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What do you mean with;"how I did it" ? If you will tell me that I`ll explain.
Thank you,and all other friendly people,for the warm welcome I recieved.
Sorry for my photo,I allways look like that when I`m about to be fed.(:)).
I wish you all the best,greetings from Holland;Eric. :wavey:
Look myself in the eye ??? I`m very sorry but I still don`t understand.By the way,I`ve lived in Canada(I was very young),in Sarnia,near the great lakes.I really love your country.(I`m still a big hockey-fan,I hope the men do the same the women did ).
I wish you all the best;Eric.
Palzang thanks.NOW I finally understand .I hope all is well with you.I don`t know if you have anything to do with this site(I think so),but I`ve really gotten quite fond of this site.I`m a "little" lost and in times of need I really find some some comforting "things\messages" here.Do you know how old this site is? I hope to "speak" to you soon and wish you all the best,greetings;Eric.
Ignorance is the night of the mind,but a night without a moon and a star.(Confucius).
Hello Brigid.
That looking myself in the eye,I could not do that for a long time(a lot of things I can`t discuss on this forum because it does not belong there).The last 6 years or so I have been "mending" broken things.I have helped my mother,who took 6 years to die,she needed help with EVERYTHING,24\7,and she was the main reason for me to start living\thinking normally.I know,because she told me a few days before she died,that she has forgiven me for the wrongs I`ve done.(She was the most important person in my life).I can only live my life the best I can.I can`t do anything about the past.I have done many "wrong" things,I hope I have learned from them and live a better life in the future.I hope I have answered your question,if I have not just ask.I wish you all the best,greetings from Holland;Eric...
Palzang thanks.NOW I finally understand .I hope all is well with you.I don`t know if you have anything to do with this site(I think so),but I`ve really gotten quite fond of this site.I`m a "little" lost and in times of need I really find some some comforting "things\messages" here.Do you know how old this site is? I hope to "speak" to you soon and wish you all the best,greetings;Eric.
Yes, I'm in charge of keeping the site managers humble.
Nice answer.I hope the world starts "bowing to nature" a bit more.
I`m still thinking about;"we all want to awaken",and have been for the last few hours.
Does a person want to awaken when he is playing "hide and seek" with his feelings\emotions ? I`m not sure....yet ?....
All the best;Eric.
The desire to awaken is what leads us to Buddhism in the first place, but the powerful habitual tendencies that bind us to the wheel of birth and death are very difficult to let go of. That's why we practice.
I think Brigid was trying to say that it's impossible to look yourself in the eye, Eric!
I`m just quite "lost" now.I`ve just,the last few months,had the time to reflect on myself,my life and so.English is not my home language so I`ll make some mistakes.With looking myself in the eye I just mean;can I live with myself and the life I live ?
I`m a person who does not talk a lot about my feelings.Writing is a bit more easy.
Why would it be impossible to look yourself in the eye?Is it because your thoughts are allways coloured by your own experiences ? All the best.Greetings;Eric.
I understand, Eric. Brigid was just playing with you. It is literally impossible to look yourself in the eye, you see. You can look at a reflection of your eye in a mirror or a picture of your eye, but your eye cannot see itself. Do you see what I mean? So pay no attention to her. It's not important! I will take her into the back room and explain to her how she should behave. You know how these Canadians are...
Please don't worry about making mistakes with English. Your English is much better than my Dutch! I would have a hard time asking for a glass of water in Dutch.
We are happy to have you here, and we will try to help you in any way we can. There is a lot of experience here with similar problems to what you have faced. We are all sentient beings after all. Whatever we would like to think about how special we are and how special our problems are, our problems in fact are all basically similar.
I don`t mind what Brigid says,I even like it when people can laugh about their own or others mistakes(Within normal boundries!).I like to mock my own mistakes and have been through enough to see the differance between a hateful person and a ("dark") joke. I don`t know what it`s called,in English,when you laugh at your own mistakes and give a bit of a dark twist to it,but I do that all the time.What else must a person do...CRY and sob the rest of their life ???I don`t believe her to be a unkind person and I`ve never thought that.:)...But thanks for being so kind and keeping an eye out for me.(I hope I said that right ).My mind sometimes goes a bit chaotic,(I`ve allways suppressed my emotions with chemicals and must re-learn to handle them),and when this happens I find some comfort in some of the stories\letters here,I even visit this site min. once a day.
I wish you and Brigid all the best,have a nice weekend;Eric.:)
I'm so sorry my dumb little joke was confusing. As Palzang said, I've been very sassy lately. I think your English is amazing. I can't speak a word of Dutch. I've tried. I had a Dutch friend when I went to university in Wales and she tried to teach me a few words but I just couldn't pronounce them. I'm terrible with languages.
Palzang explained my 'eye' joke well. I was just joking about how it's physically impossible to look oneself in the eye unless one is looking in the mirror. One substitute for that phrase would be 'being able to look at myself in the mirror'. Not being able to look at yourself in the mirror means you're very ashamed of yourself so being able to means you're okay with yourself.
I'm probably going to go through something similar with my mum and/or dad because they're getting older now and I'll be staying with them until they die. They're not sick or anything but they're in their late 70's and they're not very healthy. I hope I can help them as much as you helped your mum. Aside from my Buddhist practice, the only thing that's important to me is helping to make their last years as happy and peaceful as possible.
Thank you for being so sweet.
Dear Palzang,
You were wonderful to explain my silliness so well. Bless your heart.
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Hello everyone , i am new to buddhism. I attend tai chi and yoga sessions at my local gym and my instructer and i have had a few discussions about buddhism and he kindly lent me a few books and i have since bought several of my own . I dont know what the next step is for me i have taken a keen interest in buddhism and would like to adopt the practices into my way of life , unfortunatly there are no centres or schools that teach the practices in my area .
Also i have always been a firm believer in karma and always treat others as i would like to be treated . And would go out of my way to help anyone but unfortunatly several people including family and work colleuges take advantage of my good nature and my inability to stick up for myself and its getting to the point where its causing me unhappiness and i am dreading going to work or to social situations . I have read in my books that unhappiness is caused my suffering and i shouldnt blame others for my suffering as achieving inner peace with myself is the solution .... please share the thoughts on this as i feel i am falling at the first hurdle
Dear Brigid;
You have not offended me in any way,I really mean that.I want to wish you all the best with taking care of your parents.I had to really throw my life around,my mother could not wash herself,go to the bathroom(I had to change the catheter 3-4 times a day),she was in pain 90% of the time ect. ect.In the beginning I often thought what have I gotten myself into !(The step from the life I lived and the life I had to live,and wanted to live,was allmost to much,I had NO help...Nothing). Then I told myself:she was allways there for me,even in my darkest hours,and I`ve had many VERY dark hours.And after a while I didn`t even mind anymore.Still later the caring even gave me a "cleansing\fullfilling" state of mind.To cut it short;She saved my life and my mind by becoming so sick.I hope for you,and the people you love,you NEVER have to go through 10% she had to go through(I REALLY mean that !).If you live a life like mine you lose a lot of innocence(and faith in innocence),though you do get more humble\not judgemental.People who live a "kind" life have a kind of "childish" purity about them.I hope for you all goes well and wish you all the best.
Have a nice weekend,greetings;Eric (And in the future;If you want to make a joke,please don`t stop )The world needs all the humor there is !!!
Dear Eric and Brigid i work as a nurse and i have cared for the elderly for many year and i would like to tell you that from my experience the happiest time of their lives is when they are with their children and loved ones and whatever has been said and done in the past your parents are always proud
Littlelegs WELCOME.
I`m new here too.Try not to let other people get to you.Try and remember that people who cause heartace to other people do that because they are unhappy\insecure ect. ect.(THAT IS A FACT !).And I believe it`s better to get hurt once in a while than lose your good nature.Just try to give them as little chance as possible.Try not to let "them"notice when they hurt you,the "fun" for them will quickly go away.(I hope for you.). Good luck,keep your chin up;Eric.
PS;Being a nurse is something you can be very proud of.You do all the kind and hard work.YOU are the person that must be a carer,a friend,a social worker ect. ect.to the patients.(It`s only a pity the doctors get allmost all the credit,AND MONEY).
