our world is so screwed up.

we dont have the money to teach arts in schools, because we need to build arsenals.

we make weapons to destroy, instead of music to heal.
we strive to kill, when instead we should strive to give each child a home and comfort.
we make food into fuel, when we could feed the poor.

all of this could change. if you want to see children smile, to end suffering, to make war a thing only read about in our history books, then you have to be the first person to say so. others only count when you count yourself.

i dont want my son to see war.  i never want my daughters to know the fear that daughters all around the world know when armies approach. my children, your children, all children deserve better.

i deserve better.

you deserve better.

The table that my laptop rests on as I write this, the mass that is the table, it was present there in that moment of the big bang. In fact, all that I am, was there in that moment too. The atoms, the elements that make my body, my skin, my hair and my heart, all of those atoms where nothing more than energy in that super-expanding ball of energy. This is a very hard idea to grasp. Of course the thing trying to grasp this idea was in the Big Bang too… my mind.

How is it that the electrical impulses that are the foundation of my consciousness were at one point rolling around the formless void of pre-space? In the moments before the multiverse became substantial, what was all of this energy? Was it really the size of a pin head? Super-compacted into this point of potentiality? Hard concepts to speak about without being mystical too.

I know that Hinduism teaches the universe is in an endless cycle of rebirth, even to the point that the universe itself collapses and is reborn anew. At the end of a Kali Yuga, the last stage of the universal timespan, the universe will chaotically devolve and then upon destruction be reborn, in effect restarting the clock. By the way, a Kali Yuga, which we are living in now, lasts 432,000 human years in traditional Vedic understanding and is known as the Iron Age. The qualities of this age are: the climate is one quarter virtue and three quarters sin and the human lifespan is 100 or 120 years. (Read more about the Hindu theory of time here: Hindu Theory of World Cycles)

But, getting back to my earlier thoughts about the nature of energy and mass again; it is believed in many schools of thoughts that intentions focus energy, that prayer is like focused laser of pure energy. So, and this is fun to think about, when we pray we are releasing actual energy back in to the universe. When I chant the Chenrezig practice with my friends I am sending out waves of energy into the universe. When my mother-in-law says the rosary she is doing the same. There is even a belief in Tibetan Buddhism that an entity can be generated by sheer meditation. I actually believe this could be so, given that we know that thought is the formalization of energy and that mass is energy at the basest level.

It is clear I am not a scientist, and if you have read my words before then you also know I am no monk, priest or philosopher; but that doesn’t keep me from day-dreaming.

Matt

I have not lived my life seeking to duplicate those moments, though maybe I should have. Instead I live my life as most of us do; from home to work and back home again with various errands in between. I spend little time, if any at all, meditating and centering myself. There are occasions when I recognize that I am breathing, I am able to feel the universe for a short time; connected to everything, everywhere, in meetings or my drive time, even staring at the wall at the urinal. In fact a few weeks ago I was looking at the gray wall as I stood at the urinal (maybe not the scene you would like to picture, but I am the writer not the director) when I realized that there was not really a wall there at all. In my minds eye I could see past this wall, past the building and out into the blue Oklahoma skies. Once my mind was in those skies it was a small journey to the space all around the Earth and then into the limitless universe.

Taking in those moments in your day, finding the suchness of things and then not holding on to them, not trying to capture them, there is power there. Suchness, a strange thought to Western minds, is really simple. Suchness is easy to demonstrate: seeing a flower as a flower, suchness is there. Knowing the suchness of money is only seeing it as money, it is a merely a tool, it does not equate to wealth; there is power there as well. Realizing that status does not equate to happiness, you can find a calming suchness there too.

All of this lead me to ponder the suchness of now, and to the wonder and happiness when it dawned on me that now is simply now. It is not a magic moment with the universe singing to me with choirs of angels, but rather the now is powerful unto itself. Now is the moment of this breath, it is this heartbeat, which you can actually feel if you are quiet and you listen to yourself.

Those strange seconds when the world slowed or sped up, they were pure now, pure suchness. They were something for me to cherish, and though I cannot just close my eyes and experience that peace and calm, I have tasted it before and so I know it is attainable still. I am no Buddha, I am not Awake yet, but I am slumbering no more.

Matt

Thereupon, Manjusri, the crown prince, addressed the Licchavi Vimalakirti: “Good sir, how should a bodhisattva regard all living beings?”

