Sangha of Auspicious Companions

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Archive for 2011

Assuming Value Everywhere

Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won’t come in. — Alan Alda

~~~~ Tip of the Day: “I noticed that there was one kid who no one was really talking to. He had a serious kind of disability, and some of the kids were kinda scared to approach him. So I went up and introduced myself. And you know what? He taught me some amazing dance moves!” Sharing his presence was a wonderful thing to do, in and of itself, but my 14-yr-old cousin’s perspective was even more remarkable. We asked him, “What if he wasn’t able to teach you anything? Would you still have done it?” “Well, everyone is good at something. You just have to listen long enough.” A profound lesson coming from an early teen: Assume value everywhere. In orienting ourselves in this way, we take responsibility for tuning in to what others offer, and open ourselves to other perspectives. This thought-provoking piece, originally from Parabola Magazine, shares further. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169E802:C3009629A010612C3A39300C6B3DC187B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Broaden your own assumptions today: assume value somewhere you don’t generally look.

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Dalai Lama Quote from Snow Lion Publications

Dalai Lama Quote of the Week

“When serving society or others in general, it is very important to set a proper motivation at the start of each day. When we wake up each morning, we reflect, ‘Today I am not going to come under the power of either attachment or hostility. Today I am going to be of benefit and help to others.’ Thus we consciously set the tone for the entire day so that we go through it within the context of a pure, altruistic motivation and attitude.”–H.H. the Dalai Lama, excerpted from The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra, published by Snow Lion Publications

–from Dalai Lama Heart of Wisdom Calendar 2012 (June)

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Kindness Daily: Flowers and Wheel Chairs

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Flowers and Wheel Chairs December 2, 2011 – Posted by rasy

I am the Director of a little non profit Youth Centre and we do at least one act of kindness a month with the youth who attend. Just this month the youth handed out flowers to random community members. There was great energy among the kids that day, after we exchange stories on how we felt about the act of kindness we did. A 14 year old male stood up and said "Id like to say something." I was a bit surprised as he is a shy and quite boy but I said go ahead.

"Today I gave a lady who was in a wheel chair a flower. She was putting her two kids in the back seat of her car. When I went up to her and said, hello, she was suprised when I handed her a flower. I quickly said Happy Valentines day and started to walk away. She then then said, wait young man, thank you very much for the flower, I really apperciate it. I nodded and was on my way. I am wondering how she gets her two kids ready, puts them in the car, and gets them to daycare all by herself. To me that is outstanding, and I am glad I picked her. I really hate when the youth centre makes us do acts of kindness, but now I really understand how important it is to be kind to one another."

The next day the same youth came back to the Youth Centre. He said he seen the same lady he saw yesterday in her wheelchair and when putting her children in her car, her wheel got stuck in the snow. He said he grabbed her chair pulled her to the curb and said there you go. When the lady looked up at him she smiled, and said well thank you young man. He then said no problem! and walked away.

He was glowing that day, and for the first time I could see he felt great about himself. I then heard him later on tell another youth what he did the last few days with the lady. The other youth responded with a smile. 🙂

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Video of the Week: The Impact of a Caring Teacher

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Video of the Week

Dec 02, 2011

The Impact of a Caring Teacher

Have you had a teacher who has profoundly affected your life? Based on a true story, this commercial, by the Ministry of Education, Singapore, beautifully depicts one such case: the story of Edwin and Mrs. Chong.

Inspiring a Life of Immersion

Each of us can work to change a small portion of events. And it’s in the total of all those acts that the history of this generation will be written. — Jacqueline Novogratz

~~~~ Good News of the Day: In this wide-ranging TED talk, Jacqueline Novogratz, founder of the Acumen Fund, shares stories of people who have immersed themselves in a cause, a community, a passion for change. Stories that remind us that our human inheritance is the capacity to live lives infused with courage, sacrifice, humility, and hard work – and the tremendous impact it can bring to others. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169E525:C3009629A010612C17B89843680B993DB4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Do you feel fully immersed in your life? Take 5 minutes to write down 5 things that help you find deep meaning. Incorporate one of those things into your life each day this week.

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Dharma Quote from Snow Lion Publications

Dharma Quote of the Week

We all have a certain style for doing things–how we drive, how we cook, how we dress. Some of us are shy or cautious, others assertive or flamboyant. We’ve refined that style over the years based on how successful it is, but it’s not usually something of which we’re completely aware. As long as it gets the job done, as long as we get the appropriate feedback from others, our style goes unnoticed, and when questioned we’ll say, “That’s just the way I am.”

