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The Zen of Emerson Part 20…Sharpen Your Intuition

Posted in cause and effect, enlightenment, fears, happiness, illusion, love, meditation, Mindfulness, religion, sickness, suffering, Uncategorized, wisdom, Zen, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 26, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Emerson: “Where but in the intuitions which are vouchsafed us from within, shall we learn the Truth? (page 58)”[1]

Zen Bhabhante-gunaratanante Gunaratana: Meditation sharpens your concentration and your thinking power. Then, piece by piece, your own subconscious motives and mechanics become clear to you. Your intuition sharpens. The precision of your thought increases, and gradually you come to a direct knowledge of things as they really are, without prejudice and without illusion. (page 10)”[2]

 

Just another great reason to start 2017 off with a meditation and mindfulness practice.  How would you like to be more intuitive about things in your life—relationships, job opportunities, health, healing, and wholeness?  Well, if you believe what both Emerson and Bhante Gunaratana offer in their teachings you have the power to enhance and grow your intuition through meditation and mindfulness.

Ratnaghosa says in his talk The Angel in the Rock: So the first level of Faith in Buddhism is based on intuition.[1]  Then comes reason and finally experience.  So what these various teachers are saying to us is that it is important that we sharpen our intuition and one of the best ways to do that is through meditation.  Or as Emerson said going “within.”

As we develop a good meditation practice we begin to see our lives change in dramatic ways.  Our health improves, our relationships improve, and we can depend on our “intuition” more and more to ensure our actions are in alignment with what is best for all concerned in any situation.  Everyone has had an occasion in his or her life where you did something and you did not know why.  You might have said, “I just had a gut feeling about this.”  And you were right!  If you had not gone with your gut things would not have turned out as well as they did, that’s for sure.

So get ready to be amazed in 2017 at how powerful your intuition will become in all areas of your life.  This is a great time to open yourself to meditation, to mindfulness, and to trusting your intuition! Go within and watch what happens!

Keep me posted!

I wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

Shokai

[1] http://ratnaghosa.fwbo.net/danaone.html

[1] Dillaway, N. (1949) The Gospel of Emerson. The Montrose Press: Wakefield, MA

[2] Gunaratana, B. (2011) Mindfulness in Plain English. Wisdom Publications: Boston, MA

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The Zen of Emerson Part 18…Place yourself in the middle of contentment!

Posted in attachment, BUddhism, cause and effect, Christianity, clinging, fears, happiness, love, meditation, Mindfulness, old age, oppression, planet earth, prayer, psychology, religion, self-help, suffering, Uncategorized, wisdom, Zen, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 14, 2016| 2 Comments »

Emerson:  “Place yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom which animates aajahn-brahmll whom it floats, and you are without effort impelled to truth, to right, and a perfect contentment.”[1]

Zen Ajahn Brahm: “Contentment is the opposite of a faultfinding mind.  You should develop the perception of contentment with whatever you have, wherever you are, as much as you can (page 44).”[2]

Wow!  What a concept!  In America we find ourselves often in a place where contentment seems impossible.  Especially during times like Christmas.  From the time we are very little until we die we make lists all year long asking for the newest toy on TV or the bike like your best friend has, or a new car like the neighbor down the street just got.  We long for material things and money and trips and more.

When was the last time you were content with what you had?  When was the last time you spent time in meditation and prayer where your mind was not drug off into thoughts of discontent?  Discontent with your relationships, your job, your income, with your health, or the world in general.

Don’t get me wrong there are a lot of people in need all over the world. In need of food, shelter, and safety from floods and bombs and more.  And we should do all we can to help them from supporting peace not war, supporting food banks, homeless shelters, veteran’s benefits, and more.  However, we must start with ourselves and our own consciousness.  Start with the little things and work your way up to the big things!  If you need to lose weight and you create a plan to do so celebrate even the smallest improvement be it losing three pounds, exercising three days in a row, or changing your diet to healthier foods this week.

Be open to “baby steps—baby steps” as Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss) told his patient Bob Wiley (Bill Murry) in the movie “What about Bob.”  Find contentment in the little things wherever you can—whenever you can.   Longing for things that are out of reach makes you discontented with life and robs you of your contentment and your peace and joy in the present moment.  It doesn’t matter whether that discontentment is about things, places, or people.

