tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56196795790517267182023-11-16T07:31:55.131-08:00Buddhist Counseling ♦ Mindfulness Therapy ♦ Dharma Study ♦ Santa Monica♦ A BUDDHIST-based, more 'alternative' approach to relating with Your Self and All Others • One-to-One Individual Therapy or Relationship Counseling • All kinds of Partnering issues • Difficult to communicate with or resolve feelings • Therapy for Creatives, Mavericks -gifted, artistic, sensitive, smart, cerebral people - yet 'existentially' unhappy people • Maybe a more Maverick Spirited inner-quest to nourish a compassionate iconoclast intelligence and a kind Big Good-Hearted Mind can.
Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5619679579051726718.post-20352910988549021332012-08-02T17:24:00.000-07:002015-08-02T19:51:38.158-07:00Getting To The Setting ! <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Hi & Welcome !</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We're so very glad that the sense</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">of a "Living Inquiry" <em>in you</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">is well, alert & alive !</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> So be most welcome to read here</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>... AND </b></i>at this point in your 'Search' -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You've found us doing <br />some <span style="color: black;">RENOVATION</span> tweaks.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>So we need to <span style="color: #990000;">RE-DIRECT</span> you now</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">to our most <span style="color: black;">Current </span>Updated Site -</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>HOW ?</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>...CLICK on the BUDDHA'S FACE to get there !</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">or try <span style="color: #990000;"><strong><a href="http://www.dharmahere.blogspot.com/">http://www.DharmaHere.blogspot.com/</a> </strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em><strong>"So here you are -</strong></em></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em><strong>Getting Started to Go 'Nowhere'</strong></em></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em><strong> ...well, that's 'Buddhism' for ya"</strong></em></span><br />
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<span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">___________________</span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">_/\_</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">with my palms joined</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">♦</span> </span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The <i>Laughing</i> Buddha Sangha</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Encourages A Maverick Spirited Inner-Quest through</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">a "Mindfulness-Awakening" Meditation Sitting Practice –</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">that Nourishes an 'Iconoclast Intelligence' </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">and a Big Good-Hearted Mind –</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Eventually 'me' re-discovering </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">my own 'Buddha-Nature' – provisionally </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Awakening the Compassionate Healing and </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wisdom-Insight </span><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Naturally</em> Deep Within Us All.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">" To be a Buddhist: is to be both delightfully perplexed,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">awakened and sweetened by the strangely sane,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">refreshingly 'rational' path Buddha created."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>'Thera-vada' Buddhism </b>is the very earliest, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>original </em> 'Path of The Elders'</strong> -- </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">a South Asian </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Sri Lanka lineage-based practice </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Sati'patthana or Mindfulness Meditation,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">also known as Vipassana Insight Meditation – </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">practiced right alongside the local, indigenous, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">skillful, popular </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">eclectic-mix of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">world-wide Buddhist teachings.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Beginners Very Welcome !</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">– Coming for the First Time ?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Please RSVP Ahead by Phone or Email ! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Space gets limited.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"> <a href="mailto:AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com">AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">310-450-2268 – By Donation</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">* "Suffering" the "Impermanence" & "Not-Self" of it All –</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><b>– and The Noble Eightfold Path ~ Free from it All –</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><b>is the Basic Buddhist Core Philosophy –</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"All Our Suffering in Life</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">is from our Unaware Attachments</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">that Conditionally, Continually Mistakes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">the 'Impermanent' as being Permanent."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"You are more attached to your 'desire-thoughts' <i>themselves</i> -</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">- than you are attached to the <i>actual </i>'object' of desire itself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">" What is 'accepted' by the majority of people -</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">- <b>does not </b>mean it is Real."</span></div>
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~ Gautama the Buddha, 500 BC India ~</div>
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<br />Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5619679579051726718.post-11485689925373511242012-07-23T15:57:00.002-07:002013-11-10T15:54:35.113-08:00•♦• Hi & Welcome ! •♦• ....AND at this point in your information 'search' - We need to RE-DIRECT You to our most CURRENT Updated Site - You may want to Redirect yourself now at this point.... please CLICK on the BUDDHA'S IMAGE to get there !Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5619679579051726718.post-42620649824283662892009-02-20T12:47:00.003-08:002012-08-04T13:14:47.807-07:00( 1 ) Buddhist Meditation Santa Monica • The LAUGHING BUDDHA SANGHA • Introduction to this chunky site • Classes and Retreats • Iconoclastic Quotes and Enlightened Poetry<div align="center">
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-size: large;"><strong>____________________________________________</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;"><em><strong>.</strong></em></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: verdana;"><em><strong>~ For Ease of Viewing ~</strong></em></span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: verdana;"><em><strong>please <span style="color: #990000;">MAX </span>your screen</strong></em></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><strong>"The <em>Laughing</em> Buddha Meditation Sangha"</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Keep me away from </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">the wisdom which does not cry, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">the philosophy which does not laugh, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">and the greatness which does not bow before children" </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">~ A Path With Heart ~ Kahlil Gibran</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">♦ </span>CONTACT <span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">&</span> <span style="color: black;">Site Navigation</span> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><br />Santa Monica - CA 90405 - near Santa Monica College </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="mailto:AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com">AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com</a> ~ phone: <strong>310-450-2268</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;">Best for a live phone-contact, Noon to 6pm, Mon-Fri </span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You are <strong>HERE</strong> Now: <span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://buddhistmeditationsantamonica.blogspot.com/">http://BuddhistMeditationSantaMonica.blogspot.com/</a> <span style="color: #cc0000;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is a <strong>B</strong>ig site ! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Would you like to read something much smaller ? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">For a <em>OUICKer</em>-read</span> - Two briefer sites: <em>enjoy </em>! </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">♦</span> </span></span><a href="http://www.dharmahere.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">http://www.DharmaHere.blogspot.com/</span></a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">♦ </span><a href="http://www.meetup.com/Buddhist-Meditation-Santa-Monica-Vipassana-Sangha/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">http://www.meetup.com/Buddhist-Meditation-Santa-Monica-Vipassana-Sangha/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: orange;"></span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">__________________________________________________________ </span></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana;">.</span></em></strong><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>If reading here... </em></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>please,</em> <span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">go to the <strong><span style="color: #990000;">Sidebar</span></strong> now</span><span style="color: #134f5c;"> over there </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">on your left - and </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">click on the <strong><span style="color: #990000;"># 1</span> </strong>section </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: large;">on this chatty, chunky site - </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- that will set up the <em>individual </em>sections for you.</span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">( </span><strong><span style="color: #990000;">use <em>specific</em> sections</span></strong> - <span style="color: #0c343d;">so your overall scrolling will be much shorter - </span></span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">section by section - instead of a long string of posts all lumped together )</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><em>...and Hey,</em> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;"><u>Don't</u> feel you have to <em>read everything . . </em></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;">NOT AT ALL</span> </span></em></span>- please <strong>use the side-bar</strong> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">to <em>choose</em> what seems interesting or </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">Details you need - </span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><em><strong>graze around</strong></em>... </span></span><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We hope your reading here is </span></span></span><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">challenging </span></span></span><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">~ and yet enjoyable</span> ! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />To see Current <span style="color: #38761d;"><strong>Weekly</strong></span> <span style="color: #38761d;"><strong>Monday</strong> <strong>Class</strong></span> information ? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><strong><br />Scroll about</strong> <strong><span style="color: #990000;">1/2 way</span> down</strong></span> on <u>this</u> page </span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">( page <span style="color: #38761d;">#<strong>1</strong></span> )</span> you're <strong>on</strong> right </span><span style="color: #0c343d;">now...</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">also complete <span style="color: #38761d;"><strong>Driving Details</strong></span> are found at <span style="color: #38761d;"># <strong>6</strong></span> ~ see sidebar....</span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Are You IN <em>LOVE</em> WITH LEARNING ?</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">... SEEKING AN <u>INTELLIGENT</u> SPIRITUAL PRACTICE ? </span></strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~ <em>Gosh, We Hope So</em> ! </span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br />....</span>"To be Buddhist: is to </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">be both delightfully perplexed, </span></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">awakened & sweetened </span><span style="font-size: 130%;">by the strangely sane, </span></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">refreshingly 'rational' path </span></strong></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Buddha created."</span></strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">___ ^ ____________________________________ </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">q(~?~)p <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>THE <em><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>LAUGHING</em> <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>BUDDHA <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>SANGHA </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">................</span> nourishing an iconoclast intelligence <br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">...... </span>_________________________________ </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong>. </strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">..</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: 180%;"><strong>. . . and a compassionate welcome to you</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong>. </strong></span></span><span style="color: #cc6600;"><span style="color: #009900; font-size: 180%;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">..........</span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">in these troubled times . . .</span></strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #009900; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">.....</span><span style="color: #6aa84f;">~ meditation <em>can</em> <em>certainly</em> help !</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><em>Yet,</em> " There Are NO Answers " </span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;">~ Rainer Rilke</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We're so very glad the sense of ‘Inquiry’ in you </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">is well, alert & alive ! </span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Be most welcome . . . .</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.................</span><span style="color: #999900;">~ currently ~</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-size: 180%;">...................</span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-size: 180%;"><strong><span style="color: #666600;">MONDAYS</span></strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.....................</span><span style="color: #666600;">Santa Monica 7:30-9:30 pm</span></span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: georgia;">It was the Best of times ~ It was the Worst of times </span></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: georgia;">It was the age of Wisdom ~ It was the age of Foolishness </span></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: georgia;">It was the epoch of Belief ~ It was the epoch of Incredulity </span></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: georgia;">It was the season of Light ~ It was the season of Darkness<br />It was the spring of Hope ~ It was the winter of Despair </span></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: georgia;">We had Everything before us ~ We had Nothing before us </span></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: georgia;">We were all going direct to Heaven ~ </span></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">We were all going direct the Other way.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 85%;">..</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: georgia;">A Tale of Two Cities ~ 1859</span> </span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #336666; font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Charles Dickens'</span></strong> <strong>19th-century opening lines perfectly describe today's climate.<br />Undeniably, we all now know deep in our bones, these are difficult times.<br />Yet come to recognize that these times are ALL a Good 'Practice Opportunity' !<br /><em>They may as well be</em>.... we're all going thru it <em>together </em>anyway....</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">"Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undistorted.<br />Only in a quiet mind is a <em>more complete perception</em> of the world."</span> </span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: arial;">~ Hans Margolius</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>*</strong></span><span style="font-size: large;">In these over-stressful times, </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">we are very, very sincere </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">about <strong>encouraging you</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">to <strong>take up</strong> <em>or</em> <strong>continue</strong> </span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">with full strength & faith ~ </span><span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">a <strong>Meditation</strong> sitting-practice - </span><span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">here<em> or elsewhere</em> - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #336666;">as </span><span style="color: #336666;">a </span><span style="color: #336666;">great preventative, </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: large;">or as an adjunct </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: large;">to other healings, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: large;">or as a powerful vaccine </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: large;">'antidote' to negative-mind viral... </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cc9933;">______________________________________________________</span></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-size: x-large;">The <em>Laughing </em>Buddha Sangha <span style="color: #cc0000;">•</span> Santa Monica</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">We're So Glad <strong>Your </strong>Accrued Good Karma Brought You Here!</span><span style="font-size: 130%;">. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: verdana;"><em><br /><span style="color: #990000;">"The Doors of Perception will open w i d e for you"</span></em></span> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Aldous Huxley</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc6600;"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><em><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana;">*</span>Friends,</em> if this Blog seems like all TOO much reading </strong>~<strong> </strong></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc6600;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">.....</span>well then, <span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>just don't</em> <em>read</em> <em>all of it</em></span> </strong>~ <strong>go to our side-bar</strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cc6600;"><span style="color: #336666;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">........</span>select & <span style="color: #741b47;"><em>read only some </em></span></strong></span></span><span style="color: #cc6600;"><span style="color: #336666;"><strong><span style="color: #741b47;"><em>pieces and parts</em></span> of it... </strong></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">............. </span></span></strong><span style="font-family: arial;"><em>and just enjoy -</em> read very slowly <em>- slow is good</em></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">................. </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Ouick-read</span> briefer blog: </strong></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #cc6600;"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><strong></strong></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc6600;"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.....................</span><a href="http://www.dharmahere.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><strong>http://www.DharmaHere.blogspot.com</strong></span></a></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms';"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #660000;"><strong>Planing to Attend our</strong> <em><strong>Weekly Class</strong></em> <strong>for the very First Time ?</strong> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: arial;">Full Driving <span style="color: #660000;"><strong>DIRECTIONS and DETAILS</strong>: see <span style="color: #990000;"># <strong>6</strong></span> on the side-bar,</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: arial;">also read a bit in <span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #990000;">#<strong> 2</strong></span> </span><span style="color: #336666;">and </span><span style="color: #990000;">#<strong> 3</strong></span> to get some flavor of what we're about. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: arial;">Questions? call us: 310-450-2268 <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>~<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>email: </span><a href="mailto:AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: arial;">AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com</span></a><span style="color: #336666; font-family: arial;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Arial;"><strong>___________________________________________________________________</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-size: 180%;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><em>Upcoming</em> RETREAT ANNOUNCEMENTS</span></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.....</span><a href="http://www.againstthestream.org/pdfs/Akasa_June_Daylong.pdf">http://www.againstthestream.org/pdfs/Akasa_June_Daylong.pdf</a> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong></strong></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>"So here you are - </strong></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Getting Started to Go 'Nowhere' </strong></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><em> well,</em> that's 'Buddhism' for ya..."</strong></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our next <strong>One-Day Retreat</strong>: <strong>Saturday</strong> <strong><span style="color: #990000;">JUNE 11</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">at<em> Against the Stream /</em> ATS Santa Monica Center </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><strong><em>Please SAVE the Date on your Calendar</em> <em>!</em></strong></span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">for complete Retreat description/details at <span style="color: #cc0000;">#<strong>1 A</strong> </span><span style="color: #134f5c;">on this blog </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">~or~ </span></span></span><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>______________________________________</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>__________________________________________________________</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Come let's sit meditation and learn together, </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and observe what arises - and explore & talk about it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meditation will also invite some Rocky Road stuff </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and deep issues </span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">to stumble on, yet we also </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em>must eventually</em> compassionately encounter 'em - </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">You'll regain <em>even better</em> Balance afterwards. Meditation builds unshakable inner-strength ! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">so please bravely step forward Mindfully... </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">to sit in silence and kindness to yourself "</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><strong>Traveling "The Path of NO Expectations" </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><strong><em>using Insecurity / Instability / Impermanance </em></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">as <em>Very</em> Great Teachers if <em>used</em> very skillfully !</span> </strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em>Buddha once said</em>: </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Just as the Elephant's Footprint is the biggest footprint on the whole jungle floor - in human life "<strong>Impermanence</strong>" is our <strong>biggest</strong> <strong>teacher</strong>". Conscious or not, our relationship to impermanence colors <em>absolutely all</em> our other relationships. Young or old - when well practiced - you can be at peace and 'present' during your big, small, or whatever your 'final' end-moments of any experience is. "Let the Truth of Impermanence <em>overcome</em> your fear of impermanence. <em>Include</em> "Impermanence" mindfully in your very own life." ( from 'A Paradoxical Teaching on Precisely What We Don't Want' )</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 100%;">.</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong>__________________________________________</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>" The Path of</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>NO Expectations ! "</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">"In the stillness – space for a rebellious spirit "</span> </strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">~ Noah Levine ~</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 78%;">..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Learn Buddhist Path-techniques</span></em></strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">to mindfully, skillfully and </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">wisely balance</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><strong><em>What's Not Enough</em></strong> -with-<strong> <em>What's Enough</em></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Cut thru <strong>'Am I Good Enough' ???</strong> Old Dead Stories &</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Judging-Mind about <strong>Perfection</strong> or <strong>Imperfection</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">by building-in & compassionately applying </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Buddha's<strong> "Wisdom of Instability Teachings"</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">'Receiving' ALL of yourself with Kindness.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>"No Expectations - No Disappointments"</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial;">( Less Demands, less Entitlement & less Preferences ) </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Becoming User-Friendly with Flaws, Failure,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Upset & Betrayal. Skillfully dealing with</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the Transitory, Illusory and Painful. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><strong>Develop 'Big-Mind' </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">-<strong> </strong></span>strengthened, smart & sweetened -</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Full Mindfulness to <em>Whatever is Happening</em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><em><strong>Allowing </strong>Everything</em> that we experience</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">moment to moment to simply be Here</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">– <em>because 'it' already is.</em></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>.</em></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>..</em></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">"The Present Moment <em>itself,</em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong>is <em>always</em> Good Enough."</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">Perfectly Imperfect. Imperfectly Perfect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Being <em>really </em>OK with 'The What Is' - <strong><em>As it is.</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: verdana;">Growing a 'Mind' you <em>actually</em> like.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffcc66;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Verdana;"><strong>_____________________</strong></span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #660000;">Akasa Levi -</span></strong> <span style="color: #073763;">went to live in Asia for the full decade of the 70's to be with the last living spiritual teachers of the pre-global era. Initiated by Lama Thubten Yeshe in Nepal - Sri Munindra in Bodhgaya, India - and Goenka & Nisargadatta in Bombay. He was a Buddhist forest monk for six years in Sri Lanka, trained & ordained by Bhante Ananda Maitreya. Akasa is now a Bodhi-Acharya 'lineage-holder' of the Theravada teaching-transmission. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( please see <strong>full profile</strong> on sidebar ) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong><span style="color: #660000;">What Retreats <em>Always</em> Offer</span></strong> the necessary deeper <strong>"immersion-time </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>experiences"</strong> <em>so often missing</em> in somewhat shorter meditation sitting – <em>a more committed <strong>working 'relationship'</strong></em> with the meditation practice in an urban sanctuary setting to safely lay aside all daily-demands. An easy-going day of instruction & discussion, sitting meditation and walking awareness practices. These retreats are suitable for both beginners, and more experienced meditators. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">There becomes <strong>No evaluating</strong> or <strong>'judging' </strong>in your meditation. <strong>No </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>urgency</strong>. <em>Actually living a 'practice'</em> through a mature </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">philosophy of "It's All Good" <em>that is NOT just </em>a cliche – it's a life now trusting and receptive. <em>C</em></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>ontinually being clarified, strengthened and sweetened</em> by a "Dharma-informed" </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">meditation practice. An 'Undemanding-mind' </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">with </span></span><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">a smart, fine critical-thinking wisdom capacity. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">. . .</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia;">.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>"Good Enough to be 'present in the moment' </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>when I am p<u>resent</u> </strong></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>in the moment. </strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And <em>that’s</em> enough."</span> </span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">...and we will discuss the main "Buddhist Teaching of Sufficiency" –</span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">starting </span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to mindfully moderate <strong>'What's Not Enough' </strong>with<strong> 'What's</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Enough'</strong> in </span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">our everyday lives. </span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">A very reasonable practice-path of</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">realizing that </span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">all this leads to <em>true </em>freedom.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">. </span><span style="color: #339999; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>______________________________________________________</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #339999;">____________________________________________________</span></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #339999; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>Monday Classes . . . . . </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>Monday Classes . . . . . </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #339999; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>Monday Classes . . . . . </strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #009900; font-family: verdana; font-size: 180%;">IN LOVE WITH <strong>LEARNING</strong> ?</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #339999;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 100%;">.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #339999;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong>BUDDHIST MEDITATION</strong>: </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #339999; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;">Simply The Power of Much More Inner-Silence </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: x-large;"><em></em></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: x-large;"><em><br />Getting Really <span style="color: #76a5af;">Quiet</span> Inside ~ </em></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;"><em>.</em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: verdana;"><em>Classes to Nourish an 'Iconoclast Intelligence'</em></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: red;">♦ </span><span style="color: #336666;">The <i>Purpose</i> of Vipassana Insight Meditation Practice</span></strong></span><span style="color: #336666;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>Vi.pass.ana</strong> in the Pali-language of the original Buddhist teachings – </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">is the simple and direct practice of ‘moment-to-moment’ mindfulness. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">Through careful 'sustained observation', we experience <em>directly</em> for </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">ourselves the ever-changing flow of the mind/body process. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">This keen </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">awareness leads us to accept more fully the pleasure </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">and pain, fear </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">and joy, sadness and happinessthat life inevitably</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">brings to all our </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">‘experiences’. As Insight-Awareness deepens,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">we develop greater </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">equanimity and peace - in the face of Change.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">Wisdom and </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">Compassion <em>increasingly become</em> the </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">major Dharma </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">guiding-</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">principles </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;">‘informing’ our lives. </span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">~ Joseph Goldstein</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">• </span><span style="color: #660000;">Buddhist Insight Awareness Meditation </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">Class</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em><span style="color: #990000;">ONGOING</span></em> Year-round 2011 ~ in Santa </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: large;">Monica </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">OPEN GROUP:</span> <span style="color: #20124d;">7:30 pm - 9:30 pm</span> <span style="color: #990000;">Monday</span></strong><span style="color: #990000;"> </span><strong><span style="color: #990000;">Evenings <em>Include</em>:</span><span style="color: #993300;"> </span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">• </span><strong>Guided Instruction</strong> – a 35 minute Silent Meditation – </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">after-sit pointers.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">• </span><strong>Dharma Talk</strong> and Wisdom-Understanding Theory-Study </span></span></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">with Plenty of Q&A, </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dialogue, lively Discussion & Satsang. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #e69138;"><span style="color: orange;">•</span> </span><strong>Metta-style 'Loving-Kindness' meditation</strong> or Sacred </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Poetry to conclude. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong><span style="color: orange;"><span style="color: #e69138;">•</span> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">'A Path With Heart'</span> ~</span></strong></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Vipassana Insight Meditation </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and Mindfulness Deep Inner-Work.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The highly popular Buddhist meditation instruction-book </span></span></span><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">for all classes we do is <strong><span style="color: #741b47;">'A Path With Heart'</span></strong> by Jack Kornfield, </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">one of America's foremost Buddhist teachers. </span></span><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is our only 'required' text for class-study </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: large;">+ plus some optional </span></span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">occasional free handouts </span></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and some free online readings & lectures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">BTW: the <span style="color: #990000;"># <strong>2</strong></span><strong> </strong>section on side-bar also has </span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">some </span></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">good, brief <strong>Definitions of Meditation</strong>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #76a5af;">__________________________________________________________</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;"><em><strong>Plan Ahead</strong></em> - please make your phone inquiries now ... </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">It's sort of an eccentric, <em>odd</em> class ~ <strong><em>at least check it out</em> !</strong> </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Class is a small, intimate 'salon'-setting - sometimes space gets limited. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Come <strong><span style="color: #741b47;">ANY Monday</span></strong>... at least for a one-time visit ~ see if it works</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">for you, your heart & intellect. Please read more in <strong>this</strong> Buddha-</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">blog. </span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>Enjoy</em> !</span><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">__________________________________________________ ________________________________________________</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"> </span></span>.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*</span><em>Please Read</em> About Us ...</strong></span>.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">this little part is <em>super uber</em>-important </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>We do a DHARMA SATSANG evening ~ </em></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>We inter-actively engage </strong></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>in wise-heart </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"><strong>'CONVERSATIONS on AWAKEN.MENT' ~ </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Getting us out from behind <strong>"Belief"</strong> as a whole – </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">and the so limiting <strong>Grand Delusion of "Self"</strong>. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #073763;">We offer <strong>Buddhism without Any Beliefs </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">towards an <em>authentic </em></span><span style="font-size: 130%;">Uncompromised Awakening. </span><span style="font-size: 78%;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">A much more Outside-The-Box-Buddhism </span><span style="font-size: 130%;">for </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">a <em>much more</em> Maverick Spirited Inner-Quest.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yet, with strong regard for individual spiritual experiences, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">with an open heart and free thought and creative expression,.</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The <em>Laughing</em> Buddha Sangha strives to be both erudite, </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">eclectic, enlightening & entertaining in it's relation to the "illusory".</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;">The <em>Laughing </em>Buddha Sangha offers <em>the original</em> Traditional Buddhist<br />Theravada Lineage-based Practice of Vipassana Insight Meditation for </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">an <strong>un-decorated clarity of view</strong> of 'The Presence of Mindfulness' within...</span><br />
<span style="color: #76a5af;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>____________________________________________</strong> </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></span>.</span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #45818e;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><em>Please continue to read more </em></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><em>About us . . .</em></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>The <em>LAUGHING</em> BUDDHA SANGHA</strong> in Santa Monica offers </span></span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">a very </span><span style="font-size: 130%;">eclectic "Inquiry into Self'" meditation sitting practice -</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">combining the calm sobriety and observation approach of </span></span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">traditional Vipassana Mindfulness with the 'crazy wisdom' </span></span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">irrationality of Zen Non-Duality which short-circuits the </span></span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">obsessive self-identified, self-centered, self-absorbed mind. </span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: xx-small;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">This practice-group encourages <strong>highly inquisitive</strong>, unruffled, </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">curious people </span><span style="font-size: 130%;">with a natural, deep love of learning – who invite </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">and </span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">even relish the profoundly abstract, </span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>and even the absurd</em>, </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">with </span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">a genuine taste for the indefinable 'existential' stuff. </span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: xx-small;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Or you may be <strong>a more 'experienced meditator'</strong> who is now seeking </span><span style="font-size: 130%;">a deeper questioning into the 'Idea of Self' - and a more de-mystifying, </span><span style="font-size: 130%;">open-minded, caring 'conversation' into Wisdom, Empathy and what is </span><span style="font-size: 130%;">Spiritual 'Reality' </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">in our Western life-style today ? We also enjoy some poetry, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">and hearty, healthy laughing !</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Yet our modern, eclectic practice is <em>always informed</em> by the unembellished, </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">ancient, traditional </span><span style="font-size: 130%;">Theravada Buddha Dharma for clarity of view.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #76a5af;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">_________________________________________________ </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>"In the stillness – </strong></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>space for a rebellious spirit "</strong> <em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">~ Noah Levine</span></em></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><em>..</em></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">"<strong>BUDDHA: A JOYOUS ICONOCLAST</strong>" <strong>Class Series ~ </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">A Dharma-Study Series </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">offers a <em>much more</em> outside-the-box-Buddhism ! </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Rebellious, heart-filled 'heresy' for a more maverick spirited inner-quest - by </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">nourishing an <strong>iconoclast intelligence</strong> & <strong>compassionate critical thinking</strong> </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">with a tender, caring heart - thru some refreshing, risky, even 'radical' spiritual </span></span><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">considerations of Absolute 'Reality' that opens us to the <em>uncompromised truths</em> </span><br />
<span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of a developing "Dharma 'informed' mind".</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>When I see I am Nothing – that is Wisdom. </strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>When I see I am Everything – that is Love. </strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>And between these two, my life flows . . . . . </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Nisargadatta</span> </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">..</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>NEWCOMERS:</strong> Beginners are also </span><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">very welcome </span><br />
<span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">for <strong>an <em><u>optional</u></em></strong> <strong>Six-week Practice-Series</strong>, if you like. </span><br />
<span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">You will be very patiently guided and gently coached </span><br />
<span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">during the whole entire course. </span><br />
<span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Newcomers are asked to <strong><em>please</em> <em>inquire first by Phone</em></strong>, </span><br />
<span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">so we can talk a bit - </span><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and see if 'open group' </span><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">or </span><br />
<span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the 'elective optional class' is suitable<em> </em>for you. </span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>Thank You, Hope to C Ya....</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>_________________________________________________________</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc6600;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #f1c232;">_______________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________</span> </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">For <strong><span style="color: #990000;">more information</span></strong> please use the <strong>phone</strong> to speak with Akasa directly </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">about our smaller, more human-sized, intimate classes. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Don't be shy – </span></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">speaking with the teacher is ½ the 'practice'. </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">You <em>accelerate</em> your learning !</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Best phone-times:</strong> Noon to 6 pm Mon-Fri - 310-450-2268 ~ </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">if VM answers, </span></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">plz leave a complete message: email too, if you wish. </span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>_______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________</strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">" TO KNOW THY SELF • CONSTANTLY QUESTION ~ </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">...Take Nothing On Belief " </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">" What is accepted by the majority of people ~ </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><em>does not mean</em> it is Real " </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">~ The Buddha 500 BC </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>So</em> ... </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">“How Far Down The Rabbit Hole Do You <em>Really </em>Want To Go ?" </span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Lewis Carroll - 'Alice Through The Looking Glass'</span> .</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">" Good timber does not grow with ease. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">The stronger the wind ~ the stronger the trees." </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Willard Marriot</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">..BE the changes you want to see in the world." . .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">~ Gandhi </span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>" The Greatest Risk Is Not Taking One "</strong></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><strong>MAY WISDOM & COMPASSION FOREVER FLOURISH !</strong></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">_______________________________________ _____________________________________ </span><br />
<span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000;">THE <em>LAUGHING </em>BUDDHA SANGHA ~</span> </span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">phone: <strong>310 - 450 - 2268</strong> </span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">email: AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com - </span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Please try n’ inquire <strong><em>by phone</em></strong>: </span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">310-450-2268. <em>E</em></span><em><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">mail if ya' have to ... </span></em></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Emails do tend to get lost in the inbox, </span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Contact by phone is still <em>really</em> the best. </span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><strong>Best phone-time Noon to 6pm, Mon/Fri</strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">or <strong>leave a Voice Mail, with your email too</strong>. </span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Let's really talk n' see if this 'odd' class </span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">is possibly even for you. </span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">If you <strong>do</strong> wish to leave your email address, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><strong>speak slowly, very clearly</strong> – </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">so we can email <strong>Info & Directions</strong> to you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><em>Let's talk first if we can</em>... <em>Thanks folks ~ </em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: 130%;">____________________________________________________ </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">.</span>..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: red;">-:¦:- </span>VIPASSANA</strong> &<strong> ZEN MINDFULNESS</strong> ~ Mondays 7:30 - 9:30 pm </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span>MEDITATION Practice & DHARMA Study - guided by Akasa Levi </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span>Opening the "Iconoclastic-Mind" - Buddhism Without Any Beliefs. <span style="color: #cccccc;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span>Outside~The~Box~Buddhism for a Maverick Spirited Inner-Quest. <span style="color: #cccccc;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span></span><a href="http://buddhistmeditationsantamonica.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">http://buddhistmeditationsantamonica.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"> ( meets weekly )</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.<br />.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: red;">-:¦:-</span></strong> The<strong> SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD</strong> THERAPY & COUNSELING Project </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span>Buddhist-based, more Alternative Approach to Relating with Your 'Self' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span>Individual One-On-One Therapy & Relationship Counseling for Couples, <span style="color: #cccccc;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span>Partnerings, Friendships & Workplace "Reaching Out to Reach Deep In"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">......</span><a href="http://buddhistcounselingtherapy.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">http://buddhistcounselingtherapy.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="color: #cccccc;">...</span>( free phone consult )</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.<br />.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: red;">-:¦:- </span>The ZEN MEN</strong> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Inner-Growth Groups explore a Man's Deeper Core Issues </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span>"<em>Every Guy</em> could use being in a Men's Group at some time in his life" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span>Men learning to trust & support each other in making important changes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span>"Good Men Becoming Even Better Men !"<span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span>( group meets once weekly ) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span><a href="http://zenmensgroup.blogspot.com/" title="http://zenmensgroup.blogspot.com/
CTRL + Click to follow link">http://zenmensgroup.blogspot.com/</a> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Please GO READ MORE ! <em>Enjoy</em> ! ~ select at the sidebar</span></span></div>
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</div>Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5619679579051726718.post-39409489122282699822009-02-15T16:48:00.000-08:002013-10-15T16:29:48.640-07:00( 1A ) Next Upcoming One-Day RETREAT Daylong<div style="text-align: left;">
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Please <span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>MAX </strong></span>your screen for a better view</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Daylong Meditations in The Dharma -</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">guided by former Buddhist forest monk Akasa Levi </span></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: black;">q(~?~)p</span> The <em>LAUGHING</em> BUDDHA MEDITATION SANGHA </strong></div>
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Classes & Retreats in Santa Monica guided by Akasa Levi </div>
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the best phone-time for 'live' inquiry: Noon to 6 pm </div>
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email AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com ~ phone <strong>310-450-2268 </strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For all our <strong>Meditation Class info</strong>, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">go here a more <strong>QUICK-read</strong> brief Details:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><a href="http://www.dharmahere.blogspot.com/">http://www.DharmaHere.blogspot.com/</a></strong></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>"Forgiving Our Fathers" </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span> </span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">a <strong><u><em>Pre</em></u>-Father's Day</strong> Meditation Retreat</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One-Daylong: <strong>Saturday</strong> - <strong>June __</strong> - with Akasa Levi</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">at Santa Monica / 9 am to 5 pm</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We've <u>all</u> had to have biological Fathers, </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">or else we just wouldn't be here. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But did we have 'Good-Enough Fathering' ? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em>Well, that's a whole other story...</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This will be a day of 'Forgiveness-work' on <u>us</u>, </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">our fathers, our family, mates and any others. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For many of us this will be a sane positive beginning, </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and as ongoing deep inner-work.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>ONE-DAY of Meditation </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>that will set us up a full WEEK <em>BEFORE</em> Father's Day </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">so we can really give ourselves <u>adequate time <em>beforehand</em></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to practice Forgiveness-techniques on our own for a week</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">at home with short contemplative meditation sittings –</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">or <em>for whatever amount of time you wish to devote to it.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Using gentle-approaches we will learn on the Daylong</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">that will lead us confidently to that auspicious Big Sunday,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">whether or not we do make the trip home or just in memory.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">" Forgiveness is giving up <u>all</u> hope for a <em>better</em> past.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">There is no future without forgiveness."</span> <span style="color: #666666;">~ Desmond Tutu</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">" <strong>Forgiveness is Possible</strong> – and how we can start using this timeless Forgiveness practice to transform emotional wounds into an authentic healing, and a way out of our pain. As compassion arises <em>more naturally</em>, we see how Forgiveness can be practiced as a <strong>'Gift' </strong>we give – not only to others – <em>but ultimately to ourselves</em>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Forgiveness has the awesome power</strong> to ripen forces of purity such as Love. Forgiveness creates the space for a life-renewal, a life now free from bondage to the past. Forgiveness dissolves separation and relieves us of the twin burdens of lacerating guilt and perpetually unresolved outrage. It is not so easy to access that hurt place inside of us that can forgive, that can love again. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Remember, it is much more difficult to forgive, than not to forgive ! </em></span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we are held prisoner by the 'resentment', the pain, the shame, anger, confusion, doubt or the sense of betrayal - <strong>our present life just cannot be fully lived.</strong> The unwelcome inheritance we carry from the past, function to close our hearts and thereby narrow our world. Yet 'Forgiveness' does not mean condoning a harmful action, or denying an injustice done. Forgiveness should never be confused with being passive toward violation or abuse. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <strong>core-intention</strong> of true ‘Forgiveness’ </span><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">arises <u>directl</u>y out of the greatest </span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">compassion <strong>for ourselves </strong></span></em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">– so that we can create the spacious, wide </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">open conditions </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">for an unobstructed love." ~ Jack Kornfield</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Forgive and be free.</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><em>Forget</em> that you have forgiven -</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">- and <em>be even freer</em> !</span> <span style="color: #666666;">~ The Buddha ~.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>A cultivatable ‘capacity’ for Forgiveness <em>needs</em> to be available in order for us to truly Love. And there's certainly an endless abundance of <em>authentic</em> ‘Practice Opportunities’ when ‘working’ on Forgiveness.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">This Daylong is suitable for all levels of meditation experience. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #660000;">Beginners are very welcome !</span></strong> Guided sitting instruction, Practice-techniques, Dharma-talks that help us explore life-related themes, new awakening approaches, and lively Q & A discussion - and there's lots of welcome noble-silence too.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"A change of Heart changes <em>Everything</em> "</span> </span><span style="color: #666666;">~ Max Lucado </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">" Holding onto resentment </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">is <em>letting someone else punish <u>us</u>.</em> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The “Act of Forgiveness” is </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">an act of mercy <em>to yourself</em> !"</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What Silent Meditation Retreats <em>ALWAYS</em> Offer... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">is <em>the very necessary</em> deeper <strong>"immersion-time experiences"</strong> <br />
so <em>often missing</em> in shorter meditation sittings. Retreats help you gradually build-in a consistent </span><span style="color: black;">"working-relationship" with the meditation practice - so you can cultivate and </span><span style="color: black;">stabilize an aware, wise, Dharma-informed intellect, a peaceful body-stillness, </span><span style="color: black;">and a compassionate, calm equilibrium and emotional renewal, in a supportive </span><span style="color: black;">space <em><strong>to continually re-awaken yourself</strong></em> to being "present in this moment" in </span><span style="color: black;">silent-living for a sanctuary-day of sustained mindfulness and inner-inquiry. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>This Daylong is appropriate for ALL levels of meditation experience. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><strong><em><span style="color: #660000;">Beginners are very welcome !</span></em></strong> ... and certainly those with more expeience.</span></span><strong><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Guided sitting instruction</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, Practice-techniques, Dharma-talks that help us </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">explore love-related themes, new awakening-approaches, and there's lively </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Q & A discussion - and there's lots of welcome noble-silence too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>an <span style="color: #990000;">IMPORTANT Detail !!</span></strong> – <em>please</em> <strong><span style="color: #990000;">BRING your own LUNCH</span> </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">and water bottle<strong> <em>with you</em> </strong></span><span style="color: black;">– <u>To Eat Mindfully Here</u> – so you </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><em>do not interrupt</em> your sensitive </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'meditation-mind' mid-way </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to go out searching for food. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #660000;">BRING:</span></strong> water bottle, notebook, pen, maybe a light blanket/shawl, </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">easy on-off shoes </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and non-binding clothes. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have <strong>chairs </strong>and<strong> cushions</strong> available. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #660000;">COST:</span> </strong>$50 and the optional offering of Dana to the teacher. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No one is ever turned away for lesser or lack of funds - </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">email or call for scholarship and/or work-study information </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">or to <strong>Pre-REGISTER</strong> now -or- email us at </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">for Questions / Hesitations etc. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This Daylong will be held at </span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">AKASA LEVI</span></strong> <span style="color: black;">- an American filmmaker and student of the Gurdjief 'Work' </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">that went to live in Asia for the full decade of the 1970's to be directly </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">with the last living spiritual teachers of the pre-global era. He was mentored </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">by Lama Thubten Yeshe & Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan, Nepal - Munindra </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">& Goenka in Bodhgaya, India - and by Nisargadatta Maharaj in Bombay. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Akasa was a forest bhikkhu monk for six years in Sri Lanka - trained and </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ordained into the Theravada monastic order by the revered Bhante Ananda </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maitreya and Kassapa Mahathera. Now 70, he guides Vipassana insight </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">meditation at The <em>Laughing</em> Buddha Sangha in Santa Monica - and offers </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">buddhist-based counseling-therapy and mindful-life coaching. Akasa is </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">known for his spontaneity, ready warmth and wry unpredictable humor.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">" <strong>Metta </strong>~ The Relationship Your Heart Longs For... </span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">... <em>Already </em>Exists within You ! " </span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>for more full picture of Retreat & <span style="color: #e06666;"><strong>Details:</strong></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong></strong></span></em></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>Day-long Retreats are very suitable for Beginners !</strong> </span></span></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">" A day of heart/mind training will really begin </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to set you up in the <em>right </em>direction -<br />
or allow you to deepen the work </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">you have already begun.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the stillness – space for a rebellious spirit."</span></span> <span style="color: #666666;">~ Noah Levine</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>And the <em>Next</em> Upcoming Retreat </strong></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #660000;">is on</span> <span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong>"REALITY" ~ What is it ?</strong> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #660000;"><strong>this Fall 2011 ~</strong> TBA </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">with former buddhist forest monk Akasa Levi </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">at ~ stay tuned.... </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Why are you so unhappy ?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Because 99.9 per cent</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">of everything you think,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">and of everything you do,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">is for yourSelf –</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">and there isn't one.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">~ Wei Wu Wei ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>" Buddhist practice <em>literally</em> has 'Nothing' to offer you –<br />
other than what is in THIS very moment. That’s all.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>God(s), Goddesses, religion, entities and the ego-self</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #660000;"><em>can certainly</em> attract you with so, so, so much more! "</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">~ Henri Van Zeyst ~</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;"><em>Remember </em>~ <strong>Whatever 'It' is – It's just a “Thought”.</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em>and also please remember that . . .</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">L<span style="color: #4c1130;">o</span>ve exists <em>only</em> in the True Friendship. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: large;">L<strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">o</span></strong>ve is True Friendship <em>set on Fire</em> <span style="color: #cc0000;">!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">~ Jeremy Taylor - 1657 ~</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;"><em>Natural </em>Dharma</span> </strong></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;">guides us in the </span><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>practical necessity</em> of creating </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">our own clear <em>relationship 'language of kindness'</em> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: small;">and skillful actions </span></span><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: small;">arising from a compassionate </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">and yet <em>correct-view</em> of 'What Is'. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><em>...and How to do this in a warm, natural, </em></strong></span></span><span style="color: #4c1130;"><em><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>flexible yet uncontrived, uncompromised way? </strong></span></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><em><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><em><span style="font-size: small;">How do we "do" Relationship in our lives with full </span></em></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;"><em>feeling and integrity, while at the </em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;"><em>same time </em></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;"><em>do a Buddhist-practice of cultivating an awakened </em></span><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>non-attachment ? </em> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong> </strong></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">" The Buddhist <strong>absence</strong> of 'Attachment' – </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">is <em>not necessarily</em> at all, in <em>any way, </em></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">the absence of <strong><em>profound</em> Loving</strong>."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">~ Ananda Maitreya ~</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: small;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meditation is coming soon to a mind near you !</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The most common <em>attachment-mistake </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">in creating one's own personal suffering </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">is <em><strong>to take the Impermanent</strong></em> for Permanent." </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">T</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">he Buddhist-ideal: the Absence of 'Attachment' – </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">is NOT necessarily, in any way whatsoever, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the absence of a profound Loving ! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The True Reality of 'Experiencing': </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">is <u>How</u> I personally <em>experience - </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'<u>Experiencin</u>g' <em>itself - </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>and that may have to change</em> !</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Buddhist Practice is always all about </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>OBSERVING OBSERVING OBSERVING</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Observing One's Self and becomeing truly, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>authentically</em> Self-Conscious, <em>consciously</em> !</span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial;">.</span></div>
Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5619679579051726718.post-48291134979953489932008-09-11T23:34:00.000-07:002012-05-01T17:00:07.104-07:00DEFINITIONS of Meditation - and some enlightening Moon Poems<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For Ease of Viewing – please <strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">MAX</span></strong> your screen -</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">re-set your zoom, if you can, from 100% to 125%</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span>q(~?~)p <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THE <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><em>LAUGHING</em> <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>BUDDHA <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>SANGHA</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">................... </span>nourishing an iconoclast intelligence </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #999900; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">........</span>_____________________________________</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Planning to <strong>First Time</strong> Attend our Class ?</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">Full <span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>DIRECTIONS</strong> & <strong>DETAILS</strong>:</span> see <span style="color: #cc0000;">#<strong> 6</strong></span> on side-bar - </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">also read <span style="color: #cc0000;"># <strong>1, # 2</strong></span> & <span style="color: #cc0000;"># <strong>3</strong></span> to get more flavor of what we're about </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">phone: <strong>310-450-2268</strong> <span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span>~<span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span> email: </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;"><a href="mailto:AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com">AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com</a></span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;"> <span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">__________________________________________________</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>~ currently ~</strong></span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><br /><span style="color: #e69138;">Santa Monica</span></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-size: 180%;">MONDAYS 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: 130%;"><strong>The </strong></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">“BUDDHISM” Weekly Class</span><span style="color: #330033;"></span></strong> <span style="color: #660000;">for Insight Meditation:<br /><em>Actually Living</em> </span></span><span style="color: #660000; font-size: 130%;">the "WISDOM-</span><span style="color: #660000; font-size: 130%;">PATH OF NO EXPECTATIONS”<br /><strong>is</strong> truly a Path of Abundant ‘Practice Opportunities’ that surround you.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"><strong>ALL Levels: First-timers, Newcomers & Beginners, </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Experienced Returners, Regulars or Irregulars</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Spring / Summer 2010 continuously </strong></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #990000;">Ongoing</span></em> </strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>Please Be Welcome to Inquire by phone</strong></span></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>Info</strong> for Retreats / Events are always found </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">at section <span style="color: #cc0000;"># <strong>5</strong></span> via our sidebar at left</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">because of The National Depression </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;">Epidemic, Akasa-ji has to work most weeknights, and so</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #660000;"><strong><span style="color: #e69138;">•</span> <span style="color: #990000;">The OPEN Weekly Evening Class</span></strong> with Akasa Levi - is now combined</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">with an<strong> </strong>( all levels )<strong> <span style="color: #990000;">Study-</span></strong></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Group Nite</strong></span> </span><span style="font-size: 130%;">for Beginning S</span></span><span style="color: #660000; font-size: 130%;">tudents,<br />as well as more 'experienced' meditation students with a 'practice'. </span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><br /><span style="color: #990000;">MONDAYS </span></strong><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #e69138;">•</span> <strong>7:30 - 9:30 PM</strong> <span style="color: #e69138;">•</span> <strong>Santa Monica</strong> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #e69138;">•</span><strong><span style="color: #e69138;"> </span>310-450-2268</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Best phone times to inquire – on any day – Noon to 6pm<br /><span style="color: #e69138;">•</span> Start or Join our Ongoing </span><span style="font-size: 130%;">Classes at <span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Any Time, Any Monday</strong> </span></span></span><span style="color: #e69138;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">•</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span><span style="color: #330099; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>a more Outside-The-Box-Buddhism </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330099; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">~for~ </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #330099;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span>a much more Maverick-Spirited Inner-Quest !</span></strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>. </strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">____________________________________________________ _______________________________________________</span> </span></strong><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><em>and also quarterly <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Retreats . . .</span></span></em></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">.</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana;">.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: purple;"><em><span style="color: #741b47;">Ask about our periodic</span></em> </span></span></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: georgia;">Relationship Daylongs</span><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana;">*</span></span></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 130%;">.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">A Compassionate<em> </em><strong><span style="color: purple;">Mindfulness</span></strong> Meditation </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #741b47;">inspired by a <em>deeper</em> exploration into our</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033;"><strong><span style="color: purple;">'Relationship-dharma'</span> </strong></span><span style="color: #741b47;">using some </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: 130%;">of the radical poetry & teachings </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">of Rilke, Rumi & The Buddha</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><strong>A Daylong Retreat into Silent Sitting</strong>in Stillness & Satsang with Akasa Levi</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><em><strong>Definitions</strong></em>:<strong> Retreats</strong></span></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">( to go into an introspective group-isolation; </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>to pull back</em> from the everyday world to give more </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #741b47;">mindful-attention </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #741b47;">to one's less clear inner-world ) </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;"><strong>.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: red;">* </span><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="color: purple;">What Retreats <em>Always</em> Offer: TIME to Sit <span style="font-family: georgia;">! ! !</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></span> </span></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">and the <em>necessary</em> deeper <strong>"immersion-time experiences"</strong> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>often lacking</em> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">in somewhat more 'casual' meditation sitting. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Meditation is </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">an <em>acquired</em> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">taste - </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">a <strong>short retreat</strong> is a </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">quick way to get it. Offering yourself </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">'periodic intensives' </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">could </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">make <strong>all the <em>'experiential-difference'</em></strong> in </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>really </em></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">establishing yourself in an </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>authentic</em> 'relationship' with </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">the meditation 'practice'. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">When your meditation </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">sitting time </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #330033; font-size: 130%;">is over for the day, you're in a <em>whole new place</em> with yourself... </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: purple;"><strong>Beginners:</strong> A 'Daylong' is <em>really</em> the very BEST way to Begin! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: 130%;">.... also see <em>much more</em> complete description about upcoming </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><strong>Retreats </strong>&<strong> Classes </strong>at section <strong><span style="color: #cc0000;"># 5</span></strong> via our sidebar up top </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;"><strong>____________________________________________________________________________ </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #330099;">"Courage is the choice that <em>something else</em> is more important than Fear." </span><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 78%;">~ Ambrose Redmond </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #993300;"><span style="color: #33cc00;"><strong><span style="color: #ffff99;"><span style="font-family: arial;">____________________________________________________________________________</span></span></strong></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></strong>.</span></span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">..</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffffcc;">.</span><br />
<strong><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">" The Journey </span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><em>Itself</em>.... IS the Destination ! "</span></span></strong><br />
