HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016

Here sharing a beautiful poem with the wish for A Very Happy Fulfilling Blessed NEW YEAR 2016.
                         
                                                 Look For The Good - Joanna Fuchs

In the New Year, let's resolve
 to get less stressed, upset, anxious
 about things over which we have no control.
 Lets have a narrower focus on our lives,
 loving and helping our family and friends,
 making our community a better place to live,
 to create peace and contentment.

In the New Year, let's resolve
 to pay less attention to depressing stories
 on TV, in magazines and newspapers,
 and to stop focusing on what we want
 that we haven't got,
 instead of appreciating
 the many blessings we do have.

In the New Year, let's look for the good.
 We may have to search
 through a mass of negative media,
 but the good is there,
 all around us.

I wish for you a New Year filled with good,
 engulfed in serenity and happiness!

Be Happy. God Bless.

Just One

Just One - Anonymous

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true,
One life can make a difference,
You see, it's up to you!

Be Happy. God Bless.

A Profoundly Inspiring Near-Death Experience Story

This whole story is forwarded to me in an e-mail. I was totally astonished by the story.I can't stop sharing it with all my blog readers and followers as it is not only inspiring but an eye opener. I would like all to go through each line of this true life story till the end and hope you will all get the touch of love and light of the divine.

 Mellen-Thomas Benedict is an artist who survived a near-death experience (NDE) in 1982. He was dead for over an hour and a half. During that time, he rose up out of his body and went into the light. Curious about the universe, he was taken far into the remote depths of existence, and even beyond, into the energetic void of nothingness behind the Big Bang.

In 1982, I died from terminal cancer. My condition was non-operable. I chose not to have chemotherapy. I was given six to eight months to live. Before this time, I had become increasingly despondent over the nuclear crisis, the ecology crisis, and so forth. I came to believe that nature had made a mistake – that we were probably a cancerous organism on the planet. And that is what eventually killed me.

Before my near-death experience, I tried all sorts of alternative healing methods. None helped. So I determined that this was between me and God. I had never really considered God. Neither was I into any kind of spirituality. But my approaching death sent me on a quest for more information about spirituality and alternative healing. I read various religions and philosophies. They gave hope that there was something on the other side.

I had no medical insurance, so my life savings went overnight on tests. Unwilling to drag my family into this, I determined to handle this myself. I ended up in hospice care and was blessed with an angel for my hospice caretaker, whom I will call "Anne." She stayed with me through all that was to follow.

Into the Light

I woke up about 4:30 am and I knew that this was it. I was going to die. I called a few friends & said good-bye. I woke up Anne & made her promise that my dead body would remain undisturbed for 6 hours, since I had read that all kinds of interesting things happen when you die. I went back to sleep. The next thing I remember, I was fully ware & standing up. Yet my body was lying in the bed. I seemed to be surrounded by darkness, yet I could see every room in the house & the roof, & even under the house.

A Light shone. I turned toward it & was aware of its similarity to what others have described in near-death experiences. It was magnificent & tangible, alluring. I wanted to go towards that Light like I might want to go into my ideal mother's or father's arms. As I moved towards the Light, I knew that if I went into the Light, I would be dead. So I said/felt, "Please wait. I would like to talk to you before I go."
The entire experience halted. I discovered that I was in control of the experience. My request was honored. I had conversations with the Light. That's the best way I can describe it. The Light changed into different figures, like Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, archetypal images & signs. I asked in a kind of telepathy, "What is going on here?"

The information transmitted was that our beliefs shape the kind of feedback we receive. If you are a Buddhist or Catholic or Fundamentalist, you get a feedback loop of your own images. I became aware of a Higher Self matrix, a conduit to the Source. We all have a Higher Self, or an oversoul part of our being, a conduit. All Higher Selves are connected as one being. All humans are connected as one being.

It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It was like all the love you've ever wanted & it was the kind of love that cures, heals, regenerates. I was ready to go at that time. I said "I am ready, take me." Then the Light turned into the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen: a mandala of human souls on this planet. I saw that we are the most beautiful creations – elegant, exotic ... everything.

I just cannot say enough about how it changed my opinion of human beings in an instant. I said/thought/felt, "Oh, God, I didn't realize." I was astonished to find that there was no evil in any soul. People may do terrible things out of ignorance and lack, but no soul is evil. "What all people seek – what sustains them – is love," the Light told me. "What distorts people is a lack of love."

The revelations went on & on. I asked, "Does this mean that Humankind will be saved?" Like a trumpet blast with a shower of spiraling lights, the Light "spoke," saying, "You save, redeem & heal yourself. You always have & always will. You were created with the power to do so from before the beginning of the world." In that instant I realized that we have already been saved.

