If you place a mirror in front of you, what do you see? And does it portray the same as what you see in others around you?
I hope the reflection that you see when you look into the mirror is joyous, happy, kind, caring, compassionate and loving!
Namaste With Love
Always
Mark
I think I have lost count of the number of times I have said this to my friends, colleagues, students and clients here in China over the past 12 or more years. It’s strange but we are all driven to want more, have more and do more throughout our lives and no more so that emerging countries like China, India, and so on. I guess it’s understandable to want a better life, to have a good job that pays well, to own a house, have a car and enjoy all the trappings that these things bring into your life, but one day you realise that these are just ‘Things’, and they cannot do anything for us in our times of need! They cannot make you well again if you fall terminally ill, they cannot take away the pain of loosing someone close to you or stop the hurting inside if you are in a deep depression. Money does however give you options, I.e to do something or not but it has been my experience that chasing the dream of endless supplies of money and possessions does not bring you happiness, infact it quite often brings deep sadness and loneliness 😦 Jim Carey is not the only one to have experienced this, many millions of people have forged on through their lives searching and working for more, more money, more possessions..things… only to crash and burn when a serious problem falls on them.
I was one of these people who had everything,the very successful company, all the money I could want / need, a beautiful home, big flashy cars worth 100’s of thousands of dollars, the beautiful family, incredible holidays, every possession I could ever need but when that call came from my father telling me my mum had cancer and asking me to do something…Wow! That floored me like a punch from a heavyweight boxer, I was out for the count and there was nothing that all my money and possessions could do, I was lost, in a downward spiral and all I could do was give my mum the love and support she needed, be there for my dad, make sure he was looked after with my family all around him and provide the support for my children in their time of need after her passing. This like many other devastating tragedies that happen to us make you aware of what is in fact important in our lives. Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t say you should not be successful, have dreams or work hard for a living, what I mean is we need to realise what is important to us and to make use of the time we have on this earth, protect ourselves, our families and friends and live our lives with love and happiness in our hearts.
Don’t go through your life pushing ever harder each and everyday and miss what’s around you already, don’t miss out on your children growing up, don’t miss out on the love you can give to your family and friends,…Just Live 🙂
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
Don’t Quit!
From the lyrics of the Monty Python song ‘Bright Side of Life’
Always look on the bright side of life.
[whistling]
Always look on the light side of life.
[whistling]
If life seems jolly rotten,
There’s something you’ve forgotten,
And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing.
When you’re feeling in the dumps,
Don’t be silly chumps.
Just purse your lips and whistle. That’s the thing.
And…
Always look on the bright side of life.
[whistling]
Always look on the right side of life,
We often forget that there is ‘Always’ a bright side to life its just we loose sight of it sometimes.
If your feeling down and low, put on some happy music or go sit in the garden, feel the sun and the gentle breeze on your skin , close your eyes and just breathe, feel the air entering your nose and feel it passing out through your mouth on the exhale, calm your mind and focus on your breath, in and out, in and out, in and out, look inward and listen to your heart, here you will find answers, answers to help you on your life’s journey.
Namaste with Love
Always my friends
Mark
Our natural world, our forests, our oceans and our wildlife is disappearing fast, all in the name of consumerism, we the consumers are allowing these corporations to destroy our would, our children or their children will not have the privilege to know what wildlife is, they will not know what a rain forest is, they will not know what a Rhino, a tiger or an Elephant is! These beautiful creatures like the Dodo will be forgotten forever and placed in some sort of electronic history book…. a picture of time gone by…another beautiful animal lost forever!
Its a sad, sad world we live in, that we allow ourselves to look at images or video’s like this and do nothing!
Tears are in my eyes
Namaste with Love to all living things
Always
Mark
My mind is empty and my heart is full
Such is the joy of mindful meditation.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
My Dear Friends,
Indeed, this is so true, we do often underestimate the power of touch. Sometimes, all it takes is a pat on the back, a handshake, a hug or even a slight touch to the forearm or hands for someone to realise we care and we are there for them.
Touch is a signal, like gratitude that is often forgotten by many.
As in the picture, we all know how good a pet dog or cat feels when we take time to pet them, to stroke and tickle them, it makes them and us feel good.
