Best Day

Good Morning,

Today, when I awoke, I realized that this is the best day of my life, ever! There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did! And because I did I'm going to celebrate!

Today, I'm going to celebrate the seemingly simple gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the birds. Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice.

Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people. I'll make someone smile. I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know.

Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down. I'll tell a child how special he is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for her and how much she means to me.

Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things that can not be bought. I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my clarity ensures everything will be just fine.

And tonight, before I go to bed, I'll go outside and stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon, and I will appreciate this magnificent moment.

As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because I know tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life, ever!

Peace and Love, Jim

Honesty

Good Morning,

I was watching a TV show last night (rare for me) called "Living in TV Land". This particular episode was about Shermin Hemsley (George Jefferson). The camera crews follow him around during his day to day activities which include everything from guest appearances to writing and recording his own music. The interesting thing was that everywhere he went he was known and called out as George Jefferson (not his real name) and for most people he WAS George Jefferson.

This brings me to an interesting thought: In a society that literally teaches us to put up facades (made of clothes, cars, things and opinions) how do we ever honestly and truly claim to know anyone? Have we all become actors? From mommies little princess on through adulthood we have been taught (and still teach) how to live and grow into "personas" instead of becoming and baring our true selves to the world and those who inhabit it. Is this natural or taught?

I find when given the opportunity to become themselves (or discover such a concept) that people quite often simply can not do it. They either know not how, or simply can not be that forthright. So I ask what is our world filled with? When trying to find compassion for all people it can be challenging to never know if you are loving the genuine person or their "character". which brings me to the thought for today:

Put away your falsehoods, let everyone speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are not individuals, but members one of another.

Have a great day and wear your neighbors shoes for a day, the walk may do you good!

Peace and Love, Jim

Legends

Good Morning,

Today I just wanted to share a simple story about life, habits and the birth of legends. It is a tale of simplicity. yet it rings of our modern lives and history in one beautiful lesson: Once there lived a village of creatures along the bottom of a great crystal river. Each creature in its own manner clung tightly to the twigs and rocks of the river bottom, for clinging was their way of life, and resisting the current was what each had learned from birth. But one creature said at last, "I trust that the current knows where it is going. I shall let go, and let it take me where it will. Clinging, I shall die doing nothing more."

The other creatures laughed and said, "Fool! Let go, and that current you worship will throw you tumbled and smashed across the rocks, and you will die quickly!"

But the one heeded them not, and taking a breath did let go, and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks. Yet, in time, as the creature refused to cling again, the current lifted him free from the bottom, and he was bruised and hurt no more.

Now the creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger, cried, "See a miracle! A creature like ourselves, yet he flies! See the Messiah, come to save us all!" And the one carried in the current said, "I am no more Messiah than you. The river is here to lift us free, if only we dare let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.

The creatures down stream continued to cry, "Saviour!" all the while clinging to the rocks, making legends of a Saviour.

Peace and Love, Jim

The Biggest Obstacle

Good Morning,

Many times in life we are faced with difficulties or what at the time can seem like insurmountable obstacles. Yet as we live on we find that much like a small child learning to walk, we find that what was once hard becomes relatively easy. Life like all things is a constant change, filled not with obstacles, but lessons to be taught and learned. We simply need the wisdom and clarity to see them as such. So the next time a problem or fear arises in our life we should try to remember the following thought:

You are the only problem you will ever have. You are the only solution there will ever be. Change is not a decision, but a fact of life. But personal growth is always a personal decision.

Have a great day and hug someone today, touching others can be that simple.

Peace and Love, Jim

Denial

Good Morning,

We joined some dear friends this weekend to take in the Bodies Exhibition at our local civic center. For those of you unfamiliar with the exhibit; it consists of many high detailed and well preserved human bodies which have been artistically posed, assembled and put on display. Although one might consider this type of thing morbid or depressing, it was actually quite fascinating seeing our physicality's put on display in such a striking manner.

The exhibit certainly reminded one of our limited time here in this existence, but it was also reassuring in some strangely serene way that it all must eventually end. I think it is sad that we seem so scared to even talk about death. Life can take on a deeper, richer meaning when we live aware of the fact that we will not live forever (at least this life as we know it). To deny death is deny part of life, which brings me to my thought for today:

To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully.

Have a beautiful day and remember the race is only won or lost if you believe there is a race to begin with.

