The Daily Buddha Grows

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to share with you the tremendous response to The Daily Buddha! So many have joined in the little daily inspiration that I have also moved it to a new secondary location at:

http://thedailybuddha.zaadz.com/blog 

The original post is still at: http://www.thedailybuddha.com

This is a social networking site much like "my space" but without all the clutter and "MY" spaciness. This is not a plug or commercial for anything, just a secondary home for The Daily Buddha to be enjoyed. As always I encourage anyone to join the email list by sending me a personal email or by simply subscribing to either of the two blogs. What started out as a simple way for me to share the Dharma with family and friends has grown to well over a hundred subscribers with almost 260 posts!

If you like what you find at www.zaadz.com then join them, they are a great group with some fun, inspiring and useful tools in a well thought out and easy to use environment. If you know someone would like to receive The Daily Buddha, just send me an email and I will put them on the list. We all are the world and together we can shape a better one!

Take care and enjoy the long weekend.

Peace and Love, Jim

Teamwork

Good Morning,

I have come to realize that far too often we do not approach our lives here on this planet as a team effort. This comes as no surprise to most of us, after all look at how we sell (supposed) individuality on the mass market. But if we break it down even further we can see that even in our families and relationships we often forget to approach the world as a team.

I am very blessed to have an incredible team mate in my personal life, my wife. We both understand that we must always approach every aspect of our life as a solid unified team. When one of us falters, the other is there to pick up, encourage and get us both through. When times are great we both relish and celebrate in the achievement no matter how small. And when one of us forgets we are on the team and begins to lose sight of the objectives or simply loses their way, it is up to the other to do the "right" thing and get us back on track.

Too many families, couples and others think that love alone will get them through the tough spots. Unfortunately all that gets is an unhappy, overloaded, and disgruntled team member. What we must understand is that sometimes we are the "wing" in the relationship and at other times we must be the "wind" that carries the wing. It is not always pleasant and it may not always seem loving, but love is the only reason to do it.

Every team requires unity. A team has to move as one unit, one force, with each person understanding and assisting the roles of his teammates. If your team doesn't do this, whatever the reason, it goes down in defeat. You win or lose as a team, as a family. All families regardless of size are teams and teams are held together by hard work, togetherness, and love for each other and the goal. They go hand in hand. You need the hard work because it's such a tough atmosphere. You need togetherness because you don't always win, and you gotta hang though together. Finally you need love to see you through your mission, without it there is no point to the game.

So over the long weekend take a good long look at your team, are you pulling together, pulling apart, or pulling at all? the work is not always pleasant or pretty but the outcome is always a lesson in living. Have a wonderful holiday and keep this thought in mind: Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. - Henry Ford

Peace and Love, Jim

Enjoy Life

Good Morning,

Many people have expressed how much they enjoy the lists I sometimes post here at The Daily Buddha. People like to print them out and hang in their office or share with others (or both). So today I would like to share the basics of enjoying life. Many of these are no secret, but somehow seeing them all listed together makes it seem more complete and gives us a bigger view of the small steps we should take each day to enjoy what we have. We are all born to die. What is important is what we do in between. The follow advice should make life enjoyable, as well as for those around you.

1.Say "Hello" to people. Its amazing what a hello from you can do for individuals.

2.To live a life in fear is cowardly. Learn to face your fears head on.

3.Look after your teeth even though they can be replaced.

4.Look after your eyes they cant be replaced.

5.Dont feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do or want out of life when in your twenties. The interesting people I know still don't know what they want to do with their lives and they're in their forties!

6.Don't worry about the future. You cannot plan or change what's coming.

7.Be on good terms with as many people as possible.

8.Make your point quietly and clearly and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant: they too have their story.

9.Don't allow anyone else to support you. You may have an inheritance, or you may have a wealthy spouse. Buy one day either could run out on you.

10.Don't compare yourself with others, you may become bitter or vain, there will always be greater and lesser people than yourself.

11.Decide for yourself what's important to you in your life.

12.Keep interested in your chosen career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortune of time.

13.Be yourself. Let your personality shine through.

14.Be happy with your lot, its your life and no one else's.

15.Don't waste time, its a precious commodity. Life is short, enjoy it to the full; it is not dress rehearsal.

