Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose.
There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from.

~Elizabeth Kübler-Ross

Sunset in Montpellier Province, France

Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York.

BUDDHIST PRESCRIPTIONS

Providing people with physical well-being and wealth does not necessarily lead to peace. Lewis Lapham recently wrote:

Apparently it is not poverty that causes crime, but rather the resentment of poverty. This latter condition is as likely to embitter the ‘subjectively deprived’ in a rich society as the ‘objectively deprived’ in a poor society.

Mental attitudes and the actions to which they lead are the key.

Buddhists believe that the minds of all living beings are totally interconnected and interrelated, whether they are consciously aware of it or not. To use a simple analogy for the interconnection, each being has his or her own transmitting and receiving station and is constantly broadcasting to all others his or her state of mind and is constantly receiving broadcasts from all others.

Even the most insignificant thoughts in our minds have some effect on all other beings. How much the more so do our strong negative emotions and our acting out of them in direct or indirect forms of physical violence! In other words, each thought in the mind of each and every one of us brings the world either a little closer to the brink of global disaster or helps to move the world a little farther away from the brink. If each time we feel irritated, annoyed, thwarted, outraged, or just plain frustrated, we reflect on the consequences of our thoughts, words and actions, perhaps that reflection in itself will help to lead us to behave in a way that will contribute to global peace. If every time we get angry at our wife or husband, girl friend or boy friend, parents or children, we are aware that we are driving the entire world toward the brink of war, maybe we will think twice and wonder whether our anger is worth the consequences. Even if we feel our cause is just, if we in thought, word, and deed make war against injustice, we are still part of the problem and not contributing to the solution. On the other hand, if we concentrate on putting our own minds at peace, then we can broadcast peace mentally and generate peace through our actions. We should use a peaceful mind to act for peace in the world. Continue reading →

Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York.
Venerable Dhammadipa is an abbot of the Monastery.

Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York. Largest Buddha staue in USA

Have a big enough heart to love unconditionally, and a broad enough mind to embrace the differences
that make each of us unique. ~D.B. Harrop

Venerable Dhammadipa [center], an abbot of Chuang Yen Monastry in Carmel, New York

Embrace love and compassion with all your spirit. Understand that they never hurt or offend,
they just heal and empower. ~Steve Maraboli

Montpelier Province, France

The recital of the Jayamangala Gatha, a set of eight benedictory stanzas extolling the virtues of the Buddha, is usually done on important occasions or when inaugurating any venture of significance. The contents of the stanzas, when recited clearly, are intended to bring happiness and success in all good endeavours we embark upon. These verses have come to be called “The Stanzas of Victory” or Jayamangala Gatha. A unique feature that concludes each verse is the line “By virtue of this, may joyous victory be yours.” These stanzas are regarded as efficacious because they relate to eight occasions, each based on beautiful story, where the Buddha triumphed over his powerful opponents by the sheer power of good.

Through these verses, one will realize that true victory is JOY; where none is left dejected or in pain. Each time the Buddha triumph over His adversaries, He left them with realizations and awe over the pure powers of generosity, patience, self control, loving kindness, serenity, peace, truthfulness and other virtues. The vanguished never leaves without lamp of wisdom being lighted; ensuring them greater happiness.

While the origin of these stanzas is shrouded in mystery, it can be stated with certainty that they were compose in Sri Lanka by a devout Buddhist poet.

Source: Jayamangala Gatha, Stanzas of Victory, by Messengers of Dharma (M.O.D.). This CD is donated to me by my youtube friend from Malasia.

We all want love and understanding, but we often confuse love with desire. Love and desire are different. When they get mixed up together, we need to look at them deeply and make an effort to sort them out! There are three kinds of intimacy: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Physical intimacy can’t be separated from emotional intimacy; we always feel some emotional intimacy when we’re sexual, even if we profess not to. When spiritual intimacy is there, then physical and emotional intimacy can be healthy, healing, and pleasurable. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Water flows over these hands.
May I use them skillfully
to preserve our precious planet.

~Thich Nhat Hahn

Flowers in Rhode Island

A tree inside the National Archives of French Overseas Territories in AiX-En-Provence, France

A tree inside the National Archives of French Overseas Territories in AiX-En-Provence, France