Buddhism in daily life - Mindfulness in every day tasks Archiv
364 Episoden
7 Minuten
WHAT WOULD BUDDHA DO NOW?
If you are not sure of something, think; what would the Buddha do in this case, how would the holy man judge the situation, what conclusions would the teacher of all teachers draw, how would he act?
Do you know indecision? You are at a crossroads and cannot decide to go right, left, straight ahead, or even back?
How many such junctions do we pass every day, so many things to decide! How do I do this, what is missing, where do I get to that, why do I have to, who was first, the egg or the hen?
Constantly we have to do things, small and big options are ready, difficult and easy choices have to be made, always something has to be judged, chosen, clarified, every time we are asked.
Very many people find it very difficult to make a choice among the various options, they postpone decisions, do not want to make mistakes, they often do more wrong with inaction than with a (supposedly) wrong choice. Many people suffer from their lack of decisiveness, the questions remain unanswered, the inability to decide troubles them.
When one gets into a difficult situation it can help to think about what Buddha would do now. Thus we come into the position of having a "counselor" at our side, a companion.
When we weigh the pros and cons in our thoughts, we contrast positions. We inwardly ask Buddha for advice.
According to my conception of Buddhism, we are all, each and every one of us, also a Buddha, i.e. we are basically asking ourselves. Already by formulating a question, by confronting the arguments, we help ourselves to make a decision, we bring more clarity to our thoughts.
Aren't we all a little bit Buddha?
Sometimes happiness waits just a short distance behind the decision we didn't want to make!
He who thinks long does not always choose the best
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - German poet - 1749 to 1832
According to the Buddhist doctrine everything is already written, the karma is a fixed value in life.
According to the Buddha's world view, it is also already determined how we, and whether we, decide.
decide.
It follows that no decision can be right or wrong.
Only the moment decides on the life of man and on his whole destiny; because after long deliberation every decision is only the work of the moment.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - German poet - 1749 to 1832
What would Buddha do?
With this simple guide, we can weigh hard questions, contrast the pros and cons, make a good decision more easily.
According to our karma.
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
If you are not sure of something, think; what would the Buddha do in this case, how would the holy man judge the situation, what conclusions would the teacher of all teachers draw, how would he act?
Do you know indecision? You are at a crossroads and cannot decide to go right, left, straight ahead, or even back?
How many such junctions do we pass every day, so many things to decide! How do I do this, what is missing, where do I get to that, why do I have to, who was first, the egg or the hen?
Constantly we have to do things, small and big options are ready, difficult and easy choices have to be made, always something has to be judged, chosen, clarified, every time we are asked.
Very many people find it very difficult to make a choice among the various options, they postpone decisions, do not want to make mistakes, they often do more wrong with inaction than with a (supposedly) wrong choice. Many people suffer from their lack of decisiveness, the questions remain unanswered, the inability to decide troubles them.
When one gets into a difficult situation it can help to think about what Buddha would do now. Thus we come into the position of having a "counselor" at our side, a companion.
When we weigh the pros and cons in our thoughts, we contrast positions. We inwardly ask Buddha for advice.
According to my conception of Buddhism, we are all, each and every one of us, also a Buddha, i.e. we are basically asking ourselves. Already by formulating a question, by confronting the arguments, we help ourselves to make a decision, we bring more clarity to our thoughts.
Aren't we all a little bit Buddha?
Sometimes happiness waits just a short distance behind the decision we didn't want to make!
He who thinks long does not always choose the best
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - German poet - 1749 to 1832
According to the Buddhist doctrine everything is already written, the karma is a fixed value in life.
According to the Buddha's world view, it is also already determined how we, and whether we, decide.
decide.
It follows that no decision can be right or wrong.
Only the moment decides on the life of man and on his whole destiny; because after long deliberation every decision is only the work of the moment.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - German poet - 1749 to 1832
What would Buddha do?
With this simple guide, we can weigh hard questions, contrast the pros and cons, make a good decision more easily.
According to our karma.
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Nirvana is a state of mind
The average Central European usually has little contact with the teachings of the teacher of all teachers, however the word "Nirvana" has entered the vernacular. Mostly it is used "wrongly", but since the knowledge of Buddhism is sketchy at best, this is not even noticed. I send you to "Nirvana", which stands for the great unknown land where I wish the people who "get on my nerves" to go. So I wish you into nothingness, so the misleading usage.
But what is nirvana? How do we get to this said land, and where does the term even come from?
Generally, the term nirvana is used to describe the exit from the cycle of suffering (the rebirths) through "enlightenment" (following the example of Buddha). However, there are quite different views, so also the comprehension of the circumstances associated with existence is equated with nirvana.
In contrast to the Western view of paradise after death, however, nirvana is not the place where milk and honey flow, but can be achieved already in life, because nirvana is a simple state of mind. According to Buddha, it is entirely up to us how we "feel", whether we are happy or not. In any case, if we firmly believe in the concept of cause and effect, then we are on the right path, towards "enlightenment" and nirvana.
The three characteristics of existence are quickly recognized, for all life is impermanent, corporeal, and empty, so that the seeker, through neutral contemplation of these characteristics, combined with the general detachment (cessation of attachments) associated with them, then opens the doorless gateway toward Nirvana.
The attainment of Nirvana is often also equated as a "break with the world", since "enlightened people" pay almost no more attention to conventions, since they have seen the true connections. Here one speaks now also of the entrance into the stream. It is precisely this peculiarity that makes the rendering of Buddhist teachings so difficult, since the stream-entered person can now often live completely self-sufficiently, no longer dependent on the systems of society. But then he also does not pass on the teaching, because he has reached the realization of nirvana, has left the lower realms of incarnation.
For me personally, however, nirvana is a state of mind that comes to those people who have chosen a life of peace and happiness (and believe me, it is a choice, a conscious decision). Whether or not "enlightenment" can then be achieved in a further step, only time will tell.
Do you want to take this attitude of mind? Then the path is your goal!
Best gift is health; frugality is the sun of wealth, most faithful clan is trust, and nirvana is highest bliss.
- Buddha - "The Enlightened One" - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
The average Central European usually has little contact with the teachings of the teacher of all teachers, however the word "Nirvana" has entered the vernacular. Mostly it is used "wrongly", but since the knowledge of Buddhism is sketchy at best, this is not even noticed. I send you to "Nirvana", which stands for the great unknown land where I wish the people who "get on my nerves" to go. So I wish you into nothingness, so the misleading usage.
But what is nirvana? How do we get to this said land, and where does the term even come from?
Generally, the term nirvana is used to describe the exit from the cycle of suffering (the rebirths) through "enlightenment" (following the example of Buddha). However, there are quite different views, so also the comprehension of the circumstances associated with existence is equated with nirvana.
In contrast to the Western view of paradise after death, however, nirvana is not the place where milk and honey flow, but can be achieved already in life, because nirvana is a simple state of mind. According to Buddha, it is entirely up to us how we "feel", whether we are happy or not. In any case, if we firmly believe in the concept of cause and effect, then we are on the right path, towards "enlightenment" and nirvana.
The three characteristics of existence are quickly recognized, for all life is impermanent, corporeal, and empty, so that the seeker, through neutral contemplation of these characteristics, combined with the general detachment (cessation of attachments) associated with them, then opens the doorless gateway toward Nirvana.
