Let me tell you about my latest, last night, experience. I joined a Tai Chi class.
Although I was a bit sceptical and did not think I would enjoy it, I was blown away. One hour of moderate exercise, breathing and slow movement. Wow, it took my breath away and really relaxed me. Still, it feels a bit weird and uncomfortable as I need to get used to it, but generally, I really enjoy it.
What I believe is that Tai Chi will help me to concentrate better and help me meditating without falling asleep, e.g. I am moving slowly whilst meditating.
Have you ever done it?
I keep you posted on how things go. Currently I am very excited to learn it properly.
I am now back to my normal life, after being on my own holidays enjoying a especial time with my daughter, family and lovely friends.
I would like to complement your words about the purpose of this blog. You are all right, and what can I say is, Buddhism is a method to help ourselves to find our happiness and peace within ourselves. Looking inside throughout special and beautiful way.
Normally we try to be happy doing things, doing external things, getting close to someone or something, contacting to our body and health from outside, but Buddha Shakyamuny taught us that our way to accomplish ourselves is just going into ourselves. Everything is there, nothing outside of there.
Our body could get ill, our mind could be controlled by our delusions and we could talk meaningless when we follow ordinary appearences and concepts of life, happiness and peace.
When we look inside we can see our own faults, mistakes and negative actions but also we can find our peace and meaning within ourselves.
Buddha says, meditation is to focus our mind on a virtuos object, such as love, compassion, other’s Living Beings sufferings and generate a positive mind, determination and meaningful wish to help them and ourselves to attain enlightenment for the benefit of others.
If we can apply these purpose on all our daily activities, at work, with our family and friends, at ll time, our life will become meaningfulness. But we need wisdom to do that, otherwise we can make a lot of mistakes in order to attain our own benefit only.
Wisdom is the mind which can see the real nature of all phenomena and persons. By meditating and following Buddha’s words we can find and hold it up always.
Geshe-la in his book, “Transform your Life” he says:
Our human life is precious and of real value only when we use it to train in spiritual paths. In itself it is a true suffering. We experience various types of suffering because we have taken a rebirth that is contaminated by the inner poison of delusions. This experience has no beginning, because we have taken contaminated rebirths since beginningless time, and it will have no end unless we attain the supreme inner peace of nirvana. If we contemplate and meditate on how we experience sufferings and difficulties throughout our life, and in life after life, we shall come to the strong conclusion that every single one of our suffering and problems arises because we took contaminated rebirth. We shall then develop a strong wish to abandon the cycle of contaminated rebirth, samsara. This is the first step towards the happiness of nirvana, or liberation. From this point of view, contemplating and meditating on suffering has great meaning. The main purpose of this meditation is to avoid having to go through all of these experiences again in the future.
I sugest a meditation on the real meaning of our human life using the text above.
I know this blog has become a weekly write up. And, there are several reasons for that.
Marcelo is very busy at the moment and has no time really. Volker has been very busy but hopes to write more often now.
Maybe, for today, I would like to recap on what this blog is about. It is all about sharing thoughts, spiritual methods and how to use Buddhism in today’s world and in management in particular.
The above video shows an intro to GesheKelsangGyatso, a great Buddhist teacher for the modern world.
I have read some books of his and my aim is to revisit passages and thoughts to improve my understanding of Buddhism and, to apply it more into my daily life.
Where do I see Buddhism fitting in these days? I am not 100% sure but Buddhism helps me to appreciate other thoughts, other meanings of life and perspectives. It makes me almost more tolerant towards people – not that I was intolerant.
But just recently I ran into a lot of differences with people and I decided to keep them happy by understanding their thoughts, needs and appreciate their doing. I was happy to share their thoughts and accept their opinion even if they weren’t identical to mine.
Does that mix with Management? Yes, it does. You cannot always force people to understand you or to work your way and you have to accept their way. You have to accept their opinion, and if you fail doing so, then there is another chance coming up. Is there?
