Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
InterBeing
OF ENGAGED BUDDHISM
By Thich Nhat Hanh
1
Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory,
2
Do not think the knowledge you presently possess
3
Do not force others, including children,
4
Do not avoid suffering or close your eyes before suffering.
5
Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry.
6
Do not maintain anger or hatred.
7
Do not lose yourself in dispersion
8
Do not utter words that can create discord and cause
all conflicts, however small.
9
Do not say untruthful things for the sake of
10
Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit,
11
Do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature.
12
Do not kill. Do not let others kill.
13
Possess nothing that should belong to others.
14
Do not mistreat your body.
(For brothers and sisters who are not monks and nuns:)
From the book 'Interbeing':
Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk, poet, peace activist, and the author of Being Peace, The Miracle of Mindfulness, and many other books. He lives in a monastic community in south-western France called Plum Village, where he teaches, writes, gardens, and works to help refugees world-wide. He conducts retreats throughout the world on the art of mindful living, and has conducted special retreats for American Vietnam War veterans, psychotherapists, artists, environmental activists and children.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Inner Calm and Clarity
" Lord Buddha and The Brahmin"..
Lord Buddha was sitting under a banyan tree.
One day, a furious Brahmin came to him and started abusing him.
The Brahmin thought that Lord Buddha
would reciprocate in the same manner,
but to his utter surprise,
there was not the slightest change
in the expression on his face.
Now, the Brahmin became more furious.
He hurled more and more abuses at Buddha.
However, Lord Buddha was completely unmoved.
Actually there was a look of compassion on his face.
Ultimately the Brahmin was tired of abusing him.
He asked, "I have been abusing you like anything,
but why are you not angry at all ?"
Lord Buddha calmly replied,
"My dear brother, I have not accepted
a single abuse from you."
"But you heard all of them, didn't you?"
The Brahmin argued half-heartedly.
Buddha said,
"I do not need the abuses,
so why should I even hear them?"
Now the Brahmin was even more puzzled.
He could not understand the calm reply from Lord Buddha.
Looking at his disturbed face,
Buddha further explained,
"All those abuses remain with you."
"It cannot be possible.
I have hurled all of them at you,"
the Brahmin persisted.
Buddha calmly repeated his reply,
"But I have not accepted
even a single abuse from you !
Dear brother,
suppose you give some coins to somebody,
and if he does not accept them,
with whom will those coins remain?"
The Brahmin replied,
"If I have given the coins and not needed by someone,
then naturally they would remain with me."
With a meaningful smile on his face,
Buddha said,
"Now you are right.
The same has happened with your abuses.
You came here and hurled abuses at me,
but I have not accepted a single abuse from you.
Hence, all those abuses remain with you only.
So there is no reason to be angry with you."
The Brahmin remained speechless.
He was ashamed of his behavior
and begged for Buddha's forgiveness.
Lesson to Learn from This Story :
Inner calmness and peace are keys to contented life.
You know who you are and what you want in life,
so do not respond to what person said about you in anger.
Control your anger with patience and calmness.
That is biggest strength of Wise men.
Never take some one for granted,
Hold every person Close to your Heart
because you might wake up one day
and realize that you have lost a diamond
while you were too busy collecting stones…"
Monday, August 03, 2009
Act Now!
"Do more than belong: participate.
"Don't wait for someone to take you under their wing.
"Whenever you are asked if you can do a job,
Theodore Roosevelt
"Someone once asked me
Mickey Rooney
"When you're doing something,
Zen Master Seung Sahn
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Walk your Talk!
I don't know what will happen to you when you watch this...
I hope it's a cry of love and compassion...
Walk your Talk when you finish crying.
I am joining you as well....
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Strategic Planning
"The will to win is important,
but the will to prepare is vital."
Joe Paterno
"The difference between great people and everyone else
is that great people create their lives actively,
while everyone else is created by their lives,
passively waiting to see where life takes them next.
The difference between the two is the difference
between living fully and just existing."
Michael E. Gerber
"Expect the best,
plan for the worst,
and prepare to be surprised."
Denis Waitley
"I can give you a six-word formula for success:
Think things through - then follow through."