The attainment of Nirvana is often also equated as a "break with the world", since "enlightened people" pay almost no more attention to conventions, since they have seen the true connections. Here one speaks now also of the entrance into the stream. It is precisely this peculiarity that makes the rendering of Buddhist teachings so difficult, since the stream-entered person can now often live completely self-sufficiently, no longer dependent on the systems of society. But then he also does not pass on the teaching, because he has reached the realization of nirvana, has left the lower realms of incarnation.
For me personally, however, nirvana is a state of mind that comes to those people who have chosen a life of peace and happiness (and believe me, it is a choice, a conscious decision). Whether or not "enlightenment" can then be achieved in a further step, only time will tell.
Do you want to take this attitude of mind? Then the path is your goal!
Best gift is health; frugality is the sun of wealth, most faithful clan is trust, and nirvana is highest bliss.
- Buddha - "The Enlightened One" - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
8 Minuten
The detachment from being
Again and again the question comes up what exactly Chan (Zen) is.
Generally speaking, Chan is the very personal practice of self-discovery, self-observation. This sounds very simple at first, but in practice it can be accompanied by strong distortions. First of all, not everyone likes to see what they find, and secondly, it is difficult to focus the mind, to get to the point. And then there is the matter of "enlightenment", which Buddha recommended to his followers, but which does not come easily at all.
In any case, Chan Buddhism is the path to personal freedom, without fears and useless attachments, which makes the philosophy of the teacher of all teachers practicable for all people, but also difficult.
Those who are new to the subject should first use the teaching to a kind of feel-good Buddhism, and then dive deeper into the philosophy. The "enlightenment" as the absolute essence of Buddhism will probably not be able to follow all interested people. Especially if you are new to Chan Buddhism, then everything is very confusing, the Buddhist teachings have many different directions, each country has, just by the language, completely different approaches.
So also when this spiritual orientation meets the Central Europeans, who like to put up a statue of Buddha, but have hardly come into contact with his teachings. Here, the rules of Buddhism are gladly adapted to the existing structures of the prevailing religion (Christianity) in order to please the taste of the majority.
Right now, Western Buddhism is in an enormous crisis, because (as said) the person of Buddha has been accepted, but the average Central European can do little or nothing with the words from the past. Alone to make a choice among the different directions of Buddhism (Japan, Korea, China, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, etc.) overwhelms many people so much that they already throw in the towel here.
Every Buddhist direction is then subject to innumerable rules, commandments, prayers: Is it allowed to have sex, eat meat, what about the family, what about rebirth, were there gods and saints? The things to follow are endless, generations continued to add their views, the thicket of teachings became denser and denser.
I follow the pure teaching of Buddha, as well as the Chan teaching (Zen) superimposed on it, which was developed in the Shaolin Temple in China about 2000 years ago. I fade out all views introduced afterwards. The original words of the great teacher may have been written down only after his death (sutras), but in their core they all point in the same direction ("enlightenment").
Buddhism is characterized by self-initiative, detachment from one's own being is the focus, cessation of suffering is the goal.
To integrate the ideas and methods of the great teacher in the West does not seem to be an easy undertaking, the individual Buddhist schools argue too hard, groups form, everyone has something to criticize about everyone. Only one's own path leads to Nirvana, the other branch errs, the splinter in the eye of the other is naturally large, the beam in front of one's own face is ignored.
The goal of the Chan is to "enlighten" the mind, that is, to detach it from being. Are you interested?
The way is the goal!
Apply to everything your mind, and when you have analyzed it and found it good for you and everyone else, then you can believe in it, live by it and help your neighbor to live by it too
- Buddha - "The Enlightened One" - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
Again and again the question comes up what exactly Chan (Zen) is.
Generally speaking, Chan is the very personal practice of self-discovery, self-observation. This sounds very simple at first, but in practice it can be accompanied by strong distortions. First of all, not everyone likes to see what they find, and secondly, it is difficult to focus the mind, to get to the point. And then there is the matter of "enlightenment", which Buddha recommended to his followers, but which does not come easily at all.
In any case, Chan Buddhism is the path to personal freedom, without fears and useless attachments, which makes the philosophy of the teacher of all teachers practicable for all people, but also difficult.
Those who are new to the subject should first use the teaching to a kind of feel-good Buddhism, and then dive deeper into the philosophy. The "enlightenment" as the absolute essence of Buddhism will probably not be able to follow all interested people. Especially if you are new to Chan Buddhism, then everything is very confusing, the Buddhist teachings have many different directions, each country has, just by the language, completely different approaches.
So also when this spiritual orientation meets the Central Europeans, who like to put up a statue of Buddha, but have hardly come into contact with his teachings. Here, the rules of Buddhism are gladly adapted to the existing structures of the prevailing religion (Christianity) in order to please the taste of the majority.
Right now, Western Buddhism is in an enormous crisis, because (as said) the person of Buddha has been accepted, but the average Central European can do little or nothing with the words from the past. Alone to make a choice among the different directions of Buddhism (Japan, Korea, China, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, etc.) overwhelms many people so much that they already throw in the towel here.
Every Buddhist direction is then subject to innumerable rules, commandments, prayers: Is it allowed to have sex, eat meat, what about the family, what about rebirth, were there gods and saints? The things to follow are endless, generations continued to add their views, the thicket of teachings became denser and denser.
I follow the pure teaching of Buddha, as well as the Chan teaching (Zen) superimposed on it, which was developed in the Shaolin Temple in China about 2000 years ago. I fade out all views introduced afterwards. The original words of the great teacher may have been written down only after his death (sutras), but in their core they all point in the same direction ("enlightenment").
Buddhism is characterized by self-initiative, detachment from one's own being is the focus, cessation of suffering is the goal.
To integrate the ideas and methods of the great teacher in the West does not seem to be an easy undertaking, the individual Buddhist schools argue too hard, groups form, everyone has something to criticize about everyone. Only one's own path leads to Nirvana, the other branch errs, the splinter in the eye of the other is naturally large, the beam in front of one's own face is ignored.
The goal of the Chan is to "enlighten" the mind, that is, to detach it from being. Are you interested?
The way is the goal!
Apply to everything your mind, and when you have analyzed it and found it good for you and everyone else, then you can believe in it, live by it and help your neighbor to live by it too
- Buddha - "The Enlightened One" - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
7 Minuten
Like a comfortable shirt
Buddha exhorted his followers to wear the ego like a comfortable, loose shirt (or dress).
Like such a snug shirt, we should also "wear" our Buddhist practice, not narrow-minded and too focused on the subject, but loose and relaxed, not wanting to be too Buddhist.
When the teaching of the great teacher flows quietly and calmly, we are in the middle, everything moves in complete peace.
If you try too hard to be a "good" Buddhist, you miss out on life. Following rules does not always matter, what is important is not to deny oneself. One can be a "good" Buddhist and still occasionally go overboard.
If you live a normal life and don't have to think about your "being a Buddhist" all the time, you are on the right track. For Buddhism in the West is first and foremost a feel-good philosophy, not a doctrine of ending suffering. Buddhists "know" that everything is finite, that life will pass, which is precisely why one should not constantly think about it.
This includes that a Buddhist does not want to proselytize, simply because he/she works by example, not by attitude. Whether a person is attracted to the teaching of the teacher of all teachers (or not), that decides the respective karma.
