It may seem strange that at New Year, a time of celebration, this dharma is about death.
Actually this dharma is about life and death and the delusion that surrounds both life and death
We are celebrating New Year's Eve in Japan at the ski lodge in Ishiuchi just north of the birthplace of Eihei Dogen the founder of Soto school of Zen Buddhism.
We decided to visit a very old temple, that was a school for the children of samurai.
We took a wrong turn and found Kikoji Temple.
We were made most welcome by Hidenobu Noguchi the Soto Priest in charge.
The first thing I discussed with this loverly man was
Eihei Dogen the founder of his order who lived eight hundred years ago.
He then told me the great man travelled in this area to teach.
This dharma pays respect to this great man's writings.
Dogen argued that we possess everything we need in life when we are born including being enlightened.
Dogen said
"As I study both the exoteric and the esoteric schools of Buddhism, they maintain that human beings are endowed with Dharma-nature by birth.
If this is the case, why did the Buddhas of all ages — undoubtedly in possession of enlightenment — find it necessary to seek enlightenment and engage in spiritual practice?"
When he studied in China under Rujing, Dōgen realized liberation of body and mind upon hearing the master say, "Cast off body and mind"
This phrase would continue to have great importance to Dōgen throughout his life, and can be found scattered throughout his writings, as—for example—in a famous section of his "GenjoKoan"
"To study the Way is to study the self.
To study the self is to forget the self.
To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things of the universe.
To be enlightened by all things of the universe is to cast off the body and mind of the self as well as those of others. Even the traces of enlightenment are wiped out, and life with traceless enlightenment goes on forever and ever."
The following section of his GenjoKoen shows us Dogen's profound thinking regarding life and death;
"Firewood turns into ash and does not turn into firewood again.
Do not suppose that ash is after and firewood before.
We must realize that firewood is in a state of being firewood and it has its before and its after...
Just as firewood does not become firewood again after it is ash, so after one's death one does not become alive again.
So life does not become death in an unqualified fact of the Buddha dharma....
Life is a period of itself.
Death is a period of itself.
They are like winter and spring.
We do not think winter becomes spring or that spring becomes winter. Nor do we say that spring becomes summer."
"The Genjo Koan"
This Dogen Koan is most profound as it deals with one of the most emotional sufferings of humanity.
What happens after death?
How is life formed, and is it reincarnated life?
In other words;
Do we come back!
Please comment......
May you all be guarded and guided this new year and,
May the Buddha bless you.
With Metta
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Sunday 30 December 2012
Eihei Dogen
Eihei Dogen is the subject of my New Years Dharma
Look out for it!!!
Friday 21 December 2012
New year
New year
Dharma
We have a chance to make a difference in our own and others lives at the start of this coming new year.
Our new years resolutions usually reflect these wishes.
Most make promises regarding finances and family.
For some, it is a religious matter and so promises are made to increase devotion.
Most don't understand that it is not the religion, or the liturgy or the statues that are important, but the spirituality of the person that earns merit.
Only a spiritual person can earn merit and make themselves available to the divine spark within themselves.
Only a spiritual person acts moment to moment and day to day as a human being,
making right life decisions thereby gaining merit.
All the promises and wishes will not change a thing.
And now it is new year that is almost upon us.
Do we do the same as we did last year?
Rather do we have a plan to revitalize and make ourselves and our lives new for the coming year?
Many people look forward to the new year for a new start with their old habits.
Old habits that won't go away.
This new year, are we able to do something different and spend a few moments in contemplation and reflection.
Ask the questions;
Am I doing enough?
Am I compassionate ?
Is my love unconditional ?
When I go to bed tonight can I truly say,
Today I did the best that I could.
With Divine Grace,
tomorrow, I shall do better.
This past year has been my personal year for spiritual renewal.
I took Samanera Theravedan Monks vows in a Wat in far northern Thailand.
For two weeks at this Wat I remained mostly silent and the one meal a day was supplied by alms given by the local people.
We walked for kilometers daily with our bowls and the mostly poor people unconditionally shared their food as we passed each day on our rounds.
I decided to lose my ego.
I decided to seek refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.
This does not diminish my love for you, nor my love for my partner, for friends, family or business, but strengthens
my unconditional commitment to the community with compassion.
This is my seventieth year and I am at peace with myself and the world.
This peace strengthens my love for you.
Let us all make this coming year one of renewal and may you all be guarded and guided.
With Metta
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Dharma
We have a chance to make a difference in our own and others lives at the start of this coming new year.
Our new years resolutions usually reflect these wishes.
Most make promises regarding finances and family.
For some, it is a religious matter and so promises are made to increase devotion.
Most don't understand that it is not the religion, or the liturgy or the statues that are important, but the spirituality of the person that earns merit.
Only a spiritual person can earn merit and make themselves available to the divine spark within themselves.
Only a spiritual person acts moment to moment and day to day as a human being,
making right life decisions thereby gaining merit.
All the promises and wishes will not change a thing.
And now it is new year that is almost upon us.
Do we do the same as we did last year?
Rather do we have a plan to revitalize and make ourselves and our lives new for the coming year?
Many people look forward to the new year for a new start with their old habits.
Old habits that won't go away.
This new year, are we able to do something different and spend a few moments in contemplation and reflection.
Ask the questions;
Am I doing enough?
Am I compassionate ?
Is my love unconditional ?
When I go to bed tonight can I truly say,
Today I did the best that I could.
With Divine Grace,
tomorrow, I shall do better.
This past year has been my personal year for spiritual renewal.
I took Samanera Theravedan Monks vows in a Wat in far northern Thailand.
For two weeks at this Wat I remained mostly silent and the one meal a day was supplied by alms given by the local people.
We walked for kilometers daily with our bowls and the mostly poor people unconditionally shared their food as we passed each day on our rounds.
I decided to lose my ego.
I decided to seek refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.
This does not diminish my love for you, nor my love for my partner, for friends, family or business, but strengthens
my unconditional commitment to the community with compassion.
This is my seventieth year and I am at peace with myself and the world.
This peace strengthens my love for you.
Let us all make this coming year one of renewal and may you all be guarded and guided.
With Metta
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Monday 10 December 2012
Do we listen?
Do we listen?
Did you know that shingles were roof tiles?
Did you also know that shingles is a viral, very painful blistering skin and nerve rash?
A man went to the doctor.
The nurse asked him what he had.
Shingles, he said.
She asked him to sit and wait for the doctor.
After twenty minutes another nurse put him in the examination room, took his blood pressure and a sample of blood.
After another twenty minutes another nurse told him to take his clothes off, put on a gown and wait for the doctor.
Shingles is serious, she said.
After a short wait the doctor came in, lifted the mans gown and asked where are the shingles?
In the truck outside and where do you want them, he said.
Maybe we just don't listen!
Maybe we don't care!
Of course it's the way we express ourselves that others understand, or not, what we meant or want.
When it comes to our family, our children, our friends,
we mostly don't listen.
We are only interested in what we are going to say next.
We don't hear the suffering,
the real cause of the suffering.
The Buddha was very specific when he wanted to be heard and understood.
The Buddha said "what comes from the mouth is what it is."
The Buddha's teaching was about suffering and how to get rid of suffering.
We know we cause our own suffering and pass this on to all in our circle.
This Xmas let us give our family, our children, our friends a special present.
The present of listening.
Listening to their suffering and maybe, just maybe, we can help them to choose not to suffer.
With Metta
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Did you know that shingles were roof tiles?
Did you also know that shingles is a viral, very painful blistering skin and nerve rash?
A man went to the doctor.
The nurse asked him what he had.
Shingles, he said.
She asked him to sit and wait for the doctor.
After twenty minutes another nurse put him in the examination room, took his blood pressure and a sample of blood.
After another twenty minutes another nurse told him to take his clothes off, put on a gown and wait for the doctor.
Shingles is serious, she said.
After a short wait the doctor came in, lifted the mans gown and asked where are the shingles?
In the truck outside and where do you want them, he said.
Maybe we just don't listen!
Maybe we don't care!
Of course it's the way we express ourselves that others understand, or not, what we meant or want.
When it comes to our family, our children, our friends,
we mostly don't listen.
We are only interested in what we are going to say next.
We don't hear the suffering,
the real cause of the suffering.
The Buddha was very specific when he wanted to be heard and understood.
The Buddha said "what comes from the mouth is what it is."
The Buddha's teaching was about suffering and how to get rid of suffering.
We know we cause our own suffering and pass this on to all in our circle.
This Xmas let us give our family, our children, our friends a special present.
The present of listening.
Listening to their suffering and maybe, just maybe, we can help them to choose not to suffer.
With Metta
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Sunday 2 December 2012
Can we escape Karma?
Can we escape Karma?
"A wealthy and arrogant young merchant came to visit a famous Monk.
People who came to the Monk usually came to ask for guidance in their service to Buddha, or for advice and blessing in their material affairs.
But this visitor lost no time in telling the Monk that he had no special needs or problems that needed Divine intervention or blessing.
In fact a large lucrative deal had bought him to the area and he had heard so many stories about this famous Monk that his curiosity led him to see for himself.
The Monk replied, "If there is nothing I can help you with at least stay a while and listen to a story." The man agreed and the Monk began the story.
"Once upon a time there were two childhood friends who were inseparable as they grew up, however, as they became adults their ways parted. One became wealthy and the other was very poor.
In order to save his family from hunger the poor man sought out his childhood friend and asked the rich man to help.
The wealthy man did not hesitate, "Didn't we always promise each other that we would remain friends forever and share everything we have?" He then offered his friend half his fortune.
As so often happens with the passing of time, the wheels of fortune reversed and the one who was wealthy now became poor and the one who he helped became even more wealthy. Confident that he would receive the same help he gave, he asked his now wealthy friend for help. His friend however refused to part with anything, not even food.
Time again witnessed a reversal of fortunes so that the poor man became rich and the rich man became poor, as each returned to their original situations.
It happened again of course that the poor man felt the hopelessness of despair and went to his friend for help and to beg his forgiveness. He was readily forgiven, but this time he was asked to sign an agreement that if he were in need of help again, the friend would share his blessings with him."
The Monk continued, "ln the passage of time the two men experienced reversals of fortune. True to form the man who had signed the agreement refused to honor it and his friend and his friends family found themselves homeless and penniless.
Years passed and the two men died. When they came before the heavenly court to account for their lives, the mean spirit of the selfish mans life weighed heavily against him and he was condemned to eternal punishment.
The good kind and forgiving friend was sent to his eternal reward in paradise.
However the good friend could not accept the destiny of his friend's soul and asked the Heavenly court to reconsider as he still loved him and didn't wish to see him suffer on his account.
The heavenly court was in an uproar, this was an unusual case and the only way to solve it was to return both men back to earth so the sinful one could have one last chance to atone for his egotistical behavior. So the sinful man was returned as a wealthy prideful merchant and the other as a common beggar.
And so it came to pass that one day, the righteous beggar knocked on the door of the rich man begging for food. He had not eaten for days and he was close to starving but was rudely and callously turned away.
And so the beggar died."
