Ithaca Insights Serve Up Peace & Calm

     How May I Serve You?

     That’s the key to a happy life, you know. Learning to serve others selflessly with no expectation of a reward other than the knowledge you are doing unto others something you’d want them to do . . . unto everyone else.

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Hope fills your presence and your future

We introduced a new understanding of hope today. We want to build a sense of hope that is a force of change that comes from a feeling of certainty and well-being within, rather than an anxious kind of hope that vaguely wishes for things to turn out well. Write about an experience you may have had with this stronger kind of hope. – Deepak Chopra (Day 6 — Feeling Hope) 
 (For more on meditation, see Chopra Center Meditation. Experience)

Hope can Help Guide Through All of Life

I don’t think you can have a future or any type of “end product” without hope. I see hope more as a process, a living force that flows from day-to-day, hour by hour, and minute by minute. We hope for something that will come into existence in some future time. Yet the feeling we get through the act of hope occurs in the present.

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Four Truths to Enoble the Strongest Mind

     Sometimes the only way for me to understand something is to try to put it into my own words. Particularly, if I want to memorize or “imprint” something so that I can keep it near and dear to me, like an inspirational poem or saying I still remember from my earliest days.

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Yearning for you grows with each touch

     What is a monk to do when he is lonely? When he is blue?

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Saying ‘I Love You’ Twice Blesses Me!

“I Love.”

     It’s an affirmation I can live with over and over, day in and day out, from one lifetime to another, without ever getting tired of saying it.

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Doors are Opening for All Doing Good!

There’s a passage in Mark’s Gospel in which Jesus’ disciples complain that someone — one who is not one of them — is casting out demons in Jesus’ name. It seems that fundamentalists of all ages have held a belief that there was only one way to get to the kingdom; only one way, and that was through Jesus.  Continue reading

I wish all compassion found in meditation

     On February 5th, 2012, a friend who calls herself, the Frugal Xpatcommented:

I always wanted to meditate . . .

I didn’t respond to the comment until now, but I want to share how everyone could enjoy this exercise the Frugal Expat spoke of in Daily Meditation Desperately Needed. As she describes her life’s quest, she is on “An expat’s journey in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.” Continue reading

‘Mammy’ can you hear? It’s your little boy!

     View All You have Contact with as Your Mother

There is a tradition in Eastern philosophies where you’re taught to view each person and other sentient being as if he, she – or it is your mother. I never knew how nurturing this could be until I allowed the child in me to reciprocate and bask in the most secure and loving place.  Continue reading

Enlightening Chant Charms Meditation

After chanting a non-English mantra for some time, I finally learned its definition and discovered a gem of wisdom while contemplating its meaning. Meditating will never be the same, and I want to share with others a little of the enlightenment it’s provided me.

Om Mani Padme Hung. Continue reading

Love & Comfort Your Self on Sick Days

     There’s something about getting sick on a day off that allows me to feel sorry for myself free of all guilt. I take pity on myself; I baby myself; I pamper myself. Nothing prevents me from going “easy” on myself and refraining from pushing to get something done. Continue reading

Counting to ONE the ‘thought-less’ way

No matter how hard I try, I can never count to 20 before an unbidden thought arises from inside of me. I get to three or four while meditating, and images pop up on an internal screen, capturing my attention. I dare not try this counting method until my body and mind are both well-settled and I can “Let go.” Continue reading

Open my Vessel for ALL Lights to Shine

     Thank God for Buddhism.

     What’s that you say?

     I can’t have one in, and of, the other?

     Are you telling this red-blooded American veteran that I cannot follow the teachings of the Buddha and still believe in the God of Abraham? Continue reading

My life is dependent on the rest of you

     I am as dependent on you as you are on me, as we all are on the kindness and labor of others we too often take for granted.

     As I look around, I see that my fortune is dependent on the cooperation and contributions of others. Continue reading

War is never the answer today (11-11-11)

On this Veterans Day, 11-11-11, what would you tell yourself if you could go back in time and greet that young man recently returned home from the war?

