Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded.

- Dr. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Osho On Giving

"Love is innocent when there is no motive in it. Love is innocent when it is nothing but a sharing of your energy. You have too much, so you share... you want to share.

And whosoever shares with you, you feel grateful to him or her, because you were like a cloud - too full of rainwater - and somebody helped you to unburden.Or you were like a flower, full of fragrance, and the wind came and unloaded you. Or you had a song to sing, and somebody listened attentively... so attentively that he allowed you space to sing it. So to whomsoever helps you to overflow in love, feel grateful.
Imbibe that spirit of sharing, let that become your very style of life: to be capable of giving without any idea of getting, to be capable of giving without any conditions attached to it, to be capable of giving just out of your abundance." Osho

Dealing With Problems From A Disturbed Mental State

"If you have peace of mind, when you meet with problems and difficulties they won’t disturb your inner peace. You’ll be able to employ your human intelligence more effectively. But, if your mental state is disturbed, full of emotion, it is very difficult to cope with problems, because the mind that is full of emotion is biased, unable to see reality. So whatever you do will be unrealistic and naturally fail."

    ~ Dalai Lama

MAITRI Cultivating Unconditional Friendliness to Oneself

About Maitri

Maitri is translated in a lot of ways, maybe most commonly aslove, but the way Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche translated it wasunconditional friendliness and in particular unconditional friendliness to oneself. 

So I teach about maitri a lot. In fact, sometimes I think it's the only thing I teach. I also teach about compassion a lot, but actually compassion is a form of maitri so this unconditional friendliness to oneself, it seems to be what most of us do not have. 

This is very interesting because there was a conference in Dharamsala with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and it was with Western Buddhist teachers. 

Sharon Salzburg, who's a teacher of western insight meditation, was talking to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and explaining how in teaching in the West one of the things that teachers always encountered was how widespread it was that people were very hard on themselves. That when the teachings were taught in a traditional way, sometimes they simply didn't communicate because we were so good as a group of people at taking whatever we heard and turning it against ourselves. For instance, there could be some excellent teaching on the difficulty, the pain that comes from ego clinging and that teaching could be taught in a very traditional way and then people could hear it, and somehow people could come out feeling bad about themselves. Instead of feeling inspired or uplifted to heal themselves, they'd come out feeling bad about themselves. 

Pema Chödrön explains Maitri

"Maitri is the basis of compassion ... Its a Sanskrit word that is often translated as unconditional friendship with one's self ..."

In Every Moment There Is Peace

Hell is not a place that we go ... It's a place we create in our minds and live like it is real. In every moment, when we are willing to allow it there is peace - regardless of what we have, don't have, who we're with, who we're not with, if we have no money or an abundance of wealth or any circumstances of our lives. Life is as it needs to be. We need not judge it. The Universe knows what it's doing. We must stay focused on our intentions and watch in awe as they manifest before our very eyes.

   ~   Tom Notarianni Jr.



©2009 All Right Reserved The Peaceful Minds Center™LLC 561-531-3626 peacefulminds.org

The State of the States

The current breakdown of our system of government is not a breakdown of government per se but a reflection of the consciousness or lack there of in our country today. When we as Americans realize the fundamental truth that our individual success is directly linked to our neighbors success and that our nature is giving and it is what makes us the most happy then, and only then will our government reflect that collective state of mind. So, one could say that by helping to ensure our neighbors success (or at least not hindering that success) and giving to others we have ensured our own success and happiness.

   ~   Tom Notarianni Jr.

©2009 All Right Reserved The Peaceful Minds Center™LLC 561-531-3626 peacefulminds.org

How To Be Happy

Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard claims you can practice your way to happiness, and he should know: After MRI scans showed that he experienced extreme levels of positive emotions and few negative ones, he became known as "the happiest man in the world." Trained as a cell biologist in France, Ricard moved to the Himalayas in 1972 to study Buddhism. He's now a translator, a photographer and the Dalai Lama's French interpreter. His books -- the proceeds of which go to 41 humanitarian projects in the remote Himalayas -- include "The Monk and the Philosopher" (a dialogue with his father, a famed philosopher), "Happiness: a Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill," and, most recently, "Why Meditate?" AOL Health spoke with Ricard about the cultivation of happiness, the benefits of altruism and how 30 silent minutes a day can change your life.

Do you think you're the happiest man in the world?
It's better than the unhappiest person in the world. It was a cover line on a Buddhist independent journal. Of course it's cute, but it doesn't rest on scientific evidence. I took part in some ongoing studies on compassion. It's a jump to say my results mean that.

