People at birth are intrinsically good; similar in nature, through habits they diverge.
All people are born with a good and honest nature. In terms of this intrinsically good nature, everyone is roughly the same. But as we grow up, differences emerge due to our different living environments and the education that we receive. Some people are willing to study and accept good teachings and as a result they can maintain their good nature; other people don't want to study and are affected by bad influences, gradually become bad themselves.
Inside everyone of us are precious treasures -- truth, goodness and beauty. If we don't cherish and develop these good traits, we will lose them.
*+*GoodHeartz*+*
Keep The Faithz! XD
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Watch Your Thoughts
The thought manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into habit;
And habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings.
~ The Buddha
"Some time ago, i worked with a man who had convinced himself at a very early age that the world was all about power and control. He was very good at what he did, but it was all very coldly calculated. Watching him operate, I saw him becoming more and more a caricature of his own most cynical projections.
"I remember one Christmas when a number of people he worked with received selections of expensive wine from him. It was the kind of gesture that from anyone else would have been received with pleasure. Instead, the office joke for weeks revolved around what he wanted from us that would have necessitated such an extravagant present. Some people theorized that he was tryin gto purchase status as a decent human being. Others were certain that it was meant to put us off guard. I wanted to believe that perhaps it had been a genuine gesture of goodwill, but as much as I wanted to believe it, I still couldn't feel it was true.
"I saw him a few months ago, and all the old feelings resurfaced - the difficulty of working around him, the need to always be on guard. But this time it was overshadowed by a deep sadness over what his own convictions had done to him. He couldn't even give a gift from his heart (if indeed it was) without arousing suspicions!"
We must always be careful about our thoughts, because the things we think, our views and opinions about life, about other people, and about love, will seep into our own lives until we are living them. When we see the world as a mean and cruel place, for us it will become mean and cruel. When we think instead about the happiness and joy that surrounds us, we bring them forth like a gentle shower of fall leaves.
Today, pay attention to the messages you send yourself about the nature of the world. What can you observe about your attitudes?
*+*GoodHeartz*+*
Keep The Faithz! XD
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into habit;
And habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings.
~ The Buddha
"Some time ago, i worked with a man who had convinced himself at a very early age that the world was all about power and control. He was very good at what he did, but it was all very coldly calculated. Watching him operate, I saw him becoming more and more a caricature of his own most cynical projections.
"I remember one Christmas when a number of people he worked with received selections of expensive wine from him. It was the kind of gesture that from anyone else would have been received with pleasure. Instead, the office joke for weeks revolved around what he wanted from us that would have necessitated such an extravagant present. Some people theorized that he was tryin gto purchase status as a decent human being. Others were certain that it was meant to put us off guard. I wanted to believe that perhaps it had been a genuine gesture of goodwill, but as much as I wanted to believe it, I still couldn't feel it was true.
"I saw him a few months ago, and all the old feelings resurfaced - the difficulty of working around him, the need to always be on guard. But this time it was overshadowed by a deep sadness over what his own convictions had done to him. He couldn't even give a gift from his heart (if indeed it was) without arousing suspicions!"
We must always be careful about our thoughts, because the things we think, our views and opinions about life, about other people, and about love, will seep into our own lives until we are living them. When we see the world as a mean and cruel place, for us it will become mean and cruel. When we think instead about the happiness and joy that surrounds us, we bring them forth like a gentle shower of fall leaves.
Today, pay attention to the messages you send yourself about the nature of the world. What can you observe about your attitudes?
*+*GoodHeartz*+*
Keep The Faithz! XD
Take The Chance
What is the knocking? What is the knocking at the door in the night It is somebody who wants to do us harm. No, no. It is three strange angels. Admit them, admit then. ~Friedrich Holderlin
There were, amid all the arocities of the Holocaust, those who dared to go against the terrible tide and help one another. This is just one of those stories.
