkM6m7ud/s1600/675ee4763d50c9968dfc9f4baef5ef64.jpg" /></a>Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-69132832741463359202015-02-19T15:49:00.002-05:002015-02-19T15:49:52.631-05:00THE SIX PERFECTIONS
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-R7gWKeRIgb6KfiSlaMJlt_GHwXmXec01BrjwNo_rYQkIpf3G7EGJCoyyMS0nZaN_hEzuX83OUiGkXhfy1KNogrTyhqkUL_8kT95Fd_SqcDIqryDtNM2TG3OT5L032zB6hzp_msBgqvMo/s1600/how-to-be-happy-when-things-go-wrong-a-buddhist-approach-to-staying-calm-3-638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-R7gWKeRIgb6KfiSlaMJlt_GHwXmXec01BrjwNo_rYQkIpf3G7EGJCoyyMS0nZaN_hEzuX83OUiGkXhfy1KNogrTyhqkUL_8kT95Fd_SqcDIqryDtNM2TG3OT5L032zB6hzp_msBgqvMo/s1600/how-to-be-happy-when-things-go-wrong-a-buddhist-approach-to-staying-calm-3-638.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: 'SAsiaDiacritic'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">A true practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism wants to Become enlightened like
the Shakyamuni Buddha for the sake of all living beings. Tibetan </span><span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;">Buddhism is a part of the Mahayana tradition and according to this
tradition there are six practices to be cultivated in order to be able to reach</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'SAsiaDiacritic'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">enlightenment. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'SAsiaDiacritic'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'SAsiaDiacritic'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">These practices are known as the six (transcendent)
perfections, or the six paramitas. Some Buddhist teachings mention ten
perfections </span><span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;">in stead of six. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;">The six perfections are: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;">1. Generosity</span><br />
<span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;">2. Ethical discipline</span><br />
<span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;">3.
Patience</span><br />
<span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;">4. Joyous effort</span><br />
<span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;">5. Concentration</span><br />
<span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;">6. Wisdom</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'SAsiaDiacritic'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'SAsiaDiacritic'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">The Six Perfections must be cultivated in order to become enlightened.
Enlightenment is to become a buddha, an exalted being that has cut off the
roots </span><span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;">of ignorance and been released from cyclic existence. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;">By practicing the first
four perfections one generates discipline and harmony in physical and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'SAsiaDiacritic'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">verbal actions. According to the law of karma positive actions are necessary
means in order to cultivate the fifth perfection, concentration, and harmony
and stability in the mind. The practice of the first five perfections is to use </span><span style="font-family: SAsiaDiacritic; font-size: 12pt;">skillful means and accumulate merit. Without wisdom, the sixth perfection,
one will not be able to develop a buddha's exalted understanding of reality</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'SAsiaDiacritic'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">and therefore enlightenment is impossible. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'SAsiaDiacritic'; font-size: 12.000000pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'SAsiaDiacritic'; font-size: 12.000000pt;">The fourth, enthusiastic effort, is
the indispensable support of all perfections. </span><br />
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Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-33771075672055146572015-02-12T14:00:00.001-05:002015-02-12T14:00:35.394-05:00Maha-Mangala Sutta: BlessingsThe Buddha was living near Savatthi at Jetavana at Anathapindika's monastery and a very spiritual person said to him "Many deities and men longing for happiness have pondered on (the question of) blessings. Pray tell me what the highest blessings are.” This was the Buddha’s response:
<br />
<br />
Non-association with fools,
And association with wise men,
Honor of respectworthy persons,
This is the highest blessing.<br />
<br />
Living in a civilized land,
Having done good in the past,
To set oneself in the right course,
This is the highest blessing.<br />
<br />
Great learning and skill at work,
And well-practiced moral observances,
Words which are well spoken,
This is the highest blessing.<br />
<br />
Taking care of father and mother,
Caring for wife and children,
And acting without confusion,
This is the highest blessing.<br />
<br />
Liberality and righteous conduct,
The protection of relatives,
Faultless actions,
This is the highest blessing.<br />
<br />
Complete abstention from evil,
And abstention from drinking,
And diligence in performing righteous acts ,
This is the highest blessing.<br />
<br />
Reverence and humility,
Contentment and gratitude,
Timely hearing of the Dharma (the teachings of the Buddha) at the proper time,
This is the highest blessing.<br />
<br />
Patience and gentleness,
Meeting with holy people,
Discussion of Dharma at the right time,
This is the highest blessing.<br />
<br />
A mind unshaken by the worldly winds, sorrowless, pure, and full of peace,
This is the highest blessing.<br />
<br />
Those who act in this way
Are undefeated in all circumstance
And attain happiness everywhere,
These are the highest blessings.Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-58335181766616083042015-02-04T14:50:00.002-05:002015-02-04T14:50:38.961-05:00Cherishing Others, by the Dalai Lama<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: white;">The <i>Bodhisattvacaryavatara
</i>bases its instruction on meditation on the <i>bodhicitta, </i>the
altruistic exploration, in Nagarjuna’s text called <i>Precious Garland
(Ratnamala)</i>. And the techniques for cultivating that are explained in what
is called ‘exchanging’ and the ‘equality of oneself and others’.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: white;">Equalizing
oneself and others means developing the attitude and understanding that: ‘Just
as I desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering, so do all living beings,
beings as infinite as space; they also desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcCv8lLydxOdKZzmbCbxrQ8AhBUTQMLX2u8FIPwbok_idTSFQOgTtG_3-4adZ7RiL5eBm21ga2qLTodW2h2CB2_jg3pGNTb0jSxRQlpi-dNgU8yWebZwqaPQqrSG-smFMF5aAEoIgn8-S/s1600/keep-calm-and-cherish-others.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigcCv8lLydxOdKZzmbCbxrQ8AhBUTQMLX2u8FIPwbok_idTSFQOgTtG_3-4adZ7RiL5eBm21ga2qLTodW2h2CB2_jg3pGNTb0jSxRQlpi-dNgU8yWebZwqaPQqrSG-smFMF5aAEoIgn8-S/s1600/keep-calm-and-cherish-others.png" height="200" width="171" /></a><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: white;">Shantideva
reasons that we don’t discriminate between different parts of our body — hands,
legs, head and so on — as far as protecting them is concerned. All of them
equally are parts of our body. In that same manner, looking at it from that
point of view, there is no difference whatsoever between all living beings. And
one should not discriminate between ‘self and ‘others’ when working for
attaining happiness and avoiding suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: white;">One should
reflect and try to find out the difference between ‘self and ‘others’. By so
doing, one will find that as far as the wish to attain happiness and avoid
suffering is concerned, there really is no difference whatsoever.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: white;">We have a
natural right to be happy and to avoid suffering, and the same is true for all
living beings — they also have the same natural right. But in one respect there
is a difference between ourselves and others What is it? The difference lies in
the quantity. The welfare of oneself is the welfare of a single person, a
single living being, whereas the welfare of others is that of an infinite
number of beings. From that point of view, we can see that the welfare of
others is more important than one’s own.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: white;">The self is
always related to others on the ordinary level, on the path, and at the
resultant state. Reflecting along these lines, brings the understanding of how
important it is to work for the benefit of other beings. If one remains selfish
and self-centred always, and is able to achieve the happiness that one seeks,
then it would be understandable to work solely for oneself, but this does not
happen. We are such that we have to depend on the co-operation and kindness of
others for our survival.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: white;">It is also a
fact — something that we can observe — that the more we take the welfare of
others to heart and work for their benefit, the more benefit we derive for
ourselves. This is a fact that we can see. And the more selfish we remain and
self-centred, the more selfish our way of life is, the lonelier we feel and the
more miserable. This is also a fact that we can see.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: white;">If one
definitely wants to work for one’s own benefit and welfare, therefore, it is
