tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47575451816353901782024-03-13T07:54:09.102-07:00Right intentionAndreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-6552247272205876812017-01-06T19:58:00.001-08:002017-01-06T20:08:29.977-08:00How to see<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrOt9UjSf579RumUPkfgEppc9EEiAM57Y3qp5uhH-5LFek6If6d6fDO50DW4yAbKVIThUzLws_D-pW-z6Uf9KcKwdLUHwn2M8_nknHT5d_y2gpKiYCdtGOShLUtaWCU0y0gqLQ-ks3nFA/s1600/living+mountina200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrOt9UjSf579RumUPkfgEppc9EEiAM57Y3qp5uhH-5LFek6If6d6fDO50DW4yAbKVIThUzLws_D-pW-z6Uf9KcKwdLUHwn2M8_nknHT5d_y2gpKiYCdtGOShLUtaWCU0y0gqLQ-ks3nFA/s1600/living+mountina200.jpg" /></a></div>
Strangely, I am reading two books that seem to correspond to/with each other. One is <i>Ways of seeing</i> by John Berger. The other is <i>The living mountain</i> by Nan Shepherd. Whilst they are not on the same subject at face value, the authors say comparable or parallel things.<br />
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But initially, the story of looking for lost things. My family came to my house for Christmas lunch. My sister moved some things that were on the table to a bench. Among those things were my house and car keys. After everyone had left I looked for my keys but couldn't find them. I had cleaned up the kitchen and moved things back to the table, including a bowl of fruit. My sister had put my keys in the bowl. I did not notice them when I moved the bowl back to the table. I was doing what we do when we read - scanning - so all I saw was fruit. Later, when looking for my keys, I relooked at the bowl of fruit, in relation with my thinking about the events of the day, and only then did I see my keys. I was truly looking at the bowl, probably for the first time. Artists who paint still lifes must also do this - really 'see' things.<br />
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John Berger (p 9) says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves. </blockquote>
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Nan Shepherd (pp 10-11) tells us how to see in nature:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This changing of focus in the eye, moving the eye itself when looking at things that do not move, deepen one's sense of outer reality. Then static things may be caught in the very act of becoming. By so simple a matter, too, as altering the position of one's head, a different kind of world may be made to appear.... Details are no longer part of a grouping in a picture of which I am the focal point, the focal point is everywhere. Nothing has reference to me, the looker. This is how the earth must see itself.</blockquote>
Her text in <i>The living mountain</i> considers being - her own being and the mountain's/nature's, the relationship between watcher and watched, and the senses being put to full use.<br />
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For unnumbered years it [water] has welled from the rock, and flowed away. It does nothing, absolutely nothing, but be itself. (p 23)</blockquote>
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...the colour seemed to live its own life, to have body and resilience, as though we were not looking at it, but were inside its substance. (p 30)</blockquote>
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It astonished me that my memory was so much in the eye and so little in the feet... (p 46)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Though I did not know it then, I was leaning my way in, through my own fingers, to the secret of growth. (p 58)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Whether you give it conscious thought or not, you are touching life, and something within you knows it. A sense of profound contentment floods me as I stoop to dip the pail. But I am aware all the same that by so living I am slowing down the tempo of life; if I had to do these things every day and all the time I should be shutting the door on other activities and interests... (p 82) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...I awake with an empty mind. Consciousness of where I am comes back quite soon, but for one startled moment I have looked at a familiar place as though I had never seen it before. (p 91)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...I am continually coming to the surface of awareness and sinking back again, just seeing, not bedevilled with thought, but living in the clear simplicity of the senses. (p 93)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
To bend the ear to silence is to discover how seldom it is there... But now and then comes an hour when the silence is all but absolute, and listening to it one slips out of time. (p 96)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Such illusions, depending on how the eye is placed and used, drive home the truth that our habitual vision of things is not necessarily right: it is only one of an infinite number, and to glimpse an unfamiliar one, even for a moment, unmakes us, but steadies us again. (p 101) </blockquote>
And in the last chapter, titled 'Being', here it is:<br />
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How then may be lived a life of the senses so pure, so untouched by any mode of apprehension but their own, that the body may be said to think. Each sense heightened to its most exquisite awareness is in its total experience. This is the innocence we have lost, living in one sense at a time to live all the way through. (p 105)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...the long rhythm of motion sustained until motion is felt, not merely known by the brain, as the 'still centre' of being. (p 106) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The thing to be known grows with the knowing. (p 108) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For an hour I am beyond desire. It is not ecstasy, that leap out of the self that makes man like a god. I am not out of myself, but in myself. I am. (p 108) </blockquote>
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There is nothing more to be said, but a lot to be experienced. Nan Shepherd's text relates to Buddhism as well as deep ecology - the practices of meditation and mindful walking, mindfulness in general, are all expressed in her book. What do we really see?Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-486708554453218632016-09-23T12:16:00.001-07:002016-09-23T12:20:24.825-07:00Buddhism - why isn't it a religion?The excerpts in this post come from <i>Buddhism without beliefs</i> by Stephen Batchelor.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Religious interpretations invariably reduce complexity to uniformity while elevating matter-of-factness to holiness. (p 4)</blockquote>
Buddha's awakening was both existential and experiential. He discovered the four ennobling truths: anguish/suffering, the causes of suffering, the end of suffering, and how to end suffering (the noble eightfold path).<br />
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When Buddhism becomes a religion:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
... Four ennobling truths to be acted upon are neatly turned into four propositions of fact to be believed...the four ennobling truths become principal dogmas of the belief system known as "Buddhism". (p 5)</blockquote>
The Buddha described his awakening ('from the sleep of existential confusion') as 'having discovered complete freedom of heart and mind from the compulsions of craving.' (p 5)<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
'While "Buddhism" suggests another belief system, "dharma practice" suggests a course of action.' (p 7)</blockquote>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-20549796987486191622016-06-18T05:07:00.001-07:002016-06-18T05:11:26.507-07:00Magpies at home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've been feeding magpies for quite a while now. Given there are Norfolk Island pines in the street, which they love, they are always around. But they choose their times to swoop down for a feed. Sometimes I hear them from the kitchen, and sure enough when I look up the passage to the front door, one is standing on the door mat looking in. Very cute. Obediently I get out the mince and go outside to feed them. There may be only one, or two or three or four. I tell them to behave themselves if they are rude to each other. It seems to work. Once they have had a few bits each they are happy and so am I.<br />
