Spirituality

7 Secrets to Traversing a Spiritual Path

What is spirituality for you?

For most, it’s the essence of happiness and success; it’s the path which needs to be travelled, when one wants to be one with the universe and the higher being. Does that mean you too, like some of our well-renowned predecessors, have to seek divinity in order to transcend onto the path of spirituality? While the answer might seem very straightforward and simple, the mantra behind the progress is governed by the experiences of your life. [Read more…] about 7 Secrets to Traversing a Spiritual Path

Originally posted on April 12, 2016 @ 8:00 am

Losing Your Religion: The Appeal of the Gittite Way

They say that there are two topics that you should never bring up during a social gathering: politics and religion. One reason is that people usually have very passionate and rigid opinions when it comes to politics and religion. Another reason is that there will always be at least two people in a group who will come to loggerheads, hence a potentially awkward situation at best.

We cannot deny, however, that religion has played a significant role in humanity even before “civilized” societies were formed. Religious or spiritual beliefs have always existed, although they have evolved over time. In modern society, the changes have become even more apparent. [Read more…] about Losing Your Religion: The Appeal of the Gittite Way

Originally posted on September 29, 2014 @ 9:00 am

Looking for spiritual rewards?

We spend an average of eight hours a day, five days a week at work. And that’s an awfully long time if you don’t particularly enjoy your job or get some sort of fulfillment from it. As the new year approaches many of us feel the need to make a change in our lives, and perhaps that change might be in the form of a new career?
[Read more…] about Looking for spiritual rewards?

Originally posted on December 5, 2012 @ 7:05 am

How to Live Longer: The Buddhist Practice of Saving Life

piggie & dougie
photo credit: BarefootAdrianne

“No thing is as dear to someone as his or her own life, so no greater crime is there than taking life away. And no conditioned virtue brings greater merit than the act of saving beings and ransoming their lives.” – Chatral Rinpoche.

Many years ago in the Himalayas I met a Buddhist master who was a practitioner of tsethar; a Buddhist practice that involves saving the lives of animals. Buddhists assert that saving the lives of animals that are doomed to be killed increases ones lifespan, protects from certain illnesses and helps to remove obstacles in your life.

Over time I have come to appreciate this practice more and more and today I decided I would share it with you in the hope that some of you decide to take it up. It truly is one of the most beneficial things you will ever do with your time and money.

How does one perform this practice?

As far as practices go, this one is the easiest. You need no special training or implements, just a bit of cash and some spare time. The traditional way to carry out this type of activity is make sure you do three things:

The beginning: generate a compassionate motivation
The first thing you need to do is develop some sort of compassionate motivation. For example, if you know someone who is sick you might generate the motivation that you are doing this practice to help them get better and live a longer life. Or, you might do the practice with the idea that you simply want to free sentient beings from suffering and fear and be a protector for those who need protection.

The traditional Buddhist motivation is called bodhicitta. Bodhicitta is the wish that all beings will one day be free from suffering and never separated from happiness. When you arouse the motivation of bodhicitta you are also developing the warrior-like mentality of bravery; you yourself are going to free sentient beings from suffering without any help from anyone else.
The middle: Maintain a good attitude
During the practice itself you should try to remember your motivation and not let too many self-centered thoughts enter your mind. This ensures that you really work with your mind and leave some positive imprints on your mental continuum. You should also try to concentrate single pointedly on what you are doing and not let your mind wander off too far.
The end: make vast aspirations and dedications
Buddhists assert that good actions need to be dedicated to positive causes. This ensures that the merit is not wasted. At the end of this practice you should sit down for a few minutes and make as many vast and compassionate aspirations as you can. For example, you might dedicate saving the lives of these animals to the long life of you and your family members, the removal of disease and suffering in our society and the culmination of world peace. Or you might dedicate it to someone specific who is suffering from cancer or some serious illness.

The dedication is super important. The bigger the better. Many of my teachers have said that during the dedication one should be as assertive and free thinking as possible; it is no time to be humble.

If you follow these simple guidelines I am confident that your practice of releasing lives will be extremely beneficial for yourself and others. Spending the afternoon purchasing and releases animals is an extremely joyous occasion and lots of fun for everyone involves.