16.Hang onto your dreams whatever they may be. Ignore the doubters; they're just jealous because they don't have any.

17.There's more to life than a job. When it gets you down, get a new or better one, even if its at a lower salary. Money isn't everything.

18.Don't vote for the same politician twice; make them work for a change. Voting for them only encourages arrogance.

19.To be loved and wanted is one of life's greatest feelings. Return the favor in equal measure.

20.Do not fake affection, be honest and truthful about your feelings.

21.If you love and care about someone, tell them before its too late. Its the things you don't say you regret the most.

22.In a loving relationship, do not count the years, count the moments.

23.Get to know your parents. You'll miss them when they've gone for good. Do it before its too late.

24.You're not going to get much out of life, if you always play it safe.

25.Make the best possible effort in everything you do in your life while you can. Be part of life and participate.

26.Pass on your wisdom, and learn from others.

27.If you don't have anything good to say about someone, don't say anything at all.

28.Practice the Teflon technique, where others negativity slides off you. Everybody suffers insults and put-down.

29.Fear of failure is excuse for not trying. There are only two failures in life: not trying and giving up. Nothing comes to those who will not try.

30.Quit moaning. Put your energy in to doing something positive about the problem instead.

31.Learn to cancel and continue. When actors make a mistake they instantly have to put it behind them and give their all to the next part. So when things go wrong, just try again. Don't fear future mistakes or hang on to past ones.

32.Try to be calm, you'll have a better chance of being heard. If you shout, the person you're telling off will hear your anger- rather than the point you're trying to make.

33.Dance or sing on a regular basis. By yourself, with your spouse or in a group, but just do it. Either will make you feel good.

34.Exercise on a regular basis. Its good for your body as well as your mind, so exercise, by running, playing sports or in the gym.

35.Never trust a skinny cook.

Have a wonderful day and enjoy the moments, each one makes up your life!

Peace and Love, Jim

Friends

Good Morning,

Sometimes we get so busy and wrapped up in our day to day activities that we rush through our lives forgetting the value of friendships and the lessons we can learn form those who value us. So today I simply wanted to share some some thoughts friend to friend with each of you, for I consider you all my dearest friends (even those I have yet to meet):

All I have learned from friends:

1. Good times become great times when they're shared.

2. A good long talk can change a life and cure almost anything.

3. Everyone needs someone at least once in their life.

4. Listening is far more important than talking. Doing nothing, but being there can have the same value.

5. An understanding friend is better than a therapist; and cheaper too!

6. Laughter occurs more often in groups than alone (and it is the best medicine).

7. No one with friends is ever truly alone.

8. Friends are like wine; the more you partake the sillier you get!

9. Great minds think alike, especially when drunk on friendship!

10. The "replaceable" things in the world always have price-tags, the most precious of things "friendship" is priceless.

Have a beautiful day and as William Shakespeare said: A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.

You are all priceless to me.

Peace and Love, Jim

Me and Mine

Good Morning,

I remember reading a story by Mark Twain back in high school, It was about horse traders in Russia. What made the tale stick out in my mind was the fact that the story was told from the horses points of view. In the horses minds they were involved in various relationships with the people in the story, some nurturing and some destructive, but they never saw themselves as owned. Only the humans thought they owned the horses. The same can be said for various people around the world and the relationships they have with the land. Many tribes never have the concept of owning the land they live off of, at least until settlers or colonists arrive and tell them they no longer can live and hunt on their ancestors land, because now it is "owned" by someone else.

Ownership or "me and mine" take many forms. Another form of this is that of "role" of "self-image." We imagine we have certain defined roles to play in our families, at work and in society in general. We have expectations about what it means to play these roles, and we limit our thoughts, words, and actions to conform to these concepts. living in this way prepares the foundation for great resentment, rigidity and potential disruption when we wake up and realize that the role we are playing, isn't what we want for our life.

We see everyday this type of concept in various extremes. people see themselves as an American, a son, a daughter, a buddhist, or a teacher. If this is all we identify with then we are freezing our actions into that role. We can't be open to experiences that in "my" mind or a "daughters" mind wouldn't have. We become trapped in the prison of ego: a claustrophobic place that admits very little opportunity for insight, for new understandings and healthy relationships. If we always live under our self constructed labels we may never realize who we really are. There is nothing wrong with perceiving each other and ourselves in this manner. The point is to recognize theses mental constructs rather than believing it all actually exists.