Captain Edward V. Rickenbacker
Our Deepest Fear
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest
within us.
It is not just in some of us;
And as we let our own light shine,
give other people permission
As we are liberated
from our own fear,
our presence automatically
liberates others.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Happy Niu(牛)Year 2009!
RESULTS
"I want to demonstrate by my life and my results, not my talk, not my wishes, but by my results." -- Gerry Robert
"It is not what you say or hope or wish or intend but only what you do that counts. Your choices tell you unerringly who you really are." -- Brian Tracy
"Life asks us to make measurable progress in reasonable time. That’s why they make those fourth grade chairs so small – so you won’t fit in them at age twenty-five!" -- Jim Rohn
"We will receive not what we idly wish for but what we justly earn. Our rewards will always be in exact proportion to our service." -- Earl Nightingale
It’s 2009 and this is a great time to Plan, Do and Review for 2009. Will you be focused and on course for reaching your goals? Are you on the right track mentally, physically, spiritually, financially, relationally, etc.?
As Jim Rohn would say... "Now is the time to fix the next 10 years!"
Plan your Work and Work your Plan!
Happy Niu(牛)Year to ALL!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Kindness
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving creates love."
Tao Te Ching
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Wisdom, Philosophy and Greatness
Keep me away from the wisdom
which does not cry,
the philosophy
which does not laugh
and the greatness
which does not bow before children.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Manifest WHATever you Want!
Good New Education for your Body/Mind/Spirit and Soul.
Enjoy, it's sexy and funny!
Wisdom of the Buddha Vs Law of Attraction
Specially dedicated to those who attack/misuse/Hijack the movie "The Secret" and its Law of Attraction - Open your eyes and mind - Truth is not what you perceived it to be...it is larger, wider,wiser, nicer than what's in your narrow mind! :-)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sherab's Talks on Loving Kindness and Mahayana Mind Training
In Theravada Buddhism's Pali Canon, metta is one of the four "divine abodes" (Pali: brahmavihara) recommended for cultivating interpersonal harmony and meditative concentration (see, for instance, kammmatthana). In later canonical works (such as the Cariyapitaka), metta is one of ten "perfections" (parami) that facilitates the attainment of awakening (bodhi) and is a prerequisite to attaining buddhahood.
According to post-canonical Sutta Nipata commentary, the background story for the Metta Sutta is that a group of monks is harassed by earth-dwelling deities in a forest; when the monks seek the Buddha's aid in dealing with the deities, the Buddha teaches the monks the Metta Sutta for them to recite regularly; the monks do so and, as a result, win over the deities' good will.
The Mettā Sutta contains a number of recollections or recitations that promote the development of mettā through virtuous characteristics and meditation.
The discourse identifies fifteen moral qualities and conditions conducive to the development of metta. These include such qualities as being non-deceptive (uju), sincere (suju), easy to correct (suvaco), gentle (mudu) and without arrogance (anatimani).
In terms of meditative development, the discourse identifies:
an intentional wish that facilitates generating metta (Pali: sukhino va khemino hontu; English: "May all beings be happy and safe")
a means for developing meditational objects (a list of various sizes, proximity, etc.) for such a wish a prototypical metaphor — of a mother's protective love for her only child — to be extended to all beings a method for radiating metta outwards in all directions
Use
It is often recited as part of religious services in the Theravada tradition. Cultivating mettā through the recitation of the Mettā Sutta is sometimes believed to have apotropaic powers within the Theravāda tradition.
It has been reported that Buddhist monks chanted the "Mettā Sutta" as part of their demonstration in September and October 2007 against the military in Burma.
(source: wikipedia)
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Life a Miracle
Watch him sing and play.
It will touch you, it will sooth your mind. It will release you from ALL your problems and troubles. You will see 'Godliness' in everything and everyone you meet.
To put it in Michael Beckwith's word:
"....it will take over your life. It will feed you. It will clothe you. It will guide you, protect you, direct you, sustain your every existence. If you let it. Now that is what I know, for sure."
Enjoy his songs, but most importantly, start to see your Life as a Miracle, Here and Now...