What types of animals should I use?

photo credit: Hendricks Photos

Short answer: it doesn’t matter. Any living creature that is about to be cooked or killed is suitable for this practice. Some animals that Buddhist monasteries use in this practice include:

Fish from Chinese restaurants and fish markets
If you go in to almost any Chinese restaurant or fish market you will see tens of big fish swimming in the tank ready to be killed and served on a dish. These are perfect animals to free. Some times there will be crabs, lobster and eels – all suitable for this practice.
Crickets from pet stores
Many pet stores now sell crickets that are bred to be fed to lizards and snakes. Often you can get 100 crickets for $5! That is a lot of positive karma.
Chickens from battery farms and suppliers
Although the chickens from battery farms are not killed for food, they do live horrible lives in tiny cages. I am certain that there is a lot of good done every time one of these birds is taken from its cell to a nice big backyard pen.

Obviously you don’t want to go and buy a pet puppy and let it go in the woods. That isn’t the point! The point is to free animals who are about to have their life taken as the karma is considered to be especially potent.

It is extremely important, however, to only release animals that are native to the local environment. A lot of harm can be done by foreign fish when released into local waters. Here in Australia we have lost hundreds of local species of fish because English Carp were introduced into our rivers a hundred years ago. Make sure you do your research before letting animals go. Make sure they are locals.

The benefits of saving lives

There are many Buddhist texts out there that speak of some incredible benefits relating to this practice. Some of main ones include extending your life and the lives of others, healing and in some cases curing serious diseases, removing obstacles that are holding you back in life and so on. The main benefit (from a Buddhist point of view) is that you will create the causes to attain enlightenment in the very near future.

The Dalai Lama and other masters on saving lives
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has spoken of this practice many times, especially in his autobiography Freedom in Exile. In it he tells the story of how he would spend all monastery’s money as a young boy by purchasing sheep that were about the be slaughtered for meat. Thousands of sheep were spared the knife. At the end of the story he recounts that later in his life he saw in his meditation that this practice actually increased his life and will be a cause for him to live a long time.

One Buddhist master, Chatral Rinpoche, has been particularly outspoken on the issue of saving the lives of animals. He believes it should be a regular activity for all Buddhists and anyone who cares about living creatures. Here is a short poem he composed about the issue. And here is another text by a master called DoDrupchen on the benefits of saving animals. Finally, here is a fantastic resource on how to be creative with this practice as instructed by the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa.

My own experiences
I have been doing this practice for a few years now and every time I do it I enjoy it more. It is quite special knowing that you have freed living creatures from certain death, and, to be honest, I don’t really care if my life is extended or not. Knowing that I have done something positive for some helpless creature is enough for me.

That being said, my friends and I have done this practice on a large scale at several important junctions in our life. When my best friend had stage four cancer a few years ago we released a lot of animals. Things turned out a lot better than we had expected. He is in remission now.

Conclusion

I really do believe in the power of this activity. I would be extremely happy if only a handful of our community here at The Daily Mind took up this practice and dedicated the merit towards the peace and well being of all living creatures. If you do free some animals please stop back and leave a comment and let us know how it went.

Originally posted on July 29, 2009 @ 5:18 am

Buddhist Work: Things I Learned About Work from my Tibetan Friends

Every year I travel to the North Indian Himalayas to see my Tibetan friends and Buddhist teachers. In that time I have learned a lot of life lessons and a lot of lessons about how to make my work more meaningful. In this post I want to look at a few things my Tibetan friends taught me about work.

Tibet, Buddhism and a happy workplace

Before I get into the lessons I thought I would explain why I feel the Tibetan people have a lot to offer us westerners in terms of work lessons.

Tibet was a Buddhist country where the peaceful religion permeated every single household, shop, farm, school, etc. It has been there for hundreds of years.

Tibet was invaded by the Chinese in 1959 and many took refuge in India. Here they continue to live as practicing Buddhists – their culture still alive and well. And one of the first things you see when you go into a Tibetan owned business is Buddhist imagery. They base their work around their spiritual life and because of this steadfast trust in their spirituality they learn to deal with stress, anger and work pressures in a very different way. These methods are what we are going to look at today.

Lessons I learned about work from my Tibetan friends

With all that in mind here are a few things I learned from my Tibetan friends about making my work a happier and more spiritual place.

1. Compassion for all beings

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – HH the Dalai Lama

The very core and basis of Buddhism is that all beings are suffering and wish to be happy. With this in mind Buddhists take a vow where they promise to serve and protect all sentient beings for as long as they live. This compassion is not biased or choosy – all sentient beings deserve this compassion – even people we meet in the workplace! [Read more…] about Buddhist Work: Things I Learned About Work from my Tibetan Friends

Originally posted on April 7, 2008 @ 1:24 am

Expanding Your Horizons this Halloween

Jack-o’-lanterns, the undead, spook and gore, elaborate costumes, and over top parties. These are what often come to mind when we think about Halloween, but have you ever wondered where Halloween came from and why it is so widely celebrated?