better to regard the welfare of others to be more important than one’s own,
which is just what the <i>Bodhisattvacaryavatara </i>recommends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: white;">If you contemplate along these lines, you will increase
the force of the thought that cherishes others more and more</span></span></div>
Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-25725919589049689152015-01-01T13:22:00.000-05:002015-01-01T13:22:07.328-05:00The Ten Non Virtuous Actions by Tina Williamson<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">There is a certain
universal moral compass that guides us all and regardless
of your religious beliefs these moral guidelines are very similar
across humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">The problem is that we do
not always follow our compass. Atrocities big and small are committed
every day across the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Engaging in
negative actions will never produce positive results; if you harm
someone you cannot expect that good karma will float your way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">It’s a lot like
planting a tomato seed; you shouldn’t expect to get an orange tree.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">We all know that good
intentions and virtuous actions will plant seeds for future
happiness. We also know that negative intentions with unwholesome
motivations plant seeds of future suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">These seeds sometimes
aren’t apparent right away; these karmic seeds can lie dormant for a long time,
until the right conditions ripen, and then they produce their effect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">It’s kind of interesting
to think that you are in the driver’s seat of your future. You can make a
difference right now in your future life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">We all want to avoid
suffering, but the problem is that we don’t know how. </span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Avoiding suffering and
finding inner peace are key components of Buddhist teachings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">In order
to reduce future suffering we avoid the <i>10 non virtuous
actions </i>towards others and by doing so we ripen future seeds of kindness
and happiness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">You <u>don’t need to be a
Buddhist</u> to learn and practice the non virtuous actions anymore than you
don’t need to a Christian to follow the 10 commandments. They are simply
a guideline for living peacefully, kindly, happily and purely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">It might all sound
technical – <i>virtuous actions</i>, but don’t let that scare you, it is simply
a label on a concept, guidelines of moral intentions to follow.
Let go of the label, the feelings of good or bad associated with the label and
just try to see the positive effects this could have on your life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">When you commit to
following this <a href="http://www.barefootbeginnings.net/2013/11/09/are-you-on-the-right-path/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">path</span></a>
it doesn’t mean that you are perfect, it doesn’t mean you will
never flower a bad karmic seed, it simply means that you try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Put a conscious effort
into being a better person; a better person right now, a better person for your
future self and for everyone around you near and far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Infuse your day with
effort. Put effort and power in where you would have otherwise had
none. Try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Practice your virtue
widely. Turn non virtuous actions around and naturally you will make 10
virtuous actions ripen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Remember you don’t need
to practice all the vows at once. Practice one at a time until you
develop new lifestyle habits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 30.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">10 Non Virtuous Actions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Bodily actions</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">: Killing,
stealing, sexual misconduct<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Verbal actions</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">: Lying,
slander (divisive speech), harsh speech (hurtful words), and gossip (idle
chatter)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Mental actions</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">: Covetousness
(greed), harmful intent (hatred), and holding wrong views (ignorance)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Non-virtuous Actions of
the Body<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">1. Killing – This is the
first non-virtuous action. No killing of any sentient beings.
Sentient beings are any beings that have a mind. Sentient = capable
of feeling and perception.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">2. Stealing – Do not steal
anything of value to someone else: This includes shady business deals, cheating
on rent, taxes, or bills, underpaying what is due to local government or
society, stealing from work. Do not take what is not given to you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">3. Sexual misconduct – It
mainly means adultery – cheating on your partner, a person to whom you are
exclusively committed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">We need to learn to think
before we act.</span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Non-virtuous Actions of
Speech<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">4. Lying - Giving someone
else a wrong impression about what you have seen, believe, or know; unless it
would save someone’s life or prevent real suffering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">5. Slander – Saying things
that will divide people. Bad mouthing someone. Instead try to bring
people together in harmony.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">6. Senseless
chatter or Idle Talk – Meaningless chatter, criticism, disputes, useless
joking, whining, complaining. Gossip about people, sports or
politics. Try to reduce your senseless chatter and make more room in your
life for peace and deep meaningful conversations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">7. Hurtful Speech – Having
bad intent; it includes sarcastic “nice” words and swearing. So don’t say
something hurtful to someone’s face, like you are an idiot. The opposite of
hurtful speech will instill peace or good feeling into people. Honest and kind
speech leads to closeness among people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Non-virtues – Actions of
the Mind<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">8. Covetousness – This is
similar to coveting in the Ten Commandments. Wanting others’ possessions and
personal qualities like their intelligence, health, fame, youth, or spiritual
achievements. It comes in five stages: you are attached to your own
possessions, desire to accumulate more than you have, discover another’s
possessions, like to make them your own, and the desire becomes unmanageable and
you “lose shame” (then you act).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">The opposite of this is
being happy with what you have. Obsessing about what you don’t
have leads to unhappiness, you will become over consumed with desire and
will never have enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">9. Vindictiveness – To
wish bad things or harm others; being pleased when others fail or have
misfortune; like “Oh, how did they mess up? Tell me more…” not feeling as
bad for an unfortunate person as you would feel for yourself if you were them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">10. Holding wrong views –
Wrong View – </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Incorrect world view” means not regarding karma as being the direct
cause of our experience</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">. This leads to doing misdeeds #1-9.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Every action has four
stages: the first is to recognize the other person, secondly you think about
how you want to act towards that person; then you take action, you have
already chosen whether you will act poorly or positively, and the fourth
action is that the person has been harmed or benefited in some way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">The first is recognition,
second is consideration of the action, third to make it happen, fourth is
the result.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">The main causes of
unhappiness are these ten non virtuous actions, and the corrections for these
are to do the opposite. It is very important to think about these things and
move your behavior away from the non-virtue and toward the corresponding
virtue. In this way we are able to conquer our own minds and establish peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Mindfulness is receiving a
lot of attention lately, and mindfulness is at the heart of Buddhist
teachings. In general we are becoming more<a href="http://www.barefootbeginnings.net/2013/08/25/what-is-mindfulness/"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> mindful </span></a>every
day and learning that great wealth and expensive cars do not lead to <a href="http://www.barefootbeginnings.net/2013/11/22/find-true-happiness/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">happiness</span></a>.