     War is never the answer,

     But only a failure on all

     Sides to reach an answer. Continue reading

Breathing mindfully helps to unclog me

I never thought I’d be thankful for a stuffy nose, but it helped me to meditate without really trying. It all started on a day I was off from work, and I stayed in bed as ten thousand thoughts ran through my mind. I noticed a clogged nostril and focused all of my attention on trying to reopen it.  Continue reading

Advice to any & all Wall Street operatives

  • We all dream of a kinder, happier world. But if we wish to make it a reality, we have to ensure that compassion inspires all our actions. This is especially true with regard to our political and economic policies. Given that probably half the world’s population lacks the basic necessities of adequate food, shelter, medical care, and education, I believe we need to question whether we are really pursuing the wisest course in this regard. Continue reading

Kabbalah To Mingle With Buddhist Jaunt

     What do Israel and India have in common with Istanbul and Amsterdam? Other than all starting with a vowel?

        It’s where this Philadelphia lad is heading from Nov. 6 through Nov 18, creating a pilgrimage that will touch base with five of the World’s largest religions: Christianity and Judaism, as well as the Muslim and Hindu faiths, ending at the land where the Buddha gained enlightenment.  Continue reading

Seeking the ‘Bliss Queen’ in Philadelphia

I wanted so much to be the Queen’s Concert.

     But at what age? What stage of her life called out to me the most, as we, the audience members, watched her grow into a Spiritual goddess, one I desired to be like, to become with as One?

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Saying ‘I Love You’ Over & Over Again!

     “I love you” was not in the way you said it, but how you said it.   

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Sit and do nothing, but only do it better

Sit and do Nothing — Better.     

     You don’t know how hard this is for me. To do nothing! Forget about the better part. The word “better implies you’ve been able to do nothing” sometime in the past. Or that you can do nothing “better” than someone else. 

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Guest Post’s Embarrassing Announcement

     What’s the difference between Shame and Embarrassment? Are they joined at the hip? Like twins?

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St. Michael strikes and heals all at once

     I felt like Alice falling in the hole after chasing a White Rabbit. But, falling “upwards” defying the laws of Gravity and Rational Sense.

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Act of Contrition Helps Regain My Purity

Got Blanket Absolution yesterday. And, it felt so good, I became a 12-year-old again. Ready to face the world with a clear conscious and a pure heart.

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I See You for the Very First Time, Don’t I?

I see You more and more each day. All I need do, is look for You. Kinda scrunch up my mind a bit, squint, and let my Self go.

Try to “feel” You. And I do! All Blessed You. In just the right amount to fill a soul that wishes it were bigger, larger to contain more and more of Your Love that’s omnipresent, all around me. And in me.

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I ‘intend’ nothing but positive bestowals

     How do you explain “unexplainable” events?

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Suffocate? Let go of control & open up self

     Grace suffocated and I retaliated by smashing my ego to help free up her passageway during group meditation this morning.

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Hawk carries HSPs to their highest ideals

     The hawk glides across the sky, soaring high above us as the first person to notice shouts, “there’s one.” Like children, we stare toward the heavens, at the beautiful blue sky. A normally humid August has graced us with a mild and glorious summer day, blending light breezes and the scent of flowers that drift our way from below the wooden platform we look out from.

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Concealing & finding Self –a life-long effort

     Hello! Anybody here? It sure is dark inside. Like a huge cavern with hardly any light.

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Women Elevate all our Desire for God

Did Creator make a mistake in His design of women’s “purpose?

Are they on the earth to simply guide men to the Light above and share in the Love such a man might bring back with him to our earthly plane?

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Weekend Euphoria Needs Time to Set

The Greatest Weekend — No.  II

          * Uncertain if my true love would ever be mine, I fell to my knees . . . praying for her affection. It was . . . a Sunday.

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See you in a ‘next life’ Sombitch Rooster

(Cont’d from series on a-mean-rooster)

        Dropped Sombitch Rooster off in a wooded area near a weed and gravel-covered path leading to an Urban Homestead with rows of corn in what appeared to be a good-sized farm enclosed by a six-foot “mesh” fence and a locked gate. Before that, I removed the cage holding the chickens and young roosters from the back of my car, opened the door of the cage, and planned to throw the six fowl over the fence.

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Renewal can come Once a Month in Life

Once a Month, You Deserve to Die.”

Bizarre! Is this just a Curse?

Or a Wish for Good Fortune?

     Not sure where this came from. Was meditating on the subject of stillness,” and tracing my awareness of the world around and inside, when these words “arose.”

