Special Combo: Faith AND Wisdom!

The Buddha compared faith to a blind giant who meets up with a very sharp-eyed cripple, called wisdom. The blind giant, called faith, says to the sharp-eyed cripple, "I am very strong, but I can't see; you are very weak, but you have sharp eyes. Come and ride on my shoulders. Together we will go far." The Buddha never supported blind faith, but a balance between heart and mind, between wisdom and faith. The two together will go far. The saying that blind faith can move mountains unfortunately omits the fact that, being blind, faith doesn't know which mountain needs moving. That's where wisdom is essential, which means that a thorough understanding of the teaching is crucial.
   --Ayya Khema

Glurg, Glurg. GLURG!

Glurg, Glurg, Glurg

In the long days of wandering without direction, Glurg found himself.

Yes. Glurg was there in the sticky, dripping mango juice. He was there in the loneliness of the afternoon heat. He was there in the crowded forest. He was there in the silence of the full moon and in the babbling of the brook. It was all Glurg. He was home.

"All who wander are not lost."

Positive Thoughts

Positive actions are difficult and infrequent. It is hard to have positive thoughts when our minds are influenced by emotions and confused by adverse circumstances. Negative thoughts arise by themselves, and it is rare that we do a positive action whose motivation, execution, and conclusion are perfectly pure. If our stock of hard-won positive actions is rendered powerless in an instant of anger, the loss is immeasurably more serious than that of some more abundant resource.

 

 

--The Dalai Lama
 

Compassion...

Whether people are beautiful and friendly or unattractive and disruptive, ultimately they are human beings, just like oneself. Like oneself, they want happiness and do not want suffering. Furthermore, their right to overcome suffering and be happy is equal to one's own. ...When you recognize that all beings are equal in both their desire for happiness and their right to obtain it, you automatically feel empathy and closeness for them.

Through accustoming your mind to this sense of universal altruism, you develop a feeling of responsibility for others: the wish to help them actively overcome their problems. Nor is this wish selective; it applies equally to all.

 

- The Dalai Lama, Compassion for the Individual

It is EASY!

There is a simple way to become a buddha: When you refrain from unwholesome action, are not attached to birth and death, and are compassionate toward all sentient beings, respectful to seniors and kind to juniors, not excluding or desiring anything, with no designing thoughts or worries, you will be called a buddha. Do not seek anything else.

 

--Zen Master Dogen, Moon in a Dewdrop, edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi

 

The Transfer Station

The Transfer Station

 

Today I went to the Transfer Station. Lovingly known as the 'dump' or 'swap stop'. I was there to transfer...... Leaving stuff that I am not using with the hope that someone would gleefully grab it up and put it to use. Continuing the cycle of energy that has been stuck (oh so long) in my basement.

 

Yes, moving is giving me a great time to transfer that stuck energy.  Most of my furniture went to Acton Household Goods Recycling Ministry. (www.hgrm.org) Families rebuilding after domestic violence or other crisis may have a dining room table, or living room chair, or a bookcase that came from me. It will be one nice thing in their hard world. The interesting thing is how it changes me. Giving all this stuff away to people who want and need it creates an inner well of good energy. I feel happy thinking about that table in someone's home. Maybe one small semblance of normalcy in a ragged life. I smile.

 

This is in sharp contrast to my emotional response to the many treasures I have in my storage locker. Heavy feelings emerge with the thought of all that stuff. Useful, wonderful, dormant. That's no way to live, is it?

 

At the Transfer Station, I've left boxes of crafts, sporting goods, exercise things, furniture. And it disappears. I sometimes go back with a second load and much of the first load has been picked up already. It has a home. With someone who wants it. I feel good about that.

 

One day, I took a big box of candle making supplies:  wax, wicks, molds, book, the whole nine yards.  A woman walked by and I said "It's candle making supplies." She said "OH! I was going to make candles with my daughter!". I replied "Well, there you go. It's just about everything you need to get started."  She took the box and walked away delighted. And I walked away delighted too. I recalled making candles with my daughter, and knew that this pleasure would transfer along into another life. It was like Christmas! That wonderful experience of just giving... no expectation, no keeping track, no response needed... just giving and relishing the fact that joy has been shared.

