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In concert with a million invisible agents Strung across the heavens The Moon, the Sun; the Winds, the farthest, farthest, farthest stars, space dust ... Orion, Cassiopeia, The Big Dipper (Ursa Major), The Pleiades! No pushing, no struggle, just advancing over here, receding over there (apparently) And element of space - The tides. Slowly by slowly the waves, Moving, rolling archives of their own past and future Sound of the Buddha's empty speech Occupy and withdraw, in a way. So whatever it is that you're sitting there wondering about - That's on your mind - (What is the nature of mind?) Consider the tides. Relax* May you and all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. * and enjoy the video full screen on YouTube!  On the occasion of Saka Dawa today, wishing you and all those in your orbit and beyond, all beings -
peace, love, liberation from all forms of suffering and ... joy. _____________ Saka Dawa is the date recognized in the Tibetan Buddhist lunar calendar, of Shakyamuni Buddha's birth, enlightenment (35 years after his birth), and parinirvana (45 years after that). It is, understandably, the most important holiday in the Tibetan Buddhist calendar, and a day that karmic consequences of one's actions are said to be multiplied many times! As such it is felt to be an excellent time for positive helpful thoughts, speech and actions, and to commit one's self to practice and study.  It is exceedingly difficult to obtain a human life with the eight freedoms and ten endowments. Now that I have the chance to fulfill the aim of humanity, If I do not use it to my advantage, Afterwards, how can I get this opportunity again? The three worlds are as impermanent as the clouds of autumn. The births and deaths of beings are like watching a dance. The speed of human’s lives is like lightning in the sky; It passes as swiftly as a stream down a steep mountain. When his time comes, even a king will die, And his wealth, friends, and relatives cannot follow him. But wherever people go, wherever they remain, Karma, like a shadow, will follow after them. Because of craving, becoming, and ignorance Humans, gods, and the beings of the three lower spheres Will circulate foolishly in the five realms Like the revolving of a potter’s wheel. from Padmasambhava Guru Yoga Sadhana reprinted courtesy of Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center of Philadelphia Photo: Sunrise, Wildwood, Aug. 2017  Ten quick ways to create good karma in under a minute! And to transform yourself and make a difference in the world!
1. Say good morning to someone you pass on the street. 2. Let others get on or off the train, bus or elevator first. 3. Hold the elevator door as someone's getting in or out, even if the doors are automatic and don't need it! 4. When you're on the road, take a moment to appreciate the pressures that other drivers are under in their lives. Breathe and be grateful that their pressures are not your pressures! 5. Look around you and wish for everyone you see to be free of their suffering for even just that small moment! 6. For one whole minute recognize the lives and feelings of every person you see or pass as equal to yours. 7. For 2 seconds, fully allow everything in the world to be exactly as it is. Breathe in. Breathe out. 8. For as long as it takes to read this sentence, appreciate how great it is that other people have gifts and abilities that you don't possess, and how unique everyone's gifts are! 9. For one second, forgive everyone. Forgive the universe. And forgive yourself. Fully. Breathe in. Breathe out. 10. Wish for just one second that all living beings on the planet ... know peace. Now rinse, and repeat! And have a beautiful day : )  If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion. - His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso  Let go of grasping. Consider outer appearances to be like rainbows in the summer skies - perhaps beautiful in appearance, perhaps not, but in truth devoid of any substance. Adopted from the Thirty-Seven Practices of All the Bodhisattvas (verse 23) by Gyalse Tokme Zangpo (1297-1371)  The childish work for their own welfare
While the Buddhas work For the welfare of others. Look at this difference. What is the need to say more? Shantideva  What we think, What we say, What we do, Our motivation, our intention, The soft bed of air upon which each arises, And sets them into motion, Matters. So offer each, Your thoughts, words and actions With a little love. A little understanding and compassion. A little kindness Toward yourself and to others. With a little wish that each serves as the cause, eventually, For peace, and for happiness For self and other equally. It doesn’t have to be a lot. It doesn’t have to be more than we feel capable of in that moment. A lot of times we may not feel capable of any at all. Life can be so agonizing. Just, somewhere, at some time, the wish. No matter our situation No matter how different we think things should be Or wish things were Or we were Or think others should be These are fictions. All those shoulds. If we could be different, If others could be different, We would be, and so would they. So learn to be accepting, and forgiving. To be where you are. Things will change. This is the