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Spirituality’s fun, whether you like it or not!

     Something’s wrong. I shouldn’t enjoy this much fun in Life.

     Laughing so hard, the five of us had to hush up, quiet down to prevent diners at the other restaurant tables from staring at our ruckus.

    What caused all the belly laughs and guffaws? God. Well, let’s say the Spirit of God. How about something ‘Spiritual, but not Religious?’ Would you believe “Mystical?”

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Connect to ‘Mother’ for Enlightenment

                         I saw the “Observer” of my Thoughts the other day.

     Watched from within. Saw “me” facilitating and acting on all the senses. “I nudged away a thought, then focused on the feeling of breath at the top of my nasal passage. Tasted the slight chemical taint of eye drops I had placed in my left eye minutes earlier. And, I listened to the soft sounds of a budgie chirping in the distance. 

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Bliss arises in cherishing of another’s woes

     An African American woman showed me how to take on the suffering of the world during a five-day retreat on perfecting perpetual peace in my soul.

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‘Letting go’ today frees me for tomorrow

     Taking a step today that scares me. Going to become an “Initiate Buddhist at a morning ceremony. Do a prostration, touch my forehead to the floor, and recognize a Power greater than myself.

     That’ll be the easy part. Saw enough Catholic priests drop to the church floor during a 40-hour service that I’m used to seeing American Buddhist ladies and gentlemen do the ritual at the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia.

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‘Do the right thing’–do what’s right for you

Part II from Escaping-Brewerytown

     The moment of truth came down to one question: “Who else was with you?”

     I looked to the floor and didn’t answer until the head of a juvenile aid panel from Philadelphia Family Court asked me to speak up.

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‘Garlic’s imprint’ holds many limitations

     A friend dreamed she could not swim well in water and had to return to the shore or face peril. It seems the dream reflected her real life. (See “To Be Me.”) She said she was not a very good swimmer, and she wondered why — even in one’s dream — we impose such limitations on ourselves?

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Freedom of Religion depends on religion

     Read some comments attacking the Dalai Lama on someone’s Blog which championed freedom of religion on its website.

     Noticed it also pushed for a vote against gay marriage in California.   

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I’m heartily sorry for having offended Thee

     “Michael J,

     The biggest lie you ever told was that you could say something about sexual orientation and not hurt someone whose way of life might be different from yours. You said you lied when you told an ex-girlfriend that you were gay to avoid having sex with someone you were not ready to have a long-term commitment.

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Courtroom awakens karma understanding

 One of the most humbling times in my life occurred in Court.

   Philadelphia Police Sgt. Washington motioned to me that he wanted to talk. This was odd, I represented the “other side” as a public defender whose client was the defendant charged in an auto theft case. Washington was the arresting police officer whose testimony would ensure a conviction.

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Saigon Lady offers wisdom at check out

       Saigon Lady taught me about Life and Buddhism last night.   

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Unconditional love comforts a Buddha cat

     Sundance sneezed five times. Shouldn’t have surprised me. I felt” I was helping her as she lay across my legs, jettisoning hundreds of microscopic objects onto my leg and arm where her small furry head had just rested.  Continue reading

Remember to enjoy the ride getting ‘there’

        I entered the “Twilight Zone” yesterday. 

    Drove full of gusto to complete a task before visiting a doctor in the early afternoon. Only to realize by the time I turned onto the major road, I forgot where I was going.

     And worse, why! 

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Light shines here from a tip of the candle

     Veterans Can Share Understanding of War

      ‘Veterans are the light at the tip of the candle, illuminating the way for the whole nation.   

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50 chews per bite is goal, not meals’ end!

The Outcome Doesn’t Matter

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Merging Two into One Okay, Michael J

“Belief in God, and

following Buddhism

is not incompatible.”

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Sutta Nipata calls me to Omega Institute

     Will return to Omega Institute this week for a 5-day Retreat to meditate on PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) with veterans led by the Rev. Claude AnShin Thomas, an ordained Buddhist monk and a Vietnam War veteran.

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Put a finger on ‘Sa Ta Na Ma’ Meditation

     Got a quick “fix” for you. But don’t try to finger this hit” unless you’re alone, or with someone you trust.

