It Is All About the Light Within

A simple entry today to share a posting motivated by this morning’s meditation.

As I reflect once more on the reasons why I love painting and the success of the on-going exhibit in the Boston Area, I received this TUT note (www.tut.com) and I thought it was exactly on the mark. I could not said it better and I thank Mike Dooley for reaching me today. I hope that as you are seeing it today, you too take time to sense your big motivator, your big attractor.
“One of abundances many corollaries, is that the brighter your light, the more you attract… everything. Moths and butterflies.At which point you begin learning what to celebrate and what to let fly on by.”

Take time during the day to sense your own light. Let it shine. See the same light in all you encounter and in all you touch. You’ll see, you’ll have agreat day!

It May Look the Same, Yet I Am Born Anew At Every Moment

My friend Isabelle tells me that she likes that I am always reinventing myself. I tell her that I like to remove the re. I like to be born everyday anew. I am happy to see how high I can reach today. It may look like reinventing. It is rather a wilingness to move beyond what is possible even if I have no idea what that is at the moment. I try to in-vent. It may take me sometime. It may look to others that I am trying the same thing over again, or that I am thinking the same as I did in the past. My circle of family and friends may see from their perspective that I look the same, I sound the same… Yet I know that what is new is deep within. Changes that occur deep within take time to see the light of day. I have my whole life to try, or at least this whole moment in time. But the Light is bright. Patience is a virtue, taught the Buddha. I am patient. As a newborn, it like taking baby steps. It always works. It looks like I am reborn, but I am actually born anew ! Try it…You may like it.

Challenge to All Who Want a Better World: Become the Change You Want to See!

Challenge to All Who Want a Better World: Become the Change You Want to See!.

Challenge to All Who Want a Better World: Become the Change You Want to See!

Try this for a week:

In any interaction you are involved with, do not be the first to speak. Be present, fully present with an open heart/mind to welcome the other into your vibrational circle. Be responsive, not reactive. Put all your energy in been fully present to what this other brings. It is even more fun within a group, like in a business meeting. Enjoy the process & with the same presence, decide when to reply & what is good to say—if necessary. Most people need you to hear them. Welcome this opportunity to practice some good Bodhisattva skills. Note a couple of times a day how you are feeling and what you are thinking. Pay attention to our usual “wanting to share my story”.

I know it may feel weird, contrived at first, but you are planting good seeds,crowding the seeds of anger, despair, isolation and sorrow–quite prevalent everywhere we look! You are becoming stronger and I PROMISE…you will feel good as soon as you notice how much love you feel inside, mostly toward yourself. You notice how easy it is to serve by this simple act of giving from the heart.Your vibrational field will positively change. Who knows, you may notice birds and butterflies being attracted to you. Simply reply Thank You!

Let us know how it goes

Office Renovation-Are All Required Expenses Accounted For?

Recently a client asked me for help in renovating a dental office. Whenever people think of renovating they do so prompted by the desire to add a new gadget, more staff, or a new procedure in order to increase revenues. The thinking goes that if we can offer more effective diagnostics, add a specialist, or refocus the practice, then the patients/clients will benefit and the practice will be more profitable. Good thinking! Excited at the prospects of growth, we tend to neglect to notice the inter-dependence of the basic components involved: changing the space to support the new addition, its financial impact and the people factor. Are all the required expenses accounted for? 

Financial matters tend to show what we value most and surface quickly. Discussions surrounding the space renovations became stalled when the price tag appeared to be higher than my client expected. The doctor asserted that the practice was in need of a very expensive and “much-needed, even crucial, newest and greatest” dental machine. However, they could not possibly afford the financial commitment of both! We need this superb diagnostic! Space designer, what do we do? Can we scale down the redesign? If so, how do we manage to add this BIG new machine within an existing constricted and awkward configuration? Designer, you can make miracles, don’t you?

The need to create room for a big piece of equipment not only means disruptions to the work, and a financial commitment; it also implies that changes are coming. These may be painful. Something must be removed to make room for the addition if no additional space is available. Space, like a body is an entity. We cannot continue to stuff an already full digestive system without introducing a new regimen—exercise, good & qualitative food and practices, eating less, meal planning…You get it, space does not stretch and this space is tight!

In this project, insufficient storage was but one of the problems. An outmoded and bulky filing system was compounded by single-use office equipment and the apparent lack of time for organizing the office. The front office was the one in most need of help. The first diagnosis: clean and clear as much as possible and combine office equipment. Staff time allocation for this procedure was strenuous; for when an office is crowded, people feel that they can never accomplish enough.  New multi-function equipment was installed and much de-cluttering ensued. Yet space and staff continued to be problematic.