But if other people see us wearing Buddhism "like a comfortable, loose shirt", realize what peace of mind a Buddhist lifestyle brings, then that is the best advertisement for Buddhism.
Especially in times of anxiety and tension, people who are at peace with themselves stand out, because their charisma shows exactly the opposite pole to worries and needs. And again, large parts of humanity are in search of orientation and guidance, as life overwhelms them. That the teaching of the Indian prince is based on the search for one's own self is something that many seekers only understand in the course of time. Out of the feel-good Buddhism, the real path can then be approached, because first the ear must be "opened" for the philosophy.
But in any case, the first step is when other people can recognize our philosophy and attitude towards life in us, just like a comfortable, loose shirt we wear.
In Buddhist practice this means that we don't follow the doctrine in a tight-knit way, but leave the "church in the village", also sometimes act according to the moment, but instead "advertise" for the cause with our way, thus bringing other people to Buddhism, thus bringing more positive things into this world.
The way is the goal!
Every speck of dust we step on can be transformed into a child of truth
- Buddha - "The Enlightened One" - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Buddha exhorted his followers to wear the ego like a comfortable, loose shirt (or dress).
Like such a snug shirt, we should also "wear" our Buddhist practice, not narrow-minded and too focused on the subject, but loose and relaxed, not wanting to be too Buddhist.
When the teaching of the great teacher flows quietly and calmly, we are in the middle, everything moves in complete peace.
If you try too hard to be a "good" Buddhist, you miss out on life. Following rules does not always matter, what is important is not to deny oneself. One can be a "good" Buddhist and still occasionally go overboard.
If you live a normal life and don't have to think about your "being a Buddhist" all the time, you are on the right track. For Buddhism in the West is first and foremost a feel-good philosophy, not a doctrine of ending suffering. Buddhists "know" that everything is finite, that life will pass, which is precisely why one should not constantly think about it.
This includes that a Buddhist does not want to proselytize, simply because he/she works by example, not by attitude. Whether a person is attracted to the teaching of the teacher of all teachers (or not), that decides the respective karma.
But if other people see us wearing Buddhism "like a comfortable, loose shirt", realize what peace of mind a Buddhist lifestyle brings, then that is the best advertisement for Buddhism.
Especially in times of anxiety and tension, people who are at peace with themselves stand out, because their charisma shows exactly the opposite pole to worries and needs. And again, large parts of humanity are in search of orientation and guidance, as life overwhelms them. That the teaching of the Indian prince is based on the search for one's own self is something that many seekers only understand in the course of time. Out of the feel-good Buddhism, the real path can then be approached, because first the ear must be "opened" for the philosophy.
But in any case, the first step is when other people can recognize our philosophy and attitude towards life in us, just like a comfortable, loose shirt we wear.
In Buddhist practice this means that we don't follow the doctrine in a tight-knit way, but leave the "church in the village", also sometimes act according to the moment, but instead "advertise" for the cause with our way, thus bringing other people to Buddhism, thus bringing more positive things into this world.
The way is the goal!
Every speck of dust we step on can be transformed into a child of truth
- Buddha - "The Enlightened One" - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Almost
We (my girlfriend and/or I) almost missed three flights in a row, it was absolutely impossible to catch them, and yet we did.
No matter what we would have done, under no circumstances would it have made a difference, it was not in our sphere of influence to make a difference here. We had no influence whatsoever, the events rolled over us, and yet the stories turned out "well" for us, at least we were almost threatened with grosser mischief if we hadn't gotten on the planes.
Once I almost had to buy a new flight, once my girlfriend, who then also got a so-called overstay in her passport, which would have denied her a new visa for Germany for a year (lots of would-haves in this text). Had she not gotten up at night, had she not picked up her cell phone, she would not have seen the email regarding the flight schedule change.
Then, the last time it hit her again, she almost missed the flight again because of a rule change in her country.
Almost, that can go very close to missing, or super "good", how it turns out then, time will tell, but for now it is what it is. A hundred people walk along under the broken roof, at the hundred hundredth passerby the roof tile loosens and falls on his head. Stupidly run, so the vernacular says.
I almost made the right marks on the lottery ticket, almost got the favorable offer, almost booked the vacation. But I didn't.
The fate decides on the concerns, depending on what is held in our karma. We can change very little about it, I saw that again at the almost missed flights.
Three people are standing on a large square during a thunderstorm, then the lightning strikes the one in the middle, he is immediately dead, the other two almost died. It is unbelievable, which stories life can play in such a way, some can "one" not think up, as they occur then "in reality".
So whoever misses something again, or just makes it, should think about why this should be so? Because according to Buddha we determine the world with our thoughts. But are we aware of this, or do we just let ourselves drift through a sequence of "BEHIND"?
For my part, I always think about why something might have come to be that way, I try to look behind the scenes. Karma gives us the cards, we can't influence that, but which ones we play, we decide for ourselves.
In any case, the way is (almost) the goal!
Do not ask about the origin, but ask about the conduct; for truly, fire is generated from wood.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
We (my girlfriend and/or I) almost missed three flights in a row, it was absolutely impossible to catch them, and yet we did.
No matter what we would have done, under no circumstances would it have made a difference, it was not in our sphere of influence to make a difference here. We had no influence whatsoever, the events rolled over us, and yet the stories turned out "well" for us, at least we were almost threatened with grosser mischief if we hadn't gotten on the planes.
Once I almost had to buy a new flight, once my girlfriend, who then also got a so-called overstay in her passport, which would have denied her a new visa for Germany for a year (lots of would-haves in this text). Had she not gotten up at night, had she not picked up her cell phone, she would not have seen the email regarding the flight schedule change.
Then, the last time it hit her again, she almost missed the flight again because of a rule change in her country.
Almost, that can go very close to missing, or super "good", how it turns out then, time will tell, but for now it is what it is. A hundred people walk along under the broken roof, at the hundred hundredth passerby the roof tile loosens and falls on his head. Stupidly run, so the vernacular says.
I almost made the right marks on the lottery ticket, almost got the favorable offer, almost booked the vacation. But I didn't.
The fate decides on the concerns, depending on what is held in our karma. We can change very little about it, I saw that again at the almost missed flights.
Three people are standing on a large square during a thunderstorm, then the lightning strikes the one in the middle, he is immediately dead, the other two almost died. It is unbelievable, which stories life can play in such a way, some can "one" not think up, as they occur then "in reality".
So whoever misses something again, or just makes it, should think about why this should be so? Because according to Buddha we determine the world with our thoughts. But are we aware of this, or do we just let ourselves drift through a sequence of "BEHIND"?
For my part, I always think about why something might have come to be that way, I try to look behind the scenes. Karma gives us the cards, we can't influence that, but which ones we play, we decide for ourselves.
In any case, the way is (almost) the goal!
Do not ask about the origin, but ask about the conduct; for truly, fire is generated from wood.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
8 Minuten
The "Happiness" Workout Part 2
Have you already listened to the first parts of the topic "Happiness" in the last editions of the podcast?
C. What are you grateful for?
Are you even aware of your good fortune? Do you know how many people die every day, fall seriously ill, lose a loved one, or face other, serious problems? Just today? It's in the millions, it's not a matter of course to be alive, to wake up healthy, to talk to your loved ones on the phone, or to eat. We have a nice home, heated and dry, enough to eat, a social system, we have health insurance. Be grateful, recognize your "good" situation.
