Category / Compassion

by Nate DeMontigny

Mata Sutta: Mother

Ed. Note: On this mothers day, I dedicate this post to all mothers. Being a mother is one of the hardest, yet most rewarding jobs in the world. I envy you all for your compassion and caring!

SN 15.14-19 (source)
translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

At Savatthi. There the Blessed One said: “From an inconstruable beginning comes transmigration. A beginning point is not evident, though beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving are transmigrating & wandering on. A being who has not been your mother at one time in the past is not easy to find… A being who has not been your father… your brother… your sister… your son… your daughter at one time in the past is not easy to find.

“Why is that? From an inconstruable beginning comes transmigration. A beginning point is not evident, though beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving are transmigrating & wandering on. Long have you thus experienced stress, experienced pain, experienced loss, swelling the cemeteries — enough to become disenchanted with all fabricated things, enough to become dispassionate, enough to be released.”

by Nate DeMontigny

Recite the Heart Sutra…

…for Japan and any other country that is enduring great suffering. We may not know whether it truly works, but isn’t it worth trying?

Heart Sutra
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
when practicing deeply the Prajna Paramita
perceives that all five skandhas are empty
and is saved from all suffering and distress.
Shariputra,
form does not differ from emptiness,
emptiness does not differ from form.
That which is form is emptiness,
that which is emptiness form.
The same is true of feelings,
perceptions, impulses, consciousness.
Shariputra,
all dharmas are marked with emptiness;
they do not appear or disappear,
are not tainted or pure,
do not increase or decrease.
Therefore, in emptiness no form, no feelings,
perceptions, impulses, consciousness.
No eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind;
no color, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch,
no object of mind;
no realm of eyes
and so forth until no realm of mind consciousness.
No ignorance and also no extinction of it,
and so forth until no old age and death
and also no extinction of them.
No suffering, no origination,
no stopping, no path, no cognition,
also no attainment with nothing to attain.
The Bodhisattva depends on Prajna Paramita
and the mind is no hindrance;
without any hindrance no fears exist.
Far apart from every perverted view one dwells in Nirvana.
In the three worlds
all Buddhas depend on Prajna Paramita
and attain Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi.
Therefore know that Prajna Paramita
is the great transcendent mantra,
is the great bright mantra,
is the utmost mantra,
is the supreme mantra
which is able to relieve all suffering
and is true, not false.
So proclaim the Prajna Paramita mantra,
proclaim the mantra which says:
gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha

by Nate DeMontigny

“Bloom Like Flowers”

There is more than likely not one person who hasn’t heard of the disaster that has befallen Japan recently. An 8.9 earthquake triggered a tsunami, which has created more destruction than the initial earthquake itself. 1,000’s of lives have been lost, villages have been destroyed. Like the tsunami in Indonesia in 2004, which was the worst tsunami to date, people’s sense of comfort and normalcy has been changed forever.

My heart is with those affected by this disaster. I could never imagine something like this, but the fact of the matter is, we never know. The Earth does not discriminate and a natural disaster of this magnitude can happen anytime, anywhere.

Continue reading →

by Nate DeMontigny

Happy Thanksgiving and or Thursday!

I just wanted to take a moment to say I wish you all the best as the Holiday season officially kicks off today with Thanksgiving.

As we spend times with our families and friends, not to be a downer, but don’t forget those that are going without. We tend to have tunnel vision during the holiday season, focused on those around us. When we widen our view we see folks from all backgrounds struggling to survive, never mind worrying about something like a holiday.

This holiday season there are ways you can impact someone else’s life in a positive way. Of course, you can do this any time, but what better what to show some compassion than during this time of year.

There are numerous websites out there that have a direct impact on people, I hope you’ll take a moment to look at the couple I’ve posted and see what you can do. Personally, I’ve opted to have a couple of the gifts someone would normally purchase for me chosen from the World Vision catalog…

World Vision Gift Catalog

Kiva – Loans That Change Lives

by Nate DeMontigny

Pets are not commodities.

Ed. Note – Thank you Sarah, aka @_karmadorje from Twitter, for this heartfelt and researched article. I had asked her to write about puppy farming after seeing numerous posts from her on Twitter about the subject. While I didn’t know much about it, I felt it would help to have someone write about it that did know something about it. I do know this, when I was looking for my dog, our intention was not to buy from a store. We adopted her from some people who got in over there heads, like so many other’s that don’t realize how big the responsibility is. Again, thanks Sarah, great job!

Nate very kindly invited me to write a post for his blog on why we should think twice about buying pets from pet shops. I thank Nate for giving me this opportunity to write about something that most people know about, but ignore.

Why do we ignore it? I think it’s because the subject is distressing & somehow too big to become involved. Also because unless you do a Google search, there isn’t much written in the public arena about puppy & kitten farming. Occasionally there may be something in the Sunday papers, but if you are like me, you skim the page before moving on because the story is generally distressing, the stuff of nightmares. Even less discussed is the horrific numbers of healthy, but unwanted cats & dogs which are euthanized each year.

Continue reading →

by tmshaffer

Shedding Skin

nullI have a few snakes and they shed their skin occasionally as they grow. I always wished I could shed my skin have a fresh start as it were. Remove all the parasites the scars, the blemishes. Where snakes have that luxury, we as a whole do not. But, no matter how many times they shed they are still snakes. They can’t change the internal by shedding off their external epidermis.

Recently I have been having issues at work and my family has needed more than usual. I was used to being a loner of sorts. We would all get together and have dinner or drinks. But we kind of all proceeded in a steady fashion.

Click to read more of this article

by tmshaffer

Mormons well-served by self-reliance in hard times

Reading this at this time in our history, I can only agree that we all need to be more self reliant and also look at the ones that are less prepared than we are for the current times. A few years ago my area was struck by several major hurricanes. I was okay and prepared. I looked out for others in my area that needed help and did my best to assist them. I worked with the county to go to a local retirement community. We went door to door and checked on each resident. Most seemed, okay they were assisting the ones less able to care for themselves.

Whether it is time of natural disasters or man made economic ones, the ones that are prepared should look to the ones that are not and offer assistance.

by Nate DeMontigny

John McGavern, Buddhist, led university libraries

From The Boston Globe

Perhaps nothing reflected John H. McGavern’s Buddhist beliefs more than his reaction to being shot during a deadly bus hijacking in New York City on July 4, 1977, that made national headlines.

The gunman, Luis Robinson, a 26-year-old sailor, was on a three-day leave from the USS Detroit when he boarded the bus in Manhattan and forced it to John F. Kennedy International Airport, where he held the passengers hostage for 10 hours, wounding several of them during the ordeal, The New York Times reported.

Click to read more of this article