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Browse every published article connected to E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock, with exact attribution and full-archive search.
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Browse every published article connected to E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock, or search within this exact expert archive.
Finally, I knew that I couldn't jump and reluctantly made my way back to the old man's room and stood there in front of everybody, pathetically defeated. Weepasa laughed heartily, "Well, you actually do have some wisdom to go along with your tiny bit of compassion. Good! You cannot train with ...
Have you ever tried to change yourself? Tough, huh? But sometimes we have no choice. Once in a while, during a lifetime, we get a good look at what we are, and when we see what we are, we become so disturbed that a change can't be avoided. It's actually the seeing that creates the change. It's ...
By a narrow margin, both houses of congress agreed to cancel the Government of the United States. After years of struggle, President Polin has finally fulfilled her mother's dream; the total end of government control. On the streets of L.A. can be heard the celebratory exclamations this morning: "No more payroll taxes! Yay! No more Social Security or Medicare taxes! Yay! No more military expenses (Yay!) No more post offices or schools! Yay! No more costly VA.
"To curb both of your curiosities," he said, "I will briefly mention the roadblocks, but they will be difficult for you to grasp at this stage of your development. At any rate, there are ten roadblocks that prevent you from your key. By overcoming the first three, you will establish Stream ...
Men and women, seeking spiritual answers they can't seem to find in Western culture or traditional religious pathways, are trying meditation. A large (and growing) number of people are taking up the practice, including open-minded Christians and undocumented millions of seekers who are ...
If we are accustomed to eating out three times a week, and for financial reasons can only eat out twice, we feel deprived. Additionally, if we only eat at exclusive restaurants (wouldn’t be caught dead in a chain!), then we will feel disadvantaged if we have to eat at an Olive Garden, or, dare I ...
How about a fresh approach to religion? What if we observed life as it truly is? What if we tried to see the truth of life without preconceived ideas about life, without the filter of our past conditioning and entrenched beliefs? Is there an approach to life that plainly, logically, and clearly appeals to common sense? A philosophical, psychological approach that people can relate to? If such an approach existed, it surely would have a universal appeal.
First of all, the stock market would drop like a rock. Lots of money is being made off the military industrial complex. Also, where would our soldiers work? Walmart? This peace thing would not be good for our country. Our country is built on money, thrives on money, and if you don't have any, ...
A John began by instructing me to sit cross-legged on the ground, while he stuffed some straw just under the tip of my tailbone, but not too much - he cautioned that too much straw would surely cause my legs to fall sleep. Then he tucked my left heel between my legs and placed my right foot on ...
One evening on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Ayatana, an old man in rags with one eye, leading a lame white horse, came upon an old beggar who lay dying by the side of the road. The old man gently sat the beggar up, and holding him up in his arms, gave him some water. But the beggar could not ...
It can sneak up on you like a thief in night; change that is. One day, you are content and happy with your life, and the next, it's as if you find yourself living on mars. Everything around you has somehow changed, and you haven't, or maybe you have changed and everything else has remained ...
H.B.I.T.S. is more widespread than originally thought, mainly because it goes unreported. The reason for this is that on the surface, it doesn't seem to be all that serious. But as a matter of record, H.B.I.T.S. could be called the silent killer. One of the major symptoms of H.B.I.T.S. is a sudden and drastic lapse of intelligence that becomes problematic when this lapse turns into a chronic disorder.
Remember that all-in-one 48 piece exercise gym that you bought a few years ago? You even figured out how put it together, and actually worked out for a month or two! Then the sessions got further and further apart, and finally you had to disassemble the infe al contraption and move it into another area (the attic) to make space for your new "media room." Or how about the 37 books on Feng Shui that are now collecting dust on the crooked bookshelf shelf next to your recliner with the duct taped arms? I won't even mention the collection of yoga CDs, next to the 25 financial advice DVDs.
The first thing you want to do is scream at your kids. That makes them afraid and teaches them to become pushy themselves, connecting verbal abuse with authority and influence. (Never use compassion or loving kindness - that will make girlie men out of them). If you are dead, so to speak, serious about raising a world class bully, then maltreat them as often as possible. The more maltreatment they learn to endure, the better bully they become.
For seven years, congress has done relatively little regarding the very serious problems we face, such as a failing economy for the middle class, a war that we are bogged down in and where we are at the mercy of powerless Iraqi government that sides with Iran, a looming social security crisis, ...
"There is only one way that my training can be taken to heart," Weepasa warned, "and that is if mindfulness is uninterrupted each wakeful moment of each day. Do you understand what I have just said? Each wakeful moment of the day! Initially you will feel lost and confused because when your mind ...