The front office staff works in a narrow, very cramped space directly in line with the front door. They have breaks in an open and tiny space housing a microwave, a refrigerator and random storage above their heads; all within a narrow corridor shared with operatories, the sterilization center and the lab. Being in direct line with the front door makes them feel that they “are always on”. The lack of space to take a meaningful respite within the work day creates restlessness and feeling disrespected or uncared for. Continued neglect of staff needs eventually may show up in staff morale, disgruntled patients and a tired CEO. Can we afford to renovate with these people?

The diagnosis was to carve appropriate space for their efficient functioning. This was the designer’s job. The clarity achieved in cleaning, de-cluttering and re-allocating inspired a space reallocation.  Great! Yet funding the new space design must also prompt some serious thinking. Improperly addressing money issues may create unwanted personal side effects on the management side. These are not only monetary. The need to maintain the pace of work to support growth may lead not only to working additional hours, but to a diminished quality of life. This was the doctor’s conundrum!

Fortunately, being in a healing environment, we looked to necessary procedures for proper treatment. Doctors know that the basic procedures are not priorities. They are just that; basics of equal weight. Just like doctors prepare patients for a healing treatment, space planners must prepare (design) the space for the new practices/equipment to be incorporated while considering the work flow and its needs (staff ) and the entire financial aspects. Failure to consider any of these basic components, like patients, the new treatment (space & new equipment) may fail (financial & people losses).

An optimal renovation means that staff will work in a space that supports them in assimilating the new and incorporating what exists. An office needs appropriate storage for efficient workflow and effective movement within the work area in addition to effective work practices.  A space that restricts movement cannot produce at any level; let alone increase productivity. People simply survive. It is hard for doctors or management to feel this because they are busy treating patients or taking care of “important matters”.

Yet, when the front office really produces, all will notice a remarkable surge in their ability to serve the needs of the patients/clients and their own comfort level. That is how dependent we are on our staff’s efficiency! Staff also needs room to take a meaningful break. When we provide for this basic need, it says we appreciate them. When we don’t, we express that we only care for the bottom line. When you feel uncared, it makes it quite difficult to care for others. The front office is the mouth of the practice and vital.

Dentists know the importance of discussing with their patients about what enters the mouth, a vital body part, and how it affects the rest of the body’s functioning; front office staff  are the first encounter with your business.  Overworked, tired and unable-to-concentrate greeters cannot be as cheerful as they need to be. Just like the space, their thinking becomes narrow, stagnant and constricted. They are unable to grow. If they accommodate, then they get in time, depleted.

Properly preparing to renovate the space means analyzing all the parts and their interaction. It is the only balanced move toward a practice that is healthy, happy and that keeps on growing. Developing the layout and pricing it is as important as getting the specs for the new equipment and pricing it, and as important as projecting for additional staff and planning for revenues and outlays.

At the present moment, we are still planning on renovating the space, keeping an eye on training staff for the new procedures and planning to purchase the amazing machine when the time is right. We all keep an eye on the basics and keep smiling. The doctor and I are still smiling

Afraid to die? Me? You?

My 7 year old asked me if I was afraid to die. Rather odd, I thought, but when I stopped for a second to really hear my answer, I surprisingly said, “No, actually.”

Dissatisfied with my answer, she marched straight to her father, to see what he would say or maybe to commiserate with someone… he gave her the answer she wanted to hear. And then she confessed, “I am afraid to die too”.

I don’t know if it is age appropriate for her to come to grips with her mortality, but I know she is totally puzzled by the spectrum of answers.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m afraid of a slow death. Like if all medications ceased to exist and I could not use my inhaler, yeah, that would suck. I would be out of breath most of the time, I could not walk far, or be outside in the heat, or cold. I’m afraid of my body decaying, but I am not afraid of leaving this world, I have learned to see as the Muggle world (to quote Harry Potter).

Maybe it’s because my grandmother died when I was very young, but I feel very little when someone dies. I see it as a part of life. Nothing more. Another amazing passage that the soul takes as it weaves in and out of consciousness. Whether you believe in re-incarnation, salvation or neither, you can’t deny the sacred journey of birth and death. From one form to the next, and it happens through these two doorways.

Really, we have little deaths throughout life. Maybe to prepare us for the biggie. We lose friend, jobs, spouses, children leave the home, parents leave this world, we re-invent ourselves, and make new careers at midlife. Little deaths. All the time.