We need to work with our minds, it is our most important computer. It’s
important to infuse our minds with kind, honest intentions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Within Buddhist teachings,
this is the path of actions. It is the heart and essence of the Buddha’s teaching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Practice one or two of the virtues, make a commitment to stop gossiping
or to stop manipulating people. Or if you’re feeling inspired
practice all ten, but making any effort no matter how small will have a great
impact on your life and those around you.</span></div>
Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-29519261591856238572014-11-24T12:44:00.000-05:002014-11-24T12:44:56.899-05:00The Noble Eightfold Path as Interpreted by Ch'onsa KimThis is one of the best interpretations of the Noble Eightfold Path I have ever read. It is simple and to the point. Quite wonderful!<br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The Eight Fold Path</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Buddhism does not aim to explain God, creation or eternal concepts. Such truths can only be found within the heart of a person. Whatever one holds within the heart is what is. What Buddhism does aim to do is help us overcome the chaos of this world and point us to a path that leads us to our own spirituality. We are all searching for the same things- freedom from our pain and realizing who we truly are, deep within. The Buddha Siddharthe Guatama, in his contemplation, realized the truth about suffering and the path to liberation from it. This Eight-Fold Path and Four Noble Truths make up the foundation of Buddhism.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Right View</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The Four Noble Truths:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">1. The truth about suffering is that it exists. Life is suffering. Birth, aging and dying is suffering.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">2. Our reaching into the world of dreams, our desire to fulfill what cannot be fulfilled is what brings us our suffering.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">3. Only when we have broken the mirrors of illusion can we end our suffering, and</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">4. the Eight-Fold Path can help us to break our habits of suffering.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">When we are able to recognize suffering as it enters our lives, see that our own desires have brought us this pain, and understand that letting go of this desire can bring us peace we have attained Right View.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Right Thought</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Reality grows in the garden of the mind. Our world is the fruit of our thoughts that sprout from the seeds of ideas. We must therefore be discerning gardeners, looking carefully at what ideas we allow to take root within the mind. We must be able to recognize which ideas and thoughts are born of desire and which carry the seeds of desire that causes our suffering.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The seeds of suffering that take root within the mind are those of greed, ill-will, hostility, denigration, dominance, envy, jealousy, hypocrisy, fraud, obstinacy, presumption, conceit, arrogance, vanity and negligence. In Buddhism, these are known as the 15 defilements, and the Buddha realized 6 methods for removing such defilements from the mind:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">1. Restraining:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Restrain from what pleases the senses but bears poison.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">2. Using:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Use all that we are, all that we have, all there is to cultivate peace.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">3. Tolerating:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Tolerate all adversity, and never abandon our gardens to the wild.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">4. Avoiding:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Avoid all that is impure and spoils the soil of the mind. Tend only to what is pure and that which nurtures the pure.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">5. Destroying:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Remove the defilements by destroying them from the root.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">6. Developing:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Never cease to develop our skills of peacefulness.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Right Speech</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">We are often judged by our words. Long after we leave this world, our words shall remain. Words can often be sharper than the blade of the sword, bringing harm to the spirit of a person which can cause wounds that are deeper and last longer than that of a dagger. Therefore, we must choose our words carefully. The Buddha realized 4 methods of speech that bring peace to our lives and the lives of those who surround us.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">1. Words of Honesty:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Speaking without truth can be a means to our end and to the end of others. Therefore, honesty is always the best policy.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">2. Words of Kindness:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Speaking words of kindness, we will never be the cause that divides hearts or puts brother against brother. We become peacemakers. Our words are cherished and valued and shall bring peacefulness to ourselves and to those surrounding us.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">3. Words that are Nurturing:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Words that comfort rather than harm the heart, shall travel to the heart, and bring long lasting peace.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">4. Words that are Worthy:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Speaking only what is worthy and valuable for the moment, our words will always be found sweet to the ears of others and shall always be considered in a peaceful manner. Words of gossip, untruth, and selfishness do not return to us with peace. The worth of our words is measured by how much they improve the silence.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Right Action</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