Vimalakirti replied, “Manjusri, a bodhisattva should regard all livings beings as a wise man regards the reflection of the moon in water or as magicians regard men created by magic.

He should regard them as being like a face in a mirror;
like the water of a mirage; like the sound of an echo;
like a mass of clouds in the sky;
like the previous moment of a ball of foam;
like the appearance and disappearance of a bubble of water;
like the core of a plantain tree;
like a flash of lightning;
like the fifth great element;
like the seventh sense-medium;
like the appearance of matter in an immaterial realm;
like a sprout from a rotten seed; like a tortoise-hair coat;
like the fun of games for one who wishes to die;
like the egoistic views of a stream-winner;
like a third rebirth of a once-returner;
like the descent of a nonreturner into a womb;
like the existence of desire, hatred, and folly in a saint;
like thoughts of avarice, immorality, wickedness, and hostility in a bodhisattva who has attained tolerance;
like the instincts of passions in a Tathagata;
like the perception of color in one blind from birth;
like the inhalation and exhalation of an ascetic absorbed in the meditation of cessation;
like the track of a bird in the sky;
like the erection of a eunuch;
like the pregnancy of a barren woman;
like the unproduced passions of an emanated incarnation of the Tathagata;
like dream-visions seen after waking;
like the passions of one who is free of conceptualizations;
like fire burning without fuel;
like the reincarnation of one who has attained ultimate liberation.

“Precisely thus, Manjusri, does a bodhisattva who realizes the ultimate selflessness consider all beings.”

Manjusri then asked further, “Noble sir, if a bodhisattva considers all living beings in such a way, how does he generate the great love toward them?”

Vimalakirti replied, “Manjusri, when a bodhisattva considers all living beings in this way, he thinks: ‘Just as I have realized the Dharma, so should I teach it to living beings.’

Thereby, he generates the love that is truly a refuge for all living beings;
the love that is peaceful because free of grasping; the love that is not feverish, because free of passions;
the love that accords with reality because it is equanimous in all three times;
the love that is without conflict because free of the violence of the passions;
the love that is nondual because it is involved neither with the external nor with the internal;
the love that is imperturbable because totally ultimate.

“Thereby he generates the love that is firm, its high resolve unbreakable, like a diamond;
the love that is pure, purified in its intrinsic nature;
the love that is even, its aspirations being equal;
the saint’s love that has eliminated its enemy;
the bodhisattva’s love that continuously develops living beings;
The Tathagata’s love that understands reality;
the Buddha’s love that causes living beings to awaken from their sleep;
the love that is spontaneous because it is fully enlightened spontaneously;
the love that is enlightenment because it is unity of experience;
the love that has no presumption because it has eliminated attachment and aversion;
the love that is great compassion because it infuses the Mahayana with radiance;
the love that is never exhausted because it acknowledges voidness and selflessness;
the love that is giving because it bestows the gift of Dharma free of the tight fist of a bad teacher;
the love that is morality because it improves immoral living beings;
the love that is tolerance because it protects both self and others;
the love that is effort because it takes responsibility for all living beings;
the love that is contemplation because it refrains from indulgence in tastes;
the love that is wisdom because it causes attainment at the proper time;
the love that is liberative technique because it shows the way everywhere;
the love that is without formality because it is pure in motivation;
the love that is without deviation because it acts from decisive motivation;
the love that is high resolve because it is without passions;
the love that is without deceit because it is not artificial;
the love that is happiness because it introduces living beings to the happiness of the Buddha.
Such, Manjusri, is the great love of a bodhisattva.”

Manjusri: What is the great compassion of a bodhisattva?

Vimalakirti: It is the giving of all accumulated roots of virtue to all living beings.

Manjusri: What is the great joy of the bodhisattva?

Vimalakirti: It is to be joyful and without regret in giving.

Manjusri: What is the equanimity of the bodhisattva?

Vimalakirti: It is what benefits both self and others.

Manjusri: To what should one resort when terrified by fear of life?

Vimalakirti: Manjusri, a bodhisattva who is terrified by fear of life should resort to the magnanimity of the Buddha.

Manjusri: Where should he who wishes to resort to the magnanimity of the Buddha take his stand?

Vimalakirti: He should stand in equanimity toward all living beings.

Manjusri: Where should he who wishes to stand in equanimity toward all living beings take his stand?

