I thought I’d share a story I heard, told by Ajahn Brahm, a great monk of the Theravada Thai Forest tradition and spiritual director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia, in one of his trips to the US:
A priest was finishing his sermon in church one Sunday, and asked if the congregation had any questions. A parishioner, a professor of philosophy at the local university, stood and said, “Father, you have said belief in Jesus Christ is only true way to get to heaven. But what about some of the great figures in history, like the Buddha, Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, Voltaire or even Gandhi? These were great compassionate men but they were not Christians? Surely they can’t be in Hell?”
The priest was a bit taken back by the question and told the congregation he would answer the question in next week’s sermon. The priest knew this was a difficult question to answer, so he paid a visit to the local monsignor to ask for guidance. The monsignor told him that the question was too difficult for him and directed the priest to their bishop the following day.
The priest sat with the bishop that next day and posed him the question. The bishop told him that he could answer the question, but being that the man who asked the question was a professor of philosophy, he needed a more educated answer, so the bishop directed him the professor of theology at the same university.
The theology professor was a very busy man and could only see the priest on Saturday and then only for a few minutes. The priest met with the professor and he quickly rattled off a long and detailed answer. Then, looking at his watch, dismissed himself quickly to his next appointment. The priest barely understood anything the professor told him, so here he was, on the day before he was to answer the question, and he was no better off than when he began!
That night the priest couldn’t sleep. He was so nervous about addressing the congregation without the answer that he tossed and turned all night. So, early Sunday morning, he got dressed and headed into the church early and like all good Christians, he went up to the alter, kneeled down and prayed for guidance. Because of his lack of sleep, the priest fell asleep during prayer and began to dream.
The priest saw himself at a train station and intuitively he knew where this train was heading. He asked the conductor, “Excuse me sir, is this train heading to Heaven?”
“Why, yes, yes it is,” and noticing the collar around the neck of the priest he said, “Father, the ride is free for you.” So the priest boarded the train. Like most dreams, time has no meaning and within a short while he was pulling into anther station. On this station were the letters H-E-A-V-E-N. The priest was got off the train and standing there in the station was a man in a white robe, with white wings and a halo above his head. The priest approached the man and said, “Excuse me sir, is this really Heaven?”
“Of course,” said the man, “Welcome Father, can I get you anything?”
“No, no, I’m quite alright, thank you,” said the priest, “But I would like to ask you a few questions if I could.”
“Sure,” said the man, “Go right ahead.”
“Okay,” replied the priest, “How long have you been here?”
“Oh,” answered the man, “Thousands of years I suppose.”
“Great,” said the priest, “Than can you tell me, do you know if there is a man called the Buddha here?”
“No,” answered the man, “I’ve never heard of him.”
“How about Socrates? Marcus Aurelius? Voltaire? Gandhi?,” asked the priest.
“No, I haven’t heard of any of those men, why do you ask?”
The priest smiled and said, “Thank you kind sir, I have my answer!” and he returned to the train station very happy and very smug.
When he got to the station there was another train there and again, instinctively, he knew where that train was heading as well. He approached the conductor and asked, “Excuse me, is this train for Hell?”
“Yes,” said the conductor, “You can ride this train as well if you wish.”
The priest was certain that the people he asked about weren’t in Heaven, but he wondered if they were truly in Hell, so he climbed aboard, and shortly thereafter the train pulled into a station with the letters H-E-L-L. The priest got off the train and was immediately greeted by another man. “Welcome to Hell, sir! How has your trip? Can I get you anything? Perhaps a drink, or maybe something to eat?”
“No thank you,” said the priest, a bit stunned by the welcoming. He asked the man, “Can I ask you some questions, sir?”
“Of course,” replied the man.
“How long have you been here?”
“Oh, thousands of years,” replied the man.
“Can you tell me, do you know of a man called the Buddha who is here?” asked the priest.
“Oh yes,” said the man, “What a wonderful, generous and kind man he is!”
The priest smiled and continued, “How about Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, Voltaire and Gandhi?”
“Yes, of course, great men all of them. So kind and gentle, we really love them. Are you sure I can’t get you something?”
“Wait a minute,” said the priest, “Is this really Hell?”
“Of course, sir,” the man replied.
“But I always thought that Hell was a place of torment, anguish and great suffering,” he told the man.
“Oh yes,” replied the man, “It used to be like that; before the Buddha came…”
(And Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, Voltaire and Gandhi)
This story was not meant to offend anyone. We Buddhists know the Buddha is not truly in Hell, but with all Dhamma stories, this one has a moral and the moral as told by Ajahn Brahm is:
"It is people who make the place, not the place that make the people."