beginning of awareness. Being where we are does not mean that we do not wish to change. Or that we don’t want things to be different, or others to be different. It just means that in the course of that slow transformation The most effective way to truly effect change Is to also be fully present to the moment At least to the extent that we can be. Acting, while not acting, In motion, while still. To understand what is truly needed, To effect that change, In a meaningful and lasting way, In which all benefit. Like the tree Like the snow Like the sky And the air, Like the ground. Interdependent, yet on another level, Indistinguishable. So each thought ... matters. Each word ... matters. Every action ... matters. So very much. You matter, So very much. You are so loved and remarkable. So be present to those around you. And present to yourself. Your remarkable self And, slowly slowly, moment by day by year, Watch yourself And those around you, And the world itself, Become just a little better off, For your mere, remarkable presence in it.  We know so well that in our consciousness
are buried all the wholesome seeds- seeds of love and understanding, seeds of peace and joy. But if we do not know how to water them, how can they spring up fresh and green? When we chase after a distant happiness, life becomes a shadow of the reality. Our minds become occupied by the past or worrying about this or that in the future. We cannot let go of our anger, and we long for what we have to be permanent, thereby trampling on real happiness. As month follows month, we are sunk in sorrow. So now we recognize our errors and begin anew, fragrant as a breath of fresh air. - from Beginning Anew, a longer prayer and practice by Thich Nhat Hanh  May all those whom I meet truly know peace, and may I be the cause of peace, however small or seemingly insignificant. May I remember that all beings are not just interconnected, but interdependent, and my actions always have effects more far reaching than my eyes may see. And thus may all my thoughts, speech and actions bring benefit to others; joy and relief from the sufferings of this world. May I recognize in my own suffering the indelible truth of karma and the opportunity to deepen my practice without complaint or diversion. May every day my wisdom deepen, and in doing so, may the benefit of my actions only increase, however gradual or seeming not to as I face new challenges each day. May I bring no harm to any being, including myself, and if I should cause harm, may I recognize, regret and rehabilitate it promptly and may its effects be short-lived. May I forgive and accept fully and without judgment. May I see all beings, my mothers, as my teachers and sacred friends always. Not just intellectually but with my heart, fully. May I accept myself and others in each moment, and utterly without condition, and may I understand always that acceptance does not mean that I should not help to change the world for the better as I understand it. May even in all my staggering imperfections I not shy away from following the inspiration of my ideals, or willingness to embody them however painful that may sometimes appear to be. In other words, may I do it anyway, and may I be fine keeping quiet when that's what's called for too. And may I remember to stop and listen well, to really know the difference. May I always remember and carry with me the foundations of my own practice, lineage teachers and my own teacher, and may I remember each new day to dedicate my actions consistent with the practices that abide. For those without teachers in this lifetime, may they know more deeply the guru in their hearts. There will be joy, and there will be suffering. Through all of it, may I, somehow, in some way, re-devote myself to these ideals daily and always remember the reasons to be grateful. May it be so.  Wishing you a joyous holiday season! Peace on earth, Goodwill to all, And lots of love.  May those who lose their way and wander In the wild find fellow travelers. And safe from threat of thieves and savage beasts, May they be tireless and their journey light. May children and the aged, all all those without protection Wandering in the fearful, pathless wastes, Who fall asleep unconscious of their peril, Have pure celestial beings as their guardians. May all be freed from states of bondage, May they be possessed of wisdom, faith, and love, With perfect sustenance and conduct, May they always have remembrance of their former lives. May everyone have unrestricted wealth Just like the treasury of space, Enjoying it according to their wish, Without a trace of harm or enmity. Shantideva (8th c.), Bodhicharyävatāra (The Way of the Bodhisattva) Chapter 10, Dedication Verses 25 - 28 (Padmakara Translation Group)  Because the mind has no beginning or end, no form, it has no limitations. There are no limits upon our capacity for love and compassion. Boundless and immeasurable, whatever the scope of our love yesterday, we can love more deeply today. Whatever level of compassion we felt capable of this morning, with practice and a firm resolve, we can be more compassionate tomorrow. However fully we can offer forgiveness to ourselves and others in this moment, we can summon even greater, the next.
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