Reading for October 29

“Enjoy your successes, but do not get too excited by them. Just keep meditating away.” Rabbi Jonathan Omer-Man
Is meditation boring?
There are many different kinds of meditation, but common to each is observing how the mind works. Ultimately, it is very important that we cultivate a sense of noble boredom, the ability to be present without [...]

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Rugby and Buddhism

clipped from www.timesonline.co.uk

There have been many times in the past four years when none of this — me, fit
and about to play in a second World Cup final — seemed likely. When I came
back from the last World Cup, I said it was a stepping-stone to the next
one, that 2003 was not enough, that I [...]

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Reading for October 22

Karma: It’s not about fatalismBhikkhu Thanissaro
The early Buddhist notion of karma focused on the liberating potential of the present moment
Karma is one of those words we don’t translate. Its basic meaning is simple enough — action. But because of the weight the Buddha’s teachings give to the role of action, the Sanskrit word “karma” is [...]

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Two monks

clipped from whiskeyriver.blogspot.com

Two monks were washing their bowls in the river when they noticed a scorpion that was drowning. One monk immediately scooped it up and set it upon the bank. In the process he was stung. He went back to washing his bowl and again the scorpion fell in. The monk saved the scorpion [...]

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Buddhist news

clipped from www.nytimes.com

BEIJING, Oct. 16 — Chinese officials warned the United States not to honor the Dalai Lama, saying a planned award ceremony for the Tibetan spiritual leader would have “an extremely serious impact” on relations between the two countries.

“Such a person who basely splits his motherland and doesn’t even love his motherland has been [...]

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Practicing with Boredom

Often in dharma writings and talks, emotions and mind states such as fear, despair, craving and aversion are given plenty of attention. But how often do you hear about boredom? Although it’s mentioned less frequently, boredom can be a deceptive mind state that easily leads us away from an opportunity to awaken to this moment. [...]

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Reading for October 8

How to cope with wavering thoughts?
Versatile are flying clouds,
Yet from the sky they’re not apart.
Mighty are the ocean’s waves,
Yet they are not separate from the sea.
Heavy and thick are banks of fog,
Yet from the air they’re not apart.
Frantic runs the mind in voidness,
Yet from the Void it never separates.
–Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa

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A poem by Jane Hirshfield

The Monk Stood Beside a Wheelbarrow
The monk stood beside a wheelbarrow, weeping.
God or Buddha nowhere to be seen–
these tears were fully human,
bitter, broken,
falling onto the wheelbarrow’s rusty side.
They gathered at its bottom,
where the metal drank them in to make more rust.
You cannot know what you do in this life, what you have done.
The monk stood [...]

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Burma update

clipped from www.dailymail.co.uk

Thousands of protesters are dead and the bodies of hundreds of executed monks have been dumped in the jungle, a former intelligence officer for Burma’s ruling junta has revealed.
The most senior official to defect so far, Hla Win, said: “Many more people have been killed in recent days than you’ve heard about. [...]

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