 

And, while I think of it, isn't Life just a huge Transfer Station? All the time, we're transferrinig. Exchanging cells, germs, energy, and attitudes with everyone we intersect. Usually unaware and mindless transfers:   a moan or groan, a smile.  Sometimes we're only too aware of the exchange:  shouting, swearing, gesturing, and traffic accidents. But, I'd guess most of our transfers are mindless and lost in the static of life. But they still get picked up. Each transfer has an effect. Somebody picks up the burden of your moaning. Maybe your smile lightened someone's day. And the residue stays with us... Sharing the smile creates more 'smiliness' inside. Sharing the moan... well, it's 'moaney' and tiring, and kind of heavy. Isn't it?

 

With each transfer we make a difference. We can choose what goods we share and exchange:  tables, chairs, smiles, respect, tolerance, patience. And in the process of giving that stuff away, we find that we feel better, lighter, happier. It's a very peculiar math.... Giving things away you are left with so much more.

A Shoe On The Side Of The Road

A Shoe On The Side Of The Road

When I drive, I always notice stray shoes. Shoes on the side of the road. Shoes hanging from overhead wires. Shoes hanging from trees. Stray shoes that usually rest alone in some solitary, forgotten spot.

And I wonder when I see a shoe on the side of the road... Whose shoe was that? Do they know it's there? Did they feel sad when they discovered it missing? Or did they throw it out the window in a fit or anger? Maybe the person they were with had a rage and threw it out the window. Maybe it was on top of the car, and fell off when the car went over a bump. Where is its partner? Still in the car? Maybe the partner was lost long ago and that's why this shoe was discarded... All these questions pop up. Story lines evolve. One stray shoe stimulates all this mental activity.

Sometimes I think about the shoe's life.

It's a sad story when I think someone angrily threw the shoe out the car window, and their friend had to get home with only one shoe. They probably had been drinking, or drugged, and just out of control.

It's a funny story when I imagine the shoe came to life and ran away because it was tired of being walked on all the time. There on the side of the road, a life of leisure, no more smelly feet, no more stepping in ... A metaphor for life, on days when I feel walked on, and just want to escape to a roadside oblivion.

Then there is the drama. There was a big fight. Maybe Bob slugged Harry. And Harry took Bob's shoe. And filled the shoe with stinky slime. And Bob made a nasty face. And he didn't want the shoe anymore. So Bob got in the car, and LEFT the shoe. Right there at the side of the road. He left Harry there WITH the shoe and drove away. Harry was pissed. He, luckily had his cell phone and called his friend Zim-Bob, who dame to pick him up. They drove off to Payless Shoe Store and got Harry some cheap shoes. Then they had a pizza.

And of course, there is the Shoe of Enlightened Communication. After an extensive dialog about a wide range of emotionally sensitive topics, the shoe fell off Glurg's foot, and Glurg, being as enlightened as s/he was, didn't even notice, but continued on in a spiritual quest for Enlightenment, which resulted in the loss of the second shoe (no longer needed in the elevated realm), which is most likely now resting on the side of an Interstellar Highway.

So. You think "It's just a shoe". Think again. It's a universe in that shoe! The whole of life. All the drama, comedy, pain and suffering, and ultimately... Enlightenment... All held in that one shoe sitting on the side of the road. That shoe that most people drive past every day without even noticing.

 

The First Principle

"You talked about the first principle again, but I still don't know what it is," I said to Suzuki. "I dont know," he said, "is the first principle."

 

      --Shunru Suzuki

Glurg. Continued...

Remember Glurg? The calm one by the river? OM?

Yeah. Glurg got a little bored and decided to get up and move around a bit. He gathered a rucksack full of mangos and began his mindful journey into the Forest of Confusion.

Yes, Glurg was confused. And he didn't even know it. That is how confused Glurg was. In the Forest of Confusion, it is hard to tell exactly where you are. The paths twist and climb and cross each other in three (or more) dimensions. Time and space are minimal constraints, as the paths diverge into various Realms of Consciousness, sometimes erupting in a totally OTHER consiousness. And hence, the Confusion.

With a capital C.

Glurg had vowed "No more initial caps in my life. No more Confusion. No more Guilt. No more Love. No more Relationships!!!" Glurg was full of exclamation marks!!!!

Yet here was the Forest of Confusion, loaded with initial caps and fuzzy logic. And Glurg was in it. With no clear way out.

Glurg wandered deliberately and mindfully, with NO clue where the path led. And reminisced on the wonderful freedom of it all. As he ate his mango, the juice ran down his chin and dripped on his toe, and he Laughed. With initial caps. Profound Zen Laughter.

And Glurg slurped his mango as he walked along the path through Consciousness and pondered the Meaning of Life wondering what would happen next.