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<span style="color: #663366;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><strong>Definition</strong>:</em> Buddhism ( <em>Buddhi:</em> to 'Awaken' )<span style="color: #ffffcc;">.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">...</span><strong><span style="color: #4c1130;">Buddhism was born</span></strong> from the <em>life-changing experiences</em> of Siddhartha Gautama, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the over-indulged son of a benevolent Indian king. Gautama, who historians say probably </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">lived between 580 and 480 B.C., renounced the advantages of his high social caste, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">traveling teacher to teacher to fully comprehend the true meaning of human suffering. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">In an 'ultimate revelation', Gautama became the Buddha, laying down an elaborate </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">set of sophisticated psychological ideas <em>without </em>reliance on a Diety. That human </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">beings <em>themselves</em> had, </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">through reincarnation's cycle of death & re-birth, developed </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the wholesome </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">capacity to <em>consciously</em> break from their basest urges and peacefully </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">achieve </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the freedom of complete enlightenment known as Nirvana.</span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The idea of this 'search for wisdom' and its <em>application to everyday life</em> exerted </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">a tremendous pull on Gautama, who had <em>never been fully satisfied</em> with the </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">shallow </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">explanations and exhortations of the 'religions' of his day. When some </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">wandering monks agreed to teach him, he said he found himself among men </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">who lived their faith and made him understand that <em>he</em> <em>could share</em> </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">what he </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">learned, too. This was his true higher education, reality-wisdom <strong>for Life</strong>. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">He fully understood the absolutely <em>inclusive </em><strong>inter-dependence</strong> of all of us. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">"How can I be happy if there are so many who aren't?" He decided to teach.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">~ thanks Mark Lisheron</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br />..</span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">SEEKING AN <em>INTELLIGENT</em> SPIRITUAL PRACTICE ? ~ Gosh, We Hope So <strong>!</strong> </span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">..</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>" What is accepted by the majority of people ~ </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 180%;">does not mean it is Real "</span> <span style="font-size: 85%;">~ The Buddha 500 BC</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 85%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 85%;">..</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 85%;">.</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><em><strong>Defintion</strong>: </em>Vipassana<em> </em>( <em>to turn inward; insight</em> )</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #ffcc66;"><span style="color: #ff9900;">♦</span> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #741b47;">The Purpose of Vipassana Insight Meditation</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #993300;"></span></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 78%;">.</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: verdana;">Vi.pass.ana</span></strong> in the Pali-language of the original Buddhist teachings – </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #330033;">is the simple </span></span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">and direct practice of <strong>‘moment-to-moment’ mindfulness</strong>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">Through careful </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #330033;"><em>sustained observation</em>, we experience <em>directly for ourselves</em> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #330033;">the ever-changing </span></span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">flow of </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">the mind/body process. This keen awareness leads us </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">to accept </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #330033;"><em>more fully</em> the pleasure and pain, fear and joy, sadness and happiness </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #330033;">that </span></span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">life inevitably brings to all our ‘experiences’. As insight-awareness deepens, </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">we develop greater equanimity & peace in the face of change. Wisdom and </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Compassion increasingly become <em>the major guiding principles</em> ‘informing’ </span><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">our lives.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">~ Joseph Goldstein</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 85%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 85%;">.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">" People who have tried </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">and trained themselves with this </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>simple movement of looking inward</strong> to </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">their <strong>actual</strong> nature. </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">They tell us how, over time, <em>the fear of life</em> that is the </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">source </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">and substance of all human misery and hatred of life - </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">has </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">dissolved </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">for them. </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Most are taken by surprise <em>by the quietness</em> with which </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">equanimity </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">and ease of being emerge from the shadows. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Many are tickled to see how </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">easy it all is, after all. </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">It’s not at all uncommon for someone from whom </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">the </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>fear of life</em> has departed - not even to notice it - </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">until the change in their </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">demeanor is called to their </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">attention by a friend or relative.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 78%;">.</span>Many come to <em>a new appreciation</em> for the beauty </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">of humanity's religious, </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">spiritual and philosophical efforts </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">for all these thousands of years to say </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">something true </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">and helpful </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">about reality - and to a sad new astonishment </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">at how little practical </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">help all that <em>overlooked</em> beauty </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">has yet provided us.</span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">The only thing that really recommends </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">this work is that it <em>actually works</em> - </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">people <em>actually</em> <strong>fall in love </strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>with their lives</strong>, not with some magical future </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">state of perfection, </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">but the <em>'actual perfection'</em> of present-reality. <span style="color: #666666; font-size: 78%;">~ John Sherman</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: arial;"><strong>__________________________________________________________</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #f6b26b;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>________________________________________________________</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span><span style="color: #336666; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #cc66cc;"><em>About ~</em></span> </span><span style="color: purple;"><strong>The <em>Laughing</em> Buddha Sangha</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......... </span>read more about us here below and in the various posts </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">on the <strong>sidebar</strong> like <strong><span style="color: #cc0000;"># 1 intro, #3 Overview, #5 Class Updates</span></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #333399;"><span style="color: #ff6600;">♦</span> </span><span style="color: #330033;"><strong><span style="color: #741b47;">BUDDHIST MEDITATION:</span></strong> Simply The Power of Much More Inner-Silence. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Practicing </em>Silent Sitting in Stillness with your own evolving Dharma 'Informed' Mind. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SATSANG:</span> DHARMA 'CONVERSATIONS' on AWAKEN.MENT </strong>~</span><strong> </strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A Community 'Practice of Inquiry' into the <strong>Grand Illusion of "Self"</strong> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">We offer a BUDDHISM <em>WITHOUT</em> ANY 'BELIEFS' <em>whatsoever</em> ~ </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">calmly de-conditioning<em> </em>ourselves towards an Uncompromised Awakening</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;"><strong>.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #660000;">The <em>Laughing </em>Buddha Sangha</span></strong> <span style="color: #330033;">offers the <em>original </em>Traditional Buddhist </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Theravada Lineage-based Practice of Vipassana Insight Meditation </span><span style="font-family: arial;">for an </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">un-decorated <em>clarity of view</em> to cultivating 'The Presence of Mindfulness' within...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yet, with strong regard for individual spiritual-experiences, an open heart </span><span style="font-family: arial;">and </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;">free thought </span><span style="font-family: arial;">and creative expression, The <em>Laughing </em>Buddha Sangha </span><span style="font-family: arial;">is both </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">erudite, eclectic, enlightening & entertaining in it's relation to the " illusory ".</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>Mindfully Awakening<br />the Compassionate-Insight<br /><em>Naturally</em> Deep Within Us All</strong></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="color: #666600; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">"Just the <em>Rational</em> Deeply appreciating the Mystical,<br />and the <em>Mystical</em> Deeply flavoring the Rational."</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #999999;">~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana;">•</span> </span><strong>Join our <em>Ongoing</em> CLASSES</strong> & <strong>PROGRAMS</strong> <span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana;">•</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #333399;"><strong>Weekly Classes Ongoing thru Winter/Spring 2009</strong> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Please Plan Ahead - Make your Phone Inquiries now - </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><em><strong>at least check it out !</strong></em> - space here does get limited. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Yet, we can always try 'n squeeze in one more mind – </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Join our ongoing classes <strong>at any time</strong> – <em>just call ahead</em> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 78%;">.</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><span style="color: #336666; font-family: verdana;">The <em>LAUGHING</em> <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>BUDDHA <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>SANGHA</span></strong> <strong><span style="color: #336666;">Programs</span></strong></span><span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial;"><strong> </strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">with </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">former </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Buddhist monk <strong>Akasa Levi</strong>, DhMA (D.Min) </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 78%;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #336666;">BUDDHIST MINDFULNESS MEDITATION </span></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><strong>.</strong> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #339999;">• </span>Co-ed Beginner's Meditation Sitting Groups</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span>Vipassana Insight Awareness Meditation </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.....</span>Buddhist Non-Duality Inquiry into 'Self'</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 78%;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #339999;">• </span>"The Power of Much More Inner-Silence" </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">and </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">"The Path of No Expectations" Retreats </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 78%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #339999;">• </span><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>ZEN MEN ::</strong></span> Men's Inner-Growth Peer Groups </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 78%;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #339999;">• </span>Building a large Resource Website & Archive</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;">.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>–</strong></span> <strong>The "BUDDHISM" Class</strong> <span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>–</strong></span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Weekly Theravada Zen Dharma Study Class</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">also ~ "The Spiritual Adulthood Counseling Project" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Buddhist-based Therapy & Relationship Counseling</span><a href="http://buddhistcounselingtherapy.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial;">http://buddhistcounselingtherapy.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;"><strong>____________________________________</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #ff9900;">.</span><br />.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333399; font-family: arial; font-size: 180%;">" Meditation helps to keep us</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #333399;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 180%;">from so <em>identifying</em> with<br />our own 'movies' of the mind."</span></span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">~ Joan Borysenko, M.D.</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #ffff99;"><span style="font-family: arial;">______________________________________________________________</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">____________________________________________________________</span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #009900; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><em><strong>Definitions</strong>: Here's More . . .</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">Buddhist <span style="color: #009900;">•</span> Vipas'sana <span style="color: #009900;">•</span> Insight <span style="color: #009900;">• </span></span></strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">Awareness <span style="color: #6aa84f;">•</span> Dharma </span></strong></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">• </span>Bha'vana <span style="color: #009900;">•</span> </span></strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sati.pat'thana <span style="color: #009900;">•</span> Mindfulness <span style="color: #009900;">•</span> Meditation</span></strong></span></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana;">.</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Above are the <strong><em>various</em> <em>Names in use</em></strong> - </span><span style="font-size: 130%;">that our </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Theravada Buddhist <strong>Meditation</strong> is often referred to by<span style="font-family: arial;"> ––</span></span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>'Vipassana'</strong> ( 'to turn deeply inward' )<strong> Mindfulness</strong> of one's self </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">is </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">a softening, <strong>silent sitting-style Jnana 'Yoga of The Mind'</strong>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>It </strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Observes</strong>. It doesn't try to fix, tamper, judge or psychologize. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gradually <em>training yourself</em> to just simply <strong>Sit Still</strong> in the midst of it all. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>'Sati' - </strong><strong>‘Mindfully’ attentive </strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">of the <strong>constant 'becoming' ( 'bhavana' )</strong> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">within the <em>entire </em>body-mind-process – Watching – Witnessing – </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>Observing <em>without</em> Reacting</strong>. Softly <em>allowing </em>Stillness to arise within you.<br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">After group-sitting, we do a <strong>“Dharma Satsang”</strong> - a Group Discussion about Reality. <strong></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Dharma</strong>/Truths/Natural Law - <strong>Satsang</strong>/Sangha/Community - exploring the "What Is". </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">O</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">ften <em>bringing forward</em> insight-recognition and realization of the 'true nature of things'. </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We will also help you understand some of the powerful ancient sacred </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">psychologies </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">of the basic <strong>Indian root-traditions</strong> of traditional Buddhist Vipassana, Hindu Raj </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Yoga, Advaita Jnana Yoga, and the wonderfully <em>irrational </em>Zen practices with </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">a touch of pithy Tao.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">___________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________</span> </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #333399;">~ here's a good buddhist </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #333399;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #339999;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>DEF</em>INITION</span></span></strong> </span>of <strong>'meditation' </strong>- an anglo-word</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 180%;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #000066;">MED<span style="color: #66cccc;">•</span>I<span style="color: #66cccc;">•</span>TATE</span></strong> – Latin: medi’tatus – from MEDI - </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">to be right <strong>here</strong> in the <strong>MIDDLE OF</strong> - and yet, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">be of <strong><em>neither</em> this side nor that side</strong> -<strong> </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">'to be meta-physically poised on the fence'</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">– exquisitely balanced. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">To be in an <strong>alert </strong>semi-trance-like state </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">of <em>relaxed observation</em>, where physical action </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">is <em>voluntarily </em>suspended. This enhances the </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">ability to deeply </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">observe, witness, consider, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">contemplate or simply watch </span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>without judgment, </em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>without commenting</em> or the <em>impulsive <strong>'need'</strong></em><strong> </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">to arrive at any choice or any decision or simply</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">to arrive <em>anywhere</em>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">The meditator develops the ability to 'space-out' (space-in) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">while being fully mindful & keenly awake, reducing </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">that nagging 'obsessive' thought activity; an alert, wakeful </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">but deeply </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>restful </em><strong>attentiveness</strong> <em>without</em> the <strong>driven impulse</strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">to action; to be serene, sublime, divine, tranquil and </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">be calmly passive </span><em><span style="font-size: 130%;">BUT by </span><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">voluntary choice </span></strong></em><span style="font-size: 130%;">– </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">until a <em>Wisdom-Informed Intent</em> of a 'skillful action' </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">that is <em>entirely appropriate</em> to the situation </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>naturally</em> arises & unfolds <strong>. . .</strong> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #000099;">"Becoming a true disciple of <em>your very own</em> Awareness"</span></strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">~ as Bhante says... Ideally, to be more & more free from </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">'</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">self-identified', self-conscious thinking – </span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>by choice.</em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">To <strong><em>allow</em></strong> a letting-go – and <em>to just sit there</em> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>free</strong> of 'compulsive' desire, impulse </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">and attachment. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">The Ideal Meditation: all ‘demands’ cease – </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">to be still and more at peace within. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">~ Akasa Levi</span></span><br /><span style="color: #ffff99; font-size: 130%;">_______________________________________________________________ </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #ff9900;">♦ </span>Practicing Meditation </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.....</span>Is Practicing to Keep The Heart Open</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><strong><span style="color: #660000;">Coming to our senses</span></strong> & opening our hearts - </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">is the basic sacred work of meditation. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Meditation is a way of <em>experiencing</em> the world without aggression and fear. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">A path of cultivating sanity and generating compassion, which leads to peace </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">in ourselves – which we can then, <em>each individually</em>, extend boundlessly </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">un-compromisingly out into the world.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Meditation, <em>is in itself</em>, an "act of resistance" to the inhumanity of violence, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">war and misguided human politics – whether you feel it is a ‘just’ political </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">environment or not. How do you keep your heart open in the face of anger, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">fear, disappointment and sorrow? During meditation we <em>experience </em>ways </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">spiritual practice can realistically express our love of life & bring a peaceful </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">co-existence to this world – in a skillful, responsible, pro-active way - as we </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">‘train’ ourselves <em>outside</em> of our usual framework of time & space and daily </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: arial;">responsibility - and then go back in !</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">~ Sharon Salzberg</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #f6b26b; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>_______________________________________</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><em>Definition</em>:</span> Meditation</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><strong>"Yes,</strong></span><strong><span style="color: #336666; font-family: trebuchet ms;"> this 1000 year-old wisdom-quote below<br />has enlightened many student-yogis down<br />through the centuries upon it's realization."</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: large;">.</span> </span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #330000; font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #666600; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">♦</span> "If you don't clearly understand<br />that <em>‘Whatever’</em> appears IS meditation -<br />Then what can you achieve by applying<br />a divine or spiritual ‘antidote’?<br />’Ideas’ & ‘conceptions’<br />are <em>not </em>abandoned<br />by just discarding them –<br />but are </span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #666600;"><em>spontaneously freed<br />by themselves</em> when they 'recognize'<br />and 'realize' </span></span><span style="color: #666600;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>themselves</em>as simply only an <em>illusion</em>."</span></span></strong><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 78%;">~ The Dakini Niguma 1025 AD</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;"><strong>.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;"><strong>_________________________________</strong></span><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #ffff99;"><strong><span style="color: #ffff99;">_______________________________</span></strong></span>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;">..</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Tricky Stuff, this Zen Mind</strong> ! </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">If you want to be truly free </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Get to know your </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">"No-Self-</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Consciousness" </span><span style="font-family: arial;">that </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">is <em>no longer</em> self-conscious Self. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><em>But how?</em> Just 'Know' that </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">‘The <em>real </em>Real’ has No form, No root, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">No basis, No abode, No appearance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">"What is the <em>true </em>shape of a cat ?"</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But it is lively and buoyant. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It responds with versatile facility. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><em>But how?</em> Just 'Know' that </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Its function <em>cannot</em> be located... </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Therefore when you look for it, </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">You become further from 'It'. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">When you </span><span style="font-family: arial;">seek 'It' - </span><span style="font-family: arial;">since 'It' <strong>isn't</strong> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">You turn away from ‘It’ all the more</span>.<br /><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">~ Rinzai 850 AD</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #ffff99;"><strong>______________________________________________________________ </strong></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #333399; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;"><strong>• Meditate • Inner-Inquiry • Study • Contemplate</strong></span> <span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #ffff99;"><strong>___________________________________________________________</strong></span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="_Toc194322552"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Your true </span></a><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">‘<strong>Authentic Being</strong>’</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">is <em><strong>always</strong></em> shining and free !</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="_Toc194322553"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">But human beings go make</span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">a ‘Something’ out of <em>absolutely </em>Nothing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">And get so attached to that non-something</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">– and then automatically enter the ocean</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of <em>‘suffering’</em> of that illusory <em>'something'.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">It's ALL in your mind.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Only <em>without</em> <strong>'attachment-thinking'</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">can you <em>return </em>to your true Non-Self,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">which is the authentic 'No' self.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Practice "Don't-Know-Mind".</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Practice "No-Surprise-Mind".</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The mountain is always blue.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">White clouds coming and going.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">~ Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>_______________________________________________</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>_____________________________________________</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #339999; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong>MOONS & PONDS</strong> as Poetic Metaphors</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The <strong>Moon</strong> is one – </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">but on <em>agitated</em> water </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">it produces many reflections. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Ultimate Reality is One – </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">yet seen through a mind </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>agitated </em>by thoughts, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">it ‘appears’ to be many. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Complexity appears – </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">ripples radiating across </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">what was once a still pond. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #999999;">~ The Ramayana</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The <strong>Lotus</strong> has its roots in the dark mud, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Grows up through the dirty deep water, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">And as it rises to the surface. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">It blooms into perfect beauty </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and purity in the sunlight. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">It is like the mind unfolding </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">into perfect joy and wisdom. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">~ The Lotus Sutra </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Enlightenment </strong>is like </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the Moon reflected in the water. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The Moon <em>does not</em> get wet </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">nor is the water broken. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Although its light is wide </span><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and great, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the moon is reflected </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">even in a puddle a single-inch-wide. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The whole moon and the entire sky </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Are reflected in one single </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">little dew-drop on the grass. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 78%;"><span style="color: #999999;">~ Zenmaster Dogen 13th century AD</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Solitude</strong> is such a beautiful thing ! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">but it <em>really needs someone</em> to tell you </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">that 'Solitude' is such a beautiful thing. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">~ Honore de Balzac – 1840</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;"><strong></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>______________________________________________________________</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;"><strong>.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is highly <strong>recommended</strong> that you read some more </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">in this<strong><em> </em></strong>Buddha.Blog – and see if </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">you relate to some of </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">what we have </span><span style="font-family: arial;">to say – as the <em>really </em>distilled down version </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">of the whole 'Teaching' </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">is <em>actually <strong>right here</strong></em> scattered </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">throughout this big bundle of quotes. Hopefully i</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">t's going </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">to be an informative, fun site for you to graze </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">in the Dharma, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">full of ancient & modern realization-treasures and poetic inspiration<strong> </strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.................................... </span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>~ thank you for your interest & patience ~</em></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc9933; font-size: 100%;">____________________________________________________________________________________ </span></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #666666;">Please <em>Go Next</em> to "OVERVIEW"</span> <span style="color: #cc0000;"># 3</span> <span style="color: #666666;">on menu... <em>or wherever you like...</em></span></span></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">..</span></strong></div>
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</div>Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5619679579051726718.post-64178605405508565832008-09-09T18:24:00.000-07:002010-04-29T13:20:34.359-07:00( 3 ) OVERVIEW of the Class • Our Philosophy and The Nature of the New Student • Buddha the Rebel "Iconoclast"<span style="color: #ffff99;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #ffff99;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;">..</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #ffff99;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;">_________________________________</span></span><span style="color: #ffff99;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;">___________________________________</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 180%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;">Buddhist Meditation ~</span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: georgia;">the power<br />
of much more inner-silence</span><span style="color: #333399;"><br />
</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #000066; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;">BUDDHISM </span>WITHOUT <em>ANY</em> "BELIEFS" <span style="color: red; font-size: 180%;">*</span></span></span></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066;">An <em>Ongoing</em> Study-Series for a more Radical Inner-Quest </span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;">and Deep Inquiry into 'Self' – thru Silent Sitting Meditation, </span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;">as you increasingly cultivate <em>your own</em> Dharma 'Informed' Mind. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 180%;"><strong>*</strong></span><span style="color: #000066;">Anything you study or hear - has to make 'absolute' sense to <em>specifically</em> You, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">. .</span>or the 'realization' isn't Yours <strong>...</strong> in Buddhism there is <em><strong>nothing</strong></em> to 'believe' in – </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.....</span><strong>Buddhists don't do 'Belief'</strong>.</span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">"In the stillness – space for a rebellious spirit " <span style="font-size: x-small;">~ Noah Levine ~</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #ffff99;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;"><strong>___________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________</strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #ffff99;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666600; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>MONDAY Class: </strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #666600;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia;">7:30 pm - 9:30 pm</span></strong></span>.</span></span><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: Arial;">..</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999900;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 180%;">HERE's an Important <strong>OVERVIEW ~</strong></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999900;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #666600;">please scroll & read <em>very slowly</em> <em>~slow is good~ </em></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #996633;"><span style="color: #666600;">there is more </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #996633;"><span style="color: #666600;">about our views in other sections of this blog also: see <strong>sidebar</strong></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;">.</span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">Santa Monica ~ The <em>LAUGHING</em> BUDDHA SANGHA</span></strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial;">offers a <em>very</em> eclectic “Inquiry into Self” meditation sitting practice ~ </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial;">combining the cool, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">calm sobriety and 'observation' approach of </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial;">traditional Vipassana Mindfulness </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Meditation </span><span style="font-family: arial;">– with the abrupt </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'crazy wisdom' <em>irrationality </em>of Zen Non-Duality </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Realizations – </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial;">which can short-circuit even </span><span style="font-family: arial;">the most tenacious, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">obsessive </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial;">self-involved, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">self-absorbed, self-identified ego-mind. </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: trebuchet ms;">"The Meditative-Mind trains us to</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: trebuchet ms;">undo blind-impulse 'reactivity' – </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">'Knowing' first, <strong>not</strong> just 'acting'. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Clarity of "Intent" is <em>everything</em> !"</span> </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">. </span></span><span style="color: #003333;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">"One easily-made, very common mistake </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">is to think that 'your reality’ is THE Reality.<br />
You must always be prepared to bravely </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #336666;"><em>leave </em>'your' reality for a greater one."</span></span><span style="color: #330033;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: arial;">~ Meeraji </span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Our 'practice-group' encourages <strong>highly inquisitive</strong>, unruffled, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">curious people with a natural, deep love of learning – who invite </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">and even relish the profoundly abstract, <em>and even the absurd, </em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">with a genuine taste for the indefinable 'existential' stuff. . </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Or you may be <strong>a more 'experienced meditator'</strong> who is now seeking </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">a deeper questioning into the 'Idea of Self' - and a more de-mystifying, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">open-minded, caring 'conversation' into Wisdom, Empathy and <em>what is</em> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Spiritual 'Reality' in our Western life-style today + poetry, and laughing! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Yet our modern, eclectic practice is informed by the unembellished, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">ancient, traditional Theravada Buddha Dharma for clarity of view. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.<br />
</span><span style="color: #000066; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong>"BUDDHA: A JOYOUS ICONOCLAST" The Class Series ~ </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">A Dharma-Study Series that offers a <em>much more</em> outside-the-box-Buddhism ! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Rebellious, heart-filled 'heresy' for a more maverick spirited inner-quest - focused</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">on nourishing an <strong>iconoclast intelligence & compassionate critical thinking</strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">with a tender, caring heart - thru some refreshing, risky, even 'radical' spiritual considerations of Absolute 'Reality' that opens us to the <em>uncompromised truths</em> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">of our own process of developing a "Dharma 'informed' mind".</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong><span style="color: #336666;">Monday</span> Meditation Evenings <em>Include:</em></strong><em><br />
</em></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #000066;">INSTRUCTION & SITTING</span></strong> – 7:30pm ~ 9:30 pm</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">•</span> a 35-40 minute <strong>Silent Sitting Meditation</strong> on cushion or chair –<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">•</span> a <strong>Dharma Talk</strong> or Text Study with Q&A, Satsang or Discussion –<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">•</span> a Metta-style <strong>'Loving-Kindness'</strong> meditation or Sacred Poetry<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span>or a mini-ritual to conclude at 9:30 pm –<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Your individual, personal access to the teacher is easily available.<br />
<em>Nothing ever aloof here</em> – just unconventional – Buddha was.....</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><strong><span style="color: #333399;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><em>NEWCOMER'S</em> INSTRUCTION & Pointers:</span></span></strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;">Newcomers :: Please plan to come <strong>15 minutes early</strong> at 7:15 pm<br />
the first few times to meet with the teacher - for some </span><span style="color: #000066;"><strong>instructive<br />
pointers</strong> for the first couple of weeks.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><em><strong>Everybody:</strong></em> please.. </span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>BE<span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span>M I N D F U L <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>of<span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span>TIME <span style="font-family: georgia;">!!!</span><br />
Sitting begins </strong>at<strong> 7:30 pm <em>prompt</em></strong></span> ~ <em>much thanks</em></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><strong><span style="color: #6600cc; font-family: georgia;">"Please Arrive On The Early Side of Your Nature"</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">– so you have generous time to settle-in & settle down<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.<br />
.</span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #666600; font-family: verdana;">"True ‘generosity’ towards the Future -<br />
is to give <em>everything now</em> - to the Present."</span></strong><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;">~ Camus</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #000066;">NEWCOMERS / First-Timers</span></strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #000066;">Beginners</span> </strong><span style="color: #000066;">are very welcome!</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You will be very, very patiently guided. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You are asked to inquire <strong>by phone </strong>first - </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">n’ let's see if this group is possibly <em>even</em> for you. </span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 78%;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: arial;">This Sitting & Study Group encourages highly inquisitive, </span></strong></span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: arial;">progressive-minded people, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">with a natural, deep love </span></strong></span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: arial;">of learning - </span><span style="font-family: arial;">who relish the abstract, </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><em>and even</em> the absurd – </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial;"><em>and Buddhism is playful too. . .</em></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"><strong>". . . ever notice, that it's <em>Always </em>NOW "</strong></span><span style="font-size: 78%;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 78%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial;">~ Alan Watts suggests you <em>repeatedly</em> keep noticing this daily, breath by breath <strong>... </strong></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: verdana;"><strong>"Our deepest fears are like dragons<br />
guarding our deepest treasure."</strong></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"> </span><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">~ Rainier Rilke 1908 </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong>A Path with Heart</strong></span></span></span><span style="color: #000066; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span> </span><br />
Keep me away<br />
from </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial;">the wisdom<br />
which does not cry, </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial;">the philosophy<br />
which does not laugh, </span></span><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">and the greatness<br />
which does not bow<br />
before little children</span><span style="font-size: 85%;"> <span style="color: #cccccc;">.......</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Kahlil Gibran</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #ffff99;">_________________________________</span></strong></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">“The Spiritual W</span></span></strong></span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>arrior </strong></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">chooses </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>A Path with Heart</strong> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">and follows it.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;">He 'knows', because he 'sees' – </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;">He sees that his life will be over<br />
altogether too soon. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;">He <em>really knows</em> that nothing is more important<br />
than any 'thing' else is. It <em>all</em> is important. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;">And then he rejoices and laughs.<br />
A Path is only a 'path' - and there is no affront, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;">to oneself or to others, in dropping it - </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;">if that is what your heart tells you. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;">Look at <em>every</em> path closely and deliberately. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;">Try it as many times as you think necessary.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;">Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question –</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><strong>“ Does this Path have a Heart? ”</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;">If it does, the path is good - <em>If it doesn't</em> - It is of no use.”</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 78%;">The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge – Carlos Castaneda (1968)</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;"><em>.</em></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><em><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></em> </span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><em>and just 'consider' . . . not accept or believe - just consider</em></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Even tho' the Buddhist Practice Path is <em>really </em></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><em>always</em> all about a truly Uncompromised 'Awakening' –<br />
either all at once – or as a gradual Awakening over time –<br />
yet <strong>you</strong> certainly CAN do this !<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>. . .</strong> or <strong>WHY</strong> would The Buddha <em>ever even</em> have taught it ?<br />
– If it couldn’t be done? Duh ?"</span><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />
</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">.</span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: arial;">~ Bhante Kassapa – Rockhill Hermitage, Sri Lanka </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"Duh?" was learned from his years of teaching Westerners.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">All <strong>Conscious Beings</strong> are essentially Buddhas.<br />
As with water and ice, there is <em>no ice</em> without water.<br />
Apart from Conscious Beings, <em>there are no</em> Buddhas.<br />
Not knowing </span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">how <em>close</em> the truth really, really is,<br />
we struggle to seek it so far away ~<br />
You yourself <strong>are</strong> 'Buddha-mind' !<br />
Buddha is here </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033;"><strong>now</strong>.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">~ Hakuin Ekaku Zenji</span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #000099;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>Empiricism </strong></span></span></span><span style="color: #000099;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>+ Altruism = Buddhism</strong></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">_____________________________________________<br />
_______________________________________________</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #000099;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;">Belo</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #000099;"><span style="color: #000066;">w </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #000099;"><span style="color: #000066;">is The </span></span><span style="color: #000099;"><span style="color: #000066;">Complete Buddhist Dharma Practice in two sentences: </span></span></span></span><br />
.<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #000099;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: trebuchet ms;">" Let a Dharma-based Compassion </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: trebuchet ms;">keep <em>influencing</em> your Wisdom ~ </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms;">.</span></span></span><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">and </span></span></span><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Let a Dharma-based </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Wisdom </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">keep <em>informing</em> your Compassion." </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #330033;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">~ Bhante Ananda </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">Maitreya</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;">___________________________________________________________</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;"></span></strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">"The ICONOCLASTS"</span></strong> – the </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">mavericks, innovators, rule-breakers, </span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">heretics, </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">rebels </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">and ground shakers – an 'Iconoclastic-tone' </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><em>always </em></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">flavored Buddhist Wisdom Practice.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: 78%;">.</span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong></strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #336666;"><strong>ICON </strong>~ </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #336666;">an '<strong>Icon</strong>'<strong> </strong>or '<strong>Image</strong>' </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666600; font-family: verdana; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">and <strong>CLASTIC </strong>~ '<strong>To Break</strong>'</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Definition: </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>a 'view-opposing' to the ordinary accepted</strong>:<strong> </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">one who challenges </span><span style="font-family: arial;">or <strong>'breaks-with'</strong> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">traditional 'beliefs', </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">entrenched customs, rituals, religious practices, icons, </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">dogma, Deity or old paradigms </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><span style="color: #336666;"></span></strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><span style="color: #336666;">To Break</span></strong> ( <em>and to make</em> new Paradigms ) It's more global now, </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">and m</span><span style="font-family: arial;">aybe now the 'force' or a critical-mass of New Thought,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">a healthy planetary mind-set </span><span style="font-family: arial;">or paradigm is pro-actively working. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, here's an 'Old Image-Breaking' introduction-class to a </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">modern "Buddhism" that may turn-off some romantic </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">seekers, </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">the </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">spiritually-sensitive, or </span><span style="font-family: arial;">scare away & discourage others </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">~or~ maybe find <strong>a <em>really</em> ready-mind</strong>. </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">..</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #000066;"><strong>REBEL SAINTS</strong> ~ <span style="font-family: arial;">Buddhism can be an <strong>Iconoclast's Path</strong>.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Within 'Buddhism' there </span><span style="font-family: arial;">are also gentler, softer, sweeter, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">devotional pathways also... </span><span style="font-family: arial;">but let's get some of the 'hard' stuff </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">under our belts, <em>first </em>– the mellow will come on it's own.</span> <span style="font-family: arial;">Buddha </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">was a heretic, a pioneering "Iconoclast": </span><span style="font-family: arial;">an Angelic Troublemaker<strong>. </strong></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>. .</strong></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #663366;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>" Every community needs a group of angelic troublemakers "</strong></span> </span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">...</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">~ Bayard Rustin - a gay, black social activist & counsel to MLK during the 60's </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial;">..</span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #330099; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">QUES</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330099; font-family: arial;">TION EVERYTHING ! – BELIEVE NOTHING ! – KNOW When <strong>You </strong>KNOW !</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99;"><span style="font-family: arial;">__________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><strong><span style="color: #993300; font-family: verdana;"></span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #cc9933;"><em><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana;"><strong>* </strong></span><span style="color: #996633;">more About</span></em></span><span style="color: #996633;"> The "Buddhism" Class and You </span></span></span><span style="color: #996633; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">there is more about our 'views' scattered </span><span style="color: #996633; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">in other sections of this blog: see sidebar....</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #993300; font-family: verdana;"></span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>"BUDDHA: The <em>JOYOUS</em> <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>ICONOCLAST" </strong></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: red;">♦</span> <strong>Buddh</strong></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>ism Without <em>Any </em>'Beliefs' <em>whatsoever</em></strong><em>.</em> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Buddha was <strong>a total Iconoclast</strong> ~ <em>A Quietly Joyous 'Radical', </em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><em><span style="font-family: arial;">a Quietly Maverick Ole' Monk ! ..."The Great Empiricist"</span></em><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our <strong>core-practice</strong> is solidly-informed by the <em>earliest </em>traditional </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pali Theravada Sutras </span><span style="font-family: arial;">to </span><span style="font-family: arial;">insure Buddha’s <em>original</em> Insight-Process – </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><em>without </em>any cultural-beliefs or add-ons for </span><span style="font-family: arial;">a clean, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">'un-decorated' </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">clarity of view – that is 2500 years old – plus some of Zen and </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">later </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mahayana mind-altering contributions. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><em>We keep it inclusive, yet profoundly simple</em>. </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 85%;">.</span> <span style="font-size: 85%;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #000066;">The "BUDDHISM" Class:</span></strong> What we offer is a 'Buddhist Classroom' </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">where you may </span><span style="font-family: arial;">continually </span><span style="font-family: arial;">refine your Beginner's Practice of </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Silent Sitting Meditation with a clear-cut </span><span style="font-family: arial;">understanding </span><span style="font-family: arial;">of </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'What IS Buddhist Philosophy?' or is it a Psychology? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">– and </span><strong><span style="font-family: arial;">'What DID the Buddha <em>actually </em>teach?' </span></strong><span style="font-family: arial;">We offer the opportunity to sit a deeper meditation with an </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">American Buddhist teacher, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">a former ordained Buddhist monk </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">who lived for years in Asia – and trained in this multitude </span><span style="font-family: arial;">of often </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">unfamiliar Eastern transformative practices. </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And why & how they </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">work within </span><span style="font-family: arial;">your very Being.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>_____________________________________________________________</strong></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span> </span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">There are <em>just a few</em> 'seekers' <em>already</em> out there now who are ready</span></strong> – </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">and <em>really </em>'seeking' to do </span><span style="font-family: arial;">a much deeper questioning into the 'False-Belief ' </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">in an abiding 'Self'. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">We offer a de-mystifying, open-minded, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">caring </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'conversation' into Wisdom, Empathy </span><span style="font-family: arial;">and a Spiritual Reality </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">in our Western life-style - </span><span style="font-family: arial;">plus some poetry & laughing! </span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;"></span></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;">____________________________________________________</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial;"><strong><em>Already</em> </strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #000066;">some<em> </em>Experience with meditation sitting-practice?</span></strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Meditators with <em>already </em>more consistent 'sitting experience' - or </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">some background in a teacher-led practice, actual retreats, etc - </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">are always welcome to come sit & join in with us at anytime. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now may be an excellent opportunity to re-connect with a </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">group-sitting practice or to further develop your training </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">in the Dharma. You are always welcome to come and </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">do 'sittings' with us and join in the Dharma discussion </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">with us at anytime without any 'class commitments'. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is also true for our Sangha-posse of </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Irregular-Regulars" who have previously </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">attended frequent meditation classes & </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">sittings </span><span style="font-family: arial;">on a regular basis in the past. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
.</span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #333399;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">Some <em>Lapsed </em>Practice ?</span></strong> <strong>. . . .</strong> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">So – <strong>come renew, refresh, review, revive</strong> – </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">or </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">even <em><strong>challenge</strong> </em>your current meditation practice – </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">or maybe you've been spiritualy hibernating ... </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">At an Impasse: <strong>Stagnated?</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>Stale? Stymied? Sleepy? </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>Stumped? Slumped? Stuck?</strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">A <em>really</em> sincere, very real, good <strong>'Practice Opportunity' </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">is to fully <em>experience</em> your '<strong>resistences</strong>' while <em>actually </em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">sitting </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">meditation. Now <em>that's</em> Practice ! The very best </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">way to ‘maintain’ real, progressive continuity of mindful </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Insight Practice – is to be in stillness & silence <em>with </em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">silent group support - and the presence of a teacher. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">You are always very welcome to come sit & join in </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">with us at anytime. Already some experience </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">with meditation ? Come on over. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>_____________________________________________</strong></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066;"><strong>And ~ please ask about </strong><span style="color: #330099;"><strong>The Core Study Group Nite</strong>.</span><strong> </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's an Informal Deep Study Series offering a much more </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">way </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Outside-the-Box-Buddhism. Heart-filled 'heresy' </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">for a </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">more Maverick Spirited Inner-Quest - nourishing </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">your evolving </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'Iconoclast Intelligence' & Compassionate </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Critical Thinking, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">with a tender, caring heart – through </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">some refreshing, yet even </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'radical' spiritual 'new' considerations of Reality empathically </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">‘de-constructioned’ - </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">as you cultivate your very own </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dharma </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'Informed' Mind. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;"><strong>.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #000066;">Core-Group</span></strong> is usually limited to more sitting-practiced students, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">previous students who've attended here, or those few folks who've </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">got more of a mixed Dharma-background. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #663366;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong>" What is accepted by the majority of people ~ </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #663366;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 100%;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span>does not mean it is Real "</span> <span style="color: #cccccc;">...</span></strong></span></span><span style="color: #663366;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">~ The Buddha </span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>_______________________________________</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #993399;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The Buddhist Path to Freedom:<br />
Breaking the 'Addiction' to the Mind</span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Buddhism is a path to freedom from suffering</strong>. That 'suffering' originates<br />
in the 'addictive quality' of the mind - our habitual tendency to grasp & attach<br />
to pleasure and push away pain. <strong><em>All addictions</em></strong> stem from these same roots.<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>The Path offers a spiritual and psychological process of transformation<br />
that has proven to be a most effective treatment for our human addiction<br />
to thinking - and all the suffering we create with the mind. And Buddhist<br />
meditation is the most potent tool <em>we've found</em> for recovering our original<br />
wholeness or what is called 'Buddha Nature'.<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><em>Buddhism is a way of life.</em> The practices of meditation, ethical behavior and<br />
compassionate engagement with the world are to be developed and lived in<br />
everyday life. Buddhist meditation and Dharma discussions focus on the<br />
application of mindfulness and compassion in everyday circumstances.<br />
<em>Freedom is not a mystical destination,</em> it is a moment-to-moment choice<br />
of <strong><em>how</em></strong> <strong>we respond</strong> to <em>our own </em>lives in this world.<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>Wisdom resides within <strong>all</strong> living beings, Compassion is our truest nature.<br />
Spiritual <em>'Practice'</em> is the path to uncovering our innate wisdom by settling<br />
into present-time-awareness. Compassion will arise as we delve into<br />
the heart of emotional intelligence and investigate our old conditioning.<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The Buddha referred to his Awakening as having been <strong>"Against the Stream"</strong>.<br />
The Spiritual Path is one of <strong>revolutionary acts of non-violent rebellion against<br />
greed, hatred </strong>and<strong> delusion </strong>- both positive and negative forms of subversion<br />
of the dominant paradigm - and elucidate the Buddhist path of wisdom and<br />
compassion that leads to Freedom.<br />
<span style="color: #ff99ff;">____________________________</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">We offer an introduction and overview of the philosophy and practice of<br />
the ancient teachings of the Buddha. All of the Buddhist world revolves<br />
around the 'core teachings' of the <strong>Four Noble Truths</strong> and the <strong>Eightfold Path</strong>.<br />
Explore the teachings of the Buddha and how they can be applied to life in </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">modern society. Guided meditations will be offered - and at the end of the </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">course an optional ceremony of empowerment and refuge may be offered </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">for all who wish to continue to deepen their commitment to Awakening.<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our meditation classes are intended for all levels of interest.</span>Classes will explore Buddhist teachings on finding more inner freedom </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and ease, even amidst turbulent times. Classes and retreats, appropriate </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">for new or more experienced meditators, will offer systematic instructions<br />
in mindfulness meditation. The format will include silent and guided sitting<br />
meditation, walking meditation, loving kindness meditation, dharma talks<br />
and small group meetings with a teacher. We will build a deeper sense<br />
of understanding and connection through dyads and small group sharing.<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>Participants will be guided in integrating ancient Buddhist practices with<br />
modern psychological and emotional exercises as an invitation to wholeness.<br />
We will encourage and support a warm, wholehearted, embodied "mindfulness<br />
practice" with instructions in sitting and walking, as well as loving-kindness<br />
and forgiveness practices - highlighting a transforming-potential for how<br />
to embody a wise, compassionate and easeful relationship to our lives.<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>Make a radical change in your life by discovering what it means to be Truly Free.<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">~ Noah Levine, teacher/author of "Dharma Punx" and "Against the Stream".</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><strong><span style="color: #663366; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 130%;">" INNER-STILLNESS <em>ITSELF</em> ! . . is really<br />
what Awakens Your Deep Radiant Heart<br />
of Natural Grace, Compassion & Wisdom. "</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99;">____________________________________________</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #993399; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>PS:</strong></span> <strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">If you know someone else in your life who just may </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;"><strong>also benefit by </strong></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;"><strong>our offerings, be very welcome to put them </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;"><strong>in phone contact with us. 310-450-2268 ~ Noon to 6 pm M/F</strong></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><em><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 78%;"><strong>.</strong></span></em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033;"><em><span style="color: #663366;"><strong>BUT</strong> - Please Ask Them to visit this Buddha-Blog <strong>FIRST </strong>–</span> </em></span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">Or email them this Link: </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;"><a href="http://buddhistmeditationsantamonica.blogspot.com/">http://buddhistmeditationsantamonica.blogspot.com/</a></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">Then </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">they can g</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">raze around this little site for themselves, as you probably did – </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">Either a casual perusal -or- a more focused-reading in here may make such </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">a big huge difference in the quality of the phone-conversation we have - </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">it can help raise the level of 'informed-decision' simply by the talk we </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">and your friend may have together ! </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">We love to raise questions </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">and share responses. Reading this blog could enhance that...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;"><em></em></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;"><em>Thanks ... and enjoy the rest of our Buddha-Blog . . .</em></span> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;"><strong></strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;"><strong>_________________________________________</strong></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #006600; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #6600cc;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #6600cc;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #6600cc;"><span style="color: #000066;"></span></span></span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial;">.</span>Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5619679579051726718.post-18970172747924649822008-09-06T04:00:00.000-07:002010-04-29T13:39:19.658-07:00( 8 ) Teacher media BIO • our CONTACT Info • About Bringing a FRIEND • and about the Western misunderstanding about the Teacher/Student Relationship<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>.</strong></span> <br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>.</strong></span> <br />
<br />
<div align="left"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>Press Bio. </strong></span><span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: arial;">___________________________________________________________</span> <br />
<span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: arial;">_____________________________________________________________</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333333;"><strong>( 1 )</strong> short</span></span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 130%;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Akasa Levi</strong> - an ex-pat American filmmaker of the Sixties Counter-Culture generation that went to live in Asia for the full decade of the 70's to be with the last living spiritual teachers of the pre-global era. Akasa became a Buddhist forest monk for six years in Sri Lanka, trained & ordained by Bhante Ananda Maitreya. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">First initiated by Lama Thubten Yeshe & Zopa Rinpoche in Nepal - Sri Munindra in Bodhgaya, India - and Sri Goenka & Nisargadatta Maharaj in Bombay. Akasa is a Buddhist counselor-therapist in private practice, and is a Bodhi-Acharya 'lineage-holder' of the Theravada teaching-transmission. He is known for his spontaneity and wry unpredictable humor.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></div><div align="left"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 130%;">.</span></strong></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>( 2 )</strong> longer - <em>reads fuller</em></span></span></div><div align="left"><em><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 130%;">.</span></em></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">♦ <strong>Akasa-Maitreya Levi</strong>, DhMA ( D.Min ) ~ SUNY Harpur College / Binghamton University, New York – an ex-pat American of the Sixties counter-culture generation that went to live a full decade in Asia during the 1970s - to be directly with the last living spiritual teachers of the pre-global era. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">He was a Vipassana Buddhist forest monk for six years – trained and ordained into the Theravada monastic lineage by the revered Bhante Ananda Maitreya, the Amarapura Maha Nayake of Sri Lanka - and by his disciple Polpitiya Kassapa Maha Thera. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Originally arriving in India in 1972 as a filmmaker & student of the Gurdjieff 'Work', Akasa became a Vajrayana initiate of Lama Thubten Yeshe and Zopa Rinpoche at Kopan Monastery in Nepal – later, a Vipassana student of Sri Anagarika Munindra and S.N. Goenka, and sitting Zazen with Subhuti Shibuya Sensei: all in Bodhgaya, India – and practicing Non-Duality Advaita in satsang with Nisargadatta Maharaj in Bombay. He is so very grateful for the gift of these long ’practice’ experiences. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Akasa studied Western analytic therapy at UCLA after returning to America. He teaches Mindfulness Insight-Meditation at The Laughing Buddha Sangha - and leads ZEN•MEN inner-growth groups - and also offers private therapy & counseling sessions at The Spiritual Adulthood Project. Akasa is a 'Bodhi-Acharya' lineage-holder of the Theravada teaching-transmission. He is known for his spontaneity and wry unpredictable humor. 1-310-450-2268 - </span><a href="mailto:akasalevizz@msn.com"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">akasalevizz@msn.com</span></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"> </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>( 3 )</strong> <em>really </em>short . . .</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Akasa Levi</strong> - lived in Asia for the full decade of the 70's to be with the last living spiritual teachers of the pre-global era. Initiated by Lama Thubten Yeshe & Zopa Rinpoche in Nepal - Sri Munindra in Bodhgaya, India - and Goenka & Nisargadatta in Bombay. He </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">was a Buddhist forest monk for six years in Sri Lanka, trained & ordained by Bhante Ananda Maitreya. Akasa is known for his spontaneity and wry unpredictable humor..</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also, for another bio <strong>see the profile on <em>this </em>Blog's sidebar</strong>. </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span></span><span style="color: #339999; font-family: arial;">.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #339999; font-family: arial;">__________________________________________________________________</span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 180%;"><strong>.</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 180%;"><strong>CONTACT</strong></span></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana;">.</span></strong></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">-:¦:-</span></strong> Weekly <strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">ZEN MEN's</span></strong> Inner-Growth Groups</span> </span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">...</span>Compassionately & Intelligently Explores </span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">a Man's Deeper Core Life-Issues</span> </span></span><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<div align="center"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><strong>"Yup, <em>EVERY</em> GUY COULD USE BEING </strong></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><strong>IN A MEN’S GROUP at some time in his life" </strong></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #666600; font-family: verdana;"><strong>"Good Men Becoming Even Better Men !" </strong></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Guys learning to trust & support each other in making important life changes </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">• HONEST TALK • HEART-FELT LISTENING • MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK </span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">• STRONG FELLOWSHIP • </span><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">Men's Blog </span></span><span style="color: #000099; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://zenmensgroup.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">http://zenmensgroup.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="color: #000099; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #339999; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>_________________________________________________________________ </strong></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #339999; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong></strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #339999; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong></strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #990000;">Please make ALL inquiries <strong>by phone</strong> •</span> Best phone times: Noon to 6pm, Mon-Fri </span><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">310-450-2268</span></strong> – unfortunately, emails do tend to get buried & we like to talk 'live' <span style="color: #339999; font-family: arial;"><strong>_________________________________________________________________ </strong></span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #339999; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong></strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #339999; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong></strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 130%;">.</span></strong></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">-:¦:-</span></strong> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>The SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD THERAPY & COUNSELING PROJECT</strong> </span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Buddhist-based, <em>more Alternative</em> <em>Approach </em>to Relating with Your 'Self' & Others.</span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 78%;">. </span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">•</span> </span>Private One-to-One <strong>Individual Personal-Growth Therapy</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><strong>.</strong> </span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">•</span> </span><strong>Relationship Counseling</strong> for all kinds </span><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of <strong>'Partnerings' </strong>~ </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Couples, Marriages, Friendships & Workplaces experiencing </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Emotional and Communication Breakdowns & Breakthroughs </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #666600;"><strong>Befriending </strong>the<strong> 'Heart of the Mind'</strong> to find </span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #666600;">the truly sane, loving & alive part of you !</span> </span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: trebuchet ms;">"Reaching Out to Reach Deeper In"</span> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"><strong>Buddhism</strong> </span><span style="color: #009900;">•</span> a 2500 year-old mental-wellness tradition </span></span></div><div align="center"><br />
<a href="http://buddhistcounselingtherapy.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">http://buddhistcounselingtherapy.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial;">.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>“You take care of the Inside </strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>~and~ </strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>the Inside will take care of the Outside”</strong></span> </span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;">~ The Tao </span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #339999;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>_____________________________________________________________</strong></span> </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #339999; font-family: arial;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #339999; font-family: arial;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;"><strong>.</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #993300; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span><span style="color: #999900;">WISH LIST <span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> A NET VOLUNTEER, an IT Person . . . </span></strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span>We're lookin' to welcome a volunteer 'Spirit' or a Tech-angel </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span>who's a web-designer or web-master / blog mistress or meister </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">with ideas – and that feels an odd-affinity for what we're about.You? <span style="color: #339999;"></span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #339999;"><span style="color: #339999; font-size: 130%;"><strong>______________________________________________________________</strong></span> </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #339999; font-family: arial;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #339999; font-family: arial;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">..</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #006600; font-family: arial;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 180%;"><em>.</em></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #006600; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 180%;"><em>About</em> Bringing a Friend !</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 180%;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #33cc00; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong></strong></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #33cc00; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>PS:</strong></span> <span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">If you know someone else in your life who just may also benefit <br />
by our offerings, be very welcome to put them in phone contact with us. </span><em><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></strong></em></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em><strong><span style="color: #006600;">BUT</span></strong></em> - Please </span></span><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Ask Them to visit this Blog <strong>FIRST</strong> – Or email them this Link: </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">...................... </span><a href="http://buddhistmindfulnessmeditation.blogspot.com/" title="http://buddhistmindfulnessmeditation.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: 130%;">http://buddhistmindfulnessmeditation.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="font-size: 130%;"> </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">Then they can graze around this site for themselves, as you probably did </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">– as a casual perusal, or a more focused-reading in here may make such </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">a big huge difference in the quality of the phone-conversation we have - </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">It can help raise the level of 'informed-decision' simply by the talk we and </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">your friend may have together ! Often a good start begins with a phone chat.</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">We love to hear the many interesting questions raised and share responses. </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;"><em>.</em></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><em>Thanks </em>... and hope you're enjoying our Buddha-Blog</span></span> . . .</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">..</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The Mindful-Listening © Project</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 130%;"></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 130%;"></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 130%;"></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 130%;"></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 130%;"></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 130%;"></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 130%;"></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 130%;"></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span> <br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 180%;"><strong><span style="color: #e06666;"><em>The 'Teacher' is a 'Student' Too</em> !!!</span> </strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 180%;"><strong>The Teacher/Student Responsibility </strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 180%;">by Yvone Rand <em>Sensei</em></span><em> </em><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Some years ago I was studying with the late Tara Tulku Rinpoche. I asked him to teach me practices pertaining to death and dying. Clear that his training <strong>did not include </strong>this aspect of Buddhist training, he sent me to find a Nyingma Lama who <em>could</em> guide me. So you can see that a teacher needs both the wisdom and the latitude to recognize that sometimes s/he may not be suitable for a particular student. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">I find that seeing my relationship with a student in terms of a beginning, middle and end helps me clarify my roles as a teacher. In the beginning I ask the student to tell me what he or she is looking for. I can then decide if I am an appropriate teacher for that student. Often we will make a contract for a set number of months with an explicit set of mutually developed goals. At the end of the period we review our relationship and evaluate how things are going for each of us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">A teacher benefits significantly by having <strong>peer </strong>relationships. Peers can help a colleague consider how to handle a relationship with a student that gets out of balance or when a <strong>'transference' </strong>occurs that challenges the teacher. Transference problems and potential boundary violations are common areas of difficulty that are inherent to teacher-student territory. Active and honest <em>participation in a feedback loop is essential</em> - if a teacher sincerely wishes to keep teacher and student alike out of trouble in their relationship. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Rudimentary training in Western psychotherapy is critical for Buddhist teachers; advanced work is preferable. Training in family systems theory, in boundaries, and in transference and counter-transference are especially important. If, as a teacher, I have not done <strong>my own</strong> psychological work I need to do in order to understand my own behavioral patterning and my own mental and emotional tendencies, I may easily become confused about what a student needs and fail to differentiate what is primarily psychological work, on the one side, from authentically spiritual work, on the other, and I shall have little chance to understand the <em>border zone</em> where the two merge and blur. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Teachers need to be rigorously clear and consciously explicit about their reasons for 'teaching'</strong>. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has listed three ways in which one might become a teacher: being authorized by one's own teacher; being asked to teach by students; and having a strong inner impulse to share one's own spiritual experience. Issues of qualification and authorization, whether formal or informal, vary from tradition to tradition. <em>I encourage students to ask about a teacher's authorization and training.</em> Both the tone and the content of the response can be informative. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The teacher must also be clear about where to teach, whom to teach, what one is ready to teach, and what additional training and experience one needs before beginning or continuing to teach. I have often worked with teachers who are fearful about one-to-one meetings with students or about giving formal dharma talks. Working with a more experienced teacher can foster proficiency and confidence. Developing effective communications skills is another important area. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Teaching has a business side. Whether the venue be large or small, the teacher should understand the legal and financial dimensions of teaching. Failure to acquire such pragmatic knowledge can lead to confusion and chaos, not to mention wrongdoing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">When someone comes to me for advice about finding a teacher, I recommend observing a number of different teachers in different settings. I advise watching to see if the teacher is open to being questioned. Does the teacher demonstrate in his or her own conduct the qualities the teacher is teaching? I advise people to honor their intuitive responses to both the teacher and the teacher's settings. One can learn a lot about a teacher by observing the teachers' students. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Students frequently confuse enthusiasm for 'Buddhist practice' and 'enthusiasm for a particular teacher'</strong>. Students can be dazzled by mere charisma. Impatience and longing may lead them not to test what actually fits for them and for their spiritual life. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, the Zen teacher around whom the San Francisco Zen Center started, said years ago that, <strong>"sometimes I am the teacher and you are the student. And sometimes you are the teacher and I am the student."</strong> This pointing out has been invaluable to me over the years. Suzuki Roshi's lecture ( in Zen Mind Beginner's Mind ) on how to control your sheep or your cow has also been invaluable. There he talked about giving the student a big pasture yet keeping 'present' with the student all the while. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">For students and teachers alike I recommend listing out all the 'teachers' and 'teachings' one has received in one's lifetime. The exercise can clarify what constitutes effective teaching, no matter which seat one is taking at any given time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">I have been fortunate to have had a number of extraordinary teachers in my years of study and practice on the Buddhist path. I have also studied with teachers who caused great harm as teachers. From the latter I learned, <em>painfully,</em> about what does not work and what is not effective or wholesome in a teacher-student relationship. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>The teacher-student relationship is based on</strong> <strong>Trust</strong>. As a teacher I want to build a relationship with the student <em>that will withstand trouble over time</em>. I must know how to <em>hold the container</em> within which the relationship occurs, one that protects both parties. Therefore I must not engage in confusing, dual relationships with my students. I find <strong>not having</strong> an <strong><em>active</em></strong> social relationship with students crucial to this end. The special intimacy that is possible in the teacher-student relationship is precious and worth safe-guarding. For both parties there is a need to be respectful, to pay attention to one's own experience in particular - <strong>and to not turn away from what arises as difficult within the relationship</strong>. <br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">2002 Yvonne Rand </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>Optional</em> - yet very Important</strong> ~ <strong>A PATH with HEART</strong> ~ </span><br />
</span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">in Jack Kornfield's book - chapters <strong>16,17,18</strong> on <strong>Students & Teachers</strong> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span><span style="color: #339999;">.</span> <br />
<span style="color: #339999;">.</span> </span></span><span style="color: #339999; font-family: Arial;">.</span> </div></div>Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5619679579051726718.post-36477652603514316832008-09-06T03:09:00.000-07:002010-04-29T12:21:01.185-07:00( 4 ) The Optional Beginner's "PRACTICE-CLASS-COMMITMENT" - a practice-option that we only 'suggest' to you -- is fully explored + plus some encouraging words<div align="left"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><strong>______________________________________________ _____________________________________________</strong></span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span></strong></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #ff9900;">♦</span> </strong><span style="color: #134f5c;">Very<strong> IMP<span style="color: lime;">O</span>RTANT</strong>, <em><span style="font-family: verdana;">folks</span></em><strong> </strong>–</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>Please</em> <strong>– do not feel intimidated or shudder</strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">or shut down at the mere mention of 'Commitment' - </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">or the word 'dedication' or by the reasons & encouragement </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">about ‘why’ we do a 'practice-commitment'. Music lessons </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">or Martial Arts <em>are the same way</em> - <em>anything you learn anew</em>.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Some people struggle with the difficulty of ‘commitment’. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">Others simply relax and just hang-in there. We do wish </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">to maintain maximum 'attendee-continuity' – </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">at it's best optimum-level of learning.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333399;"> ( this is all <em>only</em> a suggested <strong>option</strong> for you - </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333399;"> <strong>1</strong>. a steady class commitment </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #333399;"> <em>or</em> <strong>2</strong>. a more casual attendance...)<strong> </strong></span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></span></div><div align="left"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Georgia;">.</span></strong></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #339999; font-family: georgia;"><strong>A Misson-Statement</strong></span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: x-small;">.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #336666;">of a <strong>'Self-Dedicated Intent'</strong> for</span><span style="color: #336666;"> </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #336666;">the </span><span style="color: #336666;"><em>more</em> <em>motivated</em> Beginner: </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">for a sturdy, steady, strong </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">start in <strong>Meditation practice.</strong> </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A <strong>Once Weekly</strong> <strong>Beginner's </strong></span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>.</strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>“Practice Class-Commitment”</strong> </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">of <strong>Six-Weeks</strong> ~ <em>an <strong>option</strong></em> for a <em>reasonable,</em> </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">yet a steady 'CONSISTENCY' of Practice - </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">is sincerely recommended to you ~ </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em>and that's not a lot to ask for .. or of yourself.</em></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>But,</em> you've<strong> gotta<em> </em>wanna<em> </em>sit</strong> your own butt down </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">to <em><strong>fairly frequent, regular</strong></em> '<strong>immersions</strong>' in <strong>meditation </strong>- </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>IF </strong>you <em>really</em> wanna' turn the corner on this... </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Once weekly <strong>in</strong> <strong>Class</strong> ~<em>And~</em> </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 or 3 or 4 times weekly <strong>at Home</strong>. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">~ <strong>You</strong> choose how much time you sit ~ </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #336666;">15 or 20 minutes or 1/2 hour each </span><span style="color: #336666;">time </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">to really make this meditation 'practice' </span><br />
<span style="color: #336666;"><em></em></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em>begin</em> to work</strong> <strong>for you</strong> <strong>!</strong> <em>It's a 'Practice'.</em><em> </em></span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em>.</em></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>. . . and you <strong>do</strong> want this to work</em> </span><strong><span style="font-family: georgia;">!</span></strong></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #336666;">If </span><span style="color: #336666;">you have ocassional <strong>Life or Work-related problems</strong> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #336666;">with </span></span></span><span style="color: #336666; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">keeping up <strong>a steady consistent class attendance</strong>, </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">please speak directly with the teacher openly ~ </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: arial;"><em><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>maybe other arrangements can be made</strong>.</span></em></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We'd like to do all we possibly can to </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">help you </span><span style="color: #336666; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">to learn to sit meditation.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.<br />
.</span><br />
