Posts Tagged ‘love’
You never see a U-Haul in a funeral procession
You can’t take anything with you. The house, the car, the toys, recognition, money, club memberships, and all the things you worked to acquire or achieve—none of it goes to the grave or beyond. So how important is it really? Is this really what life is all about? What do you barter to acquire these…
Read MoreThere is no companionship with the immature.
If you find no one to support you on a spiritual path, walk alone. There is no companionship with the immature. The Dhammapada (5:61) We may find times on this spiritual journey in which other people test our path. They may try to lessen or demean our value, ridicule our choices, tempt us to believe…
Read MoreA thousand declarations of love mean less than one caring act.
Do I speak of love but fail to demonstrate caring? Do I rail against the plight of the less fortunate but never volunteer to help? Do I proclaim that everyone has a right to their belief and opinions but close my ears and mind to what they say—or even denigrate that which does not agree…
Read MoreEach of us have a indwelling divine presence that offers guidance, power, and security
We have been told: Everyone has the Buddha within. Siddhārtha Gautama 550BC Nor will they say “Look here” or Look there” for the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:21 We found the Great Reality deep down within. In the final analysis, it was only there that He may be found. (AA Big Book…
Read MoreMake a “to be” list in addition to a “to do” list.
We get so caught up in living the rat race that we forget to actually live. We develop patterns—the mental-emotional response habits—that continually produce stress, anxiety, worry, and fear. We rush about, cramming as much activity as possible into each day; then, we crash, take a mood-altering chemical to help us relax and feel better…
Read MoreThere is no law that I must allow people to “push my buttons”
After all, they are MY buttons. Do I give other people the power to make me angry? To make me feel guilty? To make me ashamed? Do I react to what others say, how they look at me, or what I think they think about me? Do I silently accept what “they” say I should…
Read MoreI participate in gossip by talking—or listening. Without the listener, gossip dies
Do I have an inner void, a feeling of emptiness that makes me feel ‘less than’ other people? Is gossip one of my ways to compensate for this? Do I talk about other people? Do I share a confidence just to flout that I know something another person does not know? Must I try to…
Read MoreSufficient to the moment are the troubles thereof
A Zen story: A senior monk and a junior monk were traveling together. One day, they came to a deep river. At the edge of the river, a young woman sat weeping, because she was afraid to cross the river without help. She begged the two monks to help her. The younger monk turned his…
Read MoreWhy—and how–do I react to people? Am I kind and loving, patient and tolerant? Or something else?
If I get upset, is my reaction because someone attacked me physically or degraded one of my core values? Or is it because of pride or a need to be right? Do I respond with little thought, without being peacefully centered? Or do I pause, pray and try to respond with maturity and love? People…
Read MoreCharacter growth or character building? One follows the natural path; the other is doing it my way.
Building indicates that I have the blueprint, that I am the planner and the “doer”; growth infers that I am willing to plant the seed, nurture and water it with the right thoughts and actions, and let God and nature decide the direction and timing of my natural growth. We’ve reached that point where we…
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