Peace and Love, Jim

Gems

Good Morning,

Hope everyone is feeling well and had a good week. It's Friday and all the plants got a little water last night. Just wanted to end the week with a few great quotes. I have always loved quotes since i was a child, they always seemed like such little "gems" of sparkling clarity, as if they were carefully written and slaved over and not simply "spoken". I still enjoy them immensely and thought i would share a few "jewels" with everyone here on weeks end.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Peace and Love, Jim A big shot is a little shot that kept shooting. - unknown

No dreamer is ever too small; no dream is ever too big. - unknown

A person's true wealth is the good he or she does in the world. - Mohammed

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe. - Anatole France

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, this time more wisely.- unknown

The willow knows what the storm does not: that the power to endure harm outlives the power to inflict it. - Blood of the Martyr

Don't ask for a light load, but rather ask for a strong back. - unknown

Defeat is not defeat unless accepted as a reality-in your own mind - Bruce Lee

To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor. - Oliver Wendell Holmes

If the going is real easy, beware, you may be headed down hill. - unknown

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals. - unknown

He who seeks rest finds boredom....He who seeks work finds rest. - unknown

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Natural Reactions

Good Morning,

I just wanted to share another simple story this week about the nature of others and ourselves. Funny how loving ones offspring or family is easy, yet many of us find it difficult to love or feel for those that cause us pain or anguish. One step closer to loving all things and all people, is too simply understand what one's own natural response is and why we do it (mindfully). Todays story illustrates what i mean:

One morning, after he had finished his meditation, the old man opened his eyes and saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the water. As the scorpion was washed closer to the tree, the old man quickly stretched himself out on one of the long roots that branched out into the river and reached out to rescue the drowning creature. As soon as he touched it, the scorpion stung him. Instinctively the man withdrew his hand. A minute later, after he had regained his balance, he stretched himself out again on the roots to save the scorpion. This time the scorpion stung him so badly with its poisonous tail that his hand became swollen and bloody and his face contorted with pain.

At that moment, a passerby saw the old man stretched out on the roots struggling with the scorpion and shouted: "Hey, stupid old man, what's wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, evil creature. Don't you know you could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion?"

The old man turned his head. Looking into the stranger's eyes he said calmly, "My friend, just because it is the scorpion's nature to sting, that does not change my nature to save."

Have a great day and remember, the sting does not last forever, but the effects of compassion will span lifetimes.

Peace and Love, Jim

Checking our process

Good Morning,

At times many people have heard me discussing living asleep or on auto pilot. Yes you could call this alive, but it is far from living. Living involves much more than simply going through our routines with diligence, living is more like learning and when we learn we become able to hit any target we need in our lives. The art of living involves four steps: Plan purposefully, prepare properly, proceed positively and pursue persistently.

The joy of living involves the art of joyous looking. There are two types of looking. You can look at the world with thoughts; you can also look at the world without thoughts, from a pure being perspective. Can you look without seeing? Can you hear without listening? Can you distinguish between looking and seeing, hearing and listening? The difference is thoughts.

When you look at the world with thoughts, then you should be aware of the subtle mental pollution that is created. Thoughts come from memory, memory is the representation of an experience of the past, and so from the past you alter the present. Hence, pollution happens.

Although all of this seems quite natural, it is trained into us by parents, former experience and society as a whole. When we can become aware of this process (thoughts influencing us) we begin to lift the veil that has prevented us from fully realizing the beauty and power of our lives.

Have a wonderful day and enjoy the spring rains today, it's feeding time for a thirsty planet.

Peace and Love, Jim jim@thedailybuddha.com www.thedailybuddha.com

Maybe

Good Morning,

I know many of us like to feel like we are in control of the situations that arise in our lives. Many times when the outcome of these situations turns out unfavorably we think to ourselves; "I just did not control that enough" of "If I had only went this way instead of that". This can be quite a convincing illusion once we start to buy into it. The stronger and more difficult thing to do in our modern society is to let things play their own course out, however in many parts of the world this is considered doing nothing, when that is quite far from the truth. Todays simple story reminds me to let things be just as they are no matter how good or bad I may perceive them at the time, because every moment is full of opportunity, we just do not always see it.

Once upon a time a peasant had a horse. This horse ran away,so the peasant's neighbors came to console him for his bad luck. He answered: "Maybe".

The day after the horse came back, leading 6 wild horses with it. The neighbors came to congratulate him on such good luck. The peasant said: "Maybe".

The day after, his son tried to saddle and ride on one of the wild horses, but he fell down and broke his leg. Once again the neighbors came to share that misfortune. The peasant said: "Maybe".

The day after, soldiers came to draft the youth of the village for war, but the peasant's son was not chosen because of his broken leg. When the neighbors came to congratulate, the peasant said again :"May be".

