Elevator speech wisdom

A monk who discovered Dharma while sheltering from the rain 30 years ago explores why the mind is the source of all happiness and suffering. He explains self-grasping ignorance and how it drives everything from daily irritation & relationship problems to the world's largest conflicts.

We take so much for granted. From a cup of coffee and our home to roads we drive on, and so on – so many other people brought them into being. We may feel they did not intend to benefit us, but we benefit nevertheless. So from our side we are receiving their kindness. Think of that today.

The Four Noble Truths: the ultimate self-help guide for us and others. Through the path, our true nature arises, which actually helps all.

Meditation and Buddhadharma are like a ferry that transports us across the water from a land full of danger and sadness to a land of safety and joy. They transform painful minds like anxiety, jealousy and isolation to minds of compassion, love and connection.

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama spent last summer with monks at the Shaolin Temple, a 1500-year-old monastery in China. He sought to increase inner strength along with his already prodigious physical strength at the temple, known as a hub for martial arts & spiritual discipline.

“Even if you owned a pile of diamonds the size of this Earth, the peace you’d get from that would be minimal and could never compare with that afforded by inner development.” - Lama Zopa Rinpoche

And now for something completely different: a Tokyo bar run by Buddhist monks that offers an unusual blend of cocktails, chanting, sutras and more.

In a world fraught with injustice, we may choose to participate in actions to help heal our world. It’s vital that we hold a positive mind of kindness, compassion and wisdom as we engage in such actions as well as in daily life to help other beings. Social action is grounded in a loving mind.

Negative minds are largely habitual. Meditation clears our mind of the uncontrolled, endless stream of thoughts, projects, concerns – and the natural peace and calm of our mind comes to the fore. Like any habit, good or bad, we have the power to change.

A throwback tune for this Friday: from 1970, John Lennon’s hit record “Instant Karma.” All over the FM when I was a teen, it was conceived, written, recorded and released within 10 days – instant indeed! For many, it was their first exposure to the concept of karma, albeit in a pop vein.

Some mistake patience for passivity – but it’s actually a powerful mind that is not subject to reactivity caused by external causes and conditions. This armor-like mind helps protect us from suffering and respond more appropriately to situations.

We have such a precious opportunity to develop our innate, natural minds – love, giving, equanimity, compassion – that give rise to joy. And to dispel negative minds that give rise to suffering. It’s a just a matter of making the effort to nurture our Buddha seed/nature.

Many of us use visual forms as objects of meditation. But the concept of the kasina, which dates back to early Buddhist practice, is new to me. This podcast, introduces the concentration practice and has a link to a useful app. Have a happy & blissful meditation!

Keep the fire burning 1,200 years+: Despite a fire that destroyed a Buddhist hall in Japan, its “eternal flame” was salvaged and moved to a different site.

I’m baffled by those who contend that anger is a constructive source of energy & action – it’s a deluded mind that's associated with suffering & creates problems. If we can learn to respond to difficult situations without the mind of anger, we’re more pragmatic & effective to create changes we want.

Is it tough being present when faced with seemingly nonstop challenges? And how do we accommodate our busy life to fit in moments of undivided attention – or transform our daily activities from the mundane to the spiritual. This interesting think piece poses the questions.

Journey of a lifetime: A US teen Buddhist lama from Minnesota is now a monk studying in northern India. As a child, Jalue Dorje was identified and confirmed as the reincarnation of the eighth Terchen Taksham Rinpoche — the first was born in 1655.

Meditating on emptiness, peaceful unto itself, produces liberating results. And meditating on the emptiness of the self/I is an essential element. What’s been your experience?

Here’s a conversation with Pema Chödrön, who shares what it looks like to let go of difficult emotions, the art of “collaborating with reality” when things don’t go as expected, and awakening yourself to the “nowness” of life. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

When alone, check your mind. When in company, watch your mouth. - Atisha

Breathing meditation is an effective tool to reduce anxiety and let the calm of the mind arise. By focusing on the breath, we turn down the ceaseless busyness of the mind. Here’s one technique along with other meditations to reduce anxiety.

Another conundrum...

All of our actions of body and speech arise from our mind and have karmic implications. So we must be vigilant to guard against negative motivations, which will bring about negative results.

“One of the earliest lessons I was taught by my father was that Buddhists don’t see the mind as a discrete entity, but rather as a perpetually unfolding experience.” - Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

Happy Mother’s Day to all the kind mothers out there! The perfect day to remember our mothers' kindness and how all living beings are our mothers. ❤️❤️❤️

Don’t let dogma run over your karma. Karma can be an empowering force when we recognize that our experiences are the result of our past actions. We can consciously reshape our day-to-day choices and shape our future.

Yikes. While I can accept – and, in come cases, embrace – technology, IMO this is strange. What is the robot’s very subtle mind? Are the lines between AI and sentient beings becoming blurred?

Thoughts on Pluribus? In the sci-fi Apple TV show, an alien virus transforms humanity–except for a few people–into a peaceful & content group mind. It explores the end of the distinction between self & other, and placing the good of the collective above the individual–but without freedom to choose.

Perhaps this was created by AI? Simplistic, but hammers home core truth/wisdom.

While enjoying external sources of pleasure, we should remember that happiness and suffering are states of mind. As such, to cultivate pure happiness and freedom from suffering, it will take work to transform our mind.

Giving – one of the six perfections, which help our world and ourself. While material giving is important, giving fearlessness and dharma are also vital. And as a perfection, our bodhichitta motivation is to help others. How wonderful!

On the Big Apple West Side: Vietnamese American artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen has created a 27-foot tall version of the 6th-century Buddha statues in Afghanistan that were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.

“Do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others' viewpoints.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

Jet Li on mala beads: “I will ask each of my teachers for one prayer bead. They remind me of them and their teachings. That’s become a habit. They teach me the most important thing is compassion and wisdom. I love beads. I collect a lot of them.”

Love is often confused with attachment. It’s a pure mind that wishes happiness for others – and such a mind gives rise to a pure experience of what’s “out there” in our external world.

Interesting think piece on the mixture of religion & politics. I’ve long thought they are a problematic brew in terms of a direct mixture – but Buddhist view, such as compassion & nonattachment, can certainly foster more peaceful &rational minds to bring about positive action. Your thoughts?

Lojong practice – training the mind – is a powerful way to cultivate our compassion, wisdom and inner peace. Gaylon Ferguson takes a look at some of the tenets and basics of this meditation path.

Meditation enables us to become scientists investigating the nature of our mind. By doing this, we can realize where our happiness and unhappiness come from and adjust accordingly.

I once had a teacher who told us that we’ll never “get” happy. While we may look for happiness out there, something to get, the key is to discover the joy of being, whether it be ordinary or extraordinary.

When we look inward, we realize that the mind is the origin and solution to the world’s problems. No matter how lost situations may appear, there is the potential to remediate them.