What is happiness?
Happiness is a way of being rather than an endless search for experiences.

‎"Self-realization means that we have been consciously connected with our source of being. Once we have made this connection, then nothing can go wrong..." - Swami Paramananda

A Precious Human Life

"Every day, think as you wake up ...

Today I am fortunate to have woken up.

I am alive; I have a precious human life.

I am not going to waste it.

I am going to use 

all my energies to develop myself,

to expand my heart out to others,

to achieve enlightenment for 

the benefit of all beings.

I am going to have kind

thoughts towards others;

I am not going to get angry

or think badly about others.

I am going to to benefit others

as much as I can."

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Osho

No-Thought for the Day: Only those people who are capable of being alone are capable of love, of sharing, of going into the deepest core into the other person, without possessing the other, without becoming dependent on the other, without creating "the other," reducing the other into a thing, and without becoming addicted with the other. They allow the other absolute freedom, because they know if the other leaves, they will be as happy as they are now. Their happiness cannot be taken by the other, because it is not given by the other.

 ~ Osho

Five Precepts

Five Precepts 5 Precepts

Buddhism is the most profound and wholesome education directed by the Buddha towards all people. Five precepts are the curriculum of Buddhist teaching, which are embraced in the moral code of Buddhism. By observing precepts, not only do you cultivate your moral strength, but you also perform the highest service to your fellow beings. The Five Precepts are:

1. Do not kill
2. Do not steal
3. Do not indulge in sexual misconduct
4. Do not make false speech
5. Do not take intoxicants

These are the basic precepts that all people should practice and abide by. As a result, you will live in Three Good Paths (Gods, Demigods & Human), not in Three Evil Paths (Hell, Hungry Ghosts & Animals), enjoy all the blessings, happiness and freedom in Human and Deva Realm.


1. Do not Kill

One must not deliberately kill any living creatures, either by committing the act oneself, instructing others to kill, or approving of or participating in act of killing. It is a respect to others' lives.

One should not deprive others (animals not excluded) of the right to live. If one is hurt or killed, one's family, relatives, friends will suffer. It is the cause of rebirth in Three Evil Paths. The effect of killing to the performer are brevity of life, ill health, handicapped and fear.

In observing the first precept, one tries to protect life whenever possible. Furthermore, one cultivates the attitude of loving kindness to all beings by wishing that they may be happy and free from harm.

James Taylor - Shower the People

Shower The People lyrics

You can play the game
You can act out the part
But you know it wasn't written for you

Tell me how do you stand there
With your broken heart
Ashamed of playing the fool

One thing can lead to another
It doesn't take any sacrifice
Oh mother and father, sister and brother
If it feels nice, don't think twice

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be just fine
If we only will
What I mean to say is

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be much better
If we only will

You can run
But you cannot hide
This is widely known

And what you plan to do with your foolish pride
When you're all by yourself alone?
Once you tell somebody the way that you feel
You can feel it beginning to ease
I think it's true what they say about the squeaky wheel
Always getting the grease

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be just fine
If we only will, do as I say

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be much better
If we only will

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
(repeat)

Styx- The grand illusion + lyrics

The Grand Illusion lyrics
Songwriters: De Young, Dennis;

Welcome to the grand illusion
Come on in and see what's happening
Pay the price, get your tickets for the show
The stage is set, the band starts playing
Suddenly your heart is pounding
You're wishing secretly you were a star

But don't be fooled by the radio
The TV or the magazines
They'll show you photographs of how your life should be
But they're just someone else's fantasies
So if you think your life is complete confusion
'Cause you never win the game
Just remember that it's a grand illusion
And deep inside we're all the same
We're all the same

So if you think your life is complete confusion
Because your neighbor's got it made
Just remember that it's a grand illusion
And deep inside we're all the same

America spells competition
Join us in our blind ambition
Get yourself a brand new motorcar
Someday soon we'll stop to ponder
What on earth's this spell we're under
We made the grade and still we wonder
Who the hell we are

Boston - peace/piece of mind (WITH LYRICS)

Now if you're feelin' kinda low 'bout the dues you've been paying
Future's coming much too slow
And you wanna run but somehow you just keep on stayin'
Can't decide on which way to go
Yeah, yeah, yeah

I understand about indecision
But I don't care if I get behind
People livin' in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind. (yea

Now you're climbin' to the top of the company ladder
Hope it doesn't take too long
Can'tcha see there'll come a day when it won't matter
Come a day when you'll be gone


I understand about indecision
But I don't care if I get behind
People livin' in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind.

