Rules Of A Warrior

The Warrior strives to reach above himself, his false perceptions, his adversaries...
His highest achievement is not one of victory, but one of absolute truth.

A warrior, once a warrior, will always be a warrior.
A warrior is the epitome of controlled compassion & controlled violence.
A warrior speaks from the pure heart and mind, transcending the ego.
A warrior is one of great discipline.
A warrior is a man of few words, refraining from speaking without reason.
A warrior has not the luxury for excuses.
A warrior recognizes the differences between the meaningful & trivial.
A warrior can never afford fear, he lives in poverty of fear.
A warrior learns how to defend before the attack.
A warrior continues to develop the skills of his trade without end.
A warrior seeks unity of mind, body, & spirit.
A warrior understands the merits of compassion.
A warrior pursues a knowledge of all things, regardless of nature.
A warrior's profession is war, his product is peace.
A warrior integrates the practice of truth within all his day to day activities.
A warrior sees the truth within himself, within his adversaries, within the world.
A warrior is not separate from all things, but strives to flow as one with all things.
A warrior is as water taking the shape of its container.
A warrior places the lives of those innocent & weak above himself.
A warrior knows pain, sadness, joy, & solitude.

Have compassion for all beings, causing them no unnecessary hurt, nor needless harm.

Refrain from needless competitiveness, from contriving for self-advantage, and from subjugating others.

When accepting authority over others, know also that you accept responsibility for their well being.

Value true friendship, and fulfill your obligations, rather than striving with egotistical motive.

Seek liberation from the negative passions of hatred, envy, greed and rage, and especially from delusion, deceit and sensory desire.

Learn to let go of that which cannot be owned, or which is destroyed by grasping.

Seek the courage to be; defend yourself, and your convictions.

Accept transience, the inevitable and the irrevocable. Know that change exists in everything. Negate the barriers to your awakening; discover the positive in the negative, and seek a meaningful purpose in what you do.

Be just and honorable; take pride in what you do, rather than being proud of what you have accomplished.

Having humility and respect, give thanks to those from whom you learn, or who have otherwise helped you.

Act in harmony with your fellow beings, with nature, and with inanimate objects.

Know that a thing or an action which may seem of little value to oneself, may be a priceless treasure to another.

Help those who are suffering or disadvantaged, and as you yourself become awakened, help those who seek to make real their own potential.

Know that there is no shame in questioning.

Be diligent in your practice, and on hearing the music of the absolute, do not be so foolish as to try to sing its song.

Remember to renew the source, in order to retain good health.

Seek neither brilliance nor the void; just think deeply, and work hard.

When still, be as the mountain; when in movement be as the dragon riding the wind.

Be aware at all times, like the tiger which only seems to sleep, and at all times let the mind be like running water.

When you are required to act, remember that right motive is essential to right action, just as right thought is essential to right words.

Beware of creating burdens for yourself or others to carry.

Act with necessary distinction, being both creative and receptive, and transcending subject/object dichotomy.

Know that you are not the center of the universe, but learn to put the universe at your center by accepting the instant of your being.

Seek security within yourself, rather than in others.

Know that even great worldly wealth, and the accumulation of material things are of little worth, compared with the priceless treasures; love, peace and the freedom to grow.

Allow yourself to be, so that your life may become a time of blossoming.

BY– Ch'onsa Kim

Do What's Right, Not What's Easy

Rising Above Emotions

Though emotions can be overwhelming and seem insurmountable, the truth is that we can rise above them. We are not ruled by our emotions, strong though they may be. As beings of body, mind, and spirit, we have other aspects of our nature that can help us to regain our balance. Our emotional reaction may be a result of body chemistry or negative thinking, or it may be some energy we are picking up. By going within to examine your feelings in the light of all of your aspects today, you can also connect to your higher self and the stillness and peace within, utilizing all that is available to you to achieve balance and well-being in any circumstances.

1 day before final diagnosis.
I am very very very angry. I don't even know what I am feeling now.

Qualities Of The Self-Realised Person

Being purified by his intelligence and controlling the mind with determination, giving up the objects of sense gratification, being freed from attachment and hatred, one who lives in a secluded place, who eats little, who controls his body, mind and power of speech, who is always in trance and who is detached, free from false ego, false strength, false pride, lust, anger, and acceptance of material things, free from false proprietorship, and peaceful — such a person is certainly elevated to the position of self-realization

Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.

When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

Personal importance, or taking things personally, is the maximum expression of selfishness because we make the assumption that everything is about “me”

When you take things personally, then you feel offended, and your reaction is to defend your beliefs and create conflicts. You make something big out of something so little, because you have the need to be right and make everybody else wrong. You also try hard to be right by giving them your own opinions.

When you make it a strong habit not to take anything personally, you avoid many aspects in your life. Your anger, jealousy, and envy will disappear, and even your sadness will simply disappear if you don’t take things personally.

It is not important to me what you think about, and I don’t take what you think personally. I know what I am. I don’t have the need to be accepted. Others are going to have their own opinion according to their belief system, so nothing they think about me is really about me, but it is about them.

What is the irrational thinking which leads you not to let go of the uncontrollables and unchangeables in life?

• I must solve every problem that comes my way.
• Only I can solve these problems.
• If I don't solve these problems, I will be seen by others as a failure or no good.
• I need to fix all of these things perfectly and as soon as possible.
• There is no one else available who is going to help me solve these problems.
• All those people need to do is to follow what I've told them to do.
• This place would be ideal if it would only do what I want it to do.
• These things wouldn't be so bad off if they had been left to me to take care of by myself.
• They don't know what to do and they need me to tell them.
• They can't do anything right without me. If they lose or fail, it will reflect badly on me.
• What would others think if things didn't work out the way they were supposed to?
• I've only known crisis, chaos, and panic in my life so why should I expect any peace, calmness, or serenity if I leave them to take care of themselves?
• I must make everything better around here or else I'll go crazy.
• If I let go too soon, things might change and I'd be sorry for releasing them too prematurely.
• If I let go of them, I might lose them.
• If I stop trying to fix and change them, they would no longer need me and leave me.
• There must be a way to turn them around and I can't give up yet.
• What if they blame me for not taking care of them if they fail or fall flat on their faces?
• I'd rather sacrifice myself than have them blame me later for not helping them.
• They are so irresponsible they would never do it on their own.

Enduring Discomfort

Whenever we make the effort to free ourselves of an addiction or a habit we no longer need, we are often surprised to find ourselves missing the old pattern as we would a familiar friend. This sounds counterintuitive, because we think we should instinctively gravitate toward that which is good for us. And yet, it makes a lot of sense when you consider that we humans are creatures of habit. This is why we gravitate to people and places—and patterns of behavior--that make us feel comfortable. Therefore, many of the habits we form are not conscious and are based instead on learned behavior from role models who were not always making the healthiest decisions.

Most addictions begin as a way of avoiding feelings that are extremely uncomfortable, so it makes sense that stopping the addiction means, for a time, a fair amount of discomfort. The same, of course, is true of habits that we have developed over time that we are ready to release. Just knowing that this is hard, and having compassion for ourselves as we work through this process, can help us to stay the course when we feel the urge to backtrack. It’s also helpful to remember that in time we will establish new, healthier patterns, and the yearning for the old ones will disappear. Eventually, we will instinctively reach for things that are good for us, and the longing for positive change may form the basis of a new habit.

The only way to get to this new place is to endure a time of difficulty, which is a challenge we can confidently handle, if we remember that it will lead to the change we seek in our lives. Our bodies, hearts, and minds always need time to adjust to a new way of doing things, but they will adapt, and even become our allies, if we remain true to our vision of a new way.

No Need To Rush

Why don't you take the time and relax into your thoughts? Let the words come out on their own when they're ready. When you hurry your thinking you hurry your words, and soon you're talking so fast even you can't make sense out of what you're saying. The more you hurry, the less time you'll feel you have. No need to rush. Why don't you slow down a tad? No sense in overheating yourself. You'll always have enough time if you make the time. The slower you go, the sooner you'll reach your destination.

Allow Yourself To Be Bored

For most of you, your lives are so filled with stimuli, not to mention responsibilities that it’s almost impossible for you to sit still and do nothing, much less relax-even for a few minutes. What I’d like you to do is allow yourself to be bored. I’m not kidding. If you allow yourself to be bored, even for an hour-or less-and don’t fight it; the feelings of boredom will be replaced with feelings of peace. And, after a little practice, you’ll learn to relax.

At first, you might barely be able to stand it…you’ll resist. You’re so used to doing something every second that you might really struggle to relax. But after a while you’ll get used to it, and will learn to actually enjoy it. I’m not talking about hours of idle time or laziness, but simply learning the art of relaxing, of just “being,” rather than “doing,” for a few minutes each day. There isn’t a specific technique other than to consciously do nothing. FYI- if it makes you feel better, doing nothing is technically doing something. Just sit still, maybe look out the window, and notice your thoughts and feelings. At first you may get a little anxious, but each day it will get a little easier. The payback is tremendous.

Much of your anxiety and inner struggle stems from your busy, overactive mind always needing something to entertain it, something to focus on, and always wondering, “What’s next?” While you’re eating dinner you wonder what’s for dessert, you ponder what you should do afterward. After that evening, it’s “What should I do this weekend?” After you’ve been out, you walk into the house and immediately turn on the TV, pick up the phone, open a book, or start cleaning. It’s almost as though you’re frightened at the thought of not having something to do, even for a minute.

The beauty of doing nothing is that it teaches you to clear your mind and relax. It allows your mind the freedom to “not know,” for a brief period of time. Just like your body, your mind needs an occasional break from its hectic routine. When you allow your mind to take a break, it comes back stronger, sharper, more focused and creative.

When you allow yourself to be bored, it takes an enormous amount of pressure off you to be performing and doing something every second of every day.

The Law Of The Garbage Truck

Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well and move on. Don' t take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so...'Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't, that they see the wisdom of their foolish ways. Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

Emotional Acceptance

It is not always easy to understand our emotions and how they can be different from day to day, hour to hour. Some days it is a struggle and other days it can be a breeze. Even the most positive of people can, at times feel anxious or even depression.

The first step is to accept that it is normal to have fluctuating emotions and then if the balance is starting to be weighted in favor of negative emotions, it could be time to look at new strategies to make positive changes.

The Power of Negative Thinking

For some reason, most people find it easier to think in a negative way than in a positive manner. It seems that some effort is needed to think positive thoughts, whereas negative thoughts come easily and uninvited. This has much to do with education and the environment one has been living in.

In order to understand how positive thinking works, and how to use it efficiently, it is important to understand the power of negative thinking.

If you have been brought up in a happy and positive atmosphere, where people value success and self-improvement, then it will be easier for you to think positively and expect success. If you have been brought up under poor or difficult situations, you will probably go on expecting difficulties and failure.

From an early age people let outside influences shape their minds. They view everything through their predominant mental attitude. If their thoughts are positive, that is fine, but if they are negative, their lives and circumstances will probably mirror these thoughts.

If you believe that you are going to fail, you will unconsciously sabotage every opportunity to succeed. If you are afraid of meeting new people or having close relationships, you will do everything to avoid people and relationships, and then complain that you are lonely and nobody loves you.

Do you often think about difficulties, failure and disasters? Do you keep thinking about the negative news you have seen on the TV or read in the newspapers?

Do you see yourself stuck and unable to improve your life or your health? Do you frequently think that you do not deserve happiness or money, or that it is too difficult to get them? If you do, then you will close your mind, see no opportunities, and behave and react in such ways, as to repel people and opportunities. You let the power of negative thinking rule your life.

The mind does not usually judge or examine thoughts and opinions before accepting them. If what it hears, sees and reads is always negative, it accepts this as the standard way of thinking and behavior.

The media constantly bombards the mind with a lot of information about disasters, catastrophes, wars and other negative happenings. This information sinks into the subconscious mind, and let the power of negative thinking grow. By occupying the mind with negative thoughts and expectations one radiate negative energy into the surrounding world, thus creating and recreating more negativity, failures and disasters.

The mind can be directed towards positive thinking or negative thinking. The power of thoughts is a neutral power. The way one thinks determines whether the results are positive and beneficial or negative and harmful. It is the same of energy acting in different ways.

Persistent inner work can change habits of thoughts. You must be willing to put energy and time to avoid negative thinking and pursue positive thinking, in order to change your mental attitude.

Decide that from today, from this very moment, you are leaving negative thinking behind, and starting on the way towards positive thinking and behavior. It is never too late. Soon your life will turn into a fascinating, wonderful journey.

About the Author

www.successconsciousness.com

Remez Sasson writes and teaches about spiritual growth, meditation, positive thinking, creative visualization and mind power, and issues a biweekly ezine, “Consciousness and Success”.He is the author of two books, “Will power and Self-Discipline” and “Visualize and Achieve”, and has plans for more. His website “Success Consciousness”, offers many of his inspiring, practical and informative articles

He lets all things come and go
effortlessly, without desire.
He never expects results;
thus he is never disappointed.
He is never disappointed;
thus his spirit never grows old.

Nothing is gained by forcing an issue. If you want to survive you must be crystal clear and deadly sure of yourself.

If You Don't Dismiss Thougths

Slowly you become engulfed by thoughts, which are not dismissed at the right time, lose perspective and become overwhelmed. While overwhelmed you are unpredictable. Thoughts become more and more negative and insecure. You are not “yourself”. Life speeds up, days become mundane. You become angry at yourself for being “weak” and stop cutting yourself any slack for anything. Everything is exaggerated and blown out of proportion. Perspective is lost and you lose self-esteem and self-worth.

When you have a thought -- any thought -- that's all it is, a thought! It can't hurt you without your consent.

If the thought comes I see that as a thought -- right here and now. If, when I'm meditating that thought comes, I see that it has a beginning ... and that that thought has an end; and noticing that when that thought ends, there's peace in the mind. When I can see that the thought is just a thought which comes and goes, I can see it as a changing condition in the mind. I don't have to make a problem out of it any more. I don't have to wait for the time when there are no more doubting thoughts. I just know it's a doubting thought and I can offer what I'm able to. This brings forth patience and equanimity. And this is what we can do in an immediate sense.

Stop Searching And See

There is no such thing as peace of mind. Mind means disturbance; restlessness itself is mind. Examine closely and you will see that the mind is seething with thoughts. It may go blank occasionally, but it does it for a time and reverts to its usual restlessness. A becalmed mind is not a peaceful mind. For many years you sought your peace of mind. You could not find it, for a thing essentially restless cannot be at peace. The peace you claim to have found is very brittle any little thing can crack it. What you call peace is only absence of disturbance. It is hardly worth the name. The real peace cannot be disturbed. The self does not need to be put to rest. It is peace itself, not at peace. Only the mind is restless. All it knows is restlessness, with its many modes and grades. The pleasant are considered superior and the painful are discounted. What we call progress is merely a change over from the unpleasant to the pleasant. But changes by themselves cannot bring us to the changeless, for whatever has a beginning must have an end. You can find what you have lost. But you cannot find what you have not lost. The true knowledge of the self is not a knowledge. Knowledge is but a memory, a pattern of thought, and a mental habit. All these are motivated by pleasure and pain. It is because you are goaded by pleasure and pain that you are in search of knowledge. You got yourself into your present state through verbal thinking; you must get out of it the same way. Only when you realize the true peace, the peace you have never lost, that peace will remain with you, for it was never away. Instead of searching for what you do not have, find out what is it that you have never lost? The obstacles to the clear perception of one’s true being are desire for pleasure and fear of pain. It is the pleasure-pain motivation that stands in the way. The very freedom from all motivation, the state in which no desire arises is the natural state. Giving up desire after desire is a lengthy process with the end never in sight. Leave alone your desires and fears, give your entire attention to the subject, to him who is behind the experience of desire and fear. Ask: ‘who desires?’ Let each desire bring you back to yourself. The happiness you can think of and long for is mere physical or mental satisfaction. Such sensory or mental pleasure is not the real, the absolute happiness. They have their roots in imagination. A man who is given a stone and assured that it is a priceless diamond will be mightily pleased until he realizes his mistake; in the same way pleasures lose their tang and pain their barb when the self is known. Both are seen as they are — conditional responses, mere reactions, plain attractions and repulsions, based on memories or pre-conceptions. Usually pleasure and pain are experienced when expected. It is all a matter of acquired habits and convictions. Desires and fears- Where are they but in your memory? Realize that their root is in expectation born of memory and they will cease to obsess you. How restless people are, how constantly on the move! It is because they are in pain that they seek relief in pleasure. All the happiness they can imagine is in the assurance of repeated pleasure. The end of pain lies not in pleasure. When you realize that you are beyond pain and pleasure, aloof and unassailable, then the pursuit of happiness ceases and the resultant sorrow too. For pain aims at pleasure and pleasure ends in pain relentlessly. In the ultimate state there can be neither happiness nor sorrow. Only freedom. Happiness depends on something or other and can be lost; freedom from everything depends on nothing and cannot be lost. Momentary relief from pain we call pleasure — and we build castles in the air hoping for endless pleasure which we call happiness. It is all misunderstanding and misuse. Wake up, go beyond, and live really. When the seeker said that the condition that one must have freedom from desires and inclinations is impossible of fulfillment, N told him that there are no conditions to fulfill. There is nothing to be done, nothing to be given up. Just look and remember, whatever you perceive is not you, nor yours. It is there in the field of consciousness, but you are not the field and its contents, nor even the knower of the field. It is your idea that you have to do things that entangle you in the results of your efforts — the motive, the desire, the failure to achieve, the sense of frustration — all this holds you back. Simply look at whatever happens and know that you are beyond it. To look for it on the mental level is futile. Stop searching, and see — it is here and now — it is that ‘I am’ you know so well. All you need to do is to cease taking yourself to be within the field of consciousness The greatest Guru is your inner self. Truly, he is the supreme teacher. He alone can take you to your goal and he alone meets you at the end of the road. Confide in him and you need no outer Guru.