Vimalakirti: He should live for the liberation of all living beings.

Manjusri: What should he who wishes to liberate all living beings do?

Vimalakirti: He should liberate them from their passions.

Manjusri: How should he who wishes to eliminate passions apply himself?

Vimalakirti: He should apply himself appropriately.

Manjusri: How should he apply himself, to “apply himself appropriately”?

Vimalakirti: He should apply himself to productionlessness and to destructionlessness.

Manjusri: What is not produced? And what is not destroyed?

Vimalakirti: Evil is not produced and good is not destroyed.

Manjusri: What is the root of good and evil?

Vimalakirti: Materiality is the root of good and evil.

Manjusri: What is the root of materiality?

Vimalakirti: Desire is the root of materiality.

Manjusri: What is the root of desire and attachment?

Vimalakirti: Unreal construction is the root of desire.

Manjusri: What is the root of unreal construction?

Vimalakirti: The false concept is its root.

Manjusri: What is the root of the false concept?

Vimalakirti: Baselessness.

Manjusri: What it the root of baselessness?

Vimalakirti: Manjusri, when something is baseless, how can it have any root? Therefore, all things stand on the root which is baseless. Thereupon, a certain goddess who lived in that house, having heard this teaching of the Dharma of the great heroic bodhisattvas, and being delighted, pleased, and overjoyed, manifested herself in a material body and showered the great spiritual heroes, the bodhisattvas, and the great disciples with heavenly flowers. When the flowers fell on the bodies of the bodhisattvas, they fell off on the floor, but when they fell on the bodies of the great disciples, they stuck to them and did not fall. The great disciples shook the flowers and even tried to use their magical powers, but still the flowers would not shake off. Then, the goddess said to the venerable Sariputra, “Reverend Sariputra, why do you shake these flowers?”

Sariputra replied, “Goddess, these flowers are not proper for religious persons and so we are trying to shake them off.”

The goddess said, “Do not say that, reverend Sariputra. Why? These flowers are proper indeed! Why? Such flowers have neither constructual thought nor discrimination. But the elder Sariputra has both constructual thought and discrimination.

“Reverend Sariputra, impropriety for one who has renounced the world for the discipline of the rightly taught Dharma consists of constructual thought and discrimination, yet the elders are full of such thoughts. One who is without such thoughts is always proper.

“Reverend Sariputra, see how these flowers do not stick to the bodies of these great spiritual heroes, the bodhisattvas! This is because they have eliminated constructual thoughts and discriminations.

“For example, evil spirits have power over fearful men but cannot disturb the fearless. Likewise, those intimidated by fear of the world are in the power of forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures, which do not disturb those who are free from fear of the passions inherent in the constructive world. Thus, these flowers stick to the bodies of those who have not eliminated their instincts for the passions and do not stick to the bodies of those who have eliminated their instincts. Therefore, the flowers do not stick to the bodies of these bodhisattvas, who have abandoned all instincts.”

Then the venerable Sariputra said to the goddess, “Goddess, how long have you been in this house?”

The goddess replied, “I have been here as long as the elder has been in liberation.”

Sariputra said, “Then, have you been in this house for quite some time?”

The goddess said, “Has the elder been in liberation for quite some time?”

At that, the elder Sariputra fell silent.

The goddess continued, “Elder, you are ‘foremost of the wise!’ Why do you not speak? Now, when it is your turn, you do not answer the question.”

Sariputra: Since liberation is inexpressible, goddess, I do not know what to say.

Goddess: All the syllables pronounced by the elder have the nature of liberation. Why? Liberation is neither internal nor external, nor can it be apprehended apart from them. Likewise, syllables are neither internal nor external, nor can they be apprehended anywhere else. Therefore, reverend Sariputra, do not point to liberation by abandoning speech! Why? The holy liberation is the equality of all things!

Sariputra: Goddess, is not liberation the freedom from desire, hatred, and folly?

Goddess: “Liberation is freedom from desire, hatred, and folly” that is the teaching of the excessively proud. But those free of pride are taught that the very nature of desire, hatred, and folly is itself liberation.

Sariputra: Excellent! Excellent, goddess! Pray, what have you attained, what have you realized, that you have such eloquence?

Goddess: I have attained nothing, reverend Sariputra. I have no realization. Therefore I have such eloquence. Whoever thinks, “I have attained! I have realized!” is overly proud in the discipline of the well-taught Dharma.