By not being open to the truth, that ultimately we can own nothing (not even our personalities), we spend our entire lives making meaningless gestures somewhere next door to reality. Who wants to go through life like that?

Have a good one and may you live all the days of your life!

Peace and Love, Jim

Who?

Good Morning,

One of the hardest things to understand and see clearly is the "selfless" (empty of self) nature of all we experience. This can be difficult to understand at first, after all who is writing this post? Who is reading it? Who is practicing? and Whose back aches? To say there is no self sounds like nonsense, yet selflessness is considered one of mankind's greatest realizations. Think about it, how substantial is the concept of "me"? If we look closely we will see that the pain in our body, the anger at a friend or coworker, our dinner plans all are impermanent and none of them are "me." In fact, nothing we can experience lasts long enough to qualify as a solid, consistent self. Are you the same person this year as you were last year? It is here we begin to realize that this entity I've called "myself" is nothing more than a mental construct. Imagine if you truly were everything you thought and felt!

In college philosophy classes we spent many hours trying to come to some conclusion about what it means to be human, the single thing that separates us from computers and animals. many people said the ability to learn, others said the function of logic and reason make us human, but I felt that it went much deeper. The thing that makes us human, is the ability for our mind to recognize the concept or "me." It is the faculty of cognizance. The ability to ask when I talk to myself to who am I speaking? Recognizing this duality is what makes us human, but it does not stop there.

Once we realize that the mind is not "me" that it is separate form that concept, we begin to wonder what is mind? What am I? We are quite simply a collection of experiences. We are shaped by them, guided by them and ultimately hold on to them as a real solid self. We as people are as beautiful as a rainbow and yet we are no more substantial. The fact that we insert "I" in front of things - I'm angry or I'm hurt only makes the concept of "me" feel more solid.

The truth is there is no "I" to be angry. Anger is what angers; love is what loves. By seeing the world this way, we begin to see the clear, stable world as it is and not as "I" color it. Our perceptions all of a sudden take on new meaning when we no longer spend time defending "myself" or making sure "my" point is understood, we no longer take things personally and we gain the ability to walk independently of self, to be happy with things just as they are, because we now know what their true selfless nature is.

All we are is the result of what we have thought. Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.

Have a wonderfully selfless day and weekend and look at it this way: When you are not thinking about who you are, who are you?

Peace and Love, Jim

Kindness

Good Morning,

There can never be to much kindness in the world. In a time when everyone seems to need a tougher thicker skin, we need to stop and reflect on the simple powers of genuine kindness. Kindness is tenderness. Kindness is love, but perhaps greater than love...Kindness is good will. Kindness says, "I want you to be happy. - Randolph Ray

What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness? - Jean Jacques Rousseau

Kindness is an inner desire that makes us want to do good things even if we do not get anything in return. It is the joy of our life to do them. When we do good things from this inner desire, there is kindness in everything we think, say, want and do. - Emmanuel Swedenborg

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness. - Seneca

Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom. - Theodore Isaac Rubin

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these. - George Washington Carver

Kindness is a language which the dumb can speak, the deaf can understand. - C.N. Bovee

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. - The Dalai Lama

Have a wonderful day!

Peace and Love, Jim

Nice Day

Good Morning,

As many of you may have noticed I often end my posts here with have a nice day or some other salutation. Have you ever wondered what that means? What is a nice day? One in which everything goes our way? We feel perfect? We have everything we want for one day? All of these?

Now consider the chances of any one of them happening for a full day. Can we have a nice or great day? As you can see it (a nice day) requires a definition. Many of us have a hard time defining what "great" or "nice" is, yet we have no trouble recognizing a bad day and the culprits that caused it. My point is not really about days good or bad, it's about perceptions and definitions. We can perceive a bad day (or displeasure) because we know what made us unhappy, irritated, or uncomfortable. We have trouble identifying good days (pleasure) because most of us have not defined them. For most a good day is simply getting through it without any unexpected displeasure.

