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Joy - One More Take

6/25/2017

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Over the years I’ve written several times about joy in the Buddhist context.  A teacher of mine used to say, “Take joy in each moment.”  That was an aspiration for me and until a few years ago, as related in my post, “Joy - Experience It Now,” I just did not experience it, except occasionally, momentarily.

Recently while meditating, I had a further awareness about joy.  The way I, as well as many others, had written about joy, was that there are things out there to take joy in, to find happiness in, and we must put ourselves in a space where we are open to receiving that joy.  We must be mindful of those things and never forget them.  We must focus on them, not on the negative things in our life.

I understand now that was fundamentally wrong.  Instead, the point is that we carry joy within ourselves.  It is part of our true Buddha nature, it is our birthright. That is why I started experiencing joy on a regular basis after I connected directly with my heart, my Buddha nature, as related in that post.  I felt joy spontaneously because it emanated from myself.

I am joyful regardless what is going on around me, even if I were in the direst of circumstances, because I am in touch with the joy within me.  That joy is inviolate.  In that state I will be able to also take joy not just in the lovely weather or nature or things that would generally be considered pleasing.  I will find joy even where none is apparent.  For example, I will find joy in the knowledge that all the people on the subway whose suffering is so evident have the true Buddha nature inside them, waiting for them to be aware of the light and start the journey to rediscover their true self.  That they all have that potential.

My reaction to that daily experience in the subway is no longer sadness, which it had been, combined with compassion, in the past.  I truly now experience joy when I observe my fellow subway riders through the eyes of my true Buddha self.  Sadness is the veil, the filter, the ego-mind places over the awareness of the heart that everyone has the true Buddha nature inside them.  Free of my ego-mind’s intervention, I don’t feel sadness.

Some might consider what I am describing as callousness.  But it most certainly is not.  I am very aware of the struggles people have; that knowledge is inescapable observing their faces and their body language.  But as a book I once read said, there is no virtue to sadness or seriousness.  Indeed, if my purpose in life is to offer others joy, I cannot offer someone joy if I am sad.  I can only offer joy if I am joyful myself.  

And so when I look at people with nothing but joy in my heart, occasionally I’ll get a smile in response.  That tells me that I have touched someone; they have received the joy I offered.  And at least for that one brief moment, they were taken out of their struggles and were able to experience kindness and joy, and know that they were deserving of such.
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Stopping Self-Sabotage

6/12/2017

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The other day a friend asked me how to stop self-sabotage.  Meaning, how to stop the ego-mind from sabotaging his efforts at mindfulness, walking the path, finding peace by its engaging emotions such as anger and fear in reaction to experiences.

Having the awareness that your ego-mind sabotages your spiritual work is an essential beginning.  It’s calling a spade a spade.  It’s being aware that your ego-mind is not your ally in your search for peace.  That its urgings, regardless how strong, are not in your self-interest.  And so you form the intent to stop this self-sabotage.

Beyond that, the prerequisite, as for all similar spiritual questions, is to be aware at the moment your ego-mind arises.  Why?  Because your emotions are so powerful.  Once they take hold of you, once the horse is out of the gate, they are virtually unstoppable till you drop exhausted.

Now no one is aware 24/7.  It’s just too much to expect, at least from an unenlightened human being.  But one can have the intent to increase the moments during the day when one is aware.

And one does that by purposefully taking moments throughout the day and having “quiet time” amidst everything that’s going on around you.  To do this we must first stop.  Literally.  Stop whatever is going on in your mind and, if possible, whatever activity you’re engaged in.

Once you’ve stopped, there are various techniques you can use to center yourself and bring yourself home to your heart.  You can feel your breath going in and out.  You can say the words, “Breathing in, I’m aware I’m breathing in.  Breathing out, I’m aware I’m breathing out.”  You can do a short om-based chant.  You can visualize something that takes you home … I often visualize a photo of myself as a smiling toddler, full of joy for no reason whatsoever.

This will create a space in time, even if just a few moments, where you are truly present.  Where you are centered and return home to your heart.

Following this practice cannot guarantee that you will be present when you really need to be, when your ego arises.  But it certainly increases the chances of your being aware throughout the day.

But being present and aware is only the prerequisite.  You must then be steadfast to what is most important to you … your peace and happiness.  So that when you become aware the ego-mind is asserting itself through the arising of emotions and perceptions, you will have the will to say “no, I reject your guidance” to your ego-mind.  Remembering that those emotions and perceptions cause nothing but frustration and suffering once they take hold of you.

