Good Day,

There is a quality referred to has tenpo in Tibet and literally means "stable and reliable." It probably comes as no surprise that one of our greastes problems is a lack of these qualities. One of the issues we face is that no matter how much we want to be stable the world including us are in a constant state of change. Without a strong mind we are often swept away by circumstances and in the end we too become unreliable.

Now it seems many of us are quite stable when it comes to being negative, having wrong viewpoints and generally living on auto-pilot, but it is our instability that keeps us living this way. What we need is a solid base in which we can ground ourselves and gain some stability moving forward.

Let us consider a strand of beads which has a thread running through all the beads, holding them together. We need such a thread as well - a thread of sanity and stability. When we have such a thread, even though each bead is separate, they hang together. When we see the truth about ourselves, life and the true nature of our mind we have a thread to keep our life together and prevent us from falling apart.

Another benefit of such a thread is that it is flexible. Although it binds our life together we still have the freedom to be unique, individual and humorous - the exact kind of character the world could use more of! Such a thread takes discipline, time, understanding and patience to develop, but once woven together can serve a lifetime holding it all together.

Peace and Love, Jim

Good Day and Happy 4th of July!

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down
probably will.

You will have your heart broken probably more than once, and it's harder every time.

You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.

You'll fight with your best friend.

You'll blame a new love for things an old one did.

You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love.

So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt, because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

Peace and Love, Jim

Good Day,

Here in the states we are gearing up to celebrate independence day. It's such an odd concept to think that anyone or anything can live independently without the support or efforts of others, but it is a long standing tradition and a time for family and friends to come together (which is never a bad thing).

In the spirit I would like to talk about "mental independence" or the liberation of ones mind from the thoughts and worries that seem to pervade every persons life in some form. I believe just as our crazy forefathers did that independence from such tyranny is indeed the most noble effort one could pursue.

The spiritual, emotional, and intellectual environment you create in your life produces within you an attitude. An attitude produced yields a fruit in your spirit, heart, and mind.

Mental freedom is your ability to create a free mental life of our very own. We achieve mental emancipation or mental freedom by:

Questioning the facts we have come to accept in our life and why as well as our opinions and beliefs;
Do my beliefs square up with my own observations and what I have accepted as fact?
Am I operating on successful beliefs or principles?
Where have my beliefs taken me thus far and what can I attribute to my beliefs and processes?
What do I believe about work, religion, politics, education, physical life, social life, and economic life?

To be free you must never, never, let anyone ...nor any organization ever become the criteria of your personal worth! Only you are the person who can decide your personal worth fully loved and fully embraced by only you!

May all beings be happy, free and enlightened. Happy independence!

Peace and Love, JIm

Good Day,

Some thoughts just won't go away. We humans are obsessional beings. It's one of our biggest problems. We tend to lock onto things like sexual fantasies, worries and ambitions. We feed these over the years and give them plenty of exercise by playing with them in every spare moment. Then when we want a clear mind and wish them to go away and leave us alone. It is scarcely surprising that they don't obey.

If they are YOUR thoughts then why won't they stop when you want then to?

There are no "good" or "bad" thoughts. It is more accurate to relate to our thoughts as 'skillful' versus 'unskillful'. An unskillful thought is on connected with greed, hatred, or delusion. These are the thoughts the mind most easily builds into obsessions. They are unskillful in the sense that they lead you away from the goal of Liberation. Skillful thoughts, on the other hand, are those connected with generosity, compassion, and wisdom. They are skillful in the sense that they assist you towards a liberated mind.

A liberated mind is not built out of thoughts (it's actually quite the opposite). good toughts do not always make a good person. Thoughts of compassion produce only superficial compassion. Therefore, skillful thoughts will not, in themselves, free your mind or your conditioning. It is being mindful of our thoughts and whether they are skillful or unskillful that ultimately bring us liberation from our obsessions.

Sometimes this tactic alone doesn't work. The obsession is simply too strong. In this case you've got to weaken its hold on you somewhat before you can successfully balance it out. Here is where guilt, one of man's most misbegotten emotions, finally becomes of some use. Take a good strong look at the emotional response you are trying to get rid of. Actually ponder it. See how it makes you feel. Look at what it is doing to your life, your happiness, your health, and your relationships. Try to see how it makes you appear to others. Look at the way it is hindering your progress. Do this thoroughly.

No one wants to be accused of being thoughtless, but by focusing some of our efforts on the thoughts that we obsess or worry over we can free our minds from them, making room for the greater thoughts and the enjoyment we find when we no longer are owned by such thinking.

Have a wonderful day and ponder this - We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. - Buddha.

Peace and Love, Jim

Good Day,

When I was young I spent many days playing by myself due to the fact that we were one of the first families to purchase a home in our new neighborhood. I was a very independent self sustaining child with quite the imagination and the ability to entertain myself for hours on end.