Anger

Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. - Buddha

A Metaphor for MIND...

Recently, I was watching the buzz of activity in my mind. Thoughts racing around, chasing each other. Crashing. Oooofff. Slam.

Yeah. They're crashing around like a bunch of hockey players. Then, one of the players goes out of the rink. Into the penalty box? (or the hospital?) Vanished. Just like the thoughts in my mind... vanished... what was I thinking about?

So my mind is like a bunch of hockey players crashing around.

No. Wait a minute. My mind isn't the hockey players... My mind is the rink. Yeah. Sure. It's the rink. It contains the wild, crashing hockey players, but it is NOT them.

The rink. But the rink is in the building. My mind must be the building. It's bigger than the rink. It contains the rink, and the crashing hockey player thoughts, but it's much bigger! Yeah. It's the building.

Hold it. Hold it just one minute! The building is in the town... (my mind is the town) on the planet... in the solar system... in the universe... Yes. My mind is the town... the planet... the universe... And just like the universe, which is incomprehensibly large (with or without boundaries), the mind (consciousness) is incomprehensibly large (with or without boundaries?). And now, those crashing thoughts seem like tiny hockey players in a small rink in a huge universe of consciousness.

Like any good hockey mom, the mind watches the action, moderately pleased, sometimes a bit ruffled, knowing that, in good time, the Zamboni machine will slide through and smooth everything over.

Glurg Does Nothing

Glurg continued walking through the forest. He had no idea where he was going, and had no plans, no agenda, no action items, and no Blackberry beeping at him. He just wandered. When hungry, he ate some mangoes. Occasionally, a coconut fell out of the sky and clonked him on the head. He didn't obsess about the coconuts. He barely gave them any thought. Once he even caught the coconut, cracked it open, and enjoyed a refreshing drink.

Without a Strategic Plan, Glurg was reduced to simply making the best of every moment. He observed the little forest creatures. He studied the rocks at the base of the tree. He noticed some tiny flowers growing in the shade of the mango trees. Yes, he sat on a large stone, and he waited. Like his literary friend, Siddhartha, Glurg had learned to wait. He had few other skills, so waiting, walking, and eating occupied most of his day. And observing.

He sat long, and waited patiently, observing. And nothing more happened. He did nothing. No elaborate plot developments. He just waited in the midst of the universe, and let it wash over him. He began to hear the sound of OM coming from the stones.

Thought for Today

 Overcome the angry by non-anger;
 overcome the wicked by goodness;
 overcome the miser by generosity;
 overcome the liar by truth.

     -Dhammapada

Einstein says...

"There are moments when one feels free from one's own identification with human limitations and inadequacies. At such moments one imagines that one stands on some spot of a small planet, gazing in amazement at the cold yet profoundly moving beauty of the eternal, the unfathomable; life and death flow into one, and there is neither evolution nor destiny; only Being."

 

          - Albert Einstein

Gratitude

"When we learn to give thanks, we are learning to
concentrate not on the bad things, but on the good things."
-Amy Vanderbilt

-- I can overcome anything no matter what it is
-- I have the power to put things in the right perspective
-- I live with tremendous peace of mind
-- I accept all that happens to me with grace and calm
-- I am a clear thinker
-- People look to me for guidance and inspiration

What's so good about a bad meditation session?

What's so good about a bad meditation session?

I am now getting a concept. As a novice, practicing meditation, my mind wanders hither and yon... Sometimes I don't even notice until it's way down some path. Then I pull it back gently. Nanoseconds later, it's off again recalling a conversation. Gently I return to my breath. Before I can even finish one inhalation, zoom, it's off on some argument, or anticipating a problem. Gently, I bring attention back to the breath.

I used to think this wasn't a very successful meditation. My ability to keep focus is so tiny. Disappointing. Now, I'm beginning to see it differently. Every time I GENTLY bring myself back to my breathing... each of those experiences IS the practice. Learning to be gentle with myself when I go off course. Learning to bring myself back without criticism, judgment, condemnation. Just coming back. You're ok. It's just fine. Breathe. And doing this again and again, patiently and gently. Like you would guide a toddler who keeps wandering around in the Boston Common... Gently and with kindness.

If I can practice gently redirecting myself 100 times in one sitting, I am learning to guide myself gently. Learning to notice what I'm doing, and adjust, without judgment. And if I can do that 100 times in a sitting, maybe I can learn to do that once or twice in a day.... when I make a mistake, forget something, don't quite meet my objectives, respond harshly. Just notice. And gently redirect, without criticism. Breathe.

