May 16, 2005
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MONDAY BOOK
The Sutra on the Eight Realizations of the Great Beings
It’s a tiny book that sits on the shelf above me and when I’m feeling especially in need of a little guidance I take it down to remind myself of its gentle message. It’s so small you can read it here online. Thich Nhat Hanh (pronounced
tick-naught-han) provides the commentary to this version. He was only 16 when he joined the monkhood in Vietnam. Now he is 77 and one of the most popular Buddhist leaders in the world. He’s also a poet, a teacher and a master in Zen Buddhism, blending the Theravada and Mahayana traditions of an Eastern religion that dates back 2,500 years and emphasizes human transcendence over the traditional Western concept of God. He has built a worldwide reputation for his devotion to the pursuit of peace and his adherence to the spiritual practice of mindfulness. He was exiled from his native Vietnam decades ago for his anti-war efforts and now spends much of his time at his main monastery, called Plum Village, in southern France. Here is my own breakdown of the eight realizations:
1. Everything changes.
2. All pain comes from wanting something.
3. The simpler the better.
4. Spiritual growth takes work.
5. Pay attention with an open mind.
6. Practice generosity to everyone.
7. Let go and let god.
8. Be of service.
Deep Thought: “If you ever discover that what you’re seeing is a play within a play, just slow down, take a deep breath, and hold on for the ride of your life.”
Today I am grateful for: Mercy
Guess the Movie: “Look, I’ve read all the books. I know that in 10 years we’ll be bosom friends with the Germans and the Japanese. Then I’ll be pretty annoyed that I was killed. “ Answer: The Young Lions, 1958.
Winner: Silverthorn.
A Prayer for Our Persecutors
by John Dear
“Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43)
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:28)
A few weeks before he died in 2002, the great peace activist Philip Berrigan was asked what we could do about George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and the U.S. warmakers.
“We have to do two things,” he answered. “We have to pray for them and resist them.” (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: 8:46 pm
+ = My grandson, GeneralHog has just started his own blog.
- = Found the dead mouse stuck behind a bookcase today.
Comments (16)
These 8 steps could fit in with any religion. I like the simplicity of it. Is the movie “Seven Monkeys”?
No, darn it, think Marlon (instead of Brad) with very blond hair.
lovely post :>) Thank you.
Beautiful! I love his books too… xo
The Young Lions
Very good! The Young Lions it is!
I like the eight realizations.
I think we need to tell ourselves whatever it takes to make it through the day. I suppose those eight platitudes are as good a place to start as any.
I have read his realizations it is very powerful…
I like Buddhism.
What an inspiring list, i like what you are pointing to and the way you express “it”
As you say “the simpler the better” and i need to pay attention to that..
At the risk of complexity, do you mind me playing with #4 a bit? I dont take myself seriously…
4. Spiritual growth takes work…
would the substitution of”attention” for the word “work”, be anything more than a somantic distinction?
When I view what I am doing as work instead of play there is a subtle shift in consciousness that tends to draw me into unconscious projection into the future.
This viewpoint may be just my personal perspective.
“Attention” perhaps points to the energy of awareness directly; where as work in a sense is a flavor or quality of that attention…in the spritual sense..
In the more scientific sense of the word …work as force x distance could indeed accurately represent the energy focus of presence…
Words are fun and a good place to begin looking at the reality they seek to Re-”present”…
play as you will,
Doug
Human transcendence – what a wonderful concept.
Number two is pretty interesting to me. I’ve never looked at it that way, but a lot of things sure make sense after reading that. Great blog.
Beautiful!
I’m so happy we got to talk about spirituality so much; I’m glad you stretched and shared your views with me.
Long time gone–sorry! I love this post–I embrace some of Buddhism, loving the simplicity and awareness. I was going to suggest that you go see sherab zangmo’s site, but I see she has commented!
He is a wonderful author. Great things to say. Thanks for sharing this. :)