NEVER GIVE UP

No matter what is going on
Never give up
Develop the heart
Too much energy in your country
Is spent developing the mind
Instead of the heart
Be compassionate
Not just to your friends
But to everyone
Be compassionate
Work for peace
In your heart and in the world
Work for peace
And I say again
Never give up
No matter what is going on around you
Never give up"— Dalai Lama XIV

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NEVER GIVE UP

Image via Wikipedia

"NEVER GIVE UP

No matter what is going on

Never give up

Develop the heart

Too much energy in your country

Is spent developing the mind

Instead of the heart

Be compassionate

Not just to your friends

But to everyone

Be compassionate

Work for peace

In your heart and in the world

Work for peace

And I say again

Never give up

No matter what is going on around you

Never give up" Dalai Lama

Daily Practice from the Dalai Lama

Image via Wikipedia

The Dalai Lama has asked that the following practice be shared with as many people as possible. A group recently spent five days visiting with the Dalai Lama focusing upon what they believe are the five most important questions to be considered as we move into the millenium. The five questions were:

1. How do we address the widening gap between rich and poor?
2. How do we protect the earth?
3. How do we educate our children?
4. How do we help Tibet and other oppressed countries and peoples of the world?
5. How do we bring spirituality (deep caring for one another) through all disciplines of life?

The Dalai Lama said all five questions fall under the last one. If we have true compassion in our hearts, our children will be educated wisely, we will care for the earth, those who "have not" will be cared for. The group asked the Dalai Lama, "Do you think love on the planet is increasing or staying the same? His response: "My experience leads me to believe that love IS increasing." He shared a simple practice that will increase love and compassion in the world. He asked everyone in the group to share it with as many people as they can.
The practice:

1. Spend 5 minutes at the beginning of each day remembering we all want the same things (to be happy and to be loved) and we are all connected to one another.
2. Spend 5 minutes breathing in cherishing yourself, and breathing out cherishing others. If you think about people you have difficulty cherishing, extend your cherishing to them anyway.
3. During the day extend that attitude to everyone you meet. Practice cherishing the "simplest" person (clerks, attendants, etc.) as well as the "important" people in your life, cherish the people you love and the people you dislike.
4. Continue this practice no matter what happens or what anyone does to you.

These thoughts are very simple, inspiring and helpful. The practice of cherishing can be taken very deep if done wordlessly, allowing yourself to feel the love and appreciation that already exists in your heart.
Will you commit to creating Peace in yourself and thereby "On Earth" by spending 10 minutes a day with this simple meditation? Peace on Earth, Good will To All. It’s not a season. It’s a daily practice. Please pass this on to as many people as you can.

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Who Are You and Where Are You Going?

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From The New Mandala

No matter how much faith we have, if we do not constantly maintain an inquisitive
and critical attitude our practice will always remain somewhat foolish.
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama

I am often asked how it is that this Protestant minister wound up in the company
of the Dalai Lama, and is now a Christian preacher and teacher of Buddhist wisdom and
practice. I generally respond by noting that I was never one to “color within the lines.”

So the story of my spiritual journey - my Mandala, if you will - has its own unique
pattern with a lot of fuzzy margins.

The bend in the road, the turning point in my spiritual journey occurred as a direct
result of an auspicious conjunction of anxiety, curiosity and opportunity.
In the classic story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is lost, disoriented,
confused, even frightened when she first encounters the Scarecrow who greets her with
the words, “Who are you and where are you going?” It’s a metaphysical question that
confronts us all at some point as we find ourselves stumbling along the yellow brick
paths of our lives.

Her reply, “I’m Dorothy, and I’m going to Oz - to see if the Wizard
can help me get home,” is her way of responding for all of us: I am what I have named
myself, and I’m exploring, seeking a wise guide who can help me return to my roots, the ground of my being, my center.