Why are most of us afraid of death? Are we afraid of change? The unknown? Are you afraid of death? Afraid of what will happen to those you leave behind?

I must interview my pondering 7 year old, and see what troubles her so. Ask yourself these questions, and see what you come up with!

Asha Ramakrishna is  a writer, business woman, wife & Mommy. Connect with her on Facebook, under Asha Stories or visit her blog @ www.ashastories.com

The Pursuit of Happiness

In the Declaration of the US Independence, the founding “fathers” highlighted it as one of the unalienable and sovereign rights, along with life and liberty. The Dali Lama has declared that his religion IS Happiness. This morning I read one of the “Spontaneous Songs” by Ven. Lama Gendun Rinpoche and pondered…

When I scan the media–all of it, fb, blogs, TV, radio, even emails & billboards; when I talk to my clients, and observe my friends, my students and my family I am treated to the various ways in which we earthly humans interpret happiness, and the ways and means by which we pursue it.

To my clients, a new office, a bigger house, the perfect flooring pattern, this kitchen cabinet, that color scheme is what will make them happy. Yes! They bring me magazines and photos of what in their view will make the best design. I then come up with a more personalized scheme and I am grateful for their business, yet I see that it is by looking at what others have, maybe even a vignette created for a home show, a kitchen magazine layout, their friends and relatives media room, that they decide what is their perfect space.

Some of my friends take courses and workshops of all sorts. They study from a variety of gurus and gather amazing material. They are so excited about this book, this conference, this discipline and their hearts and souls are totally committed to it…for a time…until the next guru, book, class.

My students want to find love and the ideal mate, get the perfect job, travel to exotic places, achieve financial freedom, design and teach the perfect new spiritual structure, raise wonderful families, love those who “wronged them” and be enlightened by… attending our weekly meetings, doing some meditation and reading & part-time practicing, all with great intentions!

My family pursues happiness through many of the ways described. They plan the next trip, move to a new location, get a new job, arrange for the perfect learning experiences, take up new hobbies, revive an old skill…Some add the holding on to the past, and the expectation that relationships will change if they just hold on to anger and grudges.

On that note, the wars and crimes people become part of in the name of achieving their perfect society, using rules they “channelled” or interpreted by reading scriptures, or commit atrocities while under the spell of someone who speaks for those scriptures. All they are doing is pursuing happiness. Yes. All of it!

In all, we see the achievement of happiness as something that is outside of us, or something that we have to do, create, become; to be happy. It is in the future. At this point, I will let the Venerable Lama Gendun speak.

Happiness cannot be found
through great effort and willpower,
but is already present, in open relaxation and letting go.

Don’t strain yourself,
there is nothing to do or undo.
Whatever momentarily arises in the body-mind
has no real importance at all,
has little reality whatsoever.
Why identify with, and become attached to it,
passing judgment upon it and ourselves?

Far better to simply
let the entire game happen on its own,
springing up and falling back like waves -
without changing or manipulating anything -
and notice how every thing vanishes and
reappears, magically, again and again,
time without end.

Only our searching for happiness
prevents us from seeing it.
It’s like a vivid rainbow which you pursue without ever catching,
or a dog chasing its own tail.

Although peace and happiness do not exist
as an actual thing or place,
it is always available
and accompanies you every instant.

Don’t believe in the reality
of good and bad experiences;
they are like today’s ephemeral weather,
like rainbows in the sky.

Wanting to grasp the ungraspable,
you exhaust yourself in vain.
As soon as you open and relax this tight fist of grasping,
infinite space is there – open, inviting and comfortable.

Make use of this spaciousness, this freedom and natural ease.
Don’t search any further.
Don’t go into the tangled jungle
looking for the great awakened elephant,
who is already resting quietly at home
in front of your own hearth.

Nothing to do or undo,
nothing to force,
nothing to want,
and nothing missing.

 A happy day to All!!!

Guilt and Worry…

I read Stacey’s response to yesterday’s blog entry defining The Four Noble Truths and what gets in the way of seeing reality and the reference to guilt in the context of the reading pinged at me so I decided to elaborate on what is guilt and how Buddhist practitioners see it.

I am not sure which one of my fellow practitioners wrote about guilt, but I remember his definition in Buddhist practice. He said that being guilty means seeing or projecting one’s mistakes, yet not knowing what to do about them and even refusing to correct them.