A smile, a kind word, a gesture takes the touch to another level and affirms our state of empathy and caring.
Hold out your hand today, pat a colleague on the back for a job well done, shake someones hands and say thanks and hold your loved ones close and remind them that you ‘LOVE THEM’ 🙂
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
The real object of our love is not outside of us..
The real object of our love is ourselves.
We have to know how to love ourselves and how to tune into our true nature..
To see the wholesome, the good, the true and the beautiful within us.
Then we will be able to see that in others.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
This little boy is so switched on to life, his empathy towards all loving creatures is amazing as is his realisation that he has touched his mothers heart.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
If only we could distribute eye opening glasses like these to everyone in our world, we could change things immediately!
How often do you go about your day like this? In a daze, too busy to look people in the eye, no time to feel the way others are thinking and feeling, no time to stop and chat, to listen with the intent to understand….
…..
In a rush, no time to be aware of our world and the people in it!
Please take a moment to stop and view your day through a new set of eyes,
you never know,
it may just make a difference to you…. and to others around you 🙂
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
Emerging from my sleep like a butterfly awakening from the warmth and comfort of its cocoon
I awake.
I stretch my limbs like a flower reaching up towards the warmth of the sun; my arms reach out like petals unfolding to the heavens
I awake.
I step out of bed; my feet touch the wooden floor and the cold reality of dawn hits the soles of my feet like that first lick of an ice cream freezing your brain
I awake.
I draw back the curtains and the sunrise greets my face the glow softens my skin and makes me feel alive, my eyes focus like a new born lamb taking their first view of the world
I awake
I look to the sky and give thanks for yet another day of life, grateful for my awakening, ever grateful for my now and the opportunity life gives me
I awake
I walk to the bathroom and run the tap, the fresh clear flow of water greets me, I gather a handful and splash my face, oh the joy, a cleansing for my body and my soul
I awake
I can hear the calling from within my body as my stomach calls out to me triumphantly requesting fuel for the fire, sustenance for the day ahead
I awake
The fragrant smell of gently toasting bread and the heady aroma of freshly brewed coffee fill my senses, the joy stimulates my memory of what’s still to come
I awake
The gentle rustling sound of a knife spreading butter on crisp brown toast and the sweet nectar of honey greet my senses, my taste buds explode with joy as I take that first bite
I awake
At my alter I stand, I light a candle and place it carefully before my Lord Buddha, I bow my head and take a moment to reflect, my life, my day, my journey
I awake
I’m here ‘now’, in this moment of life, this moment is me, and in this moment I awake.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
“In every direction above, below, around, and within, you see things you know and recognise…. Put them down. Do not let consciousness dwell on the products of existence and things that come and go, for there is no rest of relief there. When you understand that by taking the objects of the world for granted as total reality, you are tied to the world, then this understanding will release you from your dependence on objects and will stop your craving and your desire for constant becoming. Then you can let go your hold and engage with things as they are, instead.”
Namaste with Love
Mark
I would like to sage a re-post with you from a dear blogging friend David Hare over at http://thankingthespoon.com , its a great piece of advice 🙂
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
22 years ago when I first went to a senior Buddhist to ask for advice, I said to him: “I have a very big problem,” and he, the late John Delnevo of SGI UK (pictured), replied with a broad smile and a twinkle in his eye: “Congratulations.” I thought he must have misheard me so I repeated that I really was struggling with something (can’t remember what but it would’ve felt massive at the time – money / job / girlfriend / studies… or possibly all four…)
Again he smiled broadly and said, “that’s great news, well done!” Seeing my perplexed face, he made seven points over the next hour’s conversation that have stayed with me ever since:
‘John D’, as we called him, was an incredibly wise, strict and compassionate man and it is hard in a list of 7 points to convey the warm encouragement that always shone from his life, earning the trust of people all around him. In fact it has taken me 21 years to really understand with my whole life what he said to me on that day in 1991. And some days I still forget.
The advice he gave was born of his own heartfelt personal struggles or ‘human revolution’ as we say in Buddhism, he lived what he taught, it was never about theory with John D. And looking back I realise he treated me with the deepest appreciation, seeing past my whingeing self-centredness and talking to the person I might one day become. I believe this is the mark of a great mentor.