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This photo was taken from a front bedroom window. They are peering in on a winter's day, looking to see what's happening. It seems like role reversal - we often think we are looking at animals/other living beings (eg in zoos) but in fact they also observe us. I always say hello to birds when I see them in the street, even if they are a breed I am not fond of, such as miners. Magpies though seem to know that you are talking to them. They factor it into their own speech. They are a special breed.<br />
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In Europe I believe they are called 'pie', but are apparently different to the Australian magpie. An American woman singer in our town for the Festival said how much she loves their sound. It is hard to mimic and has a lot of variation. Sometimes I think a magpie is putting together a song just for me - singing for its supper.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-36988519327931874962016-06-18T04:49:00.002-07:002016-06-18T04:49:27.051-07:00See the world as your self<blockquote class="tr_bq">
See the world as your self.<br />Have faith in the way things are.<br />Love the world as your self<br />then you can care for all things.</blockquote>
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Lao-Tzu in the <i>Tao Te Ching</i> (translated by Stephen Mitchell)<br />
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I love this poem, although the second line is difficult. Thinking about what is wrong with the world, it is not the world that is wrong, but the people in it. Nature is not wrong. And what is the key thing wrong with humans? We are human-centred. OK, you may say that a lion is lion-centred etc. In terms of survival, all species are self-centred. This is the selfish gene thing. But humans are a particular species, a particular being, that value our own importance over all else, to the point of shitting in our own nest (our universal home, the Earth), not feeling the pain of other living beings or even of our own species.<br />
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For these reasons, I do not love my species. Or at least, I do not love them above other species. Equanimity is a beautiful thing.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-19141629730833191652016-06-18T04:35:00.001-07:002016-06-18T04:41:22.667-07:00Do you have to believe in reincarnation to be a Buddhist?Reincarnation means there is a soul that goes out of your body and enters another body. That is a very popular, very wrong notion of continuation in Buddhism. If you think that there is a soul, a self, that inhabits a body, and that goes out when the body disintegrates and takes another form, that is not Buddhism.<br />
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When you look into a person, you see five skandhas, or elements: form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. There is no soul, no self, outside of these five, so when the five elements go to dissolution, the karma, the actions, that you have performed in your lifetime is your continuation. What you have done and thought is still there as energy. You don’t need a soul, or a self, in order to continue.<br />
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It’s like a cloud. Even when the cloud is not there, it continues always as snow or rain. The cloud does not need to have a soul in order to continue. There’s no beginning and no end. You don’t need to wait until the total dissolution of this body to continue—you continue in every moment. Suppose I transmit my energy to hundreds of people; then they continue me. If you look at them and you see me, well, you have seen me. If you think that I am only this [points to himself], then you have not seen me. But when you see me in my speech and my actions, you see that they continue me. When you look at my disciples, my students, my books, and my friends, you see my continuation. I will never die. There is a dissolution of this body, but that does not mean my death. I continue, always.<br />
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That is true of all of us. You are more than just this body because the five skandhas are always producing energy. That is called karma or action. But there is no actor—you don’t need an actor. Action is good enough. This can be understood in terms of quantum physics. Mass and energy, and force and matter—they are not two separate things. They are the same.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lionsroar.com/be-beautiful-be-yourself-january-2012/?utm_source=Lion%27s+Roar+Newsletter&utm_campaign=eef9c7ca01-LR_Weekend_Read_June_3_20166_2_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1988ee44b2-eef9c7ca01-21726241&goal=0_1988ee44b2-eef9c7ca01-21726241&mc_cid=eef9c7ca01&mc_eid=3b2d285825">Thich Nhat Hanh: Be beautiful, be yourself </a> (Lion's Roar, 3 June 2016)Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-20106643581978000852016-04-01T20:32:00.002-07:002016-04-05T05:08:08.332-07:00My body is historyNot what it seems. When I was meditating in a group of people the other day I had a sense of the history in my body. It was so subtle and fleeting that I can't even describe it. Since then I have thought about it (not the same thing as feeling it) some more.<br />
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My parents are in me, and also their parents, back to 'beginningless' time (on shaky ground here - winging it). Some instances of this - thoughts that have 'fallen into' my mind:<br />
<ul>
<li>I sometimes imagine stealing something. It's quite random, usually triggered by seeing something I like. When I was at <a href="http://plumvillage.org/" target="_blank">Plum Village</a>, one meditation exercise was to imagine the 5 year old parent in us - our mother and our father. And to imagine ourselves as 5 year old children. It suddenly occurred to me one day after we had done this meditation that maybe my impulse to steal was linked to the 5 year old father in me. At the funeral of my uncle a story about my uncle and father was told and in fact my father was probably about 5 years old. They were in a shop and I think my father wanted to steal something.</li>
<li>I am always rushing ahead in time (like most people) and it is difficult to have a moment in the present moment! 'Quick' was a word I said to my son a lot when he was little, especially when I had to go to work. I said it to the dog the other day too (not the only time). But what if it isn't just about <i>my</i> life, but also about the generations who have gone before me? My father hated to be late, and my mother too (or was she just following him?). Maybe my quickness comes from that, and maybe theirs comes from their parents... Although earlier generations couldn't do quick like we can, it still could have been in their psyche.</li>
</ul>
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More instances of my body as history may arise as I try mindfully to go into my body instead of always being in my mind ('aware of the body in the body'). At least I hope so, because by understanding these old habit patterns I can move beyond them. They not only relate to conditioning but to my senses. And they come before thought, so are very subtle.</div>
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Refer to the <a href="http://plumvillage.org/sutra/discourse-on-the-full-awareness-of-breathing/" target="_blank">Discourse on the full awareness of breathing</a> for more information about uniting body and mind.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-58900030096983198622016-04-01T20:23:00.000-07:002016-04-01T20:34:38.260-07:00David Suzuki at WOMADelaide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8vizMFuVbKfWFP5I1d-rnEuXHdUoCEjaNDqCnKixfEmm7paz47UFDXnunsnMrEC9Hh-To2N1gEd-CnTlLV3XQRJkCzdR2tj8lNkdtW9122V103JBIHbNh5g4l3t15BOrTQPvDcLwc6ZG/s1600/SilentSpring_250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8vizMFuVbKfWFP5I1d-rnEuXHdUoCEjaNDqCnKixfEmm7paz47UFDXnunsnMrEC9Hh-To2N1gEd-CnTlLV3XQRJkCzdR2tj8lNkdtW9122V103JBIHbNh5g4l3t15BOrTQPvDcLwc6ZG/s320/SilentSpring_250.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
