New Colors...New Year

Well, Pantone announces turquoise as the color for 2010! It's been MY color for years, and why?

It's the color of water that you want to immerse yourself in, right? I look at turquoise and I see warmth and comfort. I see sunny California days and warm Mexican nights. I feel as though a blanket of warmth has enveloped me...like a cat snoozing in the sun, I'm almost immediately relaxed.

Wow...the power of color! Click on the "New Colors...New Year" and find out what Pantone has to say about my favorite color.

New Year...

Here it is, the start of a new year is on the horizon...and what lessons have been learned?

1) Suicide hurts. A dear friend and father to two of my nephews chose to end his life this year. I always felt he had the right (that we all have that right.) If living is more painful than the alternative, then we, as thinking adults should have the right to make this choice. That said, I've seen the impact on his family and I'm sorry he chose that road. If I ever consider 'ending it all' please give me the strength to look into the eyes of my friends and family and ask for their help and understanding before making the decision. If I see someone else in that dilemma, please let me know the right words to comfort and guide.

2) MS is a horrible disease. It debilitates and takes away an individual's choices one by one, time after time, until all are gone.

3) Friends and family are lifesavers...depend on them, be dependable for them.

4) Education is addicting...once you get a good taste, you can never get enough.

5) Aging can be beneficial...helps prioritize life events.

Long Term Motivation

The Dalai Lama talks about cyclic existence in conjunction with the morality of individual liberation...this seems to be the key to attaining the first step toward a more meaningful life. We need to work to be free of an existence (cyclic) that is driven by temporary distractions and short term thinking.

He goes on to say, to be free of this short term thinking and reactive actions, we need to better understand what causes it. The four areas to understand include:

1) true suffering
2) true sources of suffering
3) true cessations of suffering and its sources
4) true paths for actualizing true cessations

Hmmm...I'll start on the first...true suffering, next time. Til then...

Peace!
Nancy

The Ten Nonvirtures

And help I got...the Dalai Lama speaks about the ten nonvirtures in the next paragraph. By being aware of and abandoning these, we can then start on the path of "doing no harm."

These nonvirtues include the physical...killing, stealing and sexual misconduct...the verbal...lying, divisive talk, harsh speech and senseless chatter...the mental...covetousness, harmful intent and wrong views.

He goes on to say, "Since motivation precedes and drives actions, controlling it is the best way to prevent impulsive and possibly abusive physical and verbal actions." Hmmm...the key word for me here is impulsive... reflect more and react less.


As I was contemplating what to write about this morning, here are some pictures of winter in West Michigan. Beautiful, isn't it!

At least do no harm..

The Dalai Lama's book identifies the main principle of Buddhist morality...to help others...and if you can't do that...at least do no harm.

My first thought was, "what the heck does that mean?" Does it mean help an older person across the street if you see one? Or how about the homeless guy you just saw leave the shelter...offer them a room? Or how about other species...mosquitoes? Offer them an arm when they are hungry? I read on, "...is mainly practiced by refraining from physical and verbal actions that cause harm." He identifies this as the "morality of individual liberation."

Ok...I'm going to try it this week...refrain from physical and verbal actions that cause harm. Dang, I've already messed that one up! I missed my hair appt. today because I didn't want to wake up my grandchild and drag him to the beauty shop when he was so blissfully sleeping. Wait...so I refrained from causing him harm...and in doing so, did harm to my hairdresser! Aaarrrgh...help!

A continuation

In Buddha's life, according to the Dahli Lama's book I'm currently studying, there were three stages that brought him to enlightenment.

1) Morality
2) Concentrated meditation
3) Wisdom

Each stage takes a significant amount of time to develop and must be undertaken in order. Any progress on this particular road depends on the development of morality as it's base.

Hmmm...so what is morality? "The main principle of Buddhist morality is to help others and, if that is not possible, at least to do no harm," the Dahli Lama wrote. He goes on to explain this is practiced by refraining from physical and verbal actions that cause harm.

I like this guy! I am starting to feel at home here...I'll cover more later in the week. Again, trying to do this daily, but sometimes, life just gets in the way.

And if they can do it...why can't we?