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Nirvana - It's Right before Your Eyes

2/21/2014

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For many people, nirvana is mistakenly thought of as a Buddhist heaven.  A place somewhere in the spiritual cosmos where there is no more pain or suffering.  

But just as Buddhism is all about being present in the moment, nirvana is also in the here and now.  It is, actually, nothing more than a state of mind.  Let me quote from several Buddhist sources.

First, a verse from the Heart Sutra:

“Bodhisatvas, abiding always in perfected wisdom,
Their minds have no fears or obstructions,
Therefore they have no fears or obstructions; 
Free of confused illusions,
They reach nirvana.”

The "only" door that needs to be opened to reach nirvana is to have no fears or obstructions, to be free of confused illusions.  And one achieves that by abiding in perfected wisdom, which is principally to be aware of the emptiness of all five skandhas ... appearance of form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness-ego, and experiencing things directly without the intervention of those ego-driven thoughts.  

Next, two verses from an ancient Chinese poem, “Affirming Faith in Mind.”

“Do not reject the sense domain.
For as it is, whole and complete,
this sense world is enlightenment.”

“Not only here, not only there,
truth’s right before your very eyes.”

The point being made here is that when you see the sense world “whole and complete,” meaning as it truly is, with dispassion, free of the intervention of your thinking mind, free of labels, because you are aware of the emptiness of all five skandhas, that is enlightenment.  Nirvana is being able to see things as they really are.

Finally, verses from a poem by the 18th century Japanese Zen master Hakuin, “In Praise of Zazen.”

“The cause of our sorrow is ego delusion.
From dark path to dark path
we’ve wandered in darkness-
...  The gateway to freedom is zazen samadhi-”

“What is there outside us,
what is there we lack?
Nirvana is openly shown to our eyes.
This earth where we stand
is the pure lotus land,
and this body the very body of Buddha.”

The point here needs no further explication.  Nirvana is right here, right now, if we are only able to see things clearly, just as they are, free of the intervention of our ego thinking-mind, free of labels.

In all three poems, nirvana is clearly in the here and now, with the pre-condition to experiencing it being an awareness of the emptiness of all five skandhas and being free of the intervention of our ego thinking-mind.  (As noted in many of my posts, we can never be free of our ego or its thinking-mind; it is a part of us.  But with awareness, we can be free of it’s intervention; when it arises we can choose not to engage it but just watch it subside.)

This is by no means easy to achieve - an understatement if ever there was one - but it is something which is possible and indeed only possible in the here and now.   Remember that this is not a flash of light thing for most of us.  It is an incremental process as we walk the path, with our slowly gaining more moments in more days in which we are aware of the emptiness of all five skandhas and experience things directly as they really are, with dispassion, free of all obstructions ... all labels, all fear and anxiety, doubt and confusion, anger, negativity, and lust.  Thus we experience nirvana bit by bit, and for this we are grateful.


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Embrace the Moment, Not Merely Accept

2/17/2014

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Buddhist writing is filled with the concept of acceptance ... of oneself, of the moment, of the world as being the way they are.  Acceptance is a key component of equanimity.  

I have also often cited the acceptance “prayer” that is used in 12-step programs: “And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.  When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, etc. as being exactly the way it is at this moment.”

Acceptance is thus a very powerful frame of mind.  The problem is that in the English language, the word “acceptance” in this context is taken by most people to imply resignation.  But in the Buddhist use of the word, it clearly does not mean resignation, or even assent, agreement.  

In the Buddhist sense, acceptance is a far more positive word, indicating awareness that things are the way they are because it’s just the way they are and being open to receiving all that the present moment has to offer, being open to the sense world free of all labels.  Indeed, one could say that there is nothing to accept, to assent to; that it is just the way it is.  As a monk once said to me, “It’s like the law of thermodynamics.”