What if we decided to only work by passively guiding people into some work that needs to be done and let them fail over again until they learn. Would that be sustainable business? Surely not. But that is not what I am trying to say. I am saying that you have to realise that your opinion is not always the right one or the ONLY right one. And that you have to find a mix of opinions, everyone is comfortable with. According to that mix, you still have to put the overall guideline on them to make sure things are going as planned. This is to ensure things are going the way they should be and you have to overrule people. But, in an understanding way.
This is the way you should think. Let them fail and let them have their opinion. And, if not too far out, let them make their own experience. Then make sure you can guide them to the right outcome and success.
Also, do not forget the other side. Do not treat your business partner in any wrong ways. Treat them with respect and with respect for their money and their ideals.
We will work on that theory and you will hear from me soon.
Marcelo and I have been very busy. Apologies for that. I try to keep this blog going in this transition period and would like to cover a post a week, mainly at the weekends.
If I say busy, what does that mean. Does not everyone have the same amount of time in a day? Yes, but some have more tasks than others and I for instance enjoy my work to the extend that it is mainly work I am doing. So no work-life balance because it becomes more of a work-work or life-life balance.
Karma, particular at the beginning of a year, pops up in so many discussions. Buddhism teaches us that it is not only our actions but also our intentions/thoughts that result in karma.
On a page about Taoism, I found the following information about Tai Chi.
In Taoism, Tao, roughly translated as path, is a force which flows through all life and is the first cause of everything. The goal of everyone is to become one with the Tao. Tai Chi, a technique of exercise using slow deliberate movements, is used to balance the flow of energy or “chi” within the body. People should develop virtue and seek compassion, moderation and humility. One should plan any action in advance and achieve it through minimal action.
That means by practising Tai Chi, my course starts in 2 weeks, I hope to be able to work my spiritual practise and my body in one way, to create a whole out of the both. I hope that makes sense.
Even years ago, long before I was introduced to Buddhism, I said that one is oneself if the body and spirit are a 100% match. If you are one. If the spirit is 100% inside you. Like Ying and Yang.
On another website I found a very interesting article on Tai Chi. It is meant to bring you self discovery, a part of self or personal development. It speaks about chakrasand how your upright spine is helping you to let the energy flow and relax. Anger management comes naturally with that too I am looking more and more forward to this course so that I can get a weekly “workout for spirit and body” at the same time.
One benefit is outlined nicely as “The most important is that it helps you watch your mind. When you can control your mind you will become more peaceful and less likely to get agitated. From this state of mind it will then be much easier to practice patience and compassion, which I believe are the true results for any spiritual practice.”
That is definitely something I am looking for. Patience, Compassion and a mind at ease. A less stressful life.
I guess this is enough reading for a weekend. Have a relaxing one. I leave you with Buddha’s thought:
My new year started with all the things I didn’t want it to start. Lots and lots of work. Whilst in a recession I should not complain about it, the next 2 weeks will be busy too.
However, Marcelo, I am hoping the New Year brings to you what you wish for. Mine will be very excited with the expected birth of my son the beginning of June.
Also, I get more and more into “micro blogging”, Twitter. I wrote about it quite a lot in my personal Blurb Blog. I found a few people on there blogging about Buddhism so I get a new thought of Buddhism every day. That is nice and a nice reminder in this busy and difficult times.
I want to let you into a secret too. My plan is to join a Tai Chi class. I just don’t find the time nor the motivation to go to the gym, or to sit down and meditate. So I thought a combination of both would be good. What do you think of that? I have not discussed that with anyone yet, so not sure how many friends actually read this blog but….och well, if they know they know. Have you ever done that?
Other than that things are going well. If it gets quieter at work, I aim to read some more books and re-read books of Geshe. Any you could recommend.
For all our readers, have a great 2009, may all your wishes come true and please leave a comment on how you find this blog.
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I am looking more and more forward to this course so that I can get a weekly “workout for spirit and body” at the same time.