     It is what I call a “tactile chant.” Oh, I know what you’re going to say. Here’s more New Age stuff. Another scam for the public. Spiritual babble for a get-rich scheme. But you’d be wrong. Dead wrong. About something that could enhance your Life!

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Loving, Longing, Yearning for My Beloved

     When will I see my Beloved? To feel arms surround me, a touch to comfort me, the warmth of an embrace to shelter me from any harm man can devise against another.

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Need spiritual evolution now, not hereafter

     Don’t want Catholicism, Protestantism, or Judaism. Don’t force me to become a Hindu, a Muslim or even a Buddha. Let me form a “Me-ism,” a spirituality that takes a lot from all the above and blends it into what I feel inside when I’m alone and away from the “Shall Nots,” the 84,000 teachings, and a belief that the “hereafter” must be better than the present.

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Make yourself a clean, well-lighted place

     There’s nothing like a clean, well-lighted sink.

     Got three of them shining the other day. I usually wipe one every morning I shower, removing the half-used toothpaste drops, moustache trimmings and occasional pieces of hair from a head that doesn’t need to lose any more. Hair, that is.

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40 years later, I learn about ‘Nothing’

    It took me some 40 years, but I think I finally realized what John Lennon was saying in one of the last songs he wrote and sang with the Beatles.

Buddhist Teaching of ‘Nothing‘ is Everything 

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Now is when path and goal merge as one

      I entered the world of the Mystic while sitting on a bench at the foot of my bed in what seems a lifetime ago. It lasted only a moment. But the realization struck me like a bolt of lightning.   

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Allison’s creating colors for life’s canvas

     Allison,

     Hold onto to it. (That feeling of bliss that you can find only in the quiet.) 

     Better yet, remember it, as if your Life depends on it.

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Kim, you inspire me to lose meaty issues

     You never know where your thoughts may take you when you blog. A reply to another’s post may become your “post of the day” if you’re not careful. Or, if another person writings inspire you to reveal yourself . . . Continue reading

my love longs for ever more

Some words, phrases, even entire messages look different through the lens of time. Take this feeling I expressed to a friend half-way around the world about the “yearning” I felt on reading Sufi poems  for the first time. It moved me so much that I “penned” my own feelings of life-long “longing” to be with, what the Sufis call, “my Beloved” — the Higher Being that can take the shape of your Most Perfect Loved One, the Divine. Continue reading

Dance with love where ever you find Him

      I danced a Sufi “dervish whirling” at the Buddhist Center today.

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New Worlds open at the turn of a page

     A door to the possible mysteries of life opened slightly yesterday. My friend, Joy, introduced me to the Kabbalah.

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Let the sun shine with all our appreciation

(Cont’d from Sun shines to make up for snowed in winter)

Sun Shines Bright with Only One Eye Opened

     On and off clicks the light from the sun. On and off, on and off, and so it goes. The sun winning this playful skirmish with tall objects on the Earth below. Light to dark, light to dark flashes before my eye. (Got an eye patch over me left eye, young Mr. Hawkins,” like Long John Silvers from Treasure Island, but mine’s from a detached retina, and not from pirating!) Something is causing some effect on a part of my brain as my good pupil enlarges and decreases like a strobe light at a Heavy Metal concert with me thrown into a mosh pit.

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Sun shines to make up for snowed in winter

     Played “peek-a-boo” with the sun and shade this morning. On the road from Ambler to Conshohocken, PA, I engaged Old Sol in a game the Almighty must have created for mankind’s appreciation. Why else would God — who caused the sun to come into being from some huge cosmic explosion — have invented shadows? It’s all part of His Love for us humans!

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Time travel a stone’s throw (or hold) away

     A vision of prehistoric man appears as I meditate with a Malachite stone in my hand. I am that person, that man who is bare-chested and hairy in this meditative “dream.” So much hair growing at my chest and back I initially think I’m wearing a covering over my upper body. The hair on my head is long, tangled and unwashed. Don’t think I ever combed it, even with my fingers, let alone use some devise to run through the matted hair follicles.

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When Spirit moves you, kneel & adore Him

     Already kneeling while sweeping litter from the powder room floor where the cats spilled, I sat back on my haunches. A clean commode beckoned to me. Yeah, I felt a “calling from this white porcelain-based ancestor of the old “WC” (“water closet” to the Baby-Boomers who called it the “John” or simply the toilet).