I have noted in my books and posts that at times words from Pali or other eastern languages have been translated into English in ways that may be literally correct, but which are misleading on their face and therefore need to be clarified for the reader, creating a barrier when there should be none.  “Acceptance” is one of those instances, and a very important one because it creates much push-back from people trying to walk the path.  They do not want to accept the way things are right now, in the sense of resignation.

But if the teaching behind the word is a combination of awareness that things are the way they are because it’s just the way it is, free of all labels, and being open to receiving all that the present moment or situation has to offer (even situations that stimulate pain and sorrow have much to offer to our development), then perhaps a better word to use to convey the fulness of the meaning and avoid the push-back is “embrace,”

If the teaching were, “to embrace” the moment, it would at once convey the positive aspects of Buddhist teaching and be removed from the tainted connotation of resignation. Also “embrace” is an active word whereas “acceptance” is more passive.  While we have little or no control over what happens in the world and even in our immediate family, we do have control over how those things impact us, we do have control over how we relate to ourselves and the world around us.  Which brings up the final reason for using the word “embrace” ... it is expressive of the concept of having unconditional love and compassion for all people and things.

And so I would revise the acceptance prayer as follows:  “And to embrace is the answer to all my problems today.  When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I embrace that person, etc. as being exactly the way it is at this moment, experiencing it with dispassion, free of labels, free of the intervention of my thinking mind, and open to receiving all that the present moment has to offer.”

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The Ego As Saboteur

2/13/2014

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Suffering is universal, and craving is the source of all suffering, but it’s the ego and it’s thinking mind that are both the repository of all the learned experiences that lie at the root of craving and the generator and proponent of that craving.

In my post, “The Mystery of the Ego - An Answer,” I related how I realized that my ego-mind was in large part a function of “little Ronnie,”  not just my learned experiences but more decisively my reactions to them as a little child.  That all the torment and bad advice I receive from my ego-mind is actually the result of some basic defense mechanisms that little Ronnie developed to protect himself, not knowing how misguided and harmful his child’s perspective was.  Thus its intransigence.

Part of that realization was understanding that my becoming a sex addict was little Ronnie’s way of protecting me from what he thought would be the inevitable failure of any relationship I was in.  He couldn’t trust any relationship because he thought he was unloveable and so engaged in activities that increased his/my sense of independence.

But recently, I realized that there’s even more to the destructiveness of little Ronnie’s insecurity and the defense mechanisms he developed.  Not only did he attempt to protect himself (and me) by increasing my feeling of independence while in a relationship.  He strove to destroy those relationships in order to free me from what he felt was an unhealthy dependence on a love that was not to be trusted and would ultimately fail me.  This occurred with each long-term relationship I’ve had.

My first long-term relationship was very warm and loving.  During the third year of our relationship, I for some reason wrote an intense letter to a former lover, who I had always viewed as the love of my life.  But I didn’t send the letter and instead just put it in my attache case.  One day, my partner was looking for something and discovered the letter.  The result was disastrous.  The relationship imploded because he could no longer trust me.

For years I wondered why in the world I had written that letter and then left it in my attache case where it could be so easily discovered.  I now know.  Little Ronnie wanted to protect me by freeing myself from the relationship.

My next long-term relationship was everything you could want from a relationship.  And it lasted for 12 years until my partner died of AIDS.  But during this whole time, my sex addict activities continued unabated.  My partner became aware of them because he found some video machine tokens in my bureau drawer.  (Why did I leave them in the drawer where they could be so easily found?)  But rather than stomping off, he just said that I could do what I wanted; he just didn’t want to know about it.

So little Ronnie’s defense mechanism didn’t destroy the relationship in this instance.  But there is no question in my mind now that that was his intent.

I am currently in the deepest loving (although nonsexual) relationship that I have ever known, with my best friend.  We have become family and have a mutual deep and complete love for each other.  We are one, our lives are collaborative, and we constantly exhibit selflessness in supporting each other.  My ego thinking-mind’s cries of “What about me!  What about my perspective!” are viewed with compassion by me but have little relevance.

