05 | April | 2012 | Sangha of Auspicious Companions

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Archive for April 5, 2012

Dharma Quote from Snow Lion Publications

Dharma Quote of the Week

Meditation, when learned skillfully, can enable a return to awareness of the body, our sensations, and feelings. When we are not given specific guidance to ground our meditation within the body, however, meditation can easily perpetuate a disembodied spiritual practice. This is accentuated if our view of spirituality sees the body as some kind of problem to be transcended. Unfortunately, this view can prevail even within the Buddhist world, despite being counter to the essential principle of mindfulness and presence. When, however, we cultivate the capacity to remain present in our felt experience within the body, our relationship to ourselves changes. We can begin to feel more grounded in our life and more stable in our identity.

Engaging in a disembodied spirituality is no solution to our life demands. It may be a way of experiencing states of mind that can be very seductive, even addictive. Seldom does it address the roots of our emotional problems. Transformation comes when we are willing and able to restore or develop a sound relationship to our body in a healthy way. With many Buddhist practices, such as Tantra, this is essential, for the body contains the vitality that is the heart of our innate creative potential.

Embodiment therefore implies a full engagement in life with all of its trials and tribulations, rather than avoidance through disembodied spiritual flight. The value of meditation is that it can enable this engagement because it cultivates the capacity to be present and remain open, not grasping at or rejecting what arises. When meditation emphasizes presence rather than transcendence, this openness is a natural outcome.(p.143)

–from The Wisdom of Imperfection: The Challenge of Individuation in Buddhist Life by Rob Preece, published by Snow Lion Publications

The Wisdom of Imperfection • Now at 5O% off!
(Good until April 13th).

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Kindness Daily: Magnetically Attracting Kindness

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Magnetically Attracting Kindness April 5, 2012 – Posted by greggie

I found a twenty dollar bill on the ground the other day. I’ve been on a tighter than usual budget the last month so thanked my lucky stars for the opportunity to spend more on others.

First few bucks were spent opportunistically: anonymously adding to the funds of an older man who went into a gas station counting bills and asking for ten dollars if gas. That kind of thing.

Last night I walked down the street after work and saw a woman selling a newspaper published for homeless folks. She also had some fridge magnets for sale.

"What’s your most popular magnet?" I asked.

"Oh, probably the Bob Marley. This John Coltrane one is really nice too," she said. "I’m surprised it hasn’t gone yet. They’re five dollars each."

I counted the remains of the cash. "Here’s nine dollars," I said.

"Which one would you like?"

"I don’t need one myself, but the next person that wants one, it’s on me. An anonymous friend." I gave her the nine dollars plus a Smile card.

Her expression just lit up. "Oh I do that all the time!" she said, getting the spirit right away. "I just can’t help being generous, my heart tells me to! Just earlier today a young lady wanted one and only had fifty cents and I gave it to her."

I was glad that my gift would help her to keep giving according to her spirit, or take care of some of her own needs.

She went on to share how not everyone showed kindness to her, how earlier someone driving by had yelled profanity at her but that she chose not to have negative thoughts about it. "And now here’s God sending you as a sign that that was the right choice!"

I wasn’t sure if that was exact math, but according to my understanding that’s more or less how it works. 🙂

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Two Tragic Moments & One Boy’s Compassion

Give yourself entirely to those around you. Be generous with your blessings. A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal. — Steve Maraboli

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Good News of the Day:
Nearly a decade ago Eddie Canales was watching his son’s football game. Chris Canales, a high school senior, had three offers to play college football, and that night, he was having the game of his life. With four minutes left in the fourth quarter, he made a touchdown-saving tackle. But something went wrong. “I could hear my teammates saying, ‘Chris, come on, let’s go,’ ” Chris, now 26, remembered. “And I couldn’t move.” It was a spinal chord injury that left the teenager permanently paralyzed. A year after that fateful day Chris and his father would return to the football field for the first time after the accident. Which is when the unexpected would happen and tragedy would change their life irrevocably for the second time – and evoke an inspiring response.
http://premiere.whatcounts.com/t?ctl=16AAF3A:C3009629A010612C0E909F4C3088C3EBB4B847859706E37D&

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Be The Change:
Be generous with your blessings. Make time to alleviate someone’s pain. Even if it’s just through a kind word or the comfort of shared presence.

**Share A Reflection**
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