See, Eric, how nice she is now that I took her out back and, uh, counseled her? (Sorry about the bruises, Boo. They'll heal, promise!) :tonguec: Actually Boo is one of my favorite people here (OK, Boo, my most favorite, happy now?), so we like to tease each other once in a while. Keeps us on our toes (that's English for "alert"). I'm very happy to hear that you cared for your mother like that. That means a lot. I never had the chance to do that for my mother as I was off being a monk and couldn't be with her when her health deteriorated. Welcome as well to littlelegs. Same goes for you as well, being a nurse. Caring for others like you do is one of the best ways to learn compassion. I worked as an orderly in a hospital during college, and I learned many valuable lessons there. You really need to see suffering to really get Buddhism.
Hello Palzang.I even believe that a bit of "real" suffering is good for every person,it makes you humble.It teaches someone a lot of lessons.Your mother must have known that you becoming a monk would help a lot of people in the world,and her not having you around would help many in the future.I also believe it should be mandatory for politicians and people in these functions to work for 2 or 3 years or so in a job like a nurse or so.It brings a lot of lessons and it teaches real contact with people,in many different situations and moods.I believe a lot of politicians to be very "out of contact" with the world,and the people around them(The people THEY govern !!!).Palzang,Bigid and Littlelegs I wish you all a very nice weekend(And all other people).All the best,greetzzzzzzz;Eric.
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone , yes eric the doctors do get all the money and the credit but ive yet to meet one as happy as me lol i can honestly say that i would do my job for free , its an absoulte pleasure some of the staff can be a bit testing at times as they seem to think nursing is about paper work rather than holistic care but i love my patients they bring me alot of joy
Welcome to the forum! It's lovely to meet you. I think it's wonderful that you're so happy in your work. A kind, patient, joyful nurse is one of the greatest blessing a hospitalized person can have. My father was in hospital over Christmas and New Years and kind nurses were rare unfortunately. He got good care but they certainly didn't go the extra mile.
It's great to have you here and I hope you find the site as friendly and helpful as I have.
Hi Eric,
What a lovely message! Thank you for the wise words about caring for a sick parent. Your experience caring for your mother is similar to the results of the latest studies done in North America about caregivers although your experience was far more profound. The study found that non-professional, family related caregivers live longer and are happier than those who don't take care of a loved one. The majority of caregivers said their care gave them purpose in life and although it was challenging it was also deeply rewarding. Now when my dad thanks me for doing something for him I tell him I'm benefiting just as much or more from it than he is. Lol!! It's the truth. I love him so much and I'd do almost anything to make sure his last years are happy and healthy ones.
Dear Palzang Sir,
The bruises have faded but the lesson has been deeply imprinted. Thank you, all powerful, all knowing one. Yer a pall, Pally.
Littlelegs a hospital is all about the patiets,if you make their lives even a little better(In any way)that`s all that counts.It`s in the hour when we feel our worst we appreciate things of kindness the most.I know that for sure.I allways say(it`s "wrong" in a way);in a hospital there are those who do it for the money and those who do it for themselves.
Have a nice weekend;Eric.
Brigid thank you for your kind words and I hope your loved ones remain with you and healthy(as much as possible)for as long as possible.I wish you a very nice weekend too.
New here, and looking forward to having meaningful discussions with you guys.
My story: I used to be a part of e-sangha, I hope that's ok, there's supposedly some controversy about that forum. But I was just a regular member. When e-sangha shutdown I thought I could continue on my buddhist path on my own by reading, meditating, and practicing mindfulness, but now as my life is throwing new challenges at me, I realize that I still need a sangha. After reading some posts here, this seems to be a great place to continue my path.
GET OUT NOW! GO AWAY! WE DON'T WANT YOUR FILTH AROUND HERE!!!!