Set the timer again for five minutes, write down (again on the first page, otherwise on a new one) what came into your head during that time. Try to divide the events, opportunities, and encounters into "categories," such as "personal" and "professional," then further into subgroups to gain more clarity. If you practice daily (or weekly), then go further and further into details, visualize the circumstances, what did fate assign you, what part did your own efforts have?
Through this exercise you lighten your mood, you put yourself in a contented cloud that carries you, helps you glide through life.
D. The Post-Its Meditation
Read here about the Post-Its meditation, then start distributing some of the sticky notes around your home, on which you write in bullet points the things for which you are especially grateful, but also the special events that you wish for yourself in the future (Although according to Buddha we should not "wish" and not "want", but this must be understood first. Until then, it is simply a matter of making life easier for yourself).
E. The "I-love-myself" letter
Now that you have used up some notes (I also advise you to collect all notes) you should write a letter to yourself in another stage. Again, the timer comes to five minutes, in which you think about everything. Then get going, just imagine that such a letter would do "good" to your own, best friend, write about all the feelings and thoughts that move you. It is important that you do not judge at all, because as Buddhists we "know" that everything comes as it should, we can change little or nothing about it. Therefore, we are not to blame (at least not from this life) and we can be more benevolent towards matters.
If you don't know what to do, then put everything aside, continue next time.
With points A. to E. you can achieve a better quality of life. It doesn't always have to be a workout for the body, the soul belongs to be cared for as well.
The way is the goal!
There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the way
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Have you already listened to the first parts of the topic "Happiness" in the last editions of the podcast?
C. What are you grateful for?
Are you even aware of your good fortune? Do you know how many people die every day, fall seriously ill, lose a loved one, or face other, serious problems? Just today? It's in the millions, it's not a matter of course to be alive, to wake up healthy, to talk to your loved ones on the phone, or to eat. We have a nice home, heated and dry, enough to eat, a social system, we have health insurance. Be grateful, recognize your "good" situation.
Set the timer again for five minutes, write down (again on the first page, otherwise on a new one) what came into your head during that time. Try to divide the events, opportunities, and encounters into "categories," such as "personal" and "professional," then further into subgroups to gain more clarity. If you practice daily (or weekly), then go further and further into details, visualize the circumstances, what did fate assign you, what part did your own efforts have?
Through this exercise you lighten your mood, you put yourself in a contented cloud that carries you, helps you glide through life.
D. The Post-Its Meditation
Read here about the Post-Its meditation, then start distributing some of the sticky notes around your home, on which you write in bullet points the things for which you are especially grateful, but also the special events that you wish for yourself in the future (Although according to Buddha we should not "wish" and not "want", but this must be understood first. Until then, it is simply a matter of making life easier for yourself).
E. The "I-love-myself" letter
Now that you have used up some notes (I also advise you to collect all notes) you should write a letter to yourself in another stage. Again, the timer comes to five minutes, in which you think about everything. Then get going, just imagine that such a letter would do "good" to your own, best friend, write about all the feelings and thoughts that move you. It is important that you do not judge at all, because as Buddhists we "know" that everything comes as it should, we can change little or nothing about it. Therefore, we are not to blame (at least not from this life) and we can be more benevolent towards matters.
If you don't know what to do, then put everything aside, continue next time.
With points A. to E. you can achieve a better quality of life. It doesn't always have to be a workout for the body, the soul belongs to be cared for as well.
The way is the goal!
There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the way
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
The "Happiness" Workout
Or: How you can become happy with very simple exercises.
According to Buddha, "happiness" is a matter of observation, depending on how we look at things. The motto of this blog is "Buddhism in everyday life", the purpose of the matter is first to get the readers and listeners to a form of "feel-good Buddhism", and then (in a further step) to familiarize them with the core message of the philosophy of the teacher of all teachers, namely "enlightenment", which can be achieved via the pathless path through the gateless gate.
But before the normal Central European will go deeper into the teachings of the Indian prince, the advantages of a Buddhist way of life should be put in the center ("feel-good Buddhism").
Happiness can be learned, it is not a big deal. Because according to the Buddha's teachings, everything is a choice, we decide whether circumstances make us happy or not.
Here are some exercises that will help you to become (and be) happy:
A. What is going "well"?
Take a piece of paper and a writer, sit down quietly, set the timer on your phone for five minutes. During this time first think about the things that are going "well", that you are proud of, that bring you joy. When the timer goes off then write these points down (he who writes, stays). This way you can first find your center, manage your various feelings, pacify the mind palace, further lower emotions or stress.
B. Imagine your future (at least in parts)
Again, set the timer for five minutes. When the time is up, turn the piece of paper over and start writing down how you saw the future (for yourself). What ideas about the future came to mind, what was clear, what was "in the fog"? By the way, you can also train your images of the future if you do this exercise over and over again, say every day, or at least every week. All in all, you will need about 20 minutes for all exercises. Determine which areas of your life should be covered here, such as the last 2 years and the next 2 years. Visualize a beginning and an end date, put yourself in your mind to a certain place and time in the past and in the future. How did you feel then, how might you feel in the future? Experience the matter with your senses. How did the air smell (smell), how did the food taste (taste), what do you see (see), what do you hear (hear), what is (was) with the sense of touch? (Read here also about the six windows of the human being).
Learn more about the important exercises that can enable your "happiness" here in the next few days
There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the way
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Or: How you can become happy with very simple exercises.
According to Buddha, "happiness" is a matter of observation, depending on how we look at things. The motto of this blog is "Buddhism in everyday life", the purpose of the matter is first to get the readers and listeners to a form of "feel-good Buddhism", and then (in a further step) to familiarize them with the core message of the philosophy of the teacher of all teachers, namely "enlightenment", which can be achieved via the pathless path through the gateless gate.
But before the normal Central European will go deeper into the teachings of the Indian prince, the advantages of a Buddhist way of life should be put in the center ("feel-good Buddhism").
Happiness can be learned, it is not a big deal. Because according to the Buddha's teachings, everything is a choice, we decide whether circumstances make us happy or not.
Here are some exercises that will help you to become (and be) happy:
A. What is going "well"?
Take a piece of paper and a writer, sit down quietly, set the timer on your phone for five minutes. During this time first think about the things that are going "well", that you are proud of, that bring you joy. When the timer goes off then write these points down (he who writes, stays). This way you can first find your center, manage your various feelings, pacify the mind palace, further lower emotions or stress.
B. Imagine your future (at least in parts)
Again, set the timer for five minutes. When the time is up, turn the piece of paper over and start writing down how you saw the future (for yourself). What ideas about the future came to mind, what was clear, what was "in the fog"? By the way, you can also train your images of the future if you do this exercise over and over again, say every day, or at least every week. All in all, you will need about 20 minutes for all exercises. Determine which areas of your life should be covered here, such as the last 2 years and the next 2 years. Visualize a beginning and an end date, put yourself in your mind to a certain place and time in the past and in the future. How did you feel then, how might you feel in the future? Experience the matter with your senses. How did the air smell (smell), how did the food taste (taste), what do you see (see), what do you hear (hear), what is (was) with the sense of touch? (Read here also about the six windows of the human being).
Learn more about the important exercises that can enable your "happiness" here in the next few days
There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the way
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
The temple garden
To everyone who likes to hear it (and to everyone else, too) I suggest creating an imaginary temple garden in your mind palace, where you can retreat in stressful times.
