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!

August 19th

"The scent of flowers is carried no father than the wind allows,
Neither the sandlewood, tagar, nor jasmine.
But the fragrance of the deeds of good men
Spreads to the end of the earth, in all directions,
Regardless of the wind."

                                     The Dhammapada 4:11 (as translated by Ananda Maitreya)

Never turn your back on a good deed. The opportunities to do a good deed are all around us. Sometimes they are easy to find like assisting an elderly person broken down on the side of the road. Sometimes they take some initiative. For me, I have continue to mess things up so frequently that I make an active effort to good deed when I see one. I suppose I hope in some way that it will outshine my shortcomings. I've been taught that the effect of deeds, both good and bad, cause results that are always GREATER than the deed itself. Picture a a calm pond when a rock is thrown in it. The ripples move in all directions all the way to the riverbank. I imagine that deeds and their effects grow in such a way. And I believe that the deeds that require some inconvenience to my selfish timetable geneally the most rewarding when accomplished.

Waking UP!

Wow! Where do I start to unravel this one? I started a blog to hear God's still voice and BAM! I am slowly coming to understand a new depth to, “Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10. It starts with re-directing my mind from all of the business of the suburbs, work, and children, spouse; to just stopping. Just for a few minutes a day....... stop. re-direct your mind from the business and busyness of your life to be still. Be still and notice things. Pay attention to your breath, the quality of the sunlight, or lack of sun. Your body, its' pains and aches. I often watch my daughters fish swim in its tank. Know that every molecule of this world has been here for a very long time. Marvel at how unusual it is that those molecules should have come together in this manner. Come together to form a tree, or a car, or you. How in the the would did this happen? Was it circumstance? Or luck? I think not. Holy miracles are all around us, all of the time. It is hard to open your mind to them because we are so terribly concerned with the business of our lives. Beware, there are enemies to waking up. Being to busy, anxiety about the drama of your life, attachment to being accepted by others, Thinking that it is the world's fault you feel this way and that, seeking escape through thrills, poisonous relationships, alcohol, tobacco. Many, including myself, have a difficult time being comfortable in our own skin.  But why? God made us! From literal dirt he made us : carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and trace minerals. We are those elements and so much more!!!  Be still...... What a Holy miracle we all and this world are a part of.

Suffering And Glory

"Happy events make life delightful but they do not lead to self-discovery and growth and freedom.  That privilege is reserved to the things and persons and situations that cause us pain.

                                                                                     ---Anthony DeMello

March 17

Woke up this morning feeling a slight excitement for the day. Anticipation. I love it when I wake up with this feeling. It feels like a warm hope deep inside my heart. An excitement for the events of the day. I see the sun rise over the plateau behind my house. I love the change in the early morning clouds. I thank God for the morning. I am aware how temporary all life is.  I take a deep breath and savor this moment. My devotion this morning focused on the judgement seat of Christ. A difficult teaching. No bunnies running over green grass and rainbows. I will think and meditate about this today. Thich Naht Hanh reminded me of morning waking up. To devote myself to a path of peace and understanding. Can these ideas be harmonious? What does knowing that I will sit in God's judgement someday bring out in me today. I understand that sin over time creates a hard heart toward the sin. A numbness or unawareness of sin. In fact it is likely that I have and will do many sins and not realize them at all. But more simply I am confronted with the things that I know are sin and choose not to do anything about them. Or at least I have not chose to do anything about them in the past. We all grow and change with time. I search my heart for where God wants to work in me today. I feel that the Lord wants to work in me on compassionate speech today. No cussing, which actually I do quite often and with a unusual ease. Lord, help me to be more aware of my speech today. Let my communication reflect your love for the world. Let me communicate out of awareness of eternity. AMEN

Am I breathing?

Breathing.
How often do we think about breathing?
I have to confess that 95% percent of my day I forget about my breathing.
Its automatic. mindless. involuntary.
Thinking about my breathing brings my mind back from its tangents and allows me to focus on the moment.

I realize that I have everything I need right now.

God has given me my "daily bread". Thank you Lord. I am alive. I am breathing.

As I feel the air fill my lungs I realize how blessed I am.

Blessed to have people who love and rely on me.

These are gifts from above.

God has entrusted me with the care of a few of his children. WOW.

Am I caring for those relationships responsibly?

Breathing.

God has blessed me with this body.
I wonder if I am doing everything I can to take care of this temple He has given me.
Breathing.
Am I investing my talents, or burying them.
Do I let go and allow God to make of me what He wants or am I trying to live up to other's expectations?
No right now I'm simply breathing.....mindfully breathing.
My heart fills with gratitude.