Another Bright Sunny Day!

Hi Friends,

Today's Buddhist Wisdom from Beliefnet.com was so cool and relates directly to what I learned when I was in Arizona in January for the Yoga for Depression Practitioner training. This is what it said:

If we train our breathing, we can control our emotions--that is, we can cope with the happiness and pain in our lives. We should practice until we feel this; our practice is not complete until we can see this clearly. -Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, "Mindfulness with Breathing"

Pure truth is what that is! I'm mean, really. Have you ever noticed how you breathe when you are anxious? Your breath is shallow and quick. If you breathe shallow and quick on purpose, you can make yourself feel anxious. Try it if you don't believe me!

Today's haiku is about that fact that today is a beautiful, sunny day in snowland. I went out to my car to get the recycle containers I'd left in there the other day. They were so warm they radiated warmth for several minutes! It was so comforting to feel.

A bright sunny day
The feel of summer, yet not
So warm to the touch

Today's Tricycle Daily Dharma was also very good. It was a quote from Pema Chodron's book "Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings" (Shambala Publications, 2002). It was about how you make your own heaven or hell. It was a story about a samurai who, just before he was to cut off a Zen Master's head, realized at that moment he was in hell. "Instantly, the samurai understands that he has created his own hell—black and hot, filled with hatred, self-protection, anger, and resentment. He sees that he was so deep in hell that he was ready to kill someone." He was in heaven when, "Tears fill his eyes as he puts his palms together to bow in gratitude for this insight." Obviously, he didn't cut off the Zen Master's head.

I think we can all remember a time when we felt both those states of mind.

Those are my ramblings for today. Tomorrow won't be so Buddhist-oriented for those of you who aren't "into that." But, it was what was on my mind. Tonight I will go to my Zen meditation and study group in Carson City. I'm looking forward to it, especially since I wasn't able to make it last week.

Have a fantastic day and check back tomorrow for more ramblings.....ramble ramble.....