Good Buddhist wisdom, with a little funny on the side.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
BCBF on Meetup.com
The BCBF now has a group on Meetup.com! We've uploaded files there that anyone can download and read through (just some basic reading material, but very good for answering some basic questions about Buddhism in general). Check us out there and join up!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Daily Wisdom 1/2/2008
Going along in company together, a wise man
Must mix with other foolish persons.But on seeing what is wrongful he abandons them.As a full-fledged heron leaves the marshy ground.-Udana 8.7
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
Must mix with other foolish persons.But on seeing what is wrongful he abandons them.As a full-fledged heron leaves the marshy ground.-Udana 8.7
From "365 Buddha: Daily Meditations," edited by Jeff Schmidt. Reprinted by arrangement with Tarcher/Putnam, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
New Intentions
New Year New Intentions set.
I don't know about you all, but I chose to let the New Year represent for me a cleansing of the past and putting my intentions into the present.
I sat by a Lovely Fire New Years Eve with a couple of friends and doggies and enjoyed the moment. Taking in the cooler weather and the evening skies, as well as realizing that truly this is just another day. It is what I make it. Or the preception I put into my day, or dayz.
I chose to not do the ritiual burning of what I want to let go off. Since I felt and believe that I had already made peace with the past year. I started a intention list few months ago and read through it every so often. So I had started on that before the Holiday. So for my family it was a celebration of the past year and enjoying the present moment. And truly that is more of what I chose to manifest anyway! It was a great start into the "new year"!
I feel very blessed with my life, friends, and family.
I also realize the ebb and flow of life, more then ever and I am embracing those moments, and not holding on to them for dear life. I see them now as moments, that pass, happiness passes, sadness passes, it all passes and the less attachment I have the more peace I live in. Living out the Dharma in my daily life. Shin Buddhism is that for me. Taking it to the streets of my life! :)
I seem to be coming into a place in my life where I am able to chop that wood carry water, ENLIGHTENMENT don't know what it means (Van Morrision song) that I relate to so well at this moment.
Doing what needs to be done and being mindful of the moment to moment living..
Or at least at best working toward that intention!
Blissings
Shanti
I don't know about you all, but I chose to let the New Year represent for me a cleansing of the past and putting my intentions into the present.
I sat by a Lovely Fire New Years Eve with a couple of friends and doggies and enjoyed the moment. Taking in the cooler weather and the evening skies, as well as realizing that truly this is just another day. It is what I make it. Or the preception I put into my day, or dayz.
I chose to not do the ritiual burning of what I want to let go off. Since I felt and believe that I had already made peace with the past year. I started a intention list few months ago and read through it every so often. So I had started on that before the Holiday. So for my family it was a celebration of the past year and enjoying the present moment. And truly that is more of what I chose to manifest anyway! It was a great start into the "new year"!
I feel very blessed with my life, friends, and family.
I also realize the ebb and flow of life, more then ever and I am embracing those moments, and not holding on to them for dear life. I see them now as moments, that pass, happiness passes, sadness passes, it all passes and the less attachment I have the more peace I live in. Living out the Dharma in my daily life. Shin Buddhism is that for me. Taking it to the streets of my life! :)
I seem to be coming into a place in my life where I am able to chop that wood carry water, ENLIGHTENMENT don't know what it means (Van Morrision song) that I relate to so well at this moment.
Doing what needs to be done and being mindful of the moment to moment living..
Or at least at best working toward that intention!
Blissings
Shanti
Friday, December 28, 2007
The Anger-Eating Demon
For my first blog, I thought I’d retell a story once told by the Buddha himself:
Once upon a time there was a great and wise emperor who had to leave his palace for a business trip. During the emperor’s absence, a large, ugly, foul, smelly and vulgar demon approached the palace gates. He was so fearsome, that his very presence froze the palace guards and advisors in sheer terror. Unable to move out of fright, they watched as the demon walked right into the palace and sat down on the emperor’s throne. Upon seeing this, the guards fear was replaced by anger, and they stormed to the throne shouting, “Get out of that throne, who do you think you are!” And as they shouted this, the demon grew one inch taller, a little uglier, a bit smellier and his language became more vulgar. Upon seeing this, the guards were enraged even more and continued shouting at the demon, “If you don’t get out of that throne right now, we’ll cut off your head!” And with each insult and threat, the demon grew a little larger, more smelly, even more vulgar and fearsome. This continued for some time until the demon was so large that he took up most of the room. He was so vile and smelly the guards could barely stand and his language was so vulgar and loud that even the biggest brute blushed.
When the emperor returned to see this enormous, vile demon in his throne, and being the wisest of all in his empire, he knew immediately what to do. He entered the throne room and exclaimed, “Hello, demon! How nice of you to visit me! Has anyone offered you something to eat yet? Would you like something to drink?” And with the emperor’s kind words the demon shrunk just bit, became a bit less smelly and less offensive. When the guards saw this, they immediately realized their mistake and joined the emperor. “Please, sit there and let us bring you some fruit, and perhaps some wine. Would you like us to draw you a bath? How long will be you staying with us?” And with each of these kind words, the demon slowly shrank back to the size he was when he first arrived.
