What is it that you use to come back to your real Self, to the present moment?
Knowledge without love is as useful as a bunch of dry tea leaves. When Knowledge is brewed with compassion, a most delicious nectar ensues. Without service however, who is there to share the tea with?
A disciple tells his Master "I can keep all the precepts except for drinking"
The master replied "Ok, then, you can keep drinking, just remember always that Buddah's mother is always at the bottom of the drinking glass"
The name of Buddha's mother is Maya, or delusion & attachment.
While learning to dance, whenever someone would offer a criticism this feeling of shenpa would arise. Lately, a new strategy works really well, just accept what is being said, whether it's true or not. Resisting does not help.
Pessimism is a way of trying to cope with negative trigger.
Sometimes I notice that I've become attached to not being attached.
When skiing, one can really lose themselves, their identifications in the silence and beauty.
Practicing mental silence is the best way I've found to bring myself to the moment.
Marcus Oberlis(?) "Anger cannot be dishonest"
The blissful feelings after meditation can also cause a reaction of shenpa, reacting in an attempt to chase those feelings and run away from other life situations.
Getting offended is somewhat useless, because if someone criticizes you and it is true, then that is a good thing. If they are wrong, then what is there to get stressed about?
Often when this feeling of Shenpa arises, I see within myself both great good and also a monstorous side. In many ways seeing both these sides is what leads to the feeling of Shenpa, knowing that there is a chance that I may choose to act from the negative aspect of who I am.
"Feeling temptation is not a sin, it's following the temptation which gets you in trouble" Paramahansa Yogananda
Sometimes negative reactions are helpful, in the sense that after suffering them you can get the strong resolve to finally do something about it. When a rocket takes off, at each stage a bunch of fuel is burnt and let go until it reaches orbit. Likewise, we can use these feelings as fuel for our own take-off.
My friend likes to play a game, it's called "It could be worse ..." .. whenever I'm upset, she will make me list so many ways of how my life could be worse.
Another friend repeats often "Things are never as good or as bad as they seem"
On Jun 12, 2006 Yaniv wrote :