<span style="color: #006600;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;">"Good timber does not </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span>grow with ease.<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.....</span>The stronger the wind ~ </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span>~ t</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;">he stronger the trees."</span> <span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 85%;">~ Willard Marriot</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"></span><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #333300;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #993300;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">“Commitment”</span></strong> </span><strong><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">for some - it’s a Difficult, Big Loaded Word</span> . . .</span> </span></strong></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yet it affects <em>everything </em>we do as human beings – be it commitment </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">to a satisfying ‘relationship’, or to an art, or to your life’s-work, or </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial;">to a skill or sport, or to cello lessons. <strong>Deication to a 'Practice'</strong>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">In the Sanskrit sacred-language of India – one major word for </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">the whole <strong>'idea' </strong>of "Commitment" is the now well known word <strong>'Yoga'</strong> – </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yoke: which means </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">one's <strong><em>'uniting-with'</em></strong>,<strong> </strong>or <strong><em>'coming to one with'</em></strong> – </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">be it Hatha Yoga </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Asanas (postures) or advanced Jnana Yoga </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Realization thru </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Advaita Non Duality practice – or practicing </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Buddha's Anicca Anatta Dharma </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Teachings of Insight Meditation. </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>'Commitment'</strong> is <strong><em>itself</em> </strong></span><span style="font-family: arial;">the basis </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">of ALL </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;">Yoga 'Sadhana' ( Practice ).</span> </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span></strong></span></div><div align="left"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></strong></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #006600; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #f1c232;">.::</span> Yoga <span style="color: #f1c232;">::.</span> </strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>like 'Yoke' in English </strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #006600; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>That which Links, </strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #006600; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Joins the 'individual-one' </strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #006600;"><strong><em>together</em> with the 'Whole One'.</strong> </span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 100%;">( <strong>makes Holy</strong> <strong>-</strong> <strong>makes Whole -</strong> same word )</span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Buddhist Yoga ~ is Yoga of the Mind.</strong></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #006600; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Like the 'Yoke' that links the horse to the wagon. </strong></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">Join with us in utilizing this <em>natural</em>, expedient, effective, </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">enlightened <strong>'methodology of inner-practice'</strong>. <strong>Mind-Yoga</strong>. </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">Certainly it's a <em>stretch,</em> but it's a slow, loving, <em>gradual </em>stretch. </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">Practice, practice, practice – <em>just doing your reps in stillness.</em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">Without making all this <em>something <strong>dauntaing</strong> or driven...</em> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">just gentle n' easy practice - yet with Consistency.</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;">* </span><span style="color: #073763;">Initially of course, </span></strong></span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: verdana;"><strong>you are <em>always</em> <em>welcome</em> </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: verdana;"><strong>to come </strong></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>for a check-it-out Visit</strong>.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Attend <span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>One</strong> </span>Class. Then after a <strong>first visit</strong> - <em>or second</em> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">–<strong> You </strong>decide </span></span></span><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">if this ‘growth-setting’ - </span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">this challenging, </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">off-beat, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>oddly</em> unorthodox Buddhist class is possibly </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>even</em> </span><span style="font-size: 130%;">for you. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: xx-small;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">This Weekly Class is a small, intimate, 'salon'-style, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">in-depth Buddhist meditation </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">and study group. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">So come to our little Buddhist meditation shrine-room </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">to begin </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial;">meditating. Simply, just come <strong>one time and</strong> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>see</strong> if you like it.</span> <em>It's an acquired taste.</em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: xx-small;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">Certainly the teacher is bit 'odd' & so is the setting: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><strong>Would you come back ?</strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 180%;">" You don't have to see the whole staircase –</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">...</span>just take the first step in faith "</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ M.L.King</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 85%;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;"><strong><span style="color: #009900;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Beginners</span> </span></strong>are encouraged to be sincere, <strong>very <em>steady</em> attendees</strong> – </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;">committed & willing to being present <em>each </em>week for an initial <strong>Six-Week </strong></span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Class-Commitment</strong> – <em>that’s really <strong>not </strong>a lot.</em> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's a highly recommended</span> </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">option you'll want to </span><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">give </span></strong></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Initial Meditation Practice about 2 months</strong>. </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For a new, sincere 'Beginner', </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">that's <em><strong>quite reasonable</strong> to ask</em> – </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><em>AND</em></strong> we understand that </span><span style="font-family: arial;">you may occasionally, <strong>miss your class</strong> </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">due to </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">other important plans. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>Always </em>a class can be made up. </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">No hurry. </span></span><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">You can't rush Enlightenment.</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #009900;"><strong>Beginners</strong> ~</span></span> </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><em>AFTER</em></strong> your 'Beginner-Status' is over – <em><strong>after</strong> </em>having immersed </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">yourself </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">in <em>steady</em> weekly attendance doing this ‘Yoga’ of the Mind – <em>then of course</em> </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">you are most welcome & certainly may want <strong>to continue</strong> to practice meditation </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">with </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">us on a regular <em>ongoing-basis</em> AT ANY TIME thereafter – come on your own,</span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">purely <strong>on your own terms</strong> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">& <strong>schedule</strong> – </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;"><strong>with NO further class commitment</strong>. </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The door is simply open to you </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">– </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;"><strong>you simply come when you want</strong>. </span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">We <em>really</em> do want to make it very easy . . .</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #006600;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;">"Arriving with <strong>'The Gift of Good Intent'</strong> toward your own Success"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Old Irish Blessing</span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em><strong>Right along</strong> with</em> your Weekly Beginner's Class - you're now cultivating </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><strong>your own steady 'Home Practice'</strong> – frequent Sitting Meditation ‘Practice’ </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">becomes <em>gently integrated</em> into your life - as your own special <strong>'Quiet-times'</strong>, </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">along side your weekly Meditation Class Night – as you start to <em>really </em><strong>build-in</strong> </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">your own sense of “Meditation-Practice-Opportunities” that are all <em>around</em> you </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">& <em>within</em> you. A <em>really </em>motivated Meditation takes a willingness to <em>actually</em> </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">‘practice’. You need to have the meditation 'experiences' that only a frequent </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><strong>meditation sitting-practice</strong> can bring to you. </span><em><span style="color: #003333;">Maybe now, maybe later.</span></em></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">It is an <strong>IMPORTANT sense of deep personal 'satisfaction'</strong> for your own </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><strong>learning-curve efforts</strong>, to <em>responsibly attend</em> to your "Meditation Class </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Commitment" for a steady <strong>6-weeks</strong> - or <strong>as you've pre-arranged</strong> with the </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">teacher. A solid 'Consistency' of practice can be a very warm, hearty & hardy, </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">necessary 'working-virtue' for establishing the <em>steady continuity</em> of insight & </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">comprehension - that is so necessary for seeing Truth. Along-side a <em>steady </em></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">'immersion<em>-</em>practice' there develops a much deeper <em>integrated experience</em> of </span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Compassionate Insight of one's very own 'self' ~ and of the world <em>itself</em> !</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: x-small;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #993300;"><strong>" <em>Whatever </em>the Question ~ </strong></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><strong><span style="color: #993300;">Love and Kindness is the Answer !"</span></strong></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">~ The Dalai Lama</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 85%;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><strong>_</strong></span><span style="color: #f1c232;"><strong>__________________________________________________</strong></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 78%;"><em><strong>.</strong></em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 78%;"><em>.</em></span></strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #006600;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><em>So Please</em> – do not feel intimidated or ‘shudder’</span> </span></strong></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #006600;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>or shut down </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>at the mere mention of 'Commitment' - </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #006600;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>or the word 'dedication'</strong> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">or by the reasons & </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">encouragement </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">about ‘why’ we do a <strong>practice-commitment</strong>. Music lessons </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">or Martial Arts are<em> the same way</em> - <em>anything</em> you learn anew.</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">Some people <strong>struggle</strong> with the difficulty of ‘commitment’. </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">Others simply relax and just hang-in there. We do wish </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">to maintain <em>maximum</em> 'attendee-continuity' – </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">at it's <em>best optimum-level</em> of learning.</span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 180%;">"Tradition should be a guide, not a jailer." </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 85%;">~ W. Somerset Maugham “The Razor’s Edge” 1931</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>.</em></strong></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #666600; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>. . . . so please be encouraged !</em></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;">" You began as a ‘creation’. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;">Now become a Creator. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;">Never, never just wait at a barrier " </span></span><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">~ Mawlana Jalal-ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi <strong>Rumi </strong>( 1207–1273 ) </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">13th century Persian poet, mystic, Islamic jurist and theologian</span> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 180%;">.</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #000066;">" Eighty percent of success is just showing up! "</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 180%;">...</span><span style="color: #666666;">~ Woody Allen</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms;">.</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">"While one </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">person <strong>hesitates</strong> because </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">they 'feel' inferior & </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">‘think’ insecure thoughts – </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">the other is just busy <em>making mistakes a p l e n t y</em> - </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;">and becoming quite superior"</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-size: 85%;">~ The Tao</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms;">.</span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color: #006600;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">" The Greatest Risk <strong>is</strong> Not Taking One "</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666;">Please go Next to </span><span style="color: #336666; font-family: georgia;"><strong>DETAILS</strong> .. <span style="font-family: arial;">or another section</span></span></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></div>Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5619679579051726718.post-222092664953982312008-09-04T04:13:00.000-07:002011-11-05T16:42:32.007-07:00( 6 ) ALL DETAILS • DIRECTIONS • LOCATION • WHAT to BRING • TIMES • COST • Evening Schedule<div align="left">
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<span style="color: #339999;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>_____________________</strong></span><br /><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>_____________________</strong></span> </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.<br /><span style="font-size: 130%;"></span>..</span><br />
<span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>人自不</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003333; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003333; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">"Like a handsome tree –<br />Come to Meditation <em>slow</em><br />with the heart of youth<br />and grow slowly into it.<br />Why are you impatiently<br />in such an irritable hurry?<br />Time is simply a useful illusion.<br />An illusion of 'appearances' none the less."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">–</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong><span style="color: #339999;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">..... </span>:: ARRIVAL INFO / CLASS DETAILS page</span></strong><span style="color: #339999;"> <strong>::</strong></span></span><span style="color: #339999;"><strong> </strong></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">ALL OTHER DETAILS / FIRST-TIMERS / NEWCOMERS / ALL COMERS </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">" What is accepted by the majority of people ~ does not mean it is Real "</span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #999999;">~ Buddha</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">"One common mistake is to think that 'your' reality is THE reality.</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">You must <em>always be prepared</em> to leave your reality for a greater one."</span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #999999;">~ Amaji Meera</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #009900;">~ <strong>Currently</strong> ~</span> </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #006600; font-family: times new roman;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia;">MONDAYS<br />MONDAYS<br />MONDAYS</span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #006600;">7:30 pm - 9:30 pm</span></strong> </span><br /><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: verdana;"><strong>Driving <span style="color: #cc0000;">Directions </span>in bright <span style="color: #cc0000;">RED</span></strong> <span style="color: #cc0000;">~</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">scroll down <em>way down near bottom</em> of this page</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;"> </span></span><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span> </div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">THE <em>LAUGHING </em>BUDDHA SANGHA</span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">nourishing an iconoclast intelligence </span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000;">_______________________________ </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">Weekly MEDITATION & DHARMA Study with Akasa Levi</span><br /><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">and other Retreat Programs / Groups & Individual Sessions </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></div>
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<a href="mailto:AkasaLevizz@msn.com" title="mailto:AkasaLevizz@msn.com
CTRL + Click to follow link"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">AkasaLevizz@msn.com</span></a><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"> ~ 310-450-2268 ~ Santa Monica 90405 </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">On your <strong>'Favorites' List</strong>, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">please <span style="color: #990000;"><strong><em>SAVE</em></strong> </span>this Buddha-blog link: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><a href="http://buddhistmeditationsantamonica.blogspot.com/">http://buddhistmeditationsantamonica.blogspot.com/</a></span><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( 1 ) It will get you to <strong>The "Buddhism" Class</strong> the first time - </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( 2 ) It will outline the <strong>Readings</strong> that you may be doing here </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">during your attendance. </span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small;">..</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( 3 ) Beginners are <em>really encouraged</em> to try n' dedicate themselves </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span>to a weekly-class attendance to <strong><em>really learn to sit </em>meditation</strong>. </span><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Have you seen section <strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">( 4 )</span></strong> on the sidebar ? Stuff to consider... </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>The <em>Optional</em> Beginner's 6 Week "CLASS-COMMITMENT" </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">that we only suggest as a good 'learning option' is fully explored.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( Meditators with <em>already some</em> 'sitting' experience may also find </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">a class 'commitment' very helpful towards <em><strong>re-gaining consistency</strong></em> - </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">or you may just simply come to sit with us <strong><em>at any time</em></strong> you choose.)<em> </em></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">..</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( 4 ) Maybe you'll want to return to <em>re-read this Buddha-blog repeatedly </em></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">for the <strong>meditation instruction-pointers, tips</strong> & <strong>reading outline</strong> etc. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: xx-small;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">( 5 ) Please <em><strong>just for now</strong></em> read only <em><strong>what you need</strong></em> in this blog at this time... </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Be Always Welcome</strong> for a<strong> one-time visit</strong>. </span><br />
<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">See if this class could 'work' for you.... </span></div>
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #ffcc99;"><span style="color: #cc9933;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #ffff99;">_______________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________</span> </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #000099;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #000099;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">"Again, traveler - you have come a long way led by <em>that </em>star. </span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">But the 'Kingdom of The Wish' is at the other end of the night. </span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">May you fair well, compan'ero - Let us journey together joyfully - </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Living on catastrophe, eating the pure light."</span> </span></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: arial;">~ Thomas McGrath</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #ffff99;">______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"> </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">What do Traditional Buddhists <em>Actually</em> 'Worship' ? </span></span></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">We could say: "Nothing", and be very Zen about it. </span></span></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">But in our relational-reality <em>we Do give worship</em>....</span></span></span></strong><br />
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">So in 'Buddhism', to what <em><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">do</span></strong></em> we give <strong>'Worship' ?</strong> <span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana;"><strong>*</strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">is what we call <span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">"The Beginner's Mind" </span></strong>- </span></span><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;">in other words:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">The <em>Present Moment</em> </span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">that is right Here </span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">right Now !</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buddhists Worship LIFE and everything that wholesomely supports Life .</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">~ The awareness-clarity of a perpetually <em>ever-present </em></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">compassionate <strong>Beingness in the Now</strong> ~ </span><br />
<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">at least we're gently & patiently <em>trying to,</em> </span><br />
<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">then we have a <em>better </em>opportunity </span><br />
<span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">of being in the Know ... Now !"</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="color: #333333;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">*</span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">Worship </span></strong></span></span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">:: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong>Worth</strong> - Worth-ship, something very Worthy of reverence</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99;">__________________</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99;">__________________________________</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #336666;">Hi & Welcome to You 'Newer' Folks ~</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">We are all<strong> </strong>Newcomers to these 'American-style' Spiritual Journey-ings, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">these Pilgrimages of Holy Consumption that we seem to be nationally on </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">- comparison-shopping the Spiritual Emporiums. Awkwardly at many times. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">A sort </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"> <strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">'Fumbling Towards Enlightenment'</span></strong>. So be aware of your longings, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">projections, and especially any of your impatient 'expectations'. Go slow. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>Eventually</em> you'll travel 'informed', calm, savvy & kindly. Be welcome to </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">come sit & walk with us for awhile. It's a long road. Did'ya think it wasn't? </span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>...and HEY,</em> please</strong> . . . Do Not Make Any of What's Written in Here into </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">'SOMETHING DAUNTING'. ~ <em>Heck,</em> It's Just Information - data - <em>you can </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>skip most of it for right now, if you want.</em> And as we all get to know each </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">other better, as you become a 'student' again for awhile & dedicate yourself </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to being in a 'class' for awhile, we'll help you find your way thru the unstable </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">fascinations of the 'spiritual jungle'. That's our job as a Dharma Safari Guides </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">or Spiritual Coaches... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">You do NOT have </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to be 'book-smart' or very intellectual to 'get' it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Just like to ask </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">lots of questions. If you're willing to give it a try - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">you'll enter class, catch up & catch on quite fine. Be patient.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="font-size: 130%;">Be welcome <strong><em>at any time</em></strong>... for a <strong>one time visit</strong> <em>-or-</em><strong> to start class</strong>.<br />Just phone that you're coming. ~ 310-450-2268 ~ That's about it.<br />Questions ? Phone us, <em>absolutely</em> no bother. Ask away !<br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />C Ya' at your First Class... </span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">~ Akasa</span></span></em><br /><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;">____________________________________</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">_____________________________________</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003300; font-family: verdana;"><strong>Driving Directions</strong> :: in <span style="color: #cc0000;">bright <strong>RED</strong></span> <span style="color: #cc0000;">~ </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003300; font-family: verdana;">scroll down way near bottom of this page</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">_______________________________________ </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #009900;"><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial;">________________________________________</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #009900;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;">Me</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;">ditation Evenings <em>Include</em>:</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #006600;">INSTRUCTION & SITTING</span> – 7:30pm ~ 9:30 pm</span></strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: verdana;">•</span></strong> a 35-40 minute <strong>Silent Sitting Meditation</strong> on <em>cushion </em>or <em>chair</em> <strong>–</strong> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: verdana;">•</span> </strong>a<strong> Dharma Talk</strong> or Text Study with Q&A Satsang-Discussion <strong>–</strong> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: verdana;"><strong>•</strong></span> a Metta-style <strong>'Loving-Kindness'</strong> meditation or <strong>Sacred Poetry </strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span>or a mini-ritual to conclude at 9:30 pm <strong>–</strong> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Your individual, personal access to the teacher is easily available. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><em>Nothing ever aloof here</em> – just unconventional – <em>Buddha was</em>....</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #006600;"><em>NEWCOMER'S</em> INSTRUCTION </span></strong></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #006600;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>& Pointers:</strong></span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Newcomers :: </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Please plan to come <strong>15 minutes</strong> early at 7:15 pm </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003300;">the first few times to meet with the teacher - for some <strong>instructive </strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003300;"><strong>pointers</strong> for the first couple of weeks. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>Everybody</em>:</strong> please... <span style="color: #000099;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><strong>BE<span style="color: #cccccc;">...</span>M I N D F U L <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>of<span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span>TIME</strong> !!!</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Sitting begins</strong> at <span style="color: #38761d;"><strong>7:30 </strong>pm<strong> prompt</strong></span> ~ <span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><em>much thanks</em></span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>"Please Arrive On The Early Side of Your Nature" </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003300;">– so you have generous time to settle-in & settle down</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666600; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong>"True ‘generosity’ towards the Future - </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #666600;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">is to give <em>everything now</em> - to the Present."</span> </span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: trebuchet ms;">~ Camus</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>________________________________________<br />______________________________________ </strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #996633; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>About <em>Beginning</em> . . .</strong></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc6600;">"Everything is freshly approached with a <em>Beginner's </em>Mind"</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: verdana;"></span></span></strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">:: </span>WHEN to START ?</strong></span> Sincere <strong>Beginners</strong> may enter our Ongoing Classes </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>At Any Time</strong> that works for you. You do NOT have to be 'book-smart' or </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">very intellectual to 'get' it. Just <strong>like</strong> &<strong> enjoy</strong> <strong>asking</strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong> </strong>lots of questions ! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you're willing </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">to give it a try - you'll easily catch the drift, catch up & </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">catch on quite fine ! </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #ff6600;"><span style="color: #cc6600;"></span></span></strong></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #ff6600;"><span style="color: #cc6600;">::</span> </span>WHICH EVENING ?</strong></span> <em>always</em> <strong>phone us</strong> ahead to inquire <em>which</em> weekly evening </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">is the OPEN Class Evening. 310-450-2268 </span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">:: </span>CLASS DATES:</span> You choose</strong>. Well, since you may join our Ongoing Classes </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>At Any Time</strong> – Y</span></span><span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">ou can <em>freely choose</em> the most suitable dates for yourself. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Or that’s when you pick <em>your own</em> 6-Week Beginner's Class-dates to attend. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">If you think you like the Class, <strong>just start coming for a bunch of weeks</strong>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Have you seen section <span style="color: red;">( 4 )</span> on the sidebar ? ..</strong> it's where </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>"The <em>Optional</em> Beginner's CLASS-COMMITMENT"</strong> that we suggest is explored. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial;">Do you need to set a Class-Start or End-'Date'</span></strong> for yourself ? ... </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to fit in with your other plans – please speak with us upfront about </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">making that work for yourself. <em><strong>We'd like you to like</strong></em> <strong>being in a class</strong> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to really <strong>dig in</strong> and <strong>learn the Basic Sitting-Practice & Dharma-theory</strong>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Learning meditation is going to take some 'doing' - some work ! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">And give it about 2 months! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana;">::</span> IF you'd like to talk</strong> – to <em>really see</em> if <em>even</em> this 'odd' class is for you... </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Please phone us first – a week or a few days ahead at least – </span></span><span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>with </em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>enough lead time to phone tag</em> - </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">It could be a meaningful yet brief, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">enjoyable and fun conversation . . . 1-310-450-2268 </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana;"><strong>•</strong></span> Also we <em>always</em> enjoy & <strong>like to <em>personally</em> connect</strong> with <em>potentially </em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">new meditation students ‘live’ </span></span><span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">on the phone about these classes & also </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">about you – so can we talk a bit ? – <strong>if </strong>you'd like to talk... </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>call us old fashioned</em>.... </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: courier new;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong>" Good timber does not grow with ease. </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #993300;">The stronger the wind ~ the stronger the trees."</span></strong> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">~ Willard Marriot</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: arial;"><strong>_________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 180%;">.</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> WHAT to BRING</span> & Some Housekeeping ~</span> </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you're a First-Timer / Newcomer - <strong><em><span style="color: #ff6600;">just come</span></em></strong> <strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">... bring yourself !</span></strong> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> WHAT to BRING ~ </strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Bring your Willingness ! Bring your Bravery ! <em>Always</em> Bring your Open Heart ! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">In future, maybe you'll create a 'meditation tote bag' that has everything in it you'll </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">need, </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">like your <strong>"Path with Heart" book</strong> & any handouts you'll be given. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Bring your own <strong>Water Bottle</strong> !! You may want to bring a <strong>Light Blanket </strong>or<strong> Shawl</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to cover your lap, legs or wrap your body – <em>try it, you'll like it.</em> Wear <strong>loose clothes</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">so nothing binds, so breath & body-tensions can fully relax and fall away - and </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">shoes that come off easy. Bring a <strong>Notebook </strong>& pen. <strong>Chair-seating is very OK</strong> – </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">or we also have floor sitting or zen cushions, or bring your own.<br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #000066;"><strong><span style="color: red;">::</span> CLASS FEE ~</strong> <strong>'DANA'</strong></span></span><strong> </strong><span style="font-family: arial;">- Your current Class is <em>voluntarily</em> & totally $upported by </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">your 'Gift of Kindness'. The usual 'suggested' donation of $<strong>15</strong>-$<strong>20</strong> is for a full evening </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">class - <em>and does feel quite fair & reasonable to ask </em>-<em>AND</em>- No one is ever turned </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">away for lesser or lack of funds. 'Money' in relation to '<strong>donations</strong>' is often a sticky, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">awkward big issue for some. <strong><em>Good</em> !</strong> It's what's called a good "practice opportunity". <em></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><em>This could be a part of your 'practice' also</em> ! Integrating Dana-Practice into our overall </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">everyday life-meditation practice – sometimes sweetly willing, at other times resistive </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">and begrudging. Notice it all. It is <strong>all</strong> basic 'Practice'. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We so appreciate your very kind <strong>'Dana'</strong> ( 'Gifting' in Pali ) donations that make </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">a difference by contributing to help cover our class-time & operating-expenses </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;">~ <em>Gracias</em> !</span> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">"Dana" is the Pali word for the 'Practice of Generosity'. Most teachers </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">traditionally do not 'charge' a fee for their instructions because 'The Dharma </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Teachings' <em>themselves</em> are considered priceless - and are thus given freely. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Instead, Western teachers <em>also </em><strong>do rely</strong> for their own support, like monks do, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">on the <em>kindness and generosity of others - </em>mostly students who receive these </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">precious Teachings. "Dana Practice" gives <em>both </em>teacher and student the </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>active </em></strong>'practice-opportunity' <em><strong>to apply</strong></em> what is <strong>most often difficult</strong> for some of us - <strong></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>un-prompted generosity </strong>and<strong> open-heartedness</strong>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">~ <em>We are always grateful and we so thank you !</em> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Please be very most welcome to phone and talk with me about any of this ! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( Noon - 6pm daily best phone times ) ~ 310-450-2268 ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #993399; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">_________________________________ </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>driving directions in bright <span style="color: red;">RED </span>~ </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">scroll way down near bottom of this </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">page</span></div>
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<span style="color: #993399; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">_________________________________ </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">........ </span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> So</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>me Basic HOUSEKEEPING Requests <span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span></strong></span></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><em><span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span><span style="color: #336666;">" PLEASE ARRIVE ON THE EARLY SIDE OF YOUR NATURE ! "</span></em> </strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">...</span>We really do want to begin sittings promptly at <strong>7:30</strong> PM each time. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Come Early - We <strong>all</strong> really need some time to settle in & settle down. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">FIRST-TIMERS <span style="color: #000066;"><strong>NOTE</strong>:</span></span> Class Space is very often at a premium here ~ </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">it is more like a </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">small cultural 'salon' - rather than a large zendo or a yoga studio. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">So we request <strong>that you phone </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>in ahead</strong>, <em>first time,</em> if you intend on coming - <em>thanks</em> ! Space here gets very limited. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">We generally have only a few places open </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">for <em>potential </em>new learners. When </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">we offer Daylong Retreats, the space </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">we use is usually much more spacious. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: red; font-family: verdana;">:: </span>IF something should get between you & being here </strong>- IF you can't make it </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">to the meditation class as you planned, please let us know <em>asap </em>by phone or email - <em></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>so we'll know</em> - and we can arrange our small 'shrine' room accordingly. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">And, please be prepared to stay for the whole class-evening: as the overall class </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">group <strong>synergy</strong> supports each other's meditation. Simply let the teacher know </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>if you </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>do need to leave earlier</strong>, so there are no sudden, surprise-departures. <em>Again, Thanks for your understanding</em>... So <em>always</em> helpful to stay connected . . . </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="mailto:AkasaLevizz@msn.com" title="mailto:AkasaLevizz@msn.com
CTRL + Click to follow link"><span style="font-size: 130%;">AkasaLevizz@msn.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 130%;"> ~ 310-450-</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">2268.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>_________________________________________________________</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #000066;">LITTLE or BIG HUGE <span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 180%;">Q</span>UESTIONS? or HESITATIONS?</span></strong> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><em><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><em><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span><span style="color: #990000;">• </span>FIRST-TIMER <span style="color: #990000;">•</span> NEWCOMER <span style="color: #990000;">•</span> BEGINNER </em><span style="color: #990000;">•</span> <em>OLD-TIMER</em><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span>INDIVIDUAL PERSONAL QUESTIONS ? COMMENTS ? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span>EXPERIENCES ? DOUBTS ? CONFUSIONS ? HESITATIONS ? CONFIRMATIONS ? JOY ? REALIZATIONS ? EPIPHANIES ?</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>Ask Absolutely ANYTHING at all ! </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>.</em></strong></span></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></em></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><strong><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span><span style="color: #006600;">“Ultimately, there are No Answers” </span></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #009900; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 180%;">Our practice, as Rilke says is: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #006600;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">"To Love the Questions themselves! "</span> </span></strong></span><span style="font-size: 0px;"><strong><br /></strong></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: red;">::</span> "Doubts & Hesitations"</span></strong> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>Those too</em> are ALL a major, <strong>major part</strong> of your Meditation practice path. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">We call it </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: georgia;"><strong>“THE PRACTICE of GREAT DOUBT”</strong></span> - and from a Buddhist perspective, that's a <strong><em>very</em> good thing</strong> ! We encourage you to <strong>examine</strong> &<strong> </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>question</strong> </span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><em>absolutely everything!</em> ( Not like other ‘religions’, huh ? ) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Buddhists <em>Love</em> Doubt !</strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Our website has a whole section on Doubt.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;"><strong>"Inherent in a 'Question</strong> is often a disguised form of 'Suffering' </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: trebuchet ms;">that is now <em>revealing</em> itself. Questions are good healing-opportunities."</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: verdana;"><strong><em>Dragging your feet about your coming</em> ???</strong> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><em><strong>Class will also be fun !</strong></em> We laugh a lot while deeply considering some </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">very <em>serious</em> issues about Life: ‘living’ & ‘dying’ & ‘existing’ & ‘suffering’ </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">& <strong>'joy' in ‘transcending’</strong> the Ego-Life of the Mind. Create 'Time' for it !</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #333399;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana;">:: </span>More Questions? </span></strong>- <strong>Use the phone</strong> ~ be very welcome to phone us ! . . . </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">during the afternoons ( <em>please,</em> no email-dialogues: it really gets too laborious ) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Talk with us about <em>anything</em> 'spiritual' or 'religious'. QUESTIONS ? ....pick up </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">the phone - Just Call & Ask 'em !!! No fee, no obligations at all for calling & asking. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We'll gladly give ya' a little phone-time. Any meditation class-related topics, questions, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">spiritual-confusions or practice-issues. We'll offer you some pointers & direction, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">or </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">maybe suggest a resource for you, here or elsewhere. You <strong>can</strong> just run stuff by us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We'll tell ya' what we know – jus 'cause we've been around <em>that</em> spiritual block </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">before you. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Don't hesitate to call n' ask, no charge to ask...</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Best phone times: Noon to 6pm any day ~ 310-450-2268 ~ </span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms;">.</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;">"If they ask you where you heard that piece of sage advice, </span></span></span></strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span>tell 'em you bumped into the Rabbi on the street."</span></span></strong> <span style="font-size: 85%;">~ Isaac Bashevis Singer </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 85%;"></span></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #ffff99;">___________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________</span><br /><em></em></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana;"><strong>BOOKS & READING <span style="color: #ffff99;">::</span> "A PATH WITH HEART"</strong></span> by <strong>Jack Kornfield</strong> - </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">is our core class hand-</span><span style="font-family: arial;">book, our gold standard meditation reference-guide, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">for all classes we offer. <strong><em>Really use it</em> </strong>as an ongoing 'Operating-Manual' </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">( not just as a straight read-thru ). This is a teaching 'primer' - mostly about </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><em><strong>actual </strong></em>meditation practice-experiences & their emotional integration - along </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">with your developing meditation practice to help you develop a clear Informed "Dharma" Mind - to make a whole 'potential' for you that may lead to a new, clear 'experience' of a <em>shifted understanding</em> into a <em><strong>more</strong></em> True Reality <strong>for yourself</strong>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Please see <strong>section <span style="color: red;"># 7</span></strong> on this blog's sidebar for <strong>Reading Catch-Up Outline</strong></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #ff6666;"><em>ultimately</em> . . . </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">"All philosophies are 'mental fabrications'. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">There has never been a single philosophy </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033; font-family: arial;">by which one could enter the True-essence of things." </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">~ The Buddhist Yogi Nagarjuna ( India, 1st century AD ) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>"A Path with Heart"</strong> is the <strong>one </strong>&<strong> only</strong> <strong>required</strong> 'must-read' Buddhist book </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">for all our classes. Newcomers: please <strong>Wait till after</strong> your first class to </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">purchase it, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">if you wish. You’ll read most of this one purchased book - and also read parts of </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 other FREE online small booklets. That’s it ! <em>All other reading is entirely optional. </em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Ask us about our <strong>Weekly Core Study-Group Nite</strong>, mostly limited to somewhat </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">more 'practiced' students or newcomers with some past Buddhist experience. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Hey, don't eliminate yourself - phone us and let's talk together about this & you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;">.</span></strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #993399; font-family: georgia;">BTW:</span></strong> <strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">None</span></strong> of our Book-List readings are required or necessary </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">for attending </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">our classes. F</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">ind the Blog Book List and peruse what's there. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Also you can choose the other, much more expanded full sections to read on 'Meditation' ~ and about 'Buddhist Thought' ~ that may be very <em>surprising</em> & 'enlightening' for you as to what some of 'Buddhism' </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">is really about - helpful for your in-depth or overall understanding as your 'relationship' with Practice begins to grow & develop <strong>a richer fullness</strong>. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: #6666cc; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99;">_________________________________________________________</span></span></strong></span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #666600;"><span style="font-family: arial;">時人自不識彌勒彌勒真彌勒,化身千百億,時人自不識彌勒彌勒真彌勒,化身千百億,彌勒真彌勒,時時示時人,彌勒真彌勒,時人自不識彌勒彌勒真彌勒,化身千百億,時人自不識彌勒彌勒真彌勒,化身千百億,彌勒真彌勒,時時示時人,彌勒真彌勒,時人自不識彌勒彌勒真彌勒,化身千百億,時人自不識彌勒彌勒真彌勒,化身千百億,彌勒真彌勒,時時示時人,彌勒真彌勒,時人自不識彌勒彌勒真彌勒</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666600; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">WISDOM-GNOSIS ~ KNOWS WISDOM </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666600; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Wisdom <em>really likes</em> Wisdom. It thrives on it. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666600; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Wisdom when Awakened <em>likes</em> to stay Awake ! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666600; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Wisdom when Awakened <em>prefers </em>Wisdom to my old EgoSelf. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666600; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Wisdom when Awakened begins to <em>replace</em> my neurosis & inner-noise. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #666600;">Wisdom when Awakened <em>expands </em>and<em> multiplies</em> ! Wisdom <em>changes</em> me.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffcc66;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>_____________________________________________________________<br />________________________________________________________________</strong></span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #336666;">Reminders for Absolutely <em>Everyone</em></span> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #993300; font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: red;">::</span> BEWARE of EXPECTATIONS ! <span style="color: red;">::</span></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666; font-family: verdana;">..about your seeking, searching, and </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">even </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">finding a spiritual direction or path.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">" The genuine essence of a <em>true</em> 'Adventure' </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">is that <strong>one really doesn't know</strong> the outcome.<br />The essence of a <em>true </em>'Spiritual' Adventure </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">is that <em>one shouldn't need to know</em> the outcome -<br />and that one <em>absolutely can't</em> know the outcome! </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">And that there really <em>aren't ever</em> any 'outcomes'. " </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">~ Alexander Carpenter </span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">"When you just stop 'e x p e c t i n g </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">'Realizations & Reality to manifest for you </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">through a very 'special experience', </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">or with a 'specific' definable form, </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">or through a secret 'esoteric teaching', </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">or even a highly 'enlightened' teacher - </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">you will then discover True Reality </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">showing up within every experience </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">and shining through all manifest forms."</span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 100%;">~ Metta Zetty </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">"The brilliant Buddhist Non-Attachment </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">"Teachings On Emptiness" can save you </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">from being caught in any notion whatsoever. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">But IF you get caught </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">in the 'Notion of Emptiness' <em>itself</em> ~ </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">Nothing can save you !"<br /><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 100%;">~ Thay</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">"Be Here to 'cultivate' a Quiet-mind </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">without so much urgency ~ </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">~ a mind without demands </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">Stop Expecting stuff..." </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">"If you are irritated by <em>every</em> rub,<br />how will you ever be polished ?"<br /><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 100%;">~ Rumi</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">"Individual people stumble over pebbles, </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">never over mountains."</span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 100%;">~ Emilie Cady</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">"To Be Free of 'Desire and Attachment' -<br />is to be <strong>FREE</strong> of <em>'the desire'</em> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">and to be <strong>FREE</strong> of <em>'the attachment'</em> <strong>to </strong><br />'Being Free' of Desire and Attachment. "</span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 100%;">~ Ram Dass </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">"Take the <strong>first step</strong> in faith. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">You don't have to <em>see </em>the whole staircase </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">~ just take the first step."<br /><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 100%;">~ Martin Luther King </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 100%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 100%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 100%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #ff6666; font-size: 130%;"><em><strong>ultimately . . . </strong></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 100%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 100%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"><strong>" The Greatest Risk Is Not Taking One " </strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 100%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: yellow; font-family: arial;">__________________________________________</span> </span></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">" INNER-STILLNESS <em>ITSELF</em> ! . . </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">is really what Awakens Your Deep Radiant Heart </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">of Natural Grace, Compassion & Wisdom. "</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">That's <em>really</em> all it's about ! <span style="color: #cccccc;">.........</span><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 78%;">~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: yellow;"><strong><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">__________________________________________ </span></strong></span>.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">"While one person hesitates</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">because they 'feel' inferior</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">and 'think' insecure thoughts -</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">the other is just busy</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">making mistakes a p l e n t y -</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">and becoming quite superior"</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 85%;">~ The Tao.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 100%;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>_______________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ _________________________________________________</strong></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"80% of Success Is Just Showing Up."</span> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 85%;">~ Woody Allen</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>D I R E C T I O N S <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span> & <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span> P A R K I N G</strong></span><br /><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;"></span></strong></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Print Out • DIRECTIONS • PARKING in Santa Monica</span></strong> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">Meditation Classes are currently </span></span></span><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">held near <strong>14th St. </strong>&<strong> PICO Blvd</strong> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">in Santa Monica, CA 90405 </span></span></span><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">in a Sunset Park private residence. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">We are a block west of Santa Monica </span></span></span><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">College. <em>Leave Time</em> !</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">Leave yourself <strong>plenty of time</strong> to find us your first visit.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">Ask us about ANY other Details that may </span></span></span><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">concern you. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">Best phone times are Noon to 6 pm – Mon/Fri. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: red;">________________________________</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #993300; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong>~ 310-450-2268 ~ </strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #993300; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong>email: <a href="mailto:akasalevizz@msn.com">akasalevizz@msn.com</a> </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #003333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">2046 14th Street, # 4</span></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #003333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">~ at 14th & Pico Blvd. </span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #003333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">Santa Monica, CA 90405 </span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #003333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">near Santa Monica College</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">10 Freeway West </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">to <strong>26th Street / Cloverfield</strong> Exit - top of ramp go Left - </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">go <strong>down Pico towards beach</strong>. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">14th Street - is <strong>just past</strong> Santa Monica College </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">Turn Left onto <strong>14th Street (going south)</strong> about 1/2 block - </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">Look for the <strong>YWCA </strong>at<strong> Bay St</strong>. We're on 14th across the street.</span><br />
<span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">2032-<strong>2046</strong>-2048 is a long white building on west side of street. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Find a pair of gray security gates - <strong><span style="color: red;">GATE CODE</span></strong> hit <strong># </strong>then <strong>6 4 0 2 </strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">Our ground floor unit is <strong># 4 on LEFT side</strong> of courtyard bushes.<br /><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">_____________________________________________________</span> </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">Parking during DAY-TIME APPOINTMENTS Only - </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">We have a <strong>'PARKING PERMIT'</strong> for you, so you can park right out front. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">for Individual or Couples <strong>Day-Time Sessions</strong>, Business or Interviews -</span> </div>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">Cell Phone us from your car 310-450-2268 - and we will come out </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;">to open gate -- or use the GATE CODE hit <strong>#</strong> then <strong>6 4 0 2</strong> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">_________________________________________________________</span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #993300;">EVENING CLASSES / GROUPS:</span> </span></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong>please follow Parking Directions <em>very</em> carefully !!! </strong></span></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Residential Restrictions due to Santa Monica College nearby</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong>PARKING :: Where & Where Not !! </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong>NOTE <span style="color: red;">::</span> Anywhere SOUTH of Pico & 14th ~ is a <span style="color: red;">NO</span><br /><br />NORTH of Pico Blvd & West of 14th on Pico ~ <span style="color: #3333ff;">YES ! YES !</span> </strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: red;">+</span> NO PARKING: DO NOT PARK ON 14th Street SOUTH of Pico Blvd. Not Ever !</strong> There is <strong>NO Parking On Any of the SOUTH of Pico side streets.</strong> <span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: red;">Not Ever !</span></strong></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #3366ff;">+</span></strong> <strong><span style="color: #3366ff;">BEST Parking</span></strong> is now arranged at <strong>Byron Woodley TIRE DEALERS</strong> small lot on Pico just West of 14th, just around the corner from us. Park very tight, make space for others.<br />Don't worry about blocking someone in, it's just us monkey-minds parking there. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #3366ff;">+</span> Only </strong>for the <strong><span style="color: #3366ff;">WOMEN</span></strong> ~ Sometimes easy parking can happen at the YWCA lot </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>right across the street</strong> from us on 14th - this <strong>is not</strong> for the Guys ! <em>Girlz only</em> !</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333;">Ladies, you can try, if they don't shoo you away -- but they won't ever tow.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #3366ff;">+</span></strong> ON <strong>14th Street</strong> itself, <strong>NORTH</strong> of Pico Blvd alongside the Woodlawn Cemetery - 'eastside' side has no meters - the 'westside' meters end at 6 PM. But always check. <span style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #3366ff;">+</span></strong> ON <strong>Pico </strong>ITSELF - West of 14th - the meters end at 6 PM. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>MAPS.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>MAP link</strong> for <strong>The Laughing Buddha Sangha </strong>in<strong> Santa Monica</strong><br />click directly or copy/paste enter it all in: <strong>don't break into it !</strong></span></div>
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<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1001+colorado+blvd+santa+monica&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=48.909425,79.101563&ie=UTF8&z=17&iwloc=addr"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1001+colorado+blvd+santa+monica&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=48.909425,79.101563&ie=UTF8&z=17&iwloc=addr</span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></div>
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</div>Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5619679579051726718.post-48923287634229033382008-08-01T22:27:00.000-07:002012-07-02T15:49:42.793-07:00( 5 ) Upcoming RETREAT • Ongoing CLASS Announcements • Previous Retreat ARCHIVE of some good Poetry and Prose excerpts from PAST Retreats<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: large;">Please <strong>MAX</strong> your screen for a better view</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><strong><span style="font-family: arial;">______________________________________________________________</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">_____________________________________________________________</span></strong>.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 180%;"><strong><br />*</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: georgia;"><strong>BTW... </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The two very powerful <strong><span style="color: #990000;">RILKE</span></strong> pieces on <strong>'Love & Friendship'</strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial;">we usually explore during our Metta-based </span></span><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><em><strong>Relationship Retreats</strong> ~ </em></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">just scroll about 3/4 way down <u>this</u> page....</span></span><span style="color: #330000;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">___^____________________________________</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">____ </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">q(~?~)p <span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span>THE <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><em>LAUGHING</em> <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>BUDDHA <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>SANGHA </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">..................</span>nourishing an iconoclast intelligence </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br />• </span>Join our <span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Ongoing</strong> <strong>Weekly</strong> <strong>Classes</strong></span> at <em>Any Time !</em></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><em><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #666600;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></strong></span></span></span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><em><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #666600;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span>Weekly <span style="color: #990000;">MONDAYS 7:30 pm</span> ~ 9:30 pm </strong></span></span></span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><em><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #666600;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">.....</span>Ongoing thru Spring ~ Summer 2011 </strong></span></span></span></em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: 130%;">Join us for a One-Time Visit - <strong><em>Questions </em>?</strong> - Phone us ! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: 130%;">There are <em>NO real starting-dates</em> for a class, it's simply ongoing.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">So just join our ongoing classes at any time – <em>just call ahead.</em></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><strong>The “BUDDHISM” Class</strong> <strong>for Insight Meditation </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Training in</span> the Great </span></span><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Wisdom "PATH OF NO EXPECTATIONS” </span><br /><span style="font-size: 130%;">'Life' <em>truly</em> offers a Daily-Path of Abundant ‘Practice Opportunities’. </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #073763;"><strong>ALL Levels</strong>: First-timers, Newcomers & Beginners - </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial;">Experienced Returners, Regulars or Irregulars come sit... </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: arial;">Santa Monica • 310-450-2268 • <em>Come see if you like it</em> !</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>"An intuitive, yet savvy, intellectual kind of conversation I love - <em>and usually can't find </em>" </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #999900; font-size: large;">__________________________________________________ _______________________________________________</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: yellow;">• </span>Retreat Announcements <span style="color: yellow;">•</span> </span></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;">Day-longs <span style="color: #990000;">&</span> Dharma workshops</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>What Retreats <em>Always</em> Offer. . . . . . </strong></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">are the <em>very necessary</em> deeper <strong>"immersion-time experiences"</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>so often missing</em> in shorter meditation sittings. Retreats help you </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">gradually build-in a consistent "working-relationship" with the </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">meditation practice - so you can cultivate and stabilize an aware,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">wise, Dharma-informed intellect, a peaceful body-stillness, and </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a compassionate, calm equilibrium </span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and emotional renewal - in a </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">supportive space to continually re-awaken yourself to being </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"present in </span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">this very moment" during silent-living for a </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">sanctuary-day of sustained mindfulness and inner-inquiry.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><br />These Daylongs are suitable for <u>all levels</u> of meditation experience. </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><strong>Beginners are very welcome</strong></em> !</span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Guided sitting instruction, workable </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Practice-</span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">techniques, Dharma-talks that help us explore life-related </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">themes, </span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">new awakening-approaches, and lively Q & A discussion - </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and </span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">there's lots of welcome noble-silence too.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>" A day of heart/mind training will really begin </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>to set you in the right direction - or allow you </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><strong>to deepen the work you have <em>already</em> begun.<br /><br />In the s t i l l n e s s – space for a rebellious spirit."</strong> <span style="font-size: x-small;">~ Noah Levine</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 180%;"><strong>( <em>UpComing <span style="color: #cc0000;">RETREAT</span>:Save the Date !</em> Saturday </strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 180%;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">February 12</span></strong> <strong>~ ATS Melrose Center</strong> </span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 180%;"><strong><span style="color: #741b47;"><em>The <span style="color: #cc0000;">LINK</span></em> to <em>complete</em> current Retreat description/details </span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 180%;"><strong><span style="color: #741b47;"><em>scroll right here below</em> )</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Buddhist Perspectives on 'Relationship'</strong> - <strong>Saturday FEBRUARY 12</strong> - </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One-Day Retreat - <em>SAVE the Date</em> - Valentine's Daylong </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">guided by Akasa Levi at 'Against The Stream' </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Please <strong>MAX</strong> your screen for a better view ~ click <strong>LINK</strong> to <strong>see full flyer</strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Link:</span></strong> <a href="http://www.againstthestream.org/pdfs/AkasaFeb2011Daylong.pdf"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>http://www.againstthestream.org/pdfs/AkasaFeb2011Daylong.pdf</strong></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em>Buddhist Perspectives on</em> 'Relationship'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">"<strong>L<em><span style="color: #cc0000;">O</span></em>VE</strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><em>& <strong>Other Difficulties</strong>"</em></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A <span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>Valentine's</strong> <strong>Daylong</strong></span> guided by <strong>Akasa Levi </strong></span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">with both Inspiring Rosebuds & Insightful Thorns</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>___________________________</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Saturday <span style="color: #cc0000;">FEBRUARY 12</span> ~ SAVE the Date ! 9am-4:30pm</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>~ <em>AGAINST THE STREAM</em> BUDDHIST MEDITATION SOCIETY ~ </strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><br />Love </strong><em>/</em><strong> Relationship </strong><em>/ </em><strong>Friendship </strong><em>/ </em><strong>Family </strong><em>/ </em><strong>Companionship </strong><em>/</em><strong> Partnership</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We all seem to have em' ! ... <em>satisfying or not</em> ... and often we've got difficulties.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>'L<span style="color: #cc0000;">O</span>VE'</strong> - our most <strong>e l u s i v e emotion</strong> - and the 'Relationships' it engages in... </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>'Relationships'</strong> can be our leading Resilient Resident "Grand Delusions of Fusion".</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>We will explore through Mindful-Observing HOW we Actually '<u><em>Do</em></u>' Relationships</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Clarity of Mind on How we Actually <strong>Do</strong> Intimacy ~ How we Actually <strong>Do</strong> Love.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How we 'Relate' to our <em><u>Experiencin</u>g</em> of the 'Relationship-Experience' Changing !</span></strong> </div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">" The Buddhist-ideal: the <strong>absence</strong> of 'Attachment' -</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">is not necessarily, <em>in any way whatsoever,</em></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">the absence of <strong><em>profound</em> Loving</strong> ! "</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya, Maha-Sangha Raj ~</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">"A change of Heart changes <em>Everything ! </em>"</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Link:</span></strong> <a href="http://www.againstthestream.org/pdfs/AkasaFeb2011Daylong.pdf"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>http://www.againstthestream.org/pdfs/AkasaFeb2011Daylong.pdf</strong></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A Maverick Spirited Inner-Quest with Buddhist Insight Meditation </span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Nourishing an Iconoclast Intelligence and A Good-Hearted Mind</strong></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.againstthestream.org/"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">www.againstthestream.org</span></a><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><em><br /><strong>. . . Also please scroll down - and read some more </strong><br /><br /><strong>flavorful bits of description from <u>other Past Retreats</u>...</strong><br />Below are some</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><u>PAST</u> Post-Retreat <em>Posthumous Poetry & Prose</em></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">... yummy leftovers for good eatin' the next day </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.... </span>and the next .... </span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Scroll down and graze</span> </div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><strong>Why are you so unhappy ?</strong></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><strong>Because 99.9 per cent</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><strong>of <em>everything</em> you think,</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><strong>and of <em>everything</em> you do,</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><strong>is for yourSelf –</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><strong>and there isn't one.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;">~ Wei Wu Wei ~</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />FROM </span><span style="font-size: large;">2010 R E T R E A T S</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">How to <em>Actually Use </em></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">a Buddhist Understanding of</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>" The SELF "</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and also of </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">the <strong>no-self</strong>, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and the <strong>not-self</strong>,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">and the <strong>non-self</strong>, and in Pali</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">what's called <strong>anatta</strong>: all <em>without</em> self.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">we'll practice how to <strong>Lose Yourself</strong> !</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>"But I've been trying so hard to <em>find </em>mySelf !"</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><em><strong>... and yes,</strong></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><strong>" You need to be Somebody <em>before</em> you can be Nobody "</strong> </span><span style="color: #666666;">~ Jack Engler ~</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">– and so what about the Hindu-based Big-Self / Little-Self ?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">What's <strong>Atman ?</strong> The Infinite 'Oneness' they call The Supreme-Self,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Divine-Self, The Higher-Self, The Inner-Self or The Soul-Self –</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">or the <em>beneficial</em> Actualized-Self, the True-Self or Self-Realization. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />What's the ingredients of a healthy as well as an unhealthy ego-self ?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Who is 'it' / what is 'it' / what 'self' is having all these 'experiences' ?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><strong><em><br />'Upaya'</em> </strong>is the practice of <strong><em>'learning-in'</em> dharma-skills </strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">to reduce and stop the tedious, <em>endless work</em> of </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"our self-styled attempts" at 'self-definition' - </span><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the obsessive, fruitless nagging at ourselves, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">always asking the unanswerable <strong>"Who Am I ?"</strong></span></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana;"><em><br />and paradoxically...</em></span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><br />" Buddhist practice <em>literally </em>has 'Nothing' to offer you –</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>other than what is in THIS very moment. That’s all.</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>God(s), Goddesses, religion, entities and the ego-self</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>can <em>certainly</em> attract you with so, so, so much more! "</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">~ Henri Van Zeyst ~</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Daylong will be held at <strong>1001a Colorado Ave</strong> at 10th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401</span><span style="color: #e06666;"><strong>_____________________________________________</strong></span><strong><em><br /><br />Remember</em> ~ Whatever 'IT' is – <u>It's</u> just a “Thought”<br /><span style="color: #e06666;">__________________________________________________</span></strong></span></span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><strong>" Metta: The Relationship Your Heart Longs For ~ <br /><em>Already</em> Exists In You ! "</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Quotes from PAST RELATIONSHIP RETREATS </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Love exists only in the <strong>True</strong> Friendship.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Love is True Friendship <em>set</em> <em>on Fire </em><em><span style="color: orange;"><strong>!</strong></span></em></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">~ Jeremy Taylor - 1657 ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A Buddhist Approach to</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">" <em>Relationship</em> "</span> </span></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">A One Day Retreat with Akasa Levi</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><em>Sunday May 23 ~ 2010</em></strong> <strong>~</strong> 9:00am-5:00pm </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #990000;"><em><strong>Against The Stream</strong></em> ~ ATS Santa Monica Center</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Yet our own <strong><em>'relationship-survival'</em></strong> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">is based on each of us </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">becoming skillfully "<strong>Relate-Able</strong>".</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><em>..</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>We're all in <u>this</u> together !</em> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We're <em>totally</em> in a 'relationship-based', </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">'call & response-based' world - </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">a <em>totally</em> connected, non-separate, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>totally</em> 'relational existence' </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>with</em> <em>everyone </em>and<em> everything</em> <em>else !</em> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><strong>All the Great Sages saw 'Relationship' and <em>it's possibilities </em></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">as <strong><em>having a love-affair </em></strong></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><strong><em>with the world</em> !</strong> </span><span style="color: #4c1130;">The quality </span><span style="color: #4c1130;">of our </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">own 'survival' now seems to </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><em>depend</em> on how well each one </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">of us </span><span style="color: #4c1130;">works at living in a transparent, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">wisely-informed, </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">loving-kindness way. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><em><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The feelings </span></em></span><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em>of every-being </em></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">that's alive <u>counts</u> !</span></em> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Buddha </span><span style="color: #4c1130;">talked a whole lot about our being </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">in 'relationship' - </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">while traveling this spiritual journey with good </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">supportive </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">companionship </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><em>or intentionally by choice</em> - <strong>alone</strong>.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><em><strong>Alone is quite OK !</strong></em> And too often we are involved </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">in </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">a 'relating' </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">with sometimes </span><span style="color: #4c1130;">difficult family, friends, </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">work-mates, or </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">especially with another significant-other, </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">sadly can set up prickly misconceived </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">notions of a 'special' </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><strong><em>romanticized </em>salvation</strong>, </span><span style="color: #4c1130;">solution or connection with </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">another </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">being - <em>the surprise</em> is that these 'defeating-views' </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">can <em>actually </em></span><span style="color: #4c1130;">be </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">used now to resolve themselves <em>within</em> </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">the meditation practice itself. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Dharma guides us in </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">the </span><span style="color: #4c1130;"><em>practical necessity</em> of creating our own clear </span></span></span></span>General adversity coupled with our own personal lack <br />of relating-skills or </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">emotional confusion or </span><span style="color: #4c1130;">deep wounds - </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">relationship 'language of kindness' and skillful actions </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">arising from a </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">compassionate and yet <em>correct</em>-view of <strong>'What Is'</strong>. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><strong>How</strong><em> to do this in </em></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em><span style="color: #4c1130;">a warm, natural, </span><span style="color: #4c1130;">flexible yet uncontrived, </span></em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><em>uncompromised way</em>? </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><strong>How do we "Do" Relationship</strong> in our lives with full </span><span style="color: #4c1130;">feeling and </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">integrity, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">while at the same time do a Buddhist-practice of </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">cultivating an awakened N</span><span style="color: #4c1130;">on-Attachment ?<br /> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-size: large;">" Be of 'Love' a little more careful than of <em>anything</em> else."</span> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #a64d79;">~ poet e.e.cummings</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">________________________________________________________</span></span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">BTW... </span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />The two powerful RILKE pieces on <span style="color: #cc0000;">'Love & Friendship'</span> </span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">we usually read during Metta-based Relationship Retreats ~ </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">just scroll about 3/4 way down this page....</span></strong><span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>___________________________________________</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Below:</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>More <u>Past</u> Post-Retreat Posthumous Poetry & Prose:</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #663366;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cc33cc;">~</span> <span style="font-size: x-large;">" DEATH is <em>Not</em> The End ! "</span> <span style="color: #cc33cc;">~</span></span></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #330033;">A One Day Retreat with Akasa Levi</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">A Pre-Hall<strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">o</span></strong>ween Daylong of The Dead<br />a non-attachment practice in impermanence <strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: small;"><br /></span></strong></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This Daylong Retreat is at Noah Levine's Dharma-Punx</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong><em>Against The Stream</em></strong> Buddhist Meditation Society</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">4300 Melrose Ave, CA 90029 </span><a href="http://www.againstthestream.org/"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">www.againstthestream.org</span></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>" Can we really understand Life -</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>with all it's changes, transitions & loss -</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>if we don't thoroughly understand Death?</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #663366;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><strong>Buddhist methods and theories do."</strong></span>~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya ~</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A <strong>"Big Death"</strong> could really happen <em>at any time.</em> Just like an authentic </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">'Awakening' can ! Death is a fact of life. You know that. Yet many <strong>"Little Deaths"</strong> are happening all the time in the form of personal <strong>loss</strong>: big or small endings, careers, disappointments, violence, abandonment, big & little break-ups and breakdowns of people, places and things. Sadly yet often, our daily 'Living' is dead: "Death is simply <em>refusing </em>the Gift of Life".<br /><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>So we need to <em>intelligently</em> explore the mind's subtle misconceptions and phobias that have created such a fear of Death in our anxiety stressed culture - and yet we're so over-saturated with it, we go <strong>numb</strong>. We emotionally die. <strong>"Minds that just refuse to understand."</strong> Un-aware, fear-based notions are now gradually, <em>cognitively replaced</em> with Dharma: kinder, more empowering, less frightening 'working-concepts' of Death, Dying and Rebirth.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>This can successfully calm and cut through the multitude of sufferings and stings of all our daily 'smaller deaths' - begin <em>accepting the unacceptable</em> - our minds fully willing or not. <em>Properly </em>understood, 'realization' of Death and Rebirth can effectively stimulate much better life choices, generous responsibility, and be a real impetus for meaningful personal growth - gaining profound peace from this work.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;">"<strong>Death-knowledge</strong>" can open us up, <em>not</em> close us down !</span><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Buddha said: "Just as <strong>the elephant's footprint</strong> is the biggest footprint on </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">the whole jungle floor, 'Impermanence' in the form of Death is our biggest teacher". Conscious or not, our relationship to death colors <em>absolutely all</em> <br />other relationships. Young or old - when well-practiced - you can be at peace and 'present' during your big, small, or whatever your 'final' moments of any experience can be. "Let the truth of death <em>overcome</em> your fear of death. <em>Include</em> your death in your own life."<br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br /><strong><span style="color: #741b47;">Gettin' Off n' On n' Off The Wheel of Life:</span></strong> we'll explore key-ideas like Rebirth versus Reincarnation, Bardo Limbo-states, Karma, Multiple Heavens and Hells, Divine Deva Realms, Hungry Ghosts, Kali, The Pure Land Western Paradise, The Six Realms of Possible Existence as Form or Formless-states, Samsara and Nirvana. Are these possibly only just Metaphors, or possibly not ?</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>________________________________________________________</strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span></span><span style="color: #ff6600;"><strong><span style="color: #ff6600;">______________________________________________________</span></strong></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc6600;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em><br /><br /><br />More<strong> Past</strong></em> Post-Retreat Posthumous Poetry & Prose:</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #003333;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></strong></span><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><strong>...."Only Good Enough" ! ? !</strong></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span>An <em>ONLY </em><em>JUST "GOOD ENOUGH</em> MEDITATION" is OK !</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><br />A One Day Retreat with Akasa Levi</span></span><strong><span style="color: #993300; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">"The Path of NO Expectations" !</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Learn and practice Path-techniques to mindfully and wisely balance <strong></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>W</strong><strong>hat's</strong> <strong>Not Enough</strong> -with- <strong>What's Enough</strong> in our everyday-lives </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">of what really is a 24-7 life-practice – building-in and compassionately </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">applying the <strong>Wisdom of Instability</strong> teachings - and rediscovering</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">your own middle-path to <strong>No Expectations - No </strong><strong>Disappointments</strong>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Becoming User-Friendly with Flaws, Failure, Upset & </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Betrayal.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Skillfully dealing with the Transitory, Illusory and Painful.<br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">... <em>all the while knowing that</em> ...</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #990000;">an <em><strong>only</strong></em> just a </span><strong><span style="color: #993300;"><span style="color: #990000;">"Good Enough Meditation” is <em>very</em> OK</span> !</span></strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>Ideas about Perfection or Imperfection ? </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em><strong>Let go</strong></em> of your imaginary 'meditation goals'.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You <em>will not</em> achieve them by 'striving' for them.<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size: large;">"Don't let the Perfect become the enemy of the Good."</span></em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">~ Voltaire</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Clinging to old fashioned mind-states of anxious 'Striving' to achieve <strong><em></em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><em>'something' </em></strong>through 'Meditation' undermines the cultivation of Mindfulness, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">which involves a clear, undistorted, no- agenda, present-moment <em>fluid </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><em>attentiveness</em> to <strong>whatever</strong> is happening. Having the Dharma-Realization </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">of <em><strong>allowing </strong>everyone & everything</em> that we experience from moment to </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">moment <strong>to be Here</strong> – <em><strong><u>because it Already is</u></strong></em>. Our ongoing 'growth-practice' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">training is to <em>non-reactively</em>, simply sit & observe it all.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">With too much <strong>Non-Dharma-thinking</strong> <em>about</em> ‘thinking’ - you've decided that </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">you need to 'improve' - or you need to spiritually 'get someplace' – which </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">means that 'who you are' and 'where you are right now' is Not Good Enough. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">That'll spin you back into self-criticism – a bumpy slide into being lost in </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the <strong>un-reality</strong> of some old story-content, again – and now you've introduced </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">'judgment' back into your meditation <em>again.</em> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Just Keep Sitting</strong>. Gradually thru the 'practice' there is much more 'receiving' <br />ALL </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">of Yourself with <em>authentic </em>kindness. Meditation gently trains a 'mind-in-</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">process' - <em>now continually being clarified, strengthened & sweetened</em> by </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">a Dharma-informed-practice: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">a softer, sane, stable, more easy-going-mind - a mind without urgency - a </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">mind without demands - a mind without expectation & disappointment. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A Big-mind. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A 'mind' you <em>actually</em> like ! </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Let's move from the tedious, endless work </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">of <em>your </em>"Who Am I ?"<em> attempts</em> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">at 'self-definition' – </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">to the endless awareness-<em>adventure</em> of an </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">ever-</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">unfolding "I Am" discovery in each moment !</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"The Moment itself, is <em>always</em> Good Enough.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Perfectly imperfect. Imperfectly perfect.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #006600;"><span style="color: #660000;">Being OK with 'The What Is'. <em>As it is</em>."</span> </span></span><span style="color: #ff6600;">_________________________________________________________________</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meditation is definitely an 'acquired' taste - a short retreat is a quick way </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">to begin to get it - a deeper, <em>more committed working 'relationship' with </em></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>the meditation practice</em>. Retreats are a temporary monastery urban sanctuary </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">to safely lay aside all daily-demands – with a good balance of both movement </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">& stillness in silent living for a day.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>"<em>Only </em>GOOD ENOUGH" ! ? ? !</strong></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #993300;"><em>An ONLY </em><br /><strong>JUST </strong></span><strong><span style="color: #993300;">"GOOD ENOUGH MEDITATION" <u>is</u> OK !</span></strong></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's 'The Holy-Imperfection' parts of </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Practice-Path of NO Expectations</span><span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><strong><span style="color: #660000;">Just “Good Enough Meditation” ?</span></strong> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;">But what about my 'Spiritual Attainment' ? </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;">There is a big difference here in our teaching </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;">of this 'form' of sitting Vipassana. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cultivating a truly no-striving 'appreciative-mind' </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">that simply says it's <strong>'Good Enough'</strong>. <em></em></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Actually living a practice</em> through </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">a mature philosophy of "It's All Good" - </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>that is not</em> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>a cliche</em> – </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">a life now <em>continually being</em> <em>clarified, </em></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>strengthened & sweetened</em> by </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">a </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dharma-informed meditation practice: </span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">receptive, softer, a more easy-going-mind, </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">an <em>undemanding</em>-mind. A 'mind' I actually like. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666600; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"It's Good Enough to be <u>present</u> in the moment </span><br />