David Suzuki spoke at <a href="https://www.womadelaide.com.au/" target="_blank">WOMADelaide 2016</a>. It was a wonderful moment! Here is some of his wisdom. Not his words exactly, as my own passion is added in some parts.<br />
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The future is not ours to erase. Whilst we may seem to be ticking along fine, living a lifestyle that implies limitless resources, this is an illusion that denies future generations a sustainable life on this planet called Earth, that is not 'ours' to destroy. We are stealing from the future to feed our present greed and addiction. This is taking the 'selfish gene' to its extreme, but it's true, sadly. More about this later. It's also adding 'stupidity' to our genetic traits.<br />
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We are a species (love that word) out of control. It's too late to turn things around.<br />
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The older generation can view ourselves as 'elders' if we wish (and if we deserve such a title, as 'elder' also implies wisdom, and some of us have nothing to model/teach). But I still love that word.<br />
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As voters, we should demand a commitment to doing something about climate change from every political candidate. Every one. That is our duty, and worth the effort.<br />
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Nature can shock us with surprise. If we <b>give her room</b> she will be far more generous than we deserve. We are talking about regeneration, or healing, here. He gave an example of salmon (I think). Examples are always good. I am intrigued by the phrase 'give her room'. What does this mean exactly? Is it about 'space' (another word that intrigues me) or just about being kind? This idea needs more exploration. I am sure that the answer lies in a David Suzuki book. I must read one.<br />
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<i>Silent spring</i> by Rachel Carson was mentioned as a pivotal book. Another book I must read. Bless that woman.<br />
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We need to educate people to see our relationship with the world in a different way – the way we see the world and our place in it determines how we behave. The planet is our mother. We have to take this <b>literally</b>. There is a wonderful film about this: <a href="http://www.motherthefilm.com/" target="_blank">Mother: caring for 7 billion</a>.<br />
<ul>
<li>Our world ('mother') is shaped by laws of nature we can do nothing about – shock, horror, we can't control them.</li>
<li>Our home is the biosphere. We've exceeded the capacity of our biosphere for our species. We're using up our children's and grandchildren's inheritance. This makes me <i>really</i> sad.</li>
</ul>
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<b>We are animals.</b> As animals our biology predicts our needs. All of the energy in our bodies is provided through photosynthesis. It's a basic fact that we are not separate from the four sacred elements of our mother (Earth, Air, Fire, Water).<br />
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Yes, that's right, we are animals. Your reaction to that fact tells a lot about how you view yourself and your place on this planet. If you don't think you're an animal, you don't deserve a place on this planet. (That is my opinion, not the words of David Suzuki.)<br />
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As a crescendo to this talk, there is the <a href="http://www.davidsuzuki.org/about/declaration/" target="_blank">Declaration of Interdependence</a> (David Suzuki). You can sign this declaration, which is the most important one of our time, if we still want to have a time. That is, if you think you have the time and are not caught up in the busyness-of-life addiction as well as selfishness and stupidity. This may sound harsh (it is my own words) but I will qualify it by saying that I am not superior to other human beings/animals. I too am caught up in the busyness-of-life addiction that refutes present moment awareness. It is our tendency to view ourselves as superior not just to other living things but also to others of our own species that is a wrong view and causes suffering to ourselves and others.<br />
<ul>
</ul>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-48531206497076777052016-04-01T19:42:00.000-07:002016-04-01T20:28:00.617-07:00Deep ecology à la Thich Nhat Hanh/Buddhism<div class="MsoPlainText">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFNFPa0IKRv9RGGSDq_dDbMznSSUuCRhjr2aTxFcMN4ixDQ_IIAdsqAjOE_pyYEo20euegTa0YCsfKyd62CTTZQsYMbQjoAxczLyghfKy0FaIXHtpO5xumKqnvuNhlLp8VqSONGF885kd/s1600/beyondtheself_250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFNFPa0IKRv9RGGSDq_dDbMznSSUuCRhjr2aTxFcMN4ixDQ_IIAdsqAjOE_pyYEo20euegTa0YCsfKyd62CTTZQsYMbQjoAxczLyghfKy0FaIXHtpO5xumKqnvuNhlLp8VqSONGF885kd/s320/beyondtheself_250.jpg" width="213" /></a>The second notion the Diamond Sutra advises us to throw
away is the <b>notion of person or human being</b>. When we look into the human being,
we see animal, plant and mineral ancestors. A human is made of non-human
elements. If we take away the non-human elements, the human being would no
longer be there. </div>
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This is the oldest teaching on deep ecology. To protect the
human being, you have to protect what is not human. <b>Discriminating between
human and nature is wrong view. </b></div>
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Thich Nhat Hanh, <i>Beyond the self</i>, p xii</div>
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I love this teaching! It totally resonates with my view of the world, and relates to another post on <a href="http://andrearankin.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/david-suzuki-at-womadelaide.html">David Suzuki speaking at WOMADelaide</a>.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-23369153833091795202015-01-23T20:07:00.000-08:002015-03-08T19:32:16.279-07:00Mindfulness in the WestResponse to this article <a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/9355692/whats-wrong-with-mindfulness-more-than-you-might-think/" target="_blank">Mindfulness is something worse than just a smug middle-class trend</a> which links from this one <a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120669/2014-year-mindfulness-religion-rich" target="_blank">How 2014 became the Year of Mindfulness</a>:<br />
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My strong opinion is that Buddhism is not a religion, it is a path to <b>spirituality</b>. However, I acknowledge that the Dalai Lama and other Buddhists call it a religion. But at no time did Buddha say 'Follow me'. There is a strong tendency in the West to confuse religion with spirituality.<br />
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I was in <a href="http://plumvillage.org/" target="_blank">Plum Village</a> with Thich Nhat Hanh (the Vietnamese monk who taught Jon Kabat-Zinn mindfulness), and during one of his teachings he said that he had been asked if you could use mindfulness, of all things, in the army. His response was (my words, not his) - you cannot mindfully kill someone. Mindfulness is about peace in the world, not destruction. It is a way of life not a workplace strategy.<br />
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That is why, if you practise mindfulness (or try to) in your daily life rather than just when you are meditating, it changes everything, but <b>very slowly</b>. No quick fixes. The West ain't gonna like that! On another note, I find it very interesting that the West happily sucks what it wants from the East and then runs with it and makes money from it.