When I wish someone a good day, I am wishing they have the mental attitude and mindfulness to identify the many lessons that are presented to them each day. I am wishing not that people have uneventful days or ones with no displeasure, in fact it is quite the opposite. I hope you have many events and twists and turns of fate, how else will we grow? or learn? The uncertainty of our life is what we should relish in for it is there we will find what we truly need to have a nice day.

Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don't let them scare you, for they keep boredom at bay and spark the creativity that will see you through.

Have a nice day!

Peace and Love, Jim

The Pencil

Good Morning,

I know sometimes my stories and seemingly endless tales can sometimes seem. . .as a friend told me, rather grasshopperish. You know the old kung fu movies where the teacher gives the student some riddle like story and the student then deciphers a life changing lesson from it all. I too agree that many of the stories, fables if you will permit, do seem that way. Their lessons can also seem very fundamental at times. I promise that upon closer examination you will find many aspects that can indeed be profound. We only need to be open to them. Heres one of my favorites:

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them. 1. You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand. 2. You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil. 3. You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make. 4. The most important part of you will always be what's inside. 5. On every surface you are used on, you will leave your mark. No matter what your condition you will always be able to write, it's what you were made to do.

Have a great day and know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill your purpose, could be any other way.

Peace and Love, Jim

Creative Living

Good Morning,

This weekend was spent exploring the creative thinking end of my work on an upcoming collateral project. Over the years (especially since my return to college) my creative process, which once seemed so random, so haphazard has become much more familiar and intimate to me. The steps and direction I once could not see are now perfectly clear and the reasons and rhyme behind what I am trying to do make much more sense. When looked at as an art-form, the same can be said of life.

What if we live our life as though it were a work of art? What if everyday is another brushstroke or pixel on a canvas we call life? Would we plan our work of art or let it flow freely and without hindrance? What type of artists do we choose to become? And what would we contribute to the world through our art?

Here are some creative principles that have that i have embraced over the years. They have rewarded me dearly not only in my work, but my life as well.

1.The best way to have great ideas is to have lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away.

2.Always look for a second right answer.

3.If at first you don't succeed, take a break.

4.Know when this is as good as it's going to get.

5.Focus on your thoughts, they are brief, you will forget them.

6.If everyone says you are wrong, you're one step ahead. If everyone laughs at you, you're two steps ahead.

7.The answer to your problem "pre-exists." You need to ask the right question to reveal the answer.

8.When you ask a dumb question, you get a smart answer.

9.Never solve a problem from its original perspective.

10.Visualize your problem as solved before solving it.

Art is never stagnant, neither is life. The beautiful authentic life you are creating is art. It is the highest art.

Peace and Love, Jim

Help

Good Morning,

Once when I was downtown I was sitting in my car waiting for a photography studio to open up . Coming my way from across the parking lot was what most would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. As he approached I thought to myself, he's coming to ask me for money. He didn't. He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop and just looked at me. After a few minutes he spoke. That's a very pretty car, he said. I said, thanks, and continued waiting. He sat there quietly along side me. The expected plea for money never came.

As the silence between us widened something inside me said, ask him if he needs any help. I was sure that he would say yes. Do you need any help? I asked. He answered in three simple words that for some reason became quite profound. Don't we all?

We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments. I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand, instead I receive a priceless lesson. I reached in my bag and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day.

We all need help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but we all need help. No matter how little we feel we have, no matter how loaded down we are with problems, we can be of help, even if it's just a compliment. You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They may be waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through your eyes can see.

Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he saw me as someone who needed a little help in the way of a gentle reminder. All I can think now is: Don't we all?

Peace and Love, Jim

Simple

Good Morning,

I have shared many things, situations, and lessons learned here within The Daily Buddha blogs. Today I would like to offer up a simple message that sums up the whole of the parts:

The important thing in our journey is to be able at any moment to move from what we are for what we could become.

Have a great day and carry this last thought: It is impossible for us to learn what we think we already know.

Peace and Love, Jim

You Are Here

Good Morning,

The greatest understanding one can achieve is that we do not lack anything, it is all within us. We do not have to search anywhere and we need no purpose or goal. There is no "high" position for us to attain and we already are everything we want to be. When we realize this we can become at peace in the moment, enjoying the quite rain, and the sunshine afterward. We no longer have a thirst that needs quenching and we no longer need run searching after anything. Bliss, nirvana, whatever you want to label it, is not a destination. . . we are already there. It is simply a matter or awakening to it.

