Le Weekend Est Ici !!!

15 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

The Mad Cucumber - The Triangle, BournemouthLadies and gentlemen, I am delighted to be able to announce that the much anticipated weekend is upon us, so make the most of the opportunity.

In terms of recent weekends, this one promises to be rather quiet. No pirates or fun fairs, but there is a BVV meal tomorrow at the Mad Cucumber in the  Triangle in Bournemouth and a strong possibility of a trip to the cinema too.

The weatherman is promising a temporary end to summer, with the jet stream bringing some cold air from the arctic on Sunday, but after the recent heat wave, I know a few people who are looking forward to cooler days and more comfortable nights.

Whatever you get up to in the next couple of days, make the most of the time, for surely you will never get the chance to live it again.

Happiness Comes From Within

04 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , , ,

Happiness Is Within YouI have to say that I haven’t been quite this happy for quite a long time. Being happy is not something that we can take for granted, problems can derail our happiness at any time. But we can take steps to ensure that we are aware of the causes and take steps to resolve and correct the effects.

Sensei summed it up perfectly …

Buddhism teaches that we are each responsible for our own happiness or unhappiness. Our vitality—the amount of energy or “life-force” we have—is in fact the single most important factor in determining whether or not we are happy.

True happiness is to be found within, in the state of our hearts. It does not exist on the far side of some distant mountains. It is within you, yourself. However much you try, you can never run away from yourself. And if you are weak, suffering will follow you wherever you go.

You will never find happiness if you don’t challenge your weaknesses and change yourself from within.

So if you are happy with life at present, be mindful of where that happiness comes from. If you are unhappy, challenge the causes of that unhappiness and make the changes you need to make.

Ooo, That Friday Feeling

01 Aug 2014 1 Comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Ooo, That Friday FeelingWell it’s taken a whole week to get here, but finally Friday has arrived again. I know we should fill every minute, of every day, with sixty seconds of gainful employment, but doing that doesn’t stop me being pleased that, arguably, the best day of the week has put in a much appreciated appearance at last.

The weather looks like it’s going to be pants over the weekend, but that can’t stop us having fun if we are determined to make the most of our days off. Cycling looks to be off the to-do list, due to the heavy rain predicted, but there’s plenty more to occupy our time.

With a full agenda already pencilled in for both Saturday and Sunday, tonight is going to be a post birthday drink with Mishy, with the added promise of a vegan pizza thrown in for good measure. Tomorrow is a BVV lunch at the Salad Centre in Boscombe. That was to be followed by a BBQ on the beach, but that too has fallen foul of the predicted inclement weather.

It has been a funny old week, but having realised that I was wishing the days away, put me in a good place to boost my life-energies through chanting and that raised my life-state. Being in one of the higher worlds really does put a sunny outlook on everything and everyone, so I hope you managed to join me, and that you too are going to have a really great weekend.

On The Theme Of Waiting …

25 Jul 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

WaitingWaiting is a strange thing.

Waiting for the lights to go green can take ages when you are late for an appointment. Waiting for a sapling to mature takes years. Waiting for your girlfriend to finish in the bathroom can take forever (don’t tell her I said that).

But actually, waiting is often an act of faith, a belief in a desired outcome, and reaching that desired outcome, that’s when it can usually be said that ‘it was worth the wait’.

Others, as you might expect, have described the process far more eloquently than I ever could …

Tout vient à qui sait attendre

‘Ah, all things come to those who wait,’
(I say these words to make me glad),
But something answers soft and sad,
‘They come, but often come too late.’

~ Violet Fane (1843-1905)

The Waiting

Oh baby don’t it feel like heaven right now
Don’t it feel like something from a dream
Yeah I’ve never known nothing quite like this
Don’t it feel like tonight might never be again
We know better than to try and pretend
Baby no one could’a ever told me ’bout this
I said yeah yeah

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

Well yeah i might have chased a couple women around
All it ever got me was down
Then there were those that made me feel good
But never as good as I’m feeling right now
Baby you’re the only one that’s ever known how
To make me wanna live like I wanna live now
I said yeah yeah

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you get one more yard
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

Oh don’t let it kill you baby, don’t let it get to you
Don’t let it kill you baby, don’t let it get to you
I’ll be your bleedin’ heart, I’ll be your cryin’ fool
Don’t let this go too far
Don’t let it get to you

~ Tom Petty – 1981

Interestingly, Tom Petty had this to say about the song …

“That was a song that took a long time to write. Roger McGuinn swears he told me the line – about the waiting being the hardest part – but I think I got the idea from something Janis Joplin said on television. I had the chorus very quickly, but I had a very difficult time piecing together the rest of the song. It’s about waiting for your dreams and not knowing if they will come true. I’ve always felt it was an optimistic song.”

So what ever you are waiting for, make causes, remain determined, and you will reach your goal one day.

A Magical Saturday

12 Jul 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , ,

At Grooves on the GreenFollowing a magical sun filled Saturday which encompassed so many things, including a visit to  the Grooves on the Green music festival in Ashley Cross, I could not have expressed this observation any better …

Partners in a relationship have different roles.

