Wisdom is the power of seeing things as they truly are, and how to act rightly when the problems of life come before us. The seeds of wisdom lie latent in us, and when our hearts are soft and warm with love they grow into their powers. - U. Ṭhittila
Martial artist and actor, Bruce Lee, died on this date 45 years ago (July 20, 1973). He was not only an amazing martial artist but a Zen philosopher as well. Here are some words of wisdom from Bruce Lee:
The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or defeat. Let nature take its course, and your tools will strike at the right moment. Simplicity is the last step of art and the beginning of nature. Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it. The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind. Empty your cup so that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality. A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence. I see that I will never find the light unless, like the candle, I am my own fuel, consuming myself. Using no way as a way, having no limitation as limitation. (feel free to re-post and/or link to your social media) Faith opens us to what is beyond our usual, limited, self-centered concerns. In the Buddhist psychology, it is called the gateway to all good things, because faith sparks our initial inspiration to practice meditation, and also sustains our ongoing efforts. - Sharon Salzberg
Reuters news agency reports that the charred remains of a flatbread baked about 14,500 years ago in a stone fireplace in northeastern Jordan have given researchers a surprise: People began making bread millenniums before they developed agriculture.
The discovery shows that hunter-gatherers in the Eastern Mediterranean achieved the cultural milestone of bread-making far earlier than previously known, more than 4,000 years before plant cultivation took root. The flatbread, likely unleavened and somewhat resembling pita bread, was fashioned from wild cereals such as barley or oats, as well as from tubers from an aquatic relative of papyrus, all of which had been ground into flour. It was made by a culture called the Natufians, who had begun to embrace a sedentary rather than nomadic lifestyle, and was found at a Black Desert archaeological site. Deepak Chopra, MD., has been saying, for years, that aging and getting old are just not the same. In terms of Yoga and Ahyurveda, he is on solid ground. Many yogis live into their 90s but think, speak, act and live as though they have bodies of 50 year old people. Here are some of Dr. Chopra's insights about aging from Brotherhood, a book he co-authored with his brother Dr. Sanjiv Chopra:
I've noticed, and been alarmed, by images of millennials (ages 25-34) consuming alcohol everywhere: by pools, at meals, sporting events and even yoga classes (alcohol should be off limits in any yoga setting). Now, research reveals their death rate from alcohol liver damage is higher than ever. Here's one news source:
Deaths from liver disease have increased sharply in recent years in the United States, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal. Cirrhosis-related deaths increased by 65 percent from 1999 to 2016, and deaths from liver cancer doubled, the study said. The rise in death rates was driven predominantly by alcohol-induced disease, the report said.Over the past decade, people ages 25 to 34 had the highest increase in cirrhosis deaths - an average of 10.5 percent per year - of the demographic groups examined, researchers reported. The study suggests that a new generation of Americans is being afflicted "by alcohol misuse and its complications," said lead author Elliot Tapper, a liver specialist at the University of Michigan. Faith means total surrender to what is, without a single shadow of ‘could be’, ‘should be’ or ‘would be’. Faith means total surrender. - Vasant Lad
This from Ram Swarup writing in Hinduism Today magazine:
India's first major contact began when Vasco de Gama landed with gunboat and priests (1498). The newcomers were not only pirates and merchants but also believing Christians. They had the pope's mandate to convert heathens in the lands they conquered. They found that the natives had a flourishing religion of their own. They took to destroying their temples in earnest. Within decades of their occupation of small coastal parts, they had destroyed, according to their own records, 601 temples in 131 villages--all important Christian Orders taking part in this pious work. Franciscan friars destroyed 300 Hindu temples in Bardez, Jesuits 280 in Salsete. St. Francis Xavier, who participated in this meritorious work, wrote back home: "As soon as I arrived in any heathen village, when all are baptized, I order all the temples of their false gods to be destroyed and all the idols to be broken to pieces. I can give you no idea of the joy I feel in seeing this done." (www.hinduismtoday.com) No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now. - Alan Watts
Meditation is not about outcome. It is not about obtaining something. It is about the process. When people focus on the outcome, that is when they get stressed out when meditating. When you are focused on results and outcome, that is not Buddhist at all.
Meditation is not about reaching something. We meditate not to attain anything; we meditate to let go of things. These days I say that we meditate to lose things. So great meditators are great losers. When people look at me and say, “You had a great degree from a good university and now look at you, you are a loser,” I say, “Thank you, what a great compliment.” Being a loser is my goal in life and the biggest loser was the Buddha. He had nothing left, but emptiness and freedom. That is a loser. So instead of working hard trying to meet expectations, be a loser and get lost! - Ajahn Brahm |
Victor M. Parachin ...is aVedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Archives
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