Imagine a wonderful garden, just the way you like it, the flowers you like, the trees you find beautiful, with an enchanting lake in the middle, on the shores of which stands a small but beautiful temple. Walk through this garden, through the buildings, accept this place in your mind palace to seek your "time out" here. Small statues are everywhere, friendly people populate your garden, go into the small devotional rooms, enjoy the peace and quiet of the grounds with you.
Every person should have such a retreat, at best one in the mind palace, and one in "real" life, perhaps a garden, or a park, or the bench nearby, in any case a place to "unwind" the soul.
If you "create" your temple garden inside you then you don't have to finish it "in one go", but take all the time in the world. Whenever you want to "retreat" then just "tinker" with your layout, beautify the garden, build new houses, pagodas and statues to create an oasis of tranquility for yourself here.
Remember that the thought palace is the temple garden, and the thoughts are the seeds. Depending on whether you have them under control (or not) they will become flowers, or they will become weeds. Weeds could be compared to the useless and endless self-talk that the ego has "with us" all day long. However, if we direct our energy to "good" thoughts, then we can "overplant" the negative ones, simply put good things on top of them, so that the space for negativity becomes smaller and smaller. Hate, greed and delusion are so easily replaced over time, the good in people becomes more and more important.
Getting control over thoughts may be a very difficult task, but only those who have at least tried will succeed. Just complaining about how hard life is is not a viable approach.
Those who regularly spend time and energy in the (imaginary) temple garden in their mind palace will find that he/she is getting closer and closer to the purity of Buddhist teachings. Make the effort, what could your temple garden look like? Modern or classic, in radiant colors, or more sedate? By a lake, or in the mountains?
The path is the goal!
What is the world? That, in which perishes
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
To everyone who likes to hear it (and to everyone else, too) I suggest creating an imaginary temple garden in your mind palace, where you can retreat in stressful times.
Imagine a wonderful garden, just the way you like it, the flowers you like, the trees you find beautiful, with an enchanting lake in the middle, on the shores of which stands a small but beautiful temple. Walk through this garden, through the buildings, accept this place in your mind palace to seek your "time out" here. Small statues are everywhere, friendly people populate your garden, go into the small devotional rooms, enjoy the peace and quiet of the grounds with you.
Every person should have such a retreat, at best one in the mind palace, and one in "real" life, perhaps a garden, or a park, or the bench nearby, in any case a place to "unwind" the soul.
If you "create" your temple garden inside you then you don't have to finish it "in one go", but take all the time in the world. Whenever you want to "retreat" then just "tinker" with your layout, beautify the garden, build new houses, pagodas and statues to create an oasis of tranquility for yourself here.
Remember that the thought palace is the temple garden, and the thoughts are the seeds. Depending on whether you have them under control (or not) they will become flowers, or they will become weeds. Weeds could be compared to the useless and endless self-talk that the ego has "with us" all day long. However, if we direct our energy to "good" thoughts, then we can "overplant" the negative ones, simply put good things on top of them, so that the space for negativity becomes smaller and smaller. Hate, greed and delusion are so easily replaced over time, the good in people becomes more and more important.
Getting control over thoughts may be a very difficult task, but only those who have at least tried will succeed. Just complaining about how hard life is is not a viable approach.
Those who regularly spend time and energy in the (imaginary) temple garden in their mind palace will find that he/she is getting closer and closer to the purity of Buddhist teachings. Make the effort, what could your temple garden look like? Modern or classic, in radiant colors, or more sedate? By a lake, or in the mountains?
The path is the goal!
What is the world? That, in which perishes
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Loving yourself more also requires some self-love exercises. First of all, ask yourself what you like to do. Do you like to go for a walk? Or do you cook particularly well? Every person has activities that he/she prefers, that are easy to do, and that make you feel good. What do you like to do? Write down 3 such things on a small Post-It, hang up the note so that you can see it well. If you find yourself disliking something, first do one of the activities from this post-it note.
Furthermore, it is important to be able to overlook your own weaknesses, perhaps even to be amused by your own shortcomings. Laughter is the best medicine. According to Buddha, it is your karma to be the way you are. Therefore, there is nothing to be ashamed of, because it is just the way it is. So the next time you make a mistake, just smile, enjoy yourself, don't take things tragically, accept yourself as a person, you are that way because it is your destiny to be that way.
If you still have problems to love yourself (or at least to like yourself), you should write a list with all the things you like about yourself. In doing so, it usually turns out that there are many more things about one's self that are at least "good", that one can at least like, so that one can better understand the person as a whole, which in turn allows for more emotion towards one's self.
What do you like about yourself? Your body, your looks, your wit, or your quick wit? There are things to like in everyone, so don't say that there is nothing in you.
You can always compare yourself with other people. If I don't like this or that quality in myself, how do I relate to other people who have similar sides? Can I draw conclusions here? What if I am unfair to myself, much too harsh, while I am more lenient with other people, forgiving even unpleasant qualities that I find "terrible" in myself?
You see, self-love has a lot to do with preoccupation with one's own person. Even the most beautiful people think of themselves as not looking their best. Everything needs to be put into perspective. The greatest enemy of self-love is our inner critic, the ego, which must be silenced.
According to Buddha, of course we can love ourselves, because everything is impermanent.
And the path is the goal!
Nothing but the mind is recognizable
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Furthermore, it is important to be able to overlook your own weaknesses, perhaps even to be amused by your own shortcomings. Laughter is the best medicine. According to Buddha, it is your karma to be the way you are. Therefore, there is nothing to be ashamed of, because it is just the way it is. So the next time you make a mistake, just smile, enjoy yourself, don't take things tragically, accept yourself as a person, you are that way because it is your destiny to be that way.
If you still have problems to love yourself (or at least to like yourself), you should write a list with all the things you like about yourself. In doing so, it usually turns out that there are many more things about one's self that are at least "good", that one can at least like, so that one can better understand the person as a whole, which in turn allows for more emotion towards one's self.
What do you like about yourself? Your body, your looks, your wit, or your quick wit? There are things to like in everyone, so don't say that there is nothing in you.
You can always compare yourself with other people. If I don't like this or that quality in myself, how do I relate to other people who have similar sides? Can I draw conclusions here? What if I am unfair to myself, much too harsh, while I am more lenient with other people, forgiving even unpleasant qualities that I find "terrible" in myself?
You see, self-love has a lot to do with preoccupation with one's own person. Even the most beautiful people think of themselves as not looking their best. Everything needs to be put into perspective. The greatest enemy of self-love is our inner critic, the ego, which must be silenced.
According to Buddha, of course we can love ourselves, because everything is impermanent.
And the path is the goal!
Nothing but the mind is recognizable
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Whoever wants to find more self-love should learn to see life through "rose-colored" glasses, to see the positive side of things. My father used to say, "Son, even the worst event also contains something good, never is something only bad, but also never only good." Well, he certainly spoke with great wisdom there, only I didn't want to believe that at the time.
No matter how bad something may be about you at first glance, look for the good side of it. Consciously put on the rose-colored glasses, look for the positive things first, disregard the negative qualities (for now). Self-love exercises are not really difficult, they basically start with your own person. With nobody in this world everything is bad, every person has his advantages, but also his disadvantages. But it is a question of observation, do I see the positive sides in me enough? Or am I simply not optimistically inclined? What can I change about it?
