Recommended

"The teachings are not ideas to be studied, but a path to be followed."
~Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

This is a quote from the introduction to The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by the above. Sensei recommends it, she does a lot of dream work, we can all benefit from reading it...and you know if she recommends it then it is full of direct, practical and actually useful information. The Internet Archive you will find it at in the link is really cool too. Enjoy!

Our Job

Another student was saying to me that in Practice Management they were talking about where they would like to work after graduation, but that the state of the world is so unstable that we may not have the choices we think we do. She re-opened my eyes to the job before us.

The problems she mentioned were global warming, rising sea levels, drought, starvation, impending doom and we agreed all these were traceable to human greed. What we didn't get to finish discussing because class started was that we CAN do something about this - when we change ourselves by practicing Generosity, Compassion and Wisdom the ripples that spread out change others and in this way we can and do impact the world around us, the layers of dimensional overlap that we experience, if not all those that exist at least those we experience.

The irony is that direct action is ineffective and only by creating those ripples can we actually do something. That's my understanding of Buddhist practice anyway. Of course part of the practice is to determine how best to cultivate and implement and then actually perform with Generosity, Compassion and Wisdom but starting on the cushion and taking it with us 24/7 is the job at hand.

Thinking there is no hope is not discerning the potential hidden from us by media manipulation of information and our own fear. We need to learn about and contemplate and support all the exciting developments in tech and community that are happening around the world that the media doesn't want us to know about because how we live and spend is valuable to certain corporations. We also have to focus right here where we live on being kind and having integrity and we can count on the ripples from that having an impact we may not see but will benefit from.

Sigh...

Life can be a grinding masticating horror. It can also be an exciting wonderful adventure. We make that choice each and every moment.

Over the past year the awareness of other overlapping realms intersecting and interacting with our paths has been ever present.

Yesterday another concept came to the forefront - that we also have many lifetimes concurrently running and this is only one of them.

So long as we keep returning to the principles of the Eightfold Path and stay in the groove of happiness, the ripples are beneficial to all.

Not Trying

This is the current challenge. Qi flows best without resistance, Dhamma practice is optimal when all resistance is minimized as well. The state of no resistance is being one with the Dao, balanced and in harmony, most of us experience this briefly from time to time, some of us are so intrigued and delighted with it that we develop a practice to nurture the potential for that to return or persist. Here is where not trying is essential, too much striving and it literally is chased away, too little and chances are we cannot even recognize it when it arrives.  Through out the Buddha Dhamma we see references to this, my favorite may be the Buddha's analogy of playing a stringed instrument - you don't want the strings too tight or too loose, they must be tuned just right for the music to resonate.

Freedom of expression

Saw two beautiful young women walking up the street holding hands obviously infatuated, and obviously new to the freedom of expression available to them - feels really good in this place/time. I believe that the work to be done when in a heaven realm is to nurture it, to strengthen it, to water and to grow with it. All the good that comes our way must be acknowledged, appreciated and enjoyed with gratitude and love. We have the opportunity to expand and ripple outward into other realms like sunlight cresting over a hill. Who wants to live without work, without meaning? This is our responsibility, to dwell in happiness and root that compassion, generosity and wisdom that develops within.

deportment

reminded by a state of blissful contentment today that deportment should come from within, born of generosity, compassion and discernment - the three roots of happiness. This practice is a repetitive one, as practice implies. Over and over we return to understandings, touching them like loved ones - ah, this is truth, ah this is aliveness, ah this is kindness, ah this is happiness, ah this is forgiveness, ah this is compassion. A deportment born from discipline, from rigidity lacks that flowing quality of being. What a lucky nunk am I to have escaped that path, a wildflower, a feral spirit, scenting the morning air. Will this stand me in good stead when faced with grave challenges as discipline would? Who can say what the future may bring? Hoping for the best and planning for the worst I store away treasures of delight to recall in other times.

that old joke

someone told that old joke again yesterday - the "make me one with everything" hot dog joke. remember that one? Well, what if we could step up to a vendor's cart or truck and say: "I'd like to be one with everything." Or step out of the office and get a quick dose of compassion or courage or clarity, how about getting a glass of loving-kindness, a whiff of happiness, a bite of joy, a dose of humor? Why not? Do you really think that would be immoral? I think it would be wise and amazing and really really cool.

Now I would think it immoral if someone chose to purchase a cup of cruelness, or a toke of vanity, or a bag of anger. I think it would be stupid, but should they have that right? Would it be patronizing them to say that's illegal? Would we legislate that only over the age of *blank* can you purchase an emotion that could lead to harm of self or others?

In reality if we consider our past manufacturing/advertising and GREED the substances above would likely not provide the equal of true feeling and would likely result in blocked or altered sensation of our true potential, but if not, if it were possible to stimulate our own ability to feel (and it is, this is within our abilities as sentient beings) then we have in our hands such a wonderful world right? The only thing keeping us from it is attachment to "our desires." Rigid adherence to a set of "shoulds" is all that prevents us from choosing a pleasant outlook, an enjoyable feeling.

Stories of freed or enlightened beings sometimes describe them as mischievous, playful, unpredictable and highly amused. Having dropped attachment they choose what feelings they want to experience and alter them at will. This takes a lot of energy, a practice that cultivates and conserves and manages life to provide energy for being wise and will full is a full time occupation, but it pays well.