Sariputra: Goddess, do you belong to the disciple-vehicle, to the solitary-vehicle, or to the great vehicle?

Goddess: I belong to the disciple-vehicle when I teach it to those who need it. I belong to the solitary-vehicle when I teach the twelve links of dependent origination to those who need them. And, since I never abandon the great compassion, I belong to the great vehicle, as all need that teaching to attain ultimate liberation.

Nevertheless, reverend Sariputra, just as one cannot smell the castor plant in a magnolia wood, but only the magnolia flowers, so, reverend Sariputra, living in this house, which is redolent with the perfume of the virtues of the Buddha-qualities, one does not smell the perfume of the disciples and the solitary sages. Reverend Sariputra, the Sakras, the Brahmas, the Lokapalas, the devas, nagas, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, and mahoragas who live in this house hear the Dharma from the mouth of this holy man and, enticed by the perfume of the virtues of the Buddha-qualities, proceed to conceive the spirit of enlightenment.

Reverend Sariputra, I have been in this house for twelve years, and I have heard no discourses concerning the disciples and solitary sages but have heard only those concerning the great love, the great compassion, and the inconceivable qualities of the Buddha.

Reverend Sariputra, eight strange and wonderful things manifest themselves constantly in this house. What are these eight?

A light of golden hue shines here constantly, so bright that it is hard to distinguish day and night; and neither the moon nor the sun shines here distinctly. That is the first wonder of this house.

Furthermore, reverend Sariputra, whoever enters this house is no longer troubled by his passions from the moment he is within. That is the second strange and wonderful thing.

Furthermore, reverend Sariputra, this house is never forsaken by Sakra, Brahma, the Lokapalas, and the bodhisattvas from all the other buddha-fields. That is the third strange and wonderful thing.

Furthermore, reverend Sariputra, this house is never empty of the sounds of the Dharma, the discourse on the six transcendences, and the discourses of the irreversible wheel of the Dharma. That is the fourth strange and wonderful thing.

Furthermore, reverend Sariputra, in this house one always hears the rhythms, songs, and music of gods and men, and from this music constantly resounds the sound of the infinite Dharma of the Buddha. That is the fifth strange and wonderful thing.

Furthermore, reverend Sariputra, in this house there are always four inexhaustible treasures, replete with all kinds of jewels, which never decrease, although all the poor and wretched may partake to their satisfaction. That is the sixth strange and wonderful thing.

Furthermore, reverend Sariputra, at the wish of this good man, to this house come the innumerable Tathagatas of the ten directions, such as the Tathagatas Sakyamuni, Amitabha, Aksobhya, Ratnasri, Ratnarcis, Ratnacandra, Ratnavyuha, Dusprasaha, Sarvarthasiddha, Ratnabahula, Simhakirti, Simhasvara, and so forth; and when they come they teach the door of Dharma called the “Secrets of the Tathagatas” and then depart. That is the seventh strange and wonderful thing.

Furthermore, reverend Sariputra, all the splendors of the abodes of the gods and all the splendors of the fields of the Buddhas shine forth in this house. That is the eighth strange and wonderful thing.

Reverend Sariputra, these eight strange and wonderful things are seen in this house. Who then, seeing such inconceivable things, would believe the teaching of the disciples?

Sariputra: Goddess, what prevents you from transforming yourself out of your female state?

Goddess: Although I have sought my “female state” for these twelve years, I have not yet found it. Reverend Sariputra, if a magician were to incarnate a woman by magic, would you ask her, “What prevents you from transforming yourself out of your female state?”

Sariputra: No! Such a woman would not really exist, so what would there be to transform?

Goddess: Just so, reverend Sariputra, all things do not really exist. Now, would you think, “What prevents one whose nature is that of a magical incarnation from transforming herself out of her female state?”

Thereupon, the goddess employed her magical power to cause the elder Sariputra to appear in her form and to cause herself to appear in his form. Then the goddess, transformed into Sariputra, said to Sariputra, transformed into a goddess, “Reverend Sariputra, what prevents you from transforming yourself out of your female state?”

And Sariputra, transformed into the goddess, replied, “I no longer appear in the form of a male! My body has changed into the body of a woman! I do not know what to transform!”