Take a look ahead, take a look ahead, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...woa!

Now everybody's got advice they just keep on givin'
Doesn't mean too much to me
Lot's of people out to make-believe they're livin'
Can't decide who they should be.


I understand about indecision
But I don't care if I get behind
People livin' in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind.

Take a look ahead, take a look ahead. Look ahead.

(Scholz)

Perhaps Love - John Denver & Placido Domingo

(Placido Domingo)
Perhaps love is like a resting place
A shelter from the storm
It exists to give you comfort
It is there to keep you warm
And in those times of trouble
When you are most alone
The memory of love will bring you home

(John Denver)
Perhaps love is like a window
Perhaps an open door
It invites you to come closer
It wants to show you more
And even if you lose yourself
And don't know what to do
The memory of love will see you through

(Placido Domingo)
Oh, Love to some is like a cloud
To some as strong as steel

(John Denver)
For some a way of living
For some a way to feel

(Placido Domingo)
And some say love is holding on
And some say letting go
And some say love is everything
And some say they don't know

(John starts joined by Placido)
Perhaps love is like the ocean
Full of conflict, full of change
Like a fire when it's cold outside
Thunder when it rains
If I should live forever
And all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you

(Placido Domingo)
And some say love is holding on
And some say letting go

(John Denver)
And some say love is everything
Some say they don't know

(John starts joined by Placido)
Perhaps love is like the ocean
Full of conflict, full of change
Like a fire when it's cold outside
Or thunder when it rains
If I should live forever
And all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you

Knowledge vs Wisdom

"When you've read about it in a book you have knowledge - When you've experienced it you have wisdom."

                               ~ Tom Notarianni


©2009 All Right Reserved The Peaceful Minds Center™LLC 561-531-3626 peacefulminds.org

The Peaceful Minds Center Thought For The Week

“The pain and sadness we sometimes feel in our gut is one thing - fear. When we shine the light of our consciousness upon it, it evaporates like a puddle on a warm summers day. As we remember that we are always safe within ourselves, the pain goes away and we smile.”

                                                                           ~ Tom Notarianni Jr.

©2009 All Right Reserved The Peaceful Minds Center™LLC 561-531-3626 peacefulminds.org

External Matter and Internal Mind

Although you can find certain differences among the Buddhist philosophical schools about how the universe came into being, the basic common question addressed is how the two fundamental principles--external matter and internal mind or consciousness--although distinct, affect one another. External causes and conditions are responsible for certain of our experiences of happiness and suffering. Yet we find that it is principally our own feelings, our thoughts and our emotions, that really determine whether we are going to suffer or be happy. 

- Dalai Lama

The Peaceful Minds Center Thought For The Week

"The fun thing about fishing is not knowing what you’re going to catch"

  ~ Tom Notarianni Jr.


©2009 All Right Reserved The Peaceful Minds Center™LLC 561-531-3626 peacefulminds.org

You Are the One You Are Waiting For - Turn to Yourself

From www.dailyom.com

The outer world serves as a mirror and our inner world has a magnetic force that draws to us what we need to evolve.

We spend a lot of our lives looking for role models, mentors, teachers, and gurus to guide us on our path. There is nothing wrong with this and, in fact, finding the right person at the right time can really help. However, it is important to realize that in the absence of such a figure, we can very safely rely upon ourselves. We carry within us everything we need to know to make progress on our paths to self-realization. The outer world serves as a mirror. Or to use another metaphor, our inner world has a magnetic force that draws to us what we need to evolve to the next level. All we need to do to see that we already have everything we need is to let go of our belief that we need to seek in order to find.

The path of the spirit is often defined as a journey with a goal such as the fabled pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Compassion and the Individual

By Tenzin Gyatso; The Fourteenth Dalai Lama

The purpose of life
 ONE GREAT QUESTION underlies our experience, whether we think about it consciously or not: What is the purpose of life?  I have considered this question and would like to share my thoughts in the hope that they may be of direct, practical benefit to those who read them.

I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy.  From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering.  Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this.  From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment.  I don't know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves.  Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.

How to achieve happiness
For a start, it is possible to divide every kind of happiness and suffering into two main categories: mental and physical.  Of the two, it is the mind that exerts the greatest influence on most of us.  Unless we are either gravely ill or deprived of basic necessities, our physical condition plays a secondary role in life.  If the body is content, we virtually ignore it. The mind, however, registers every event, no matter how small. Hence we should devote our most serious efforts to bringing about mental peace.

Once You Remove The Things That Are Not You ...