<span style="color: #666600;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><em>when</em> I am present in the moment. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666600; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And <em>that’s</em> enough." <em>What a mantra ! </em></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;">The <strong>moment </strong><em>itself</em>, is <em>always</em> good enough. <strong><em>Imperfectly</em> perfect.</strong></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Of course it is - it simply <strong>is what it is</strong> - right there to be realized. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm OK with <strong>'The What Is'</strong>. <em><strong>As it is</strong>.</em> The Heart Sutra's 'no preferences'. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I simply practice a “Good Enough meditation”. <em>But I do have to practice</em> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>And <em>all</em> this ‘thinking’</strong> is Thinking that thinks it’s not ‘thinking’ !</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It could be come obsessive vigilance. Too complicating. <em>'Oiy</em> !</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Too much red-alert all the time. Too much thinking about ‘thinking’.</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That'll spin you back into self-judgment – becoming too self-conscious –</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">for that is a set up to slide into being <strong>lost in content</strong>, </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">judgment and fear again.</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A Meditation Practice that is simply 'Good Enough' – </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">rather than a striven/driven for ‘perfected’ one. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">" I'm a </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>NOT GOOD ENOUGH</strong> Meditator ! "</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">...and I so hated meditation - and <em>yet</em> monks meditate.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But I wanted to become a monk in Asia so bad -</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">that I <em>trained</em> myself into it - begrudgingly trained,</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">awkwardly trained and at times simply loving myself</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">into it - <em>the simple magic of it</em> - with my teacher's</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">quiet, gentle patience. I'm so glad I did !" ~ Akasa Levi.</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">on Sufficiency" – mindfully moderating <strong>Not Enough</strong> with <strong>What's Enough</strong> </span></span><br /><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">in our everyday lives. </span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A very reasonable practice-path of realizing </span></span><br /><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">that all this leads to <em>true</em> freedom. </span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>What a relief</em> !!! <span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span>'Nuf said....</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: yellow;">________________________________________________________________</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"So I don't get to be The Buddha this life-time, </span></span><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">but I can sure get some kindness, peace and quiet into my life .. </span></span><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">and get a little bit of applied Buddhist wisdom going .. and <em>that</em> </span></span><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">sure feels good !" </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">~ jennifer</span><br /><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">.<strong>Day-long retreat 'practice'</strong> will focus on mindfulness meditation. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We will train our minds in <em><strong>present-time-awareness</strong></em> by bringing </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">attention to the breath and body and our inner-relationship to </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the pleasant and unpleasant physical, emotional and mental </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">states that arise. This allows one to gradually <em>understand </em></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>the Truth</em> of the <strong>constantly changing nature</strong> of all things </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">and how to respond with compassion and friendliness </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">to the inevitably difficult experience of being human.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">~ Noah Levine .</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Retreats <em>Always</em> Offer the <em>necessary </em>deeper </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>"immersion-time experiences"</strong> <em>often lacking</em> </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">in somewhat more 'casual' meditation sitting.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">..</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Just beginning to offer yourself periodic <strong>'gentle intensives'</strong> ~ </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>could make a big <strong>'experiential-difference'</strong></em> in <em>really</em> establishing</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">yourself in a deeper, <em>authentic working 'relationship'</em> with the </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">meditation 'practice'. When your meditation retreat-sitting </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">is over ~ even just for only this one-day ~ </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">you're in <em>a whole new place with yourself...</em>.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>.</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Short retreats ~</strong> .</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To be able to reasonably & responsibly allow <strong>'a trial letting-go'</strong> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">of obsolete 'worldly' limits & 'beliefs' - that only 'appear' in the Buzz </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">to be needed day-to-day. And yet your 'reactions' to Life just <em>may be</em> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">too embedded and enmeshed to <em>normally</em> set aside. Maybe an attempt </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">to be a 'monk' or a 'nun' for a whole full-day as a meditative 'Time-Out' </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">for a gentle, simple retreat could really be eminently possible ! </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">.<strong>'Awakening' takes 'Everyday-Bravery' and a dose of 'Will-power' </strong>– </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">combined with the awkward 'grace'-filled beginnings of a saintly 'Patience'. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Remember, we are swimming somewhat strong n' steady upstream now - </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>yet</em> each of us with our very own habituated, addicted, over-conditioned, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">fully loaded consciousness still in tow. It's <em>always </em>all about letting-go !</span> <span style="color: #666666;"><em><strong>Always</strong></em> !</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><strong><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">____________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></strong><strong><span style="color: #ffcc66;"><br /></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color: #009900;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Past</u> Post-Retreat <em>Posthumous </em>Poetry & Prose:</span></span></span></strong><br /><em><span style="color: #009900; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">goodie leftovers for eatin' the next day....</span></em><br /><strong><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">________________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></strong><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>.</strong></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>.</strong></span><br /><span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>Post'humously: The <em>Spring</em> Equinox Event in Malibu </strong></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #006600;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #999999;">March </span></strong><span style="color: #009900;"><strong>The Wright Land EQUINOX Ritual Ceremony</strong></span>& Grand Potluck Dinner & Homemade Music ~ <em>Plan to Come</em> ?</span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.. </span><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>Out of The Cave<br />of Winter at Last ! </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc6600;">________________________________________<br />___________________________________________</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #006600;">for future contact info . . .</span></strong><br /><strong>on The Wright Land</strong> / Malibu - Details: </span></span></span><a href="http://www.elwright.net/wrightway/calendar.html" title="http://www.elwright.net/wrightway/calendar.html"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">http://www.elwright.net/wrightway/calendar.html</span></a><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>.</strong></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">For more technical Equinox times & Details ~ thanks to SouledOut</span></span><a href="http://www.souledout.org/nightsky/springequinox/springequinox.html" title="http://www.souledout.org/nightsky/springequinox/springequinox.html"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">http://www.souledout.org/nightsky/springequinox/springequinox.html</span></a><br /><span style="color: #003333;"><br /></span><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">_________________________________________________________ </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #ffff99;">_______________________________________________________</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #006600;">and here's some Spring Poems<em> ~ </em><span style="color: #009900;"><em><strong>springing </strong>. . .</em></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span></span></span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #336666;"><strong>"The Flower </strong></span><span style="color: #336666;"><strong>is a Leaf </strong></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #336666;"><strong>gone </strong></span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><strong><span style="color: #009900;"><em>M</em><span style="color: #cc33cc;">a</span><em>d</em></span><em> </em><span style="color: #336666;">with Love!"</span></strong> </span><span style="color: #666666;">~ Goethe</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #ffff99;">_____________________________________________</span> </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">" <em>Ahh,</em> the springtime air smells <em>so</em> good today, </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">straight from the mysteries within the inner courts of God. </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The trees in their prayer, the birds in praise, </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the first flowers open wide <em>in surprise </em>! </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Whatever came from Being is caught up in being, </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;">drunkenly forgetting the way back to winter! " </span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.......</span></span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Rumi </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #ffff99;">_________________________________________________</span> </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span> <span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span> </span></span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span><strong><span style="color: #006600; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"<em>SPRINGING</em> AHEAD" ~</span></strong></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">with thanks to Native American author Cory Wilson</span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I cannot escape the feeling that I am being forced out of The 'Cave' of Winter. </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Spring is here, but do I really want to leave? Do I really want to 'Spring Forward' ? </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As I write, I think of the décor I've surrounded myself with all this winter, my spiritual </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">adornments, if you will. I think about how difficult it was going into the 'Winter Cave' </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">in the first place, how much I fought it, and now - how I can't help but feel the same </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">way upon leaving. How was your journey into the Winter Cave? How do you feel </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">about coming out, or "Springing Forward"? What did you learn this time 'within' .. </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">this time through? It is with great fascination that I ask these questions of you too, </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">my sisters, my brothers, in hopes we can 'gleam off' each other ways of moving </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">through the Sacred Seasons with greater bravery, ease & depth - and greater </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">acceptance. To be fluid, like the tides. To be a part of, not apart from .. to be With!</span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And with the 'rest' of it all? Well, the rest will be what it will be... and You? </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;">- just Loving What Is! </span><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span></span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><em>Ah-ho To All Our Directions </em>! </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #006600; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">" The onset of a new seasonal cycle teaches gradualness and deliberation, </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #006600;">and how one gives birth to oneself slowly, <em>very slowly</em> " <span style="color: #cccccc;">..... </span><span style="color: #666666;">~ Rumi</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #339999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">___________________________________________________ </span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">In these dark waters drawn up </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">from my frozen winter's well ... </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Now so, so glittering of Spring! <span style="color: #cccccc;">.....</span><span style="color: #666666;">~ Ringai</span> </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #339999;">________________________</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />"It's such a wond'rous<br />inner-trickery of Mother Nature<br />to get us to love the Spring <em>so much</em> !<br />I just love being an April Fool !"<br /><span style="color: #666666;"></span><br /><span style="color: #666666;">~ Sr. Anne Higgins, DC</span><br /><span style="color: #666666;">Emmitsburg Rural Convent, Maryland</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #009900;"><strong>new beginnings </strong></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />Be daring, be different, be impractical, <em>be anything </em></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">that will assist and assert your integrity of purpose </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">and imaginative vision beyond the play-it-safers, </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the creatures of the conditioned commonplace, </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the sleeping slaves of the ordinary.</span></span><br /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">~ Sir Cecil Beaton (renown British photographer 1927) </span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;">Stuck in the world of the small 'we' ~ </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">so trying to push through the small 'we'. </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Just go <em>directly </em>to the 'Greater We' ~ </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">that's where the Resources are ! </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Frankie Lee Slater </span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">..</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #006600; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">BE the changes </span><br /><span style="color: #006600; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">you want to see in the world ! </span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">~ Gandhi</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">spring poem: </span><span style="color: #006600;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">early march</span> </span></span></span></strong></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It's been so wet and rainy this late Winter, </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">but now the coastal sky is big & blue again. </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And <em>ah yes</em>! .. there it is .. at last ! .. at last ! </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>At Last</em> ! I can clearly hear it now.... </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">far, far away in the warming distance,</span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">heading it's unswerving course towards me </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">down the vast vernal expanse </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">of the grassy lawn out front - </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the steady engine <em>burrrrr </em>of </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the gardener's vintage lawnmower </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">tossing up grassy tips of green glitter,</span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">coming closer and closer </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">to the Spring Equinox. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Akasa Levi</span></span></span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>.</strong></span><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>The Day of the Spring (or Vernal) Equinox</strong> </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span>has equal times of <strong>Daylight </strong>and<strong> Darkness </strong></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We are almost now at that very 'present-moment point' in the yearly cycle </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">when an exquisite <strong>Balance </strong>exists between Light and Dark. As the Sun </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;">slowly moves from </span></span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;">Pisces to Aries, it crosses the Earth's equator, </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;">and a momentary balance </span></span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;">of day and night is achieved. </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;">Thereafter, </span></span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;">the hours of light will predominate - </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">the hours of dark will let go, fade </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #003333;">and settle into the background.</span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>.</strong></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>The Equinox</strong>, then, is a time for us to examine <em><strong>our own</strong></em> Balance.<br />Does a Balance exist between <em>your</em> poles of yin and yang, </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">or are you prisoners of images of how you "should" be ? </span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">As we move toward more mindfully <strong>balanced parts</strong> </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;">of </span></span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;">our outer-nature ( the light ), </span></span><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;">do we respect </span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #003333;">and honor parts of our inner-nature ( the dark ) ?</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #003333;">It was Carl Jung that reminded us -<br />"that without the Darkness,<br />we could not see the Light<br />given by a candle flame."</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #999900;"><span style="color: #003333;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc33cc;"><strong>*</strong></span> Spring's Here,<br /><br />Wake Up Hibernation-Head !</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003333;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #999900;">__________________________________________________<br />________________________________________________</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><em>.</em></span><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">~ post'humously ~ <span style="color: #999999;">march 14/15 - 2009</span></span></span></em></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong>.</strong></span><span style="color: #999900;"><strong>a Haiku reading — a Haiku teaching</strong><span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong>.</strong> </span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #666600;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><strong><em>one breath long</em></strong> ~ Haiku is the world's <em>briefest</em> literary form<br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">— </span>and the most well-known 'Asian' poetry of the 21st century.</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #666600; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>If you love poetry</strong> or ever thought about learning <strong>Haiku</strong> -</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">this is going to be the best Buddhist poetry / literary / writing</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">workshop-teaching event <em>ever </em>! <em>...and at almost no cost.</em></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is one weekend <em>just not to miss</em>. <em><strong>Come for all or part.</strong></em><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Bring </strong>pen, paper & just listen & learn & fall back in love again</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">with words that express ! Gary is a great influence & mentor.</span><br /><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">. </span></strong><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #666600;">Buddhist Haiku poet & translator Gary Gach</span></strong>will be reading with award winning poet <strong>Amy Uyematsu</strong> </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">on <strong><span style="color: #666600;">Saturday</span> March 14 </strong>at <strong>7:30</strong> PM at the </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center - 681 Venice Blvd<br />Venice - CA 90291 - (310) 822-3006 - web link: </span><a href="http://www.beyondbaroque.org/" title="http://www.beyondbaroque.org/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">beyond baroque</span></a><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">..</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Gary Gach</strong>'s Buddhist lineage is in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Gary, a prolific writer, is editor of the immensely popular <strong>"<em>What Book!?</em></strong> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop"</strong> ( American Book Award ) </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">and has published the translations of <strong>Ko Un</strong>, Korea's unofficial </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">poet laureate, <strong>Songs for Tomorrow</strong> (Green Integer), <strong>Flowers </strong></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>of a Moment</strong> (BOA), and <strong>Ten Thousand Lives</strong> (Green Integer). </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">He's co-editor of <strong>World Haiku Review</strong> and has contributed to </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Brick, Drunken Boat, Fish Drum, Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Jacket, </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Nation, The New Yorker, Poems for the Millennium, and </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Words Without Borders. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">He is also author of <strong><em>The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buddhism</em></strong>.<br />Gary himself is an approachable, sweet & gentle soul, quietly </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">in touch with the moment - yet can be powerfully dramatic.<span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span><span style="color: #ffffcc;">.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>A</strong> <span style="color: #009900;">Haiku</span><strong>Workshop </strong>at Beyond Baroque on <strong><span style="color: #006600;">Sunday</span> March 15 </strong></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #006600;">SUNDAY Afternoon</span></strong> - <strong>2:00-5:30</strong> PM<br /><span style="color: #006600;">The </span></span></span><span style="color: #006600;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">LOS ANGELES <strong>URBAN HAIKU </strong>WORKSHOP.<br /><span style="color: #cccccc;"><em><strong>.</strong></em></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #006600;"><span style="color: #666600;"><em><strong>"GARY GACH leads a workshop on learning, noticing,<br />exploring, experiencing, writing, and sharing Haiku"</strong></em></span> — LA haiku</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span> <span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #666600;">The Way of Haiku</span></strong> encourages and supports a genuine life,<br />intimate with the heart of creation, training us in clear seeing<br />and deep listening, intuitive wisdom and a warm heart.<br />We'll map the basics, take a relaxed haiku-walk ( ginko ) </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">right in Beyond Baroque's own splendid backyard, and </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">develop your written 'work' from this - and share what </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">we encounter, written and unwritten. With Haiku, we </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">can learn how to make each word and moment count, </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">sense our senses, harmonize perception & expression, </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">train our attention and cultivate our awareness. </span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Gary has led haiku workshops across California<br />and around the country - at the Asian Art Museum,<br />Book Passage University, O'Hanlon Center for the Arts,<br />Otis College of the Arts, Stanford Writer's Studio,<br />Villa Montalvo, and San Francisco Zen Center.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>He hopes to write two or three<br />immortal haiku in his lifetime.</em><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">no prior background - writers & nonwriters,<br />meditation practitioners & the merely curious.</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It'll be an inspiring afternoon.<br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span> <span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span><span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #009900;">ants </span></strong><span style="color: #009900;">floating downriver on a twig </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #009900;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">..............</span>...<em>still singing</em></span><em> </em></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">— issa-Issa, 1795</span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><em>.</em></span></span></span> <span style="color: #cccccc;"></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Gary's blog pages: </span><br /><a href="http://www.redroom.com/author/gary-g-gach" title="http://www.redroom.com/author/gary-g-gach"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">http://www.redroom.com/author/gary-g-gach</span></a><br /><a href="http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/where-buddha-meets-freud" title="http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/where-buddha-meets-freud"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/where-buddha-meets-freud</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/riches-a-different-market" title="http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/riches-a-different-market"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">http://www.tricycle.com/web-exclusive/riches-a-different-market</span></a><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc9933;"><strong>________________________________________________</strong> </span><span style="color: #cc9933;"><strong>______________________________________________</strong></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">..</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">~ <em><strong>post'humously</strong></em> ~</span> </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #996633;">Good reading <em>from</em> <strong>'Love' Retreat</strong> </span><span style="color: #999999;">2/14/09 </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #996633;"><strong>including two Rilke pieces</strong>, scroll down to 3/4 point </span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>POST</strong>-RETREAT Student Comment: </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #990000;">"<em>Everybody </em>was in Love, <em>unconditionally</em> for moments !"</span><span style="color: #cc33cc;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc33cc;"><strong>* </strong></span><span style="color: #990000;">Winter Daylong <strong>Saturday</strong> <strong>Retreat</strong> </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #990000;">on</span><strong> <em>VALENTINE's DAY</em></strong></span><strong> ~</strong> February 14</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">about<strong> <span style="color: #cc0000;">"</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">L<em><span style="color: red;">O</span></em>VE </span></strong><span style="color: #990000;"><em>& <strong>Other Difficulties</strong></em></span><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">". . .</span></strong></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #996633;">from the title of an essay by poet Rainer Rilke<br />in the bohemian Paris of Picasso in 1910.</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #990000;">Compassionate <strong>Mindfulness </strong>Meditation </span><br /><span style="color: #990000;">inspired by a deeper exploration into </span><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">'Relationship-dharma'</span></strong> using some </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #990000;">of </span><span style="color: #990000;">the radical poetry & teachings </span><br /><span style="color: #990000;">of Rilke, Rumi & The Buddha </span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>All </strong>Practice Levels & for slightly brave <strong>Beginners </strong></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A Daylong is <em>really </em>the very <em><strong>BEST</strong></em> way to Begin! </span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hey, it's a piece of cake ! Please trust that.</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #000066;">A Daylong Retreat into Silent Sitting </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">in Stillness & Satsang with Akasa Levi </span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">9 am – 4:30 pm ~ Santa Monica</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><br /><span style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>*</strong></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">"Valentine's Day"</span></strong> has too often become,<br />in our bizarre modern mega-media marketplace, sadly,<br />The Halloween of Love. And so has how we <em>actually</em> <strong>DO</strong> 'relationships'.<br />And that can certainly be 'course-corrected' by <em>beginning to allow</em> an<br />authentic wise, open heart's expression - strengthened by immersed<br />retreat-time practice - as we continue to <strong>re-learn 'Love'</strong> for ourselves.<br />We'll take a loving, sober look at some of the 'conditioned difficulties'<br />and 'attachments' around how we <strong>DO</strong> 'Love' - using an un-hooking,<br />un-deluding Dharma-approach. Maybe <em>that</em> can lead us up to<br />the <em>right </em>Questions we must ask ourselves<br />about what is a <strong>'true relationship'</strong> ?<br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">......</span>some savory and profound<br />Valentine's insight-awareness sweets just may arise!<br />... and you'll experience the clouds dissolve into clarity.</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><strong><span style="color: #993399;">"... a Change of Heart <em>changes Everything</em>"</span></strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><span style="color: #000066;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Compassionate <span style="color: #ff6666;">Roses </span>& Insightful Thorns:</strong>a <strong>Relationship-themed</strong> Vipassana meditation daylong -<br />enhanced by poetic 'contemplations' of <em>true </em>Love - and the<br />Dharma's good ole' <strong>tough-love</strong> teachings based in ancient<br />Buddhist Attachment-theory. We'll consider the words of Rumi,<br />Rilke & Buddha on our # 1 Leading Delusion: 'Relationship' & 'Romance'.<br /><br /><strong>This retreat could certainly assist 'partnerings' of all kinds</strong>, couples, those<br />dating, as well as troubled friendships - and yes, those of us who are single -<br /><em>actually,</em> all our 'relationships' with the world ! Buddha's sustainable formula for<br />Love & Happiness that is <em>not based</em> on any inner or outer 'situations', 'conditions',<br />'circumstances' or 'outcomes' whats</span></span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">oever. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000066;"><em>AND</em> we are <strong>all </strong>getting part-way there already !</span><span style="color: #000066;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #993399; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">_____________________________________</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>.</strong></span><br /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>Retreat Quotes on Relationship</strong></span><br /><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span></strong><br /><span style="color: #993399; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>Rilke excerpts ~ </strong></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000066;"><strong><span style="color: #6600cc;">~ Rainer Maria Rilke</span></strong>, (1875-1926)<br />the world-renown German existential philosopher, poet and author<br />of <strong>"On Love & Other Difficulties" </strong>and <strong>"Letters to a Young Poet"</strong><br />Highly </span><span style="color: #000066;">mature, sobering letters and poems on love - show Rilke's </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">profound understanding of men and women and his ardent spirituality. </span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">His radical books, were written over a hundred years ago in the <em>avant-garde'</em> </span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">bohemian Paris of Picasso. Rilke introduces the <em>contradictory concept </em></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">of <strong>solitude as a blessing</strong>. He seems to have this way of reaching into </span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">your inner- soul and grabbing ahold of 'your reality' and <em>making you face it</em>, </span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">in a tone of controlled urgency, in an exhorting, passionate sort of way. </span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Experimental </em>openness to experience, on <em>comprehending what is most </em></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>difficult</em> - and turning what is most alien into that which we can <em>most</em> trust. <span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #666666;">~ John J. L. Mood</span><span style="color: #993399;">________________________________________________________________</span><br /><br />from <span style="color: #990000;"><strong>"ON LOVE & OTHER DIFFICULTIES"</strong></span> (1908) by Rainer Rilke</span></span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">some deep comprehension-reading ~ certainly not for lovers of the naive ...<br /><br />" The point of marital or any relationship is <strong>not</strong> to create a <em>quick commonality</em><br />by tearing down <em>all</em> boundaries - on the contrary, a good relationship is one<br />in which each partner <em><strong>anoints</strong></em> the other <strong>to be the guardian of their solitude</strong>,<br />and in <strong>this</strong> they show each other the greatest possible trust. <strong>This </strong>I hold to be<br />the highest task of a bond between two people: that</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong> <em>each</em> should stand guard<br />over the solitude of the other</strong>.<br /><br />For, since it lies in the nature of indifference or insecurity of the common crowd<br />to recognize <strong>no solitude</strong> - then <em>love and friendship are <strong>specifically there</strong></em> </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000066;">for the purpose of <em>continually </em>providing the 'opportunity' for solitude.<br />And <em>only love and friendship</em> are the "true sharings" which <strong>do </strong>rhythmically<br />interrupt our </span><span style="color: #000066;">individual periods of deep solitary emotion. </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A merging, a true and absolute togetherness between two people </span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>is an impossibility</strong> - and where it <em>does seem</em> to exist nevertheless - </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">it IS still a narrowing, a hemming-in, a mutually-compromised-consent - </span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>that really does limit</em> one party or both of their </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000066;"><em>fullest </em>freedom & development.<br /><br />But once the realization is <strong>accepted</strong> - that even between <em>the closest people,</em></span><span style="color: #000066;">infinite distance <em>continues</em> to exist - a wonderful living side-by-side can then </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000066;">grow up </span><span style="color: #000066;">for them - </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000066;"><strong>IF</strong> <em>they succeed</em> in <strong>loving the expanse, loving the distance</strong> <em>between</em> them -</span><span style="color: #000066;">which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000066;">as a <em><strong>whole</strong> being</em> </span><span style="color: #000066;">before an immense wide sky ! "</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>"On Love & Other Difficulties"</strong> ~ the above was adapted, added to, and edited by Akasa Levi<br />from Translations and Considerations of Rainier Maria Rilke by John Mood; W.W. Norton, 1975<br />and The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke by Stephen Mitchell & Robert Hass; Vintage, 1989<br />- both as translated from Rilke's original German editions.</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br /><strong>~ and most famously - </strong></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>Rilke's <strong><span style="color: #990000;">"Letters to a Young Poet"</span></strong> (1903-1908)<br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>" Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your own heart.<br />Try to love the <em><strong>'Questions' themselves</strong></em> - like locked rooms<br />and like books that are written in a foreign language.<br />Do <strong>not</strong> right now seek for the Answers. The 'Answers'<br />which <em>cannot now</em> be given to you - </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>because you would<br />not be able to <strong>live</strong> them</em>. And the point is to <em>live</em> everything -<br /><em>Experiencing everything</em> !<br />At present, you need to <em>live the Questions</em>. Perhaps you will</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">gradually, without even noticing it, live along some<br />distant </span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">day into the <strong>true</strong> Answer. <em>Your </em>answer." <span style="color: #999999;">~ Rilke</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #6600cc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">_______________________________________</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">"The Buddhist <em>absence</em> of 'Attachment' -</span></strong><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>is <em>not necessarily</em> at all, <em>in any way,</em></strong><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong>.</strong></span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #330099;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">the absence of <em>profound</em> loving."</span></strong> <span style="color: #666666;">~ Ananda Maitreya</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>This retreat is suitable</strong> for both beginning and experienced meditators.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000066;"><em>Everyone</em> is welcome to our retreats, <em>absolutely regardless</em> of your present level<br />of meditation experience or practice. One short day is simply a piece of cake !</span><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This Day-Long Retreat is hosted by<br /><strong><span style="color: #993399;"><em>"Against The Stream" </em></span></strong></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #993399;">Buddhist Meditation Society</span></strong><br />at the new Santa Monica Meditation Center<br />1001(a) Colorado Avenue - Santa Monica - 90401<br />( enter through alley on north side of Colorado,<br />between 10th and 11th Streets )<br />Akasa Levi at 310.450.2268<br />leave messages</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">"Love' exists only in the True Friendship.<br />Love is <em>Friendship set on Fire</em> !"</span><br /><span style="color: #999999;">~ Jeremy Taylor, 1657</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span> </span></span><span style="color: #000066;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">"Your task is not to 'seek' for Love -<br />but merely to seek and find all the 'barriers'<br /><em>within yourself</em>, that you have built <em>against</em> Love."</span></strong> <span style="color: #990000;">~ Rumi</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><strong>L<em><span style="color: red;">O</span></em>VE</strong> is . . .</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">" Love doesn't make the world go 'round.<br />Love is what makes the ride worthwhile." </span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">~ Adida</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">" Love is the difficult realization that<br />something other than oneself is real." </span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">~ Iris Murdoch</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">" Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others,<br />and the pure delight in the recognition." </span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Alexander Smith</span><br /><br />" Love doesn't just sit there like a stone - it has to be made,<br />like bread, <em>remade all the time</em>, made new." </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Ursula LeGuin</span><br /><br />" You come to Love not by finding the 'perfect' person,<br />but by seeing an 'imperfect' person perfectly." </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Sam Keen</span><br /><br />" The best relationship is the one in which your love<br />for each other <em>exceeds</em> your need for each other."<br /><br />" A spiritual-awakening<br />which does not awaken the sleeper to Love,<br />has roused them in vain." </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">~ both by Rilke 1910</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">" What most people need to learn in life<br />is how to love people and use things ~<br />instead of using people and loving things."<br /><br />"On reflection, </span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">one of the things I needed to learn</span><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">was to allow myself to be loved<br />...by oneself as well as others..." </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #666666;">~ Isha McKenzie-Mavinga </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Please join us for a day of sitting and walking meditation </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #000066;">in the Theravada Buddhist tradition of cultivating </span><span style="color: #000066;">Wisdom </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">and Compassion through Mindfulness of the Present.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="color: #ffff99;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc9933;"><strong>___________________________________________________</strong></span><span style="color: #000066;"> </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>"Courage</strong>: </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The <strong>choice </strong>that <em>something else</em> is more important than Fear.<strong>"</strong> </span><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">~ Ambrose Redmond </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="color: #cc9933;">___________________________________________________ </span></strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>.</strong></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #993399; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>" The Journey Itself </strong></span></span><br /><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="color: #993399;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span>IS the Destination ! "</span></span></strong></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #cc9933;">____________________________________________</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></em><br /><span style="color: #cc6600;"><em><span style="color: #cccccc;"></span></em></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cc6600;"><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">........</span><span style="color: #993300;">~ post'humously ~</span></span></span></em></span><br /><span style="color: #cc6600;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong><em></em></strong></span></span><br /><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span></strong><br /><span style="color: #cc6600;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>POST-RETREAT Comment: </strong></span></span><br /><span style="color: #cc6600;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The ATS Retreat</em> on<em> </em>Saturday NOVEMBER 22, 2008 </span></span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>( <em>Everybody</em> <u>totall</u>y survived & came Thru alive !!! ... <em>joyously </em>! )</strong>..</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>____________________________________________</strong></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">. .</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><span style="color: #663366;"><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Got Fear of</strong> <strong><span style="color: black;">The Dark</span></strong> <strong>?</strong></span></span></em></span><br /><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">THE CREATIVE POWER OF 'THE DARK UNKNOWN'</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color: #cc6600;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span>A PRE-THANKSGIVING RETREAT with Akasa Levi</span></span></span></strong><br /><span style="color: #ff9900; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">_______________________________________________________________ </span><br /><span style="color: #ff9900;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #663366;">9 am – 4:30 pm ~ Hollywood</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #663300;"><span style="color: #663366;">4300 Melrose at Heliotrope<br />Los Angeles CA 90029 .</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #663300;"><span style="color: #663366;"><strong>Practicing Mindfulness <em>through </em>The Dark Season </strong></span></span><br /><span style="color: #663300;"><span style="color: #663366;"><strong>and feeding 'Wisdom-Faith' instead of </strong></span></span><br /><span style="color: #663300;"><span style="color: #663366;"><strong>the Demons of Delusion, Despair or Anger</strong></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><strong>The Great Yogis advise</strong> keeping our hands free, <br />traveling light n' agile in the dark - or else <br />we'll blindly trip over our own <strong>old, self-limiting baggage</strong> - <br />and lose all mindfulness - banging into stuff like fear, </span><br /><span style="color: #741b47;">delusions and outdated 'stories'. All sorts of Hinderences. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #741b47;"><em>Things that go bump in the night... </em><br />Can we have an authentically wise, non-attached mind - <br />yet a passionately empathic, tender, loving Heart ? <br />It <em>definitely</em> takes 'practice'. Yet, it's a 'can-do' </span><span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #ff9900;"><span style="color: #330033;">"Be Mindful so you don't stumble in the dark, the path is slippery".</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #330033;">"Fear is like sitting in a rocking chair – </span></span><br /><span style="color: #ff9900;"><span style="color: #330033;">it keeps you moving but doesn't </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #ff9900;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #330033;">get you anywhere." <span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #999999;">~ Peter Connelly</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #cc9933;"><strong>__________________________________________________________________________</strong></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cccccc;"><strong><em>.</em></strong></span><br /><span style="color: #cc66cc;"><em>Quotes on <strong>Fear ...</strong></em></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="color: #663366;"><strong>.... Got FEAR of The</strong></span><strong> DARK ?</strong></span><br /><span style="color: #4c1130;"></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #ff9900;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">A Daylong Retreat into Silent Sitting<br />in Stillness & Satsang with Akasa Levi <br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #999999;">Saturday, November 22, 2008</span></strong></span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #ff9900;"><span style="color: #330033;">Practicing Mindfulness </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #ff9900;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #330033;">through the <strong>Dark </strong>Season, <em>or any season....</em></span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">"Courage isn't the absence of Fear –<br />But the <em>presence</em> of Fear - and the <strong>will</strong> to go on.<br />Courage is the choice that <em>something else</em>is more important than Fear."</span><br /><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="color: #999999;">~ Ambrose Redmond</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #ff9900;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">"Fear is the cheapest room in the house.<br />I would like to see you living in better conditions."</span><br /><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="color: #999999;">~ Sufi poet Hafiz</span></span><span style="color: #4c1130;">"</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #ff9900;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Fear and Faith cannot keep house together –<br />When one enters, the other has to depart.<br />Where there is Faith, Fear cannot abide." </span><br /><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="color: #999999;">~ James I</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #ff9900;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">" Nothing in life is to be feared –<br />It is only to be understood "</span><br /><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="color: #999999;">~ Marie Curie</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #ff9900;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">"Our deepest fears are like dragons<br />guarding our deepest treasure."</span><br /><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="color: #999999;">~ Rainier Rilke</span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #ff9900;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">"Fear Imprisons, Faith Liberates -<br />.Fear Paralyzes, Faith Empowers -<br />.Fear Disheartens, Faith Encourages -<br />.Fear Sickens, Faith Heals -<br />.Fear makes Useless, Faith makes Serviceable –<br />.Feed your Faith, and your Fears will starve to death.<br />....</span><span style="color: #4c1130;"><em>and, most of all,</em></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">.Fear puts Hopelessness at the Heart of Life,<br />.while Faith rejoices in the Heart's Freedom."</span><br /><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="color: #999999;">~ Harry Emerson Fosdick</span> </span><span style="color: #4c1130;"></span><br /><span style="color: #4c1130;"></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #ff9900;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">"Fear knocked at the door.<br />Faith answered.<br /><em>And lo,</em> no one was there."<br /><span style="color: #999999;">~ unknown</span></span><span style="color: #999999;">.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #ff9900;"><span style="color: #cc9933;"><strong>____________________________<br />__________________________</strong></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br /><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br /><span style="color: #cc9933;"><strong></strong></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #003300;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">...and we will discuss & explore the main Buddhist "Teaching </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"></span>Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5619679579051726718.post-1340216471662182702008-02-05T16:02:00.000-08:002010-04-28T15:47:33.903-07:00( 7 ) Class READINGS • Newcomers CATCH-UP OUTLINE • SITTING INSTRUCTIONS • Sitting Pointers • The Hindrances to Meditation<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><span style="color: #6600cc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">_______________________________________________________________</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #663366;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> <em>Class READING Outlines are here</em></strong> <strong>:: </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #663366;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">...</span>Basic to intermediate </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #663366;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> <em>Meditation Sitting Instructions</em></strong> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #663366;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">...</span>are a scroll about 1/3 way down</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;"><strong>.</strong></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana;">.</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">"A PATH WITH HEART"</span></strong></span> <span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: verdana;">by Jack Kornfield</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><strong>.</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>"<em>A PATH WITH HEART</em>"</strong> is a teaching-book mostly about </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em><strong>actual </strong></em>meditation practice </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and it's <em>emotional integration</em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">with 'Dharma wisdom-concepts' to make a fully <em>whole </em></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">spiritual </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">'potential' for you, a book as a word-guide that may lead </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to a clear 'experience' </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">a new, <em>shifted understanding</em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">into a True Reality. The meditative-mind loses </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">it's blind </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">tendency for mindless-turmoil. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>As mis-conceptions obsolete - suffering ceases</strong> !</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Use this book as an 'Operating Manual' ( not just as a straight read-thru ) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">...</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">so you <em>get really familiar</em> as to <em>WHERE EXACTLY IN THE BOOK</em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>specific</em> 'guidance' is - that <em>particularly speaks</em> to your precise </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">meditation </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">issues </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">& sitting experiences of <em><strong>this</strong></em> very moment - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">as well as specific instruction </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">you can easily refer to ... and any </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">other aspects of the backup "Buddhist </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Psychology of Realization" - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and the deeper application of everyday practices </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of Compassion. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Again, this book is not just a onetime read-thru. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Actually USE </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">this book </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">right <em>along with</em> your meditation practice. Make-believe for awhile that </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">it's </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the <em>only </em>book you'll ever have or read - like you're on a desert </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">island </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">somewhere </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( also just 'pretend' the guidance in it is </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">'True' <em>for awhile </em>! ) <em>Yet you always do keep on questioning</em> !</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>Always</em> Question !</strong><br />
All the chapters in the book are important - they support each other.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Read deep and also nourish yourself on your own at home. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Bring in to class hopefully, your </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">observations, comments </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and many, many, many questions...<br />
<br />
<em>Read only what you can <strong>read slow enough</strong> </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>to REALLY Comprehend It ! -</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Make many, many scribbled notes & questions in the book's </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">margins. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">These study-type books are to be used vigorously and marked up!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">We want to do <em>everything</em> in our lives to <em>raise the level</em> of questions -</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">so that leaves the 'indefinable' moment of <strong>Now</strong> <em>questionless & open.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>True Transparency</em> !<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: verdana;">These READINGS <strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Point out</span></strong> 'mind-experiences' </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">for your growing <em><strong>mindfulness of attention</strong></em> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">to </span></span><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">now <strong>'recognize'</strong> on it's way along to </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">intuitive <strong>'realization'</strong> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">and wisdom-<strong>insight</strong>...</span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>.</em></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>Remember</em>, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>don't make</em> studying & reading all so daunting.... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">just take it easy, relaxed, slow </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">& enjoyable !<br />
<strong>First-timers & Newcomers:</strong> for you new guys, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">simply start to read the outlined <strong>Catch-up</strong> material:<br />
it compassionately talks about difficult 'conditionings' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">that 'intrude' on our meditations and on our life.</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">As a Newcomer, <strong><span style="color: #990000;">your motivation & main intent is:</span></strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Number One: is actually <strong>Sitting </strong>the MEDITATION. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sitting the meditation is much more important than reading !</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Time On The Cushion" it's called... Or chair.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Best daily, or even sitting every-other day or so - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">in <strong>15-20-30</strong> minute-periods </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of silent sitting at Home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Shorter sittings, yet much more <em>frequently </em>is better </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">at the very beginning, inching your way up in time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>"A PATH WITH HEART"</strong> chapters outlined below. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>Do Not Be</em> Intimidated</strong> by pages n' stuff -<br />
<em>just read and just come to class steadily</em> ! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">You'll <strong>catch up</strong> easy, <em>no problemo</em> !<br />
You'll do quite fine ! </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">You'll get 'There'. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( There is no 'There', there is only "Here" ) </span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><span style="color: #663366; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">What Are <strong><em>You </em></strong>Experiencing </span><br />
<span style="color: #663366; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;">While You're <strong><em>Just Sitting There</em></strong> Meditating?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #6600cc;">__________________________________________________</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><strong></strong></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>NEWCOMERS</strong>: Ongoing Readings </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>Catch-Up</strong> <strong>Outline </strong>::</span></span><br />
<br />
<strong>"A PATH WITH HEART"</strong> by Jack Kornfield<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">+</span> Newest Students: start at <span style="color: #990000;">Chapter <span style="font-size: 180%;">7</span></span></strong> ~ </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">This is the very important material to digest and </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to let <strong>'intergrate' </strong>into your own 'meditation sitting-mind'... </span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">as <strong>antidotes</strong> to anything from <span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;">Pesky, <span style="color: black;">to</span> Disturbing, </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black;">to</span> Discomforting <strong>INTRUSIVE</strong> VISITORS</span> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">that will </span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">come </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">to visit you during your meditation sitting practice.<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cc66cc; font-family: arial;"><strong>_____________________________________________</strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Then read chapters backwards & forwards:<br />
a particular style of reading we use... starting in the middle...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: verdana;">+</span> NAMING <span style="color: #cc0000;">THE DEMONS</span> - Chapter <span style="color: #cc0000;">7</span></strong></span> - pgs. 83-101<br />
<em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>This <span style="color: #cc0000;">#<strong>7</strong> Chapter</span> is very Important for your Meditation Sittings</em> !</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>JUST READ <em>THIS </em>CHAPTER FIRST ~</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">then go on to 5, 6 & 8. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em><strong>Start here please.</strong></em><br />
<strong><span style="color: #ff9900;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #ff9900;">+</span></strong> TRAINING THE PUPPY - Chapter 5 - pgs. 56-65<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #ff9900;">+</span> </span></strong>TURNING STRAW INTO GOLD - Chapter 6 - pgs. 71-82<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #ff9900;"><strong>+</strong> </span>DIFFICULT PROBLEMS and INSISTENT VISITORS - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Chapter 8 - pgs. 102-118 ...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and in-between 'assigned' chapters; read <em>anywhere else</em> you wish<br />
<br />
Come up with some <em>specific questions</em> on what you read<br />
and about your own sittings - Add your own comments on your<br />
growing understanding & experiences while <em>actually</em> sitting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Yet never discount the value of a strong 'Intellectual' Ground<br />
in the Dharma Philosophy - <em>alongside</em> frequent meditation </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">sittings <em>that can open you</em> to a <em>truly </em><strong>'<em>informed</em>-intuition'</strong>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: courier new;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">Optional - yet very Important ~ </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: courier new;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">in A PATH with HEART ~ in Jack's book </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: courier new;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">- chapters 16,17,18 on "Students" & "Teachers"</span></strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>.</em></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><br />
<span style="color: #6600cc;">__________________________________________________</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #6600cc;">_________________________________________________</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #993399; font-size: 180%;">"Experience a truly <em>liberated </em></span><br />
<span style="color: #993399; font-size: 180%;">Present Moment of an Infinite Now !"<span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">~ Alan Watts</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">"<span style="color: #663366;"><strong>Full 'Awakening'</strong> </span><em><strong><span style="color: #663366;">itself</span> </strong></em>is the <em>only</em> ultimate purpose of human life ~<br />
<strong><em>then</em> </strong>all other 'purposes' will be so obvious, clear, <em>potentially</em> possible,<br />
and artfully filled with 'meaning' & 'grace'. It'll just be there for you !<br />
A natural, skillful compassion will effortlessly radiate. You'll wake up !<br />
Even having 'Lesser Awakenings' more & more - <em>are still priceless.</em><br />
Everything else you do <em>in between epiphanies</em> is lovingly,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">wisely,</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">patiently a 'temp' job."</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-size: 78%;">~ Bhante Akasa-Maitreya</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms;">.</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Instead of 'trying' to become <em>something other</em> than we are,<br />
we realize <em>fully </em>what is <em>already</em> here. Pure 'Is-ness'</strong>.</span></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;">"Don't seek 'Answers' ~ </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #333399; font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>Live</strong> the '<strong>Q</strong>uestions' <em>themselves </em>instead.."</span> <span style="font-size: 78%;">~ Rilke</span> </span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">What Are <strong>You</strong> Experiencing While You're <strong><em>Just Sitting There</em></strong> Meditating?</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><br />
<span style="color: #ffff99;">________________________________________________________</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">. </span><span style="color: #336666;"></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">continue to SIT at home regularly . continue to SIT at home regularly<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span> continue to SIT at home regularly . continue to </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #336666;">SIT at home regularly</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #ffff99;">________________________________________________________</span></span><span style="color: #ffcc00;"><span style="color: #ff9900;"><br />
</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 180%;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 180%;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #333399;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 180%;"><strong>Meditation Instruction </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 180%;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Points</span> </strong>to Remind you . . . </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333399;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>reminders</em></strong> for those who have </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333399;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;">attended at least a first class</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 180%;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">... and if you didn't sit meditation for </span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">what <em>you</em> think is 'often enough', <em>that's OK too</em> ...</span></strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Heck, all your meditation & non-meditation experiences alike: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">irritation, doubt in the value of it, or your ability to do or not do it, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">'guilting' about not doing it - are <strong>ALL</strong> a part of the overall 'practice'...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Developing a merely </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #000066;">"<em>Just</em> <em>Good Enough</em> Meditation Practice"</span></strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">that <em><strong>for right now </strong>-<strong> </strong></em>that is <em>quite fine</em> work indeed !</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The <em>fact that <strong>you</strong> 'searched'</em> & were innately-interested </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>in the first place</em> and </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">that you sought this blog-site out... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>does say something very positive about you...</em></span><br />
<em><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">"Sitting meditation is simply <em>just sitting quietly</em>, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>calmly waiting</em> for enlightenment to simply be. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">It's the restless 'waiting' and the 'wanting' that's the problem" </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 78%;">~ Bhante Akasa-Maitreya</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">"Mindfulness </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">is the aware, <em>balanced</em> acceptance<br />
of the present experience <strong>as it is</strong>.<br />
'Realization' <strong>isn't</strong> more complicated than that !<br />
It is opening to, or receiving the present moment,<br />
pleasant or unpleasant – <em><strong>just as it is</strong></em> –<br />
–– non-judgmentally ––<br />
without either clinging to it - <strong>or</strong> rejecting it."<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 78%;">~ Sylvia Boorstein</span><em><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>"Remember... </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the 'illusion' </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">has merely <em><strong>‘the appearance’</strong></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of existing from its <em><strong>own </strong></em>side.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Take it to <strong><em>your</em></strong> side - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">you're caught."</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 78%;">~ Lama Thubten Yeshe</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">"It's <strong>not You</strong> that wakes up ~<br />
It is <strong>Reality</strong> that wakes up.<br />
The Truth <em><strong>itself </strong></em>wakes up.<br />
'You' <em>are not</em> enlightened –<br />
'Enlightenment' is enlightened."<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-size: 78%;">~ Adyashanti</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 78%;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #6600cc;"><span style="color: red;">____________________________________________</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">__________________________________________</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Reminders and Pointers </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">on<strong> </strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">HOW to MEDITATE</span></strong> ~ </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">using <em>The Power of Mindfulness</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>My 'Will' Power of ATTENTION <em>itself</em></strong><em> </em>:: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>Do Nothing:</strong> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Your <strong><em>Natural</em> </strong>'Attention-state' will seek </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">its </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">own level </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>by itself</em> - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">by the power of its <em>own built-in</em> 'will' drive - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">if you </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">just leave it alone - and merely </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">sit still & silent and <em>passively </em></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">watch. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">You'll be alert, wide-awake </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">in </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">a meditative-state - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and a <strong>Bare Awareness</strong> will be simply there <em>after awhile</em> on its own...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Simply getting used to sitting very still. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Simply getting used to being with closed eyes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Simply getting used to shuttling between breath & thoughts.</span> <br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>My <em>Direction </em>of Attention</strong>: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Do I notice if my <strong>Attention</strong> is 'Going Out' or 'Going In' ? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Does it seem to Abide <em>Outside</em> of me, or abide <em>Inside</em> of me ? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Is my <strong>Attention </strong></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Accepting, Embracing <em>-or-</em> Rejecting, Withdrawing ?</span><br />
</span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">What Are <strong><em>You</em></strong> Experiencing While You're <strong><em>Just Sitting There</em></strong> Meditating?</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>I begin to sit meditation with my environment...</em> </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>My Awareness of the whole 'Landscape of Sound'</strong>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Hearing what I hear in the landscape of the surround </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>it's all out there</em> - just sit very still </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and simply listen - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>a long few minutes</em> - just listen, not <strong>for</strong> anything - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">just the </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">act of simple conscious, active yet passive listening. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Like sitting down very quiet in </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">a forest - until the animals & birds </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">then come back out again, and get back to their </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">ordinary </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">forest lives </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">without feeling intruded on. Life certainly goes on without you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I then would go on to ...</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>My Awareness </strong>of<strong> My Body</strong>, <em>then </em><strong>My Breath</strong>, <em>then</em> <strong>My Mind</strong>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>My Body-Balance</strong>: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Front to Back, Side to Side, Symmetrical, Sitting Erect <em>Relaxed</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( a brief <em>relaxation </em>of <strong>tensions </strong>& </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>contractions</strong> begin each sitting )<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong></strong></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Meditation</strong>:</span></span> <strong>Medius</strong>: Latin <strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"To be in the middle of..."</span> </strong></span><br />
</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Yet, to be of neither <em>this </em>nor <em>that.</em> To be Impartial.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">To be 'sitting' meditation in impartiality. </span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>.</em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana;">.</span></em></strong><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>Instructions: <span style="color: #cc0000;">Here we go . . . .</span> </em></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><strong>Just Sit Quietly & Observe <span style="color: #cc0000;">. . . .</span></strong></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Just <strong>Observe</strong>.</span> <span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just <strong>Watch. </strong>Just<strong> Witness. </strong>Do <strong>Nothing.</strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Simply getting used to sitting very still. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Simply getting used to being with closed eyes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Simply getting used to shuttling between breath & thoughts.</span> <br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Getting yourself <em>smoothed-out</em>, simply be simplified,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Sitting is a total no-brainer ~ truly be a 'simpleton'. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">For now - sit at home regularly daily or every-other day - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">in <strong>20 minute</strong> to <strong>1/2 hour</strong> <em>'work-out' sits</em> using a timer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Use a very straight back chair or floor cushion. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sit down and quietly wait for some stillness. Invite silence.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">( brief </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">'guided' words into 'breath-sensations' may begin each sitting )</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Allow Breath to be <em>naturally</em> itself. The breath will subtly change.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Place your full attention to <strong>hover</strong> in a small area around the nose.<br />
<strong><em></em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>Feel </em></strong>the <strong>touch-feeling-sensation</strong> of the breath at the nostrils:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Inhale:</strong> cool, clean, sharp & fresh ~ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Exhale:</strong> warm, heavy, thick & moist.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Notice <em>these </em>sensations ~ and know <em>they are simply sensations</em>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Do </strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>the 'Doing of Doing Nothing'</strong>. Non-Doing. Learn to Be Quiet. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Simply <em>training yourself</em> to merely <strong>just sit there</strong>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Really that's All.</em></strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Experience <em><strong>whatever</strong> </em>you 'experience'. And continue to sit there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Sit softly, gently still. Be a Non-Achiever - and - just sit there.</span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Use <em>sounds in the surround </em></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">or<em> sensations in the body</em> </span></strong><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>signal you</strong>, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">that <strong>you are no longer at the breath-point</strong>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>You've <em>lost attentiveness</em> to the breath, </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and attention went somwhere else ...like "Thinking".</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em><strong>.</strong></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em><strong><span style="color: #4c1130;">"Who would you be without your Story ?"</span></strong> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">~ Byron Katie</span></em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Use those <strong>sounds</strong> in the surround or <strong>body sensations</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to <strong>'CUE' you BACK</strong> <em>again</em> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to the nostril touch-sensation </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of your Breath <em>again</em> -and- <em>again</em> -and- <em>again ... Gently ! </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>Continuously</em> <strong>Re-Awaken-yourself</strong> from being </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>lost in memory</strong>, reverie, fantasy, inventory or </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">thought-runs or space-out trips or stories: Be patient. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Learning again how to <strong>wake-up</strong> in a whole new way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Waking-up <em>from what you think</em> is being awake now... </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>Gently</em> Wake up - come back appreciatively to the breath.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Allow Breath to be <em>naturally</em> itself. The breath will subtly change.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Place your full attention to <strong>hover</strong> in a small area around the nose. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>Again: Feel </em></strong>the <strong>touch-feeling-sensation</strong> of the breath at the nostrils: </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Inhale:</strong> cool, sharp & fresh ~ </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Exhale:</strong> warm, thick & moist.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Notice</strong> these sensations ~ and <em>know</em> they are <em>simply sensations</em>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Do Nothing. </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>Please let-go</em> of any 'ideas' that this will achieve something awesome. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Breath is just a 'home-page', a place to re-focus/refresh your screen. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Simply start again with being attentive to breath again, gentle and easy... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">no contests.. no achievements.. no evaluating the sitting or self.. nothing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">But <strong><em>IF </em></strong>you do you do - and that's quite OK too. <em>Everything</em> is a candidate. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The 'meditation' <em><strong>is really everything</strong></em> you experience while you are sitting there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em><strong>Everything</strong>.</em> Again. Keep repeatedly coming back to nose or belly rise & fall. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Simply getting used to sitting very still. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Simply getting used to being with closed eyes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Simply getting used to shuttling </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">between breath & thoughts. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Use 'sounds' & 'sensations' to <strong>CUE YOU Back to the breath</strong>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Toggle this <strong>back-button 'cue'. Again</strong>, b</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">reath is just a 'home-page', a place </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to re-focus/refresh your screen. Getting very used to observing the Mind</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Simply start with being <strong>attentive to breath</strong> again, gentle and easy... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Getting used to yourself in 'attentive stillness' - </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">on the deep-inside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Gradually willing to 'release' any & all 'expectations' about meditation! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>Under-developed</em> <strong>til now</strong> - building a meditation-region in the brain</span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em><span style="font-family: Arial;">.</span></em></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #3333ff;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Noticing</strong> What I'm Experiencing While I'm <strong>Simply Sitting Here </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Gradually being in an <strong>'observation-mode'</strong> of <strong>all</strong> of this... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">...a <strong>NEW 'observation-mode'</strong> that <em>stands aside</em> from thought, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>instead of</em> a <strong>'reactive-mode'</strong> that gets <em>caught up</em> in thought.</span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>A Gentle Attentiveness</strong>: Easy, Mindful Attention to body & back posture,</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">belly-breath-sensation & all other subtle minutiae & chaotic happenings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The whole point is NOT to shut the mind down - but to <em>consciously</em> cultivate </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">a mindful, calm 'non-reactivity' - to simply 'know' that there is 'thinking' there - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">thought-happenings <em><strong>without getting involved</strong></em> into the 'thought-drama', </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">or then you become the 'thought' - reactive - <em>and then you're caught. </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">When you do 'wake up' again & <strong><em>notice</em></strong> that you are in 'thought-land' -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">you simply <em>unapologetically</em> go back to gently being with sensation </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">breath </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">at the nostril or belly again. It's not about just staying <em>with </em></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the breath. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em></em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>Allowing </em>'Attentive-Awareness' to clarify & strengthen you</strong>... <em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>By itself</em> ! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Nothing to 'Do' - Nothing to hurry here - Nowhere to go. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Just Learing to Observe.</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Just sit & just witness. <em>Repeated</em> regular sittings </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">will build a <strong>'meditation region'</strong> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">in the brain <em><strong>by itself</strong>.</em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">You get to get something for Nothing ! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>Just sit there.</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><br />