The goddess continued, “If the elder could again change out of the female state, then all women could also change out of their female states. All women appear in the form of women in just the same way as the elder appears in the form of a woman. While they are not women in reality, they appear in the form of women. With this in mind, the Buddha said, ‘In all things, there is neither male nor female.’”

Then, the goddess released her magical power and each returned to his ordinary form. She then said to him, “Reverend Sariputra, what have you done with your female form?”

Sariputra: I neither made it nor did I change it.

Goddess: Just so, all things are neither made nor changed, and that they are not made and not changed, that is the teaching of the Buddha.

Sariputra: Goddess, where will you be born when you transmigrate after death?

Goddess: I will be born where all the magical incarnations of the Tathagata are born.

Sariputra: But the emanated incarnations of the Tathagata do not transmigrate nor are they born.

Goddess: All things and living beings are just the same; they do not transmigrate nor are they born!

Sariputra: Goddess, how soon will you attain the perfect enlightenment of Buddhahood?

Goddess: At such time as you, elder, become endowed once more with the qualities of an ordinary individual, then will I attain the perfect enlightenment of Buddhahood.

Sariputra: Goddess, it is impossible that I should become endowed once more with the qualities of an ordinary individual.

Goddess: Just so, reverend Sariputra, it is impossible that I should attain the perfect enlightenment of Buddhahood! Why? Because perfect enlightenment stands upon the impossible. Because it is impossible, no one attains the perfect enlightenment of Buddhahood.

Sariputra: But the Tathagata has declared: “The Tathagatas, who are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, have attained perfect Buddhahood, are attaining perfect Buddhahood, and will go on attaining perfect Buddhahood.”

Goddess: Reverend Sariputra, the expression, “the Buddhas of the past, present and future,” is a conventional expression made up of a certain number of syllables. The Buddhas are neither past, nor present, nor future. Their enlightenment transcends the three times! But tell me, elder, have you attained sainthood?

Sariputra: It is attained, because there is no attainment.

Goddess: Just so, there is perfect enlightenment because there is no attainment of perfect enlightenment.

Then the Licchavi Vimalakirti said to the venerable elder Sariputra, “Reverend Sariputra, this goddess has already served ninety-two million billion Buddhas. She plays with the superknowledges. She has truly succeeded in all her vows. She has gained the tolerance of the birthlessness of things. She has actually attained irreversibility. She can live wherever she wishes on the strength of her vow to develop living beings.”

2. He is able who thinks he is able.

3. Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.

4. All that we are is the result of what we have thought.

5. A man should first direct himself in the way he should go. Only then should he instruct others.

6. Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.

7. Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

8. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, We make our world.

9. Born out of concern for all beings.

10. All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.

11. There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth…not going all the way, and not starting.

12. Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.

13. He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.

14. If a man’s mind becomes pure, his surroundings will also become pure.

15. To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.

16. Ye must leave righteous ways behind, not to speak of unrighteous ways.

17. There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.

18. They are not following dharma who resort to violence to achieve their purpose. But those who lead others through nonviolent means, knowing right and wrong, may be called guardians of the dharma.

19. Those who really seek the path to Enlightenment dictate terms to their mind. Then they proceed with strong determination.

20. There is, Oh Monks, a not-born, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded. Monks, if that unborn, not-become, not-made, not-compounded were not, there would be no escape from this here that is born, become, made and compounded.

21. There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.

22. To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance.

23. We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.

24. We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.

25. Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.

26. The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasures of the world are an alluring mirage! Like the apparent distances in a picture, things have no reality in themselves, but they are like heat haze.

27. When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.

28. A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion, does not act as if it is real, so he escapes the suffering.

29. As irrigators lead water where they want, as archers make their arrows straight, as carpenters carve wood, the wise shape their minds.

30. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher.

31. Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

32. Whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings…that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide.

33. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher.

34. A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden.

35. Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourselves. And those, who shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast to the Truth as their refuge, they shall reach the topmost height.

36. We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.

37. Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.

38. Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

39. A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure.

40. A jug fills drop by drop.

41. An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.

42. Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.

43. Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.

44. Decay is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.

45. The Buddhas do but tell the way; it is for you to swelter at the task.

46. Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

47. Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

48. Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.

49. Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

50. If a man possesses a repentant spirit his sins will disappear, but if he has an unrepentant spirit his sins will continue and condemn him for their sake forever.