But over the course of the last few months, despite my knowing that a certain subject that I broached caused my partner much mental anguish, and as a result me as well as his pain is my pain, I continued to broach this subject again and again.  I meditated on why I was doing this to someone I loved so much, to whom I wanted only to offer joy and help relieve his suffering.  That is my main purpose in life.  But my behavior just wouldn’t stop.  

Then after the most recent episode, as I sat there stunned again by my words and their impact, I meditated and came to the realization I noted above ... that my ego thinking-mind, little Ronnie, was attempting to protect me by destroying the relationship.  Making me independent once again.  Thank goodness it didn’t work since our love is so deep and trusting.

And so I practiced tonglen on little Ronnie once again, receiving his pain and sending him my love and compassion and understanding.  And this time, sending him the teaching of “not-two,” that we are all one and that our only security lies not in our ego’s focus  on separateness, but in our knowledge of our true Buddha nature and in our interconnectedness, the development of a communal perspective rather than an individualistic one.

I relate this story because it has relevance to everyone.  As I’ve written previously in posts and in my book, Raising a Happy Child, we are all insecure and both suffer and cause suffering in others as a result, both to members of our immediate family as well as to strangers.  As our families and the larger society have drifted further and further from a communal model to an ever-more I-centric model the suffering of humankind has increased exponentially, as can be seen by the huge increase in the incidence of depression and the corresponding prescription of drugs to combat it.

The world would be a much better, a much happier place if everyone were able to feel at one with their family members and the rest of the human community and see that their only purpose in life is to offer others joy and help relieve the suffering of others.  To follow the central moral maxim of every major religion ... do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

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Belief in You Buddha Nature - The Beginning and the End

2/9/2014

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Your belief in the teachings of the Buddha is the starting point for walking the path.  Without that belief there is no path.  And central to that teaching is belief in your own true Buddha nature, in your unborn Buddha mind.  

If you do not at some level believe in that then making progress on the path, standing up to all the challenges we face from our thinking mind and our environment, would be very difficult if not impossible.  For it is to your true Buddha nature that you turn your life over to, that you surrender your ego thinking-mind to, that you find refuge in when you are present, free of the intervention of thought.  Your true Buddha nature is your “not self,” the antithesis of your ego.  It is your source of strength.

As we progress on the path, we make more and more conscious contact with our true Buddha nature.  We experience its wisdom, its seeing with equal mind, its freedom from likes and dislikes, its awareness of the emptiness of all five skandhas.

And if we are lucky, at some stage in our practice, we become one with our true Buddha nature 24/7.  I am not there yet, for that is enlightenment, that is complete freedom from our ego thinking-mind. that is freedom from all fears and obstructions, from all confused illusions.

And so belief in your true Buddha nature is both the beginning and the end of the path, in the sense of having made it home.   The path itself, of course, has no end; it continues till we die.

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My Mind Trapped Me

2/5/2014

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Once again, my thinking mind has used my spiritual practice to create a trap for me.  I believe that if live my life well ... that is, in accord with the Five Precepts and Six Paramitas ... that all will be well, that the future will take care of itself, because regardless what life throws at me or how far I stray, I will always return to my true Buddha nature and be in touch with my inner strength, present, aware of the emptiness of all five skandhas, experiencing things directly with dispassion, not ruled by fear and anger, and able to make decisions that are in my best interest,

At some point, however, I changed this mantra to say, I believe that if I live each moment well ...  And during the past few months as I’ve been contemplating some changes in my life, I have felt much stress, anxiety, and doubt.  

What I realized while meditating the other morning was that my revised mantra had created a new fear within me ... that if I did not live each moment well, the consequences would be bad.  My mind had created it’s own trap because I know that I won’t be spiritually centered, aware, 24/7.  And so I had fear about the process I was going through.  Basically I couldn’t trust myself.

However, I do believe without any doubt that regardless how unaware I may be for much of the day, at a minimum I will return to my true Buddha nature once a day when I meditate each morning.  And at that time I will realize what transpired the previous day, have a teachable moment, be present, and center myself once again.

