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Showing posts from October 25, 2009

Buddhist Pancakes

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A huge truck, like a concrete mixer, pulls up outside your house for a delivery. However, this one is filled with blueberry pancake batter. Since you really love pancakes and ordered the maximum load you are not surprised when the valve opens and pancake batter begins to pour out onto your front lawn. As it continues to pump the pancake batter, there is so much that it begins to creep across the lawn and eventually floods your front lawn. As it reaches the front door, you open the door. Blueberry pancake batter enters and begins to flow into your front hall. If the truck is still not empty, it will continue pumping pancake batter onto the front lawn and sidewalk, it will definitely creep down the hall toward the kitchen. Now containing the grass, sticks, and dirt accumulated in its journey it arrives to the floor in front of stove. Now is the exciting time because we are really getting hungry and love pancakes so very much! However, it is still on the floor, how will you get it

What Do Words Mean?

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“In our Tibetan tradition, much of the time, perhaps even most of the time, is spent defining terminology. Oh, I suppose, from a modern point of view, that must sound so boring. In response to that boredom, I have shifted from telling you what a Buddhist term means to asking you what that word means to you. We can then see the similarities and differences from various cultural and spiritual views to gain correct understanding. Since then, it has worked out very nicely and is a lot more fun and productive” ~ Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Domo Geshe Rinpoche: Was ist die Bedeutung von Worten? In unserer tibetischen Tradition wird viel Zeit, vielleicht sogar die meiste Zeit darauf verwandt Terminologie zu definieren. Oh, ich nehme an, dass sich das von einer modernen Sichtw eise aus furchtbar langweilig anhört. Als Antwort auf diese Langeweile bin ich dazu übergegangen, Euch zu fragen, welche Bedeutung ein Wort für Euch hat, anstatt Euch den buddhistisc

When the Mind is Seated Upon the Breath

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"There is a connection between the breath and the mind. In all of the Tibetan yogic traditions, we emphasize to the student that the mind rides the breath like a rider on a horse. Then later, when that is well understood, the meaning of pranayama breathing is skillful, without dangerous pushing or superficial, like some boring duty ~Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~ "Es gibt eine Verbindung zwischen Atem und Geist. In sämtlichen tibetischen yogischen Traditionen wird dem Schüler gegenüber betont, dass der Geist auf dem Atem reitet, wie ein Reiter auf einem Pferd. Wenn dies richtig verstanden wird, w ird dadurch später die Anwendung des Pranayama Atmens kunstfertig, ohne etwas erzwingen zu wollen, was gefährlich wäre, und ohne oberflächlich zu sein wie eine langweilige Pflichtübung." - Domo Geshe Rinpoche ---

Red Lotus Buddhist Wisdom for Christmas

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nice for a small coffee table book. Many people have already purchased as Christmas gifts We hope these inspirational and thought provoking quotations by the 9th Domo Geshe Rinpoche accompanied by dramatic portraits of lotuses will awaken your natural joy as they have for her many students over the years. Although Buddhism is ancient, it remains fresh and contemporary. Known for purity, peace, and tranquility, the teachings of Buddhism also instill strength and determination in us to rise from the mud of ordinary life and gain enlightenment, just as the lotus emerges triumphantly. Quotations by Domo Geshe Rinpoche are presented in graphics word art also created by Domo Geshe to emphasize the Buddhist concepts that can be used as meditations. http://www.amazon.com/Lotus-Buddhist-Wisdom-Geshe-Rinpoche/dp/0692004106/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246398406&sr=1-1 When I sit for meditation, I am standing for what I believe in~~~~~ Holding away change and demanding life to be l

Throwing Off Smothering Well-Meaning Care

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When I moved everything from California to my Wisconsin country home, I noticed that the protective shipping quilts in the rented truck were not as clean as they could have been. That might be like the values pressing in upon us by numerous helpful individuals and groups to "protect us". Sometimes we might even feel that we cannot get a breath of fresh air or even breathe at all. Some recipients of this unwanted care will remain quiet and uncomfortable, others will dig their way out quietly and some will boldly throw off the unsuitable shipping quilts ~ Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~ "Cuando moví todo de California a mi casa de campo de Wisconsin, noté que los edredones de embarque protectores no eran tan limpios como ellos deberían haber sido. Esto podría parecer a valores humanitarios que aprietan en sobre nosotros por numerosos individuos serviciales y grupos para protegernos. A veces sentimos que nosotros no podemos conseguir un aliento de aire fresco o hasta respirar en ab