I thanked the Light of God with all my heart. The best thing I could come up with was: "Oh dear God, dear Universe, dear Great Self, I love my Life." The Light seemed to breathe me in even more deeply, absorbing me. I entered into another realm more profound than the last, and was aware of an enormous stream of Light, vast & deep. I asked what it was. The Light answered, "This is the River of Life. Drink of this manna water to your heart's content." I drank deeply, in ecstasy.

The Void of Nothingness

Suddenly I seemed to be rocketing away from the planet on this stream of Life. I saw the earth fly away. The solar system whizzed by & disappeared. I flew through the center of the galaxy, absorbing more knowledge as I went. I learned that this galaxy – & the entire Universe – is bursting with many different varieties of life. I saw many worlds. We are not alone in this Universe. It seemed as if all the creations in the Universe soared past me & vanished in a speck of Light.

Then a second Light appeared. As I passed into the second Light, I could perceive forever, beyond Infinity. I was in the Void, pre-Creation, the beginning of time, the first Word or vibration. I rested in the Eye of Creation & it seemed that I touched the Face of God. It was not a religious feeling. I was simply at One with Absolute Life & Consciousness.

I rode the stream directly into the center of the Light. I felt embraced by the Light as it took me in with its breath again. And the truth was obvious that there is no death; that nothing is born & nothing dies; that we are immortal beings, part of a natural living system that recycles itself endlessly.

It would take me years to assimilate the Void experience. It was less than nothing, yet greater than anything. Creation is God exploring God's Self through every way imaginable. Through every piece of hair on your head, through every leaf on every tree, through every atom. God is exploring God's Self. I saw everything as the Self of all. God is here. That's what it is all about. Everything is made of light; everything is alive.

The Light of Love

I was never told that I had to come back. I just knew that I would. It was only natural, from what I had seen. As I began my return to the life cycle, it never crossed my mind, nor was I told, that I would return to the same body. It did not matter. I had complete trust in the Light & the Life process.

As the stream merged with the great Light, I asked never to forget the revelations & the feelings of what I had learned on the other side. I thought of myself as a human again & I was happy to be that. From what I have seen, I would be happy to be an atom in this universe. An atom. So to be the human part of God ... this is the most fantastic blessing. It is a blessing beyond our wildest imagination of what a blessing can be.

For each & every one of us to be the human part of this experience is awesome, and magnificent. Each & every one of us, no matter where we are, screwed up or not, is a blessing to the planet, right where we are. So I went through the reincarnation process expecting to be a baby somewhere.

But I reincarnated back into this body. I was so surprised when I opened my eyes, to be back in this body, back in my room with someone looking over me, crying her eyes out. It was Anne, my hospice caretaker. She had found me dead thirty minutes before. We do not know how long I was dead, only that she found me thirty minutes before. She had honored my wish to have my newly-dead body left alone. She can verify that I really was dead.

It was not a near-death experience. I believe I probably experienced death itself for at least an hour & a half. When I later awakened & saw the light outside, confused, I tried to get up to go to it, but I fell out of the bed. She heard a loud "clunk", ran in, and found me on the floor. When I recovered, I was surprised & awed about what had happened. I had no memory at first of the experience. I kept slipping out of this world & kept asking, "Am I alive?" This world seemed more like a dream than that one.

Within 3 days, I was feeling normal again, clearer, yet different than ever before. My memories of the journey came back later. But from my return I could find nothing wrong with any human being I had ever seen. Previous to my death I was judgmental, believing that people were really screwed up. Everyone but me.

About 3 months later a friend said I should get tested for the cancer. So I got the scans & so forth. I felt healthy. I still remember the doctor at the clinic looking at the "before" & "after" scans. He said, "I can find no sign of cancer now." "A miracle?" I asked. "No," he answered. "These things happen ... spontaneous remission." He seemed unimpressed. But I was impressed. I knew it was a miracle.

Lessons Learned

I asked God: "What is the best religion on the planet? Which one is right?" God said with great love: "It doesn't matter." What an incredible grace. It does not matter what religion we are. Religions come & they go. They change. Buddhism has not been here forever, Catholicism has not been here forever & they are all about to become more enlightened. More light is coming into all systems now. Many will resist & fight about it, one religion against the next, believing that only they are right.

When God said, "It doesn't matter," I understood that it is for us to care about, because we are the caring beings. The Source does not care if you are Protestant, Buddhist, or Jew. Each is a reflection, a facet of the whole. I wish that all religions would realize it & let each other be. It is not the end of separate religions, but live & let live. Each has a different view, and it all adds up to the big picture.

I went over to the other side with a lot of fears about toxic waste, nuclear missiles, the population explosion, the rain forest. I came back loving every single problem. I love nuclear waste. I love the mushroom cloud; this is the holiest mandala that we have manifested to date, as an archetype. More than any religion or philosophy on Earth, that terrible, wonderful cloud brought us together all of a sudden, to a new level of consciousness.

Knowing that maybe we can blow up the planet 50 times, or 500 times, we finally realize that maybe we are all here together now. For a period, they had to keep setting off more bombs to get it into us. Then we started saying, "we do not need this any more." Now we are actually in a safer world than we have ever been in & it is going to get even safer.

So I came back loving toxic waste, because it brought us together. These things are so big. Clearing of the rain forest will slow down & in 50 years there will be more trees on the planet than in a long time. If you are into ecology, go for it; you are that part of the system that is becoming aware. Go for it with all your might, but do not be depressed or disheartened. Earth is in the process of domesticating itself & we are cells on that Body. Population increase is getting very close to the optimal range of energy to cause a shift in consciousness. That shift in consciousness will change politics, money, energy, & more. 

The Great Mystery of life has little to do with intelligence. The Universe is not an intellectual process. The intellect is helpful; but our hearts are the wiser part of ourselves. Since my return I have experienced the Light spontaneously. I have learned how to get to that space almost any time in my meditation. You can also do this. You don't have to die first. You are wired for it already. The body is the most magnificent Light being there is. The body is a universe of incredible Light. We don't need to commune with God; God is already communing with us in every moment!

  

Be Happy. God Bless.

It Might and It Might Not

It Might and It Might Not - Anonymous

You never know when someone
Might catch a dream from you.
Or something you say may open up the windows
Of a mind that seeks light;
The way you live may not matter at all,
But you never know, it might.

And just in case it could be
That another's life, through you,
Might possibly change for the better
With a better and brighter view,
It seems it might be worth a try
At pointing the way to the right;
Of course, it may not matter at all,
But then again, it might.

Be Happy. God Bless.

The Will To Win

    The Will To Win - Berton Braley

If you want a thing bad enough
To go out and fight for it,
Work day and night for it,
Give up your time and your peace and
Your sleep for it

If only desire of it
Makes you quite mad enough
Never to tire of it,
Makes you hold all other things tawdry
And cheap for it

If life seems all empty and useless without it
And all that you scheme and you dream is about it,

If gladly you'll sweat for it,
Fret for it, Plan for it,
Lose all your terror of God or man for it,

If you'll simply go after that thing that you want.
With all your capacity,
Strength and sagacity,
Faith, hope and confidence, stern pertinacity,

If neither cold poverty, famished and gaunt,
Nor sickness nor pain
Of body or brain
Can turn you away from the thing that you want,

If dogged and grim you besiege and beset it,
You'll get it!

Be Happy. God Bless.

The Seven Wonders of the World

Junior high school students in Chicago were studying the Seven Wonders of the World. At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal in India
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

 While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

 The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
 1. to touch...
2. to taste...
3. to see...
4. to hear... (She hesitated a little, and then added...)
5. to feel...
6. to laugh...
 7. and to love
 The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.
 May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don't have to travel anywhere special to experience them.
 Enjoy Your Gifts!
Be Happy. God Bless.

You Are My Dream Come True

You Are My Dream Come True -Cheryl Ann
Always in my heart 
you make me feel more loved 
than I've ever felt 
and happier than I've ever dreamed. 
The love and understanding you have 
is something I have searched for 
my entire life. 
Always in my happiest 
and saddest moments, 
you are my best friend and confidante. 
I come to you for everything, 
and you listen to me without judgment.
Always, deep within my soul, 
I know we have a love like no other. 
What we share is something others 
only hope for and dream of, 
but few ever experience. 
Our love is magical beyond belief. 
Always, without hesitation, 
you give of yourself completely. 
You have reached the very depths of my soul, 
bringing out emotions I never knew I had 
and unveiling an ability to love 
I never thought possible.
Always and forever 
you will be my dream come true, 
the one I have waited for all these years. 
From now until the end of time, 
I will love only you. 
We will be together always.

Be Happy. God Bless.

Success Rules From Konosuke Matsushita

Konosuke Matsushita was born into a well-off landowning family in 1894. A decline in the family's fortunes during his childhood meant that Matsushita's education was cut short. At age 9 he became a brazier's apprentice, then a year later a bicycle shop apprentice. He stayed five years at the bicycle shop, picking up basic metalworking skills. At age 16 he went to work in the Osaka Electric Light Company.
 Konosuke Matsushita began the Panasonic’s journey by inventing a two-socket light fixture. This very important, yet elegantly simple, breakthrough led to what is now one of the world's largest electronics companies. Since its founding in 1918, Panasonic Corporation grew to become the largest Japanese electronics producer. One of the traits that followed Matsushita throughout his career was a willingness to take risks. When Konosuke Matsushita began working for himself, in 1918, at the age of 23, he had almost nothing: no money, no real formal education, no connections. Yet, his small firm Matsushita Electric Appliance Factory flourished under the guiding hand of a clever, wise, and inspired entrepreneur.
 In the late 1980s, Matsushita’s revenues hit a whopping $42 billion. With nearly 20,000 employees, Matsushita grew such household brand names as National, Panasonic and Technics. Matsushita's success has made him Japan's biggest yen billionaire. He has also made himself the most widely admired businessman in Japan.

