study buddhism

My professor provided this video as part of class today: http://www.100-0principle.com/. It struck me as rather Buddhist. It reminded me of the Golden Rule.

While shopping today, I stumbled across your true home by thich nhat hanh, who wrote Anger. I picked it up thinking of my sister and her journeys. I decided to keep it for myself and read it over the next year. It’s 365 thoughts of the day and today’s is:

Your true home is in the here and the now. It is not limited by time, space, nationality, or race. Your true home is not an abstract idea; it is something you can touch and live in every moment. With mindfulness and concentration, the energies of the Buddha, you can find your true home in the full relaxation of your mind and body in the present moment.

I look forward to tomorrow’s thought.

http://www.plumvillage.org/

I owe D an apology. I have caused him to suffer. This is truth. It doesn’t matter that he also has caused me to suffer; I owe him (and any one I cause to suffer) a sincere offer to repair the damage. I have been working on this all week because it is important that I say it right. I am only apologizing for causing him pain and asking to heal the rift between us. I don’t want to lay expectations here. Please tell me what you see. Thank you, Otter Girl

I am suffering from the breach between us. I understand that I am, in many ways, to blame in this. I had nasty, ugly behaviors which were hard to deal with. I’ve lived with them for a very long time and have experienced how alienating they can be. I’ve done the best that I could to heal them. I know that I may have caused you to suffer too much because of it. I’m so sorry. I never wanted you to suffer. I did the best I could so that wouldn’t happen. I may not have had the best tools to prevent it.

I also wasn’t as kind or compassionate as I would have liked or should have been to those closest to me. My ugly behaviors locked me into that, made me really selfish, and I continued to fail the people I cherish most. You were like water in the desert for me; you showed me true kindness and though I may not have properly expressed it, I am so very grateful for it. That healed a great many wounds in my life and taught me so much.

I wish you could know me now, to see the changes you wrought in me. So much has changed. I have some solidness and balance in my life and can now focus on others regularly.

You were a blessing for me and I would very much like the breach between us healed. I would like to have the good memories restored for us both so they will overshadow the bad and we remember the happiness better.

Today, as I was looking at local tours to fill my weekends in December I found this temple: Bongeunsa. It is the head temple for Zen Buddhism. It’s a 1,200 year old temple which survived the temple purge by the Confucianism. So I have added that trip to my calendar and hope I might find a teacher there to help me integrate.

http://www.bongeunsa.org/eng/index.asp

Since I am now in Korea, I think I will explore Buddhism here. The Koreans have been following Buddha for over 2,000 years. Very impressive.