I hope you had a peaceful time around Christmas. I had a lovely time with my pregnant wife, my mother in law and our 2 kittens. It was full of food to be honest. We spend more time preparing and eating food than anything else. It was great. Did you spend a nice time with your family also?

However, Christmas is over, so is the quiet time. I am back to work on Tuesday for 2 days and then full on from 5th of January. It seems weird, I managed to really calm down and unwind for almost a week. I didn’t even realise that a whole week has passed.

Marcelo, a new year starts so soon. There are so many things I want to accomplish. So many things I want to do. How will I be able to fit it all into my life?

So, I was thinking how do we accomplish all of our dreams and all of our ideas for next year or any year? How much can we plan and think ahead?

Would my best bet for 2009 be to “take each day at a time”? To start “not to plan ahead” and actually work on my development on a day-by-day basis?

Let’s look at spiritual development: if I plan to attend classes, meditate 5 minutes a day and 30 minutes each weekend – how would that make me feel if I cannot accomplish it?

Let’s look at workouts/sports: if I plan to do 30 minute gym workout each day and 90 minutes at the weekend – how would it make me feel if I cannot do it or don’t do it?

These are 2 examples. However, I think if we were more content and work more on a day by day basis, would we not be happier if we actually go to the gym or meditate. Then we are more positive about improving our performance and do things more often, as it makes us feel better achieving little steps rather than just “ticking the box to achieve goals” – would that make sense?

Marcelo, lets see what happens in 2009 but I aim to make it one of the best ones ever. But, that could mean anything.

Love and kindness.
Volker

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Thank you for so much input. A lot to take in.

I enjoy asking, and a little bit teasing, you. You remember when I spoke about the olive tree we are meditating underneath in a few years time. Sometimes I think it will only be me, sitting on a green pasture and meditate and meditate until it gets dark. And then, I wake up and realise that it was all a dream.

Maybe we are only dreaming. I had a conversation with my wife, Jenny, this morning. I said that with increased responsibility in my job, life and environment, I still feel like I am 19 and have not changed. My perception is the same but the environment perceives me as mature.

It is as if my self-conscious has not caught up with me, protecting me from something, maybe myself. I might be perceived as the Business Development Manager and the person who can take so much on and works so hard, but in my own perception I am still in my bedroom in my parents house, looking out in the garden and watching the time go by.

Let me try to put this topic to bed about perception and karma. I need to have more thinking and meditation about karma before I come to terms with it and have a, maybe, final opinion.

I still believe that you can go different paths in life but if you are supposed to end up in China for example, you will. I believe that what meant to be will be. I will become what I set out to be or what my inner self set me out to become.

And I will. I know where I want to be in 9 years time (not physically but job wise for instance or family wise) – and, I know, if I put my heart, soul and effort in, that I will achieve it. And, I strongly believe, that if I changed jobs tomorrow I would still achieve it. Maybe not as easy or as comfortable, maybe quicker, maybe slower, but I will still become what I want to be. I am very certain about that!

Marcelo, I am a person, that cannot sit still. I find it hard to take a break, reflect, meditate or calm down. I have this inner drive to constantly do something. Workaholic they say But, I will try to learn and, I will try to meditate on what you wrote, because I very much like it. Thank you for that. I am not sure when, but I know someday, I will have the 3 years, 3 months and 3 days to meditate and find my enlightenment. And, possibly, I might not be able to do it all in one go but over a few years.

You ever worked that out? 5 minutes meditation a day, 150 a month, 1800 a year. That are 30 hours, or 1 day and a quarter. Not sure if I did the math right but at that speed, just to meditate 5 minutes a day, we need to meditate for 876 years to meditate for 3 days in total? Wow! I think I need to meditate more.

But lets use it as a metaphor and say we need to put a lot of effort in to meditate and reach enlightenment. You think it is the same effort for everyone?

I agree, we need to be out there and not hide away from what we are doing or living. We cannot learn, reach higher states or anything in life, without living it. You are an ex-monk, but you think that if someone retreats from the world to find enlightenment, that it will work? Would we not go insane? I am confident I would! I need people, challenges and learning to reach whatever I need to reach.

Sometimes I think I would like to know if I am turning 80, a 100 or die tomorrow in an accident. Sometimes I do not. When are we ready to move on? When can we change to a different status, a different living being. Is it something we want to do? When are we ready?

Again, whatever path, A, B or C, D or however many ways there are, we will reach death. Our all final destiny. But, we might achieve what we want to achieve and what we were set to achieve, again, no matter which path we chose. We will fulfil our purpose in life before we move on. That is my believe – does that fit in with Buddhism?

Have a good weekend my friend.
I send you all my love,
Volker

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Good to have you back. Not that you were gone. Even if you had gone you would still be here.

If we accept our way, our karma and everything that comes our way, and deal with it in a way that we see it as a challenge – is that the Buddhist way?

If I get hit by a car tomorrow and have to suffer in hospital, loose my job and never get my career back – would I have to accept that? Would that be right/wrong or karma? Does that only happen if you have done something “sinister/wrong” earlier in life?

Life is full of temptations. Which path do I chose? Which way should I go? Which job, which wife, which house? Where should I invest my money at the moment?

A friend once said, whichever path you chose does not matter because….you end up where you are supposed to be anyway. So the path is different, the time might too, but the goal or finish line is the same.

So, is Buddhism that simple?

Stop worrying, accept your path and you will get where you should be??