And with that faith and knowledge, I have no fear of the unknown, nor fear of the known, because there is nothing to fear; fear is just a thought in my thinking mind and I am aware of the emptiness of all five skandhas.  Regardless what life throws my way, I know I will always return to my true Buddha nature each day and be at peace and content.  

And if I am present, at peace and content, not ruled by fear and anger, in conscious contact with my true Buddha nature, there is nothing that can harm me.  In that space, I know that the only thing that’s important is for me to follow my purpose, which is to offer others joy and help relieve the suffering of others, to respect my body and my mind, to live within my means, and to be in touch with nature.

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    1. The Goal Of Buddhism
    1. The Goal Of Buddhism - Clarified
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    Acknowledgement Of The Cause Of Suffering Is Key
    Allow Nothing To Disturb Your Peace And Happiness
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    A Path To Compassion And Loving Kindness
    Approaching The Other Shore
    A Prayer For America On This Election Day
    Are You Reading And Willing To Let Your Cravings Go?
    As A Buddhist How Do You Plan - Revisited Again - Relying On Your Buddha Nature
    As A Buddhist How Do You Think About The Future?
    As A Buddhist … Revisited Again - Do We Need To Know Where We’re Headed?
    As A Buddhist ... Revisited - Planning Without Thinking
    As A Buddhist … Revisited Yet Again - How Do You Implement Moving Forward Without Having A Destination Point?
    A Simpler Path To Experiencing Joy
    Attachment To Self
    Avatars - Their Usefulness
    Back To Basics
    Be A Light Unto Yourself And Others
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    Being Aware Of Abundance
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    Being - Not Being
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    Being Present Is Being Flexible
    Being Present Is The Key To Peace And Contentment
    Being Present - No What If’s Or Imagining The Future
    Being Present - Part 2
    Being Present Requires Faith
    Being There For Someone
    Belief In You Buddha Nature - The Beginning And The End
    Believe In Yourself
    Be One With Your Divine Essence
    Be Sustained By The Love Of Buddha Within You
    Be The Eye Of The Hurricane
    Beware Complacency
    Beyond Acceptance
    Beyond Awareness
    Beyond Dispassion - The Next Step
    Boredom
    Boundaries
    Buddha Mind - Child Mind
    Buddha Mind Free Of Thought
    Buddha Nature Gentle And Serene
    Buddhism And The Divine
    Burying Your Old Identity
    Burying Your Old Identity - II - Separating Yourself From Your Old Identity
    Can't Find Your Buddha Nature - Look In The Mirror
    Change Your Life By Changing The Direction Of Its Energy Flow
    Changing The Direction Of Your Energy Flow - II - Manifesting
    Changing Your Reactions
    Chicken Or Egg ?
    Cleansed
    Co-existence Of Buddha Nature And Ego-Mind
    Compassion
    Control
    Control Your Reality
    Craving "Survival" Condemns You To Suffering
    Crying - An Understanding
    Darkness Before Light
    Darkness V Light
    Death And Life
    Death And Life - Part 2
    Death Heaven And Hell
    Deflating The Ego
    Dependence
    Desire - The Gerbil Trap
    Desperate For Love And Acknowledgment?
    Discipline - It’s Essential
    Dislike - An Insidious Obstruction
    Dispassion Does Not Mean Wtihout Feeling
    Dispassion - Enter The State Of By Becoming Aware Of The Emptiness Of Our Ego-mind
    Dispassion - Obstacles And Options To Achieve It
    Dispassion - Unlocking The Doors
    Don't Just Negate Specifics - Replace Your Total Frame Of Reference
    Don't Just Say No To Your Mind
