Simply Caring

19 Sep 2013 1 Comment

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

Caring HandsIn this world of ours, where it sometimes seems like looking out for anyone but ourselves is frowned upon, here is a lesson from Daisaku Ikeda as to the reasons why we should care …

The misfortune of others is our misfortune. Our happiness is the happiness of others. To see ourselves in others, and feel an inner oneness and sense of unity with them, represents a fundamental revolution in the way we view and live our lives.

Therefore, discriminating against another person is the same as discriminating against oneself. When we hurt another, we are hurting ourselves. And when we respect others, we respect and elevate our own lives as well.

~ Daisaku Ikeda

Be The Sunshine

21 Aug 2013 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Be The Sunshine

Life has it’s 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 all of your family and friends.

You Lookin’ At Me ???

24 Jul 2013 Leave a comment

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

You Lookin' At Me?Before we go any further, this post is not aimed at anyone in particular, though if the cap fits, as they say …

Having the energy to argue is a sign of good health. When two people in a relationship share similar conditions, it is only natural that they will lock horns from time to time.

If on the other hand, one begins to outgrow the other, then they will probably not have serious confrontations, because their life-states are so different.

It would be great if we could live cheerfully, enjoying life to the extent where we regard our partners nagging as a sign of their good health and proof that they are still alive and kicking. If we can develop a broad state of life together, then even our partner’s ranting and raving will sound like sweet birdsong.

The Road Less Travelled

04 Jul 2013 Leave a comment

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

Fork In The RoadThere are times in one’s life when a situation presents you with a ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ decision.

Such a dilemma has been around the family for the past few months, where no matter which way the outcome goes, somebody is going to be unhappy.

At such times it is all too easy to be lead by your heart, hoping that the happiness you gain will offset the unhappiness of others. On the other hand, the unhappiness you may cause to others could easily put a dark cloud over your own feelings, not just for the immediate future, but for eternity.

In this situation, the final decision will not even be in the individuals own hands, making it doubly difficult. We are all keen to having our destiny under our own control, so relinquishing it to someone else just adds to the feelings of angst.

My gut feeling, and my Buddhist teaching tell me that, in general, we should sacrifice our own feelings so that others do not have to, but time will tell how it is resolved.

Mulling it all over and over in my mind, knowing that whichever way things turn out, we will never know whether it was for the best, reminded me of the poem by Robert Frost.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Scream If You Want To Go Faster

22 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

The Roller Coaster Of LifeWhoever said that life was supposed to be a bowl of cherries? Our journey from birth to death, whichever lap we happen to be on at any one time, is a series of lows and highs, the rough and the smooth, the not-so-happy and the happy, the bad and the good.

So by assuming that, even though things may be going along smoothly just now, we should prepare ourselves for the next pot hole, the unexpected hairpin or that most untimely puncture that will most certainly come along, to make that journey even more satisfying. Being prepared, as all boy scouts know, is the trick to reducing the effect that these unforeseen circumstances will have on our progress.

We have often talked about turning poison into medicine, using the difficulties in life as our way of making ourselves stronger, and seeing obstacles as challenges rather than problems. The old adage of ‘what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger’ is exactly right, if we approach these things in the right manner. Being doggedly determined not to be beaten, to meet the challenges head on and win through, come hell or high water, is a great start and a great way to move on.

Imagine how disappointed we would all be, if the latest ride at Alton Towers was a perfectly straight, perfectly level piece of track, that started slowly, trundled along at walking pace, and gradually slowed to a genteel halt five minutes later. Who in their right mind would queue for something so predictable, so comfortable, so boring? Nobody I know.

The most popular rides, the ones that have the longest queues, and the ones that we want to get back on, time after time, are the ones that scare us witless, the ones that actually make us wonder if we will live to tell the tale. And that is how life can be if we prepare ourselves for the turns, the plunges, the unexpected. The greatest books, films and life stories are all about facing almost impossible adversity, battling against the odds, getting the odd knock along the way, but coming out as the victor in the end.

So face up to the rigours of life, meet those challenges head on, stay strong, be brave and make your life the subject of the greatest story Hollywood has ever told.

Buddhists Are Peaceful, Right?

02 May 2013 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Buddhist Monks Protest In BurmaHearing and reading about the attacks on Muslins, by Buddhists, in Burma is rather troubling. As a practising Buddhist I keep getting asked why this is happening. ‘Buddhists are peaceful people aren’t they?’ is a common question, and I find myself having to try to defend the entire faith. There is a misconception that Buddhists exist is some kind of parallel universe, unaffected by the goings on in the real world … wrong.

Buddhists are just people, they believe in a doctrine, that like many other religions, preaches peace, tolerance and understanding, but not at any price, and they are capable of all the normal human reactions to their environment.

I was going to try to put together a piece explaining what has happened in Burma and Sri Lanka to cause these much publicised violent incidents, but then in the course of my research, I happened upon a brilliant article on the BBC website, and decided to link to that, rather than try to rewrite such an excellent piece.

