Coogee Buddhist Group

The Power of the Mind

On Wed, 28 December, 2016 - 04:26
Dhammalata's picture
Dhammalata

I’m been reading The Jataka Tales recently. They are a collection of stories attributed to the former lives of The Buddha as he inexorably moved toward enlightenment. 

They are at times harrowing, gripping and beautiful and they all contain teaching for us. In one entitled Suparaga the Bodhisattva (as he is called in his pre-enlightened state is an ancient mariner who is taken aboard a ship by sailors wanting his extraordinary knowledge of the oceans. But it turns out to be a very fraught and long voyage and they get themselves into quite a predicament. At the most dire point he speaks the following words to them:

“So people do not give way to despair. Despair is no remedy for misfortune. So dismiss all negative thoughts. If one perseveres and is ready to take prompt action, one can overcome difficulty without difficulty. Shake off this miserable apathy and meet the challenge with positive action. A person of sense displays energy and determination, and success is within their grasp, no matter what the circumstances.”

                                        Suparaga ‘Once the Buddha was a Monkey’

Pretty cool eh?

Meditation this week:

Thursday       7 - 8.30 pm

Sunday          8 - 9 am

Metta  

Dharmalata and Padmadakini

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