Tuesday, December 30, 2008

How are you fairing out?

Hello everyone. How is the Christmas holiday celebration going? Did you travel? Were you in contact with family and friends? Are you getting enough to eat and drink?

Although Christmas is a Christian holiday, the spirit of Christmas is a gift to all. When you look at the genealogy of the word Christmas, it is a word that seemingly combines two diverse orientations. Christ means God. Mass
is defined as form or substance. So Christmas is the celebration of God in the human form. Jesus was the manifestation of God as a human being. Jesus walked the earth as Christ or God.

You too are walking the earth as God in human form. Christmas is the official annual celebration of your true nature, it’s a party thrown in your honor as well as for all who compose the human race. Christmas is the time to celebrate your reality. It’s a time to celebrate the purpose for which you were created, to love. The God in one human brother or sister honors the God in another. In celebration of that purpose we give presents to honor the God in others, and confirm our communion in love.

Before the presents and partying drift off and become framed with some other meaning, it’s comforting to reflect on our true reality, and the real reason that we honor one another with cookies, candies, and presents. We do so in praise of our communal reality, that we are all the manifestation of God, the Christ. We are all created from love to love, and Christmas is the time to recognize, reaffirm and celebrate our love for one another. db¤

What’s next?

What do we do once the official celebration period has past?

Bible scripture tells us that “if we love one another, God’s love lives in us and His love is made complete in us.” Each and every day we may commune with others through our Godliness, through our thoughts and expressions of love. We may choose to extend loving thoughts or choose otherwise. We may choose to extend vengeance, hostility, and resentment; or we may communicate thoughts that originate from our real purpose. Each day can serve as an unofficial Christ-mass day or as a “stress-mass” day. When we are living out our purpose, we are living in love. We are being forgiving, and willing to relinquish our spiteful thoughts. By sharing our love we bring happiness to our self and others. db¤

The Gift Of Happiness

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, 
and the life of the candle will not be shortened. 
Happiness never decreases by being shared.” –Sutta Nipata

You Are The Light

“Cast off pretense and self-deception and see yourself as you really are. 
Despite all appearances, no one is really evil. They are led astray by ignorance. If you ponder this truth always you will offer more light, rather then blame and condemnation. You, no less than all beings have Buddha Nature within. Your essential Mind is pure. Therefore, when defilements cause you to stumble and fall, let not remorse nor dark foreboding cast you down. Be of good cheer and with this understanding, summon strength and walk on. 


Faith is like a lamp and wisdom makes the flame burn bright. Carry this lamp always and in good time the darkness will yield and you will abide in the Light. Dhammavada

Monday, December 22, 2008

Oneness is the idea – Love is the way

When viewing the earth from a satellite image, we see a big beautiful ball dotted with white swirls and huge blue panoramas. When viewing our solar system we see the drift of big and little spheres, all harmoniously suspended in space. All are precisely bonded by the orchestration of cosmic intelligence. Extend the view even further and the earth and solar system become indistinguishable. They appear as sub-microscopic particles in an awesomely expansive galaxy. Isolating the earth’s presence in relation to that widened view would be less likely than tracking down one electron in a single atom with the naked eye. Mind boggling – right!

We are tiny in comparison to the total of all cosmic expansiveness and would not have to travel far into space to realize that our separate little human selves are part of One Creation, a phenomenon held in a peaceful, perfect treaty.

In sustaining its existence, one part of the cosmos does not make attempts to control another, or get its own way. One huge sphere, surging at an unimaginable speed does not try to use its incredible velocity and mass to butt another out of the cosmos.

The Cosmos is Creation, is peace, is God. Like critters, clouds, oceans, black holes, galaxies, and huge cosmic swirls we are part of the Great Oneness. Like each of the tiniest cosmic particles we are critical to Oneness. Each of us is necessary in balancing the Whole. Love is the bonding agent that holds Creation together. When we extend love to others we are living out our purpose. We are One with creation. We are doing as God does.

Love is not selfish rather it is harmonious. It is not condemning rather love is accepting. So if we want to rejoin the peacefulness of Cosmic or Divine Oneness and remain in step with our human purpose, then Love is the way. If we want to remove the aggravation and stress from our lives then love is the way. Love is the way to Happiness.

Love is the way to self-acceptance. Love is the way to living in harmony with the Divine, with One another, with Creation. Love is the way to realize that God is present in everyone and everything. 2009 presents another opportunity to make the way to Oneness, and being One in Love with God, Our Brothers, Our Sisters and all of Creation. Enjoy the opportunity. db¤

Who Could Believe!

Another year is history! If you are reading this, then you made it through all the fun, excitement, and laughter without letting it kill you.

I’m thinking about all the good times I enjoyed – many of those great moments were shared with the folks that are reading this letter. There is a place in me that is touched by each of you. Joy is raised in me when I reflect on the very fulfilling moments that we shared. Thank you.

I’m starting this year with a grateful spirit. Like many of you, I have experienced difficulties in the past year. And at some points along the way, it seemed as if the tough times were winning out. But you know, like you, I’m still standing. I’m standing with you.