All of our lives we have been instructed to do the right thing. Often we are perplexed with what is the right thing. Ultimately, we must decide for ourselves what is right- but often our judgment is clouded by the defilements of the mind. While upon the Eight-Fold path, we must remember that our aim is to end our suffering. All we do, comes back to us in one way or another, eventually. What may be the right thing for the moment may not be the right thing for the next. Although this moment is the only one that exists, we must not fail to realize that within this moment- the past, present and future are contained. The truly right does not change from moment to moment. Look deep within your own heart, and you will know what is right.</div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The Golden Rule in Buddhism is: Do no harm.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The Buddha practiced the following code of conduct in his own life:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">1. Respect life</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">2. Earn all that you have</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">3. Control your desire, rather than allow desire to control you.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Right Livelihood</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Often when one begins practicing the ways of Peace, a time comes when lifestyle must be evaluated. In this life, we have the opportunity to liberate ourselves from the cycle of suffering and find peace. We also have the opportunity to help others break free. Does one's way of life support or hinder the ways of Peace? Only the heart knows.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Right Effort</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">The path is not an easy one. Our habits of suffering are strong, and deeply imprinted in our way of life. It is difficult to maneuver peacefully in a world of chaos. Many of the things that we know we must let go of are things that we have held dearly for we have fought fiercely to obtain them. Our very own self- identity may have been formed with great personal sacrifice. Discipline and diligence is key to persevering on the path. Therefore, our decision to take up the path to liberation must be firm, and executed with right effort. When we have realized the truth of suffering, and are willing to seek liberation with the same tenacity as a drowning man struggles for a breath, then right effort has been attained.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Right Mindfulness</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Being mindful of the heart of matters can help us to overcome suffering with understanding. When sitting, laying or moving, being mindful of the following four frames of references are said by the Buddha to help us achieve great understanding, and can even help us unlock the secrets that are within our hearts.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">1. The Body:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Paying attention to our physical being can help us direct the mind away from the distractions of the world. Focusing on our breath, our movements, our actions, our components, and on the sheer miracle of our physical existence we can arrive at calmness and clarity.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">2. Feelings:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Paying attention to our external and internal feelings, observing their rise and fall, can help us realize their origination, development and decline. Understanding the nature of our feelings can help us let go and break our habits of clinging.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">3. Mind:</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Turning the mind upon itself, observing our thoughts, can help us realize the origination and aim of our thoughts. With this understanding, we can understand the nature of the mind and overcome our thought habits of suffering.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">4. Mental Qualities:</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Paying attention to our mental state of mind can help us recognize the five hindrances of our mentality (sensual desire, ill-will, laziness, anxiety and doubt). Observing their origination, development and decline, can help us realize how we can overcome them. By observing the origination, the components, the development, and the decline of things in regard to these frames of reference, we can find a deep understanding in the nature of ourselves, and to know our own hearts is to know the hearts of others.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Right Concentration</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1">As we sail through life, the winds of desire push us toward the Ocean of Suffering. But the skillful stand firm in virtue at the helm, directing the rudder of the mind toward peace. Single-minded concentration on the path to Peace (the Eight-Fold path) is right concentration. It is picking yourself up when you stumble and continuing onward. It is recognizing why you have fallen astray. It is recognizing when you are about to fall. It is continuing upon the path without hesitation or doubt. It is never ceasing to develop our skill in the way.</span></div>
Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-52205610357750471092014-10-22T18:18:00.004-04:002014-10-22T18:18:55.729-04:00Notes to Myself (or Things to Do Before Watching TV)<b>Notes to Myself: </b><br />
<br />
1) Think before you speak. Sometimes what you deem is “profound” may actually hurt the other person.<br />
<br />
2) Look at your motives ….for everything.<br />
<br />
3) When you do something that you feel is “bad” try to remember you are not as horrible as you think you are.<br />
<br />
4) When you lean in to tell someone a secret make sure it isn’t gossip or something you do not know to be 100% true.<br />
<br />
5) I know it’s hard, but when you’re in an argument envision the other person as Jesus or Buddha or someone you love deeply…I guarantee you’ll act differently.<br />
<br />
6) Just because you gave up a specific habit doesn’t mean others that still do it should stop too.<br />
<br />
7) Try not to force people to walk in your shoes. Your beautiful path may be another’s treacherous road.<br />
<br />
8) If you feel forgiven for past transgressions remember that others may not have forgiven you. You may still have amends to make.<br />
<br />
9) Get off your butt and go against what you’ve always done. There’s a whole world out there that can help you solve your problems!<br />
<br />
10) Give, give, give….and don’t keep score.<br />
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Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-56874166961100203002014-09-05T12:20:00.003-04:002014-09-05T12:20:49.076-04:00What I choose to become<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWThStk9IcA4nyEbgZwzTAPPHZ6XCzJ87y89VcNSxTs0fm48X2jM4wboOXrVl2QS0ianbZGcpVNlSTLeexM45Jug3uBzIUSi5mXSPyHAG1_0CTPBDNuVfzuY1UAj-eUB0X9CWQsOBXwNT/s1600/Carl+Jung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWThStk9IcA4nyEbgZwzTAPPHZ6XCzJ87y89VcNSxTs0fm48X2jM4wboOXrVl2QS0ianbZGcpVNlSTLeexM45Jug3uBzIUSi5mXSPyHAG1_0CTPBDNuVfzuY1UAj-eUB0X9CWQsOBXwNT/s1600/Carl+Jung.jpg" height="640" width="361" /></a></div>
Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-42205913330747196072014-08-12T21:30:00.001-04:002014-08-12T21:30:30.514-04:00Robin Williams's death: a reminder that suicide and depression are not selfishRobin Williams's death: a reminder that suicide and depression are not selfish by Dean Burnett<br /><br />
