Last year in October I had the privilege of taking five eager travelers from across the globe on pilgrimage to India and Nepal. I traveled with Dave from the UK, Anthony from Australia, and Kelly, Parmjeet and Ulrich from the US. Interestingly, we certainly had the medical field covered with Kelly being a licensed nurse and Ulrich a cardiologist! It was a wonderful trip and my fifth time going on a Buddhist pilgrimage. Going on pilgrimage, in general, is an extraordinary journey, but to take people along with me last year, was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
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Members’ Site Update – Jan/2016
Hi everyone, Happy New Year! This is a quick post to let you all know that the Members’ Site is still in progress and my developers and I are working as fast as we can to get the site up and running.
In the last few weeks, I had some volunteers test the basic functionality of the site and fortunately most of it is working well. The problems the developers are trying to fix for me now mostly revolve around the PayPal payment integration. They will hopefully have something for me to test in February (once they’re back from holidays) and then in March or April I should know whether it’s all working fine and ready to launch.
An Honest Look at Our Online Reading Habits and Other Cravings and Distractions
There are some days when I wish I could wind back the clock to the 1980s; to the time when we didn’t have the internet as such an integral part of our lives. When we could wake up and try to guess the weather just by looking outside. When we received hand written letters and even enjoyed writing them too. There was so much more time spent in silence, in playing outdoors with friends and imagining the future. There was a real innocence about that time; it almost seemed endless.
But these days it feels like we’re lucky to find a spare five minutes – to ponder, to reflect, to be still. Our minds race at a million miles an hour and everyone is in a rush, rush, rush. Even if we try to make time for meditation, it often feels like we need reinforced brakes like Formula One cars to try and slow down the speed of our distracted mind. Jumping from one stimulus to another seems to be the mind’s daily diet and whenever there is a spare moment, we rush to fill it with something else just in case we feel the anxiety of not having something to do.
Members’ Site Update
Hi everyone, I wanted to let you know how progress on the Members’ Site is coming along. We’re more than two thirds of the way through in building the site. Most of the basic functionality is there, but there are some additional things I’ve asked the web developers to do, so I’m just waiting for these to be done.
Overall I’m very happy with its progress. Building the site and all that’s involved has consumed the bulk of my time, but it’s a project that’s well worth it. That’s the main reason why I’ve been so quiet on my blog and social media platforms. Additionally, I’ve been busy organizing our pilgrimage to India and Nepal which is happening in a month’s time.
How To Choose Buddhist Pendant Necklaces & Jewelry (Symbolism & Meaning)
As our interest in the Buddha’s teachings deepen, it’s not unusual to want to bring Buddhist concepts into every aspect of our life, including the type of jewelry we wear. The most common forms of Buddhist jewelry worn by men and women are pendant necklaces depicting the Buddha or other auspicious Buddhist symbols.
In Buddhism we’re taught that external possessions and objects cannot bring us lasting happiness. However, if we purchase Dharma items with the intention to elevate our practice, this kind of materialism could be said to be a form of skillful means, as the item can remind us to practice more spiritual qualities like compassion and tolerance in our daily life. Then over time our continued practice actually becomes a cause of awakening and ever-lasting happiness.
Transforming Illness Into The Path
Life can be stormy; full of emotional ups and downs. But that doesn’t mean it needs to be bad. Even rainfall can bring new growth, freshness in the air, and a feeling of relaxation when we listen to the rain from the comfort of inside. Just because life can be turbulent outside, with its trials and tribulations, with its suffering of sickness and disappointments in relationships – it doesn’t mean we need to bring the hail and rain into the abode of our mind – the weather could be very pleasant inside instead.