|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Archive for December 2011
Kindness Daily: Parking Lot Surprise!
December 18, 2011
The Never-Ending Story
December 18, 2011Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion. — Barry Lopez
~~~~
Good News of the Day:
In 2006, Jonathan Harris and a colleague launched We Feel Fine, a project that took the Web’s emotional pulse by culling personal data from blogs. It was the first of several groundbreaking websites that Harris helped to create, and the project attracted widespread attention. In the following years, however, Harris began to feel like a voyeur. Determined to find a more open, transparent way to chart shared human experiences, he retreated into solitude, altered his approach, and developed a new digital storytelling platform called Cow Bird. The platform, which recently launched, encourages people to tell long-form stories online using photos, sound maps, timelines, videos, and casts of characters. It then spins a larger “meta” tale from their commonalities. With Cow Bird, Harris aims to revive letter writing in the digital era-providing the Internet generation with a deeper, more reciprocal means of communication than shouting into a disconnected social media void.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A03ED:C3009629A010612C14A64B79E4FCE5BEB4B847859706E37D&
~~~~
Be The Change:
Write a meaningful personal story, no matter how short it is, and share it online or on paper. For inspiration, Cowbird.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A03EE:C3009629A010612C14A64B79E4FCE5BEB4B847859706E37D&
**Share A Reflection**
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A03EF:C3009629A010612C14A64B79E4FCE5BEB4B847859706E37D&
Dalai Lama Quote from Snow Lion Publications
December 16, 2011
Dalai Lama Quote of the Week“The mantra of the perfection of wisdom–the mantra of great knowledge, the unexcelled mantra, the mantra equal to the unequalled, the mantra that quells all suffering–is true because it is not deceptive.”–The Heart Sutra The perfection of wisdom is called “the mantra of great knowledge” because thoroughly understanding its meaning eliminates the three poisons of craving, hatred, and delusion. It is called the “unexcelled mantra” because there is no greater method than the perfection of wisdom for saving one from the extremes of cyclic existence and the isolated peace of individual nirvana. It is called the mantra “equal to the unequalled” because the Buddha’s enlightened state is unequalled, and, through the deepest realization of this mantra, one attains a state equal to that state. Finally, the perfection of wisdom is known as the “mantra that quells all suffering” because it quells manifest sufferings and also removes all propensities for future suffering. The perfection of wisdom is the ultimate truth, thus the statement “it is true.” In the realm of the ultimate truth, there is no disparity, as there is in conventional reality, between appearance and reality, and thus this manifest ultimate truth is “not deceptive.” This nondeceptiveness also suggests that, through actualization of this mantra, the perfection of wisdom can enable one to attain total freedom from suffering and its causes. From this perspective too, we can say that it is the truth. “The mantra of the perfection of wisdom is proclaimed: tadyatha gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha! –from Essence of the Heart Sutra: The Dalai Lama’s Heart of Wisdom Teachings by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated & edited by Geshe Thupten Jinpa Essence of the Heart Sutra • Now at 2O% off! |
Video of the Week: “I’m Being Santa”
December 16, 2011
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locked Up, Yet Calm Within
December 16, 2011Freedom of mind is the real freedom. A person whose mind is not free though he may not be in chains, is a slave, not a free man. — Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
~~~~
Inspiration of the Day:
“Prison time, you’re in a box. Every second, every day, every year, every decade — there’s no hope. No matter what you accomplish in there, no matter what you do in there, you’re still in that box.” These are the words of boxer Dewey Bozella, locked up for 26 years for a crime that he did not commit. His is a story about the triumph of the human spirit, and living proof of the maxim: “never give up.” One man’s journey to reclaim his life, against all odds; a man fighting his biggest fight outside the boxing ring, without any hatred or bitterness towards the system. Narrated by Matthew Mcconaughey, this powerful short video shares the story of Dewey Bozella — courageous, persistent, human and finally … free.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A0066:C3009629A010612CC4D464E5869DAB6AB4B847859706E37D&
~~~~
Be The Change:
Have you experienced injustice? Stand for what is true, with courage but also with a free mind.
