Dalai Lama Foundation Study Circle Montreal

When you talk about seeing what is real, to me, there is an invisible reality behind the visible reality. What I think it’s supposed to look like, I have to let go of, in order to see what it is. — Jane Rosen

~~~~ Good News of the Day: Something happened to successful artist Jane Rosen when she came to California — something that changed the trajectory of her work. “The exposure to the beauty of the place — the coast, the hills, the redwoods — made a deep impression. One day, as she stepped out of her house, she looked up and saw a red-tailed hawk soaring above her. “As I stood looking up at the hawk, in a voice as clear as day, I heard these words: ‘Tell my story’.” Rosen’s drawings and sculptures are born from the perennial questions: What can nature show us? And what is seeing? Her work shows us something about that. I met the artist at her studio and ranch in San Gregorio, California to talk specifically about seeing.” Richard Whittaker dialogues with Rosen in this Parabola Magazine article. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=1698C41:A2F402742563B09A37F6E3D81B216B21B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Experiment today with the art of seeing: try nudging your experience beyond the immediate, visible reality.

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Turn your face toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind you. — Maori Proverb

~~~~ Good News of the Day: After holding together his family through a house fire, six address changes since his sophomore year and a violent encounter with his mother’s boyfriend, high school basketball star Marquis Barnett told recruiters he is not about to abandon them now, insisting on staying local. “Marquis is fiercely loyal to his family,” said Ron Naclerio, Barnett’s coach in New York the past two seasons. Barnett is one of about 2,500 young people ages 13 to 17 living in shelters across the five boroughs. He has endured six-hour round-trip subway rides to school and, along the way, has been supported by the kindness of others struck by his sincerity, including a coach who buys him clothes and a social studies teacher who feeds him daily. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=1698BBA:A2F402742563B09AAB1769AB91C54734B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: The next time you encounter a setback, “turn your face toward the sun.”

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Dalai Lama Quote of the Week

According to the lower schools of Buddhist thought, when a being, like Sakyamuni Buddha, attains mahaparinirvana and passes away, he ceases to exist, there is no further continuity of consciousness. Therefore, according to the Vaibhasika school, for example, after this point there is no more being, no more consciousness. Only the name remains. And yet, they believe that this being who has now disappeared can influence the course of those who follow him due to the virtues that he created in the past.

This is not accepted by the higher schools of thought, however, that instead believe that there are two kinds of bodies, those that are pure in nature and those that are impure. The latter is more gross, whereas a body that has been purified is more subtle. Now, for example, when Sakyamuni Buddha gave up his body, there still remained the more subtle one. So, according to these schools of thought, at the stage of Buddhahood, there are two bodies: a mental body and a physical one.
I don’t know whether the English word “body” is the most appropriate one. In Sanskrit, the words used to signify these two bodies of the Buddha are dharmakaya and rupakaya. The first is of the nature of mind, whereas the latter is material. So when the Buddha passes away, there is still this more subtle body, which is of the nature of mind, and since the mental continuum is also present, we can say that the personality is still there. Even today, the Buddha remains as a living being. I think this is better, don’t you?(p.91)

–from Answers: Discussions with Western Buddhists by the Dalai Lama, edited by Jose Ignacio Cabezon, published by Snow Lion Publications

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Simplicity of living means meeting life face to face. It means confronting life clearly, without unnecessary distractions. It means being direct and honest in relationships of all kinds. It means taking life as it is. — Duane Elgin

~~~~ Inspiration of the Day: The wisdom of simplicity is a theme with deep roots. The great value and benefits of living simply are found in all of the world’s major wisdom traditions. Jesus taught by word and example that we should not make the acquisition of material possessions our primary aim. Eastern spiritual traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism have also encouraged a life of material moderation and spiritual abundance. The Greeks, Puritans, and Quakers all placed a similar emphasis. As well, the Transcendentalists, whose thinking is best exemplified by the lives and writing of Emerson and Thoreau. The simple life is not a new social invention — what is new is the urgent need to respond to the radically changing material and ecological circumstances in which humanity finds itself in the modern world. Duane Elgin, author of the classic, “Voluntary Simplicity,” shares further.
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~~~~ Be The Change: Take an additional step toward voluntary simplicity today, both internally and externally.

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Dharma Quote of the Week

Hundreds of people may be more popular, powerful, and wealthy than we are, but from the point of view of the Dharma, no one is more fortunate. We have a very precious opportunity to make the best of our lives by working toward the attainment of buddhahood. We have obtained this precious human birth and have come in contact with the teachings and spiritual friends. All the favorable conditions are available–we could not ask for more. Yet this is only for a very short period of time. Within this very short time, the best thing we can do for ourselves is commit ourselves fully and wholeheartedly to practicing the disciplines, which are an essential part of the practice of the teachings.

…The practice of discipline is very profound. In terms of the effectiveness of the practice of the Dharma, there is a hundredfold difference between someone who follows some level of discipline and someone who does not. Whether visualizing a deity, practicing basic meditation, or reciting mantras, the benefit is a hundredfold greater when we have the ground of discipline.

The teachings of the Buddha say that if we take dust from the footprint of a person who embodies discipline and put it on our heads, it is a blessing. Even the king of the devas would do that, because of the sacredness of discipline. There is a tradition, followed to this day in India, of touching the feet of a holy person or touching the doorstep before entering his or her door, and then touching our foreheads. This is not merely a cultural tradition, but is acknowledging something very profound.(p.73)

–from Dharma Paths 2nd Edition by Khenpo Karthar, translated by Ngödup Burkhar and Chöjor Radha, edited by Laura M. Roth, published by Snow Lion Publications

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The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. — Steve Jobs

~~~~ Good News of the Day: Steve Jobs, the iconic founder of Apple, died yesterday, and though the world will remember him for his legendary leadership, his creative genius, or his passion for design, he was also a man of inspiring insights. In this powerful 2005 commencement address at Stanford, Jobs shares three personal stories, urging his audience to always “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.” http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169874E:A2F402742563B09A2074311B9E597283B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: “Death is an important ally for appreciating life […] an honest recognition of the short time we have to love and to learn on this earth.” Author Duane Elgin shares a poignant reflection. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169874F:A2F402742563B09A2074311B9E597283B4B847859706E37D&

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Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus. — Alexander Graham Bell

~~~~
Tip of the Day:
Multi-tasking is no longer about being productive — it’s a way of living. It’s not a sane way of living, however, and it’s not necessarily the most effective way of working either. Imagine instead, a single-tasking life. Imagine waking and going for a run, as if running were all you do. Nothing else is on your mind but the run, and you do it to the very best of your abilities. Then you eat, enjoying every flavorful bite of your fresh breakfast of whole, unprocessed foods. You do your work, one task at a time, each task done with full focus and dedication. You spend time with loved ones, as if nothing else existed. It sounds nice, but how do you live a life like this? Like anything worth doing, it takes practice. Here’s what author Leo Babauta recommends.
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~~~~
Be The Change:
Run some conscious experiments with single-tasking today.

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