At this point of the story the rich man asked the Monk to stop, "No more", he cried with a lump in his throat,
"Yesterday I turned away a beggar from my door and later I heard he was found dead in the street.
Was he the beggar on your story?"
No answer was necessary.
By now the tears were flowing freely and the man was overcome with remorse and repentance. He was desperate to know what to do to make amends for his shame.
The Monk explained that his former friend, the beggar, had a widow and orphaned children and that he was to go and give three quarters of his fortune to the family in order to atone for his sins.
The Universe and Karma does work in mysterious ways.........
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
"A wealthy and arrogant young merchant came to visit a famous Monk.
People who came to the Monk usually came to ask for guidance in their service to Buddha, or for advice and blessing in their material affairs.
But this visitor lost no time in telling the Monk that he had no special needs or problems that needed Divine intervention or blessing.
In fact a large lucrative deal had bought him to the area and he had heard so many stories about this famous Monk that his curiosity led him to see for himself.
The Monk replied, "If there is nothing I can help you with at least stay a while and listen to a story." The man agreed and the Monk began the story.
"Once upon a time there were two childhood friends who were inseparable as they grew up, however, as they became adults their ways parted. One became wealthy and the other was very poor.
In order to save his family from hunger the poor man sought out his childhood friend and asked the rich man to help.
The wealthy man did not hesitate, "Didn't we always promise each other that we would remain friends forever and share everything we have?" He then offered his friend half his fortune.
As so often happens with the passing of time, the wheels of fortune reversed and the one who was wealthy now became poor and the one who he helped became even more wealthy. Confident that he would receive the same help he gave, he asked his now wealthy friend for help. His friend however refused to part with anything, not even food.
Time again witnessed a reversal of fortunes so that the poor man became rich and the rich man became poor, as each returned to their original situations.
It happened again of course that the poor man felt the hopelessness of despair and went to his friend for help and to beg his forgiveness. He was readily forgiven, but this time he was asked to sign an agreement that if he were in need of help again, the friend would share his blessings with him."
The Monk continued, "ln the passage of time the two men experienced reversals of fortune. True to form the man who had signed the agreement refused to honor it and his friend and his friends family found themselves homeless and penniless.
Years passed and the two men died. When they came before the heavenly court to account for their lives, the mean spirit of the selfish mans life weighed heavily against him and he was condemned to eternal punishment.
The good kind and forgiving friend was sent to his eternal reward in paradise.
However the good friend could not accept the destiny of his friend's soul and asked the Heavenly court to reconsider as he still loved him and didn't wish to see him suffer on his account.
The heavenly court was in an uproar, this was an unusual case and the only way to solve it was to return both men back to earth so the sinful one could have one last chance to atone for his egotistical behavior. So the sinful man was returned as a wealthy prideful merchant and the other as a common beggar.
And so it came to pass that one day, the righteous beggar knocked on the door of the rich man begging for food. He had not eaten for days and he was close to starving but was rudely and callously turned away.
And so the beggar died."
At this point of the story the rich man asked the Monk to stop, "No more", he cried with a lump in his throat,
"Yesterday I turned away a beggar from my door and later I heard he was found dead in the street.
Was he the beggar on your story?"
No answer was necessary.
By now the tears were flowing freely and the man was overcome with remorse and repentance. He was desperate to know what to do to make amends for his shame.
The Monk explained that his former friend, the beggar, had a widow and orphaned children and that he was to go and give three quarters of his fortune to the family in order to atone for his sins.
The Universe and Karma does work in mysterious ways.........
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Wednesday 21 November 2012
The wallet
Some of us, at some time in our lives, need help.
This help need not be financial,
may not be emotional, or even physical.
Some of us need spiritual help from time to time.
The guidance that gives us a warm glow of knowing that all is well within ourselves and the Universe.
This help sometimes comes from listening to a Dharma, from a good book, a kind talk with a parent, or a helping hand from a complete stranger.
The following story is from one of the Dharma's in my book.
The wallet.....
A ticket collector found a beaten up old wallet on a crowded train.
Inside was no clue to who owned it, no name, no cards, just a picture of the Buddha.
He held it up and asked
"Who owns this?"
An old man said "Its mine."
The ticket collector said he would have to prove it was his before he would hand it over.
The toothless old man said that there was a picture of Buddha in it, but the collector needed more proof.
So the old man took deep breath and told the following tale.
"My father gave me the wallet when I was in school.
I got a small sum as pocket money and I kept a picture of my parents and my money in it When I was a teenager I was greatly pleased with my good looks and I took the picture of my parents out and put in one of myself.
I loved my thick black hair.
Some years later I got married.
My wife was beautiful and I replaced my picture with a picture of her.
I spent hours looking at her pretty face.
When my child was born my life changed and I shortened my workday to spend more time with my son.
My babies picture now replaced my wifes picture.
The old mans eyes brimmed with tears as he went on,
My parents passed away many years ago, and last year my beloved wife left this world.
My son is too busy with his own family and has no time for me.
All that I had ever held dear and close to my heart is now far away.
Now I have put a picture of the Buddha in my wallet.
It is only now that I realize that he is my eternal companion.
He will never leave me.
Alas, if only I had reslised this before and loved the Buddha all these years with the same intensity as I loved my family,
I would not have been so lonely today.
The ticket collector gave the old man his wallet and when the train stopped at the next station the collector got off and asked the bookstall salesman,
"Do you have a picture of the Divine One I can put in my wallet?"
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
This help need not be financial,
may not be emotional, or even physical.
Some of us need spiritual help from time to time.
The guidance that gives us a warm glow of knowing that all is well within ourselves and the Universe.
This help sometimes comes from listening to a Dharma, from a good book, a kind talk with a parent, or a helping hand from a complete stranger.
The following story is from one of the Dharma's in my book.
The wallet.....
A ticket collector found a beaten up old wallet on a crowded train.
Inside was no clue to who owned it, no name, no cards, just a picture of the Buddha.
He held it up and asked
"Who owns this?"
An old man said "Its mine."
The ticket collector said he would have to prove it was his before he would hand it over.
The toothless old man said that there was a picture of Buddha in it, but the collector needed more proof.
So the old man took deep breath and told the following tale.
"My father gave me the wallet when I was in school.
I got a small sum as pocket money and I kept a picture of my parents and my money in it When I was a teenager I was greatly pleased with my good looks and I took the picture of my parents out and put in one of myself.
I loved my thick black hair.
Some years later I got married.
My wife was beautiful and I replaced my picture with a picture of her.
I spent hours looking at her pretty face.
When my child was born my life changed and I shortened my workday to spend more time with my son.
My babies picture now replaced my wifes picture.
The old mans eyes brimmed with tears as he went on,
My parents passed away many years ago, and last year my beloved wife left this world.
My son is too busy with his own family and has no time for me.
All that I had ever held dear and close to my heart is now far away.
Now I have put a picture of the Buddha in my wallet.
It is only now that I realize that he is my eternal companion.
He will never leave me.
Alas, if only I had reslised this before and loved the Buddha all these years with the same intensity as I loved my family,
I would not have been so lonely today.
The ticket collector gave the old man his wallet and when the train stopped at the next station the collector got off and asked the bookstall salesman,
"Do you have a picture of the Divine One I can put in my wallet?"
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Thursday 15 November 2012
Attachment
Attachment
The main purpose of meditation is to free ourselves from our agitated uncontrolled state of mind.
We only free ourselves when we stop attaching ourselves to the things that happen.
When we release the delusions, the fears, the past and future,
then peace prevails.
We gain this peace and harmony with practice.
So, there was a wealthy man who had three sons and loved them dearly.
He didn't know who to entrust his business to when he leaves this present life.
He was wealthy for a reason,
he was clever.
He gathered his sons together and told them
"Here is a room, empty, absolutely empty.
Please fill it to represent how you will run my business.
The one who does it to my satisfaction will take over when I am gone."
The first son, the eldest, filled the room with earth.
He told his father that this represented his earthiness.
The second, middle son, filled the room with paper.
He told his father that this represented the money he would make.
The father said to the first son "thank you, your earth represents objects of clutter, earthiness, but messy.
Clutter leaves a home empty and it loses it's attractiveness with time."
To the second son, he said
"thank you, your paper represents stocks, bonds, shares, but have no real relationship to family.
On paper you are a millionaire, in real terms, you have no friends, no true joy,
a lonely life.
The youngest son had not filled the room with anything but a candle.
When the father saw this,
he was most pleased.
He said,
"thank you my true wise son.
You know how to fill a vacuum.
All emptiness needs light,
a candle of light,
a candle of joy.
The candle of the Divine Spark
to fill our homes and lives with light.
The lesson we learn from this Dharma is not to fill our rooms with attachment to anything,
other than joy,
love and light.
Nathan.
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
The main purpose of meditation is to free ourselves from our agitated uncontrolled state of mind.
We only free ourselves when we stop attaching ourselves to the things that happen.
When we release the delusions, the fears, the past and future,
then peace prevails.
We gain this peace and harmony with practice.
So, there was a wealthy man who had three sons and loved them dearly.
He didn't know who to entrust his business to when he leaves this present life.
He was wealthy for a reason,
he was clever.
He gathered his sons together and told them
"Here is a room, empty, absolutely empty.
Please fill it to represent how you will run my business.
The one who does it to my satisfaction will take over when I am gone."
The first son, the eldest, filled the room with earth.
He told his father that this represented his earthiness.
The second, middle son, filled the room with paper.
He told his father that this represented the money he would make.
The father said to the first son "thank you, your earth represents objects of clutter, earthiness, but messy.
Clutter leaves a home empty and it loses it's attractiveness with time."
To the second son, he said
"thank you, your paper represents stocks, bonds, shares, but have no real relationship to family.
On paper you are a millionaire, in real terms, you have no friends, no true joy,
a lonely life.
The youngest son had not filled the room with anything but a candle.
When the father saw this,
he was most pleased.
He said,
"thank you my true wise son.
You know how to fill a vacuum.
All emptiness needs light,
a candle of light,
a candle of joy.
The candle of the Divine Spark
to fill our homes and lives with light.
The lesson we learn from this Dharma is not to fill our rooms with attachment to anything,
other than joy,
love and light.
Nathan.
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Sunday 11 November 2012
Karma
Karma
The subject of Karma conjures up debates and argument that spans more than two thousand five hundred years
How does Karma work,
do I create it and does it really exist?
I believe that nothing happens to us that we do not deserve.
The cause or causes of this visible effect are not necessarily confined to this present life.
Some causes could be environmental or heredity, but Karma is definitely a result of our own actions,
both past and present.
We alone are responsible for our happiness and misery.
We create our own Heaven,
We create our own Hell.
A devotee once asked the Buddha;
"What's the cause, what's the reason that some are short lived, some are long lived.
Some are born wealthy, some are born poor, some ugly, some beautiful?"
The Buddha explained that it was caused by Karma.
The Buddha explained Karma as;
" All living beings have Karma as their own inheritance and their own doing."
"It is Karma that differentiates high and low beings."
The Buddha then explained
the differences in accordance with the laws of cause and effect.
The Buddha also explained that not everything is due to Karma and even though it is one important factor in the twenty four conditions that effect us.
