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

Daily Zen

*Spend time each day in meditation so you can stay in touch with who you are inside.

*Remember that you can control only your own actions and your own words, not anyone else's.

*Recognize, acknowledge, and release each of your assumptions and exceptions.

*Speak and act in accordance with your character. A successful relationship is based on truth.

*Don't say or do things based on what you think someone is thinking. You have no way of knowing what anyone else is thinking.

*Remember that nobody else can fix your life or make you whole. You are already whole.

*Recognize your impulse to cling to or attach to someone else. What are you trying to accomplish? You can't own anyone else. Let go.

*You can make plans, but don't attach to those plans. You never know what life will throw at you, and it doesn't do anybody any good to suffer and rage at foiled exceptions.

*Always listen with an open mind and respond with a generous heart. Wait to speak, and avoid interrupting.

*Be genuine, truthful, kind, compassionate, and respectful of your fellow sentient beings, whether you fancy them or not.

Be Aqua My Friend

A man that I look continually at for inspiration, Bruce Lee. What does it mean to be like water. To be like water means to "flow." Not to be confused with to go with the flow. Water does not go with the flow, a raft goes with the flow, a dead fish goes with the flow, drift wood goes with the flow. Water...Water is the flow. Be like water, be the flow. Running water never grows stale.

"If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves."-Bruce Lee

My Choice of Lifestyle

I have been learning much about the Buddhist religion. I find that everything that I have read so far has seem to have been written just for me to see. The main teachings are the 4 noble truths and the 8 fold path. I will break these down not as they are written but as I have come to view them.

                                                                     4 Noble Truths

1. Life means to suffer. We are all in the process of getting older, we will all get sick, and we will all die. But we also suffer because of attachment and desires.

2. The origin of suffering is caused by our placement of attachment and desires.

3. The cessation of suffering can be attained.

4. The path to this cessation of suffering is the 8 fold path. 

8 Fold Path

1. Right understanding. Recognizing life is impermanent, suffering is linked to desire, and desire is linked to the false notion that we are lacking something. 

2. Right Thought. What I think is what I am or will become. Think kindly and refuse to engage in cruel, mean or nasty thoughts. 

3. Right Speech. Speech should be wise, kind, and minimal. Refuse to lie, gossip, talk meanly, or purposefully irritate people.

4. Right Action. Abstaining from purposefully harming others. Abstaining from stealing, which includes stealing attention away from others. Abstaining from sexual misconduct. (you determine what "misconduct" means) and abstaining from intoxicants to the extent that it impairs judgement (again you decide what "impairment" of judgement means to you).

5. Right Livelihood. Choose a job that enriches your soul. Right livelihood is not telling other people they are doing it wrong, it is looking at ourselves. 

6. Right Effort. Cultivate positive qualities, thoughts, actions and tendencies while eliminating negative thoughts, qualities, and tendencies. Self-dicipline. 

7. Right Mindfulness or Attentiveness. Waking up and living rather than going through the motions as if asleep. 

8. Right Concentration or Meditation. Learn to contemplate with the deep mind. Meditation. Living in the moment. Zen. 

Tao Of Remi

Have you every heard that people tend to look like there dogs?  We should also consider acting as they do.  A Dogs life in unfairly short, yet they seem content. Is it because they do not know of death, or is it because they are focused on living?

Here are a few lessons I have picked up from this pup. Her name is Remi, and this is what she has taught me.

Find something you love to do, and do it over and over.

Just as Remi can play fetch all day, find something you love and start doing it. Set fire to your passion, it will trigger a sense of euphoria, and you will get better the more you practice.  

Breathe deeply

Remi breathes deeply mainly to regulate body temperature. Breathing may not make us feel any cooler, but it will lower our stress level by regulating our emotional temperature.  Breathe in, pause, breathe out. 

Shake it off

Showers are not Remi's friend, but as soon as she gets out she shakes that shit off and moves on. Wether your "shower" is emotional, physical, or simply something you didn't want to do, when it's done, shake it off. Life is to short to soak in your sorrows. 

When you see someone you love, greet them as if were the last time you will see them.

If you love someone, show them daily.  Make them aware of it, even if it is already obvious. 

When you are happy "wag your tail" 

You don't have to be a good dancer to dance. All you need is a smile in your heart. Dance at least once a day, even if its just a short little jig. 

When someone is having a bad day, sit close, be silent, and nuzzle them gently. 

Sometimes its the doing, not the saying that people need. 

Protect the purity, of your heart's heart.

Cut down your craving

Continue your days modestly

Drive out and chase

Away your evil

Return home

Follow, your true nature

Live for the moment, if only for a moment

Pain is inevitable, yet how you handle those painful moments is what causes suffering, not the moment in and of itself. The only control one has, is of their own behavior.

Your life is a gift to yourself. Accept it graciously.  Everyday dance at least once, everyday laugh at least once.

Untitled

Whether what I want comes to be,
Whether what comes to be isn't wanted
How can we ever lose interest in life?
With a waterfall of opportunites right before my eyes...