This week I would like to revisit the basics of Buddhism. It is often said that we forget what we learn in order to make room for new knowledge. Now whether this is true or not is debatable but lets face it – we are human and we can and do forget. so lets begin with the many forms of Buddhism.

Many of us desire and accumulate unnecessary possessions like it’s an addiction.

It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations.

Impermanence and selflessness are not negative aspects of life, but the very foundation on which life is built.

The Buddha often spoke of and taught upon the values of the middle way – not to either extreme in life.

The Buddha taught that to realize enlightenment, a person must develop two qualities: wisdom and compassion. So if a fulfilling life is what you are after, or if you want to add some unexpected joy to your life, work in service of others. I am not referring to jobs or bosses in the traditional sense though these too can been seen as service to others. It’s truly a delicate exchange.

You can only lose what you cling to.” — Buddha.

At the foundation of Early Buddhism is the triad of sīla-samādhi-pañña, or ethical-concentrated-wisdom. In lay terms we could say – clean up your act, concentrate your mind, and use your concentrated mind to investigate reality.

Learning is a journey that includes everything we have learned in and out of classrooms, that is, how we engage with our world often shapes what we know and experience. The most important thing in learning is understanding and application – to walk through the full cycle of learning is to try out different routes and options and learn from them. Giving yourself those opportunities for learning results in building a mindset of possibility.

Growth is often seen as an external factor, but as with anything truth growth begins with the seeds which we plant.

Here’s one thing we can all agree on: 2020 has taken its toll on everyone. We are collectively going through a pandemic, recession, job losses and stay-at-home orders. That is not to mention political strife, inequality and the loss of many of our favorite stores and neighborhood restaurants. The turn of a new year provides us the opportunity to start the transition to better days. As I have spoken of on countless times, sometimes we have to go through the darkest times in order to be prepared for changes to move forward.

With patience and persistence, even the smallest act of discipleship or the tiniest ember of belief can become a blazing bonfire of a consecrated life. In fact, that’s how most bonfires begin – as a simple spark.

Growing mentally and growing physically are two completely different things. Growing mentally refers to a person’s psychological growth—the way we think and deal with different situations, and by what methods we develop and disseminate information. Growing up physically refers to a person’s physical growth – like increased height, strength, and health. It can also refer to the development of your brain. The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life – mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical.

Within my daily posts you have most likely heard me talk about “presence.” but just what is this presence and why is it important?

Once people consider and adopt a religion (anything can be a religion by the way), they should practice it sincerely. Some people claim to have faith in their religion but act counter to its ethical and moral teachings. There is little point in such people describing themselves as religious.Today the world faces a crisis related to lack of respect for spiritual principles and ethical values. Such virtues cannot be forced on society by legislation or by science, nor can fear inspire ethical conduct. Rather, people must have conviction in the worth of ethical principles so that they want to live ethically.