The Buddha also contradicted
the belief that all physical circumstance and mental attitude springs solely from the past.
If our present life is totally conditioned or wholly controlled by our past actions then Karma is fatalism or predestination.
If this were so, then free will would be absurd.
Such a fatalistic doctrine is not Buddhist philosophy or Karmic law.
According to Buddhism there are five processes or orders that operate in the mental and physical realms of Karma
They are:
Physical Inorganic order;
That is the seasonal changes of wind and rain
Physical Organic order;
Order of germs and seeds,
That is rice from seeds, sugar from cane, honey from bees.
Order of act and result;
Reward and punishment
Water seeks its own level and so does Karma and is as natural as the sun follows the moon
Order of the norm
This is the natural gravitation of the laws of nature and the reason for being good
Order of mind or psychic law
This is the processes of consciousness and mind that are inexplicable to science
Every mental or physical
phenomena can be explained by these five orders including Karma which is only one
My belief is that Karma does not attach itself to persons unless there is a cognitive action or decision to commit certain acts
When one is conscious the very thought of an action causes Karma
It is then that action and the consequence that causes suffering.
if we do something with intent, Karma is created and the suffering starts.
The Buddha said
"I declare O Bhikkhus,
That volition is Karma.
Having willed, one acts by body, speech and thought."
(Anguttara Nicaya)
A traveller came in search of the most famous Holy Zen Master Roshi.
He had come so far and was tired and grumpy.
He stopped to ask a Monk where the famous Roshi lived and explained how far he had come and how famous he had heard the Master was.
The Monk said
"You mean to tell me you have travelled so far to see this man? What a waste of your time.
I know this man personally and he is a zero. You have wasted your time and money on silly rumours."
The visitor was outraged.
"You lowly despicable man, what do you know.
You obviously have no understanding of anything spiritual or holy."
Very upset the traveller stormed off.
Later that day, he finally found the great Holy Masters home and having been granted an appointment, was brought into his office.
He nearly fainted in shame and remorse.
The Monk who he was so rude to in the street was sitting in front of him and was none other than the great Roshi himself.
With tears in his eyes, he begged forgiveness.
"Why are you so upset,
there is no need to apologise,"
the great man said,
"I told you the simple truth, and everything you said was also true."
The great man then said,
"Don't let the Karma of your action take hold of you and make you regret our meeting.
Let go.
Be conscious,
Be responsible.
Buy me lunch."
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
The subject of Karma conjures up debates and argument that spans more than two thousand five hundred years
How does Karma work,
do I create it and does it really exist?
I believe that nothing happens to us that we do not deserve.
The cause or causes of this visible effect are not necessarily confined to this present life.
Some causes could be environmental or heredity, but Karma is definitely a result of our own actions,
both past and present.
We alone are responsible for our happiness and misery.
We create our own Heaven,
We create our own Hell.
A devotee once asked the Buddha;
"What's the cause, what's the reason that some are short lived, some are long lived.
Some are born wealthy, some are born poor, some ugly, some beautiful?"
The Buddha explained that it was caused by Karma.
The Buddha explained Karma as;
" All living beings have Karma as their own inheritance and their own doing."
"It is Karma that differentiates high and low beings."
The Buddha then explained
the differences in accordance with the laws of cause and effect.
The Buddha also explained that not everything is due to Karma and even though it is one important factor in the twenty four conditions that effect us.
The Buddha also contradicted
the belief that all physical circumstance and mental attitude springs solely from the past.
If our present life is totally conditioned or wholly controlled by our past actions then Karma is fatalism or predestination.
If this were so, then free will would be absurd.
Such a fatalistic doctrine is not Buddhist philosophy or Karmic law.
According to Buddhism there are five processes or orders that operate in the mental and physical realms of Karma
They are:
Physical Inorganic order;
That is the seasonal changes of wind and rain
Physical Organic order;
Order of germs and seeds,
That is rice from seeds, sugar from cane, honey from bees.
Order of act and result;
Reward and punishment
Water seeks its own level and so does Karma and is as natural as the sun follows the moon
Order of the norm
This is the natural gravitation of the laws of nature and the reason for being good
Order of mind or psychic law
This is the processes of consciousness and mind that are inexplicable to science
Every mental or physical
phenomena can be explained by these five orders including Karma which is only one
My belief is that Karma does not attach itself to persons unless there is a cognitive action or decision to commit certain acts
When one is conscious the very thought of an action causes Karma
It is then that action and the consequence that causes suffering.
if we do something with intent, Karma is created and the suffering starts.
The Buddha said
"I declare O Bhikkhus,
That volition is Karma.
Having willed, one acts by body, speech and thought."
(Anguttara Nicaya)
A traveller came in search of the most famous Holy Zen Master Roshi.
He had come so far and was tired and grumpy.
He stopped to ask a Monk where the famous Roshi lived and explained how far he had come and how famous he had heard the Master was.
The Monk said
"You mean to tell me you have travelled so far to see this man? What a waste of your time.
I know this man personally and he is a zero. You have wasted your time and money on silly rumours."
The visitor was outraged.
"You lowly despicable man, what do you know.
You obviously have no understanding of anything spiritual or holy."
Very upset the traveller stormed off.
Later that day, he finally found the great Holy Masters home and having been granted an appointment, was brought into his office.
He nearly fainted in shame and remorse.
The Monk who he was so rude to in the street was sitting in front of him and was none other than the great Roshi himself.
With tears in his eyes, he begged forgiveness.
"Why are you so upset,
there is no need to apologise,"
the great man said,
"I told you the simple truth, and everything you said was also true."
The great man then said,
"Don't let the Karma of your action take hold of you and make you regret our meeting.
Let go.
Be conscious,
Be responsible.
Buy me lunch."
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Saturday 3 November 2012
Should I feel let down?
Should I feel let down?
I feel let down and I shouldn't.
I spent time as a Samanera Monk in the Theravedan tradition in a Wat in northern Thailand earlier this year.
I was assisted by two wonderful foreign teaching monks who were full of knowledge and wisdom.
However both of the monks who were assisting in my training at the time, have left the Wat.
One dis-robed and the other has left Thailand.
I am sure they had their reasons and I am also sure they both thought very hard about leaving.
This has left me wondering now about my own commitment, even though my practice is going well.
The Buddha said
"be a light unto thyself"
and not to be bothered by external nonsense, but there still seems to be a void, as I was looking forward to seeing them both on my visits to Thailand.
The Buddha said that any kind of "desire leads to suffering."
So any form of attachment causes suffering and I am feeling an attachment
How ironic that the one major setback to humanities future development is attachment and I feel attached to two monks. I suppose it could be worse.
I am so lucky to have met them and am reminded of them daily in my practice
The decision to start a new life was wonderful as it fixed most of my problems
For most the main problem is not knowing what we want.
We can start our new life's resolutions, our wishes, our hopes and dreams, but the secret is to know what we want.
The Buddha said
"when we give up what we desire, we will get what we desire."
Like the holy master who was dying and his disciples gathered around to hear his last words.
The holy master whispered
"tell them desire is like a river."
One of the young monks said "what does he mean desire is like a river?"
The old master said,
"Tell them desire is not like a river" and he died.
We all want words of wisdom about desire, about what we think we can't get.
The secret of a good life is to know what we want.
We then allow the universe to arrange it.
So what do we want:
To make a fortune this year?
Save the world ?
Wrestle a demon ?
Face a challenge?
Win a battle ?
Gain a new friend ?
Deepen an understanding ?Strengthen a commitment ?
Move a mountain?
All possibilities
All feasible
Here is the question;
What do we want?
Last year a lady rolled up to the shop in an electric chair.
I remember her, five years ago she was healthy, with full use of her legs. She fell and hurt her shoulder and needed an operation. The doctor made a mistake and severed a nerve and she lost the use of her legs, permanently.
She was at home having trouble coping, and for the next two years was looked after by a team of helpers.
She gained forty five kilos and developed a very bad opinion of herself and others.
A year ago she had to go to hospital and her helpers were not available to take her.
She had to catch the train by herself.
On the train she met a man in a wheelchair who was profoundly crippled, to the extent of having to use a stick to point to words on a computer to communicate.
She asked him where he was going and he told her the same hospital, but not for treatment, but to help others like himself cope with life.
He told her he was a volunteer and his life is great.
She felt ashamed, wallowing in her own suffering when there was a person much worse than her helping others.
This was the lesson she needed, this was the message from The Universe.
Over the next year and a half, she lost fifty kilos in weight, changed her attitude, started attending Temple, started being nice to everyone.
She started volunteering at the hospital three times a week, and here she is coming to the shop to wish me a happy new year even though its eight weeks away.
She said she is getting in early as she is busy.
I asked her "what do you want this coming year?"
"Do you want a cure?"
I asked her.
"No" she replied,
"I want the strengh to be able to go to hospital to help others overcome suffering."
The secret is to know what we want and The Universe will provide.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
I feel let down and I shouldn't.
I spent time as a Samanera Monk in the Theravedan tradition in a Wat in northern Thailand earlier this year.
I was assisted by two wonderful foreign teaching monks who were full of knowledge and wisdom.
However both of the monks who were assisting in my training at the time, have left the Wat.
One dis-robed and the other has left Thailand.
I am sure they had their reasons and I am also sure they both thought very hard about leaving.
This has left me wondering now about my own commitment, even though my practice is going well.
The Buddha said
"be a light unto thyself"
and not to be bothered by external nonsense, but there still seems to be a void, as I was looking forward to seeing them both on my visits to Thailand.
The Buddha said that any kind of "desire leads to suffering."
So any form of attachment causes suffering and I am feeling an attachment
How ironic that the one major setback to humanities future development is attachment and I feel attached to two monks. I suppose it could be worse.
I am so lucky to have met them and am reminded of them daily in my practice
The decision to start a new life was wonderful as it fixed most of my problems
For most the main problem is not knowing what we want.
We can start our new life's resolutions, our wishes, our hopes and dreams, but the secret is to know what we want.
The Buddha said
"when we give up what we desire, we will get what we desire."
Like the holy master who was dying and his disciples gathered around to hear his last words.
The holy master whispered
"tell them desire is like a river."
One of the young monks said "what does he mean desire is like a river?"
The old master said,
"Tell them desire is not like a river" and he died.
We all want words of wisdom about desire, about what we think we can't get.
The secret of a good life is to know what we want.
We then allow the universe to arrange it.
So what do we want:
To make a fortune this year?
Save the world ?
Wrestle a demon ?
Face a challenge?
Win a battle ?
Gain a new friend ?
Deepen an understanding ?Strengthen a commitment ?
Move a mountain?
All possibilities
All feasible
Here is the question;
What do we want?
Last year a lady rolled up to the shop in an electric chair.
I remember her, five years ago she was healthy, with full use of her legs. She fell and hurt her shoulder and needed an operation. The doctor made a mistake and severed a nerve and she lost the use of her legs, permanently.
She was at home having trouble coping, and for the next two years was looked after by a team of helpers.
She gained forty five kilos and developed a very bad opinion of herself and others.
A year ago she had to go to hospital and her helpers were not available to take her.
She had to catch the train by herself.