**Share A Reflection**
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16A0067:C3009629A010612CC4D464E5869DAB6AB4B847859706E37D&
Dharma Quote from Snow Lion Publications
December 15, 2011
Dharma Quote of the WeekThe practice of Dharma is to pacify the afflictions and concepts that fill our minds. When we blend the teachings with our minds, the power of the Dharma can act upon and pacify afflictions and concepts. If on the outside we look like Dharma practitioners while on the inside our Dharma practice has not diminished our afflictions or concepts, we merely call ourselves practitioners without actually being one. This is not to say that outer behavior, our reflection in the world, is not important, but what is crucial is to train in taming our minds. What we tame are the three main afflictions: ignorance, attachment, and aversion. Ignorance, the root of the two others, is defined as the continual fixation on our self that we assume to be permanent and independent. This ego-clinging is the main cause for our cycling in samsara. We wish to be in paradise for our own advantage; we wish to erase all suffering for our own advantage. We cling to this “I” of ours, thinking that it is so special that we should not be bothered with problems but enjoy wealth, power, and charisma. If we honestly look into our minds, it is quite easy to see this kind of coarse and obvious grasping to a self. There are also subtle forms of fixating on the self (“I”) and what belongs to it (“mine”), like the quick thought of ourselves before another one comes. When practicing Dharma, we are taming this coarse and subtle clinging to an ego. If this does not happen, we will merely be able to suppress the afflictions temporarily, distancing ourselves for the time being. To cut through them completely, we must steadily apply ourselves to practice.(p.187) –from Music in the Sky: The Life, Art and Teachings of the Seventeenth Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje by Michele Martin, published by Snow Lion Publications Music in the Sky • Now at 5O% off! |
7 Spiritual Perspectives on Personal Leadership
December 15, 2011Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you is determinism; the way you play it is free will. — Jawaharlal Nehru
~~~~ Tip of the Day: “How do you deal with change? How comfortable are you with what is on your plate? Are you creating or are you resisting? The quality of your leadership depends on how you deal with the cards that you draw and how you succeed using what you got.” This article presents an approach for increasing personal mastery and leadership effectiveness, based on ancient spiritual wisdom from around the world. The seven core principles: Integrity; Confidence; Restraint; Energy; Alertness; Trust in self and in right experts; and Execution effectiveness help steer both people and organizations wisely in turbulent times. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169FDB3:C3009629A010612C6A4FD228A6A64954B4B847859706E37D&
~~~~ Be The Change: Author Dan Millman shares a brief reflection: “To Transcend, Observe Cause and Effect.” http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169FDB4:C3009629A010612C6A4FD228A6A64954B4B847859706E37D&
**Share A Reflection** http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169FDB5:C3009629A010612C6A4FD228A6A64954B4B847859706E37D&
The Gift of Generosity
December 14, 2011
|
Kindness Daily: Being Alive and Well Fed
December 14, 2011
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Stepping Out of the “Should” Trap
December 14, 2011Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me … Anything can happen, child. Anything can be. — Shel Silverstein
~~~~ Inspiration of the Day: “‘I should make more money. I should lose weight. I should volunteer more often.’ In saying ‘should’ so often, I found myself feeling trapped by a sense of obligation and expectation. I felt this vague pressure to conform to external standards, to be someone or do something. It felt like just being me wasn’t okay. I felt pushed to follow a particular path, behave in specific ways, and believe certain things. In observing my mind and growing towards a more compassionate life, I realized that I had internalized both the messages and the method of the ‘shoulds.’ Breaking free of the “should” trap included five big steps for me: understanding the trap, choosing to change, recognizing the ‘should’ in my thoughts and emotions, releasing the ‘should,’ and looking inward to find my authentic self.” Jo Holsten shares her wonderful reflection. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169FBE1:C3009629A010612C02A1FE5A1E4DD77DB4B847859706E37D&
~~~~ Be The Change: Observe your ‘should’ tendencies today — and release them.
**Share A Reflection** http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169FBE2:C3009629A010612C02A1FE5A1E4DD77DB4B847859706E37D&
Dalai Lama Foundation Study Circle Montreal 