Dream Like Emptiness ~ the True Nature of our Reality pt 1

25 Apr 2013 9 Comments

by Jas Baku in ABCs, Buddhist, Co-Creation, Cosmos Tags: buddhist, dream-like, emptiness, Interbeing, Reality

“Things appear to exist from their own side, without depending upon our mind.” Geshe Kelsang

Jas with Apple iGadget

Our mind appears to be ‘inside’ of us. It feels like we’re in here, looking out at the world ‘outside’. The outside world seems to consist of discrete, independently existent objects. Their existence is nothing to do with us. ‘Course not.

This post was created by Jas on her Mac. If anything, Jas and Apple are responsible. And Gen Chönden, because it’s based on his teachings. Then there’s Geshe-la, because they’re from his transmissions, which came from Buddha in an unbroken lineage… (and the world wide web of human kindness that we’re connected to, of course…)

The list is endless! So we can see this post isn’t ‘independently ‘ existent. It is dependent on and interrelated to phenomena external to itself, in a chain of interbeing that stretches out indefinitely.
“Empty in this sense, means that it is full of everything, the entire cosmos.”
Tich Nhat Hanh

Nevertheless, this post does seem to exist independently of our mind.
Emptiness so isn’t ‘nothingness’. It’s the meaningful absence that fills our lives.

* None of this could exist without our mind perceiving it. It’s all empty of independent existence, a state known as ‘emptiness’.

Emptiness is the ultimate nature of reality, it is how things exist. The screen we’re looking at, the eyes we’re looking with, even the mind we’re using to cognize all this. It’s all an illusion created by that ilusory mind. None of it exists from it’s own side. Not one little bit.

A good analogy for this is the dream state, because although both our waking world and dream-scapes seem credibly real to us, neither are.

Although we all dream every night, it’s fairly unusual to realize that what we are experiencing is no more than a dream. For the dreamer, it all seems so very real.
Sound familiar? Doesn’t all this, where you are now, look real? Of course it’s real! Well, no. Actually, it’s no more real than last night’s dream.

“The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasures of the world are an alluring mirage! Like the apparent distances in a picture, things have no reality in themselves, but they are like heat haze.”
Buddha

“Last night’s dream was my teacher. Is it the same for you?”
Milarepa (Tibetan yogi and Saint)

The dream series:

pt 1, Cosmic Loti: Dream Like Emptiness ~ the True Nature of our Reality
None of this could exist without our mind perceiving it. It’s all empty of independent existence, a state known as ‘emptiness’.

pt 2, Life is but a dream: Like a Dream
Nagarjuna’s view of dream-like emptiness.

pt 3, Cosmic Loti: Dream a Better World.
Dream lands and the waking world are experientially the same. That’s why they both feel equally real, and that’s why we can influence them far more than we give ourselves credit for.

pt 4, Kadampa Life: Am I Dreaming?
Buddha’s teachings reveal the truth that everything is like a dream.

Like this:

Cosmic Loti: Equalising Doctor Who & the Daleks with Emptiness
~ Seeing that there is no difference between any of us, in that we all want to be happy, and not to suffer. (With my 1st WP video!!)

Cosmic Loti: Dissolve cupid into dream-like Emptiness
Taking the pressure out of Valentines Day.

Daily Lamrim: Superior Seeing meditations
Luna Kadampa: Discussion on emptiness

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso quote from Modern Buddhism.
(Link to free download on the right hand side!)

Want Spiritual Power? Rely on Je Tsongkhapa!

21 Apr 2013 4 Comments

by Jas Baku in ABCs, Buddhist Tags: Amitabha Buddhist Centre, blessings, empowerment, Gen Chonden, Je Tsongkhapa, Vajrapani

Because Je Tsongkhapa is the embodiment of all Buddhas’ wisdom, compassion and spiritual power at once, by relying on him we can attain these good qualities.