Some famous business success quotes form Konosuke Matsushita.
  1.The untrapped mind is open enough to see many possibilities, humble enough to learn from anyone and anything, forbearing enough to forgive all, perceptive enough to see things as they really are, and reasonable enough to judge their true value.
2.Anything worth doing is worth 100%.
3.Business is people.
4.A natural response to a natural phenomenon – that is the secret of success in business and management. You will always win if you rely on common sense.
5.No matter how deep a study you make. What you really have to rely on is your own intuition and when it comes down to it, you really don't know what's going to happen until you do it.
6.If necessity is the mother of invention, then simple, unaffected determination is its father.
7.Even when everyone around you say it's impossible, if you step back and rethink your task in the simplest possible terms, free of the noise of over-erudite and preconceived notions, often the solutions will come to you, out of the blue, so to speak.
8.Recognizing our responsibilities as industrialists, we will devote ourselves to the progress and development of society and the well-being of people through our business activities, thereby enhancing the quality of life throughout the world.
9.Possessing material comforts in no way guarantees happiness. Only spiritual wealth can bring true happiness. If that is correct, should business be concerned only with the material aspect of life and leave the care of the human spirit to religion or ethics? I do not think so. Businessmen too should be able to share in creating a society that is spiritually rich and materially affluent.
10.If we cannot make a profit, that means we are committing a sort of crime against society. We take society's capital, we take their people, we take their materials, yet without a good profit, we are using precious resources that could be better used elsewhere.
One piece of advice Konosuke Matsushita gave to his employees in the early days of the company was: You may be a well-educated, clever and virtuous person, but those qualities will not necessarily make you a successful businessman. In addition, you must acquire the knack for business. This is to be done “by giving your best to each and every task you take on, and by reflecting on your performance with an honest and unprejudiced eye. If you do this constantly, day after day, eventually you will be able to do your job unerringly." In other words, you acquire the secret to business success gradually by applying yourself with conscious effort from day to day.
Last but not the least  Youth is not a time of life – it is a state of mind.Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years; people grow old only by deserting their ideals.
If you want to be a successful business person whatever small or big business you are in. Take a note of all this successful moral business values it can lead you to live truly rich life both inside out. What I call Live Life Kingsize. Best wishes always on your way friends ..Be Rich!!!
Be Happy. God Bless.

A Guide to Walking Meditation

A Guide to Walking Meditation -Thich Nhat Hanh

Your Steps Are Most Important

What activity is most important in your life?  To pass an exam, get a car or a house, or get a promotion in your career?  There are so many people who have passed exams, who have bought cars and houses, who have gotten promotions, but still find themselves without peace of mind, without joy, and without happiness.  The most important thing in life is to find this treasure, and then to share it with other people and with all beings. 

In order to have peace and joy, you must succeed in having peace within each of your steps.  Your steps are the most important thing.  They decide everything.  I am lighting a stick of incense and joining my palms together as a lotus bud to pray for your success.

You Can Do It

Walking meditation is practicing meditation while walking.  It can bring you joy and peace while you practice it.  Take short steps in complete relaxation; go slowly with a smile on your lips, with your heart open to an experience of peace.  You can feel truly at ease with yourself.  Your steps can be those of the healthiest, most secure person on earth.  All sorrows and worries can drop away while you are walking.  To have peace of mind, to attain self-liberation, learn to walk in this way.  It is not difficult.  You can do it.  Anyone can do it who has some degree of mindfulness and a true intention to be happy.

Going Without Arriving

In our daily lives, we usually feel pressured to move ahead.  We have to hurry.  We seldom ask ourselves where it is that we must hurry to. 

When you practice walking meditation, you go for a stroll.  You have no purpose or direction in space or time.  The purpose of walking meditation is walking meditation itself.  Going is important, not arriving.  Walking meditation is not a means to an end; it is an end.  Each step is life; each step is peace and joy.  That is why we don’t have to hurry.  That is why we slow down.  We seem to move forward, but we don’t go anywhere; we are not drawn by a goal.  Thus we smile while we are walking.

Trouble-Free Steps

In our daily life, our steps are burdened with anxieties and fears.  Life itself seems to be a continuous chain of insecure feelings, and so our steps lose their natural easiness. 

