"The Joys Of Quiet" by Pico Iyer
Daily Good today posted the latest Pico Iyer essay from Todayonline.com. He writes about "The Joys of Quiet. Pico's perspective may shock you if you have only recently bought a smartphone, upped your bandwidth, streamed an online video or got an iPad for Christmas. Just yesterday somebody pointed out to me that everybody she knew was getting into yoga or starting Buddhist meditation. Read on!
The Very Model Of A Modern Vegetarian! With Puppets!
What could be more up my alley? A witty vegetarian take-off of a Gilbert & Sullivan tune, performed with puppets and subtitles, so you get the humor in the clever lyrics. Kudos all around, friends. This one will soon be all over the Internet.
Nipun Mehta Talks At Stanford on Gandhi & Giftivism. Don't Miss!
This lecture is highly recommended for people interested in selfless giving, inspiration and living a life based on courageous faith in principle. What is Giftivism? Come find out. There will be meditation, an hour talk, and dinner with Q&A. Location: Oak Room, Tresidder Union; January 31, 2012, 5:30pm-8:30pm.
Update: Huge Solar Flares Passed Us By, Apparently
Interesting report about solar flare activity last week that will hit "a glancing blow" on Earth this week.The sun emitted the most powerful solar flares since 2005. Astronomers are warning of possible disruptions of air travel over the poles, sattelite communication, as well as increased Northern Lights displays visible further south than usual. Back up your hard drive and unplug it after you back it up! More info here.
UPDATE: Maggie Koerth-Baker over at Boing Boing posted a terrific piece about Coronal Mass Ejections (Solar Flares) and links to an article that describes the very real effects on Internet technology that could happen if and when such ejections hit Earth full-on. Apparently, this time we dodged the bullet. Read the Boingboing.net article here.
Australian Downpour on a Metal Roof in Queensland
This is the third day of a non-stop downpour. I stuck my recorder out the door to capture the sounds of a monsoon on my metal roof. Folks are evacuating near the rivers and low-lying areas. Our monastery sits on higher ground but the rivercourses that channel the water around the buildings are at peak right now. My roof is leaking!
Here is a normal sunny day.
Give a listen to the sound of a downpour on a metal roof:
The Front Yard: Paramita House In All Weather
So here in Queensland, in Mudgeeraba, (means, "a place where someone told lies") the sun shines daily but oh my, when it rains....
Happy Lunar New Years Day To You! (It's Dragon Year!)
It's that time again, when stores across Asia shut for ten days and big city streets fall silent. Families travel back home, eat familiar, once-a-year delicacies, grandchildren score $$ in red envelopes from doting grandparents; and everyone renews. Debts are settled, windows have been washed, new threads a-sportin', mother's home a-visitin', hey it's Chinese New Years! Tomorrow people visit temples to light incense and seek good luck, As if the Buddha were a small-town magistrate who with some incense and a dollar tossed in the box could be bribed to fix your luck for a year. No matter, it's good luck for the incense seller -- bad luck for those who have to breathe the smokey air in the temple.
For practicing Buddhists the first day of the lunar new year is the celebration of Maitreya Bodhisattva's anniversary. Maitreya is famous for having subdued his temper through learning "patience under insult." You simply can't upset him. Insults, curses, even blows will not get his goat or shake his equanimity. He has a big belly, not from greed for food but from holding all the chi (qi) that people have thrown at him. Swear at him, cut him off in traffic, insult his mother, he endures it all because he has subdued himself - - his false pride and vanity are long gone. He sees through the surface of relationships and understands that you wouldn't be giving him grief if you had peace of mind. Why increase your afflictions by getting caught up in your unresolved drama? It has nothing to do with him, and he won't waste a second of precious lifetime struggling with hurt feelings or animosity.
Maitreya Bodhisattva has a poem that it's worth repeating at Lunar New Years: The Old Fool.
The Old Fool: Maitreya Bodhisattva
The Old Fool wears tattered clothes,
And fills his belly with tasteless food;
He patches his robe to keep out the cold,
And as things come, so they go,
His belly’s big cause he can hold,
Praise so hot and blame so cold,
He splits his face in a smile so full
At the situations he finds laughable,
The jewel of patience, it’s a pearl so rare.
If someone scolds the Old Fool,
He simply agrees,
If someone hits the Old Fool,
He smiles and falls down on his knees
Spit in his face, he lets it dry - -
He’s not upset, and you save your energy,
If you look elsewhere for the Dao,
Who’s the Old Fool anyhow?
The jewel of patience, it’s a pearl so rare.
His belly’s big cause he can hold,
Praise so hot and blame so cold,
He splits his face in a smile so full
At the situations he finds laughable,
Now you’ve heard of his patience gongfu,
Maitreya wants to share it with you,
If you set this aside and go seeking the Dao - -
Who’s the old fool, anyhow?
Acts of Kindness Page 26
Acts of Kindness Page 26
Where did these stories come from? Find out here
Strike!