"Once you remove the things that are not you, all you have left is you."

  ~ Tom Notarianni Jr.

The Peaceful Minds Center Thought For The Week

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."   ~ Rumi

Addiction

 Addiction may be better described as a brain malfunction rather than a disease. Granted, there may be some with a disease or abnormality. However, I think that most who deal with the addictive process are dealing with the mind brilliantly attempting to help them avoid painful thoughts by creating the addiction as a huge distraction from ones life. Many times "the addict" (I rather loath labels) is ignorant and resistant to even getting close to what is actually causing the pain. Thus, the mind creates a hurricane on which we must focus. All the mental focus is applied to solving the addiction and all the distractions that come with it as a means of avoiding the real pain. Unfortunately, this only leads to more pain in addition to the core issues that are cleverly being avoided. Having suffered with my own addictions I can only say what is true for me and this comment is certainly anecdotal. What is useful for me in dealing with addictions is a question I used to ask myself and ask many of my current clients - "When you are thinking or even obsessed about and addiction or any thought for that matter, what are you not thinking about?" After much work including a lot of coaching and journaling, I was almost always able to become aware of a very, very deep fear of which I was not formerly aware. As I shined the light of my consciousness upon my deepest fears they would evaporate like puddles on a hot summers day. And, the need for the addiction would evaporate with it - until the next fear popped up. Awareness is the key and foundation on which I coach ...

  ~ Tom Notarianni

©2009 All Right Reserved The Peaceful Minds Center™LLC 561-531-3626 peacefulminds.org

Unwritten ~ Natasha Bedingfield

Unwritten 

Songwriters: Brisebois, Danielle A; Bedingfield, Natasha Anne; Rodriques, Wayne Steven

I am unwritten
Can't read my mind
I'm undefined

I'm just beginning
The pen's in my hand
Ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Barriers To Love

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."

  ~ Rumi

The Peaceful Minds Center Thought For The Week

“Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.”

  ~ The Dalai Lama 



©2009 All Right Reserved The Peaceful Minds Center™LLC 561-531-3626 peacefulminds.org

Osho on difference between A Mystic and A Master

Question  - Beloved Osho, Please throw light on the difference between a mystic and a master.

Osho - There is an ancient Tibetan parable. It says, "When one hundred people try to reach the goal only ten ever start the journey; and out of the ten only one reaches the goal." And those few people who reach the goal are not capable of being masters. They are all mystics. They have known, they have seen, they have realized, but they cannot help anybody else towards the truth. They cannot explain their experience.

The mystic and the master are in the same state of being, but the master is articulate. He finds ways and means, devices, to indicate towards that which cannot be brought into words. The mystic is dumb. He has tasted the sweet; it is not that he does not know that it is sweet. He is full of the sweetness, but he cannot say anything about it, he is simply dumb.
The master is articulate. And it is the greatest art in the world.


The Peaceful Minds Center Thought For The Week

"One thing that helps our minds be peaceful is the knowing that everything that is happening is somehow moving us closer to what we really want - even when we don't understand how. The Universe is always conspiring to help us."

 ~ Tom Notarianni Jr.

©2009 All Right Reserved The Peaceful Minds Center™LLC 561-531-3626 peacefulminds.org

Zen Is Not Simply A Teacher ~ Osho

A master in Zen is not simply a teacher. In all the religions there are only teachers. They teach you about subjects which you dont know, and they ask you to believe because there is no way to bring those experiences into objective reality. Neither has the teacher known them - he has believed them; he transfers his belief to somebody else. Zen is not a believers world. It is not for the faithful ones; it is for those daring souls who can drop all belief, unbelief, doubt, reason, mind, and simply enter into their pure existence without boundaries. But it brings a tremendous transformation. Hence, let me say that while others are involved in philosophies, Zen is involved in metamorphosis, in a transformation. It is authentic alchemy: it changes you from base metal into gold. But its language has to be understood, not with your reasoning and intellectual mind but with your loving heart. Or even just listening, not bothering whether it is true or not. And a moment comes suddenly that you see it, which has been eluding you your whole life. Suddenly, what Gautam Buddha called "eighty-four thousand doors" open.

Osho

Pema Chodron - Working with Shenpa (Getting Hooked) in Meditation

THE SHENPA SYNDROME

Learning to Stay
Berkeley Shambhala Center - by Pema Chodron

I'm going to introduce you to a Tibetan word, and if you went and looked for teachings on this, you wouldn't find any —unless you have listened to the taped teachings of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, whom I'm studying with. Or, if you had heard my talks from yarne last year— the Gampo Abbey winter retreat, I taught on this subject. But, other than that, I don't think it exists anywhere. It does exist, but in the way that I'm going to teach it I give full complete credit to Dzigar Kongtrul because he's the one who has given lots of teachings on this, continues to do so, and it's had a very strong influence on my life and on my teachings. But, most importantly, on my own life.