We attract what we think about the most.  So if you want peace meditate and focus on peace and like a magnet you will draw it to you!  Remember contentment is hiding within it! If you want better health, or a different more fulfilling job, or a new relationship do the same and watch what happens!  Open your mind to receive your good by placing yourself in the middle of contentment!

Let me know how it goes!

In gassho,

Shokai

 

[1] http://www.azquotes.com/author/4490-Ralph_Waldo_Emerson/tag/contentment

[2] Brahm, A. (2014) Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond A Meditator’s Handbook. Wisdom Publications: Boston

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The Zen of Emerson Part 16…Getting Out of Your Own Way

Posted in BUddhism, Business, cause and effect, clinging, enlightenment, fears, happiness, illusions, love, meditation, Mindfulness, self-help, suffering, Uncategorized, wisdom, Zen, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 28, 2016| 4 Comments »

Emerson: “As long as a man [person] stands in his own way everything seecartoon-b-c-words-slip-outms to be in his way (page 27.”[1]

Zen: In sitting: “Craving is extinguished and a great burden is lifted. There remains only an effortless flow, without a trace of resistance or tension. There remains only peace, and blessed nibbana [nirvana], the uncreated, is realized (page 169).”[2]

Thoughts are what stand in our way.  Everyday our thoughts, create our cravings, which create our resistance and tension which robs us of our peace.  As the cartoon illustrates sometimes even physical harm may come from those words that slip out seconds before you can retract them!

When those words slip out they can cause great damage to you and to your family, friends, and co-workers.  They can get in the way of a great job opportunity, relationship, or friendship.

The practice of mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhism can help you create a life where you think first and speak second. Following the Simple 3 P’s principle where you Prepare, Practice, and then Perform may well revolutionize your life.  Practicing these 3 simple steps can keep you from getting in your own way.  They can help you make friends, find new adventures, discover new ideas, and more!

When you begin to recognize that it is “you” standing in your own way and not someone or something else it will be like a big light bulb going on in your head.  It will act as the headlights of your life and will show what’s ahead of you with clarity and precision and will help keep you from tripping all over yourself.  It will definitely help you get out of your own way!

As Emerson said, “As long as a man stands in his own way everything seems to be in his way.” So my advice to you today is to stop standing in your own way! Give up your craving, your burdens, your resistance, and take up the mantle of peace and effortless flow!  Then stand back and watch what happens. Each day you’ll be tripping over those things you thought were standing in your way less and less until they disappear altogether!  That will keep you from looking like the man above in the cartoon! So let’s practice the Simple 3 P’s Prepare, Practice and Perform getting out of your own way!

Let me know how it goes!

In gassho,  Shokai

 

[1] [1] Floris, O. Inspiration & Wisdom from the pen of Ralph Waldo Emerson. www.odeliafloris.com

[2] Gunaratana, B. (2011) Mindfulness in Plain English. Boston: Wisdom Publications

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The Zen of Emerson Part 15…Living in the Middle World

Posted in attachment, BUddhism, cause and effect, clinging, death, diversity, enlightenment, fears, happiness, love, meditation, Mindfulness, old age, prayer, religion, self-help, suffering, Uncategorized, wisdom, Zen, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 24, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Emerson: “The mid-world is best. (page 30)”[1]images

Zen: “It was this balanced ‘middle path’ approach, avoiding the two extremes of stagnation and excessive striving, which had enabled him [Siddhartha Gautama] to gain awakening (page 38).”[2]

The extremes of our life are what causes most of our pain and suffering.  How often have we gone to excess in even the simplest things, too much food at a restaurant or a family dinner or community pot luck supper?  How often have we spoken out of turn and thus hurt our self or another?  How often have we put so much time and energy into our work or a hobby that our family and personal lives suffered?

Many people have gone to the extreme with a way of living, eating, exercising, working, or fasting. I once had a congregant who would only eat dark green leafy things and I had a friend in college who thought that if one glass of carrot juice was good for her six a day would be even better. They both ended up with vitamin K poisoning and almost died.  Too much of a good thing can kill you!

“The Buddha pointed out that by avoiding stagnation and excessive striving he had been able to ‘cross the flood’ which similarly recommend neither going too far nor lagging behind (page 39).”  In his life he had tried every different religion or path to find “enlightenment.”  He even practiced aestheticism to such a degree that he was eating only one grain of rice a day. Needless to say he was visiting death’s door as the story goes.