Peace and Love, Jim jim@thedailybuddha.com www.thedailybuddha.com

Heaven and Hell

Good Morning,

It is good to be home and pleasure seeing some of your many smiling faces again. During a discussion with one of the staff I met on my trip to the Dominican the subject of religion came up. It was the usual discussion about who is who and what is what (more Catholic than this or more this than that), when the subject of Heaven and Hell was brought up. The interesting part was not that such concepts are universal, but that there interpretations can be so vastly different.

When i was younger the pain in my life often made me feel as if Hell were actually my life here on earth. Many years have passed since those feelings and the following story rings of some truth with me personally:

The old monk sat by the side of the road. With his eyes closed, his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap, he sat. In deep meditation he sat. Suddenly his meditation was interrupted by the harsh and demanding voice of a samurai warrior. "Old man! Teach me about heaven and hell!"

At first, as though he had not heard, there was no perceptible response from the monk. But gradually he began to open his eyes, the faintest hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth as the samurai stood there, waiting impatiently, growing more and more agitated with each passing second. "You wish to know the secrets of heaven and hell?" replied the monk at last. "You who are so unkempt. You whose hands and feet are covered with dirt. You whose hair is uncombed, whose breath is foul, whose sword is all rusty and neglected. You who are ugly and whose mother dresses you funny. You would ask me of heaven and hell?"

The samurai uttered a vile curse. He drew his sword and raised it high over his head. His face turned to crimson, and the veins of his neck stood out in bold relief as he prepared to sever the monk's head from its shoulders.

"That is hell," said the old monk gently, just as the sword began its descent.

In that fraction of a second, the samurai was overcome with amazement, awe, compassion and love for this gentle being who had dared to risk his very life to give him such a teaching. He stopped his sword in mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears.

"And that," said the monk, "is heaven."

Peace and Love, Jim jim@thedailybuddha.com www.thedailybuddha.com

Holiday

Good Morning!

Today is a holy day for many and Easter the big holiday of the weekend. Many of us try to balance work, life and leisure when really they can and should be one and the same. How can this possible? Todays thought hopefully will point the way:

The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both.

Have a wonderful holiday and celebrate not just this day but all days.

Peace and Love, Jim jim@thedailybuddha.com www.thedailybuddha.com

Becoming

Good Morning,

Recently my company (XO Create!) and team have been experiencing what i call some major successes. For me watching the team member each realize their full potential not only as the professionals they are, but also the persons they can become has been more rewarding than landing any contract of any value for me. We often get so caught up in what others want us to be or what false images of our our "self" guide us that we miss the point and far too often miss our lives and the joy altogether.

Todays thought is one I personally use to remind myself of the paths I choose each day:

For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now? Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.

To everyone, celebrate who you are now and what you desire to become. If you believe in all you do the world will move over and make a place for you. Have a beautiful day, the world is waiting for your point of view!

Peace and Love, Jim jim@thedailybuddha.com www.thedailybuddha.com

The Great Teacher

Good Morning,

I know many people view life as a succession of events in which we try to climb some imaginary ladder always reaching for the next rung. This manifest itself in our work and our leisure. Who has not wanted a better job, a bigger promotion, or a more leisurely life? Their is nothing right or wrong about this except for the fact that it often masks what our lives could really be about. Each day we awake can be considered another day in class, one in which we have been given another lesson and another opportunity to learn something.

When we cease trying to reach the next rung on this illusionary ladder, we are simply left with what we have and just what we need. We see that happiness does not exist in the objects of our desire or even those we dearly love. Happiness has always lived with the clear stable mind, unfortunately it takes many us a lifetime to discover this simple truth. This brings me to the thought for today:

Don´t blame others if you are not where you wish to be. Whatsoever they are, they are and whatsoever is, simply is. In fact, all the cunningness and the trickery of the world helps you to be aware. If this world cannot help you to be aware; then what world will ever be able to ever make you aware? This is a good world — it gives you a tremendous challenge to be wise, to be a student in the school of life. So go forth and attend class with all your heart and mind, only wisdom and happiness await the graduate.

Have a beautiful day and pay attention to the teacher today, the lessons learned will last a lifetime.

Peace and Love, Jim jim@thedailybuddha.com www.thedailybuddha.com

Boundless

Good Morning,

As I sit here surrounded by both beauty and poverty, I have come to realize that through the beautiful, kind and loving people here (and yes I have been into the city and slums here) the lines between the two (wealth and poverty) vanish with understanding. There is a certain relationship here between all people and during a conversation with Ebel (one of the house keepers here) last night I learned that all anyone wants is happiness for all.

