Tuesday class presentations

So I had a few thoughts about Buddhism and marriage last night as we listened to Shelby's group present the various views of marriage in religions and it made me wonder some things. I looked up a couple of websites last night and found this one to be the most well rounded in answering what a Buddhist marriage is or done. http://www.deaconministry.com/buddhism.htm. It was simple and straightforward. I think traveling to the eastern countries to have a ceremony with a few family members would be a neat idea, but a simple ritual with prayers to the Buddha and chanting, and a monk would be cool and very spiritual.

Thanks all!

Thank you to everyone whose been following my blog. it's been messy and full of saved drafts. I plan to continue to keep this up during the summer and hopefully update once a week. I'm still not good at this blogging stuff, generally writing it in my head first and forgetting it all when ready to write it. ^.^ have a nice summer! Thanks Maran for reading my final experience.

meditation

Earlier this month I had found this fun website all about meditation and looking back at my blog, noticed I hadn't posted it. This is what I've been doing nearly every time/ day.
http://www.how-to-meditate.org/meditation-posture.htm/

sitting upright with my legs crossed in a relaxing area, relaxing my muscles and body, focusing my mind, and silencing it's 'chatter' that is constant. I haven't been able to still the chatter as of yet, but I'm getting there. stray thoughts like to pop up.

Through meditation I plan to work on problems of myself and how to help the world. I'm working on being more mindful of my actions, procrastinating less, caring for others more seriously and putting more time in with family, gaining pleasure from simple things like gardening and less from tv and material things.
this summer I plan to plant trees and join several volunteer groups, for the elderly, aiding the humane society, feeding the homeless, raising money, environmental groups and raising awareness of other things.

More thoughts

Just a few more thoughts on being a Buddhist. I think it is about being more peaceful, level headed, taking the middle path, not extremes, and also being more self aware of ones actions and thoughts.

I see the eightfold path as a way to find nirvana, a sort of inter-mixable 8 step program to be a better person. Here is an exert from Wikipedia on the eightfold path of Buddhism.

The Noble Eightfold Path—the fourth of the Buddha's Noble Truths—is the way to the cessation of suffering (dukkha). It has eight sections, each starting with the word "samyak" -frequently translated into English as "right", and presented in three groups known as the three higher trainings.

• Prajñā is the wisdom that purifies the mind, allowing it to attain spiritual insight into the true nature of all things. It includes:

1. dṛṣṭi (ditthi): viewing reality as it is, not just as it appears to be.
2. saṃkalpa (sankappa): intention of renunciation, freedom and harmlessness.

• Śīla is the ethics or morality, or abstention from unwholesome deeds. It includes:

3. vāc (vāca): speaking in a truthful and non-hurtful way
4. karman (kammanta): acting in a non-harmful way
5. ājīvana (ājīva): a non-harmful livelihood

• Samādhi is the mental discipline required to develop mastery over one’s own mind. This is done through the practice of various contemplative and meditative practices, and includes:

6. vyāyāma (vāyāma): making an effort to improve
7. smṛti (sati): awareness to see things for what they are with clear consciousness, being aware of the present reality within oneself, without any craving or aversion
8. samādhi (samādhi): correct meditation or concentration, explained as the first four jhānas

there is also some rules/precepts laid out for right living, beyond and involving the eightfold path which I tried to follow, also clearly spoken of from wikipedia.:

1. To refrain from taking life (non-violence towards sentient life forms), or ahimsā
2. To refrain from taking that which is not given (not committing theft)
3. To refrain from sensual (including sexual) misconduct
4. To refrain from lying (speaking truth always)
5. To refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss of mindfulness (specifically, drugs and alcohol)

The precepts are not formulated as imperatives, but as training rules that laypeople undertake voluntarily to facilitate practice.In Buddhist thought, the cultivation of dana and ethical conduct will themselves refine consciousness to such a level that rebirth in one of the lower heavens is likely, even if there is no further Buddhist practice. There is nothing improper or un-Buddhist about limiting one's aims to this level of attainment.

6. To refrain from eating at the wrong time (only eat from sunrise to noon)

7. To refrain from dancing and playing music, wearing jewelry and cosmetics, attending shows and other performances

8. To refrain from using high or luxurious seats and bedding

The complete list of ten precepts may be observed by laypeople for short periods. For the complete list, the seventh precept is partitioned into two, and a tenth added:

6. To refrain from taking food at an unseasonable time, that is after the mid-day meal

7. To refrain from dancing, music, singing and unseemly shows

8. To refrain from the use of garlands, perfumes, ointments, and from things that tend to beautify and adorn (the person)

9. To refrain from (using) high and luxurious seats (and beds)

10. To refrain from accepting gold and silver

I was easily able to follow many of these, but some were hard to do, or I'd find later in the day that I'd done one of them, often, right after breaking one of these precepts I would acknowlegde it and correct my actions. I wore make up daily, ate after lunch, danced as much as possible, I drank to get intoxicated. I lead a life of simple pleasures, but when the occasion arises, I do take pleasure how I want to whether it be drinking, dancing or wearing jewelry. It is part of being young and enjoying life to it's fullest, gaining experiences now that later in life I may give up and follow these precepts and attain nirvana.

balance

Buddhism is balance!

dead in an egg.

