To the New Year...

By Vichara

The year is coming to an end and we have exchanged gifts with affection and gratitude. There has been joy and sadness with those that we reconnected with those that have left us. With the flipping over of the calendar we all have both excitement and apprehension. Use that space in between those two to plant the seeds of potential in compassion, love and patience. From here no matter where the road takes it will be well grounded. Let me give you one last gift for the holiday season to take with you to the New Year. “Death” is inescapable, it will come regardless but at the same time “Life” is inescapable as well. Don’t waste it on the past that cannot be changed, use it for the future and what you can do to change the world around you for the better.

Shedding the trivial...

By Vichara

The body regenerates 50 trillion cells everyday. Your body therefore in this process has changed into virtually a new person. Given this fact we all have an opportunity to use this similar process to shed those things unimportant and trivial just as our bodies shed unnecessary cells in it’s natural process of change. Change happens…it’s a good thing, embrace it.

The sycamore...

By Vichara

Outside my window where I “sit” is a very tall sycamore tree. It stands perhaps close to 100 feet tall and when its leaves are full it provides a welcome cool canopy in the summers heat. At this time of the year with it’s branches thinned with the winter months it has become a meeting place for several bird species on their way to wherever their feeding needs take them. Each morning for the past few days an impressive group of Mitred and Red-Masked Parakeets, perhaps around 75 have been confabbing in the sycamore, squawking away in the early hours. Along with this noisy group I have seen 2 beautiful Bridled Titmouse swooping from branch to branch. Finches stop by as well, Western Wood Pee-Wee flycatchers too and a host of others like Berwicks, sparrows, morning doves and occasionally I will see the massive wingspan of the Cooper’s hawk. Even though there are many breeds the sycamore tree provides a haven for them all. Perhaps we as humans need a sycamore for our daily journey.

A new approach...

By Vichara

We can judge a person for the past but they are already different in the present. Like a river ever moving forward individuals meld and change according to circumstances. Some of these changes can be profound and dramatically change a person’s life. So by having preconceived judgments of others only keeps yourself back. Instead try to approach each situation and each individual in the moment. Listen with new ears and process with love, compassion and patience.

The other 364 days...

By Vichara

While we all in one way or another end this part of the year where the act of giving to others caps off and resolves one year, let’s not forget the other 364 days of the year. Yes, it is wonderful to celebrate but why not shake things up and pick a random date sometime next year that you give something to that food bank, help with a kid’s group, assist in a senior’s center or any number of things to help someone else. Then when that date approaches, pick another one randomly and do something else. You see where this is going right? Building a foundation of compassion that is just not celebrated in December but gradually in each month for not only others but yourself as well.

Merry Ho Ho Ho to you...

By Vichara

Merry Ho Ho Ho to all of you. It is early Christmas eve here on the west coast but it's officially Christmas day for some of you. Things are a lot different since we were kids and since we have lost some of our friends that gave Christmas a bit more meaning we feel a sense of sadness. While we miss those that have departed here we still have each other even though we are many miles from each other. And while we are miles from each other we must recognize that the miles are simply an archaic measurement and have no bearing on the bond that we have as compassionate souls. One of my many hopes is that the enhanced compassion and sense of giving is not restricted to just one day or a few days at the end of December but will make it's way into the fabric of our daily lives and can be indelibly incorporated into all acts that we do. I know it’s a lot to ask but let's just try.

Steps forward...

By Vichara

It seems even more so these days we need to reach out farther with our hearts. Perhaps it’s that the images and TV news can go deeper and retrieve that which has never been seen before or our cognitive abilities have grown more sensitive. Regardless of how it’s presence is brought to our attention it is there and we need to make a choice. We can process what we see through the lens of indignation and see the injustices but just be reactionary without results. Look through the lens of indifference and remain in a state of apathy and on the fence of indecision or process through the lens of inspiration “see” what is there and needed and make steps forward to help change happen for the good. Even if they are small steps of assistance at least they are steps forward…with a clearer vision.

Each step...