When we begin meditation, it is inevitable that we will meditate with the same style with which we do everything else, because it’s who we think we are. Furthermore, this style has proven to be reasonably successful in our other activities. However, in this case, it is not at all appropriate. If there is any style, there is a hidden agenda and an implicit judgment of the various phenomena of meditation. There is not the true detachment or choiceless awareness of real meditation. Our style contains our unacknowledged attitudes toward meditation.

…What’s the problem in meditating with an attitude? First, a large amount of energy goes into maintaining the attitude. To make this clearer, if we are trying to be aware of our breathing, 100 percent of our attention should be on our breathing. If we’re thinking, “I’m a shy person and I’m a little afraid of what’s going on here,” even if we’re not consciously aware of that thought, it will be taking our energy away from the breathing and keeping it tied up in the world of ego. Consequently, this energy is not available for our practice. And your evaluation of your practice and progress will be based on your agenda rather than on the Buddha’s teaching.

Of course, no one is a perfect meditator. It’s not like we have to wait until we have a perfect attitude before we begin. If that were the case, we would never start..With time, the purity of your attitude will grow…refining one’s approach is a lifetime’s work and is at the same time the practice itself.(p.72)

–from A Beginner’s Guide to Tibetan Buddhism by Bruce Newman, published by Snow Lion Publications

A Beginner’s Guide • Now at 5O% off!
(Good until December 9th).

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Honesty Paid Off For Dave

In the final analysis, there is no other solution to a man’s problems but the day’s honest work, the day’s honest decisions, the day’s generous utterance, and the day’s good deed. — Claire Booth Luce

~~~~ Good News of the Day: About a year ago, a homeless man in Arizona found a bag full of cash and made a fateful decision: he returned it. 49-year-old Dave Tally was in debt, unemployed, had lost his driver’s license for DUI violations, sleeping on a mat when he found $3,300 at a local light-rail station. When he returned it to its owner, a college kid, the gratitude and kindness of the kid touched him. “He hadn’t had that feeling in a while,” the reporter Dianna Nanez said. His story, though, ended up attracting donations that gave Dave some immediate support and it gave him a new leash on life. Now, he’s working in his dream job, managing a community garden, and building a program that allows other homeless to volunteer in the garden. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169E442:C3009629A010612CD6B8FC516BDDB0C5B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Next time you meet a homeless person, figure out a way to support him/her.

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Learning Tranquility at Stanford

When I am happy, I see the happiness in others. When I am depressed, I notice that people’s eyes look sad. When I am weary, I see the world as boring and unattractive. — Steve Chandler

~~~~ Good News of the Day: Sixty-four Stanford students escape from the campus hustle and find tranquility for two hours a week in the lower level of a campus library. There, they might start class by telling the person next to them about a positive experience from the day, or by updating their gratitude journals. Or, they might simply close their eyes and sit silently, concentrating on relaxing tense muscles and breathing deeply. “These students are stressed,” course instructor Fred Luskin says. “They’re all high achievers, but they don’t know how to turn that drive off. The consequences are exhaustion, a sense of feeling older than your peers, and lack of relationships. This class helps them learn they can be productive without the wear and tear.” Students have often described this popular course as their “most valuable class”. http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=169E17F:C3009629A010612C93E29467AF3D9567B4B847859706E37D&

~~~~ Be The Change: Do an action suggested in the Stanford course — make a habit of sharing the highlights of your day with someone close to you.

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Quote of the Week | Become Familiar with the Running Away

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Books and Audio

The Pema Chödrön Foundation

November 30, 2011

BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE RUNNING AWAY

Finding the courage to go to the places that scare us cannot happen without compassionate inquiry into the workings of ego. The Buddha taught that flexibility and openness bring strength and that running from groundlessness weakens us and brings pain. But do we understand that becoming familiar with the running away is the key? Openness doesnt come from resisting our fears but from getting to know them well.

Of Interest to Readers

Shambhala Publications is currently offering 35% off plus free shipping on all books and audio from Shambhala.com.* This is a great opportunity to expand your library or share your favorite Shambhala titles with your friends and family. Just enter discount code HA1211 at checkout.

*U.S. media mail only. Offer expires 12/16/11.

EXCERPTED FROM

The Places That
Scare You: A Guide
to Fearlessness in
Difficult Times,
pages 10-11

Teachings by Pema Chödrön, taken from works published by Shambhala Publications. Photo by ©Andrea Roth. Forwarded from a friend? You can subscribe to this e-mail emailList, and be sure to include both your old and new addresses. If you no longer wish to receive the Heart Advice e-mails, click here. If you can’t see the images, click here.