I want to thank you folks for being good pals. Thank you for sharing your love with me.

Thanks for the “welcome home.”

Thanks for the laughs and hugs, and funny stories. And thank you for accepting some of the burden that I carried. I am so blessed to have experienced the grace and love you extended. I am a truly fortunate man, and a better person because of you. Many blessings, and lots of love to you in the year ahead. Enjoy the journey.
Don ¤

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Its Christmas, The Time Of Birth.

Its Christmas, The Time Of Birth.
Birth is the introduction into life. It’s our entree. At birth we become aware of our existence as a being.

Christmas is the time of birth, the official entry into family, community and the world. Each of us celebrates our own individual entry into human life each year on our birthdays, our own Christmas.

Our birthday, however can be celebrated everyday, or any day of our choosing. We can give birth to a new born way of being, one that is nourished on whatever thoughts we choose to feed it.

Our minds are not unlike fertile farm ground, open to whatever is planted.
We can plant, to our liking, whatever thoughts we want in our fertile mental farmland, being assured that whatever thoughts are planted will grow in abundance. They will mature and then reproduce, and sew more seeds. A new generation of thoughts will proliferate, develop and grow in a same fashion as the parent thoughts.

Christmas is a good day to take notice and pay attention to the thought that we are choosing to birth. Christmas is the celebration of birth. This Christmas I am celebrating the birth of tiny itty-bitty loving and peaceful thoughts.

Will you join me?

Loving-kindness be with you, and reborn in you, again and again. Happy Christmas. Don¤

Center For Happy Beings
Sunday Meditation will resume in January 2009.db¤
"Fashion your life as a garland of beautiful deeds." 
-- Buddha
Embrace Spirit – Embrace Humanity
When our lives are motivated by selfish resolve, we move further and further from our Reality. When we abolish our Spiritual Self in order to appease only the worldly or human self, then we have abandoned the essence of our True Being. We have become distracted.

When distracted, how do we return to the Spiritual Self? 1.) Decide to see God in everyone and everything. 2.) Be kind to what or who you see. 3.) Love that which/who you are giving your kindness. db¤
"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness."
- The Dalai Lama

Christmas Gift suggestions
To your enemy, forgiveness
To your opponent, tolerance
To a friend, your heart
To a customer, service
To all, charity
To every child, a good example
To yourself, love.
Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind. -Henry James
 -American Author
Merry Christmas

Be Happy!!!

Christmas Gift suggestions

To your enemy, forgiveness
To your opponent, tolerance
To a friend, your heart
To a customer, service
To all, charity
To every child, a good example
To yourself, love.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Meaningful Thoughts

Are the thoughts that cause us torment and misery, meaningful?

We get caught up in thoughts that bring on stress and anguish. This causes a septic reaction in our bodies. From day to day we burden ourselves with emotional distress and despair.

When experiencing inner-torment, anguish, distress or despair we are seeking something meaningful while suspended in a meaningless thought cycle.

All True Meaning is located in Truth. All Truth is located in Love; which does not promote inner torment, rather it quells it.

Often we confuse love with conflict-resolution; which promotes more turmoil, and conflict. This happens because we expect something from our love, and in doing so set ourselves up for a fall.

When we open the door to Love, only the meaningful is recognized. When entering the door to Love, expectations are left behind.

You may feel as if you are a failure at Love. But, keep Loving. You are not a failure, rather you are faithful. Keep Loving. When you fall – allow love to raise you. db ¤

Why Meditate?

Meditation is the return to peace and love.
It is the recognition of our purpose.
It is the rediscovery of self-beauty.
It speaks to us the meaning of our life. ¤

Monday, December 1, 2008

An act of meditation

Meditation and Spiritual /service
Sunday Begins at 10:00 a.m. Guided meditation starts at !0:05 a.m.; Dharma at 10:20

An act of meditation is actually an act of faith--of faith in your spirit, in your own potential. Faith is the basis of meditation. Not of faith in something outside you--a metaphysical buddha, an unattainable ideal, or someone else's words. The faith is in yourself, in your own "buddha-nature." You too can be a buddha, an awakened being that lives and responds in a wise, creative, and compassionate way.
-Martine Batchelor, "Meditation for Life" – Thanks to Angie Stablien

There are no neutral thoughts
What language do you use when speaking to yourself? Do you speak the language of love? Do you see beyond mundane issues?

Or, do you mull over irresolvable thoughts about people or concerns that will not change?

We have no neutral thoughts. Each and every one of the tens of thousands of thoughts that move through the mind daily, is rooted in either love of lack.

No thought is neutral.

Lacking promotes judgment. Love extends abundance. Lacking is restrictive. Love is expansive. Love extends the energy of allowance. Lacking extends the energy of resistance.

Allowance permits. Resistance strains. Allowance is freedom. Lacking is mental incarceration.

There are no neutral thoughts.
@Donald Brun – Center For Happy Beings