Many of you may have already seen this wonderful short video, if you have then please watch it again and enjoy, if this is your first time then watch it, live it and gain all you can from it as it is sent to you all with all my heart.
Namaste my friends
Mark
The cloud does not insist upon its form,
The wave does not force its way over the ocean,
So why should you clutch so tightly
Your little map?
Follow your heart
And know joy in all things.
The path of freedom
Has no markers,
Yet leads to fulfilment;
The path of confusion
Is crowded with signs,
Pointing in all directions.
The Great Way is a humble, solitary path
Leading Home;
Follow it closely and be guided.
How do you know you are on the way?
When your map no longer serves you!
Namaste
Mark
What is a ‘Good Deed’? And should we do them or even need to do them?
Well, I guess that depends on what you deem as a good deed! In my mind a ‘Good Deed’ is something you do for someone else without any question as to why and without any need for a response, for thanks or for any form of repayment for that deed. It is a free service if you will, a no questions asked deed given freely from your heart and your very soul.
I remember my dear mother telling us when we were young to go out and do some good deeds for our neighbors, especially our elderly neighbors, like; go to the shops for them, mow their lawns, tidy their flower beds, clean their car, wash their windows, walk their dog, simple little tasks that made us understand the simple values of life, of being neighborly and how to communicate with others. But, how far does a good deed go before repayment in some shape or form comes around?
This also brings me back to my earlier question, ‘What is a Good Deed’?
If I see someone begging on the street, do I give him or her some money? Is that a good deed or am I giving them the money to give to someone else who is forcing them on the streets to beg for cash, or is that good deed giving them the cash to go and buy drugs or alcohol!
If I see someone fall on the street, should I stop to help them up, offer them a helping hand or will my act of kindness lead to them to blame me or allege I pushed them down in the first place!
If I see someone being accosted or robbed on the street should I intervene and offer support towards the victim or will that good deed get me in trouble and then become the one who is attacked and maybe even injured or killed!
Years ago, we would have not thought twice over doing any one of these good deeds for our fellow human beings, the problems lie with our society as it is now and how it has evolved! The worries of legal action has stopped us from becoming involved, we now turn a blind eye to our fellow humans because of the fear of legal action. We turn a blind eye if we see someone being attacked because of our fear of being hurt or injured.
The Internet and media are full of stories and videos of this nature and I’m sure we see them with our own eyes each and everyday. I know I have and each time it saddens me.
I have experienced accidents here in China where people have been lying in the street badly injured from being knocked off their bicycle but people don’t stop, they just look and walk right on by, cars and trucks just move on by and no one wants to be involved due to the worry of being implicated with the accident and held responsible for the medical costs!
I have personally been beaten on the streets by thugs for helping an innocent victim and people just walked on by while I was receiving a beating!
I have seen a lady being robbed of her cell phone in the middle of the day on a busy pedestrian street and whilst she was screaming and being kicked and punched by her male attacker, people all around her just walked right on by until the robber gave up, took the phone an just wandered away into the crowd!
I could go on and on, but it takes me back again to my question. ‘What is a Good Deed, and should we still do them?
Did you know there is a Good Deeds Organisation on the Internet?
http://www.thegooddeedsorganisation.com
I would love to know your thoughts and for you to share your experiences.
Namaste
Mark
The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month according to the Chinese Nongli Calendar, usually in February or March in the Western Gregorian calendar, in 2013 this falls on February 24th. As early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), it had become a festival with great significance.
This day’s important activity is watching lanterns. Throughout the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), Buddhism flourished in China. One emperor heard that Buddhist monks would watch sarira, or remains from the cremation of Buddha’s body, and light lanterns to worship Buddha on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, so he ordered to light lanterns in the imperial palace and temples to show respect to Buddha on this day. Later, the Buddhist rite developed into a grand festival among common people and its influence expanded from the Central Plains to the whole of China.
Till today, the lantern festival is still held each year around the country. Lanterns of various shapes and sizes are hung in the streets, attracting countless visitors. Children will hold self-made or bought lanterns to stroll with on the streets, extremely excited.
“Guessing lantern riddles”is an essential part of the Festival. Lantern owners write riddles on a piece of paper and post them on the lanterns. If visitors have solutions to the riddles, they can pull the paper out and go to the lantern owners to check their answer. If they are right, they will get a little gift. The activity emerged during people’s enjoyment of lanterns in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). As riddle guessing is interesting and full of wisdom, it has become popular among all social strata.
People will eat yuanxiao, or rice dumplings, on this day, so it is also called the “Yuanxiao Festival.”Yuanxiao also has another name, tangyuan. It is small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour with rose petals, sesame, bean paste, jujube paste, walnut meat, dried fruit, sugar and edible oil as filling. Tangyuan can be boiled, fried or steamed. It tastes sweet and delicious. What’s more, tangyuan in Chinese has a similar pronunciation with “tuanyuan”, meaning reunion. So people eat them to denote union, harmony and happiness for the family.
