To reduce stress you must reduce expections

I use to get road rage because of the slow moving traffic, annoyed at long lines in the grocery store, angry when I died to often at Halo, and down right pissed off when people gossip about me.  If we don't expect a movie to be incredible, we are not disappointed when it falls short of being entertaining.  A simple agreement to never intentionally harm one another is sufficient to solidify a healthy and long lasting relationship with the people close to you. We are disconnected by a society that advertises overnight deliveries, 24-hour customer service, instant messaging, fast food, express lanes, and 5 hour energy shots. We are constantly encouraged to expect what we want, how we want it, and right away. This mentality leaves no room for learning patience, tolerance, listening.

Only when you slow down, smell the air after a thunderstorm, chew your food, and breathe consciously will you be able to be kind to yourself and others. Your disappointments will dissipate when you release the exceptions that the world should fulfill you.    

Don't focus too much on life after death, focus on life before death!!

Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future, that he does not enjoy the present moment. As a result, he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and the he dies having never truly lived. -The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprises him the most.

I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.

Tolerance is a form of generosity and it is a form of wisdom. There is nothing anywhere in the Dharma that should ever lead anyone to become intolerant.-Hsing Yun

Finding Comfort in Being Uncomfortable

Living a life of moderation to me means living in a constant stage of being slightly uncomfortable.  I think there is a danger in being to comfortable.  Expectations grow from being comfortable. The more you expect, the less you are able to accept.  Accepting the impermanency of life makes it easy to live moderately.
We become irritate when we get attached on our view on the way things "should be." Be the flow, do not command the flow. Feel the feelings, drop the story. What you feel only matters to the self. What really counts is how we behave in the world. Our "feelings" or "beliefs" do not make us better people, but there is no doubt that our behavior does. So we can not be upset by results we did not receive from work we did not do.

The greatest truths are perceived on a level beyond logic.

I believe the mind is the origin of peace and happiness. My tranquility can not be disturbed by outward circumstances, but only if I choose it to be so. I believe in the saying "Huna Kupua" meaning "The world is what you think it is." I read in a Zen book "Zen is the discipline in enlightenment." Enlightenment = Emancipation. Emancipation = Freedom. If this is true, then discipline thought is freedom of the mind, and freedom of the mind is enlightenment. I think we fear freedom, we fear discipline.  Fear is not real. Fear is a product of thoughts we create. Danger is real, but fear is a choice. The only difference between fear and excitement is your attitude about it.  Zen goes beyond optimism or pessimism both of which presume to make judgements about the future. In Zen you are already who you are, and you are already everything you need to be.

Why is shakespere a better writer than God

A good friend of mine wrote this piece. His name is Jim but I refer to him a Splinter.  This has been occupying my thoughts, so I would like to share it. 


My best guess would be that whoever wrote in the name of Shakespeare was from upper class society and so they were very familiar with the sophisticated poetic style of literature whereas whoever wrote in the name of God (as far as the bible goes) was a member of the lower classes and not familiar with sophisticated poetic language. The "God" writers mistook poetic oral tradition for historical truth. (It was like a really bad game of telephone.) Your guess?

Inner Peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event control your emotions.

People who study Buddhism should seek real, true perception and understanding. If you attain real, true perception, birth and death don't affect you; you are free to go or stay. You needn't seek wonders, for wonders come of themselves. Just put thoughts to rest and don't seek outwardly anymore. When things come up, then give them your attention; just trust what is functional in you at present, and you have nothing to be concerned about.                                              -Sokei-an Sasaki

Mira Day One

January 13th

Is Buddha your God? What is the Buddhist bible called?

The Buddhist is not a God. He is just a man. A man with a name (Siddhartha Guatama). A man with a human mother and father. A man with a wife and child. A man with a heart.  A man who reached the highest happiness (Nirvana) through human effort. There is no Buddhist bible. There are Sutras which are aphorisms written either by the Buddha or masters of Buddhism. But these Sutras are not to be revered. They are simply meant to inspire or provoke thought, and nothing more. You are not a bad buddhist if you do not read them. Mr. Guatama said that no one should simply believe what he said, but we should all think for ourselves and discover the truth through analytical meditation. There are Buddhist temples that have revolving bookcases full of Sutras. But it is said that you gain as much merit from spinning the bookcase once as you do from reading all the sutras. My religion is simple. My mind and body are my temple, and my philosophy is kindness. 

Feel the feelings. Drop the story.

Feelings are something you have, not something that rules you.  It was pretty interesting when I started to think of feelings as a child. You are the parent of your feelings. You made them yourself. Sometimes they can bring you joy and sometimes they can give you a headache. But you are the parent and you set the rules. Sometimes in the right setting you can let them run wild. They have to follow your rules. Think of the chaos that will ensue if you let your child run the house. And think of the mental health of your child if you choose to ignore or stifle them from expressing themselves. Both ignore and obsessing over your feelings gives them power. Experience the experience. Suffering is ignoring this moment, freedom is in this moment. Turn towards what you feel, let the feelings be just what they are without trying to explain them.

Down by the River

"He had learned a lot just by sitting here and watching the water flow by. He noticed that many people's energy flow was like water: just little trickles, like a small creek; clogged and muddied, like a dammed up stream; wild and turbulent like a river in the spring; serenely flowing like the great river in front of him; fast and furious like the rapids upriver, then growing sluggish and heavy like the part of the river that flowed past the village downstream. The trick was to find a rhythem that suited oneself and try to stick to that. It was far better to be harmonious and consistent than it was to change one's flow every other day or even many times a day." -Chuang Tzu