<span style="color: #6600cc;">_______________________________________________</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong><em>"Noticing & Naming"</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;"><strong>.</strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>'<span style="font-family: verdana;">NAMING' </span>the "Mind / Perception Experience States" ~</strong> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Keep the 'Naming' & 'Labeling' Very, Very Simple... </em></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Naming will sophisticate on it's own learning curve on its own.... </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"The Demon Named, is The Demon Destroyed"</span></strong></em></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> <span style="font-size: 85%;">~ </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 85%;">is a very old ancient formula.</span> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>The Name</strong> reveals the Demon's <em>truely </em>insecure, </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">unstable & fragile character-core. </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>And </em>there's also the innocent, </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">tempting Angelic-states - that can also slowly lead to </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">addictive </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">indulgent </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">attachments. A worthy personal goal of Buddhist practice is to become </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">a non-reactive and non-seduceable person. </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Non-attachable to, </span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">like water off a duck's back - and yet available & eminently lovable...</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>The Buddhist absence </strong></span><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>of 'Attachment' -<br />
is <em>not necessarily</em> at all, <em>in any way,</em><br />
the absence of <em>profound</em> loving."</strong></span> <span style="font-size: 78%;">~ Ananda Maitreya</span></span><span style="color: #330033;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #3333ff;"></span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">'Knowing' What You Are 'Experiencing' <em>While Just Sitting There</em></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #3366ff;">::</span></strong> <strong>Feelings/Sensations</strong> in the Body-Mind or Emotional centers<br />
<strong><span style="color: #3366ff;"></span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #3366ff;">::</span></strong> <strong>Images/Pictures</strong> in the Inner-Sights & Image-Mind -or- Outer Sights<br />
<strong><span style="color: #3333ff;"></span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #3333ff;">:: </span>Talk/Conversations</strong> in the Inner Narrative-Mind -or- Outer Sounds</span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><strong><span style="font-family: courier new;"></span></strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><strong><span style="font-family: courier new;">THINKING :: HEARING :: TOUCHING :: FEELING :: SEEING </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: courier new;">EMOTING :: GOOD :: BAD :: MAD :: SAD :: GLAD :: SCARED </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: courier new;">JUDGING :: JOY :: PLANNING :: WANTING :: REJECTING :: NOW </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: courier new;">ACCEPTING :: GRASPING :: CLINGING :: PAST :: FUTURE :: HERE</span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066;"><strong><span style="font-family: courier new;">HOT :: </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: courier new;">COLD :: TIGHT :: LOOSE :: TENSE :: RELAXED :: CLEAR </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: courier new;">CONFUSED :: DULL :: ALERT :: NUMB ::RESISTING :: EMBRACING </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: courier new;">DREAMING :: SCHEMING :: LUSTING :: ANNOYING :: NAGGING </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: courier new;">CONDEMING :: ADORING :: </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: courier new;">DISPAIRING </span><span style="font-family: courier new;">etc etc endlessly etc</span></strong></span><strong><br />
</strong><br />
Beginning to <strong>know</strong> a bit more about </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the <strong>Simple 'Naming' </strong>or<strong> Labeling </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>of Mind-Experiences</strong> - craving,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">angry or delightful - catch a glimpse </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of <strong>'Their Basic Generic Names'</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">as they <strong><em>come thru to you</em></strong> - arrive at </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">your Mind's Observation Door </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">as they are </span><br />
</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">in <strong>this</strong> Present Moment - like watching </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">your dreams. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">...don't go searching for 'definitions' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of what 'that' was <strong>...and don't psychologize</strong> ! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Allow sitting-time to be as <strong>non-cognitive</strong> as possible. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Or the mind will <em>disguise itself</em> with <em>your conceptions. </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">And then that's just more <strong>doing 'intellect'</strong> - let it rest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Sitting is <strong>not</strong> the time to try n' figure stuff out. Wait til <em>after</em> sitting !</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Wake yourself up, non-responsively, non-reactively just witness, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">observe and <em>Let It Go</em>... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Go Back to Breath</strong> and start <em>experiencing breath</em> again....</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #003333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sigmund Freud simply sat there and Observed, <em>often not</em> 'analyzing'. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #003333; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">"Sometimes a cigar is just that, a cigar."</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #6600cc;">___________________________________________________________________</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #333399; font-family: verdana;">MIND-STATES<span style="color: #cccccc;">.. </span>& <span style="color: #cccccc;">..</span>DUALITY</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #6600cc;">___________________________________________________________________</span><strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;">.</span></strong></span><span style="color: #cccccc;"><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 130%;">.</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">"Yes, this 1000 year-old wisdom-quote below </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">has enlightened many student yogis down </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">through the centuries upon it's realization."</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">♦</span> "If you don't clearly understand </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">that <em>‘Whatever’</em> appears IS meditation - </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">Then what can you achieve by applying </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">a divine or spiritual ‘antidote’? </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">’Ideas’ & </span></strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">‘conceptions’ </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">are <em>not</em> abandoned </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">by just discarding them – </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">but are <em>spontaneously freed </em></span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;"><em>by themselves</em> when <em>they</em> 'recognize' </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">and 'realize' <em>themselves</em> </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">as simply </span></strong></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">only an <em>illusion</em>." </span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">~ The Dakini Niguma 1025 AD</span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">..</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #ffff99; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">________________________________________________</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;"></span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;"></span></strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">' H I N D R A N C E S ' to meditation practice</span></strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: verdana;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">~ <strong>Suffering the </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">INTRUSIVE </span>Visitors</strong> to your meditation sitting.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( Hindrances: well, they're <em>not really,</em> they <span style="color: #990000;"><strong>ARE</strong> </span>'the meditation' ! ) <em>Be with them.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">There are all sorts of levels of the Buddhist version of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Seven Dealy Sins</strong> !</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">"The HINDRANCES TO CLARITY"</span></strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">that's what they're called - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Sorry, You will have to sit them out ! </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>You will have to sit through them ! </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The distractions, difficulties & intrusive visitors that prevent a 'sublime' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">meditation. <em>Eventually </em><strong>ALL 'Hindrances'</strong> will find a true Embrace <strong>within </strong>you - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">an <strong>Authentic </strong></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Resolve</strong> - a place more towards Unconditional Acceptance or </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">a Wisdom-based Planned Obsolescence - as your developing 'observation'-style </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of Buddhist meditation practice continues... just getting better all the time...</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">HOW ? </span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">By <em><strong>widening, deepening</strong> &<strong> strengthening</strong></em> the field of Awareness <em>ITSELF.</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Creating more tranquil internal 'observation' space - thru a deep <strong>'comprehending'</strong> - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">leading to a number of <strong>Zen-Empty 'experiential' epiphanies</strong> - as obstacles </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>lose</strong> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">their </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">seeming 'reality' ( un-reality ) to a much deeper, '<strong>owned</strong> realization-understanding' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">that <em>naturally integrates</em> itself with what the Dharma-teachings <em>really </em>have to say: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>"<em>Not taking</em> the 'impermanent' as permanent"</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( <em>including</em> one's own ego-self ) </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and give <strong>that </strong>'understanding' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>plenty of seasoning-time</em>.. to develop it's <em>own natural, </em></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>intuitive</em> 'confirmation'.... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">with nothing external <strong>or </strong>internal to buy into, </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and nowhere else to go. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">There <em>is nowhere else</em> but Here. <em>You're Free</em> !</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">In Buddhism, the traditional <strong>"Hindrances"</strong> are toxic negative mental states </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">that <strong>impede </strong>success with meditation-clarity & <em>lead away</em> from enlightenment. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>Every</em> 'spiritual practice on the planet has them. Eventually discovering and </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">continually refining <em>a personal balance</em> between a too-strict ascetism and </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">a too over the top indulgence. </span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span> <span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #663366;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">What Are <em>You</em> Experiencing While You're <em>Just Sitting There</em> Meditating?</span></strong></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">The Buddhist Pali Canon identifies these basic categories </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;">of </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>core limiting mind-obstacle-states</strong>, </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>limiting </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>'bindings' </strong>or<strong> fetters</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">( here in no particular order )</span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #993399; font-family: verdana;">•</span> Basic Ignorance -</strong> just <strong>Not Knowing</strong> that there is a 'Not-Knowing' in the mind. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033;"><strong><span style="color: #993399; font-family: verdana;">•</span> Basic Wrong View / Belief</strong> - "Taking the Impermanent for being Permanent"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #330033;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span></strong>A Belief in 'Belief' / an 'individual self' idea & wanting to be dualistically-correct. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #993399; font-family: verdana;">• </span>Doubt</strong>, <strong>Confusion</strong>,<strong> Uncertainty:</strong> lack of conviction, value or trust, even about </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span>the teachings or doing the 'practice' - yet will not inquire / 'safety' in ambivelance. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #993399; font-family: verdana;"></span></strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #993399; font-family: verdana;">•</span> Dullness:</strong> Sloth, Torpor or Boredom, Indifference, half-hearted action with </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span>no attentiveness. <strong></strong></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #993399;">•</span> </span>Attachment to Rites</strong> and Rituals, magical-thinking or quick faith-based fixes.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #993399; font-family: verdana;">• </span>Sensual Desire:</strong> <strong>Craving</strong> for excessive addictive pleasure to the senses. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #993399; font-family: verdana;"></span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #993399; font-family: verdana;">•</span> Anger, Aversion: </strong>resentful feelings of unforgiving malice or ill-will toward others.</span></span><span style="color: #330033;"><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #993399;"></span></span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #993399;">•</span> </span>Lust for material existence</strong>, craving </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">material rebirth or reincarnation, </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span></strong>craving<strong> </strong>for immaterial Heaven-existence as a super-star God or Goddess. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #993399;"></span></span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #993399;">•</span> </span>Pride in Self </strong>- Arrogance & The Self-involved Conceits: better, worse, same as. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #993399;">•</span> </span>Restlessness:</strong> Fear, Anxiety, Angst, Worry, dread & distraction and the inability </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span>to calm the mind / A.D.D </span></span><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">"The Buddhist Precepts" </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of Ethical, Emotional & Social Concern </span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>counsel </em></span><em><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">that </span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> Harming, </strong><strong>Destroying Life <span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> </strong></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Stealing, Taking <span style="color: #cc0000;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> </strong></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Adultery </strong></span><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> False speech, Lying, Slandering <span style="color: #cc0000;"></span></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> Mindless Intoxication </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> Indulgence in Food </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">:: </span>Indulgence in Entertainment <span style="color: #cc0000;">:: </span>Coveting & Greed<span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> Openly Flaunting Luxury & Money<span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> Aversion, Anger, Malice <span style="color: #cc0000;">::</span> Excessive Pride, </strong><strong>Conceit</strong> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">all translate as <strong><em>really</em> bad karma</strong>. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Are you <strong>Aware</strong> of <strong>their beginning stages...</strong><strong>?? </strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>Aware that you are <em>unconsciously slipping</em> into these toxic mind-states...??</strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Anguish, Anxiety, Struggle, Seductive Distractions, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Curious Sensations, Dispair, Desire, Longings, Wishing, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Wanting, Grasping, Clinging, Attachment, False Security, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Flash Impulses, Temptations, Appetites, Fear, Anger, Judgment, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Resentment, Denial, Confusion, Boredom, Dullness, Sleepiness, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Restlessness, Doubt, Ambivalence, Rejecting, a Talking-Mind </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">about almost anything etc ~ plus the seemingly Amazing 'Spiritual' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Distractions, Notions & Fascinations of all kinds... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( seems almost the same as the Demon-list. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">With <em>any </em>of this going on, arising in the mind - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">can there be Inner Peace? ) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>Remember, it's all in the Mind. 'Your' Mind.</em> </span><br />
<span style="color: #6600cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">__________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<span style="color: #6600cc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">________________________________________________________________ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong>:: BUDDHIST LIBERATION, Happines & Joy ! ! !</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong> </strong></span></span><span style="color: #663366; font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #cccccc;">....</span><em>in the original traditional language</em></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #663366; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">"The Buddhist path offers </span><span style="font-size: 130%;">Benevolence, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy, </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #330033; font-size: 130%;">and Equanimity that is Liberation [Nirvana/Moksha]. Liberation is Nirvana, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #330033; font-size: 130%;">and Nirvana is Benevolence, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy, and Equanimity. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #330033; font-size: 130%;">They feed each other Royally. You will be so Happy. <em>Everyone </em>Benefits !”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Metta / Maitri:</span> Loving-Kindness</span></strong> towards all; the hope that a person </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">will be well; loving kindness is "the wish that all sentient<span style="color: red;"><strong>* </strong></span>beings, <em>without </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>any exception,</em> be happy." ( <strong><span style="color: red;">*</span></strong>sentient: conscious, feeling, emotive being ) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia;">Karuna:</span> Compassion</strong> </span><span style="color: #000066;">-</span> the hope that a person's sufferings will diminish. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Compassion is the "wish for all sentient beings to be free from suffering." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mudita:</span> Altruistic Joy</span></strong> in the accomplishments of another person or oneself Sympathetic joy "is the wholesome attitude of rejoicing in the happiness and </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">virtues of <strong>all </strong>sentient beings in the world." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Upekkha/Upeksha</span> - Equanimity</span></strong>, or learning to accept both loss and gain, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">praise and blame, success and failure with detachment, equally, for oneself and </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">for others; Equanimity means "not to distinguish between friend, enemy or stranger, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">but regard <em>every</em> sentient being as equal." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">"The Brahma'Vihara</span></strong> ( Pali and Sanskrit ) called The Four Immeasurables ~ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>The Four Divine Abodes</strong> - Four Divine Emotions - Four Sublime Attitudes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>Heaven in the Mind on Earth ! </em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">They are also called the <strong>"The Four Boundless Celestial Attitudes"</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">( loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity ) </span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">and are Buddhist Virtues that followers can cultivate endlessly, that is without limits, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">as good qualities for <em>any</em> Buddhist to possess in good measure. They form a </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">circular sequence of Buddhist Ethical Virtues recommended in the Brahma-vihara Sutta. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>When developed to a high degree </strong></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>in a life <em>with </em>meditation</strong>, they are said </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to make the mind "immeasurable" and like the mind </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of the Loving Brahma-gods." </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;">~ Naṇamoli & Bodhi</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #6600cc;">____________________________________________________________________</span><span style="color: #330099;"><strong></strong></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #000066;"><strong><span style="color: #330099; font-family: verdana;">The 8-Fold PATH</span></strong> Segments of an Overlaping Circle </span></span><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial;">- </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #000066; font-family: arial;">and that you can Practice <em>anywhere</em> on The Path <strong><em>at any time</em></strong></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Clarity of View</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Clarity of Aspiration</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Clarity of Speech</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Clarity of Action</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Clarity of Livlihood</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Clarity of Endeavor</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Clarity of Mindfulness</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">Clarity of Concentration</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #000066; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;">and wiil be the topic of many class-teachings & discussion.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #6600cc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6600cc;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">_______________________________________________</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">On the <span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong>"SELF"</strong></span> - that Buddhists call </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>"The SELF-Idea" </strong>.. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">that is <em><strong>just an 'Idea'</strong></em></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>Getting us familiar with</strong> <strong>this <em>New</em> 'Idea' </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #330033;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>of even questioning</em> the existence of a 'Self'</strong> -</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #330033; font-family: Arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Why are you so unhappy?</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Because 99.9 per cent</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Of everything you think,</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>And of everything you do,</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Is for yourSelf –</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"><strong>And there isn't one.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 78%;">~ Wei Wu Wei</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Allowing this New <strong>'Dharma-language'</strong> to speak to/with you, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>and then to</em> <em><strong>begin to </strong></em></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em><strong>seriously Doubt 'yourself'</strong> as a 'Self'</em> ~ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( I certainly hope no therapists hear me </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">say this, it's <em>so</em> 'spiritually incorrect' ) - </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Doubt yourself ?</strong> <em>What kinda healing-value is that</em>? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Well, yes. You'll survive! <em>'Stronger the Wind Stronger the Trees'</em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">With much less of a self-<em>defeating Self</em> ( and less of a reliance on self )</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">A underdeveloped "Self" that has been limiting you </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><em>anyway </em>for a long time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">To actually survive & master this Self - is <em>truly </em>a Nirvanic Discovery !</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">With confidence, courage & trust, that's where we're going in this meditation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">We've all had a <strong>'Self' </strong>( and been 'had' by a Self ) for such a long time -</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">it's really about time that we bravely Inquire & <strong>Question into it's <em>actual</em> existence</strong> ! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">This 'thing' Buddhists call: <strong>The 'Self-Idea'</strong>. It's <em>really </em>about how <strong>we DO 'belief'</strong>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Buddhists <em>don't do</em> 'Belief'</strong> - there's <em>Nothing</em> in it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>"Self"</strong> is just the <strong>'story' of 'me' </strong>-</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">an ongoing, endless, </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">tedious, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">with lots of distortions - either way, <em><strong>it's still just a 'story'. </strong></em></span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong><span style="color: #663366;">The Tedious Story of a "Self" ~</span> </strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong>The self-published version</strong>, the vanity press version, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the movie version, </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">made for TV version, the CNN </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">or Fox news version, the straight to video version, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">YouTube version, the N.Y.Times bestseller version, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the cable pay per view </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">or the Larry King version, the </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">poor pity me version, the in-development version, </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">the </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">ready to pitch script </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">in the trunk of my car Indie version, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">my profile version, </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">my victim version, my grandious-self </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">version, my blog version, </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">MySpace version, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">my Face-book version, my Mother's version... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">I'm just so entranced, entertained and entangled, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">j</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">ust Tweeting my Self along !</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">So imagine a time, in the not too distant future, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">not in a galaxy far far away - </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">but right Here & Now - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>Imagine a time when you tell your 'Story' </em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>f</em></strong></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>or the very last time ! </em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( even <em>you</em> don't want to hear it anymore ) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">You'll see thru it, you'll finally fully understand it </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">as un-real and empty </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of any 'substance', </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">you'll let it finally go, you'll </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">be almost free </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of the limiting "Story of Self" at last ! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">What a relief ! </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( you can do this ! ) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>Whew </em>! </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">"Experience a truly <em>liberated</em> present moment of an infinite </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Now !"</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong>"The Desire For Awakening is The <em>Only</em> Allowable Desire"</strong></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: 78%;">~ Buddha (500 BC)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Arial;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">"Full 'Awakening' itself is the <em>only</em> ultimate purpose of human life ~</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;">then all other 'purposes' will be obvious, clear, <em>potentially</em> possible </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">and artfully filled with 'meaning' & 'grace'.</span> <span style="font-size: 78%;">~ Bhante Anada Maitreya</span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #333399; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><strong>Traditional Buddhist Understanding says: </strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That a <strong>'Belief' in an "individual self" </strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">or a cosmic-self or <em>any</em> 'belief-idea' </span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">or, more basic: simply, holding an <em>unconscious yet functional</em><strong> </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>"self-view"</strong> </span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">refers </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">to a <strong>"Belief"</strong> that - in one or another </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">of the senses </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">there is a permanent </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">entity,</span> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">an <strong>Atman</strong>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">( I try <em>so hard</em> to try and <strong>find MY-Self</strong> - or My-Soul ~ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">'cause we all believe a Self is <em>in there somewhere</em> )</span><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Buddha describes this unconscious speculation </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">as <strong>"a Chaos of Views"</strong> in the following way: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">"This is how a person of <strong>wrong view</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">attends the question inappropriately: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>Was I in the past ? .. Shall I be in the future ? .. </em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><em>Am I ? .. Am I not ? .. What am I ? </em></strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">"As he thinks inappropriately in this way, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">one of six kinds of view arises in him: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">'I have a self ' .. 'I have no self ' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">'It is precisely by means of self that I perceive self ' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">'It is precisely by means of self that I perceive a not-self '</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">'It is precisely by means of </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">a not-self that I perceive self ' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">'This very self of mine - is the self of mine that is </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">constant ' </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">"This is called <strong>a thicket of views</strong>, a wilderness of views, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">a contortion of </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">views, a writhing of views, a fetter of views. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Bound by a fetter of views, the </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">uninstructed is not freed </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">from suffering and stress."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">~ Buddha </span><span style="font-family: arial;">DN 2 </span><span style="font-family: arial;">(Thanissaro, 1997; Walshe, 1995, pp. 91-109).2. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">DN-a (Nāṇamoli & Bodhi, 1995, pp. 1258-59, n. 585). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Isn't this what we all do ? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="color: #6600cc; font-family: verdana;">___________________________________________________</span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #663366;">Taking up a Meditation Practice </span></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #663366;">and sticking with it ~ is Work !</span></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">The short-term and long range results are </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">relieving, peacefully, quietly, <em>really</em> worth it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;">Please continue to read more here at our Buddha-blog ~ </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #6600cc;"></span></span><br />
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<em></em>Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5619679579051726718.post-79768824769936805642007-02-16T01:41:00.000-08:002010-07-20T18:41:38.959-07:00ARTICLES on Meditation - Buddhism - Media News - Imported Writings - interesting stuff...<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>.</strong><br />
<strong>.</strong></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>BUDDHANEWSBUDDHANEWSBUDDHANEWSBUDDHANEWSBUDDHANEWS</strong><br />
<strong>NEWSBUDDHANEWSBUDDHANEWSBUDDHANEWSBUDDHANEWSBUDDHA</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 130%;"><strong>___________________________________________________</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 130%;"><strong>___________________________________________________</strong></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Partial DIRECTORY</strong>: You'll have to <strong>scroll down</strong> for now -</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><em>we're just not that blog-savvy yet to have bookmarks.....</em></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">_______________________________________________</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">You've Come a Long Way, Buddha</span></strong><br />
</span><strong><br />
</strong><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>With a little help from Tiger Woods and PBS, </strong><br />
<strong>Buddhism may finally shake its counterculture image.</strong></span><strong><br />
</strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">By Wen Stephenson<br />
http://www.slate.com/id/2249958/<br />
<br />
for important links go to the article....<br />
<br />
<strong>My Mind Is Like My Mother</strong> Huffpost - Carter Phipps<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>The Asian writers and monks</strong> who write sorta old fashioned & a bit stodgy / pompous in style according to <strong>19th century ( British ) Victorian English</strong> which pervades much of contemporary Asia, <em>still</em>. Please do not be put off by what might seem a 'moralizing-style' in language. Bear with it. They mean the very best for you ! </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">~ Akasa </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong>______________________<br />
____________________</strong></span></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">You've Come a Long Way, Buddha</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>With a little help from Tiger Woods and PBS, </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Buddhism may finally shake its counterculture image</strong>.</span></span><a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2249958/"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.slate.com/id/2249958/</span></a><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">for important links go to the article....</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Wen Stephenson</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">April 6, 2010</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>The Buddha</strong></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When America's most famous Buddhist tees off at Augusta later this week, I'll be watching more closely for the bracelet he's promised to wear—a popular symbol of his professed faith—than for what he does to the ball. In some ways, Tiger Woods' recent and very public return to Buddhism is more interesting than his return to professional golf.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That Woods was raised Buddhist is nothing remarkable; what's striking is the down-to-earth, family-guy image of Buddhism projected in his comeback campaign. Cynical or sincere, when Tiger faced the cameras back in February, his mention of Buddhism was clearly meant to convey (Brit Hume's Christian proselytizing notwithstanding) a safe and reassuring sense of groundedness and traditional values. "I need to regain my balance and be centered," Woods intoned. Or as he told an interviewer more recently, "I quit meditating, I quit being a Buddhist, and my life changed upside down." </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The image of Buddhism in America has not always been so, as they used to say, square. I can't help thinking of Hugh Grant as a very worldly art dealer in Woody Allen's Small Time Crooks. Asked at a Manhattan dinner party whether he studied art in school, Grant replies: "No, I didn't. I often think I should have done. I studied literature. Then inevitably wound up as a stockbroker. Then I dropped out, went to Japan, became a Buddhist, blah, blah, blah."</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's more like it. The exquisite "blah, blah, blah" nails a certain type of cosmopolitan poseur everyone seems to know—and an attitude toward Buddhism that's all too common. Indeed, when you think of Buddhism's place in mainstream American consciousness, it's most often seen as, if not a punch line, then a fashionable cause (think Tibet), a counterculture relic (think the Beats and their psychedelic '60s followers), a marketing gimmick (think "Zen" teas and glossy yoga magazines), a quasi-spiritual travel itinerary (think generations of Western backpacker-seekers in Asia, among whom, I confess, I must count my younger self)—or some combination of the above.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the most part, outside of religion departments and the pages of Buddhist magazines and blogs, it's rare for Buddhism to be seen squarely and simply as what it is: a vibrant global religion and spiritual practice that's been offering "balance" and "centeredness" for 2,500 years and counting.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oddly enough, the Tiger Woods spectacle coincides with the arrival on Wednesday night of a high-profile PBS documentary, The Buddha, which sets out to do precisely that rare thing. By telling the life story of Siddhartha Gautama (aka, the Buddha)—and letting us hear directly from some very articulate Buddhists, in clear and accessible terms, what the stories mean to them—the film manages to convey something like the essence of Buddhist teaching. It's a two-hour Buddhist Sunday-school lesson for grown-ups, and perhaps their kids, as well, courtesy of public television. (Feast on that, Mr. Hume.)</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buddhism, of course, isn't exactly news to Americans. Way back in 1958, the year of Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums, high-tide of the Beat era, Time profiled Zen popularizer Alan Watts, who'd just published his famous essay "Beat Zen, Square Zen, and Zen," and declared that Buddhism was "growing more chic by the minute." (In 1997 Time put "Buddhism in America" on its cover—thanks to Martin Scorsese's Kundun and Brad Pitt in Seven Years in Tibet—and reported that it was more than a passing fad.) </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By 1967, Beat icons Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder were chanting and circumambulating San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, headliners for the epochal Human Be-In along with Timothy Leary, Ram Dass (Richard Alpert), the Grateful Dead, and others—a scene painted by Don Lattin in his new book, The Harvard Psychedelic Club. Until the 14th Dalai Lama became the face of Buddhism to the West (with an assist from Hollywood and the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize), that Beat/counterculture image—unkempt and trippy, libertine, a little vague and undisciplined yet politically engaged—clung to Buddhism in America. Discernible traces of it still do. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Poets Ginsberg and Snyder, even more so than Kerouac, are the key figures in the history of that image. As their fascinating, 40-year-long correspondence (published in 2008) reminds us, they represent distinct sensibilities and trajectories as counterculture Buddhism merged into the mainstream. Snyder—who trained for years under Zen masters in Japan—blazed the trail, taking the more traditional and rigorous route. (His Mountains and Rivers Without End, which he calls "a kind of sutra," spans four decades of poetic and Buddhist practice.) Ginsberg's path, if no less sincere, was more eccentric, more "counter," and a lot more visible. The idea that Buddhism is more about personal liberation from oppressive social convention—call it sex, drugs, and yoga—rather than a self-disciplined practice leading, above all, to an ethics of compassion, is (deservedly or not) one of the counterculture's lasting legacies.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now along comes The Buddha on PBS, a documentary that seems to say, ever so quietly, goodbye to all that. Filmmaker David Grubin gives us a Buddhism that's ready to be seen as just another part of the religious landscape—no longer exotic, countercultural, "New Age," or in any way sensational. (Even the film's too-predictable narrator, Richard Gere, stays out of the spotlight—tastefully offstage, heard but not seen.)</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grubin opens with women working in lush fields and the sound of Indian-inflected strings and flute, as Gere's voice gently begins what could be a bedtime story: "2,500 years ago, nestled in a fertile valley along the border between India and Nepal, a child was born who was to become the Buddha"—which, as we learn, means the "awakened one," an enlightened being. "The world is filled with pain and sorrow, the Buddha would one day teach," Gere's co-narrator Blair Brown tells us. "But I have found a serenity, he told his followers, that you can find too."</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tracing the arc of the Buddha's life—an epic physical and interior journey to enlightenment, a kind of extended parable passed down by oral tradition and eventually preserved in scripture—Grubin takes us on a pilgrimage to the four major sites of Buddhist lore. Along the way we're treated to gorgeous photography of a contemporary—and idealized—religious India. The camera moves over Buddhist art from across Asia, illustrating the narrative. It's high-class stuff. Even the playful, dreamlike animated sequences, wisely used to dramatize the mythical and supernatural elements of the ancient stories, have a classical feel.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wen Stephenson is a writer in Boston. In previous lives, he was editorial director of TheAtlantic.com, editor of the Boston Globe's Ideas section, and most recently, senior producer of NPR's On Point.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's also a very interesting Buddhist/Punk community thriving in the US. A seminal figure in this scene is Noah Levine; his story, as outlined in his autobiography Dharma Punx, is excellently portrayed in the documentary "Meditate & Destroy", which is now out on DVD. www.againstthestream.org </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">COMMENTS & VIEWS ~ SOME QUITE INTERESTING</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Siddhartha (Mass Market Paperback) </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/0553208845</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I believe this book was influential in spurring a greater awareness of, or an interest in Buddhism: </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, as it ends: </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Deeply, Govinda bowed; tears he knew nothing of, ran down his old face; like a fire burnt the feeling of the most intimate love, the humblest veneration in his heart. Deeply, he bowed, touching the ground, before him who was sitting motionlessly, whose smile reminded him of everything he had ever loved in his life, what had ever been valuable and holy to him in his life.”</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buddhism, Zen Buddhism in particular, will always be countercultural as long as the dominant culture is based on the underlying assumption that we are somehow incomplete and lacking and thus need to consume, purchase, acquire, and improve the self. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zen is a body-mind discipline, which, like anything worthwhile, requires discipline, guidance, persistence, and patience and which yields eventually to deep joy and satisfaction. Zen teaches that there is no self apart, that our fixed sense of "me" and "I" is a fiction--a necessary fiction, but incomplete. Worse than incomplete, this sense of me and mine is the root cause of war, aggression, ignorance, and greed. The realization of "no-self" is not intellectual and it's not a world-view; it's a direct experience, a way of being in the world as the world that unfolds more subtly over the years. No one knows why, but when we're not ensnared in our endless, internal heroic-burlesque narratives, wisdom and compassion replace us.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buddhism, as its presented in its purest forms and practiced in line with its actual intention, runs so counter to Western culture in general (and especially American in particular) that if it were ever co-opted by the "mainstream", it would either be that the Buddhism being practiced were so watered down that it wouldn't really be Buddhism, or it would be completely revolutionary. For example, what are you? Nothing. What is life? A dream. Those are the actual Buddhist answers. Also, you are absolutely going to die, your emotional needs will never be met, and the aim of becoming somebody is not only completely futile, but a colossal waste of time and creates nothing but suffering. How would they be able to advertise to us if they knew we had actually realized these things? </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Either way, people usually only choose to get serious about Buddhist practice in the face of loss, trauma, crisis, emotional upheaval, or because life has some unsatisfactory quality it to it that just can not be ignored. Of course people start practicing meditation when things are going fine, okay, or great, but then it's usually as a means to improve their life, not to eradicate the reactive patterns that maintain a sense of self, die to the life of those patterns (which is no small or painless task), and wake up to a life of unlimited joy, loving-kindness, equanimity, and compassion. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buddhism will probably always be misunderstood as some exotic, esoteric religion or as a way to get high or "rise above it all".</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I dunno, I've always seen Buddhism as specifically being kind of in line with Wodinism and the stoic determinism of a lot of the Scandinavian beliefs. Of course there are differences, but their feelings on death always seemed so connected.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the appeals of Buddhism for us westerners may be that we view it at a great distance, and therefore fail to see all the unpleasant complication that comes with any living spiritual tradition. We don't see the doctrinal infighting or any of that other stuff. If Christianity had evolved in some far off land and we'd just discovered it, we could conveniently see only it's most beautiful aspects..."love your enemy", etc, and ignore all the baggage. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe I'm misinterpreting your thoughts, but it seems to me that when "at a great distance" one's immersion with a particular religion is generally the result of reading texts and other media that present the more theoretical (and often more captivating) aspects of a religion. It's much less likely that one is aware of the "doctrinal infighting" (through the institutionalization of theoretical teaching) as you suggest. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This idea reminds of Thank You and Ok!: An American Zen Failure in Japan. I think the title suggests, in part, why the book is relevant.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By that logic, the perception of Islam in America should be quite rosy, but it is quite demonized instead.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know too much about Gautama, but do remember reading about Zen through Alan Watts, D.T. Suzuki and Yukio Mishima and coming away with this lasting impression : Zen is the religion of no religion. Zen mind is the mind of no mind. All else is vanity. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Logic or dogma of any kind has its limits, even in science, just check out Goedel's Incompleteness Theorem.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of all the millions or billions practicing Buddhism, how many have actually succeeded in reaching the goal that the Gautama said was attainable by all? </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not many. ( NOT TRUE ) </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Basically, it just doesn't work. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If Buddhism is indeed a route to nirvana, practiced by multitudes, should there not be a bunch more blissful people out there? </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The overt lack of a 'God' is nifty. But if the end result is the same, what is the point?</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh nice! So now you have standards sufficient to judge who is enlightened and who is not? You've done statistical analysis on those that practice versus those that attain enlightenment? Would you care to share your findings? </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or perhaps it's more than "gaining complete and total enlightenment in this lifetime." For myself, I know that through Buddhism, I've really learned to appreciate what I have. I've felt more fortunate about my life, and it's brought me wisdom and self-restraint. I don't really pursue things that don't really matter anymore, and I recognize the nature of what makes me frustrated. That's the point.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is no real end goal in Buddhism, and while I've not explored all its different permutations, I can't imagine that any promise 'enlightenment' from its practice. The path (or dharma) towards enlightenment is simply a roadmap, and the sights along the route are as important as any final destination. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If we can allow ourselves to move deliberately and with measured contemplation along that path, we may attain some properties of a bodhisatva (spiritual warrior). Practice hones the mind and allows greater understanding of ourselves and even of the seeds of truth within the other spiritual traditions you've mentioned. "I am a Buddhist" is short-hand for "I am curious." I, personally, am suspicious of anyone who claims enlightenment for his or her self. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nirvana is not like heaven, a place you ascend to for eternity, it flickers in and out like the twinkling o the stars, and the more your grasp for it, the less attainable it is. Like everything, it lacks substance. It is a vapor heady with exotic perfumes, but once tasted, the nitty-gritty of the world becomes a place of repose, where our thoughts and deed engender compassion, the blinders lift to trust in basic goodness of all things, and our mind is less an indignant child, and more a helpful assistant in determining actions for the benefit of ourselves and others.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I haven't seen the documentary. Would like to. In the meantime, though, this review of the documentary and the Tiger's version of buddhism seems to focus on a sterilized and intellectualized ideal version. I wish people would take a look at the actual practices and environment of tibetan buddhism or chinese buddhism. They looks a lot less western and chic, and a lot more like another version of raw animism.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sorry if you are already aware of it. But for anyone interested, there is a Buddhist magazine called Tricycle that's worth checking out. I haven't it read it for a few years, but many of its articles deal with aspects of Buddhism that don't get much attention in the books on the subject. Buddhism books tend to focus on the Dharma[teachings] of the Buddha and the philosophy, while Tricycle looks at some of the sociological and practical aspects as well. I remember at least one article that dealt with exactly the issue RuediG mentions- the difference between how Buddhim is practiced in the US as compared to in Asia. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why does the "actual practice and environment" of tibetan buddhism or chinese buddhism matter in this context? Is this "sterilized and intellectualized" ideal version invalid because it's different? Couldn't it just be a strain of "Western Buddhism" or "American Buddhism"? While it's worth studying the differences between how different cultures embrace a religion (just like Catholicism is practiced in very different ways depending on whether you are in Brazil, America, or France), how does that relate to a conversation that seems to be focused on American Buddhism specifically?</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know if the difference matters, but it sure is an interesting topic to look into. I disagree, but some have argued that it represents a fundamental difference between Eastern and Western mindsets that makes Buddhism impossible for the Westerner to understand.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Funny how things turn out. In Singapore, where I'm from, Buddhism is the more mainstream religion. Christianity is the recent addition drawing in the crowds (churches are usually full), and in some ways is the religion of the socially mobile. Meanwhile, the head monk of a major Buddhist Temple, who himself enjoys rockstar-like status, has recently been convicted of embezzling Temple funds, including buying a condo for his young male "personal assistant". They are now having trouble soliciting donations. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alas, any religion can be exploited by the unscrupulous. Consider Jim and Tammy Faye Baker, as another example.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buddhism already IS mainstream in America. There are at least two widely distributed, mainstream publications devoted exclusively to Buddhist topics that you can buy in grocery stores from Texas to Alaska. Almost every American higher education institution, including community colleges, has Buddhist Studies classes, if not departments, and a ridiculously large number of schools have departments just on Tibetology--the study of the history, religion and culture of a people who number just over 6 million. You can find books on Buddhism in any library or bookstore, sometimes dozens of them. The Dalai Lama is a brand name celebrity in our country. Hell, when my baptist preacher uncle gave me a copy of Freedom in Exile for Christmas 15 years ago, Buddhism was already mainstream.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm really curious now, what schools have Buddhist Studies departments and Tibetology classes? The way you described it makes it seem very common, but I question that assumption.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm looking forward to seeing this documentary. Buddhism has long interested me, in great part because of its down-to-earth matter-of-fact outlook. Any religion figurehead who tells his followers, "Don't believe anything just because I say it; figure it out for yourselves," is all right in my book. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another interesting little story about Buddhism: </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Driven to despair by his fruitless attempts to understand the universe, the sage Devadasa finally announced in desperation, "All statements that contain the word 'God' are false." </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Instantly, his least favorite disciple, Somasiri, replied, "The sentence I am now speaking contains the word 'God'. I fail to see, oh noble master, how that simple statement can be false." </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Devadasa considered the matter for several poyas. Then he answered, this time with apparent satisfaction. "Only statements that do not contain the word 'God' can be true." </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a pause barely sufficient for a starving mongoose to swallow a millet seed, Somasiri replied, "If this statement applies to itself, oh venerable one, it cannot be true, because it contains the word 'God'. But if it is not true - " </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At this point, Devadasa broke his begging bowl upon Somasiri's head, and should therefore be honored as the true founder of Zen. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- From a fragment of the the Kulavampsa, as yet undiscovered </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-- The Fountains of Paradise, Arthur C. Clarke</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Too much organized religion is about repression of the libido </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If Christ rose from the dead, so did zombies </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People don t get that Christ is a consciousness of the Highest Order of Compassion </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The one writer is incorrect in dismissing Kerouac as he wrotea book on Buddha dedicated to Jesus & another whole book on Eastern religions which is well informed </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Consult this Dr Myers </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">some say he actually channels Kerouac Ginsberg etc!</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dr Myers is MOST knowledgable about religion, lierature & the Theater </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His plays are quite astounding </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">literary witty dramatic in-your-face </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a real innovator in a time when too much playwriting seems like archaeology </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He wrote </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Past Life = Jack Kerouac" "Jack Kerouac in a Provincetown Dune Shack" "Jack Kerouac:Catholic" </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and "Memo from Allen Ginsberg" </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a play of his opens the Howl Festival this year in Manhattan</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tuesday, April 06, 2010, 5:11:35 PM– Flag – Like – Reply – Delete – Edit – Moderate Guest </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Playwright LARRY MYERS' new work </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Tigers are 1/12" </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">deals with alot of the aforementioned </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dr Myers is Director of The Jack Kerouac Literary Group in Manhattn (authorized by Kerouac Executor/Brother in Law </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He wrote 3 plays on Kerouac & one on Ginsberg </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Book of Esther is said to have been written about the time of the birth of Buddha, and I only mention that because this is how The Book of Esther starts out: </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Esther 1 </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, [a] the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Esther+1&version=NIV </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The book of Esther aside and it is a great read and worth a re-read, some authors have made a case for a Buddhist influence on Christianity and, even more persuasively, I think, on Manichaeism. I am no expert on Buddhism’s influence on Christianity, but check it out and see what you think: </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_the_Roman_world </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The story of the birth of the Buddha was also known: a fragment of Archelaos of Carrha (278 CE) mentions the Buddha's virgin-birth, and Saint Jerome (4th century CE) mentions the birth of the Buddha, who he says "was born from the side of a virgin". Queen Maya came to bear the Buddha after receiving a prophetic dream in which she foresaw the descent of the Bodhisattva (Buddha-to-be) from the Tuṣita heaven into her womb. This story has some parallels with the story of Jesus being conceived in connection with the visitation of the Holy Spirit to the Virgin Mary.” </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it should be tempered with this: </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Some interpretations of the life story of the Buddha attribute his birth to a virgin birth. This is likely due to a specific interpretation of the prophetic dream Queen Māyā is said to have had prior to conception and is not a widely held view amongst Buddhists. As she is described to have been married to King Śuddhodhana for many years, there is no indication that she would have been a virgin at the time of Siddhārtha's conception, but the conception of the Buddha is often held to have occurred without sexual activity. Nonetheless, this interpretation has led to parallels being drawn with the birth story of Jesus.” </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Maya</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are parallels between the Buddha and Jesus which point to the idea of this kind of adaptation. The one I always think of is the story of Jesus walking on the water. A version of that story almost exactly similar in all aspects (down to what was said between the teacher and his disciples) was being told about the Buddha two hundred years before Jesus was born.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Buddha-Parallel-Marcus-Borg/dp/1569751218 </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought I would check out some Buddhist poetry and (since Basho seems to have been banned from Slate) this is one I enjoyed a lot. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ame ni mo makezu by Kenji Miyazawa </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ame_ni_mo_Makezu</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The American approach to Buddhism is kind of a mish-mash, as the article points out, but I don't have too big a problem with it. Sometimes it bugs me that Americans seem to think that the impressions of Buddhism they've gotten through their own popular culture, and from American authors in the self-help section, define what Buddhism is for everyone. So it's not that hard to get into arguments with people who insist that "Buddhism isn't a religion" or "There aren't any gods in Buddhism". </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The American understanding of Buddhism is really, really influenced by the interpretation by Americans of Japanese Zen, from the fifties on. Now Zen started out in India, but it really came together in China, and the Japanese have a take on it that's pretty different to how it was there. The next big influence is the way that got pushed through the pop-culture mill. It's a very post-modern hall-of-mirrors affair. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not to say that there's nothing of value in it, of course. But if you pick up a book written by an American in Barnes and Noble about Zen, it's best to bear in mind how far from the original Chinese texts you've gotten. And though Zen had its periods of popularity in China long ago, and it is still strong as a regular religion in Japan (though the attitude is very different to the US), it's only a minuscule part of international Buddhism. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Americans should maybe accept their home-brewed mish-mash for what it is, rather than thinking their style is everyone's style. But then it's very common in all religions to distort or make up stuff from the past to give one's words more authority, so I guess it doesn't matter too much.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buddhism is a religion to unsophisticated people, primarily lay people, in many Asian countries. To the educated monks, it is more of a philosophy, but a philosophy with emotions associated with religion - primarily compassion for all who suffer, and deep respect and gratitude to the generations of teachers who have passed on Buddha's teaching.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In your view, what makes a religion a "religion"? Does it require the prostelization and evangelicism and forcing one's beliefs onto others that is so typical of other religions? </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your view of Buddhism is very similar to my view of Christianity. Growing up in a non-Christian household, when I first learned about the miracles of Jesus, my first thoughts were "water into wine? walking on water? Zombie resurrection? Where are the real miracles?!" It was simply not very impressive, especially after learning about the great mythologies of the Mayan and Greek gods. Since then I've felt that Christianity was less a religion, and more a practice of cultural assimilation with a bunch of embedded parables about teaching people to be good to one another. How is that a religion? </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have asked some friends who studied Christian philosophy that very question, and the best answer they could come up with is, "Because the teachings of Jesus are the word of god". The obvious flaw of logic here is that they take the idea of Jesus to be god for granted. Well that is certainly not a good answer, but I didn't tell them that Christianity is not a religion. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You simply proved to be another example of what Mujokan state succinctly, of a person who grew up in a non-Buddhist culture, gazed and studied it from afar, and came to the conclusion that it is not a religion, because you weren't feeling "it". Are you and I any different?</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thursday, April 08, 2010, 2:38:48 PM– Flag – Like – Reply – Delete – Edit – Moderate T. Dunn </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is absurd that an ancient religion (or philosophy, depending on your point of view,) that teaches self restraint, balance, moderation, compassion, and acceptance became associated with free love, mind altering drugs, and commercial products such as 'Zen' makeup. Zen is a name of a sect of Buddhism, and it literally means meditation. Would you name a line of makeup or a beverage 'Catholic', or 'Lutheran?' </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buddhist sects almost never quarrel because Buddhists think in terms of practicing as taught by a lineage - you respect your teachers and strive to learn what they teach you. You even name them, generation after generation, century by century, in chants of gratitude. The focus is on practice rather than dogma. The typical Buddhist wouldn't think of quarreling with another's practice - it would be like insulting the other person's grandparents. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Practice and teachings are thought of as a means to an end, quarreling about it would be like claiming that you can get to your destination only one way - as though you claimed that a Volkswagen would work to get you to a destination but that a Subaru wouldn't.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They do sometimes quarrel, though, e.g. the Dorje Shugden controversy. There are so many different sects these days for that reason.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plus, like any organization made up of humans, any Buddhist sect has there own power struggles and figures abusing their authority and the dogma/dharma itself. One only needs to look at the way Japanese Buddhist leaders used Zen in the run up to WWII for evidence.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sadly, some prominent Zen abbots did encourage war fever in Japan. In the history of Buddhists in Japan, some Zen Buddhists adhered to Bushido rather than truly Buddhist ethics. They did not make the effort to confront the inconsistency of the Kannon Sutra, chanted in every Zen Temple, with their traditional Japanese views. This is reminiscent of the failure of some Christians to struggle with the inconsistency between much of the Old and New Testaments. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However much some Meiji era Japanese Zen figures failed to live up to Buddhist teachings, there is no ambiguity in Buddhist teachings which may be used to justify their violent imperialist and chauvanistic views. They simply disregarded all Buddhist teaching.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, that's a quarrel, but I wouldn't call it doctrinal, exactly. It is a disagreement about the moral judgment of a spiritual figure, rather than a difference in doctrine per se.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"It is absurd that an ancient religion (or philosophy, depending on your point of view,) that teaches self restraint, balance, moderation, compassion, and acceptance became associated with free love, mind altering drugs, and commercial products such as 'Zen' makeup." </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plenty of Asian sects of both Hinduism and Buddhism have used free love and mind altering drugs as part of their practice. A healthy dose of a good hallucinogen will certainly bring home the monkey nature of the mind as well as call into the question the assumptions we make about the world around us. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For some great reading on the subject, Tricycle Magazine came out with an issue devoted to the subject of Buddhism and psychedelics back in 1996 or so. They did a great job, soliciting reasoned and interesting positions from both sides of the aisle. I can speak from my own personal experience to say that my experiences with these drugs gave me direct insights that primed my own interest and practice of Buddhism. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you say- don't be so quick to judge other's path up the mountain. And then there's that whole "the way is that which can't be deviated from" spiel.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, really? What Buddhist sect, exactly, practiced free love and the use of psychedelic drugs for religious purposes? I do not judge your path, but I cannot call it Buddhism based on any historical precedent.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It is absurd that an ancient religion (or philosophy, depending on your point of view,) that teaches self restraint, balance, moderation, compassion, and acceptance became associated with free love, mind altering drugs, and commercial products …..” </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is, but perhaps that is the normal course for organized religion. After all, Christianity teaches forbearance of wealth, giving to the poor, loving one’s enemies and tolerance of sinners. Yet now we see Christians preaching prosperity theology, opposing funding of social programs, advocating hawkish military policy and bitterly opposing equal treatment of people that they consider to be sinners.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think the Christian founders were very unwise to incorporate the Old Testament in their bible. This would seem to be the source of unenlightened values found in some expressions of Christianity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><span style="font-size: 180%;">My Mind Is Like My Mother</span></strong>Huffpost - Carter Phipps</span> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;">I recently finished a ten-day meditation retreat, a deeply enriching experience and one full of all kinds of insights and breakthroughs. But of all the many things that struck me during those powerful days of silence and stillness, one in particular really hit home ... and left me privately chuckling behind my meditative mask. My mind is like my mother. Yes, it's true. But don't get me wrong; I'm not talking about Freud here. I don't mean that my mind is like my "superego," dictating shoulds and shouldn'ts like some disembodied parental authority in my head. No, I'm talking about something a little more mundane and yet more profound. <strong>What I mean is that the way my mind relates to the contents of my experience</strong> reminds me of the way that my mother relates to the contents of her life.<br />
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Let me explain.<br />
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When I was growing up, it was long into my adolescent years before I realized that my mother was an impressive lady. She was a smart, progressive, attractive woman, who loved life deeply and lived it fully. She was trained in the classics, Greek and Latin, taught college, raised five kids, and eventually became a clinical dietitian, pursuing a lifelong passion for understanding food and its impact on the body. And though she hid some of her talents behind a Midwestern veneer of Presbyterian plainness, I was always surprised at how deeply she seemed to understand people -- what made them tick. But it wasn't just that. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At some point I remember realizing that my mother seemed to have a theory about everyone. She always had some story about why things were the way they were and more specifically, why people were the way they were. And let me tell you; her theories were deep, well thought out, and had psychological richness and spiritual context. They might touch on science or the latest research in all kinds of areas. And they often had a nutritional component as one casual factor. Were her stories always true? Well, let's just say they always had verve if not verity.<br />
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Time and age has not diminished my mother's capacity for storytelling. Even today, if I want to know, for example, why my nephews seem to be having such a harrowing time adjusting to the rigors and demands of young adulthood, I could call my brother for an explanation. Being a wise and sympathetic father, he'll no doubt give me a few words about adolescent rebellion, or the painful process of learning how to individuate and live apart from the parents. You know, basic stuff. True? Maybe ... but absolutely boring. Now if I call my mother, it's a whole different story. She'll take me on a journey. She'll explain to me the psychologies involved, include several generations of family for context, use developmental psychology, spiritual seeking, brain development, cultural theory, integral philosophy, and she'll usually throw in a nutritional component -- maybe lack of vitamin D or some such. True? I don't know, but it's damn interesting.<br />
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So what does all of this have to do with meditation? Well, at some point during the ten days of staring at the machinations of my mental processes, I realized: my mind is just like my mother. It has a story about everything.<br />
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What do I mean? The miraculous thing about doing essentially nothing for days on end is that you begin to actually see through the spell that the mind casts over the self, and recognize that so much of what goes on in our mental world is truly meaningless. For example, over and over again, I watched as my mind took the exact psycho-emotional state that I was in at any given moment and projected it into the future. It was as if the possibilities that seemed to be real in that state of consciousness -- the hopes, fears, dreams, ideas, etc. that were connected to that particular emotional milieu -- would define my life from here to eternity. My mind would spin a story about the future based almost entirely on how I felt in the present. Sometimes it was an enlightened story, sometimes a mundane story, and sometimes a downright frightening story. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But it was just that -- a story. And it lasted about as long as the corresponding emotional state lasted, which varied greatly, but was always, I can confidently say, of finite term. Of course, if somewhere we believe that the story has power over us, then we're trapped. Then there's no way out. And that's one place where real spiritual victories are won -- in the willingness to persevere and do the work of freeing oneself from the shackles of that hall of mirrors, where the stories may be amusing, terrifying, or liberating, but they are not real. Like my mother, the mind is a wonderful storyteller. And believe me, that capacity is an important thing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. But the moment we assume it's all true, we are caught, trapped in Samsara, condemned to live inside stories not of our own choosing.<br />
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"The mind is a berry patch," Andrew Cohen, my spiritual teacher, writes in his book Enlightenment Is a Secret. "Stop the habit of compulsively eating every berry that comes into your sight. Take the time and make the effort to see whether or not the berry that you happen to be staring at is sweet, rotten or sour. Never under any circumstances allow yourself to eat a sour or rotten berry. Eat only the sweet ones and have the sense to eat them only when you are hungry." It's timeless wisdom, the kind all mothers can definitely appreciate. Don't eat rotten berries! And remember, berries are not inherently bad. In fact, they're full of antioxidants. We should eat lots of them. At least that's the story my mother tells me. And that one, I believe!<br />
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carter-phipps/my-mind-is-like-my-mother_b_204659.html</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">February 20, 2009<br />
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Source: Huffington Post</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong>Meditation on the Recession</strong></span><br />
By Michael Sigman<br />
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On the 26th of January 2009, billions of Chinese and other Asians, throughout the world, will welcome the first day of its Ox Year, with much trepidation, fear of loss of jobs and changes in their life-style and wealth. Whilst their expectations are real, there is a noble way out! --Vietnamese Buddhist Monk Bhikkhu Buddha Dhatu<br />
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I hate meditating, but I do it every day.<br />
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It's boring and sometimes painful. It won't fix your problems, and it sure won't help you get a job, pay your mortgage or revive your 401K. Where it can work wonders is in mitigating the stress of any tough situation, including the economic crisis, which, let's face it, isn't going away any time soon.<br />
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Mindfulness meditation -- where all you have to do is sit still, watch your mind, and, when it wanders, go back and watch it some more -- is ideal for these frugal times. It's free, requires no travel or gear and can be practiced at any time and for any duration. There's no need to become a Buddhist, pay for a mantra or go guru-hunting.<br />
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As the financial meltdown deepens, most people and businesses are cutting spending to the bone just to stay solvent, while those lucky enough to have discretionary income scrutinize their budgets line by line to trim expenses.<br />
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Some belt-tightening is long overdue. Everyone needs to learn to pay as they go; businesses must get leaner, and individuals can get better deals on bank charges, phone and cable rates, and cool it on the heating bills. But cost-cutting can only go so far before becoming counter-productive. (That means you, LA Times.)<br />
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Of course, there's a ripple effect, where one man's spending ceiling is another man's unemployed floor: canceling Netflix, getting cheaper haircuts, going to fewer concerts, buying cheaper clothes and eating at home only makes things worse for Netflix employees, hairdressers, musicians, shop owners and waiters.<br />
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In the wake of all this, feelings of fear, confusion and anger can take on a life of their own. Where mindfulness meditation comes in is that by sitting quietly and noticing the parade of your tiny, individual thoughts and feelings, you have a front row seat to observe your mind at a granular level. Do this for a while and you'll begin to see how the mind expands moment-to-moment thoughts and impressions into complex, often tortured narratives.<br />
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Say you're meditating and a thought arises -- unbidden -- that you might lose your job. It's just a mental sensation with no solidity, but before you know it your head has you filing for bankruptcy or on the street begging for change. By bringing your mind back to its "watching" state, the nightmarish story you've spun is revealed to be as evanescent as a dream, and, perceived in that light, loses its power.<br />
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While meditating this morning, I felt a stab of pain in my right shoulder, where a bone spur has been wreaking havoc for months. The physical sensation subsided in seconds, but by then my mind had me on an operating table at Cedar's counting backwards from 10 before going under the knife. This was also pure fantasy ; no one's suggested I need surgery. But by observing this process -- gaining insight into how my mind works -- I grokked the illusory quality of the story, and soon the anxiety passed and the whole thing seemed kind of funny.<br />
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Practice a few minutes a day -- if you can work your way up to 20 minutes or more, all the better -- and, a body of scientific research that will convince even skeptics shows, odds are you'll experience subtle changes in alertness, sleep and anxiety levels.<br />
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To learn more, find a teacher, attend a class or read up. In the LA area, InsightLA (InsightLA.org), a Santa Monica-based non-profit founded by my principal teacher, Trudy Goodman, offers a world of excellent information, classes, meditation retreats and lectures. In the Bay area, check out Spirit Rock (spiritrock.org), a spectacular meditation center co-founded by the great mindfulness teacher/author Jack Kornfield. Similar resources are available in or near most major cities. Or pick up "Wherever You Go There You Are" by Jon Kabat Zinn or "A Path With Heart" by Kornfield, two of the many profound and practical books on the subject.<br />
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Meditation can be invaluable in the direst of circumstances, financial and otherwise. A close friend once told me that after she'd heard the most devastating news of her life, her first thought was, "Thank God I meditate."<br />
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Bhikku Buddha Dhatu might say she'd found a noble way out.<br />
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January 27, 2009<br />
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<span style="font-size: 180%;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong>What's Your Poison?</strong></span><span style="font-size: 180%;"></span>By Michael Sigman<br />
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Forty years ago, two-fifths of America's 6.7 million college students defined themselves "mainly by their lack of concern about making money," according to a Fortune poll cited by Rick Perlstein in his superb book Nixonland.<br />
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Twenty-five hundred years before that, the Buddha identified three "poisons" as the causes of all human suffering: greed, aversion and delusion. We all want desperately to prolong what makes us feel good (greed) and get rid of what's painful (aversion). If you don't, you're either enlightened or delusional.<br />
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Everyone is poisoned by all three, but Buddhism maintains that each of us specializes in one more than the others. I'm more of a fear guy, though greed pokes through from time to time. As for delusion, at least I think I know that I don't know anything. Well, not really, but you get the point.<br />
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The economy, the sum of all our financial actions, also exhibits the poisons, and the dominance of one or another comes in cycles. You can chart greed's upswings through the lens of film history. Eric Von Stroheim's 1924 epic Greed (which, perhaps greedily, ran nine hours, till aversive studio execs slashed it to two). Ayn Rand is famous for her essay The Virtue of Selfishness, and her tribute to this philosophy, The Fountainhead, was released as a film starring Gary Cooper in 1949 -- just as America entered the post-WWII boom. Some believed greed reached its apotheosis in the '80s, symbolized by Gordon Gekko, the main character in Wall Street, who posited it as a moral good.<br />
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But we now know that Michael Milken and company, Gekko's real life analogs, were pikers compared to the orgy of speculative greed that ran rampant until a few months ago.<br />
Of course, a web of delusion sustained and nurtured the greed. That so many smart people "knew" Bernie Madoff was legit was just a symptom of the ignorance that consumed the markets and the national mood.<br />
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Last fall, in the blink of an eye, fear took hold like a magnitude-10 earthquake, and now rumbles through so many of our thoughts, decisions and actions. Instead of grasping to increase their gains, people are terrified of losing their jobs, their homes and what's left of their diminished assets.<br />
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There's good reason to be scared. Things may well get worse before they get better. What might be helpful -- apart from the massive recovery plan that needs to happen ASAP -- is the recognition that delusion is never far behind. Today's doomsday scenarios -- just turn on cable news or read the front page or the financial section of any paper -- mirror the over-optimism of the recent past.<br />
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Economic greed and fear are two sides of the same coin: the overriding concern with money. Disavowed by so many boomers all those years ago, it's now become a defining characteristic of who we are, in good times and bad.<br />
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When things start getting better -- and you don't have to be a spiritual or financial guru to observe the cyclical nature of economics -- the fear will diminish. But will the preoccupation with money also abate? Or will fear simply be replaced by another cycle of greed?<br />
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The lesson of the three poisons isn't to stop pursuing pleasure or trying to avert disaster; these are normal and healthy pursuits. But if we can temper not our desires but our desperation for their fulfillment, our suffering will diminish. And that's no delusion.<br />
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Healing & Spirituality<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong>Take a</strong> <strong>Breath</strong></span></span><strong><br />
</strong><span style="color: black;">By Nick Street,<br />
Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2007<br />
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Meditation in schools is not a religious practice that raises any church-state issues.Los Angeles, CA (USA) --<br />
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'At quiet time we try to be as calm as we can," says Reko, a seventh-grader at Ideal Academy, a Washington, D.C., charter school that incorporates a 20-minute transcendental meditation program into each school day. "We close our eyes and think of our mantra so we can be relaxed."<br />
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'At quiet time we try to be as calm as we can," says Reko, a seventh-grader at Ideal Academy, a Washington, D.C., charter school that incorporates a 20-minute transcendental meditation program into each school day. "We close our eyes and think of our mantra so we can be relaxed."<br />