On the train she met a man in a wheelchair who was profoundly crippled, to the extent of having to use a stick to point to words on a computer to communicate.
She asked him where he was going and he told her the same hospital, but not for treatment, but to help others like himself cope with life.
He told her he was a volunteer and his life is great.
She felt ashamed, wallowing in her own suffering when there was a person much worse than her helping others.
This was the lesson she needed, this was the message from The Universe.
Over the next year and a half, she lost fifty kilos in weight, changed her attitude, started attending Temple, started being nice to everyone.
She started volunteering at the hospital three times a week, and here she is coming to the shop to wish me a happy new year even though its eight weeks away.
She said she is getting in early as she is busy.
I asked her "what do you want this coming year?"
"Do you want a cure?"
I asked her.
"No" she replied,
"I want the strengh to be able to go to hospital to help others overcome suffering."
The secret is to know what we want and The Universe will provide.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Wednesday 31 October 2012
Trust-
Trust-
Most of us have suffered because we trusted someone, or something, only to be disappointed, when things didn't turn out the way we expected them to.
A lady named June told me the following story;
The decision to adopt was never as issue, but I wanted twins.
I didn't know why, I just had it in my head that The Divine
would supply twins.
We were meant to have twins, so we bought twin cots,
a twin tandem pram, doubled up on clothes and we even got two windup toys that played music.
The number two just wouldn't leave my thoughts.
A few months later the adoption agency called us to go to China to see a twelve month old baby girl who had been abandoned outside a factory near Shanghai.
We loved her, and of course,
all thoughts of twins were put out of my head.
We gave away the tandem pram, the second cot,
and named the little girl Mia.
Somehow it all just seemed right.
I couldn't part with the second wind up toy that made music.
I joined an Internet forum that helped us cope as parents of adopted children.
I shared Mia's progress with strangers.
I noticed a lady from Florida that was talking about her baby, the same age as our Mia and she had used the same agency.
We started to talk by email and discovered her baby was found at the same factory,
at the same time.
When we exchanged photos, the similarities were amazing.
There were too many things the same, so we decided to have DNA tests.
After a wait of two months,
the answer, of course, the girls were twins.
We organized a trip to Florida and when they met they hugged.
It was as though they had not been parted.
We gave her the other windup toy.
They also had one more thing in common, the mother from Florida had also named her daughter Mia.
"Please Divine One help me to trust those little thoughts I know come from You !"
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Most of us have suffered because we trusted someone, or something, only to be disappointed, when things didn't turn out the way we expected them to.
A lady named June told me the following story;
The decision to adopt was never as issue, but I wanted twins.
I didn't know why, I just had it in my head that The Divine
would supply twins.
We were meant to have twins, so we bought twin cots,
a twin tandem pram, doubled up on clothes and we even got two windup toys that played music.
The number two just wouldn't leave my thoughts.
A few months later the adoption agency called us to go to China to see a twelve month old baby girl who had been abandoned outside a factory near Shanghai.
We loved her, and of course,
all thoughts of twins were put out of my head.
We gave away the tandem pram, the second cot,
and named the little girl Mia.
Somehow it all just seemed right.
I couldn't part with the second wind up toy that made music.
I joined an Internet forum that helped us cope as parents of adopted children.
I shared Mia's progress with strangers.
I noticed a lady from Florida that was talking about her baby, the same age as our Mia and she had used the same agency.
We started to talk by email and discovered her baby was found at the same factory,
at the same time.
When we exchanged photos, the similarities were amazing.
There were too many things the same, so we decided to have DNA tests.
After a wait of two months,
the answer, of course, the girls were twins.
We organized a trip to Florida and when they met they hugged.
It was as though they had not been parted.
We gave her the other windup toy.
They also had one more thing in common, the mother from Florida had also named her daughter Mia.
"Please Divine One help me to trust those little thoughts I know come from You !"
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Sunday 28 October 2012
Begin again
Begin again
We are influenced throughout our lives, by events, by people, school, parents, our first trip overseas.
These can shape our lives.
It could have been our first job, our first friend, lover, first wife, any number of things,
but we are living our lives now according to how we felt at the time of those events.
Some of us cope and some of us don't .
This has been going on since the time of the Buddha, 2500 years ago and even back to first recorded history.
The Vedas of india, over 5700 years of history from China and the Middle East and before.
The Buddha was influenced by events such as death, that he saw for the first time, when he left the palace .
The Buddha after Enlightenment gave thousands of Dharma's on how people should live and behave.
Of course the best way to live our life is not to be influenced by anyone, or anything,
but to live according to our own credo.
As the Buddha said "be a light unto thyself".
We can decide to follow in today's language or maybe;
"To do the right thing,
because it's the right thing to do"., is a good start.
We can decide to;
Begin Again,
and the first step is the choice to make the step.
The choosing and re- choosing of what we want and who we want to be,
is what makes us human.
We can begin now to make a habit to be the person we want to be, as in the past we formed the habit of who we currently think we are.
Should we not like who,
or where we are,
we can begin again.
We eventually realise that all that constrains us, all of our sufferings are temporary,
mostly imagined, and were we someplace else, or someone else, our circumstance would change, our suffering would be different.
So why not begin again,
a new life story
getting rid of the old,
to make room for the new.
Sit in silence.
Consider what,
consider where,
consider who we are.
Choose to Begin Again.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
We are influenced throughout our lives, by events, by people, school, parents, our first trip overseas.
These can shape our lives.
It could have been our first job, our first friend, lover, first wife, any number of things,
but we are living our lives now according to how we felt at the time of those events.
Some of us cope and some of us don't .
This has been going on since the time of the Buddha, 2500 years ago and even back to first recorded history.
The Vedas of india, over 5700 years of history from China and the Middle East and before.
The Buddha was influenced by events such as death, that he saw for the first time, when he left the palace .
The Buddha after Enlightenment gave thousands of Dharma's on how people should live and behave.
Of course the best way to live our life is not to be influenced by anyone, or anything,
but to live according to our own credo.
As the Buddha said "be a light unto thyself".
We can decide to follow in today's language or maybe;
"To do the right thing,
because it's the right thing to do"., is a good start.
We can decide to;
Begin Again,
and the first step is the choice to make the step.
The choosing and re- choosing of what we want and who we want to be,
is what makes us human.
We can begin now to make a habit to be the person we want to be, as in the past we formed the habit of who we currently think we are.
Should we not like who,
or where we are,
we can begin again.
We eventually realise that all that constrains us, all of our sufferings are temporary,
mostly imagined, and were we someplace else, or someone else, our circumstance would change, our suffering would be different.
So why not begin again,
a new life story
getting rid of the old,
to make room for the new.
Sit in silence.
Consider what,
consider where,
consider who we are.
Choose to Begin Again.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Thursday 25 October 2012
We become what we think
The Buddha said;
"The mind is everything,
what you think,
you become."
Let me tell you a story about what we can become......
The wife---
So, he was about to putt on the last hole on the golf course,
when a funeral procession went by.
Sent from my iPhone andHe stopped mid stroke and stood to attention with head bowed.
His friend said ,
"you are such a gentleman,"
"not really," he replied,
"just saying goodby to the wife."
Is that what love is all about?
Do we spend one third, or in most cases, half of our life span, with one woman, to play golf during her funeral?
We may as well play golf, as most of us don't know how lucky we are.
We should erect a statue to her, put fresh flowers and burn incense every day.
We should say a prayer.
"Thank you for your sacrifice, putting up with my bad moods, my dirty washing, my noises, particularly while asleep."
"Thank you for cleaning the house, your dedication to my illness, my back rubs, my complaints, more noises."
"Thank you for accepting my strange family,
I accepted yours, even your mum.
What about the children?
You raised them almost single handed."
"How they dressed, got clean, fed, all a mystery to me.
They went to school, played sport, all a mystery to me.
The foods on the table, how it got there a mystery.
I did the dishes, sometimes.
When you come back,
in your next incarnation,
I shall marry you again.
Next time, it will be different.
You gave me love,
I gave you pain.
You gave me your all,
I held back.
You looked after our home,
I played golf.
Next time, it will be better.
Next time, please be my caddie."
We can laugh, or we can cry at this story. If the cap fits we must wear it and be responsible.
Of course should we wish to change, then change has already started to take place.
Our mind is the control.
We either live in the prison of our thoughts or free ourselves by not believing in our own rubbish.
The Buddha was right...
"We become what we think"
Nathan
With love
Friday 19 October 2012
Perfection--
Perfection--
A monk asked the Holy Master
"Why are you so happy,
so peaceful ?"
"I have accepted myself",
explained the Holy Master.
"Look out the window, do you see that bush with the beautiful red flowers, the large tree behind it?"
" I have been watching them each day for the 23 years I have been in this Temple and at no time, over the years, have I heard one compare itself to the other."
"The tree is, the bush is,
no comparison, you are taller than me, you have more flowers, you need less water."
"The difference between most people and what we see here is comparison."
"You, my dear monk, are always comparing.
More hair, better body, more money, larger car, house, better food,cooler, warmer,
the list is endless."
"We are told to become more like Jesus, Krishna, Buddha,
why?"
"Drop all of this, all the ideals of being not what we are."
"If you must compare, then;
"We are the snowflake that falls from the sky.
Each flake is perfection.
It is then gathered and made into snowmen by external forces, each snowman is different, but the underlying is perfection."
"As the snowman melts and turns to water, the water evaporates, returns to the sky and once again becomes a cloud and can return as a snowflake."
"Perfection."
"Again there is no comparison, the cycle of birth, life, death and re- birth happen automatically."
"My dear monk, your original face was perfection."
"I see perfection now before me."
"It is only your thoughts that make the difference,
it is comparison that makes the difference."
"To me you are perfection."
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
A monk asked the Holy Master
"Why are you so happy,
so peaceful ?"
"I have accepted myself",
explained the Holy Master.
"Look out the window, do you see that bush with the beautiful red flowers, the large tree behind it?"
" I have been watching them each day for the 23 years I have been in this Temple and at no time, over the years, have I heard one compare itself to the other."
"The tree is, the bush is,
no comparison, you are taller than me, you have more flowers, you need less water."
"The difference between most people and what we see here is comparison."
"You, my dear monk, are always comparing.
More hair, better body, more money, larger car, house, better food,cooler, warmer,
the list is endless."
"We are told to become more like Jesus, Krishna, Buddha,
why?"
"Drop all of this, all the ideals of being not what we are."
"If you must compare, then;
"We are the snowflake that falls from the sky.
Each flake is perfection.
It is then gathered and made into snowmen by external forces, each snowman is different, but the underlying is perfection."
"As the snowman melts and turns to water, the water evaporates, returns to the sky and once again becomes a cloud and can return as a snowflake."
"Perfection."
"Again there is no comparison, the cycle of birth, life, death and re- birth happen automatically."
"My dear monk, your original face was perfection."
"I see perfection now before me."
"It is only your thoughts that make the difference,
it is comparison that makes the difference."
"To me you are perfection."
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Wednesday 17 October 2012
A friend's prayer;
A friend's prayer;
Her sister-inlaw was really a friend more than related just by marriage.