So, as this wise man repeated at the end of our little chat: “You have a problem? Congratulations…”
Davidx
PS. When I began writing this post, I didn’t intend it to become a tribute to John Delnevo, it was just going to be a list of 7 hopefully helpful points. Now I realise that it is the profound human connection that counted even more than what he actually said. ‘John D’, you rocked. Still in my daimoku. Thank you.
My Dear Friends,
Today is the Perfect Day. This is true!
Of course there will be many out there who do not think so. This is not wishful or positive thinking. It is scientific. Today is the result of the perfect outworking of the law of Cause and Effect. The law is perfectly constant, It has been said that the only certainty is change. The other certainty is the law of Cause and Effect. We may not have much control over change but we can control what we we think and how we act – the two Great Causes. The Effects will follow sooner or later. That is called Perfect Wisdom.
If you want a perfect day all you need to do is change the way you think and act, that is called Perfect Thought and Perfect Action . Thoughts and actions of loving kindness will create corresponding effects – the perfect outcome.
Have a Perfect day!
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
There it sits in all its glory
Perfect pink petals open to the world for all to see
It’s center core burning bright and golden like the sun,
Its stamen fluttering like ballerina’s dancing in the gentle breeze, attracting Bees
Pollination is its goal and its final destination in life
Born from the murky depths of the lake entrapped in mud
Until one day, life awakens its core and the journey to the surface begins
A gentle bud pushing away the mud, rising up to reach the sky
Onward and upward it grows, rising up to break the surface and out into the air, to take its first breath
The coolness of the morning dew settles on the newly formed leaves as they open and spread their way under the jewel, the flower to be
Dragonflies dance from leaf to leaf, butterflies come and go and golden fish play their games of hide and seek below
The time has come; the grand opening is here, the splash of colour, the gentleness, the joy,
The happiness and smiles on the faces of those who see its birth
Its beauty, its simplicity, its colour, its texture
The Lotus,
A flower worthy of the Buddha
The seat of enlightenment
Nature’s perfection, a gift from high.
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
Love, is in my eyes
Beating from the depths of my heart
Pulsing through my veins
Controlling my thoughts
and my actions
I’ve lost control
To Love
Love comes in many shapes and forms,
Love for self,
Important and True
Love for a partner,
Unconditional
Love for Family,
Always and Forever
Love for Friends,
Changing like the Tides of the Sea
Love for Animals,
Pure and Simple
Love Is…
Wonderful, Pure, and joyous
Namaste with Love
Always
Mark
My Dear Friends,
I’m far from being a poet or a writer but the following words just sprang from nowhere, they are from my heart you might say, or maybe from my higher self, who knows! But I guess its sort of my first attempt at poetry ☺ Your comments, thoughts and suggestions are always welcome my friends, and, as I have said before; if you need my help, would like me to write or comment on any particular subject or gain a response to anything, please let me know.
With Love
Mark
My River, My Journey, My Life
My life is like a river constantly flowing to a fro,
From rock to rock,
From pool to pool,
My journey is far and long,
From mountain top, to valley below,
Across the plains and to the sea.
Along the way I see many sights and experience many things, meet people from every culture, religion and status;
Some good some bad,
but each encounter allows me a chance to learn,
To feel,
To embrace,
To laugh,
To cry,
To love or to simply walk away,
It’s my choice what I decide to take on board with me on my journey and what to cast away from my boat.
I collect experiences and feelings as my journey continues,
at some points my boat is slowed by the lack of wind,
my progress is halted at times,
but things pick up as the wind of life changes my course,
my direction once again becomes clear and on I go,
pushing forward to new horizons.
Some days the clouds cover my pathway,
the storms effect my steering and my journey becomes unpleasant and often dangerous.
I take rest, I meditate, I re calculate my path,
the clouds part, the sun shines and the soft wind once again catches my sails and off I go again,
along the river of my life.
My River, My Journey and My life, goes with the flow
Does Yours?
Namaste with Love
‘Always’
Mark
Endless Light and Love 