Dealing With Regret

On one occasion this [elderly] monk asked the Dalai Lama for initiation into a particular set of demanding practices. The Dalai Lama demurred, saying that they were meant for younger monks, that they were vigorous and demanding exercises that he wished to spare the man from undertaking. The next thing he knew, this monk committed suicide, hoping to be reborn into a younger body with better stamina. The Dalai Lama was asked… how he dealt with his regret, how he made it go away. 'It didn't go away,' the Dalai Lama replied, a little perplexed by the question. 'It is still there.'…

The psychiatrist [questioner] was operating from the point of view of fixing the pain rather than feeling it. The Dalai Lama, for all his good humor, had the fortitude, and the faith, to accept his regret without looking to heal it. This is the essence of the Buddhist approach to psychological change.Striving to rid of the pain only reinforces it, while acceptance of the truth deepens our capacity for tolerance, patience and forgiveness. The Dalai Lama was forever changed by the loss of his friend and by his part in it. How could he not be?

In Buddhist psychology two mental factors, called shame and dread, are considered to be skillful qualities that increase with meditative awareness… Would we not want to free ourselves from them, as we do from anger or fear?… Their function is to make us shrink from unskillful actions, to recognize the negative consequences of our deeds, and to develop a wariness toward repeating our mistakes. The Dalai Lama was honest enough with himself to recognize the role he had played, however unwittingly… I would attempt to rationalize the situation, to excuse myself, or, at the very least, to grieve my loss and move on.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif But in the Buddhist view, this desire would, in itself, be clinging. If could redirect my awareness from my regret to my abhorrence of it, I would have a chance of seeing my own clinging in action. Seeing this clinging is what frees the mind.

- Extracted from The Daily Enlightenment

Gone Too Soon

Steve Jobs passed away yesterday, on Wed, Oct 5, 2011. In his passing, the world has lost a visionary and a beautiful leader who has changed the world.

His legacy lives on in the way he impacted our lives. Everybody here on earth owes him a debt of gratitude for his creativity that has changed how we live.

Here is a tribute to Steve in the Wall Streets Journal : - Wall Streets Journal Tribute

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. ” Mr. Jobs said in a commencement speech at Stanford University in June 2005, almost a year after he was diagnosed with cancer.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

"Stay hungry. Stay foolish."http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Here is a transcript of his speech : - Commencement Speech


No many people know that Steve Jobs was a Buddhist - he converted to Buddhism when he was in his early 20s, after visiting India and exploring Eastern religion. He was also a vegetarian. You can clearly tell that he has not much attachment - he accepts death as a gift to live life fully.

All his belief systems and values shows up in his words of wisdom. And in the way that he directed Apple to not be attached to its past successes. In his inventions, you can feel the intuitive design that he incorporates into his products.

Follow his teachings and live abundantly and mindfully.

Rest in Peace, Steve - may you be reborn in Western Paradise. And thank you for all the unique gifts that you have shared with all of us. You have made a beautiful difference to the world...

Is There A Creator?

Buddhism refutes the possibility of something independent that does not depend on a cause.

Everything is interdependent. No phenomenon arises autonomously, suddenly deciding, so to speak, that it will manifest.

If the primal substance were the cause of everything it gives rise to, then it would have to be produced itself. But as it is not itself created, how can it create anything?

Buddhism teaches that everything arises from causes and conditions and that there is no such thing as an un-caused cause.

If there were such a thing, then everything could be said to arise from nothing! Alternatively, the primal substance would have to be constantly giving rise to (causing) something. But as we can see, phenomena sometimes manifest and at other times do not. This is because the causes and conditions on which they depend sometimes come together and at other times do not.

If the cause were independent and able to create constantly, then of course its results would also have to be constant.

Since the results are not constant, we can argue that their cause also is not constant: it is impermanent. If there is such a thing as an independent creator, which in consequence is alone and all-pervading, all its manifestations or results should be permanent.

Belief in such a creator is simply not logical.

- Extracted from : The Daily Enlightenment

Buddhist Wisdom for Uncertain Times: Gary Gach

Buddhist Wisdom for Uncertain Times: Gary Gach

Go to this site for an excellent lecture, lasting less than an hour, about Buddhism.