​
You will then have the freedom of returning home to your heart, of being at peace and happy regardless what life throws at you
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Instead of Forgiveness Show Compassion

6/7/2017

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Forgiveness is something that many people find hard to embrace.  They just cannot let go the slighted, embittered feelings that they have and have nurtured.  

I previously had written a post titled, "The Stages of Forgiveness."  But as a post I just wrote, "A Different Take on Forgiveness,"
 notes, the more appropriate word is compassion not forgiveness. "Forgiveness" implies guilt and free will, but people don't have free will and thus not guilt in the usual sense of the word. They have responsibility but not guilt.  And so I have edited that post.

If one wants to be at peace, if one does not want to suffer, then compassion is the order of the day, because the negative feelings we harbor towards others only make us suffer.  It hurts only us, not those we are angry at.  As an ancient unknown poet quoted in Plutarch says, “Anger at things that happen shows small wit; for all our wrath concerns them not a bit.”

The precursor to forgiveness/compassion is to free ourselves from anger and resentment.  (See my post, "Freeing Yourself from Anger and Resentment.")  It's a precursor because it's not realistic to seek compassion while you are still feeling angry.  The two are mutually exclusive.  However, as stated in the post, once you free yourself from anger, you will find that the anger of your mind is replaced by sadness, which comes from the heart.  And so there is no more barrier to feeling compassion.

The first stage of compassion is to have the intent to be compassionate.  Without such intent, there will be no compassion.  But such intent does not get pulled out of thin air.  Given our attachment to our emotions, there needs to be a powerful motivator to have us adopt this intent.  

That motivator for this, as with most things spiritual, derives from two things.  First, our acknowledgement that the most important thing to us, the thing we value most, is our peace and happiness; ending our suffering.  If you are not clear that ending your suffering is the most important thing to you, that it takes precedence over all the grievances you have towards life, then you will continue to suffer.

Second, the awareness that the negative emotions we harbor towards others causes us suffering.  Regardless what we experienced, what was done to us, it is the way our mind reacted and continues to react to that experience that causes us suffering, not the act itself.  So we must find a way to have compassion, to let go our negative emotions, if we want to experience peace.

The second stage of compassion is opening up our heart to be compassionate.  The door to opening our heart is our knowledge that each of us is a product of our life experiences.  We are the way we are, we do the things we do, because we have been programmed by our life experiences to act in certain ways.  This is the cause of samsara.  That is why suffering is the universal truth, unless we have been fortunate enough to have been exposed to Buddhism, or other spiritual practice, and have dedicated ourselves to walking the path.  Even then we are rarely totally free of suffering.

As a monk once taught me, if something or someone pushes your buttons, that something is the direct result of that person’s suffering.  How can one resent someone for doing something over which they had no real control and which is a result of their own suffering.  As Buddhism teaches, we all have the true Buddha nature inside us.  There is no such thing as a bad person, just people who do bad things.  This is a cause for compassion, not hatred.

​
The final stage is deciding to have compassion, biting the bullet.  Just do it!  The relief you feel will be palpable.  

We are further helped in making this decision by understanding that compassion does not absolve the other person of responsibility.  While our moral system is built on an assumption that most people know, have the same understanding of, right from wrong, I have written elsewhere that this is really a false assumption. Because of our varying life experiences and the way we have been programmed by them, different people with different life experiences have quite different concepts of right and wrong, even within the same social group or even family.  Moreover, we do not have the full range of free will that is usually assumed.  We are again greatly constrained by the way our life experiences have programmed us and actually have a rather narrow range of free will.

But regardless of this lack of real control, civilization requires that people take responsibility for their actions.  On the other hand, recognizing the limit of free will and of knowing right from wrong requires that we treat the individual ... whether a criminal or someone who has done us wrong ... in a compassionate and healing manner.


When you decide to show compassion, even with the option of setting the record straight, your ego-mind will not be happy.  It will challenge you.  But if you reject its guidance because it is not right for you as it causes you suffering (see my post, "Test the Wisdom of What You're Doing or Thinking of Doing"), and instead return home to your heart, you will find yourself at peace, relaxed.
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Forgiveness - A Different Take

6/7/2017

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Forgiveness is a major topic in the spiritual world.  It is generally taught that without our forgiving those who have acted against us, whether in a small or large way, we cannot find peace. 

But I realized during a meditation recently that the word “forgiveness” is not the most appropriate term to use.  And in spirituality, as in all else, semantics is very important.

In our culture (meaning Western culture; I cannot speak to Eastern), the basic assumption in both social interactions and the criminal law is that all people know right from wrong (that is, have the same understanding).  And that they have the ability to control their actions, except for those who are declared “insane.”  The assumption is one of free will.  Thus we say that someone is guilty of having done some misdeed or guilty of having committed a crime.  Or “not guilty by reason of insanity.”