Real Practitioners

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" The stable and healthy person wants to continue to change because of higher purpose, and is a treasure of this world. These changes include their wish to become enlightened by dynamic compassion. This fresh view lifts us from being the spiritual seeker, and makes us real practitioners!" ~ Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~ Wahre Übende Die stabile und gesunde Person möchte sich aufgrund eines höheren Ziels fortlaufend verändern und ist ein Schatz für diese Welt. Diese Veränderungen beinhalten den Wunsch, durch dynamisches Mitgefühl erleuchtet zu werden. Di ese frische Sichtweise hebt uns ab davon, ein spirituell Suchender zu sein und macht uns zu wahren Übenden!" - Domo Geshe Rinpoche

Planning for the Future (last and part five)

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Using a proactive approach, three important elements identify why some people do not have enough karma to practice spiritual development. If we first think about karma itself, we can see how it comes from internal causes ripening, external conditions, as well as unusual clues. Internal causes are from ingrained, fixated habits, as well as previous actions ripened from the effects of similar actions performed previously. There are also “wild cards” such as blessings of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, who are members of the enlightened community alive in more subtle realities and are committed to rescuing living beings from suffering states. External conditions might include a supportive or unsupported environment that we live in, our health and body in general, as well as pressures of responsibilities of work and family. It also includes the presence of spiritual opportunities, even though we might need to travel to participate. Unusual clues to create more spiritual karma are serendip

Logic Like an Inept Surgeon

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In defending your viewpoint, you might say, "Well, partly it is like that, and partly like this." Then you have no penetration of the subject under analysis. This is like an inept surgeon trying to do heart surgery accidentally cutting a number of different organs, and saying, "Oh well. At least the heart got repaired." It does not help because you have mixed it, causing further confusion, whereas correct analysis is like the sword of Manjushri, driving it into the argument of your own view ~Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~~ “ Logik ist wie ein unfähiger Chirurg Wenn Du Deine Anschauung verteidigst, sagst Du vielleicht: 'Nun, es ist einerseits so und andererseits so.' Dann durchdringst Du das zu analysierende Thema nicht. Dies ist so, als ob ein unfähiger Chirurg, der versucht eine Herzoperation durchzuführen, aus Versehen mehrere Organe anschnitte und sagte: 'Nun ja, wenigstens ist das Herz jetzt in Ordnung.' Dies ist nicht hilfreich, weil Du die Di

Planning for the Future (part four)

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Life is a fluid learning experience changing and adapting to situations we want to influence as well as influencing us. Experiential learning becomes incorporated into every strategy we use to take charge of our life. We use and gather information like a squirrel gathering acorns in the fall to store away and nibble all winter long, only the is about our family dynamics, and other obligations such as work to help decide where to go from here. Now we know more because we have experienced it as well as remembering and telling others what we have discovered and become more skillful. However, even this information gathering is superficial by comparison to the internalized knowledge that becomes part of the deep nature. This real and meaningful change is the only thing that matters after passing away. It is not what we know, or have experienced and learned but what has been internalized and become part of our nature that remains, whether that is positive or negative. Since you are perf

Interdimensional Lines of Communication

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“Important inter dimensional lines of communication between an ordinary person and the connected actual being interior are muddied by the inappropriate and damaging display of anger, stress and other delusions. However, they are muddied most of all by the ordinary belief that the outer person is the one who is alive, owning an inner life that belongs to them. Quite the opposite!” ~ Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~~ “Importante entierran líneas dimensionales de la comunicación entre una persona ordinaria y los actuales relacionados siendo interiores son enturbiados por la demostración inadecuada y perjudicial de cólera, tensión y otras ilusiones. Sin embargo, ellos son enturbiados sobre todo por la creencia ordinaria que la persona externa es el que quién está vivo, poseyendo una vida interior que pertenece a ellos. ¡Todo lo contrario!” ~ Domo Geshe Rinpoche ~~~~ “Important enterrent des lignes dimensionnelles de communication entre une personne ordinaire et les réels connectés étant intérieur s

Planning for the Future (part three)

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So far, the discussion on planning for a successful life seems to be quite worldly without the important spiritual component for success. Unfortunately, there are many people raised with a more money and possession orientation than spirituality at its core, even though they might have a natural spirituality that needs to mature even further. This absence of spiritual inclusion in life plans actually creates a hunger that seems to further drive the need for the materialist view because there are few viable alternatives. The excessively sweet or illogical presentations of many religious and spiritual traditions might drive the intelligent person away. Buddhism has much to offer for those with a devotional nature, but does not insist that people conform to a model in order to benefit. In general, however, the logical and skillful changes modeled in Buddhism are useful and attractive to the thinking person. We can thank the early Buddhist Indian sages such as Nagarjuna, Chandrakirti,