Present moment
May 23rd, 2009 • Life • No comments
Almost every night of his life, my son and I read a story together. As I read tonight laying next to him, I glanced over and saw that he was asleep. It had been a while since that had happened, less and less frequent the older he gets. So I continued to read to the end of the page, ensuring he was sound asleep.
Then I just watched him sleep. There really is nothing quite like watching your child sleep. Such an amazing example of being in the present moment. Knowing they fell alseep without a worry or care, in absolute security and comfort.
the best gift ever
May 2nd, 2009 • Life • No comments
On April 2nd, I turned 35. I had taken the day off so I could spend it with two of the most important people in my world. Dawn and Ian.
Dawn is lucky enough to be able to help at Ian’s school once a week; something I had been wanting to do. She mentioned it to the little man’s teacher the week before and they were able to make arrangements for me to go in and help on my birthday. So much fun!!! We got to help the teacher with tasks in the classroom, then, when we were done we were able to go in and watch a special science assembly they had. Half way through the presenter had all the kids stand up to do ‘the twist’ as a demonstration of getting the heart moving, and of course the teachers and parents had to dance along as well. His teacher giggled and asked “I bet you didn’t think you’d be doing this today”. I answered by telling her how much fun I was having. Once we got back into the classroom she went over a lesson by asking kids about their special assignment they had done the night before. After picking three kids that did not know the answer to the question, she picked Ian - who of course knew the answer!! So proud of him!
Later, we got to go spend the day at Disneyland as a family. Star Tours was my ride of choice (of course) and we had a blast all day.
But, before we left in the morning, my son handed me this card. Momma said he wrote it on his own without any help….. and yes, I’m not afraid to admit, a tear ran down my cheek.
……What a perfect gift to receive, I am the richest man in the world.
(more picks from the day here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindonly/sets/72157616490599968/)
Meditation: A simple starting point
December 13th, 2008 • Buddhism • 3 comments
Recently, my little sister asked for some basic instruction on how she could begin meditating. I wrote up a simple how-to about it, and sent it off to her. I also put out a little Twitter update stating I wrote one up and IntegralChaotic, a friend on Twitter, said they would be interested to read it. So, I have added it here as well.
Keep in mind, this is a very basic starting point. Much more detail can be put into a how-to of meditation, but I’ve always found this is a good place to start. And, even if you have meditated for years and get out of practice, this is a good beginning point.
If you would like to start - try this for 15 minutes:
- sit (this could be on the floor, or on a chair [to start with])
- keep your back straight, like you are holding the ceiling with the top of your head (but don’t over do it, you want to be comfortable)
- let your eyelids relax a little, not closed, but relaxed.
- rest your hands together in your lap
- breathe in slowly
- breathe out slowly
- clear your mind. (believe it or not, this is the hardest thing to do.)
an easy way to start is counting your breath. This is one of the basics, and to me, one of the best ways to start. To do so, you would inhale, then count the exhale. Inhale, then count the exhale. A full in, then out would be 1 cycle. Next full in, then out would be 2. I’ve found that with my relaxed breathing, when I count my breath to 100, approximately 15 minutes have gone by. So, not only does the counting help with timing your 15 minutes, it also helps you clear your mind. If you are concentrating on breathing and counting, and nothing else, the mind is therefore nearly clear. 
I am always open to additions, comments, and any replies. May it be helpful to you…
…joining palms
My thoughts on being a vegetarian.
December 12th, 2008 • Buddhism • 2 comments
The following is a comment I left on DailyBuddhism.com in response to his question: To Meat or Not to Meat?
These are just my own thoughts - I would love to know your thoughts as well.
—-
For me, I believe it boils down to the teaching of ’skillful means’ as well as ‘intention’.
Intention:
If you kill an animal just to eat it, or, if it is killed specifically for your meal, I feel it to go somewhat against the 1st Precept of No Killing. I have vowed to try and live by the 5 Precepts.
Skillful means:
This is where it would be permissible, according to my view of the Dharma. But, it is also where one must ask themselves what their own life dictates. Example: A monastic that sustains their life from alms, would likely do so by using what is offered. Sometimes meat would be offered. Also, monastics that live in certain areas of the world would have a harder time sustaining a vegetarian lifestyle. Just a reality of this world.
I happen to live in Southern California - it is quite simple and accessible to live a vegetarian lifestyle. Therefore, my skillful means allow me to be a vegetarian. However, when I travel, I do find it difficult in some areas. (When I traveled to New Orleans again years ago after becoming a vegetarian, we’ll just say I ate a lot of bread, salad, and cheese pizza. hahaha)
I have also taken Bodhisattva vows for this lifetime. In doing so, I find it important for my path to work as hard as possible to keep a compassionate mind. I cannot do so by sustaining my own life from the suffering and killing of other sentient beings. This keeps me being a vegetarian.
Now, having said all that, both my wife and my son do eat meat. This is something I cannot and will not change. It is a decision each individual must make on their own. The path of Buddhism does not prosper by forcing others into one’s own way of thinking, but rather through living a life of compassion and helping others either through actions or examples.
….joining palms.
Twitter: Followers, Guy, and a goofy avatar
November 10th, 2008 • Life, tech • No comments
As time goes on, I continue to use Twitter more and more. One thing what had always come to mind is getting more followers. It’s an interesting issue to consider.
Today I recieved a direct message from Guy Kawasaki requesting permission to use my avatar as an example in a blog post. This was great! (those unfamiliar, see his site, as well as the Wikipedia page about him). I replied as quick as I could letting him know I considered it an honor.
A little while later, I saw the following message come through:
Twitter / Guy Kawasaki: Looking for Mr. Goodtweet: …, originally uploaded by mindonly.
..which links to the following entry on his blog:
Looking for Mr. Goodtweet: How to Pick Up Followers on Twitter
(you’ll see my goofy face under “Tip 3: Create an effective avatar.“)
That was a great surprise and an excellent way to start the week. The article is well written and gives quite a few important points in getting more followers. I can say they work too, I’ve just begun following the advice Guy writes about and already have additional followers.
This has also got me thinking more about ‘personal branding’. A lot. I believe how I conduct myself online is respectable, I’ve tried to keep that in mind for most things I post. I’m sure a few things have slipped through, but we are human aren’t we. What this has done, is given me ideas to go forward and find if I have a ‘niche’, an area I can explore and work on based on my life experiences. And of course, I see the potential need for additional domains, though we’ll see about that.
Watch this space.
