Self-improvement is an honorable pursuit and more people should be aware of their weaknesses and limitation taking necessary steps for correction. However, self-improvement can quickly merge into desires and desires are endless. Too many people suffer not from lack but from too much. There are too many vehicles, too much food being consumed and wasted, too many purchases made, many of which end up in landfills. Desires, characterized by grasping for more and more, are not only endless but leave us overwhelmed and depleted. Too much use of social media is one glaring example. Examine your self-improvement style to be certain it’s not deepening desire and craving.
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Giving up anything is anathema to most Westerners. - Joan Duncan Oliver
As we travel the journey of life, we are bound to encounter darkness and many unexpected difficulties. However, darkness is not eternal and difficulties are sure to be overcome in the end. Yin Shun
Influential teacher and founder of the San Francisco Zen Ceneter, Shunryu Suzuki gave a talk and when he finished, a man raised his had asking with distress: “You’ve been talking on and on about all these complicated Buddhist teachings, and really, I don’t understand anything that you’re saying. Is there something you can tell me that I can understand?”
Of course, the question caused some anxiety among those in the room who were laughing quietly but nervously because the question could be perceived as disrespectful. However, Suzuki took it quite seriously. When the laughter subsided, he quietly answered: “Everything changes.” Suzuki presented “reality” from the Buddhist perspective. Reality is impermanence, reality is change and, therefore, we have to live our lives in keeping with the way things “really” are, not the way we wish them to be. If you feel it, you show it. And if you show it, you feel it. - Constantin Stanislavski
Diversity within a society does not have to be problematic. It can be a source of richness and enjoyment. We can recognize and enjoy differences, but we must be careful not to exaggerate their importance or solidify our differences. When we do, we easily lose sight of our shared humanity, and divide ourselves up into categories of us and them, higher and lower, better and worse.
- UgyenTrinley Dorje Finding ways to ground yourself is a powerful way to maintain equanimity when the world around you seems to just be a bit too much - Mallika Chopra
There is a kind of joy that comes from letting go. Many of us are bound to so many things. We believe these things are necessary for our survival, our security, and our happiness. But many of these things—or more precisely, our beliefs about their utter necessity—are really obstacles for our joy and happiness. - Thich Nhat Hanh
True words cure sickness. If they cannot cure sickness, they are false words. - Pai Chang
Sentient beings are equal in wanting happiness and not wanting suffering. They are equal in having a right to happiness and freedom from suffering. - Jampa Tegchock
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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
October 2021
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