So I have been asking myself a lot of questions lately. One of them, or two to be exact, is about my life style. Alcohol is one of them, whether or not I should give it up. Living in a country where it is rather uncommon to do so, I believe that 2010 will see some changes of behaviour about me drinking alcohol. Whilst I don’t see myself giving it up 100% yet, I believe that I will reduce it massively. It should be about enjoyment and not about diluting my senses. I experienced the absence of alcohol before.

However, as the title suggest, no Buddhist should harm any sentient beings, including animals. Hence I am contemplating of becoming a vegetarian, or similar to alcohol, abstain during the week and have one day at the weekend to enjoy some meat. More as a special treat. I recently watched a TV show about mechanically processed meat which almost made me throw up.

But why should I become a Vegetarian? There are lists of reasons why you should become a vegetarian to be found online. For me it is mainly about not eating cheap and nasty meat, processed meat, and to live more healthily. Of course I then need to feed my almost 6 months old boy vegetarian food too, and he can choose later in life what he would like to do. I think that is fair, don’t you?

Living healthier means living with less risk to get cancer. I read a book I can recommend on “Eat to beat cancer“. It gives you a good insight why eating meat in moderation is much more healthier. It is similar to me giving up smoking: it is just the healthier option to give it up, isn’t it? There is no argument about it either

According to a Buddhist source, a lot of Buddhists and non-Buddhist eventually lose their appetite for meat out of compassion for the welfare of other living creatures. But vegetarianism is not required in order to follow Buddha’s path. That makes sense. It is more about not killing an animal but there is nothing said about not being able or allowed to eat the meat.

So based on the above and the thought of how animals are slaughtered, I believe that I will step up the game and reduce meat or even stop eating it from next year.

Love and Kindness to you, and all sentient beings out there.

Volker

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Good to see you back. Apologies for being not as good in replying as I used to be.

What are the reasons, and what is going on in my life? As discussed with you yesterday, the recession is hitting Britain hard. Whilst our industry is still growing faster than the overall economy shrinks and our jobs are safe, we are looking at longer sales cycles, longer decision making processes and overall more work per individual to get the same income.

Where does that leave me? Honestly. A bit stressed. But I am working on it and will actually soon write about some stress management over at my personal blog. But also, I have been looking into Tai Chi. Do you know why I like it?

I like Tai Chi as for 1 hour my mind is turned off. It is as if I meditate whilst moving slowly and do figures. It is amazing and I enjoy it so much. You know I had difficulties sitting down and meditate even for 10 minutes. But Tai Chi allows me to move and free my mind at the same time.

Now, that does not mean I am not going back to meditate additionally. I believe Tai Chi is just another form to do it, wouldn’t you agree?

Marcelo, it is all about stress management for me at the moment. My baby is fine, I am going to be a dad and I need to re-think my position. You often say I don’t change that much, and maybe you are right. Maybe I think I prepare myself for the big change in June. Then life might even be more stressful.

But, there is another thought. My mother in law does not like the word stress, and to be overly honest me neither. I like to think of it as a challenge. And sometimes this challenge goes above our horizon, our means and our capabilities.

When we have to meet this deadline and do 3 other things at the same time. Or just when we got on top of things we get thrown off the path again. Sometimes, these challenges are overwhelming, just like life itself.

But I believe that we need to counteract it. Tai Chi, Meditation, exercise, family life. The right life life balance, you remember we were speaking about it earlier?

Marcelo, I leave you with these thoughts for the weekend. Don’t forget to check my personal blog and remember that I am trying to move this blog to a new platform next weekend. Apologies in advance.

Love and Happiness to you.
Volker

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Good to hear, see and feel you being back.

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.

Have a good weekend,
Volker

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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 chakras and 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:

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

Love and Kindness,

Volker

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How are you? Happy New Year to you.

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.

Love and Happiness,
Volker

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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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27 years ago, today, my Dad passed away, I was very young 15 years old only. The biggest problem was not his forever absences or no phisical presences, because he remains in my heart all time, every day and every single moment – smiling, crying and talking to me.

The problem was to see my family ruins day by day, my mum’s suffering, my brothers and sisters getting lost without knowing what to do to help my mum and each other. It was a hard time but we all survived and it was not so harder as so many other poor people problems. But from our mind full of attachment, self-grasping ignorance and lack of wisdom, it is not easy to understand his death. We have broken down, our hearts, minds, souls were became a wreck.