And so when we talk about forgiving someone, or forgiving ourselves for that matter, we are assuming an underlying guilt for what was done.   But as I’ve written in the past, the question of responsibility and the question of guilt are two separate issues.

Because we are a product of our learned experience … that is our ego-mind, not our true self … we are programmed in a certain way.  And because of that programming, we often have a different perspective of right and wrong from each other, sometimes subtlety, sometimes dramatically.  Not even people within the same social grouping or even family will have the same perspectives because while the global images we receive are the same, we each have had different individual learned experiences.  

Because of that programming we think and act the way we do, both towards ourselves and others.  The practical impact is that we really have a very narrow range of free will.  Certainly not the broad range that is normally assumed.  As I’ve often said, no one chooses to be bad or unkind or evil.  It’s the way someone is programmed.

Yet as I’ve argued elsewhere, while we may not be guilty in the traditional sense, we still must take responsibility for the actions we take that harm others.  This is a requirement of civilized society.  The difference this understanding brings is in how the person who harms others is then treated, whether by family and friends or the criminal justice system. 

This understanding also informs us that “forgiveness” is not really the appropriate word since forgiveness implies guilt.  So for example, we should not talk about forgiving ourselves, for that implies that we are guilty of having made a choice, when in reality there was little choice for us to make; we are who we are.  This is not a cop out; it is the truth if one is not far along the spiritual path.  

Instead of forgiving ourselves, we should have compassion and accept ourselves.  Again, not in the sense that what we did was ok but in the sense that we have compassion for how it came to be.  We should take responsibility; we should be aware; and we should have the intent of changing our habit-energy.

Likewise regarding others, whether an individual, a group, or society at large.  Instead of trying to forgive them we should work on having compassion for them and accept that they are the way they are for reasons beyond their control, absent strong spiritual work.

One could argue that what I’m saying is a distinction without a difference.  Certainly the impact on the person doing the forgiving or having compassion is the same.  It relieves them of the suffering caused by anger and resentment.  

But it does make a big difference in that forgiveness implies guilt in the Judeo-Christian sense.  Therefore using that word continues the false belief of society that people are in total control of their actions and know an absolute right from wrong unless they are insane.  That belief has many practical implications, both in the relationship between individuals and in how the criminal justice corrections system operates.

Instead of working towards forgiving people, we should work on having compassion for people and, of course, ourselves.  No one would be relieved of responsibility, but our perspective on people’s actions would be based on reality, not some illusion. 

​See my newly edited  and retitled post, “The Stages of Forgiveness/Compassion.”
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    1. The Goal Of Buddhism
    1. The Goal Of Buddhism - Clarified
    2. End Of Suffering Cheat Sheet
    3. 12 Steps On The Buddhist Path
    4. The Choice Is Yours
    5. You Have A Self But It's Not The Ego
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    A Buddhist Trinity - Amended
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    A Carefree Day And Life
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    Acknowledgement Of The Cause Of Suffering Is Key
    Allow Nothing To Disturb Your Peace And Happiness
    An Open Letter To President-elect Trump And All Americans
    Antagonist Or Challenge?
    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
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    Back To Basics
    Be A Light Unto Yourself And Others
    Be Aware When Reading - Yearn To Please Or To Offer Joy?
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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
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    Belief In You Buddha Nature - The Beginning And The End
    Believe In Yourself
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    Beyond Acceptance
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    Beyond Dispassion - The Next Step
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    Buddhism And The Divine
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    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
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    Chicken Or Egg ?
    Cleansed
    Co-existence Of Buddha Nature And Ego-Mind
    Compassion
    Control
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    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?
    Fear And Anxiety - There's More
    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
    Focus On Eternity
    Forgiveness - A Different Take
    Freedom From The Future
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    Freedom - What Does It Mean?
    Freeing Yourself From Anger And Resentment
    Freeing Yourself From Attachments
    Freeing Yourself From Fear
    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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    Half Measures Don't Work
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    Happenstance - Part II - You Your Buddha Nature And The Universe
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    Happiness - What You Need To Be Happy
    Happy New Year 2017?
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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
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    How To Observe Through The Eyes Of Your True Buddha Self
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    How To Process The Election
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    Humbling Myself
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    I Am Being Reborn
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    Innocence Or Ignorance?
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    Instead Of Forgiveness Show Compassion
    It Doesn’t Have To Be
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    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
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    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?
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    Know Who You Are - Be Who You Are
    Lack V Abundance
    Learning From Falling Off The Spiritual Wagon
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    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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