    Don’t Speak/Help Unless Asked
    Don’t Waste A Moment
    Don’t Waste A Moment
    Do We Suffer Or Not? - The Choice Is Ours
    Do You Really Want To Be At Peace And Content
    Ego - Changing Your Relationship With It
    Embrace The Moment Not Merely Accept
    Emptiness - What Does It Mean?
    Emptying Myself Of Myself - The Divine's Will Not Mine
    Enter Your Buddha Mind
    Equanimity But Feel Someone’s Pain
    Everything That Disturbs Us Is A Product Of Suffering
    Everything You Need To Be Happy
    Everything You Need To Be Happy- II
    Evil - How Should A Buddhist Respond?
    Expectations? - Not If You Want To End Suffering
    Experiencing The Fullness Of The Present
    Facing My Insecurity
    Faith And Mind Not Separate
    Faith And Mind Not Separate - 2
    Faith And Mind - Take III
    Faith And Reason
    Faith Even When You Are Dependent On Others
    Faith: The Essential Element Of Spiritual Practice
    Faith: What Is It And Why Is It Essential?
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    Fear Anxiety And Craving - Chicken Or Egg #2
    Fear Arises From Our Desire To Control
    Fearlessness
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    Fear V Common Sense
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    Feeling Lack - A Most Insidious Perception
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    Finding Happiness In Each Moment
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    Freeing Yourself From Anger And Resentment
    Freeing Yourself From Attachments
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    Freeing Yourself From Fear II
    Freeing Yourself From Fear - III
    Freeing Yourself From Suffering - The Prerequisite Step
    Freeing Your Soul
    Freeing Your Soul - II
    Freeing Your Soul - III
    Free Of Thought - Important Clarification
    Frustration ... Our Canary In The Mine
    Get Over Yourself
    Getting To Know Your True Buddha Self
    Give Yourself A Choice
    Going Through Life With Blinders - The Obstruction Of Labels
    Good Guys Finish Last?
    Go Slow
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    Guilt
    Guilt And The Defensive Beast
    Half Measures Don't Work
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    Happiness Is Elusive
    Happiness - What You Need To Be Happy
    Happy New Year 2017?
    Have Directions Not Goals
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    Have You Heard Of Narcs - The Final Answer To Why I Was Frowning
    Healing Your Inner Child - Healing Your Wounded Heart
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    Hell Is Just Resistance To Life
    How I Failed Myself
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    How To Desire Yet Not Crave?
    How To Find Faith?
    How To Find Your True Self Your Heart
    How To Free Yourself From The Control Of Your Ego-Mind
    How To Live In Our World
    How To Love Yourself
    How To Maintain Joy Regardless What
    How To Observe Through The Eyes Of Your True Buddha Self
    How To Offer Others Joy
    How To Process The Election
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    How To Spiritually Respond To The Election?
    How To Start The Day
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    Humbling Myself
    Humility
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    Humility: The Truth About "My" Good Accomplishments
    I Am Being Reborn
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    If Nothing Offends All Internal Struggle Ceases
    If This Is Practical Buddhism Why The Pastoral Setting
    "If You Love Someone You Will Suffer"
    Imagining In Meditation
    I'm Back
    I’m Grateful To Be A Jubu
    Inner Happiness - Outer Happiness
    Innocence Or Ignorance?
    Insecurity - Nurture Not Nature
    Instead Of Forgiveness Show Compassion
