Via Daily Dharma / Generosity and Presence:

The consequences of giving are quite wonderful in the present moment; if we are present for them, we can receive these wonderful consequences during the act of giving.

—Gil Fronsdal, "The Joy of Giving"

The Fable of the Roasted Pig from: Schools for a New Century: A Conservative Approach to Radical School Reform by Dwight W. Allen

Once upon a time, a forest where some pigs lived, caught on fire and all the pigs were roasted. People, who at that time were in the habit of eating raw meat only, tasted the roasted pigs and found them delicious. From that time on, whenever men wanted roasted pork they set a forest on fire.

Due to the many bad points of "the system," complaints grew at an increasing rate, as the system expanded to involve more and more people. It was obvious that "the system" should be drastically changed. Thus every year there were any number of conventions, and congresses, and a considerable amount of time and effort was spent on research to find a solution. But apparently no way of improving the system was ever found, for the next year and the year after and the year after that there were once more conventions and congresses and conferences. And this went on and on and on...

Those who were experts on the subject put down the failure of the system to a lack of discipline on the part of the pigs, who would not stay where they should in the forests; or to the inconstant nature of fire, which was hard to control; or to the trees, which were too green to burn well; or the dampness of the earth; or the official method of setting the woods on fire or....or....

There were men who worked at setting the woods on fire (firemen). Some were specialists in setting fires by night, others by day. There were also the wind specialists, the anemotechnicians. There were huge compounds to keep the pigs in, before the fire broke out in the forest, and new methods were being tested on how to let the pigs out at just the right moment. There were technicians in pig feeding, experts in building pig pens, professors in charge of training experts in pig pen construction, universities that prepared professors to be in charge of training experts in pig pen construction, research specialists who bequeathed their discoveries to the universities that prepared professors to be in charge of training experts in pig pen construction, and...

One day a fireman named John Commonsense said that the problem was really very simple and easily solved. Only four steps need to be followed: (1) the chosen pig had to be killed, (2) cleaned, (3) placed in the proper utensil, and (4) placed over the fire so that it would be cooked by the effect of the heat and not by the effect of the flames.

The director general of roasting himself came to hear of this Commonsense proposal, and sent for John Commonsense. He asked what Commonsense had to say about the problem, and after hearing the four point idea he said:

"What you say is absolutely right--in theory, but it won't work in practice. It's wasteful. What would we do with our technicians, for instance?"

"I don't know," answered John.

"Or the specialists in seeds, in timber? And the builders of seven-story pig pens, now equipped with new cleaning machines and automatic scenters?"
"I don't know."

"Can't you see that yours is not the solution we need? Don't you know that if everything was as simple as all that, then the problem would have been solved long ago by our specialists? Tell me, where are the authorities who support your suggestion? Who are the authors who say what you say? Do you think i can tell the engineers in the fire division that it is only a question of using embers without a flame?And what shall be done with the forests that are ready to be burned - forests of the right kind of trees needed to produce the right kind of fire, trees that have neither fruit, nor leaves enough for shade, so that they are good only for burning? What shall be done with them?

Tell me!"

"I don't know."

What you must bring, are realistic solutions, methods to train better wind technicians; to make pig sties eight stories high or more, instead of the seven stories we now have. We have to improve what we have; we cannot ignore history. So bring me a plan, for example, that will show me how to design the crucial experiment which will yield a solution to the problem of roast reform. That is what we need. You are lacking in good judgement, Commonsense! Tell me, if your plan is adopted, what would I do with such experts as the president of the committee to study the integral use of the remnants of the ex-forests?"

"I'm really perplexed," said John.

"Well, now, since you know what the problem is, don't go around telling everybody you can fix everything. You must realize the problem is serious and complicated; it is not so simple as you had
supposed it to be. An outsider says, "I can fix everything."

But you have to be inside to know the problems and the difficulties.
Now, just between you and me, I advise you not mention your idea to anyone, for your own good, because I understand your plan. But, you know, you may come across another boss not so capable of understanding as I am. You know what that's like, don't you, Eh?"
Poor John Commonsense didn't utter a word. Without so much as saying goodbye, stupefied with fright and puzzled by the barriers put in front of him, he went away and was never seen again.

