apply Buddhist principles to my everyday life

goal that made me thinking
it feels so good to leave hamster spinning wheel
[while still running on it, but i’m not that hamster, and i’m not that wheel! i am the one who observes all tha] all that frenzic activity with almost no substance

real activity, only one that counts, is from deep silent level within

humbling discovery! i started to review my goals in new light of Noble eightfold path, and:
except a few goals that stick out, all the rest are not important at all! they looked of great importance before, so crucial to me, and it was such an overwhelming burden – now the burden is swept away!

link from religioustolerance

Four noble truths

Noble eightfold path

This entry is great source of inspiration to me. This goal is not new to me. New twist is that I’ve decided to align all my goals to it.

First I need to understand those principles as much as I can.

Start small. Try mindfulness meditation for 10 or 20 minutes a few times a week. Think of the humanity of the people you see on street, in the store, etc. Try to really understand where other are coming from. Work for peace.

A tall order, but I like this:

Sentient beings are numberless. I vow to save them.
Desires are endless. I vow to put an end to them.
The dharmas are boundless. I vow to master them.
The Buddha way is unattainable. I vow to attain it.

WISDOM:

1. Right Understanding

2. Right Thought

MORALITY:

3. Right Speech

4. Right Action

5. Right Livelihood

MENTAL DISCIPLINE:

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Meditation

As I work through the list, I will post the things I have done well with and also enter the things that I struggle with.

:)

o n e: Free your heart from hatred.
t w o: Free your mind from worries.
t h r e e: Live simply.
f o u r: Give more.
f i v e: Expect less.

these are the 5 principles I will work on daily

The only bit I’ve never been sure about is the desire is pain part. That may be true but pain is also a part of the experience of life. Don’t we, for example, want the pain of love, so we can have the love too? Isn’t that a part of experiencing life? Is life really about becoming a monk with no attachments ready for another experience beyond this world? Do wise men have passionate sex?