    It Doesn’t Have To Be
    It's All About Survival - Or Is It?
    It's A Sin -The Harm We Inflict On Ourselves
    It’s Just The Way It Is
    It’s Just The Way It Is And It’s All OK
    It's Just The Way It Is - Take III
    It’s No Crime To Think About Oneself!
    Joy - A Hopefully Final Take
    Joy - At Last Real Understanding
    Joy - Experience It Now
    Joyful Dispassion - Excited Non-attachment
    Joyful Dispassion - Update
    Joy/Happiness - A Choice We Make
    Joy - One More Take
    Joy - The Final Take - Taking Joy In Each Moment Is Only Possible When You Radiate Light
    Joy - Yet Another Take
    Knowing Best?
    Know The Greatness Within You
    Know Thyself - The Power Of Awareness
    Know Who You Are - Be Who You Are
    Lack V Abundance
    Learning From Falling Off The Spiritual Wagon
    Let Go - Let God
    Letting Go
    Letting Others Go Their Way
    Liberate Yourself From Thinking
    Likes And Dislikes - A Potential Trap Examined
    Listening To Others
    Listening - Why Is It So Difficult?
    Looking For Your Treasure
    Love At First Sight - NOT
    Love/Loving-Kindness - Defined In The Buddhist Context
    Love Yourself Unconditionally
    Make It Your Own - An Extension Of “The Heart’s Embrace”
    Making Lists - Objectifying Your Fears The Things That Push Your Buttons
    Making Peace With The Outside; Making Peace With The Inside
    Making Sense Of Being Tested
    Making The Most Of Every Day
    Manifestation - DANGER DANGER!
    Manifesting
    Manifesting In The Moment
    Meditation - Coming Home Releasing And Being At Peace
    Meditation - The Importance Of Daily Practice
    Memory - Don’t Trust It
    Mental Obstructions
    Mind Resting Undisturbed
    Mirror Mirror On The Wall - A Revelation
    Mirror Time
    Money And Spirituality
    My Daily Task
    My Daily Task - 2
    My Ego's Sneak Attack
    My Life - A Being Dichotomized
    My Meditation Isn't Working!
    My Mind Trapped Me
    My Road To Peace
    My True Buddha Self And Me
    Nature Of Mind Revealed - A Transformation
    Never Stop Going Deeper
    Newly Discovered Trauma
    Nirvana - It's Right Before Your Eyes
    No Expectations No Hope?
    No One’s Life Is Ordinary
    No Reason To Be Defensive
    No Self - Not!
    No Spiritual Force Can Protect You From Yourself Your Mind
    Not Engaging Your Thoughts
    Nothing To Prove
    Not Me - Peeling Off The Layers Of Our Ego-Mind
    Observe
    Offering Others Joy - From The Heart
    Offer Joy Experience Joy
    Offer Myself Joy!
    Oneness Does Not Mean Sameness
    Opening The Door To Being Present
    Our Over-sexed Culture And Lives
    Pain - A Cry For Help
    Paradise Lost
    Peace And Happiness Is Your Birthright
    Peace - What It Is And How To Achieve It
    Personal Boundaries As Part Of A Buddhist Life
    Preparing A Child For Life
    Pride Is A Function Of The Devil
    Problem - NOT!
    Proof Of The Nature Of Mind - Fear Ego And Buddha Mind
    Prosperity And Abundance
    Protecting Yourself From The Elements
    Psychiatry Needs To Incorporate Buddhist Teaching
    Putting Spirituality Into Practice 24/7
    Que Sera Sera - Whatever Will Be Will Be
    Real Clarity V The Delusion Of Clarity
    Reality Is Not What We Experience
    Receiving The Love Of Your Buddha Nature
    Reciting Affirmations
    Reclaiming The Narrative Of My Life - II
    Reclaiming The “Story” Of Your Life
    Reflecting On 75 Years
    Reincarnation - An Unorthodox Take
    Rejoice And Be Happy
    Rejoice And Be Happy - II
    Releasing All Desire
    Releasing All Desire - II
    Releasing Negative Energy
    Renouncing What You Have Always Depended On
    Replacing Weakness With Strength
    Reprogram Your Mind To End Your Suffering
    Returning Home - Returning To Your True Buddha Nature
    Right Attitude