Wonder what you think?

Volker

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I trust you are well. Yesterday night I came back from my week break in the sun. It was good to be away and recharge the batteries. The weather was great, the people, everything.

Now, I am back to “square one”, I need to re-think life and think about what I would like to change, like in a new beginning.

It is not that I was unhappy before I went away or that I do not like my life, just the opposite. But after a break, I always believe it is time to change. Like after Christmas / New Year everyone wants to go to the gym. Or, after a hard-partying weekend, people always seem to stop drinking for a while.

So, after a break, with newly charged batteries, I need to think what I need to do? What do you / Buddhism suggests?

Love and Kindness from a rather cloudy London,
Volker

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Thank you for your thoughts. If the leg is not our body and we are not it then who are we and why?

I was in a Christian church this morning where the minister said “the answer to the question (or one answer to the question) who you are is “you are a part of the Christian community”.”. Does that answer my questions. Certainly not.

I am me, myself, my soul and spirit in this body? Is that too simple?

Hawkins wrote “The Eye of the I” – I haven’t read this book yet but read his other book “Power vs. Force“. It is heavy reading and I am not 100% sure if I understood everything he tried to say.

If there are forces out there and things with a higher level of conscious, enlightened people maybe, then is there a way for me to make it too? And if I can make it, do I need my current body or can I move from this life to a rat’s body, to a cat’s body, to a human body and how many reincarnations does it take me to understand and be enlightened?

Who am I?

Can I not just live and act with the “winds”, the forces that change my life and not worry. Would I ever find the right path if I am just a feather in the wind? Or would I prefer to build my own path and by doing so, what would I gain? If I am not me, if what I thought was me, is not me?

Is it very important what our body does and if we live 10, 50, or 100 years because ourselves, e.g. our mind and soul lives for the eternity?

Have a lovely day, my friend.
Volker

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Life goes mysterious ways. I am sorry to hear that your work has been destroyed. However, you know better than me, that most things are stored inside yourself. You do not need to have the laptop, the documents and office to make things work. They only make things easier. And, yes it would be good but your karma will get you back on track.

Some people say that things in life happen with a purpose. A purpose to learn from. About a year ago I drove a car through deep water thinking it would be fine. The 9 day old car (used car but 9 days on the road with me) did not survive, e.g. I had to get a new car. There was financial problems but overall I think I was grateful for the experience. Guess it sounds silly? Probably not, because I am 100% sure that this situation learned me something about how to deal with water, cars and cars in water in the future. It might save my life one day.

Your experience, any of our experiences, will have a positive outcome and it is not always obvious and not always easy to see that. I believe that today, when I got 4 new tyres for the car and a new exhaust, spending most of my day waiting in a garage, it was for the greater good. The greater good of me not having to fix a blown up tyre on the road side or an exhaust falling off during a day trip to the country side. We need to prepare for the unexpected. But we cannot get rid of the unexpected. Our washing machine had a part needing to be fixed and ran out in the kitchen. Little damage and easy repaired. It could have been worse.

We can be grateful to have enough water, food, drink and a roof over our heads, a job, someone who loves us and that we are alive. A lot of people are missing those basics. Moments like those remind me of how well we are off. But still, how quickly do we get used to our standards.

Marcelo, I hope you quickly recover from the incident and from your pain.

I will continue to enjoy a day off.

Love
Volker

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The poem is nice. I slowly start re-charging my batteries and had a great weekend away in Scotland, attending a friend’s wedding. It was great to see people that are in love, people who love each other, cherish and share the love with a group of family and friends.

It was good to get away – although coming back to a broken washing machine – and I am off tomorrow. My aim is to charge batteries all day and work as little as possible. I need to find some time for myself and treat/re-treat myself spiritual wise.

Not good was is happening to your leg. I hope you feel better soon.

People often say it is only my body and that if you die, your body will return to the soil. However, even if you try to be detached from your body and if the body does not seem to be important for your spiritual development, the pain and suffering form it still influences your state of mind.

You cannot just cut the flesh away from your mind, even if you sometimes would like to. You need to look deep inside the body though to find yourself.

I hope you had a good weekend.

I send you my love!

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It is so good to hear from you. I have been quiet because I have been very busy with work, traveling and moving.

Currently I am running on the last set of batteries, e.g. I need some sleep, some comforting food/wine and a good thought of Buddhism, e.g. some meditation. I sometimes feel that life takes over and gives us this feeling of being stressed and overwhelmed which then results in us feeling drained and running low on energy.

Can we stop that? Can we keep life at bay?

With love from London,
Volker

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Apologies for taking that long to get back to you.

Is balance resulting in determination, e.g. do we need to practise patience and balance to keep up with UPs and DOWNs?
I think so. Yes.

As an example, I went to an event this weekend and if one has a great time, you do not find the determination to go to leaved, e.g. you carry on and on and on. And that is not a problem then. However, you do not think about being tired the next day and the day after. Things carry on.

What I mean, if we have an UP and really power ourselves out (a party, in the gym, at work) then sooner or later we feel exhausted, DOWN (hangover, exhausted, not concentrating enough).

So if we use determination and willpower to bring balance in our lives, then all we do is practising patience and being sensible. The “golden path” is in the middle. Being sensible not to drink to much at a party, not to overdo it in the gym and not to work at work until you collapse. The middle ground with the power to realise the UPs and DOWNs would be the way…

Would that answer what you mean?

Volker

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