You can recapture your youth by simply recalling a time in your life when you were most athletically gifted and soared like an eagle in whatever endeavor you excelled at years earlier. Continue reading
Author Archives: contoveros
Bodhisattva (Compassion) Practices – 12
12
Even if others, influenced by great desire, steal all one’s wealth or have it stolen, dedicating to them one’s body, possessions and virtues accumulated in the three times is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.
Bodhisattva (Compassion) Practices – 11
11
All suffering without exception comes from wishing for one’s own happiness. The perfect Buddhas arise from the altruistic mind. Therefore, completely exchanging one’s own happiness for the suffering of others is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.
poem purloined from a pretty pet place
Don’t like to sound “cocky,” but when I see something a cute little chick wrote for me.
I want to climb to the top to crow how she just made this old heart to grow.
Sharing my Feelings of Love for Your Words
Dear ML,
I will never underestimate a chicken or her mate after sparring with “Words We Never Said (Please see WordsWeNeverSaid.)
You’re inspirational. And I bow to you with a tip of my hat!
(Please see original at Beware the Banty Rooster)
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WordsWeNeverSaid |
City slickers and their country cousins ought to know
How Roosters strut their stuff in front of pretty hens
In plumage preened and plumped to make a tougher show
Caring not a peck for the attention of their friends…
Keep a close eye on that banty rooster in the scratching yard,
Every city boy should learn before its way to late
Not to ever underestimate a chicken (or her mate).
*grin*
M.L.
1,000,000/yes . . . 0/no
Rate This
________
Contoveros Said:
Words We Never Said:
Can not top this in a million years.
you win, ML!
(Actually, we all win with such a poetic addition to the barnyard.) Thanks.
Michael j
For more bantam banter see Rooster racks up pain and admiration
Stop the presses, stop depression, stop!
Stop! Don’t tell me anymore. Don’t want to hear it.
Keep the news to yourself. It hurts me, it’s always bad.
Meditation time is right in this moment
Driving while stuck in a traffic jam ordinarily would not be the best place to practice mindfulness meditation. I found out today while rushing to a doctor’s appointment, it was the “only” way to travel.
Bodhisattva (Compassion) Practices – 10
10
When mothers who have been kind to one since beginningless time are suffering, what’s the use of one’s own happiness? Therefore, generating the mind of enlightenment in order to liberate limitless sentient beings is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.
Yucky moment leads to ease of suffering
Ever have one of those “yucky” moments? Like, when you put your hand in a box, feeling around for some specific item only to come upon something gooey, wet and, of course “yucky.”
Run away & you live to fight another day
Originally cont’d from Last minute reprieve delays eye execution 1-25-10
I have never been good at waiting, and when I have something unpleasant to do — like undergo an operation in the hospital — I prefer to get it over with. Quickly. And not have to count the minutes that seem to pass by so excruciatingly slow.
Last minute reprieve delays eye execution
I felt the governor had called in a reprieve at the 11th hour, minutes before my scheduled “execution” was to take place Monday.
Bodhisattva (Compassion) Practices – 9
9
The pleasure of the three realms is as fleeting as a dew drop on the tip of a blade of grass, vanishing in a single moment. Striving for the Supreme State of never-changing liberation is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.
Crazy to think suffering could ever help
Why is it that when someone tells you about recalling a “past life” it’s always one of glamour where you had lots of power to change things in the world?
A ‘Post A Day’ Brings You Peace ‘All’ Day
When I started posting these ‘Thirty-Seven Bodhisattva Practices’, I never thought the mere act of compiling them could bring so much meaning to my life. Kinda feel like one of those bald-headed monks living in a cloistered society copying ancient words of wisdom so that others could learn to live life better.
Bodhisattva (Compassion) Practices – 8
8
The Subduer said that all the unbearable suffering of the three lower realms is the fruition of wrongdoing. Therefore, never committing negative deeds, even at peril to one’s life, is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.
Laser pain – small price to pay for vision
Originally Cont’d From Eye surgery burns the bravest resolve 1-17-10
Anyone facing a detached retina medical procedure must learn to deal with discomfort. A patient will be in store for short bursts of pain that get progressively more difficult to deal with around the eye.
Eye surgery burns the bravest resolve
I prayed I wouldn’t show any fear, but I did. I couldn’t help it. I pulled my head away from the laser burning into my eye like a mare pulling away from a wrangler trying to break in a unridden horse.
Bodhisattva (Compassion) Practices – 7
7
What worldly gods, themselves also bound in the prison of cyclic existence, are able to protect others? Therefore, when refuge is sought, taking refuge in the undeceiving Triple Gem is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.