    Ritual Burning Of The Past
    Safety Defined
    Saying Grace
    Saying “No” To Negative Thought
    Seeing The Light
    Seeing Through The Eyes Of Your True Buddha Self
    Seek And You Shall Find
    Seeking Guidance From Buddha Mind Not Ego Mind
    Seeking Guidance From The Buddha/God/the Universe - II
    Seeking Guidance From The Buddha/God/the Universe - III
    Seeking Guidance From The Buddha/God/the Universe - IV
    See Things Through Your Heart Not Your Mind
    See Yourslef And The World Through Different Eyes
    Self Re-examined
    Self-Responsibility During The Pandemic
    Sex - Misused And Abused - A Different Perspective
    Shall We Dance? - An Invitation To The Dance Of Death
    Shame
    Soul’s Yearning Distorted By The Ego-Mind
    Soul -True Self - And Ego-Mind
    Speaking The Truth
    Speaking To Your Buddha Nature/Divinity/Heart
    Speak The Truth But Beware
    Starving The Ego
    Step #10: Continued To Be Mindful Of The Arising Of Cravings And Desires And When They Arose Did Not Attach To Them And Allowed Them To Subside.
    Step #11: Sought Through Meditation To Constantly Improve Our Conscious Contact With Our True Buddha Nature
    Step #1: Admitted Our Cravings Cause Us Suffering And That We Are Powerless Over Them
    Step #2: Came To Believe That Our True Buddha Nature Could Restore Us To Peace And Created A Platform Of Serenity
    Step #3: Committed Ourselves To The Path By Practicing The Five Precepts And The Six Paramitas
    Step #4 Came To Believe That All Our Perceptions Are Learned - That They Are Just A Product Of Our Ego-mind - And That Our Ego-mind Is Not Our True Self - Instead We Knew That Our True Self Is Our Heart.
    Step #5: Were Ready And Willing And Made A Decision To Surrender Our Ego And Turn Our Will And Our Lives Over To The Care Of Our True Buddha Nature Opening Our Heart To Embrace All Aspects Of Our Being.
    Step #6: Came To Believe That We Have Everything We Need Within Ourselves To Be At Peace And Happy
    Step #7: Came To Be Free Of Our Cravings
    Step #8: Were Entirely Ready To Love Ourselves Unconditionally And Have Compassion For Ourselves And To Accept Ourselves And The World Around Us As Being The Way They Are Because It's Just The Way It Is.
    Step #9: Made A List Of Persons We Had Harmed And Made Amends To Them
    Stopping Self-Sabotage
    Strength Not Courage
    Suffering Is Universal - But Why?
    Survival - The Force That Controls Our Life
    Taking Pleasure In Each Passing Moment
    Taking Refuge In Yourself
    Taking Responsibility Is Not Blame
    Teaching Only Points The Way
    Test The Wisdom Of What You’re Doing Or Thinking Of Doing
    The 3-legged Stool Of Spirituality
    The Art Of Self-Nurturing
    The Challenge Of Staying Aware
    The Coexistence Of Ego And Buddha Nature
    The Conceit "I Am"
    The Devil Is Alive And Well
    The Distinction Between Pain And Suffering
    The Divine And Man
    The Ego As Saboteur
    The Emptiness Of Intrinsic Existence And Its Relevance To Global Warming
    The Felt Need For Acknowledgment
    The Five Precepts
    The Four Bodhisattva Vows
    The Fourfold Path To Freedom
    The Four Noble Truths
    The Fragility Of Man
    The Freedom Of Focusing On Someone Or Something Outside Yourself
    The Heart/Mind Divide
    The Heart’s Embrace - More On Freeing Ourselves
    The Heart's Embrace - Updated
    The Hurt Of Rejection - Its Enduring Impact
    The Illusion Of Control
    The Imperative Of Self-Preservation
    The Lessons Of Siddhartha
    The Light Within You
    The Limits Of Rational Thought
    The Lord's Role In Your Work
    The Meaning And Power Of Selflessness
    The Middle Way - A Way Back From The Breach
    The Mind And The Wounded Inner Child
    The Mind And Your Inner Child - II
    The Mind Is Sneaky - Surrender It
    The Mind's Deep State
