See Others as Just Like Us

Hello Loved Ones,

I was reading in my daily Buddhist meditation book and a quote by Master Baek from his book, Polishing the Diamond, came up.

See everyone as a buddha. This purifies the mind of ignorance and arrogance.

This reminds me of the fact that I blog on four different sites/online communities every day. (I copy and paste most of my blogs from one to another and add a short note relevant to each community.) I have so many friends from each of these communities; we are bound together by common interests. We offer each other kind words of support, inspiration, laughs and friendship on a daily basis. The thing is, out in the concrete land we live in, instead of the online land, it would be unlikely that many of us would be friends. We simply wouldn't "run in the same circles." Because of our common interests, we see each other as buddhas. Yet, if we are to collaborate with each other and make our concrete worlds as peaceful and happy as possible, we need to set our differences aside, purifying our minds of the ignorance of other's beliefs and creeds, and the arrogance that ours is the only "right" way. If we learn about each other and let each other be his or herself, we can work toward common goals. This is not only important on a global scale, but within ourselves, as well. Everything on the outside is a reflection of the inside. If we can see our own selves as buddhas, we can have self-esteem and self-love, thus, inner peace and happiness. This is a good starting place to see others as just like us, then there is no separation/division between us.

A year-round stream runs along two sides of my house. I love to listen to it running, even in the winter when I have to go outside to hear it. In the spring it runs full and loud. I don't even have to open my double-paned windows to hear it! It is a beautiful, natural feature of the land I live on.

Bubbling brook runs sure
Over and around the rocks
Muffled by the snow

I'm going to Zen meditation group tonight. I'm really enjoying it! Yes, it's a little bit of a drive, and the weather here can turn very quickly. Last week it was clear and dry on my way to Carson City, and it was snowy and wet on my way home, but I was settled, peaceful and in no hurry to get home. What a nice way to drive.

I hope all of you are having beautiful days (it is a sunny day here) and that you can connect with those you love sometime today.

In gassho,
Jun-ri