Her name was Linda.
She shared everything with Linda but for one thing.
She couldn't understand her passion for porcelain dolls.
Linda had about 150 of them.
The dolls were on shelves in a room just for the dolls.
She admired Linda for the way she kept them so beautifully.
Sadly, Linda became very ill and after a very short time,
she lost her battle with cancer.
Her brother gave the dolls to charity to be sold.
She was sad that she hadn't asked for just one doll to remember Linda, a keepsake,
a memory.
Linda's death was still fresh in her mind when her family took her to a local fair, they thought the trip would help the healing.
At the fair there was a row of marquees selling various goods. One caught her eye, amongst the snow globes and toys, there was a porcelain doll.
She gasped, it looked just like the ones Linda had kept.
Pale colour skin, blue eyes,
a beautiful dress,
a bonnet covering blond curly hair.
She had to have it.
She thought, everything is so expensive and she only had $20 with her.
She thought $100 and looked at the price tag, it was only $19.95.
Of course she bought the doll, and when she got home,
she placed the doll carefully on the dresser in her bedroom.
As she re-arranged the dolls dress she noticed a name on the inside of the leg.
The dolls name was Linda.
Her memory was now complete.
"Thank you to The Divine,"
she prayed
"You care enough to ease the pain of our losses."
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Her sister-inlaw was really a friend more than related just by marriage.
Her name was Linda.
She shared everything with Linda but for one thing.
She couldn't understand her passion for porcelain dolls.
Linda had about 150 of them.
The dolls were on shelves in a room just for the dolls.
She admired Linda for the way she kept them so beautifully.
Sadly, Linda became very ill and after a very short time,
she lost her battle with cancer.
Her brother gave the dolls to charity to be sold.
She was sad that she hadn't asked for just one doll to remember Linda, a keepsake,
a memory.
Linda's death was still fresh in her mind when her family took her to a local fair, they thought the trip would help the healing.
At the fair there was a row of marquees selling various goods. One caught her eye, amongst the snow globes and toys, there was a porcelain doll.
She gasped, it looked just like the ones Linda had kept.
Pale colour skin, blue eyes,
a beautiful dress,
a bonnet covering blond curly hair.
She had to have it.
She thought, everything is so expensive and she only had $20 with her.
She thought $100 and looked at the price tag, it was only $19.95.
Of course she bought the doll, and when she got home,
she placed the doll carefully on the dresser in her bedroom.
As she re-arranged the dolls dress she noticed a name on the inside of the leg.
The dolls name was Linda.
Her memory was now complete.
"Thank you to The Divine,"
she prayed
"You care enough to ease the pain of our losses."
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Saturday 13 October 2012
Buddha Nature.
Buddha Nature.
When we have realised the truth, we become the happiest beings in the world.
We are free from all complexes and obsessions, free from the worries and troubles that torment others.
Our mental health is perfect.
We do not repent the past,
nor do we brood over the future.
We live fully in this present moment.
We appreciate and enjoy all things in the purest sense without self projection.
We are joyful, exultant, enjoying a pure life,
our faculties pleased,
free from anxiety, serene and peaceful.
We are free from our selfish desire, hatred, ignorance conceit, pride and all such defilements.
We are pure and gentle,
full of unconditional love,
compassion, kindness,
understanding and tolerance.
Our service to others is the purest for we have no thought of self.
We gain nothing, accumulate nothing, not even spiritually.
We are free from the illusion of self and the thirst for becoming.
This is our Buddha Nature.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
When we have realised the truth, we become the happiest beings in the world.
We are free from all complexes and obsessions, free from the worries and troubles that torment others.
Our mental health is perfect.
We do not repent the past,
nor do we brood over the future.
We live fully in this present moment.
We appreciate and enjoy all things in the purest sense without self projection.
We are joyful, exultant, enjoying a pure life,
our faculties pleased,
free from anxiety, serene and peaceful.
We are free from our selfish desire, hatred, ignorance conceit, pride and all such defilements.
We are pure and gentle,
full of unconditional love,
compassion, kindness,
understanding and tolerance.
Our service to others is the purest for we have no thought of self.
We gain nothing, accumulate nothing, not even spiritually.
We are free from the illusion of self and the thirst for becoming.
This is our Buddha Nature.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Sunday 7 October 2012
Holiday-
Holiday-
When I announced that I was going to take a holiday,
friends told me to enjoy myself and don't do anything that they wouldn't do.
What does that mean?
That's really scarey,
would they eat someone?
I most certainly wouldn't do the things my wild friends get up to. Not that there is anything wrong with being wild, I just don't do wild things.
I go on holiday to relax.
I don't speak,
no social intercourse.
Just commune with nature
and watch the Universe at work firsthand. Of course there are other things, like the food, always the food.
The most important part for me is the letting go.
We carry so much nonsense around with us, so much garbage. Concerns from the past, future dreams that will never happen.
The stress and suffering caused by past and future.
When we realise the cause,
we become truely enlightened.
All of a sudden, the surroundings look and feel different.
Very clear, crystal clear,
no judgement, only joy and love.
Even when transport is not on time, service not the best, there are flies and bitey things, never mind.
We rise above the argument in the mind. We overcome obstacles that normally stay and build, until we share with strangers what we hate about everything.
I don't do that anymore.
I realized that I caused the problem.
I was the argument.
I only saw in others, what I didn't like in myself.
All that has changed.
There is nothing I don't like about me.
Unconditional love, for myself and all beings.
It's not easy,
no judgement,
unconditional love,
it takes work.
The decision to practise is the work.
It takes a decision.
Our whole life is based on decisions.
To get up in the morning,
till the time we sleep, decisions.
The decision to be nice,
that is another matter.
What to eat, what to wear, which wife, which life.
These are the easy decisions.
When it comes to behavior,
that is another matter.
To be at peace with oneself is the key. How can we be at peace when our behaviour is determined by our emotional state?
Most spend most of our waking life in discontent, worry, anxiety, depressed
or other negative states.
These directly effect our emotional behavior.
When we are able to enjoy simple things, like listening to the sound of wind, or the rain, and watch the beauty of clouds moving across the sky.
Be alone without the feeling of loneliness, not needing to be entertained.
When we find ourselves treating a complete stranger with kindness, no thought of return.
Then a space opens up,
our behavior changes.
It is this space that gives us a sense of well-being, of peace, of what the Indian sages called Ananda-the Bliss of Being.
We appreciate simple things, our own company, we relate to others with loving kindness.
The common element
contentment
peace
being alive
being
I love holiday.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
When I announced that I was going to take a holiday,
friends told me to enjoy myself and don't do anything that they wouldn't do.
What does that mean?
That's really scarey,
would they eat someone?
I most certainly wouldn't do the things my wild friends get up to. Not that there is anything wrong with being wild, I just don't do wild things.
I go on holiday to relax.
I don't speak,
no social intercourse.
Just commune with nature
and watch the Universe at work firsthand. Of course there are other things, like the food, always the food.
The most important part for me is the letting go.
We carry so much nonsense around with us, so much garbage. Concerns from the past, future dreams that will never happen.
The stress and suffering caused by past and future.
When we realise the cause,
we become truely enlightened.
All of a sudden, the surroundings look and feel different.
Very clear, crystal clear,
no judgement, only joy and love.
Even when transport is not on time, service not the best, there are flies and bitey things, never mind.
We rise above the argument in the mind. We overcome obstacles that normally stay and build, until we share with strangers what we hate about everything.
I don't do that anymore.
I realized that I caused the problem.
I was the argument.
I only saw in others, what I didn't like in myself.
All that has changed.
There is nothing I don't like about me.
Unconditional love, for myself and all beings.
It's not easy,
no judgement,
unconditional love,
it takes work.
The decision to practise is the work.
It takes a decision.
Our whole life is based on decisions.
To get up in the morning,
till the time we sleep, decisions.
The decision to be nice,
that is another matter.
What to eat, what to wear, which wife, which life.
These are the easy decisions.
When it comes to behavior,
that is another matter.
To be at peace with oneself is the key. How can we be at peace when our behaviour is determined by our emotional state?
Most spend most of our waking life in discontent, worry, anxiety, depressed
or other negative states.
These directly effect our emotional behavior.
When we are able to enjoy simple things, like listening to the sound of wind, or the rain, and watch the beauty of clouds moving across the sky.
Be alone without the feeling of loneliness, not needing to be entertained.
When we find ourselves treating a complete stranger with kindness, no thought of return.
Then a space opens up,
our behavior changes.
It is this space that gives us a sense of well-being, of peace, of what the Indian sages called Ananda-the Bliss of Being.
We appreciate simple things, our own company, we relate to others with loving kindness.
The common element
contentment
peace
being alive
being
I love holiday.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Wednesday 26 September 2012
Finally
Finally
I ask myself
Am I ready?
Can I commit one day of silence?
A month, a lifetime?
Am I able to one hour,
every now and again,
to sit and follow my breath?
At least this practice will lengthen the spaces between the thoughts.
As we become aware it is the spaces that are important,
not the thoughts.
What would happen should the thoughts become less, do we become a lesser person?
Not when we realize how calm we are.
How peaceful our surroundings, how vibrant the colours.
This place must be where The Divine resides.
With the practice comes realization that when there is no thought, we are one with the universe.
Nothing external
All is joined.
All is one.
Our entire practice is based on this premise of oneness.
Enlightenment comes when we let go all past, let go of all future, only the present moment.
We actually achieve serenity beyond our wildest imagination
This enlightenment,
this realization,
frees us from the mundane.
So many Masters offer so much
All we have to do is practice.
One of the greatest lessons we can learn in our practice is the lesson of destiny.
My question is do we have a clear path to ordain our own destiny or are our lives at the whim of others?
I love my life and everything I do.
I love everyone I come into contact with.
It's a choice, a decision.
We start our short existence on the graph of life and it ends before we have even learnt to forgive.
There's a choice how we live, how we behave,
a karmic choice.
We all have a decision to make regarding our destiny.
Our lives are similar to when we build a house.
We start with a strong foundation.
Then we start to build the walls and then build inside rooms.
We start placing stuff inside.
After many years our house collects so much rubbish and stuff, the house falls in on it's self, exactly like what is happening to most of us right now.
How can we succeed in our practice when we have so much rubbish in our head.
Let me tell you a story
A famous yogi from Tibet, Ddromponpa saw a young man circling a stupa chanting.
The Yogi said,
"circling a stupa is well and good but wouldn't it be
better if you practiced dharma."
The young man said to himself perhaps he means this is too simple a practice for me and I'd be better off studying texts.
Later the yogi saw him reading holy books and he said.
"Reading texts is well and good but wouldn't it be better to practice Dharma?"
What should I do the young man thought, maybe meditate.
Again the yogi said when he saw the young man sitting in
meditation,
"wouldn't it be better if you practiced Dharma?"
The young man was getting agitated .
"What do you mean practice dharma ?"
The great yogi replied...
" Turn your mind away from attachment to the worldly life.
You can go round holy objects, go to temples,
meditate in some corner doing nothing, but unless you change your mental attitude, your old habits of attachment, your games you learnt from parents, you won't find peace,
and your practice will be ineffective."