News of Robin Williams’s death due to apparent suicide, said to be a result of suffering severe depression, is terribly sad. But to say taking your own life because of such an illness is a ‘selfish’ act does nothing but insult the deceased, potentially cause more harm and reveal a staggering ignorance of mental health problems<br /><br />Many words can be used to describe Robin Williams. ‘Selfish’ should not be one of them. <br />News broke today that Robin Williams had passed away, due to apparent suicide following severe depression. As the vast majority of people will likely have already said, this was terribly heart-breaking news. Such an iconic, talented and beloved figure will have no shortage of tributes paid to him and his incredible legacy. It’s also worth noting that Robin Williams was open about his mental health issues.<br /><br />However, despite the tremendous amount of love and admiration for Williams being expressed pretty much everywhere right now, there are still those who can’t seem to resist the opportunity to criticise, as they do these days whenever a celebrated or successful person commits suicide. You may have come across this yourself; people who refer to the suicide as “selfish”. People will utter/post phrases such as “to do that to your family is just selfish”, or “to commit suicide when you’ve got so much going for you is pure selfishness”, or variations thereof.<br /><br />If you are such a person who has expressed these views or similar for whatever reason, here’s why you’re wrong, or at the very least misinformed, and could be doing more harm in the long run.<br /><br />Depression IS an illness<br /><br />Depression, the clinical condition, could really use a different name. At present, the word “depressed” can be applied to both people who are a bit miserable and those with a genuine debilitating mood disorder. Ergo, it seems people are often very quick to dismiss depression as a minor, trivial concern. After all, everyone gets depressed now and again, don’t they? Don’t know why these people are complaining so much.<br /><br />I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; dismissing the concerns of a genuine depression sufferer on the grounds that you’ve been miserable and got over it is like dismissing the issues faced by someone who’s had to have their arm amputated because you once had a paper cut and it didn’t bother you. Depression is a genuine debilitating condition, and being in “a bit of a funk” isn’t. The fact that mental illness doesn’t receive the same sympathy/acknowledgement as physical illness is often referenced, and it’s a valid point. If you haven’t had it, you don’t have the right to dismiss those who have/do. You may disagree, and that’s your prerogative, but there are decades’ worth of evidence saying you’re wrong.<br /><br />Depression doesn’t discriminate<br /><br />How, many seem to wonder, could someone with so much going for them, possibly feel depressed to the point of suicide? With all the money/fame/family/success they have, to be depressed makes no sense?<br /><br />Admittedly, there’s a certain amount of logic to this. But, and this is important, depression (like all mental illnesses) typically doesn’t take personal factors into account. Mental illness can affect anyone. We’ve all heard of the “madness” of King George III; if mental illness won’t spare someone who, at the time, was one of the most powerful well-bred humans alive, why would it spare someone just because they have a film career?<br /><br />Granted, those with worse lives are probably going to be exposed to the greater number of risk factors for depression, but that doesn’t mean those with reduced likelihood of exposure to hardships or tragic events are immune. Smoking may be a major cause of lung cancer, but non-smokers can end up with it. And a person’s lifestyle doesn’t automatically reduce their suffering. Depression doesn’t work like that. And even if it did, where’s the cut-off point? Who would we consider “too successful” to be ill?<br /><br />Depression is not ‘logical’<br /><br />If we’re being optimistic, it could be said that most of those describing suicide from depression as selfish are doing so from a position of ignorance. Perhaps they think that those with depression make some sort of table or chart with the pros and cons of suicide and, despite the pros being far more numerous, selfishly opt for suicide anyway?<br /><br />This is, of course, nonsensical. One of the main problems with mental illness is that is prevents you from behaving or thinking “normally” (although what that means is a discussion for another time). A depression sufferer is not thinking like a non-sufferer in the same way that someone who’s drowning is not “breathing air” like a person on land is. The situation is different. From the sufferers perspective, their self-worth may be so low, their outlook so bleak, that their families/friends/fans would be a lot better off without them in the world, ergo their suicide is actually intended as an act of generosity? Some might find such a conclusion an offensive assumption, but it is no more so than accusations of selfishness.<br /><br />The “selfish” accusation also often implies that there are other options the sufferer has, but has chosen suicide. Or that it’s the “easy way out”. There are many ways to describe the sort of suffering that overrides a survival instinct that has evolved over millions of years, but “easy” isn’t an obvious one to go for. Perhaps none of it makes sense from a logical perspective, but insisting on logical thinking from someone in the grips of a mental illness is like insisting that someone with a broken leg walks normally; logically, you shouldn’t do that.<br /><br />Stephen Fry, in his interview on Richard Herring’s podcast, had a brilliant explanation about how depression doesn’t make you think logically, or automatically confide in friends and family. I won’t spoil it by revealing it here, but I will say it involves genital warts.<br /><br />Accusations of selfishness are themselves selfish?<br /><br />Say you don’t agree with any of the above, that you still maintain that for someone with a successful career and family to commit suicide is selfish. Fine. Your opinion, you’re entitled to have it, however much we may disagree.<br /><br />But why would you want to publicly declare that the recently deceased is selfish? Especially when the news has only just broken, and people are clearly sad about the whole thing? Why is getting in to criticise the deceased when they’ve only just passed so important to you? What service are you providing by doing so, that makes you so justified in throwing accusations of selfishness around?<br /><br />Do you think that depression is “fashionable?” And by criticising the sufferers you can deter others from “joining in”? Granted, we hear more about depression than we used to these days, but then we know what it is now. We see a lot more photos from Mars these days, because we have the means of doing so now, not because it’s suddenly trendy.<br /><br />Perhaps you are trying to deter anyone else who might read your views from considering suicide themselves? Given that statistics suggest that one in four people suffer some sort of mental health problem, this isn’t that unlikely an occurrence. But if someone is genuinely depressed and feels their life is worthless, seeing that others consider their feeling selfish can surely only emphasise their own self-loathing and bleakness? It suggests that people will hate them even in death.