Changing my theme

Well, I’ve discovered blogger and have decided to carry on with my buddhist/observations over there. For any of my faithful readers who want to read that you can click on the link in the sidebar. I’m planning to keep this blog rolling and will just change the theme somewhat. Probably more everyday things like books, movies, t.v shows family life etc. It will probably be just like it is now! The reason for the switch? Adsense. Blogger is easy to get Adsense working and that is the reason I wanted to blog in the first place. Oops, cats out of the bag. I’m not all that spiritual….

Cultivating Compassion

I’m reading a book right now called Cultivating Compassion by Jeffery Hopkins. Hopkins recalls growing up and being a bit of a roughneck, driving down roads and scaring old ladies, getting drunk, getting into fights and all. Then around his university days he stumbled upon buddhism. He discovered a better way to be and somehow ended up in India translating for the Dalai Lama.

I am able to really relate to Hopkins story. While he was discribing his youth I kep’t smiling as if I had discovered a kindred spirit. Unfortunately, I didn’t travel to India or Tibet so that part of his story is a stranger to me, however the pursuit of unfolding compassion in life is one that I’m sure lots of people can learn from.

    

Faith and no works?

I just read an article that got me thinking about my past christian days and the concept that all you have to do is accept Jesus as your personal saviour and you will be instantly transformed. The writer of the article expresses some envy over this notion because it seems to imply that there is no work involved in the born again christian world. Well I know from my own experience that this seems to be a misunderstanding not only of those who profess the born again faith but also of those looking in from the outside. I think it is quite plain that no change will happen if you don’t hold your mind in check. 

More and more I think the notion of being born again, being saved etc. is not unlike the belief that buddhists have about being enlightened. Apparently when you do awake you realize you were always awake, that you have buddha nature. Attachment to things is an obstacle to seeing your true essence. There are certainly obstacles for the christian who claims to be saved to realizing that salvation.      

 

Another Monday morning bus ride

Another Monday morning bus ride and I was able to think through some stuff about fear and group consciousness. I’m reading a good book by Derrick Sweet right now and one of the things I’m taking away from it is the idea of Japa meditation. I know Wayne Dyer has talked about this form of meditation as well and I remember thinking at the time that I was reading his The Power of Intention that it was similiar to buddhist teaching on transmission. When you do an initiation you visualize your guru as the buddha and also yourself as the buddha. So the japa meditation is familiar in that you see yourself doing the thing that you want to do. I am starting to use that form more actively now, starting this morning, on the bus!

In it for the brain…

People who meditate grow bigger brains than those who don’t. Researchers at Harvard, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found the first evidence that meditation can alter the physical structure of our brains. Brain scans they conducted reveal that experienced meditators boasted increased thickness in parts of the brain that deal with attention and processing sensory input.

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