Gaia Community: The Daily Buddha's Blog

When did you do the most growing up?

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:02:44 GMT

Growing up? I am not sure if I have ever stopped!

Growing "up" seems like such and odd way to put it the process, as though we were somewhere "down" before and over time we grew "up!" In all sincerity though we are truly talking about a process - growth, and for me this is an ongoing delight.

Contrary to popular opinion growing involves so much more than knowledge, it requires experience and life does a wonderful job of ensuring we all get our fair share. When real life experience is paired with knowledge we can began to manifest wisdom and it's something we can do each and every day, so growing never really ceases.

If we think of a tree and it's growth processes we may think the tree reaches a certain maturity and then it's all grown up, but the processes have not stopped. The tree must constantly direct it's energy to various areas to sustain it's self. It must push roots deeper into the ground for stability, old leaves must be shed in order for new ones to take in the light, water and nutrients required for it's life, and old growth or dead wood must be discarded for newer stronger shoots to emerge.

Are we really any different?

We to need a solid foundation to grow from and we must also direct our energy towards fruitful and healthy activities. Old ideas, habits and patterns must be constantly shed in order to move forward and allow newer ideas a chance to blossom. Finally we must also let go of the dead wood in our own lives, the baggage, the useless stuff we carry around and hold onto for no good reason other than it was once a part of us! All of this happens on a daily basis and is indeed the process of growth!

So do we ever really stop growing up? Now is the best time ever to be growing, learning, discarding and being fruitful! So lets all grow together and create a garden without compare. . .all it takes is the seeds we are born with and the watchful eyes and hands of a skilled gardener!

Peace and Love, Jim

Tags: QaR, growing up, change, maturity

How can simplicity support aliveness?

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:04:26 GMT

Simplicity allows us to step back and see our life for what it truly is - an opportunity for growth. Think about it for just a moment.. . . if we put aside our desires for a bigger home, a better car, nicer clothes and the workload and schedule that has to pay for all of these items, what do we have left? An uncluttered, untethered life? Possibly a clear view of just what our life could be?

There is nothing wrong with any of the above mentioned items and we all need a source of income to feed and shelter ourselves, but much of our life is simply overrated, overworked and over indulgent - all products of our yearning, searching selves.

Does the squirrel want the bigger tree of desire the shiniest acorn? Does the deer feel compelled to graze longer because the extra food will help pay for the new antlers? I know these sound silly, but again it just shows how our own constraints and definitions of a "good" life actually bind us and cloud the simplicity and beauty of life. The squirrel simply is with any any acorn and the deer does what deer do. How about us?

I will always remember the story of the business man on vacation who saw a fisherman with a boatload of the most magnificent fish. The businessman told the fisherman he should sell the fish buy more boats and start his own fishing business. In a few short years he could grow his business into a corporation and sell it to retire nicely. The fisherman looked at the businessman with a perplexed face and said so i can do what, wake in the morning with the sun and spend my days leisurely fishing and spending time with my family? I am already doing so!

We sometimes miss the point, but simplicity can awaken us if we let it!

Peace and love, Jim

Tags: QaR, universe, living, duane elgin, simplicity, life

Who or what do you give authority to?

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 13:04:15 GMT

I guess the old saying applies for me personally - I am the master of my own destiny - except I have a twist!

I am not the master of my destiny through power or control of others or some type of hypnotic influence over the world and all it's inhabitants. I am the master of my destiny through my perceptions and my understanding of my thoughts and the worlds I create everyday through these thoughts and their actions.

I know it sounds like common sense but so many of us have small fantasies about being in control of life in ways that are just never going to happen. Things are never going to go just the way we "like" them, but what we can do is learn to work with what we are given AND see that as a true opportunity to learn and not a point of dissatisfaction or disappointment.

But how one may ask?

Through practice, through the very things and occurrences that are given to us each day to work with. Recently my wife and I were purchasing some mulch for a new flower bed at a local garden store. A woman completely absorbed in her thoughts cut in front of us at the checkout and proceeded to ask the clerk the price of just about everything in her cart. She then went on to ask if she could purchase only half flats of flowers which required the manager. In short she ended up taking almost an half hour to check out!

Now many people in line with us began to grumble and outwardly complain, they got restless and begin shuffling their feet and rolling the eyes. Now my wife and I could have both given power to these feelings stirred by the moment and most likely felt like the other folks in line - aggravated and frustrated. Instead we saw this time as a chance to cuddle up closer, hold hands, share a few small kisses on the cheeks and in general just be together for the moment.

We gave power to ourselves and not the situation and instead of feeling angry or upset about the woman taking "our" time (as though we could ever really own it) we had a small moment of togetherness - all of this from a situation that was given to us by this woman!

So I am master of my destiny in each moment that is given to me. I am in charge of how I see and react to this world - there is no other person or that can be in charge of this. I choose to give power to the way life "is" instead of the way i wish it was, I seek to "understand" instead of being "understood." and that has truly given me the power to be happy!