Guilt is a negative and paralyzing emotion. Frustration created by guilt and worry preclude change and growth. It implies non-acceptance of oneself or the situation. When we label ourselves as unworthy, mean, unlikable…we are in the grip of ego. Sister Robina Courtin called it too much “self-cherishing” and it is a form of self-deprecating laziness, a pretty typical “hindrance” . Guilt is a disturbing attitude. The guilty person does not see clearly, so much so that they become consumed with their “self -hatred” which is actually self-centeredness.

The awakened person sees the behavior, the thoughts and notices…What am I attracting? What did I feel/think about interacting with the person who triggered my negative feelings? What were my intentions in relating in such manner to that person? Intention is the key to creating negative karma, and guilt creates loads of negative karma!

So Buddhism offers sincere repentance as a positive and transformative practice. We can admit that we were not very nice. We can even admit that we were down right nasty! But we can also commit  to not repeat the actions/thoughts/words and resolve instead to “commit random acts of kindness” among other more rigorous cleansing practices. Yes!

Friday night is the beginning of the Jewish Day of Atonement. It is the day to clear the slate, confess and repair the wrongful deeds. Judaism beckons you to repent and tells you to look within. Yes, the best repairing is within to contemplate what in you led you to act in ways that were wrongful toward others or what within yourself brought about feelings of guilt. It may be that you forgot that the other is not better or worse than you and that seeing the other as separate from you is what created guilt and worry in the first place. So…don’t worry…be happy!

Try chanting the mantra of the prajnaparamita hridaya sutra-the Heart Sutra in Sanskrit or The Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom. Repeat it to yourself 9 times every time you feel worry coming on and envelop yourself in its marvelous words when you truly mean that you are sorry.

Gate Gate Para Gate

Para Sam Gate Bodhi Svaha!

Yes…here is the translation:

Gone, Gone Beyond

Beyond the Beyond

Awakened All

Last Night’s Meditation Class: The Power Toolbox

…And once we have the condition of peace and joy in us, we can afford to be in any situation. Even in the situation of hell, we will be able to contribute our peace and serenity. The most important thing is for each of us to have some freedom in our heart, some stability in our heart, some peace in our heart. Only then will we be able to relieve the suffering around us”, said Thich Nhat Hanh.

The Four Noble Truths forms the box holding a most powerful tool-kit capable of yielding the dramatic change Thich Nhat Hanh speaks of. It is the gift of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, who learned that living beings experience difficulty in their day-to-day life and that this is so because we become attached and crave satisfaction from our attachments in ways that are inherently unsatisfying. The Buddha taught that there is a possibility of becoming free of the difficulties by leading a life of compassion, wisdom and meditation. These he called, the Four Noble Truths-The Toolbox.

The First Noble Truth describes the difficulties we experience as self-imposed and frustrating because we are unwilling to accept the natural and cyclical nature of life. We refuse to acknowledge and deal with the fact that we will experience ups and downs, that relationships are imperfect, that we are not perfect, that we become ill, that we die, and that we are also happy and joyous and sometimes very content and that it is all filtered through the components of our individuality, the Five Skandas.

The skandas or aggregates are five aspects we use to interact with phenomena. We perceive form, and through our form. We use senses; we combine feelings and sensations to create perceptions of what we encounter; we apply our intentions, creating karma and we use our sense consciousness, all ephemeral and temporary to make decisions about what we see, do, think and believe.

The Second Noble Truth describes the pain caused by the flawed nature in the interaction of these skandas. Our form, sensations, perceptions, intentions and consciousness become hijacked by the part of the consciousness called ego. We become attached to forms and our sensations, perceptions and intentions are driven by seemingly incessant cravings that unfold into poisons called kleshas. These obscurations keep us from seeing reality as it is and from achieving lasting peace now.

The Third Noble Truth states that we can become free of suffering or dukkha (Sanskrit), and that we can do it by attaining wisdom. The Buddha said …”whoever in this world overcomes this craving so hard to transcend will find that suffering goes away like drops of water falling from a flower.” Wisdom comes through understanding that we are in charge of our happiness and that joy and freedom exist within and not without. I like to compare this with riding a bicycle. You are the power and control behind the bicycle. If you are pulled you lose control. If you are pushed, you fall. Only you can decide how to ride your bike and how much power and speed you can exert!