Our earth is truly beautiful.  There is so much graceful, natural scenery along paths and roads around the earth!  Do you know how many dirt lanes there are, lined with bamboo, or winding around scented rice fields?  Do you know how many forest paths there are, paved with colorful leaves, offering cool and shade?  They are all available to us, yet we cannot enjoy them because our hearts are not trouble-free, and our steps are not at ease.

Walking meditation is learning to walk again with ease.  When you were about a year old, you began to walk with tottering steps.  Now, in practicing walking meditation you are learning to walk again.  However, after a few weeks of practice, you will be able to step solidly, in peace and comfort.  I am writing these lines to assist you in doing that.  I wish you success.

Shaking Off the Burden of Worries

If I had the Buddha’s eyes and could see through everything, I could discern the marks of worry and sorrow you leave in your footprints after you pass, like the scientist who can detect tiny living beings in a drop of pond water with a microscope.  Walk so that your footprints bear only the marks of peaceful joy and complete freedom.  To do this, you have to learn to let go – let go of your sorrows, let go of your worries.  That is the secret of walking meditation.

This World Contains All the Wonders of the Pure Land

To have peace and joy and inner freedom, you need to learn how to let go of your sorrows and worries, the elements that create unhappiness.  First of all, notice that this world contains all the wonders you could expect to find in the Buddha Land.  It is only because of our veil of sorrows and worries that we cannot always see these wonders.

I always think that I like this world even better than I would the Pure Land because I like what this world offers: lemon trees, orange trees, banana trees, pine trees, apricot trees, and willow trees.  Some people say that in the Pure Land there are valuable lotus ponds, seven-gem trees, and roads paved with gold, and that there are special celestial birds.  I don’t think I would like these very much.  I would rather not walk on roads paved with gold and silver.  I wouldn’t even use roads that were lined with marble here on earth.  Dirt roads with meadows on both sides are my favorite; I love pebbles and leaves covering the ground.  I love bushes, streams, bamboo fences, and ferries. 

When I was a young novice, I told my Master, ‘If the Pure Land doesn’t have lemon trees, then I don’t want to go.’  He shook his head and smiled.  Maybe he thought I was a stubborn youngster.  However, he did not say that I was right or wrong.  Later when I realized that both the world and the Pure Land come from the mind, I was very happy.  I was happy since I knew that lemon trees and star-fruit trees exist also in the Pure Land, with dirt roads and green grass on all sides.

I knew that if I kept my eyes open in mindfulness and my steps at ease, I could find my Pure Land.  That is why I do not let a single day pass without practicing walking meditation.

The Seal of an Emperor

Choose a nice road for your practice, along the shore of a river, in a park, on the flat roof of a building, in the woods, or along a bamboo fence.  Such places are ideal, but they are not essential.  I know there are people who practice walking meditation in reformation camps, even in small prison cells.

It is best if the road is not too rough or too steep.  Slow down and concentrate on your steps.  Be aware of each move.  Walk straight ahead with dignity, calm, and comfort.  Consciously make an imprint on the ground as you step.  Walk as the Buddha would.  Place your foot on the surface of the earth the way an emperor would place his seal on a royal decree.

A royal decree can bring happiness or misery to people.  It can shower grace on them or it can ruin their lives.  Your steps can do the same.  If your steps are peaceful, the world will have peace.  If you can take one peaceful step, you can take two.  You can take one hundred and eight peaceful steps.

A Lotus Flower Blooms Beneath Each Step

When an artist or a sculptor creates a picture or a statue of Buddha sitting upon a lotus flower, it is not just to express his reverence towards the Buddha.  The artist must above all want to show the Buddha’s state of mind as he sits: the state of complete peace, complete bliss.  We all sit several times a day, but few of us can sit in peace and with ease, few of us can sit majestically like the Buddha.  Most of us get restless after a while, as if we were sitting on hot coals.  The Buddha may sit on the grass or on a rock, but he looks as serene as he would look sitting on a lotus flower.

When I first entered the monastery, my master taught me to observe this thought just before sitting: ‘Sitting with my back straight, I wish all beings may be seated on the platform of enlightenment, their hearts freed from all illusion and mistaken views.’  Only after I said that would I slowly sit down.  That is the way to learn to sit like a Buddha.

