Sunday, November 20, 2016

Via Ram Dass

 

 Just play with the silence for a moment. Instead of using it as expectancy, waiting for something to happen, flip it just slightly and just be in it.

Are you really here or are you just waiting for the next thing?

It’s interesting to see where we are in relation to times; whether we’re always just between what just happened and what happened next, or whether we can just be here now.
Let’s just find our way here to be together. If you’re feeling agitated, just notice the agitation. If you’re warm, be warm. If you’re cold, be cold. If you’re overly full, be overly full. Be it, whatever it is, but put it all in the context of a quiet space, because there’s a secret in that, and it’s worth playing with.

Via Lion's Roar:

In 2015, philanthropists revivified the great Buddha statues of Bamiyan, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, with 3D light projection.
 
Our tools for awakening constantly change to keep up with our sneaky, evolving delusions. It is said that the Buddha developed 84,000 methods for awakening. In the 2600 years since, there have been countless more. So this Lion's Roar Weekend Reader focuses on innovation: How are we creating and preserving tools for enlightenment? How are we fostering inclusivity and compassion? How does science fit? I found inspiration and hope in writing these stories. I hope reading them may do the same for you. —Sam Littlefair, Associate Editor, LionsRoar.com
 
In Pakistan and Afghanistan, modern conflicts have seen the demolition of great Buddhist monuments. But preservationists are working hard to memorialize or restore their legacies.
...
Nine years after its face was destroyed by Taliban militants, the famous Jahanabad Buddha has been restored. The sculpture, a massive cliff-face carving, was widely hailed as one of the most important pieces of Buddhist art in the region, second only to Afghanistan’s giant Bamiyan Buddhas. Those statues, which stood at 115 and 174 feet tall were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. [...] 
 

Via Sri Prem Baba


Via Daily Dharma / November 20, 2016: Learn to Help without Praise

In being told we’re good when we’re helpful, we receive the praise we crave. Yet once we confuse helpful behavior with our own needs, we’re locked into a pattern that undermines our genuine desire to do good.

—Ezra Bayda, "The 'Helper' Syndrome"