Surprises of humanity

BE HAPPY RIGHT NOW! The Dalai Lama by Dr. Richard Davidson

Published on Jan 29, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiY7qOPF_-U

A Buddhist triad

A Buddhist triad depicting, left to right, a Kushan, the future buddha Maitreya, Gautama Buddha, the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, and a Buddhist monk. 2nd—3rd century

The Happiest Year Ever

DHAMMA REFLECTION

     
The word happiness is perhaps the most beautiful word in any language. Everybody wants happiness and tries to get it by any means. Some think that happiness comes from wealth, others believe that it comes from beauty, and still there are others who think that power and position can create happiness. But experience has shown us that true happiness does not come from these things, because they are fraught with dangers like worry and anxiety. So, if we cannot find happiness in wealth, beauty, power and others, we must find it somewhere else.

Lessons From a Tibetan Buddhist Monk

by Adrien Field, The Huffington Post, Feb 9, 2016

Sikkim, India -- When I first met Lama Paljor in person, night had already fallen over the Kalimpong monastery and I was weary from the past nine hours of travel to reach the remote village in the Himalayan foothills.

I bent to touch his feet, as is customary when meeting elders and spiritual masters in India. He stopped me, laughing and embraced me in a hug instead. This simple gesture of warmth spoke grandly about the man with whom I was to spend the next three days.

I was introduced to Lama Paljor through TRAS, The Trans-Himalayan Aid Society, when I started my business Tibetan Socks one year ago and was looking for a children's education program to sponsor. Lama Paljor, through his private school, provides a free primary education to over a hundred children from the poorest families of his village in Sikkim.

How Sharon Salzberg Found Real Happiness

BY LINDSAY KYTE| FEBRUARY 5, 2016

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Facing her suffering head-on has made Sharon Salzberg one of today’s most relatable Buddhist teachers. Lindsay Kyte talks to Salzberg about her difficult life’s journey, establishing loving-kindness as a key practice in American Buddhism, and how we can all find real happiness.

Photo:Fabio Fillippi

Sharon Salzberg knows suffering. At age nine, she was dressed in her Halloween ballerina costume, watching Nat King Cole on television, when something went horribly wrong. Her mother started bleeding violently and was whisked away amid the panic of flashing ambulance lights. That was the last time Salzberg saw her mother, who died two weeks later.

Salzberg was sent to live with her grandparents, and when she was eleven her estranged father appeared—a troubled, dishevelled stranger who told her, “You have to be tough to survive life.” Six weeks later, he overdosed on sleeping pills, and for the second time, Salzberg watched her parent being rushed away by ambulance. Her father was never to function outside of the mental health system again.

The adults in her life never talked about loss or grief, and Salzberg learned that silence meant safety. Little did Salzberg know that someday, plunging into the heart of her suffering would be her greatest teacher—and make her the renowned Buddhist teacher she is today.

Leshan Giant Buddha

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Leshan Giant Buddha (simplified Chinese: 乐山大佛; traditional Chinese: 樂山大佛; pinyin: Lèshān Dàfó) is a 71-metre (233 ft) tall stone statue, built during the Tang Dynasty. It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet. It is the largest stone Buddha in the world and it is by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world.

The Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

Blue Eyes in Saffron Robes

Published on Jul 7, 2015

A video of daily life in Wat Pah Nanachat in 1979 but only recently released on Youtube. Includes Ajahn Jayasaro interviewed while still a novice. Also mentions a gas plant that uses "dung from the monks privy" designed by Physics graduate Ajahn Brahmavamso.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAH-joDeJ30

Three steps towards the total elimination of bad feelings

“…The Buddha taught three steps towards the total elimination of bad feelings. The first step is called dāna, which means charity. The second step we call sīla, which means keeping the precepts or abstaining from hurting other people and animals, other living beings.

The third step is what we call bhāvanā, which consists of two parts. The first part is samatha-bhāvanā, calming the mind by meditating, sitting, closing your eyes and concentrating on one object to stop your mind from thinking aimlessly.

After you have calmed your mind, it becomes peaceful and is then ready to learn the truth that the Buddha discovered. Because if you know the truth that the Buddha knew, then you can eliminate all of your bad feelings.

Speaking to the mother of a new monk

Tan Ajahn : For someone, to give up the worldly life is not easy. It takes a lot of effort, special effort, so I think you should be glad. You will be like the Buddha’s mother. There is nothing better in the world than Dhamma. Dhamma can help you from being affected by all forms of suffering. Nothing else in the world can help you, but will only make you suffer more. The more you have, the more suffering you will have, because of your attachment.

For example you have attachment to your son, so when he had to leave, you became very unhappy. But if you have wisdom, then instead of being unhappy, you will be very happy because you know that he is doing something great, something that very few people in the world can do. It’s greater than winning an Olympic gold medal, so you should really be proud of him.