Mind activities of a Stone boy

Chapter 7 Deep listening and Loving speech * We have so many means of communication, TV, radio, telephone, fax, email, WWW, yet we remain islands with very little communication between family members, individuals in society or nations. * When we cannot communicate, we get sick, and we suffer, we spill our suffering onto other people. We pay psychotherapists to listen to us, but psychotherapists are just human beings who also have problems, too. * One person looking at the root of your suffering is good. Two persons looking at it is better. Two people looking at it together is best. * Don't discuss the problems when you are hurt. Make an appointment to discuss it with the person. Also, wait to see if your hurt has transformed by then. If not, when you speak, you tell the deepest kind of truth, using loving speech, the kind of speech that the other person can understand and accept. When you listen, listen with all your attention and emphasize others. * When someone says "I love ...

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will f...

But I have all the liberty to decide what state of my mind that I would like to put in. The vision is a powerful sense to affect how my mind would feel. Just image if I constantly put myself in a blue sky scenery, would I feel bad? just image if I constantly watch trashy TV programs and mindless commercials, what would I feel? If I watch unwholesome pictures all the time, what kind of impact it will have on my mind? So is the hearing a great sense of affecting mind. What if I only speak mindfully and speak according to NVC principle, what kind of positive impact it will have on my mind? Mind is the forerunner of everything and ultimately has the total control of what I would feel.

I do believe Einstein fused with the cosmos when he flashed upon e=mc 2 … for years I contemplated his brilliant equation -- and didn't get it, until, at the lotus feet of guru, I stumbled upon the spiritual bridge between the worlds. and here it is -- Buddha's spiritual theory of evolution -- that all things are inherently Imperfect, and Impermanent that we Own No-Thing not even those dusty shoes we left outside that ancient temple door. there are No Accidents -- our sitting together and sharing essence was preordained. forget Fixed Judgments -- they keep you stuck in sludge. Transform! Two cooks with the same ingredients produce different meals -- and it all derives from how we think, speak, and act -- a simple way of defining Karma. And that, in the ultimate analysis, we are all Einstein and much more – e=mc 2 to infinity. I think Einstein was in touch with the universe when he flashed open E=MC 2 . For years I contemplated his brilliant equation -- and didn't get it, u...

David Swensen's Advice for the Individual Investor Swensen shares more investing advice in his book Unconventional Success. NPR.org , October 5, 2006 · Beware of the Mutual Fund Myth: Many Americans seem to like the idea of pooling their money in an actively managed mutual fund -- where, presumably, a professional money manager can invest it better than they could themselves. But Swensen says that doesn't work. He says for-profit mutual funds have an inherent conflict of interest. They make money by charging fees that suck profits away from investors in the funds. In fact, over time -- when you factor in the fees, taxes and other costs -- he says your odds of beating the market in an actively managed fund are less than one in 100. Most mutual funds get far too big and own far too many stocks, Swensen says. In Unconventional Success , he writes that, when a fund is holding 30 to 50 stocks or more, the odds become very likely that the fund will start to t...

Tonight I went to Mark's talk @ IMCW. It has been a long time since he paid a visit to DC. I was thrilled to go see him with some of my innate reservation. The talk was nice and it seems to be part of his book tour. To be with the nature is a good way to bring the awareness into the mind. His talk and his manner remind me how open and spacious Buddhism practice could be! How wonderful! Here is his website: Awake In the Wild At the end of the meditation, I ran into an old girlfriend and I had no ill will at all when I saw her. What an amazing accomplishment that this practice has helped me. The true love and compassion shines through any corner of darkness

Feelings When Our Needs Are Met Feelings When Our Needs Are NOT Met. AFFECTIONATE EXCITED JOYFUL AFRAID CONFUSED EMBARRASSED TENSE Compassionate Amazed Amused Dreading Ambivalent Ashamed Anxious Friendly Aroused Delighted Frightened Bewildered Guilty Cranky Loving Astonished Glad Mistrustful Hesitant Self-conscious Distressed Open hearted Eager Happy Panicked Lost Distraught Sympathetic Energetic Jubilant Scared Mystitied FATIGUED Edgy Tender Enthusiastic Pleased Suspicious Perplexed Beat Fidgety Warm Invigorated Tickled Terrified Puzzled Burnt out Frazzled Lively Wary Torn Depleted Irritable CONFIDENT Passionate PEACEFUL ...

The untrained and unskillful mind run wild easily. When I get complacent and caved into the bad habit and pattern, I do unmindful things. The result usually is strained eyes, messy desk, scattering clothes, CDs,... It is not very satisfactory. Neither is fulfilling. Where is my crying baby? Where is the lazy bone? I will find you and nurture it. Keep asking the questions and the answer will come and action shall follow.

One of the monochrome paintings he produced later in life "The Shrike" expresses his ultimate teaching of swordsmanship, namely, "the myriad principles are all of the Void." The insect that can be seen roughly in the middle of the painting, crawling up the branch of the withered tree, provides us with a hint of the meaning of swordsmanship hidden within the work. Ono interprets the painting as such: The Shrike is waiting for the fish in the pond. She could shake the dead branch to make the insect fall into the water which will entice fish to come out and eat the bug. Before then, the insect has eaten up all the leaves of the tree which was transformed into a dead tree. The shrike could catch the fish, and strike her catch to the other pointed branch to kill it. Thus: Fish kills worm; worm kills tree; shrike kills fish...; The unseen kills shrike; new trees grow around the dead tree; Shrike, fish, worm, dead trees all turn into fertilizer to grow the new tree. Such i...