The Fourth Noble Truth states that we can change, and that there is a path the Buddha and many others tried, to attain wisdom. This spiritual journey led them away from the dissatisfaction of a conditioned existence and into long-lasting peace and harmony. They followed what Enlightenment-The tool-kit, knows as the Eight-fold Path. They also cautioned about the roadblocks on the path. Just like in the Tour-de France, it is a wonderful, long and at times perilous journey. Yet, for us it is the most necessary journey of awakening. What the Buddha called heroic in nature. Just like in “the tour”, he said that we would find awe-inspiring mysteries, joyful encounters, outstanding adventures, and we will most certainly find obstacles that we ought to be prepared to overcome. He challenged us to be prepared for the dramatic change of a caterpillar if we wanted to fly like a butterfly. The Buddha cautioned that the ego was ready to stand guard with a suit of armor. Yet the ego is part of us. Will we be able to get out of our own way? Lama Surya Das asks about “which habits or patterns will you let go of easily, and which will have the tenacity of superglue?”

The obstacles that the Buddha personally confronted on his journey are called The Five Hindrances:

• Cravings
• Ill will
• Restleness
• Doubt
• Spiritual laziness (torpor, sloth)

These challenges show up consistently throughout the Eight-fold path to Enlightenment. Learning how to use this “tool-kit” as we encounter the hindrances, will enable us to be more effective as we ride the road to peace. The Buddha thought of this path as an eight-spoked wheel with interconnected links to develop the essential values of wisdom, ethics and presence.

Wisdom is embodied in Right View and Right Intentions. Ethics is embodied in Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood and Meditation is embodied in Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.

Last night we discussed at length the fears that bind us into making poor judgments;  the incorrect image of “perfection” we crave in people, things, beliefs, situations that propels us to manifest conflict and suffering for us and those we love, not to mention the impact on society at large. We identified our aversion to pain, our avoidance to seek healing for the right reasons. We talked about our misconceptions of abundance and the difference between desire and wanting. Being part of the sangha, the spiritual community helps us practice and encourage us to stay present and on the road. It teaches better ways of maintaining our bicycles in tip-top shape. I invite you all to share your experiences with these concepts. How do they show up in the day-to-day living? Are you present? Do you stop at least three times daily and ask yourself: What am I thinking? What am I feeling?

Follow this link to contemplate a piece I created to explore the way we perceive. It is called “The Nature of Reality”, http://www.lidiascherart.com/large-view/Spiritual%20Art%20/207608-5-0-17233/Mixed%20Media/On%20Canvas/Non-representational.html

Your comments are always welcome!

Pain Through the Eyes of a Girl-An Asha Story

She came into my life and was in pain. Physical, emotional, and whatever other kind of pain we can experience. We were in a group and you know what they say, Squeaky Wheel. Yes, when you are in pain, you gotta be loud. Really loud.

I saw myself in her, yet there was more and I wasn’t sure what it was. The group asked of her to be in silence, and that her answers would come in that place of true listening. She wasn’t ready to hear that,  and so she left. Never returned. I went deeper to really hear the message she was delivering in her short visit.

I got the visual–see, http://ashastories.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/girl_in_garbage.jpg to better understand the young woman I speak about through one of my husband’s photos. He brought this sad, sad story home for me to be profoundly changed by. These young girls live in the dump in Guatemala. Live. That is their backyard. That is their job. That is their grocery store. That is their Target, BJ and otherwise. This is home and everything in between.

My dialogue with Mother Spirit about all this:

Mother: Asha, do you believe people live like this?

Me: Of course not! It is inhumane.

Mother: What do you think they feel, see  and want when you come into their home?

Me: They want desperately to be taken out of their pain, and they will say or do anything that gets them closer to eradicating the pain.

Mother: Is this person ready to be in silence?

Me: I suppose it must be really painful to try that one. Now I understand why it was natural for her to be offended (referring to the girl in pain). Asking her to be in the quiet of her pain sounds down right terrifying, and bordering on cruelty.

Mother: Can you feel compassion?

Me: I understand.

Mother: She wanted ways out of her pain- so she asked questions.  She was not prepared to work for it because that felt like more pain- so she would talk over you, and her own words. She is attached to the stories that brought the pain-so the pain now has a hold of her.

Like a child, she doesn’t know how to get out. Can you give her smaller bites? Can you show her step by step? Many do. Many try. Many fail. Some can hear the big answer and their hearts open instantaneously, for some,  it takes years or lifetimes.

She is not your responsibility. She was here to teach. What a great Teacher she is. She taught the obvious of the mirror exercise, and she teaches the esoteric Truths that go beyond her, you, and your circle. Thank her for her Teaching. Release her from your responsibility. And embrace the next girl in pain, with an open heart.

You will know what to do. Listen.

See Asha Ramakrishna’s complete post in http://ashastories.com/?p=96