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A student at Piedmont Avenue Elementary in Oakland, Calif., practicing mindfulness meditation using a technique he learned in class (file pic)On the other side of the country, students at Emerson Elementary School in Oakland practice techniques called "mindfulness" that have been adapted from Buddhism. The children learn to follow their breath, watch their thoughts and focus their attention by listening to the tone of a Tibetan singing bowl until the sound is too faint to hear.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Mindfulness makes me feel marvelous," says Curtis, a fifth-grader at Emerson.window.google_render_ad();Few people doubt that Reko and Curtis -- and thousands of children at charter and other public schools -- can benefit from a daily dose of mindfulness or meditation. Scientists at the University of Massachusetts established the effectiveness of meditation for reducing stress and anxiety in the 1980s. And recent studies at UCLA concluded that kids with attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorders showed clear improvement in concentration and cognitive abilities after learning techniques similar to those used at the Oakland school. These studies have lent credibility to a growing movement to introduce meditation and mindfulness programs into the nation's schools. The number of such programs has jumped from just a handful five years ago to more than 100 at the start of the coming school year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">In Southern California, the David Lynch Foundation is sponsoring start-up transcendental meditation programs at two publicly funded schools -- one in Inglewood and another in Sun Valley.As the movement to bring mantras and Tibetan singing bowls to public schools gathers steam, some activists who keep an eye on church-state issues are crying foul."It's not the business of schools to lead kids to inner peace through a spiritual process," says Edward Tabash, chairman of the national legal committee for Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. Tabash, a self-described secular humanist, predicts an imminent court battle. "I can quite frankly see a coalition between religious fundamentalists and atheists challenging this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">"Last fall, the Pacific Justice Institute, a legal advocacy group for conservative Christian issues, launched an opening salvo. The institute took up the cause of parents who objected to a TM school program in Marin County, which prompted the Lynch Foundation to withdraw its support.The common rallying point for any anti-mindfulness coalition would be opposition to teaching practices that trace their roots to Buddhism and Hinduism in public schools. Why should mantras and meditation be allowed to slip past the formidable barrier of legal precedent that has largely kept prayer out of the schools for the last 50 years?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">The short answer to that question: When they're stripped of their Eastern cultural trappings, meditation and other mindfulness techniques are not religious practices, so there's no reason to ban them in public schools. Choral music comes out of Christian church traditions, but no one objects to a school choir."What's religious about learning to follow your breath?" asks Wendi Caporicci, a devout Catholic and the principal at Oakland's Emerson Elementary. George Rutherford, the principal at Ideal Academy, takes a similar view of transcendental mediation, which he has practiced for over a decade. "I'm a Baptist, and my wife has a doctorate in Christian education," he says, adding that TM "is not a religion.</span><span style="font-family: arial;">"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">A federal district court came to a different conclusion in 1979. The court said TM couldn't be taught in publicly funded schools in New Jersey because the practice -- with its ties to a specific spiritual leader -- violated the establishment clause of the 1st Amendment.But in the intervening years, the medical study of TM and Buddhist-derived mindfulness techniques has changed both the practices themselves and attitudes toward them. The new "medicalized" meditation and mindfulness programs seem more likely to pass constitutional muster.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">The Supreme Court has already weighed in on what counts as a religious practice or belief. In United States vs. Seeger (1965), the court determined that a conscientious objector who justified his claim of exemption from the draft by quoting Plato, Aristotle and Spinoza couldn't be compelled to serve in the armed forces because his beliefs occupied a place in his life "parallel to that filled by God." It would be hard to argue that meditation has replaced religion for people like Rutherford and Caporicci.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">None of the hallmarks of religious systems -- doctrine, cosmology, ethics, clergy, devotion to a deity or reverence for a prophetic teacher -- figure into these mindfulness and meditation programs that are beginning to raise the ire of church-state activists. More to the point, these programs teach skills -- how to pay attention and regulate the emotions -- that many parents and teachers are eager for kids to learn.Without Buddha or Brahma or bowing or incense, meditation and mindfulness are about as religious as -- well, breathing.Are you breathing right now? Just for a few seconds, can you follow your breath as it moves in and out of you? Do you feel your belly rise and fall as you inhale and exhale? As you watch yourself have this experience, do you realize that you've taken a step back from your thoughts and emotions?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;">Congratulations -- you've just aced the final exam for Mindfulness 101. That's it. Class dismissed.Wait -- one more question before you go. Are your dearly held beliefs still intact?It will be the burden of any anti-mindfulness coalition to prove that they're not.<br />
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Nick Street, a Soto Zen priest, is a fellow with News21, a Carnegie-Knight initiative in journalism education at USC.<br />
</span><strong><span style="color: black;">_________________________________________________________________________</span></strong></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong>Doctor's orders: Cross your legs and say 'Om'</strong></span>By Andrea R. Vaucher<br />
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The 30 or so clinicians and researchers sat cross-legged on cushions or in chairs, their eyes closed, as their teacher led them through a guided meditation.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Telling them to relax their bodies and concentrate on their breathing, author and meditation instructor Sharon Salzberg urged them to overcome distractions such as sounds, thoughts and emotions by coming back to the breath each time they found their minds wandering.<br />
The goal, she said, was to still the mind. For the participants, all from UCLA's Mattel Children's Hospital Pediatric Pain Program and many unfamiliar with meditation, it was also an opportunity to observe, up close and personal, a technique being prescribed at the hospital to ease physical and emotional pain in their pediatric patients.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Salzberg, 55, was teaching the group Vipassana -- or mindfulness -- meditation, a centuries-old Buddhist practice she was instrumental in bringing to the U.S. after a four-year stay in India in the early 1970s.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;">A cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Mass., Salzberg extols the benefits of a meditation practice, even if just for minutes a day. "It's a healing process," she said later. "A move toward integration."</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">It appears to work. In a new study, published in October in the journal Pain, Natalia Morone, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, tracked the effect of mindfulness meditation on chronic lower back pain in adults 65 and older. The randomized, controlled clinical trial found that the 37 people who participated in an eight-week mindfulness meditation program had significantly greater pain acceptance and physical function than a similar size control group.<br />
Subsequently, the control group took the same eight-week program and had similar results.<br />
"When there is pain, the rest of the body tenses up," Salzberg said.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">"Then you have tension plus pain. Or there's judgment: 'I shouldn't be feeling this way.' Mindfulness allows us to see what the add-ons are and discover what the actual experience is right now."<br />
Increasingly, doctors across the country are recommending meditation to treat pain, and some of the nation's top hospitals, including Stanford, Duke and NYU Medical Center, now offer meditation programs to pain patients.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">Dr. Lonnie Zeltzer, the head of Children's pediatric pain program, didn't need to be convinced of meditation's benefits; she knew from her own experience as a meditator. Zeltzer organized the recent training day with Salzberg and Trudy Goodman, a psychotherapist and founder of the InsightLA meditation community, paying them out of<br />
her own pocket and hosting it at her Encino home so her staff would be introduced to a tool she is passionate about.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"As a meditator, I learned the value of being present and how that allows clarity in processing our daily lives," Zeltzer said. "The clinical team sees children with chronic pain who are very difficult to treat and have been to many other specialists and feel discouraged by the time they come to us. I felt that learning to meditate would help the team feel a sense of balance and equanimity in the face of the anxiety and distress brought to them by these patients and their families."<br />
Subject of study</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;">SCIENTISTS have studied the effects of meditation on pain for nearly three decades, ever since 1979, when MIT-trained microbiologist Jon Kabat-Zinn, professor emeritus and founder of the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, used mindfulness meditation in a 10-week program to teach chronic pain patients how to cope. Kabat-Zinn's 1990 bestseller, "Full Catastrophe Living," described the technique he used -- mindfulness-based stress reduction, or MBSR.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Since then, research has suggested that meditation reduces the brain's reaction to pain and increases pain tolerance. It has an effect on chronic back pain and can be an effective palliative for pain associated with fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis, studies have shown.<br />
Kabat-Zinn's original study was done at the university's Medical Center's Stress Reduction Clinic, which has since been folded into the Center for Mindfulness. The 51 patients in the study, which was published in General Hospital Psychiatry in 1982, suffered from lower back, neck, shoulder, facial, coronary and GI pain, as well as headaches. At the end of the study, about two-thirds of the patients showed a pain reduction of at least 33% and half showed a reduction of at least 50%. The number of medical symptoms also decreased.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;">"MBSR's contribution has been to bring the heart of Buddhist meditation without the Buddhism into the mainstream of Western medicine," Kabat- Zinn said. "A referral to the Stress Reduction Clinic would now be part of the natural progression for anyone who sees patients with a long- standing pain condition."</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">Since 1979, more than 18,000 patients have come through the Stress Reduction Clinic. There are now more than 250 MBSR programs in clinics and hospitals around the world.<br />
In Los Angeles, Zeltzer refers patients to Goodman, who taught MBSR with Kabat-Zinn in the early days of the program, and who continues to teach the technique through InsightLA. But meditation remained esoteric to many on Zeltzer's team until they could learn the basics and ask Salzberg and Goodman questions about the practice.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">"Previously, we had talked about meditation in the abstract," Zeltzer said. "And a lot of the team members wondered how it was going to work."<br />
Zeltzer got interested "in the relationship of mind and body and health"<br />
during her fellowship in adolescent medicine at Los Angeles Children's Hospital in the 1970s. "What led to the differences in symptoms and suffering in adolescents who had the same disease?" she wondered at the time. "Why were some able to endure medical procedures without too much problem, while others fell apart?"</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">Realizing that the mind has a powerful effect on the body, Zeltzer used her first NIH grant in the early 1980s to study the benefit of hypnotherapy prior to spinal tap operations. "Spending a period of time each day just sitting and 'doing nothing' was one of the most important lessons that I learned in my hypnotherapy work," Zeltzer said. This journey into silence led to an interest in meditation, which increased exponentially when Zeltzer began studying the practice with Goodman in 2002.<br />
Now Zeltzer wants to scientifically measure the effectiveness of meditation on kids with pain.<br />
Converts meet skepticism</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">PEOPLE who have been helped by meditation, whether physicians or laypersons, have encouraged the use of meditation in pain management.<br />
"It was life-changing for me," said Phoebe Larmore, an L.A.-based literary agent who represents authors Tom Robbins and Margaret Atwood.<br />
For over two decades, Larmore was plagued with acute back pain and consulted with top specialists at medical centers such as Stanford University's and the Mayo Clinic, to no avail. At her worst, she weighed 80 pounds and was on morphine.<br />
Then a doctor at UCLA gave her a meditation tape.<br />
"I used it over and over and was able to have a few moments in which I was above the pain and could get my breath and hold onto hope," she recalled.<br />
Larmore learned how to pace herself, running her business from her home.<br />
But recently, "the sandpaper of living with chronic pain" got to her, and she enrolled in an InsightLA MBSR class taught by Goodman and German physician Chris Wolf.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">"The eight-week program was one of the most challenging commitments I have ever made," she said. "But I found a new key that enables me to better accept, embrace and have an instrument with which to mindfully be with my pain and walk with it with more lightness."<br />
Though anecdotal experiences about the benefits of meditation are easy to find, clinical randomized trials on meditation's effects are rare and in the early stages. And skepticism lurks in the wings of every study.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">"When I submit articles to be reviewed, it feels like they are picked apart very carefully, and I have to work harder to prove my findings,"<br />
said Dr. Natalia Morone, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh who has been studying the effect of mindfulness meditation on pain in adults. "There's more intensity to the review comments than if they were about a conventional subject."<br />
But despite resistance, Kabat-Zinn is betting on meditation playing a larger role in medicine in the future.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">"We are headed toward development of a new kind of medicine that honors the profound dilemma of the person who presents to a doctor with suffering," he stated with no uncertainty. "Since Buddhism has a history of understanding suffering, and since nobody goes to a hospital without some kind of suffering, what better place than a hospital to be grounded in meditation?"<br />
<br />
___________________________________________________________</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong>American Buddhism On The Rise</strong></span>Religion & Ethics<br />
from the September 14, 2006<br />
<br />
By Jane Lampman Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor<br />
<br />
The Dalai Lama's recent visit spotlights the fact that, with 1.5 million adherents, both U.S. caucasian and Asian, Buddhism is America's fourth-largest religion.<br />
Buddhism first arrived in the United States in the 1800s.<br />
<br />
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. – That genial face has become familiar across the globe - almost as recognizable when it comes to religious leaders, perhaps, as Pope John Paul II. When in America, the Dalai Lama is a sought-after speaker, sharing his compassionate message and engaging aura well beyond the Buddhist community.<br />
<br />
After inaugurating a new Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education in Vancouver, B.C., the Tibetan leader this week begins a visit to several US cities for public talks, sessions with young peacemakers, scientists, university faculty, corporate executives, and a California women's conference. But he'll also sit down for teach-ins among the burgeoning American faithful.<br />
<br />
Buddhism is growing apace in the United States, and an identifiably American Buddhism is emerging. Teaching centers and sanghas (communities of people who practice together) are spreading here as American-born leaders reframe ancient principles in contemporary Western terms.<br />
<br />
Though the religion born in India has been in the US since the 19th century, the number of adherents rose by 170 percent between 1990 and 2000, according to the American Religious Identity Survey. An ARIS estimate puts the total in 2004 at 1.5 million, while others have estimated twice that. "The 1.5 million is a low reasonable number," says Richard Seager, author of "Buddhism in America."<br />
<br />
That makes Buddhism the country's fourth-largest religion, after Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Immigrants from Asia probably account for two-thirds of the total, and converts about one-third, says Dr. Seager, a professor of religious studies at Hamilton College, in Clinton, N.Y.<br />
<br />
What is drawing people ( after that fascination with Zen Buddhism in the '50s and '60s )? The Dalai Lama himself has played a role, some say, and Buddhism's non-missionizing approach fits well with Americans' search for meaningful spiritual paths.<br />
<br />
"People feel that Buddhist figures like the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh of Vietnam are contributing something, not trying to convert people," says Lama Surya Das, a highly trained American lama in the Tibetan tradition. "They are not building big temples, but offering wisdom and ways of reconciliation and peacemaking, which are so much needed."<br />
<br />
Even a larger factor, he suggests, is that Buddhism offers spiritual practices that Western religions haven't emphasized.<br />
<br />
"People are looking for experiential practices, not just a new belief system or a new set of ethical rules which we already have, and are much the same in all religions," Surya Das says. "It's the transformative practices like 'meditation' which people are really attracted to."<br />
<br />
At a sangha "sitting" in Cambridge, Mass., last week, some 20 devotees sat cross-legged on four rows of large burgundy-colored cushions before a small candlelit altar. A practice-leader led a quiet hour of meditation interspersed with the chanting of prayers and mantras. The group then gathered in a circle for a half hour of discussion.<br />
<br />
Carol Marsh, an architect who served as practice-leader for the evening, had an interest in finding a spiritual path for years, but was "resistant to anything non-rationalist," she says afterward in an interview. "Then I read 'Awakening the Buddha Within,' [Surya Das's first book on 'Tibetan wisdom for the Western world'], and it spoke to me directly.... My ultimate aim is liberation."<br />
<br />
After eight years of practicing, "I am happier, more grateful, more able to roll with whatever punches or moments of annoyance may present themselves," Ms. Marsh says.<br />
<br />
What's so valuable to Jane Moss, who's been practicing 15 years, is learning how "to be in the present moment." And also to accept that reality involves perfection and "to view the world as good and people as basically loving." Each month, the group holds a meditation focused on love and compassion.<br />
<br />
The Cambridge sangha has been meeting since 1991, when Surya Das opened the Dzogchen Center here after decades of training with Tibetan teachers. Before becoming a lama, he was Jeffrey Miller, raised in a middle-class Jewish family in Brooklyn. An anti-Vietnam-War activist while at the University of Buffalo (N.Y.), he was stunned when his good friend Allison Krause was shot and killed by the National Guard at Kent State in 1970.<br />
<br />
"When I graduated in 1972, I was disillusioned with radical politics - I realized fighting for peace was a contradiction in terms, and I wanted to find inner peace," he explains. Instead of graduate school, the young Miller headed off on a search that ended up in the Himalayas, where he spent the rest of the '70s and '80s learning from Buddhist teachers while teaching some of them English.<br />
<br />
There were plenty of struggles and moments of doubt, but also illumination, he says. Following a centuries-old path to cultivate awareness, his training included two three-year retreats of intensely focused practice.<br />
<br />
"One of the great lessons of that monastic brotherhood was learning to love even those people I didn't like," he says, speaking by phone from a retreat in Texas where he's training others.<br />
<br />
There are many schools of Buddhism, but "everyone agrees that the purpose is the individual and collective realization of Enlightenment," Surya Das continues. "That is defined as nirvanic peace, wisdom, and selfless love. It involves a practice path that depends on meditation, ethical behavior, and developing insight and active love."<br />
<br />
Buddha means "awakened" in Sanskrit, a language of ancient India, where Siddhartha Gautama founded the faith and an Eightfold Path some 2,500 years ago. Buddhists believe that through that path one awakens to 'What Already Is' - "The Natural Great Perfection." Buddhists do not speak of God with a big "G". Or of the human or ego-mind with a small "m," and the Buddha (awakened) Mind with a big "M." Surya Das has written. "We are all Buddhas."<br />
<br />
One doesn't have to subscribe to a catechism or creed, or be a vegetarian. Nor do people have to give up their religion. That's why some Americans speak of being Jewish Buddhists, for instance.<br />
<br />
The Dalai Lama, in fact, often encourages people to simply stay with the faith of their cultural upbringing, to avoid the confusion that can sometimes result from a mixing of Eastern and Western perspectives.<br />
<br />
Yet others are going more fully into Buddhist study, particularly as the writings and training by American-born teachers increase its accessibility.<br />
<br />
The Dzogchen Center (Dzogchen means "the innate great completeness"), which has sanghas in several states, teaches an advanced Tibetan practice; annually, it offers numerous retreats, from one-day to two-week gatherings. Surya Das - whose Tibetan teacher gave him his name, which means "follower or disciple of the light" - is the spiritual director.<br />
<br />
Thirty devotees are currently cloistered in a 100-day retreat for advanced students at the Dzogchen retreat center outside Austin, Texas. They are in the third of a 12-year cycle of silent retreats - which will likely produce new teachers.<br />
<br />
Several Tibetan teachers helped introduce Buddhism in the US, and one, Chogyam Trungpa, founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colo. But the teacher succumbed to excesses that tempt clergy of various faiths - alcoholism and sexual misconduct.<br />
<br />
The Dalai Lama has warned, too, of some teachers who seek leadership for financial rather than spiritual reasons. The issue of students and teachers is today one of the most controversial in transmission of teaching from East to West, says Surya Das.<br />
<br />
Still, a healthy American Buddhism with its own characteristics is emerging. It is less doctrinal and ritualistic than in the East and more meditation oriented, less hierarchical and more democratic and egalitarian. It is more lay-oriented than monastic, and more socially and ecologically engaged.<br />
<br />
Perhaps most noticeably, "the role of women as leaders and teachers is very significant here," Seager says.<br />
<br />
The Dalai Lama speaks of Buddhism naturally taking new forms in each culture. As he travels the globe, he also emphasizes building bridges between faiths, as well as finding nonviolent means for resolving differences. This weekend, the Nobel Peace Laureate will spend time with youths in Denver engaged in conflict-resolution projects. He'll bless the Great Stupa, the largest example of Buddhist sacred architecture in the US, located at Colorado's Shambhala Mountain Center. Next week he'll speak to 20,000 at a football stadium in Buffalo, and at the alma mater of Surya Das, who was one of his attendants for several years.<br />
<br />
"Buddhism made me a mensch and brought me happiness," Surya Das concludes contentedly, "and helped me find my place in life and the universe."<br />
<br />
The Four Noble Truths: According to legend, about two and a half millennia ago in what is today southern Nepal, a restless nobleman, Siddhartha Gautama, abandoned his home and family to live as a wandering religious seeker. Six years later, he claimed to have attained liberation from suffering.<br />
<br />
Tradition says that the first sermon of this nobleman – who became known as the Buddha, or the Awakened One – was delivered to five disciples in a deer park. It described the causes of suffering and the way in which it can be eliminated. These teachings, known as the Four Noble Truths, form the foundation of Buddhism:<br />
<br />
1) To exist is to suffer.<br />
<br />
2) Suffering is caused by an ignorant thirsting after things that are necessarily impermanent, including youth, good health, posessions, and even one's own life.<br />
<br />
3) Those who cease thirsting after impermanent things will cease suffering. This state of cessation is called nirvana.<br />
<br />
4) Nirvana can be attained by following the Noble Eightfold Path, a way of living that combines wisdom, nonviolence, and mental discipline.<br />
<br />
Source: buddhanet.net<br />
<br />
____________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
</span><strong><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="color: black;">Jewish AND Buddhist !<br />
<br />
J U B U<br />
<br />
<em>At One With Dual Devotion</em></span></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">By Louis Sahagun<br />
<br />
May 02, 2006<br />
<br />
<br />
The altar in Becca Topol's living room carries a statue of Buddha and a garden stone painted with the Hebrew word for peace, shalom.<br />
<br />
April she celebrated Passover with a "Zen Seder" feast that opened with a modified Haggada narrative comparing Israel's exodus from Egypt to Buddha's liberation from suffering.<br />
<br />
"I'm a Jewish Buddhist -- a JuBu," said Topol, 37. "My Buddhist practice has actually made me a stronger Jew."<br />
<br />
While Buddhism has enriched Topol's Judaism -- giving her a deeper sense of spirituality -- it has produced confusion in fellow JuBu David Grotell. Grotell, 41, is so worried about breaking Judaism's ban against idol worship that "although I have a meditation spot in my home, as a Jew, I just can't allow myself to put a statue of Buddha there."<br />
<br />
Grotell's conundrum and Topol's confidence show how diverse the JuBu experience can be -- even inside one Zen Buddhist center in Santa Monica. They also underline how a new, American hybrid of Buddhism is blossoming, fed by a large representation of Jewish practitioners.<br />
<br />
No one knows for certain how many JuBus there are; the last surveys were conducted in the 1970s. A large majority of the 3 million Buddhists in the United States are Asian, but by some estimates, at least 30% of all newcomers to Buddhism are Jewish. (By comparison, U.S. Jews number 6 million.)<br />
<br />
Alan Lew, who studied Buddhism for a decade before changing course to become a rabbi, calls the paradoxical blend of Judaism, which bows to one God, and Buddhism, which has no supreme being, "a fruitful and beautifully creative meeting of two religious streams that came together in the United States."<br />
<br />
"Most people don't go very far into Buddhism; they just want to feel a little better," said Michael Shiffman, founder of L.A. Dharma, a nonsectarian Buddhist organization in Los Angeles. "But can you be Jewish and not believe in God? Good question."<br />
<br />
Others, however, would say it all depends on an individual's definition of God.<br />
<br />
Essentially, Buddhism creates a solitary and quiet path away from suffering and toward a moral life based on an all-inclusive vision of interconnectedness, wisdom and compassion. A method for achieving that awareness is daily meditation. Being nondogmatic, Buddhism does not require that adherents join anything or reject anything -- even the notion of God.<br />
<br />
So in this regard it differs vastly from Judaism, a community-based tradition that relies on observances, laws and prayers such as the mourner's kaddish -- the prayer for the dead -- to connect adherents with a personal god.<br />
<br />
So what is that Jews find so attractive about Buddhism?<br />
<br />
"Suffering is at the heart of the matter," suggested David Gottlieb, whose autobiographical book "Letters to a Buddhist Jew" examines the life of a "Zen Jew" struggling to resolve his two identities. "Judaism, at its best, embraces suffering and, at its worst, enshrines it. Buddhism explicitly seeks to end suffering, and doesn't look to the past."<br />
<br />
Lee Rosenthal, 59, of San Diego found that powerfully appealing. He'd just returned from the Vietnam War and was facing the deaths of his two children shortly after they were born, and then his wife's cancer.<br />
<br />
"I couldn't buy into the spiritual answers I was getting from people for why my little babies passed away," he recalled. "But I picked up a book on Buddhism and it spoke to me, streetwise and honest."<br />
<br />
"Instead of sugar-coating things, it gave me a plain explanation for why I was suffering -- life is painful and difficult," he said. "It said also you can't run away from it. Deal with it."<br />
<br />
As the world's leading Buddhist, the Dalai Lama, likes to say: If there is a problem and there is nothing you can do about it, there's no use worrying. If there is something that can be done, there's no use worrying. And with that understanding can come contentment, even joy.<br />
<br />
Rosenthal went on to become a Buddhist priest, which his mother, Rosalie, came to terms with a few years ago in a poignant meeting.<br />
<br />
"My mother has Alzheimer's disease and thinks I'm a kid who lived down the street from us in the 1950s," he said. "So one day I asked her, 'Rosalie, how's your son Lee doing?' She sat up straight in her wheelchair and with a proud look in her eye said, 'He's a Buddhist priest.' "<br />
<br />
"I got teary-eyed," he said.<br />
<br />
Buddhism has a history of adapting to new cultures.<br />
<br />
It was founded by Gautama Siddhartha in India about the 6th century BCE and then spread to China, Japan, Korea, Tibet and Vietnam. It arrived in the United States in the late 19th century, and was popularized in the 1950s and '60s by the likes of Buddhist missionary D. T. Suzuki, author Alan Watts and JuBu beat poet Allen Ginsberg.<br />
<br />
Now, American Buddhist centers long bound by a tradition of remaining politically neutral are adding priorities that reflect those of their large numbers of often liberal, educated and politically active Jewish members: family life, civil rights and programs to feed, house and educate the poor.<br />
<br />
Zen Judaism has spawned a genre of JuBu jokes, such as: "If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?"<br />
<br />
A majority of the board of directors of a leading Buddhist magazine, Tricycle: A Buddhist Review, are ethnic Jews. Half of the 10 Buddhist abbots to take charge of the Zen Center of San Francisco over the last 40 years were of Jewish ancestry.<br />
<br />
Conversely, more and more synagogues are adopting Buddhist-inspired meditation programs, like the one Rabbi Lew recently co-founded in a blue wood-framed house a few doors down from the conservative Congregation Beth Shalom in San Francisco.<br />
<br />
Inside, rows of meditation cushions emblazoned with the Star of David are arranged to face a framed image of the silent first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Aleph.<br />
<br />
"We get up from here and walk next door to the synagogue," Lew said, "where instead of reading sutras, we study Torah."<br />
<br />
"Meditation is really catching on in the Jewish community," he added. "I have a very extensive travel schedule. And frequently when I talk about meditation techniques, synagogues set out 50 chairs and 300 people show up."<br />
<br />
A majority of JuBus, as they call themselves, are baby boomers who were raised in loosely religious families and began to feel unfulfilled in the tumultuous and experimental 1960s and '70s. They joined the legions of other young men and women searching for spiritual nourishment, and ended up turning to Buddhism, a welcoming meditative practice devoid of the cultural stigmas contained in, say, Christianity or Islam.<br />
<br />
And many, like Alan Senauke, now a Buddhist priest in the Bay Area, discovered the two traditions combined easily, almost on their own.<br />
<br />
Although he no longer celebrates Jewish holy days, with the exception of Passover, Senauke said, "My Judaism and Buddhism are like vines so entangled they are not separate."<br />
<br />
"Because of my Jewishness, I'm faulty as a Buddhist, and because of my Buddhism, I can never really be a practicing Jew," he said. With a smile, he added: "I'm comfortable with that."<br />
<br />
"Look at it this way," said Senauke, who is also a noted bluegrass guitarist. "I've been playing Southern music for 45 years, but I'll never be a Southerner. I'm a New York Jewish boy. But this is my music, it resonates in my heart and I play it as authentically as I can."<br />
<br />
The boom in Buddhism has left some Jewish leaders wondering how they could better serve their people.<br />
<br />
"I'm encouraged that people want to find something more spiritual," said Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz of a group called Jews for Judaism.<br />
<br />
"But I'm also disillusioned that they have not found it in Judaism. Maybe we haven't done a good enough job of making Jewish mysticism accessible to the masses."<br />
<br />
But Marc Lieberman, a San Francisco ophthalmologist who helped arrange a historic dialogue between Jewish leaders and the Dalai Lama in 1989, calls the JuBu phenomenon a fine example of "good old American innovation."<br />
<br />
"I'm a healthy mosaic of Judaism and Buddhism," Lieberman said. "Is that fair to either religion? Fair schmair! It's what I am.<br />
<br />
"My Jewish side is a tribal sensibility; a reflexive identity with the pain and agony of my people, and the pride and glories of their traditions," he said. "But my Buddhist side asks, 'Does that exclude others in the world?' "<br />
<br />
How all those clashing religious notions affect JuBus is illustrated in the paths taken by Lew and his lifelong chum Norman Fischer. In the 1970s, they lived in Buddhist monasteries and studied under Berkeley Zen Master Sojun Mel Weitsman, an ethnic Jew.<br />
<br />
Their friends figured that Lew, a freewheeling intellectual, would become a Buddhist priest, and Fischer, who was always a studious rabbi's pet, would become a rabbinical scholar.<br />
<br />
Instead, the opposite happened. But their theologically competing spiritual realms have acquired a lot of the curlicues and ambiguities that are characteristic of JuBus.<br />
<br />
Lew, for example, said, "I don't believe one can be both Jewish and Buddhist; your central commitment should be clear. Personally, my roots are more Buddhist than Jewish, but my spiritual practice is Jewish."<br />
<br />
He also firmly believes in God.<br />
<br />
But Fischer, a high-ranking Buddhist priest whose first name is now Zoketsu, suggested that a "person can be a faithful Jew and practice Buddhism."<br />
<br />
Topol would tend to agree with Fischer.<br />
<br />
Six years of Buddhist training at the Santa Monica Zen Center, where reconciling with one's religion of origin is emphasized, has only deepened her appreciation and respect for her Jewish roots.<br />
<br />
"I've found that Buddhism has broken apart my fixed beliefs and notions," she said, "so that I can approach Judaism with a fresh eye."<br />
<br />
For Topol, that means viewing biblical descriptions of God's active presence in human affairs not as literal history, but as meditation tools and spiritual instructions for coping with daily life.<br />
<br />
Rising from a meditation pillow after a Sunday morning Buddhist service, Topol said, "I even look at the writings of the Old Testament, such as Moses' conversations with God, as Zen koans; that is, as questions and statements to be used as meditation disciplines along the lines of 'What is the sound of one hand clapping?' "<br />
<br />
What happens next is anyone's guess. But some JuBus are predicting the emergence of a unique American-style Buddhism.<br />
<br />
"Jews value education, hard work, innovation and strong commitment to family, all of which they are bringing to American Buddhism," said Charles Prebish, a professor of religious studies at Penn State University. "What you get is some kind of a hybrid.<br />
<br />
"But ultimately, it's an ongoing story," added Prebish, who calls himself a Buddhist of Jewish ancestry. "I hope I'm still alive when a lot of this plays out."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">_________________________________________________________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">Reuters - July 25, 2008<br />
<span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong>Meditation slows AIDS progression: </strong></span>study<br />
By : Maggie Fox<br />
<br />
Meditation may slow the worsening of AIDS in just a few weeks, perhaps<br />
by affecting the immune system, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.<br />
If the findings are borne out in larger studies, it could offer a<br />
cheap and pleasant way to help people battle the incurable and often<br />
fatal condition, the team at the University of California Los Angeles said.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">They tested a stress-lowering program called mindfulness meditation,<br />
defined as practicing an open and receptive awareness of the present<br />
moment, avoiding thinking of the past or worrying about the future.<br />
The more often the volunteers meditated, the higher their CD4 T-cell counts<br />
-- a standard measure of how well the immune system is fighting<br />
the AIDS virus. The CD4 counts were measured before and after the<br />
two-month program."This study provides the first indication that mindfulness meditation<br />
stress-management training can have a direct impact on slowing HIVdisease progression,"<br />
<br />
David Creswell, who led the study, said in astatement.His team tested 67 HIV-positive<br />
adults from the Los Angeles area, 48of whom did some or all of the meditation.<br />
Most were likely to havehighly stressful lives, Creswell said."The average participant<br />
in the study was male, African American,homosexual, unemployed and not on ARV<br />
(antiretroviral) medication,"they wrote in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;">The meditation classes included eight weekly two-hour sessions, aday-long retreat<br />
and daily home practice. "The people that were inthis class really responded and<br />
just really enjoyed the program,"Creswell said."The mindfulness program is<br />
a group-based and low-cost treatment, andif this initial finding is replicated in larger<br />
samples, it's possiblethat such training can be used as a powerful complementary<br />
treatmentfor HIV disease, alongside medications," he added.QUALITY OF LIFE<br />
About 30 percent of the volunteers were taking HIV drug cocktails,which can help<br />
suppress the virus."Even when we controlled for ARV use, we still saw these effects.<br />
Whether you are on or off the drugs you are going to see thesebenefits," Creswell<br />
said in a telephone interview.Creswell said it was unclear how the stress-reducing<br />
effects ofmeditation work. It may directly boost CD4 T-cell levels, or suppressthe virus,<br />
he said."We know that stress has direct effects on viral load," he said. Creswell said<br />
he believes the program can help people infected with avariety of viruses and from<br />
all walks of life. HIV patients areespecially highly stressed, he noted."These marginalized<br />
folks typically are experiencing the higheststress levels," he said.But middle-class<br />
workers also experience stress. "Most people doreport a lot of daily stress,"<br />
Creswell said.And for AIDS patients, HIV drug cocktails are known to have a<br />
variety of side effects, from weight gain to nausea."One of the main side-effects<br />
of this particular treatment was anincrease in their quality of life," Creswell said.<br />
<br />
Marsha Epstein, MD, MPHLA County -<br />
Dept of Public HealthChronic Disease and Injury Prevention<br />
695 South Vermont Avenue, South Tower - 14th floor,<br />
Los Angeles, CA 90005<br />
Phone: 213-738-5768 Fax: 213-252-4503<br />
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Los Angeles Times - July 21, 2008<br />
</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>Compulsive Shopping: Is it a Disorder? </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong>Desire / Grasping / Clinging / Attachment / Loss / Suffering</strong></span></span><br />
Adopting compulsive shopping as a diagnosis would require most insurers to cover its treatment, among other implications.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">By : Melissa Healy</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">There is little doubt that compulsive shopping can cause severeimpairment and distress -- two key criteria for formal recognition asa mental disorder.But the rest remains up for grabs: Is compulsive shopping abiologically driven disease of the brain, a learned habit run amok, anaddiction in its own right, or a symptom of the other dysfunctions --most notably depression -- that so often accompany it? Where is theline between avid shopping (a norm widely observed in the UnitedStates) and compulsive shopping? And how, if this is an illness, is itbest treated?Compulsive buying is not currently recognized as a disorder by themental health profession's guidebook, the Diagnostic and StatisticalManual of Mental Disorders, generally called the DSM. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">That may changesoon, as psychiatrists draft the next version of the DSM, due outsometime after 2010.In anticipation, researchers and academic practitioners are exploringand debating what the cause of such a condition might be, howwidespread it is, and how best to diagnose, characterize and treat it.A decision to adopt compulsive shopping as a diagnosis would requiremost private and public health insurers to cover its treatment, spurnew research on the phenomenon and very likely escalate what is now amodest search by pharmaceutical companies for drugs that could curbits symptoms.It would also raise ethical issues about the nature of "behavioraladdictions" -- a controversial catch-all term that includes Internetaddiction, hypersexuality and compulsive gambling. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Preliminaryevidence suggests that these "behavioral addictions" involvemalfunctions in many of the same brain circuits -- those involved inarousal and reward-seeking behavior, deferral of gratification andrepetition of actions that result in harm. All are expected to beconsidered for inclusion in the coming DSM.Ties to other problemsWhile experts debate how compulsive buying is related to psychiatricdisorders, there is little doubt that they often go hand in hand.Psychiatrist Timothy Fong, director of UCLA's Impulse ControlDisorders Clinic, says that probably 40% to 50% of patients intreatment at the clinic have a major psychiatric disorder accompanyingtheir out-of-control buying behavior. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">A French study published in 1997found that of 119 patients hospitalized for depression, almost 32%would meet proposed standards for the diagnosis of compulsiveshopping. A pair of 1994 studies found that among subjects who metproposed standards for compulsive shopping, roughly two-thirds alsocould be diagnosed with anxiety, substance abuse or mood disorders,impulse-control disorders such as kleptomania or pyromania, or withdisorders marked by obsessive-compulsive behaviors."What's unclear," especially where depression is present, "is whichcame first," says Fong.Equally unclear is how to treat a condition with such seemingly variedand uncertain origins. Psychotherapy appears to help, and treatingother psychological problems with medication and therapy is widelyviewed as essential. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Preliminary studies have found thatantidepressants that increase the availability of the neurochemicalserotonin in the brain can ease shopping compulsion. And naltrexone, adrug that blunts the inebriating effects of alcohol, has shown modesteffectiveness in curbing the urge to shop.But Dr. Lorrin Koran, a professor of psychiatry (emeritus) atStanford, stressed that in many cases, these medications have beenscarcely more effective than placebos. That fact suggests that formany compulsive shoppers, awareness of the problem, encouragement fromothers and personal motivation might be as powerful as any drugs."Even though we don't have conclusive proof that one treatment oranother works better than another, we do know that people tend to getbetter if they seek treatment," says Koran. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Much of the cognitivebehavioral therapy that has shown promise has focused shoppers on"changing the self-talk" -- the things a compulsive shopper tellshimself or herself to justify a trip to the store or a purchase -- andfinding other ways to react to sadness, anger or frustration.Sadness and spendingThat sadness may spur excess spending was neatly demonstrated in anexperiment conducted by researchers at Harvard, Stanford, CarnegieMellon and the University of Pittsburgh and published in the Juneissue of Psychological Science.Thirty-three subjects were offered $10 to participate in a study anddivided into two groups: one that listened to a sad story and wrote anintrospective essay about it and another that listened to anemotionally neutral story, then detailed their day's activities.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Afterward, subjects in each group were offered the chance to buy asporty insulated water bottle using some of their $10 payment, andasked to state the price they would be willing to pay to buy it. Thedifference -- by all appearances dictated solely by differingemotional states -- was startling: Subjects in the sad-story groupwere prepared to pay almost four times as much to acquire the snappywater bottle as those who had entered the market in a neutralemotional state.In short, misery appears to make people less miserly, not more, theauthors concluded -- especially when the miserable were very focusedon their feelings of sadness. Sad consumers, they suggested, arelikely to think less of themselves, and thus may be more motivated toboost their self-image with a pricey purchase.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 180%;"><strong>The Purpose of Self-Inquiry ( the 'Vichara' )</strong></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">The purpose of the 'Vichara'</span></strong></span><span style="color: black;"> <span style="font-size: 180%;">is to settle the issue of identity.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is <strong>not</strong> to find out what you are, but to be finished with the idea that you must find out what you are. You are, after all, identity itself. You are that which bestows identity on everything else. You are the source of identity.- John Sherman"There are a lot of theories about the cause of human misery and the solution to that problem that have been around for quite a while, and they all have something in common, which is that it is in the way in which the life unfolds, the way the life looks (your mind, your thoughts, your desires, your intentions, your understanding or lack of undertanding, the way you relate to your life and to one another) that the problem and the solution to the problem are to be found. It seems to be the unanimous opinion of those who have reflected upon and spoken about these matters that the nature and characteristics of a life are the source of all the problem. The things that we do or that are done to us are the cause of our confusion, misery, self-hatred and hatred of others, and the general miasma of craziness that human life seems to be for all of us.<br />
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And it is the opinion of almost everyone, and the assumption of all of us, based on the fact that this is what we have heard and this is the only way we have to speak about it, that the life itself is the problem that needs to be corrected. For instance, it is our ignorance that makes us unhappy, or the sickness of the body, or our aggressiveness. And it is our understanding, our ability to change our relationship to the life and to each other, and our opinion about things that can solve that problem for us. There is a kind if tautology in all this: We will be happy if we are happy. We will be peaceful if we are peaceful. Of course, this is not the only point of view that has appeared in the last thousands of years of attempting to solve the problem of being a human being, but it is certainly the one that has held sway among all of us for all that time: What I have to do is fix the way I think about things, or rid myself of my desire for things, or my separation from things, I have to come to a deeper understanding, I have to be more loving, compassionate and less attached." - John Sherman </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"Even if you've been with me for a very long time, or even if you've heard podcasts, seen video clips or have read things on the web pertaining to what I have to say, I ask you now to forget about all of that. Let's see if we can't start from scratch. There are a couple of reasons for that. Firstly, it's always good to start from scratch, because that's where we are. We're just here. And secondly, although I have to say that I see things very clearly, my ability to communicate what I see and to offer it to you changes over time. So, let's start from scratch. Let's pretend we've never seen one another, and go from there." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">If you would be finished, once and for all, with wanting what you do not have, with wanting to rid yourself of what you do not want and the endless misery of trying to tell the difference, just look at yourself whenever it occurs to you to do so. Once the issue of identity is settled, all else follows.- John ShermanThe root cause of all human suffering, misery, aggression, hatred and self-betrayal everywhere is a false belief about what I am. The only solution for this problem is the truth.- John Sherman"Over time, we have had the opportunity to see more and more reports from people on the effects of this method on their own lives, on their sense of themselves, their sense of being in this life, and it becomes more and more obvious to us that the specific effect of this business of looking at oneself is pretty much unpredictable. There is no direct one-on-one correlation between the diminishment of fearfulness and anxiety within the person and the look of the life as it unfolds and presents itself and as it is seen from both the inside and from the outside. " </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">March 15, 2008 "Welcome, I am happy to be here with all of you. One of the things I want to talk about today is the role of words, understanding and speech in the consideration of reality and the possibility of the realization of freedom, and actually the role of words and ideas and understandings in the whole arena of what we call self-realization. When I first heard the term "self-realization," I remember I thought it was a lot better than "enlightenment." I liked it a lot better, it seemed to have a more esoteric, and highfalutin sound to it, it seemed to have an aura of special knowledge to it. Therefore, I invested that word with a kind of magical component, which of course is what we always do with words anyway. We have this inclination, that comes God knows from where, to think of words as the gateway to understanding and clarity and, in the spiritual arena, the gateway to self-realization, a state we imagine to be outside of and apart from normal human experience and normal human state - at least that was the case with me." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">."We are not seeking here to burn up ego, we are not seeking to get rid of negative ideas, and we are not here to get rid of wrong desires. All we are seeking here is to get a glimpse of the reality that we are." John Sherman"The purpose of life is to see, to look. The purpose of life has nothing to do with becoming anything, with forming any particular identity. It has nothing to do with gaining enlightenment. It has nothing to do with gaining redemption, transformation, transcendence, or any of that. It has nothing to do with stopping time, or eliminating the certainty of the grave at the end of life. You are not going to that grave, you are here. You are here." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"Most of the questions I receive are about phenomena arising in the mind. None of that needs to be addressed; nothing needs to be done about the mind. All that's needed is to move the beam of your attention to the certainty that you exist as often as possible. Once you start looking for the reality of you, you will come back to this looking, again and again. And it is the looking that does all the work." John ShermanThe reason we meet is to consider together how best to enact the amazing way of life that is the vichara, to watch together as the deep, driving conviction that our being is at stake in these lives, along with the misery that that conviction gives rise to, evaporates in the light of the truth that is the actual reality of what we are, and to explore together the wonder of human life seen clearly in this light. - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"There is no point in making an effort to establish a connection between the spiritual terminology and the reality that you already see. Once you enter the vichara consciously, in time, you simply lose interest in all of that. No matter how true and inspiring the spiritual and religious discourse may have been, it has not done you much good. There are many things that can provide you with some passing comfort and clarity, but none of them works to put an end to the idea that life is suffering, and that you are in danger here. The only thing that works is to look at you -- ordinary, everyday you." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"I have come to see that there is little practical usefulness in approaching the issue of human suffering from the standpoint of the traditional, ancient teachings about the nature of reality, and our relationship to it, and about what we can do to actually reap the fruits of the promise that life seems to hold for us. These teachings, beautiful, wondrous and powerful as they may be, have proven to hold little or no help for us in these matters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"It has been clear to me for some time that the whole cloud of spiritual understanding and spiritual insights from the past is of no consequence in the actual possibility of being free of fear, misery, and suffering in one's own life. I mean the whole cloud of the sutras, the shastras, the Upanishads, the sweet insights, and the more recent writings by Wei Wu Wei, for example, whom I have loved inordinately. I just mention him because that is a much more modern example of what I am talking about, and it seems to speak more directly and clearly to the modern sensibility than do the Upanishads, the Heart Sutra, or the Diamond Sutra." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">The reason we meet is to consider together how best to enact the amazing way of life that is the vichara, to watch together as the deep, driving conviction that our being is at stake in these lives, along with the misery that that conviction gives rise to, evaporates in the light of the truth that is the actual reality of what we are, and to explore together the wonder of human life seen clearly in this light. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"The problem is not your life. The problem is this worm of an inferential belief that appears at the moment of the awakening of personal consciousness, which says, I don't know what is going on here, but I know that I am profoundly and fundamentally in danger here. The only solution to this fundamental mistake has nothing to do with taking on a new understanding or a new belief. All that needs to be done is to look at yourself. All of our beliefs, all of our conviction that we are in danger, and at stake, and unworthy here come from this one false inferential thought-form. That thought-form is entirely about identity and it leads us to the insanity of identity-worship which is the cause of all our desperate effort to try to become what we think we need to be. Since this mistake is entirely about identity, the only thing that can be done to rid you of that is to look at you. Not your true self, just at you, because you are the subject of that thought form. And if you look at you as often as it occurs to you to do so, without regard to anything else you are doing in your life, that false inference will go away over time. If you look at the subject of that inference, which is you, reality will certainly snuff out that thought-form, whereupon the whole enthusiastic, energetic, and desperate interest in the way in which life is unfolding; the whole conversation regarding the nature of life and of your relationship to it will just vanish, along with the belief that you are at stake here. All this comes not from finding yourself, but from looking at yourself, looking at the subject of this false inference." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"The only thing that is certain is you, but nothing can be said that is at all helpful in describing you or explaining you, or even pointing to you. You are here. The only certainty there is, is that of your presence. I am not speaking of the sense of self, although the focusing of attention on the the sense of self, or the I am, or beingness, or by whatever name it may be called, will in fact result in the vanishing of this sensational experience that is the sense of self. In the moment of its vanishing, what remains is you. That's the incredible value and utility of Ramana's suggestion that we look at ego and grab it by the throat. In so doing, that experience vanishes and what remains is you. You, face to face with you." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"It has been clear to me for some time that the whole cloud of spiritual understanding and spiritual insights from the past is of no consequence in the actual possibility of being free of fear, misery, and suffering in one's own life. I mean the whole cloud of the sutras, the shastras, the Upanishads, the sweet insights, and the more recent writings by Wei Wu Wei, for example, whom I have loved inordinately. I just mention him because that is a much more modern example of what I am talking about, and it seems to speak more directly and clearly to the modern sensibility than do the Upanishads, the Heart Sutra, or the Diamond Sutra." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"There is no boundary to your mind; there is no place where your mind is not. There is no distance between you and me, although there is separation between you and me, and that separation is the greatest gift of all. When we become involved in spiritual practices, we come to the idea that all is one and separation is bad. But that is childish. All is one, and separation is part of it. Without separation, we would not have this capacity to speak to each other." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">The only problem anywhere to be found is the false belief that you are in danger here and at the mercy of your life. The only solution is the truth, which is everywhere and always present and self-evident. Ridding oneself of the false is as easy as repeatedly looking at the truth of being here, unmovingly, unchangingly here. This repeated looking directly at oneself is the infallible method of the vichara. - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">The reason we meet together in a retreat like this is to consider together how best to enact the amazing way of life that is self-inquiry and self-seeing. We gather to watch together as the deep, driving conviction that our being is at stake in these lives evaporates in the light of the truth, which is the actual reality of what we are, along with the misery that that conviction gives rise to. And to explore together the wonder of human life seen clearly in this light.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"The vichara, which is sometimes called self-inquiry, has nothing to do with any spiritual practice or spiritual understanding. It is not a new version, or a new approach to add to, augment or replace all the other approaches and practices that we have so painstakingly developed and built up over our lifetime to create and maintain this personal structure that we imagine will protect us from what we imagine to be the furious, fierce danger of life. The vichara is a way of life. The vichara is life itself."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"The purpose of the vichara is to settle the issue of identity. It is not to find out what you are, but to be finished with the idea that you must find out what we are. You are, after all, identity itself. You are that which bestows identity on everything else. You are the source of identity." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"Look at yourself as often as you can, because it is the seeing that does all the work. All of the activities of the mind in trying to understand how to do it, what to do, where to go, what it feels like, what it should be, what you should be, what it's going to mean to your life, what it does to your body, and so forth, all of these things are after the fact. Just look at yourself. The seeing does the work. None of the commentary, or the confusion, or the efforts to understand do any work at all, except to the extent that they provide some comfort to the mind." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">You Are As Awake As You Will Ever Be - "let me tell you in a nutshell what I have to say about this business of awakeningand enlightenmentyou areright nowin this momentas awake as you will ever be" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"You need not devote every waking moment of your life to the vichara. If that were so, the vichara must fail. Only look at yourself from time to time, when it occurs to you. You will be shocked to see what comes of that." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">"To look at yourself, to look at yourself just once, and then again, and then again, is to move from the endless work of self-definition to the endless adventure of self-discovery. Which is the vichara." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">~ John Sherman<br />
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</span><a href="http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=134479"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=134479</span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> --------- </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><strong>"In the Depths of Religious Atheism"</strong></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">by the Rev. Richard W. Kelley<br />
November 5, 2000,<br />
at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Southern Maryland</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;">In America, everybody believes in God! Right?? "In God we Trust!" -- it's right there on the money. "One nation under God" -- we say it every time we repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. So, all Americans are "religious!" Right??No! The truth is belief in God does not automatically make you "religious," any more than non-belief thereby makes you "irreligious." Religious living is not so easily come by -- a fact that most clergy readily recognize, Yet again and again, the casual assumption is that "God" and "religion" are synonymous. It's assumed that God is the cornerstone of all religion, and that without deity, religious faith and spiritual living are simply impossible. But this merely reflects an ignorance of the religious history of the world, as well as of the religious realities of contemporary world cultures. Years ago, the Princeton philosopher, Walter Kaufman, in a book entitled A Critique of Religion and Philosophy, (p. 137f) pointed out that there are really "three kinds of religion" that have characterized human life throughout the ages. All three kinds are extremely ancient. All carry with them a rich history of myth and ritual, of custom and theological teaching. All three kinds still exist today, and draw many adherents to them. The first is the belief in many gods. Of course, this was typical of the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and India. It's a very ancient belief, perhaps dating back to a kind of pre-historic, primitive animism which ascribed conscious life to all material objects: plants and animals, trees, rocks and mountains, ... as well as to women and men. Probably from this grew the belief that many of the forces of nature were symbolized by deities possessed of personality and a separate, "divine" life. Such polytheism is likewise true of many peoples of the earth today. It typifies many of the more primitive areas of the world where natives are firmly convinced of the presence of many deities, peopling the rocks and streams, overseeing their daily lives. And of course, certain branches of Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as Shintoism, offer much more sophisticated versions of the "religion of many gods." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The second kind of religions is belief in one God only. Naturally, this is the type of religion with which we are most familiar. Monotheism in the West has two historic sources. The first is with Ikhnaton, the ancient Pharaoh of Egypt, who undertook to establish a monotheistic religion around the sun god in the 14th century BC. Of course, the other source is with the Hebrews and their worship of Jehovah, or Yahweh, as the one true God. Upon closer examination of the records and other historical materials, many Biblical critics find that Yahweh started out with the Hebrews as a polytheistic god -- originally a "mountain god," as the old story about Moses and Mt. Sinai would suggest. And down through the years, this special tribal god of the Hebrews tended to take over all the attributes of other gods, slowly extending his powers in Hebrew thinking until at last he was THE God, ... the only true one, ruler of the heavens and the earth. Other scholars suggest some linkage to Ikhnaton's Egyptian religion, perhaps picked up during the Hebrews' long captivity in that land. In any case, Judaism stands out as the first really successful, permanent Western religion to be monotheistic in nature. Naturally, Christianity with its monotheistic attitude sprang from this background. And a little later, the Muslim faith emerged from the same source, with its strict devotion of the one God, Allah. Together, these three -- Judaism, Christianity and Islam -- represent the continuing world tradition of faith in "one God." Now, ... it is customary to believe that with polytheism and monotheism, you have thereby exhausted the broad, general forms which traditional religion has taken in the world. Such is the delusion of many Western writers -- and most of the American public! But the fact is there is quite clearly a third kind of historic religion. Logically, as Walter Kaufmann pointed out, after you've gone through "many gods" and "one god," the third kind is one that does not believe in any god. Quite bluntly put, this is "godless, atheistic religion!" Many Western religionists will tell you that "godless religion" is a complete contradiction in terms -- an oxymoron, a theological impossibility! Those who do recognize the existence of this kind of godless religion are fond of saying that it is confined to two men who lived in the north of India in the 6th century B.C., and only them. Such is grossly unfair and inaccurate! Actually it is embodied in five major religious movements, centered in both India and China, and radiating out into many other lands over the centuries. Together they represent the "atheistic religious tradition," extending back almost three thousand years. It's a religious tradition that stands behind any contemporary religious humanist who attempts today to find answers to religious living without resorting to the idea of God. Of these five, one is the tradition represented by the writers of The Upanishads within the Hindu religion. Another is Hinayana Buddhism which lays claim to being the original form of Buddhism. The others are Jainism, found mostly in India, and Taoism and Confucianism in China. Interestingly enough, all five seem to have begun as "reform" movements. That is, they began as attempts to free their people from superstition, ignorance and fear. At least some of them arose out of a background of widespread polytheism, ... a religious climate wherein the masses of people were beset by the imaginary demands of innumerable gods or goddesses, ... or more accurately, by the demands of the priesthoods who represented these many deities. Into this environment came the "godless religions," intent upon freeing their fellow human beings from the terror of capricious gods and the exploitation of avaricious priests. They sought to establish a more progressive, enlightened view of humanity's role in the world. Their founders and chief exponents included some of the most profound and impressive religious persons of all time. Their followers numbered amongst them some of the most devoutly religious persons of history. Their adherents today comprise perhaps a sixth of the world's population. But, ... obviously, whether large or small, religious movements are not built upon "non-belief," whether that non-belief is about God, or some other aspect of religious thought. Religions do not survive as "negative" ventures, .. any more than men and women live solely by their "negative" opinions. And when I speak of "godless" or "atheistic" religions, I'm not suggesting that any of them bear as a vital, major tenant the denial of God. Instead, they all represent rather positive approaches to the questions and problems of religious living. But, they are approaches that do not include a belief in a God, or in many gods, as their primary dynamic. Rather they seek another basis for religion or "spirituality," instead of God. So, let's take a quick look at these five traditional "godless" religions. Here, very briefly, we'll try to see just what it was that each used in place of the God assumption in order to formulate a viable religion. We'll look at how they used their results in the lives of their adherents. Oldest by far is the religious thought embodied in the Hindu writings called The Upanishads. The creative philosophers of The Upanishads made their appearance in India around 800 B.C. The Hindu religion at that time was already perhaps twelve hundred years old, dating back to a time prior to its entrance into India. Over those twelve centuries, it had evolved a rather elaborate mythology about the external universe, peopling it with all manner of deities and supernatural forces. And this outside world was controlled by highly complicated rituals of sacrifice and priestly devotionals. The thinkers of The Upanishads did not attack directly this much older religion that was the exclusive monopoly of a very powerful priestly caste. Instead, they simply turned their backs on the external universe -- on the realm interpreted by the ancient myths and controlled by ritual sacrifice. They turned their backs on it because they had discovered something more interesting. They had found the "interior world," the inward universe of the human person, and within that, the mystery of the Self. With this change in orientation, a whole new era in religious thought and experience was opened up for them. It was a continually deepening insight into humanity's unconscious, interior life, ... a search for an understanding of the life force within human life itself. From this grew an entirely new system of thought, wherein various states of human consciousness were described, and numerous "principles of spiritual life" were delineated. From this there arose the splendored concept of an eternally enduring Self -- an immense, underlying unity of all life -- that embraced all the lesser "sparks" of individual life in a single kindred substance. A whole new realm of "interior" existence was built up within the thinking of The Upanishads, one in which deity had no part! Today, many of us are apt to look upon all this metaphysical reasoning with a rather skeptical eye. And I would not suggest that such holds an answer for any of you personally. Not necessarily, though it may! But I would ask that you recognize what a tremendous advance this was for its time -- that is, for the time of 800 B.C. For one thing, it freed human beings from their superstitious fears about the external world, from their dread of the gods and demons that populated the cosmos. For another, it pointed to their significance as individuals, as human beings who possessed within themselves a realm of infinite worth and importance, who partook of the universal substance of all life. And thirdly, it set them out upon the road that led to great self-understanding and self-knowledge. But, as you may guess, the Upanishadic religion was not one apt to have great appeal to teamsters and hod-carriers and the great mass of humanity. For the common working folk, it demanded entirely too much intellectuality, as well as much too much leisure time for introspection and self-examination. So, with the passing of the great Upanishadic teachers, religion in India tended to return to its old superstitions and customs, except for a privileged few who still retained the fascination with the Self. Three hundred years passed! Then, in the 6th century B.C., two more attempts at "reform" were made in India, ... attempts that were somewhat more successful. The first was founded by Mahavira, and is known as Jainism. Jainism denied the authority of the older Hindu traditions, and so became a completely separate religion. It set up a system of complete materialism. In its view, the universe is a living organism, animated throughout by "life-crystals" which are eternal and deathless. Among those life-crystals were the monads that were people. Since the life-crystals are eternal, existence is an endless round of rebirths, of return to the suffering world of existence. The human creature, by its actions, "stains" itself with the world. By so doing, it accumulates "karma," or bondage, and links itself ever more strongly to the world of suffering. However, a Jaina -- by asceticism, and self-renunciation, and careful living -- a Jaina may achieve release for oneself. In other words, Jainism represents a means whereby you may achieve your own salvation, for yourself, without outside intervention. In fact, according to the Jaina, such is the only way you may do so: by your own deeds, by your own living. And such a road is a long, hard one, but one that any human being may undertake. Even today, some continue to undertake this Jaina path of what could indeed be called: "godless, materialistic religion." The other "reform" movement in India at this time was vastly more successful, in a worldwide, evangelical sense. This was the one started by Siddhartha Gautama, called "The Buddha." Perhaps, his teachings are best typified today -- in Southeast Asia, at least -- by that branch of Buddhism that goes by the name of Hinayana Buddhism. The Buddha did not break with traditional Hinduism, nor with the teachings of The Upanishads. Nor did he adopt any such elaborate metaphysical worldview as the Jaina. Instead, he simply dismissed much that traditional Hinduism taught. He dismissed it as irrelevant to the basic religious problems of human life. Having done so, he then undertook what might be called a "purely psychological" approach to religion. The Buddha argued that the basic religious problem for humanity is that all life is suffering, and that humanity is eternally involved in life! Humanity's involvement in life arises from its cravings and desires, and it clinging to life at all costs. These, in turn, arise out of humanity's blindness and ignorance of its true condition in the world. However, the Buddha said, such ignorance and blindness may be overcome, and so one may find enlightenment and release from the suffering of this world. But such is possible only through discipline. So, to this end, the Buddha outlined the so-called "Eight-fold Path," ... a set of personal, life-disciplines that struck a middle road between self-indulgence, on the one hand, and the severe asceticism, such as Jainism advocated, on the other. In his teachings he endeavored to make clear what he meant by each one of the eight steps on the Path. Here was a religion that offered a way that was possible for many. Its disciplines neither required great intellectual understanding, nor a withdrawal from active life. Not an "easy" religion by any means, yet still one capable of being undertaken by the average person, regardless of her or his position in life. Moreover, it was one that you could undertake for yourself. It made you dependent upon no other power save your own efforts. It demanded no belief in any deity, nor in any theological or metaphysical assumptions. It asked only your own devotion to the venture of freeing yourself. These, then, are the three strains of "godless religion" that had their origin in India. The other two arise out of the Chinese culture. And strangely enough, they too make their appearance during this amazingly fertile religious period around the 6th century B.C. The first of these is the religion of Confucius. It is often said that Confucianism is China! Without it, Chinese culture as we think of it would not exist. Because, after the time of Confucius, his teachings came to pervade the total thinking of the society. They became the foundation of the entire Chinese system of living until the recent advent of Communism. Confucianism is a purely humanistic religion. Deity enters into it only in a ceremonial sense, much as deity enters into our Pledge of Allegiance or on our money. But the message of Confucianism, simply put, is that the fulfillment of a human being is found within the matrix of human society, rather than through any relationship to outside forces. The "good life" lies in finding one's place within the properly ordered world of human relationships, ... of maintaining that position, ... and by aiding in the maintenance of "right relations" throughout the society. Through his teachings, Confucius outlined the proper relationships that he believed should exist between human beings, and between human institutions. It was a matter of everyone and everything having its proper place. The evils of life arose, he said, out of improper "relations" within the society, and could be corrected by bringing things back into their proper order. His is a religion of "human orderliness," par excellent. Or to put it another way, it is a purely ethical religion, when ethics are understood to be the duties and obligations one bears toward one's fellow human beings. However, Confucius' contemporary, Lao-Tze, has a somewhat different view of religion. Where Confucius is pragmatic, Lao-Tze is mystical. While Confucius' center is humanistic, Lao-Tze's is naturalistic. Taoism, which is the religion based on Lao-Tze's supposed teachings, sometimes poses a problem for Western religionists. Usually they avoid it by simply ignoring the religion entirely, since in recent times it has degenerated into magic and superstition. Others attempt to handle it by pushing it into the Western theistic mold. But it seldom fits well! Because Lao-Tze speaks of the "Tao" or the "Way," some have tried to suggest that he thereby believes in a God. Actually, if you read Lao-Tze's primary writings carefully, you realize that nothing like this is being implied. What Taoism teaches is that humanity is a part of nature, not separated from it, or ruler over it. Instead, we are an integrated part of that larger whole which is Nature. Nor is that "Nature" a static condition. Rather it moves, unfolds and flows along carrying everything with it in its unfolding. The "Tao" or the "Way" consists of a person's intuitive understanding of how he or she fits into the natural rhythms and movements of the world. It represents one's ability to conform to the flux and flow of Nature. Lao-Tze insists that if you learn how to so accommodate yourself to Nature, then it in turn supports and carries you along, effortlessly, as a mighty river carries a frail boat without destroying it. The evils of life, according to Lao-Tze, arise from your efforts to fight Nature, from your presumption that you may command and alter the natural order to fit your whim. The mysticism of Taoism arises from the fact that the Tao represents an "intuitive," rather than a reasoned, understanding of humanity's relationship to the natural processes. A person finds the "Tao" not through intellectualizing about life, nor through a scientific examination of Nature. Rather, it is found through "intuitive insights" into the unfolding of life. Hence, Lao-Tze always seems to view the work of Confucius as nothing more than empty "ceremonialism," a slavish obedience to dead forms. Because Lao-Tze could never believe that the ways of Nature could be confined within the words and maxims of human beings. On the other hand, Taoism's intuitive approach to Nature does not suggest any communication with a supernatural deity. Taoism is essentially a "godless" nature religion. Over the centuries, Taoism has indeed degenerated into little more that magic, largely practiced by rural magicians. It's significance lies more in its influences of other religious movements. It is said that nothing passes into or through China without being stamped with the Chinese culture. So it is that as Buddhism entered China it took on some of the teachings of Taoism, becoming known as Chan Buddhism. And in turn, as that faith passed over into Japan, it took with it some of the Taoist flavor and became known as Zen Buddhism. So that Taoism has spread its influences far and wide, ... through other faiths. These five religions, then, represent the primary "atheistic tradition" in the religious world. None agree completely with any other as to the proper approach to the problems of religious living. Nor would I suggest than any one of them is adequate to meet the problems and questions of religion today. But they do indicate the historical depth to which the roots of this kind of religion extend. They reach back almost three thousand years! It seems to me that any thoughtful person who undertakes the religious search for meaning and purpose -- without recourse to a belief in God -- has behind her or him a long and honored tradition, ... a tradition which has sustained and encouraged literally millions of people down through the ages. Such a religious atheist is in truth a participant in the third great religious stream flowing down through human history. Such persons ought to look with inspiration and pride upon this ancient and honorable past, realizing they too are part of humanity's spiritual quest. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
Religious Orientation, Identity, and the Quest for Meaning in Ethics Within an Ideological Surround P. J. Watson, Ronald J. Morris, Ralph W. Hood, Jr., J. Trevor Milliron, and Nancy L. Stutz Psychology Department University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Controversies in the religious orientation literature may reflect the unavoidable influences of ideology in the psychology of religion. Support for this possibility was observed when religious intrinsicness was associated with the idealism and antirelativism of an absolutist ethical position. Quest Scales, in contrast, were incompatible with this absolutist search for meaning in ethics. Quest Scales also predicted identity confusion, were associated with a disinterest in religion, and included items that were evaluated as antireligious by individuals with an intrinsic religious commitment. In short, intrinsicness defined an idealistic and antirelativistic religious identity, whereas Quest pointed toward other ethical and antireligious ideologies that were more vulnerable to identity confusion. Overall, these data confirmed once again that ideological factors may play a crucial role in the contemporary social scientific study of religion. In clarifying the psychosocial consequences of religion, found it necessary to differentiate between what he first called immature and mature and then later described as extrinsic and intrinsic forms of religious commitment. An immature or extrinsic religious orientation, he argued, represents a maladjusted use of religion for selfish ends. A mature or intrinsic religiousness operates instead as a sincere and adaptive 'master motive' in a believer's life. of religion--are seen instead to be the products of traditions and their associated forms of social life. Second, a disinterest in religion could emerge out of deeper motivations that are essentially religious. "a kind of heroism of unbelief, the deep spiritual satisfaction of knowing that one has confronted the truth of things, however bleak and unconsoling" ______________________________________________________________ </span><br />
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03 May 2009 08:39 am<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong></strong></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 180%;"><strong>Up From Buddhism ~<br />
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Controversy <em>Stretches</em> You . . . </strong></span><a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2078486/"></a><a href="http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/.a/6a00d83451c45669e201157067e1b1970b-popup" onclick="window.open( this.href, '_blank', 'width=640,height=480,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0' ); return false" style="display: inline;"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2078486/"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">From</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"> 2003, John Horgan explains why he gave up on Buddhism:<br />
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...what <em>troubles me</em> most about Buddhism is its implication that detachment from ordinary life is the surest route to salvation. Buddha’s first step toward enlightenment was his abandonment of his wife and child, and Buddhism (like Catholicism) still exalts male monasticism as the epitome of spirituality. It seems legitimate to ask whether a path that turns away from aspects of life as essential as sexuality and parenthood is truly spiritual.<br />
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From this perspective, the very concept of enlightenment begins to look anti-spiritual: It suggests that life is a problem that can be solved, a cul-de-sac that can be, and should be, escaped. ( It's ALL a mater of degrees !! Only when you're karma is ripened, <em>ready</em> for the next degree ! ~ Akasa )</span><a href="http://unreasonablefaith.com/2009/04/29/why-i-ditched-buddhism/"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">Daniel Florien</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"> ( who's not <em>ready</em> yet ) adds:<br />
I’ve never found Eastern religions attractive, even when I went through my anti-Western culture phase. Doctrines of reincarnation, detachment, karma and the like have always struck me as ridiculous or wishful/dreadful thinking.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">04 May 2009 02:44 pm</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><strong><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 180%;">Up From Buddhism,<br />
Part II <em>LET'S RUMBLE</em> !</span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/05/shedding-religions.html"><span style="color: black;">This post</span></a><span style="color: black;"> provoked an inbox deluge. It probably wasn't the best way to back into a discussion of Buddhism - and it's worth restating that I post lots of material on this blog for the purposes of stimulating conversation, <em>rather than endorsement</em>. A reader writes:</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
<span style="color: black;">I found your post on Buddhism a bit odd. The main thesis of the Slate article to which you link is that Buddhism, though it appears to be compatible with a scientific understanding of the world, is in fact no better than Catholicism, and so should be rejected. Is this an argument that you can afford to endorse? Is the move from Catholicism to agnosticism a move up?<br />
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In fact Horgan does not seem to be aware of <em><strong>the diversity of Buddhism</strong></em>, nor of the resources it has available to answer a critique like his. <strong>Karma</strong>, for example, <em>doesn't </em>require a divine being to enforce rewards and punishments. <strong>It's a psychological process through which our actions leave psychological traces that evolve into results that we experience.</strong> If we harm others, we perceive others as dangerous and hostile; others perceive us the same way. If we steal, we see the world as a harsh place in which we are poor and nothing is good enough. The process of karma is something we can see as it unfolds in this lifetime, if we know where and how to look.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;">Do you think that Horgan's critique of monasticism, which you appear to endorse, applies to Catholic monasticism in the same way? In fact, Buddhist practices, especially in the Mahayana forms of the religion, <em>aren't aimed at escaping from the world</em>. The main goal of meditation is to enable us to experience <em>everything </em>in our lives as it is, so that we can both savor life's beauty and be present with its pain, free from evasion or self-deception. Many people have discovered that meditation makes our lives far richer, while enabling us to bear life's inevitable disappointments. And there is an increasing body of scientific work, carried out by researchers such as Jon Kabat-Zinn and Richard Davidson, that is bringing to light more and more aspects of how meditation works and the many benefits it can bring.</span><br />
Moreover, the doctrine of no self (anatta) definitely shouldn't be dismissed as cavalierly as Horgan does. <strong>Mental processes may well be emergent; that does not prove that there is a substance, the self, that is your essence, who you truly are.</strong> Many of the most important thinkers of our time, including leading analytic philosophers such as Daniel Dennett and Derek Parfit, psychologists such as Thomas Metzinger, and Continental philosophers too numerous to mention, have come to <strong>the conclusion that belief in a substantial self is a serious mistake</strong>. What Buddhism does is to give us practices by which we can, after much effort <em>over a long time,</em> come to see the truth of this conclusion in our own experience.<br />
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Finally, what proportion of American Buddhists do you think would support torturing terror suspects? Though I have no poll data to back me up, my personal experience with members of my spiritual community and other Buddhist friends suggests that almost all of us are cheering you on in your efforts to end torture and bring to light the truth about its perpetrators. Buddhism and Christianity both contain some wonderful ethical teachings about nonviolence, universal love and compassion. But given how totally some Christians seem to disregard those teachings, perhaps a dose of Buddhist ethics could help counteract some of the worst tendencies of our current culture.<br />
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Another reader adds:<br />
There is so much wrong with John Horgan's assertions about Buddhism, I don't even know where to begin. I'm a practicing Zen Buddhist of the Soto sect and my reality of Buddhist practice is far removed from that of Horgan's perceptions after a few classes, books, and conversations. If I tried to make a list of everything wrong, it would take forever, and I sure as shit am no ombudsman. What I will say is that Zen is far from dogmatic and theistic.<br />
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Christianity has commandments, we have precepts. We don't tell people what right and wrong is. We say people who commit right actions tend to have these things in common, and this is what you should aim for, knowing full well that we often fall short of it. The most compassionate people I have ever met were Buddhist. When I say compassionate, <em>I don't mean coddling</em>, either. There were no false platitudes of love and understanding. Meeting a Zen Buddhist, you quickly get the sense that this person makes no judgments of you whatsoever. No matter who you are, you belong as much as the man next to you.<br />
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Buddhism doesn't promise false hope or enlightenment (any real Buddhist will tell you that Enlightenment is a load of crap, and nothing you should concern yourself with). <em>All Buddhism tries to do is make it so that by the end of your life, you're just a little bit better than how you start it.</em>For some very different perceptions of what Buddhism is, I recommend Roshi Brad Warner, author of "Hardcore Zen," and "Sit Down and Shut Up."<br />
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Yet another:<br />
I have to confess that your post "Up From Buddhism" caught me off guard. In the past you had always struck me as a respectful Catholic, one whose only real beef was with fundamentalism. Yet, "Up From Buddhism"? Buddhism is lower than what?<br />
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To compound matters, the two writings that you quote -- one from John Horgan and the other from Daniel Florien -- betray a lamentable but all too common ignorance of Buddhism. Neither of them has come "up" from Buddhism simply because <em>neither of them seem to have had a coherent understanding of Buddhism in the first place.</em><br />
There are hundreds of schools of Buddhism. Rather than a single scripture, there are hundreds of Buddhist scriptures, with the English translation of the Flower Garland Sutra alone comprising some 1500 pages of text. Some of Asia's greatest minds of the past 2000 years have been engaged in the study and elaboration of Buddhist philosophy -- Nagarjuna, Shantideva, Dharmakirti, Chandrakirti, Asanga, Atisha, Gorampa, Tsongkhapa, etc. <strong>Why</strong> do Horgan and Florien somehow think that they have uncovered some deep and heretofore unseen flaws in Buddhism after perusing a few books and practicing a bit of meditation? This would be like going to mass a few times, reading a book or two about the pope, and assuming that Catholics never bothered to develop a coherent theological underpinning for their beliefs and practices.<br />
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For example, Horgan's assessment that Buddhism "turns away from aspects of life as essential as sexuality and parenthood" is simply not true. His Holiness the Sakya Trizin, the head of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism and one of the highest ranking spiritual authorities in Tibetan Buddhism, is not a monastic; one of his sons is a monastic, but the other (an important figure himself) has just celebrated the birth of his first daughter. Furthermore, those schools of Buddhism that include the methods of tantra are full of sexual imagery and see the skillful use of sexuality and other sensual pleasures as very powerful methods for positive spiritual development when properly channeled. Even Zen Buddhism is far more earthy and engaged with the daily aspects of living than is, for example, Catholicism. Why on Earth was Horgan ignorant of this aspect of Buddhism?<br />
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I was also struck by Horgan's mention of a conversation that he had with renowned neurobiologist Francisco Varela. In that paragraph Horgan equates the conception of <strong>anatta (no-self)</strong> with simple "nonexistence". <strong>Wrong.</strong> The notion of anatta as well as the related concept of shunyata do not mean that nothing exists -- why Horgan would assume that Buddhists believe this is beyond me. (Ironically, this is a regular trope of <em>19th-century Christian missionaries who sought to discredit the "nihilistic" religion of Buddhism.</em>) These notions simply mean that nothing arises except in dependence on causes and conditions, and when those causes and conditions cease, so does the phenomenon. In other words, <em>nothing has an independent, unchanging, permanent existence</em> -- much like there is no such thing as an "automobile" apart from its constituent parts, and those parts depend on their constituent elements, etc. That doesn't mean that I can't go take a ride in my car; it just means that my car is not an independently-existing entity and, as such, it will cease when its constituent parts cease. That's why we have mechanics. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black;">So, when Horgan writes "all that cognitive science has revealed is that <em>the mind is an emergent phenomenon</em>, which is difficult to explain or predict in terms of its parts; few scientists would equate the property of emergence with nonexistence, as anatta does," he is quite correct, but only because <em>"anatta" does not mean simple "nonexistence."</em> In fact, if cognitive science has revealed that the mind is an "emergent phenomenon" that has "parts" -- that is, a phenomenon in a constant process of arising and dissolution based on causes and conditions, with no permanent, independent, indivisible and unchanging core -- that would fit the very definition of anatta.<br />
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Why Horgan would imagine himself better informed than Varela on this point strikes me as arrogant in the extreme. Perhaps Varela is wrong; but if one of the more influential neurobiologists of the past three decades makes a claim about neurobiology that strikes you as odd, it is probably best to start out with the assumption that you know less than he does, have thought it over less than he has, and that it would be wise to do a little research before dismissing his assertions.<br />
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Similarly, when Horgan writes "All religions, including Buddhism, stem from our narcissistic wish to believe that the universe was created for our benefit, as a stage for our spiritual quests," he is simply wrong.<br />
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First, Buddhists do not believe that the universe "was created" by any higher power, much less that it was brought into existence "for our benefit." That Horgan does not seem to have understood this is strange indeed. In fact, Buddhists start out with a much simpler set of issues: Does the universe exist? Are there beings within the universe that are conscious of their own existence? What is the nature of their existence? This strikes me as far, far less "narcissistic" than imagining that some higher being created the universe with humans at the center. In fact, it really is not very different at all from the scientific view that Horgan describes, but with the very important distinction that Buddhists consider consciousness to be an intrinsic element of the universe.<br />
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Daniel Florien fares no better in this. You cite him as writing "Doctrines of reincarnation, detachment, karma and the like have always struck me as ridiculous or wishful/dreadful thinking." The notion of "karma" is really just cause-and-effect; no phenomena emerge without causes, and no phenomena emerge without creating an effect. This strikes me as significantly less "ridiculous" than the notion that things can appear out of nowhere and for no reason.<br />
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Reincarnation, I will grant, is more complicated. Yet, it certainly is not without its justification, and it is not an article of mere faith. The argument is really quite simple: if no phenomena emerge without cause, and if each effect is directly related to and resembles its immediate causes, how do we explain consciousness? Buddhist argue that each moment of consciousness can only come from a previous moment of consciousness, <em>meaning that one's first moment of consciousness in this body must have come from a previous moment of consciousness elsewhere</em> -- and so on, back through beginningless time. The idea that consciousness has no beginning and no end is surely no more "ridiculous" than the notion that there is an omniscient being that has no beginning and no end, or that consciousness emerges from and is reducible to an electrochemical process.<br />
