The Oneness Of Humanity!

I am deeply saddened by the extreme suffering of those who have been affected by the bush fires around the country. It is always in these times of adversity that communities bond together and people offer their generosity and compassion.

I think this quote from His Holiness puts into perspective how we can change our perspective on the interconnectedness we share, not just in these times of tragedy but also in our everyday lives. We have to consider that our actions and circumstances may affect others without our knowing and we should be considerate and mindful of our actions, this is "universal responsibility".

" As human beings, we are all the same. So there is no need to build some kind of artificial barrier between us. At least my own experience is that if you have this kind of attitude, there is no barrier. Whatever I feel, I can express; I can call you 'my old friend'. There is nothing to hide, and no need to say things in a way that is not straightforward. So this gives me a kind of space in my mind, with the result that I do not have to be suspicious of others all the time. And this really gives me inner satisfaction, and inner peace.

So I call this feeling a 'genuine realization of the oneness of the whole of humanity'. We are all members of one human family. I think that this understanding is very important, especially now that the world is becoming smaller and smaller. In ancient times, even in a small village, people were able to exist more or less independently. There was not so much need for others' co-operation. These days, the economic structure has completely changed, so that modern economies, relying on industry, are totally different. We are heavily dependent on one another, and also as a result of mass communication, the barriers of the past are greatly reduced. Today, because of the complexity of interdependence, every crisis on this planet is essentially related with every other, like a chain reaction. Consequently it is worthwhile taking every crisis as a global one. Here barriers such as 'this nation' or 'that nation', 'this continent', or 'that continent' are simply obstacles. Therefore today, for the future of the human race, it is more important than ever before that we develop a genuine sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. I usually call this a sense of 'universal responsibility'. "

--from Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection by the Dalai Lama, translated by Thupten Jinpa and Richard Barron, Foreword by Sogyal Rinpoche, edited by Patrick Gaffney, published by Snow Lion Publications

Go Organic!

Not difficult to believe that a recent UN report said that organic communal farming could easily solve the current world food shortages.
It says, " Organic farming can often lead to polarised views, with some viewing it as a saviour and others as a niche product or something of a luxury... this report suggests it could make a serious contribution to tackling poverty and food insecurity. "

And what about the suggestion that in these times of "economic crisis" the alternative could be a system of community-based credit exchange which had its roots during the Great Depression.
" The medium of exchange could be anything, as long as everyone who uses it trusts that everyone else will recognise its value. "

If we could build organic communities based around communal farming and alternative monetary systems we'd probably be living a Marxist ideal or something near enough but surely the time is coming for a lifestyle revolution on a grand scale which makes living without corporate greed a workable reality, an organic process.

Should we need money for food and consumer items then let's trade!

Room For Change!

" There is often a big disparity between the way we perceive things and the way things really are.
For instance, when we see an object we think, 'Oh, this is the very same object which I saw two days ago.'
This is a very crude way of talking about reality. What is actually happening here is a kind of a conflation between an image or a concept of an entity and the actual reality of the moment. In reality, the object or entity that we are perceiving has already gone through a lot of stages.
It is dynamic, it is transient, it is momentary, so the object that we are perceiving now is not the same as the one we perceived a day ago or two days ago, but we have the impression that we are perceiving the very same thing because what we are doing is conflating our concept of that object and the actual object.
By grasping for permanence, we cause things to appear to us differently than how they actually exist. "

" It is vital to leave a lot of room for change in one's relations to another person. Change comes about in times of transition, allowing love actually to ripen and expand. Then one is able to really know the other one--to see that person with their faults and weaknesses and going through change, a human being like oneself. Only at this stage can there be true love. "

-The Dalai Lama

-from Impermanence: Embracing Change by David Hodge and Hi-Jin Kang Hodge, published by Snow Lion Publications

The Shoes Have It!

Can you believe that just as a statue is erected to that Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush, the Iraq government has ordered it taken down. Must be a payback for all the "good" that Bush perpetrated against the good people of Iraq.

Apparently the shoe guy has become a cult figure to these people who have suffered so much since their "liberation" and to those in the Arab world who have suffered through US foreign policy over the years.

Let's trust that Obama can embrace the spirit of the shoes and have a positive influence on the lives of people he doesn't know.

Being a student of history and the black leaders of the past he may already be following the words of his hero,

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., speaking to his congregation in Montgomery, Alabama, who said:

" I think the first reason that we should love our enemies...is this: that hate for hate
only intensifies the existence of hate and evil in the universe. If I hit you and you hit
me and I hit you back and you hit me back and go on, you see, that goes on ad infinitum.
It just never ends. Somewhere somebody must have a little sense, and that's the strong
person. The strong person is the person who can cut off the chain of hate, the chain of
evil... Somebody must have religion enough and morality enough to cut it off, and inject
within the very structure of the universe that strong and powerful element of love. "

- "Loving Your Enemies" 17 November 1957

It Is Said!

" It is said that if you want to know what you were doing in the past,

Look at your body now;

If you want to know what will happen to you in the future,

Look at what your mind is doing now. "

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

The Sense World!

" Superficial observation of the sense world might lead you to believe that people’s problems are different, but if you check more deeply, you will see that fundamentally, they are the same. What makes people’s problems appear unique is their different interpretation of their experiences. "

–Lama Thubten Yeshe.

What I really take from this quote of the great teacher Lama Yeshe is that we suffer more from our perception than from the reality of our experiences. Each person has a commonality in the nature of their suffering though individually they feel unique.

Being An Ox Myself!

Being an Ox myself it is with great anticipation that I approach this New Chinese Year with great anticipation of what's in store!

Armchair Of Emotions!