I was waiting for the bus this morning when a stranger pulled up and told me that bus drivers across the city had gone on strike. Later, as I was driving to work I saw another commuter unknowingly waiting for the bus in the rain. Inspired by the random act of kindness shown to me earlier, I stopped and passed on the news of the strike to this person. Just as anyone else would have done given the same situation!
U. from Sydney, Australia
New Dimensions
Meeting with and listening to Rev. Heng Sure's musical way of teaching the Dharma as well as other topics at the "Council for a Parliament of World Religions" in Melbourne recently gave new dimensions to ways of teaching. Religious teaching tends often to be bone dry and as a result many people - especially young ones - loose interest. This musical way I believe can open their hearts and minds to a better world.
MB from Malmo, Sweden
Pure Land and Police Fine
My co-worker often asks what I do while I volunteer at a Buddhist temple and how do I feel when I meditate. She is interested in learning Buddhism but she thinks it's too difficult for her. I gave her a book on Pure Land. Last week she went into the office and told me she got a police fine for talking on the phone while driving to work. "Oh that was hard!" she said, "I kept telling myself, Pure Land! The police are doing their job. Great Job! Amitabha! They are doing well. Pure Land! I am not going to be angry! Pure Land!!" Later on she added, "I am not sure how Pure Land had helped me but I am actually not that upset, so I thank you for your book." So...I hope this Paramita music CD would help her more =)
I. from Sydney, Australia
Staying Open
Maybe we perform many priceless acts of kindness in a day and every day. That is how it feels for me being an acupuncturist and working in a community clinic setting. Some of those acts of kindness are really my job. I should be listening and paying attention to my interactions with people. I am constantly learning to get better at that too. I also experience great joy in those acts of kindness. It does not feel like a one-person exchange but a series of events of communication between people that open other possibilities to happen. As an example, yesterday I was volunteering after my shift to help the evening shift, as that is part of my job. It turned out perfect because I was working with another practitioner and was able to accomplish more by getting her input. Usually we work alone as practitioners on our shifts. I was struggling with an email to send someone to suggest a medicinal tea to them. It turned out by sharing with the practitioner what I was doing, she was able to tell me we had in stock a perfect tea for the situation. It seemed magic to me. A tea they had ordered and could not use and then this moment arrives and by a series of decisions and staying open with communication, it became a complete experience for me.
E. from Berkeley, USA
Doing Time, Doing Zazen
A couple of weeks ago, I helped out at my local Soto Zen temple, stuffing many zafus (meditation cushions) for people doing time in prison. With the guidance of the Soto priest, they will do zazen to help them get rid of their marijuana-addiction. I am a strong believer of rehabilitation instead of harsh punishment in the prisons. The people who's serving time are human beings like everybody else, and they need our support and our compassion.
Y.K.H.N. from Kristiansand, Norway
Giving
In the sutra of the past vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, the Buddha explained very very clearly to us that there are three kinds of giving. They are giving of wealth, giving of Dharma and giving of fearlessness. When I read the sutra, I was extremely excited to learn how these types of giving enable one to plant blessings, and the more I read the sutra, the more it gave me encouragement to do more giving. For example, when I saw some beggars on the street or those who are sick, I would immediately take out my wallet and give my money to them and sometimes I would buy them food and nutritious drinks. And when I returned to Indonesia, my sister and I would buy fish from the market and liberate them in a safe river near my house. My heart was full of joy whenever I did meritorious work. These are examples of me giving wealth to the poor and giving fearlessness to the animals.
Buddha's Disciple from Pleasant Hill, United States
Searching for Justice
I helped a friend find legal representation after her university mistreated her following an attack by another student. Talk about a double dose of suffering! I hope she can heal, complete her degree, and find work in a field she loves.
S from Portland, Oregon
I Didn't Get Angry
(Again a story from me, 3rd time, this time to pass on to a new friend for his birthday - so here's the story:) I was volunteering at a school in a project about injustice in the world. A macho-type guy from a grade which was not in the project came up and started telling me i'm a hippie - obviously and intentionally trying to insult me. It didn't take effort not to use anger in responding. :) may all beings have non-anger. Amituofo
F from Leeuwarden, Holland
Anger Is Bad News
i was all angry at this guy for derailing some process that i thought i wanted to happen, and it messed up my shoulders and the world got dark. totally bad news. then it was remembered to me the Dalai Lama said about the Chinese that people who seem to be mean to you are good teachers, and then this other thing from some other text that said if people abuse you in public you should say, 'Yeah, well, you're right probably, okay, thanks!'. Ha ha! Now i'm not angry at all. i guess this is just kindness to myself, but maybe it counts? i certainly won't yell at that guy or anything. He's just doing his best! thanks!
M. from Northampton, USA
Laung Pho
Today I helped Laung Pho to the meditation hall, this makes me feel like I’m doing something kusala (wholesome) at this time my mind was not affected by lust, hate or greed.
S B from Fresno, United States