So, I'm discovering that the imperfect meditation really is the best training. Because what I'm practicing, and learning, is to be gentle, kind, and observant. To be that way with myself, and hopefully I can be that way with the world.

Thought for today...

But if you do not find an intelligent companion, a wise and well-behaved person going the same way as yourself, then go on your way alone, like a king abandoning a conquered kingdom, or like a great elephant in the deep forest.

                                                      - Buddha

... a bushel of brains

"A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of
brains."
      -Dutch Proverb

What's in your Wallet? ... What's in your MIND??!!

We are daily advised to think about "what's in your wallet?" Do you have the right card? With the best benefits? lowest interest? many details to think about, because in our modern society, "what's in your wallet" is really important.

So, recently, my train of thought jumped the track and began to ask "What's in your MIND?" Do we pay any attention to what we cram in there? After listening to the Wicked soundtrack on the way to work, I would be "Dancing Through Life" all day. The music infused my mind, and infused my day. Somedays, I "Couldn't be happier". The melodies saturated me, affected my mood, and my response to the various challenges that came to me.

I began to consciously choose what song would play before I arrived at school. I realized that last song would color my whole day. I made a point of hearing "Defying Gravity", "Dancing Through Life", "Thank Goodness", or "Changed for the Better". I chose the one that seemed to offer the energy I needed. And, "Who can say if I've been changed for the better... but I have been changed for good."

Now, I have (as you loyal readers know) switched over to Bliss. I deliberately "Come Into The Light" before arriving at school. It is grounding, and as the melody plays through my mind during the day, it also washes over the conflicts and tensions that come my way.

But, what's in YOUR mind? I watch our world, and see that so much of what we're immersing ourselves in (as a culture) is lust without respect, violence without compassion, anger expressed through physical and verbal aggression. There are a LOT of contemporary lyrics that are essentially a verbal assault. And, if that's the last thing a kid hears before going into school, it's no wonder the response to tension begins with F...k and proceeds with obscenities and violence.

Yes, I am convinced that we can retrain our minds in phenomenal ways. As I experiment with Buddhist practices, I find that I have learned to respond with compassion to situations that once aroused rage. Not always, but I'm just a beginner. I am also convinced that our music, and media, are constantly training our minds.

My question is "Are you training your mind for the qualities you want?" Are you creating peace and confidence and compassion through your immersion in music and media with that tone? Or, are you creating violence, anger, and aggression by saturating yourself with lyrics and images that lead you that way?

What's in YOUR mind? If it's not giving you the best results, doesn't have the best success, doesn't help you navigate through life's challenges, consider switching to a new channel, a new card with some better benefits for you.

We should all give our minds AT LEAST as much attention as we give to our wallets.

Bliss Edges out Wicked

OK, folks. Here is the big story. Bliss Edges out Wicked! Yes, for several months, the soundtrack from Wicked has provided my daily theme song. "Just for this moment..." and some days "What is this feeling?", several weeks of "Defying Gravity" and "Dancing Through Life". Then, just as "I Couldn't Be Happier", I was saturated with "Loathing. un-a-dul-ter-ated loathing" only to realize that "This weird quirk I've tried To suppress or hide Is a talent that could Help me meet the Wizard"!

Yes, I could go on and on, and at great volume with harmony about the inspiration, and energizing lyrics of Wicked. Sandy and I sing 'Defying Gravity' as a high-volume duet on route 2 west most evenings after I pick her up from school. It is scary how well we sing! Actually, we can do a memorable job with several of the songs!

And, by the way, Wicked does have a point: Elphaba got a bum rap. She was labeled! Can't wait to see the show, as the music, and the book, really twist your mind around the question of what is good? what is wicked? when does one become the other? Many stories have two sides, and Oz is among them...

So, in comes Bliss. Quietly, melodically, taking over share of mind with "Come into the Light", and "Om Shanti", and who can resist "A Hundred Thousand Angels"?

So, Bliss has taken over the auto airwaves, saturating my soul with light, warmth, and the awareness of the hundred thousand angels that do surround me constantly. Penetrating calm (but not sleepiness).

Sorry, but Bliss is not available to everyone. Seems the English have cornered the market for Bliss. Amazon.co.uk can help you out if you want to fill your car with A Hundred Thousand Angels.

Surround yourself with Bliss... Then, you won't feel Wicked... (Still, I do enjoy Defying Gravity when I'm Dancing Through Life, just for this moment).