<br /><br />Maybe you know some people who have “attempted” suicide purely for attention? Fair enough; a debatable conclusion, but even if you’re right, so what? Surely someone who succeeds at committing suicide is a genuine sufferer who deserves our sympathy?<br /><br />Perhaps you feel that those expressing sorrow and sadness are wrong and you need to show them that you know better, no matter how upsetting they may find it? And this is unselfish behaviour how, exactly?<br /><br />A brilliant but tortured individual has taken his own life, and this is a tragedy. But levelling ignorant accusations of selfishness certainly won’t prevent this from happening again. People should never be made to feel worse for suffering from something beyond their control.<br /><br />If you feel you are dealing with depression, the charity MIND has many helpful sources, but there are many other avenues you can pursue<br /><br />Dean Burnett is on Twitter, @garwboyBhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-73002135851234698742014-07-25T12:13:00.001-04:002014-07-25T12:13:44.180-04:00Meditation Methods<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEz-OtFMHrLC0Q0QQ3HY2Y_MxnQWL4pvKk7ntqJQa_gUpxK-0OfwH3-71nC3bDHn1q7t3m0_zKyeArcuhyjeE6SKvNlgf4rzdUxq_Ma0_h1-SZInUk7ZeRYxaRnIhFFh68BwSHhlENRwp1/s1600/Meditation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEz-OtFMHrLC0Q0QQ3HY2Y_MxnQWL4pvKk7ntqJQa_gUpxK-0OfwH3-71nC3bDHn1q7t3m0_zKyeArcuhyjeE6SKvNlgf4rzdUxq_Ma0_h1-SZInUk7ZeRYxaRnIhFFh68BwSHhlENRwp1/s1600/Meditation.jpg" height="640" width="406" /></a></div>
<br />Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-89867273315479981262014-03-27T10:52:00.000-04:002014-03-27T10:52:27.345-04:00How to Just Be<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTXIkrDwSaoHcmqgW2FK5Ef73ZweW1o5FXCgLF_ekWnNYW8V7Q8GJDOpVWHkbuWqi14hYI2LG_D3seTOUA1FjO2gHeXlT_AnHQWSoAj2gv5hZ-FGuyG2P8RAP2hlPuuLym76qArzSZH1C/s1600/How+to+Just+Be.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTXIkrDwSaoHcmqgW2FK5Ef73ZweW1o5FXCgLF_ekWnNYW8V7Q8GJDOpVWHkbuWqi14hYI2LG_D3seTOUA1FjO2gHeXlT_AnHQWSoAj2gv5hZ-FGuyG2P8RAP2hlPuuLym76qArzSZH1C/s1600/How+to+Just+Be.jpg" height="640" width="398" /></a></div>
<br />Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-58646558714573177682014-03-06T10:40:00.000-05:002014-03-06T10:40:27.405-05:00Buddha’s Advice on the Four Immeasurables<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTE6kRx-LnFym2eS1MH5Z1QQL-BBx2sKnJ5mJKhsP2oM_TQgo28jNKigsn0hpj9r-1t_7cTOptZBbcxkL5BzQOqZf8_4-_2v8qfh4VWr6GVL6L2zVV58FwtP6Pz78_Z05sw13s2Z-_OZxL/s1600/4-Immeasurables.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTE6kRx-LnFym2eS1MH5Z1QQL-BBx2sKnJ5mJKhsP2oM_TQgo28jNKigsn0hpj9r-1t_7cTOptZBbcxkL5BzQOqZf8_4-_2v8qfh4VWr6GVL6L2zVV58FwtP6Pz78_Z05sw13s2Z-_OZxL/s1600/4-Immeasurables.png" /></a>The Buddha taught the following to his son Rahula (from "Old path white clouds" by Thich Nhat Hahn):<br />
<br />
"Rahula, practice loving kindness to overcome anger. Loving kindness has the capacity to bring happiness to others without demanding anything in return.<br />
<br />
Practice compassion to overcome cruelty. Compassion has the capacity to remove the suffering of others without expecting anything in return.<br />
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Practice sympathetic joy to overcome hatred. Sympathetic joy arises when one rejoices over the happiness of others and wishes others well-being and success.<br />
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Practice non-attachment to overcome prejudice. Non-attachment is the way of looking at all things openly and equally. This is because that is. Myself and others are not separate.<br />
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Do not reject one thing only to chase after another.
I call these the four immeasurables. Practice them and you will become a refreshing source of vitality and happiness for others."Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-4392285404107324072014-02-28T13:05:00.000-05:002014-02-28T13:05:04.758-05:00Refraining from the Ten Non Virtuous Actions<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXho1PsMpbAg8GWSLuwusOUj-mhwuAyaajaaOwAC4muwKZ03wvffNb5JYYUkawRSI3AI_Sfl-7tmE_0VWi4FIQkZ0Jpe-gpm_zlQxwikXXLpU8w9Xkv45ffVJu2yQ37xkLzoJvZNPo5_2/s1600/LotusFlower.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXho1PsMpbAg8GWSLuwusOUj-mhwuAyaajaaOwAC4muwKZ03wvffNb5JYYUkawRSI3AI_Sfl-7tmE_0VWi4FIQkZ0Jpe-gpm_zlQxwikXXLpU8w9Xkv45ffVJu2yQ37xkLzoJvZNPo5_2/s1600/LotusFlower.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a>I try to go by this and I recite it every time before I meditate:<br />
<br />
I vow to refrain from the Ten Non Virtuous Actions<br />
<br />
Three of the Body:<br />
<br />
1. I vow to refrain from Killing.<br />
2. I vow to refrain from Stealing<br />
3. I vow to refrain from Sexual Misconduct<br />
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Four of the Speech<br />
4. I vow to refrain from Divisive Speech<br />
5. I vow to refrain from Harsh Words<br />
6. I vow to refrain from Idle Chatter<br />
7. I vow to refrain from Lying<br />
<br />
Three of the Mind<br />
8. I vow to refrain from Envy<br />
9. I vow to refrain from Hatred and Malice<br />
10. I vow to refrain from Wrong Views<br />
<br />
Unlike commandments that invoke guilt or sin if you don’t keep them, “vowing” to refrain from these actions shows that you are putting forth effort and you do not want these things in your heart.<br />
It is not meant to be like “If you don’t do these then you will be punished!” We punish ourselves enough when we do the Ten Non Virtuous Actions.<br />
<br />
Simply, my heart and soul doesn’t feel good when I hate or gossip or lie and so on so I make an effort in prayer and mediation to put my heart, soul and mind into these simple vows. We have Endless Spirit, True Nature, the All Knowing, our Buddha Nature<br />
deep within in each and every one of us to give us the strength and grace to accomplish these. Taking a vow is more personal action. YOU want to take the action. Doing something because you are commanded to is doing it because someone else demands that you do it. More times than not we fail at that and feel guilty for not accomplishing what we were told to do. When I make a vow with virtuous intent I know I have all the strength I need from within. Within me. Within you!Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-24806691380043996442014-02-25T13:29:00.000-05:002014-02-25T13:29:04.119-05:00The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Believe or How Not to Trust What our Noggins Tell Us
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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13pt;"><span style="color: yellow;">The mind is a wondrous and
crafty thing. It takes us a millisecond to go from thought to emotional
suffering. One split second to process a glance, a word, a gesture into anger,
resentment or pain. We have been doing this so long that it is easier to
respond that way to a perceived situation than it is to respond in a balanced,
healthy way. We are actually more comfortable with our minds causing unending
suffering then doing what we should do in order to be more at peace. It is
possible to learn or “re-teach” ourselves how to truthfully perceive the
moment, how to look at life with eyes that see truth and not lies. I have found
no stronger method to do this than silence. Quiet. Meditation. Prayer.