From the ashes I learnt and discovered myself, even if sometimes it is very difficult to keep this on my mind. And I believe my family did the same – in their ways.

Amazing was 18 years ago my niece was given birth at this same day. Victoria is her name. She is beautiful and lovely, a very special girl. Her heart is full of love and compassion and I am so proud of her existence.

Geshe-la says in his Book Transform your life:

“Although we have developed superior great compassion – the spontaneous wish to take the sufferings of all sentient beings upon ourself – we understand that, despite our strong desire to protect all sentient beings, we do not have the power to do so at present. Just as one drowning person cannot save another, no matter how fervently he or she may wish to do so, likewise it is only when we have freed ourselves from suffering and mental limitations that we are able to free others. If we ask ourself who has the actual power to protect all sentient beings, we shall realize that it is only a Buddha. Only a Buddha is free from all faults ans limitations, and has both the omniscient wisdom and the skill to help each and every sentient being in accordance with his or her individual needs and dispositions. Only a Buddha has reached the shore of enlightenment and is in a position to release all mother beings from the cruel ocean of samsara. If we consider this deeply, bodhichitta will arise naturally in our mind. We contemplate:

I want to protect all living beings from suffering, but in my present, limited state I have no power to do this. Because it is only Buddha who has such power, I must become a Buddha as quickly as possible.

We meditate on this determination again and again until it arises spontaneously.

Since then, I have tried to help my family in many ways, but I cannot do it, I am not able to do it, so I decide to dedicate all my efforts in this life to their benefit and request to Buddha to keep helping them, providing to them all what they need. Not all what they wish for, because their wishes are contaminated by deluded mind – the cause of their sufferings -, but I really request that they could have what they need to, in this life or in the next one, to become free from their samsaras and their sufferings.

L&K

Marcelo

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I apologise for being so elusive the last couple of weeks. Life has been busy.

But what should I say, with the economic downturn and all, we have a great life at the moment and we are very happy and grateful about it. We pray it long may continue.

Marcelo, I have to admit that I had little time lately to sit down, think about life and my spiritual development. It sounds quite stupid to say “it is on my todo list” but that is where it is. I haven’t really had much time to sit down and meditate or think about things.

You know, we all have the same amount of time. I consider myself being quite organised too. That would actually mean I should have enough time – so really: it is the same old excuse. Sorry.

Maybe in the new year I can build it into my routine of things and make more progress. Maybe I can join the Buddhist Centre in Goldners Green or the sessions in Covent Garden again. It surely would not harm and gave me some routine. I don’t believe it will be over a year since I have visited any courses or anything. What a quick year.

Probably Christmas is celebrated differently with you. How do you celebrate Christmas? What are you going to do.

I will sit quiet with the family, the 2 cats and enjoy my peace for a few days.

Love and Kindness to you!
Volker

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Good question, why have we always looked inside us when we are sick, having problems or difficulties in life?

Budha gives us some reasons for that.

The main one is because we are afraid of any suffering, we cannot accept any slightly pain. Our attachment to our own things makes us to feel bad about leaving, passing away and let behind our ordinary pleasureable life, our friends, family, work, money, achievements and our afraid of not having time to enjoy all this achievements that we have gathered together but not did it and at the time we´ve got sick we got scared of dying before enjoying all our belongs, money and gains.

Our attachment to our own body and life and mind cannot afford any difficulty, any suffering, sorrow or pain. Immediately it can disturb our mind and request some more care for them. Becoming even more attached to them. In this way the consciousness of our own body, mind and life became stronger and then causes us even more pain and suffering – like a circle, without end… if you tide up yourself even more tightened you will feel even more pain and attachment, nut you cannot let things go, because we want to be attached to something. It is an endless circle of suffering.

Some people has mental pains not just body ones, but those one which are constantly causing them a lot of sorrow, with no peace, their mind, their delusion cause them troubles and unhappiness all the time.

When we have got sicknesses (mental ou body ones) we start to feel more about the real meaning of life, we feel uncomfortable about our pains and more conscious about how distracted or how we waste our time and life in meaningless things.

We just start to look for something more meanigful for our lifes, only when we have realized the drift of being Human Beings. We are all together, love, compassion, kindness, friend, sufferings, pains, sorrows, everything and nothing else, we are one and we are also infinite, we do not start on the bounders of our body or mind, we come and go beyond that, beyond our understanding.

Do you want to find more about yourself, Go and do some meditations, reading and learning more about Buddhism and the greatest Compassion of Buddha.

L&K

Marcelo

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