Taking hold of the wheel

Prayers for Bat Nha ~ Thich Nhat Hanh's Sangha in Vietnam

Being One

 "Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. All systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.

Do not think that the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice non-attachment from views in order to be open to receive others' viewpoints. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout our entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times.

Do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrowness.

Evolution is a fact, not a theory ~Carl Sagan

Seek

I seek to fill this void deep inside me, that space that can’t be seen. An empty space which I try to fill as putting water into a bucket with a hole in it. I put the things I seek here in this space, but it remains empty. I fill the space as a starving child, but no amount of food can feed me. Everything I seek is as empty as the space I try to fill. I seek love as it slips from me. Like the water in the bucket I receive it as it passes through the bucket to fill others buckets. To hold on to something that can’t be held is painful. Pain that seems to be the only thing that likes to occupy that space that soon becomes me. To know the pain is to let it go until it visits again. The void so easily filled with pain becomes my desire. It fills my void and turns to hate and then turn to God for Justice, but God is empty and not able to fill such a void, but hope keeps God there with pain, hate and anger for Justice. I seek for the Love and Justice of a God, and Savior though hope that is empty, and has to be forced into that empty space just to be as empty as the space it occupies. Then to wake up to this emptiness and see my pain as empty as God, and it all doesn’t mean anything liberated me from my needs and wants. I didn’t need God to be happy, and pain became a friend who could teach me. Things are as they are. I love my life more now then I ever have. I ask only from others of which I give them. Respect for their belief in God, for I once walked that path. I believe in the human sprite, and I guess you could call that God, but its not the same God you believe in. I don’t believe in a place called Hell, only the hell we create for ourselves. I don’t believe in a creator. I do believe we are all brothers and sisters. The only thing religion brought me was pain and self loathing. I do practice Zen Buddhism which some may call a religion, but I practice as a philosophy. May you find you are, and have all you have ever needed.

"Why fight Religion"

"I don't want to go to Hell"

“I don’t want to go to Hell.”
is what a young friend of mine told his mother.
I love this family very much, and we have been friends for a very long time.
This statement got me thinking about the “Hell” we put ourselves through with out having to go anywhere. My hope is to show people that hell is not a place, but a state of mind, and with exception of the Westboro Baptist Church most faiths will find what I have to say true.
Hell is a delusion.
If you think you are going to Hell, you are already there.
Hell is not inherent.
It can’t exist without you just as Heaven can’t exist without you.
There is no Heaven or Hell without you.
One can not exist without the other, and neither can exist without you.
You are the creator of Heaven and Hell.
How do we create it?
The ways we create Hell for ourselves is numerous.
Things that you mite not think of being the source can be the greater part of your Hell.
Make a list of the people you feel have done wrong by you.
What anger comes up when you think of these people.
Do you say to yourself:
I don’t have anger, I just feel bad for them for not seeing how they hurt me,
or may be you just feel anger.
The point is only you know what feelings come about from this list.
Here is the kicker, it doesn’t matter what you feel about this list.
The fact that you can make a list is your Hell.
If you have Anger, Fear, and the big one Guilt,
all of these are states of mind,
and if you don’t want to go to hell change your state of mind.
The Buddha said,
“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”
You can take this quote from the Buddha and replace “anger” with any state of mind. Lets take the big one “Guilt.”
“You will not be punished for your guilt, you will be punish by your guilt.”
What ever your state of mind is your punishment. (Hell)
What do you do about this?
What ever your faith the answer is the same, change your state of mind. If you have guilt, forgive yourself. If you have anger, forgive others. If you have fear, face it.


For my good friends, and family

I love you,

Wade

Thank you for reading:)

Kellin,
Be positive, and remember you control your fate. Drop the negitive, instead of saying I don't want to go to Hell. Remember Hell is not inherent, and you can't go somewhere that dosn't exist.


Face your fears
Fear is that which keeps you from loving your self as well as others. It keeps you from living. To have fear is normal. To let fear be your glide is a mistake. Fear from the judgments of others if used as a glide in your life means you don’t own your life others do. If salvation is what you are looking for then face your fears. If you are looking for help out side yourself you will never find salvation, it will always belong to someone else. If you don’t like the person you have become, look within not without. Don’t fear to forgive yourself, and once you are able to forgive yourself you will be able to forgive others.


To fear comes hate, to fear comes greed, to fear comes ignorance.
In awareness comes love, in awareness comes charity, in awareness comes understanding.
Awareness
The three poisons.
Greed, Hatred, Ignorance
Awareness of our greed,Of our hatred,Our ignorance,to own the self.
See our greed for love,and money,Fame and Power.
See our Hatred for people different from ourselves.
See our ignorance for not understanding, we are different parts of being
One.
The same.