"At that time the Buddha gave a gradual instruction to the householder Upali (the Royal barber from the low caste) on giving, morality, heaven, finding fault with carelessness, no longer being engrossed with sensual pressures, and the merits of renunciation. Upali's mind was ready, supple, free from hindrances, exuberant, and dedicated, and so the Buddha proclaimed the teachings of all the Buddhas, that is, suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering and the path to the end of suffering."

Friday, May 28, 2010

I’m Done! No More Negative People!


I’m done! No more negative people!
Time, if it does really exist, is short and I don’t have time for negative people. I’m not sure what’s up but there seems to be an abundance of negative people on this planet. What’s the deal with that?
Have you ever noticed happy individuals? Have you ever noticed the simplicity of their lives?
Maybe that’s the key, simplicity.
The happiest people I have ever met live outside their respective heads. Rarely do they use words such as “I”, “Me” or “Mine”. They seem much more interested in you then they are with themselves.
Nothing is more boring than individual drama.
Now don’t think I don’t care for people, on the contrary I care deeply, just not in you dramas or egocentric rants.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Happy Birthday Buddha



He’s a small trivial fact for my friends: Today is the Buddha Purnima, the Buddha’s birthday. Buddha Purnima falls on the full moon day in the Hindu month of Vaisakh (April/May). Lord Buddha was born on the Full Moon day in the month of Vaisakh in 563 BC. It is also pertinent that Buddha achieved enlightenment and Nirvana (salvation) on the same day (the Full Moon day). Thus, Buddha Purnima also marks the death anniversary.

Friday, May 21, 2010

They Will Kill Me


As I was cleaning out some of my old blogs, many written years ago, I came across one that I had forgot about. I laughed for a very long time when this happened and I hope you will enjoy it.

I must admit, this truly happened to me the other day:
For those that do not know me up close and personal, I cut hair. Well, the other day I was cutting the hair of a very young man, of maybe ten years old. Beside me, overlooking stood his father, when the little one said to me “They are going to kill you!”
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, I asked whom.
“The Freemasons.” he responded sure in his answer.
I knew instantly he must have seen my ring and laughed gently.
I told him I was safe, and that I was a Freemason.
He told me, “They will kill you for saying that.”
All I could do was laugh; his father bowed his head and shook it back and forth.
From the mouth of babes!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The Oil Spill


If you think the oil spill is just a political problem you just might have an
empathy problem.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The Perfection Was In the Imperfection


My Imperfect Garden

Even the garden can teach you valuable lessons in life, you just have to look.
True story:
I love gardening; there is something about watching your yard morph into something spectacular, a living breathing work of art. No pun intended.
No doubt once the gardener’s mind takes hold it becomes addictive. Before long every square inch of your property becomes a visual display of green fused with a variety of colors.
Before long you’re weeding, cleaning, pruning, and caring for all the specimens of plant life you have so tenderly grown.
One day I was just flat out overwhelmed, my body couldn’t keep up with the imaginary goals I had in my mind. More weeding needed to be done, plants need dividing, and the hard landscaping was woefully behind.
Exhaustion set in, I was spent, physically and mentally.
As I sat there on a stone wall, on one of the many paths I had created, I looked over at a peeling white fence that needed painting. How dare that fence peel? I looked down dejected.
It was at that moment I saw this tiny weed that had cropped up between the stones on the path I had laid. It seemed like the most beautiful weed, perfectly formed with the tiniest white flower. Normally I would have plucked the weed, but today I was struck by its beauty.
After a time I looked back towards the peeling fence, and much to my surprise I had a three dimensional Andrew Wyeth painting in my backyard.
I knew then, the perfection was in the imperfection….True story.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Consciousness - Tapping In


Today I have been pondering the idea of an all pervasive consciousness, a consciousness that we tap into depending on the circumstance of birth.
In other words, consciousness is all pervasive, it is here before we are born, and it is here after we die. Everything taps into this consciousness, a rock, a weed, an insect, and of coarse the human, But how much it taps into this consciousness, or at least its ability, is determined by its nature.
A rock for instance, because of its nature, has very little chance of tapping into higher levels of consciousness, yet still has consciousness, although minimal. It’s not that I’m picking on the lowly rock; it has minimal “taping in” ability due to its lack of cell structure and DNA.
The plant has cell structure and genetics; hence it has the ability to “tap into” a higher level of consciousness. All the plant needs to tap into more is the nervous system that is present in animals.
Maybe the nervous system is the conduit to higher levels of consciousness?
Remember I’m not positing that we each have a separate consciousness; I’m stating that we are all tapping into an ever present consciousness, and can only do so by the conditions of our birth.
I am sure most would say “No way, I’m a separate person with a separate state of being.” My response to that premise, you created that separateness, call it a byproduct or illusion of free will. Not to say you don’t have free will, but sometimes what you create just might be an illusion, ego.

Enough pondering, now back to my garden.