ॐ

_/\_

Blessings of Spiritual Power

Je Tsongkhapa is an emanation of Buddha Vajrapani, whose function is to destroy the negative minds of living beings by bestowing power on their body, speech and mind.
Liberated from the oppressive weight of negativity, we are free to power on with our lives, and reach the desired goal.

Asking for help from the holy beings is like opening the shutters on a sunny day, and letting the sun in. The sun’s always shining, all we have to do it let it in.
Buddha’s blessings are the same.
They’re always blessing the minds of living beings, it’s their job. By opening up to these blessings, we can transform our mind, and therefore our world.

Like this:
Manjushri mantras are good for dispelling mental cloudiness: Clearing the Confusion with Buddha’s Blessings
Lama Yeshe: benefits of relying on Lama Tsongkhapa

Kadampa Life: What are Blessings? As Shantideva says in the beginning of Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, Buddha’s blessings are like lightning during a dark night, quickly illuminating the environment and so forth. Similarly, Buddha’s blessings suddenly illuminate our mind with positivity, peace, and calm. At that time we are happy.

Credits:
Je Tsongkhapa Empowerment notes from Gen Chönden’s empowerment teachings 20th April 2013, via Aileen Glen.
Ref: Heart Jewel, by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.
Original flyer by Becky Maybury

Click on images to make biG

Thatcher’s funeral? Fight a selfish society with Random Acts of Kindness!

17 Apr 2013 13 Comments

by Jas Baku in Buddhist, Co-Creation, Death, Politics Tags: #Thatcher funeral, Politics, Random Acts of Kindness

Reply with the Light that drives away Dark

Today is Margaret Thatcher’s £10m funeral

Amidst tight security, her corpse is getting a regal send-off, with full military honours.
Apparently the funeral procession is gong to ‘bring London to a standstill‘. Though wether that’ll be because of people mourning Britain’s only female prime minister; or folk celebrating the death of a tyrant remains to be seen.

I think Charlie Brooker sums up how she appeared to many folk.
“She seemed to display such cold disregard for those crushed by the wheels of her personal brand of progress, it was hard to believe she fully understood what human beings are, let alone cared about them.”

I grew up in the Thatcher era, I think in a working class family? (Hard to define these days) And it’s hard to think of Thatcher without some kind of anger creeping in there.
Never a good idea, or a train of thought you’d want to follow; any kind of anger won’t help in any situation.
A £10,000,000 funeral does seem like like a sick joke though. After all, in her time as the UK’s prime minister, Thatcher is credited with reviving Britain’s ailing economy, while doubling the childhood-poverty rate. Thatcher’s ’Victorian values‘ were very much skewed towards the evils of capitalism (which doesn’t have to be evil at all.)

✿ڿڰۣ(̆̃̃ღ¸.•*”❤“*•.¸ღ(̆̃̃ڿڰۣ✿

“Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty” Anne Herbert

practice Random Acts of Kindness instead!

So how wonderful to click onto Facebook this morning, and find several invites to a “Random act of kindness Wednesday 17th April 2013- a reaction in unity” event.

Helping others just for the sheer joy of it, seems a brilliant way to offset Margaret Thatcher’s view that a selfish society is a successful one.

* Does that depend on your view of ‘success’? Can money really bring happiness? (Answers on the back of a postcard please, or below will do ;~)

A Random Act of Kindness is doing something selfless that helps or cheers someone else up. That someone can be a person (including animals) you know or a random stranger.

Doesn’t matter! The aim is to benefit somebody else, just because you can. It’s amazing just how happy that makes everybody involves feel

It feels like the perfect response.

(✿◠‿◠)❤

Like this:

Mock the Week: Anti-Thatcher video-clip
The Guardian Video: A nti Thatcher protest at funeral

The Happy Kadampa: Gloating about Margaret Thatcher’s death gets us nowhere
“Thatcher’s final years appears to have lacked love, she wasn’t close to her children and the best relationships in her life appear to have been with her staff. Thanks to dementia, she had to be reminded of and therefore mourned her husband’s death on a daily basis.
She died in the Ritz, a cause of resentment for many, but it’s a death that reminded me of Geshe-la’s haunting words a few years ago during a teaching on lower rebirth: “Imagine you fell asleep in a luxury hotel room, and during the night you naturally died, and woke up in a place completely pervaded by fire.”
I keep being reminded of this section, when I read spiteful comments online. Really, she’s deserving of our prayers, not venom.

Sunrise video: Random Acts of Kindness
:’) Buzzfeed: Small, Meaningful Acts of Kindness

Please share ~ as The Laughing Yogi* said of something completely different,

“I like to see this as cause for hope & optimism in this topsyturvy world of ours…..we represent (and strengthen) the forces of light, lightness, connection, compassion, and let’s hold that frequency in the face of current horridnesses?”

Together we all will raise the consciousness of the world.
We can’t help but.

Pay Attention to Peace

15 Apr 2013 4 Comments

by Jas Baku in Buddhist, Co-Creation Tags: attention, Buddha's enlightenment, Buddhism, co-creation, peace

Attention focuses the mind on an object, or a particular part of it. Depending on what we fix upon, this can lead to an agitated or peaceful mind.

☁ We can experience trains of thought that go to bleak, unwelcoming states, with thundery skies,
bringing no good results.

Or our train of thought could be taking us to a heavenly place with blue skies and sunshine; where we feel at peace with the world, among pleasant people,
going somewhere beneficial ☀

     '( 
    "'  //}
   ( ''"
   _||__ ____ ____ ____
  (o)___)}___}}___}}___}
  'U'0 0  0 0  0 0  0 0

Like my spiritual guide, Geshe Kelsang says, “We always have choice”. We can change trains and their destinations any time we choose.

☁

ڿڰۣ✿Happy Buddha’s Enlightenment Day! ¨*•.¸¸.❤

(✿◠‿◠)❤ ॐ

* Just been along to Kadampa Life’s FB page to post this, and came across Luna’s article on Buddha’s enlightenment. It includes this quote:

“With our thoughts, we create our world.
We can choose how we think. We may think our thoughts rule us, but that is only if we are not exerting control over our own mind. We can learn to think big, enlightened thoughts instead of small, selfish ones. We can ignore the inappropriate attention that leads to all our baseless, disturbing delusions; and choose to think realistic things that will liberate and enlighten us. With our thoughts, we create our world, to summarize what Buddha taught us. We are what we think…. Buddha’s Enlightenment Day is a good time to remember all this and renew our intention to follow in kind Buddha Shakyamuni’s footsteps by developing compassion and wisdom.”

What is Buddha’s enlightenment? Kadampa Life
mmmm love synchronicity.

Like this:
We always have choice in life ~ we bring to ourselves what we focus on: Our Energy Follows Our Attention

Credits:
ASCII train by dynoguru
Tumblr Screenshots via Babydoll1976 and Dancing Dakini

Click on image to make biG

Imagine Peace, and it will Happen

11 Apr 2013 13 Comments

by Jas Baku in Images Tags: B4Peace, Children, dogs, images, peace

☆ * •

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9

_(*)_

Blessed be the children,

for they are the peacemakers of the future.

☽ ’ * • .¸

Child’s sign:

“When the power of love

overcomes the love of power,

the world will know peace.”

Sri Ghose

“Reality calls for change

The fruit of awareness is already ripe

And the door can never be closed again.”

Written by a young Tich Nhat Hanh in war torn Vietnam.

Film trailer: Planting Seeds: The Power of Mindfulness
Tich Nhat Hanh’s students discuss the magic of mindfulness.

☀

Blog 4 ☮

Related Posts:
Pam Tanzey: Peace Picnic (Doggy Cartoon Credit :~ )
Heartflow 2013: How To Live Like A Dog

The most effective way to teach a child something is to break down your lesson into the smallest pieces possible. RARASAUR: Peace, Vignettes, and Metaphor Fails
Bloggers for Peace: Monthly Peace Challenge

Stories for Kids:
Fish of Gold: How The Giraffe Got His Neck
Inspire the Idea: Bartie’s Tail

Click on the above links for yet more links on Children + Peace!