Rooster Racks up Pain and Admiration
Dark red scars are forming on my left hand and forearm where the thrust of the attack struck me. If left too long, I believe the cuts would fester and get worse. They’re the type that could cause that ugly yellow crust-like “deformity” to surround and create a horrific open wound.
Blindness Warning Wraps ‘Round Wrist
Originally Cont’d from Bubble battles detached retina’s blinding 1-16-10
WARNING: Handle this detached retina eye patient with more care than he handles himself. A Bubble in his eye could explode. Now wear this bracelet until we say otherwise. (And stay off airplanes, for Heaven’s sake!)
Bubble battles detached retina’s blinding
A green wrist band announces to a Good Samaritan that, should I fall ill or be rescued from some accident, that I have a “Bubble” in my eye.
Bodhisattva (Compassion) Practices – 6
6
When sublime spiritual friends are replied upon, one’s faults are exhausted and one’s qualities increase like the waxing moon. Holding sublime spiritual friends even more dear than one’s own body is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.
Mary deserves Philly Buddha buddy visits
Hello Mary?
You should get a medal for spending five hours at a conference call with a bunch of Buddhists “partying” three-time zones away from you last year, as you culminated your three-month studies of the Eastern philosophy.
Lots of Fun in Finding Refuge in Buddhism
They were “celebrating” in finding refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, while you stayed “in touch” the whole time from Reno, Nevada, secure in a closed office room to stay focused by phone.
I had a hard time staying “focused“ for one hour at the conference call Wednesday with others from across the United States, as well as Canada, and I hate to think what it would be like to put in five hours mostly “listening” as others exchange insight on Buddhism. Most from the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia.
You remember me? The guy that just got out of the VA (Veterans Administration) Hospital for treatment on a detached retina. I raced like a bat out of hell, driving with one eye patched and a mix of dilated drops in the other, to get from West Philadelphia in the USA to Conshohocken, PA, some 20 miles away. Didn’t want to miss my first-time “call-in” about meditation.
Can Still Travel Despite my LASER Surgery
Still felt a little woozy from LASER surgery on the eye and probably sounded a little off centered. But I like what you said, and was wondering if, someday, you would want the Philadelphia Group to come to you? I mean, fly out to Nevada for a day or even a two day-long event. Maybe meet up in Las Vegas, if we could get a good deal from the town. What’s that? Too many temptations even for a hard-core Buddhist initiate?
We’d follow the “Middle Path” and stay out of the Casinos. Tell management at one of the gambling hotels we were having a “Buhhdi” convention — that’s using the long-sounding “ee” –pronounced “Booty,” and they’d put out a red carpet thinking a bunch of girls would be showing up to “shake” up some things. Won’t tell them we coined the new word “Buddhi” for the plural of Buddha, until after getting discounts for the rooms.
Does it sound good to you? Well, let’s meditate on it, and “chant” an offering of “acceptance” at the next phone conference. Don’t want to gamble away an enlightened idea as good as this one.
Bodhisattva (Compassion) Practices – 5
5
When evil companions are associated with, the three poisons increase, the activities of listening, pondering and meditation decline, and love and compassion are extinguished. Abandoning evil companions is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.
Bodhisattva (Compassion) Practices – 4
4
Long-Associated companions will part from each other. Wealth and possessions obtained without effort will be left behind. Consciousness, the guest, will cast aside the guest house of the body. Letting go of this life is the Bodhisattva practice.
‘Letting go’ provides a better ‘vision’ in life
Psychedelic green bursts of light pulse across my eye. It’s like a strobe light flashing over and over, as I “see” a colorful cascade of a lime green pigment appear before me as if it’s penetrating the eyeball itself.
Bodhisattva (Compassion) Practices – 3
3
When harmful places are abandoned, disturbing emotions gradually diminish. Without distractions, virtuous endeavors naturally increase. Being clear-minded, definite understanding of the Dharma arises. Resorting to secluded places is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.
Driving too fast to slow thru a lens hazard
(Don’t Try This at Home, Kids)
A contact lens done me in. I tried to insert one in each eye while driving behind schedule to get to a meeting Saturday morning.
Continue reading
Bodhisattva (Compassion) Practices – 2
2
The mind of attachment waivers like water. The mind of hatred for enemies burns like fire. The mind of ignorance which forgets what to adopt and what to discard is greatly obscured. Abandoning one’s homeland is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.
Highly Sensitive People get Highest Grade
I feel I have just awakened from a dream. I see a mother, a father, as well as a brother and sister smiling at me. Each one is new to me. Each is the member of a family I have wanted to belong to all my life.
