Happiness which relies upon external conditions will always remain unstable for external phenomena are constantly in a state of flux. THe only stable happiness is that which is produced within the mind itself and is based on spiritual knowledge. - Glenn H. Mullin
Not to study the Buddha way is to fall into the realm of shameless and erroneous ways. All preceding and succeeding Buddhas always practice the Buddha way. — Dogen Zenji
"I have never learned from books and ink. My masters are the phenomenal world." - Milarepa, Tibetan Buddhist poet and teacher
According to WalletHub Research, the 10 worst states for obesity and poor health were:
Worst
And, the 10 Best
When it comes time for a relationship to end, or even if your partner leaves you for another persxon, you can begin to transform some of your suffering by thinking like this: 'Since I enjoyed being with my partner, who shouldn't someone else have the same enjoyment? That other person is just as important as I am. Just like me, that person wants happiness and doesn't want suffering. - Lama Zope Rinpoche
The Buddha was always gentle with people when it came to meditation. On more than one occasion, he encountered a monk who kept falling asleep during meditation. Here was the Buddha's approach:
1. He asked the monk to change his posture. If the monk was doing seated meditation, the Buddha suggested he stand or do a walking meditation. 2. If that didn't work, he recommended the monk rub his earlobes to stimulate the body. 3. Failing that, the Buddha advised the monk to go outside and look at the stars to stimulate the mind. 4. If there was still no success, he suggested the monk think of an inspiring Buddhist teaching to stimulate energy and enthusiasm. 5. Trying one more time, the Buddha finally suggested the monk imagine a very bright light appearing before him. This was to stimulate the eyes. Later the Buddha was asked by other monks why he followed such an elaborate method to help a monk remain awake during meditation. The Buddha explained he was trying to assess if the monk's meditation sleepiness was psychological or physical. If, after going through all the steps the monk still remained sleepy, the Buddha advised the monk to simply sleep and allow his body to rest. The one thing I don't get or resonate with is travel and people who love to go places. I clearly do not have the "travel bug" and don't understand those who do until I came across these sentences during my morning study. I am re-reading a fine book titled The Art of Disappearing: The Buddha's Path To Lasting Joy by Ajahn Brahm; Here's his insight about why so many people have an incessant desire to travel, travel travel:
"The mind thinks that the next experience will be interesting or useful. Its' this lack of contentment that drive people;s lives, making them them wander all over the world,. What are they searching for? Look carefully and you'll see that wherever your go, things are essentially the same. The trees are the same and so are people. Why go to see the Great Wall of China? It's no big deal - walls are just walls. Or you take an expensive ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower. But a view is just a view. Why do people want to do these things? Often it's just something more to do - and wanting the next things gives us a sense of who we are. We seek our identity in always going on to the next thing. There is an old metaphor that describes life as a journey and meditation as the stopping of that journey. By stopping and sitting down somewhere and focusing on the breath, you can overcome the inclination of the mind to always want to go somewhere else." When compassion arises, the next step is actively expressing it. This is what brings compassion fully to life. - Tara Brach
With the holiday season emerging, you might be interested in this link (below) to find a gift for the yogi / yogini in your life.
https://heavy.com/gifts/2019/11/yoga-gifts/ |
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
May 2024
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