It was never known where he went. That is why it is often said that when it comes to reforming the system, Commonsense is missing.

- Anonymous

Via Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma / October 18, 2016: Swimming Practice

We are not separate from our practice, and so no matter what, our practice is present. An ocean swimmer is loose and flows with the current and moves through the tide. When tossed upside-down in the surf, unable to discern which way is up and which is down, the natural swimmer just lets go, breathing out, and follows the bubbles to the surface.

—Sensei Pat Enkyo O’Hara, "Like a Dragon in Water"

Via FB:

Via Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma / October 17, 2016: Monday Zen

In a work situation, if you have a particularly cantankerous boss who you think is a complete idiot, can you look at that person as the Buddha? As a manager, can you see that person who is working for you as the Buddha?

—Gerry Shishin Wick Sensei, "Zen in the Workplace"

Via NPR: E Is For Empathy: Sesame Workshop Takes A Crack At Kindness

Make the jump here to read the original at NPR

The progression is quite inevitable. After some time on the path of awakening, the type of associates you share time with changes. Finally, you realize that except for existing karmic commitments - such as familial, or societal commitments - there is no reason to spend time with anyone except as an aid to one’s sadhana (service). So all new relationships, be they friendships, roommates, marriages, business partnerships, take on implicitly, and finally explicitly, this contractual basis.

When your center is firm, when your faith is strong and unwavering, then it will not matter what company you keep. Then you will see that all beings are on the evolutionary journey of consciousness. They differ only to the degree that the veil of illusion clouds their vision. But for you… you will see behind the veil to the place where we are all ONE.

Via Sri Prem Baba:

Via Daily Dharma / October 16, 2016: On True Success

Anyone who enjoys inner peace is no more broken by failure than he is inflated by success.

—Matthieu Ricard, "A Way of Being"

Via Sri Prem Baba:

Via Daily Dharma / October 15, 2016: Just Do Less

The more we try to make life conform to our desires, the more we struggle, and the more we suffer. The only way out of this vicious cycle is to accept what arises, completely: in other words, do nothing.

—Ken McLeod, "Something from Nothing"

Via United Nations Free & Equal / FB:

 

 

United Nations Secretary General-elect Antonio Guterres's appeal for #LGBT equality.

Via Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharam / October 14, 2016: The Best Season of Your LifeTen thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life. —Wumen Huikai, "The Best Season"

Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn,
a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.
If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life.

—Wumen Huikai, "The Best Season"

Via Red Rocks Zen Circle: Thich Naht Hahn – A Dharma Reflection…

Posted on November 18, 2014 by dkeeber 

Offered by David Mushin Keeber:

This evening, our teacher Eisho offered a lovely Dharma Reflection as we sat zazen. Given that Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Naht Hanh has taken seriously ill recently, she brought to us a gatha he often sits with.

Breathing in, I calm my body
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment
I know this is a wonderful moment.
He has offered these reflections on the gatha.

Breathing in, I calm my body. This line is like drinking a glass of ice water on a warm day. You feel the freshness permeate your body. When I breathe in and recite this line, I actually feel the breathing calming my body, calming my mind.

Breathing out, I smile. A smile can relax hundreds of muscles in your face and relax your nervous system. Smiling means that we are ourselves, that we have sovereignty over ourselves, that we are not just drowned in forgetfulness. This kind of smile can be seen on the faces of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Dwelling in the present moment. While I sit here, I don’t think of somewhere else, of the future or the past. I sit here and know where I am. The only moment to be alive is the present moment.

I know this is a wonderful moment. This is the only moment that is real. To be here and now, and enjoy the present moment is our most wonderful task.

As we sit, we can easily remember this gatha by thinking of these words on each breath, one by one: Calming, Smiling, Present, Wonderful

Make the jump here to read the original and more

Via Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

Via Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche: Those who get it