A dedication

A dedication to dedication

I have a friend
Richard P Wisnesky
who gave me a book.
Well, not really a book,
but a diary of his daily thoughts for 2013.
That's a thought a day,
for everyday,
for the whole year.
He didn't take any days off, not even public holidays.
In the forward of his book,
Richard tells of re-reading "Haiku Year" where three friends challenge each other to write a three line poem each day for a year. So Richard decided to do the same.
To give you an idea of what he did each day...

12/08/13
He went for a run
To clear the head
Plugging in his earphones

13/08/13
The Press Death notices
My name wasn't there
Gratitude.

05/08/13
My thinking these days
Has been reduced to three lines-
So I'll be brief....

13/11/13
French woman at the gym
Votre derrière est magnifique-
I think!

30/11/13
Random acts of kindness
Take mail from pigeons holes and
Give to those without

Finally.....

31/12/13
Today
My days will cease to be
Governed by succinct observations.
.................
I asked Richard
would you do it again?
He answered.....

From the Elizabeth street tram this morning
Saw a man with a dog
The dog deserved better.

Thank you Richard
Nathan





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Dedication

Perfection--

Perfection--
A novice monk asked the his Master;
"Why are you so happy,
so peaceful?"
"I have accepted myself."
explained the 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, bigger 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 like 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 .
It can then return as a snowflake.
Perfection.
Again there is no comparison, the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth 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



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The Buddha said;

The Buddha said;

"Wonderful, indeed, is it to subdue the mind,
so difficult to subdue,
ever swift, and seizing whatever it desires.
A tamed mind brings happiness.
Let the discerning man guard the mind,
so difficult to detect and extremely subtle, seizing whatever it desires.
A guarded mind brings happiness.
Dhammapada 35-36
..............

The Master asked;
"Fa-yen, last night I heard you say several times that everything is only mind.
Is that so?"
"Indeed yes." Fa-yen said
"That boulder over there,
is it inside or out side the mind?" The Master asked
"Inside. It's inside my mind." Fa-yen replied
"Well, monk, you're going to be carrying a very heavy burden on your travels."
Fa-yen did not answer.
.................

What burden will we carry today?
What boulders and rocks and how heavy is our load.

Lets remove the load now and be happy.

Sit, relax and follow the breath....

Metta
Nathan


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I have heard....

With what right did they have to inflict such pain on so many innocent people!

The Buddha spoke of such matters......

Dhammapada 137-140
"He who inflicts violence on those who are unarmed and offends those who are inoffensive will soon come upon one of these ten states:
Sharp pain, or disaster, bodily injury, serious illness, or derangement of mind, trouble from the government, or grave charges, loss of relatives, or loss of wealth, or houses destroyed by ravaging fire, upon dissolution of the body that ignorant man is born in hell."

We have a right to be enraged!


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In action:

In action:
The eight fold path.....

'He carried a bamboo stick but had no hat on his head. The suns rays best down so harshly that the tiles along the walk burned his feet.
He worked hard and was covered with sweat.
I asked him how old he was. He said that he was sixty eight. I asked him why he never used any helpers.
Other people are not me, he said.
You are right, I said, and I can see that your work is the activity of Buddhadharma. But why work in the burning sun?
He replied: if not now, when will it get done?
There was nothing more to say.'

Dogen, on the Tenzo,
or monastry cook.

Tenzo is a title given to the chef at a Japanese Buddhist monastery.
The literal translation is 'Heavenly Monk'.

From ancient times Buddhist monasteries have had six office-holders who, as disciples of the Buddha, guide the monastic community. Amongst these, the Tenzo bears the responsibility of caring for the community's meals.
The Zen Monastic Standards states;
"The Tenzo functions as the one who makes offerings with reverence to the monks."
.............

I have just come back from Brickfields Maha Vihara Buddhist Temple in Kuala Lumpur.
I was visiting my friend Bhante Nanadhaja Bikkhu
and spent four days in learning Dharma practice from him. What also amazed and delighted me, apart from Bhante, was the wonderful food.
The food was lovingly prepared by devotees.
Like the Tenzo these 'heavenly lay people' prepare and serve with love and reverence.
This act of kindness and compassion can only be found when one practices the Eight Fold Path.

When was the last time we did a 'random act of kindness.' When was the last time we thought about our practice in terms of random kindness.

Thank you
With Metta
Nathan


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Giving

Gift ---

The most wonderful thing we can do in our lives is to give.
A gift is the supreme cultivation.
It doesn't matter what it is and in what form the giving takes.
It may be just a smile,
the type of gift is not important.
It is the gift itself.
The ultimate gift is being able to take an illness and distress from another,
and send joy and love in return.
This week, for me,
has been has been a joy.
I have been visited by Ministers from three different religions.
The message was the same, the message of love for our fellow beings, who are not so fortunate at this moment.
The Ministers were from Burma, India and China.
Different religions from
different backgrounds,
each asking for blessings for those who have nothing.
Their prayers, for those unfortunate to be caught in the latest disasters, both natural and man made.
For me this was an occasion of joy and rejoicing, not one of sadness.
To be able to give is a joy.
I give thanks to The Divine for bringing together those whose prayers and gifts are helping.
It is so easy to criticize and condemn those in power for not doing enough, or seemingly not caring.
From disasters we must receive a clear message to let go of all regret and fear.
Regret for failures in the past, and fear for what the future may bring.
The most positive thing we can do at this moment is to give.
To give our blessings is enough.
Every thought is precious, every gift, a sign of our cultivation.
Everyone deserves the right to joy and love,
to be at peace with themselves and others.
The only way this will come about, is when,
we all realise that the gift of joy and love is our most precious possession.
Right now, when things seem to have no way out, the homeless and destitute need our gifts.
This is the time to be full of joy and love for all mankind.
The Universe will pick up the way we feel and out of the seeds of adversity will come hope.
This is our prayer.

Nathan