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In short, these writers do not seem to have come "up from Buddhism" at all -- <strong>they never seriously got down with it in the first place.</strong>I'm more with these readers than the piece, which I ran, as I often do, not because I agreed with it but because it was a stimulating read. I have a reverence for Buddhism, went through a serious phase of studying it a decade or so ago, and continue to find its insights spiritually valuable.<br />
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<strong>Buddha's Life Story</strong></span><strong><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Friends on The Compassionately Fearless Wayless Way ~</strong></span><strong><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Buddha's Story passed down in The Pali Canon</strong></span><strong><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Buddha Shakyamuni ~<br />
Siddhartha Gautama of The Shakya Tribe in India</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">The princely son of a north Indian feudal Maharaja, Siddhartha Gautama leads an extravagant but over-protected, golden 'hostage' life-style through early adulthood till age 29. He could not leave the palace due to a prophecy his father was terrified of - that his son would become a great but impoverished monk instead of a powerful king like himself. Siddhartha Gautama's mind aches in search of deeper spiritual understanding - when he tires of the meaningless entertainments of a royal bourgeois life-style and the dogmatic Brahmin faith-based religiosity of his day.<br />
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The genuine essence of an 'Adventure' is that one just really doesn't know the outcome. The essence of a 'spiritual' adventure is that one shouldn't need to know the outcome. One shouldn't know the outcome . and one absolutely can't know the outcome!And there really aren't any 'outcomes'. ~ author Alexander Carpenter<br />
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On a very forbidden outing outside the palace walls, the prince encounters a decrepit old man, a very sickly man, a cold corpse of a man, and a wandering but very serene wandering monk. Being a totally naive prince, he never ever saw these things before! "Does degeneration happen to everyone?" Obsessively his father had always banned all the aged and sick people from the palace - he even sweeps up and hides dead fallen leaves from the manor house gardens. Only fresh blooming flowers were allowed to be seen! Like all Hindus of his day, Gautama sort of believes in the good deed teachings of 'reincarnation' and simplistic heavenly salvation - but is now becoming convinced that the end of 'suffering' lay in the ending of all thoughts and actions that repeat continued 'existences'. (we in the uninformed West are awesomely 'fascinated' by the idea of continual reincarnation - "Wow, we get to go on!" - but Gautama's Asian culture has had millennia of it. He was ready to give it up. All thoughts that lead to a karma-creating trail. He senses that even the lofty gods and goddesses themselves in 'heaven' fail, fall and suffer. The gaps where the 'self' could hide or where gods could hide were rapidly being used up in his mind.<br />
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"Not just only is there suffering in existence, but 'Existence' itself in any form, is eventual suffering." This was the beginning of a very "Existential Chaos Theory" for him. Everything chaffs & rubs & bangs against everything else. This is a big statement that makes our own sincere Buddhist practice - even now, for most contemporary people - a highly difficult challenge. We all want something to have faith in. We yearn for the possibility of an 'escape' from Nature's relentless processes by means of some outside intelligent Diety with divine interventions, paradise, plans and powers. That is 'desire' that leads to 'craving' that leads to 'attachment'. He realizes there is just no 'escape'. It's ALL just 'appearances' in the mind. Gross or subtle 'stories' created by a 'self' that absolutely craves to continue. Siddhartha finally then asks "Escape from what ? - an illusion?"<br />
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"What's accepted by the majority of people - doesn't mean it's Real" ~ Buddha<br />
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"Sure, our Buddhist practice at times leaves you pretty damn empty - dispossessed & disenchanted - very disappointed. This practicing 'Emptiness' thing. That's why many people just don't come back for more doses of Emptiness... Before you can 'permanently' cut the root of this 'Suffering of Impermanence' - you have to sit the meditation practice through and gradually cultivate a place in your heart-mind for a brave, strong, resilient tolerance threshold that can openly bear the discomfort - and that's crystal clear in observing/experiencing that emotional 'dissatisfaction' and see through it to the absolutely empty center of a peeled onion. Layer by layer. At times that in itself is very painful. Fashionable Bliss-Yogas can only be a 'replacement' method or just a spiritually distracted denial. The ego-self is still there. Head on, sitting quietly facing the storm is what Buddha taught. Experiencing true peace in the simple elegance of 'emptiness' - rather than the 'fullness' of the divine distraction of a guru's grace - takes much less obsessive 'religious' practice to handle. Lower maintenance costs. It's just YOU sitting meditation there, eventually without a head full of spiritual props. Can you tolerate seeing all that you hold onto in your mind is really Empty? It's the cultivation of your individual simple 'emptiness' that will now leave lots of authentic spacious room for the possibility of a whole lot of genuine empathy and love which is truly un-definable and truly un-possessable. ~ Akasa Levi<br />
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"One common mistake is to think that 'your' reality is THE reality. You must always be prepared to leave your reality for a greater one." ~ Mother Meera<br />
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Prince Siddhartha Gautama cuts off his long luxuriant hair, gives away his heavy gold earrings, jewels and pedigree horse, trades his fine clothes for an ascetic's loin cloth and patched blanket, renounces his princely life and becomes a homeless monk. He feels rather naked. At first he cannot accept that this is actually happening to him. The Brahmin Hindu scriptures, along with most other religions, say you forcefully deprive yourself of all worldly amenities as the means of comprehending the higher truth of the illusory 'world' around you - and because you now 'have' none of it, you can simply take leave of it. So he goes to stay with the ascetic master spiritual teachers of his day and he masters every intense ascetic purification and comatose Samadhi meditations, just because his teachers say that's the way.<br />
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Gautama collapses from starvation. He is not convinced stoic suppressive 'religion' is the way to get free of suffering. Nor that a faith based belief system unquestionably accepted is either. Nor practices that preach 'controlling' the mind. Maybe you can not 'control' the mind, he thinks. 'Control' is about still living very much in one's own illusory 'world'. As long as 'you' are in "control", 'think' you are in 'control', you aren't free! Not really - you are always trying to maintain 'control' and that's a full time job.<br />
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Buddha replaces notions of 'control' or 'surrender' with gradually honed skills of 'mindful bare attention', just 'observation' and 'investigation' - that lead to personal wisdom and understanding. Just like the Greek philosophers of the same Golden Age time period - 6th century BC - Buddha was a champion of precise knowledge, rather than mysticism, as the path to overcoming mental pain and attaining a caring, contented life.<br />
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Buddha's experiences and realizations simply serve as a 'guiding model' for our own practice - not to be taken as 'belief in' or in 'faith' -- otherwise your 'realizations would not be your very own.There are no papal 'infallibles' here... you have to experience it for yourself. You are the one meditating, you're sitting there totally meditating on your own - even in a group. No god by your side. No deity or religions or promises or miraculous interventions are involved whatsoever. Buddha eventually became a totally liberated person entirely through his own singular efforts.<br />
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To study the Buddha Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be verified true by all things. ~ Dogen Zenji<br />
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When Siddhartha recovers he decides that it is best to practice a more reasonable Middle Way - he knows he has to return to the everyday 'world' for one never really leaves it. And return for the sake of all other feeling-beings that suffer in an uninformed, blind or naïve way. He 'creates' a modest, reasonable spiritual life-style somewhere appropriate between luxury and poverty. Meditating on just 'what is'. Not spiritual fairy-tales that satisfy and soothe the ever-craving self. He is determined to accept nothing which he had not observed and investigated fully for himself and genuinely knows by his own direct experience. No 'beliefs' in anything! - a core concept of traditional Buddhism. Question everything. You either know or you don't. No 'beliefs'. A great spiritual revolutionary awakened! His teachings have lasted 2500 years so far. Happy birthday!<br />
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Now 35 years old, the culmination of Gautama's search comes while now decently fed and peacefully meditating beneath a Bodhi tree - just as he had simply done as an uninstructed child under a rose apple tree on his father's estate. He finally understands how to be free from 'self-induced suffering', and ultimately, to achieve total psychological liberation. A state called Nirvana - the complete release from blind 'attachment' to human desires - the 'thing' is not the problem - 'attachment' to it is - and from the karmic-repetition or 'reincarnation' of compulsive-wanting.<br />
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He has a series of ultimate epiphanies on unarguable 'impermanence' (simply argue with this fact of 'impermanence' & you suffer) and realization of the total absence of any indwelling 'self', 'soul', 'source' - or even a 'creator-god'. No reliance on any 'forms' whatsoever. He sees that there is no such thing as "I am". Nothing holds up as it's very 'own' thing. There is just 'nothing' there! Just thought-energy happening in the mind. We just 'experience' the sophisticated, virtual illusion of 'existences' in the middle of non-existence". A 'thing' is just another 'thought' experienced in the mind! Reflected 'illlusions' creating more 'illusions'.<br />
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Gautama is then known as the Buddha, meaning the "Fully Awakened One." He begins teaching others how to cultivate through dedicated meditation this 'Unbinding' realization-state based on a compassionate Wisdom-Understanding of suffering - an everyday humanistic empathy, not by any Divine Intelligence. That a sympathetic clarity of 'understanding' itself is what get's you Un-hooked. In the simple stillness of an observation-meditation practice you can see that all the more clearly. The Buddha then spends the remainder of his life slowly journeying around India with his many monks and nuns, teaching very motivated people to find their own 'self-awakening' (enlightenment) through the Dharma of Empty Realities that had informed his own mind during that momentous full moon May night under that renown Bodhi tree.<br />
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c. excerpt Akasa Levi 2005</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"If there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do for any fellow being -- let me do it now, and not deter or neglect it, as I may not pass this way again."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">~ William Penn</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law in the realms of a 'love-based' consciousness.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">FACTOID: The next Buddha (Maitreya Buddha) will appear when the teachings of this present Buddha (Gautama Buddha) and his Dharma on Reality is totally forgotten by all of human-kind. Gautama Buddha himself has completely passed on, never to be 'reincarnated' or come back again. ( 563-483 B.C.) He's done. His teachings are alive and well. How fortunate to have them here, right now, what he taught back then. Probably still quite uncorrupted. Actually, Buddha was a true atheist / non-theist without any reliance on any god(s) whatsoever. The Buddha is not a 'messiah'. Merely a highly-evolved teacher. In Buddhism, which is an ultra 'humanistic' teaching, there is no 'salvation', as there is just nothing to save.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We apologize: We can be prickly on the deep 'no-self' stuff. Hopefully, some of you will 'get' what we offer - as there is really, truly nothing to 'get'. Getting out-dated religious influences, Western self-created home-grown notions of what's 'spiritual' out of your head, out of the way is a lot of what this is about. Some people will depart disappointed. They still need more 'filling up'. The emotional wounds inflicted in our culture are heartbreakingly immense. Emptying out may be too pre-mature. We are into emptying out at Laughing Buddha. It's so, so much easier and simpler than just believing in 'fuzzy notions' of God. Lower maintenance & much less to remember.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Gods come and go but prayer is forever." ~ Paul Woodruff (Bill Moyer's "NOW" on PBS)<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">When Still Enough</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mark Nepo<br />
a poem that speaks to what opens when we are still enough</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Buddha-awareness hovers in our mind<br />
the way a cloud appears in waterthat has given up.<br />
This will last till some hunger breaks surface like a fish,<br />
or a storm churns us up. This is devotion:<br />
to keep stilling the lake of mind so it can receive the cloud of Buddha.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">___________________________</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jay Michaelson<br />
Columnist for the Forward newspaper, and author of three booksPosted:<br />
May 18, 2009</span><span style="font-size: 180%;">What It's Like to Spend Five Months in Silence</span> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">I have been a law professor, magazine editor, and the director of national nonprofit organization. I went to Yale Law School, founded a successful dot-com software company, and have written three books and 200 articles. My childhood nickname was "Chatterduck." </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">But last year, I decided to spend five months on silent meditation retreat, mostly in Nepal.<br />
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What, my friends have asked (at least the ones who didn't think I'd lost my mind), is it like to spend five months without talking, writing, or even updating my facebook status? Short answer: not what you'd expect, but more powerful.<br />
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First of all, not talking is the easy part. You don't go crazy, and you don't forget how to speak. (The silence was never absolute, either; I had a ten-minute interview with my teacher every day.) There's just not that much to say anyway, when all you're doing is sitting and walking, and noticing the moment-to-moment sensations of whatever is going on. Eventually, the silence becomes second nature -- even for someone like me.<br />
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Much harder than not talking, though, is not thinking. In the form of Buddhist meditation I practiced, vipassana, or "insight," meditation, the objective is neither to indulge thought nor to suppress it, but simply to let it be, along with everything else. Thoughts arise, thoughts pass, and the job of the meditator is just to notice them and move on. In this way, it's possible to gradually unlearn the habitual tendency to grab onto pleasant perceptions, thoughts, and feelings and push away bad ones. The Buddha, my teachers, and I have found that some measure of liberation eventually results.<br />
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Easier said than done, of course. In practice, it's just about impossible to stop thinking. This, itself, is an important lesson: that the mind is not under our control. Nor does it naturally stay on lofty topics like the meaning of life, the universe and everything. I often daydreamed of utterly meaningless drivel -- I must've rehashed the plots of the Star Wars saga a hundred times over the five months of retreat, for reasons which still escape me. (I think it had something to do with meditation training being a lot like Jedi training, but who knows.) All this without any intention from me.<br />
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It's at this point in the story that most of my friends usually roll their eyes and say that the whole thing sounds crazy. However, having emerged from five months of silence, I can safely say that it was among the sanest things I've ever done. Not the easiest, to be sure, but infinitely more balanced, awake, and instructive than the chatter-filled world I live in most of the time.<br />
Eventually, you see, the noise really did subside, and the mind started to relax. This is the trick: that in meditation, every goal is achieved by giving up on it. The more force one applies, the more resistance arises in response. On the other hand, the more letting-go, the more letting-be -- the more peacefulness, clarity, and awareness.<br />
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Once again, this is easier said than done, because for several billion years, we've evolved the basic instinct to hold onto the pleasant and push away the unpleasant. If we didn't do this, we wouldn't eat, run away from predators, fight when necessary, or reproduce. Natural selection does not favor Buddhism. So while "letting go" may sound pleasant and relaxing, it runs against aeons of biological conditioning.<br />
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But it is possible. For example, many times on retreat I would taste a delicious food, and be able just to notice the many sensations of chewing, tasting, and swallowing; the knowledge that the taste was pleasant; and the desire to have more of the food. Or, I would experience great hunger -- in this particular Buddhist tradition, no food is eaten after noon -- and being able simply to notice, without judging or acting out, the physical sensations of hunger, the emotional effects that came with it, and the multitude of thoughts that arose as well (why am I doing this, I'd really like a granola bar, etc.).<br />
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What's the point of noting all these mundane sensations, feelings, and thoughts? Well, enlightenment, of course, which comes as a result of seeing directly and in one's own experience that perceptions arise and pass of their own accord, that none of them ever really satisfies, and that there's no self or soul separate from the sensations, feelings, and thoughts themselves. Consciousness just happens, and the interiority of our experience is an illusion. There's no there, here.<br />
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The trouble with "spiritual" truths such as these is that they are often banal when conveyed secondhand. But when seen directly, in one's own experience, even the simplest of bumper-sticker bromides has the power to change one's life. For example, just knowing that you are perfectly okay without that car, house, success, lover -- and with that backache, mortgage, conflict, and envy -- can be moving to the point of tears, even though, intellectually, it's pretty lightweight stuff. I can't really explain why this is so, but I have seen that it is so. What to a busy mind is just another spiritual throwaway may, to a quiet mind, be the gateway to liberation.<br />
Thus even extremely mundane perceptions of eating, breathing, and walking around are grist for the mill of awakening.<br />
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In other words, when it comes to insight, it's not the "what," it's the "how." There weren't many weird mystical fireworks that shot off during my months of silence -- just a lot of time to see the ordinary very, very clearly. This is true in everyday experience, too. It's not like most of us don't know what's good for us; we do. We're just too busy chasing the next pleasant experience to live up to our own ideals. Sure, what really matters is timeless and free -- but the timeless and free is also boring. So we get back on the hamster wheel and start spinning.<br />
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Five months of silence is long enough for the wheel to slow down, and real progress to be made along the path of insight. According to the tradition in which I practiced, the mind really does relearn some of those basic instincts, growing a little wiser and a little less obsessed with itself, and those new lessons don't disappear, even as noise and distraction return. Well, easier said than done.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Formal Pali-language Outlines</span><span style="font-size: small;">The 8-Fold Path of Practice.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">" What has been obtained<br />
by <em>this</em> conquest of Dharma<br />
creates <em>true</em> affection."</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">The greatest barrier to enlightenment, Bhante said, is caring only about one's own happiness. We need to "lessen our clinging to ourselves," he said.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">"If you really want to be happy," he said, "help others."<br />
He spoke at length about meditating on the love from one's own mother and extending that love to families, friends, community and the world. He also spoke about looking at others who may not have had that loving experience and to see the result, generating compassion for them.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">If someone becomes angry, he said, try to understand that the anger is not that person, but rather an emotion of that person.<br />
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"Grow inwardly," he said, so as not to be overpowered by our emotions, and gain "a deeper understanding of the situation at hand."<br />
While it is easy to get angry, it takes time and patience to cultivate love and compassion, he said.<br />
Even just meditating for five minutes every morning will help, he said. "Train and tame our minds," he said.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Through spiritual education in the noble eight fold path of Sila (morality), Samadhi</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">, Panna (insight or wisdom), man becomes liberated from ignorance, craving and sorrow. He achieves supreme enlightenment (Samma-Sambodhi) and transcends his separate limited individuality and overcome the sounds of birth and death and gets the supreme silence.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: small;">SiraSamma Vaca -</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Right Speech</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Samma Kammanta - Right action and conduct<br />
Samma Ajina - </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Right means of livelihood<br />
Samma Vayama - </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Right effort and endeavour<br />
SamadhiSamma Sati - Right Mindfulness<br />
Samma Samadhi - </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Right Concentration<br />
Samma Dithi - </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Right understanding and view<br />
Samma Sankappa - </span><span style="font-size: small;">Right intention and thought</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">In short what is </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Right speech? -<br />
Abstaining from lying, tale bearing, harsh language and vain talks.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Right action: Abstaining from stealing, unlawful sexual passions,<br />
killing either physically, verbally or mentally.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Every </em>action should be to understand reality.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Right Livelihood: Honest earning without giving least trouble<br />
to any in any manner. Serving and earning is to give happiness<br />
and peace to others and not to demand or take anything from others,<br />
live with complete renunciation.<br />
Right effort: All our efforts should be to expel all evil thoughts, speech<br />
and actions, endure all kinds of sorrows, sufferings without grumbling,<br />
efforts to keep all our senses under check, develop equanimity and tranquility<br />
and to realize the supreme.<br />
Right mindfulness: The way that leads to the attainment of purity in thought,<br />
word and deed which helps to overcome all our pains and griefs, sorrows<br />
and lamentations. By this we can develop tranquility (Samatha bhavana)<br />
and insight (Vipissana bhavana) and important meditative </span></span><a class="kLink" href="http://living.oneindia.in/yoga-spirituality/faith-mysticism/2009/buddhism-arya-ashtangika-marga-250609.html#" id="KonaLink1" onclick="adlinkMouseClick(event,this,1);" oncontextmenu="return false;" onmouseout="adlinkMouseOut(event,this,1);" onmouseover="adlinkMouseOver(event,this,1);" style="position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;" target="_top"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">exercise</span></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> -<br />
the mindfulness of melting (Dnapava sati).<br />
Right concentration: It is one pointedness of mind, fixing the mind to<br />
a single point of object which leads to trance.<br />
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The concentration is four fold:<br />
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1. The mind is secluded and is free from passions and evil thoughts,<br />
accompanied by reasoning and investigation, finds joy.<br />
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2. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">When the cause ceases, automatically effects stop functioning.<br />
Only at that time the individual can realize the real silence....<br />
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The mind fixed with internal serenity becomes free from all reasoning and investigation.<br />
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3. The mind dwells with equanimity and mindfully happy - self possessed.<br />
It is a state where intellect becomes intuitional.<br />
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4. The mind is beyond the dualities of pleasure and pain, elation and depression,<br />
purity, equanimity and awareness, reigns in the supreme.<br />
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Right understanding: One should rightly understand the cause of Sukkha-Dukkha.<br />
Rightly understand what kind of karma he should execute to extinguish the desires,<br />
craving and wanting.He should rightly understand to lead a holy life and possess<br />
the right silence.More than any earthly power More than all the joys of heaven<br />
More than rule O'er all the worldIs the entrance to the stream (Dhammapada 178 )<br />
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Right thought: Thoughts free from lust, ill will, cruelty, cheat, corrupt thoughts, ready<br />
to renounce the worldly pleasure and venture to realize the reality.<br />
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Law of causation: Buddha approached the problems of life in a realistic and<br />
rational manner. He saw sufferings dominating. His main </span></span><a class="kLink" href="http://living.oneindia.in/yoga-spirituality/faith-mysticism/2009/buddhism-arya-ashtangika-marga-250609.html#" id="KonaLink2" onclick="adlinkMouseClick(event,this,2);" oncontextmenu="return false;" onmouseout="adlinkMouseOut(event,this,2);" onmouseover="adlinkMouseOver(event,this,2);" style="position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;" target="_top"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">aim was</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> to remove sufferings<br />
and make man free from it. He believed in the law of causation.<br />
Without a cause nothing can exist.<br />
What we enjoy as pain or pleasure are only the effect of a previous cause.<br />
There can never be any effect without a cause and a cause without any effect.<br />
This chain of cause, and effect is unbreakable. This in fact is the law which<br />
keeps the </span><a class="kLink" href="http://living.oneindia.in/yoga-spirituality/faith-mysticism/2009/buddhism-arya-ashtangika-marga-250609.html#" id="KonaLink3" onclick="adlinkMouseClick(event,this,3);" oncontextmenu="return false;" onmouseout="adlinkMouseOut(event,this,3);" onmouseover="adlinkMouseOver(event,this,3);" style="position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;" target="_top"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">cosmos</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> eternally going.<br />
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Thereby he traced the cause for all sufferings as cravings and desires.<br />
As long as there exists a trace of desire and attachment in the mind,<br />
the result would be birth, suffering, decay and death.<br />
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The whole attempt of Buddha was to eliminate all kinds of desires in every form<br />
and shape from one's mind.The achievements depend upon the extent of will power<br />
one possesses to eliminate sufferings, pain as well as the pleasures to get peace,<br />
and the supreme silence.<br />
When the cause ceases, automatically effects stop functioning.<br />
Only at that time the individual can realize the real silence.</span><span style="font-family: arial;">article by M.</span></span></span><a class="kLink" href="http://living.oneindia.in/yoga-spirituality/faith-mysticism/2009/buddhism-arya-ashtangika-marga-250609.html#" id="KonaLink4" onclick="adlinkMouseClick(event,this,4);" oncontextmenu="return false;" onmouseout="adlinkMouseOut(event,this,4);" onmouseover="adlinkMouseOver(event,this,4);" style="position: static; text-decoration: underline !important;" target="_top"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Ram</span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> Mohan<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;">Who's WHAT ? </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Unusual celebrity religions</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">June 26, 7:11 PM </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This week, the world lost three celebrities. Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson's Tonight Show sidekick, passed away after becoming increasing ill in the last month. Ed was a lifelong Roman Catholic. Farrah Fawcett's unfloundering faith assisted her in her valient battle against cancer, to which she succombed on Thursday. She was born and raised a Catholic and at the end of her life kept a rosary in her bed so that she could pray. Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest on Thursday afternoon. He was raised as a Jehovah's Witness but recently converted to Islam in November 2008. The deaths of these three religious cultural icons have raised interest in the faith of famous people on TV, in the movies and in newspapers and magazines.<br />
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Most celebrities are members of Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, Islam or Hinduism. They are too numerous to mention in this column at this time. However, today we will examine the less common faiths that some celebrities have embraced.<br />
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Buddhism: Richard Gere is well-known to be an adherent to Tibetan Buddhism. Many other well-known celebrities are also followers of the Buddha: Uma Thurman, Kate Bosworth, Orlando Bloom, Goldie Hawn, Jennifer Lopez, Keanu Reeves, rocker Patti Smith, filmmaker Oliver Stone, singer Tina Turner and rocker David Bowie, just to name a few.<br />
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Scientology: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have discussed their faith in Scientology in the media. Other followers include Kirstie Alley, Beck, Erika Christensen, Jenna Elfman, the late Isaac Hayes, Juliette Lewis, Lisa Marie Presley, Kelly Preston, Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband Will Smith, and John Travolta.<br />
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Hare Krishna: Rick Allen of Def Leppard is a member of this Hindu sect. Hare Krishna is a very musical religion and Allen says he loses himself while drumming and chanting.<br />
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Quakers: Dame Judi Dench and Ben Kingsley are both adherents of the Quaker faith.<br />
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Baha'i: Carole Lombard was a second generation Baha'i follower. Other famous followers include Dizzy Gillespie, Vic Damone and Rainn Wilson.<br />
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Sikhism: The actress Parminder Nagra is a practicing Sikh.<br />
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Zoroastrianism: Conductor Zubin Mehta and Queen's Freddie Mercury practiced Zoroastrianism.<br />
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Christian Science: Christian Science boasts lots of "Old Hollywood" followers, including Mary Pickford, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Doris Day, Alfre Woodard, Milton Berle, Henry Fonda, Rober Duvall, Jean Stapleton and Georgia Engel.<br />
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Seventh Day Adventists: Joan Lunden, Magic Johnson and Art Buchwald have this faith in common.<br />
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Jehovah's Witnesses: It was well known that most of the Jackson family is of this faith. Other followers include Serena and Venus Williams, Selena, Prince, Geri Halliwell and Mickey Spillane.<br />
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Nazarenes: Debbie Reynolds, Deborah Norville and Gary Hart follow the Nazarene faith.<br />
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Unitarianism: Christopher Reeve became a Unitarian when he turned 50 years lold.<br />
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Combination of Faiths: There are many celebrities who follow more than one faith due to intermarriage or other reasons. This list includes George Lucas, who considers himself to be a Buddhist Methodist. Angelina Jolie and J.D. Salinger practice(d) ecclectic spirituality.<br />
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Jewish: Don't bother to count !<br />
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For more information:</span><a href="http://www.religionfacts.com/celebrities/religions_of_celebrities.htm"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">http://www.religionfacts.com/celebrities/religions_of_celebrities.htm</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.adherents.com/adh_fam.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">http://www.adherents.com/adh_fam.html</span></a><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;">Freedom From Religion:<br />
Buddhism Wins Best Religion in the World Award</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Wednesday July 15, 2009 Categories: Buddhism, Merit/Demerit Badge</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">In light of the ongoing Freedom From Religion Foundation case, I found this news item interesting.<br />
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Linda Moulin 15.07.2009 16:55 Tribune de Geneve<br />
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In advance of their annual Leading Figure award to a religious figure who has done the most to advance the cause of humanism and peace, the Geneva-based International Coalition for the Advancement of Religious and Spirituality (ICARUS) has chosen to bestow a special award this year on the Buddhist Community. "We typically prefer an under-the-radar approach for the organization, as we try to embody the spirit of modesty found in the greatest traditions," said ICARUS director Hans Groehlichen in a phone conference Monday. "But with organized religion increasingly used as a tool to separate and inflame rather than bring together, we felt we had to take the unusual step of creating a "Best Religion in the World" award and making a bit of a stir, to inspire other religious leaders to see what is possible when you practice compassion."<br />
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Groehlichen said the award was voted on by an international roundtable of more than 200 religious leaders from every part of the spiritual spectrum. "It was interesting to note that once we supplied the criteria, many religious leaders voted for Buddhism rather than their own religion," said Groehlichen. "Buddhists actually make up a tiny minority of our membership, so it was fascinating but quite exciting that they won."<br />
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Criteria included factors such as promoting personal and community peace, increasing compassion and a sense of connection, and encouraging preservation of the natural environment. Groehlichen continued "The biggest factor for us is that ICARUS was founded by spiritual and religious people to bring the concepts of non-violence to prominence in society. One of the key questions in our voting process was which religion actually practices non-violence."<br />
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When presenting the information to the voting members, ICARUS researched each of the 38 religions on the ballot extensively, offering background, philosophy, and the religions role in government and warfare. Jonna Hult, Director of Research for ICARUS said "It wasn't a surprise to me that Buddhism won Best Religion in the World, because we could find literally not one single instance of a war fought in the name of Buddhism, in contrast to every other religion that seems to keep a gun in the closet just in case God makes a mistake. We were hard pressed to even find a Buddhist that had ever been in an army. These people practice what they preach to an extent we simply could not document with any other spiritual tradition."<br />
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At least one Catholic priest spoke out on behalf of Buddhism. Father Ted O'Shaughnessy said from Belfast, "As much as I love the Catholic Church, it has always bothered me to no end that we preach love in our scripture yet then claim to know God's will when it comes to killing other humans. For that reason, I did have to cast my vote for the Buddhists." And Muslim Cleric Tal Bin Wassad agreed from Pakistan via his translator. "While I am a devout Muslim, I can see how much anger and bloodshed is channeled into religious expression rather than dealt with on a personal level. The Buddhists have that figured out." Bin Wassad, the ICARUS voting member for Pakistan's Muslim community continued, "In fact, some of my best friends are Buddhist." And Rabbi Shmuel Wasserstein said from Jerusalem, "Of course, I love Judaism, and I think it's the greatest religion in the world. But to be honest, I've been practicing Vipassana meditation every day before minyan (daily Jewish prayer) since 1993. So I get it."<br />
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Groehlichen said that the plan was for the award to Buddhism for "Best Religion in the World" to be given to leaders from the various lineages in the Buddhist community. However, there was one snag. "Basically we can't find anyone to give it to," said Groehlichen in a followup call late Tuesday. "All the Buddhists we call keep saying they don't want the award." Groehlichen explained the strange behavior, saying "Basically they are all saying they are a philosophical tradition, not a religion. But that doesn't change the fact that with this award we acknowledge their philosophy of personal responsibility and personal transformation to be the best in the world and the most important for the challenges facing every individual and all living beings in the coming centuries."<br />
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When asked why the Burmese Buddhist community refused the award, Buddhist monk Bhante Ghurata Hanta said from Burma, "We are grateful for the acknowledgement, but we give this award to all humanity, for Buddha nature lies within each of us." Groehlichen went on to say "We're going to keep calling around until we find a Buddhist who will accept it. We'll let you know when we do."</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
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Either way,Buddhism IS the best religion in the world except it's NOT a religion.<br />
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The idea that Buddhism has <em>never</em> been involved in war is an urban myth. Read Trevor Ling's "Buddhism, Imperialism and War" or Brian Victoria's "Zen at War" and you'll soon realise that it just ain't so.<br />
<br />
Stephen Schettini July 15, 2009 6:35 PM</span><a href="http://www.schettini.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">http://www.schettini.com/</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Buddhism isn't a religion? That may be how we'd like to see it, but first you should visit some Buddhist communities in Asia. Forget about the Buddha's fine teachings; the institutions of Buddhism are religious. See my memoir The Novice, about my eight years as a monk with the Tibetans, at: </span><a href="http://www.schettini.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">http://www.schettini.com/</span></a><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Still, while there are some buddhist nuts, there aren't that many.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;">Secularizing Buddhism</span><span style="color: black; font-size: x-large;">--<br />
Making it Accessible or Stripping the Roots?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">by Vince Horn </span>of </span></span></span><a href="http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Buddhist Geeks</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> (Full Bio Below).<br />
Tuesday August 11, 2009<br />
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A Guest Post for the </span><a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/onecity"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">One City Blog</span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">It's a very common and hip thing today to want to make </span></span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/5977093/Buddhism-is-fastest-growing-religion-in-English-jails-over-past-decade.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Buddhism</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> secular. Many very worthwhile organizations and movements have this as their guiding premise. One need only look at the work that </span><a href="http://www.mindandlife.org/"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Mind and Life Institute</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> is doing to make </span><a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/onecity/2009/08/shopping-for-a-spiritual-practice---insight-meditation-retreat.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">meditation</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> mainstream in the sciences, or the work that </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Jon Kabat-Zinn</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> has done with the </span><a href="http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/mbsr/"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> technique, to see the far-reaching impact of making </span><a href="http://www.stephenbatchelor.org/deepagnosticism.htm"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Buddhism secular</span></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">.<br />
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In fact, I've had many great conversations, for the </span></span><a href="http://www.buddhistgeekspodcast.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Buddhist Geeks Podcast</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">, with some of the leaders in this movement, including the founder of the Mind & Life Institute, </span><a href="http://personallifemedia.com/guests/2166-adam-engle"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Adam Engle</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> and Zen priest </span><a href="http://personallifemedia.com/guests/2248-norman-fischer"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Norman Fischer</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">. Each of them has extremely good reasons for making dharma secular, and so it's hard not to appreciate the work that they are doing. But still, I find there is something limited about that being the only or even main approach that we take toward transmitting Dharma to the West.</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="more"></a><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">But let me be clear about what I mean when I say, "making Buddhism secular." I mean, specifically, the attempt to strip away the cultural trappings of the tradition, while preserving and re-packaging the "essence" of the tradition (which usually has something to do with meditation practice). In the process the religious language is jettisoned and new "less religious" language is used instead. Phrases like, "Buddhism is more a science than a religion" or "The core technology of Buddhism is meditation" are indicators of the secular impulse. The problem is that Buddhism is a religion. And it's a science. And it's more besides...</span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Secularization is Sexy<br />
Before I get into some of the problems I've noticing with the assumptions behind secularizing Buddhism, I'd like to acknowledge the very beneficial results of this movement. The main one seems to be that some of the wonderful meditation practices and perhaps some inkling of the models behind them, are able to enter more "mainstream culture". I'll get into why assuming that mainstream Western culture is secular is a problem in a moment, but for the now let's just assume that there are many people who are being exposed with these secular Buddhist practices who otherwise wouldn't. That is a wonderful thing.<br />
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Connected with that we see the field of "contemplative science" beginning to be validated, and a whole host of scientists making their careers out of that intersection. There are also many ways in which Buddhist-based </span></span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/16/us/16mindful.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">meditation practices</span></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> are making their way into educational contexts. So, it must be acknowledged that there are very real benefits coming online from some of these movements, and those should continue.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Is the West Really Secular?<br />
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And now, some of my larger concerns. One is that we assume that mainstream Western culture really is secular. Has anyone noticed that in fact, we have an incredibly Religious culture? It's a little less so in some parts of Europe, but in America nearly %85 people self-identify with a religious tradition. Does that make us a secular society or a highly religious one?<br />
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And let's not confuse the separation of Church in our political process--which incidentally was designed to support evangelical Christians who were being persecuted, not atheists who were afraid of religion corrupting the government--with having a secular society. We have a governmental process that tries its best not to be influenced by one particular religious tradition, but we have a country full of religious people who actively participate in governance.<br />
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And then there's this strange idea that there really exists a strong dichotomy between science and religion, and that for something to be scientific it can't possibly be religious (and vice versa). But is that actually the case, and do we really need to strip anything that resembles "religion" out of Buddhism for our culture to be able to tolerate it?</span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Ouch, Those Are My Roots!<br />
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The other problem with the secular approach is that it often, in an attempt to distance itself from "Buddhism as a religion", strips away the historical significance of the Buddhist tradition. If you've spent anytime studying the history of Buddhism, you'd see pretty quickly that it is an ancient and constantly evolving religious tradition. It has a series of both practices and beliefs that have spread and mixed with many other influences. Buddhism as it entered Tibet from India melded and mixed with the Shamanistic Bon tradition there. As it entered China it mixed with Confusionist and Taoist influences, and now as it enters America it is mixing with our scientific culture and strange beliefs about the extreme difference between religion and science.<br />
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The problem with not seeing how Buddhism has evolved, and in not seeing ourselves as a part of Buddhism's evolution, is that we can believe we are somehow the holders of the "essence" of Buddhism. But what is the essence stripped from the practices, realizations, models, and people who have contributed to this living tradition? Is there really such a thing? Could it be that the whole idea of there being an essence to Buddhism that is distinct from it's extraneous forms--those forms that are so irrelevant that we can simply ignore them or dump them--is coming from a set of cultural assumptions that exist here in this place and time? We need to recognize that possibility, and see that there is a kind of violence in trying to strip something from its historical roots, and also a kind of arrogance in thinking that we can even do that successfully.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Some Questions Moving Forward<br />
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Some questions that I would ask myself and all those who consider themselves influenced by the Buddhist tradition: Are we so embarrassed by certain components of Buddhism--the adherence to strict moral codes, the magical and mythical pantheon of Buddhist cosmology, the metaphysics of enlightenment, etc.--that we feel the need to throw them all out without further discourse? Or, can we hold the pain of knowing that all the amazing teachings that come out of the Buddhist tradition also come with things that we might not like or understand? And if we acknowledge that, might it mean that each of us has to grapple with the past, present, and future of Buddhism and its relationship to our lives? Can we really trust that things like the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction movement are carrying the full potential of the Buddhist tradition forward? Is it that by secularizing Buddhism we are running the very real potential of losing something of incredible importance, while trying to ditch what we consider the "non-essential"?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">These are questions that I continue to ponder, being both a lover of the wisdom that's carried through the Buddhist tradition and a lover of innovation and the new forms by which that wisdom can be carried. My intuition is that both can be honored-- tradition and innovation--but not if either one is valued at the expense of the other. And certainly not if we don't ask ourselves these hard questions.<br />
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<br />
Vince Horn lives as a modern monk. He spends part of his year in silence, meditating, introspecting, and developing spiritually. The rest of the time he spends engaged in the world, where he produces and hosts the popular show, Buddhist Geeks, works in the production department of the spiritual publishing company </span></span><a href="http://www.soundstrue.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Sounds True</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">, and writes for various publications--including on his personal blog </span><a href="http://www.vincenthorn.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Numinous Nonsense</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">--and enjoys living in Boulder, Colorado with his wife Emily.</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Filed Under: </span><a href="http://search.blog.beliefnet.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?blog_id=152&tag=Buddhism&limit=20"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Buddhism</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://search.blog.beliefnet.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?blog_id=152&tag=Buddhist%20Geeks&limit=20"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Buddhist Geeks</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://search.blog.beliefnet.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?blog_id=152&tag=Buddhist%20Geeks%20Podcast&limit=20"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Buddhist Geeks Podcast</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://search.blog.beliefnet.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?blog_id=152&tag=Dalai%20Lama&limit=20"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Dalai Lama</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://search.blog.beliefnet.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?blog_id=152&tag=Jon%20Kabat-Zinn&limit=20"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Jon Kabat-Zinn</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://search.blog.beliefnet.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?blog_id=152&tag=Mind%20and%20Life%20Institute&limit=20"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Mind and Life Institute</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://search.blog.beliefnet.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?blog_id=152&tag=Mindfulness-Based%20Stress%20Reduction&limit=20"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://search.blog.beliefnet.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?blog_id=152&tag=Vince%20Horn&limit=20"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Vince Horn</span></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">August 12, 2009 6:00 PM<br />
@ evelyn<br />
"When Christianity moved into... say... Africa there were no such discussions. It was simply picked up and stamped on a new place wholesale, like it or not. I think the mere fact that we're having the discussion is a good start"<br />
really?<br />
what about all the sects, denominations, reformations,heresies, schisms and pagan borrowings of christianity? its not a monolith. give our christians ancestors more credit than that.</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" onclick="showReportAbusive()" style="cursor: pointer;" title="Report Abuse"></a><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Mitsu Hadeishi<br />
August 12, 2009 6:01 PM<br />
@Vince I don't doubt that many in the "secular" Buddhist movement (if one could call it that) buy into this binary as much as many others. It's a persistent meme in Western civilization which is why I think it's a bit too easy to dismiss it as Mu does, though I agree with him that the binary is ultimately bogus. However, the fact that it is bogus doesn't mean that it doesn't hold sway, have power, etc., in the minds of people, and to the extent it does, it can have a needless distorting influence on theory and practice. Ultimately I believe this whole debate is a historical holdover from the Cartesian bargain: let the Church have matters of the soul, and leave matters of the physical world to science. This Cartesian bargain, which stems fundamentally from mind-body dualism, is not operable within Buddhism and Eastern civilization in general.<br />
I recall my father (who was born in Japan) telling me that he was watching a Japanese pundit show in which the commentators were discussing some current event in the United States surrounding the issue of creationism. The pundits were saying to each other, incredulously, "apparently these people don't believe in evolution!" which caused the entire panel to break out in laughter. The whole notion that religion ought to occupy a special place outside of ordinary rational thought, to the point that a well-established theory such as evolution could be seen by large numbers of people to be at odds with their religious faith, was thought to be simply bizarre to these Japanese commentators. Yet Japanese are not particularly "secular" in the sense that they exclude religion or spirituality from the domain of serious discourse. It's simply seen to be all of a piece.<br />
In other words I tend to think that some of what we Westerners project onto Buddhism and other Eastern religions is a bit artificial, as I noted above (I call myself a Westerner since I was born and raised here, despite my Japanese ancestry). Are siddhis real? I actually think the answer to this is yes, almost certainly, not only from my own personal experience but observing this phenomenon in many others, especially my teachers, but also in myself. Is reincarnation real? Well, I doubt, if it does have basis in reality, it operates quite as people traditionally believe --- but if siddhis are possible then why not some sort of resonance between past lives and present lives. The gods? The six realms? Even many traditional Buddhist teachers would express these as metaphors for principles of the universe rather than literal beings --- but this isn't to say certain hidden principles of the universe may not have some reality in some sense (but whatever reality they may have is likely to be extremely hard to verbalize).<br />
But I still believe all these phenomena ought not to be separated off into a "religious" category. To the extent they are real they are simply phenomena, to be examined as critically and skeptically as theories of electromagnetism or gravity. What makes them seem special, "religious", or whatever is simply a Western dualistic cultural overlay, in my view. I agree that to the extent we throw this stuff out because we identify it as "religious" that is a shame --- but to the extent we revere it or reify it that is also a shame. It's just phenomena, all worthy of open-minded investigation but none of it worthy of blind "belief" qua belief, just because it has been handed down in some tradition or other.</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" onclick="showReportAbusive()" style="cursor: pointer;" title="Report Abuse"></a><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Ming<br />
August 12, 2009 6:16 PM<br />
Today is the 182th anniversary of William Blake's death, so let me first quote what Blake said about Jesus Christ, "He is the only God ... and so am I, and so are you." I don't think Buddha would have cared what his teaching is being called, religion, secularism, or some hybrid of both. The water, no matter held in what kind of vessel, is still water, and all names, methods, approaches, and emphases point at the same thing that is being & Being. What else can they point at? The world is big enough for both religion and secularism as well as their variegated permutations.<br />
The fact that Buddhism has been continuously absorbed and assimilated into the host cultures the world over is a testimony to its enduring strength. While Western secularism, mainstream cultures and spiritual communities adapt elements of Buddhism by altering its looks and practices to suit their needs, they are in turned altered by Buddhism -- interdependence means give and take, mutually evolving. A person who would never call himself a Buddhist has no less Buddha nature than a person with impeccable Buddhist learning or aspiration does. The wisdom of Buddhism is its ability to be shaped into any form and practice by whatever mold it meets.<br />
Secularism may turn into a new religion with its aim to convert, its faith in all things secular, its institutionalized influences, its dogmas and normative practices. Religion can become secularized with its inclusiveness, its practice of rational discourse and its willingness to engage the secular world. Buddhism has deep traditional roots but its purpose is to serve the world as it is now and in the Western world it means to become fearlessly Westernized and "secularized" in certain aspects in order to blossom within the local soil. Christ, as Blake understood him, is a great creative teacher first and foremost, and Christianity is a creative force unbeholden to the Church and the devotional ardor of the purists. Buddhism isn't attached to what it's being called, religion or otherwise. The spiritual path is an individual one and in its myriad ways to creatively address the question of being & Being lies the relevance of Buddhism in a world forever changing.</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" onclick="showReportAbusive()" style="cursor: pointer;" title="Report Abuse"></a><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Evelyn<br />
August 12, 2009 6:38 PM<br />
@your name<br />
Admittedly, I was at work at the time and so I probably didn't state that as well as I could have. When Christianity came in and converted other cultures (ie Africa, North America) it *was* stamped on top of whatever was there. There may have been some eventual melding of cultures and practices but this was not done with the sorts of discussions you see going on in western Buddhism. Unlike the situation we have here, the Christian tradition was forced onto other cultures with little to no discussion. We have a unique opportunity here in that we're choosing our own religious path and converting by our own will. That was my point and I may not have made it particularly well.<br />
I have much respect for Christianity but it is a sad truth that many millions of people were not converted of their own will. I took a class on African colonization in college and remember vividly the images of Africans wearing long Catholic robes in the rain forest heat and humidity and trying to practice a religion with which they had little cultural history without much adaptation to their way of life. I know very well that there are indigenous sects of Christianity in Africa that are much more varied.<br />
With all due respect, my ancestors weren't native Christians, they were Africans who also had a tradition forced upon them. They eventually made it their own and now many of us get a lot of fulfillment and comfort from it. I don't want this to detract from the discussion here so I leave it there.<br />
Gassho</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">What is so alarming about</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">those who practice Buddhism?</span><br />
August 14, 2009<br />
http://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090814/OPINION03/908140321<br />
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In response to: Curren's "faith an election issue" (June 21, 2009)</span></span><a href="http://gannett.gcion.com/?adlink/5111/224336/0/16/AdId=408110;BnId=1;itime=288167140;" target="_blank"></a><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Tracy Pyles expresses concern that people will not vote for Erik Curren because he is a Buddhist. Your front page shows Curren in the traditional meditation posture.<br />
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I keep thinking about this article. Is it non-mainstream (in America) religious interests Mr. Pyles objects to — or specific tenets of Buddhism? Or is it visions of swamis and chanting dervishes? Does front page coverage say it bears public scrutiny?<br />
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First, notice who's in the White House. What of President Barack Obama's "hybrid" religious background? Second, our nation's Constitution provides us with the right to believe as we choose. Personal religion is personal and constitutionally protected.<br />
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Is the objection to meditating? I can understand anxiety about how "acceptable" practicing yoga and meditation might be. I included yoga and meditation alongside Bible study in my home school curriculum. Would the public school superintendent approve my plans? Legal research on religion and education put this worry to rest. The Ohio State Supreme Court stated that no one has the right to question a person's religious values. Nor does anyone have the right to prevent a person from living those values.<br />
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The more I read my Bible, the less concern I felt. The Bible "talks" about meditation. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance has 20 references to meditation. My favorite description of meditation is "dwelling in the House of the Lord."Since the Kingdom of Heaven is within, holding our attention (dwelling) on the place (House) where God resides is meditation. Dwelling fills more than two pages in my concordance. Also, a simple definition of meditation is "listening to God."<br />
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I have had anxiety about meditation. But, scientific research on its benefits has piled up: inner peace, better concentration, spiritual growth and emotional healing. Benefits we all want! Let's encourage all public officials to meditate!<br />
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K.S. MITCHELL Staunton<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">Zen & The Art of DC's "The Great Ten"</span><br />
by Jeffrey Renaud, Staff Writer </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">When DC announced the project on The Source, you were quoted as saying you really got into Eastern philosophy when you were in college. How much of those teachings will play into the series and have you been doing additional research on the subject matter since you landed the gig?<br />
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Well, I was raised Catholic, but as I left home I began reading all sorts of books, exploring different points of view regarding religion and philosophy. I think one of the first reads to shake up my worldview was the “Don Juan” books of Carlos Castañeda. Also, I was influenced by Denny O’Neil’s “The Question” series, which featured a “recommended reading” section on the letters page. Remember those? I read a lot of those books, learning about the history and thinking behind kung fu, tai chi chuan, etc. This led to the books of D.T. Suzuki on Zen Buddhism, the “Wandering Taoist” trilogy by Deng Ming Dao, “The Tao of Pooh,” “Zen and the Art of Archery,” and other wonderful books that opened up a whole new world for me.<br />
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I think maybe I was open to all this stuff because of my childhood spent moving from one completely different culture to the next. I was born in Puerto Rico, moved to the Philippines when I was five, and then to Atlanta when I was 10. Each move was a jarring shift that exposed me to very different ways of life and different views of the world. The Philippines especially had a big impact on me and left me with a deep appreciation for East Asian cultures. I also got to visit Japan and Thailand. I may have been very young, but I still came away with the lasting firsthand knowledge that there’s a whole wide world out there beyond our shores. And because I didn’t live in the States until I was 10, I also got to experience and appreciate America in a way you might not if you were born here. I got to see it all with fresh eyes.<br />
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All of this informs how I’m writing “The Great Ten,” how I’m trying to give each character his own worldview, and how in the end they are a team that’s greater than the sum of its parts.</span><a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/prev_img.php?disp=img&pid=1250189677" onclick="OpenPopup(this.href); return false"></a><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">"The Great Ten" art by Scott McDaniel<br />
What is it about Eastern philosophy that fascinates you?<br />
I just remember reading up on Taoism and Buddhism and thinking, “Wow. This stuff really makes sense!” It’s not take-it-or-leave-it dogma, but a very practical way to approach life and to look at the world, and it directly addressed a lot of the anxiety and discord in my personal life. In a way, Taoism and Buddhism are more psychological systems than religions in the sense that we’re used to. Taoism is about living in tune with the way of the world. Buddhism is about letting go of frustrated desires and materialism to achieve inner peace. They are systems for living a calm, happy life. But I should point out that I don’t find them incompatible with Christianity. Like the old saying goes, “There are many paths to the mountain top. The differences disappear at the summit.” After lapsing for 20-odd years, I’m back to Catholicism and even teach Sunday school, but Taoism and Buddhism still color my view of the world.<br />
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Do you think your obvious passion for the subject matter will translate through to comic readers?<br />
Well, it may help me to flesh out these characters and understand the mythologies behind them, but “The Great Ten” is not going to read like a comparative religions class, nor will it be a political treatise. It’s a fast-moving adventure story, and any cultural or philosophical stuff is just there to service the story and give depth to the characters. As with anything I work on, my main intent is to make this a fun read.<br />
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Have you ever traveled to China?<br />
No. My folks went to Hong Kong and Taipei while we lived in the Philippines, but I didn’t get to go on those trips. This was back in the early seventies, which I suspect was an era when visiting China was a little tougher than it is now. I’d love to go some day, though.<br />
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Scott McDaniel was one of the artists tasked with illustrating the co-features in “Trinity” so he’s no stranger to big, epic tales. What do you feel he brings to the series?<br />
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Oh, I can’t say enough good things about Scott. I first fell in love with his work back when he was on “Nightwing.” The way he bends and twists perspective to imbue every panel with movement and life is incredible. More recently, I was lucky enough to do a “JSA Classified” two-parter and an issue of “Birds of Prey” with him, and I would jump at the chance to work with him again. So when “Great Ten” editor Mike Siglain told me Scott might be available, I was more than ready to team up. But Scott had some reservations of his own before taking the job. He wasn’t that familiar with the characters, his Chinese reference was sparse, and he wanted to be sure I wasn’t going in a direction thematically that he might not be comfortable with. So we got on the phone to talk it over, ended up talking for nearly two hours about ourselves, our religious and political differences, and though we certainly don’t share the same views, it was a terrific conversation.<br />
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I really think we came away from that with mutual respect, and a feeling that our differences will actually yield a more interesting story. Anyhow, Scott signed on, and I couldn’t be more pleased with what he’s doing. This is a different sort of project for him, but in a good way. If you think you know his work, think again. This is new territory for both of us, and we’re really having a ball with it. The way he’s updated the look of the traditional Chinese gods is brilliant – it’s like how Kirby remade the Norse gods, but it’s all McDaniel. Despite his initial reservations, this project has turned out to be a great fit for him, and I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else.<br />
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“The Great Ten”#1 hits shelves on November 4 featuring art by Scott McDaniel and covers by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau.<br />
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Keywords: </span><a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=archive&type=kw&key=dc+comics"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">dc comics</span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=archive&type=kw&key=the+great+ten"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">the great ten</span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=archive&type=kw&key=tony+bedard"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">tony bedard</span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">, </span><a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=archive&type=kw&key=scott+mcdaniel"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">scott mcdaniel</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Entry: Reply to Franklin Miller 1: Buddhism.Posted/Updated: 08/10/2009 08:41 PM<br />
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Terry Wenner -<br />
I don't disagree with you, Stuka. The Buddha's reply to those who wanted answers to metaphysical and theological questions was, "I teach one thing... suffering and the end of suffering." When we use the word, "God" we invite argument from anyone who has ideas related to the word. Buddha's teachings neither affirm nor deny God, and are thus available without restriction or conflict to those who have chosen a theological belief. I use the phrase, 'God and the universe' as a widely understood reference to all of the cosmos that we can experience plus the great mysterious 'whatever' which I cannot perceive and cannot define, and which may give rise in me a sense of reverence, awe and gratitude. In your variety of Buddhism, is there that reverence, awe and gratitude?<br />
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Reply to Terry Wenner 1:<br />
Buddhism. If the Buddha neither affirmed nor denied god, then are you asserting that Buddhism is not a religion, in the normal sense of the word? Thank you for your comments and discussion with others of Buddhism; your comments are providing some valuable insight.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Buddhist Retreat -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">By John Horgan Posted Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2003<br />
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Buddha: a pragamatist focused on reducing suffering. For a 2,500-year-old religion, Buddhism seems remarkably compatible with our scientifically oriented culture, which may explain its surging popularity here in America. Over the last 15 years, the number of Buddhist centers in the United States has more than doubled, to well over 1,000. As many as 4 million Americans now practice Buddhism, surpassing the total of Episcopalians. Of these Buddhists, half have post-graduate degrees, according to one survey. Recently, convergences between science and Buddhism have been explored in a slew of books—including Zen and the Brain and The Psychology of Awakening—and scholarly meetings. Next fall Harvard will host a colloquium titled "</span><a href="http://www.investigatingthemind.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Investigating the Mind</span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">," where leading cognitive scientists will swap theories with the Dalai Lama. Just the other week the New York Times </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/health/psychology/04ESSA.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">hailed</span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> the "rapprochement between modern science and ancient </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Four years ago, I joined a Buddhist meditation class and began talking to (and reading books by) intellectuals sympathetic to Buddhism. Eventually, and regretfully, I concluded that Buddhism is not much more rational than the Catholicism I lapsed from in my youth; Buddhism's moral and metaphysical worldview cannot easily be reconciled with science—or, more generally, with modern humanistic values.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">For many, a chief selling point of Buddhism is its supposed de-emphasis of supernatural notions such as immortal souls and God. Buddhism "rejects the theological impulse," the philosopher Owen Flanagan declares approvingly in The Problem of the Soul. Actually, Buddhism is functionally theistic, even if it avoids the "G" word. Like its parent religion Hinduism, Buddhism espouses reincarnation, which holds that after death our souls are re-instantiated in new bodies, and karma, the law of moral cause and effect. Together, these tenets imply the existence of some cosmic judge who, like Santa Claus, tallies up our naughtiness and niceness before rewarding us with rebirth as a cockroach or as a saintly lama.</span><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/389f/3/0/%2a/z%3B216278680%3B0-0%3B0%3B24504588%3B4307-300/250%3B32613984/32631861/1%3B%3B~okv%3D%3Bdir%3Darts%3Bdir%3Dculturebox%3Bdir%3Dmidarticleflex%3Bad%3Dfb%3Bad%3Dbb%3Bdel%3Djs%3Bajax%3Dn%3Bdcopt%3Dist%3Bheavy%3Dn%3BpageId%3Dslate-search%3B~aopt%3D6/1/ff/1%3B~sscs%3D%3fhttp://clk.atdmt.com/DEN/go/158486980/direct/01/" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v8/389f/3/0/%2a/z%3B216278680%3B0-0%3B0%3B24504588%3B4307-300/250%3B32613984/32631861/1%3B%3B~okv%3D%3Bdir%3Darts%3Bdir%3Dculturebox%3Bdir%3Dmidarticleflex%3Bad%3Dfb%3Bad%3Dbb%3Bdel%3Djs%3Bajax%3Dn%3Bdcopt%3Dist%3Bheavy%3Dn%3BpageId%3Dslate-search%3B~aopt%3D6/1/ff/1%3B~sscs%3D%3fhttp://clk.atdmt.com/DEN/go/158486980/direct/01/" target="_blank"></a><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Western Buddhists usually downplay these supernatural elements, insisting that Buddhism isn't so much a religion as a practical method for achieving happiness. They depict Buddha as a pragmatist who eschewed metaphysical speculation and focused on reducing human suffering. As the Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman put it, Buddhism is an "inner science," an empirical discipline for fulfilling our minds' potential. The ultimate goal is the state of preternatural bliss, wisdom, and moral grace sometimes called enlightenment—Buddhism's version of heaven, except that you don't have to die to get there.<br />
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The major vehicle for achieving enlightenment is meditation, touted by both Buddhists and alternative-medicine gurus as a potent way to calm and comprehend our minds. The trouble is, decades of research have shown meditation's effects to be highly unreliable, as James Austin, a neurologist and Zen Buddhist, points out in Zen and Brain. Yes, it can reduce stress, but, as it turns out, no more so than simply sitting still does. Meditation can even exacerbate depression, anxiety, and other negative emotions in certain people.<br />
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The insights imputed to meditation are questionable, too. Meditation, the brain researcher Francisco Varela told me before he died in 2001, confirms the Buddhist doctrine of anatta, which holds that the self is an illusion. Varela contended that anatta has also been corroborated by cognitive science, which has discovered that our perception of our minds as discrete, unified entities is an illusion foisted upon us by our clever brains. In fact, all that cognitive science has revealed is that the mind is an emergent phenomenon, which is difficult to explain or predict in terms of its parts; few scientists would equate the property of emergence with nonexistence, as anatta does.<br />
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Much more dubious is Buddhism's claim that perceiving yourself as in some sense unreal will make you happier and more compassionate. Ideally, as the British psychologist and Zen practitioner Susan Blackmore writes in The Meme Machine, when you embrace your essential selflessness, "guilt, shame, embarrassment, self-doubt, and fear of failure ebb away and you become, contrary to expectation, a better neighbor." But most people are distressed by sensations of unreality, which are quite common and can be induced by drugs, fatigue, trauma, and mental illness as well as by meditation.<br />
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Western Buddhists usually downplay these supernatural elements, insisting that Buddhism isn't so much a religion as a practical method for achieving happiness. They depict Buddha as a pragmatist who eschewed metaphysical speculation and focused on reducing human suffering. As the Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman put it, Buddhism is an "inner science," an empirical discipline for fulfilling our minds' potential. The ultimate goal is the state of preternatural bliss, wisdom, and moral grace sometimes called enlightenment—Buddhism's version of heaven, except that you don't have to die to get there. Chogyam Trungpa, who helped introduce Tibetan Buddhism to the United States in the 1970s, was a promiscuous drunk and bully, and he died of alcohol-related illness in 1987. Zen lore celebrates the sadistic or masochistic behavior of sages such as Bodhidharma, who is said to have sat in meditation for so long that his legs became gangrenous.<br />
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What's worse, Buddhism holds that enlightenment makes you morally infallible—like the pope, but more so. Even the otherwise sensible James Austin perpetuates this insidious notion. " 'Wrong' actions won't arise," he writes, "when a brain continues truly to express the self-nature intrinsic to its [transcendent] experiences." Buddhists infected with this belief can easily excuse their teachers' abusive acts as hallmarks of a "crazy wisdom" that the unenlightened cannot fathom.</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="p2"></a><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">But what troubles me most about Buddhism is its implication that detachment from ordinary life is the surest route to salvation. Buddha's first step toward enlightenment was his abandonment of his wife and child, and Buddhism (like Catholicism) still exalts male monasticism as the epitome of spirituality. It seems legitimate to ask whether a path that turns away from aspects of life as essential as sexuality and parenthood is truly spiritual. From this perspective, the very concept of enlightenment begins to look anti-spiritual: It suggests that life is a problem that can be solved, a cul-de-sac that can be, and should be, escaped.<br />
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Some Western Buddhists have argued that principles such as reincarnation, anatta, and enlightenment are not essential to Buddhism. In Buddhism Without Beliefs and The Faith To Doubt, the British teacher Stephen Batchelor eloquently describes his practice as a method for confronting—rather than transcending—the often painful mystery of life. But Batchelor seems to have arrived at what he calls an "agnostic" perspective in spite of his Buddhist training—not because of it. When I asked him why he didn't just call himself an agnostic, Batchelor shrugged and said he sometimes wondered himself.<br />
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All religions, including Buddhism, stem from our narcissistic wish to believe that the universe was created for our benefit, as a stage for our spiritual quests. In contrast, science tells us that we are incidental, accidental. Far from being the raison d'être of the universe, we appeared through sheer happenstance, and we could vanish in the same way. This is not a comforting viewpoint, but science, unlike religion, seeks truth regardless of how it makes us feel. Buddhism raises radical questions about our inner and outer reality, but it is finally not radical enough to accommodate science's disturbing perspective. The remaining question is whether any form of spirituality can.</span></span><br />
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</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">Technology:<br />
Science and religion are not mutually exclusive</span>By Peter McKnight, Vancouver SunSeptember 25, 2009<br />
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A first glance at Buddhism — and most Westerners have had at most a quick glance at this ancient religion — suggests that it has little in common with science.<br />
For example, we most frequently hear the Dalai Lama preach about the importance of love and compassion. These subjects, while not at odds with science, concern how the world ought to be, not how the world is, and are therefore not the proper subjects of scientific study.<br />
Given the different interests of scientists and Buddhists, then, it might be surprising to learn that some practising scientists are also practising Buddhists, and that the Dalai Lama himself has a longstanding interest in science.<br />
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Consequently, with the support of His Holiness, a series of “Mind and Life” dialogues between scientists and Buddhists began in 1987. This led to the development of the Mind and Life Institute in 1990, under the initial direction of neuroscientist and Buddhist practitioner Francisco Varela.<br />
Varela died in 2001, but the Institute and the dialogues live on, with world-renowned scientists and Buddhist monks meeting regularly at conferences in Dharamsala, India, the residence of the Tibetan government in exile.<br />
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In the recently released book, Mind and Life: Discussions with the Dalai Lama on the Nature of Reality, University of Rome biologist Pier Luigi Luisi recounts the details of one conference, which probed deeply into physics, among other subjects.<br />
In so doing, the conference illuminated much about the current scientific understanding of the nature of the material world, as well as Buddhism’s conception of this aspect of reality. And while it revealed that Buddhism and science are not always in agreement — largely as a result of philosophical, rather than scientific assumptions — it also revealed that science and Buddhism have much in common.<br />
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But perhaps more than anything, the conference’s discussions reveal how one’s world view — that is, how one understands the world — often deeply influences one’s views on how the world ought to be — that is, how we ought to act. In fact, the Tibetan Buddhist view of the physical world directly informs its commitment to love and compassion.<br />
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To see this, let us look at Luisi’s recounting of the discussions at the Mind and Life Conference.<br />
Luisi begins by detailing the address given by Steven Chu, the Nobel Laureate physicist at Stanford University. It was Chu’s job to explain our current understanding of the nature of matter — no easy task, particularly given that the address had to be translated into Tibetan for the benefit of the monks in attendance.<br />
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And indeed, the monks didn’t seem altogether comfortable with the discussion, though their objections weren’t simply a matter of problems with translation. Two areas of controversy in particular help us to understand both the nature of matter and the nature of Buddhism.<br />
First, Chu discussed the nature of elementary particles — indivisible particles that are not made of other particles — such as electrons and quarks. Almost immediately, an apparent paradox arose. While we can bounce electrons off each other, which suggests they have size, Chu also said that electrons have no spatial dimension, no size: “They are just points. The particle becomes the field.”<br />
This is the wave-particle duality familiar to physics and chemistry students — the idea that matter displays both wave-like and particle-like properties — and a problem various interpretations of quantum mechanics have sought to explain.<br />
Needless to say, the monks were none too comfortable with the paradox either. And the Dalai Lama noticed another problem.<br />
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Referencing the fourth-century Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu, His Holiness argued that indivisible, dimensionless particles can’t possibly be the building blocks of the universe. After all, an aggregate of points is still a point, and hence we can never build the matter of everyday life by amassing a bunch of points.<br />
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The second problem arose when Chu discussed the properties all electrons have in common: charge, mass, and spin angular momentum. The monks, clearly more interested in theory than experiment, immediately asked about the reality of the electron apart from these properties.<br />
In other words, the Buddhists were asking whether scientists believed that there is something — which we call an electron — that actually possesses these properties, or whether scientists just use the term “electron” to describe these properties that they measure.<br />
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As an experimental scientist, Chu replied that this is not a question he asks. But it happens to be of fundamental importance to Buddhists since they reject the notion of “intrinsic” properties. The Dalai Lama put it this way: “Things and their properties are mutually dependent ... one can speak of an entity only in relation to attributes, and one can speak of attributes only in relation to an entity. Once you have conceptually removed all the attributes, it is nonsensical to speak of what remains.”<br />
These two difficulties — the impossibility of constructing the world out of indivisible particles and the questionable existence of things apart from their properties, or of intrinsic properties — led some Buddhists in history to deny the reality of matter (some say Buddha himself denied the reality of matter.)<br />
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This thoroughgoing “anti-realism” — which says our theories don’t really refer to anything since there is nothing to refer to — is in stark contrast to the “realism” of most scientists, who believe their theories do refer to real objects in the world. And this suggests a fundamental discord between science and Buddhism.<br />
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But there is a third alternative to realism and anti-realism, one discussed at the conference by Michel Bitbol, a physician with a doctorate in physics and training in philosophy. According to this view, commonly known as “instrumentalism,” theories are seen as ways of explaining, predicting and controlling phenomena, and concepts like electrons are viewed as constructs that help us to make predictions and control nature.<br />
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Instrumentalism therefore doesn’t deny reality. If it did, there would be no chance of making accurate predictions because there would be nothing to predict and nothing to control. Rather, instrumentalism merely says that our scientific theories don’t get to the ultimate truth about reality. But they work, and that’s what’s important.<br />
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The majority of scientists reject this instrumentalist philosophy, convinced as they are that their theories refer to real objects in the real world. But some eminent scientists, including celebrated Cambridge physicist Stephen Hawking, do espouse instrumentalist ideas.<br />
And there is good reason for this, since as Bitbol explained, when physicists “talk about particles as little bricks of matter, [it] is only a way of speaking that is used to allow some connection between physics and everyday forms of thought.”<br />
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Indeed, the “stuff” of the world seems exceptionally strange, nothing like the way non-physicists typically conceive of it: We already mentioned the wave-particle duality, and to this Bitbol adds that particles “are only fleeting phenomena that emerge in the context of an interaction with” an experimental apparatus. (Bitbol was here referring to the “observer effect,” which states that the act of observing a particle will have an effect on the particle. This is a simplified way of stating Werner Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.)<br />
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In other words, how we define the objects of our knowledge — in this case, particles — depends on the capacity we have to know about them. This instrumentalist view has a deeply Kantian flavour: Kant taught that our knowledge of phenomena is a product of the relation between things and our ways of knowing about them, rather than about things themselves.<br />
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This emphasis on relations also bears more than a passing resemblance to the Buddhist perspective. We saw earlier that the Dalai Lama rejected the notion of intrinsic properties, as he maintained that things and their properties are mutually dependent — that is, we can speak of a thing only in relation to its attributes and vice versa. In effect, His Holiness was saying that everything is relational.<br />
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Matthieu Ricard, who completed a doctorate in cellular genetics before becoming a Buddhist monk, suggested the wave-particle duality buttresses this relational view — since neither the wave-like property nor the particle-like property can be taken as intrinsic — and then concluded, in Kantian fashion:<br />
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“All properties, all observable phenomena, appear in relationship with each other and dependent on each other. This view of interdependence — one thing arising in dependence on another, and their relationship — actually defines what appear to us as objects. So relations and interdependence are the basic fabric of reality. We participate in that interdependence with our consciousness; we crystallize some aspect of it that appears to us as objects.”<br />
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While this perspective wouldn’t likely gain the allegiance of most scientists, Luisi did offer a quote from Neils Bohr, one of the fathers of quantum mechanics, which suggests he would have had considerable sympathy for this position: “In our description of nature, the purpose is not to disclose the real essence of phenomena, but only to track down, as far as possible, relations between manifold aspects of our experience.”<br />
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Suffice it to say, then, that the Buddhist view is not entirely antithetical to science, and is closely related to the views of some scientists, even if it would be rejected by the majority. But whatever its scientific merit, the Buddhist world view — as one of relations and interdependence — is crucially important for Buddhist ethics. In effect, for Buddhists, how the world is, or at least how it is understood, bears directly on how we ought to behave.<br />
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In support of this idea, Alan Wallace, who received a doctorate in religious studies from Stanford, trained as a Buddhist monk and is now president of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies, reiterated the Buddhist disbelief in intrinsic properties and emphasized the fact that everything is constantly in flux, constantly changing.<br />
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Despite this, Wallace noted that people tend ascribe intrinsic properties to things, to see things as constant and discrete, rather than to recognize “the intimate interdependence of constantly changing phenomena.” The consequence of this, Wallace said, is that people see themselves as separate from the world, and develop attractions or revulsions toward things or people.<br />
This inevitably leads to toxic mental states, including pride, jealousy and animosity, and people lose sight of what it takes to make themselves or other happy. Ultimately, said Wallace, this leads to suffering because the world can’t match our desires, “so there is a very close relationship between our first misapprehension of the nature of phenomena — finding solid, intrinsic properties in an increasingly fragmented vision of the world — and suffering.”<br />
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The Buddhist prescription for this malady is, of course, to see things the other way around. Wallace maintained that if we perceive interdependence and impermanence, we can recognize that enemies can become friends, and that we ourselves are constantly changing.<br />
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In fact, there is no “we” or “me” to speak of. Perceiving things in a Buddhist fashion means literally losing yourself, but Wallace insisted this is a good thing, since you are merely losing that which ties you to suffering, which allows for the infiltration of toxic mental states.<br />
More importantly, Wallace noted that recognition of interdependence leads to — indeed, is essential to — compassion, because you realize that your happiness is dependent on the happiness of others. And it means you can never attain lasting happiness by causing the suffering of others.<br />
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Wallace summed up his talk by emphasizing just how important is the relationship between the Buddhist understanding of the world and Buddhist ethics:<br />
“[A] correct understanding of reality — the absence of any intrinsic nature of phenomena, and their interdependence — is said to be the ultimate view of the Buddhist teachings, referred to as wisdom. And that is intimately linked with compassion, love and altruism, which are the expression of this understanding and the quintessence of Buddhist ethics or behaviour. ... We have to keep wisdom and compassion in union all the time, from beginning to end, uniting understanding with ethical thoughts, words and actions.”<br />
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According to Luisi, Wallace’s final words resulted in a spontaneous ovation from the monks and scientists in Dharamsala. At last there was complete agreement.<br />
Was this because everyone agreed on the importance of love and compassion? Perhaps. Or perhaps it was because whether religious or secular, monk or scientist, Eastern and Western, all could agree on a deep truth — that understanding the world is the first step toward changing it.</span></span><a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Technology+Science+religion+mutually+exclusive/2035713/story.html"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Technology+Science+religion+mutually+exclusive/2035713/story.html</span></a><br />