Each day is a gift and the choice of what to do with it lies with each of us. We can run around in circles looking for joy and happiness or we can realize that happiness is right here in every moment of the day. It does not come after we get off work or when we begin to feel better. Happiness is right in front of us, we only need to realize it.

Have a wonderful day and carry this thought: You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.

Peace and Love, Jim

State of Mind

Good Morning,

Often when I run I perform a type of walking/running meditation in which you focus on being with the physical sensations happening within the body. The funny thing is that such tremendous focus can and often does bring to light so much more than that which you are focusing on. This morning the air was crisp and a gentle breeze was blowing. It was still dark and the dew had not yet been disturbed. The sky was a beautiful dark purple and the orange street lights cast a complimentary glow into the air.

At times like this when the world is not yet awake it is hard to believe that we can get so caught up in our minds dramas that we miss the natural beauty and stillness of the planet we inhabit. It is quite easy to see that without us here there is nothing, no noise, no pollution, and no traffic, that the world is indeed empty of all that. The only thing the world has to offer us is a chance to find our peace with it, to find our way then find our place. The world is not hard, we make it so. The world is not angry, we are. The world does not shed a tear in pain, people do. It becomes glaringly obvious that the world does not have a single problem in all it's natural boundaries, we do.

In a time when wars rage on and uncertainty seems the only sure thing, we can take stock in the fact that the world and all it's natural splendor is as it should be. The question is are we?

Peace and Love, Jim

Practice

Good Morning,

As we start a new week we take another opportunity to pursue understanding, compassion and wisdom. To look in ourselves and find that everything we ever wanted already resides within us. If it's Truth we're after, we'll find that we cannot start with any assumptions or concepts whatsoever. Instead, we must approach the world with bare, naked attention, seeing it without any mental bias -- without concepts, beliefs, preconceptions, presumptions, or expectations.

How can we see the world as it comes to be in each moment, rather than merely as what we think, hope, or fear it is? How can we base our actions on reality, rather than on the longing and loathing of our hearts and minds? How can we live lives that are wise, compassionate, and in tune with reality? And how can we separate the wisdom from the cultural trappings and misconceptions that have come to be associated with it? With practice.

Practice is the cornerstone to understanding that we do possess everything we will ever need to live full, experienced lives. We need only be awake to the lessons and wisdom we are handed in our everyday lives, to be conscious of the workings of our mind and the way it has been conditioned over the years. By truly seeing the world as it is for what it is (or isn't) we open ourselves up to the greater possibilities of truth and compassion for others because we see and truly understand that we are all cut from the same fabric and share the same destiny.

Like a beautiful flower that is colorful but has no fragrance, even well spoken words bear no fruit in one who does not put them into practice.

Peace and Love, Jim

Trying

Good Morning,

I've noticed that "trying times" seem to come in waves. For instance it appears (?) that this week has been "trying" for many (including myself). Full workloads, too much to do and a endless stream of chores both at work and at home can put us all to the test and strain relationships at every level. The question is - are these really any different from any other times or do we simply perceive that way because of some trigger someone pulled in our day? Whose trigger was pulled? What is "my" trigger? and finally why do "I" have one?

Ultimately I am thankful to be able to simply reflect on these "trying" days, weeks or whatever. This is not to say that sometimes I do not fall down and resort to "my" old ways of venting and feeling hurt, I do, we all do. These are the moment we all have to put our best minds and efforts forward, there is no other time it is more required, which brings me to todays thought: We forget that forgiveness is greater than revenge. As people we make mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes it's how we learn. But the actions we take while in a rage will plague us forever. Think, it's why you can. Be patient, what's the alternative? Forgive & forget. It's easy to love those you like, can you say the same of those you don't

If your busy judging people, you have no time to love them.

Have a beautiful day. Live, learn, and understand. . . nothing lasts forever and that is a beautiful thing.

Peace and Love, Jim

A Quiz

Good Morning,

Below is an interesting little thought exercise if you do not know an answer just read straight through. 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. 3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest. 4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor actress. 6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners. How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields, but the applause dies, awards tarnish, achievements are forgotten, and accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

See how you do on this one: 1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. 3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. 4. Think of a few people who have made you feel, appreciated and special. 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. 6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are simply the ones that cared enough to make a difference.