The East doesn't sue, it's not in their mindset. They just accept that this is happening. I am thinking Buddhist philosophy specifically though.<br />
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An update! The <a href="http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandro_Gonz%C3%A1lez_I%C3%B1%C3%A1rritu" target="_blank">director</a> of <a href="http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdman_(film)" target="_blank">Birdman or (The unexpected virtue of ignorance)</a> thanked Thich Nhat Hanh in the credits. How good is that? This act of acknowledgement makes up for all the other lacks. Thich Nhat Hanh thanked him in return.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-57176083963513297712015-01-23T17:06:00.000-08:002015-01-23T17:06:02.784-08:00On commitmentI found this poem by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe" target="_blank">Goethe</a>, and given that I have commitment issues in a number of areas based on fear (surprise!) here it is (ignore the 'man' stuff):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Until one is committed there is always hesitancy, <br />the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness,<br />there is one elementary truth,<br />the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:<br />the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. <br />All sorts of things occur to help that would never otherwise have occurred. <br />A whole stream of events issues from the decision, <br />Raising to one’s favor all manner of unforeseen accidents and meetings<br />And material assistance which no man could have dreamed <br />Would come his way. <br />Whatever you can do or dream you can begin it. <br />Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. <span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></blockquote>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-57579076871301724102015-01-23T14:45:00.000-08:002015-01-23T16:35:09.298-08:00Daily practice - the social gracesHere is my take on increasing the social graces in your life, if other things take a hold (like busyness) or you have body and mind patterns/old habits you want to break. These aren't in any particular order; they represent a brainstorming session I had with myself. Perhaps that's another one - brainstorm with someone!<br />
<ul>
<li>Smile at someone (could be yourself)</li>
<li>Thank someone (gratitude)</li>
<li>Compliment someone</li>
<li>Invite someone out - invent an outing for that person that you know they will enjoy (how nice is it to be included)</li>
<li>Make eye contact</li>
<li>Say hello to a stranger</li>
<li>Start a conversation with a stranger (I've seen someone do this on the bus, and he is surprisingly good at it)</li>
<li>When someone (could be a shop person) asks you how you are/how your day has been etc, ask them back</li>
<li>Give someone your time/full attention</li>
<li>Listen to someone mindfully (no other thoughts in your head)</li>
<li>Tell someone that you care about them </li>
<li>Better still, show someone that you care</li>
<li>Hug someone or otherwise give them affection (non threatening)</li>
<li>Really look at someone as they are - don't take them for granted and think you 'see' them just because they are familiar</li>
<li>Show/feel compassion for someone</li>
<li>Try to imagine yourself in someone else's shoes</li>
<li>Do something for someone without being asked</li>
<li>Help someone or offer to help them (it can be a stranger)</li>
<li>Commit a random act of kindness</li>
<li>Pray for someone/wish them well</li>
<li>Surprise someone with something quirky (eg a secret note)</li>
<li>Give someone a present (this could just be your time)</li>
<li>Try to make someone laugh</li>
<li>Say something positive to someone</li>
<li>Show interest in someone</li>
<li>Be polite</li>
<li>Speak with a pleasant voice</li>
<li>Put a positive spin on something negative someone says</li>
<li>Say something nice about someone to others</li>
<li>Send love to someone with your eyes/heart</li>
<li>Be friendly to someone</li>
<li>Say you're sorry (too)</li>
<li>Be punctual</li>
<li>Say please and thankyou</li>
<li>Be patient</li>
<li>Show someone how to do something</li>
<li>Put someone else first</li>
<li>Be inclusive</li>
<li>Commit a generous act</li>
<li>Have fun with someone</li>
<li>Make the most of the moment with someone</li>
<li>Choose a friend</li>
<li>Respect someone's personal space and belongings</li>
<li>Be aware of others around you - focus off yourself</li>
<li>Loan someone something</li>
<li>Give someone something without an agenda</li>
<li>Open your heart to someone</li>
<li>Make something (eg a cake) with someone (a note on this: if you are side by side with someone rather than face to face, this can loosen up communication and take the pressure off always looking at them)</li>
</ul>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-2253832616686059812015-01-17T04:20:00.002-08:002015-01-17T04:24:16.372-08:00Amazing IndiansWhat is it about India that creates some amazing and inspiring to the point of tears social entrepreneurs? I think from the novels I have read, the news I have heard, and my own meagre travels (just 5 weeks) that it is either in the water (the Ganges is Mother) or it's the incredible inequality of Indian society. Or both, and more. Here are two, to name only a few.<br />
<br />
<b>Menstrual Man</b>: this amazing man, humble and uneducated, was driven to empower poor women in rural India by inventing a machine that could make sanitary pads at a cheap cost that they could afford, and give them meaningful jobs that helped their communities at the same time. Read the full story - <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26260978" target="_blank">The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary</a> (BBC).<br />
<br />
<b>Amlan Ganguly</b>: creator of 'the revolutionary optimists'. He empowers slum children in Calcutta to change not only their own lives but those of the people around them - slum dwellers with no hope of a future. He started off as a lawyer but it was not his true calling. The children call him dada in this naturalistic and heart catching film about his work. <a href="http://itvs.org/films/revolutionary-optimists" target="_blank">View the film trailer and find out more</a>.<br />
<br />
There are more of course, and the greats like Mother Theresa and Ghandhi, but that is enough heroes for now!<br />