There are times when the burning intensity and power of the sun are called for, and times when the soothing luminescence and serene wisdom of the moon is what’s needed.

A complementary relationship in which the partners cooperate and work together is a beautiful thing.

~ Daisaku Ikeda

On Being Supportive

07 Jul 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

apple treeAt the back of our office, there is a small grass area surrounded by a wilderness of brambles and wild flowers. A while ago, someone planted a very small apple tree which has a short piece of aluminium tubing next to it as a support.

Over the winter, and indeed into much of the spring, the tree was doing a very good impression of a dead twig. No leaves, no signs of life at all. But with the slowly rising temperatures, and all the rain, it sprouted new leaves and is growing nicely.

The aluminium stake is only there to help the tree survive the worst of the weather, the wind and storms. It does not help the tree to grow, it is so loosely tied to the developing sapling that it does not influence it in any way, it just stands there and offers support when the tree needs it.

That is how we should be when we offer support to someone. We are not there to influence them or to change the way they are growing, just to provide additional strength when times get tough. We must show compassion when they go through growing pains, have wisdom to help them overcome their issues and use our courage when they lean on us.

Being their support brings it’s own challenges. We have to accept the path the person we are supporting decides to take, whether it would be our choice or not. We must listen to what the person is saying, but not try to influence them or provide conflicting view points. We also have to have the strength to resist the forces that would otherwise cause us both to falter.

That is the role of a support. It’s not an easy role, but it does bring it’s own rewards. In time, like the tree, the person may in fact become stronger than us and no longer want or need our support. But the joy in seeing them grow and become strong is reward enough for the task undertaken.

Re: Cycling Friends

08 Jun 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

New Forest Group RideI spent much of today with a whole bunch of friends, old and new. Meeting up in Christchurch, we went off on a group ride around the New Forest, on quiet back roads, up and down some interesting hills and taking in a pit stop at the Needles Eye restaurant in Lymington.

Following the invitation from Mike, my Dark Passenger had a bit of fun with me. ‘Will you be able to keep up with them?’ ‘They’ll all be friends, maybe they won’t accept you’. Stuff like that.

In the event he couldn’t have been more wrong. Everyone was very friendly, made me feel very welcome and, as you might expect, were keen to talk about anything to do with cycling.

Whilst I enjoy the time I spend cycling alone, to or from work, or out playing on the Purbecks, riding with other people is great fun and can often spur you on to greater effort and performance.

As you might expect, Daisaku Ikeda has a few wise words to say about friends and shared ideas and suffering …

There is no true joy in a life lived closed up in the little shell of the self. When you take one step to reach out to people, when you meet with others and share their thoughts and sufferings, infinite compassion and wisdom well up within your heart. Your life is transformed.

Go Compare

13 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , , ,

Go CompareMy trainee teacher colleagues are looking forward to a short respite from the weekly rota of lesson planning and assignment preparation.

Not that we don’t love what we are doing, but twenty weeks, non stop, would be a pretty tall order.

Although we still have plenty to get on with, and there are assignments due when we get back after Easter, we have a little time to sit back and take stock. Daisaku Ikeda has this useful advice, and it’s not just for teachers …

Do not compare yourselves to others. Be true to who you are and continue to learn with all your might. Even if you are ridiculed, even if you suffer disappointments and setbacks, continue to advance and do not be defeated.

Daisaku Ikeda

Cheer The Folks Up !!!

14 Mar 2014 3 Comments

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , ,

Be Their Sunshine

Life is full of ups and downs, as we all know.

Little things can make friends and family members unhappy or even depressed, so make it your job to make them feel better.

There are so many people, so many lives on this planet, too numerous, in fact, to count.

From this great multitude, we wondrously find ourselves together with those in our families, as parents and children, as brothers and sisters, as husbands and wives.

If we do not live joyfully and cheerfully with whom we share this profound bond, what is life for?

Should the atmosphere at home be sombre, you can be the ‘sunshine’. By being a shining presence, you can cast the light of hope on your mother, father, children and indeed the whole family.

Taking Back Control

25 Feb 2014 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Taking Back ControlDo you ever find yourself getting into a state over a situation that is mainly in your own head?

If your world is not anchored by your faith and is dependant on factors outside your control, your imagination can run riot.

Our Fundamental Darkness, or my Dark Passenger, is a devious character and will use everything to get it’s way. Your imagination is one of it’s most powerful weapons.

This is how I was until I found Nichiren Buddhism, and it is a very precarious state in which to live. Each day can be up, or down, at the whim of something or someone else, and that’s no way to go through life, particularly if that something or someone cannot be relied upon. Everything, everyone changes over time, so basing your happiness on them is bound to fail, sooner or later.

Taking back control of your life is simple, it is a state of mind, a determination to re-centre, re-focus your life. That certainly doesn’t mean that you have to rid yourself of the something or someone, and it doesn’t mean that your relationship with them is any less important. It’s just that your life centres around something infinitely stable, and that can make all the difference in the world.

My anchor, my honzon is my practice, and I’m a better, calmer, more contented person for that. I am happier for that, and at the end of the day, isn’t that what we all seek from life, a little more happiness?

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries