Smile Newsletter: The Power of a Simple Compliment
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Archive for January, 2012
“On my way home from school one day it was POURING rain. I was soaking wet and walking through a big muddy field because it was a shortcut to my house. A lady drove by me on her way home from picking up her kids at the bus stop, she saw me and immediately pulled over and gave me a ride home. I’ll never forget that woman’s random act of kindness.” – Saryta
Our 5-yr-old: Alone But Not Lonely
You cannot be lonely if you like the person you’re alone with. — Wayne Dyer
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Good News of the Day:
“We live in a rural farm in India, don’t have a TV at home, and have never bought our son a total of two toys. Most of his clothes are gifted by family and friends. He doesn’t eat cookies, chocolates, carbonated drinks, or fast food. He must be one miserable kid, right? If I say, ‘No,’ one might respond with, ‘Well, he doesn’t know what he is missing and he is being brought up in an extremely protective environment.’ Not true either. He knows the reasons and has willingly embraced them. His secret seems to be that everything has meaning for him. He is not chasing after anything and has no plans for tomorrow. He goes around as if he has an unlimited reserve of energy, curiosity, time, faith and willingness to be engaged with whatever and whoever comes his way. And he doesn’t seem to be bothered by being alone.”
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Be The Change:
Explore your own inner world — spend some time alone today.
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Dalai Lama Quote from Snow Lion Publications
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Dalai Lama Quote of the WeekWhat is the Bodhisattva’s Way of life? It is the way of life that follows naturally from having cultivated the awakening mind of bodhicitta. Omniscience is achieved only through the process of purifying the disturbing emotions within your mind. It cannot be achieved merely through wishes and prayers. We have to train in eliminating all the specific disturbing emotions within your mind. We have to train in eliminating all the specific disturbing emotions by relying on specific antidotes. All the activities of a Bodhisattva can be included in two major categories: the practice of skillful means and the practice of wisdom. If the practices of giving, ethics, and so forth are to be perfected, they should be supported and influenced by the practice of wisdom. Without the practice of wisdom, the first five of the six perfections cannot actually become practices of perfection. In order to cultivate such wisdom, you must first cultivate the genuine unmistaken philosophical view that is known as the view of the Middle Way, or Madhyamika. …even when you have understood the wisdom realizing emptiness, that alone will not become a powerful antidote to ignorance if it is not supported by other practices such as giving, ethics, patience, and so forth. Mere understanding of selflessness is not sufficient to defeat the disturbing emotions.(p.76) –from Stages of Meditation by the Dalai Lama, root text by Kamalashila, translated by Geshe Lobsang Jordhen, Losang Choephel Ganchenpa, and Jeremy Russell, published by Snow Lion Publications Stages of Meditation • Now at 5O% off! |
The Power of Failure
There are no failures – just experiences and your reactions to them. — Tom Krause
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Inspiration of the Day:
Often times we invest failure with the wrong kind of power by thinking it’s a permanent state that holds us down, rather than a temporary condition that we can learn and grow from — often to remarkable heights. This 1-minute video gives us a window into well-known figures of the world, such as Edison, and Lincoln who all share a common trait. They each failed (and spectacularly so!) in their respective fields before rising to greatness.
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Be The Change:
Learn more about a fascinating initiative called the Failure Club (started by Super Size Me’s Morgan Spurlock and Philip Kiracofe), in which people are encouraged to face their fear of failure head on. Often with surprising results!
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Kindness Daily: Helping A Hungry Women
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On a cold, rainy day, me and my uncle went to have some fast food. While we waited for our order to be delivered, I watched a women who came in and sat in a corner. She just sat there. I thought she was just there to take cover from the rain.
Video of the Week: 365 Grateful
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How Vulnerability Can Be a Strength
We’re never so vulnerable than when we trust someone — but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy. — Walter Anderson
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Tip of the Day:
The word vulnerable itself comes from the Latin ‘vulnerare’ which means ‘to wound’, and so at the root of vulnerability is our own sense of wounded-ness. To be authentic in a moment in which we feel wounded, we have to honestly acknowledge the places where we feel hurt and then muster up the strength to just be with the pain. If we can embrace this vulnerability, we can fully accept the discomfort and learn to observe our entire reality deeply and intimately — just the way it is. It may seem like such opportunities are rare, but they’re surprisingly accessible. Here are a few statements that crack open a beautiful vulnerability within everyday situations: ‘I was wrong,’ ‘I don’t know,’ ‘I am sorry,’ ‘Thank you,’ and ‘I love …’. This article articulates the relationship between vulnerability and strength.
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Be The Change:
Be wisely vulnerable today — express gratitude, admit fault, profess love, embrace the unknown.
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Dharma Quote from Snow Lion Publications
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Dharma Quote of the WeekCan’t read this quote? Read it on line. The many tantras of both the Ancient and New traditions unanimously agree that these, and others, are the consequences of violating the pledges. Means of Restoration When is it possible to restore a vow that has been transgressed? All the tantras and transmissions state that if a monk has incurred a defeat with concealment, the transgressed vow, like a broken clay pot, cannot be repaired. An awakening mind commitment that has been transgressed is like a cracked gold or silver vase which can still be soldered by a blacksmith. A violated vow or pledge in this Secret Mantra system is likened to a dented golden vessel, which can be straightened out by the practitioner’s own strength. Pledges are restored through action, precious substances, earnest desire, contemplation, and reality. –from Treasury of Knowledge- Book Five: Buddhist Ethics by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye, trans. by the Kalu Rinpoche Translation Group, under the direction of Ven. Bokar Rinpoche, published by Snow Lion Publications Buddhist Ethics • Now at 5O% off! |
Less Work, More Living
The man whose horse trots a mile in a minute does not carry the most important messages. — Henry David Thoreau
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Good News of the Day:
“Millions of Americans have lost control over the basic rhythm of their daily lives. They work too much, eat too quickly, socialize too little, drive and sit in traffic for too many hours, don’t get enough sleep, and feel harried too much of the time. It’s a way of life that undermines basic sources of wealth and well-being — such as strong family and community ties, a deep sense of meaning, and physical health. Earn less, spend less, emit and degrade less. That’s the formula. The more time a person has, the better his or her quality of life, and the easier it is to live sustainably.” According to Juliet Schor, professor of sociology at Boston College, working fewer hours could save our economy, save our sanity, and help save our planet.
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Be The Change:
Check your own rhythms, and if needed, infuse more balance into your routine.
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Quote of the Week | What It Is to Be Human
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| 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. | 
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Sangha of Auspicious Companions 