<br />Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-56367444540715246932015-01-17T03:41:00.000-08:002015-01-17T04:01:27.720-08:00A realisation while walkingSome people have realisations in the shower (I know of two) and others have them whilst walking/running. I am in that category - when walking. Today I had a good one, worth noting. How many times do I think I will remember them, only to discover they have become hazy? Here it is.<br />
<br />
This week I was reading a manual from a retreat I did in 2002. I remember this retreat well because of where I was at in my personal life and the emotions I felt whilst on retreat. There is nothing like emotion to sharpen your memory. Anyway, I was reading about how to find your <b>sankalpa</b> (a statement of intention to use one's will power to bring about a resolve). There were 5 steps in this process, the first one being:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In a calm and quiet place in body and mind bring back to life a moment in the past when you felt everything was right with you, aligned, simple, and you were one with the universe... When all felt well, at peace, when you felt clear, safe and strong.</blockquote>
Well, I thought, as usual I am stuck on step 1! But today whilst I was walking the lovely big black dog at the top of the beach, at the very last hour of the day, with a fresh but gentle breeze reminding me I was alive, I suddenly thought - why can't I just <b>imagine</b> this moment, here and now, is that moment, and that it is a present moment? Why don't I just imagine that this is how I feel in <b>every</b> moment? It seemed like a brainwave, and I am going to try it. Fake it until you make it, everyone tells me. Well, this is one thing very worth faking!Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-46620988164532505302015-01-11T03:26:00.002-08:002015-01-11T03:41:16.342-08:00Get rid of that belly flab!Some stomach muscle exercises for those who are keen. Giving up chocolate and pastries also helps but has to be weighed against life's small pleasures:<br />
<ol>
<li><b>The plank</b>: lie on your front with your hands next to your shoulders. Take a good breath and raise your whole body off the floor so you are supported by your arms. Hold this position for as long as you can. Lower yourself (or fall) to the floor. <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com.au/pose/plank-pose/" target="_blank">Full description</a></li>
<li><b>Sit ups</b>: start sitting up, legs out in front, knees bent, hands on your knees (or on opposite shoulders), fingers together. Let hands slide up your legs as you slowly lower yourself back onto the floor. Breathe in as you go down. Breathe out as you come back up (slowly for maximum benefit and to prolong the agony) into a sitting position. Be careful to raise your head first to protect your neck. Repeat as many times as you can. <a href="http://30dayfitnesschallenges.com/how-to-do-sit-ups/" target="_blank">Full description</a></li>
<li><b>Leg raisers</b>: lie flat on your back and mentally prepare yourself for what is to come! Bring one leg towards your body (bent), then straighten and raise your leg towards the ceiling with your toes pointing towards you. Then slowly (of course) lower your leg back towards the floor, keeping it straight. When your leg is really close to the floor but not touching it, raise it back up again. Repeat this movement 10 times if you can, then do the same using the other leg. Then prepare for the worst - keeping the legs and feet together, raise both legs towards your body, then up towards the ceiling. Lower them slowly towards the floor. Try to do this 5 times. <a href="http://www.yogawiz.com/yoga-poses/warm-up-poses/leg-raises.html#continued" target="_blank">Full description</a></li>
</ol>
In each of these exercises, I have tried to choose a softer version to link to (yoga approach if possible) as some of us are not trying to be body builders, and the breathing during these potentially agonising exercises is important to me (and to staying alive). One doesn't want to strain one's heart!<br />
<br />
<br />Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-53339546937620310472015-01-09T19:37:00.002-08:002015-01-09T19:51:38.982-08:00World prayer - the Five Remembrances<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Courtesy of Buddha:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I am of the nature to have ill-health. There is no way to escape having ill-health. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.</blockquote>
<a href="https://presentheaven.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/thich-nhat-hanh-on-embracing-reality/" target="_blank">Put in context by Thich Nhat Hanh</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When you deny the reality of life, you appreciate it less. Meditate on the Buddha's Five Remembrances and rediscover the magic of life just as it is.</blockquote>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf29bOsxjVvMKt_7aZ8EIqWOf-U60bGpWXw2K4pIJKl1zU9m57WNaUu5CO_FQ-x5wPiDNQXXZernmZSlj54rd1kcMl7TMUdP8yPvOXxFRIBi53sdGrB_ZacPTZ88mO15JjqXAhKk1WQtg_/s1600/lotus3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf29bOsxjVvMKt_7aZ8EIqWOf-U60bGpWXw2K4pIJKl1zU9m57WNaUu5CO_FQ-x5wPiDNQXXZernmZSlj54rd1kcMl7TMUdP8yPvOXxFRIBi53sdGrB_ZacPTZ88mO15JjqXAhKk1WQtg_/s1600/lotus3.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stages of life, photo taken at <a href="http://plumvillage.org/" target="_blank">Plum Village</a>, France</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-75726019276913059292015-01-09T17:49:00.002-08:002015-01-09T17:54:40.182-08:00New new yearThich Nhat Hanh spoke of the new year in a beautiful video at the end of 2013 (although he points out that 2013 does not end, it is still with us). The video is called <a href="http://plumvillage.org/news/how-to-make-your-new-year-truly-new/" target="_blank">How to make your new year truly new</a>. Apart from feeling an incredible open hearted love when I watched Thay give this talk, because his beautiful spirit shines through and is clearly visible (to me at least), I also noted some important points relevant to my life ( and really, everyone's life). Here they are:<br />
<ul>
<li>Aim to produce a feeling of joy and happiness every day in 2015 (or any/every year!)</li>
<li>Take care of the painful feelings that arise - calm down, transform these into something else (compassion for myself, for others, for example)</li>