Bodhisattva (Compassion) Practices – 1
1
At this time when the difficult-to-gain ship of leisure and fortune has been obtained, ceaselessly hearing, pondering and meditating day and night in order to liberate oneself and others from the ocean of cyclic existence to the Bodhisattvas’ practice.
Continue reading
Thirty-seven steps may stop all suffering
You want truth in advertising? Well, this headline ain’t what you’re looking for. There’s simply no magic that will transform your life by taking 37 steps, or thirty-seven thousand steps, for that matter.
God Wins in Showdown with the Buddha
God won in the religious showdown I created between Him and the Buddha.
He rose to the top. Well, actually . . . He “remained” at the top, having never been “toppled,” so to speak. Continue reading
Heeding the Beck & Call of “Great Mother”
I struck the “mother lode” while mining the other day and discovered a treasure worth more than its weight in gold. It’s a few words, captured who knows how many years ago, and kept hostage until their rescue by good-will seekers throughout the world.
Can’t A Guy Get A Break Around Here?
What am I doing with this wet rag in my hand? The woman at the meeting hall gave it to me, told me to “wipe down” some wooden box up on a stage with others cleaning and organizing for this Buddhist “event.”
My ‘Right Speech’ May Have Wronged You
You did it again, Michael.
Veterans’ PTSD helped at Omega lands
Pictures, statues and other works of art often capture the beauty of the soul as people seek peace and love through different spiritual paths. Omega Institute provided all of that for a group of US veterans at a retreat this past Fall. Below are a few photos that may have captured the spirit of meditation, and that is, “Being in the Moment.”
No American Idols portrayed in my home
Never liked the term, “idol worshipper.” Reminded me of Moses and the “Chosen People” creating that golden calf in the Old Testament. Had a hard time with all the icons in my heritage, Greek Orthodox, with those gold and silver tinted pictures my father and his father prayed before in the Old World.
Hereafter or not, why risk taking a chance?
I face “High Noon” this Sunday. And nobody from town will help me deal with whether I’ll live or die in the outcome. None can, because the confrontation is something I knew for some time that I would have to face alone.
Women Know the Help Boys Need in War
1917 – “Through a Glass Darkly” Continue reading
Macho man marvels at mistaken miss
I’ve been shooting the bull the past several weeks with JhanaJian, of whom I thought was this “Asian guy” from Vietnam.
Turns out I was wrong. Dead wrong about everything I thought I knew about JhanaJian.
Flowers still Brighten Up my New ‘Home’
A spectacular combination of yellow and purple graced my eyes as I traveled yesterday to America’s first home, the City of Brotherly Love, in Philadelphia. There, on a counter with cups and a large “coffee” pot with hot water for my tea-toddling friend, were a bunch of flowers that greeted everyone and spiced up a small corner of the room at the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia.
Gratitude Given Freely Can Grow on You
Want to feel good? Pick out five things each day to show your gratitude. Write ’em down. But, don’t try to fake it. You really gotta look for some thing in your life, some person, some reason that, deep down inside, you can say “makes me grateful.”
That’s a message I got from a fellow named Bill Stauffer who addressed a group of like-minded people who were seeking some spiritual insights this morning. Continue reading
Life’s daily details creates a colorful you
Here I am, walking on the high wire. No net below. My big mouth got me up here, and here I’ll stay for 30 days.
Unless I fall. Or someone pushes me off.
Saigon lady serves up smile & forgiveness
You never know when Fate will offer a blessing in disguise.
Saw an Asian woman handling the checkout at a nearby Target store and joked with her about a gift I was getting for my son’s birthday three months from today. It was a holiday box with no writing on it, nothing to suggest it was from Xmas.
Nirvana provides escape from all assaults
What is this “Nothingness” they call Nirvana?
“Emptiness” is another word I heard while trying to describe what I believe is a state of “being.” A “void” where all stimuli, all sensory perception and all “thought” is “extinguished” from within.
Spirit World may speak within each of us
Continued from Voices of a Past Life arise from meditation
Don’t like this “hearing voices” phenomenon. I am uncomfortable with it. Instead of “voices” maybe it’s more like “spirits.” Yeah, that sounds less strange. A little “spirit” spoke to him. His “spirits” are high today.
Voices of a Past Life Arise from Meditation
Am I hearing voices? Am I becoming a person you gotta be a little worried about? Kept an eye on? You know, one of “those” people?
How You can Smile in the Face of Death
I looked Death in the Face and did not blink yesterday.
Words of wisdom on not following doctrine
For another view, see Second Opinions Sought for My Salvation
Should one follow religious doctrine simply because it’s written in the “book,” or that it comes from special teachers’ “teachings” (including Dharma)?
A Mouse Senses Freedom Thru Meditation
I watch the mouse scamper across the dining room rug as I take my eyes off the computer screen in the living room. Here, life is calling out to me in the quiet of my house. A living critter has the guts to come out in broad daylight, look me dead in the eye, and feel no fear from me, a being so much larger and possibly more ferocious than himself.
Second Opinions Sought for My Salvation
Psst! Hey you. Yeah, the good-lookin’ one with that Spiritual Glow about ’em.
Ever seek a second opinion on how to get into heaven? No, I’m not talking about waiting until you’re dead. I mean, right “now.”
Warmth flows to where heart’s needed
My heart opens more with a warm cup of coffee in my left hand than my right.
You got that?
2010 — see movie while seeing in new year
“2010, the Year We Make Contact.”
Mindfulness practice trashed outside home
It’s early morning. I hear trash trucks outside, up the street in my hometown of Conshohocken, PA, here in the United States. I “like” the sound. It reminds me that we are a civilized people. And, that I got all my trash out the night before, thus joining my neighbors in a semi-weekly ritual to make our lives cleaner, and hopefully better.
Dalai Lama Fulfills My Holiday Wish List
Please See original Story My Xmas Wish List to the Dalai Lama
My three wishes have come true.
Each manifested differently; I didn’t realize all were granted until the end of the day, the time in which I asked for them to come true.
Bartlows’ dinner drives away all the blues
“I remember once when mom made a delicious snack dish,” Amy said at a Christmas dinner I attended with my in-laws last night.
“Only Once?” someone cried out
Continue reading
Police nab attention whenever One roams
Saw a police force van and immediately slowed down while driving.
I do it all the time, even if I’m well within the speed limit. Habit, I guess. Always feel that I’ve done something wrong. Guilt seems to rise to the surface whenever I see police.
Coming home grows out of Inner Wisdom
Part III of Bunny Series, see Run-Away Bunny
Two days is all it took for a pet rabbit to realize an animal hutch made of wood and wire ain’t such a bad place to call “home.”
Run-Away Bunny Plans Snow Escape II
(continued from Part I, My Little Run-Away)
Where has the run-away bunny gone? Into what 18- to 24-inch snowdrift could he be hiding, this Winter of 2009-2010?
Run-Away Bunny Makes Snow Escape
Part I
Can’t believe I lost the rabbit. Should have forced him into his hutch instead of letting him play in the snow. More than 18 inches fell here the other night. Finally dug out and felt sorry for the critter. He refused to go into the enclosed wooden section of his hutch and sat hunched over in the wired cage, taking in the wind, snow and the cold all through the no-let-up stormy night. I was so grateful just to see that he survived, I did not want to impose any more punishment on him the next morning when I opened the cage door to feed him.
Home visit will provide internal answers
So many choices. So many books to read, words to digest. How do you know where to begin?
Each claim to have the answer, the “truth.” Each offers an inviting path to follow, a way of life that will lead to where we all want to go home.
Be Humble; Let Love Grow Inside Your Self
“Whenever I interact with someone,
May I view myself as the lowest amongst all,
And, from the very depths of my heart,
Respectfully hold others as superior.”
Snow & Zen Usher in Winter of 2009-2010
A white cap of snow covers the head of the Buddha statue in the side yard of my Conshohocken home. Snow blankets his shoulders, his lap and that part of his robe that crosses his chest from the top left shoulder to the mid-section of the belly on the right. His arms, partial chest and kneecaps remain bare and uncovered by the snow — as if to dramatically challenge the white fluffy stuff to hide the bold charcoal black statue parts beneath.
“Do good, do no harm, still your mind”
A Flower Blooms then Rests in the Buddha
Can I give a flower to a Buddhist?
To show the impermanence of beauty.
My Xmas Wish List to the Dalai Llama
Revised Xmas list:
Your Holiness:
Please grant me three wishes the next time I visit a Buddhist Center:
Think Buddha ever signed new members?
(Part IV, Continued from Life’s Journey)
QUES: What did Buddhist want on ordering a hot dog? ANS: “One with everything.”
QUES: What did he say when asked for any change? ANS: “Change must come from within.”
Path to ‘Beloved’ Starts with Steps of Sufi
I tasted the fruit of another’s belief and want to savor it for a long time to come.