Just kidding I used to be a part of E-Sangha (faked me age), somebody who's no longer on here had a bad experiance and came here, and just after it closed down... Nah well, as one door closes, several more open, you've just got find them
I'm not surprised. I was being very obtuse, as usual. A butterfly boy (or girl) is one who flits from flower to flower, always loving the one they're at and forgetting the rest. Do you follow? (I'm not really like that, ya know - my Chinese astrology sign is the dog, and dogs are loyal)
I looked it up. Oxen work hard and are persistent. They tend to view the world in black-and-white terms, either all good or all bad. Not social. Appear to be tranquil but can be impulsive when angry and can throw tantrums (hmmm). Great memory. Stubborn and dogmatic, also responsible and loyal. Sound like you?
Buddha Rocket,hello from Holland,my mother had her open heart operation (I tried cigery and 100 other spellings but the all felt wrong)in Houston ,at that time there were only 2 doctors in the world who did such an operation.I liked it there,beautiful place,Texas made me feel VERY small.If I may ask do you work in aerospace?(Because of your location and "name").
Palzang I wish you a beautiful and fulfilling week.And greetings to all the rest of my new contacts\friends on this forum.
Buddha Rocket,hello from Holland,my mother had her open heart operation (I tried cigery and 100 other spellings but the all felt wrong)in Houston ,at that time there were only 2 doctors in the world who did such an operation.I liked it there,beautiful place,Texas made me feel VERY small.If I may ask do you work in aerospace?(Because of your location and "name").
Palzang I wish you a beautiful and fulfilling week.And greetings to all the rest of my new contacts\friends on this forum.
Eric.
Thanks - Not too many people call Houston beautiful but I will take it when I can get it. I am lucky to be close to some of the best hospitals in the world. I'm glad your experience here was positive. From what I hear, the image of Texas has been tarnished the past few years or so.. but I'm a 5th generation Texan and couldn't be prouder.
My parents were aerospace engineers and met working for NASA during the Apollo days. I was born 1970 and grew up around Johnson Space Center and the NASA community. Now I work for NASA, not as an engineer, but most of my family and friends here work for NASA in some way or another.
It`s not Houston I meant to call beautiful but Texas.I`m from Holland we don`t have ranches,cowboys and stuff like that.I believe my whole country fits in Houston(:)),let alone Texas !!! And I must confess,a place that saves the life of the person you loved most allways helps to make you like\love the place.
I wish you all the best,greetings from Holland;Eric.(1967).
I looked it up. Oxen work hard and are persistent. They tend to view the world in black-and-white terms, either all good or all bad. Not social. Appear to be tranquil but can be impulsive when angry and can throw tantrums (hmmm). Great memory. Stubborn and dogmatic, also responsible and loyal. Sound like you?
Palzang
work hard- depends, not really though
persistent- depends, again
black and white?- there's a bit of each in everyone
not-social? Depends
tantrums yes, angry no, frustrated yes
great memory?- huh
stuborn- Yah!
Dogmatic- dunno
responsibe- No
Loyal- hehehe
Comments
Some of you guys may know me
Thank you,and all other friendly people,for the warm welcome I recieved.
Sorry for my photo,I allways look like that when I`m about to be fed.(:)).
I wish you all the best,greetings from Holland;Eric. :wavey:
I mean, how were you able to look yourself in the eye?
I wish you all the best;Eric.
This is what Brigid is talking about, Eric. You have to forgive her; she's been very sassy lately!
Palzang
Ignorance is the night of the mind,but a night without a moon and a star.(Confucius).
That looking myself in the eye,I could not do that for a long time(a lot of things I can`t discuss on this forum because it does not belong there).The last 6 years or so I have been "mending" broken things.I have helped my mother,who took 6 years to die,she needed help with EVERYTHING,24\7,and she was the main reason for me to start living\thinking normally.I know,because she told me a few days before she died,that she has forgiven me for the wrongs I`ve done.(She was the most important person in my life).I can only live my life the best I can.I can`t do anything about the past.I have done many "wrong" things,I hope I have learned from them and live a better life in the future.I hope I have answered your question,if I have not just ask.I wish you all the best,greetings from Holland;Eric...
Yes, I'm in charge of keeping the site managers humble.
Palzang
I`m still thinking about;"we all want to awaken",and have been for the last few hours.