I am not being idealistic or naive, i have just seen the threads that connect each of us. Ebel shared a wonderful thought with me (through his broken english and my translator on my MAC):

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.

Have a glorious day and let us all be thankful for yet another opportunity to become glorious ourselves. Love knows no bounds.
Peace and Love, Jim
jim@thedailybuddha.com
www.thedailybuddha.com

Beauty

Good Morning,

As i sit in this most beautiful of places (The Dominican) I am in awe of it's pure and rare beauty. I feel very privileged to have witnessed this in my lifetime and can only say i am awe struck. As i take it all in along with the wonderful warm and friendly people who live here i am reminded of this thought for the day:

Let your love flow outward through the universe, To its height, its depth, its broad extent, and it's beauty. Be limitless in your love, without hatred or enmity. Then as you stand or walk, sit or lie down, Your life will bring heaven to earth.

Have a wonderful and day my spirit is with each of today.
Peace and Love, Jim
jim@thedailybuddha.com
www.thedailybuddha.com

Work

Good Morning (again),
I had a wonderful meditation this morning and thought since I missed our daily thought yesterday I would share two today!
A simple yet deep thought to ponder upon:
We work on ourselves in order to help others, but also we help others in order to work on ourselves.
Have a wonderful day and shine for those who need you the most.
Peace and Love, Jim
jim@thedailybuddha.com
www.thedailybuddha.com

Making A Difference

Good Morning,

Many of you noticed and commented that you did not receive your Daily Buddha message yesterday. I was unable to write yesterday due to a pressing schedule at my work. I apoligize and hope to not miss another.

At work we currently have a saying we use whenever we encounter a new or difficult situation or client: We must walk before we run. This simple saying brings me to a story I wanted to share: A friend of mine was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked along, he began to see another man in the distance. As he grew nearer, he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things out into the ocean.

As my friend approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had washed up on the beach, and, one at a time, he was throwing them back into the water.

My friend was puzzled. He approached the man and said. "Good evening, friend. I was wondering what you are doing."

"I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide right now and all of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back into the sea, they'll die up here from lack of oxygen."

"I understand," my friend replied, "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can't possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many. And don't you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast. Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?"

The local native smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied, "Made a difference to that one!"

Have a great day and remember that we each make a difference and collectively that is much grander than one can see. Although we may feel like we are only walking, we make our world one small step at a time.

Peace and Love, Jim
jim@thedailybuddha.com
www.thedailybuddha.com

Birthdays

Good Morning,

Today is my dear wife's birthday (Happy Birthday!). As I reflect over our long and wonderful relationship I realize how much we have shared and grown over the years. During a mindful walk on one of our favorite trails yesterday we discussed how birthdays came to represent so much in our culture, both good and bad. For many it's the celebration of being, for children (more often the parents) it's a rite of passage. As we grow older, many people tend to not look forward to them, many of us even become upset as we see the countdown towards the inevitable.

The reality is that birthdays are simply days, we as humans (do squirrels have birthdays?) have devised and supported the concept of "birthdays" for better or worse. I am not saying that a birthday should not be cause for celebration. I am saying that all the other things and feelings we attach to them are simply constructs of our minds. This ultimately means that age is a concept as well. A simple saying and today's thought demonstrates this beautifully:

How old would you be if you did not know how old you were? If you did not count the years then how would you act? how would you perceive your self then?

Happy birthday to my beautiful wife, we have grown together with each passing year and one thing has transcended all time; My love for you.

I wish everyone a peaceful and light filled day!
Peace and Love, Jim
jim@thedailybuddha.com
www.thedailybuddha.com

The Point

Good Morning,

I hope everyone had a beautiful weekend. The weather was glorious and the rain fell on cue just as we finished up some major plantings around our house. Over dinner with friends the question came up about religions and their various forms of salvation. Although this is normally a touchy subject for any group to discuss, the conversation was handled with dignity and courteousness. During the discussion a friend turn to me and asked if Buddhism was about salvation or heaven?

Although I feel we are all ultimately responsible for our salvation, the thought for the day says it best for me personally: It is said that when Buddha was first Enlightened he was asked, "Are you a God?" "No," he replied. "Are you a saint?" "No." "Then what are you?"

And he answered, "I am awake."

Have a wonderful day and share the feeling of love with someone today, it's our planets number 1 renewable resource!

Peace and Love, Jim
jim@thedailybuddha.com
www.thedailybuddha.com