Everyday Lessons

The other day I was searching on the Internet on sufferring and I found this on buddhanet.net SUFFERING AND SELF-VIEW It is important to reflect upon the phrasing of the First Noble Truth. It is phrased in a very clear way: "There is suffering", rather than "I suffer". Psychologically, that reflection is a much more skilful way to put it. We tend to interpret our suffering as "I’m really suffering. I suffer a lot - and I don’t want to suffer." This is the way our thinking mind is conditioned. "I am suffering" always conveys the sense of "I am somebody who is suffering a lot. This suffering is mine; I’ve had a lot of suffering in my life." Then the whole process, the association with one’s self and one’s memory, takes off. You remember what happened when you were a baby...and so on. But note, we are not saying there is someone who has suffering. It is not personal suffering anymore when we see it as "There is suffering". It is ...

When we are going through a bad phase and are suffering, we often ask the question "why me?". I also asked the same question for Nancy when I heard that most likely she is going to have a miscarriage. I was so distressed and I kept asking as to why is it always have to be Nancy? We (myself,zina and nancy) were born in the same family but why is that Nancy has had to struggle for every small thing in life while I have had everything in a platter?!! And then I thought about Simi, who lost her children in Tsunami...she and her husband were escaping and had held their children very strongly but they couldn't hold them strong enough and lost both their children...what could be a bigger tragedy than this?? I still don't have the answer to my previous question but I do have a lot of gratitude for so many things that have worked out for me and for Zina and for Nancy. I also have a lot of prayers for Nancy and her new born daughter, who is fighting so many odds and is hanging ...

12 Signs of A Spiritual Awakening 1. An increased tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen. 2. Frequent attacks of smiling. 3. Feelings of being connected with others and nature. 4. Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation. 5. A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fears based on past experience. 6. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment. 7. A loss of ability to worry. 8. A loss of interest in conflict. 9. A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others. 10. A loss of interest in judging others. 11. A loss of interest in judging self. 12. Gaining the ability to love without expecting anything in return. – Author unknown