“About this time a young girl came by and offered the emaciated Siddhartha a bowl of milk and rice.  At this point, Siddhartha had realized the path to awakening was a ‘middle’ way between extremes of self-denial and self-indulgence.”[3]

As Emerson says, “The mid-world is best.”  Take some time today and find your extremes and ask yourself are they helping or hindering you.  If they are hindering you decide today to begin living the “middle way.”  Whether your extreme behavior is too little or too much find the middle way and a wonderful balance will appear in your life.

Soon you will live a life where you feel fulfilled. The fruits of the middle world will appear. You will discover that life can actually be fun!

Try it I think you’ll like living in the middle world!  Let me know how it goes.

In gassho,   Shokai

[1] Dillaway, N. (1949) The Gospel of Emerson. Wakefield, Mass: The Montrose Press

[2] Analayo (2003) Satipatthana the Direct Path to Realization. Cambridge, England: Windhorse Publications

[3] http://buddhism.about.com/od/buddha/fl/The-Enlightenment-of-the-Buddha.htm

 

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The Zen of Emerson Part 14…Focus on the teaching not the teacher

Posted in BUddhism, cause and effect, clinging, diversity, education, love, meditation, Mindfulness, prayer, psychology, religion, self-help, suffering, Uncategorized, wisdom, Zen, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 20, 2016| 2 Comments »

Emerson The Gospel of Emerson:

“No truth so sublime but it may be trivial tomorrow in the light of new thoughbuddhist-boot-camp-book-coverts (page 9).”[1]

Timber Hawkeye The Buddhist Boot Camp:

I knew what they meant: focus on the teachings, not the teacher (page 51).[2]

I know you are reading and listening and googling your favorite teachers and guru’s every day.  You spend time reading their books, listening to their pod casts, reading their blogs, newsletters, and more.  Many of you are running to the current most famous guru or teacher that you’ve seen on TV or the internet.  You hope to find the answer to all of your pains, sufferings, and questions about life.  And when they don’t give you the answer you move on to the next “teacher” and the next to no avail.  Why? Because the greatest teacher is right within you!

 There is no greater teacher then one that lies within you.  One fad teacher seems to have the “sublime answer” and then the next new face or name has the newest “sublime answer or new thought.”  From the horse and buggy to the car.  From the airplane to the moon and mars.  What next? Who next?  And yet the answer is always within you.  Within your divine wisdom—if you just go within and listen.

Be open during your meditation to sit quietly, focus on your breath, and wait upon nothing.  That is when miracles arrive.  That is when you open your mind to the great mind of the universe.  In those silent moments you tap into infinity.

Then you can be open to receive the answer to all of your questions.  The answer may come later in the day while washing the dishes or mowing the lawn.  It may come to you while swimming or riding your bike.  But come it will.  It probably won’t come from focusing on the wisdom of the “teacher” but on the wisdom of your intuitive creative mind.

All great inventors and scientists learned the basics from teachers and books and then they let the rest appear.  Albert Einstein is said to have had a dream/vision of himself flying through space and came up with E=mc squared. And Thomas Edison when he could not find the answer to a difficult problem would lay down on a bench in his laboratory and hold a coin in his hand and when it dropped on the floor it would wake him from his lucid dream state and the answer to the problem was there!

This short list includes some of the great founders of the world’s religions and philosophies: Yahwists, Zoroaster, Laozi, Siddhartha Gautama, Confucius, Ezra, Jesus, Muhammad, Mary Baker Eddy, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, and Helen Blavatsky. These are just a few of the original minds that were the impetus of a religion or belief system that we have in the world today.  Each brought their own flavor and ideas to the mix. Each brought a “new thought” to the world to help them cope with the challenges of their time.

You too can use their thoughts and ideas to propel you to expand your consciousness and create your own path of wisdom, meaning, and knowledge to help you live a life of peace, love, and compassion. Be open to new ideas, focus on the teachings not the personalities.  Allow your mind to open to expand to new ideas that will challenge your beliefs and move you forward into “new frontiers.” Remember it is not the teacher that is important it is the teaching!

Let me know how that goes!  Our world really needs your new ideas!