Life’s Journey leads me to a Tea Ceremony
(Part III, Continued from Meditation lets my energy flow from within)
Never been to a “Tea Ceremony” before. On hearing about it Sunday, I envisioned something out of “Alice in Wonderland,” with the Mad Hatter sipping a cup at a long white table, and the March Hare constantly glancing at his watch — just a bunch of silliness, per an animated movie.
Meditation Message Moves Me Mightily
Meditation Lets Me Feel:
Meditation lets my energy flow from within
Part II, Continued from On road to Peace, I found some “Bhuddies”
How Do I Meditate? Continue reading
On road to Peace, I found some “Bhuddies”
For the first time in my life, I attended a Buddhist gathering knowing that I wanted to learn more about meditation and the teachings about compassion and loving kindness.
Who’s Calling Me This Time? Oh, it’s YOU!
Off to a Tibetan Buddhist Center in Philadelphia, PA.
Did not know there were so many. Buddhist Centers, that is. In the USA.
Light shines from a trunk labeled ‘patience’
I sometimes feel that Patience waits for no man.
I will soar from up high with my message
(Part II)Continued from Falcon Opens World of Mystery & Hope
“No,” I scream out, waving my arms and telling the bird to go. I run up the hill, but the falcon hardly takes note of my threats, as it glides off the watering devise, in the direction of the small helpless baby chicken, and then swoops upward away from the bush and out of the yard.
Should Kipling show America the way?
- “When you’re left wounded on Afghanistan’s plains
and the women come out to cut up what remains,
Just roll to your rifle and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
Why We Want No More War Anniversaries
War is good for no one.
No one is good for war.
Falcon Reveals World of Mystery & Hope
A falcon flew in to visit me. Four times, he soared from afar, twice through graceful flights of precision flying, and twice as an attack bird zeroing in on its prey.
Listen: “Beloved” Calls to You and Me
The writing below invokes something that pulls me to a Higher Self, perhaps the Highest. And I thirst for more.
The ‘Call and the Echo‘ Calls Out to Me and You
I am calling to you from afar:
Calling to you since the very beginning of days.
Feeling God’s Presence in this Moment
I never saw God in a Santa Claus.
The right brain activates love & awareness
If you view no other video the rest of your meditative life, please see this one about Jill Bolte Taylor.
If you view no other video the rest of your meditative life, please see this one about Jill Bolte Taylor.
Pranic Healing Begets Mighty Meta Care
I hear a young voice behind me. At first, I think it was a boy. Turns out, it’s Mary Kate, a 7-year-old girl. She’s crying. Not loudly, but softly, as if she’s hurting somewhere no one can comfort her.
Love’s ‘First Kiss’ Lasts . . . For Ever More
Meditation prevents brush with the law
Meditation paid off in an unusual dividend today.
It helped me obey traffic signs, thereby avoiding a ticket I would surely have gotten on another day.  Continue reading
Child wins game, plays Sounds from within
I played in doors today.
Needn’t kill your Self to be like Buddha
Wisdom sometimes arises in the middle of a conversation.
Continue reading
Opening Your Self Can Free Most Kids
Opening up oneself can be hazardous to your health.
PTSD Anquish Served up at Bread Store
Unappreciated . . . Unwanted . . . Unloved . . .
Jew, Christian and Muslim Sheik Agree
A small miracle is happening right before our eyes if we only open our hearts to see.
A minister, a rabbi and a Muslim sheik put their differences on the line and walked away clearing an unobstructed path to God.
VA indignity sours one Vietnam veteran
Originally Cont’d from Terrorists force VA to strip vet’s dignity 11-25-09
Veterans should never have to undergo such treatment as I was subjected to when I was told to remove my belt before entering a VA facility.
Terrorists force VA to strip vet of dignity
The Terrorists Won.
They pushed my face into the dirt. Made me low crawl through those metal detectors. Violated me like no prison incarceration could ever have make me feel.
Continue reading
In the end, “being child-like” curbs aging
I finally did something I thought I would never do:
Look at the end of a book to see the conclusion.
Quantum Physics offered for Christ’s Sake
Quantum Physics is something I can hardly spell, let alone learn more about.
November 22, a day like no other USA day
My 10th-grade mathematics teacher whispers the horrible news: “Somebody shot the president.”
“But, I didn’t ‘intend’ for that to happen!”
— And, You can Count on It, by Jove! —
The original Blog Post listed all of the countries that readers who left messages had lived at one time.
Post Provided Details on my Blog Readers
It also listed some of their emails and possibly other details that may have been a little too personal for other WordPress practioners. Continue reading
Contoveros 