That question may be corny in these days where holidays are commercialized, and the spiritual beginnings of Halloween have been forgotten. Everyone is so focused on having fun and most often do not even realize that there are several different traditions being celebrated in different countries and by different religions around the world. Whether you believe in religion, spirituality, or neither, hopefully, this post will give you a moment to reflect and appreciate the history behind why we have such wonderful celebrations, and to also be more mindful and respectful of customs that still hold deeply spiritual meanings for others.

Samhain

People dressed as animals or monsters to protect themselves.

A lot of people think that Salem, Massachusetts is THE place to go if you want a full-on Halloween experience. A quick Google search and you will find that Ireland’s Derry City rivals Salem in reputation for having biggest Halloween festival. Even better, Derry trumps Salem when it comes to Halloween history as the celebration actually traces its roots back to the Celtic tradition Samhain (pronounced “SAH-win”).

Samhain is an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition celebrated between the fall equinox and winter solstice, a time wherein it is believed that the veil between the physical and spiritual world breaks down. Worshippers, led by druid priests, then offered sacrifices outside the villages for fairies and people dressed as animals and monsters to avoid being noticed and kidnapped by spirits and creatures from the Otherworld that cross over into this world.

Samhain, as all beliefs and traditions eventually do, evolved by the Middle Ages with fire festivals held primarily to protect peasants from fairies and witches. It is also around this time that the first versions of the jack-o’-lantern started appearing in Ireland, England and Scotland. Of course, the original jack-o’-lanterns were way more macabre than the ones we see everywhere today.

Samhain is still celebrated in Ireland today albeit not as a spiritual custom but as the worldwide holiday that is Halloween. It’s more about dressing up, having fun, and trick or treating – which isn’t surprising since it is there that this tradition started as well.

All Hallows’ Eve and All Hallows’ Day

The 9^th century brought about very different spiritual significance to October 31, which is when Samhain was traditionally held, due to the Catholic Church’s proclamation that November 1 be celebrated as All Hallows’ Day or All Saints’ Day. This meant that the night of October 31 was then called All Hallows’ Eve and Samhain had to evolve once again, this time merging with the Christian celebration to become what is now called – Halloween.

Halloween spread through the Americas as Irish immigrants continued to celebrate this age-old tradition, bringing with them the really fun aspects like trick or treating, monster costumes, and a less scary version of the jack-o’-lantern.

Lighting candles to pray to saints or to pray for the souls of the dead.

These days though, while Halloween is a secular holiday, many Christian religions still observe November 1 as All Saints’ Day in honor of the saints of the church. Depending on the country and specific Christian religion, November 2 is practiced as All Souls’ Days in remembrance of the dearly departed. This brings us to another very famous celebration held during the first week of November…

Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is not to be confused with Halloween as its roots are very much different and their only connection is the day they fall. It is understandable though that people who do not know much about the history of either festival may think that they are somewhat connected given similar aspects such as honoring the dead and the over-the-top festivals and elaborate costumes.

The Day of the Dead, which originated in Mexico, is celebrated all over Latin America. It is celebrated from November 1 to 3.

Dia de los Angelitos is held from midnight of November 1st to midnight of November 2nd and is dedicated to the spirits of departed children. During this time the dead children are said to come back so they can be reunited with their families for a day. Dia de los Adultos, observed right in the heels Dia de los Angelitos, is held in honor of the dearly departed adults. Dia de los Muertos ends in another day-long celebration of life and death where families visit the graves of their loved ones to clean them and bring flowers and food as offerings. During the last day of the festival, Mexico throws its iconic Day of the Dead parade, drawing tourists from all over the world.

Important symbols that people immediately associate with the Day of the Dead, with or without knowing what they truly represent include ornately decorated sugar skulls, the calavera (which translates to “skull’ but can be just a skull or entire skeletal figures), family altars adorned with marigolds, the colorful papel picados, and of course beautiful embroidered costumes.

These three famous celebrations are not the only important traditions observed around the world in to honor the dead and even otherworldly spirits. There’s the Radonitsa (Day of Rejoicing) in Russia, Gai Jatra in Nepal, Awuru Odo Festival in Nigeria, the month-long Jum il-Metjin in Malta, and the Hungry Ghost Festival, which is a traditional festival from Taoism and Buddhism celebrated in different East Asian countries.

While not all of the celebrations happen between October to November, one thing is clear, Halloween may be pure fun as a holiday but we can learn more and expand our horizons if we just do a little digging. Even as we go to parties, hand out treats, have fun watching horror movies, and spend quality time with our friends and family, we can also take the time to deepen our appreciation of other people’s cultures and traditions.