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<a href="mailto:pmcknight@vancouversun.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">pmcknight@vancouversun.com</span></a><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">What is Rains-Retreat? </span>Annual Robe Offering Ceremony Buddhist Community Celebrates Pavarana Purnima by offering special Puja <br />
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<span style="color: black;">Pavarana Purnima is Buddhist holy day celebrated on the Full Moon of the eleventh lunar month. It marks the conclusion of Barsha Brata (Vassa / Rains Retreat), sometimes "Buddhist Lent" This day marks the end of the rainy season in Asian countries as well as in Bangladesh, where Theravada Buddhism is practiced. Barsha Brata (Vassa / Rains Retreat) starts at Ashari Purnima and ends at Pavarana Purnima. On This day, each monk (Pali: Bhikkhu) must come before the community of monks ( Sangha ) and atone for the offense he may have committed during the Barsha Brata.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">In India, where Buddhism began, there is a three-month-long rainy season. According to the Vinaya (Mahavagga, Fourth Khandhaka, section I), in the time of the Buddha, once during this rainy season, a group of normally wandering monks sought shelter by co-habitating in a residence. In order to minimize potential inter-personal strife while co-habitating, the monks agreed to remain silent for the entire three months and agreed upon a non-verbal means for sharing alms.</span><span style="font-size: small;">After this rains retreat, when the Buddha learned of the monks' silence, he described such a measure as "foolish." Instead, the Buddha instituted the Pavarana Ceremony as a means for dealing with potential conflict and breaches of disciplinary rules (Patimokkha) during the vassa season. The Buddha said: 'I prescribe, O Bhikkhus, that the Bhikkhus, when they have finished their Vassa residence, hold Pavâranâ with each other in these three ways: by what [offence] has been seen, or by what has been heard, or by what is suspected. Hence it will result that you live in accord with each other that you atone for the offences (you have committed), and that you keep the rules of discipline before your eyes.'</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span style="color: black;">During this Barsha Brata (Vassa / Rains Retreat) for Monastic, these are often days of more intensive reflection and meditation along with their "Ten Precepts". In many monasteries physical labor (construction projects, repairs etc) is curtailed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Lay people observe the "Eight Precepts" on Uposatha days, as a support for meditation practice and as a way to re-energize commitment to the Dhamma. Whenever possible, lay people use these days as an opportunity to visit the local monastery in order to make special offerings to the Sangha( Monks).</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">This whole program come to the conclusion after Kathina Ceremony (Robe offering ceremony)which is held on any convenient date within one month of the conclusion of the Vassa Retreat, which is the three month rains retreat season (Vassa) for the monastic order. It is the time of the year when new robes and other requisites may be offered by the laity to the monks.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<span style="color: black;">Photos & Text - Adnan/DrikNEWS</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">more .... The delegation is being led by Thailand’s former Foreign Minister, Mr. Saroj Chavanaviraj which will comprise of some five other members from the Thai Foreign Ministry and the Bureau of the Royal Household of Thai Kingdom, it is learnt from the Thai embassy in Kathmandu, today, October 7, 2009.<br />
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The Thai delegation is arriving Nepal on October 9 and will be in Nepal until 12th of this month.<br />
The Thai delegation will, during its brief Nepal sojourn, offer the Royal KATHINA Robes bestowed by His Majesty the King of Thailand to the Muni Vihar Monastery, Bhaktapur on 11 October, 2009.<br />
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KATHINA, today, is celebrated as the largest alms giving festival by the followers of Buddhism across the world. <br />
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The tradition of collecting clothes at the end of the rains Retreat continues till now. From the time the Vassa comes to an end to the four weeks that follows, willing supporters can make an offering of clothes to the Sangha and the Sangha themselves can’t go about asking for clothes and thus the offering has to come from the people who are willing to donate clothes.<br />
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The KATHINA celebration takes place during the months of October and November.<br />
This festival is taken as an important event by the Burmese, Sri Lankans, and the Thai Theravada Buddhists.<br />
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Not a cult about nothingness <br />
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S. PANNEERSELVAM <br />
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An interesting study of Buddhism in the context of contemporary western thinkers<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">THE CULT OF NOTHINGNESS: </span><br />
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By Roger-Pol Droit, Translated by David Streight and Pamela Vohnson; Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., PB No 5715, 54, Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi-110055. Rs. 750. <br />
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This book , originally published in French in 1997, is an interesting study of Buddhism in the context of contemporary western thinkers. Buddhism, which has contributed to the world culture, has influenced the philosophy of religion of India and also Asia in general. It was the Buddha who first suggested the dialectic method, long before Zeno did in the West. During the 19th century, he was a veritable nightmare for Europe and Buddhism was identified with nothingness. For a very long time, it was misconstrued as a religion of annihilation. That perception has since changed and it has come to be seen, correctly, as a religion that preaches compassion, tolerance, and non-violence. <br />
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How this change took place is explained by the author, who discusses a number of thinkers including Cousin, Hegel, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. Buddhism, he says, is both therapeutic and pragmatic in its approach. In the 18th century, the Buddha was considered as one of the elements of the primitive world and identified with Mercury of Europe, Thot of the Egypt, and Hermes of the Greek. In France, Buddou was recognised as a philosopher for the first time by Michel-Jean-Francois in 1817. <br />
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Significance <br />
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The author contends that both Hegel and Schopenhauer understood what Buddhism was after reading the research article of Francis Buchman. Later, in 1829, the French Newspaper Le Globe published an article on Buddhism. It was during this period that Buddhism was seen as a “cult of nothingness.” In the subsequent years, the West began to discuss the identity of Buddha, an area that had remained completely neglected until then. <br />
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The works of Jacob Schmidt, Henry Thomas Colebrooke and others have brought out the significance of Buddhism. During 1822-23, Hegel in his course on the ‘Philosophy of History’ dealt with Buddhism and attributed nothingness to it. The author is of the view that Hegel had changed many of his views on India after reading Colebrooke. In 1863, the polemic cult of nothingness reached its peak in France, England, and Germany. In France, Cousin coined the expression “cult of nothingness” to refer to Buddhism. While appreciating the richness and vastness of Indian Philosophy, he pointed out that it was here that all philosophical systems of the world met. In Germany, Schopenhauer, who was influenced by Buddhism, believed in the principles of renunciation, compassion, and negation of the will to live. The view that nothingness is the culmination of true philosophy is expressed in his book, The World as Will and Representation. <br />
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Acceptable <br />
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Nietzsche, in his The Birth of Tragedy, said that “tragedy should save us from Buddhism.” Instead of considering Buddhism to be a possible resource, he saw in it a threat, a danger, and a future that western civilisation ought to attempt to escape. Nietzsche realised that the religion was steadily gaining acceptability across Europe and was thus no longer terrifying to the western mind. In the early 1890s, Buddhism was no longer considered to be a religion of nothingness. The cult of nothingness thus was ending. The author concludes the book by explaining how the cult of nothingness was confused with that of a century that was leading to the time of world wars and the totalitarian barbarity. The book has an exhaustive bibliography of works on Buddhism published in the West during 1638-1890. The author needs to be commended for his excellent analysis and detailed notes and references and the book is certainly a significant contribution to the knowledge on Buddhism.<br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Five spiritual trends with staying power</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>The intersection of Eastern and Western religious beliefs</strong> is no longer just a topic for intellectuals</span><br />
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By Douglas Todd, Vancouver SunJanuary 9, 2010<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A year ago I wrote about five religious trends to watch for in 2009. I suggested what will happen to the religious right, the religious left, religion-based terrorism, Eastern spirituality and all those people who like to say they're spiritual but not religious.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the dawn of our new decade, I'm coming to the conclusion the five trends have real staying power, which could see them sticking with us to 2020 and beyond.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are the five religious and spiritual shifts I predicted, plus my analysis of what's happened in the past year or more to indicate they could be long-lasting:</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Eastern spirituality will flower</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The days are gone when just a few intellectuals discussed the intersection of Eastern and Western thought. Now, instead of D.T. Suzuki, Alan Watts, Masao Abe and John Cobb taking part in East-West dialogues, Asian spirituality has gone mainstream in the West.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nova Scotia-based Buddhist monk Pema Chodron is being profiled in mass circulation women's magazines, teaching the controversial idea of living with "no hope." And small spiritual armies of young Buddhists, calling themselves Dharma Punx, are spreading around North America.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's not only whites jumping on the Eastern spirituality train. Inspired by the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh and Thailand's Sulak Sivaraksa, more Asians are transforming Eastern spiritual traditions--making them less quietistic. They're committed to "engaged Buddhism," which is putting them on the non-violent frontlines of justice.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Taiwan-based Chu Tzi movement, which has millions of followers in 40 countries, including Canada, down-plays religious rites and zealously emphasizes international charity projects.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, instead of having scholars highlight the atheistic philosophy of Buddhism, scholar Jeff Wilson has discovered, droves of North American converts and ethnic Buddhists (especially women)are increasingly being drawn to more supernatural reverence of the Chinese figure, Kuan Yin.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Religious terrorism will be the new normal</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The recent failed attempts by extremist Muslims to kill a Danish cartoonist and blow up a plane to Detroit have broken a long quiet spell in terrorist activity on European and North American soil. A Pew Forum survey found in December that religion-rooted hostility is widespread around the world, though not necessarily growing. Nine per cent of countries are experiencing some form, however minor, of terrorism -- not only from Muslims, but from Christians, Hindus, atheistic leaders and others.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With North Americans keeping their attention mostly on Muslim terrorism, global surveys are showing Islamic anger is based largely on a sense that brothers and sisters in the faith are being vilified and oppressed by Western financial, political and military powers.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unlike in the days of George W. Bush, virtually all Western observers, including U.S. President Barack Obama, maintain it takes more than military might to stop terrorism, as the dubious wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are proving. It takes intelligence-gathering, multilateralism, interfaith dialogue and negotiation.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The anti-terror campaign, perhaps surprisingly, includes "terrorist rehabilitation," according to Religion Watch magazine. Government officials are offering psychological and spiritual counselling to thousands of jailed suspected terrorists to counter their militant ideology.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Religious liberals will build on advances</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Momentum is rising among spiritual searchers yearning for an alternative to conservative versions of Western religion. They're finding it in progressive Christian, Jewish and Islamic writers. Marcus Borg, Donna Butler Bass, Jim Wallis, Michael Lerner, Tariq Ramadan and Canada's Ron Rolheiser have in recent years become major public intellectuals and hugely successful authors.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Polls are showing liberal religious people are not as partisan and aggressive as evangelicals, but they're making waves in public policy. Even though Obama didn't win any more white evangelical Christian supporters than previous Democrat presidential candidates, he is retaining solid support from black Protestants, mainline Protestants, white and Hispanic Catholics, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists, not to mention the religiously unaffiliated. Since achieving office, Obama also has been raising the profile of one of his favourite Christian theologians, the late Reinhold Niebuhr.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If black civil rights, South African apartheid and the Vietnam War brought together religious progressives in the '60s and '70s, possible environmental disaster now galvanizes them. That was illustrated by the way Christians pressed government leaders to make a dramatic commitment against global warming at December's Copenhagen climate summit.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Religious right will regroup</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The religious right has been hit with some body blows -- particularly with the rise of Obama, the failure of the war they backed in Iraq and the defeat of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. In addition, more U.S. states have recently been legalizing same-sex unions.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the religious right retains its passion, anger, money, followers, political connections (including with Stephen Harper's Conservative party) and influence on major media outlets, particularly through hugely popular talk-show hosts such as Glenn Beck, a Mormon.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though Palin is an embarrassment to many women and some of her fellow evangelicals (especially in Canada), she remains a bigger name than ever since resigning last year as Alaska's governor, promoting her autobiography and prodding the Republican party in her Pentecostal direction.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The religious right was reinvigorated by last year's no-holds-barred crusade against Democrats' attempts to bring in universal health insurance. Zoning in on laws that ban federal funding of abortion, conservative religious activists mobilized against the U.S., adopting even a pale imitation of Canada's medicare system. They called Obama a "socialist" and likened him to Adolf Hitler. Palin called the health plan "downright evil."</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Secular spirituality will strengthen</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The populist mantra taking us into the next decade is: "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual."</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's commonplace for people now to oppose religious organizations, while embracing a host of spiritual practices and beliefs. This "secular spirituality" manifests itself in mainstream publishing, widespread nature reverence and pop culture figures such as Oprah, Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Secular spirituality" is also making a rare foray into academia. Hundreds of university based researchers are studying the scientific benefits of "mindfulness" and various forms of meditation and contemplation, which have been practised for centuries by Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Jews, not to mention artists, musicians and poets.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With polls showing more people are becoming "spiritual tinkerers" who mix and match an often dizzying variety of beliefs and practices, secular spirituality is also making its way into movies, including the newly released 2012 and Avatar.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Filmed in Vancouver, apocalyptic 2012 warns of environmental cataclysm. The movie ties into a New Age belief that the ancient Mayan calendar predicts that the year 2012 marks either the end of the world or the beginning of a new and glorious spiritual era.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Canadian director James Cameron's blockbuster movie, Avatar, also develops an eco-spiritual theme. The heroes are humanoids, known as Na'vi, who practise a powerful indigenous form of nature spirituality that holds the potential to heal the universe.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In line with the current trend to treat global culture as if it were a vast spiritual smorgasbord, Cameron took the title of his movie from Indian religion. An "avatar" is an incarnation of a Hindu god.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read Douglas Todd's blog at www.vancouversun.com/thesearch</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the most essential you that is present regardless of thought or emotion? Who or what has been present for all of your life experience? How does this spirit of constancy touch your life? Questions and answers pointing directly to the true nature of Self.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom" ~ Victor Frankl </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Meditation and the False Lure of Zoning Out</strong> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Why meditation <em>does not</em> make you </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">a self-involved, zoned-out bliss-ninny. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Published on January 21, 2010 </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the polite version of a question I received recently about my support of mindfulness meditation as a practice for well-being in relationships:</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why are you encouraging people to zone out? Sitting around pretending they're above it all, and avoiding real feelings? Who wants to be in a relationship with a self-involved bliss-ninny?</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>There are an awful lot of misconceptions about mindfulness meditation.</strong> This one, about how people who meditate are just using it as a place to "hide out" by just getting zoned, escaping into some blissed-out, checked-out place, is why a lot of people mistakenly decide that meditation is useless, or worse.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are some merits to asking the question, though, because it's true that some people who meditate use it in ways which aren't beneficial, sometimes making them pretty obnoxious to spend time with.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The place from which I look at the benefits of mindfulness meditation is in my work with people who want to create more meaningful lives, including better, healthier, more satisfying relationships. I'm a clinical psychologist who believes that being emotionally present and authentic is the cornerstone of emotional well-being. I'm also trained as a neuropsychologist, who knows that the better integrated a brain is, the better it works. It's a bit like needing the left hand to know what the right one is doing in order to get anything done. (I don't just use that phrase lightly - in cases of damage to the corpus callosum, the brain's bridge between the right and left hemispheres, one hand quite literally doesn't know what the other is doing, with one buttoning up the shirt and the other following behind, unbuttoning it.)</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So from that stance, let's take a look at the notion that mindfulness meditation leads to people becoming zoned-out, self-involved bliss-ninnies.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Don't people use meditation just to escape?"</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is it possible for people to hide out in meditation? Yes. People who "use" meditation to escape, just like using drugs or alcohol to escape, can closely resemble the "kindly, calm pod person" that Judith Warner wrote about in a New York Times blog post. The added "benefit" of using meditation as your drug of choice is that, unlike zoning out on alcohol or drugs (or TV, surfing the web, and so on), you can also adopt a "more enlightened than thou" stance that some meditators have been known to take, much to the annoyance of those around them.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even Jack Kornfield, PhD, one of the pioneers and great teachers in the use of mindfulness meditation in the West (and also a psychologist), points out that "[m]editation and spiritual practice can easily be used to suppress and avoid feeling or to escape from difficult areas of our lives." He goes on to say that "the sitting practice itself... often provide[s] a way to hide, a way to actually separate the mind from difficult areas of heart and body."</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obviously, this isn't the approach to mindfulness meditation which I advocate either. This will become more clear as we go on.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The people I know who meditate just ended up being more self-involved."</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This can happen, too. In one variation of this, sometimes people who meditate profess that their practice is making them "more present" when in fact they're just more self-involved. Judith Warner again:</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[P]eople who are embarked on this particular 'journey of self-exploration,' as [Mary] Pipher has called it, tend to want to talk, or write, about it. A lot. But what they don't realize - because they're so in the moment, caught in the wonder and fascination and totality of their self-experience - is that their stories are like dream sequences in movies, or college students' journal entries, or the excited accounts your children bring you of absolutely hilarious moments in cartoons - you really do have to be the one who's been there to tolerate it. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the truth is, however admirable mindfulness may be, however much peace, grounding, stability and self-acceptance it can bring, as an experience to be shared, it's stultifyingly boring.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What she's describing (okay, complaining about) is not "real" mindfulness, though. Mindfulness isn't about droning on and on about your own inner exploration, ignoring the feelings of others (or your own), or gushing your newfound love for all of humanity. Mindfulness is about developing a larger capacity in yourself for empathic, attuned, contingent connection.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That last sentence is vital: Mindfulness is about developing a larger capacity in yourself for empathic, attuned, contingent connection.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">empathic = being able to see things from another's point of view, getting a sense of their intentions, and being able to imagine what something "means" to another person</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">attuned = allowing our internal state to resonate with the inner world of another, to "get" someone else's inner state, allowing us to feel connected</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">contingent = responding to another in a way which is informed by what we sense in them, not just what we think or feel</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(These definitions as presented here are largely influenced by Dan Siegel, whose latest book, Mindsight,I highly recommend.)</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A thumbnail sketch of what this looks like: You talk to me, and I listen with an open heart and an open mind, tuned in to you while also being aware of my own internal state. And my response to you, if I'm being mindful, is contingent on what you're saying and feeling and communicating - not just my own internal experience. When I talk, I'm speaking with mindful awareness of my internal state as well as being attuned to you, and I pay attention to shifts in myself and in you while I speak, to be able to remain connected, attuned and empathic.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That would be a far cry from being self-involved.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Seems to me that people who meditate aren't dealing with their real problems."</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's also true that many who meditate may need additional help. As Jack Kornfield put it in his essay, "Even The Best Meditators Have Old Wounds To Heal":</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are many areas of growth (grief and other unfinished business, communication and maturing of relationships, sexuality and intimacy, career and work issues, certain fears and phobias, early wounds, and more) where good Western therapy is on the whole much quicker and more successful than meditation.... Meditation can help in these areas. But if, after sitting for a while, you discover that you still have work to do, find a good therapist or some other way to effectively address these issues.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jack, in his honest wisdom, goes on to say that many American vipassana (mindfulness meditation) teachers who have gotten stuck in disconnection, fear, or other unconscious places, have sought out psychotherapy.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(As a brief aside, I would say that the same seeking of good psychotherapy should be true of anyone leading others in a quest to better understand themselves, or to heal emotionally. That includes psychotherapists. It's my strong opinion that good psychotherapists have done (and continue to do) work in their own psychotherapy, and need to have the capacity for empathic, attuned, contingent communication.)</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, mindfulness meditation isn't a one-size-fits-all cure for everything that ails you. It is, however, powerfully helpful, whether on its own, or in conjunction with psychotherapy.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've had people come into my practice who have been meditating for years, who have found that they've resolved much but can't seem to crack the core of the issue, and their meditation practice serves them well in the psychotherapeutic work.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've also worked with people who have been in psychotherapy on and off for years with different therapists, benefitting from it but with the next level of growth seemingly out of reach. When we've added mindfulness meditation to the mix, they've begun to make some remarkable progress which they hadn't been able to before.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Can meditation really change people for the better?"</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing is a "build it and they will come" guarantee when it comes to personal change. A joke in psychotherapy is, "How many psychotherapists does it take to change a lightbulb? Just one, but the lightbulb has to really want to change." That's not just true of psychotherapy, but of any endeavor we take on to create better, healthier, more meaningful lives, and that would include meditation. (As George Carlin said, "Ya gotta wanna.")</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mindfulness meditation is being shown in a growing mountain of well-done, peer-reviewed scientific research to make demonstrable changes in how your brain is wired -- which in turn changes how you perceive the world, how you respond to it, and how you behave.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meditation isn't a magic wand that creates enlightenment, but it does have what can look like almost magical effects on connections in the brain -- including synaptogenesis (the creation of new connections between neurons), and even neurogenesis (the creation of brand-new neurons in the brain-- an ability which neuroscience has only accepted as a real phenomenon in the last 15 years or so).</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I see in people who practice regular mindfulness meditation is that they're more integrated in how they relate to the world, including themselves. (This is more true of people who are practice developing their mindfulness at all times, not just when they're formally meditating.)</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They haven't found a magic way to hit the "bliss" button - not if they're being really truthful with themselves. They might experience bliss more often and more fully, but it's likely that they're also experiencing all of their emotions more often, and more fully. What they've found is a way to be more whole, more integrated, to not just listen to their rational intellectual side "versus" their non-rational, emotional side.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I see a lot of very bright, high-functioning people in my psychotherapy practice who are so far one-sided or the other -- over-reliant on the rational, or hyper-attuned to the emotional -- that they can't get a handle on what their "real" problem is. Mindfulness meditation helps them see a more integrated picture, warts and all, and then they're also better equipped to deal with it in an honest, authentic, insightful way.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's take a look at how that applies to a relationship problem. If you use only your rational brain, and ignore your feelings and those of your significant other, it's unlikely to go well (in fact, you'll probably make things worse). On the other hand, if you lead solely with your emotions, you could similarly end up never solving the problem (and blowing things up). It's much like the right-hand-buttoning, left-hand-unbuttoning dilemma.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But: If you are able to integrate both your intellect and your emotions -- and be attuned to your significant other's feelings and thoughts as well (in a real way, not the way that Judith Warner described) -- you can be positively brilliant in dealing with the issue.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Yeah, but is there any real change?"</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes -- "real" as in "measurable by scientific methods". This is what the research in neuroscience is pointing to. Researchers have been looking at the structure and activity in the brains of those who practice regular mindfulness meditation, and they see changes and benefits.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which of those findings excite me the most, as someone who works to help people create more meaningful lives and relationships?</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How about this: Increased activity, connectivity -- even size -- in brain areas (most especially, an area called the middle prefrontal cortex) known to support the integration of the rational, problem-solving areas (e.g., the frontal cortex) and those known to be centers for emotions (e.g., the amygdala).</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The brains of people who practice mindfulness meditation appear to be more integrated, and the clinical evidence supports these changes as well, such as the nine benefits of mindfulness meditation I discussed in a previous post.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If your brain is better integrated, you're neither ignoring the facts nor discounting emotions. You're better able to know what's true for you, and to be better attuned to the person you're with. You can evaluate more clearly what you're feeling, rather than having knee-jerk reactions or jumping to conclusions. While it doesn't mean you always do, you're more likely to be able to stay present with whatever's going on.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, does that sound like a zoned-out, self-involved bliss-ninny?</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marsha Lucas, PhD is a psychologist / neuropsychologist in Washington, DC. Learn more about rewiring your brain at ReWireYourBrainForLove.com, where she offers a free mindfulness meditation download and a monthly e-newsletter with meditation tips. You can also follow @DrMarsha on Twitter, and join her on her Facebook page.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">___________________</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Hey, It's ALL 'METAPHOR' !</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>All about Google search basics: Here's Basic Help.</strong></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Challenges of Search" as it's now called... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>"Search"</strong> is simple: just type whatever comes to mind in the search box, hit Enter or click on the Google Search button, and Google will search the web for pages that are relevant </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">to your query.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">THIS REPRINT ON "SEARCH" IS SIMPLY HERE AS <strong>A BIG 'METAPHOR' </strong>FOR <strong>THE <em>WHOLE 'SEARCH'</em></strong> YOU MAY BE ON 'SPIRITUALLY' - AND YOUR ABILITY <em>TO REFINE</em> THAT SEARCH. IT IS ALSO VERY USEFUL INFORMATION. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some basic facts</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Every word matters</strong>. Generally, all the words you put in the query will be used. There are some exceptions.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Search is always <strong>case insensitive</strong>. Searching for [ new york times ] is the same as searching for [ New York Times ].</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">With some exceptions, <strong>punctuation is ignored -- EXCEPT "QUOTE marks" around words will keep those words together</strong>, but will also limit ( or cut down, trim down ) on the search. It may add to the accuracy of what you're looking for.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Guidelines for better search</strong></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Keep it simple</strong>. If you're looking for a particular company, just enter its name, or as much of its name as you can recall. If you're looking for a particular concept, place, or product, start with its name. If you're looking for a pizza restaurant, just enter pizza and the name of your town or your zip code. Most queries do not require advanced operators or unusual syntax. Simple is good.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Think how the page you are looking for will be written. Use the <strong>words that are most likely to appear</strong> on their page. For example, instead of saying [ my head hurts ], say [ headache ], because that's the term a medical page will use. The query [ in what country are bats considered an omen of good luck? ] is very clear to a person, but the document that gives the answer may not have those words. Instead, use the query [just [ bats good luck ], because that is probably what the right page will say.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Choose descriptive words. <strong>The more unique the word is the more likely you are to get relevant results</strong>. Like 'Buddhist'.Words that are not very descriptive, like 'document,' 'website,' 'company,' or 'info,' are usually not needed. Keep in mind, however, that even if the word has the correct meaning but it is not the one most people use, it may not match the pages you need. For example, [ celebrity ringtones ] is more descriptive and specific than [ celebrity sounds ].</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>The title:</strong> The first line of any search result is usually the title of the webpage.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>The snippet:</strong> A description of or an excerpt from the webpage.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Cached link:</strong> A link to an earlier version of this page. Click here if the page you wanted isn't available. <strong>This is a good way to OPEN UP a page that might not easily open.</strong></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The title is what the author of the page designated as the best short description of the site.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>"<em>Hey</em>... It's ALL in the Search, Guys !</strong></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>search your mind search your heart search your world." </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">___________________________________</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>end</strong></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Meditation on the Recession</strong><br />
By Michael Sigman<br />
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<strong>What's Your Poison?</strong><br />
By Michael Sigman<br />
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<strong>Healing & Spirituality Take a Breath</strong>By Nick Street,<br />
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<strong>Doctor's Orders: Cross your legs and say 'Om'</strong><br />
By Andrea R. Vaucher<br />
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<strong>American Buddhism On The Rise Religion & Ethics</strong><br />
from the September 14, 2006<br />
</span><span style="color: black;"><strong>Jewish AND Buddhist !<br />
J U B U<br />
At One With Dual Devotion</strong>By Louis Sahagun Reuters - July 25, 2008<br />
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<strong>Meditation slows AIDS progression: study</strong><br />
By : Maggie Fox<br />
</span><span style="color: black;"><strong>Compulsive Shopping: Is it a Disorder?<br />
Desire / Grasping / Clinging / Attachment / Loss / Suffering<br />
Adopting compulsive shopping as a diagnosis</strong>would require most insurers to cover its treatment, among other implications.<br />
By : Melissa Healy<br />
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<strong>The Purpose of Self-Inquiry ( the 'Vichara' )</strong> by John Sherman<br />
The purpose of the 'Vichara' is to settle the issue of identity. by John Sherman<br />
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needs paragraphing... excellent !!!</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>"In the Depths of Religious Atheism"</strong>by the Rev. Richard W. Kelley<br />
</span><span style="color: black;"><strong>Up From Buddhism ~<br />
Controversy Stretches You . . .</strong>From 2003, John Horgan explains why he gave up on Buddhism:<br />
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<strong>Up From Buddhism, Part II LET'S RUMBLE !</strong><br />
<strong>Buddha's Life Story</strong> by Akasa Levi</span><span style="color: black;"><strong>Friends on The Compassionately Fearless Wayless Way ~<br />
Buddha's Story passed down in The Pali Canon<br />
The Buddha Shakyamuni ~ Siddhartha Gautama of The Shakya Tribe in India</strong><br />
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<strong>When Still Enough</strong>Mark Nepo<br />
a poem that speaks to what Opens when we are still enough<br />
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Jay Michaelson Columnist for the Forward newspaper, May 18, 2009<br />
<strong>What It's Like to Spend Five Months in Silence</strong><br />
<strong>The Formal Pali-language Outlines the 8-Fold Path of Practice.</strong><br />
" What has been obtained by this conquest of Dharma creates true affection."<br />
The greatest barrier to enlightenment, Bhante said, is caring only about one's own happiness. We need to "lessen our clinging to ourselves," he said. "If you really want to be happy," he said, "help others."<br />
</span><span style="color: black;"><strong>Who's WHAT ?<br />
Unusual celebrity religions</strong><br />
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<strong>Freedom From Religion: Buddhism Wins Best Religion in the World Award</strong>Wednesday July 15, 2009 Categories: Buddhism, Merit/Demerit Badge<br />
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<strong>Secularizing Buddhism-- Making it Accessible or Stripping the Roots?</strong>by Vince Horn of Buddhist Geeks<br />
What is so alarming about those who practice Buddhism? August 14, 2009</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
<span style="color: black;">In response to: Curren's <strong>"faith an election issue"</strong> (June 21, 2009)<br />
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<strong>Zen & The Art of DC's "The Great Ten"</strong><br />
Comics by Jeffrey Renaud, Staff Writer </span></span></span></span></span><strong><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;">______________________________________________________________</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">_____________________________________________________________</span></strong><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;"><br />
<span style="color: black;">There is NO 'bookmarked' directory/menu of the articles below<br />
the GREEN Line YET, </span></span></strong></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: black; font-size: 130%;">you'll need </span></strong></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><strong><span style="color: black; font-size: 130%;">to <em>patiently</em> scroll down manually<br />
thru the various pieces </span></strong></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 130%;"><strong>to find what you may be interested in ...<br />
... </strong></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: black;"><strong><em>have fun on the search</em> !<br />
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Please NOTE:</strong> In the articles you'll find <strong>two </strong>basic styles of writing: <strong>The Western writers</strong> are good thinkers & everything from professionally elegant - to the news-media writers that tend towards being 'cavalier' in their written 'attitude' towards 'Buddhism' or 'Religion' in general etc.. ( Americans - and the world - are critically "religion-wounded" cultures of mistrustful people ). That's a whole 'issue' of why 'spirituality' doesn't work on many of us... a big topic of discussion for another time... <em>anyway... </em></span></span></span>Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5619679579051726718.post-78129830025949997712007-02-14T13:24:00.000-08:002012-05-23T22:51:13.519-07:00The Henri Van Zeyst Archive<span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: arial;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>About the Author</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><strong>Henri van Zeyst</strong> was born in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in 1905. Educated throughout in Catholic schools and colleges, he spent his final years of studies in philosophy and theology. An intensive course of comparative religion brought him in contact with Buddhism. Within a year of his coming to Ceylon ( Sri Lanka ) he was ordained a Buddhist monk there in <strong>1938</strong> under the name of <strong>Bhikkhu Dhammapala.</strong></span><br />
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<strong>Consciousness : Higher Self</strong><br />
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By Henri Van Zeyst<br />
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The end of a long process of mental activity, not long perhaps as chronological time is involved, but long in a line of experiences and consequences, there comes consciousness.<br />
It begins, if one may speak of a beginning anywhere at all, with a physical contact (phassa) with one of the six senses of perception (salayatana). This produces a sensation (vedana) which is the experiencing of a challenge. It is at this stage that the process tends to become mental, when the sensation is perceived (sanna).<br />
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This perception is usually a way of seizing (perception from capere, to grasp) of getting hold of the sensation for the sake of its effect, pleasurable or unsatisfactory. This seizure takes place because of the necessity of the self to continue the experience, for it is in continuation of experience that the self attempts to survive as an individual entity.<br />
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Without seizure there can be no continuation in memory and hence no survival of self. It is at this stage that the long chain of dependent origination can cease to become and continue, when sensations are experienced as mere responses to stimuli. But, when sensations are grasped at for the psychological survival of the experience, they will be seen as pleasurable or not; and in that gratification the self grows, establishes itself in memory, projects itself in ideals, and the chain of dependent origination (paticca samuppada) continues, when sensations become the source of desire (tanha) and clinging (upadana) leading to the becoming (bhava) of self-consciousness in which the 'I' continues.<br />
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In this process of conditioning (sankhara), the experience is no longer experienced, but its memory compared with earlier gathered experiences. Then when need has become greed. The stored or re-linking consciousness (patisandhi vinnana) can bring its idealized image up and project it for further action (bhava-kamma). This process of recognition and registration completes the process of thought, when out of decaying memory new thought and action are formulated to reform and restart the cycle of consciousness in ignorance. Only the perceiving of experiencing without thought of seizure can awaken the intelligence which can break the perpetual chain of rebirth of thought.<br />
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What is the difference between consciousness and awareness? Consciousness is thought; and thought is the result of thinking, which is a process of application of the mind with logic and memory, with volition and determination, with judgement and selection, with prejudice and ideals, with fear and hope.<br />
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Consciousness, in other words, is the 'I' in action which is reaction, because all thinking is the conditioned result of the entire past, not only of the individual past, but the accumulation throughout the ages of the struggles for survival, the interminal wars for emergence, the endless conflicts, with the ideas of the mind controlling the weapons of the pen and the sword. Consciousness is the past trying to become the future, without understanding the past, without knowing the future. Thus, consciousness or thinking is always in conflict; it cannot solve any problem, because it does not try to understand.<br />
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But awareness is not thinking, is not the memory of the past, is not desire, is not the longing for the future. It is just to be open and receptive to whatever is or happens. There is no approach to the present; the present is here already and we are facing it directly without fear of the past, without hope of the future. Awareness is seeing what is as it is, with openness and directness, without expectation of results, without fear of consequences, without reflection as to a self judging in prejudice. It is an immediate experiencing, in which there is no reference to self, and hence no thought, consciousness, reaction.<br />
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Unconditioned, there is no conflict, no opposition, no self. And where there is no self, there is no problem. Can the self become no-self ? Such question is obviously formulated in ignorance, for it is still the self that wants to become its ideal. Only in stilling all consciousness there can be awareness in which there is no striving for attainment of an ideal. And consciousness is still, when there is awareness of what 'is'.<br />
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<strong>Contentment<br />
</strong><br />
By Henri Van Zeyst<br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">To be satisfied or to be content with something is to find a relationship based on exploitation. To find one's satisfaction with something or in somebody is a self-indulgence at the cost of the other. The other has become the means, which we try to separate from the end, our own pleasure. It may be that the otter does not mind so much to be exploited, as for instance in hired labour, when his conditions without being exploited would be perhaps even worse. And that is the usual relationship in present day society, which is certainly not based on contentment.<br />
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Contentment may be obtained through religious practices, but then religion is not the end; it is only a method. And in thus separating the means from the end for the sake of contentment, only conflict born of opposition can be the outcome. As long as contentment depends on relationship, there is only self-gratification.<br />
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But there is a contentment which is not the end of a search for satisfaction, but which is at the beginning of realization. This contentment is totally unconditioned and free. It is not born from desire, as an image discovered in memory. To be totally unconditioned, contentment cannot be brought about through possessions or through the renunciation thereof. It is not an acquisition through virtue or practice.<br />
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When in passive awareness the mind is still and silent in the understanding of the empty movements of thought through memory into ideal, - when thought is still and silence is perceived, there is contentment in the utter void of self, in the total absence of desire in self-projection, in the complete stillness of the absence of fear; - and in that contentment there is truth, the joy of contentment without the pleasure of satisfaction.<br />
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Satisfaction is always the fulfillment of a desire, which is but a thought in anticipation of acquisition. It is in acquisition that the 'I' can grow and become, and thus it is in satisfaction that there is a search for security and fulfillment of an ideal. But, contentment is in the present and has no dealing with satisfaction, with ideals, or with self; and thus it cannot be made or acquired, and is not subject to moods and methods. It is based on understanding and seeing things as they are.<br />
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<strong>Four Noble Truths 4 noble truths<br />
</strong>( CHATURARYA SATYA in PALI)<br />
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The Four Noble Truths are thus:<br />
1. Life means suffering<br />
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.<br />
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.<br />
4. The path to the cessation of suffering.<br />
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1. 4 noble truths To be born is to suffer<br />
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To be born into this world means to suffer. That's Buddha's first Noble Truth. This is because human life isn't perfect and neither are our surroundings. Our life in this world is subject to 4 noble truths suffering and physical pain due to sickness, old age, disease, injury and death. We undergo mental suffering and pain due to sadness, disappointment, poverty, lust, love, fear, frustration, greed, injustice and depression. 4 noble truths<br />
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Although suffering 4 noble truths has various degrees of manifestation, there also lies certain conditions in life that are perceived to be the opposite of suffering such as luxury, pleasure, sex, lust, wealth, status and power. However, life in its totality remains impermanent (Anicca)4 noble truths because this Universe is subject to impermanence. Everything in this Universe undergoes cycles of birth, growth, decay and death. That is the Universal law we have to accept whether we are 4 noble truths Buddhists or non-Buddhists.<br />
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What this means is, all that we strive for is subject to change. We can never hold onto anything be it life, beauty, 4 noble truths wealth or power. Just as happy moments flash by, we too and our loved ones will eventually pass away.<br />
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2. 4 noble truths The origin of suffering is attachment.<br />
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The origin of suffering is attachment to impermanence that's perceived to bring us happiness. This is the second Noble Truth. The transient illusions (wealth, lust, power, beauty) condition our mindset into believing their permanence, thus preventing our mind from overcoming ignorance. 4 noble truths We suffer because of our desire, passion, greed, pursue of wealth and status, by striving for fame and acceptance, or in other words - due to craving and attachment.<br />
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Due to the transient nature of what we cling onto, their loss, decay and death are natural. Thus sadness will follow happiness, old age will follow youth and death will surely follow life. 4 noble truths The notions of "self" or "I" are in reality delusions because there is no permanent "self." What we commonly refer to as "self" is a nonexistent entity - born in our ego which is a transient entity in the cycle of Samsara, or the ceaseless cycle of our Universe.<br />
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3. 4 noble truths The cessation of suffering is attainable.<br />
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This is the third Noble Truth in Buddhism. Thankfully!! Suffering CAN be eliminated through Nirodha. The meaning of Nirodha is elimination of sensual craving and worldly attachment.<br />
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The Buddha explicitly stated that attaining dispassion will eliminate suffering. Nirodha eliminates all forms of craving and attachment thus setting us off on our long journey towards ultimate salvation from suffering. What this means is that suffering can be eliminated though your own efforts independent of divine help.<br />
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Attaining dissipation is a mental process of many levels with the ultimate goal of seeking Nirvana. Nirvana basically means nonexistence in either physical or spiritual forms which frees one from suffering. However, Nirvana remains incomprehensible for those who have not attained it.<br />
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4. The path to the cessation of suffering.<br />
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The Noble Eightfold Path ( Ariya Ashtanga Marga ) explains the gradual path of self-improvement towards the cessation of rebirth and its resultant suffering. Lord Buddha described the Eightfold Path as the Middle Path as it avoids extremes of self-indulgence (such as hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism). This is the Path which leads to the end of Samsara, the cycle of rebirth.<br />
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The path to the end of suffering (Nirvana) can extend over many lifetimes, through eons in fact, throughout which every individual rebirth will be subject to karmic conditioning. However, by adhering to the Noble Eightfold Path, ignorance, delusion, craving and its resultant effects would gradually disappear as progress is made along the Path.<br />
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<strong>The Buddhist Doctrine of Annicca or Impermanence, and the Soul Theory<br />
</strong><br />
By Prof. Y. KARUNADASA Ph.D.<br />
Courtesy - Vesak Lipi<br />
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The Buddhist doctrine of annicca, the transitoriness of all phenomena, finds classical expression in the oft-recurrent formula: Sabbe sankhara annicca and in the more popular statement: Annicca vata sankhara. Both these formulae amount to saying that all conditioned things or phenomenal processes, mental as well as material, that go to make up the samsaric plane of existence are transient or impermanent. This law of impermanence is not the result of any kind of metaphysical inquiry or of any mystical intuition. It is a straight forward judgement arrived at by investigation and analysis, and as such its basis is entirely empirical.<br />
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It is in fact for the purpose of showing the unsubstantially and impermanence of the world of experience that Buddhism analyses it into a multiplicity of basic factors. The earliest attempts at explaining this situation are represented in the analyses into five khandhas, twelve ayatanas, and eighteen dhatus. In the Abhidhamma we get the most detailed analysis into eighty one basic elements, which are introduced by the technical term, dhamma. These are the basic factors into which the empiric individuality in relation to the external world is ultimately analysed. They purport to show that there does not exist a "unity", "substance", "atta" or "jiva". In the ultimate analysis the socalled unity is a complex of factors, "one" is really "many". This applied to both mind and matter equally. In case of living beings there is no soul or self which is immortal, while in the case of things in general there is no essence which is ever-perduring.<br />
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What is revolutionary about the Buddhist doctrine of impermanence is that it is extended to include everything, including consciousness, which is usually taken to be permanent, as the soul or as one of its qualities. The Majjhimanikaya records how Bikkhu Sati misunderstood the Buddha's teaching to mean that consciousness is a permanent entity, which passes from one existence to another, like the nirasrayavijnana of Upanisads. This led Buddha to formulate the well known principle Annatra paccaya natthi vinnanassa sambhavo. There is no arising of consciousness without reference to a condition. This is further explained to mean that consciousness comes into being (sambhoti) in dependence on a duality. "What is that duality?" it is eye, which is impermanent, changing, becoming other, and visible objects, which are impermanent, changing and becoming other: such is the transient, fugative duality (of eye-cum visible objects), which is impermanent, changing and becoming other.Eye consciousness too is impermanent. For how could eyeconsciousness arise by depending on an impermanent condition being permanent? The coincidence, concurrence and confluence of these three factors which is called contact and those other mental phenomena arising as a result are also impermanent." The same formula is applied to the other sense organs and the consciousness named after them. (XXXV 93-SAMYUTTA-NIKAYE) Because of its acceptance of this law of universal impermanence, Buddhism stands in direct opposition to sassatavada or eternalism, which usually goes hand in hand with atmavada, i.e. belief in some kind of immortal soul<br />
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The Brahmajala Sutta of the Digha Nikaya alone refers to more than ten varieties of eternalism, only to refute them as misconceptions of the true nature of the empirical world.But this refutation of eternalism does not lead to the acceptance, on the part of Buddhism, of the other extreme, namely ucchedavada or annihilationism, which usually goes hand in hand with materialism. The Buddhist refutation of both these extremes finds classical expression in the following words of the Buddha: "This world, 0 Kaccayana, generally proceeds on a duality, of the 'it is' and the 'it is not.' But 0 Kaccayana whoever perceives in truth and wisdom how things originate in the world, for him there is no 'it is not' in this world. Whoever, Kaccayana, perceives in truth and wisdom how things pass. away in the world, for him there is no 'it is' in this world." (11, 17-SAMYUTTANIKAYA).<br />
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This statement of the Buddha refers to the duality (divayata) of existence (atthita) and non-existence (natthita).According to Buddhism, everything is the product of the antecedent causes and therefore of dependant origination (paticcasamupanno). These causes themselves are not ever lasting and static, but simply antecedent aspects of the same ceaseless becoming. Every event is the result of a concatenation of dynamic processes (sankhara). Neither being nor non-being is the truth. There is only Becoming, happening by way of cause, continuing without identity, persistence without a persistent substance. "He who discerns origin by way of cause he discerns the Dhamma, he who discerns the Dhamma he discerns origin by way of cause."Thus by accepting the theory of causation and conditionality, Buddhism avoids the two extremes of sabbam natthi (everything is) and sabbam natthi (everything is not), and advocates "sabbam bhavati" "everything becomes" i.e. happens by way of cause and effect. It is also because of this theory that Buddhism could avoid the two extremes of niyativada (Determinism) and ahetu-appaccaya-vada (indeterminism). According to the former everything is absolutely pre-determined, according to the latter everything happens without reference to any cause or condition. According to both there is no room for free will and as such moral responsibility gets completely ruled out. By its theory of causation Buddhism avoids both extremes and establishes free will and moral responsibility.The second basic characteristic of the world of experience, namely dukkha (unsatisfactoriness) is but a logical corollary arising from this law of universal impermanence. For the impermanent nature of everything can but lead to one inescapable conclusion" as everything is impermanent, they cannot be made the basis of permanent happiness. Whatever is transient is by that very fact unsatisfactory - yad anniccam tarn dukkham. Since every form of samsaric existence is impermanent it is also characterized by unsatisfactoriness. Thus the premise: sabbe sankhara annicca, leads to the conclusion: sabbe sankhara dukkha.<br />
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As indicative of a general characteristic of all phenomena, the term dukkha should not be understood in a narrower sense to mean only pain, suffering, misery or sorrow. As a philosophical terms it has a wider connotation, as wide as that of the term anicca. In this wider sense, it includes deeper ideas such as imperfection, unrest, conflict, in short unsatisfactoriness. This is precisely why even the states of jhana, resulting from the practice of higher meditation and which are free from suffering as ordinarily understood, are also included in dukkha. This is also why the characterization, dukkha is extended even to matter (rupa). The Visuddhimagga of Buddhaghosa recognizes these wider implications of the term when it explains it as three fold, namely dukkha (dukkha as suffering), vi pari nama-dukkha (dukkha as change) and sankharadukkha (dukkha as conditioned state).As a direct and necessary corollary of this fact of dukkha, we come to the third basic characteristic of all phenomena, namely anatta, which finds expression in the well known statement: Sabbe dhamma anatta. For the unsatisfactory nature of everything should lead to this important conclusion: If everything is characterized by unsatisfactoriness, nothing can be identified as the self or as a permanent soul (atta). What is dukkha (by that very fact) is also anatta. What is not the self cannot be considered as I am (ahan ti) as mine (maman ti), or as I am that (asmi ti).<br />
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<strong>THE SOUL THEORY<br />
</strong>According to Buddhism the idea of self or soul is not only a false and imaginary belief, with no corresponding objective reality, but is also harmful from an ethical point of view. For it produces such harmful thoughts of I, me and mine. Selfish desires, attachments and all other unwholesome states of mind (akusala dhamma). It could also be a misery in disguise to one who accepts it as true: Do you see, 0 Bhikkhus, such a soul-theory in the acceptance of which there would not arise grief, lamentation, suffering, distress and tribulation? Certainly not Sir," "Good, 0 Bhikkhus, I too 0 Bhikkhus, do not see a soul-theory, in acceptance of which there would not arise grief, lamentation, suffering, distress and tribulation" (I. 137 MAJJIMA NIKAYE). This brings into relief the close connection between the Buddhist doctrine of impermanence and Buddhist ethics: If the world of experience is impermanent, by that very fact it cannot be made the basis of permanent happiness. What is not permanent (annicca) and therefore what is characterized by unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) cannot be considered as the self (annatta). And what is not the self (atta) cannot be considered as one's own (saka) or as a haven of security (tana). For the things that one gets attached to are constantly changing. Hence attachment to them would only lead to unrest and sorrow. But when one knows things as they truly are (yathabutam) i.e., annicca, dukkha, and anatta, one ceased to get agitated by them, one ceases to take refuge in them. Just as attachment to things is to get fettered by them, even so detachment from them is to get freed from them. Thus in the context of Buddhist ethics, the perception of impermanence is only a preliminary step to the eradication of all cravings, which in turn has the attainment of Nibbana as its final goal.<br />
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It will thus be seen that the Buddhist doctrine of annicca, on which is also based the doctrine of dukkha and anatta, can rightly be called the very foundation of the whole edifice of Buddhist philosophy and ethics. This explains why the Buddha has declared that the very perception of this fact, namely that whatever comes to existence is also subject to dissolution (yam kinci samudayadhammam sabbam tamnirodh- dhammam) is indeed the very arising of the stainless Eye of the Doctrine (dhamnmacakku).<br />
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<strong>THE THEORY OF MOMENTARINESS<br />
</strong>The Buddhist doctrine of impermanence, as explained in the canonical texts, does really amount to a theory of momentariness, in the sense that everything is in a state of constant flux. This becomes clear from a passage in the Anguttaranikaya (I 152), where the three sankhata-Iakkhamas (the characteristic of that which is compounded are explained. Here it is said that which is Sankhata (compound) has three fundamental characteristics, namely uppada (origination), vaya (dissolution), and thitassa annathatta (otherwise of that which is existing). From this it followsthat the Buddhist doctrine of change should not be understood in the ordinary sense that something arises, exists for some time in a more or less static form, and dissolves. On the contrary, the third characteristic, i.e. thitassa annathatta shows that between its arising and cessation, a thing is all the time changing, with no static phase in between. Thus the Buddhist doctrine of change does really amount to a theory of universal flux.As far as the application of this theory of change is concerned, there is nothing to suggest that early Buddhism had made any distinction between mind and matter. However, some schools of Buddhism, notably the Mahasanghikas, Vatsiputriyas and Sammityas, while recognizing the momentary duration of mental elements, assigned a relative permanence to matter. Others such as Sarvastivadins, Mahasasakas and Sautranitkas objected to introducing any such distinction and declared that all elements of existence, mental as well as material, are of momentary duration of instantaneous being. (Article abridged)Introducing the writer: Prof. Y. Karunadasa Ph.D. is the Director of Buddhist Studies, Buddhist and Pali University Colombo. He is a well known academic and Pali Scholar.<br />
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<strong>The Mind and The Five Mental Hindrances<br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">by Chandra Gunasekara<br />
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The Buddha as befits man gave pride of place to the mind. In the Cittavagga of the Dhammapada he states that the mind is pure at birth and it is the subsequent impact of adventitious thought born of sense stimuli that defiles it.<br />
To attain Nibbana, one has to cleanse oneself of all these defilements. There are many obstacles however which impede and hinder the spiritual progress of the mind. Five hindrances in particular known as Pancha Nivarana are often cited , in the Buddhist scriptures. They are sensual desire (kamacchanda), ill will (vyapada), sloth and torpor (thina middha), excitement and worry (uddacca kukkucca), doubt , and perplexity (vicikicca). In the Samyutta Nikaya, the Buddha explains with the aid of water as a smilies how each of these cloud one's mental vision.<br />
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The mind at birth, the Buddha said is lustrous and pure. Its contact with the outer world that defiles and sets it a flutter like a fish thrown out of water Gasping and grappling in the throes of death.<br />
The mind that for sense pleasures yearn<br />
Is like a bowl of coloured water<br />
In whose admix of red, blue or yellow<br />
No true reflection of oneself can be seen.<br />
The mind that seethes with anger,<br />
Is like a pot of boiling water<br />
In whose frenzy of making steam and vapour No true reflection of oneself can be seen.<br />
The mind that's overcome with sloth and torpor,<br />
Is like a pond that's overgrown with moss and weeds In whose dark and murky depths of water, No true reflection of oneself can be seen.<br />
The mind to excitement and worry given,<br />
Is like a sea of storm-tossed water<br />
In whose constant motion of to and fro No true reflection of oneself can be.<br />
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<strong>The Non-Existence (Anatta) Doctrine</strong><br />
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Individual existence, as well as the whole world, are in reality nothing but a process of everchanging phenomena which are all comprised in the five Groups of Existence. This process has gone on from time immemorial, before one's birth, and also after one's death it will continue for endless periods of time, as long, and as far, as there are conditions for it.<br />
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The Five Groups of Existences, either taken separately or combined, in no way constitute a real Ego-entity or subsisting personality, and outside of these Groups too, no self, soul or substance can be found as their "owner." In other words, the five Groups of Existence are 'not self (anatta), nor do they belong to a Self (anattaniya). ln view of the impermanence and conditionality of all existence, the belief in any form of Self must be regarded as an illusion.<br />
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Dust as that what we designate by the name of "chariot", had no existence apart from axle, wheels, shaft, carriage, and so forth; or, as the word "house" is merely a convenient designation for various materials put together after a cel1ain fashion, so as to enclose a portion of space, and there is no separate house entity in existence. In exactly the same way, that which we call a "being", or an "individual", or a "person", or by the name. "I", is nothing but a changing combination of physical and psychic phenomena, and has no real existance in itself.<br />
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<strong>Theravada Buddhism<br />
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By the book Theravada Buddhism is what was taught and practiced by the greatest Sage that India ever produced, Siddharta Gotama, the Buddha. Strictly speaking, it was not his teaching but the eternal truth rediscovered by him. Buddha is not the name of a person but a title meaning Awakened-One.<br />
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Some take Theravada Buddhism as a religion, others regard it as a philosophy. If we carefully examine the earliest records we would see that Theravada Buddhism should best be described as a psychology or even more appropriately, a psychotherapy. Theravada Buddhism does deal with religious as Buddist books well as philosophical, social and individual problems, yet it does so by first bringing them into the field of psychology and solves them as psychological problems. Buddhism Buy the book is also not a kind of mysterious mysticism as some understand it because even mystic states are understood in Buddhist psychology to be just different altered mental states.<br />
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Nirvana, the ultimate goal of Theravada Buddhism, is not a mystic state but a state in which the mind is buy the book purged and purified of all ego conceit and all traces of attachment, greed, aversion, hatred, and delusion.<br />
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Buddhist Holy Book<br />
Buddhism offers its own critique of religion. Buddhist holy book In this, religion is not theocentric, centered around the idea of a creator, but rather seen as being centered around the interest of man. Religion is not something that has come down from heaven to fulfill a Buy the book divine purpose, but something that has grown up on earth to satisfy the deepest of human needs. It is not based on divine revelation - but on human discovery. Buddist books<br />
Buddhism is not dependent on blind faith and worship but on the understanding of experience through the use of human intelligence. It is not based on history or a story Buy the book which if proved false would tumble down, but stands on the hard rock of direct personal experience. The practice of Theravada Buddhism is not based on the idea of punishment and reward but on selflessness and love. Buddist books<br />
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Theravada Buddhism does not regard man as a sinner who is incapable of anything better than appealing to the creator for forgiveness. It regards man as capable of rising above all human weaknesses and cultivating a divine mind through his own efforts. One cannot be saved by any external means but he has to save himself Buy the book through this own efforts and right technique developed by his mind. The Buddha is not a savior but a guide who teaches the technique of saving oneself after having tested it himself. The destiny Buddhist holy book of man is not controlled by the whims of a creator, but by the kind of life he leads, his thoughts, speech and actions in accordance with the law of cause and effect One's state of mind even determines the situation in which he is reborn.<br />
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The Buddha taught about rebirth in Theravada Buddhism but not in the reincarnation or the transmigration of permanent souls. The life after death is only a continuation of the present process of existence. The Buddha realized that our existence does not begin with this human life nor end with this life in some kind of eternal heaven Buddhist holy book or hell afterwards, out he beheld that we have been existing since beginningless time in countless numbers of various existences according to our accumulated Karma and will continue to do so until the whole process is understood and gradually brought to a standstill. Theravada Buddhism is a gradual path of mental evolution, where man transcends human weaknesses and attains perfection of mind and finally solves the problem of existence, attains Nirvana. next> Buddist books<br />
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All problems in life boil down to one psychological problem called Dukkha or suffering. Suffering is not just poverty, starvation and sickness and so forth which modern man commonly talks about. It is more related to mental suffering in the form of confusion, anxiety, depression, grief, worry, restlessness and so forth which are mainly psychological states. Normally these states of mind are considered to be the fault of circumstances. This is why these arc seen commonly as economic or social problems. Yet the Buddha points out that they are caused by our mental attitudes and reactions to circumstances, not by the objects or situations themselves. If we really check up inside our mind we will find this is true.<br />
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<strong>Buddha Dhamma -<br />
The Case For The Buddhist Theory Of Survival And Kamma<br />
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in Theravada Buddhism</strong><br />
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Professor K. N. Jayatilleke Ph. D. (Cantab) - Courtesy Vesak Lipi<br />
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The Buddhist doctrine of re-becoming (punabbhava) was a novel theory in so far as it spoke of survival without a self-identical soul or substance. There was continuity (santali) of personality after death and rebirth or the return to an earth-life was only a special case of such continuity. The doctrine was propounded after taking into account all the possible theories that could be advanced with regard to the problem of an after life.<br />
The Buddhist doctrine of karma merely taught that there was a correlation between moral acts and their consequences without implying any sort of fatalism. In fact, its implications were the very opposite of fatalism in that man by his understanding of his own nature could control his present and determine his own future.When we examine some of the objections that could be levelled against this doctrine of re-becoming, we investigated the objection against any theory of survival from the alleged state of or relationship that exists between the brain and the mind. The evidence against the possibility of survival was by no means crucial. Survival is neither proved nor disproved in the light of the modern findings regarding the brain-mind. Any theory of survival therefore, stands or falls on the basis of independent evidence.<br />
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When we also examined some of the objections raised specifically against rebirth, we found that the objection that rebirth was a self-contradictory concept was not valid since we can speak significantly of a single individual having many lives where there is a continuity of memory and mental dispositions. The argument from the increase in the human population could not be levelled against the Buddhist theory of rebirth since Buddha entertained the possibility of prior lives among animal, human or non-human ancestors in this or other planets. The objection from biogenesis was also not valid since rebirth took place at a higher level of animal evolution.<br />
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The objection from the lack of memory of prior lives was far from true. Memory may be used in one of two senses, (i) the recalled genuine experiences of one's past, and (ii) presence of capacities and skills acquired in past. In the second scene we found that there was some evidence for the existence of such 'memories'.<br />
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Identical twins when joined together called 'Siamese twins' have a common heredity and a common environment. Yet psychologists have observed that they differ in character and temperament. It is likely, therefore, that the difference is due to a third factor (other than heredity and environment), namely the 'cast over' of past skills and attitude from previous lives. Geniuses or child prodigies, whose extra ordinary accomplishments cannot be accounted for in terms of heredity or environment, would only be special cases of such a "carry over' of skills from one life to another.<br />
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In the former sense of memory, namely of the recall of genuine in one's past, it is claimed that there is evidence of the recall of genuine experiences from prior lives. Such claims have to be carefully examined.<br />
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Unsatisfactory Arguments<br />
Yet, before we proceed to do so, it is necessary to dispose of some unsatisfactory arguments that are sometimes adduced in support of the doctrine of rebirth. They may take many forms. There is a tendency to urge that some belief is true because almost everybody holds it. Yet the universality belief does not entail its truth. Nor at the same time does it entail its truth. It is sometimes maintained that many primitive peoples of the ancient world believed in the survival or the doctrine of rebirth. But this does not imply that the belief is either true or false. Its truth or falsity has to be established independently.<br />
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The relevance of the universality of the belief as evidence of its truth becomes more interesting when it is realized that everyone in a state of deep hypnosis gives an account of experiences in alleged prior lives, lived on earth, whatever their conscious beliefs may be. There is evidence that Materialists and Theists holding a variety of views on the subject of survival after death without subscribing to the doctrine of rebirth or preexistence, give alleged accounts of prior lives, recounting details of their experience. Does this imply the truth of the belief? Not necessarily. For it is possible that all their beliefs could be illusory, though the universality of such an illusion has to be accounted for. But the experiences they recount certainly constitute evidence for the truth or falsity of the belief in rebirth. We shall carefully examine this evidence later on.<br />
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Another form in which an argument for survival is presented, is that a human need or want, implies the existence of what is needed or wanted. We need or want food. Therefore, it is suggested, there must be such immortality or survival. However, this is an argument that cuts both ways. For others may argue that, we believe in rebirth or survival because we need to believe or desire to entertain such a belief. But what we like to believe is not necessarily true and, therefore, this is no evidence of the truth of the belief.<br />
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Freud in his work called The Future of an Illusion tries to show that people entertain certain religious beliefs like the belief in the existence of God, for instance, because there is a deep-seated craving in us for security amidst the insecurity of life and the uncertainty of the beyond. According to him, people believe in God dogmatically, because of such a deep-seated craving. It is an object of wish-fulfilment and in this specialized sense, an 'illusion'.<br />
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This does not, however, necessarily mean that the belief is false. As Freud himself pointed out, a girl may believe in the existence of a Prince Charming who may one day come and propose to her, because she likes to believe this does not necessarily mean that, such a person does not exist. So the desire to believe in rebirth or survival does not necessarily show that the belief is false just as much as the desire to disbelieve in rebirth does not imply that the contrary belief is false. ><br />
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Methaphysical and Ethical Arguments<br />
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The Buddhist view on this matter is both relevant and interesting. Our desire influence or condition our belief, to which we tenaciously cling (tapha paccaya dithupadanam) but this does not necessarily mean that, these beliefs are always false for when they happen to be 'right beliefs' (samma ditthi), they are in fact true.<br />
So although desires affect our beliefs, this fact has no relevance to the truth or falsity of the beliefs. We have, however, because of our emotional involvement with these beliefs to weigh the evidence for against their truth or falsity without prejudice. As Buddhists, we have to examine the truth even of the belief in rebirth objectively without being prejudiced for (chanda) or against (dosa) or being affected by fear (bhaya) even if it be the fear of the beyond or being guided by our erroneous beliefs (moha). So the desire to believe or not to believe does not affect the truth or falsity of the belief but we have to guard against the prejudice resulting from the desire in our quest for truth.<br />
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Authority And Revelation<br />
Another set of arguments for survival are based on authority. It may be stated that many poets and mystics as well as rational thinkers brought up in a tradition which condemned the belief, nevertheless, professed it.<br />
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The classic case is that of Giordano Bruno, who is said to have stated in his profession of faith before the Inquisition: 'I have held and hold souls to be immortal speaking as a Catholic, they do not pass from body to body, but go to Paradise, Purgatory or Hell. But I have reasoned deeply, and, speaking as a philosopher, since the soul is not found without body and yet is not body, it may be in one body or in another, and pass from body to body. This, if it be not (proved) true seems at least, likely.' (See, REINCARNATION an East-West Anthology, Ed. J. Head & S. L. Cranston, New York, 1961). Over two hundred and fifty well-known poets, philosophers and writers of the Western world have either held or professed some sort of belief in rebirth.<br />
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All that this seems to suggest is that the belief is worth examining and it does not in any way imply the truth of the belief.<br />
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The argument from revelation is also unacceptable to science and Buddhism. It is true that certain texts in the Vedic tradition, particularly the middle and late Upanishads profess a belief in rebirth but there is a variety of views on the subject of survival in the Vedic tradition, itself. In one of the early Upanishads rebirth is denied. It is said: 'there are these three worlds, the world of men, the world of departed spirits and the world of the gods. The world of men is obtained through a son only, not by any other means' (Bvhad Aranayaka Upanisad, 1.5, 15). While there are these contradictions within the revelational traditions, the different theistic revelations also contradict each other on the problem of survival. So the doctrine of rebirth cannot be established by an argument from authority or revelation, since authority and revelation are not acceptable means of knowledge.<br />
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Methaphysical And Ethical Arguments<br />
The metaphysical (theoritical) arguments are no better. Apart from the fact that they make use of unverifiable concept like 'soul', the arguments are of doubtful value and are generally discredited today. One of the traditional arguments for survival has been that the 'soul is a substance, substances are indestructible, therefore the soul is indestructible, ie. Immortal.' But apart from the difficulty of the concept of a 'soul', the notion of an indestructible substance is discredited today.<br />
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With regard to rebirth, we have already met with a sample of such a metaphysical argument in that of Giordano Bruno. Such arguments, based on pure reasoning intended to prove the truth of rebirth are to be met with, for example, in a work by Professor John Me Taggart (Philosophy) of Cambridge, called 'Some Dogmas of Religion' (Ch.IV). But they have little appeal today since it is recognized that matters of fact cannot be proved by pure reasoning (takka) as the Buddha himself pointed out (Ma takka hetu).<br />
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The ethical argument has a greater appeal, but this is so only for those who accept its presuppositions. According to the Buddha, karma was one of the predominant factors responsible for human inequalities. This has often been represented as embodying the following rational ethical argument consisting of an empirical and ethical premiss viz.<br />
<br />
¦people are of unequal status, those of unequal status ought to be such by virtue of their own actions - therefore, since this is not due to their actions in this life, it should be due to their actions in prior lives. This means that both pre-existence and karma are the case.This is an argument that has appealed to many thinkers down the ages, but most modern thinkers would not accept the second ethical premises namely that 'those of unequal status ought to be such by virtue of their own actions.' This is because most people believe today that the universe or nature is a moral and there is no ethical reason why anything should or should not be so. On the other hand, many hold that ethical statements are neither true or false. It is nevertheless a fact that many people brought up in a belief in the inherent justice of nature ask questions of the form, 'why should so and so be born healthy while I am in a state of ill-health from birth etc. ><br />
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It is only the modern scholars who have made an argument of this since the Buddha merely stated as an observed fact that, the predominant cause of these inequalities was karma. The fact is in principle's verifiable but the argument appeals to one's moral sense, and is of value only if such a moral sense is universally present and shared by all mankind.<br />
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The Evidence<br />
The above arguments are, therefore, for one reason or another, unsatisfactory and have little force in proving the truth of rebirth or survival. The truth or falsity of rebirth, therefore, rests on the relevant empirical evidence, (ie deriving knowledge from experience alone)<br />
We may classify the main evidence into two sorts, (i) experimental and (ii) spontaneous. The other evidence may be considered separately.<br />
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The experimental evidence is based on age-regression. Under hypnosis a subject can recall or relive his past experiences. With regard to this life when regressed to age six, for instance, the subject would behave, write and talk as he or she did at that time and recall the past experiences, which it may not be possible to recall by normal means. The handwriting and the memories could be independently checked. Such experiments have convinced psychologists and psychiatrists today that the authentic buried memories of one's childhood experiences, which cannot be called to mind in normal consciousness, can be unearthed by hypnosis.<br />
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It may be asked whether the subject is not just responding to the suggestion of the hypnotist and is merely play-acting or shamming. That this is not so has been proved experimentally. Dr. H. J. Eysenck, who was Professor of Psychology in the University of London and Director of the Psychological Department at the Institute of Psychiatry, Maudsley and Bethlehem Royal Hospitals, states that, 'in one case it was found that when a twenty-year old girl was regressed to various ages she changed the chalk to her left hand at the sixyear level; she had started writing with the left hand, but had been forced to change over at the age of six'.<br />
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In another case, a thirty year old was hypnotized and regressed to a level of about oneyear of age on a chair arranged in such a way that with the release of a latch it would fall back into a horizontal position. When the latch was released the behaviour elicited was not that of an adult but of a child. An adult, it is said, would quite involuntarily extend both arms and legs in an effort to maintain balance. Since the subject made no movement of the limbs but screamed in fright and fell backward with the chair, urinating in the process. Eysenck comments. 'It is unlikely that such behaviour is simply due to playacting'. Intelligence and achievements tests have been used to assess the nature of the behaviour of regressed subjects and it has been found that 'people tend to behave on tests of this type in a manner roughly appropriate to the given age.' Eysenck's observations with regard to the possibility of faking such behaviour, are as follows: 'Such reactions, of course, could easily be faked, but it has been shown that when, for instance, the eye movements of subjects are photographed, a considerable lack of ocular co-ordination and stability is found when regression to a relatively young age occurs. Such physiological phenomena are characteristic of young children and are difficult, if not impossible, to produce voluntarily.<br />
A remarkable fact is that the psychological experiences had when the physiological condition of the body was different, are re-enacted.<br />
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To quote Eysenck again: Even more impressive is another case of a subject who had a colloid cyst removed from the floor of the third ventricle. Prior to this removal, the subject had been suffering from blindness in the left half of the right eye. After the operation, vision had become normal, but when the subject was regressed to a time shortly before the operation, the visual defect again reappeared during the regression. The expected physiological reaction is not only appropriate to the age but reflects the physiological condition of the body at the time.<br />
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In the light of the experimental evidence, Eysenck concludes: 'Experiments such as those described in some detail above, leave little doubt that there is a substantial amount of truth in the hypothesis that age regression does, in fact, take place, and that memories can be recovered which most people would think had been completely lost'. This is the consensus of opinion among orthodox psychologists today.<br />
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So genuine memories not accessible to normal recall are generally evoked or the experiences relived at the suggestion of the hypnotist in age-regression. So at least as far as this life is concerned, to say that the memories recalled under age regression are hallucinatory or delusive is not correct.<br />
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<strong>Introducing The Writer<br />
The late Professor K. N. Jayatilleke </strong>Ph. D. (Cantab) was born in 1920; educated at Royal College, Colombo. He was learned in Pali, Sanskrit, Indian and Western Philosophy (Classical and Modern) Professor of Philosophy at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, and read papers on Buddhism at Oxford (1961), Havard USA and at Princeton University (1966). He passed away when only 50 years of age, in July 1970.<br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Few are the beings born again among men; more numerous are those born elsewhere than among men - Anguttara Nikaya I.<br />
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<strong>Universal Brotherhood by Henri Van Zeyst<br />
</strong><br />
Universal Brotherhood is a wonderful ideal, a marvelous concept. Yet, how little is it understood, and how often misapplied. The concept of brotherhood involves tolerance; but, tolerance is neither acceptance nor rejection; it is just a camouflage of conflict which results from the opposition between the 'I' and 'You'.<br />
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In the tolerance of brotherhood one believes in many facets of the truth, but one does not know what truth is. Then the idea of brotherhood is an invention of the mind which seeks the firm establishment of 'self through the united strength of others.<br />
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As long as the idea of brotherhood is a means to bring and keep together in faith and discipline what is essentially divided, it is a mere camouflage for hypocrisy, an escape from fear and doubt, a cover for exploitation and opposition.<br />
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Then, as soon as brotherhood does not serve the common interest in business or in politics, the individual resistance will break through in hate and cruelty.<br />
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And so, the concept of brotherhood is made use of for private ends; and that in itself already is the seed for conflict. Brotherhood as an institution to bring individuals together in striving for a common goal cannot bring about the change of heart and mind without which all striving is for self-interest and security, even when 'the other' is the moans thereto.<br />
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If this is truly understood, then there is no need for tolerance, because in love which is not possessiveness, there is no opposition. Without personal attachment there is freedom of understanding of need; and such understanding does not require a united brotherhood in tolerance, nor a united organization for political or religious ends. Only when there is opposition and hate and conflict, the idea of brotherhood arises.<br />
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<strong>About the Author<br />
Henri van Zeyst</strong> was born in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in 1905. Educated throughout in Catholic schools and colleges, he spent his final years of studies in philosophy and theology. An intensive course of comparative religion brought him in contact with Buddhism. Within a year of his coming to Ceylon he was ordained a Buddhist monk there in 1938 under the name of Bhikkhu Dhammapala.<br />
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</span>Akasa Levi ~ The Laughing Buddha Sanghahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06307069739413478857noreply@blogger.com