* adding this as someone asked – good question. As I am no authority, Dalai Lama to the rescue… who by the way, reminds me of someone’s uncle.
Mantra … prayers … it’s all good because of good intentions in which the process quiets the mind. What does it mean though, all those mantras said to have this or that benefits? When you pray – does it not have a tendency to go into “Dear God, May I pass this test.” or “Dear God, I will be good but in exchange, can you make me win or this or that” “Dear God, please I want this I want that” etc. It’s a pure mirror of our desires, struggles and how we wish for stroke of good luck and miracles. Prayers reflect desires. Mantra is perhaps a little different. It seems more about purifying ourselves, to be less attached to desires and greed, to liberate from the shackles of endless desires to be less stuck with burdens of possessions that take hold on us. This is so cute … Love this.
September is a Childhood Cancer Awareness month.
Here’s a piece I wrote a while back – I am praying that the kids undergoing such a diagnosis survive though – That’s what I pray for – that each living person has the opportunity to come into his/her own and live out the given life to the fullest to the end …My thoughts are kind of like this having attended a funeral/memorial Sunday of my former boss. Youngest of 7 children (!), lost his father at age 14, still managed to graduate college and … he came to this country from Japan with just $7 he can call his own; he leaves this life with good fortune of being surrounded by his loving wife of 50 + years, 3 successful children; 6+ grandchildren – He lived a full life. In the end, it’s all about relationships, isn’t it? Relationship with Self to establish first and then relationships with all. It’s a bit early (I hope!) but makes you think about how you want your funeral & memorial to look like – do hope it will be a CELEBRATION of a life well lived!
As Judith recites –
May we live like the lotus
at home in muddy water.
& Oh, boy, is it muddy!
And some would say – No Mud, No Lotus.