Mindful

When we are angry we are blind to reality.

/ Debra / 2 Comments
dalai_lama-8

Image by kermitlab via Flickr ~ HH The 14th Dalai Lama

When we are angry we are blind to reality.

Anger may bring us a temporary burst of energy, but that energy is blind and it blocks the part of our brain that distinguishes right from wrong.

To deal with our problems, we need to be practical and realistic.

If we are to be realistic, we need to use our human intelligence properly, which means we need a calm mind.  ~ HH The 14th Dalai Lama

Related articles

Book Review. ~ “What Do Buddhists Believe?”

/ Debra / 2 Comments

What do Buddhists Believe?“What Do Buddhists Believe?” by Tony Morris, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2008 – Religion – 112 pages.

When I want to learn about a subject, I seem to go on a mission. I think, ‘what do I want to know?’, ‘what format?’, and ‘look for something readable’. ‘What Do Buddhists Believe?’ answered those questions with ease.

This book was an easy read and yet I came away with a better understanding of where I wanted to go on my journey of learning about Buddhism. It covers general Buddhist beliefs without being overly simplified. I would not recommend it to a person who has more than a general grasp of what Buddhism is for it really is the bare bones. Yet for those who want more than a ‘feel’ but not an in-depth of each tradition I  recommend it. Don’t think this will be the only book you will need to understand Buddhism, but it will be one you can pass on to your non-Buddhists friends when they have more questions.

~ Debra

What Do Buddhists Believe?: Meaning and Mindfulness in Buddhist Philosophy ~ Amazon

 

 

Unbearable or beneficial?

/ Debra / 3 Comments

A given situation can be viewed as either unbearable or beneficial: it depends on how we look at it.

We must make certain that things don’t begin to seem unbearable. If we look too closely at problems we will see nothing else, and they will appear all out of proportion with reality; that is when they become intolerable.

If we can stand back from them, we will be better able to judge them, and they will seem less serious. ~ His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

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~ This quote from HH spoke to me today…and maybe it speaks to you too. There are times to look closely at a situation…and then the situation becomes clear. Yet at other times…if we look too closely…the situation becomes blurry, and we lose our ‘balance,’ our middle way.

Taking a step back from a problem or situation and relaxing our tight view can give us the ‘answer’ we seek.  ~ Debra

The secret of…

/ Debra

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. – The Buddha