I have a message for students of Pure Land Buddhism: Sit on a Lotus Throne right now, at this moment; do not wait until you get to the Pure Land.  Be reborn on a lotus flower in each present moment.  Don’t wait until you face death.  If you can experience rebirth on a lotus flower now, if you can sit on a lotus flower now – then you won’t have any doubt about the existence of the Pure Land.  The same is true for walking.  The Infant Buddha is often portrayed taking his first seven steps on earth, causing a lotus flower to appear in each of his footsteps.  We should all cause a lotus flower to bloom with each of our peaceful steps.  Next time you practice walking meditation, please try visualizing a lotus flower opening as your feet touch the ground, like a newborn Buddha.  Don’t feel unworthy of this vision.  If your steps are serene, they are worthy of this flowering.  You are a Buddha, and so is everyone else.  I didn’t make that up.  It was the Buddha himself who said so.  He said that all beings had the potential to become awakened.  To practice walking meditation is to practice living in mindfulness.  Mindfulness and enlightenment are one.  Enlightenment leads to mindfulness and mindfulness leads to enlightenment.

  

The Miracle is Walking on Earth

Walking with ease and with peace of mind on the earth is a wonderful miracle.  Some people say that only walking on burning coals or walking on spikes or on water are miracles, but I find that simply walking on the earth is a miracle.  Neige Marchand, when translating The Miracle of Mindfulness into French, entitled the book La Miracle, C’est de Marcher sur Terre.  I like that title very much.

Imagine that you and I were two astronauts.  We have landed on the moon, and we find that we cannot return to earth because the engine of our ship is broken beyond repair.  We will run out of oxygen before the control center on earth can send another ship up to rescue us.  We know that we have only two more days to live.  What would you and I think of, other than going back to our dear green planet and walking side by side, in peace and without worries?  Only when confronted with death do we know the precious value of our steps on the green planet. 

Now let’s imagine ourselves as those astronauts who have somehow survived their experience.  Let’s celebrate our happiness and our joy at being able to walk on our dear earth again.  We manifest this miracle in each of our steps.  Lotus flowers bloom as we walk.

Maintain your practice, aware that your steps are creating miracles.  The earth appears before your eyes as something miraculous.  With that correct understanding, with that meditative thought, you will achieve blissful steps on this planet earth.

Stand on one foot, and be aware that it is resting upon the earth; see the great sphere upon which it rests.  See it clearly – how wonderfully round it is.  While walking, look down and anticipate the ground where you are about to place your foot, and when you do, mindfully experience your foot, the ground, and the connection between your foot and the ground.  Think of your foot as an Emperor’s seal.

In the meditation hall, while doing kinhin (walking meditation) remember ‘The Emperor’s Seal’, or ‘Lotus flowers blooming’, or ‘The earth appears’ as themes of your walking meditation.

Be Happy. God Bless.

BEST WISHES FOR YOU

 Best Wishes For You -Michelle Klemm
I wish you luck,
a great piece every day,
a ladybird on a four-leaved clover
and sunshine at all times.
You shall never have a Black Friday,
luck shall come along with you on your way.

I wish you health,
resistance against illness.
Neither cough, cold, croakiness,
backache nor weariness -
none of this shall plague you,
be lusty and fit each and every day.

I wish you love,
no chance for those thieves,
who come and steal your heart,
just to torture you afterwards.
I hope the one will find you,
with whom a red thread conjoins.

I wish you strength,
when your work is stressing.
Life is rarely easy-going,
but do not give up for that reason.
Persevere no matter what happens.
Proceed, do not fear the challenge.

I wish you satisfaction,
because life often demands modesty.
Be glad for what you possess;
do not commiserate what you miss.
You know, money cannot make you happy,
love and friendship are the most important things.

I wish you happiness,
do not waste time
with tears and great sadness.
Never shall befall you harm,
you shall lead a life of charm
and shall wear a smile on you face.

I wish you time,
a valuable merchandise these days truly.
It may not pass so speedily;
time to rest and to relax,
time for those near to your heart
and time for yourself just at will.

Be Happy. God Bless.

If You Can Trust Yourself

IF - Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Be Happy. God Bless.

The Art Of Loving

At the heart of Nhat Hanh’s teachings is the idea that “understanding is love’s other name” — that to love another means to fully understand his or her suffering. (“Suffering” sounds rather dramatic, but in Buddhism it refers to any source of profound dissatisfaction — be it physical or psychoemotional or spiritual.) Understanding, after all, is what everybody needs — but even if we grasp this on a theoretical level, we habitually get too caught in the smallness of our fixations to be able to offer such expansive understanding. He illustrates this mismatch of scales with an apt metaphor:
 If you pour a handful of salt into a cup of water, the water becomes undrinkable. But if you pour the salt into a river, people can continue to draw the water to cook, wash, and drink. The river is immense, and it has the capacity to receive, embrace, and transform. When our hearts are small, our understanding and compassion are limited, and we suffer. We can’t accept or tolerate others and their shortcomings, and we demand that they change. But when our hearts expand, these same things don’t make us suffer anymore.
We have a lot of understanding and compassion and can embrace others. We accept others as they are, and then they have a chance to transform. “We really have to understand the person we want to love. If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love. If we only think of ourselves, if we know only our own needs and ignore the needs of the other person, we cannot love. We must look deeply in order to see and understand the needs, aspirations, and suffering of the person we love. This is the ground of real love. You cannot resist loving another person when you really understand him or her.