Here it is …

Of all the moral precepts instilled in Buddhist monks the promise not to kill comes first, and the principle of non-violence is arguably more central to Buddhism than any other major religion. So why have monks been using hate speech against Muslims and joining mobs that have left dozens dead?

read more …

I apologise to those of you who think this is a cheat, but I couldn’t have written it better, or more objectively, myself.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Karma, A Matter Of Life And Death

30 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by Anupadin in Buddhism Tags: , , , , ,

Karma, the Buddhist name for the laws of cause and effect, are graphically demonstrated in this BBC documentary about the results of poor standards of driving in a large proportion of young UK drivers.

The BBC describe the program thus …

Karma, A Matter Of Life And DeathAfter her own accident left her unable to walk, Sophie Morgan wants to know why traffic collisions are the single biggest killer of young people – and how that can be stopped. With exclusive access and insight into a number of high profile cases from the moment of the crash through to resolution in the courts, she meets people who, like her, have seen their lives changed forever in a single instant – whether they were injured or they were driving the car.

As she follows the progress of families like the Singhs, devastated by an accident caused by a footballer from one of the country’s biggest clubs, she hears emotional stories of regret and recovery, finds out what it means to be responsible for a death on the roads and discovers one way that the rate of accidents involving young drivers could be brought down.

Sophie also encounters drivers who race illegally on public roads with no thought for anyone’s safety and, after a reunion with the passengers she could have killed, is forced to think again about her actions – and her driving – back on the night that she crashed.

Watch it here …

Watching is not for the feint hearted, scenes of death and life changing injury follow one after another. But for any young person reading this, or indeed one of their parents or guardians, I urge you to have the courage to stick with it.

Breaking The Karmic Cycle

21 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

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

Breaking The Karmic CycleGoing back over our mistakes, asking ourselves painful questions and giving honest answers is a difficult, but enlightening experience.

We’ve all made mistakes in life, some more serious than others, but talking them through, trying to explain why you made this decision at that point in time, makes you re-examine your own values.

Our history is set in stone, we cannot go back and make those decisions anew. But we can try to make amends, apologise for any hurt we have caused, and, above all, be honest with ourselves and others.

We can also learn from mistakes, to do anything else would be considered foolish, but sometimes those mistakes are not as obvious as we might think. If you find yourself in a repeating cycle of events over time, it is definitely worth taking a long hard look at why that appears to be happening.

Karma, the law of cause and effect, will be behind the cycle somewhere, so we need to examine the causes and change them if we are to break the merry-go-round of sadness, and move onto pastures new.

Some people fear change, but if life is just not working the way we want it to, then we have to make changes. Embrace the opportunity to make life better, examine the causes that need to change and make those changes whole-heartedly, you will not regret it once the effects, and the happiness, start coming through.

Virtual Sunshine And Showers

15 Mar 2013 2 Comments

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

Sunshine And ShowersIt is Friday, meaning that we have made it through another working week, with the emphasis strongly on the working bit. With the sword of Damocles still hanging over my head, it is a bit of a challenge to remain focussed, even though people keep telling me ‘You’ll be fine’. Sadly it’s not their decision, and the wait continues.

So it was a really nice surprise, when we had a visitor to the Ringwood office, a new guy who has been brought in to head up our ecommerce business unit, and it turned out that he’s only got one head, has worked for the likes of Amazon and Love Film, is very passionate about building the business and listens when people talk to him.

I really can see a positive light falling on the IT team. It felt like everyone has embraced the new energy and are buzzing with the enthusiasm our new leader has instilled. It remains to be seen where the line between the companies legacy ends, being established in 1856, and the adoption of new technologies begins. Philatelists are a funny bunch, in the nicest possible way, and it’s a fine line to be trodden.

The excitement is palpable and the way forward, for the team at least, is becoming clearer. The minor fly in the ointment, from my side of things, is that by this time next week, I may not be part of the team.

This is where my Buddhism kicks in, and in more ways than I had expected. My initial feeling is one of joy and excitement for the team. With second thoughts I see that their future may not be mine, but with that split comes a series of possibilities. I could see it as a potential crisis, but I am weighing up the balance between the danger and the opportunities and I see that the opportunities are winning hands down.

The way forward is to keep chanting, stay positive and wait to see what happens.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

A Certain Stillness

19 Feb 2013 4 Comments

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

A Certain StillnessWell, what a strange sort of day. Last week, I received a letter warning that my role within the company was in danger of being made redundant, not the best news. Along with the legalese and waffle about changes to make the company more efficient, there was an invitation to meet and discuss the situation, when I would be able to put my point of view and highlight any details the company might have missed about my role.

I have to say that, despite the pressure of effectively fighting for my future within the company, I remained completely calm throughout the whole proceedings. I even cracked a couple of jokes along the way. I did however make good use of the time I had spent preparing for this battle.

Life is a series of cycles, we all know that, similar situations repeat themselves over time. People who profess to know everything about everything rarely prove that to be the case, and so it transpired this afternoon. Whilst I must admit that there was a hint of self-preservation about it, I felt it was my duty to point this out where appropriate.

So now we have another wait. A wait while the powers that be try to answer the tricky questions that were posed during the meeting, and try to justify their original decisions. The mind races, the dark passenger is having a field day, but I’m rather proud that, through it all, I maintained my dignity and a certain stillness. We shall see what transpires, in time.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

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