“I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside”

See also:
Bloggers for Peace on Twitter: #B4Peace
Cosmic Loti: Dream a Better World
Dream lands and the waking world are experientially the same. That’s why they both feel equally real, and why we can influence them far more than we give ourselves credit for. We can literally dream a better world for us all.

Click on Images to make biG / for source.

PostScript:
I won the challenge as well along with a few of the guys mentioned up there.
It was a veritable challenge, but so much fun to do.
Big hugs all the brilliant people out there in cyberspace who support us Bloggers for Peace.

Click here for all the other winners of the ‘Publish a post on how to teach children about peace‘ challenge. Well worth checking out.
❤
Jas

The Precariat Class of Samara

04 Apr 2013 4 Comments

by Jas Baku in Buddhist, Politics Tags: buddhist, Class System, disabled, Precariat, UK

Precariat?! Merge precarious with proletariat and you get the Precariat Class

Freeters in Japan

The UK suddenly has a precariat class.
We’re not alone of course, the precariat class has been emerging in advanced societies for years now.

But the UK’s traditional class structure is so out of date, it’s been re-jigged to make it more accurate. This involves making up names for the seven classes of people created. Naming something brings it into existence. Imagine the shock of thousands of folk suddenly finding out that this is who they really are:

* “I’m middle class. I was so surprised, I nearly dropped my focaccia.”
* “Bow, peasants… I’ve just found out I’m in the Elite group in Britain’s new class system”
* “Broke and cultured?! Just found out I’m in the Technical Middle Class group in Britain’s new class system. “
* “I’m a disabled Precariat, which means I have a condition of existence without predictability or security. Lucky me!”

via #WhatsYourClass on Twitter

You get the picture.

We’ve now got seven classes instead of the original three, (upper, middle and working); with the privileged Elite sitting upon its massive wealth at the top. (Although if they’ve any sense, they’ll be re-distributing it to benefit others ~ which is karmically how they got that wealth to begin with.)

Beginnings Depend upon Endings

01 Apr 2013 7 Comments

by Jas Baku in Buddhist, Images, Pagan Tags: images, Letting Go, Quotes, spiritual, Spring, winter

Ostara for the Northern Hemisphere.

A time of Change, Renewal and Re-birth

“Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life…”
~S.D. Gordon

Spring is a natural time of rebirth, renewal, and hope on the physical and spiritual levels
Humans have felt this in their bones since the dawn of time.

EagleEyes, Spiritual Rebirth and Renewal

In her recent article Do you ever feel discouraged? Luna Kadampa describes this process of change as “Sloughing off our sense of a limited, fixed, deluded self — a self that doesn’t in any case even exist — and arising and identifying ourselves as a wise, peaceful, positive, loving, happy, blissful, free person instead.”

We can treat ourself with the same loving-kindness we extend to others, and start to mentally shed those unneeded Winter layers to find this rare beauty inside.

☁☁

Endings are always beginnings.
Because that’s the way the world goes.

For sunshine and blue skies to come, those snowy grey skies have to go, and our thermals with them. Doesn’t sound like bad thing; but it can be a trick to recognise this in normal life.
Holding onto things we really should’ve let go of already is subtle torture.
This is certainly worth thinking about if letting go is problematic for us.

We have to let go to become. Physically and mentally, even if it’s just a little bit at a time. Otherwise it’s like we’re still wearing our winter woolies even though it’s uncomfortable because the weather’s getter warmer.
Letting old things go and moving onto pastures new can be scary, especially if it isn’t something we planned. But if we’re open to it, we can experience magic in that space we’ve created.

乂⍲‿⍲乂

Blessed Be for this wonderful time of renewal.

Tumblr Screenshots:
Images from Cosmic Loti on Tumblr
via YoginiYoda, http://www.sungazing.com
TeaAndTao, SelfAssassin
Lazy Yogi, MindBodyLove
and Y B Ordinary.

