A Remedy for Evil Thoughts

When the petty ego appears, do not be concerned with it. Simply ignore it. When a negative thought strikes you, acknowledge it, then drop it.

The Zen saying goes, “The occurrence of an evil thought is an affliction; not to continue it is the remedy.”

–Katsuki Sekida

I Am Reminded Why I Do Not Eat Meat

by a TGN member forwarded by Bhante Sathi

I was driving home today after a long week of tending my husband in the hospital. I saw movement on the road ahead and noticed a raccoon running frantically back and forth from the edge of the road to the middle of the road. As I drove closer I could see why. Her three little kits had been hit by a car. For a moment, all appeared flattened and dead.

She saw my approaching car (now greatly slowed down) and ran to safety in the ditch…then, looking at me, came running back to one of her babies. Now I saw something else as I got closer. The third kit was trying to right itself, pulling its shoulders up, supported by tiny front paws. This baby raccoon was alive, although its back end was run over. I have seen a dog in this condition and knew there was nothing I could do – although for a moment my heart felt very sore: should I try to capture it? No…I knew there was little hope.

The mother faced my car, frightened and purposeful at the same time. I drove past carefully wondering briefly what can I do, what can I do and then I knew: I stopped a bit further on to send Meta: May you be well, little one, may you be free from suffering, May you be at peace and at ease. I give you merits. Be at peace and at ease.

At least it felt like I was doing something. When I drove back in to town later, the third baby was missing from the road. I am sure that the mother picked it up and carried it off into the woods. It was a simple act, but tender. The mother had been ready to take on a car, frightened yet determined to save her remaining child.

Yet, as with all beings, she wanted to live…which is why she rushed back and forth out of harms way. The injured baby wanted to live…which is why it raised its little head off the roadway and attempted to pull itself upright.

This is why I do not eat meat. Every animal wants to live. It will run away from harm. Every animal has a mother who would sacrifice much, perhaps her life, to save the life of that child. When I look at a cow I remember the mother Angus who took my uncle down and stomped him into the ground because he came too close to her calf. Perhaps some people would hate the cow for that, but I saw her act as bravery, to go up against the all-powerful “human gods” to protect the calf you love. She took a great risk, and in the end, that risk of protecting her calf cost her her own life. For some, “love” may be too strong a word to associate with animals. But I am reminded, today, that I am not so separate from the animals who are not human, and why I do not eat meat.

Please check out the TGN calendar for upcoming events

Please be sure to visit the TGN website for all upcoming retreats, meditation sessions and social events happening from Minneapolis to Mankato.

Buddhists take protest to the streets! Obama kills a fly

This one is hard to resist. Obama kills a fly during an interview on CNBC. Many of you have seen this as it is all over the news , but I love the second video from the fly's perspective.

Is it like deja vu all over again?

This video post is from Bhante. It is the story of a two year old boy who has vivid memories of a past life as a World War Two fighter pilot. His parents claim he has in depth knowledge of fighter planes from that era. Through research they believe their son, who is now seven, is the reincarnation of James M Huston who they claim their son gave vivid and detailed information about this man's life.

Decide for yourself whether this claim is true or false. The interviewer doesn't ask any hard questions to the family, he just goes with it.

click on this link to watch the video: Reincarnated WWII Fighter Pilot?

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What I did when I fell out of practice

For a while I found myself devoting very little time to practice. I don't know why, perhaps I was trying to do too many things in a day while balancing work, family and running a house. In other words, I made it a low priority.

Eventually I asked myself, why is meditation so low on the priority list? Since the benefits of calmness, insight and a clear mind are so important why am I not starting my day this way and treating it as the number one priority that it is.

I knew I was feeling a tad uninspired. The ritual of sitting became just that- a ritual. It was ordinary and had lost it's sense of freshness and adventure. I then realized that making some slight changes in my routine could make a world of difference.

First I tried walking meditation, and that helped but it didn't excite me enough to get me in a daily routine again. Then I tried getting up earlier in the morning but my kids would hear me and then they'd get up. No good.

Finally, I found some incense sticks given to me and I tried that. It worked!

It put me in the mood, gave me a good vibe and the burning scent held my concentration for an entire 30 minute sit. It seemed like the scent was cleaning the air and setting the stage for a positive frame of mind.

Plus the scent lingers in the house all day which is a pleasant reminder that I meditated today and to remember to stay in the present moment.

If others would like to post their own "best practices" on how they stay on the cushion please feel free to click on the "comment" tab below.

Be happy and well

Happy Friday. Enjoy this video

Finally, the answer to our life long question:

Does Life suck?

Karma and natural disasters

Below is an excerpt from a Harvard Radcliffe fellow and engineer, Thrish Nanayakkara. He is working on a "robot fish" that swims in the ocean and gathers data that analyzes changes that can alert scientists about changing marine conditionsthat includes predicting tsunamis and earthquakes.

Why am I writing this here? Thrish's idea came after the Tsunami devastation that hit the South East Asia. While helping in the relief effort in Sri Lanka Thrish was questioning how Bad Karma could ruin so many lives at once. It all seemd so random. He then met a monk who answered his question. Below is an excerpt from Thrish's book titled, "Devi."

“I cannot understand why this happened. Can Karma be the
cause? No, it cannot be because this many people could not have
had the same bad Karma. I saw bodies of babies stuck in the woods.
What sin could cause such Karma?”

“Well,” the monk began, “according to Dharma, anything in
this nature is an effect of a process that starts with a set of causes
and conditions. The effects of one process can work as the causes
and conditions of another process. Thus it can go like a chain.”

He paused and then continued, “There are five sets of laws that govern the conversion of
these causes and conditions to effects.”

“There is a set of laws governing the changes in
matter and movements of matter.

There is another set of laws that governs seasonal changes, weather conditions and other effects caused by planetary movements. The movements of continental
plates might also fall into that set of laws.

There is a third set of laws that governs the growth of organic bodies based on genetic
substrates and other organic reactions.

There is a fourth set of laws that governs dynamic reactions in the mind.

The last set of laws governs the working of Karma, those unseen forces that relate
effects experienced now to deeds and thoughts of the past.”

He went on to say, “Any effect can be a result of many causes
and conditions working under one or more of these sets of laws at
any given time.”