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Grass always greener on non-paved side

For a better over-all life, PLEASE STAY “ON” THE GRASS.

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Sufi Love fondly remembered at a ‘Dhikr’

     I focus on my hands clasped together in front of my lower chest, with one good eye barely open and the other hidden behind a black eye-patch.

     I am “whirling.” Circling on a carpeted floor at a Quaker Meeting Hall room going round and round. No dizziness this, my second time out. I project a feeling of Love and “nudge out‘” fears of falling and/or appearing awkward and uncoordinated. I am dancing with my “Beloved,” as a dervish man displaying his affection to the Oneness of the Universe, the Glory of the Spirit.

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Live life today in love for death tomorrow

  • Disobey your expectations.
  • Throw away the list of things to do.
  • Live today as if there was no tomorrow.
  • Better yet, live as if Death will greet you very soon.

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Heaven appears now in Love from within

Heaven on Earth. What a beautiful idea.

     Why must one wait for death to enjoy this state of eternity? Why not enter while one is still alive?

Like right now.

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Tibetan singing bowl aids a goddess & me

     Kneeling on my knees, I hold the bowl out with one hand, while placing the other hand on the wooden floor, crawling from one side of the chair to another.

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Ring of truth played with bowls & forks

     My shoulders have grown enormously since this afternoon. I feel they’re “indestructible.” That I have durable lightweight plastic pads all around the neck, the collarbone and the head, as well as my upper chest and back. Energy of some sorts is protecting me from all harm to those areas. And it may be rubbing off on what they call the “Chakras‘ to my heart and higher parts.

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Buddha guides me thru VA PTSD path

Possibly Cont’d from Trappist monk helps veteran ‘awaken’ me 

Buddha came in the shape of a dark-haired, dark-skinned attractive yoga-practicing woman, smiling upon me in a dream.

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Name-caller gets his butt kicked in the end

Originally Cont’d from Name-calling can get you kicked in the end 1-28-10

     Calling a kid names could cause a lasting scar one may have to deal with later in life. It’s either that, or you learn to “toughen up as I did, and let the wise-cracks, the slurs, the hate-filled and ignorant remarks simply glide over you.

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Englightenment shines from the heart

Originally Cont’d from Can’t A Guy Get A Break Around Here? 1-9-10

      The throne we just put together at the Ethical Society of Philadelphia looks real! I bet folks here haven’t seen its likeness since King George ruled over the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1775, and Ben Franklin was trying to draw us closer as a Royal Colony.”

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Trappist Monk helps Veteran ‘Awaken’ me

Con’td from Schuylkill Expressway miracle paves road to VA

    The first Buddha emerged in my dream as a muscular military-type, with short-cropped hair and engaging smile. Asian? No, Hispanic, but with a possible trace of someone from an exotic Asian island.

Visit with Disabled American Veterans (DAV)

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Flowers offer a heart-felt home-coming

Originally Cont’d from Flowers still brighten up my new ‘home’ 1-4-10

   Flowers brighten up any room, and the right vase can add an extra touch, particularly, when the arranger puts a lot of Love into the mix.

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Schuylkill X-way Miracle paves road to VA

Cont’d from ‘Right’ path never obstructed long, Part II

     The Buddha appeared in a dream. He took on the forms of a soldier, a counselor and then a computer printer. How could such an entity take shape in such different apparitions?

    It all started as I entered a building. President Barack Obama’s picture beamed on a wall as I walked through a large room, cordoned off by dozens of partitions, creating offices upon offices of civil servants working for me and thousands of other veterans from the United States.

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Jury Duty Requires Your ‘Just Reasoning’

(Originally Cont’d from 999 reasons why a Buddhist can sit on jury 1-31-10)

While explaining his enlightening story to students, Tshering noted that a vicious attack ended, as the monster known as Angulimala fell to the ground and the Buddha consoled him offering loving kindness and compassion. This experience completely transformed this lowly criminal. He asked to be ordained a monk, and he went on to practice meditation and self-purification while living in a Sangha community.

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Retreat causes ‘after shocks’ from within

     A day-long Retreat at a Buddhist Center in Philadelphia has taken its toll on me. And I mean that in the best of ways!