"If you don't change your mind, no matter how many
external things you do, you'll never progress along your spiritual path."
"The cause of agitation will remain with you."
"It's your mental attitude that
determines whether your actions become the path to inner realization and liberation, or to suffering and confusion."
"Dharma practise is the method for totally releasing attachment."
"One Dharma is to understand that we have a destiny to fulfill."
" To choose our own destiny,
or to be steered by others, suffering greatly on the way to death."
"Your life is in the balance right now."
"Do you live an ordinary life in an extraordinary way, or do you stumble from day to day suffering and in pain?"
"Make a choice, make a decision and create destiny."
"It is only when we practice Dharma, that our path is clear"
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
I ask myself
Am I ready?
Can I commit one day of silence?
A month, a lifetime?
Am I able to one hour,
every now and again,
to sit and follow my breath?
At least this practice will lengthen the spaces between the thoughts.
As we become aware it is the spaces that are important,
not the thoughts.
What would happen should the thoughts become less, do we become a lesser person?
Not when we realize how calm we are.
How peaceful our surroundings, how vibrant the colours.
This place must be where The Divine resides.
With the practice comes realization that when there is no thought, we are one with the universe.
Nothing external
All is joined.
All is one.
Our entire practice is based on this premise of oneness.
Enlightenment comes when we let go all past, let go of all future, only the present moment.
We actually achieve serenity beyond our wildest imagination
This enlightenment,
this realization,
frees us from the mundane.
So many Masters offer so much
All we have to do is practice.
One of the greatest lessons we can learn in our practice is the lesson of destiny.
My question is do we have a clear path to ordain our own destiny or are our lives at the whim of others?
I love my life and everything I do.
I love everyone I come into contact with.
It's a choice, a decision.
We start our short existence on the graph of life and it ends before we have even learnt to forgive.
There's a choice how we live, how we behave,
a karmic choice.
We all have a decision to make regarding our destiny.
Our lives are similar to when we build a house.
We start with a strong foundation.
Then we start to build the walls and then build inside rooms.
We start placing stuff inside.
After many years our house collects so much rubbish and stuff, the house falls in on it's self, exactly like what is happening to most of us right now.
How can we succeed in our practice when we have so much rubbish in our head.
Let me tell you a story
A famous yogi from Tibet, Ddromponpa saw a young man circling a stupa chanting.
The Yogi said,
"circling a stupa is well and good but wouldn't it be
better if you practiced dharma."
The young man said to himself perhaps he means this is too simple a practice for me and I'd be better off studying texts.
Later the yogi saw him reading holy books and he said.
"Reading texts is well and good but wouldn't it be better to practice Dharma?"
What should I do the young man thought, maybe meditate.
Again the yogi said when he saw the young man sitting in
meditation,
"wouldn't it be better if you practiced Dharma?"
The young man was getting agitated .
"What do you mean practice dharma ?"
The great yogi replied...
" Turn your mind away from attachment to the worldly life.
You can go round holy objects, go to temples,
meditate in some corner doing nothing, but unless you change your mental attitude, your old habits of attachment, your games you learnt from parents, you won't find peace,
and your practice will be ineffective."
"If you don't change your mind, no matter how many
external things you do, you'll never progress along your spiritual path."
"The cause of agitation will remain with you."
"It's your mental attitude that
determines whether your actions become the path to inner realization and liberation, or to suffering and confusion."
"Dharma practise is the method for totally releasing attachment."
"One Dharma is to understand that we have a destiny to fulfill."
" To choose our own destiny,
or to be steered by others, suffering greatly on the way to death."
"Your life is in the balance right now."
"Do you live an ordinary life in an extraordinary way, or do you stumble from day to day suffering and in pain?"
"Make a choice, make a decision and create destiny."
"It is only when we practice Dharma, that our path is clear"
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Wednesday 19 September 2012
Free will--
Free will--
On a street not far away lived a magnet and next door lived some iron filings.
One day a few of the iron filings decided to visit the magnet and they began to discuss what a pleasant thing this would be.
Other filings heard and became infected with the same desire. Others joined, until all the filings began to discuss the matter of the visit and the desire turned into an impulse.
" Why not go today?"
said one, but others thought that tomorrow would be better. Meanwhile without their noticing, they had been moving closer to the magnet.
The magnet lay there,
not noticing the filings.
So the filings went on discussing the visit and all the time moving closer and closer, without realising it.
The more they talked,
the stronger the impulse.
The more impatient ones declared, today is the day to go. Some even said it was their duty to go visit the magnet and they should have already left.
And while they talked, they moved closer, not even realising they were moving.
All of a sudden, in one unanimous mass, they were swept together and now were clinging on all sides of the magnet, held fast.
The magnet was pleased.
The iron filings had no doubt that the visit was of their own free will.
The filings were unconscious.
Unconscious, they didn't have free will.
Unconscious,they didn't have freedom.
They didn't even think,
didn't even ask, is this my will, or was this the Divine's will?
Some of us, believe we have our own will, we believe we have choice.
We believe we choose this life, this wife, our children.
Think about it again, do we really have choice?
Was it an accident, did we have a choice, or were we a victim of an impulse .
Whatever happens in our lives, happens more or less by accident, or by choice?
We laugh at the iron filings,
this is our situation,
humanities situation.
We can however rise out of our unconsciousness,
then we have free will.
In unconsciousness the ego exists, and there is no free will.
There is no point in asking about our will or if it is the will of the Divine.
I believe there is no distinction between ourselves and the Divine.
I believe we are the Divine.
The whole problem is simple.
Are we conscious or not.
When we are unconscious we have no will, we only dream of free will.
When we are conscious our will comes into play with everything we say, think and do.
We become the magnet and attract all things.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
On a street not far away lived a magnet and next door lived some iron filings.
One day a few of the iron filings decided to visit the magnet and they began to discuss what a pleasant thing this would be.
Other filings heard and became infected with the same desire. Others joined, until all the filings began to discuss the matter of the visit and the desire turned into an impulse.
" Why not go today?"
said one, but others thought that tomorrow would be better. Meanwhile without their noticing, they had been moving closer to the magnet.
The magnet lay there,
not noticing the filings.
So the filings went on discussing the visit and all the time moving closer and closer, without realising it.
The more they talked,
the stronger the impulse.
The more impatient ones declared, today is the day to go. Some even said it was their duty to go visit the magnet and they should have already left.
And while they talked, they moved closer, not even realising they were moving.
All of a sudden, in one unanimous mass, they were swept together and now were clinging on all sides of the magnet, held fast.
The magnet was pleased.
The iron filings had no doubt that the visit was of their own free will.
The filings were unconscious.
Unconscious, they didn't have free will.
Unconscious,they didn't have freedom.
They didn't even think,
didn't even ask, is this my will, or was this the Divine's will?
Some of us, believe we have our own will, we believe we have choice.
We believe we choose this life, this wife, our children.
Think about it again, do we really have choice?
Was it an accident, did we have a choice, or were we a victim of an impulse .
Whatever happens in our lives, happens more or less by accident, or by choice?
We laugh at the iron filings,
this is our situation,
humanities situation.
We can however rise out of our unconsciousness,
then we have free will.
In unconsciousness the ego exists, and there is no free will.
There is no point in asking about our will or if it is the will of the Divine.
I believe there is no distinction between ourselves and the Divine.
I believe we are the Divine.
The whole problem is simple.
Are we conscious or not.
When we are unconscious we have no will, we only dream of free will.
When we are conscious our will comes into play with everything we say, think and do.
We become the magnet and attract all things.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Thursday 13 September 2012
The ritual.....
The ritual.....
A man went into a bar and ordered six whiskies.
He then drank the first,
the third and the fifth glass leaving the second, fourth and sixth untouched .
When asked why he did that, he said that the doctor told him he was allowed to have the odd drink.
We can always find a way around a rule, a law, an advise.
We make it a ritual, a way of life to escape commitments.
The ritualistic person can be a cunning person. They can be with the ritual, but remain untouched by it.
They can do the ritual but not be transformed by it.
Prayer can be a ritual , most are not aware how to pray or even that they are part of the ritual.
This is why so many pray for change, but remain the same.
Millions of people praying,
with no fragrance in the prayer, no love, no compassion,
no flow.
Something's wrong.
They are being done
because they have to be done.
It is ritual, it is duty, a pretense.
The cunning person keeps the heart out of anything they do.
Empty gestures.
Always a loophole for escape.
The basic problem is not ignorance, it is knowledge. Ignorant people are not cunning, only knowledgable people are clever enough to be cunning.
We have to become ignorant again.
Consciously ignorant.
To be knowledgable and unaware is to be unconscious.
When we become conscious,
we become enlightened, aware, we are full of light.
The whole effort of knowledge is to investigate the mystery of life. The man of knowledge does not destroy the mystery,
he simply closes his eyes to the mystery until it is proven.
The man who knows he is ignorant, has started knowing, this is the point of consciousness.
A five year old boy gave a loud whistle In the middle of a sermon in church.
The Minister stopped and asked the boy why he whistled?
"I have been praying to God to teach me how to whistle and God answered me just now."
The childs prayer is to learn how to whistle, someone else for money, for romance, some one else to be prime minister.
All ask for the ego.
For some importance,
some superiority.
Few ask for nothing.
Real prayer does not ask for anything.
Real prayer is just thanking The Divine for what we have, for what we have already been given.
My prayer is for you and yours.
May you all be guarded and guided.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
A man went into a bar and ordered six whiskies.
He then drank the first,
the third and the fifth glass leaving the second, fourth and sixth untouched .
When asked why he did that, he said that the doctor told him he was allowed to have the odd drink.
We can always find a way around a rule, a law, an advise.
We make it a ritual, a way of life to escape commitments.
The ritualistic person can be a cunning person. They can be with the ritual, but remain untouched by it.
They can do the ritual but not be transformed by it.
Prayer can be a ritual , most are not aware how to pray or even that they are part of the ritual.
This is why so many pray for change, but remain the same.
Millions of people praying,
with no fragrance in the prayer, no love, no compassion,
no flow.
Something's wrong.
They are being done
because they have to be done.
It is ritual, it is duty, a pretense.
The cunning person keeps the heart out of anything they do.
Empty gestures.
Always a loophole for escape.
The basic problem is not ignorance, it is knowledge. Ignorant people are not cunning, only knowledgable people are clever enough to be cunning.
We have to become ignorant again.
Consciously ignorant.
To be knowledgable and unaware is to be unconscious.
When we become conscious,
we become enlightened, aware, we are full of light.
The whole effort of knowledge is to investigate the mystery of life. The man of knowledge does not destroy the mystery,
he simply closes his eyes to the mystery until it is proven.
The man who knows he is ignorant, has started knowing, this is the point of consciousness.
A five year old boy gave a loud whistle In the middle of a sermon in church.
The Minister stopped and asked the boy why he whistled?
"I have been praying to God to teach me how to whistle and God answered me just now."
The childs prayer is to learn how to whistle, someone else for money, for romance, some one else to be prime minister.
All ask for the ego.
For some importance,
some superiority.
Few ask for nothing.
