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Merry Christmas!
genkaku
Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
Just a few thoughts ... and a hope that everyone is happy and merry.
And an invitation to add thoughts of your own.
And an invitation to add thoughts of your own.
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It's the most boring time of the year.
Ebenezer Zenff
(But I hope you all enjoy it.)
This year I'm going to help make some food for a local homeless shelter with Ajahn Fa Thai from Miao Fa Temple, then maybe see my traditional Christmas movie (thinking Django Unchained), and then go back to the temple for evening chanting and meditation since today is also Ajahn Fa Thai's birthday. Seems like the next best thing to do when you don't have any friends or family to spend the day with.
Hope everyone else has a great day, as well.
I salute you! There is nothing I can give you which you have not;
but there is much, that, while I cannot give, you can take.
No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today.
Take Heaven.
No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present instant.
Take Peace.
The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet within our reach, is joy.
Take Joy.
And so, at this Christmas time, I greet you, with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks and the shadows flee away.
--Fra Giovanni, 1513
also for everyone, may your practice flourish.
I've had a lovely day; I hope all you lot have too.
I think it's a fitting message for not just the holidays but everyday.
Desiderata by Max Ehrmann
Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
From my facebook feed....
Christmas
I see a twinkle in your eye
So this shall be my Christmas star
And I will travel to your heart:
The manger where the real things are.
And I will find a mother there
Who holds you gently to her breast;
A father to protect your peace;
And by those things you shall be blessed.
And you will always be reborn:
And I will always see the star
And make the journey to your heart:
The manger where the real things are.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS
is over? Thank Buddha!
I ended up going over at 10am, however, to help him make food for a local homeless shelter, which he does whenever they get a lot of food donations, especially holidays (three of us also helped the day before to make a big pot of curry to take to the shelter, and I donated some cans of soup and toiletries I bought earlier, as well). He didn't really need that much help, though, as he started cooking early and a lot of other people showed up since it was his birthday. A couple of Thai families came by to offer food, as well, so we ended up having a big potluck lunch.
I was actually planning on going back home after the meal and the food for the shelter was delivered, but I was invited to stay by everyone for tea and cookies and to just hang out (that's when I found out his original name was Christmas, although he eventually had his dad change it because he was teased so much about it).
Around 4:30pm, we all went to a local vegetarian restaurant and were treated by three of his students a vegetarian Christmas dinner. After that, we went back to the temple for the evening chanting and meditation. All in all, it was a nice way to spend the day, and they consider me 'one of the family' now.
It was Christmas and the foreign monks had decided to celebrate it. They invited some laypeople as well as Ajahn Chah to join them. The laypeople were generally upset and skeptical. Why, they asked, were Buddhists celebrating Christmas? Ajahn Chah then gave a talk on religion in which he said, "As far as I understand, Christianity teaches people to do good and avoid evil, just as Buddhism does, so what is the problem? However, if people are upset by the idea of celebrating Christmas, that can be easily remedied. We won't call it Christmas. Let's call it 'Christ-Buddhamas.' Anything that inspires us to see what is true and do what is good is proper practice. You may call it any name you like."