In the daytime of the Festival, performances such as a dragon lantern dance, a lion dance, a land boat dance, a yangge dance, walking on stilts and beating drums while dancing will be staged. On the night, except for magnificent lanterns, fireworks form a beautiful scene. Most families spare some fireworks from the Spring Festival and let them off in the Lantern Festival. Some local governments will even organize a fireworks party. On the night when the first full moon enters the New Year, people become really intoxicated by the imposing fireworks and bright moon in the sky.
In which tense are you living in now?
It’s ultimately your choice, so do ‘YOU’ need to make a change to ‘YOUR’ life?
Lao Tzu is a particular favorite of mine and I have studied his writings but he is only one of many great sages that can offer you great advice and help you bring your thoughts into the NOW.
The Now is where you need to be, you need to be happy and content with who you are and where your life is taking you, if not then you need to make a change.
I wish you happiness, love and peace.
Namaste
Mark
Part 2 of Wudang Mountain. Cradle of Taoism
Please enjoy
Namaste
Mark
Wudang Mountains-The Cradle of Taoism, a place in China close to my heart.
I do hope you will enjoy this short video and the one I will post tomorrow 🙂
Namaste
Mark
Knowing others is to be clever.
Knowing yourself is to be enlightened.
Overcoming others requires force.
Overcoming yourself requires strength.
Lao Tzu
A Person of high virtue is not conscious of virtue
and therefore possesses virtue.
A person of little virtue tries to be virtuous and
therefore lacks virtue.
Lao Tzu
Those who look only at themselves see little.
Those who justify themselves are not distinguished.
Those who brag have no merit.
The work of prideful people will not endure.
Lao Tzu
When desires are restrained there will be peace,
and then all under heaven will be at rest.
Lao Tzu
At the start of the new millennium the Dalai Lama issued eighteen rules for living.
1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs: 1. Respect for self 2. Respect for others 3. Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7
. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
Namaste
Mark
THE PAST IS ALREADY GONE,
THE FUTURE IS NOT YET HERE.
THERE’S ONLY ONE MOMENT
FOR YOU TO LIVE,
AND THAT IS THE PRESENT
MOMENT.
BUDDAH
Namaste
Mark
The sun is shining brightly, the sky is clear and blue, it’s a beautiful morning here in Shanghai. I can hear the sounds of children laughing as they play in the kindergarten below, the distant hum of cars travelling on to their destinations and the birds singing in the trees.
Oh I have so much to be grateful for, my life is filled with love from family and friends, I live with joy happiness and peace, so why do we allow our Ego’s (our inner voices) to take control of our lives?
‘This is bad, he/she is bad, don’t do that, don’t go there, I hate this or that, rushing here, rushing there, never stopping to take time out and look at what is all around us, taking a moment to feel the breeze on our face, the warmth of the sun on our skin, to touch and feel the delicate texture of flowers, trees or grass.
Stop! Take five minutes to look, listen, smell and to feel…
Take a look at the faces around you, what do you see? Some faces are filled with happiness, love, joy and peace, smiling faces, they exude happiness in their voices as they speak, they take the time to interact with others, to communicate and enjoy their day, that moment in time because it’s special and it will never be repeated….
While others have a stern look, furrowed brows, contempt and anger in their eyes and mistrust for everyone they meet, they rush here and there, barging into people as they go, without a care in the world!…..
Which do you prefer?…It’s your choice, you are in control of your life, your future and your destiny…. Choose a life of love, compassion and happiness, a life of joy, of communication, live in the moment and enjoy everything that comes to you for what it is…a gift from a higher place, from your God.
Start today with a smile, greet your day with thanks, be grateful for what you have and start living your life to the full.
☺
Namaste
Mark
Meditation is great for you, it’s easy to do so give it a try 🙂
Namaste
Mark
When the intelligent and animal souls are held together
in one embrace, they can be kept from separating.
When one gives undivided attention to the vital breath,
and brings it to the utmost degree of pliancy, he can
become as a tender babe.
When he has cleansed away the most mysterious sights of
his imagination, he can become without a flaw.
In loving the people and ruling the state, cannot he proceed
without any purpose of action?
In the opening and shutting of his gates of heaven, cannot he
do so as a female bird?
While his intelligence reaches in every direction, cannot he
appear to be without knowledge?
The Tao produces all things and nourishes them;
it produces them and does not claim them as its own;
it does all, and yet does not boast of it; it presides over all,
and yet does not control them.
This is what is called the mysterious quality of the Tao.
Lao Tzu
Namaste
Mark
A great article written by a friend of mine Gina Andrea, please take time to visit her blog and enjoy.
http://ginandrea.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/a-thousand-mile-journey-begins-with-a-single-step/
Regards
Mark
Life is a series of
natural and spontaneous
changes.
Don’t resist them – that
only creates sorrow.
Let reality be reality.
Let things flow naturally forward
in whatever way they like.
Beleive nothing, no matter where you read it,
or who said it, no matter if I have said it,
unless it agrees with your own reason and
you own common sense.
Buddha
Do not beleive what
your teacher tells
you merely out of
respect for the teacher.
Buddha
Words have the
power to both
destroy and heal.
When words are both
true and kind, they
can change the
world.
Buddha
Endless Light and Love 