Even in a selfish act, there is a sense of care and protection to oneself. It is very evident. Is selfishness always a bad thing? Sometimes, we could look closely and examine what is underneath. So, the basic care and self-preserving is there... does that imply care and love are born inherently in humans? It is just that we need to learn how to extend this inherent care and love to others. Or we need to learn a better skill to express this. A selfish act seems like a very ruidmentary expression of love and care. It is not very satisfying. It is same with learning to play piano. If you only dwell on playing Fur Eles, it is not very satisfying. The key is to train the skill and express it in a better/finer/more satisfying way.

It is almost year end. I am staying with Dad at his room. I am typing away my thoughts here and he is sitting there watching TV. "I could feel how you feel for Raja and Jedi. I am feeling that for a human being, though.. It is my Dad. Dad is really getting older and older. I am spending most of my time with him here in Taipei. I am writing this email right at his bed side. Spending time with him made me realize that death is waiting for him, me, and everyone else. There is a beginning and there is an end. In between is the interesting/challenging/exciting/difficult part. :-)" I could simply concentrate on the things that I need to do, for work, to research traveling in Japan. The pain and doubtful feelings come from my restless mind. I am constantly in want of excitement and short-term gratification.

Poems about "Life & Death" by Rumi look at love how it tangles with the one fallen in love look at spirit how it fuses with earth giving it new life why are you so busy with this or that or good or bad pay attention to how things blend why talk about all the known and the unknown see how the unknown merges into the known why think seperately of this life and the next when one is born from the last look at your heart and tongue one feels but deaf and dumb the other speaks in words and signs look at water and fire earth and wind enemies and friends all at once the wolf and the lamb the lion and the deer far away yet together look at the unity of this spring and winter manifested in the equinox you too must mingle my friends since the earth and the sky are mingled just for you and me be like sugarcane sweet yet silent don't get mixed up with bitter words my beloved grows right out of my own heart how much more union can there be { come on sweetheart let's adore one a...

(http://www.gbmc.org/voice/foreign.cfm) Tips on Reducing Accent * Watch the mouth movements of native speakers! Observe the mouth movements of native American speakers. Repeat what they are saying, imitating the intonation and rhythm of their speech. * Slow down! Until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English, slow down your speech. If you speak too quickly with the wrong intonation and rhythm, native speakers will have a hard time understanding you. * Use your dictionary! Become familiar with the phonetic symbols of your dictionary and look up the correct pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say. * Ask someone! Make a list of frequently used words that are difficult for you to pronounce and ask a native speaker to pronounce them for you. Record these words, listen to them, and practice saying them. * Listen to books on tape! Listen and read at the same time. Record yourself reading some sections of the book. Compare the sound of your En...

* All you have to do is to pay attention; lessons always arrive when you are ready, and if you can read the signs, you will learn everything you need to know in order to take the next step. * We humans have two great problems: the first is knowing when to begin; the second is knowing when to stop. "Marie, let's suppose that two firemen go into a forest to put out a small fire. Afterward, when they emerge and go over to a stream, the face of one is all smeared with black, while the other man's face is completely clean. My question is this: Which of the tow will wash his face?" "That's a silly question. The one with the dirty face, of course." "No, the one with the dirty face will look at the other man and assume that he looks like him. And, vice versa, the man with the clean face will see his colleague covered in grime and say to himself: I must be dirty too. I'd better have a wash." "What are you trying to say?" "I'm sayi...

(Notes from the retreat) * Meditation is to identify the seeds in us so that we could nourish good seeds and avoid bad seeds. * mental formation coming out of seeds stored in us. Seeds are passed on both by our parents and ancestors. * mental formation is manifested as energy * 5 skandas (1. Form (aka body) 2. Feeling 3. Perception 4. Mental Formation 5. Consciousness) * to be = to inter be * to be empty = to be empty of a separated self (to be empty... to be empty of what?) * contemplation of the body in the body

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy; O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

* always strive for the higher skills for the same old trick * always look at the same old routine with fresh perspective * realize the habit of surfing for news on the web, it lies on the immediate need for some instant thrill. why do I need that instant thrill? It is not good for me in the long run. * topics to research: a. pronunciation - how to improve my pronunciation

I shall never expect things to stay the same. Things won't ever stay the same. Friendships with old friends change. They usually wither without being tendered or through distance and time. I can't expect that old friends treat me the say way that they did before when we were new friends. Hopefully, we all grow old and wise at the same time.

Whenever I am feeling down, I should pick up a pen and write down the gratitude that I have for my existence... 1. I am grateful for people to come to my house and watch the movie with me this afternoon. 2. I am grateful for all the words of wisdom that they share with me. 3. I am grateful to a small condo that I own. 4. I am grateful to the projector that I could borrow to show the film. 5. I am grateful to people that cleaned up the dishes before they leaf.

Ten Wholesome Qualities In Our Minds In the broadest conception of the path, in the vast context of spiritualpractice, we cultivate and nourish certain qualities that support and propel us forward into freedom. The Pali word parami refers to ten wholsome qualities in our minds and the accumulated power they bring to us: generosity, morality, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, resolve, lovingkindness, and equanimity. . . . Parami does not come from some being outside ourselves; rather, it comes from our own gradually accumulated purity. A Buddhist understanding of reliance on a higher power would not necessarily involve reliance on some supernatural being. It is, rather, a reliance on those forces of purity in ourselves that are outside our small, constricted sense of I, and that constitute the source of grace in our lives. -Joseph Goldstein, Insight Meditation from Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book