In everything, no matter what it may be, uniformity is undesirable. Leaving something incomplete makes it interesting, and gives one the feeling that there is room for growth. - Yoshida Kenko
Daisaku Ikeda is a Buddhist author, teacher and peace activist from Japan. During world war II, he suffered with tuberculosis as a young man. Because of the war, all traditional treatments (rest, recuperation, meditations) were not available to him or his family. He is no stranger to sickness.
Yet, he makes this provocative observation: "We must not forget that living a life free of illness is not everything. If you concentrate too much on your health and neglect other aspects of your life, you will become preoccupied by excess prudence which does not result in a truly satisfactory life." What, then, is needed in addition to good health? His reply: "One can live a meaningful life only when he has an objective or an ideal whose achievement deserves is lifelong devotion, or whose value is everlasting and remains unchanged even after he dies." When you feel diligent and enthusiastic you meditate, and when you feel lazy you meditate. — Ajahn Chah
![]() (public domain image from www.pixabay.com) If you have a friend who is from India, be sure to wish him or her "happy diwali" today! Known as the festival of lights, Diwali is one of the most important and popular celebrations in India. The theme of Diwali is that good triumphs over darkness. It is celebrated not only by Hindus worldwide but also by Jains and Sikhs. The date for Diwali varies slighlty from year to year because it is based on a lunar calendar – the 14th day of the lunar month of Ashvayuja. This usually falls between the end of October and into the first two weeks of November. The festival lasts five days with each day designated for a specific spiritual focus. Various deities are worshiped during Diwali with the main one being Laksmhi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. The origin of Diwali has been lost in history, however, it can be traced back to around 1000 CE. More ancient mythological stories in various Vedic texts provide inspiration for Diwali. Light is an important spiritual symbol for Hindus as it is for many in other religions. American Zen Buddhist teacher and social activist Bernie Glassman passed away at his home in Massachusetts early on Sunday (11/04) morning at the age of 79. Glassman suffered a debilitating stroke in January 2016 but, along with his wife, remained active within the Zen community he founded. Glassman is survived by his wife, Eve, two children, Alisa and Mark, and four grandchildren.
Born in 1939, and a former aeronautical engineer at McDonnell-Douglas, with a PhD in applied mathematics, Glassman first encountered Zen as a student when he was assigned Huston Smith’s The Religions of Man for an English class. He began meditating in the early 1960s and soon afterwards found a teacher in the form of Japanese Zen master Taizan Maezumi (1931–95) in Los Angeles. Glassman went on to become one of the original founding members of the Zen Center of Los Angeles. In 1980, Glassman moved back to New York City from the West Coast and established the Zen Community of New York. In 1982, he opened Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, New York, to help alleviate homelessness in the area and provide jobs for residents who lacked education and skills. According to the Greyston Bakery: “Since 1982, we have developed and refined Open Hiring, assembling a remarkable team of bakers by hiring without interviews, resumes, background checks, or applications.” Glassman authored several books, including The Dude and the Zen Master (2013), Infinite Circle: Teachings in Zen (2003), Bearing Witness: A Zen Master's Lessons in Making Peace (1999), and On Zen Practice: Body, Breath, Mind (1999). We can be equally sobered when we see what we might be remembered for. Would we want our tombstone to say, “He was angry and he died.” Or, “She held on to her resentments until her dying day.” Or, “HE died never having given back.” These may be exaggerations, but we all have big lapses in which we forget what is most important. The point is that we don’t have to wait until our death to remember. We can use our “little deaths”—those moments when we see that we’re being petty, unkind, or unforgiving—to remind us that the most important thing is to live from the gratitude and kindness of the awakening heart. - Ezra Bayda
Illness must be diagnosed, its causes eliminated, wellbeing attained, and treatment applied. Likewise, suffering, its causes, their cessation, and the path must, in turn, be understood, eliminated, realized, and relied upon. —Maitreya
In order to grow, you need sorrow; in order to become loving, you very often need distress,
and turmoil is often required to release your deeper resources. - Eknath Easwaran Recently while on a royal tour of New Zealand, Prince Harry was overheard by reporters speaking to a 6 year-old boy whose mother died. After listening to Otia Nante, Harry offered these words of support: "Life will always be all right, you know that? I’ve made it to 34 years old, and life is great. I have a beautiful wife and a baby on the way. Your life is going to be sorted. Don’t you worry about that."
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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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