Listening. Sometimes one has to literally force themselves to break away from
the alluring, juicy habit of assessing a situation and lying to ourselves about
it, making that moment not anywhere near what that minuscule instant truly was.
The key is to remember that a second becomes “was” and not “is” immediately. As
soon as it passes, our minds go to work on it. Our minds tell us all sorts of
stories about the moment that just passed and the sad part is most of the
stories are not true. We have to learn to train our minds. “Mind training” is
not a secret to many religions. We can start by letting go and being alright
with ourselves in silence. That is where our True Nature is. In that moment
false stories and lies don’t exist. Only truth. Only our Buddha Nature. Only
God. We learn to heal and not believe the false pain that the egoic mind dishes
out. After a while we come to know that what our minds are telling us is just a
perception. It is far easier to deal with the reality that a perception is just
thin air…nothing. We learn not to make the moment something it is not. That is
a lovely way to be.</span></span></div>
Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-75437809342074421032014-02-08T18:11:00.000-05:002017-04-18T00:48:48.980-04:00The Improbable Journey by Shawn Coady<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was asked to write a little
something about my spiritual beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the best way to accomplish that is to take a look back at how I
got to the place I am in, the spiritual journey that is my life and then
attempt to roughly define it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was raised in a primarily Irish Catholic
neighborhood. I really didn’t
understand that there were any other religions other than Catholicism. We were not permitted to spend time
with “Protestants” and were cautioned about contact with others who didn’t
participate in the one true religion.
I was in high school before I really found out that “Protestants” were
fun and didn’t seem to have horns and a tail.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went to Catholic Elementary school and can still recite
many of the questions presented by the Baltimore Catechism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who Is God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is the Supreme Being who made all things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is our life’s purpose?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To know, love and serve God in this
world and to be with Him in the next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Who are the Twelve Apostles?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Peter, Andrew, James, John, Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James
the Lesser, Simon, Jude and Judas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I pulled those answers readily from my mind, like I learned them
yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the words of the
German Philosopher Niche, “ teach their minds<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>hate until they are seven years old and somewhere deep in
their hearts they will always be Nazis”. A Catholic education does primarily the same thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I deviated from parochial education for
one semester in High School where the social demands became a problem as I was
too shy to mingle and too angry to put up with corporal punishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I became engaged in an altercation
with a teacher and was sent back to my comfort (?) zone,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Father Baker’s where an angry,
impressionable young man could learn valuable lessons like assault, burglary,
bullying and reverence for the almighty Franciscans who could beat a young man
into seeming surrender until he got out of school and took his rightful place
as a curse on society.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I floundered for years with, little or no respect for law
and authority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Circumstance, and
an angry judge, convinced me to at least try to look like a respectable citizen
in my 27<sup>th</sup> year, having been arrested more than 30 times for violent
behavior and just being a nuisance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a short period of time I began to really try to be a good
citizen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t stand being
good, but hated the consequences of bad behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sought counseling from a priest that helped me see that my
biggest problem was a dislike of God, whom I perceived had failed me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then began a journey of discovery in
my 32<sup>nd</sup> year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I returned to the religion of my youth, becoming a daily
communicant with the buttons on his shirt so strained from self righteousness
that I feared they would pop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was in church on Easter Sunday that I really discovered that I did not believe
in the core concepts of that religion and began to seek a new experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been dunked for salvation so many
times that I have an anti-dunking campaign I am heading up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have studied Mysticism, Metaphysics,
A Course In Miracles, Christian Science, Universalism, Yoism, Judaism and so
many others and found all of them lacking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had the opportunity to go to college late in life and
found my God amongst the many scientists, philosophers and theologians I had
the privilege of learning from.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It began with a need for a philosophy course to meet the
minimum electives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I studied the
Bible from a strictly historical perspective, not on whether it was right or
wrong. My world was rocked by the discovery that all those things I held as the
word of God were historically inaccurate and basically motivated by influence
of men to limit or encourage certain behaviors. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
did NOT write the documents ascribed to them. They were dead hundreds of years
before those accounts were written, most likely by followers of their
teachings. The “historical” reports were strongly influenced by events in and
around the Holy Lands. Who was warring with whom, who had the greatest presence
in Jerusalem at the time; these were the context in which those accounts were
written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was truly lost but the
professor, a “Protestant”,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>told me
I was having a wonderful restructuring of my foundational beliefs and that I
should just enjoy it and let the new foundation settle. I next began reading
Emmett Fox regularly and the scientific approach appealed to me. Physics proved
to me the undeniable truth that there is life after death. The first law of
thermonuclear dynamics is that “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it
can only be altered.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell me then