By Vichara

We’ve grown up and become adults and the playground just got bigger. We argue and laugh, just like we did when we did as kids in the park but now it is bigger, more sophisticated and deadlier. This is not a video game. When you pull the trigger, the bullet can’t be pulled back. You can’t re-set the game. The words unleashed, will make it’s mark. The cause will have its effect, the action a reaction. Choose from a more meaningful armament. Walk softly but carry a big heart, conscious of how it leaves it’s mark.

Happiness...

By Vichara

If you could be anywhere elsewhere would it be? Possibly what year would it be? Or even what universe? Regardless of where or when it may be I would bet good money that the common element that all of us share is that we want happiness. And I would double down on the bet that it would not be an ephemeral happiness but you all would want a much more longer lasting, deep happiness. We all know from the reminders in this forum that all is impermanent. It is after all, the first of the 4 Noble Truths. But there are ways to be happy but you will not find it in the acquisition of objects or in chemical or alcohol diversions. They after all are all again, impermanent. Unhappiness comes from our desire and craving for things that are well…impermanent. Because when they don’t last, which all things don’t, we are sad. End the unhappiness by eliminating the desires and craving you have for things impermanent and enjoy the moments of happiness as they pass by like clouds. Be “present” with openness for happiness to reach you, be felt by you and pass on its way to be felt by someone else.

It is yours...

By Vichara

If it has not been written, it cannot be said. If it has not been said, it can’t be written. Somewhere in between is the thought that can change the world or change the course of hearts. It is the rise in the road where the vista that has not been seen before reveals itself before one and the many. Be calm, be thankful and be aware that it has been given to each one of us. It is our rights, our destiny and our inheritance for the next traveler. All of this is yours and cannot be taken away but you personally have an obligation not to turn away when this comes. Write it down, speak it out loud, and engrave it in your heart. Share it for it’s your legacy no matter how trivial you make think it is. It is your “thought” that will unfold and inspire.

Even in a small way...

By Vichara

Regardless of your position in life, your status amongst the rich and famous, the powerful and meek, we are all comprised of exact chemical combination to produce this thinking, talking humanoid being. Some will abuse this presence while in their lifetime and others will ignite the compassionate elements and try to leave this world a little bit better. Face it; we will all die at some point. Wouldn’t you want to use this small amount of time that has been given to you to make a difference in the world? Even in a small, unselfish way? It’s up to you.

Seeds of the past...

By Vichara

”The seeds of the past are the fruits of the future”. We have all heard “you have good karma” or “oh, that’s just bad karma”. Buddhism teaches that wherever you are now that is created by our previous choices, creating a sort of cosmic justice. If you have done good things then good things happen and if you have done bad things, well…you know. Take a moment to reflect on the good and bad choices that you made. What can you learn from these previous situations? What seeds have you created and what fruit will they produce in the future? Nobody likes to see weeds growing in their garden so endeavor not to plant these seeds in your garden or anyone else’s garden. Karma is not just something that will take time to effect us it can also be immediate. So be careful of the seeds you produce and keep your “garden” free from weeds.

So much, with so little...

By Vichara

We need so little, but want so much. We speak so much, but have so little to say. We can travel so far, but get much further just where we are. The pitfalls and pleasures of bring able to live in a time and place where opportunities and “things” are in abundance for those that can find the means and ways to obtain and can acquire. We revel in these items with their cleverness and ingenuity and even believe that we could not live without them. So many things, so much noise designed for a vision of someone we believe we are but this vision of ourselves is so far in the distance, we can never catch up with it. For those who want to, stop, pull back the reins a bit of perceived need and instead of using 10 things to get through a day, use 1 and use it well. Instead of speaking volumes without great substance, speak less but with clarity and compassion.

The Present is here, now!...

By Vichara

Move aside “Future”, step to the back “Past”, make room the “Present” is here! For a limited time only…right now…and again…right now, the Present is here. It is jealous and yet indifferent. It wants you to experience its presence but will move forward if you insist in languishing with its siblings, Future and Past. They will indulge your ego by allowing you to think of what has happened and what may happen but the Present will not lure you with false pretenses. It gives you only now with all it’s vivid colors and sounds. So it’s up to you, you can retreat to a time that has already happened or flutter in a future that may not happen or hang out with the cool crowd that’s happening right now…in the Present.

3-D perception...

