Gardeners of our own mind

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Gardeners of our own mind

On Tue, 15 September, 2015 - 03:08

Dhammalata

I have this loosely held understanding that there is a gentle magic to be enjoyed when you practice the dharma from your heart; with authenticity. I can’t analyse it much, it’s just something I’ve experienced many times and I love it!

After our men’s study group at the Sydney Buddhist Centre last night I came home and read a bit more of Carlos Santana’s biography which I enjoying very much at the moment. Santana was a band that was very formative for me in the late 70’s and 80’s. Carlos is a very spiritual man and was important in helping me as a young impressionable man to find a path based on principles of goodness and positivity. He was a teacher to me.

Here’s a quote front the book that I read last night and it was so relevant to what we’d been discussing in study …….. But so relevant to each one of us I think!

There’s a very noble concept that Eastern Buddhists have: you are the gardener of your own mind. It’s the idea that you have to take responsibility for your thoughts, to catch and stop yourself from thinking thoughts that are inappropriate of hurtful.

We should write it in big block letters: THE EGO IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. The ego likes doubt, and it will criticise and guilt-trip you to death. It will condemn and judge and then draw you into a pit and laugh at you. That’s why meditation can be very hard. It’s easy to do nothing, but it is very, very difficult to think nothing. You can never really do that anyway – the thing is to step back from all those thoughts , like getting out of a rushing river, then just sit there and let the river keep on going. Meditation is the first step to controlling all that talk, talk, talk that keeps going inside you so you can finally decide who you’re going to trust – your light or your ego. Can you tell the difference?

Santana – biography

Meditation this week

Thursday 7 – 8.30 pm

Sunday 8 – 8.50 am

Film Night Saturday September 26th Coogee Croquet Club 6.30 pm – BYO shared Veggo feast

The Shift – Dr. Wayne Dyer – see the link below

http://www.hayhouse.com.au/the-shift-movie

And Yuti has shared a program with us below:

ABC’s Foreign Correspondent, Tashi & the Monk (30mins). Very uplifting. On iView BUT also to be shown this Saturday night on ABC24 at 6.30 pm

It will be on Iview until September 23rd

Much Metta

Dharmalata and Padmadakini 6.

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