Shokai

 

 

[1] Dillaway, N. (1949) The Gospel of Emerson. Wakefield, Mass: The Montrose Press

[2] Hawkeye, T. (2013) Buddhist Boot Camp. NY, NY: Harper Collins Publishers

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The Zen of Emerson Part 13…Life is a progress…not a station

Posted in BUddhism, cause and effect, happiness, love, Metta Prayer, Mindfulness, self-help, Uncategorized, wisdom, Zen, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 13, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Emerson: “Man’s life is a progress, and not a station (page 51).”[1]world-peace-2

Zen: Robert Aitken “It is the peace of the self forgotten, doing the work of the world (page 24).”[2]

Life is progress, life is doing, and life is simply putting one foot in front of the other to discover the greatness of who you are.  When you move through the day focused on just this moment in time you will find great joy!  If, however, you get stuck in the past ruminating over something that did not go your way it will be like being on a merry-go-round.  You may be moving but it is not progressing!  You are simply going round and round and where it stops no one knows.

Or maybe you find yourself looking down a train track thinking of the thoughts of the past and living those thoughts and fears over and over again? Have you been stuck at a station where only the # 5 comes all day every day! Or maybe you are looking in the other direction in expectation of the future when you can see yourself riding on that train moving quickly to the next station where your good is waiting.  Maybe that perfect mate or job or health is there? Seeing what needs to be done to help move your family, community, or country into a better more peace filled and loving place is moving toward progress.  That progress only arrives when we live fully and mindfully in the present moment.

Are you progressing in life toward opportunities that arrive for good to enter your life? When we forget the “self” (ego) we find the “real” self and are automatically led to do the work of the world.  And boy it needs a lot of work! The work of spreading loving kindness is in dire need of help.

There is an old saying, “If it is to be, it is up to me.”  I hope you’ll progress in life and not stand still doing the work that the world is in desperate need of in this moment and every moment to come.

To be happy in life we must have progress in all aspects of our lives…so let me know how it goes!

In gassho,

Shokai

 

[1] Dillaway, N. (1949) The Gospel of Emerson Wakefield MA: The Montrose Press

[2] Aitken, R. (1984) The Mind of Clover Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics New York: North Point Press

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The Zen of Emerson Part 12…The Meaning of Good and Bad

Posted in BUddhism, cause and effect, Christianity, discrimination, diversity, fears, happiness, hate speech, human race, love, oppression, prayer, self-help, sickness, suffering, Uncategorized, wisdom, Zen, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 5, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Emerson: The meaning of good and bad, of better and worse, is simply helping or hurting (page 32).[1]

Zen Buddhism: The Three Pure Preceptsif-you-wan-to-go-fast
A Disciple of the Buddha vows to not create evil.
A disciple of the Buddha vows to practice good
A disciple of the Buddha vows to actualize good for others.

As you can see in life there is always a way to distinguish between bad words and good words. Simply focus on how the words made you feel and how they made others feel.  If your actions are helping someone and not hurting or hindering them then they are “good.”  If your words are uplifting, reassuring, and kind then they are “good” Thus those words and actions do not create evil.

It probably took some time in your life to be able to identify what actions were “good” and which ones were “bad.”  I suppose when we were very little and we had a temper tantrum and mom or dad sent us to our room after a while we came to the conclusion that having that temper tantrum was not a “good” idea, but a “bad” idea.

Conversely when we helped pick up the toys or shared our snack with someone we got praised by mom and dad and maybe even got another helping of ice cream.  Thus we came to the conclusion that sharing was a “good” idea.

It is too bad that as adults we have often forgotten those simple lessons from our childhood and have fallen into the trap of “bad” behavior at times such as belittling, bullying, cheating, or even stealing from someone.  We literally have forgotten the meaning of the words good and bad.  We have forgotten the power that those words can hold either good or bad.

The power in the “good” words are that they heal, help, uplift, and can improve self-confidence in a person when you use them.  I have a little handout in my management classes that I share with the participants and on the paper it says, “I caught you doing something right.”  They are required to give out 2 or 3 of them during the training writing some specific thing they caught the person doing.  It can be something as simple as sharing their lunch with someone.  You can actually see the person’s face light up when they get a card, sometimes you can even hear a thank you or a squeal or a laugh.

Remember the disciple of the Buddha vows to practice good and actualize good for others! What a wonderful world this would be if we all practiced that simple idea throughout the day every day!

Let’s try it this week.  Let me know how many “I caught you doing something right” cards you gave out and what the responses were.  I bet I will hear the squeals of joy all the way in Delray!

In gassho, Shokai

[1] Floris, O. Inspiration & Wisdom from the pen of Ralph Waldo Emerson. www.odeliafloris.com

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