By Vichara

Everything will be measured by the weight of your heart. If the capacity you hold is small you will be limited in how much you will receive and dispense. If you keep a guarded, yet expansive heart the vistas you witness will reach beyond the peripheral to a whole new realm. Sort of like your own 3-D movie, except this one you can reach out and actually touch it.

Three essentials...

By Vichara

We all just want to be love, honored and respected. Love, to feel an emotional connection and actually know that someone cares. Honored, to know that our presence here is not taken frivolously. And respected that our words and deeds have merit, not for self-glory but for the benefit of others. Of course these three cornerstones will not be present unless you are engaged outside yourself with the world and not hidden both emotionally and physically. While one of these is possible the other is difficult considering where the majority of us live. Take this fact that you must physically engage as the first step and with each interaction temper all that you do with a deep sense of compassion. The results will be what we all seek love, honor and respect.

A conscious step forward...

By Vichara

There is no automatic entitlement in this life. Even the act of our first breath is dependent on our shear will to live and draw in the air that will initiate this life outside of the womb. From that point in your developed skills, knowledge and tenacity will function as the catalyst for change and growth until your last breath. With every inhale you take there is also an exhale and with every thought there is a conscious decision made for each circumstance. Unlike animals, which act of out instinct and survival, hopefully the decisions you make today are tempered by love and compassion.

Open shores...

By Vichara

You are an island, a collective of senses, tasks, emotions and declaratives. A mass of energies that will astound you with their depth and resourcefulness if…you grant them space, serenity and compassionate support to develop and create your own personal language that could not only guide your heart but for those around you as well. Keep the waters of love, communication and openness free from hindrances and obstacles. Build a channel of shared knowledge that can support and elevate each other. Retain dams and obstacles and you perpetuate selfishness and isolationist attitudes. Yes celebrate the unique quality of being your own island but share in its strength, beauty, knowledge and open shores of communication.

Escapism...

By Vichara

Escapism is subjective. One man’s heaven can be another man’s hell. By various means we can try to alleviate the turmoil that can sometimes spin out of control around us. For every person there is a means and a way, drugs, alcohol, sex, spending, sports, gambling, etc. These are but a few means at our disposal. For every degree of turmoil, there is perceived to be a degree of escapism that can soothe or temper what is invading our lives. There is no invasion, there is no personal attack, there is no vindictive cause, it is just “life” unfolding in all it’s colorful majesty. It is not escapism that will change things; it is equanimity in your acceptance of these events that will quell the storm clouds. Not a resigned acceptance but one of pragmatism and resolve to see things as they are and accept the answers and solutions no matter what they are.

The Truths...

By Vichara

What truth will work for you today? One will appear and if it feels right there will not be a need to fortify it with a foundation of words, deeds or actions. If it is an essential truth it will stand up on it’s own and act as a guidepost / marker to the next phase of your journey. The key will be of course having the sensibility to recognize a truth when it appears and that is an intuitive skill that everyone has but will get masked by self-deception and indulgence. If you can break free of some of these delusions, the clarity of your vision will become clearer. The recognizing of basic but profound truths will appear effortlessly without a struggle and the path becomes clearer. Give up the struggle and your understanding becomes clearer.

Not just ordinary...

By Vichara

The biggest mistake you can make is thinking that your life is ordinary. Just in the sheer accomplishment of being born, the chemical reactions to bring you into this world, as a human being is astounding. The hundreds of things you learn, the skills you gain and the multitude of sensory things you experience in just one single day…absolutely remarkable! Yes we do have troubles, there are worries and pain but with the communal resources we find the means to gain perspective and find the solutions. These are not ordinary things, you are not ordinary and this life of your is not ordinary.

Barrier Buster...

By Vichara

Today’s mission is codenamed: Barrier Buster. The objective is to open your eyes to the delusional aspects of what is being dictated to you and rise above being manipulated by the media. Call upon your independent personal sense of values and be guided by this instead of what is being flashed at you on the screen. Start taking back what has been stolen. If you are an average TV watcher in America by the time you reach the age of 65 you will have spent 9 years of your life watching TV. Engage the mind away from the screen. Read, garden, take a walk, converse with others, start taking back that which is yours.