51. Friendship is the only cure for hatred, the only guarantee of peace.

52. It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.

53. Everything is changeable, everything appears and disappears; there is no blissful peace until one passes beyond the agony of life and death.

54. On life’s journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.

55. Our theories of the eternal are as valuable as are those which a chick which has not broken its way through its shell might form of the outside world.

56. Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.

57. Those who by form did see me and those who followed me by voice. Wrong the efforts they engaged in, those people will not see me.

58. Life at home is cramped and dirty, it is difficult to live a spiritual life completely, perfect and pure in all its parts while cabined.

59. Life is suffering.

60. Make a proper investigation first. Proper investigation is good for a well-known person like yourself.

61. My doctrine is not a doctrine but just a vision. I have not given you any set rules; I have not given you a system.

62. Not one or two, Subhuti, not one or two, but all the beings – men, women, animals, birds, trees, rocks. All the beings in the world. One should create such a determination that `I will lead all of them into nirvana’.

63. Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude and hearing the good Dharma, this is the best good luck

64. Seeking but not finding the house builder I traveled through life after life. How painful is repeated birth! House-builders, you have now been seen. You will not build the house again.

65. Someone who has set out in the vehicle of a Bodhisattva should decide that `I must lead all the beings to nirvana, into that realm of nirvana which leaves nothing behind’. What is this realm of nirvana which leaves nothing behind?

66. The example of the raft shows dharmas should be treated as provisional, as means to an end. The same holds good of emptiness too, the negation of dharmas. This corollary has elsewhere been illustrated by the simile of medicine which can heal any illness because its further use would only make one ill again.

67. The greatest gift is to give people your enlightenment, to share it. It has to be the greatest.

68. There is an unborn, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded. There cannot be any escape from what is born, become compounded. But since there is this unborn, not become, not-made, not-compounded, therefore is there made known an escape from what is born, become, made and compounded.

69. Everything changes, nothing remains without change.

70. It is within this fathoms-long carcass, with its mind and its notions; that I declare there is the world, the origin of the world, the cessation of the world and the path leading to the cessation of the world.

71. To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom, and keep our mind strong and clear. Water surrounds the lotus flower, but does not wet its petals.

72. To refrain from evil and from strong drink and to be always, steadfast in virtue; this is the good luck.

73. To support mother and father, to cherish wife and child and to have a simple livelihood; this is the good luck.

74. Wherever there is possession of marks, there is fraud; wherever there is no-possession of no-marks, there is no fraud. Hence the Tathagata is to be seen from no-marks as marks.

75. Why since I am myself subject to birth, ageing, disease, death, sorrows and defilement, do I seek after what is also subject to these things? Suppose, being myself subject these things, seeking danger in them, I were to seek the unborn, unageing, undiseased, deathless, sorrowless, undefiled supreme surcease of bondage, the extinction of all these troubles?

76. Work out you own salvation. Do not depend on others.

77. Because not even the least dharma is there found or got at. Therefore is it called ‘utmost, right and perfect enlightenment’. Self-identical is that dharma and nothing is therein at variance. Therefore is it called `utmost, right and perfect enlightenment is fully known as the totality of all the wholesome dharmas

78. Again a different meaning has to be understood.

79. For all mortals, birth is suffering, ageing is suffering, sickness is suffering.

80. No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.

81. One should do what one teaches others to do; if one would train others, one should be well controlled oneself. Difficult, indeed, is self-control.

82. All tremble at punishment. Life is dear to all. Put yourself in the place of others; kill none nor have another killed.

83. Thirst for existence, O monks, has a specific condition, it is nourished by something, it also does not go without support. And what is that nourishment? It is ignorance.

84. And again, Subhuti, suppose a woman or a man were to renounce all their belongings as many times as there are grains of sand in the river Ganges ; and suppose that someone else, after taking from this discourse on dharma but one stanza of four lines, would demonstrates it to others. Then this latter on the strength of that would beget a greater heap of merit, immeasurable and incalculable.

85. Good men and bad men differ radically. Bad men never appreciate kindness shown them, but wise men appreciate and are grateful. Wise men try to express their appreciation and gratitude by some return of kindness, not only to their benefactor, but to everyone else.

86. Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

87. Inward calm cannot be maintained unless physical strength is constantly and intelligently replenished.

88. It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.

89. Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

90. The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

91. The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.

92. Through zeal, knowledge is gotten; through lack of zeal, knowledge is lost; let a man who knows the double path of gain and loss thus place himself that knowledge may grow.

