September 13

Honor to Him,
the Blessed One,
the Worthy One,
the fully Enlightened One.

To Honor our Higher Power allows us the understanding that we are not the center of the universe. Our ego steps aside and allows for us to surrender to a force greater than ourselves. This can be quite a comforting thing in meditation as we let go of control and just be okay realizing the presence of the Holy One in our midst. We realize that we are okay, we can quit judging our finite selves and realize that we are part of a much larger universe. With our mind as still as a quiet pond we just be. In silence we reflect nature just as it is. Like a mirror our calm mind allows ourselves to be. And we let go of vain attempts to control others. We learn to accept them as they are. The chant is a vehicle in which we journey headlong into the understanding that we are part of this divine mysery and the Holy presence is with us. It is all around us. The challenge is to find that divinie spark when we feel it the least. Can you imagine the Buddha where you are? He is there. He is in you. We have to quiet ourselves to listen to Him. He is in our spouse, our children, and our bosses.

Smile

September 6, 2012

"Happiness causes the smile.
Sometimes the smile causes the happiness."

                               Thich Nhat Hanh

I've really enjoyed stretching my smile lately. I first found it early in the morning when I wasn't in the mood. It was so difficult to curl my mouth that I actually started laughing at the whole ordeal and the amount of effort it took. But I have to admit, I felt better. Almost immeadiately. Its easy to smile when I feel good. and I've began to smile when I'm not prone to, like when I'm alone, or tired, or feeling crummy. I have to admit that this has been one of the quickest rewards of any of the practices of Buddhism. You can't smile your way out of hardship but smiling when things are just normal or boring can be really great. And the smile sometimes brings the happiness!