Kindness

"It is important to reflect on the kindness of others. Every aspect of our present well-being is due to others' hard work. The buildings we live and work in, the roads we travel, the clothes we wear, and the food we eat, are all provided by others. None of them would exist but for the kindness of so many people unknown to us."

~ His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Live with Compassion

"Help FPMT's Sera Je Food Fund offer meals to the monks at Sera Je Monastery by purchasing the Live with Compassion Wristband.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche started the Sera Je Food Fund to provide three meals a day to the 2600 monks of Sera Je Monastery. We need to raise US$270,000 each year to cover the costs of feeding these precious practitioners and teachers of tomorrow.

By purchasing 1 Live with Compassion Wristbands you will offer food to 3 monks
By purchasing 5 Live with Compassion Wristbands you will offer food to 17 monks
By purchasing 10 Live with Compassion Wristbands you will offer food to 35 monks
See how amazing a small donation can do!

'Live with compassion.
Work with compassion.
Die with compassion.
Enjoy with compassion.
When problems come, experience them with compassion'"

Source

52nd Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day

"Today marks the 52nd anniversary of the Tibetan people’s peaceful uprising of 1959 against Communist China’s repression in the Tibetan capital Lhasa, and the third anniversary of the non-violent demonstrations that took place across Tibet in 2008. On this occasion, I would like to pay tribute to and pray for those brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for the just cause of Tibet. I express my solidarity with those who continue to suffer repression and pray for the well-being of all sentient beings."
~ His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Tibetan Nuns Debating in Northern India (Oct 2010)

Compassion from Anger

People harm others only when they are unhappy. No one wakes up in the morning and says, "I feel so great today! I think I'll go out and harm someone!" When we can allow ourselves to know the depth of the pain and confusion felt by those who have harmed us, compassion--the wish that they be free from such suffering--can easily arise. Thinking in this way does not mean whitewashing or denying harm that was done. Rather, we acknowledge it, but go beyond amassing resentment, because we know that grudges help neither ourselves nor others.

--from Working with Anger by Thubten Chodron, published by Snow Lion Publications

Big Sit Vow

Body
I will restore my body by being a better vegan, getting more sleep and getting more exercise.
I will nourish my body by drinking more water, seeing a doctor and avoiding processed foods.
I will honor my body by losing fat, getting more fresh air and sitting properly.

Mind
I will work with my mind by meditating daily for a minimum of 20 minutes.
I will study the Genjokoan by daily reading, and viewing Enkyo Roshi’s dharma talks at community.tricycle.com.

Spirit
I will renew my spirit by walking and meditating in the forest and by the water.
I will strengthen my spirit by committing to daily practice.
__________________

• Sit in formal meditation for 20 minutes each day.
• Listen to one dharma talk each week on our community page (community.tricycle.com.)
• Study Dogen’s Genjokoan, the text selected for the period.
• [re]Commit to the sixteen bodhisattva precepts.
• Practice with others at tricycle.com or at a local meditation center.

The Big Sit

Organized by Tricycle magazine, a Buddhist magazine, The Big Sit is the second of its kind. What is it? It is a commitment, a retreat, for people, Buddhist or not, to sit in mediation, take or retake the Bodhisattva vows, listen to lectures, Zen in nature this time, and to read/study Dogen’s Genjokoan.

I retook my vows, shaved my head and plan to take my practice seriously again. A saying goes something like this:

It is easier to head to a secluded spot to meditate for years than it is to stay within the chaos of life and do the same.