a cup of tea

 

H. H. Karmapa making rounds at the stupa in Deer Park, Sarnath, India, January 2009.

“ The environment supports us, all the plants and trees that grow, and yet we mindlessly destroy it. … We forget that all the basic necessities which we need to live are provided by a myriad beings – even a cup of tea … A Mahayana Buddhist has to understand interdependence and appreciate the kindness of other sentient beings with deep gratitude. “

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References – His Holiness Karmapa Orgyen Trinley Dorje, quoted from Facebook page “Karmapa”, posted August 1, 2010

Photograph by C. J. Schake – © Copyright 2010 – all rights reserved, quality prints available on request.

No Small Act

Sincere offering in the flower markets of Varanasi, India.

“Do not take lightly small good deeds,

Believing they can hardly help;

For drops of water one by one

In time can fill a giant pot.”

And…

“Do not take lightly small misdeeds,

Believing they can do no harm:

Even a tiny spark of fire

Can set alight a mountain of hay.”

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References ‘Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish’, found in “Words of My Perfect Teacher”, by Patrul Rinpoche, Padmakara Translation Group, with a foreword by the Dalai Lama, Chapter 4 – Actions: Cause and Effect

Photograph by C. J. Schake – © Copyright 2010 – all rights reserved, quality prints available on request.

Real Joy and Reality

A young girl from the Spiti region of the Himalayas plays with bubbles for the first time.

“Like a tiny drop of dew, or a bubble floating in a stream;

Like a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,

Or a flickering lamp, an illusion, a phantom, or a dream.

So is all conditioned existence to be seen.”

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References ‘Diamond Sutra’, Chapter 32

Photograph by C. J. Schake – © Copyright 2010 – all rights reserved, quality prints available on request.

Welcome.

A simple village doorway is a warm welcome in the streets behind the temple in Sarnath, India where Buddha first taught The Four Noble Truths.

 “In order to relax the gaze,

For a short while I should look around,

And if someone appears in my field of vision

I should look at them and say, ‘Welcome.’”

People may think that meditation is only about blocking everything out and being by ourselves.

When preparing for meditation that is done to generate compassion for all beings, there is always room for another first.

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References ‘A Guide to the  Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’, Shantideva, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives: Chapter V, Guarding Alertness, Stanza 36

Photograph by C. J. Schake – © Copyright 2010 – all rights reserved, quality prints available on request.

Undercover Bodhisattva

The cat seems to have a bit of a smile while gazing at what is desired below; in the open markets of Mysore, India.

Have you ever met an undercover Bodhisattva?

How would you know?

“The stork, the cat and the thief,

By moving silently and carefully,

Accomplish what they desire to do;

A Bodhisattva too, should always behave in this way.”

So, if it seems like there are not many people who are doing good around us, it’s just possible that they are being very quiet about their activities.

There may be more goodness going on than we know.

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References ‘A Guide to the  Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’, Shantideva, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives: Chapter V, Guarding Alertness, Stanza 73

Photograph by C. J. Schake – © Copyright 2010 – all rights reserved, quality prints available on request.

Our World and a Sweet Lotus

Fresh lotuses of pink and white are sold in the flower markets of Varanasi, India.

‘And may the very pits of hell be sweet with fragrant pools all perfumed with the scent of lotuses…’

India, the historical home of Buddha, is today the number one place in the world to be killed as a pedestrian on the streets flooded daily with more new vehicles. Everyday water from the taps in Bhopal is dark grayish-pink, and it leaves stains on the sink… I’ve been there.

I watch the reality of oil unleashed in the Gulf of Mexico. I saw footage of giant orange and red flames raging and rising with pitch black smoke from fresh, white Artic ice. Dozens of dead penguins wash up on the beaches of Brazil and exhaustion is speculated as the cause.

The largest open pit asbestos mines are in Russia, they bring 1 billion dollars every year to the Russian ecomony, and the work won’t stop because people need jobs. The manufacture, sale and building with the deadly substance also continues. They say people need affordable housing.

With all my heart, I repeat the wish quoted above again and again, while looking at the world around me. Along with this wish I offer you an image that is also from our world. I hope it offers some hope that we still have real options for positive change… because it is also real, we must still have a choice.

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References ‘Way of the Bodhisattva’, Shambhala Dragon Editions: 10th Chapter on Dedication, Stanza 7

Photograph by C. J. Schake – © Copyright 2010 – all rights reserved, quality prints available on request.

Bewildered in the Wild

Child on a festive float headed toward the Ganges River during a religious celebration on the streets of Varanasi, India.

‘May children and the old, the weak, protectorless,

Bewildered in the wild and pathless wastes,

And those whose minds are dulled, and all who are insane,

Have pure celestial beings as their guardians.’

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References ‘Way of the Bodhisattva’, Shambhala Dragon Editions: 10th Chapter on Dedication, Stanza 26

Photograph by C. J. Schake – © Copyright 2010 – all rights reserved, quality prints available on request.

Have Compassion for Yourself

Messenger of fresh jasmine to the flower markets of Varanasi takes a rest.

Most of us live in a very busy world. Don’t forget to have compassion for yourself and take a well-deserved rest now and then. Remember to breathe. When your mind is calm and your heart is open, when you are happy, you will notice others more and be able to give more of yourself.

There’s enough compassion for everyone… even enough for yourself.

Pondering Wandering

I’ve always liked to wander, often to find myself on the road for the adventure of the road itself.

While there, pondering my own actions, I’ve often thought of others; those who cannot walk at all, those who cannot go freely to places they once traveled before or their family had, those who were perpetual pilgrims, and more.

Yesterday’s Mahayana Wish made me want to share some of these concerns and truths with you. Below are some links to those ponderings on wandering:

International Campaign to Ban Land Mines (the organization that Princess Diana worked with), http://www.icbl.org – and their links page, http://www.icbl.org/index.php/icbl/Links

“I shall remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food.”  http://www.peacepilgrim.net

Haiti needs prosthetic limbs: As a result of the tragic earthquake in Haiti, many people lost limbs, and there is a tremendous and immediate need for prosthetic limbs as well as prosthetists to fit limbs. http://blog.givenlimb.org/prosthetic-limb/children/haiti-needs-prosthetic-limbs/

They Shall Walk is a medical research organization that is developing the LIFESUIT Robotic Exoskeleton that allows paralyzed persons to walk, run and dance. They Shall Walk provides charitable outreach services to paralyzed persons by matching them with volunteer exercise partners. http://www.theyshallwalk.org

Wandering Wish

Sadhu, holy man, found sitting in the tiny, winding streets of Varanasi not far from the great Ganges river, India.

‘May travelers upon the road

Find happiness no matter where they go,

And may they gain, without the need of toil,

The goals on which they set their hearts.’

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References ‘Way of the Bodhisattva’, Shambhala Dragon Editions: 10th Chapter on Dedication, Stanza 23

Photograph by C. J. Schake – © Copyright 2010 – all rights reserved, quality prints available on request.