Friday, March 18, 2011
Inspiration
Click here for a very inspiring story about how two Girl Scouts, made a tremendous difference. Each and every one of us can make a difference!!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Dad
May you continue to be my angel, guiding me in this crazy thing called life. May you show me what paths to take, based upon your graces and mistakes. May you show me how to enjoy life to the fullest and yet be responsible and do my part to make this world a better place.
Don't let tears put out your fire, but if they must come, make sure they make that fire burn even brighter...
Don't let tears put out your fire, but if they must come, make sure they make that fire burn even brighter...
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Impermanence
I've had two dying pieces of bamboo in my window sill for years. Every now and them I'd clean their water and see a few tiny leaves of green surrounded by the dead, dry and wilted plant. I held on to them. Today I finally threw them away and with tears in my eyes. These two bamboo pieces were two of the last things my father gave me before he unexpectedly passed away three years ago. He was so happy about the good luck they brought and explained I had to have two of them, not just one. He found a container for them and gave me some green food to give them. They were like a piece of him, I held on to as long as I could. They sat there mostly dead for years, as I just couldn't bring myself to throw away something my dad, who is no longer here, had given me. I still cry as I write this. But sometimes we have to let go.
One of the teachings that I found most profound while studying Buddhism was the idea of impermanence. It is really not profound at all. It is the idea that everything changes. Nothing lasts forever. Nothing is permanent. This is true from the death and rebirth of our cells to the stars and galaxies in the vast expanse of the universe. Even the universe itself has been shown to be moving or changing. Things simply are not static. It goes against the laws of our universe. Every living thing will die, evolve, change. Yet, we humans often try to make things permanent and static. There is a comfort in it, yet I believe also a limiting nature to permanence.
I took many of the Buddhist teachings on impermanence to heart. They make sense to me. We are changing, everyday. I've learned for the most part to embrace it. I'm often asked, especially by my mom, why I don't get sad and grieve, why I can brush things off in an unemotional way. That's not true at all. It may appear that way, but I can also cry at just about any movie, any story of love, loss, heroism, hell even the Hubble IMAX film! I become overwhelmed with emotion all the time. But when someone dies or someone is ill or there is a major change in my life that I cannot control, I've learned to embrace it. Yes, I might not cry for days on end or become depressed when a relationship I am in ends or I lose someone I love. It doesn't mean I don't experience emotion. I do, and emotion that stems from that experience may find its way out to be released at certain points throughout the rest of my life. Just like the throwing away of the bamboo today. I just try to let go and realize that change is an inevitable part of all of our lives and I try to learn the lesson and grow from it. It helps me to be resilient as I honor the impermanence of life. I'm not saying this is a good thing or that this is what people should do. It has its drawbacks.
However, according to some Buddhist teachings, when we accept impermanence as a part of life and our experience, we can lessen the suffering we experience. It has been a wonderful teaching for me and I'm inspired when I realize that everything in this universe changes, it is the natural order of things. Thus it cannot be a bad thing. I firmly believe change is necessary for any type of growth to take place, physically, spiritually, emotionally, intellectually. Sometimes it is difficult to let go of things and allow change to happen. It was hard to let go of that last gift my father gave me. But when you do, there is a sense of relief, of healing, of transformation that happens that I believe is necessary. Some of the most beautiful places are those that experience much natural change/erosion...canyons, rivers, caves, the human soul...
One of the teachings that I found most profound while studying Buddhism was the idea of impermanence. It is really not profound at all. It is the idea that everything changes. Nothing lasts forever. Nothing is permanent. This is true from the death and rebirth of our cells to the stars and galaxies in the vast expanse of the universe. Even the universe itself has been shown to be moving or changing. Things simply are not static. It goes against the laws of our universe. Every living thing will die, evolve, change. Yet, we humans often try to make things permanent and static. There is a comfort in it, yet I believe also a limiting nature to permanence.
I took many of the Buddhist teachings on impermanence to heart. They make sense to me. We are changing, everyday. I've learned for the most part to embrace it. I'm often asked, especially by my mom, why I don't get sad and grieve, why I can brush things off in an unemotional way. That's not true at all. It may appear that way, but I can also cry at just about any movie, any story of love, loss, heroism, hell even the Hubble IMAX film! I become overwhelmed with emotion all the time. But when someone dies or someone is ill or there is a major change in my life that I cannot control, I've learned to embrace it. Yes, I might not cry for days on end or become depressed when a relationship I am in ends or I lose someone I love. It doesn't mean I don't experience emotion. I do, and emotion that stems from that experience may find its way out to be released at certain points throughout the rest of my life. Just like the throwing away of the bamboo today. I just try to let go and realize that change is an inevitable part of all of our lives and I try to learn the lesson and grow from it. It helps me to be resilient as I honor the impermanence of life. I'm not saying this is a good thing or that this is what people should do. It has its drawbacks.
However, according to some Buddhist teachings, when we accept impermanence as a part of life and our experience, we can lessen the suffering we experience. It has been a wonderful teaching for me and I'm inspired when I realize that everything in this universe changes, it is the natural order of things. Thus it cannot be a bad thing. I firmly believe change is necessary for any type of growth to take place, physically, spiritually, emotionally, intellectually. Sometimes it is difficult to let go of things and allow change to happen. It was hard to let go of that last gift my father gave me. But when you do, there is a sense of relief, of healing, of transformation that happens that I believe is necessary. Some of the most beautiful places are those that experience much natural change/erosion...canyons, rivers, caves, the human soul...
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