Namaste to All ... No matter where you are coming from, this is a time of togetherness, laughter, love, and compassion.  I am reminded of Hotei. 

Thanks to the unknown artist.

He carries a never-empty bag filled with gifts for those on the pathway to enlightenment, for children and those in need.  Osho tells this story of him ...

Hotei, a Zen master, was passing through a village He was one of the most beautiful persons who have ever walked on earth. He was known to people as ‘The Laughing Buddha’ — he used to laugh continuously. But sometimes he would sit under a tree — in this village he was sitting under a tree, with closed eyes; not laughing, not even smiling; completely calm and collected.

Somebody asked: “You are not laughing, Hotei?”
He opened his eyes and he said, “I am preparing.”

The questioner could not understand. He said, 

“What do you mean by ‘preparing’?”
He said, “I have to prepare myself for laughter. 

I have to give myself rest. 

I have to go in. 

I have to forget the whole world 

so that I can come again rejuvenated 

and I can again laugh.”

Osho continues ... If you really want to laugh you will have to learn how to weep. If you cannot weep and if you are not capable of tears, you will become incapable of laughter. A man of laughter is also a man of tears — then a man is balanced. A man of bliss is also a man of silence. A man who is ecstatic is also a man who is centered. They both go together. And out of this togetherness of polarities a balanced being is born. And that is what the goal is. 

        Blessings to Everyone!  Thank you for being here!

 

Namaste to Everyone ... Today is the day of the new moon and it is 12-12-12.   I believe these two events can work well together.   The energy of new beginnings and transformation is strong.  What to do about it?

Thousands of monks meditating!

I think today is a good time to breathe in deeply and move into a calm and peaceful state of mind.   Being in that open space, I will let awareness overtake me and realize I am in harmony with Earth and all living things. 

"Silence is an empty space,

 space is the home of the 

awakened mind." - Buddha

And then I will celebrate LIFE!   

Thank you for joining me on this day!

 

Namaste to you ... I have been meditating upon the "uncarved block" that Taoist Lao Tsu writes of in the Tao Te Ching.  Return to our original nature and be like the uncarved block, he infers.  In this state of being, we are clear of any mind projections.  We are full of potential and possibilities, ready to become whatever is at hand ...  or not.

I came across this powerful sculpture ...  the uncarved boulder was carved into an image of a Taoist, perhaps, with the thought of immortalizing the Taoist thought.   Lao Tsu would say, "Only when it is cut are there names."  I am still contemplating ...

The carved uncarved block

Blessings to all of us on 

the pathway of understanding!

Thank you for being here!