Real prayer does not ask for anything.
Real prayer is just thanking The Divine for what we have, for what we have already been given.
My prayer is for you and yours.
May you all be guarded and guided.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Wednesday 5 September 2012
A man seeking help went to see the Buddha.
A man seeking help went to see the Buddha.
He told the Buddha he was a farmer.
"I like farming but sometimes it rains too much and then not enough and one year we nearly starved."
"I like my wife but sometimes she nags too much and my children are good but they don't show enough respect,and...."
the man went on and on.
The Buddha sat through all the farmers problems and finally when he finished the Buddha said;
"I am sorry I can't help you"
"Everyone has problems,
in fact we all have eighty three problems"
The Buddha then told them all to the farmer from birth to death.
The Buddha finally said that he may be able to help the man with the eighty fourth problem.
"What's the eighty fourth problem?" asked the farmer.
"The problem of wanting to not have problems"
replied the Buddha.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
He told the Buddha he was a farmer.
"I like farming but sometimes it rains too much and then not enough and one year we nearly starved."
"I like my wife but sometimes she nags too much and my children are good but they don't show enough respect,and...."
the man went on and on.
The Buddha sat through all the farmers problems and finally when he finished the Buddha said;
"I am sorry I can't help you"
"Everyone has problems,
in fact we all have eighty three problems"
The Buddha then told them all to the farmer from birth to death.
The Buddha finally said that he may be able to help the man with the eighty fourth problem.
"What's the eighty fourth problem?" asked the farmer.
"The problem of wanting to not have problems"
replied the Buddha.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Thursday 30 August 2012
There are many doorways we need to go through in our lifetime.
There are many doorways we need to go through in our lifetime.
These doors take us to places we want to go and sometimes to places we don't like.
When we are lost, we look for a door to enter that will fix our emotional state.
The doors I am talking about are the door of the body,
the door of speech and the door of the mind.
The one we enter is not important.
The door is only important when we are lost and at that time, the closest door is the one we choose.
The tension in our neck and shoulder might be the nearest entrance, or our doubting mind or our inner critic.
We often overlook the closest door and pick the longest way.
We have a shop that sells Buddhas.
We have a Buddha at both ends of our shop.
It's a very small shop only thirty square meters.
It has a front door to the street and a large double door at the back.
There is a huge market at the back so a lot of people visit us.
We are busy.
People rub the Buddha's stomach for good luck.
They see the money in his hand and ask why?
I tell them that the Buddha will take their problems and troubles from them if they drop a coin or two in his hand.
Just tell him your problems.
See the size of his ears,
See the size of his bag,
Put your problems in his bag and then you won't have them.
He is not there for his good looks.
He is there to change your world.
He will stop your anger,
your greed, your jealousy.
He will give you love compassion and calm.
He will show you how to smile.
Can you look at him and not smile?
I tell them that he is a doorway to peace and happiness.
"That's fine" one person said
" a smile doesn't fix the problems I have,"
"He won't pay my debts"
"He can't feed my children"
And on and on with the negative agitation irritation and anger.
A small story:
"two friends were walking along the street when one picked up an unopened pay packet, someones wages.
He opened it and there was over one thousand dollars in cash.
His friend was happy, but he wasn't.
"I am not happy, look at how much tax I pay."
All negative .
She asked me if I was a doctor and if I wasn't, how can I give advice.
I told her I was a doctor,
not a medical doctor,
but a doctor of love and compassion,
but I do offer medicine.
I write scripts for three pills.
These pills are to be taken daily, whenever the symptoms arise.
The symptoms are
agitation, irritation and anger.
These are the cause of all negative thoughts and actions.
Now you can have three pills to take at least three times a day, I told her.
The pills are
The pill of stillness
the pill of silence and
the pill of spaciousness.
These pills can open doorways of refuge that we cannot find without the pills.
When we find ourselves agitated:
take the pill of stillness and not practice distraction,
but feel the stillness within the agitation.
When we hear irritation and complaint in our voice, we can take the pill of silence.
We can actually listen to the silence within us.
When anger takes over and our minds are filled with things we should not say or do,
we can take the pill of spaciousness and settle into it's calm.
These pills are offered freely and are available to all.
Most don't take the medicine I offer as it doesn't taste sweet.
It's too simple and as we have to do something as we take the pills, it becomes too hard.
So to make it easy.
I give instructions with the pills.
When we are rushing around and become agitated.
We realize we have chosen agitation.
I advise at that moment to say
"Thank you agitation, you have reminded me to take the pill of stillness."
It's the same when we hear complaint in our voice, we can take the pill of silence and with anger, we take spaciousness.
These three emotions are the doorways to our body,
our speech and our mind.
Agitation effects our body,
Irritation effects our speech,
Anger effects the mind.
These doorways can be opened with my pills and in this way we are able to discover a deeper truth to all our problems.
The problem is in opening a doorway that has been closed all our lives and we might find something we don't like.
Taking a pill is the easiest way to liberate the suffering experienced through the doorways of body, speech and mind.
In taking these pills we can show others how positive, calm and cultivated we are.
How loving and compassionate we can be.
In opening our doorways,
we may benefit others through the positive qualities that become available to us.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
These doors take us to places we want to go and sometimes to places we don't like.
When we are lost, we look for a door to enter that will fix our emotional state.
The doors I am talking about are the door of the body,
the door of speech and the door of the mind.
The one we enter is not important.
The door is only important when we are lost and at that time, the closest door is the one we choose.
The tension in our neck and shoulder might be the nearest entrance, or our doubting mind or our inner critic.
We often overlook the closest door and pick the longest way.
We have a shop that sells Buddhas.
We have a Buddha at both ends of our shop.
It's a very small shop only thirty square meters.
It has a front door to the street and a large double door at the back.
There is a huge market at the back so a lot of people visit us.
We are busy.
People rub the Buddha's stomach for good luck.
They see the money in his hand and ask why?
I tell them that the Buddha will take their problems and troubles from them if they drop a coin or two in his hand.
Just tell him your problems.
See the size of his ears,
See the size of his bag,
Put your problems in his bag and then you won't have them.
He is not there for his good looks.
He is there to change your world.
He will stop your anger,
your greed, your jealousy.
He will give you love compassion and calm.
He will show you how to smile.
Can you look at him and not smile?
I tell them that he is a doorway to peace and happiness.
"That's fine" one person said
" a smile doesn't fix the problems I have,"
"He won't pay my debts"
"He can't feed my children"
And on and on with the negative agitation irritation and anger.
A small story:
"two friends were walking along the street when one picked up an unopened pay packet, someones wages.
He opened it and there was over one thousand dollars in cash.
His friend was happy, but he wasn't.
"I am not happy, look at how much tax I pay."
All negative .
She asked me if I was a doctor and if I wasn't, how can I give advice.
I told her I was a doctor,
not a medical doctor,
but a doctor of love and compassion,
but I do offer medicine.
I write scripts for three pills.
These pills are to be taken daily, whenever the symptoms arise.
The symptoms are
agitation, irritation and anger.
These are the cause of all negative thoughts and actions.
Now you can have three pills to take at least three times a day, I told her.
The pills are
The pill of stillness
the pill of silence and
the pill of spaciousness.
These pills can open doorways of refuge that we cannot find without the pills.
When we find ourselves agitated:
take the pill of stillness and not practice distraction,
but feel the stillness within the agitation.
When we hear irritation and complaint in our voice, we can take the pill of silence.
We can actually listen to the silence within us.
When anger takes over and our minds are filled with things we should not say or do,
we can take the pill of spaciousness and settle into it's calm.
These pills are offered freely and are available to all.
Most don't take the medicine I offer as it doesn't taste sweet.
It's too simple and as we have to do something as we take the pills, it becomes too hard.
So to make it easy.
I give instructions with the pills.
When we are rushing around and become agitated.
We realize we have chosen agitation.
I advise at that moment to say
"Thank you agitation, you have reminded me to take the pill of stillness."
It's the same when we hear complaint in our voice, we can take the pill of silence and with anger, we take spaciousness.
These three emotions are the doorways to our body,
our speech and our mind.
Agitation effects our body,
Irritation effects our speech,
Anger effects the mind.
These doorways can be opened with my pills and in this way we are able to discover a deeper truth to all our problems.
The problem is in opening a doorway that has been closed all our lives and we might find something we don't like.
Taking a pill is the easiest way to liberate the suffering experienced through the doorways of body, speech and mind.
In taking these pills we can show others how positive, calm and cultivated we are.
How loving and compassionate we can be.
In opening our doorways,
we may benefit others through the positive qualities that become available to us.
Nathan
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Monday 27 August 2012
Know what you want!
I spent time as a Samanera Monk in the Theravedan tradition in a Wat in northern Thailand earlier this year.
I was assisted by two wonderful foreign Monks who were full of knowledge and wisdom.
However both of the Monks who were assisting in my training at the time, have left the Wat.
One dis-robed and the other has left Thailand.
I am sure they had their reasons and I am also sure they both thought very hard about leaving.
This has left me wondering now about my own commitment, even though my practice is going well.
The Buddha said
"be a light unto thyself"
and not to be bothered by external nonsense, but there still seems to be a void, as I was looking forward to seeing them both on my visits to Thailand.
The Buddha said that any kind of "desire leads to suffering."
So any form of attachment causes suffering and I am feeling an attachment
How ironic that the one major setback to humanities future development is attachment and I feel attached to two monks.
I am so lucky to have met them and am reminded of them daily in my practice
The decision to start a new life last year was the cause of my problems and the main problem is not knowing what we want.
We can start our new life's resolutions, our wishes, our hopes and dreams, but the secret is to know what we want.
The Buddha said
"when we give up what we desire, we will get what we desire."
Like the holy master who was dying and his disciples gathered around to hear his last words.
The holy master whispered
"tell them desire is like a river."
One of the young monks said "what does he mean desire is like a river?"
The old master said,
"Tell them desire is not like a river" and he died.
We all want words of wisdom about desire, about what we think we can't get.
The secret of a good life is to know what we want.
We then allow the universe to arrange it.
So what do we want:
To make a fortune this year?
Save the world ?
Wrestle a demon ?
Face a challenge?
Win a battle ?
Gain a new friend ?
Deepen an understanding ?Strengthen a commitment ?
Move a mountain?
All possibilities
All feasible
Here is the question;
What do we want?
Last year a lady rolled up to the shop on one of those electric chairs.
I remember her, five years ago she was healthy, with full use of her legs. She fell and hurt her shoulder and needed an operation. The doctor made a mistake and severed a nerve and she lost the use of her legs, permanently.
She was at home having trouble coping, and for the next two years was looked after by a team of helpers.
She gained forty five kilos and developed a very bad opinion of herself and others.
A year ago she had to go to hospital and her helpers were not available to take her.
She had to catch the train by herself.
On the train she met a man in a wheelchair who was profoundly crippled, to the extent of having to use a stick to point to words on a computer to communicate.
She asked him where he was going and he told her the same hospital, but not for treatment, but to help others like himself cope with life.
He told her he was a volunteer and his life is great.
She felt ashamed, wallowing in her own suffering when there was a person much worse than her helping others.