But the emperor didn’t stop there. He continued his kindness and compliments until the demon was so small that just one more act of kindness and he would disappear entirely. And he did. The emperor retook his throne and all his guards and advisors learned a valuable lesson.
The Buddha called this demon an “Anger-Eating Demon.” Many times in our lives we encounter anger-eating demons. They could be at work, at home, anywhere we choose to let our anger overcome us. It’s interesting to see that even when it’s someone we love, the blindness of anger makes them appear ugly, vile and fierce, when we give anger back to those who give it to us. And just as the emperor shows in this story, anger is only defeated by kindness and compassion. So please remember, that when we say we are angry with someone, it is not really the person you are angry with, but the actions they have taken against you. Perhaps it is not even you that they are intentionally directing that anger towards. Perceptions are phenomena which rise and fall within our own minds. Remember this and match your anger-eating demons always with kindness and compassion.
Once upon a time there was a great and wise emperor who had to leave his palace for a business trip. During the emperor’s absence, a large, ugly, foul, smelly and vulgar demon approached the palace gates. He was so fearsome, that his very presence froze the palace guards and advisors in sheer terror. Unable to move out of fright, they watched as the demon walked right into the palace and sat down on the emperor’s throne. Upon seeing this, the guards fear was replaced by anger, and they stormed to the throne shouting, “Get out of that throne, who do you think you are!” And as they shouted this, the demon grew one inch taller, a little uglier, a bit smellier and his language became more vulgar. Upon seeing this, the guards were enraged even more and continued shouting at the demon, “If you don’t get out of that throne right now, we’ll cut off your head!” And with each insult and threat, the demon grew a little larger, more smelly, even more vulgar and fearsome. This continued for some time until the demon was so large that he took up most of the room. He was so vile and smelly the guards could barely stand and his language was so vulgar and loud that even the biggest brute blushed.
When the emperor returned to see this enormous, vile demon in his throne, and being the wisest of all in his empire, he knew immediately what to do. He entered the throne room and exclaimed, “Hello, demon! How nice of you to visit me! Has anyone offered you something to eat yet? Would you like something to drink?” And with the emperor’s kind words the demon shrunk just bit, became a bit less smelly and less offensive. When the guards saw this, they immediately realized their mistake and joined the emperor. “Please, sit there and let us bring you some fruit, and perhaps some wine. Would you like us to draw you a bath? How long will be you staying with us?” And with each of these kind words, the demon slowly shrank back to the size he was when he first arrived.
But the emperor didn’t stop there. He continued his kindness and compliments until the demon was so small that just one more act of kindness and he would disappear entirely. And he did. The emperor retook his throne and all his guards and advisors learned a valuable lesson.
The Buddha called this demon an “Anger-Eating Demon.” Many times in our lives we encounter anger-eating demons. They could be at work, at home, anywhere we choose to let our anger overcome us. It’s interesting to see that even when it’s someone we love, the blindness of anger makes them appear ugly, vile and fierce, when we give anger back to those who give it to us. And just as the emperor shows in this story, anger is only defeated by kindness and compassion. So please remember, that when we say we are angry with someone, it is not really the person you are angry with, but the actions they have taken against you. Perhaps it is not even you that they are intentionally directing that anger towards. Perceptions are phenomena which rise and fall within our own minds. Remember this and match your anger-eating demons always with kindness and compassion.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
As we close in on 2007.... Some Thoughts
It seems as though as this year ends and we come upon 2008 we have all had quite a few changes, shifts and personal earthquakes.
I know in my life this year I did. And I thank the fact that my belief and surrender into the Dharma has helped me along. I no longer feel that I am in this all alone, and can call upon the Dharma/Buddha/Sangha for support when I do need it the most. And this year I have needed it!
But as my acceptance of life grows so does my peace, and well at times bliss.
I believe that whatever we go thru if we call upon the Buddha we can get thru it. I usually am filled with a overwhelming amount of peace, then I can go forward. :)
I have much to learn in the Dharma, but am a willing student, and open to the teaches, no matter where it may lead me.
I find that I blend my Buddhism with being a Americano. The fact that we live in this country a predominatly Christian based country I at times blend that with my Buddhism. I don't celebrate Christmas, but do gift gifts and see it as Dharma and part of the joy of living. I also don't decorate my house, but I do decorate one of my Buddhas. By putting something festive on him (he is rather large and ornate and I can put fancy garland around his shoulders and fancy Christmas small wreath around his head. I know if I was in Japan or Thailand I wouldn't have to worry about celebrating Christmas, therefore I wouldn't think of Dressing up my Buddha. But since I do live here I feel that Buddha honors all walks of life and even probably gets a nice giggle out of being dolled up.