Have a great day and go forth with joy, you mean the world to someone else.

Peace and Love, Jim

Begin Again

Good Morning,

It is the natural course of my profession to have to scrap all of your work and start over. This can be quite alarming to the interns and new hires right out of school. The thought that we may have to do the same job several times over never seems to sit well with anyone, yet that is how it is. The same can be said for life. Maybe we do not like the thought of doing something over and over, yet that is exactly what we do in life. Look closely and you will see that everyday we really begin again. This brings me to the thought for the day: One of the best things we can learn to do in our lives is to begin again.

Begin to see yourself as you are natural, happy and willing.

Begin to remember what worked for you (and what worked against you), and learn you will do it again.

Begin to remember how natural it was when you were a child -- to live a lifetime each day.

Begin to forget the baggage you carry with you (sometimes for years), the problems that don't matter anymore, and the worries that will wash away.

Turn away from the problems of the past and give the future -- and ourselves -- a rest. All it takes is a wish in the heart to let yourself ... Begin again.

Have a great day and keep this in mind: Failure is an opinion. It is either an educational tool for starting over or an excuse tool for saying it's over.

Peace and Love, Jim

We

Good Morning,

Our world is always in transition and currently we are a time of major transition. We can see it all around us in the faces of loved ones, in the situations at the market and yes in our news. In times such as these we can not afford to be trapped and limited by our own narratives, by a list of miscellaneous list of egoist likes and dislikes, or by the forever running magic show that is a by product of the misguided mind.

In these times we need people who not only want peace and change, but people who ARE peace and change. It is clear that we as a human race (not just Americans) share a destiny, but it is not clear that we share a "we." The eagle on America's great seal holds a banner reading E Pluribus Unum - "Out of Many One." It seems that increasingly people are more sure of the "Pluribus" than the "unum." Whereas we once thought that faith or spirituality transcended divisions and united people, it is becoming clear that as a race we are becoming separated by "partisan faith" and "partisan politics."

It should not take tragedies like 9/11 or hurricane Katrina to remind of us of the strength in becoming one and pulling together. Instead of finding, acknowledging and holding dear our differences (egos) we should remember the ties and similarities that bond us together, that take us toward our shared destiny. We should each in our own small way quit tending our "own little gardens" and get back to major task of cultivating our "collective farm," to become more a part the "we the people."

So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.

Peace and Love, Jim

The Big Questions

Good Morning,

Our week with our two 12 year old nephews is over and we already miss the commotion and excitement they brought to each day. Spending time with them reminded me of all the big questions that often remained unanswered in their lives. Why are people vegetarians? How do we know the chicken wanted to die? or How come you will not kill a bug? Often my answers led to more questions. If you will not get rid of a bug then how come you want to get rid of George Bush?

Many times their search for answers could be quite comical, such as the day one of them asked Google why do people kill other people? Some questions do not have answers I explained, and those that did simply led to more questions. For some answers we turned to dictionaries and encyclopedias, others I was left to answer on my own, and i did my best. Ultimately i realized that what I wanted for them i wanted for myself - to be able to live in the mystery itself, and trust in it's creative unfolding. I want them to wrestle with the challenge of living with peace and integrity in a complex and sometimes violent world. I want them to learn to love the questions as much as the answers and not have their tender hearts become tough with the outcomes.

Their endless questions remind again and again of the of the joy and heartbreak that surround us at every moment and remind me to be grateful to be alive in the middle of this vast unknown. As i told them, everyday is not another day to acquire more stuff, to buy more things or figure out how to buy more things. Instead everyday is a chance to learn, to grow, to ask questions and understand that sometimes we must find our own answers.

As they packed their bags on their final day I overheard them saying how smart they thought I was and how they wanted to be smart like that as well. I think in the end they believed I had all the answers, but the truth is that with all their big questions they were teaching me.

Peace and Love, Jim

A Moment

Good Morning,

Everyday we live we are only a decision away from responding with hope instead of fear, with encouragement instead of criticism, with belief instead of despair. Everyday we have a million moments to change our lives, our worlds, and our destinies, what will you do in the next minute? What myth will you squash or perpetuate? What improvements will you make or neglect? Every day we wake and walk out the door we have the responsibility and opportunity to shape and make a better world.