Click on pics to make biG

Like this:
Wise word and images on here: L et go to Become
Kadampa Life on how our mind affects the experiences in our lives: Wherever you go, there you are,
and on how we can do better than our ‘tight grasping at a limited sense of self’ in: Do you ever feel discouraged?

But why Easter Eggs? Guest Post and Ostara Story

28 Mar 2013 9 Comments

by Jas Baku in Pagan Tags: Easter, Easter Egg Legend, Ostara, Pagan

Ancient History of Easter

The word Easter comes from the Norsemen’s Eustur, Eastar, Ostara and Ostar, and the Pagan Goddess Eostre. These names relate to the season of the growing sun and new birth.
Ancient Egyptians, Persians, Phoenicians and Hindus all believed the world began with an enormous egg.

The egg as a symbol of new life, and the ancient names relating to Spring, the sun growing warmer and encouraging the growth of flower, fauna and humanity; would all account for the Easter period being celebrated, and Easter eggs given as gifts.

By Mummaz
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Legend of the Easter Egg

The modern belief that eggs are delivered by a rabbit, comes from the legend of the Goddess Eostre. Eostre was walking one fine Spring day and came upon a beautiful little bird. The poor bird’s wing was badly injured and Eostre, feeling great compassion for the little creature, wanted to heal it. But the little bird’ wing was so badly damaged that Eostre knew it would never be able to fly again even after She healed it. So, Eostre decided to help the bird by healing it in a way that would give it mobility and a little something more… She turned it into a rabbit!

==^•..•^==

During the transformation, the rabbit retained the ability to lay eggs. The rabbit was so grateful to Eostre for saving its life that it laid a sacred egg in Her honor, joyously decorated it and then humbly presented it to the Goddess. She was so pleased and so touched by the rabbit’s thoughtful gift that She wished all humankind to share in her joy. In honoring her wishes, the rabbit went all over the world distributing these beautifully decorated little gifts of life and continues to do so even today.

From Kat’s Book of Shadows, Ostara
and Celtic Myth Podshow, How the Easter Egg Came to Be

Also on Easter’s origins: Saymber, Friday 29 March 2013 – Happy Ostara (Easter)
EagleEyes, Spiritual Rebirth and Renewal
Alpha Alchemy Happy Easter!

☽O☾

Like this on here:
Poem for the English Spring Equinox
Ostara and The Spring Equinox 2013 – Transformation Magic!

Poem for the English Spring Equinox

22 Mar 2013 12 Comments

by Jas Baku in Co-Creation, Images, Pagan Tags: Equinox, Gaia, poetry, Spring, UK

‎ ‫✿ڿڰۣ‬

Happy Equinox

Like this on here:
Ostara. The Spring Equinox 2013 – Transformation Magic!
Imbolc Blessings

More Equinox stories:
Serendipity 13 - Mighty King Winter and Little Miss Spring
johncoyote - IF I WAS THE KING OF THE FOREST.
Herald of spring - Life in the Bogs

Memoirs of a Dragon: Guardians Haiku 俳句

Credits:
Poem: Natalie Gray
Image: Laudano

Click on image to make biG

Ostara and The English Spring Equinox 2013 – Transformation Magic!

21 Mar 2013 6 Comments

by Jas Baku in Co-Creation, Cosmos, Pagan Tags: Ostara, Pagan, Spring Equinox

Happy Ostara!

The middle of spring brings Ostara .
With night and day standing in perfect balance, there’s a promise of an increase in light as the year progresses.
Ostara is even gently nudging us toward Summer. (Most subtly this year; after a long cold Winter, there’s still snowy days here.)
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Ostara, equinox, spring it is called
By what name no matter is paid
But the feeling the joy the loving vibration
Seasons offer us, movement is made
Natalie Gray

Spring encourages us to lighten up with ourselves and others, which normally helps life to flow more easily.
We can climb out from our winter cocoons, and allow a new way of being to emerge.
We’re empowered to spread those wings of wisdom and compassion and fly in whatever ways we wish.
Blessed be.

