Getting Results

13 Nov 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

The Castleman TrailwaySo having failed to make the trip to Ringwood yesterday, purely because I got a bit lost in Broadstone, I was determined to try again today. That old saying about ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again’ is pretty good advice. If you try and fail, and never try again, you will miss out on the elation of success.

Having been unable to find the Castleman Trailway, a disused railway line yesterday, I decided to stick to roads I drive every week day to work. Scooting off round Holes Bay, I headed off up Gravel Hill. Strange how much more of a hill it is on a bike, than in the car, in fact it’s about a rise of about fifty meters and feels like it just goes on and on. But by concentrating on the next few meters, than than looking all the way to the top makes it an easier goal.

I decided to take the road through Wimbourne rather than taking the A31, which also has the bonus of taking you via the beautiful footbridge over the river Stour. I joined the A31 at Canford Bottom and headed off towards the Ringwood Road. Trudging up the main road to Ringwood is pretty uninteresting, particularly as the cycle path is rather bitty and disappears totally just after St Leonards.

Having ridden down the High Street and the back streets to the office, I took a few minutes to let the feeling return to my rather numb bum. Then it was time to set off for home. I took the path past the nature reserve in the fields behind the office and towards the Castleman Trailway. Having found it, I was delighted to see that it is a narrow slice of nature amongst the houses, and although there were quite a few people walking, cycling and riding horses, it was so much nicer than being on the road.

Sadly, the route is not continuous, so it’s a case of hopping on and off to get through gates, over roads and the like. There are also great chunks of it missing, where housing estates have been built, so by the time I reached West Moors, I was back on the road again. After that it was pretty much a case of retracing my steps back home.

So there we have it, another goal reached. I am planning to do a couple of two day rides in aid of asthma next year, about 70 miles a day, twice the distance of today’s bimble, so I need to get a lot more practice. But isn’t that just like Buddhism? The more you practice, the more you see the effects.

Being Aware

16 Oct 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Tour de FranceOut on the bike again, I started to see things that related to the weight issue we discussed yesterday. The contrast between the other cyclists, the runners and skaters, and those folks tucked in their beach huts, was amazing.

Cycling burns about 250 calories an hour, even if you are just out for casual bimble. Hard riding burns considerably more, for example the riders in the Tour de France burn over 4000 calories a day. Now admittedly I’m no where near the pro-cyclists league, but there is a real satisfaction in the tiredness you feel after an aggressive ride.

But back to the beach huts. Most of the occupants were slouched in deck chairs, most were rather overweight, and the ice cream salesmen must have been having a bumper day, judging by the number of folks who were tucking into a cornet or lolly.

Now I’m not a party-pooper, and I have eaten my share of Ben and Jerry’s in my time, but it just served to show why some people are so overweight, while others are slim. It goes back to karma, to the cause and effect principle. It is so simple, if you make bad causes, in this case eating more calories than you need, you will see bad effects, namely weight gain.

I know a number of people who would like to be slimmer, I was one of them. But unless you make that a heart-felt goal, that you are aware of how much you are eating, it will never happen. I’m not going on some one-man crusade to get people to lose weight, but if you are one of the people who would like to, all you have to do is stick to the simplest formula. Eat less calories than you need, each and every day.

Just Get On With It

15 Oct 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

The PromenadeThis lifetime will never come again, it is precious and irreplaceable. To live without regret, we must have a concrete purpose, continually setting goals and challenges for ourselves. But setting these challenges will achieve nothing unless we keep moving towards those specific targets steadily and tenaciously, one step at a time.

So following on from yesterdays post, the concrete of my concrete purpose was the promenade stretching from Sandbanks to Christchurch. It was a perfect day, beautiful sunshine and the wind in my face on the way there, so it was at my back on the way home. The sunshine brings out the promenaders, so it was a bit of a stop start bike ride, and the recent strong winds have deposited mini dunes all along the stretch from Bournemouth to Christchurch.

So another step towards my goal of reaching 75kgs, and only another 100kgs to go … only kidding, it’s actually about 6.5kgs, so it shouldn’t take too long now. Then the next goal will be to keep it off !!!

Torres Torment

19 Sep 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , ,

Fernando TorresAs a lifelong Chelsea fan, I was distraught yesterday when Fernando Torres missed a guilt edged, open goal chance in the match against Manchester United. Torres had done all the hard work, controlled the through ball, rounded the keeper and had the goal gaping in front of him. But he managed, unbelievably, to let the pressure get the better of him and shoot wide.

So what I hear you say, on earth, has that got to do with Buddhism? Well it’s everything to do with our old friend Kyo Chi Gyo I. It’s all about concentrating on our goals and forgetting the status that reaching that goal (in this case literally) will bring.

Torres joined Chelsea from Liverpool for £50m last season, and that has weighed heavily on his shoulders ever since. Pressure can do funny things to people, in this case, turning one of the most prolific goal scorers in the world into a bit of a disappointment, football wise.

I hope that someone at Chelsea has taken Fernando aside, put their arm round his shoulder and pointed out that this miss wasn’t a matter of life and death, and that the next chance will be along soon. They also need to point out that he needs to forget the status he will achieve next time he scores, and concentrate on the simple task of putting the ball in the back of the net.

And if anyone at Chelsea actually reads this (of course they all do), all you need to do is to tell Fernando that the fans forgive him and believe in him, and to get him to read this.

On a slightly more serious note, Kyo Chi Gyo I really is the route to everything, not just football, but to life. Set your sights on your goal, hone your related skills and steer unswervingly towards that goal and anything, no everything, is possible.

Goal Setting

13 Jul 2011 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , ,

Goal SettingMake goals. Whether big or small, work towards realising them. You must be serious and dedicated to your goals – you will never get anywhere if you just treat them like a joke. An earnest, dedicated spirit shines like a diamond and moves the hearts of people. That is because a brilliant flame burns within.

If we are sincere, people will understand our intentions, and our positive qualities will shine forth. It is pointless and destructive to be overly conscious about outward appearances.

As the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote,

“How may one get to know oneself?

Never by contemplation, only indeed by action

Seek to do your duty, and you will know at once how it is with you”

Goals are at the heart of our success, in fact they are the Kyo, and indeed the very basis of Kyo Chi Gyo I. Set your goals with care, and once they are set, aim for them with vigour passion and determination in equal measure.

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