compassionate thanks giving

“The Way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful.”

I decided that my being should be dedicated to something useful for others. One of my favourite prayers says "So long as space remains.. So long as sentient beings suffer and remain.. I will remain in order to serve". This gives me a lot of comfort. This is the meaning of my life. Tenzin Gyatso, The 14th Dalai Lama quotes (Dalai Lama, b.1935)

“As long as space abides and as long as the world abides, so long may I abide, destroying the sufferings of the world.”

-Buddhist scripture, Santideva

at a time of thanksgiving we are able to refocus on purpose and understand that each of us has been given a chance, in this world, to make a difference for someone. in Buddhist teachings we are told that eliminating suffering is the highest element. i am so thankful to work in the healing arts and have exposure to so many fantastic individuals, that amaze and inspire me every day.

just yesterday i asked a woman when she last felt wonderful, full of life, and free from pain. she went back in time to her childhood when the love of parents and friends was unconditional and fulfilling. with that love as a Light she was able to safely identify the emotion that walled off the area of pain, the darkness, and understand where it started - and what she needed to do to be free from the pain it caused. forgiveness is just one of many solutions we draw from in the healing process, but a powerful solution to powerful negative emotions. she visualized the frustration and anger burning up in a fire and then filled the painful area with Light. she left painfree and for the first time felt in control of her body, and her life.

Motivation by pure altruism striving to eliminate the suffering of everyone; this is the fullest expansion consciousness is capable of, expressed as the complete perfection of wisdom and (this is crucial) compassion.

let us all, in the approaching holiday season, remember to include compassion for those less fortunate, and understanding for those that struggle. let us include unconditional love and caring in all our relationships and as was once said, "keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer".

birth days

Barack Obama, our next president, had to contend with his past in getting to his future. unless you lived in the sixties and seventies you wouldn't understand the time of turmoil and unrest that marked the changes that took place. in 59 years i've been privileged to see many things, and although i've not witnessed a fraction of what my father has experienced, i've lived a full life too. we often look at birthdays with skepticism and dread, forgetting that it is the opportunity we are given to "get things right", to find our Path. birthdays should be the biggest holiday of the year! in ayurvedic philosophy the birthday is a very auspicious occasion, to be honored for all the potentiality that it holds. remember, in Taoist teachings, that life is about self-discovery.

i draw from the wisdom of the ages and remember the quote from the Greeks that said, in death, they did not eulogize a person but rather were found to ask, "did he have passion?" with each passing year i realize that the abilities we gain through experience free us from bonds placed upon us by past emotions and problems. in life we have just four things it is said: problems, causes, lessons to be learned, and resolution of our problems. so far i've come up with a list of problems in my life and a few causes, but am still waiting for knowledge of the lessons.....

without botching the spelling in Sanscrit for phrases i'll just say that they spoke of the knower, the knowing and the known........ that process of acquiring knowledge is integral to progressing through life and moving on to a higher level. i am learning more about passion, not so much the physical, but the spiritual. i am not sure that enlightenment is in my cards but achieving a view from a higher level must be like the feeling i felt on top of the highest mountain peak in the range, when nothing within eyesight was higher than me...... i included a picture in a previous blog of that mountain and keep it in my mind's eye for inspiration.

so for any of you experiencing a birthday, remember that each day is a celebration of your birth and suitable for celebrating. i hope you too will find your passion.

obamarama - a celebration

"When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations..... The artist becomes the last champion of the individual mind and sensibility against an intrusive society....."

--John F. Kennedy

it was poetic to watch the resurgence of grass roots political involvement and the inclusion of so many young people in the recent presidential campaign. it is wonderful to know that there is a stimulus for change and a HOPE for peace in this crazy world. it will be a very difficult struggle to turn around our economy and image in the world, but by eliminating the onerous words other would use, like "fight", and substituting words like "peace" then "Yes We Can"........ i won't be so naive as to think that it will be easy, but everything worth having is worth the effort.

at a time when Al Franken is still waiting on the last votes he needs to win his race we understand that every vote indeed makes a difference and apathy can turn the course of history as quickly as action........ an undercount of 10,000 votes in Mountain Iron may be the deciding turning point in his campaign.

here in Iowa we have decided that the "Kayakers for Obama" were the turning point in the election. a group so rooted in the environment and so concerned with water quality, we went the extra mile and put our energy into creating a healing place for everyone to reach out to others for the greater good. in his book, "The Hundredth Monkey" Ken Keyes Jr. (http://www.sfheart.com/hundredth_monkey.html) proved that the collective consciousness really does matter, and can change the course of history. when we come together in a common cause, with pure intent, our energy is transmitted across continents and can shape thinking in ways we never imagined.

never think that you are insignificant...... your opinions do matter and your actions do count!