I also put presents under my Buddha. To honor him and his teaches, and have a beautiful candle that burns in front of Buddha. My offering to Buddha. It is a fancy essential oil, all natural one! :)
I also give gifts to my doggies, since they have been so good and they enjoy opening them. I call the Day of Christmas our Buddha fest in America! We love each other and celebrate with special gifts and fun! As well as enjoy our time together as well as make something really scrumptious and delicious to eat!! We celebrate being Buddhist! And we also do something swell for those less fortunate then us, again part of the Dharma. So to me The Holidays is a time to practice the Dharma and enjoy being a Buddhist! And to let my Sangha know they are loved!
Blissings
Shanti
I know in my life this year I did. And I thank the fact that my belief and surrender into the Dharma has helped me along. I no longer feel that I am in this all alone, and can call upon the Dharma/Buddha/Sangha for support when I do need it the most. And this year I have needed it!
But as my acceptance of life grows so does my peace, and well at times bliss.
I believe that whatever we go thru if we call upon the Buddha we can get thru it. I usually am filled with a overwhelming amount of peace, then I can go forward. :)
I have much to learn in the Dharma, but am a willing student, and open to the teaches, no matter where it may lead me.
I find that I blend my Buddhism with being a Americano. The fact that we live in this country a predominatly Christian based country I at times blend that with my Buddhism. I don't celebrate Christmas, but do gift gifts and see it as Dharma and part of the joy of living. I also don't decorate my house, but I do decorate one of my Buddhas. By putting something festive on him (he is rather large and ornate and I can put fancy garland around his shoulders and fancy Christmas small wreath around his head. I know if I was in Japan or Thailand I wouldn't have to worry about celebrating Christmas, therefore I wouldn't think of Dressing up my Buddha. But since I do live here I feel that Buddha honors all walks of life and even probably gets a nice giggle out of being dolled up.
I also put presents under my Buddha. To honor him and his teaches, and have a beautiful candle that burns in front of Buddha. My offering to Buddha. It is a fancy essential oil, all natural one! :)
I also give gifts to my doggies, since they have been so good and they enjoy opening them. I call the Day of Christmas our Buddha fest in America! We love each other and celebrate with special gifts and fun! As well as enjoy our time together as well as make something really scrumptious and delicious to eat!! We celebrate being Buddhist! And we also do something swell for those less fortunate then us, again part of the Dharma. So to me The Holidays is a time to practice the Dharma and enjoy being a Buddhist! And to let my Sangha know they are loved!
Blissings
Shanti
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Week of Events that require deep breaths
Last week full of events... And required me to stay still and breath.
My Father in Law passed away last week...And we went down to Delray where there was such a wonderful service given for him. Jewish in spirit, and all heart.
I meet some of my extended family (brother in laws and wifes and children) they came from Seattle and Washington I think.. Everyone was able to gather in a positive manner, one that was filled with love and admiration. It was nice to be part of it. My Mother in Law was so beautiful and full of love, she was strong, but also so kind and possibly even at peace, knowing Dad is in a better, peaceful place.
I also was able to be there for Tony. His grieving and letting go process. It was nice to provide a shoulder (since he does it so much for me!). I see Tony's Dad as a beautiful White Dove who is flying away over the Ocean toward the sky and luminating white healing light all around him, free of the bondage of the human body.
Ahhhhh....
I honored death for him by seeing it as a release and a celebration of all who loved him coming together and unity in joy and happiness for all that he was and still is in everyones heart and soul. A celebration of him, a tribute if you will.
I unfortunately have had a horrible migraine for the last few weeks on and off. And before going I had one that was a killer, it took me two days to get rid of it..
I am accepting that this is what is at the moment. And I am also going to a eye doctor (since my sight is getting kinda bad) and a Endicrinologist for my thryoid. I have a nodule on each side of my thyroid and I know that my tumors on my ovaries are all part of the thyroid not functioning.
I believe in living in the now, and then doing what I can to change it in the future.
But I also know that acceptance is the most important thing I can do to heal my body!
I have been busy with my etsy online shoppe. I have alot of new jewelry designs and vegan/natural soap, and skincare next week. I feel good about that. I have started to sell slowly at first, which is fine, and now I am going to need a bigger mailbox! Since I am having to mail stuff out for sold items and my mailbox is a regular size one :(
Haha..
I also am more at peace then I have been in a long time!
I miss the Spa and Yoga studio, but not the headaches!
I don't miss the issues either.
I am the peace that I feel and I share that with the world around me.
And hopefully with a smile on my face
Namu Amida Butsu
Shanti
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