Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.   

- William Ernest Henley

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{Photography by Idea Cream}

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{Photography © 2010 by Toscana Enterprises Corporation, all rights reserved}

“Jesus did not change the world by telling the world how great he was. He lived humbly and taught greatness.“

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{Photography by Swami}

Happy Earth Day!

A few suggestions on how to celebrate Earth Day:

• Start your day by reading the Dalai Lama’s Instructions for Life;
• Walk instead of driving, if you can;
• Take public transportation instead of driving, if you can;
• Walk instead of taking public transportation, or at least get off one or two stops before your final destination and walk;
• Don’t watch TV, go for a walk instead, or read a book;
• Eat only food that you have prepared yourself from scratch, possibly from organic / local ingredients;
• Be kind to a stranger, for no reason at all;
• Write a thank you note to someone you care, and read it to them, face to face or via Skype, or by phone;
• Look around your house, find what you have not used in at least 2 years clothing or “stuff” (no food, please) and either donate it or recycle it;
• Don’t buy anything because you just “want” it, and if you think you “need” it, think again: do you really need another ______ (fill in the blanks);
• Make this list your own, add, edit, delete anything. Be creative, be kind, be you;
• Make note to repeat this list tomorrow as well.

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{Photography by Julia}

Spotted April 1, 2010 (no, it’s not an April Fool Joke) at Harvest Co-Op in Cambridge MA

Al says:

“Out of clutter, find simplicity”
“From discord, find harmony”
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”

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{Image by Mansion WB}

From the movie No Impact Man, very intriguing and thought provoking movie.

Where to get more:

• The Blog: http://noimpactman.typepad.com
• The Movie on Netflix
• The Movie on Amazon.com

The lovely and amazing performance poet Gabrielle Bouliane performs for the audience at the Austin Poetry Slam.

This would be her last public performance.

Gabrielle was diagnosed with Stage Four Cancer shortly before this video was filmed. Our dear sister fought hard, but she ended her fight January 29, 2010. She was surrounded by family and friends, and her passing was in a very quiet, peaceful room full of love and affection. She was so brave.

Please share this video with everyone you know. I am sure it would tickle her to no end to have this video get as viral as a video can be. Tell the world.

Bunny up!

Nash: In competitive behavior someone always loses.

Charles: Well, my niece knows that, John, and she’s about this high.

Nash: See if I derive an equilibrium where prevalence is a non-singular event where nobody loses, can you imagine the effect that would have on conflict scenarios, arm negotiations…

Charles: When did you last eat?

Nash: …currency exchange?

Charles: When did you last eat? You know, food.

Nash: You have no respect for cognitive reverie, you know that?

Charles: Yes. But pizza – now, pizza I have enormous respect for.

From the movie: A Beautiful Mind.

Faster and bigger = better

You can subscribe to that, it seems everywhere you go everyone subscribe to that equation as their life’s philosophy. Just because something is pervasive and loud is not guarantee to be the “one size fits all” panacea.

Buddhism is about individuality, it’s about you within your true self, and it is just as pervasive as faster and bigger if you know how to look, and what to look for. Meet our friend Mies, as in Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who adopted “Less is More” as his mantra for his work as the Architect that brought to the world timeless icons like the Barcelona Chair and the Farnsworth House.

So, what would happen is you were to adopt the Less is More mantra? Will a gift to yourself be to donate some of your possession to reclaim some space in your home? What if for the upcoming holiday season you give the gift of love to your friends and family by marking on your calendar some special time to spend together enjoying their company, their presence, their conversation, and just the sense of BE-ing?

Let Less is More sit with you like a Kōan, let it be part of your vernacular, and try it on for measure, it might fit funny at the beginning, but you might find out that – as you progress in your journey to the center of yourself – it might grow on you, you might find out that it was always a part of you, you were born with it and enjoyed it, it was only obfuscated by the faster and bigger habit. Time for new habits, time for the real you.

Related readings: Minimalism

Ōryōki (応量器^?, “Just enough”) is a meditative form of eating that originated in Japan that emphasizes mindfulness awareness practice by abiding to a strict order of precise movements. Oryoki translates to “Just enough” which refers to the efficiency and accuracy of the form. Each movement is a simple reference point for the mind that encourages one to become present and not wonder in discursive thought. An Oryoki set consists of nested bowls called a jihatsu, usually made of lacquered wood, and utensils all wrapped in a cloth and tied with a topknot resembling a lotus flower. This is the formal style of serving and eating meals practiced in Zen temples.^[1]

Buddhist tradition emphasizes the monk’s robe and bowl as symbolic of the two things most necessary to sustain life: with one, life is supported externally (clothing, shelter); with the other, internally (food). In many countries, as in early Buddhist practice, monks beg food and alms using a single Buddha bowl. Monks cultivate equanimity by gratefully accepting whatever is offered them, while those who give alms believe they accumulate merit by supporting the sangha.

Wooden ōryōki sets of today are like those developed in the monastic community of Hui Neng. The largest bowl, sometimes called the Buddha Bowl or zuhatsu,^[2] symbolizes Buddha’s head and his wisdom. The other bowls are progressively smaller. The bowls are accompanied by three utensils: a spoon, a cleaning stick (setsu), and chopsticks. Additionally, there may be a cloth container for the utensils, a napkin, a stiff placemat (hattan), and a wiping cloth. The entire set of bowls and accoutrements is stored in a kerchief-size cloth, which may be used during meals as a tablecloth. The exact number of bowls and accoutrements varies depending on the sect.

Ōryōki have evolved in Buddhist monasteries in China and Japan over many years and are part of the Buddhist tradition that has now been transmitted to the West. Both monks and laypeople use ōryōki to eat formal meals in Zen monasteries and places of practice. A lineage was also transmitted from Kobun Chino Roshi to the Tibetan Buddhist sangha of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and is now practiced at all Shambhala retreat centers.^[2]

Zen teachers say that taking meals with ōryōki cultivates gratitude, mindfulness, and better understanding of self. (In this regard, it is not unlike zazen.) The intricacies of the form may require the practitioner to pay great attention to detail. New Zen students may become aware of thoughts that include self-rebuke for making mistakes.

Source: Wikipedia

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{Photography by Aussie Gall}

When you read the blog, read the blog

When you write the blog, write the blog

When you watch the movie clip, watch the movie clip

When you drink the water, drink the water

When you read your book, read your book

When you are talking with your friend, talk with your friend

Enjoy the moments, each and every one of them, one at a time.

“The fool who thinks he is wise is just a fool. The fool who knows he is a fool is wise indeed.” (Buddha)

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{Photography by Hans S}

Those who know, do not speak. Those who speak, do not know. (Lao Tzu)

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{Photography by Bramus!}

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself: “It is overfull. No more will go in!”

“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

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{Photography by MoonLightBulb}