Doing Your Best

We often come into contact with the idea that our best isn’t good enough, as if this were actually possible. If you examine this notion, you will begin to see that it doesn’t make much sense. Your best is always good enough, because it comes from you, and you are always good enough. You may not be able to deliver someone else’s idea of the best, but the good news is that’s not your burden. You only need to fulfill your own potential, and as long as you remain true to that calling, and always do your best to fulfill your purpose, you don’t need to expect anything more from yourself.

It’s easy to get tangled up with the idea of trying to be the best—the best parent, the best employee, the best child, or best friend. If we try to be the best, we run the risk of short-circuiting our originality because we are striving to fit into someone else’s vision of success. In addition, if everyone is striving for the same outcome, we lose out on creativity, diversity, and visionary alternatives to the way things are done. On another note, there is nothing wrong with wanting to improve, but examining where this feeling comes from is important because wanting to be better than others is our ego coming into play.

Letting go of the tendency to hold ourselves up to other people’s standards, and letting go of the belief that we need to compete and win, doesn’t mean we don’t believe in doing the best job we can. We always strive to do our best, because when we do we create a life free of regret, knowing we have performed to the best of our ability. This allows us to feel great personal satisfaction in all of our efforts, regardless of how others perceive the outcome.

Ego

Ego wants to be satisfied all the time. As long as everything is all right our ego is content and tries to keep this state. Our "self" clings to this contentment and our mind is distressed with desire - the poison of attachment. When nice circumstances are gone, ego still clings to them because it wants to be content. More attachment and desire appear in our mind. In the cases of unpleasant situations the ego reacts with anger and hatred. It tries to avoid them and replace them with pleasant experiences. In this way our mind is anxious and unhappy. We can recognize the continuous influence of ego in every situation. It ceaselessly categorizes experiences as pleasant or unpleasant. If we follow our ego we accumulate karma which will sooner or later ripen as different kinds of suffering.

Right Practice

Through right practice, you allow your old kamma to wear itself out. Knowing how things arise and pass away, you can just be aware and let them run their course. It is like having two trees: if you fertilize and water one and do not take care of the other, there is no question which one will grow and which one will die.

~Ajahn Chah

The best solution to worry of any kind is retrospective analysis. Think about something similar that you have worried about (and solved) in the past. Then, imagine yourself looking back on today from a time in the future. Find a way to utilize the same strategies that have worked in the past to solve today's worry, but think about it as if you were in the future, way after the problem has been solved...This provides a realistic mental goal.

If constant worry is your thing, eliminate reinforcement schedules. Chronic anxiety is often self-serving. You may feel bad/guilty for NOT worrying. Find a way to reinforce every thing that you do that involves trust, initiative, risk-taking (the smart kind, like approaching a potential date), and the like. You will soon realize your own potential for self-determination. Also, you'll develop coping strategies for situations that don't go as you planned.

• There are two kinds of suffering: the suffering, which leads to more suffering, and the suffering, which leads to the end of suffering. The first is the pain of grasping after fleeting pleasures and aversion for the unpleasant, the continued struggle of most people day after day. The second is the suffering, which comes when you allow yourself to feel fully the constant change of experience - pleasure, pain, joy, and anger - without fear or withdrawal. The suffering of our experience leads to inner fearlessness and peace
• People who suffer will accordingly gain wisdom. If we don’t suffer, we don’t contemplate. If we don’t contemplate, no wisdom is born. Without wisdom, we don’t know. Not knowing, we can’t get free of suffering - that’s just the way it is. Therefore we must train and endure in our practice. When we then reflect on the world, we won’t be afraid like before.
  
• It is so easy once you understand. It is so simple and direct. When pleasant things arise, understand that they are empty. When unpleasant things arise, see that they are not yours. They pass away. Don’t relate to them as being you, or see yourself as the owner of them. You think that papaya tree is yours, then why don’t you feel hurt when it is cut down?
• Once you understand non-self, then the burden of life is gone. You’ll be at peace with the world. When we see beyond self, we no longer cling to happiness and we can truly be happy. Learn to let go without struggle, simply let go, to be just as you are - no holding on, no attachment, free.
• Peace is within oneself to be found in the same place as agitation and suffering. It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher. Where you experience suffering, you can also find freedom from suffering. Trying to run away from suffering is actually to run toward it.
• The forest is peaceful, why aren’t you? You hold on to things causing your confusion. Let nature teach you. Hear the bird’s song then let go. If you know nature, you’ll know Dhamma. If you know Dhamma, you’ll know nature.
• Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache. You won’t be able to find it. But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.
  
• Be careful! When happiness arises, don’t be overjoyed, and don’t get carried away. When suffering comes, don’t despair, don’t lose yourself in it. See that they have the same equal value.
  

Thoughts / Thinking

Today, as we live our life, that event is merely a thought carried through time, via our own thinking As long as you see it, not as a reality to contend with, but as a simple thought, you are free to live right now, in this moment. Because thoughts are just thoughts (all of them) you have the power to drop any thought, at any time. You are absolutely in charge and have the last say! This is the ultimate in taking responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings.

Here’s a little more food for thought. Let me ask you a funny question. Would you ever, even for a moment, consider writing yourself a nasty, mean-spirited letter and then mailing that letter to yourself? Then, when you get the letter you open it and you’re immediately offended by the mean and obnoxious content! You storm around the room and act all out of sorts!

Of course this would never happen in a million years, but why? The reason is that you would be aware that it was you who wrote the letter. How silly would it be to write a letter and then become upset by that very letter?

Well that’s the exact same logic we can apply to our thinking. Think about it carefully. Why would you ever have a thought—any thought, no matter how negative or scary—and then become nervous, reactive, angry or in some other way bothered by it? Remember, it’s just a thought you’re having, just like all the others. And what’s more important, you’re the one who produced the thought to begin with.

Being upset by your own thoughts is a little like smashing your head against a wall and wondering why your head hurts. Remember, you wouldn’t act on a scary thought like killing another driver, no matter how bad he or she was—why? Because it was just a thought. The secret to a happy life is to realize that all of our thoughts are just thoughts. True things happen all the time, but once they are over---or if they haven’t happened yet, they are just thoughts.

~Richard Carlson

Watch the wheel and the way it spins. The farther you get from the center the quicker it spins. To find peace return to the center.

Human beings are cowards in the face of happiness. You need courage to hold onto happiness.

~Momoko Ryugasaki in "Kamikaze Girls"

Job Immunity

In order to survive in a job setting, you must have an inner core that is immune to getting caught up in all of the craziness around you. Too many people allow their jobs to be THE THING in their lives. When that happens, it’s easy to feel inundated, take things personally, and blow things out of proportion.

I’m not suggesting that you don’t give your all in a job or professional setting. It’s important that your superiors understand that you’re a conscientious employee who cares and can be relied upon to work hard and get the job done. What I am saying is don’t let the job get all of you. At a deep personal level, you’ve got to know that there are more important things in life. You don’t advertise this at your work setting, and you don’t put any less effort in, but you work smarter. Many people don’t realize that perspective and the ability to perform at your best are closely related. When you’re able to appropriately detach yourself you’re not straining and letting yourself get overwhelmed. You demonstrate more wisdom and restraint in responding to the situations you have to deal with. You can focus and concentrate on one thing at a time. You don’t get yourself immersed in counterproductive things that you can’t control, and you don’t participate in any negativity that may be around you.

There will always be some people around us that operate out of fear or insecurity and are constantly trying to prove their worth (though they wouldn’t admit this). These folks are not only living in an unhealthful manner, but they’re not functioning at their full capacity, because it is just an exhausting way to live. They are not good role models, and we shouldn’t allow ourselves to compete with them for attention. We must remind ourselves that calm, relaxed, gentle people can also be super achievers.

If you’d like to develop more of a defense wall so your inner core is immune to getting caught up in external situations, ask yourself what is really important in life. Remind yourself that this is not life and death and there will be a life after this job. Remind yourself that, chances are, you’ll have several jobs after this one. Also, remember that if this were your last day on the job, somehow, someway, they would find a way to survive without you. No one is irreplaceable. What’s the best thing to do? Do your best each day and go home, leaving your job at the job. What’s the most important thing? Peace of mind. Why? Because life is short and we don’t know how many moments we have left.

The Power Of Now

Most people spend their entire life imprisoned within the confines of their own thoughts. They never go beyond a narrow, mind-made, personalized sense of self that is conditioned by the past.

In you, as in each human being, there is a dimension of consciousness far deeper than thought. It is the very essence of who you are. We may call it presence, awareness, the unconditioned consciousness.

Finding that dimension frees you and the world from the suffering you inflict on yourself and others when the mind-made "little me" is all you know and runs your life. Love, joy, creative expansion, and lasting inner peace cannot come into your life except through that unconditioned dimension of consciousness.

If you can recognize, even occasionally, the thoughts that go through your mind as simply thoughts, if you can witness your own mental-emotional reactive patterns as they happen, then that dimension is already emerging in you as the awareness in which thoughts and emotions happen -- the timeless inner space in which the content of your life unfolds.

The stream of thinking has enormous momentum that can easily drag you along with it. Every thought pretends that it matters so much.

It wants to draw your attention in completely.

Here is a new spiritual practice for you: don't take your thoughts too seriously.

How easy it is for people to become trapped in their conceptual prisons.

The human mind, in its desire to know, understand, and control, mistakes its opinions and viewpoints for the truth. It says: this is how it is. You have to be larger than thought to realize that however you interpret "your life" or someone else's life or behavior, however you judge any situation, it is no more than a viewpoint, one of many possible perspectives. It is no more than a bundle of thoughts. But reality is one unified whole, in which all things are interwoven, where nothing exists in and by itself.

Thinking fragments reality -- it cuts it up into conceptual bits and pieces.

The thinking mind is a useful and powerful tool, but it is also very limiting when it takes over your life completely, when you don't realize that it is only a small aspect of the consciousness that you are.

Wisdom is not a product of thought. The deep knowing that is wisdom arises through the simple act of giving someone or something your full attention. Attention is primordial intelligence, consciousness itself. It dissolves the barriers created by conceptual thought, and with this comes the recognition that nothing exists in and by itself. It joins the perceiver and the perceived in a unifying field of awareness. It is the healer of separation.

Whenever you are immersed in compulsive thinking, you are avoiding what is. You don't want to be where you are. Here, Now.

Dogmas -- religious, political, scientific -- arise out of the erroneous belief that thought can encapsulate reality or the truth.

Dogmas are collective conceptual prisons. And the strange thing is that people love their prison cells because they give them a sense of security and a false sense of "I know."

Nothing has inflicted more suffering on humanity than its dogmas.

It is true that every dogma crumbles sooner or later, because reality will eventually disclose its falseness; however, unless the basic delusion of it is seen for what it is, it will be replaced by others.

What is this basic delusion? Identification with thought.

Spiritual awakening is awakening from the dream of thought.

The realm of consciousness is much vaster than thought can grasp.When you no longer believe everything you think, you step out of thought and see clearly that the thinker is not who you are.

The mind exists in a state of "not enough" and so is always greedy for more. When you are identified with mind, you get bored and restless very easily. Boredom means the mind is hungry for more stimulus, more food for thought, and its hunger is not being satisfied.

When you feel bored, you can satisfy the mind's hunger by picking up a magazine, making a phone call, switching on the TV, surfing the web, going shopping, or -- and this is not uncommon -- transferring the mental sense of lack and its need for more to the body and satisfy it briefly by ingesting more food.

Or you can stay bored and restless and observe what it feels like to be bored and restless. As you bring awareness to the feeling, there is suddenly some space and stillness around it, as it were. A little at first, but as the sense of inner space grows, the feeling of boredom will begin to diminish in intensity and significance. So even boredom can teach you who you are and who you are not.

You discover that a "bored person" is not who you are. Boredom is simply a conditioned energy movement within you. Neither are you an angry, sad, or fearful person. Boredom, anger, sadness, or fear are not "yours," not personal. They are conditions of the human mind. They come and go.

Nothing that comes and goes is you.

"I am bored." Who knows this?

"I am angry, sad, afraid." Who knows this?

You are the knowing, not the condition that is known.

Thinking that is not rooted in awareness becomes self-serving and dysfunctional. Cleverness devoid of wisdom is extremely dangerous and destructive. That is the current state of most of humanity. The amplification of thought as science and technology, although intrinsically neither good nor bad, has also become destructive because so often the thinking out of which it comes has no roots in awareness.

The next step in human evolution is to transcend thought. This is now our urgent task. It doesn't mean not to think anymore, but simply not to be completely identified with thought, possessed by thought.

Feel the energy of your inner body. Immediately mental noise slows down or ceases. Feel it in your hands, your feet, your abdomen, your chest. Feel the life that you are, the life that animates the body.

The body then becomes a doorway, so to speak, into a deeper sense of aliveness underneath the fluctuating emotions and underneath your thinking.

There is an aliveness in you that you can feel with your entire Being, not just in the head. Every cell is alive in that presence in which you don't need to think. Yet, in that state, if thought is required for some practical purpose, it is there. The mind can still operate, and it operates beautifully when the greater intelligence that you are uses it and expresses itself through it.

You may have overlooked that brief periods in which you are "conscious without thought" are already occurring naturally and spontaneously in your life. You may be engaged in some manual activity, or walking across the room, or waiting at the airline counter, and be so completely present that the usual mental static of thought subsides and is replaced by an aware presence. Or you may find yourself looking at the sky or listening to someone without any inner mental commentary. Your perceptions become crystal clear, unclouded by thought.

To the mind, all this is not significant, because it has "more important" things to think about. It is also not memorable, and that's why you may have overlooked that it is already happening.

The truth is that it is the most significant thing that can happen to you. It is the beginning of a shift from thinking to aware presence.

Become at ease with the state of "not knowing." This takes you beyond mind because the mind is always trying to conclude and interpret. It is afraid of not knowing. So, when you can be at ease with not knowing, you have already gone beyond the mind. A deeper knowing that is non-conceptual then arises out of that state.

Artistic creation, sports, dance, teaching, counseling -- mastery in any field of endeavor implies that the thinking mind is either no longer involved at all or at least is taking second place. A power and intelligence greater than you and yet one with you in essence takes over. There is no decision-making process anymore; spontaneous right action happens, and "you" are not doing it.

Mastery of life is the opposite of control. You become aligned with the greater consciousness. It acts, speaks, does the works.

A moment of danger can bring about a temporary cessation of the stream of thinking and thus give you a taste of what it means to be present, alert, aware.

The Truth is far more all-encompassing than the mind could ever comprehend. No thought can encapsulate the Truth. At best, it can point to it. For example, it can say: "All things are intrinsically one." That is a pointer, not an explanation. Understanding these words means feeling deep within you the truth to which they point.

~Eckhart Tolle

# Pacification of the emotions;
# Tranquil compliance with the inevitable;
# Self-control in the face of any event;

Let It Roll Off Our Back

One of the most difficult challenges in life is learning not to take things to heart and hold on to it. Especially when we’re younger, or if we’re very sensitive, we take so much of what comes our way to heart. This can be overwhelming and unproductive if it throws us off balance on a regular basis. When we are feeling criticized or attacked from all directions, it becomes very difficult for us to recover ourselves so that we can continue to speak and act our truth. This is when we would do well to remember the old saying about letting certain things roll off us, like water off a duck’s back.

Most of the time, the attacks and criticisms of others have much more to do with them and how they are feeling than with us. If we get caught up in trying to adjust ourselves to other people’s negative energy, we lose touch with our core. In fact, in a positive light, these slings and arrows offer us the opportunity to strengthen our core sense of self, and to learn to dodge and deflect other people’s misdirected negativity. The more we do this, the more we are able to discern what belongs to us and what belongs to other people. With practice, we become masters of our energetic integrity, refusing to serve as targets for the disowned anger and frustration of the people around us.

Eventually, we will be able to hear the feedback that others have to offer, taking in anything that might actually be constructive, and releasing that which has nothing to do with us. First, though, we tend ourselves compassionately by recognizing when we can’t take something in from the outside without hurting ourselves. This is when we make like a duck, shaking it off and letting it roll off our back as we continue our way in the world.

Venerable Atisha

Avoid places that disturb your mind, and always remain where your virtues increase.

Until you attain stable realizations, worldly amusements are harmful, therefore abide in a place where there are no such distractions.

Avoid friends who cause you to increase delusions, and rely upon those who increase your virtue. This you should take to heart.

Since there is never a time when worldly activities come to an end, limit your activities.

Dedicate your virtues throughout the day and the night, and always watch your mind.

Because you have received advice, whenever you are not meditating always practice in accordance with what your Spiritual Guide says.

If you practice with great devotion, results will arise immediately, without your having to wait for a long time.

If from your heart you practice in accordance with Dharma, both food and resources will come naturally to hand.

Friends, the things you desire give no more satisfaction than drinking sea water, therefore practice contentment.

Avoid all haughty, conceited, proud, and arrogant minds, and remain peaceful and subdued.

Avoid activities that are said to be meritorious, but which in fact are obstacles to Dharma.

Profit and respect are nooses of the maras, so brush them aside like stones on the path.

Words of praise and fame serve only to beguile us, therefore blow them away as you would blow your nose.

Since the happiness, pleasure, and friends you gather in this life last only for a moment, put them all behind you.

Since future lives last for a very long time, gather up riches to provide for the future.

You will have to depart leaving everything behind, so do not be attached to anything.

Generate compassion for lowly beings, and especially avoid despising or humiliating them.

Have no hatred for enemies, and no attachment for friends.

Do not be jealous of others' good qualities, but out of admiration adopt them yourself.

Do not look for faults in others, but look for faults in yourself, and purge them like bad blood.

Do not contemplate your own good qualities, but contemplate the good qualities of others, and respect everyone as a servant would.

See all living beings as your father or mother, and love them as if you were their child.

Always keep a smiling face and a loving mind, and speak truthfully without malice.

If you talk too much with little meaning you will make mistakes, therefore speak in moderation, only when necessary.

If you engage in many meaningless activities your virtuous activities will degenerate, therefore stop activities that are not spiritual.

It is completely meaningless to put effort into activities that have no essence.

If the things you desire do not come it is due to karma created long ago, therefore keep a happy and relaxed mind.

Beware, offending a holy being is worse than dying, therefore be honest and straightforward.

Since all the happiness and suffering of this life arise from previous actions, do not blame others.

All happiness comes from the blessings of your Spiritual Guide, therefore always repay his kindness.

Since you cannot tame the minds of others until you have tamed your own, begin by taming your own mind.

Since you will definitely have to depart without the wealth you have accumulated, do not accumulate negativity for the sake of wealth.

Distracting enjoyments have no essence, therefore sincerely practice giving.

Always keep pure moral discipline for it leads to beauty in this life and happiness hereafter.

Since hatred is rife in these impure times, don the armor of patience, free from anger.

You remain in samsara through the power of laziness, therefore ignite the fire of the effort of application.

Since this human life is wasted by indulging in distractions, now is the time to practice concentration.

Being under the influence of wrong views you do not realize the ultimate nature of things, therefore investigate correct meanings.

Friends, there is no happiness in this swamp of samsara, so move to the firm ground of liberation.

Meditate according to the advice of your Spiritual Guide and dry up the river of samsaric suffering.

You should consider this well because it is not just words from the mouth, but sincere advice from the heart.

If you practice like this you will delight me, and you will bring happiness to yourself and others.

I who am ignorant request you to take this advice to heart.

This is the advice that the holy being Venerable Atisha gave to Venerable Jangchub Ö."

Stronger Than Your Enemy

"Is there a law against being stronger than your enemy? Is there anything to forbid you from picking up your aggressor by the scruff of his neck and asking him, ‘do you want me to smash you to the ground?’ If you did this he would soon see how strong you were. And then, if you put him gently on his feet again instead of throwing him violently to the ground, he would begin to respect you. Would this not be much better than always allowing yourself to be defeated and ill-treated? You must be stronger than your enemies, capable with a single word, gesture, or glance, of paralyzing them and making them feel so small and vulnerable that they beat a retreat. If you cannot be a winner on the physical plane, you can at least try to be a winner on the mental plane. Would this not be far better than allowing dishonest, cruel, evil people to destroy you?”

~Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov

You have to be aware of the uselessness of your self-importance and of your personal history.

In eradicating worry from our minds, we free ourselves to think practically about our circumstances, living in the moment rather than losing ourselves in our fears. True security originates in the heart rather than in the resolution of outer world concerns because we can choose to feel self-assured as easily as we choose to harbor anxious thoughts. When we select the former, we can think about the issues before us in concrete terms without becoming overwhelmed by emotional reactions. We are more apt to look for solutions, however far-fetched, and to implement them promptly. Instead of bemoaning our fate, we change what we can and leave the rest to the benevolent wisdom of the universe. In putting aside your worries, you enable yourself to address your situation constructively.

PRAISE AND BLAME ARE ALL THE SAME = DRUG

• If you fight thoughts and try to stop them forcefully they will grow stronger, because you will be giving them more attention. If you want to get rid of a tree growing in your garden and cut it down, it will grow again quite fast, but if you stop watering it, it will gradually wither. You need to treat your thoughts in the same manner. In order to calm them down you have to dismiss them, which is equivalent to not watering the tree.
• Things don't always proceed according to plans and expectations. People not always act the way you wish them to act. You may not be always able to be in control of external influences and conditions, but you can certainly learn to control your attitude and reactions. There is no sense of allowing circumstances and people to pull your strings and affect your mind and feelings. You can choose not to let what people say and do affect your moods. You can maintain an inner attitude of emotional and mental detachment, and refuse to allow every minor event play with your feelings and evoke anger.
• If detached person cannot do or change something, it does not disturb his peace of mind. On the other hand, if he needs to do something, he will pursue it wholeheartedly. He will do everything needed to succeed. If it does not work out, he stays calm, and will either try again, or forget the matter easily and move to something else.
• Now try to look at the thoughts with lack of interest. Lack of interest is the magic word when it comes to controlling and silencing thoughts. Do not let your feelings to be aroused and manipulated by your thoughts. Watch the thoughts that enter your mind as if watching a boring movie and they will lose their power.
• Why not become conscious of your thoughts, choose to think the ones that are beneficial for you, and consciously and advantageously utilize the power of attraction? You can attract people, circumstances, events, possessions or a life style with the magnetic power of attraction of your mind.
• "Warriors are incapable of feeling compassion because they no longer feel sorry for themselves. Without the driving force of self-pity, compassion is meaningless.
  For a warrior everything begins and ends with himself. However, his contact with the abstract causes him to overcome his feeling of self-importance. Then the self becomes abstract and impersonal."

Why worry and fret about something when nothing is going to change regardless of how much you or I worry about it?

It's easier to act yourself into a new way of thinking than it is to think yourself into a new way of acting.

How To Avoid Burnout

1. STOP DENYING. Listen to the wisdom of your body. Begin to freely admit the stresses and pressures which have manifested physically, mentally, or emotionally.