This was the lesson she needed, this was the message from The Universe.
Over the next year and a half, she lost fifty kilos in weight, changed her attitude, started attending Temple, started being nice to everyone.
She started volunteering at the hospital three times a week, and here she is coming to the shop to wish me a happy new year
I asked her "what do you want this year?"
"Do you want a cure?"
I asked her.
"No" she replied,
"I want the strengh to be able to go to hospital to help others overcome suffering."
The secret is to know what we want and The Universe will provide.
Nathan
Friday 17 August 2012
We went to our favorite Japanese restaurant and it has an extensive vegetarian menu.
We went to our favorite Japanese restaurant and it has an extensive vegetarian menu.
It was as usual outstanding,
the rice was perfect,
the vegetables in the sushi roll just amazing.
The chef had a new one;
avocado, that was sublime.
The wasabi cleared the nose.
The next plate was also sushi, with asparagus tips all sticking out, the same length, like soldiers standing to attention .
We sat at the counter where the chef prepares the food.
I asked the chef, "how do you do this so perfect, every time and don't you get sick and bored with the repetition?"
He joined us for tea after he had stopped serving customers.
His answer to my question was as surprising as his food and the message I got was a dharma.
He said, "I don't get bored with the repetition."
"The meal might look the same to you, but no two meals are the same, no two pieces of sushi are the same, no two plates are the same ."
"Everything I do is vibrant unprecedented and unrepeatable."
"You think they are the same, they even look the same."
"To me," he said "they are all different."
"This is because I am not In a habitual thought pattern.
I don't think "same old same old",
"I don't think this is boring ,
this is same as yesterday and will be tomorrow ."
"With that thought my food will be stale and old in a few days.
Most people get into a routine of doing something once and repeating it a thousand times until the mind becomes numb."
He said
"I don't think this way."
"Every sushi is different to me .
Every mouthful full of love,
full of flavor."
When I heard this it was like a thunderbolt in my head.
I knew what was meant when we become enlightened on the spot.
In zen, (cha an) there is a teaching;
I Chi Go , I Chi E
(each ee go, each ee ay)
In Japanese this means ;
"One time one meeting".
"This means that everything in this life should be unprecedented and irreplaceable.
Everything should be fresh and new and vibrant
Every meeting unique.
It will not occur again.
Each moment precious.
It will not occur again .
All encounters ,
every breath ,
every prayer ,
will never be the same again.
They may seem the same,
It all depends on our way of thought."
When I first heard this I thought it sounded logical,
but defied common sense .
How can everything be new every time?
Then I started to practice and found new tastes, new sounds, new smells, new feelings, that I never had before.
When we start to practice
I Chi Go, I Chi E
"one time. one meeting"
like the sushi chef,
we suddenly free ourselves from habitual thought patterns and feelings.
We allow our world to reveal itself to us as it really is and reveal who we really are.
Vibrant unprecedented and unrepeatable .
We are not all the same.
If we are treated as all the same, it would be a very boring world.
It is not the samenesses that are important, but the differences that tell us who we are.
Who we really are is vibrant,
unprecedented and irreplaceable .
Nathan
http://www.dharmamaster.com
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
It was as usual outstanding,
the rice was perfect,
the vegetables in the sushi roll just amazing.
The chef had a new one;
avocado, that was sublime.
The wasabi cleared the nose.
The next plate was also sushi, with asparagus tips all sticking out, the same length, like soldiers standing to attention .
We sat at the counter where the chef prepares the food.
I asked the chef, "how do you do this so perfect, every time and don't you get sick and bored with the repetition?"
He joined us for tea after he had stopped serving customers.
His answer to my question was as surprising as his food and the message I got was a dharma.
He said, "I don't get bored with the repetition."
"The meal might look the same to you, but no two meals are the same, no two pieces of sushi are the same, no two plates are the same ."
"Everything I do is vibrant unprecedented and unrepeatable."
"You think they are the same, they even look the same."
"To me," he said "they are all different."
"This is because I am not In a habitual thought pattern.
I don't think "same old same old",
"I don't think this is boring ,
this is same as yesterday and will be tomorrow ."
"With that thought my food will be stale and old in a few days.
Most people get into a routine of doing something once and repeating it a thousand times until the mind becomes numb."
He said
"I don't think this way."
"Every sushi is different to me .
Every mouthful full of love,
full of flavor."
When I heard this it was like a thunderbolt in my head.
I knew what was meant when we become enlightened on the spot.
In zen, (cha an) there is a teaching;
I Chi Go , I Chi E
(each ee go, each ee ay)
In Japanese this means ;
"One time one meeting".
"This means that everything in this life should be unprecedented and irreplaceable.
Everything should be fresh and new and vibrant
Every meeting unique.
It will not occur again.
Each moment precious.
It will not occur again .
All encounters ,
every breath ,
every prayer ,
will never be the same again.
They may seem the same,
It all depends on our way of thought."
When I first heard this I thought it sounded logical,
but defied common sense .
How can everything be new every time?
Then I started to practice and found new tastes, new sounds, new smells, new feelings, that I never had before.
When we start to practice
I Chi Go, I Chi E
"one time. one meeting"
like the sushi chef,
we suddenly free ourselves from habitual thought patterns and feelings.
We allow our world to reveal itself to us as it really is and reveal who we really are.
Vibrant unprecedented and unrepeatable .
We are not all the same.
If we are treated as all the same, it would be a very boring world.
It is not the samenesses that are important, but the differences that tell us who we are.
Who we really are is vibrant,
unprecedented and irreplaceable .
Nathan
http://www.dharmamaster.com
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
Thursday 2 August 2012
"I am so lucky"
I am so lucky, every time I go on a seeking journey, 'stuff' seems to follow me.
On this trip the 'stuff' is of a cultural and philosophical nature.
My heroes are everywhere.
Every town and city I visit there is a hero worth knowing.
The list would fill pages and that is only with the names not the deeds; I try not to get carried away but I am now in an area that some two thousand six hundred years ago Laozi walked and gave us the Tao Te Ching and the teaching of Wu Wei, an important concept in Taoism, that literally means non-action or non-doing.
In the Tao te Ching, Laozi explains that beings (or phenomena) that are wholly in harmony with the Tao, behave in a completely natural way.
As the planets revolve around the sun, they "do" this revolving, but without "doing" it.
As trees grow, they simply grow without trying to grow. Thus knowing how and when to act is not knowledge in the sense that one would think, "now I should do this," but rather just doing it, we just do the natural thing.
The goal of spiritual practice for the human being is, according to Laozi,
the attainment of this natural way of behaving.
Wu may be translated as, not to have, or without;
Wei may be translated as do, act, serve as, govern or effort. The literal meaning of wu wei is "without action", "without effort", or "without control", and is often included in the paradox wei wu wei: "action without action" or "effortless doing".
The practice of wu wei and the efficacy of wei wu wei are fundamental tenets in Chinese thought and have been mostly emphasized by the Taoist school.
One cannot actively pursue wu wei.
It is more a mere observation of one's behavior after we have accepted ourselves for who we are.
There is another less commonly referenced sense of wu wei;
"action that does not involve struggle or excessive effort".
In this instance, wu means "without" and Wei means "effort".
The concept of "effortless action" is a part of Taoist Internal martial arts such as T'ai chi ch'uan, Baguazhang and Xing Yi.
It follows that wu wei complies with the main feature and distinguishing characteristic of Taoism, that of being natural. To apply wu wei to any situation is to take natural action.
In the original Taoist texts, wu wei is often associated with water and its yielding nature. Although water is soft and weak, it has the capacity to erode even solid stone (for example, the Grand Canyon) and move mountains (for example, landslides).
Water is without will (that is, the will for a shape), though it may be understood to be opposing wood, stone, or any solid aggregated material that can be broken into pieces.
Due to its nature water may potentially fill any container, assume any shape; given the Water cycle, water may potentially go "anywhere", even into the minutest holes, both metaphorical and actual. Droplets of water, when falling as rain, gather in watersheds, flowing into and forming rivers of water, joining the proverbial sea: this is the nature of water.
Several chapters of the most important Taoist text, the Tao Te Ching, attributed to Laozi, allude to "diminishing doing" or "diminishing will" as the key aspect of the sage's success. Taoist philosophy recognizes that the Universe already works harmoniously according to its own ways; as a person exerts their will against or upon the world, they disrupt the harmony that already exists. This is not to say that a person should not exert will.
Rather, it is how one acts in relation to the natural processes already extant.
The how, the Tao of intention and motivation, that is key.
The Sage is occupied with the unspoken and acts without effort. Teaching without verbosity, producing without possessing, creating without regard to result, claiming nothing,
Wu Wei has also been translated as "creative quietude," or the art of letting-be. This does not mean a dulling of the mind; rather, it is an activity undertaken to be the Tao within all things and to cultivate oneself to its "way."
The concept of wu wei is often described as performing a selfless act, but this merely exposes the background of the writer. Other religions have selfless acts and “doing good” as part of their belief systems. In Taoist teaching, however, “good” is unknowable.
A selfless act can only be performed by someone in an egoless state. Every act performed by someone in the usual way of things has some kind of reward attached whether it is financial, power, love, status, or just feeling good about oneself.
All these things are ego re-inforcing. To perform a selfless act one must let go of one's ego and pass into an enlightened state of consciousness. This is called wu wei – the state of doing without doing. Here every act is selfless for the ego has ceased to exist. There is no 'I' making decisions and the outcome is always perfect.
In Neijia, (internal forms of martial arts) one of the aims is to be able to fight in the state of wu wei. There is no ego wishing to aggrandise itself by punishing the opponent and every move is performed effortlessly before one has time to think. One blocks every move by one's opponents yet for all parties involved you might be playing with clouds (it's painless and without harmful consequence).
As one diminishes doing—here 'doing' means those intentional actions taken to benefit us or actions taken to change the world from its natural state and evolution—one diminishes all those actions committed against the Tao, the already present natural harmony. As such one begins to cultivate Tao, one also becomes more in harmony with Tao; and, according to another great ancient Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi, (Laotzi's main disciple) attains a state of Ming, or 'clear seeing'.
It is in the state of Ming that the Taoist is in full harmony with Tao, and 'having arrived at this pointless point of non-action, there is nothing that is left undone.'
It is upon achievement of this Chinese equivalent to 'enlightenment' that a sage begins to perform wei wu wei, or 'action without action.'
Thus the sage will be able to work in harmony with Tao to accomplish what is needed, and, working in perfect harmony with the Tao, leave no trace of having done it.
An example of active non-action using wu wei, would be to teach in such a way that no course of action is dictated to a student (they are just told raw facts for use, and left to their own creative devices), so they assume that they have been taught nothing, that is, until their learnings have been integrated in their lived experience.
An example of this teaching that comes close to our understanding, I came across the following;
.......The more laws and restrictions there are,
the poorer people become.
The sharper weapons,
the more trouble in the land.
The more clever and ingenious people are,
the stranger things happen.
The more rules and regulations,
the more thieves and robbers.
"Laozi"
He reputedly lived around the sixth century BC
Everything changes
but humanity's behavior
stays the same
Nathan
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