    The Mind - Suffering Connection
    The Miracle That Is You
    The Misleading Teaching Of No Self
    The Missing Noble Truth
    The Myanmar Situation
    The Mystery Of The Ego - An Answer
    The New Me - I Not I
    The Noble Eightfold Path
    The Original Trauma - Birth
    The Parable Of The Raft
    The Path As Tightrope
    The Path From Peace To Joy
    The Path Is Never-Ending
    The Power Of Affirmations - Use Carefully
    The Power Of Giving Voice To Thoughts
    The Power Of Prayer
    The Present Beyond Us
    The Purpose Of Life
    The Purpose Of Meditation
    The Push/Pull Of Ego-Mind
    The Question Is Not Whether The Glass Is Half Empty Or Half Full
    There Are No Bad Persons
    There Is Nothing Wrong With You
    The Remnants Of The Ego
    The Serenity Prayer
    The Serenity Prayer - II
    The Soul’s Yearning And How Best To Fulfill It
    The Source Of Equanimity And Peace
    The Stages Of Acceptance
    The Stages Of Man’s Spirit
    The Subconscious
    The Sun Is Always Shining/ There's No Such Thing As Bad Weather
    The Three Stages Of Embrace
    The Truth – Seeing It And Speaking It
    The Unaware Consumer
    The Wisdom Of Chickens
    The Wisdom Of Now
    This Is Not Me This Is Not My Self
    Thought Objects
    To Free Yourself From Cravings You Must Free Yourself Of Fear
    To Love Unconditionally = Loving-Kindness
    Tonglen - How To Approach Its Practice
    To Observe Free Of Mind - To Experience Joy
    To See Opportunity You Must Be Free Of Fear
    To Thine Own Self Be True
    Trauma
    Trauma Begets Trauma
    Trauma Denied No Longer
    Trauma - Healing It Is Critical
    Trauma - It’s Release
    Turning Your Will Over To Your True Buddha Nature
    Waking Up
    Walking Away From Modernity
    Walking On The Beach
    Walking The Path - It’s A Lot Of Work But It’s Well Worth It
    Wandering Until ?
    Wealth Poverty And Buddhism
    We Are All One
    We Are Not Meant To Suffer
    We Have Everything We Need To Be At Peace And Happy Inside Ourselves
    We Have Lost Our Sense Of Place
    We Make Our Own Mental Environment
    We Never Stop Healing
    What Activates The Ego-Mind?
    What Are We Celebrating On July 4th?
    What Blocks Me From Being Truly Present And Radiating My Inner Energy 24/7?
    What Drives Us Mad?
    What If The Present Is Bad?
    What Is Joy? What Is Happiness?
    What Is Life Without Emotion?
    What Is Most Important To You?
    What Is Your Task In Life?
    What Lies Behind Our Good Deeds?
    What Nourishes My Soul?
    What Price Peace And Happiness?
    What's In A Name?
    What's Real And What’s Not Real?
    What’s The Real Challenge - Life Or The Ego?
    What To Do When You Lose Faith?
    What Use Fame Power Fortune?
    What You Can’t Will And What You Can
    When A Heart’s Desire Is Commandeered By The Ego
    When Joy Is Not Joy
    When Love Is Not Love ...
    When Nothing Offends
    When Really Bad Things Happen
    When Smiling Toddlers Cry
    When The Mind Intervenes
    When Things Are Not The Way We Want Them To Be
    Who Am I?
    Who Are You?
    Who/What Is Your True Self?
    Why Diets Fail - A Buddhist Perspective
    Why Do We Crave?
    Why Is Being Grateful Such A Challenge?
    Why Is It So Hard To Be Free Of Your Ego?
    Why Is Mankind Trapped In A Box?
    Why Point The Compass Towards Tomorrow?
    Why We Take Offense
    Wisdom - What Is It?
    Wounded Our Ego-Mind Becomes The Devil
    Yes Virginia There Is A True Buddha Nature
    Yet Another Past Attachment
    You Are Not Alone
    You As Observer
    You Can Be In Control
    You Cannot Radiate Light If You Are Filled With Fear
    You Don't Need To Be Liked
    Your True Self And The Irrelevance Of The Min
    Your Will Not My Mind's - II
    Your Will Not My Mind's - III

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