THE DHARMA TREE 1

The roots are dharma and flow sap thru all of me.
The trunk is my know-mind, strong, steady, solid, firm, security.
The branches are my sense-mind, the place for empathy, compassion, communication other than with words, understanding, and sensitivity.
The twigs are my emote-mind, feelings, emotions, enthusiasm and energy.
The leaves are my think-mind, thought, contemplation, direction, attitude and memory.

Clearness and calmness come when I focus on my trunk; a concentrated dharma sap flows vibrantly.
Confusion and damage come when I live in my leaves; rains of Mara and winds of karma distort and damage me.

36+ people to make one cup of coffee? Part 2/2

Next, I considered the apparatus used in creating the single daily cup of coffee that I enjoy. Person 17 extracted the resources. Person 18 manufactured the kettle. Person 19 packaged my kettle. Person 20 transported the kettle to a store. Person 21 sold the kettle at their store. Person 22 was the checkout chick who sold my kettle to me. Person 23 obtained the clay to make my mug. Person 24 manufactured my mug. Person 25 packaged the mugs and bowls etc into boxes. Person 26 transported the mug to the store. Person 27 sold the mug at their store. Person 28 sold me this mug at the checkout. Person 29 was the bus driver that drove me home with the heavy purchase of my kitchen crockery set. Person 30 extracted the materials to create my plunger. Person 31 manufactured the pieces of my plunger. Person 32 put the plunger pieces together. Person 33 packed my plunger. Person 34 transported my plunge to the store. Person 35 sold the plunger at their store. Person 36 sold me my plunger at the checkout.

It ended up taking 36 humans minimum to allow me to enjoy my daily cuppa when I counted for a second time. (This does NOT include the company at the breakfast table, Buddha for leading me to appreciate the simple meal, or people who made my dining table/chair…)

…and think how many more beings would be involved if I added sugar and milk to my coffee, or actually ate food for breakfast!

36+ people to make one cup of coffee? Part 1/2

I was following a Buddhist practice that I was reading about designed to help us learn to appreciate everybody as being helpful to us and allowing us t grow gratitude for the many people we do not know who help us to enjoy our life. I have read about this practice in 2-3 books and decided to work with it. The practice was to select one particular meal and then think through how many 'other' people it took to create the ability for me to enjoy that meal.

I selected breakfast. I do not eat anything at this hour, but I do enjoy a single cup of coffee. I initially counted 31 beings that helped create that single cup of coffee for me - and I don’t take sugar or milk, which would have added many more!

Firstly, I considered the coffee itself. Person 1 planted and grew the coffee plant. Person 2 harvested the coffee beans. Person 3 roast the beans. Person 4 ground the beans. Person 5 packaged the beans. Person 6 exported the beans. Person 7 imported the beans. Person 8 sold the beans in their store. Person 9 sold them to me at the checkout.

Secondly, I looked at the mineral water I use to add to the beans. Person 10 captured the water from a spring into a bottle. Person 11 obtained the resources to make the bottle. Person 12 made the bottle to contain the water. Person 13 transported the bottle to the store. Person 14 sold the water in their store. Person 15 sold it to me at the checkout. Person 16 was the home delivery man who took it home for me as I do not have a car.

The fly of joyfulness

When you are working on increasing joyfulness, a simple action can bring great joy. Last week, I was coming inside with the dry laundry and noticed a fleck in the water tub we leave on our doorstep for pigeons, doves, and other birds to drink form and bathe in. After dumping the clothes, I returned to check.

It was not moving, so I thought it was dead. However, something made me scoop it out from the water with a finger anyway - just in case.

I gently rolled the fly from my finger onto the bedroom windowsill, to allow it to dry out in the sunshine if it were still living. It walked away from the wet patch on the sill…

For those of us who are not yet experienced enough to assist our fellow humans, helping to rescue a tiny insect can be a way in which to gain joy from doing something right and beneficial. We cannot all be Buddhas that save multiple human minds from suffering - but any of us can rescue a small bug from death and feel joyful that we have at least been able to save one tiny life.

THE JIGSAW OF BUDDHISM

When you first begin to learn about Buddhism, it is like picking up a corner piece or a jigsaw puzzle without a cover picture as a guide. You realize it bears some importance, but…

And the you find one or two more edge pieces that fit together with it, you expand your knowledge on a certain topic - but find other edge pieces that do not fit at all. It is as if your corner piece was the 4 Noble truths and you found pieces concerning karma, emptiness, or meditation…

And then you discover another corner piece that relates to some of the unused edge pieces and go AH-HA! You work on two corners and slot in a few more bits. Then you find a third corner…

Eventually, you get to the stage where you have 4 solid corner pieces and sections of outside edging and then the wondrous day when these all join up to form the outline of Buddhism! You know that the mass of other pieces all belong and that you will eventually find their select spot and place the correctly - that one day you will have the full picture in front of you.