This is a teaching on a Tibetan word: shenpa. The usual translation of the word shenpa is attachment. If you were to look it up in a Tibetan dictionary, you would find that the definition was attachment. But the word "attachment" absolutely doesn't get at what it is. Dzigar Kongtrul said not to use that translation because it's incomplete, and it doesn't touch the magnitude of shenpa and the effect that it has on us.

Dalai Lama: Inner Peace, Happiness, God and Money

Loneliness, Relationships & Happiness

After many years contemplating "loneliness" I have come to realize that the feeling I label as "lonely" is the feeling that arises when I have abandoned myself. I know what to do to be happy. When I am not doing those things or even worse, doing things that I know will eventually lead me to suffering I have abandoned myself and thus I feel "lonely". So, when I feel "lonely" I ask myself, "What is undone in my life that I want done? Am I eating well, exercising, meditating? Is the house clean, laundry done and are the bills paid? Is my integrity intact throughout my life? Am I being the person I choose to be in life? Etc" Typically, when I focus on myself, be true to who I am and move toward what I want and love I feel "good" - I feel happy - which is the ultimate goal.

The Peaceful Minds Center Thought For the Week

“Upset is merely a state of mind not a state of life ...”
~ Tom Notarianni Jr

All About Water

Article written by Dr. Sears www.askdrsears.com/

WHY YOUR BODY NEEDS WATER
Over 50 percent of an adult's body is water; that figure goes as high as 75 percent in an infant. Blood is 80 percent water and even muscles are 70 percent water. The waterway flows through your body, delivers nutrients to cells and carries away waste. Water acts as your body's cooling system, moving heat to the skin surface where it evaporates away in sweat and breath. Water lubricates joints, softens skin, and makes muscles work more smoothly. If your body is temporarily short of water - a condition called "dehydration" - every organ in your body is affected.

Made A New Friend Today

The Peaceful Minds Center Thought For The Week

"To maintain a truly peaceful mind we must train our minds to think in a way that allows us, during important moments, to not think at all”

 ~ Tom Notarianni Jr.

AWAKENING

The Best Relationship

The best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other. 

Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama and Personal Responsibility

"The Dalai Lama's philosophy is in the deepest and widest possible sense a philosophy of peace.  The Dalai Lama has understood there will be no future worth living unless everyone now takes personal responsibility for their own inner lives and universal responsibility for the pain and misery in the world.  He has understood that none of the major terrible problems that threaten survival of the earth can be solved by merely institutional or political methods.  Humankind, to survive, must undergo a massive and unprecedented change of heart, an ordered and passionate spiritual revolution that changes forever our relation to each other and our relation to nature.  It is only from such a revolution that the new vision the planet so desperately needs can arise - a vision that sees the connections between every thought and every action, the relation between the obsession with the individual self and its hunger for false securities and every kind of exploitation that is ruining the world."  ~ Andrew Harvey

Doing The Laundry

Many years of introspection have led me to the realization that life is merely and profoundly about doing the laundry...

 ~ Tom Notarianni Jr.

The Best Motivational Video

The Peace Pilgrim

"You are now in control of your life. You see, the ego is never in control. The ego is controlled by wishes for comfort and convenience on the part of the body, by demands of the mind, and by outbursts of the emotions. But the higher nature controls the body and the mind and the emotions. I can say to my body, "Lie down there on that cement floor ... Read Moreand go to sleep," and it obeys. I can say to my mind, "Shut out everything else and concentrate on this job before you," and it's obedient. I can say to my emotions, "Be still, even in the face of this terrible situation," and they are still. It's a different way of living. The philosopher Thoreau wrote: If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps he hears a different drummer. And now you are following a different drummer--the higher nature instead of the lower."

The Tao Doesn't Avoid The World

Do you think that you can clear your mind by sitting constantly in silent meditation? This makes your mind narrow, not clear. Integral awareness is fluid and adaptable, present in all places and at all times. That is true meditation... The Tao is clear and simple, and it doesn't avoid the world. ~Lao Tzu

Truths

If you don't make a habit of admitting uncomfortable truths, the truth as a whole will elude you.


~ Thanissaro Bhikku

Life

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.

~ Lao Tzu