What an armchair of emotions it is that His Holiness rides in stating his case for the Middle Way approach to negotiating with China. It is true to his amazing compassion and honesty that he could deliver a sincere message such as this for the Chinese New Year.

“ On the occasion of the Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, I extend my affectionate greetings to all our Chinese brothers and sisters across the globe, including those living in Mainland China.

The past year witnessed many developments throughout the world and particularly in China, at times worrying us while at other times filling our hearts with happiness. Besides having to bear the brunt of natural disasters and other problems that hit the country, China also had the proud moments like hosting the world’s greatest sporting event, the Olympic Games. The year that ended is, therefore, marked with great changes taking place everywhere.

These days, due to the global economic meltdown, the people of the world in general, and of the developing countries in particular, are plunged into an abyss of anxiety and suffering. To pray for the end of all sufferings of humanity, as well as for their happiness and well-being, is a responsibility that rests on all believers.

Besides having a long history of over 5000 years and a splendidly rich cultural heritage, China is also the most populous nation in the world. Moreover, it is emerging as a super power in terms of political, economic and military might. However, China cannot perform the responsibility of a super power in this modern and progressive world if there is no freedom, rule of law and transparency in the country.

President Hu Jintao’s policy of creating a harmonious society is indeed laudable. Such a policy is indispensable for China as well, if it were to make a mark globally. Harmonious society should, however, come about through mutual trust, friendship and justice. It cannot be brought about by brute force and autocracy.

Not only should the Chinese citizens have economic facilities, but they should also enjoy the freedom of conscience, education and to know what is actually happening around the world. These freedoms are indispensable for human societies. If - in this fast-changing modern world - one does not keep abreast of the daily happenings around the globe, then it goes without saying that one will be naturally left behind. In China today, popular news outlets such as television, radio and Internet - including the international news services like the BBC and CNN are blocked - thus preventing its people from knowing the true information about the world’s events. I am immensely disappointed by such negative actions of the Chinese government, which greatly hamper the fundamental rights as well as the short and long-term benefits of the Chinese people.

The 21st century is regarded as a century of information revolution. And yet some countries of the world, which includes China, impose restrictions on the free flow of information. Such actions are anachronistic and hence there is no way that these can be sustained in the long run. Therefore, I believe that China too will soon become more liberal in terms of disseminating and sharing information.

Last year, many Chinese intellectuals came out with a number of articles and other campaign activities, calling for freedom, democracy, justice, equality and human rights in China. Particularly in a recent development, we saw an increasing number of people from all walks of life signing up to an important document called the Charter ‘08. This is indicative of the fact that the Chinese people, including the intellectuals, are beginning to demonstrate their deep yearnings for more openness and freedom in their country. It is, therefore, a matter for all of us to take pride in.

While once again extending my warm greetings to the Chinese people, I hope and pray that in the coming year the People’s Republic of China will be able to create a meaningful harmonious society by ensuring equality, justice and friendship among all its nationalities. ”

The Dalai Lama
25 January 2009

Dispel Dualistic Thinking!

" Even though supreme awareness is the basic nature of reality, because we do not realize this, as sentient beings we develop dualistic thinking. We start making distinctions between subject and object, near and far, and so forth, and then we cling to those as real. The twelve links of interdependence arise, and, beginning with ignorance, we develop the notions of "me" and "mine," and all sorts of deluded thinking. The great master Chandrakirti taught that you begin by clinging to the ego, then you cling to "what is mine," then to "what is other," such that there is an ongoing state of delusion. Due to clinging, our habitual patterns become stronger and stronger, and all our conceptions become regimented and solid.

In order to dispel ignorance and dualistic thinking, Vajrakilaya arises in a wrathful form. The wrath of Vajrakilaya is not the wrath of anger or jealousy; it is the wrath that destroys anger and jealousy. It is not like being angry with enemies and being attached to friends. This wrath is totally based upon great compassion. Directed toward duality, ego-clinging, grasping, and ignorance, Vajrakilaya's anger demolishes the causes of delusion throughout the six realms. Since it is based on immeasurable loving-kindness and immeasurable compassion, it is known as the phurba of immeasurable compassion.

To apply this phurba in a practical way, rather than becoming angry toward external situations, we begin by feeling great compassion for sentient beings. Then we start working with our own emotions to demolish ignorance, attachment, anger, jealousy, pride, fear, and doubts. We remove these emotions according to the way we interact with the world. At the same time, we expand our compassion for all beings in the six realms. "

from The Dark Red Amulet: Oral Instructions on the Practice of Vajrakilaya by Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche.

Heat and Politics!

“Genius is present in every age, but the men carrying it within them remain benumbed unless extraordinary events occur to heat up and melt the mass so that it flows forth.”
Denis Diderot quotes (French man of letters and philosopher, 1713-1784)

“In political discussion heat is in inverse proportion to knowledge.”

The concept of Heat and Politics is certainly topical, considering the critical decisions that get made in the heat of the moment, wars in the Middle East for example.
It seems on a world level that knowledge equates to diplomacy and heat fuels ignorance though having said that could ignorance and diplomacy be two sides of the same humanitarian coin!

We are truly living in an extraordinary age but is the tide of daily events too much even for those whose genius could stem this tide, after all the leaders of the world are only human.

Even if people are averse to the cut and thrust of politics and the heat that it generates, it is our collective duty to use what personal resources we have, be they intellectual or material, to change the society around us, we are "the mass that flows forth" and we can hold the decision makers to account.

The concept of "Global Warming" is an environmental reality but also intensifies on a human level as conflict continues in spite of the evidence that anger, hate, ignorance and violence are destructive forces which continue to test the human spirit beyond its capacity to endure.