I want to kick off this topic series with something appropriate to new spiritual life
Rev. Kat ^.^
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Tip of the Week....
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Spirituality News...3/19/08
I flipped through my Google Spirituality news alerts today thinking I would see blog post after blog post about Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, and the violence that's erupted in Tibet over the last few days.
Nothing. Not one syllable.
Which I find interesting, because usually I feel like I am the last to find out about things like this, only reading about them in my Alerts a few days later.
You'd think American Buddhists--at least the well-known ones--like Richard Gere, for instance, would jump on their blogs, if they have them, and post their reactions to what's going on.
But I, a non-Buddhist, went upstairs to fetch two of my favorite chanting CDs--one of them being from a local library--and three candles in reaction to the idea that the Dalai Lama has offered to resign as political head of Tibet if Tibetans continue their violent reaction to the oppression by the Chinese. He will always be the Dalai Lama, in the context of being the leader of the Buddhism community, but because he is so committed to nonviolence, he feels his only recourse is to resign on a political level.
I...a non-Buddhist reacting strongly to the point of feeling weepy and wanting to give Tibetans one big group hug? I mean, I'm a spiritual sensitive...but I think I reacted strongly because one of my chief goals is to promote freedom. Freedom of what?
Freedom from oppression, control, illusion...
I have been considering embracing Buddhism a bit more fully. And it's an interesting, juxtaposing thought given my own natural Celtic-Warrior-inclinations, plus my choosing to be vegetarian mostly for health purposes.
But I think I am reacting most strongly to the Dalai Lama's decision to resign politically--something which he has not carried out yet, as the Chinese Premier is mostly willing to speak with the Dalai Lama, though the Premier is not convinced of the Dalai Lama's
position on the issues at hand, regarding Tibetan autonomy vs Tibetan independence.
The Dalai Lama has renounced violence, and wishes for Tibetan autonomy, but not complete independence. Apparently, the more draconian of the communist party leaders (one of them from Tibet, sadly enough) have sorely misinterpreted the intentions and thoughts of the Dalai Lama, projecting their own violent nature onto one of the world's most peaceful men.
To sum things up, it appears that in the face of the 2008 Olympic Games, the Tibetan uprising has exposed China's "Achilles Heel": that of the inability to accept and honor ethnicities, spiritualities and governing styles other than their own. Hence, an outcry among the world governments against what the Chinese leaders have done.
So how do we forgive people like this? How do we forgive their draconian nature and oppressive thoughts and actions?
It is the only recourse. Forgiveness does not necessarily mean we have to condone the actions of the Chinese government. But we all would do well to turn the other cheek and say, "Mother, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Because they don't know what they are doing is wrong. They are under the spell of an emotional illusion.
So we must rid ourselves of our own illusions about our own paths...and spread our own peace to those who have none.
So do I support the Dalai Lama in his offer to resign if the violence gets out of control?
Yes. Not because I call myself Buddhist, as I have not studied enough to convert, and I am not a Tibetan, either... but I support him because I think if I were in his position, and at his level of spirituality and leadership, I think I would end up deciding the same thing.
But this whole thing reminds me of how I need to find my own peace within myself. We all need this, if the concepts of war and divisiveness are to be eventually conquered.
And how does this thought measure up in the face of my connection to Goddesses like Brighid and Athena? Because These Ladies are not just Goddesses of warfare...they are Goddesses of wisdom, intelligence and Creation.
And I definitely think Kali-ma would have something to say to the Chinese leaders. But I will leave that up to Kali. ;-)
Namaste and Brightest Blessings,
Rev. Kat ^.^
Nothing. Not one syllable.
Which I find interesting, because usually I feel like I am the last to find out about things like this, only reading about them in my Alerts a few days later.
You'd think American Buddhists--at least the well-known ones--like Richard Gere, for instance, would jump on their blogs, if they have them, and post their reactions to what's going on.
But I, a non-Buddhist, went upstairs to fetch two of my favorite chanting CDs--one of them being from a local library--and three candles in reaction to the idea that the Dalai Lama has offered to resign as political head of Tibet if Tibetans continue their violent reaction to the oppression by the Chinese. He will always be the Dalai Lama, in the context of being the leader of the Buddhism community, but because he is so committed to nonviolence, he feels his only recourse is to resign on a political level.
I...a non-Buddhist reacting strongly to the point of feeling weepy and wanting to give Tibetans one big group hug? I mean, I'm a spiritual sensitive...but I think I reacted strongly because one of my chief goals is to promote freedom. Freedom of what?
Freedom from oppression, control, illusion...