Values could be defined as beliefs in which we have an emotional investment. If we study the values of rural areas throughout the world, we see that a pastoral, agricultural life naturally propagates ethics and ideals that create harmony between people, such as thrift, honesty, quietness, ...
A good friend of mind recently commented that his own kids and their friends are a lot less materialistic than our generations were, and that numerous surveys show that Millennials don't want their jobs to interfere with their family or social life. He went on to say that, "Some say this is laziness, I tend to believe that Millennials have their priorities a little better aligned than their parents and grandparents." These kids, I believe, are smart, and cognizant of their challenge in America.
Interest in Buddhism usually begins with either the philosophy or psychology of Buddhism. Or maybe the esoteric nature of Buddhism, Buddhist meditation, or Buddhist wisdom. But the morality aspects of Buddhism are typically overlooked and frankly considered dull and boring. Keep in mind, ...
We compromise every day. With every moment, with every thought. Should I do this or that? Should I go here or there? If we didn't compromise, we would not consider choices, and if we didn't consider choices, then we would be less than animals, and we wouldn't survive. Making compromises reflects ...
About a dozen or so baby alligators showed up at a pond that Janet and I visit occasionally. Mama alligator kept watch nearby because the pond is also home to some otters, and otters love little alligators! But she allowed her 8 inch long offspring some freedom to enjoy the fall day. When we ...
A good friend of mine, a Methodist, asked his minister if people who didn't believe in Jesus were destined for hell. The minister thought for a moment, and then said, "God is love." This reply is a sign of the shifting landscape of spirituality. The original tenets of religion, that God, or ...
Other than outright bad luck and unforeseen circumstances, whenever we fail to reach our goals, it's a good bet that one of these five culprits had a hand in it - 1. Taking our eye off the ball: The easiest way to get sidetracked from our goals is to become distracted by a good time. A "good ...
Let's imagine for a moment that a cure for cancer was discovered. It wasn't just a cure for certain types of cancers but a cure for all types of cancers. And it didn't require radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery (burn, poison and cut). All you would have to do is take a pill, and immediately all tumors and symptoms would end. Just like that. The only problem is that this particular pill contains an ingredient that is very rare, so rare in fact that each pill would cost one million dollars to produce.
Being judgmental is being angry. Fear, the basis of anger, is always connected with the past or future. If you can look deeply within and find what it is that you fear, whether it is God, living up to some kind of ideal, fearing ideas different from yours, or people that are different from you, ...
Growing up in the Catholic tradition, I believe that I can understand some of the feelings that Christians, Muslims, and Jews might have about people who don't believe in a creator God! And Buddhists are guilty! I wouldn't be surprised if they think that Buddhists have a one-way ticket to hell ...
I made my way back toward the monastery and noticed a middle-aged man waiting near the entrance; he had his hands clasped, indicating that he would like to speak with me. When I walked over to where he was waiting, he said, “Thank you for a moment of your time. I must make a difficult decision ...
"So, you are ready to renounce everything," a John said. Then he smiled and added, "Words are spoken with ease, my good friend, compared to the actual experience of this discipline, although there are some key seekers who live in the forest quite comfortably. Some live without irritation; not ...
Day One: The best-built egos are ones that are well designed, so the first step is to acquire a great set of plans. These are available at any convenient party in the neighborhood. Just mingle around and you will see all kinds of egos being built right there before your eyes, and all you will ...
The first steps are not ones we typically think of; therefore, they can only be understood from a perspective of the deepest understanding of human nature. Having nothing to do with being nice, being compassionate, doing good works or feeding the poor, they involve something more subtle; which ...
Who has time to count calories? Or shop for exotic, low calorie, super foods, (acai berries?) or sign up for all the latest fad diets? I certainly know that I don't. I remember times in my life when dieting was not a problem. Playing football and burning up three or four thousand calories a day made weight control easy. As a matter of fact, I had to conscientiously try to gain weight! (Tons of Big Macs and milkshakes). As a Buddhist monk in Thailand, my food intake consisted of one meal a day at 9:00 am all mixed together in one bowl. I got down to my optimum weight in no time.
When we think of heart, we think of our emotions. In the context of this article, however, heart means the summation of all that we are; our emotions, our thoughts, our bodies, and our minds – and the affairs of life that we all share. Affairs of the heart always begin with a solitary ...
Enlightenment can take a long time, perhaps as long as it takes to wear a granite mountain down to the ground by a fine veil brushing its top once every hundred years, or perhaps as long as a lifetime, or a year, or perhaps in only a week, as the Buddha proclaims, if you can maintain perfect ...