<li>Improve the quality of my life through mindfulness</li>
<li>Compassion will change my life and make it wonderful</li>
<li>We all need a dream to nourish us and give life meaning - a sangha (spiritual community) helps us fulfill this dream (my dream is to be a fully functioning human being, by which I mean being in the world my true pure self)</li>
<li>Go home to myself - care for my body and feelings with the energy of mindfulness. Restore peace and harmony within myself. Relieve the tension in my body</li>
<li>Everyone has an island within themselves where they can feel calm and happy - be an island unto yourself and take refuge in yourself ('my island home')</li>
<li>'Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body, breathing out, I smile to my body' and 'Breathing in/out, I release the tension in my body' - practise all day long to release old body habits and their accompanying thought patterns</li>
<li>Learn to go back to my body - 'Dear body, I am here for you' - our body is the first element of our true home</li>
<li><a href="http://andrearankin.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Breathing">The 5th and 6th breathing exercises are to create joy and happiness; the 7th and 8th exercises are to recognise the painful emotions.</a> This is an energy; if you practise these exercises you generate another kind of energy. Every breath can calm down a painful feeling </li>
<li>The dharma (teachings) helps you to be at home inside</li>
<li>Practise deep listening and loving speech every day</li>
</ul>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-6825876568410763612013-06-22T05:36:00.001-07:002013-06-22T05:37:56.588-07:00The quest for happiness - life according to the Dalai LamaHere are some notes from the Dalai Lama's 'Quest for happiness', Adelaide public talk 21 June 2013 - transcribed from the e-ticket, as I forgot to take a notebook.<br />
<h4>
<b>Mentally, physically and emotionally we are all the same.</b></h4>
<ul>
<li>We should have respect for others, developed out of inner strength and moral principle (right intention). From respect comes non violence. </li>
<li>You must develop a sense of others' wellbeing at the mental and emotional level. Harmful actions come from a self-centred attitude. </li>
<li>Practice tolerance, forgiveness and love. Every experience comes from previous actions.</li>
<li>Create a compassionate heart. </li>
<li>Constantly check your sincerity and truthfulness (positive anxiety as Lama Choedak says). </li>
</ul>
<h4>
Relating to others</h4>
<ul>
<li>Friendship comes from trust - there is no friendship if there is fear. Biologically we need affection and care.</li>
<li>It is very important to be warm hearted - a deeper human value.</li>
<li>Strong self + compassion = good (need inner values)</li>
<li>Peace of mind comes from the heart - an open and relaxed mind. </li>
<li>Heart first, then mind.</li>
<li>When talking to people, feel that we are all the same.</li>
</ul>
<h4>
Approach to life</h4>
<ul>
<li>Develop single-pointed faith. </li>
<li>Look at your problems from a wider perspective - holistically. This reduces anxiety.</li>
<li>Work in this life is a gift to your next life.</li>
<li>Learn affection and love - through actions and attitude.</li>
<li>Forgive yourself - realise more, demoralise past mistakes, make a pledge to be a new person. Practice forgiveness to heal yourself - see others in the 'image of god'.</li>
<li>Analyse tragedies - overcome them if you can, if not don't worry about it or the problem will increase.</li>
<li>Think that you will not in future do actions that have caused you and/or others suffering.</li>
<li>Negative thoughts - emotions disturb you if your thinking is weak. Make your thoughts more equanimous and remind yourself that we are all the same...</li>
<li>Happiness means more satisfaction - you are 'full' or 'complete'.</li>
</ul>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-37948073895530402182013-06-02T00:23:00.001-07:002013-06-02T00:27:01.642-07:00Dealing with depression, Buddhist-styleMy notes from a teaching by Sogyal Rinpoche...<br />
<br />
Move to another state of mind - depression is just a state of mind.<br />
Substitute positive for negative thoughts - think of something inspiring.<br />
Thoughts are just thoughts, they are not you.<br />
Emotions are just emotions, they are not you.<br />
The seventh sense is the problem one - it is judgemental - don't connect with it. Slow down the process. Enhance the sixth sense - consciousness - so that 'a flavour is a flavour'.<br />
The gap in thoughts is the nowness.<br />
Relive profound experiences - this will help you overcome your habits.<br />
Have faith - hope - there is a way to overcome this [depression].<br />
Depression is not continuous, it is 'renewed' by your thoughts.<br />
The ultimate nature of your mind is not depression - cut the habits of old stories.<br />
Transform your mind - all fear and anxiety come from a mind that is untrained. <b>Work with your untamed mind. </b><br />
Listen to Buddhist teachings.<br />
Walk in nature - be outside - look at the view.<br /><br />
<h3>
<b>Methods</b></h3>
<ul>
<li>tonglen, vajrayana</li>
<li>look at an image</li>
<li>watch teaching on buddha nature (mirror neurons)</li>
<li>humour is important</li>
<li>look at thoughts and emotions directly (as an object of meditation). Thoughts are your family - they will disappear, which shows the empty nature of mind - a gap appears</li>
<li>look at the emotion itself - not object or subject. If you are angry, introduce another emotion instead</li>
</ul>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-50077676030338234692013-06-02T00:02:00.000-07:002013-06-22T05:09:46.995-07:00Antidote to lonelinessThe Dalai Lama (via Buddha) has the answers to this modern-day (but perhaps age-old) dilemma.<br />
<br />
From <i>Essence of the heart sutra: the Dalai Lama's heart of wisdom teachings</i> (page 52):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Understanding suffering in this way [the Dharma] is the first element of genuine compassion. The second element of genuine compassion, lovingkindness, developing a feeling of intimacy with and empathy toward all living beings, must be accomplished on the basis of recognising our interconnectedness and interdependence with them. We must develop a capacity to connect with others, to feel close to others. This can be accomplished by consciously and intentionally recollecting the limitations and the harmful consequences of self-cherishing - cherishing only one own's well-being - and then reflecting upon the virtues and merits of cherishing the well-being of others.</blockquote>
