According to Buddhism, the 10 non-virtues are: Killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive talk, harsh speech, senseless chatter, covetousness, harmful intent, and wrong views. Donald Trump embodies all these traits. A great evil has settled across the land, and America has lost her way. We must climb out of these lower depths and find our way again. New leaders must rise up and lead us out of the wilderness before it is too late.
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
The aim of Zen Buddhism is a clear vision of reality, seeing things as they are and that is acquired by the power of concentration. This clear vision is enlightenment.
“Before practicing Zen, rivers were rivers and mountains were mountains. When I practiced Zen, I saw that rivers were no longer rivers and mountains were no longer mountains. Now I see that rivers are again rivers and mountains are again mountains.” Zen Master
In Buddhism, mindfulness is the key. Mindfulness is the energy that sheds light on all things. Mindfulness is at the base of all Buddhist practice.
As part of my daily Buddhist practice, I study the scriptures and the writings of other Buddhist teachers. Every once in a while, I run across a teaching that really resonates. Today’s bit of wisdom comes from Pema Chodron and is called “shenpa.” Loosely translated it means, “attachment.” Attachment in this sense means, “taking the hook.”
Example: Let’s say someone criticizes you for something. You immediately feel a tightening sensation as the blood rises in your body and you want to strike out and take revenge. Then you speak or act. This is taking the hook.
If we catch this shenpa early enough we can deal with it through patience and not react on autopilot. We can develop patience through meditation. If we acknowledge the feeling early on and equate it with loving kindness, we can avoid being triggered into acting out against the person who criticized us.
Meditation teaches us how to open up and relax with whatever comes our way. When we learn patience, we learn how to interrupt the chain reaction of habitual responses that tend to rule our lives. This is a hard lesson to learn and is something I strive for every day.
Do not pursue the past. Do not lose yourself in the future. The past no longer is. The future has yet to come. Look deeply at life as it is in the very here and now. The wise person knows how to live in mindfulness day and night.
-Shakyamuni Buddha
Ghost Dog 