Andrew Furst's Blog, page 153
December 15, 2014
Expectations Cause Suffering
Question: If (some) expectations cause suffering then what is the cause of these expectations? e.g. - An older guy being upset about the way nowaday kids behave (expects them to behave in a different way). - A person assuming that his hard work will be accepted by others, yet isn’t. - Assumption that parents will completely accept, […]
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December 14, 2014
Sunday Morning Coming Down – Hammond Song
When I think of Sunday morning music, the Hammond Song by the Roches always comes first in the mix. Settle in to your seat – couch or otherwise – and put on your best Sunday morning lazy. Have a listen. Hammond Song by The Roches If you go down to Hammond You’ll never come back In my opinion […]
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December 13, 2014
A Waking Dream
I had the most unusual waking dream. I don’t remember all the details, but I was talking with a friendly woman who somehow discovered I was Buddhist. A smile turned up on her face, and she mentioned that she knew a lot of Buddhist. She followed immediately with a question. Knowingly she asked, “How do you normally […]
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December 11, 2014
One Minute Meditation – Around The Fire
There is something soothing and mesmerizing about sitting around the fire on a cool night. Fire, is the element of the heart. There is something primal about fire, recalling our own inner flame. The flame of the primordial Buddha. The Taoist fire meditations offer the metaphor of consuming the delusions obscuring our pure essence. We […]
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December 10, 2014
Tiny Drops – Life Lines
Life Lines Click on images to view the full size slide show. FIVE LIMITLESS THOUGHTS May all living beings have happiness and its causes May all be free from unhappiness and its causes May all dwell in equanimity, free of attraction and aversion May all quickly find the great happiness that lies beyond all misery […]
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December 9, 2014
Compass Songs – Nonsense – Carroll’s Jabberwocky
Nonsense What better mindfulness exercise than to confront utter nonsense. It shakes our frame of reference. We’re forced to attend to the experience. It’s also a great excuse for me to share one of my favorite poems. Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll `Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All […]
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Nonsense – Carroll’s Jabberwocky
Nonsense What better mindfulness exercise than to confront utter nonsense. It shakes our frame of reference. We’re forced to attend to the experience. It’s also a great excuse for me to share one of my favorite poems. Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll `Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All […]
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December 8, 2014
How Do You Cultivate Faith?
Question: How do you cultivate faith? I am wondering how people have created strong faith in their life. It doesn’t have to be religious. Basically for me belief is easy, faith is much harder to sustain As a Pure Land Buddhist my take on faith is that it’s something that’s developed through experience. Of course, that’s […]
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December 7, 2014
Meditation Techniques – Bee Breath Pranayama
Breath is the metronome of life. It is the substrate of our being, a source of calm, and a measure of our discomfort. Like waves reaching the shore line, it beckons home. Pranayama is a Sanskrit word, roughly meaning extension of the life force. Similar to our Qigong exercises, Pranayama can bring your awareness, Qi, Prana […]
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December 6, 2014
The Sutra on Totality
This is a Sutra that I’ve always found to be clear, sharp, and insightful. It marks the boundary of any explanations that we’d like to entertain and keeps us honest when we stray into imagination. The Sutra on Totality Monks, I will teach you the totality of life. Listen, attend carefully to it and […]
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