How do we go about understanding ourselves? This is a very important question because if we don't understand ourselves, how are we going to change? Do we wait for divine intervention to create our pure hearts, or do we do something proactive? If we are not sure, then why not try both ways and ...
Let's say that a caveperson makes some baskets. Other cavepeople like the baskets, and trade some fruits and berries for a basket. This is legitimate. But let's say that an enterprising caveperson prints some money, and uses that to pay for a basket. Then, the basket maker only holds a piece of ...
I was quiet for a moment so that the man, so self-assured and strong willed and not accustomed to acknowledging the need for help, could reflect on his admissions. I then said, "There are some who must move on, and others who are afraid to move, as our attempted escapes enslave us either way. ...
One of the most powerful weapons in the world is compassion. The least powerful is control. The two are surely at odds with each other, and it certainly seems that power and control would trump wimpy compassion any old day. But in actuality, compassion, a weapon of least distraction, is not only one of the most powerful, but the weapon of lasting peace. And this is the secret of its power. When we strive to control things, we set ourselves up for some angst. Do we not?
Who has time to count calories, shop for exotic, low calorie, super foods, or sign up for all the latest fad diets? I know that I certainly don’t. I remember times in my life when dieting was not a problem. Playing football and burning up five or six thousand calories a day made weight control easy. As a matter of fact, I had to conscientiously try to gain weight! (Tons of milkshakes and ice cream). As Buddhist monk in Thailand, my food intake consisted of one meal a day at 10:00 am all mixed together in one bowl.
There comes a time in most people’s lives when they look back. Perhaps after the kids are gone, or when their faculties are almost gone! Or when they are more inclined to surrender rather than put up the good fight anymore. We all have to surrender, eventually. We might long for a sense of freedom from it all after we have courageously fought our battles. Battles that we cannot even remember but seemed so significant and meaningful at the time. And we fought so bravely, against tyranny, oppression, enslavement.
Approximately 100 million people die every year.That's a lot of people. Death is a common occurrence, but we hide from death's reality in many ways. In third world countries, there is no funeral director that takes care of everything and neatly makes up the body as if it is asleep. In third ...
Your pla C has replaced your pla B. It's just not working out the way you had planned. Even when it does work out the way you plan, it still doesn't work out . . . somehow. Asking yourself, "Is this all there is?" This is a definite, clear signal that you've tried about everything that ...
Creativity and vision are what distinguish the exceptionally successful person from the ordinary person. Once creativity and vision are established, energy, passion, and leadership follow. To acquire these is surprisingly easy because we are all naturally creative and visionary. Some of us, ...
There once was a man who thought that he knew. He thought that he knew about life and the afterlife. One day, he was asked how he knew, and he replied that the knowledge was given to him. Who gave it, he was asked, and he said that it was given through his holy book, and that he was certain that ...
Good friends of mine, Catholic friends, recently confessed to me. They said that although they occasionally attend their Catholic church, they have found a community church that makes them feel better. They find themselves happy when they leave, unlike their Catholic experience where they feel ...
What are our authorities? The Church, our government, law enforcement . . . our boss? And why should we question them? Better to leave well enough alone and just follow along - much safer. Plus, there is a certain amount of security in just following along, and it’s easier than questioning; ...
Performing any deed, good or bad, has repercussions. A bad deed obviously sets us up for a load of bad karma and bad luck. But how could a good deed, that sets us up for good karma, punish us? The punishment comes from the illusion that someone performed the deed. When we perform a deed from a ...
It was 1980. Janet and I were hiding out (from my creditors) at Shasta Abbey, a monastery in northern Califo ia, where we had ordained as Zen postulants. Suddenly, out of the blue, I became very ill, and when the illness worsened, I handled it as I had handled everything in the past — I ...
A recent report from the prestigious Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life comes down to this - Christians are getting restless. The report, other than indicating the consumerish attitude of modern religion shoppers, may indicate a deeper trend; it could mean that religion, as a mystery, as an ...
I am a meditator. When I am meditating, I feel no fear, no ambition, no cowardice. I read no books, I have no opinions. I am peaceful. I am a meditator. When I am meditating, I have no questions, no answers, no problems. I feel no anxiety. I am a meditator. When I am meditating, I feel no ...
This is the indicatio I got while watching one of the financial cable channels recently. “Do you have enough money for retirement?” “Are you using your money to its best advantage?” “Don’t be left behind while others are becoming wealthy!” I am certainly not ready for retirement, and what ...