<br />
As Sogyal Rinpoche would say - clear?<br />
<br />
In person (The quest for happiness, Adelaide public talk 21 June 2013), the <b>Dalai Lama</b> had more to say about loneliness, its causes and how we can overcome it:<br />
<ul>
<li>meditate on love </li>
<li>develop loving kindness</li>
<li>feel love not loneliness, self centredness, jealousy, competition</li>
<li>lonely feelings are the creation of your own mental attitude</li>
</ul>
<h4>
Meditating on love</h4>
<ol>
<li>Feel love for all beings as though you are their parents - devote your thoughts, words and deeds to making them happy. </li>
<li>The cause of happiness is positive actions. Giving over to negative actions is at odds with this deepest wish to be happy. In attempting to find happiness, they instead experience suffering.</li>
<li>Over and over again, meditate on the thought of how wonderful it would be if all beings could have the happiness and comfort they wish for. Do this until you want others to be happy just as intensely as you want to be happy yourself.</li>
<li>'Whenever catching sight of others, look on them with open, loving heart' (The way of the bodhisattva). Even when you simply look at someone else, let that look be smiling and pleasant.</li>
<li>Whatever actions you do with your body, try to do them gently and pleasantly, endeavouring to help others.</li>
<li>Make every single word you say pleasant and true.</li>
<li>When you help others do not wish for anything good in return. Simply wish for the others' happiness from the bottom of your heart and only consider what would be most beneficial for them.</li>
<li>Pray again and again with these words: 'Throughout all my lives, may I never harm so much as a single hair on another being's head, and may I always help each of them.'</li>
</ol>
Learn to be kind in thought, word and deed to all sentient beings.<br />
<i>The words of my perfect teacher</i> (Patrul Rinpoche)<br />
<br />Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-53202635689615890172013-06-01T23:52:00.000-07:002015-01-23T16:50:54.118-08:00Anatomy of a relationship (gone wrong)If I could start over...<br />
<br />
Within my limitations, I started off OK - trying to clear the issues when I could be assertive enough. This was not all the time - sometimes I stored resentment. There has to be a better way to deal with this.<br />
<br />
Obviously I gave with an agenda, and was disappointed when you took advantage of my generosity. I did not have the strength of character to speak up when I felt injustice, but harboured it.<br />
<br />
Slowly over time I lost my integrity, my sense of good will, my ability to be non selfish. Then my actions became self serving rather than relationship serving. I behaved out of fear and insecurity rather than out of 'love, devotion and surrender'.<br />
<br />
Then things spiralled out of control, and I lost all sense of the game. I kicked into habitual patterns of behaviour, until finally I was confused by my own actions. I desperately wanted to connect with you, communicate on a deeper level, but didn't know how. You presented a consistent front - always happy, smiling, patient, tolerant. If that was supposed to make things work, it didn't, and I pushed you away more and more. My actions were beyond my control, and I couldn't understand where they were coming from, what was behind them.<br />
<br />
And I didn't want to analyse them, as I had been down that track before, so I tried not to think about what was happening, but that didn't help.<br />
<br />
The years drifted by, and our physical contact lessened. Our conversations became mundane. Our enjoyment of each other's company dwindled. We became unhappy, separately. I imagined being different with you, but didn't make myself do it, didn't break the pattern. You tried to initiate affection, but I withheld my response. I froze you out.<br />
<br />
If I could start over, or begin my descent towards the light, I would do it chink by little chink, replacing negatives with positives, small movements with bigger ones, predictable moments with surprise moments, darkness with magic. Rediscover you, look for you, look at you, see you, understand you, grow my love for you, from that tiny root that is nearly dead into a slowly sprouting delicate stem, into a flourishing branch, into a sturdy bush. That still needs nourishing, can never be neglected, walked past, brushed over. And that takes discipline, effort, skill, but most of all - love.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-86907260788575320262013-03-14T00:10:00.001-07:002013-03-14T00:17:30.694-07:00How to gain more wisdomThis is an excerpt from <i>A beginner's guide to changing the world: for Tibet, with love</i> by Isabel Losada.<br />
Isabel finally meets the Dalai Lama, and asks him (pp 354-5, 2004 edition):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But for the average person...If we assume that we are using wisdom for good things, then how do you gain more of it?</blockquote>
The Dalai Lama replies:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It's a kind of intelligence or awareness. It's thinking longer. Wider perspective. We also need something happiness, something good today. Animals only thinking immediate, not next year or next generation but we human beings can think long term and sometimes even we have the courage to sacrifice immediate things for long term and next generation. More spiritual sight, awareness, more inner values and thinking about mind and about consciousness and how it works. Understanding emotions. Inner wisdom. So wisdom, you identify wisdom as a spirituality or something good.</blockquote>
'Simple kindness' are his final words. This seems like a good summary of a way to live your life. The longer version is contained in books and teachings of great masters (in my opinion). Meditation, devotion and compassion.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-18497407827987103742012-10-05T01:24:00.000-07:002012-10-05T01:29:39.759-07:00<h2>
Jade Monkey </h2>
Great news! The music venue Jade Monkey (Twin Street, Adelaide city) has temporarily been saved! This 151 year-old building was destined to be demolished by a city developer to build a 17-storey hotel. It would be so wonderful if this building was saved for good.