Peace and love, Jim

Tags: QaR, power, authority, control

What do you wish you'd paid more attention to?

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:50:43 GMT

Ahh a catch 22 for myself because in reflection over the years I realized that I needed to pay more attention to my attention!

Many of us know the feeling, we think we are focused and paying attention only to catch ourselves drifting off or chasing a thought that had something to do with what we were paying attention to. Anyone who has ever practiced meditation knows this all to well - one minute we are focused on the breath and the next we are thinking about how our breath smells or some other slightly related thought. Of course we gently return our attention to the breath and get better with it over time.

I guess my point is that attention can be hard to sustain because each moment in life is so fleeting. By the time you read these words and process them they are already in the past and so attention goes as well. Sustained attention is a wonderful thing but when we are really with a moment is there any effort at all?

This is what I have learned from "paying attention to my attention." Yes I must recognize a moment, but at the same time I am the moment or at least I try to settle into it. Life can seem fleeting, but with mindful attention we can see that we are fleeting as well, that we all are along for the ride so we should each try to wake up, pay attention and enjoy the view as well as the company!

Peace and love, Jim

Tags: QaR, attention, presence, messages

What is your body most worried about right now?

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:43:12 GMT

The body worries not. . . it is simply wanting to be included in the world the mind paints each day. Bringing the two together to create a whole is one of the most rewarding things we can do with our time. May us do not realize the ongoing discussion between the mind, our live, and our body. Acts such as meditation, dancing, and chanting give us the opportunity to bring the discussion between the physical and the mental to the fore front - in focus.

Worry is a fruitless act and driven my many habits and patterns. if we can bring mind and body together as a whole we can then realize what a gift this body is, we can realize it's full potential for health, for healing, and for happiness.

The body worries not so let us include it in our thoughts and our daily routines. A mind is a terrible thing to waste but a body is a terrible thing to forget!

Peace and love, Jim

Tags: QaR, body, self, tension, worry, communication

If you had all the time in the world what would you do?

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:58:09 GMT

Time has a way of turning everything, every moment into some form of race. The real question becomes why do we tend to see the world through the lens of time? Many of the best things in life (from a purely aesthetic point of view) we label as timeless - they transcend time and trends.

Can we too not become timeless? Yes indeed our time here as with all things is limited but that is not the focus of a life well lived. Living against the clock is like a fruit tree racing against the season to bear it's fruit. On the surface this may seem the process, but the fruit tree is not racing against anything. . .it is simply carrying out it's process and doing what a fruit tree does - blossom, bear fruit, go dormant and repeat.

Our lives can be as simple.

Time becomes too important when we over achieve, set unrealistic expectations, or when we set firm goals in the sand of our mind instead realistic actions. The greatest way to escape the trap of time is to simplify our lives to whatever degree we can while still providing for ourselves and our families. We are living in just such a time when many of us find ourselves without jobs, with reduced incomes and are having to rethink our patterns, goals and ambitions. These can be great times indeed with the right perspective - we can take back our lives and find the time to enjoy it, but we must transform ourselves if we are to transcend the time game.

To answer the original question though - I would continue to live as simply as possible finding ways to simplify, reduce and refine my living even more. . . down to it's bare essence so that much like the afore mentioned fruit tree, I can bear the fruits of my life.

Peace and Love, Jim

Tags: QaR, time, purpose, calling

What's the most beautiful little thing you've seen this week?

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:15:01 GMT

Driving to work one morning past a row of open yard homes I was enjoying the beautiful spring weather when out of the corner of my eye I saw a small little puppy chasing a butterfly in his backyard.

It stopped me in my track for just that moment and I contently watched the little guy run and romp while the butterfly always remained just out of his reach. It was bliss for all three of us to be simply a part of the moment without care or concern for the days tasks that lie ahead.

This reminded me of what we all can achieve if we can let go of our to do list and our constantly roaming minds. Life can be as simple and beautiful as a puppy and butterfly and indeed all of life's joys are contained in just such moments.

Peace and Love, Jim

Tags: QaR, beauty, small, beautiful, seeing

What do you trust most in the world?

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:34:03 GMT

For me I like to believe and trust that at some point in all of our cycles we can wake up to a more meaningful life, a higher purpose if you will. I trust that each of us know in our hearts and minds what is intrinsically right. We may not always acknowledge this or even recognize it at first, but we all know what we do and on some deeper level why we do it, whatever "it" may be in life. Far too often we may live in some form of denial but I trust that each of us at some point recognize our own goodness, our own yearning to be a part of something.

It is said that trust is earned, but I like to believe that it is discovered and uncovered in the subtlest moments of life. We trust so much each day that often it goes unrecognized and the potential to wake up to this exists in us all.

Peace and Love, Jim

Tags: QaR, trust, world, reliance, faith

Another Chapter

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:53:21 GMT

Good Morning!