So what will you do with your moments?

Have a wonderful weekend and carry this thought:The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart - this you will build your life by, and this you will become.

Peace and Love, Jim

Real Health

Good Morning,

Having the children this weekend has shown me that although youth is a powerful and beautiful thing we often do not have the capacity to understand that power and beauty. For me it was many years before I began by noticing the sunsets, and had the time to stop and really wonder, at the beauty and the magnitude of it all. Then I moved onto the sunrises, and I quickly found out that if I wasted the early morning, I missed the loveliest part of the day. Then I began to notice how grateful I was to be able to witness the changing of the seasons. The first whisper of spring; the rustling of the leaves beneath my feet, in the fall; that first breathless covering of frost; and in the summer, all the flowers, and the buzzing of a bumblebee.

I found that where i once feared loneliness and boredom I now actually actually enjoy my moments of solitude. A time to reflect, gather my thoughts, and contemplate at leisure. I no longer miss every moment, shackled to the chains of worry, and what "might" be. I found that worrying about tomorrow, only caused me to overlook today.

I get to meet the day, every day. I get to say "good-night," to the sunsets. I've studied a lot of sunsets, in the last few years, and I've never seen two that were alike. I get to know my self (or lack of one) as I never have before, and I've gotten to make MY mind up, about the mysteries of life; and I have grown certain, that all this was no accident.

I take great delight in their multicolored hues, and need go where special to feel the warmth of paradise. Everyday is another with friends, family and neighbors to relish in the moment and feed the heart. For I have come to understand what real health is, and when you have REAL health, then you truly have everything.

Have a beautiful day, there really is no other kind.

Peace and Love, Jim

Idiot Compassion

Good Morning,

I had a conversation sometime back with a dear friend about helping fellow colleagues who were having difficulties at work. It is natural for us (well most of us) to want to lend a hand. We often do the same thing in our daily lives with loved ones or family members. Helping others, however is not always as simple as it may seem. many times helping out requires us to NOT help - to refrain from offering advice, to leave questions unanswered, to let people struggle with problems. Many times our reasons for helping out are based on a shallow and ultimately selfish notion that is concerned with eliminating our own unease rather than truly lending a hand. Unfortunately this type of help can derail careers, ruin friendships, and sink the ship faster than doing nothing at all.

This type of help is referred to as idiot compassion. It receives this name not because of the people who perform it, but more so because of the type of people that it produces. In other words if we are always saving someone from the experience of failing or the experience of working through a problem then in the end those persons will have no true experience at all, we always SAVED them from it! We see this type of compassion all around us in our schools and our society, co-workers do not want their teams to fail, parents do not want to set too high a standards for their children, or we accept mediocrity because we do not want anyone to feel left out. When we always save the day we must be careful and ensure we are not saving someone from a valuable experience, that we are not depriving them of one of life's valuable lessons. It is a tough thing to do, but in the end it is truly a form of "helping out" of being compassionate and allowing someone to have the knowledge they need to move through life. It is only fair that we allow such lessons to take their natural course.

I had a wonderful college teacher who told us on our first day of class to not be afraid to fail in her class, that mistakes were just as much a learning tool as books and technique. It is a beautiful lesson I have carried in my heart ever since.

Have a great day and carry this with you: How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.

Peace and Love, Jim

Deja Vu

Good Morning,
Let me first start out by apologizing for the erratic emails from the daily Buddha blog. I have been having some technical issues with my email posts. if you are getting test emails it means I should have the issue worked out.
As for my week with my two nephews, I am holding out well. The experience is strangely memorable, like deja vu, only now I am not the 12 year old I am the adult, I am the adult! When I take them to breakfast I see myself clearly at breakfast with my grandfather (or uncle). When I take them to work i vividly recall playing around my dads office. And finally when I have to get on to them I know what it was like from their perspective, and this I am most thankful for because it allows me to be more in touch and effective in the methods I choose to get them to understand their place and point in the grander scheme of things.
It is odd how our lives repeat so many things over time, not only through us but through those we love and touch. I am simply thankful that in some small way I never really grew up and can remember what being 12 was like, It is like deja vu all over again. :)
Have a beautiful day and remember, arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.
Peace and Love, Jim