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Apparently it has some connection to Balfours which could justify it not being knocked down. That is the trouble with history; it is not enough that the building has remarkable features like a tin adorned ceiling, high walls, a unique facade and old-world charm - it also has to be considered significant as having a connection to Adelaide's past. Well someone might just have found one! Thank God for retirees. <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/jade-monkey-bulldozing-reprieve/story-fndo4dzn-1226487324095" target="_blank">Read the story</a> (dated 3 October)<br />
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And here's the historical connection in more detail (not that I am a fan of Balfours foods, except for their <a href="http://bootbuttonbears.blogspot.com.au/2008/09/ever-eaten-frog-cake.html" target="_blank">frog cakes</a>):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The application points out that the building, completed in 1872, was
first used as a biscuit and bread bakery by the future Balfours company
to expand supplies for its popular Rundle St store. (<a href="http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/state-heritage-application-one-final-attempt-to-save-the-jade-monkey-from-demolition/story-e6frea83-1226482821750" target="_blank">source</a>)</blockquote>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-90034723315124114582012-10-04T21:55:00.002-07:002012-10-05T01:14:20.621-07:00<h2>My garden</h2>
<p>This photo of my shaded garden is probably as good as it gets (both because of the lack of sun and my skills and energy as a gardener) so here it is, proof that sometimes things grow! Must remember to plant corn again sometime soon. Not only do the plants look good but they seem to think sandy soil is OK.<br />
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I could not survive from my garden - no self sufficiency here, but it is good to occasionally eat something that is really fresh and unpolluted by sprays.<br /></p>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROMgZmKFLfYA81WHmxznnwZVDPA1CejfZT1KWfiUDEtqv6FmEPIIBZErDquLGXsYvANrBjyRFnOgrJAR3YB1H_j-aH_bWqs4BaJbMVHMHw7EKzSq0m03pUfg0TxgaEEMn_N6LS2-48cWQ/s1600/grangegarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROMgZmKFLfYA81WHmxznnwZVDPA1CejfZT1KWfiUDEtqv6FmEPIIBZErDquLGXsYvANrBjyRFnOgrJAR3YB1H_j-aH_bWqs4BaJbMVHMHw7EKzSq0m03pUfg0TxgaEEMn_N6LS2-48cWQ/s320/grangegarden.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backyard profile</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitljDD2rH0TGacVts8hYiT0dlDji7k_zhtjxBOdGc8l-79EPCwvnE96rDs0_GUa3_gaqZVouxMwJ0ZZJzxRuU2dlW-qDSoWRVM0nhItGvTc1sgwOygKtNRifPmiyuMzEyxbgZnoj3MGK4T/s1600/cornandcapsys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitljDD2rH0TGacVts8hYiT0dlDji7k_zhtjxBOdGc8l-79EPCwvnE96rDs0_GUa3_gaqZVouxMwJ0ZZJzxRuU2dlW-qDSoWRVM0nhItGvTc1sgwOygKtNRifPmiyuMzEyxbgZnoj3MGK4T/s320/cornandcapsys.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corn and capsicums, enough for a meal?</td></tr>
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<br />Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-77245519650923926502012-04-06T00:44:00.013-07:002012-04-06T05:12:17.482-07:00Khandro Tsering Chödrön<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9mKqA4xgs_ScTZ-6I6BCKcTad_Fs5grF4JMRmvkBw5hSJGhbSLb-cMxMJAkKK5AxrkREx3kWXThBua-1iHJFoK7zkunqDBxfM6odrvsTNmBMhD15eQi-HMHXoHs0D-y1agV2dA45Decq/s1600/khandro-tsering-chodron2009.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9mKqA4xgs_ScTZ-6I6BCKcTad_Fs5grF4JMRmvkBw5hSJGhbSLb-cMxMJAkKK5AxrkREx3kWXThBua-1iHJFoK7zkunqDBxfM6odrvsTNmBMhD15eQi-HMHXoHs0D-y1agV2dA45Decq/s200/khandro-tsering-chodron2009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728199508382198706" border="0" /></a>When I started attending meditation courses at the Adelaide Rigpa Centre, the first thing I noticed on the altar was not the Dalai Lama photo or the Sogyal Rinpoche photo, or any other photo of a great master, but the photo of an old woman with penetrating eyes. She was looking straight at me no matter where I sat (yes, one of those) and generated an amazing feeling in my heart. I guess she triggered my heart chakra. She had a grandmotherly look about her and maybe she reminded me of my maternal grandmother who I loved very much, but it was more than that. I felt her power, and that she was looking at me with love and compassion.<br /><br />OK, she's dead. She died in 2011. But that doesn't stop her power. She was <span style="font-weight: bold;">Khandro Tsering Chödrön</span>, the aunt of Sogyal Rinpoche, and the spiritual consort of Jamyand Khyentse Chokyi Lodro (one of the most respected and influential masters in Tibet). She is described in an article about her in <span style="font-style: italic;">View: The Rigpa Journal</span> (July 2011) as 'Queen of the Dakinis'.<br /><br />She was born in 1929 in Eastern Tibet. Signs in her childhood indicated that she was special, an emanation of Shelkar Dorje Tso, a disciple and consort of Guru Padamasambhava. Khandro became Jamyang Khyentse's spiritual wife at the age of 20. Once he died, when she was just 31, she lived an 'extraordinary life of spiritual practice, prayer and devotion' (page 7). What really comes across in this article, as I will never meet her, is her humility, kindness, humour, and her simple life. She wasn't attached to wealth and possessions. It is an understatement to say I have a long way to go to be like that!<br /><a href="http://khandrotseringchodron.org/">There is a website dedicated to her</a><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sogyal-rinpoche/khandro-tsering-chodron-in-memory-of-an-extraordinary-buddhist-master_b_968647.html">And an article about her by Sogyal Rinpoche</a><br /><br />The image of her in 2009 is from the website <a href="http://khandrotseringchodron.org/">In Memory of Khandro Tsering Chödrön</a> - this is the image that first captivated me and is on my bedside table. I sometimes picture her during the day - she is a good reminder of what is important in life and helps me to be more mindful.<br /><blockquote>... with her incredible humor, she was always giving us an important teaching about the ironies of life. Perhaps we don't need to take everything so seriously, she seemed to say. Even this whole cycle of existence, birth and death that Buddhists call 'samsara' looks quite ridiculous when viewed from an enlightened perspective.</blockquote>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4757545181635390178.post-90513792097526991562012-04-04T05:08:00.006-07:002012-04-08T19:20:16.043-07:00DharmaI keep reading and hearing about Dharma and I think I know what it means (or should know) but am vague about it.<br />Here is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma_%28Buddhism%29">Wikipedia definition</a>:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dharma</span> is to cultivate the knowledge and practice of laws and principles that hold together the fabric of reality, natural phenomena and personality of human beings in dynamic interdependence and harmony.</blockquote>This definition is relatively simple and contains terms such as 'interdependence' and 'harmony' that I really like and know are important.<br />And further:<br /><blockquote>In order to attain wisdom one must understand the nature of things (the <span style="font-weight: bold;">dharma</span>) and part of the practice of Buddhism is the investigation of Nature...This means to adopt an objective, scientific approach to understanding the causal relationships between various phenomena. In particular it refers to the dispassionate self-observation discussed in teachings such as the Satipatthana Sutta, 'The Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness'.<br /></blockquote>Here is a simple definition by Pema Chodron in <span style="font-style: italic;">When things fall apart: heart advice for difficult times</span>:<br /><blockquote>[Dharma] is total appreciation of impermanence and change.<br /></blockquote>I like it.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14094450527980373091noreply@blogger.com0