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The great Indian teacher Nisargadatta Maharaj once said, "Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything. Between the two my life flows." "I am nothing" does not mean that there is a bleak wasteland within. It does mean that with awareness we open to a clear, unimpeded space, without center or periphery - nothing separate. If we are nothing, there is nothing at all to serve as a barrier to our boundless expression of love. Being nothing in this way, we are also, inevitably, everything. "Everything" does not mean self-aggrandizement, but a decisive recognition of interconnection; we are not separate. Both the clear, open space of "nothing" and the interconnectedness of "everything" awaken us to our true nature. This is the truth we contact when we meditate, a sense of unity beyond suffering. It is always present; we merely need to be able to access it.
~ Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness
Yesterday I was a guest, as a member of the Chaplaincy team at Northumbria University, at the Congregation at which Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate. As Buddhist Chaplain at Newcastle University, I was a member of the academic procession at two Congregations last week, at one of which Rachel Abel, Amida-shu member, received her degree. This was the first time that Buddhist robes have been worn in the academic procession at the University.
sometimes ...
we have ...
to die ...
a little ...
before ...
we anew ...
are born ...
again.
"phases of change"
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the POWER of now.
eckhart tolle. … this is what we are all talking about.... living the moment. the moment is now. don't live in the past or too far in the future... we all know these advises.... they have to do with eastern religion, zen, buddhism, your spiritual way, the individual development of everyone... eckhart tolle took another way on his way… but at least he reached the same topic … “the power of now” one of his fantastic published works, written in a very individual warm and understandable way. my tip to all people who are interested, excited and curious enough to go their own way with respect to every second here and now… enjoy!
susan.
Spiritual Teacher and author was born in Germany and educated at the Universities of London and Cambridge. At the age of twenty-nine a profound inner transformation radically changed the course of his life. The next few years were devoted to understanding, integrating and deepening that transformation, which marked the beginning of an intense inward journey. Later, he began to work in London with individuals and small groups as a counselor and spiritual teacher. Since 1995 he has lived in Vancouver, Canada.
Eckhart Tolle is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Power of Now (translated into 33 languages) and the highly acclaimed follow-up A New Earth, which are widely regarded as two of the most influential spiritual books of our time.Eckhart’s profound yet simple teachings have already helped countless people throughout the world find inner peace and greater fulfillment in their lives. At the core of the teachings lies the transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that he sees as the next step in human evolution. An essential aspect of this awakening consists in transcending our ego-based state of consciousness. This is a prerequisite not only for personal happiness but also for the ending of violent conflict endemic on our planet.
Eckhart is a sought-after public speaker and teaches and travels extensively throughout the world. Many of his talks, intensives and retreats are published on CD and DVD. Most of the teachings are given in English, but occasionally Eckhart also gives talks in German and Spanish. In addition to
The Power of Now and A New Earth, Eckhart has written a book designed for meditative reading entitled Stillness Speaks. A book consisting of selections from The Power of Now is also available, entitled Practicing the Power of Now.
Great quotes on topics like meditation, dealing with life as it is but also topics like capital punishment and abortion.
And another challenge:
~ Gerry Shishin Wick Sensei, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review Summer 1996When you are stuck in a traffic jam on the Los Angeles freeway, can you look at all the other drivers, particularly the ones who are weaving in and out of lanes, and see them as the Buddha? In a work situation, if you have a particularly cantankerous boss who you think is a complete idiot, can you look at that person as the Buddha? As a manager, can you see the person who is working for you as the Buddha?
Can you?
The Buddha's teaching is all about understanding suffering - its origin, its cessation, and the path to its cessation. When we contemplate suffering, we find we are contemplating desire, because suffering and desire are the same thing.
Desire can be compared to fire. If we grasp fire, what happens? Does it lead to happiness? If we say: "Oh, look at that beautiful fire! Look at the beautiful colors! I love red and orange; theyre my favorite colors," and then grasp it, we would find a certain amount of suffering entering the body. And then if we were to contemplate the cause of that suffering we would discover it was the result of having grasped that fire. On that information, we would hopefully then let the fire go. Once we let fire go then we know that it is not something to be attached to. This does not mean we have to hate it, or put it out. We can enjoy fire, can't we? It is nice having a fire, it keeps the room warm, but we do not have to burn ourselves in it.
~ Ajahn Sumedho, Teachings of a Buddhist Monk
Good for me to remember the 'not shunning' advice as I continue to deal with someone who finds my being Buddhist abhorrent. Sometimes I can be understanding, put myself into his evangelical shoes, compassionate etc. Sometimes it doesn't come so easily.
