LIFE IS THE BEST GURU . . .
Learn from anyone who is
more awake or conscious than you.
In this way, you will surely
grow personally.
Life is the best guru.
- Deepak Chopra
LIFE IS THE BEST GURU . . . Learn from anyone who is more awake or conscious than you. In this way, you will surely grow personally. Life is the best guru. - Deepak Chopra When Hindus were wishing each other with Namaste - They laughed
When Hindus were washing hands and feet before entering home - They laughed When Hindus were worshiping Animals - They laughed When Hindus were worshiping Plants Trees Forests - They laughed When Hindus were primarily having Veg diet - They laughed. When Hindus were doing Yoga - They laughed. When Hindus were worshiping God and Goddess - They Laughed When Hindus were burning the dead - They laughed When Hindus bathed after attending a funeral - They laughed. Well guess what ? No body is laughing now.. - Pravin Agrawal Many of us are so busy and work so much that we don't have time to live. Our work can take up all our life. We may even be addicted to our work, not because we need the money, but because we don't know how to handle the suffering and loneliness inside and so we take refuge in our work. - Thich Nhat Hanh
Almost every time I sit for meditation I think of a man named Allan Bennett. At the beginning of the 20th century he went to Sri Lanka, became a Buddhist monk and returned to his native England to share meditation and Buddhism. Circumstances resulted in his "failure" to spread Buddhism: World War I and his own deteriorating health. He died in poverty at the age of 50 yet he planted an important seed from which Buddhism would grow and flourish in England and Europe. I think of Allan Bennett every time I sit for meditation and think of him with gratitude for his sacrifice.
Here's a link to my short profile on him published at the website Buddhist Door: https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/the-man-who-brought-buddhism-to-great-britain-allan-bennett Let me give you a wonderful Zen practice. Wake up in the morning...look in the mirror, and laugh at yourself. - Bernie Glassman
There is no permanent reality except the reality of change. Permanence is an illusion of the senses. - David Carradine
Why do Westerners who embrace Hindu practices resist identifying themselves as Hindus?
That's the question raised by Swami Shankarananda (a British born convert to Hinduism) who writes: "Thousands of non-Indians follow the practices of Hinduism and are intrigued by its philosophy. So, why don't they call themselves Hindu?" It is not an abstract question as Swami Shankarananda himself found it difficult to identify himself as a "Hindu" whenever filling in a form asking one religious identify. He notes this isn't an issue for Westerners who embrace Buddhism. "I have friends and colleagues who are leaders of the Buddhist community here in Melbourne. They say that, in general, the Western Buddhist practitioners under their tutelage have not the slightest problem saying they are Buddhist. What's the difference between them and us? Why is it easier for Westerners to call themselves Buddhists than Hindus? It's not simply because Buddhism is more fashionable at the moment, being apparently more rational (fewer Gods), or currently enjoying the charisma and leadership of the Dalai Lama. Why should a person who practices yoga and meditation, believes in karma and reincarnation, honors Hindu tradition, chants Sanskrit and venerates Hindu deities be reluctant to call himself a Hindu?" Here are some reasons why this hesitation is present in Westerners according to the Swami:
So, think about his insights. If you're chanting in Sanskrit, working with your Chakras, doing yoga, meditation, visiting your local Temple, you're really not a Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal any longer. Zen is a branch of Buddhism that focuses on meditation. - Daniel D'Apolloni
Reality is always speaking to us, if we are only willing to listen, free of grasping to our own opinions, our own views: that is Wisdom. - Tashi Nyima
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Victor M. Parachin ...is aVedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Archives
July 2024
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