Making Buddhist wisdom accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Buddhism is one of the world's largest religions and originated 2,500 years ago in India. Buddhists believe that the human life is one of suffering, and that meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior are the ways to achieve enlightenment, or nirvana.
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"Meditation is the silence that blooms the flowers of pure awareness."
- Amit Ray
"An outside enemy exists only if there is anger inside."
— Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Red Tara has the power to change a life dramatically in a single moment. Red Tara steps down to earth to be a service to mankind. She provides assistance with the removal of difficult obstacles.
“Loving thoughts and actions are clearly beneficial for our physical and mental health.”
They help us move through our experience more easily..
"The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
"In order to heal others, we first need to heal ourselves. And to heal ourselves, we need to know how to deal with ourselves."
— Thich Nhat Hanh
“Positive thoughts generate positive feelings and attract positive life experiences.”
Comments
Every highly realised being
was once an ordinary practitioner.
What made them different
was that they never gave up.
~ Chamtrul Rinpoche
“If you are depressed you are living in the past if you are anxious you are living in the future, if you are at peace, you are living in the present.” — Lao
being seduced by the notion that a dear hope won't ever come to pass can give rise to depression... sometimes, indeed, this is so because past events misleadingly suggest as much, but it's not always the case... sometimes, there's just no visible path bridging now and hope...
also, misinterpreting past events can lead to anxiety about one's current situation...
regardless of the time, anxiety and depression arise when considering/accepting falsehoods or assumptions as if they were actual...
Nirvana is not another place and time. It's here and everywhere, a timeless present in which past and future are included. — Lama Chime Rinpoche
thanks for the invitation Eva ! :o)
one observation regarding the mention above : « Buddhists believe that the human life is one of suffering ... »
the first noble truth, dukkha, is translated differently by different commentators... in my experience, the typical, traditional translation seems to be suffering, but, for instance, in one of his lectures Alan Watts uses the term « frustration, » and in wikipedia articles some use « unhappiness, » or « unsatisfactoriness »... i'd say such terms add important nuances to the first truth, and they tell a lot about the actual nature of the problem... or maybe apparent problem would be a better wording...
ultimately, if human existence was not unsatisfactory, then who would want to reach enlightenment ? to me, the first truth thus reveals the actual purpose of this existence...
thanks Chris,
here is a text from Wikipedia that speaks to me profoundly:
Various sutras sum up how life in this "mundane world" is regarded to be duḥkha, starting with samsara, the ongoing process of death and rebirth itself:
1. Birth is duḥkha, aging is duḥkha, illness is duḥkha, death is duḥkha;
2. Sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are duḥkha;
3. Association with the unbeloved is duḥkha; separation from the loved is duḥkha;
4. Not getting what is wanted is duḥkha.
5. In conclusion, the five clinging-aggregates are duḥkha.
The Buddhist tradition emphasizes the importance of developing insight into the nature of duḥkha, the conditions that cause it, and how it can be overcome. This process is formulated in the teachings on the Four Noble Truths.
sure, that's how it is presented in the beginning stages... but to me that's missing the point of buddhism completely, through being seduced by an intellectual representation of the vehicle it proposes, rather than riding it...
in other words, the world is perfectly imperfect, and it has to be thus in order for individuals to go through what they need to go through to reach enlightenment... enlightenment is not an intellectual attainment, it is an empirical process... one must experience it... the buddhanature knows what it is doing, and is watching over every single one of its creations... one must accept to let it lead and to be led... it obviously helps to understand the process, but ultimately to reach enlightenment one has no choice but undergo the process, which is obviously another thing altogether...
Buddhist read: A bit of Buddhist history: Kasyapa seems both in deep meditation and smiling in this lovely Tang Dynasty carving. http://ow.ly/BaQxw
As we celebrate this auspicious day, let's take a moment to reflect on the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha. May his wisdom inspire us to cultivate love, compassion, and mindfulness in our lives.
Wishing you a peaceful and enlightening Vesak Day filled with joy, serenity, and togetherness!