In Poland, three Jews were hiding in a hut in the woods. Suddenly there was a knocking at the door; fearing the Nazis, they were terrified to answer - they knew what the concentration camps held. But they also wondered if it were a fellow Jew needing help. So they decided to answer the door and discovered two injured Polish soldiers, their enemies, badly bleeding. Even though they had only a tiny bit of food, they shared what they had and nursed the soldiers back to health. When the soldiers were better, they used their knowledge and credentials to help their rescuers escape to safety.
We are constantly faced with choices in life. Most force us to choose between safety and risk. The risk in our lives is usually not as dramatic as it was for the people in this story. But it is risk nonetheless.
When we choose to open our hearts to another, we risk great pain and heartbreak. When we offer something of ourselves to another, we risk rejection. When we choose to stand up for what we believe in, we risk ridicule or persecution. Sometimes, particularly in the moment when we must choose, the fear is so strong that it seems that we should simply retreat, opting to be safe. Yet in the instant we choose to be safe, we have already done ourselves the greatest harm, for we have cut ourselves off from the potential of warmth and comfort from others.
We are brought into this world feeling helpless and alone. Our task is to consciously build the connections that will return us to the all-embracing heart of humanity. But we can find our way only if we are willing to take the chances we are offered.
*+*GoodHeartz*+*
Keep The Faithz! XD
There were, amid all the arocities of the Holocaust, those who dared to go against the terrible tide and help one another. This is just one of those stories.
In Poland, three Jews were hiding in a hut in the woods. Suddenly there was a knocking at the door; fearing the Nazis, they were terrified to answer - they knew what the concentration camps held. But they also wondered if it were a fellow Jew needing help. So they decided to answer the door and discovered two injured Polish soldiers, their enemies, badly bleeding. Even though they had only a tiny bit of food, they shared what they had and nursed the soldiers back to health. When the soldiers were better, they used their knowledge and credentials to help their rescuers escape to safety.
We are constantly faced with choices in life. Most force us to choose between safety and risk. The risk in our lives is usually not as dramatic as it was for the people in this story. But it is risk nonetheless.
When we choose to open our hearts to another, we risk great pain and heartbreak. When we offer something of ourselves to another, we risk rejection. When we choose to stand up for what we believe in, we risk ridicule or persecution. Sometimes, particularly in the moment when we must choose, the fear is so strong that it seems that we should simply retreat, opting to be safe. Yet in the instant we choose to be safe, we have already done ourselves the greatest harm, for we have cut ourselves off from the potential of warmth and comfort from others.
We are brought into this world feeling helpless and alone. Our task is to consciously build the connections that will return us to the all-embracing heart of humanity. But we can find our way only if we are willing to take the chances we are offered.
*+*GoodHeartz*+*
Keep The Faithz! XD
Sunday, November 29, 2009
What Kindness Creates
Kindness in words create confidence; kindness in thinking create profoundness; kindness in feeling creates love. ~ Lao Tzu
Lao Tze's words remind us of the effects of kindness. When we speak kindly, we recall that this is who we truly are, a person of gentleness and warmth. In a world that is spinning so quickly, it is easy to lose track of the truth of our essence, to spin off into the distance until we no longer know who we are. Speaking words of kindness keeps us firmly in possession of our truth and gives us the confidence to go forward in the fullness of our authentic selves.
When we think kind thoughts, we open the channel that connects our minds to our hearts. Gifted with such a marvelous tool as our intellect, we can easily become seduced by our own cleverness and become cut off from the depths of our heart. Thinking kind thoughts brings us back to our heart, where our deepest and most profound treasures are kept.
When we feel kindness, it connects us to our love for others. Our very nature as separate individuals makes it easy to forget how deeply and intricately we are all connected. Then we begin to feel isolated, as though we are completely alone in a world full of strangers. When we feel kindness, we are immediately connected to our love for those around us, because kindness is the medium of that love. We are thus reminded that we are not alone, but rather, no matter our circumstances, are nestled in the bosom of a loving family.
Observe your kind words, thoughts, and feelings as you go about your day and notice what effect they have on you.