So my friend posted this on their page today and I saw this. This is what I'll be meditating on for the next couple days. It's completely new to me, this story and concept. Amazing and intense.

So far, I've broken my vegetarian diet 3 times, twice to try a new food, and once more because I was very hungry and lasagna was very appetizing (only later to find veg. lasagna in the freezer. >.<)
I've been listening and propagating gossip at work and at home with friends.
I've told small lies and done a couple things I shouldn't of to the same caliber.
I've put myself on the same level as others, instead of them before me.
I've failed to meditate how often I've planned to.

In total, to this point I've been an okay Buddhist, not a good one or terribly bad one, but a Buddhist in error. But that's okay. I'm still learning. Loosing focus is easy to do and means I just need to train harder to focus better and longer. This is a life goal I think I've created through this final experience project through world religions course and I quite like where it is headed. I don't think I would be where I am right now had I not decided to try doing this.

From this I feel I've achieved better restraint and acceptance of things that would normally anger me, or I would act out on.
Overall better control.
A new vantage point on life.
and much more.
For right now though, I am off to bed, and going to think about this story I just posted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You were on your way home when you died.

It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMT tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.

And that's when you met me.

"What... what happened?" You asked. "Where am I?"

"You died," I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.

"There was a... a truck and it was skidding..."

"Yup." I said.

"I... I died?"

Yup. But don't feel bad about it. Everyone dies." I said.

You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. "What is this place?" You asked. "Is this the afterlife?"

"More or less." I said.

"Are you god?" You asked.

"Yup." I replied. "I'm God."

"My kids.. My wife," you said.

"What about them?"

"Will they be all right?"

"That's what I like to see." I said. "You just died and your main concern is for your family. That's good stuff right there."

You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn't look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.

"Don't worry," I said. "They'll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn't have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it's any consolation, she'll feel very guilty for feeling relieved."

"Oh," you said. "So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?"

"Neither," I said. "You'll be reincarnated."

"Ah," you said. "So the Hindus were right."

"All religions are right in their own way," I said. "Walk with me."

You followed along as we strode through the void. "Where are we going?"

"Nowhere in particular," I said. "It's just nice to walk while we talk."

"So what's the point, then?" You asked. "When I get reborn, I'll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won't matter."

"Not so!" I said. "You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don't remember them right now."

I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. "Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly image. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It's like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it's hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you've gained all the experience it had."

"You've been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven't stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you'd start remembering everything. But there's no point to doing that between each life."

"How many times have I been reincarnated, then?"

"Oh, lots. Lots and lots. And in to lots of different lives," I said. "This time around, you'll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD."

"Wait, what?" You stammered. "You're sending me back in time?"

"Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I came from."

"Where you come from?" You said.

"Oh sure," I explained. "I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you'll want to know what it's like there, but honestly, you wouldn't understand."

"Oh," you said, a little let down. "But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point."

"Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan, you don't even know it's happening."

"So what's the point of it all?"

"Seriously?" I asked. "Seriously? You're asking me for the meaning of life? Isn't that a little stereotypical?"

"Well, it's a reasonable question," you persisted.

I looked you in the eye. "The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature."

"You mean mankind? You want us to mature?"

"No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect."

"Just me? What about everyone else?"

"There is no one else," I said. "In this universe, there's just you and me."

You stared blankly at me. "But all the people on earth..."

"All you. Different incarnations of you."

"Wait, I'm everyone!?"

"Now you're getting it," I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back.

"I'm every human being who ever lived?"

"Or who will ever live, yes."

"I'm Abraham Lincoln?"

"And you're John Wilkes Booth, too," I added.

"I'm Hitler?" You said, appalled.

"And you're the millions he killed."

"I'm Jesus?"

"And you're everyone who followed him."

You fell silent.

"Every time you victimized someone," I said, "you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you've done, you've done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you."

You thought for a long time.

"Why?" You asked me. "Why do you do all this?"

"Because someday, you will become like me. Because that's what you are. You're one of my kind. You're my child."

"Whoa," you said, incredulous. "You mean I'm a god?"

"No, not yet. You're a fetus. You're still growing. Once you've lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born."

"So the whole universe," you said, "it's just..."

"An egg." I answered. "Now it's time for you to move on to your next life."

And I sent you on your way. ”

— You