93. To conquer oneself is a greater victory than to conquer thousands in a battle.

94. To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.

95. You should respect each other and refrain from disputes; you should not, like water and oil, repel each other, but should, like milk and water, mingle together.

96. Known they are, Subhuti, to the Tathagata through his Buddha-coginition. Seen they are, Subhuti, by the Tathagata with his Buddha-eye, fully known, Subhuti, they are to the Tathagata.

97. What is the noble truth of suffering? Birth is suffering, ageing is suffering and sorrow and lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering.

98. Keeping away from all evil deeds, cultivation of life by doing good deeds and purification of mind from mental impurities.

99. Because a Bodhisattva who gives a gift should not be supported by a thing, nor should he be supported anywhere.The great being should give gifts in such a way that he is not supported by the notion of a sign and why ? Because the heap of merit of that bodhi-being, who unsupported gives a gift, is not easy to measure

100. Being deeply learned and skilled, being well trained and using well spoken words; this is good luck.

101. Being generous, just helping one’s relatives and being blameless in one’s actions; this is the best good luck.

102. Beings are owners of their action, heirs of their action.

103. But, to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, and to see with real understanding the four noble truths

104. Deny the passport, throw it away and make a great decision that you will not leave this shore until and unless you have liberated all the human beings.

104. Do not speak thus, Subhuti! Yes, even then there will be of beings who, when these words of the sutra are being taught, will understand their truth. For even at that time, Subhuti, there will be Bodhisattvas. And these Bodhisattvas, Subhuti, will not be such as have honored only one single Buddha, nor such as have planted their roots of merit under one single Buddha.

105. From the Dharma should one see the Buddhas, from the dharma-bodies come their guidance. Yet Dharma’s true nature cannot be discerned and no one can be conscious of it as an object.

106. I am the miracle.

107. Inflamed by greed, incensed by hate, confused by delusion, overcome by them, obsessed by mind, a man chooses for his own affliction, for others’ affliction, for the affliction of both and experiences pain and grief

108. It is to see the faults of others, but difficult to see once own faults. One shows the faults of others like chaff winnowed in the wind, but one conceals one’s own faults as a cunning gambler conceals his dice.

109. Overcome the angry by non-anger; overcome the wicked by goodness; overcome the miser by generosity; overcome the liar by truth.

110. As a lotus flower is born in water, grows in water and rises out of water to stand above it unsoiled, so I, born in the world, raised in the world having overcome the world, live unsoiled by the world

111. On a long journey of human life, faith is the best of companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey; and it is the greatest property.

112. This indeed is a safe refuge, it is the refuge supreme. It is the refuge whereby one is freed from all suffering.

113. Thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.

This blew me away: http://universe.daylife.com/

And this is my new favorite site: http://www.daylife.com/

I feel awesome
I feel happy
I feel sleepy
I feel crazy

We Feel Fine

The web is so amazing.

I am not the type of person who can live on the streets, simply knowing I will have enough food to live and able to find shelter in pine boxes or abandoned cars, but something about Poppa inspires me.

Watch the short video YouTube about Poppa Neutrino that I embedded below. It is from the documentary entitled Random Lunacy.

I don’t know the man, or much about him, but if he is a decent person, kind and loving to his family, friends and the people he meets along his journey, then it seems to me that he is a hero of sorts.

In the NPR story he spoke about the people of Massachusetts town where he built the Atlantic raft. He told about how those people there gave him a diesel generator for the raft and much of the materials to make it seaworthy. Someone who is mean or crazy does not usually generate enough goodwill to find benefactors like that.

With his family in tow he traveled Mexico and the states, busking for money with his band, The Flying Neutrinos. Now the band is ran by his daughter, Ingrid. I actually like her music a lot…

Sometimes it is so hard to keep in mind that we should allow ourselves the right to see ‘everyday magic’, but clearly Poppa has lived his life following that rule.

OK, I just wanted to share, this one was too bizarre and good not to let others know about it.

Maybe I am able to suspend reality and accept imagination better than others? Perhaps I am equipped to see divinity in people where others can not? I don’t know, I do however know that it bothers me when Christians can not accept that the divine can choose to show itself to any one anywhere.

