What is Vesak Day and Why Celebrate It?

Jack asked that I blog a bit on Vesak Day (celebration of the birth of the Buddha) so here is my offering on the day.Perhaps some might think the celebration of the birth of the Buddha is odd as Buddhists are encouraged not to attach too much importance to birth, death and the body in general.However, I feel that the true essence of Vesak Day is to celebrate the Dharma rather then the physical presence of the Buddha himself. Indeed the Buddha did not want his followers to worship him but rather...

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Dishwasher Mindfulness

Upon emerging from my formal sitting meditation I decided to unload the dishwasher with deep concentration and mindfulness. As I slowly began the process of unloading the clean dishes I thought about each cup, each plate and each utensil. How many wonderful meals have these plates and bowls held for this body to enjoy!! How many times have those forks and spoons helped me eat??Yet I could not have savored these many wonderful tastes without water for more then one reason but mostly I was concentrating...

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The World is an Illusion

When the world arises in me,It is just an illusion:Water shimmering in the sun,A vein of silver in mother-of-pearl,A serpent in a strand of rope.From me the world streams outAnd in me it dissolves,As a bracelet melts into gold,A pot crumbles into clay,A wave subsides into water.-Ashtavakra Gita 2: 9-10James: This is an appropriate message today as it is has been raining heavily all day and it has been such a calming energy. I stare out into the driving rain and I am one with each droplet. It has...

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Enjoy Earth Day

Take a deep breath, enjoy your breathing and thank a tree or plant for that breath. And don't forget to recycle!!This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.~Chief SeattleA true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.~John James...

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This Body is Not me Poem by Thich Nhat Hanh

This is the poem I was looking for yesterday that I wanted to add to yesterday's post on the Virginia Tech killings. It is a great poem to meditate upon to find peace in regards to issues of violence, death, pain and suffering that come with samsara:This body is not me. I am not limited by this body. I am life without boundaries. I have never been born, and I have never died. Look at the ocean and the sky filled with stars, manifestations from my wondrous true mind. Since before time, I have been...

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Correction about Blue Cliff Monastery plus a Commentary on the Virginia Tech Massacre

PHOTO: "Non-Violence" sculpture donated to the United Nations from the government and people of Luxembourg in 1988.In an earlier post I had announced the purchase of land to build the new Blue Cliff Monastery in the tradition of Thich Nhat hanh located in New York state in the U.S.AWell, I misunderstood why the monastery will be named, "Blue Cliff." Originally I thought it was named for the hills near by. However, I received a new letter yesterday thanking me for my donation and explaining in more...

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My Meditation "Rituals"

I thought I'd write a bit about how I start and end my meditation sessions. I will also speak of a new adaptation to the taking refuge vows at the end of the sitting.(Most of my "rituals" come from Thich Nhat Hanh's recommendations) First, I breath in and out deeply three times in front of my altar taking in the moment and preparing myself to enter meditation. Then I say the following gatha before sounding the bell three times:Body speech and mind in perfect oneness, I send my heart along with...

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Blog Over-Haul Update

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I've decided to basically stick with the template the way it is right now.I switched the font back to trebuchet and enlarged the font a bit so it's easier to read. As well as switching the title from bold and whitened up the description of the blog.Now back to our regularly scheduled programming:We need to understand the concept of practice and what makes it spiritual. Practice is an activity that is regularly performed and is an open-ended process, never ...

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Help Wanted: Over-Haul the Blog

So I am getting a bit restless here at TBB. I'm looking to change up the style of the blog a bit but my html is limited and my ability to customize and design is ZERO. I tried to change my font style to papyrus via my html "skills" and it got all jacked--defaulting to Aerial. In short, I had to change it back to the font the template was designed with. Although, I did increase the font size a bit--what do you think? Is it too big?So it all comes down to this--I'm looking for someone to revamp the...

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Working with Where We Are

When people start to mediate or to work with any kind of spiritual discipline, the often think that somehow they're going to improve, which is a sort of subtle aggression against who they really are. It's a bit like saying, "If I jog, I'll be a much better person." "If I could only get a nicer house, I'd be a better person." If I could meditate and calm down, I'd be a better person."... But loving-kindness--maitri--toward ourselves doesn't mean getting rid of anything. Maitri means that we...

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Help Build Blue Cliff Monastery

I received a letter today saying that Thich Nhat Hanh's Unified Buddhist Church and Plum Village monastery are announcing that they are purchasing land for a new monastery in the Walker Valley of Ulster County, New York, in the USA.This monastery is much needed as the UBC has no monastery on the East Coast and will serve 28 sanghas in New York alone.The property is 80 acres, 65 of which are forest. How peaceful that will be for walking meditation!!! The land was formerly used as a conference and...

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Resentment Against Suffering

The suffering itself is not so bad, it's the resentment against suffering that is the real pain.-Alan GinsbergJames: Today I'm dealing with the resentment against suffering. Sorry it's been awhile since I last posted. It's been a rough week with my illness. Any words of comfort and support would be greatly appreciated.~Peace to all bein...

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