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LEARN TO ASK BETTER QUESTIONS

12/31/2017

Any time we are hit hard by life’s blow, it’s natural and easy to ask . . .

“Why?”

“Why me?”
“Why us?”

“Why now?”
“Why is this happening?”
The problem with “Why” questions is that they only feed our dark side, fuel our anxiety pulling and us further down. There are better questions to ask, questions which can lift our spirits when we’re feeling down.
Here are some of those:
* What are the chances that one year from now, I’ll feel no better?
* What advice would I give my child or my best friend if he or she were in my shoes?
* When I overcome this issue, how will I be stronger, wiser, deeper and even better for it?
* If I were writing a screenplay of my life, how would I have the main character (me) turn this adversity into an advantage?
* How has this difficulty revealed to me who my true friends are?
* Who could I confide in who would make me feel a little better, a little more hopeful?
* What do I need to do to keep moving ahead with my life?
* Who can I turn to when I need to express and explore what’s going on with me?
By mindfully moving from “why” to “what, how, and who” questions, it’s highly likely that life will run smoother, better, easier and with more freedom.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

12/31/2017

The ancient sages chose the dance to depict God for good reason. Esoterically, movement is the most primal act of existence. Without this simple thing, there would be no universe, no us, no experience, nothing. Light is movement. Thought is movement. Atoms are movement. Life is movement. And, the Hindu holds, God is movement. - Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

WHATEVER YOUR PATH, LET IT BE JOYFUL

12/30/2017

In his book, I Ching Life: Becoming Your Authentic Self, Wu Wei writes that each person’s life journey is unique and should be walked joyfully with that awareness.

“Every spider web that has ever been woven is different from every other spider web. The face of every person is different from every other face. No leaf that has ever existed has been the same as any other leaf. Everything I different from everything else – the diversification is total. Can you not, therefore, imagine that the path to enlightenment is different for every person, must be different? The path that one person follows is not the correct path for another person. You must follow your own path. That is the way.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

12/30/2017

There are no heretics in Hinduism, for God is everywhere and in all things. In such an open laboratory, Hindu spirituality has grown over the millennia so diverse and rich that it defies definition. - Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMPASSION AND ENABLING? - BEST ANSWER

12/29/2017

Rev. Kris Ladusau, whom I consider a spiritual friend, is director of the Oklahoma (City) Dharma Center. She is part of a Japanese Buddhist lineage called Rissho Kosei Kai. Rev. Ladusau's newsletter writings always leave me with something to reflect upon more deeply. She recently wrote about the importance of uniting wisdom with compassion and outlines the difference between compassion and enabling. Here's her wisdom:

"Wisdom and compassion are both needed to live a healthy life and interact with others in healthy ways. Respect for our Buddha-Nature and that of others requires a balanced approach. Compassion is having one's hand ready to grasp the hand of another reaching out for additional help to their own efforts, but wisdom inhibits reaching down to lift up someone making no personal effort or seeing any need to be elsewhere. Individuals must themselves choose (consciously or unconsciously) to leave a situation. If we try to force someone into a state of consciousness they are not ready for, we are doing a disservice to both of us. It is important to understand the difference between compassion and enabling."

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

12/29/2017

Many of us stagnate in lives that are going nowhere. We are either stuck in destructive patterns that undermine our happiness and snuff out our potential, or we run on a treadmill of routine that slowly kills off our dreams. - Shmuley Boteach

ROGER MOORE NAMED PETA PERSON OF THE YEAR

12/28/2017

The late Sir Roger Moore has been named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) Person of the Year for 2017. The James Bond star, who passed away at the age of 89 in May, was a keen animal rights activist and led a number of campaigns on PETA’s behalf.

On honoring Sir Roger with the award, PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk told news reporters: “Animals in dire need had a caring, charming friend in Sir Roger Moore. PETA is honored to recognize this wonderful man for sticking his neck out for the vulnerable amongst us time and again.”

In recent years, the British actor backed a successful campaign to have foie gras removed from sale in London’s Selfridges department store, and called on British army officials to use fake fur for their traditional bearskin caps.

Praising Sir Roger’s commitment to helping animals, PETA’s Director of International Programs Mimi Bekhechi, said: “Animals have lost a dear friend with the passing of Sir Roger Moore. The long-time PETA supporter may have been best known for his suave portrayal of James Bond, but we believe some of his greatest achievements were his efforts on behalf of animals.”

Before his death earlier this year Moore also penned a letter to British Prime Minister Theresa May urging her to ban the use of wild animals in circuses. In his letter he wrote that “allowing such cruelty is unforgivable” and that he would join Theresa for a glass of champagne when the practice was outlawed.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

12/28/2017

Sometimes the idea of working out sounds absolutely dreadful, but I always remind myself of how good it will feel afterwards. Euphoric, almost! - Meghan Markle

THE BUDDHIST VIEW OF THE POOR AND THEIR POVERTY

12/27/2017

I've been reading an insightful analysis by Venerable Bikkhu Bodhi about the poor in America and how a Buddhist ought to view the sad issue of poverty in the United States. Here are some specific thoughts from Ven. Bodhi which I am meditating upon:

1. The presence of the poor reflect my own poverty - "If some in our midst are poor, faced with a daily struggle to pay for food, rent, and medical bills, that is in part because I, too, am poor—insufficiently endowed with the love, compassion, and sense of justice that might motivate me to redress their poverty."

2. There are two competing views about the poor in this country. The first comes from loud voices in the country who view "the poor as failures, as castoffs who must patiently endure their pitiable fate. We’re entitled to help them, of course, but our help should be considered an act of private charity, not a plank of policy—and, therefore, not our collective responsibility."

The second view - that of Buddhism - "sees people as responsible for one another; indeed, from the highest standpoint, it sees that people are one another, interdependent and mutually sustaining, each in all and all in each. While there are inevitable limits to our personal ability to help everyone in need, we are each obliged to make some contribution to the well-being of the nation to which we belong and the communities in which we participate. This obligation is not merely personal. It extends to our collective voice, the state, which, as the organ of national policy, must endeavor to see that no one lacks the basic amenities of a decent life.”

3. Government assistance along with private effort is vital - "he deficit hawks lament that we can’t afford to spend on programs that assist the poor, but the truth is that our ability to fight poverty is not stymied by a shortage of funds but by policies and laws that benefit the wealthy at the expense of everyone else. Over the past half-century, the share of the nation’s wealth going to the top 1% of households has more than doubled. While the incomes of the rich have soared, fast food and service sector workers are paid minimum wages, with no extra benefits. Often they’re forced to work two jobs just to support their families, and an illness in the household can be a financial catastrophe."

(read more: https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/price-dignity/ )

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

12/27/2017

Go forth, for the good of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world, for the benefit, for the welfare, for the gladness of holy and ordinary beings. - Buddha

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Victor M. Parachin ...is a

Vedic educator, yoga instructor, meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore.

Victor M. Parachin ...is a

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