*+* GoodHeartz*+*
Keep The Faithz! XD
Lao Tze's words remind us of the effects of kindness. When we speak kindly, we recall that this is who we truly are, a person of gentleness and warmth. In a world that is spinning so quickly, it is easy to lose track of the truth of our essence, to spin off into the distance until we no longer know who we are. Speaking words of kindness keeps us firmly in possession of our truth and gives us the confidence to go forward in the fullness of our authentic selves.
When we think kind thoughts, we open the channel that connects our minds to our hearts. Gifted with such a marvelous tool as our intellect, we can easily become seduced by our own cleverness and become cut off from the depths of our heart. Thinking kind thoughts brings us back to our heart, where our deepest and most profound treasures are kept.
When we feel kindness, it connects us to our love for others. Our very nature as separate individuals makes it easy to forget how deeply and intricately we are all connected. Then we begin to feel isolated, as though we are completely alone in a world full of strangers. When we feel kindness, we are immediately connected to our love for those around us, because kindness is the medium of that love. We are thus reminded that we are not alone, but rather, no matter our circumstances, are nestled in the bosom of a loving family.
Observe your kind words, thoughts, and feelings as you go about your day and notice what effect they have on you.
*+* GoodHeartz*+*
Keep The Faithz! XD
Refrain from Harmful Speech
The Sufis advise us to speak only after our words have managed to pass through three gates. At the first gate, we ask ourselves, "Are these words true?" If so, we let them pass on; if not, back we go. At the second date, we ask "Are they necessary?" At the last gate, we ask, "Are they kind?" ~Eknath Easwaran
"I have a really bad habit - my mouth flies open before my mind gets engaged. I've always been like this; I guess i've always thought it as part of my charm - i can be a very entertaining conversationalist. But lately i've begun to notice that i have also left a lot of wounded people in my wake.
"i guess what finally woke me up was when my witty retort sent my younger brother running from the room in tears. He's fifteen years younger than me and has always looked up to me. In retrospect, I'm ashamed to admit that all this time i just accepted his adoration as my due and never even considered the responsibility i owed him. My 'clevel' comment devastated him and there is just no excuse for that. i apologized to him later that day, but i think now i need to go back and thank him, because his reaction finally convinced me that i need to close my mouth at least long enough for my mind to catch up."
Kindness is found not just in actions and in words, but also in inaction and silence. We may not often think about that because it's hard to notice. After all, if someone bites his tongue and doesnt make a cutting remark, we will never know we could have been hurt but were spared by his kindness. But the Sufi rule of speech is a good one - if we all ued kindness as a 'speech barrier', much less negativity would be verbalized.
Of course, because people are all wonderful imperfect beings, we will make mistakes and say things that we don't mean out of hurt and frustration. If we are the receiver of such misguided barbs, we don't have to react to them with equal venom. It is so much kinder if we simply choose to let them disappear without reaction.
*+* GoodHeartz*+*
Keep The Faithz! XD
"I have a really bad habit - my mouth flies open before my mind gets engaged. I've always been like this; I guess i've always thought it as part of my charm - i can be a very entertaining conversationalist. But lately i've begun to notice that i have also left a lot of wounded people in my wake.
"i guess what finally woke me up was when my witty retort sent my younger brother running from the room in tears. He's fifteen years younger than me and has always looked up to me. In retrospect, I'm ashamed to admit that all this time i just accepted his adoration as my due and never even considered the responsibility i owed him. My 'clevel' comment devastated him and there is just no excuse for that. i apologized to him later that day, but i think now i need to go back and thank him, because his reaction finally convinced me that i need to close my mouth at least long enough for my mind to catch up."
Kindness is found not just in actions and in words, but also in inaction and silence. We may not often think about that because it's hard to notice. After all, if someone bites his tongue and doesnt make a cutting remark, we will never know we could have been hurt but were spared by his kindness. But the Sufi rule of speech is a good one - if we all ued kindness as a 'speech barrier', much less negativity would be verbalized.
Of course, because people are all wonderful imperfect beings, we will make mistakes and say things that we don't mean out of hurt and frustration. If we are the receiver of such misguided barbs, we don't have to react to them with equal venom. It is so much kinder if we simply choose to let them disappear without reaction.
*+* GoodHeartz*+*
Keep The Faithz! XD
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