Why can some people not understand that what they call God might show itself to others as gods, or devas, or angels or whatever it is that a person or people might need to experience? If a mother from the amazon prays and begs for the forest spirits heal her child, why would the divine not intercede and do just that? Just because she uses a name other than Jesus, or Yahweh or Allah or Buddha; don’t we think that the divine can hear all?

OK, I will stop ranting now…

This all started because I am reading a book right now called Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda. I am not far enough in to the book to offer anything like a review or insightful comment, but I know that the book describes the lives of many yogis from India and the Himalayas. I know that it describes men and women that could heal the sick, float over rivers and become non-corporeal with thought.

I can buy all of that. I believe that Jesus did the works associated with his ministry, and I can accept that there might be others who can do many if not all of those same miracles, even today; all by faith in themselves and faith in the divine. I have faith that the divine creator of the universe can manifest itself anywhere in any time. To do otherwise would be to limit the limitless, to contain the universe in my own box. I can’t do that, can you?

I know that I cannot be considered an orthodox Christian any longer, nor could I be counted among the orthodox Buddhists, but I am comfortable with my own beliefs. I see the divine in others and myself, I see the divine in the world around me and I welcome it and call out to it. I also know that we all have eternal souls that suffer because we are mired in delusion.

I am no Bodhisattva, but I pray, I meditate and I smile. I try to be compassionate and mindful at all times, though I do fall short sometimes. “Loving kindness is my religion,” His Holiness the Dalai Lama said that once, but I will use it from now on as my own statement of faith.

So for now I am back to work, love you.

Matt

She screamed.

When my wife screams I pay attention, this time was no different, but I was in the attic cleaning out the dryer vent. So down I hurry, trying not to kill my self on the way, taking only a quick moment to make sure my flip-flops land on the rungs of the ladder as I go.

By the time I made it to the laundry room my youngest is in the room too, watching this little terrified mouse as it tries in vain to burrow in to the kitty litter… sad really.

I pick up the whole litter box, my wife hands me the scoop and I walk in to the garage with Guru in tow meowing that I am not to disturb his toy. I walk to the edge of the garage, staying out of the rain, and then I threw the little mouse out in to the darkness.

Of course Guru was not too happy with the turn of events, so I patted his little gray head and went back in to the house.

This morning my wife finds Guru sitting with the little brown mouse outside. The mouse is dead, probably from a heart attack. I am sure Guru played with it until his little brown mouse heart just gave out and he died.

I don’t think Guru meant to kill his toy. I don’t think he meant to do any harm at all. When Guru is sitting with me at night while I read he is noble. He is kind and sincere and loving sitting there on my lap, occasionally pawing the book to get my attention.

When he does this I say the Mani to him and then I go back to my reading. In my mind he is teaching me. Something. No idea what he is teaching me, but in my mind he is a guru and he has Buddha-nature.

He is Guru.

How can I get paid doing something I love?

Soon you start wondering what exactly the universe is telling you. Is it intended for you? This question is a statement about your life, not just a passing question you overhear in the sushi bar.

But then you need to decide what it is you love to do. Not what you can do and enjoy to make a living, but the thing you love most.

Mine might be writing. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry… I just love to write. When I am stressed I sit down and put those words in prose or add a little more to the same story I have been writing for a decade. I like to think about mindfulness and who I am, where I am going and how I am getting there. I am trying to be a better person too. Trying to slow down, to make less of a signature on my environment.

I used to get paid for writing. A decade ago I was a reporter for a few small-town papers in Oklahoma. I covered the state capitol for these little papers and I loved doing it. I quit because I was greedy. I needed money to start my life with the girl I wanted to marry.

So I left journalism to pursue a career dictated by the dollar. You might enjoy what you are doing and you are getting paid for it; but do you love it?

I do enjoy what I do for a living, I am lucky there. I love the people I work with, again, lucky there. But, I don’t love it. I don’t miss my profession when I am away for a vacation. I miss the people and the experience, but not the actual job.

Would I want to own a dojo and meditation center and work on my chi? Perhaps. Would I want to get paid to write? Sure. (Let me know if you want to make a donation to the Keep-Matt-Writing find.) Could I be a life-coach? Greg might think so, but no one else I am sure. (I tell Greg to think that.)

Really, what do I love enough to do that as a way to live?

Maybe if I keep asking myself the same question pretty soon I will answer it too.

What about you?