To love without knowing how to love wounds the person we love. To know how to love someone, we have to understand them. To understand, we need to listen.

When you love someone, you should have the capacity to bring relief and help him to suffer less. This is an art. If you don’t understand the roots of his suffering, you can’t help, just as a doctor can’t help heal your illness if she doesn’t know the cause. You need to understand the cause of your loved one’s suffering in order to help bring relief.

The more you understand, the more you love; the more you love, the more you understand. They are two sides of one reality. The mind of love and the mind of understanding are the same.

 From time to time, sit close to the one you love, hold his or her hand, and ask, 'Darling, do I understand you enough? Or am I making you suffer? Please tell me so that I can learn to love you properly. I don't want to make you suffer, and if I do so because of my ignorance, please tell me so that I can love you better, so that you can be happy." If you say this in a voice that communicates your real openness to understand, the other person may cry.
 That is a good sign, because it means the door of understanding is opening and everything will be possible again.
 Maybe a father does not have time or is not brave enough to ask his son such a question. Then the love between them will not be as full as it could be. We need courage to ask these questions, but if we don't ask, the more we love, the more we may destroy the people we are trying to love. True love needs understanding. With understanding, the one we love will certainly flower.”

Often, when we say, “I love you” we focus mostly on the idea of the “I” who is doing the loving and less on the quality of the love that’s being offered. This is because we are caught by the idea of self. We think we have a self. But there is no such thing as an individual separate self. A flower is made only of non-flower elements, such as chlorophyll, sunlight, and water. If we were to remove all the non-flower elements from the flower, there would be no flower left. A flower cannot be by herself alone. A flower can only inter-be with all of us… Humans are like this too. We can’t exist by ourselves alone. We can only inter-be. I am made only of non-me elements, such as the Earth, the sun, parents, and ancestors. In a relationship, if you can see the nature of interbeing between you and the other person, you can see that his suffering is your own suffering, and your happiness is his own happiness. With this way of seeing, you speak and act differently. This in itself can relieve so much suffering. ― Thích Nhất Hạnh
Be Happy. God Bless.

Happy Hugging Meditation

“One word can end a fight; One hug can start a friendship; One smile can bring Unity; One person can change your entire life!” ― Israelmore Ayivor

 Thich Nhat Hanh devised a fusion of East and West furnishing a universal human language for what everybody needs — a practice he called “hugging meditation,” which, in requiring that we disarm all of our chronic cynicisms, appears at first intolerably awkward but blossoms into deeply rewarding.

"According to the practice, you have to really hug the person you are holding. You have to make him or her very real in your arms, not just for the sake of appearances, patting him on the back to pretend you are there, but breathing consciously and hugging with all your body, spirit, and heart. Hugging meditation is a practice of mindfulness. “Breathing in, I know my dear one is in my arms, alive. Breathing out, she is so precious to me.” If you breathe deeply like that, holding the person you love, the energy of your care and appreciation will penetrate into that person and she will be nourished and bloom like a flower."
 At the heart of hugging meditation, Nhat Hanh points out, are the core Zen principles of interconnectedness and “interbeing,” with each other as well as with the universe. With the great simplicity and sincerity of Zen writings, he considers both the interpersonal and the intrapersonal rewards of the practice:
" When we hug, our hearts connect and we know that we are not separate beings. Hugging with mindfulness and concentration can bring reconciliation, healing, understanding, and much happiness. The practice of mindful hugging has helped so many people to reconcile with each other — fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, friends and friends, and so many others." But beyond the action itself the most important commitment — an intention of absolute presence with the other and with the moment’s ephemeral aliveness, which is perhaps the task most challenging yet most sorely needed for our spiritual survival in the modern world. Nhat Hanh outlines both the philosophical foundations and practical steps to mastering this delicate art of holding one another’s wholeness while fully inhabiting that blink of existence: Hugging is a deep practice; you need to be totally present to do it correctly. When I drink a glass of water, I invest one hundred percent of myself in drinking it. You can train yourself to live every moment of your daily life like that.
 We may practice hugging meditation with a friend, our daughter, our father, our partner or even with a tree. To practice, we first bow and recognize the presence of each other. Then we can enjoy three deep conscious breaths to bring ourselves fully there. We then may open your arms and begin hugging. Holding each other for three in-and-out breaths. With the first breath, we are aware that we are present in this very moment and we are happy. With the second breath, we are aware that the other is present in this moment and we are happy as well. With the third breath, we are aware that we are here together, right now on this earth, and we feel deep gratitude and happiness for our togetherness. We then may release the other person and bow to each other to show our thanks.
 When we hug in such a way, the other person becomes real and alive. We do not need to wait until one of us is ready to depart for a trip, we may hug right now and receive the warmth and stability of our friend in the present moment. Hugging can be a deep practice of reconciliation. During the silent hugging, the message can come out very clear: “Darling, you are precious to me. I am sorry I have not been mindful and considerate. I have made mistakes. Allow me to begin a new. I Promise to embrace you with all my heart.”
Be Happy. God Bless.