Does a person want to awaken when he is playing "hide and seek" with his feelings\emotions ? I`m not sure....yet ?....
All the best;Eric.
I think Brigid was trying to say that it's impossible to look yourself in the eye, Eric!
Palzang
I`m a person who does not talk a lot about my feelings.Writing is a bit more easy.
Why would it be impossible to look yourself in the eye?Is it because your thoughts are allways coloured by your own experiences ? All the best.Greetings;Eric.
Please don't worry about making mistakes with English. Your English is much better than my Dutch! I would have a hard time asking for a glass of water in Dutch.
We are happy to have you here, and we will try to help you in any way we can. There is a lot of experience here with similar problems to what you have faced. We are all sentient beings after all. Whatever we would like to think about how special we are and how special our problems are, our problems in fact are all basically similar.
Palzang
I wish you and Brigid all the best,have a nice weekend;Eric.:)
Dearest Eric,
I'm so sorry my dumb little joke was confusing. As Palzang said, I've been very sassy lately. I think your English is amazing. I can't speak a word of Dutch. I've tried. I had a Dutch friend when I went to university in Wales and she tried to teach me a few words but I just couldn't pronounce them. I'm terrible with languages.
Palzang explained my 'eye' joke well. I was just joking about how it's physically impossible to look oneself in the eye unless one is looking in the mirror. One substitute for that phrase would be 'being able to look at myself in the mirror'. Not being able to look at yourself in the mirror means you're very ashamed of yourself so being able to means you're okay with yourself.
I'm probably going to go through something similar with my mum and/or dad because they're getting older now and I'll be staying with them until they die. They're not sick or anything but they're in their late 70's and they're not very healthy. I hope I can help them as much as you helped your mum. Aside from my Buddhist practice, the only thing that's important to me is helping to make their last years as happy and peaceful as possible.
Thank you for being so sweet.
Dear Palzang,
You were wonderful to explain my silliness so well. Bless your heart.
Hello everyone , i am new to buddhism. I attend tai chi and yoga sessions at my local gym and my instructer and i have had a few discussions about buddhism and he kindly lent me a few books and i have since bought several of my own . I dont know what the next step is for me i have taken a keen interest in buddhism and would like to adopt the practices into my way of life , unfortunatly there are no centres or schools that teach the practices in my area .
Also i have always been a firm believer in karma and always treat others as i would like to be treated . And would go out of my way to help anyone but unfortunatly several people including family and work colleuges take advantage of my good nature and my inability to stick up for myself and its getting to the point where its causing me unhappiness and i am dreading going to work or to social situations . I have read in my books that unhappiness is caused my suffering and i shouldnt blame others for my suffering as achieving inner peace with myself is the solution .... please share the thoughts on this as i feel i am falling at the first hurdle
You have not offended me in any way,I really mean that.I want to wish you all the best with taking care of your parents.I had to really throw my life around,my mother could not wash herself,go to the bathroom(I had to change the catheter 3-4 times a day),she was in pain 90% of the time ect. ect.In the beginning I often thought what have I gotten myself into !(The step from the life I lived and the life I had to live,and wanted to live,was allmost to much,I had NO help...Nothing). Then I told myself:she was allways there for me,even in my darkest hours,and I`ve had many VERY dark hours.And after a while I didn`t even mind anymore.Still later the caring even gave me a "cleansing\fullfilling" state of mind.To cut it short;She saved my life and my mind by becoming so sick.I hope for you,and the people you love,you NEVER have to go through 10% she had to go through(I REALLY mean that !).If you live a life like mine you lose a lot of innocence(and faith in innocence),though you do get more humble\not judgemental.People who live a "kind" life have a kind of "childish" purity about them.I hope for you all goes well and wish you all the best.
Have a nice weekend,greetings;Eric (And in the future;If you want to make a joke,please don`t stop
I`m new here too.Try not to let other people get to you.Try and remember that people who cause heartace to other people do that because they are unhappy\insecure ect. ect.(THAT IS A FACT !).And I believe it`s better to get hurt once in a while than lose your good nature.Just try to give them as little chance as possible.Try not to let "them"notice when they hurt you,the "fun" for them will quickly go away.(I hope for you.). Good luck,keep your chin up;Eric.