It is always important to ask yourself where the (negative) thoughts are coming from right now. In which context does my thought palace start with the ugly head cinema? Take such a negative thought, look at it extensively. Where does this thought come from? Why does it come up now? And what happens if I treat it differently than usual, will it go away? Can I maintain control over the thought? Am I sure about the "negative" thoughts, too? Do I know for sure that I am doing "everything" so wrong? Could I just see it differently, judge it differently, does everything really apply as I imagine it?
Well, you have your faults, like every other person, by the way. Start to like yourself, even though you have these shortcomings. Nobody is perfect and without flaws, quite simply nobody. Just because we are made to believe in glossy magazines that there are such "great people", stars, doesn't mean that everything is so great with these people. They create a beautiful appearance that is supposed to dazzle the viewers. But Buddha warned us to look behind the scenes, not to be fooled. Even if you have your faults, you can still like yourself. Keep telling yourself in your mind that you like yourself because you are lovable, just like all people.
The path is the goal!
Read more about the topic "self-love" in the next days.
Friendship is shown in three ways: You help each other to overcome the unwholesome, to develop the wholesome, and you do not leave each other in misfortune.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
No matter how bad something may be about you at first glance, look for the good side of it. Consciously put on the rose-colored glasses, look for the positive things first, disregard the negative qualities (for now). Self-love exercises are not really difficult, they basically start with your own person. With nobody in this world everything is bad, every person has his advantages, but also his disadvantages. But it is a question of observation, do I see the positive sides in me enough? Or am I simply not optimistically inclined? What can I change about it?
It is always important to ask yourself where the (negative) thoughts are coming from right now. In which context does my thought palace start with the ugly head cinema? Take such a negative thought, look at it extensively. Where does this thought come from? Why does it come up now? And what happens if I treat it differently than usual, will it go away? Can I maintain control over the thought? Am I sure about the "negative" thoughts, too? Do I know for sure that I am doing "everything" so wrong? Could I just see it differently, judge it differently, does everything really apply as I imagine it?
Well, you have your faults, like every other person, by the way. Start to like yourself, even though you have these shortcomings. Nobody is perfect and without flaws, quite simply nobody. Just because we are made to believe in glossy magazines that there are such "great people", stars, doesn't mean that everything is so great with these people. They create a beautiful appearance that is supposed to dazzle the viewers. But Buddha warned us to look behind the scenes, not to be fooled. Even if you have your faults, you can still like yourself. Keep telling yourself in your mind that you like yourself because you are lovable, just like all people.
The path is the goal!
Read more about the topic "self-love" in the next days.
Friendship is shown in three ways: You help each other to overcome the unwholesome, to develop the wholesome, and you do not leave each other in misfortune.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
We have to silence the monkeys in our heads, otherwise the ego will drive us crazy.
All day long the head cinema runs, constantly new thoughts are played, there to come to rest seems impossible. Some people have already reached the next stage, the monkeys in the head have become a threat to mental health, many of the mental illnesses go back to the original head cinema.
Sure, if "one" thinks about everything like this, then one can already "start to ponder", the destiny of man is not easy, everything will be lost by "one" one day, nothing can be kept, every living being and every thing is transient. We are all going to die, nothing we can do about it, so why do anything at all, better to get drowsy, just don't think about it, just numb yourself.
That's how you might think, yes. But there are other approaches, how "one" can spend the life, to each little animal its Plaisierchen. But no matter how we occupy ourselves, deep down we can't stop thinking about the meaning of life. What happens to me after death is a very important question, but also "where do I come from", "where am I going" keeps popping up in the mind palace.
Monotheistic religions have their beliefs, which you just have to believe. Buddhism is different, because the teachings of Buddha leave little "to believe" here, but everything needs a beginning.
No matter how one stands to religion or spirituality, the monkeys in the head must be silenced. Here it is advisable to take a general "day of silence" once, in order to pull the brake, to make the own personality once familiar with the whole problem. Could you do that, be silent for a whole day? Well, nuns or monks in Buddhist monasteries are silent for years in some cases, so yes, it is doable to not speak for a day.
If you have your problems with the monkeys in your head, then make the effort with the "day of silence", I promise you that you will achieve great success. Such a day needs preparation, especially if you do not live alone. Talk to those around you about this special occasion, explain to those around you how important the endeavor is to you, why you want to try it, what the motivations are. Others are usually understanding if they know what is going on. Turn off the phone and the doorbell, and if you can, the TV and the radio. On this day, read that book you've been meaning to read.
The way is the goal!
Apply your mind to everything, and when you have analyzed it and found it good for you and everyone else, then you can believe in it, live by it and help your neighbor to live by it too
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
All day long the head cinema runs, constantly new thoughts are played, there to come to rest seems impossible. Some people have already reached the next stage, the monkeys in the head have become a threat to mental health, many of the mental illnesses go back to the original head cinema.
Sure, if "one" thinks about everything like this, then one can already "start to ponder", the destiny of man is not easy, everything will be lost by "one" one day, nothing can be kept, every living being and every thing is transient. We are all going to die, nothing we can do about it, so why do anything at all, better to get drowsy, just don't think about it, just numb yourself.
That's how you might think, yes. But there are other approaches, how "one" can spend the life, to each little animal its Plaisierchen. But no matter how we occupy ourselves, deep down we can't stop thinking about the meaning of life. What happens to me after death is a very important question, but also "where do I come from", "where am I going" keeps popping up in the mind palace.
Monotheistic religions have their beliefs, which you just have to believe. Buddhism is different, because the teachings of Buddha leave little "to believe" here, but everything needs a beginning.
No matter how one stands to religion or spirituality, the monkeys in the head must be silenced. Here it is advisable to take a general "day of silence" once, in order to pull the brake, to make the own personality once familiar with the whole problem. Could you do that, be silent for a whole day? Well, nuns or monks in Buddhist monasteries are silent for years in some cases, so yes, it is doable to not speak for a day.
If you have your problems with the monkeys in your head, then make the effort with the "day of silence", I promise you that you will achieve great success. Such a day needs preparation, especially if you do not live alone. Talk to those around you about this special occasion, explain to those around you how important the endeavor is to you, why you want to try it, what the motivations are. Others are usually understanding if they know what is going on. Turn off the phone and the doorbell, and if you can, the TV and the radio. On this day, read that book you've been meaning to read.
The way is the goal!
Apply your mind to everything, and when you have analyzed it and found it good for you and everyone else, then you can believe in it, live by it and help your neighbor to live by it too
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Today, an incredible number of people in this world call themselves "Buddhist", but without knowing the contents of the great teacher's teachings. They are mostly attracted by the statue of the Indian prince meditating peacefully, without understanding why, perhaps not even giving it a thought.
The Buddha's teaching has spread as "peaceful" and "mindful", further knowledge is hardly present in the majority. Possibly until the moment when we get to know real, severe suffering, from which we cannot escape with distractions. When we seek refuge in such a situation, only then do we know what Buddhism is all about.
And only then can we teach others about it. To be a Buddhist teacher, one must first recognize and overcome one's own suffering. First you have to "save" yourself before you can "help" other people.
Central to this is to realize that everything is impermanent, nothing can be kept, thus attachments are useless (because impossible). In this process, it is imperative to abandon the old, learned worldview, since reality does not follow human illusions. He who has not left behind his own suffering cannot become a teacher in the philosophical system of Buddha. It is completely irrelevant whether the suffering is physical or mental, because the Buddhist worldview sees little difference.
