- Ethics For The New Millinneum, by the Dalai Lama
This, then, is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need. So long as we practice these in our daily lives, then no matter if we are learned or unlearned, whether we believe in Buddha or God, or follow some other religion or none at all, as long as we have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense of responsibility, there is no doubt we will be happy.
- Ethics For The New Millinneum, by the Dalai Lama Consider yourself a tourist. Think of the world as it is seen from space, so small and insignificant yet so beautiful. Could there really be anything to be gained from harming others during our stay here? - Dalai Lama 14th
A meditation teacher is part of an emergency rescue operation, like when police, paramedics, and rescue workers go in with sirens blaring, red and blue lights flashing, helicopters whirling overhead with search lights - to help people drowning in danger and distress. - Lama Zopa
REASONS TO MEDITATE
Mental health Elevation Discernment Inspiration Transformation Acceptance Tranquility Endurance - Victor M. Parachin Emily Graham is grief blogger who says she's learning to live around the "hole" created when her seven year-old son died. When her son passed, she received a lot of advice, most of it not helpful. " I found people do not know what to say. They default to the things they have been conditioned to say during these times. It came from many different sources, most of which had never lost a child. The advice came from good intentions, but it was hollow. Not at all what I needed in that moment."
Even though the comments were well intentioned, they generated frustration and anger within her. "When someone would tell me it would be OK, I was angry. They would say everything happens for a reason and I should trust God. More anger. Then there was, 'Give it time. Time heals all wounds.' It doesn’t. Then there were the people that tried to facilitate a connection. Here, call Jane. She lost her son, too. I was not in a place talk to other bereaved mothers and hear all about their experience. Everything felt like pressure towards a direction someone else thought was best for me. Someone that had never stood where I was standing." Along with anger, most responses simply generated self-judgment and caused her self-confidence to erode. " Everything made me mad. I hated their advice yet I found myself starting to wonder if I should listen. It didn’t resonate, but I was desperate. So I started judging my grief. It made me question everything I was doing and feel as if I was doing it all wrong. That made me more angry." Finally, she gained an insight which put her more fully on the path to recovery. Here's how she describes that moment: "My epiphany? My grief is only about me. The journey I walk is my own. No one can tell me how to do it. I simply have to do whatever I feel is right in the moment for me. It is not my job to help make others feel better. I cannot be concerned for how they are doing. I know it sounds harsh and unfeeling. However, there is an “I” in grief. As there should be! It is the only way because MY son died! This was about Cameron and I. No one else. The rest of the world has their own path to follow and they must figure it out on their own." (public domain photos from www.pixabay.com) The Vedic tradition recognizes that the Divine appears, from time to time, in human form. The term used for this is "avatar" which means "one who descends". It can also mean "align" or "re-align" or "ignite." Thus avatars generally appear when humanity is at it lowest and needs inspiration to aspire higher. There are 24 recognized avatars with the three most well known being Buddha, Krishna and Rama. Into the twentieth century, avatars could include such inspiring humans as Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Dalai Lama, all of whom can be viewed as presenting Divinity and a Higher Self in human form. Knowing oneself means being self-aware in a balanced way, and neither focusing only on your strengths (the source of arrogance) or only on your weaknesses (the source of low self-esteem). In truth, strengths and weaknesses coexist in all of us. - Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
. . . is Finland!
During one year, the average person in Finland consumes more than 24 pounds of coffee. That’s the equivalent of 4.5 cups per day or an incredible 1,650 cups a year. For the country as a whole, it means that 8.5 billion cups or 531.5 million gallons of coffee are sipped each year within Finland. After Finland, countries which consume the most coffee are the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Coffee is also popular around the world with more than 400 billion cups consumed. Hinduism respects all faiths and believes in interfaith harmony through the celebration of common principles. - Narayan Aksharpith
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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
April 2024
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