PS;Being a nurse is something you can be very proud of.You do all the kind and hard work.YOU are the person that must be a carer,a friend,a social worker ect. ect.to the patients.(It`s only a pity the doctors get allmost all the credit,AND MONEY).
Palzang
.
_/\_
Wait until you start reading about bhikkhus. That's going to be rough :P
Palzang! I thought I was your favourite person!
Welcome to the forum! It's lovely to meet you. I think it's wonderful that you're so happy in your work. A kind, patient, joyful nurse is one of the greatest blessing a hospitalized person can have. My father was in hospital over Christmas and New Years and kind nurses were rare unfortunately. He got good care but they certainly didn't go the extra mile.
It's great to have you here and I hope you find the site as friendly and helpful as I have.
Hi Eric,
What a lovely message! Thank you for the wise words about caring for a sick parent. Your experience caring for your mother is similar to the results of the latest studies done in North America about caregivers although your experience was far more profound. The study found that non-professional, family related caregivers live longer and are happier than those who don't take care of a loved one. The majority of caregivers said their care gave them purpose in life and although it was challenging it was also deeply rewarding. Now when my dad thanks me for doing something for him I tell him I'm benefiting just as much or more from it than he is. Lol!! It's the truth. I love him so much and I'd do almost anything to make sure his last years are happy and healthy ones.
Dear Palzang Sir,
The bruises have faded but the lesson has been deeply imprinted. Thank you, all powerful, all knowing one. Yer a pall, Pally.
Have a nice weekend;Eric.
Brigid thank you for your kind words and I hope your loved ones remain with you and healthy(as much as possible)for as long as possible.I wish you a very nice weekend too.
It depends on whom I am speaking to... :eekblue:
Palzang
butterfly boy
Palzang
My story: I used to be a part of e-sangha, I hope that's ok, there's supposedly some controversy about that forum. But I was just a regular member. When e-sangha shutdown I thought I could continue on my buddhist path on my own by reading, meditating, and practicing mindfulness, but now as my life is throwing new challenges at me, I realize that I still need a sangha. After reading some posts here, this seems to be a great place to continue my path.
Best wishes to you all!
.
Welcome to the forum!
The mistake didn't register even after you pointed it out. I actually had to think about it! :rolleyes: Am I slowly becoming illiterate? :eek:
Hiya gliang :wavey:
GET OUT NOW! GO AWAY! WE DON'T WANT YOUR FILTH AROUND HERE!!!!
Just kidding
Love & Peace
Jellybean Joe
I'm not surprised. I was being very obtuse, as usual. A butterfly boy (or girl) is one who flits from flower to flower, always loving the one they're at and forgetting the rest. Do you follow? (I'm not really like that, ya know - my Chinese astrology sign is the dog, and dogs are loyal)
Palzang
- peace love and hairgrease
Oh, you're an ox! No wonder!
I don't know, what are the characteristics of an ox? I don't remember. Strong? Willful? What?
Palzang
Palzang
Palzang I wish you a beautiful and fulfilling week.And greetings to all the rest of my new contacts\friends on this forum.
Eric.
Thanks - Not too many people call Houston beautiful but I will take it when I can get it. I am lucky to be close to some of the best hospitals in the world. I'm glad your experience here was positive. From what I hear, the image of Texas has been tarnished the past few years or so.. but I'm a 5th generation Texan and couldn't be prouder.
My parents were aerospace engineers and met working for NASA during the Apollo days. I was born 1970 and grew up around Johnson Space Center and the NASA community. Now I work for NASA, not as an engineer, but most of my family and friends here work for NASA in some way or another.
I wish you all the best,greetings from Holland;Eric.(1967).
work hard- depends, not really though
persistent- depends, again
black and white?- there's a bit of each in everyone
not-social? Depends
tantrums yes, angry no, frustrated yes
great memory?- huh
stuborn- Yah!
Dogmatic- dunno
responsibe- No
Loyal- hehehe
Nanimo here. Just thought I'd introduce myself since this is the newbie thread.:cool: