Do Not Respond to Anger

I man once cursed the Buddha to his face. The Buddha only smiled. The man became even more incensed and asked, "Why don't you respond?" The Buddha replied, "If someone refuses a gift, it must be taken back by the one who offered it." The Buddha then recited this verse:

"For those with no anger,
how can anger arise?

When you practice deep looking and master yourself,
you dwell in peace, freedom, and safety.

The one who offends another after being offended by him,
harms himself and harms the other.

When you feel hurt, but do not hurt the other,
you are truly victorious.
Your practice and your victory benefit both of you.

When you understand the roots of anger in yourself and in the other,
your mind will enjoy true peace, joy, and lightness.

You become the doctor who heals himself and heals the other.

If you don't understnad,
you will think not getting angry to be the act of a fool."

Source: Teachings on Love, by Thich Nhat Hahn from The Sutra of 42 Chapters, Taisho 784

Mindfulness Training #5

The fifth mindfulness training: "Aware that true happiness is rooted in peace, solidity, freedom and compassion, and not in wealth or fame, I am determined not to take as the aim of my life fame, profit, wealth or sensual pleasure, nor to accumulate wealth while millions are hungry and dying. I am committed to living simply and sharing my time, energy and material resources with those in real need." - Venerable Thich Nhat Hahn

Thay's letter to the President

Honorable George W. Bush
The White House
Washington DC, USA

Plum Village
Le Pey 24240
Thenac, France

Dear Mr. President

Last night, I saw my brother (who died two weeks ago in the U.S.A.) coming back to me in a dream. He was with all his children. He told me, “let’s go home together.” After a millisecond of hesitation, I told him joyfully, “Ok, let’s go.”

Waking up from that dream at 5 am this morning, I thought of the situation in the Middle East; and for the first time, I was able to cry. I cried for a long time, and I felt much better after about one hour. Then I went to the kitchen and made some tea. While making tea, I realized that what my brother had said is true: our home is large enough for all of us. Let us go home as brothers and sisters.

Mr. President, I think that if you could allow yourself to cry like I did this morning, you will also feel much better. It is our brothers that we kill over there. They are our brothers, God tells us so, and we also know it. They may not see us as brothers because of their anger, their misunderstanding, and their discrimination. But with some awakening, we can see things in a different way, and this will allow us to respond differently to the situation. I trust God in you; I trust Buddha nature in you.

Thank you for reading.

In gratitude and with brotherhood,
Thich Nhat Hanh
Plum Village

God

A man once asked the Buddha, “Is there a God?”

The Buddha replied, “If you were shot by a poison arrow, and a doctor was summoned to extract it, what would you do? Would you ask such questions as who shot the arrow, from which tribe did he come, who made the arrow, who made the poison, etc., or would you have the doctor immediately pull out the arrow?

The man replied, “Of course, I would have the arrow pulled out as quickly as possible.”

The Buddha concluded, “That is wise o’ disciple, for the task before us is the solving of life’s problems; when that is complete, you may still ask the questions you put before, if you so desire.”

How Do You Feel?

The water in the ocean is ubiquitous and steady. The wave crashing the shore is temporary and fluctuating.

A wave rises and then falls. But the wave is nothing more than water.

You may feel sad or depressed. But like the wave, this feeling will rise and then fall. It is not who you are. The next time you are overcome with sadness or fear, find comfort in knowing that you are the water, and not the wave.

Perspective

If I am unable to be empathic to your problems, then I am sorry. It is not because I don't care. It's because I don't understand. The child in this photo doesn't have food to eat. Your problems don't seem real to me. I have a hard time understanding how the people I come in contact with can classify their trials and tribulations as "problems."

I am not discounting that we as humans can have emotion. However, we must maintain some perspective -- that is the practice of mindfulness. The next time you think you have a problem, think of this child's hunger. A child's hunger is an injustice we all live with. We eat well and then complain about the taste or temperature of the food. Everytime we fail to see all of the things around us that should make us happy, we insult this child. We have shelter, food, clothing, family, and friends. Even if you only have one or two of these things, you're better off than the child in this picture.

Count your blessings, be happy, and do your best to correct the failures of humanity. Next time, instead of buying Starbucks, spend your money here: http://www.children.org (Children International)

Find Your Hut

"My hut isn’t quite six feet across
Surrounded by pine, bamboos, and mountains,
An old monk hardly has room for himself
Much less for a visiting cloud." - Shih-wu (1272-1352)

Seek happiness within yourself, not in the clouds.

What Do You Think?

You are your thoughts. Your actions reflect your thoughts. Be mindfull of your thoughts today.

"The mind is everything. What you think, you become." - The Buddha

Lesson for Monday Morning

"The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.

Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life." --Robert Louis Stevenson

Be well and enjoy this present moment.

Alone Time

In the United States, and perhaps the world, it is my observation that people, and men especially, do not do a good job of creating space and time to be alone. It is important, whether one is buddhist or not, to set aside at least 20 minutes a day without a television, radio, or any contact with others. It can be a walk alone, a sit in the park, etc. Being alone allows one to relive stress, clear one's mind, and be truly present.

Just Exist

Don't try to become anything. Just realize that you already are.

Practicing Mindfulness

Have you ever watched a baseball game mindfully? It is an incredible experience. Having practiced it for the first time, I saw deeply the wondrous things around me.

The fresh-cut, green grass. The bright lights under the moonlit sky. The smiling faces of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, grandparents and grandchildren. Families spending time together; with no one in a rush and no clock to stop the game.

In the game itself I saw competition in a new way. Is competition negative? Does it produce negative feelings because one wins and one loses? The answer depends on the point of view of each person and their state of mind. In competition, the winner experiences the thrill of victory and the loser suffers the agony of defeat. However, if one is to look deeply, they will see that the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat inter-are. The winner and the loser inter-are. The winner cannot understand the ecstasy of victory if he has never experienced the feeling of loss. If one is not attached and does not crave the thrill of victory or abhor the defeat, that person can see the moment for what it truly is. Competition is wonderful. It pushes us to do better. It is human. It requires mindful living for it to be experienced as the miracle it is.

Transform Negative Feelings

People are often taught to breathe in deep, and breathe out all the stress and negative energy.

However, the Buddha taught that we should breathe in all the negative stimuli around us. Be mindful of the negative and harmful speech, media, actions, and circumstances around you. Breathe in all that is truly present in your universe.

Then transform the negative feelings into something positive. Use a person's negative speech as a mindfullness bell to remind yourself how you do not want to act.

When you breathe out, breathe out the positive feelings that you have cultivated within you. It seems selfish to breathe out stress for others to breathe in? Transform that stress into peace and breathe out a feeling of calm for others to receive.

Rebirth

There is alot of focus on rebirth or reincarnation and its place in Buddhism.

Many think that the attainment of Nirvana results in the cessation of samsara -- life on this earth. They believe that if Nirvana is not reached, you are reborn, or reincarnated, until you reach this holy state.

However, samsara is not a word that describes where we are on Earth; it describes how we live on earth. Nirvana is not a place where we go when we die, it is a state of mind that is reached when we understand the interdependent-coexistant nature of our universe. To stop rebirth is to understand that one does not exist in the absence of all other matter. It is the understanding of anatma (non-self) and practice of mindfullness that allows one to end samsara (wandering). Of course, those seeking nirvana may never reach it. It is the practice and not the theory will provide the path.

A finger pointing to the moon is not the moon.

Symbolism of the Lotus Flower

White lotus
This symbolizes Bodhi, the state of total mental purity and spiritual perfection, and the pacification of our nature. It generally has eight petals corresponding to the Noble Eightfold Path of the Good Law.

Red lotus
This symbolizes the original nature of the heart (hrdaya). It is the lotus of love, compassion, passion, activity and all the qualities of the heart.

Blue lotus
This is the symbol of the victory of the spirit over the senses, of intelligence and wisdom, of knowledge. It is always represented as a partially opened bud, and (unlike the red lotus) its centre is never seen.

Pink lotus
This is the supreme lotus, generally reserved for the highest deity, sometimes confused with the white lotus it is the lotus of the historical Buddha.