Karma Chameleon

You've probably heard the word karma somewhere along the line.

Well, it's actually one of five key concepts of Buddha's teachings, and its very easy to understand.

It's cause and effect on a moral scale. Keep in mind that what you do today, will affect tomorrow. This is an idea that goes back way before Buddhism itself.

What Buddhism does, though, is say that we are the ones who forge our own destiny. We are responsible for what happens to us. There are things that will be out of our control, like conditions and cause, but what we choose to do is still up to us.

So, as you go through your day, as sharp tongued as you may want to be, keep this in mind.

Thoughts, feelings, and speech influence actions. Even if you don't act on your bad thoughts or intentions, a guilty conscience will influence your action. The same for others. And, of course, it works vice-versa for good intentions.

What you put out there, will come back to you in return.

And, as Paul McCartney sang: "the love you take is equal to the love you make."

Live in the moment

One of the images that always spring to mind for people when you say the word Buddhism is someone meditating, right? But what is meditation really? What is it supposed to accomplish?

It's a very focus, one-pointed concentration. Many will say concentration plus mindfulness.

So, what does that mean for those of us who can't meditate in the middle of our daily home and work life?

It's the old saying - "live in the moment."

Complete and utterly present-moment that we tend to rarely ever achieve because of the multi-tasking that has just become routine in our lives.

I will use an example from last night at my work in the newsroom:

If I'm at work handling a phone call, while planning ahead for what tomorrow's assignments for everyone will be, while at the same time putting the 6 o'clock news together because the regular producer was out sick, and also working on content to the stations internet site, I was not living for any moment, and of course, got stressed.

How many times have we rolled our eyes at someone who told us "don't worry about tomorrow, only today?" Well, I did too. But, you know what? They were right.

Attentiveness to what's happening in the moment can bring us back to a steady calm feeling and a sense of wellness. It's living the whole "stop and smell the roses."

One of the most calming things I ever learned that changed my once non-stop, fast-pace, high-functioning lifestyle, was to simply slow down.

I can not recommend that enough for anyone. Take a moment to stop, breath, feel the blood flowing through you and realize who you are. Look around you at the earth and the world - the tree, that lake, those birds. Take that moment and as you breath, remember that we're all one.

This simple matter of slowing down and paying attention to the now, living in the moment, can bring a brand new tranquility to your life. Go ahead, give it a shot. :)

Positive out brings positive in :)

When you hop on the path of Buddha, remember to check your mental baggage at the door. The Path is about letting go of things - letting go of the grasp and clinging we all do as human beings so that we don't get "hung up" on them.

I like to look at this as having a positive, optimistic attitude. (I won't lie - my optimism has, at times, put people off. I remember one acquaintance who once told me - "sometimes I just want to take of your rose-colored glasses and stomp on them!" But I still believe in it)

If you put the positive thought out there, the universe - which we are all connected to, mind you - will return that positivity. Likewise with negativity, so just get rid of it. Clear it out of your head. We've no place for it here.

I think Buddha would agree, having said:

"Mind is forerunner of action, foremost of deeds. Everything's made up of mind. If your mind is polluted, sorrow will follow, as a wagon wheel trails the hoof of an ox...If your mind is pure, happiness will ensue, the way your shadow trails along wherever you go."

It makes sense, doesn't it? If we are all one...then the positivity that we bring forth, will certainly be the same as which we receive.

Along these same notes of positivity, keep it no only in your thoughts, but in your actions:

*Act out of love, not causing suffering for any being

*Be mindful of what you say - it colors our thoughs, shapes our deeds, which influence or predispositions.

*Be rid of the lies, harsh words, slander, and frivolous speech. Stop putting people down, putting them off, or brushing them off. Stop gossiping.

*Keep in mind: what we say about others applies to us as well. :)

Question it

A little while ago I had learned about the Four Noble Truths. The book I'm currently reading suggests that an easier way to look at the Four Noble Truths might be to look at them as questions. Questions to ask yourself when you feel as though you are hurting

*Am I suffering? What's the situation that's causing the suffering?

*What keeps me from being happy? What am I attached to about my suffering? How do I identify myself with it? Is it real? Does it have a life of its own? Is it physically present here and now? Is it in my mind? Is it permanent?

*What if I let go of my attachment to all in the situation that's not immediately present, and the self-image I identify with that situation? Then would I be happy?

*How can I cultivate a better way of living that doesn't fall into the same patterns I fell into all over again?

I think the author really hit the nail on the head with these. The are a great way to allow yourself to step back and find the root of your problem, frustration, etc. And once you know that problem, it becomes much easier to deal with it, remove it, etc, and move onward with enjoying your life.

Keeping on the path...even at work

Everything that I've learned so far in this venture was put to the test yesterday. A test that I don't think I passed, at least not by all that much.

You see, i work in a very fast-paced news environment, and in the news they say it's feast or famine. Since returning back to work after a month or so extended leave, I've maintained a slowed-down, more calm approach, much like what I've applied to the rest of life as of late - and it's worked. I have found myself, simply by slowing down and not getting caught up in the rush of other people's problems, dramas, etc, that I can very much enjoy life and all around me, even when I'm at work.

Last night I felt I lost that a little, and I didn't like it. It was around 4:45, with the news about 15 minutes from going on the air, when we were dropped two very big news bombs - meaning everything had to be rearranged, both in the broadcasts, and online. So, that meant a last minute scramble. Now, what I did was end up getting flustered by trying to get both of these things written for both online and on the air, while fielding questions from a myriad of co-workers. And the end result was feeling like I had dropped all I had learned as of late.

What I should have done was, as the information was coming in, simply look at it, take the time to take it in and process it, and then simply type it. The questions flying at me could have been easily tuned out, but I didn't. I got CAUGHT UP in the frenzy, in the drama...exactly what Buddha has told us is part of the root of so many suffering.

On the bright side, after having felt like I hadn't managed to maintain the calm demeanor I had learned from Siddhartha's teachings thus far, it made me go home after work, relax, read a little more on the Dharma, take a deep breath, and appreciate what was all around me back home.

Breathe. Look around you. Cool. Now, grab a cup of tea and we'll talk a little more Dharma and learn that a few setbacks like yesterday don't mean you've fallen off the path. They just teach you how to stay on the path amid today's world. :)

The Four Noble Truths

There is needless suffering - (dukkha). It has a cause - (trishna). It can end - (nirvana). There is a way in which to end it - (maggha).

Needless suffering is the bumpy road of life. And the cause of that suffering is the clinging and grasping to those things that make us upset and suffer.

So, let it go. The more you try to hang on to those things that are making you suffer, the more you get hung up.

Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. Don't want to suffer? Forget it, let it go. This too, shall pass. The fires of whatever is causing you to suffer will burn out once you let it go, and the peace that comes when the fire's out are refreshing.

What are some of those fires that are the cause of our suffering?

Delusion, feat, anger, greed) Those fires can't burn if you don't feed them.

It takes two to tango...

For anger to get fueled, it takes two people.

Fighting anger with anger only generates it more.

If one person refrains from getting angry, then it's possible the other person might as well.

So the next time somebody comes at you in the office the minute you or they walk in the door, sounding off about something in an angry rage, try not to do the same. Step back. Let them say what they're going to say, and respond calmly, with your emotions in check.

See if it makes a difference.