2. AVOID ISOLATION. Don't do everything alone! Develop or renew intimacies with friends and loved ones. Closeness not only brings new insights, but also is anathema to agitation and depression.
3. CHANGE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. If your job, your relationships, a situation, or a person is dragging you under, try to alter your circumstances, or if necessary, leave.
4. DIMINISH INTENSITY IN YOUR LIFE. Pinpoint those areas or aspects which summon up the most concentrated intensity and work toward alleviating that pressure.
5. STOP OVERNURTURING. If you routinely take on other people's problems and responsibilities, learn to gracefully disengage. Try to get some nurturing for yourself.
6. LEARN TO SAY "NO". You'll help diminish intensity by speaking up for yourself. This means refusing additional requests or demands on your time or emotions.
7. BEGIN TO BACK OFF AND DETACH. Learn to delegate, not only at work, but also at home and with friends. In this case, detachment means rescuing yourself for yourself.
8. REASSESS YOUR VALUES. Try to sort out the meaningful values from the temporary and fleeting, the essential from the nonessential. You'll conserve energy and time, and begin to feel more centered.
9. LEARN TO PACE YOURSELF. Try to take life in moderation. You have only so much energy available. Ascertain what is wanted and needed in your life, then begin to balance work with love, pleasure, and relaxation.
10.TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY. Don't skip meals, abuse yourself with rigid diets, disregard your need for sleep, or break the doctor appointments. Take care of yourself nutritionally.
11.DIMINISH WORRY AND ANXIETY. Try to keep superstitious worrying to a minimum -- it changes nothing. You'll have a better grip on your situation if you spend less time worrying and more time taking care of your real needs.
12.KEEP YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR. Begin to bring joy and happy moments into your life. Very few people suffer burnout when they're having fun.

Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free: Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.

~Chuang-Tzu

As one sits and realizes the impermanent nature of thoughts and feelings and begins to get a flavor of the background space one might begin to feel less solid in their identity altogether. We invest so much in our jobs, our relationships, and our good works or bad habits that they at times identify who we are. Our roles along with our habits and thinking patterns construct our personalities and hold our egoic selves together. Sitting in meditation puts holes in the fabric as gaps will naturally arise. Continually coming back to the breath cuts any fear and allows the space for seeing habitual patterns. Bringing habit into consciousness creates change and over time a long term behavior can dissolve. The more strongly we identify with something we are letting go of, the scarier it is to the body. You may feel like you are literally dying. If the pattern was established in infancy as a coping skill or a way to be accepted in the family you may have a fear from then that if you change you will be ostracized by the group and you will die, which as an infant you were dependent on your parents for survival, but that is not the case now. Take a deep breath and release any fear.

Desire nothing, and you’re content with everything. Pursue things, and you’re thwarted at every turn. Ryokan 1758-1831, Japanese Zen Master, Poet, Calligrapher

Much of our inner turbulence reflects the fear of loss: our dependence on people, circumstances, and things not really under our control. On some level we know that death, indifference, rejection, repossession, or high tide may leave us bereft in the morning. Still, we clutch desperately at things we cannot finally hold. Nonattachment is the most realistic of attitudes. It is freedom from wishful thinking, from always wanting things to be otherwise.
Marilyn Ferguson

From the moment that a man no longer responds in the slightest to the motives that regulate the material world, that world appears to be at complete repose. Yukio Mishima 1935-1970,

To become free of attachment means to break the link identifying you with your desires. The desires continue: They are part of the dance of nature. But a renunciate no longer thinks that he is his desires. Ram Dass

To renounce things is not to give them up. It is to acknowledge that all things go away.

Shunryu Suzuki 1905-1971, Japanese Zen Master

"May I be free of anger, free of attachment, free of confusion, free of pride.
May I be free of the problems that arise from such distortions of my mind.
May I recognize and cultivate my potential of loving kindness, compassion, wisdom, patience and all other good qualities.
May these good qualities grow for my well-being and the well-being of others.
May my fears, worries and sorrows fall away.
May I find the joy of love and peace in my heart."

Opportunities.

I see every situation in life as an opportunity to exercise the power of focus. Through focus, acceptance is automatic and awareness of what is so is established. Then, what is so, what is ultimate truth, can be realized at greater and greater depths.

Non-Interference

Non-interference is doing nothing but accepting all without resistance. It’s about an expanding my willingness to just be with all my experience and allowing it to be. The ego however, seems to prefer to complicate simple acceptance.

Day Dreams

Day dreams are what many people live by when they have fears of failure. Intent on the other hands involves faith and trust in the self that can move mountains.

Taking Responsibility

As all is one, the challenge is in acknowledging that all situations are my creation. Not an easy call. But nevertheless, it is still true. For to attach to blame to anyone or anything is an attempt to remove myself from my experience and lose my responsibility. If I lose my responsibility, I lose my power to deal with it. Acceptance, faith, trust, whatever name it is given, is the way to regain my responsibility for my life.

Defense

In meditation, I often focus on the question, “what am I defending?” I gets lots of weird and wonderful answers and sometimes a defense of my defending. An equally powerful question is, “am I willing to drop the defense?” From this question I get to know unequivocally what I have created.

Holding on

To totally be here now means to give up our past and just be. Hidden fears and anxieties often arise from the ego during this process. When I consider my memories, whether they be good bad, because they are my memories, I am separating them from the whole and can get a really sense of a “holding on”, reluctant to let go.

Acting as a Magnet

When we strongly reject something and really do not want it to be experienced, we are welcoming it into our existence as if we are a magnet. But as with all paradox, if we accept it into our experience with the motivation to rid ourselves of it, we are welcoming it into our existence as if we are a magnet, only this time the attraction is more cunning… more subtle.

Blame and Guilt

When we attach blame, we are judging, not only the other person but that part of our Self that we identify in the other. Giving is receiving, and the intent of blame is to attach guilt - for other or self, it makes no difference as this guilt becomes hidden in the recesses of our consciousness and needs to be resolved if we are to move toward real freedom.

Let it Be.

There is no complexity in “I am” consciousness, for all complexity is of the ego. I am consciousness simply is, but once we try to analyze is, we are surrendering to the ego’s attempts to control our beingness. Simply let awareness be. Accept it and know nothing, then know everything.

De-stressing

When we are stressed is it because two opposing forces are battling for supremacy; that which we want and that which we don’t want. If we do nothing but observe whatever opposites are battling, they will become one as they disappear into each other and we will become peaceful. If we continue to desire one thing over another, we will continue to be stressed. Focusing the mind on what is so in meditation or mindfulness in our daily activities, enables us to de-stress.

Conflict and Belief.

When I feel I am in conflict, it is because of a fictitious “war” that is raging within myself, which is in reality, an illusion. Thoughts are pitted against one another in the belief that some are right whilst others are wrong. It is belief that is the fuel for this crazy illusion.

Past, Future, Reality

When I contemplate the future and try to predict what is going to happen or what it not going to happen, I am really getting stuck with the past, for prediction always refers to the past. The only reality is here and now where future and past disappear along with the relative world.

Deciding.

Decision is a powerful force and I need to decide that my mind is not trapped in the brain in my head for it can be wherever I want it to be. If I focus on my hand, that is where it is, if I focus on some place far away, that is where it is. If I focus on the past, that is where it is, but it is in an illusion, for the past is no more. Yet, what about guilt? What I have done, is no more, therefore guilt is a way of trying to pay for my wrong-doings. If I see something as “wrong” anywhere at all, I am creating it to be that way for in reality, everything is simply the way it is. A problem arises when I recognise that I believe that I am my mind. When I believe I am my mind, I am putting a machine in charge. This is the ego

Ego Complexities

In meditation, I recognize the mind as a sophisticated machine that is programmed by decisions and beliefs. When I’m trapped in this machine, I cannot see that I am anything else but my mind – this is ego, also a part of my creation. However, when I get glimpses into my creator self, I can see that I am not my mind, but the controller that creates decisions and beliefs. I am aware of how my mind has been programmed with making judgments by the ego I have created, accepting some circumstances and rejecting other circumstances. This all about attack and defense and the mind will only do what it is programmed to do. The implications of this grow wider and more complex as I continue to serve the process of attack and defense. In reality, this is a crazy situation, for I am attacking illusions, that I believe is my Self.

Mechanical Process

I can recognize that my mind is a mechanical process in which when I think something it responds with physical sensation and can change mood. Therefore the way I respond to all events is my responsibility and blaming others for what I perceive is an attempt to create an alternative reality. There is only reality, there is no such thing as an alternative reality, so my task in accepting and observing is best made without judgment. If I perceive a dilemma of any sort, I aspire to accept without judgment or interference.

Disabling Self

Judgment and its effects are very subtle but powerful. When I see things in the world and judge them as inferior or superior, right or wrong, sick or in good health etc., I am beginning the process of identification in myself. I need to over-look them and see them as just so, for how can I possible assist if I am judging and rendering myself disabled by my judgments?

Remembering

Meditation is like remembering who I am. But focus on the breath is used with the exclusion of thought to stop the ego-mind analyzing “I am consciousness” which is beyond analytical thought.

Response.

A good friend who shares my interest in Zen posed a question – “how do I balance mindfulness with a sense of setting goals and planning?”

My response come from my intuition and was given, not with the intent to instruct, because the answers are within each of us, and each of us can be student and teacher - and I see them as both the same. So I responded to this question with gratitude. I say gratitude because the question acts as a catalyst that encourages me to look within and discover more of my Zen Way of life.

My Response:

Yes, "losing" desire is not easy, especially in this day and age as Western Society seems to rest on the foundation of materialism. I don't believe in giving it up, so much as transcending it. I feel that to be a martyr or an atheist is far too extreme. In Zen you may have heard talk about the middle path. This way you can apply Zen to religion (as in Zen Buddhism) or the martial arts, sword-making and to flower-arranging, and motorcycle maintenance (did you ever read that book?). The middle path is where we are totally mindful of what we are doing - in the here and now and allowing (accepting) the results of our efforts (karma) without attachment. Yet, we are attached! So we need to accept our attachment and create a paradoxical intention. That is if we accept it without judgment, we transcend it.

DO NOT get trapped in a cycle of craving approval and fearing rejection. It's a nasty spin cycle of confusion and hurt.

Admiration is a terrible thing.

Стать счастливым просто: начните принимать правильные решения

Life

Life is not about growing old...it's about growing up.

--Bill Gove, 1912-2001, the father of professional speaking

Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace. If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on G-d, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is.

~Amy Carmichael

You cannot be both unhappy and fully present in the NOW

Attention has a natural habit of becoming attached to thoughts that are being thought. Normally the attention tends to easily get caught up in your thinking because that is the most active part of you, the part that is activated the most easily, and that attracts the attention most easily. The attention also tends to become attached to a train of thought and keep going from one thought to the next that is somehow associated with it, so that it is difficult to stop thinking and experience just the stillness of the soul.

Just about all of our thoughts have to do with either 'forward' time: upcoming vacation, payday, what to have for dinner, pick up kids from school, schedules, appointments, deadlines etc.
Or 'past' time: longing for happier times in your youth, trouble releasing hurts and pain that happened before. This has the effect of 'removing' us from the moment, and being stuck in forward or past times. Dismissing thoughts, teaches you to be here, in the present. This is the goal. Be here now. Exist in the moment. This will allow you to experience the Perfect Moment. Connection. Understanding. Peace.

A positive experience is a negative experience handled with awareness.

Wisdom

To be alive is the biggest fear humans have. Death is not the biggest fear we have; the biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive – the risk to be alive and express what we really are. We have learned to live our life trying to satisfy other people’s demands. We have learned to live by other people’s points of view because of the fear of not being accepted and of not being good enough for someone else.

When you will become immune to the opinions and actions of others, you will stop exposing yourself to needless suffering.

It is not important to me what you think about, and I don’t take what you think or say personally. I know what I am. I don’t have the need to be accepted. Others are going to have their own opinion according to their belief system, so nothing they think about me is really about me, but it is about them.

Even the opinions you have about yourself are not necessarily true; therefore, you don’t need to take whatever you hear in your own mind personally.

There may be times when you have ideas that don’t originate in your mind, but you are perceiving them with your mind. We have a choice whether or not to believe the voices we hear within our own minds.

When you make it a strong habit not to take anything personally, you avoid many aspects in your life. Your anger, jealousy, and envy will disappear, and even your sadness will simply disappear.

We also make assumptions about ourselves, and this creates a lot of inner conflict.

Being impeccable is not going against yourself. You take responsibility for your actions, but you do not judge or blame yourself.

Sin begins with rejection of yourself. Self-rejection is the biggest sin that you can commit. If I love myself I will express that love in my interactions with others

Attention. Attention. Attention.

One day a man of the people said to the Zen master Ikkyu: “Master, will you please write for me some maxims of the highest wisdom?” Ikkyu immediately took his brush and wrote the word “Attention.” “Is that all?” asked the man. “Will you not add something more?” Ikkyu then wrote twice running: “Attention. Attention.” “Well,” remarked the man rather irritably,“I really don’t see much depth or subtlety in what you have just written.” Then Ikkyu wrote the same word three times running: “Attention. Attention. Attention.” Be aware. Be awake. Direct your attention.

Mind Detox

When our bodies become poisoned, whether from alcohol or drugs or environmental toxins, we must go through a detoxification process to regain health. This can be a difficult, possibly painful process as the body throws off the poison. If one is unwilling to endure some discomfort one is unlikely to become free of the poison. If one is willing to persist and take time to let the body heal, a new level of health is possible.

Just as our bodies can be weakened by exposure to poisons, our minds are susceptible to the toxins of craving, aversion, and ignorance. These mental toxins arise naturally in human life, and unfortunately, our culture often encourages them. Most of us live in a toxic soup of fear, anger, envy, and impatience. Just as the addict indulges in unhealthy behavior that, for a while, masks the nature of the poison, we delude ourselves into thinking that our unhappiness can be removed by material things and sensual pleasures. Lasting happiness does not come from doing things or having things. Happiness arises naturally when we become free of the mental and emotional toxins that poison us.

Meditation is a tool we can use to detoxify the mind. When we meditate, we suspend our indulgence in toxic thoughts. When we open the mind and just observe, we can begin to see the source of our difficulties.

When we quiet the mind, we can see the source of our misery in our toxic memories and thoughts. We may find that sitting still stimulates the flow of negative thoughts and emotions. Just as an alcoholic in detox may experience shakiness, hallucinations, and unpleasant body sensations, when we attempt to still the mind, the mental impurities may manifest themselves. This is the opportunity to go beyond our addiction to them and observe them at their source. The sources of misery are not outside us. They are within the structure of the body/mind. In the peace of a quieter mind we can see the truth.

Give yourself time in meditation to free yourself of mental toxins. Be patient. Be persistent. Take time to attain subtler and subtler truth, deeper and deeper knowing.

Practice:

Sit upright with erect spine and closed or downcast eyes. Stay present as you observe your respiration. Notice your in-breath and your out-breath. Don't try to change your breathing. Just watch the breath flow in and out.

As you observe your breath, memories, thoughts, and feelings may arise. Notice them, but don't cling to them. Don't try to make them go away. Just observe them dispassionately and let them go. Continue to follow your breath and stay awake and aware.

As thoughts and emotions arise, observe how they arise. How do they come to you? As discomfort arises, observe how it arises. What is the source of the discomfort?

Use this quiet time to learn about yourself. Realize the truth of your nature. Allow the impurities of mind to arise and dissipate. Be patient. Sit in the light of true self healing. Sit in the realization of your true nature. Experience the truth beyond mind and matter.

Dissolving Thoughts

If we continue to allow our ordinary thinking to run wild, we cannot predict what is lined up for us in the future, where we will end up, in what shape or form. The bottom line is this: we need to know how to dissolve thoughts.

Letting Go of Need To Be in Control

Letting go of your need to be in control is an easy way to relate positively to the individuals you encounter throughout your lifetime. When you have expectations that need to be met, it’s easy to disregard other people’s needs and feelings. Choosing to deal with life as it unfolds rather than seeking to direct its course allows you to interact with others spontaneously and in the moment. While you can still anticipate a favorable outcome, you won’t feel compelled to interfere with the lives of others or to manipulate circumstances to achieve a certain result. Let go of your need to be in control, and you will create healthier and more authentic relationships with others.

Awareness

Be aware of your body: its sensations and the simple fact of it. Aware of the existence of thoughts as they arise and dissipate. Aware of sounds and sights. Aware that for the past minute you were lost in thought, not paying attention at all.

Whatever is presenting itself to your awareness right now, attend to that.

At first, you may become aware that your mind is extraordinarily busy, constantly engaged in thought and reaction. And you might begin to see that all this mental activity often doesn't serve you very well. Occasionally it is focused and helpful. Often it is random and pointless. Frequently it is obtrusive or destructive. But the point here is not to judge it, just to be aware of it. Because more than anything, it is unnoticed.

You will probably become increasingly aware that there are significant gaps in your awareness. I don’t mean that there is some sound or something you are not hearing. Of course there is. No one can be aware of everything all the time. You’d go crazy. What I mean is, there are long stretches when you are not aware of anything. You have checked out. Your mind is lost in thought, and you are not even aware of your own thoughts. You did not notice when you checked out. You return to awareness at some point and realize that for a long time you were not really here. Your mind was rattling on as if on auto-pilot.

As you go on, you will find that this is the state most of us are in most of the time. We are not paying attention. We are not paying attention to others. Others are not paying attention to us. We are disconnected from the sensations in our bodies. We are blind to the beauty around us and deaf to the sounds of life. We are lost in thought.

Thought is a product of the past. It is the accumulation of experience and memory through which we filter and categorize everything we encounter, constantly turning everything that is new into something old and familiar. Because thought belongs always to the past, when we are lost in thought we are lost in the past, and cheating ourselves of the present. And the present is the only place that we have any actual existence, so by being lost in thought, we are cheating ourselves of life. By identifying only with our thoughts, we are functioning from something less than the full range of our being.

You will see this for yourself.

Meditation does not have to be confined to a special time and place. It is easier in a quiet place dedicated to meditation, because there is less stimulation. Less to be aware of. No one triggering our fight-flight reactions. No one flattering our egos or insulting our beliefs, or placing unrealistic demands on us. There is less noise to filter out, so we can think somewhat clearly and pay attention to our own bodies and minds. We can open our senses and practice being aware and present.

But as awareness increases, we must carry it out into the rest of our lives. If nothing else, we will soon see how unaware we normally are. How often the people around us are unaware. How our whole society is built on unawareness, on slavish, unconscious response to the stimulation of our appetites and prejudices, on ignorance and self-deception. We do not need to be told this. We can see it when we become aware of our own inattention.

But for now, start simply. Sit comfortably. There is no right way or wrong way to sit. Sit in a way that is comfortable, so you do not have to shift around a lot, but not so relaxed that you will fall asleep.

Take some time simply to be aware of the belly, how it rises and falls with each breath. Be aware of all the sensations of the belly as it rises and falls. It rises. It falls. It grumbles as it digests lunch. The grumble embarrasses you.

Be aware of thoughts as they arise. Be aware of how a thought arises, and you get swept away by it, to the point where you are no longer aware at all. You are lost in thought. Notice how you did not catch the moment when you got lost in thought, just as you don't notice the moment when you fall asleep.

Be aware of how the attention wanders. How the belly rises and falls through it all. You do not have to judge. You do not have to control. You do not have to say "yes" to this and "no" to that. Just pay attention. Be aware. Nothing more. Nothing less. And see what happens.

It is OK to be lost. It is OK to make mistakes. It is OK to have "your thing" and be who you are.

Enduring Discomfort

Whenever we make the effort to free ourselves of an addiction or a habit we no longer need, we are often surprised to find ourselves missing the old pattern as we would a familiar friend. This sounds counterintuitive, because we think we should instinctively gravitate toward what is good for us. Yet, it makes a lot of sense when you consider that we humans are creatures of habit. This is why we gravitate to people and places—and patterns of behavior—that make us feel comfortable. Therefore, many of the habits we form are not conscious and are based instead on learned behavior from role models who were not always making the healthiest decisions.

Most addictions begin as a way of avoiding feelings that are extremely uncomfortable, so it makes sense that stopping the addiction means a fair amount of discomfort for a time. The same is also true of habits that we have developed over time that we are ready to release. Just knowing that this is hard, and having compassion for ourselves as we work through this process, can help us to stay the course when we feel the urge to backtrack. It’s also helpful to remember that in time we will establish new, healthier patterns, and the yearning for the old ones will disappear. Eventually, we will instinctively reach for things that are good for us, and the longing for positive change may form the basis of a new habit.

The only way to get to this new place is to endure a time of difficulty, which is a challenge we can confidently handle, if we remember that it will lead to the change we seek in our lives. Our bodies, hearts, and minds always need time to adjust to a new way of doing things, but they will adapt, and even become our allies, if we remain true to our vision of a new way.

Perfectionism

Being perfectionist, the best you can do is to break even. You NEVER win.

Control

The less a man controls himself the more he will be forced to try to control others.

~Vernon Howard

Remembering Awareness

Remembering awareness………. it is a freedom we have only imagined possible

Seven Important Sets Of Principles

1. The four frames of reference (satipatthana): body, feelings, mind, mental qualities.

2. The four right exertions (sammappadhana): making the effort to prevent evil from arising, to abandon whatever evil has arisen, to give rise to the good that hasn't yet arisen, and to maintain the good that has.

3. The four foundations of achievement (iddhipada):
Chanda — feeling an affinity for one's meditation theme.
Viriya — persistence.
Citta — intentness on one's goal.
Vimangsa — circumspection in one's activities and interests.

4. The five pre-eminent factors (indriya): conviction, persistence, mindfulness, concentration, discernment (factors that are pre-eminent in performing one's duties).

5. The five strengths (bala): conviction, persistence mindfulness, concentration, discernment (factors that give energy to the observance of one's duties).

6. The seven factors for Awakening (bojjhanga):
Sati-sambojjhanga — powers of mindfulness, recollection, and reference.
Dhammavicaya-sambojjhanga — discrimination in choosing a meditation theme well-suited to oneself.
Viriya-sambojjhanga — persistence.
Piti-sambojjhanga — rapture; fullness of body and mind.
Passaddhi-sambojjhanga — physical stillness and mental serenity.
Samadhi-sambojjhanga — concentration.
Upekkha-sambojjhanga — equanimity.

7. The eightfold path (magga):
Samma-ditthi — Right View.
Samma-sankappa — Right Intention.
Samma-vaca — Right Speech.
Samma-kammanta — Right Action.
Samma-ajiva — Right Livelihood.
Samma-vayama — Right Effort.
Samma-sati — Right Mindfulness.
Samma-samadhi — Right Concentration.

Slowing Down And Being Patient

The desire to connect with people on your terms could cause you to fail to recognize what they actually need from you. Patience may be the best remedy for your unintended callousness. If you can pause for a moment and carefully consider how your choices may be impacting others, you could find that there are ways to connect with people without pushing your agenda on them. As you seek to fulfill your needs, ask yourself how you might also take into consideration the needs of others. Your associates and your loved ones will likely respond to your thoughtfulness by responding to your need for connection. Slowing down and being patient when it comes to having your needs met can give you time to observe others and consider how your actions may be affecting them. It can be easy to overlook the thoughts and feelings of others when we are rushed and feel pressured to focus only on what we want or require. Your consideration will benefit you as much as it benefits them. Once you have put aside your haste, connecting to people becomes effortless and organic. Be patient with others, and you will increase the chances of getting your relationship needs met.

Just Watch And Let Go

Try to keep your mind in the present. Whatever there is that arises in the mind, just watch it. Let go of it. Don't even wish to be rid of thoughts. Then the mind will reach its natural state. No discriminating between good and bad, hot and cold, fast and slow. No me and no you, no self at all. Just what there is. When you walk on alms-round, no need to do anything special. Simply walk and see what there is. No need to cling to isolation or seclusion. Wherever you are, know yourself by being natural and watching. If doubts arise, watch them come and go. It's very simple. Hold on to nothing. It is as though you are walking down a road. Periodically you will run into obstacles. When you meet defilements, just see them and just overcome them by letting go of them. don't think about the obstacles you have passed already. Don't worry about those you have not yet seen. Stick to the present. Don't be concerned about the length of the road or about the destination. Everything is changing. Whatever you pass, do not cling to it. Eventually the mind will reach its natural balance where practice is automatic. All things will come and go of themselves.