Speakers of the Buddhist teachings are hopefully awakened, have coupled their being with the universe, are no longer detached. For contemporaries searching for spirituality, it is infinitely difficult to find the right guidance here, namely a teacher who does not pursue a personal agenda, does not have his own goals, does not use people simply to get money, power, prestige, wealth or sex.
How to recognize a true spiritual speaker, one who is not like a salesman just a salesman, but who wants to help people (although according to Buddha there is nothing to help)? Quite simply by whether courses, retreats or seminars cost heavy money. Those who advertise their services like "sour beer" are driving a completely different agenda.
Good Buddhist teachers are hard to find (in Europe), the teaching has experienced too many manifestations, each country has developed its own customs, with which the normal Central European knows little or nothing to do.
I internalize the teachings of Buddha like few other people in Germany, I do not demand money from my readers, I do not use tricks, I do not scare people, but I report my view of Buddhism. Who does not like this, can simply click me away.
The path is my goal!
As a mother protects her child, her only child, with danger to her own life, so let each one practice unlimited leniency toward all beings.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
The Buddha's teaching has spread as "peaceful" and "mindful", further knowledge is hardly present in the majority. Possibly until the moment when we get to know real, severe suffering, from which we cannot escape with distractions. When we seek refuge in such a situation, only then do we know what Buddhism is all about.
And only then can we teach others about it. To be a Buddhist teacher, one must first recognize and overcome one's own suffering. First you have to "save" yourself before you can "help" other people.
Central to this is to realize that everything is impermanent, nothing can be kept, thus attachments are useless (because impossible). In this process, it is imperative to abandon the old, learned worldview, since reality does not follow human illusions. He who has not left behind his own suffering cannot become a teacher in the philosophical system of Buddha. It is completely irrelevant whether the suffering is physical or mental, because the Buddhist worldview sees little difference.
Speakers of the Buddhist teachings are hopefully awakened, have coupled their being with the universe, are no longer detached. For contemporaries searching for spirituality, it is infinitely difficult to find the right guidance here, namely a teacher who does not pursue a personal agenda, does not have his own goals, does not use people simply to get money, power, prestige, wealth or sex.
How to recognize a true spiritual speaker, one who is not like a salesman just a salesman, but who wants to help people (although according to Buddha there is nothing to help)? Quite simply by whether courses, retreats or seminars cost heavy money. Those who advertise their services like "sour beer" are driving a completely different agenda.
Good Buddhist teachers are hard to find (in Europe), the teaching has experienced too many manifestations, each country has developed its own customs, with which the normal Central European knows little or nothing to do.
I internalize the teachings of Buddha like few other people in Germany, I do not demand money from my readers, I do not use tricks, I do not scare people, but I report my view of Buddhism. Who does not like this, can simply click me away.
The path is my goal!
As a mother protects her child, her only child, with danger to her own life, so let each one practice unlimited leniency toward all beings.
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
The world has already "seen" many religions, beliefs came and they also went again, depending on the spirit of the times and the level of education, man's will is his kingdom of heaven.
Every spiritual teaching has (and had) its spokesmen, masterminds, priests. No matter what they were called, guru or monk, abbot or priest, basically a leadership level formed over time, which gave the direction (and does so until today). The purpose is to cultivate one's own spiritual life and help others in the process.
In order to decide for such a spiritual path, first of all the teachings have to be understood and lived by oneself, which in consequence brings quite a change. The worldly life becomes less, the spiritual concerns more. Whoever is willing and receptive to engage in the incredible changes for himself, is able to break away from his convictions, wants to go new ways, will reach the goal. He (or she) will become a good spiritual speaker, no matter what direction. The detachment from the self-designed role (the ego) is perhaps the most difficult thing to do. With a lot of courage, personal devotion and willpower the chaos can be overcome, only then the Buddhist path begins.
The complex interplay of cause and effect means that without students there can be no teachers, that a philosophy must never just "stand in space", because it "lives" from the transmission of the spiritual message.
The central element for a spiritual mastermind in Buddhism should be to help others to reach "enlightenment", to see the true connections, to look behind the scenes.
The sublime Buddha regarded suffering as useless, because it is "self-made" by the respective person. Similar to a disease, the Buddhist teacher's task is to heal the patient, to treat him. In Buddhism, medicine is the word, the philosophy of the teacher of all teachers speaks of overcoming suffering, in which the teacher helps the student to "see" the disease, "determine" it, and then "fight" it.
Although in all people the diagnosis is the same, because it is about the suffering, and about overcoming the suffering, in each person the treatment is different, tailored to the needs. To put it simply, not everyone "clicks" at the same moment, the "penny drops" not synchronously for everyone.
In any case, at the heart of healing is the philosophy of Buddha, expressed in the Noble Four Truths and the Eightfold Path.
In a few days I will continue here with part 2 of my treatise on Buddhist teachers.
In any case: The way is the goal!
If your insight contradicts my teaching, then you shall follow your insight
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
Every spiritual teaching has (and had) its spokesmen, masterminds, priests. No matter what they were called, guru or monk, abbot or priest, basically a leadership level formed over time, which gave the direction (and does so until today). The purpose is to cultivate one's own spiritual life and help others in the process.
In order to decide for such a spiritual path, first of all the teachings have to be understood and lived by oneself, which in consequence brings quite a change. The worldly life becomes less, the spiritual concerns more. Whoever is willing and receptive to engage in the incredible changes for himself, is able to break away from his convictions, wants to go new ways, will reach the goal. He (or she) will become a good spiritual speaker, no matter what direction. The detachment from the self-designed role (the ego) is perhaps the most difficult thing to do. With a lot of courage, personal devotion and willpower the chaos can be overcome, only then the Buddhist path begins.
The complex interplay of cause and effect means that without students there can be no teachers, that a philosophy must never just "stand in space", because it "lives" from the transmission of the spiritual message.
The central element for a spiritual mastermind in Buddhism should be to help others to reach "enlightenment", to see the true connections, to look behind the scenes.
The sublime Buddha regarded suffering as useless, because it is "self-made" by the respective person. Similar to a disease, the Buddhist teacher's task is to heal the patient, to treat him. In Buddhism, medicine is the word, the philosophy of the teacher of all teachers speaks of overcoming suffering, in which the teacher helps the student to "see" the disease, "determine" it, and then "fight" it.
Although in all people the diagnosis is the same, because it is about the suffering, and about overcoming the suffering, in each person the treatment is different, tailored to the needs. To put it simply, not everyone "clicks" at the same moment, the "penny drops" not synchronously for everyone.
In any case, at the heart of healing is the philosophy of Buddha, expressed in the Noble Four Truths and the Eightfold Path.
In a few days I will continue here with part 2 of my treatise on Buddhist teachers.
In any case: The way is the goal!
If your insight contradicts my teaching, then you shall follow your insight
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
Have you already listened to the first parts of the topic "Self-love" in the last editions of the podcast?
To achieve more self-love you should continue to find out when you like yourself. Everyone likes themselves occasionally, but also has those pithy moments when they dislike themselves so much. So, what did you do really "well" today? When have you been really in tune with the universe lately? On what occasions do you feel good? What incidents might that be due to? Why can't you keep the feeling, freeze it in your mind palace? Here a small "enlightenment" could be waiting for you, namely when you start to get to the bottom of things. And if you are in the process of discovering connections, then you could at least try to "take this feeling with you" into the next situation.
