Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back— Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream...
@gatehealing: When somebody struggles with that authenticity, what do you suggest?
Lama Surya Das: We all struggle, with many things. Buddha himself said that the unenlightened, worldly life is full of dissatisfaction and dysfunction, including looking for what we want in all the wrong places, which is hard and frustrating work. Struggle and questioning, doubt, inquiry and investigation are all part of the true path of authenticity and self-realization, culminating in spiritual freedom, bliss, inner peace and enlightenment. Keeping your sincere questions alive can be more...
@SamsaricWarrior: I am looking to take formal vows. Is this something you can help with or point me to someone who can?
Lama Surya Das: Michael, what kind of vows are we talking about? Vows are usually taken with one’s own spiritual teacher, in the context of a lineage or community and tradition— at least if we’re discussing Buddhist vows and such.
I took my series of different levels of Buddhist vows, from neophyte to lay practitioner, to acolyte, to disciple, to monastic, to lama vows, with my own Tibetan lama masters in their monasteries in the Himalayas, when I studied and apprenticed...
LIFE IS PRECIOUS, HANDLE WITH PRAYER 12 Steps to Morning Meditation : An American Contemplative Exercise
Sit down, breathe and relax.
Relax, settle, center and smile.
Breathe in and out, and again, and once more. Now breathe in and out deeply.
Concentrate on feeling your breathing, relaxing and letting go and letting be. Serenity is yours, now. Take a breath, take a break. Serenity now.
Cultivate mindfulness and alert presence of mind by breath watching, letting everything else go by, come and go. Breathing in, calming and clearing my mind. Breathing out, relaxing and smiling.—
Letting...
A guest on the Colbert Report, Lama Surya Das speaks about bringing Buddhist teachings to the West through meditation and helping seekers to cultivate their inner peace.
30 Aug 2010 |
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Remember that there is only one important time and that is now. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. The most important person is always the person you are with, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future? The most important pursuit is making the person standing at your side happy, for that alone is the pursuit of life.
Tolstoy, from his story “The Emperor’s Three Questions as quoted by the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh in his famous seminal classic book “The Miracle of Mindfulness” (1975)
07 Aug 2010 |
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"I just came back from conducting our annual summer Dzogchen Center ten day intensive meditation retreat in Garrison, NY, on the banks of the Hudson River. During that time, I thought a lot, with my friends students and colleagues there, about the future of Buddhist wisdom and practice, and where it's coming from and going; preservation and adaptation, opportunities and challenges; commercialization and communication, both outreach and in-reach; sectarianism and ecumenicism; psychotherapy, meditation and neuroscientific research; the overlap of prayer, meditation, and mindfulness in action (such...
12 Jul 2010 |
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by Susan K. Greenland
Product Description:
Mindful awareness works by enabling you to pay closer attention to what is happening within you—your thoughts, feelings, and emotions—so you can better understand what is happening to you. The Mindful Child extends the vast benefits of mindfulness training to children from four to eighteen years old with age-appropriate exercises, songs, games, and fables that Susan Kaiser Greenland has developed over more than a decade of teaching mindful awareness to kids. These fun and friendly techniques build kids' inner and outer awareness and attention,...
23 Jun 2010 |
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There's a great deal of significant new neorioscience research about meditation and it's effects on the brain, beuroplasticity, our happiness and well being, led by pioneers including Dr Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School and Dr Richard Davidson of U. of Wisconsin, etc.
My Buddhist friend in Oregon, Donald Altman, known as "America's Mindfulness Coach", has a new blog. He writes: "I am always in awe at the human brain (any brain, for that matter---cat, dog, bird, fish, etc.). Human brains in particular are exceedingly complex. Imagine 100 billion neurons with more connections than there all the known...