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Modern Conclusion Bodhisattva Practices

     Below are two versions of the “conclusion” for Thirty-Seven Bodhisattva Practices, starting with the modern first:

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The 37 Bodhisattva Practices Conclusion

     The “Thirty-Seven Bodhisattva Practices” text was “prepared and distributed” at the request of “His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche” after one of his disciples” provided me with the small 2-by 4-1/2-inch booklet containing two or three “Practices per page. The booklet said its distribution was for “the benefit of all sentient beings.”

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -36

 36

In brief, whatever conduct one engages in, one should ask, “What is the state of my mind?” Accomplishing others’ purpose through constantly maintaining mindfulness and awareness is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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‘Barrister Bu’ — a ‘Buddha nature’ lawyer

     I’ve been trying to think of a name to describe myself along this new path I walk — often stumbling — but getting back up like that old Fred Astaire song which says to “pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again . . . I figure everybody should have a response when asked what religion they follow, rather than fumbling for an answer.

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -35

 35

When disturbing emotions are habituated, it is difficult to overcome them with antidotes. By arming oneself with the antidotal weapon of mindfulness, to destroy disturbing emotions such as desire the moment they first arise is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -34

 34

Because harsh words disturb others’ minds and cause the Bodhisattva’s conduct to deteriorate, abandoning harsh speech which is unpleasant to others is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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Awakening from the Winter Storm of 2010

     I slept in today. It was the third day in a row that my son was off school because of the great snowstorm of the Winter of 2010. How many of us can recall a time in our lives that school closed for three straight days due to snow?

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -33

33

Because the influence of gain and respect causes quarreling and the decline of the activities of listening, pondering and meditation, to abandon attachment to the households of friends, relations and benefactors is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -32

32

If influenced by disturbing emotions, one points out another’s Bodhisattva’s faults, oneself is diminished. Therefore, not speaking about the faults of those who have entered the Great Vehicle is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

 

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -31

31

If, having merely the appearance of a practitioner, one does not investigate one’s own mistakes, it is possible to act contrary to the Dharma. Therefore, constantly examining one’s own errors and abandoning them is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -30

30

If one lacks wisdom, it is impossible to atttain enlightenment through the other five perfections. Thus, cultivating skillful means that do not discriminate among the three spheres is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -29

29

Having understood that disturbing emotions are destroyed by insight possessed with tranquil abiding, to cultivate meditative concentration which perfectly transcends the four formless absorptions is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -28

28

Even hearers and solitary realizers, who accomplish only their own welfare, strive as if putting out a fire on their heads. Seeing this, taking up diligent effort — the source of good qualities — for the sake of all beings is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -26

26

If, lacking ethical conduct, one fails to achieve one’s own purpose, the wish to accomplish others’ purpose is laughable. Therefore, guarding ethics devoid of aspirations for worldly existence is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -25

25

It is necessary to give away even one’s body while aspiring to enlightenment, what need is there to mention external objects? Therefore, practicing generosity without hope of reciprocation or positive karmic results is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -24

24

Diverse sufferings are like the death of a child in a dream. By apprehending illusory appearances as real, one becomes weary. Therefore, when encountering disagreeable circumstances, viewing them as illusory is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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Many different voices beckon me to India

     I gotta stop pestering all these Indian women I meet.

     I find myself wondering if they are, indeed, from India. And determining that, I try to think of some way to ask about their religion. Without seeming to pry.

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -23

23

When encountering pleasing sense objects, though they appear beautiful like a rainbow in summertime, not to regard them as real and to abandon clinging attachments if the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -22

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Appearances are one’s own mind. From the beginning, mind’s nature is free from the extremes of elaboration. Knowing this, not to engage the mind in subject-object duality is the Bodhisattvas’ practice. 

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -21

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Indulging sense pleasures is like drinking salt water — however much one indulges, thirst and craving only increase. Immediately after abandoning whatever things give rise to clinging and attachment is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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Can Eye Movement Still a Body or a Mind?

I can see!

     Just a little. A small section at the top of my eye. Through the peripheral vision of my left eye.

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Bodhisattvas’ (Compassion) Practices -20

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If outer foes are destroyed while not subduing the enemy of one’s own hatred, enemies will only increase. Therefore, subduing one’s own mind with the army of love and compassion is the Bodhisattvas’ practice.

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