Youth

                                                               

Youth - Samuel Ullman
Youth is not a time of life - it is a state of mind,
it is a temper of the will,
a quality of the imagination,
a vigor of the emotions,
a predominance of courage over timidity,
of the appetite for adventure over love of ease.
Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years.
People grow old only by deserting their ideals.
Years wrinkle the skin,
but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.
Worry, doubt, self-distrust,
fear and despair - these are the long,
long years that bow the head and
turn the growing spirit back to dust.
Whether they are sixteen or seventy,
there is in every being's heart
the love of wonder,
the sweet amazement at the stars
and star like things and thoughts,
the undaunted challenge of events,
the unfailing childlike appetite
for what is to come next,

and the joy and the game of life.
You are as young as your faith,
as old as your doubt;
as young as your self-confidence,
as old as your fear,
as young as your hope,
as old as your despair.
When the wires are all down
and all the innermost core of your heart
is covered with the snows of pessimism
and the ice of cynicism,
then you are grown old indeed.
But so long as your heart receives messages
of beauty, cheer, courage, grandeur
and power from the earth,
from man and from the Infinite, so long you are young.

Be Happy. God Bless.

Making Life Worth While

Making Life Worth While -George Eliot

Every soul that touches yours -
Be it the slightest contact -
Get there from some good;
Some little grace; one kindly thought;
One aspiration yet unfelt;
One bit of courage
For the darkening sky;
One gleam of faith
To brave the thickening ills of life;
One glimpse of brighter skies - 
To make this life worthwhile
And heaven a surer heritage.

Be Happy. God Bless.

Visualize What You Want

Visualize What You Want

Visualize what you want.See it, Feel it, Believe in it.

Your mind is a mental workshop.
You can build anything in it.
Make your mental blueprint,
And begin to build.

The beginning is in your imagination;
First think, then organize your thoughts into plans
Then transform your thoughts into reality by taking some positive action.

Use your imagination to perceive your reality,
Even when it is not fully materialized.

You must first see it clearly in your mind
Before you can do it.

First visualize and then actualize your way
To success.

You really can live your dreams.
All you need to do is try.

Be Happy. God Bless.

The Most Beautiful Person

“You can be the most beautiful person in the world and everybody sees light and rainbows when they look at you, but if you yourself don't know it, all of that doesn't even matter. Every second that you spend on doubting your worth, every moment that you use to criticize yourself; is a second of your life wasted, is a moment of your life thrown away. It's not like you have forever, so don't waste any of your seconds, don't throw even one of your moments away.” ― C. JoyBell C.
Be Happy. God Bless.

TRUE LOVE

TRUE LOVE
~ By Author Unknown ~

True love is a sacred flame
That burns eternally,
And none can dim its special glow
Or change its destiny.
True love speaks in tender tones
And hears with gentle ear,
True love gives with open heart
And true love conquers fear.
True love makes no harsh demands
It neither rules nor binds,
And true love holds with gentle hands
The hearts that it entwines.
Be Happy. God Bless.

Perfectly Imperfect

There was once a water bearer who had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole which, he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, but the other pot was perfect, and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, while the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made.

But the poor cracked pot was very ashamed of its imperfection, and was miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do — or so it thought.The cracked pot, after two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

“I am very ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.”

“Why?” asked the water bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”

"For the past two years, I have only been able to deliver half of my real capacity, because this crack in my side allows water to leak out all the way back to the master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the cracked pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and compassionately said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”

As they went up the hill, the old cracked pot did notice the sun shining on the beautiful wild flowers growing along his side of the path, and this cheered it some. However, at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had again leaked out half its load, and so it apologized to the water bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and put it to good use. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path (for the return trip), and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For over two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. If you weren’t the way you are, he wouldn’t have the flowers for his house.”
 We can sum up this whole story in a moral that is well expressed in the quote below :
 “To be acceptable is for one to ignore his weakness while knowing his strength, to cover the scar even though it's always there, however, to be impossible is for one to see his weakness as, not an adversary, but the cherry on top of his strength, to rearrange the scar so that it compliments his features.” ― Criss Jami, Killosophy

Be Happy. God Bless.