I have been considering embracing Buddhism a bit more fully. And it's an interesting, juxtaposing thought given my own natural Celtic-Warrior-inclinations, plus my choosing to be vegetarian mostly for health purposes.
But I think I am reacting most strongly to the Dalai Lama's decision to resign politically--something which he has not carried out yet, as the Chinese Premier is mostly willing to speak with the Dalai Lama, though the Premier is not convinced of the Dalai Lama's
position on the issues at hand, regarding Tibetan autonomy vs Tibetan independence.
The Dalai Lama has renounced violence, and wishes for Tibetan autonomy, but not complete independence. Apparently, the more draconian of the communist party leaders (one of them from Tibet, sadly enough) have sorely misinterpreted the intentions and thoughts of the Dalai Lama, projecting their own violent nature onto one of the world's most peaceful men.
To sum things up, it appears that in the face of the 2008 Olympic Games, the Tibetan uprising has exposed China's "Achilles Heel": that of the inability to accept and honor ethnicities, spiritualities and governing styles other than their own. Hence, an outcry among the world governments against what the Chinese leaders have done.
So how do we forgive people like this? How do we forgive their draconian nature and oppressive thoughts and actions?
It is the only recourse. Forgiveness does not necessarily mean we have to condone the actions of the Chinese government. But we all would do well to turn the other cheek and say, "Mother, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Because they don't know what they are doing is wrong. They are under the spell of an emotional illusion.
So we must rid ourselves of our own illusions about our own paths...and spread our own peace to those who have none.
So do I support the Dalai Lama in his offer to resign if the violence gets out of control?
Yes. Not because I call myself Buddhist, as I have not studied enough to convert, and I am not a Tibetan, either... but I support him because I think if I were in his position, and at his level of spirituality and leadership, I think I would end up deciding the same thing.
But this whole thing reminds me of how I need to find my own peace within myself. We all need this, if the concepts of war and divisiveness are to be eventually conquered.
And how does this thought measure up in the face of my connection to Goddesses like Brighid and Athena? Because These Ladies are not just Goddesses of warfare...they are Goddesses of wisdom, intelligence and Creation.
And I definitely think Kali-ma would have something to say to the Chinese leaders. But I will leave that up to Kali. ;-)
Namaste and Brightest Blessings,
Rev. Kat ^.^
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Experiments with the Law of Attraction and Gratitude
I'm going to confess something here:
I haven't entirely begun a specific set of experiments with the Law of Attraction and the concept of "Attitude of Gratitude."
It's been rather haphazard, really, and more on the side of asking the Hindu elephant-god Ganesha to help remove obstacles in my family's life. Interestingly enough, I think He listened, because the prayers I made were for my folks to find a house to live in when the Catholic church burnt to the ground and the diocese decided to sell the property. Because not too long after I made those prayers, my dad had found the lovely little house here in M-town in which we are now living.
Technically, I could make similar prayers for me to find a job outside the home and for it to be a job that I can keep for a good while. And there's where I make yet another confession: I don't want another outside job. I feel that art and writing and music are where it's at for me. Besides, the job market's pretty tight anyway.
But that aside, I guess this post makes it official: I am now embarking on a set of personal experiments with the Law of Attraction and "attitude of gratitude."
Here is the kicker: Do I just attract stuff willy-nilly or do I make a focused attempt to attract what I precisely need? And how do I know that what I need is TRULY what I need?
Those are exactly the questions my experiments are going to answer.
BB,
Rev. Kat ^.^
I haven't entirely begun a specific set of experiments with the Law of Attraction and the concept of "Attitude of Gratitude."
It's been rather haphazard, really, and more on the side of asking the Hindu elephant-god Ganesha to help remove obstacles in my family's life. Interestingly enough, I think He listened, because the prayers I made were for my folks to find a house to live in when the Catholic church burnt to the ground and the diocese decided to sell the property. Because not too long after I made those prayers, my dad had found the lovely little house here in M-town in which we are now living.
Technically, I could make similar prayers for me to find a job outside the home and for it to be a job that I can keep for a good while. And there's where I make yet another confession: I don't want another outside job. I feel that art and writing and music are where it's at for me. Besides, the job market's pretty tight anyway.
But that aside, I guess this post makes it official: I am now embarking on a set of personal experiments with the Law of Attraction and "attitude of gratitude."
Here is the kicker: Do I just attract stuff willy-nilly or do I make a focused attempt to attract what I precisely need? And how do I know that what I need is TRULY what I need?
Those are exactly the questions my experiments are going to answer.
BB,
Rev. Kat ^.^
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