To love yourself "you" should also get to know yourself and your needs, requirements and positions better. What do you really need to live a "good" life? What do you need in the short term, medium term and long term? What do I want? Do I need more entertainment, or more quiet, more people around me, or more solitude? What do I need? Ask yourself simple questions (usually the answer is already packed in the question), write things down, go through your old records.
Exercise: when you stand in front of a mirror and start talking about yourself, what words do you choose? Here you notice whether you think "good" or "bad" of yourself (according to Buddha there is no good and no bad either), here it quickly becomes apparent whether you "love" yourself. If your statements are not very flattering, it makes sense to formulate the essence of your words again, but at least to describe yourself "neutrally" (example: you visited a slightly run-down apartment, you tell a friend about this event afterwards, you describe the circumstances rather negatively at first. Now you describe this apartment in a new attempt rather neutrally, then again, now with positive words).
What is "good" about you?
What things make you tick?
What demands do you make on life?
What do you want to achieve?
Sure, according to Buddha we are not supposed to want or desire anything, for full-blooded Buddhists this makes sense, but the great mass of feel-good Buddhists, they may not make the jump from daily life to "enlightenment" until the next incarnation. Even though we keep trying NOT to judge, it's hard not to.
So, what neutral view of your self have you tried today?
The path is the destination!
So it is: mean is there, and noble is there. But there is a freedom that is higher than all sensual perception
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
To achieve more self-love you should continue to find out when you like yourself. Everyone likes themselves occasionally, but also has those pithy moments when they dislike themselves so much. So, what did you do really "well" today? When have you been really in tune with the universe lately? On what occasions do you feel good? What incidents might that be due to? Why can't you keep the feeling, freeze it in your mind palace? Here a small "enlightenment" could be waiting for you, namely when you start to get to the bottom of things. And if you are in the process of discovering connections, then you could at least try to "take this feeling with you" into the next situation.
To love yourself "you" should also get to know yourself and your needs, requirements and positions better. What do you really need to live a "good" life? What do you need in the short term, medium term and long term? What do I want? Do I need more entertainment, or more quiet, more people around me, or more solitude? What do I need? Ask yourself simple questions (usually the answer is already packed in the question), write things down, go through your old records.
Exercise: when you stand in front of a mirror and start talking about yourself, what words do you choose? Here you notice whether you think "good" or "bad" of yourself (according to Buddha there is no good and no bad either), here it quickly becomes apparent whether you "love" yourself. If your statements are not very flattering, it makes sense to formulate the essence of your words again, but at least to describe yourself "neutrally" (example: you visited a slightly run-down apartment, you tell a friend about this event afterwards, you describe the circumstances rather negatively at first. Now you describe this apartment in a new attempt rather neutrally, then again, now with positive words).
What is "good" about you?
What things make you tick?
What demands do you make on life?
What do you want to achieve?
Sure, according to Buddha we are not supposed to want or desire anything, for full-blooded Buddhists this makes sense, but the great mass of feel-good Buddhists, they may not make the jump from daily life to "enlightenment" until the next incarnation. Even though we keep trying NOT to judge, it's hard not to.
So, what neutral view of your self have you tried today?
The path is the destination!
So it is: mean is there, and noble is there. But there is a freedom that is higher than all sensual perception
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
7 Minuten
To let a person into one's life, that requires a lot of energy, a lot of courage and almost unlimited confidence.
It is not necessarily a Buddhist approach to sleep around, to constantly change partners, according to the philosophy of the sublime, a moral life is right.
If you can stand a week with a person, you can also spend a month with the person, even a year, and in consequence then a whole life.
"One" should not use people and living beings like shirts, but if one "takes" someone (for a day, a month, or a year), then consequences, obligations, common goals arise from it.
Today's fun society sees it quite differently, after a while people just "divorce", they go separate ways, prosperity allows the free development of personality. Our ancestors saw things completely differently, here the (marriage) partners were a community of fate, also a community of prey, fun was so not on the game plan. Certainly we are allowed to have fun in life, but don't we become jaded, hollow and unhappy by the eternal separating and coming together?
Can I still find a better partner? Or a younger girlfriend? A better earning boyfriend? Or a prettier woman? A taller man?
Sure, we can go looking for a partner again and again, fall in love over and over again, but is that really love? Or just the longing for "being loved"? Wouldn't it be nicer if we didn't use people, but could keep the partner we originally took?
When I met my girlfriend at the time, it hit me like a bolt of lightning. I saw her, and I knew that I loved this woman, the moment I saw her for the first time. Already at that time it was clear to me that I must not run away from here, that I want to honor this relationship, if I now say "I'll take you", then it is meant honestly, it is not a game, not a "stopover" to something "better", no, then clear consequences follow here. Well, I wanted her, she wanted me, today we are a couple.
Nowadays we say "I'll take you" far too easily, without being aware of the consequences, without even thinking about the responsibility that comes with it. By the way, this is true for all living beings, for which we formulate a "I'll take you" at will, no matter if we "acquire" a dog, or buy a bird, here lies a clear commitment to this living being (or human being).
When was the last time you said "I'll take you"? Did you mean it?
The way is the goal!
He is steadfast in striving, responsible in striving for wholesome conditions
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
It is not necessarily a Buddhist approach to sleep around, to constantly change partners, according to the philosophy of the sublime, a moral life is right.
If you can stand a week with a person, you can also spend a month with the person, even a year, and in consequence then a whole life.
"One" should not use people and living beings like shirts, but if one "takes" someone (for a day, a month, or a year), then consequences, obligations, common goals arise from it.
Today's fun society sees it quite differently, after a while people just "divorce", they go separate ways, prosperity allows the free development of personality. Our ancestors saw things completely differently, here the (marriage) partners were a community of fate, also a community of prey, fun was so not on the game plan. Certainly we are allowed to have fun in life, but don't we become jaded, hollow and unhappy by the eternal separating and coming together?
Can I still find a better partner? Or a younger girlfriend? A better earning boyfriend? Or a prettier woman? A taller man?
Sure, we can go looking for a partner again and again, fall in love over and over again, but is that really love? Or just the longing for "being loved"? Wouldn't it be nicer if we didn't use people, but could keep the partner we originally took?
When I met my girlfriend at the time, it hit me like a bolt of lightning. I saw her, and I knew that I loved this woman, the moment I saw her for the first time. Already at that time it was clear to me that I must not run away from here, that I want to honor this relationship, if I now say "I'll take you", then it is meant honestly, it is not a game, not a "stopover" to something "better", no, then clear consequences follow here. Well, I wanted her, she wanted me, today we are a couple.
Nowadays we say "I'll take you" far too easily, without being aware of the consequences, without even thinking about the responsibility that comes with it. By the way, this is true for all living beings, for which we formulate a "I'll take you" at will, no matter if we "acquire" a dog, or buy a bird, here lies a clear commitment to this living being (or human being).
When was the last time you said "I'll take you"? Did you mean it?
The way is the goal!
He is steadfast in striving, responsible in striving for wholesome conditions
- Buddha - honorary name of Siddharta Gautama - 560 to 480 before the year zero
Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de
(Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores)