It has been almost three years and 987 posts since I first started The Daily Buddha blog. Over the years it has grown to encompass twoseparate postings across 11 countries and gained thousands of subscribers. After much internal debate today I write to inform each of you that this will be my last formal post here.

Like all things in life change is inevitable. In my own personal life I am preparing for many changes and a new chapter to this story I call a life. What began as a simple daily practice for me to externalize many of the thoughts, life lessons and teachings truly became a lesson in itself and I have learned so much from each of your comments, feedback and goodwill.

I have no bad feelings and mourn no loss for what has happened within this blog has enriched my life beyond the words and pictures I have posted over the years. Nothing is static about wisdom and life and this is as it should be. I hope if anything that one clear message has always come across through The Daily Buddha - Life is a wonderful series of exercises to open up the mysteries of the human heart and thedeepest realities of our human experience as they exist , uniquely in each of us, right at this moment. It is not a personal journey but a shared one and the more we fathom our own hearts, the more we find of others and beyond that the very heart of the world.

May we all continue down this path of discovery together.

I will be leaving the blog up and staying a member of the many sites I co-post at and belong to. I encourage everyone to revisit many of the posts for they are timeless reminders of everyday living and exploration. Again I thank each and everyone of you for sharing in this experience with me and sharing your hearts openly to a world that often values closed doors, hearts and minds. You are each courageous warriors that keep the authentic lineage ofspirituality alive and well.

Tags: Life, Change, Moving On

Broken and Free

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:16:40 GMT

It's an open thing to show when we are fractured, broken and do not have it all together (who does?). Broken all the way through to the bottom. Yet what freedom that is, to be whatever we are in the moment, even if it's unacceptable. There is no shame in being whoever we are where ever we may be at any given moment. This is genuine, this is authentic and free. When we drop the dance of I'm good, I'm bad, I'm this. I'm that, we begin to face the truth - I don't know who I am. It is here in this truth that we may all find the freedom to simply be, to simply live moment for moment with no act, no mask, no pretense. It is here we learn the beauty of being broke and joy of being free.

Tags: Life, Acceptance, Freedom

Relate

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:33:47 GMT

It isn't outcomes that matter. It's our relationships that give meaning to life. If we are wise enough to free ourselves from hope, and fear, from having to succeed, we discover just how easy it is to love every moment, and every person. We discover the joy of time we have and how to let it go.

Tags: Life, Acceptance, Relationships

Extremes

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:29:12 GMT

Today I resolve to practice moderation in all things. I gently learn to let go of extremes. Moderation is the only way to find true balance and the best way to live fully and mindfully.

Tags: Life, Action, Choices

Expectation

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:14:03 GMT

My goal is to develop a mind which clings to nothing. If there is no clinging, no condemning, no expectations of how things should be - my mind remains clear and balance and I see life's wonderful opportunities instead of my own desires.

Tags: Life, Understanding, Expectations

Generosity

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:33:30 GMT

Knowing the power of a generous heart, I offer compliments, provide accurate feedback, and listen carefully. I cannot lose by being generous. If I have thoughts of greed I can replace them with generous ones. Today and everyday is filled with opportunities to be generous.

Tags: Life, Action, Generosity

Frustration

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:16:58 GMT

Instead of being frustrated, I must accept such instances either with humor, calmness, or constructive efforts to improve upon the situation. When awareness is present, it displaces the kind of grasping that breeds frustration.

Tags: Life, Action, Frustration

Caring

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:37:38 GMT

Seeing the web of suffering we become entangled in, I become kind and compassionate to others. This compassion includes myself. I start in this present moment to practice loving kindness and compassion.

Tags: Life, Love, Caring

Pain

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:30:13 GMT

There are all kinds of pain - physical, emotional, and mental pain. I discover that pain is inevitable, BUT SUFFERING IS OPTIONAL. I learn to let pain rest where it is, I return to my center, breathe deeply and examine all of my feelings swirling around the pain. I smile and in doing so I understand and overcome my pain.

Tags: Life, Acceptance, Pain

Pause and Reflect

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:37:00 GMT

A hurried life can affect me in more ways than I may recognize. I must pause, reflect and rest in order to take care of myself. I must cultivate receptivity and acceptance to create the right conditions for understanding. By taking time to explore my thoughts andprocesses then letting go I am healing not only myself but the world in which I live.

Tags: Live, Pause, Moments

Harmony

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:53:51 GMT

I aim to live in harmony with the world and all of it's inhabitants. I work with the planet and others instead of against it. I flow like the waters and rise like the sun. My goal is to discover freedom and my own true nature. I walk in stillness and act in harmony.

Tags: Life, Action, Harmony

Forgiveness

http://thedailybuddha.gaia.com — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:41:05 GMT

Forgiveness is at the heart of all happiness. First I forgive myself. I acknowledge that I am still growing. I forgive past offensives for they no longer matter. Whenever I find myself being harsh or judgemental I smile for I know the way to heal is to forgive and be grateful.

Tags: Life, Acceptance, Freedom, Egolessness