just what happens to the energy that drives this living luggage I call a body
when the energy (spirit) leaves. If it can only be altered, where then does it
go?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe into the ethers that
surround us all the time. I studied the Big Bang Theory in astronomy under a
passionate and respected astronomer. The beauty of the science of this kind of
creation certainly must have a Cause. She proposed that if there was a big bang
then something had to initiate the power that resulted in the ever-expanding
universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She asked “Who then lit
the fuse?” In the words of Albert Einstein, “I want to know God’s
thoughts…..the rest are just details.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The closest philosophy to my personal “Religion” is
Christian Science. Emmett Fox’s interpretation of the “Lord’s Prayer” from the
Sermon on the Mount is the basis of my belief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first two words of the prayer, “Our Father”, tells me
everything I need to know about my relationship with God and my relationship
with all peoples in the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">In my personal opinion, to accurately describe God in words is a futile
effort at best. To practice the presence of God is a more worthy expression. To
love another more than yourself, to behold the beauty of a sunset or a starlit
night, to watch young parents doting over their newborn, to see older lovers
still holding hands, to witness giving without expectation of reward, to weep at injustice and brutality, to
greet an enemy with kindness and compassion are the things that are truly
expressions of God. Not much doctrine in my religion, just a desire to be the
best person I can possibly be is my heartfelt desire.</span><!--EndFragment--></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkiIKOLfwZkIsRNyPm1nMU523OzWV1J9NZRChk5XKGJXYHuCH3HhKQIA4FhiZF18uPMdubHcUcylPqXLRNjk02CvlwXbW-uWF5gfYXeEUIdUl2Z-87mLGysjYnmbzynAibGr_oDktMFk1/s1600/Shawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkiIKOLfwZkIsRNyPm1nMU523OzWV1J9NZRChk5XKGJXYHuCH3HhKQIA4FhiZF18uPMdubHcUcylPqXLRNjk02CvlwXbW-uWF5gfYXeEUIdUl2Z-87mLGysjYnmbzynAibGr_oDktMFk1/s1600/Shawn.jpg" height="171" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shawn Coady is a social commentator and writer with a focus on spirituality. He resides in Buffalo, New York with his cat Top Cat.</span></i></span>Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-91939208486443470842014-01-10T02:06:00.000-05:002014-01-10T02:06:39.583-05:00No One Said it Would Be Easy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11JUm04wt1Nrh5BZ8X9Q0PIcGy5L_tG1vs_5dlPS9LsAnpkobkCZ0i0g4-3-BBtxeswzialsGB5ZdlgDNXVUCtmVOs5oscSZ7Mnfad4I8BOoBlmYNNduVPjw8O3aFEQ-CNhQG9dA2ThUI/s1600/No+One+Said.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11JUm04wt1Nrh5BZ8X9Q0PIcGy5L_tG1vs_5dlPS9LsAnpkobkCZ0i0g4-3-BBtxeswzialsGB5ZdlgDNXVUCtmVOs5oscSZ7Mnfad4I8BOoBlmYNNduVPjw8O3aFEQ-CNhQG9dA2ThUI/s1600/No+One+Said.jpg" height="484" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-2128640206546759782013-12-04T10:47:00.001-05:002013-12-04T10:47:27.611-05:00No Self<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpGEM0SnvPG73bBcKgy7wYG0ppIM2HwJEBKxJwy1AfANNdfnoR0uNibeC9nxKeu0UXgswBQmP5ZhY69eEiQTgcSI3FAxPBqTPnfsbnaySQ2amgPdZiG4GkAz3WB40sXGZVCcdtu_XPpSJ/s1600/Master.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpGEM0SnvPG73bBcKgy7wYG0ppIM2HwJEBKxJwy1AfANNdfnoR0uNibeC9nxKeu0UXgswBQmP5ZhY69eEiQTgcSI3FAxPBqTPnfsbnaySQ2amgPdZiG4GkAz3WB40sXGZVCcdtu_XPpSJ/s400/Master.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-62997185321737663272013-11-27T14:15:00.000-05:002013-11-27T14:15:38.982-05:00Thanksgiving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pGujpL3jJ7X_dgCge0-sf47yz4KkxEJl8Yxhm2enr9Cq8d7BNAPoWa6E1JV-iLF15p1WIBR_fELI8YapQM6MBOoQdBb7OFmhKjEZRHrfjTwO6bEU8vLK8RaYWACRNM0r0tl7N6NUM8iK/s1600/Trample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pGujpL3jJ7X_dgCge0-sf47yz4KkxEJl8Yxhm2enr9Cq8d7BNAPoWa6E1JV-iLF15p1WIBR_fELI8YapQM6MBOoQdBb7OFmhKjEZRHrfjTwO6bEU8vLK8RaYWACRNM0r0tl7N6NUM8iK/s400/Trample.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-69789524479973368512013-11-19T12:10:00.000-05:002013-11-19T12:10:11.884-05:00The Reclining Buddha<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhVT5MERMNDr8LJ4mIc-3TwyH2bPcNOfIRaFQMU6mOIMYeEJumLA1uaFPO4udhgV092wrFHD98C3djwIhdo999nxXc8K8sEm4bwcAs7S_2C7HW9hts-H5bO2RzF4Z9zrYrOk_jLRWwAw5/s1600/2009_39879_44305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwhVT5MERMNDr8LJ4mIc-3TwyH2bPcNOfIRaFQMU6mOIMYeEJumLA1uaFPO4udhgV092wrFHD98C3djwIhdo999nxXc8K8sEm4bwcAs7S_2C7HW9hts-H5bO2RzF4Z9zrYrOk_jLRWwAw5/s400/2009_39879_44305.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How absolutely beautiful!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-43117312310541500002013-07-14T10:02:00.000-04:002013-07-14T10:02:59.317-04:00Waldo Finds Himself<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-852685032300248342013-07-03T11:04:00.002-04:002013-07-03T11:04:32.010-04:00 Process of Prayer - Supplication, Meditation, Appreciation, Application by Susan Helene Kramer.Meditation and Reflection<br />
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Meditation is the medication for healing ignorance of our eternal Self. We know about our sensory organs; we know about our emotions; we know about our thinking mind; but until we still our body, emotions, and thinking mind, we do not have conscious contact with our self - which is part of the main eternal core of Self. The joyful effects experienced from the inner stillness of meditation eventually flow outwardly into daily life. Joy invigorates us with plenty of lively energy for caring and sharing; in joy we feel happy and fulfilled.<br />
<br />
Meditation
<i>The medication healing ignorance
Of our permanent nature of joy.</i><br />
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Going within - reflecting - brings forth clarified reality. When we perceive past and ongoing events clearly, we see where we are heading. Living each moment with caring and in our highest consciousness of good allows happiness in our present and future.<br />
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<i>Perceptions refined by reflection
Quiet time
Clarified mind. </i><br />
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We aid ourselves in fulfilling our human potential by maintaining and nurturing a stable secure base. When we are out of balance the results of our actions are, also. To produce results for the highest good we need to consistently live from our highest consciousness. By living a balance of work, play, and contemplation we stay centered.<br />
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<i>Directives from conscience </i><br />
<i>Perceived through peaceful thoughts </i><br />
<i>Feelings of contentment </i><br />
<i>Energized body </i><br />
<i>Directives from conscience </i><br />
<i>Always for the best. </i><br />
<br />
Summary by Susan Helene KramerBhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293793040299695613.post-1508614333334816622013-06-08T13:37:00.000-04:002013-06-08T13:37:26.454-04:00Natural Nirvana<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Bhodi Anjo Daishinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03730072642627044659noreply@blogger.com0