“The Goddess Ostara is celebrated now and her wise guidance to us is “It is the perfect time for you to start new projects, access new ideas and give birth to new conditions”. What do you want to birth this spring?

What an exciting time! Can you feel it?
Tune into nature, observe the changes. Reflect on what you want to create for yourself now.

It’s often necessary to let go of the old in order to create space for the new. What can you lovingly release? What can you let go of in order to open up to new possibilities and opportunities?”

The Giggling Goddess, Can You Feel It?

☽O☾

This is an excellent time for personal growth, for mending old conflicts and ensuring the continued growth of treasured friendships. This is a great time of the year to start learning something new as well and taking advantage of skills already learned and becoming more adept at them.

Kat’s Book of Shadows, Ostara

“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.”
Richard Bach

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Cosmic Gateway

The cosmic gateway opens again, creating a shift point where old energies can be replaced by new ways of being. With focussed intention we can fully create these, to benefit ourselves and others.

“Nothing can penetrate unconditional love… Stay in your knowing, your heart, and in gratitude for the journey.“
AscensionIntegration

¸ . • ☽ * ¨

Like this:
Cosmic Loti: English Spring Equinox poem
Imbolc Blessings

Little Flower Photography OSTARA + WHY PAGANS AREN’T SCARY

MagentaPixie2012 (YT) - Every day is Your Birthday/Solar Return and the Cosmic Gateway (Spring Equinox 2013)
Ascension Integration (YT) on creating with the 5th dimension – be responsible for your own consciousness. Ascension Gateway – Spring Equinox 2013

Image credit: Planet and Nebula

June 2013
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« May
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30

“Things appear to exist from their own side, without depending upon our mind.” Geshe Kelsang

* None of this could exist without our mind perceiving it. It’s all empty of independent existence, a state known as ‘emptiness’.

Share:

Like this:

Because Je Tsongkhapa is the embodiment of all Buddhas’ wisdom, compassion and spiritual power at once, by relying on him we can attain these good qualities.

Blessings of Spiritual Power

Share:

Like this:

Reply with the Light that drives away Dark

Today is Margaret Thatcher’s £10m funeral

practice Random Acts of Kindness instead!

Helping others just for the sheer joy of it, seems a brilliant way to offset Margaret Thatcher’s view that a selfish society is a successful one.

Share:

Like this:

Attention focuses the mind on an object, or a particular part of it. Depending on what we fix upon, this can lead to an agitated or peaceful mind.

☁ We can experience trains of thought that go to bleak, unwelcoming states, with thundery skies, bringing no good results.

Or our train of thought could be taking us to a heavenly place with blue skies and sunshine; where we feel at peace with the world, among pleasant people, going somewhere beneficial ☀

Like my spiritual guide, Geshe Kelsang says, “We always have choice”. We can change trains and their destinations any time we choose.

☁

ڿڰۣ✿Happy Buddha’s Enlightenment Day! ¨*•.¸¸.❤

Share:

Like this:

Blessed be the children,

for they are the peacemakers of the future.

Share:

Like this:

Precariat?! Merge precarious with proletariat and you get the Precariat Class

Share:

Like this:

Ostara for the Northern Hemisphere.

A time of Change, Renewal and Re-birth

Endings are always beginnings. Because that’s the way the world goes.

Share:

Like this:

Ancient History of Easter

Legend of the Easter Egg

Share:

Like this:

Happy Equinox

Share:

Like this:

Happy Ostara!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Cosmic Gateway

Share:

Like this:

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☁ We can experience trains of thought that go to bleak, unwelcoming states, with thundery skies,
bringing no good results.

Or our train of thought could be taking us to a heavenly place with blue skies and sunshine; where we feel at peace with the world, among pleasant people,
going somewhere beneficial ☀

Endings are always beginnings.
Because that’s the way the world goes.