Peace and education 2

The peace I have found from this course has enabled me to stay calm amidst situations where once I would have become greatly upset. This can lead to a contentment that reaches others, values and compassion, inner strength, confidence, and openness. Knowing how to properly insert figures on paper, panting and puffing, snuffling and wheezing in the name of 'health', and being taught to put my fingers in specific places on a keyboard that did not enable me to type very easily after having already learned to type quickly from my own finger placings had little benefit if any.

The lessons we are given in school today may be somewhat different from my own, taken in England over twenty years ago, but seem to be just as pointless. They prepare a student to complete tasks they may never need to do, give no inner values or personal understanding to the student, and equip one with a piece of paper 'qualifying' the student post exam in processes of structured learning without ever having taught the student to live their life.

I can see now why His Holiness is so often stressing the need for a non-religious moral code to be created, one that is suited to all of humanity. Although learning of karma through the ACI course is of great benefit and use to me and anyone open to Buddhist teachings, to one opposed to the Buddhist view it would be of no help. The concepts of karma need to be expressed in a multi-faith format in order to be suited to a wider range of human. But even then, certain religions are opposed to the ideas of karma and rebirth, so more than a simple rephrasing of concepts would be needed.

Peace and education 1

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been given an award for his contributions toward the promotion of peace whilst in Poland. When giving a talk, he reportedly mentioned several factors…

* that the true point of education is to lead a consequential and contented life, which floods out to family, society and humanity as a whole.
* that moral values bring about a compassionate person who will be happier.
* that compassionate and tender education leads to inner fortitude, self-confidence, and openness.

These points confirm my belief that the education currently given within schools today is somewhat lacking. It was not until long after having left school that I learned lessons of value, such as compassion and peace. Algebra, road-running, and typing classes would hardly lead one to such an outcome.

As I said in my last sharing, recently taking the Karma course from ACI Buddhist studies offered me the opportunity to learn something of great value. I was able to use what I had learned and live from a brand new understanding and viewpoint.

This study has led me to inner peace through acceptance of situations I formerly found difficult or unfair, the ability to assist others who are also in these situations with me, rather than scream for aid from them, and the wisdom to act correctly in order to manufacture far less detrimental karma.

Of great karmic assistance

I recently completed the fifth downloadable course from ACI. It deals with karma. I would recommend it to everyone, especially if you question why you are in the situations that you are, feel that despair, confusion, or injustice surround you, or want to make the future better than the present and past.

Of the five courses I have so far taken, this has been the most helpful. On its completion, I immediately encountered a situation, which I would normally have found to be troublesome, painful, confusing, and agonizing. Because of my studies and following contemplative meditation, I was able to fully comprehend situation, accept it, and know how to help a friend who was also involved to deal with their pain and confusion. I was able to stop the progression of further detrimental karma and refresh my life to expect a better future - additionally to assist my friend to do likewise, rather than let us 'screw up' all over again.

As each individual situation arises from individual previous actions, it is best to learn for yourself. I am no Buddha and can only help the people I am personally close to at my current stage - BUT, I can suggest that anyone with questions and problems they seek the cause for study this course!

(It can be found at http://www.acidharma.org/aci/index.html under online classes and course 5.)

Dealing with demons 2

Another improvement I have gradually made across the years is not reacting forcefully to oppose each sighted wrongfulness without assessing where it comes from. Many times I have been tricked into thinking a wrongness originates from an innocent friend and therefore lost their friendship. Instead of needing someone to recognize that I am under attack and cleanse me, I can now see it as attack and stop actions that could do further damage and wait it out, almost at the stage where I can additionally assist others suffering from the same group-attack.

Although I still suffer physically in the form of sinus problems and fever when attacked by a demon, I can now limit the harm done to the physical realm and prevent bad karma arising due to my former ignorant reactions. I prefer to stay clean and safe 'below in the know' than fight back and INSIST upon righting any wrongs seemingly dealt to me by group-friends.

I hope to further progress to such stage that I am able to instantly be aware of a demon attack as it happens rather than shortly afterwards. I also hope to develop my skills enough to be able to help secure fellow group-friends rather than expect to be helped or stay safe and watch them fall then pick up the pieces.