One game I always played in my head was "extreme opposites" in which I tried to do or imagine the exact opposite of whatever was going on physically or within my head. At that young age it became a great exercise in discovery because I did not always know the opposite of something. The opposite of up was down of course, but what was the opposite of mother?

Silly games often get left behind as we mature, but the lessons we can learn from those playful days can serve a purpose in our adult lives and I still find myself playing opposites on a grander scale. These days as adults we utter, mutter, and wish for all sorts of craziness when we are stressed or put into difficult situations. This is where my childhood game of opposites comes into play - whenever I find myself having a thought that seems odd or out of place or I wish things were another way I simply stop for a few seconds and verbalize out loud the exact opposite thought or situation. You will be surprised how quickly this little exercise can put things into perspective (especially your own thoughts)!

When I was suffering from anxiety attacks based on being around people I only felt comfortable within the confines of my own home, away from others. It was so bad at one point I remember wishing that every where was my familar and safe home so that I would always be comfortable wherever I went. Realizing this was an unhealthy state of mind I played opposites which resulted in this mental statement: No where is home and I can never be comfortable anywhere I go!

This may sound like a terrfying thought with little to no benefit, yet it seemed so true and strange that it really snapped me into another level of thinking. I am not sure if it was the attention to the subject or just envisioning the opposite, but it really prompted me to get up and get out. It caused me to question what "home" is and how I define "comfort." The process ran deep and really got me to investigate and move beyond the words and concepts that I was allowing to imprison me.

All from a simple childhood game.

Now I cannot claim this will work for everyone, but I do know that taking an interest in all your own quirks and peculiarities can be a liberating experience if we approach it with a sense of wonder and play. Be curious about all of your life, not just the parts you have down pat, but the parts you avoid are simpy do not understand and I promise you will find a forgotten yet familar friend along the way.

Peace and Love, Jim

Good Day,

Capturing moments in memory, then carefuly freezing them into a recognizable plane for all to view, share and indulge in. This is the work of an artist. Not all artists, but a select few who have recognized the preciousness of each and every second and dedicated their eyes and hands to capturing these moments so that the rest of the hurried world may stop and relish inbetween the minutes as well.

Art is a language that attempt to speak to our hearts directly without translation or definitions. It is the capture, display and connection of thoughts, ideas and heartfelt passions communicated through space and time using only symbols and meaning. Not only does it call out to and stir feelings within us, it inpires those feelings to new highs and lows and creates moments within the moments - periods of introspection that many of us would never experience any other way.

So you may be asking what does any of this have to do with you or I?

In all of our beauty and all of our ugliness we too are works of art. Our lives are nothing less than the emotions, inspirations, and works of art I described above. Each of us are a wonderful color or pixel in a grand art project we cannot step outside of to witness, and each of us contributes to the finished piece moment by moment, second by second. Not only are we the masters, we are the masterpiece as well!

Design and create your life accordingly, for although you may not be able to see your efforts in the final rendering at this very moment, you are contributing through everything you do and the day will come when you see the beautiful art you have been a part of.

Have a beautiful day and consider this - Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life.

Peace and Love, Jim

Good Day,

Everyone wants to be happy. Everyone who is happy wants to be happier. But have any of us really thought about what happiness is? I mean going beyond the Wikipedia definition and defining it in our own everyday lives.

I asked around about the what happiness is to a diverse range of people and thought I would share some of those responses here (names withheld by request). Maybe this will aid in all of us considering just what happiness is and means in our own daily living.

I would love to hear what happiness is for you so please post it up and enjoy!

Peace and Love, Jim

I define happiness as ... a clear MRI on a brain scan! - USA

Happiness is health, family and a 25 yr. marriage that can weather through the worst of storms. - USA

I define happiness as ... having more than enough in each area of life--more than enough faith, more than enough relationships, more than enough physical, emotional and mental resources. - USA

I define happiness as ... being at peace with oneself and the world. It happens when your mind (intent), body (action)and spirit(conscience) vibrate in unison. A rare occurrence when you leave it to chance but can happen all the time if you consciously seek it. - India

I define happiness as ... having the courage and responsibility to be a role model for my friends and family Everyone is worthy of such a gift. - China

I define happiness as being able to do something for someone and not expect something in return. - Canada

I define happiness as the feeling of what the continual effort in bettering myself gives. - Japan

I define happiness as ... sitting quietly on my front porch, watching a rainstorm dance by, observing all of nature joyously celebrating it's abundance. - USA

I define happiness as ... that sense of warmth that begins at the core of the soul, spreads to the heart, and radiates outward from the eyes and lips of those who know it. The gift of happiness is elusive, but tangible. You cannot seek to find that which makes you happy for happiness comes from within and by your own choice. - London

I define happiness as ... walking through the dewy summer grass barefoot, the smile on a person's face upon seeing you, the warm sun shining on your face, the feeling of being completely loved faults and all. - USA

I define happiness as ... the fresh scent of a soft Spring rain, the kiss of morning sunshine, and the embrace of a crisp Autumn breeze. - Ireland

I define happiness as being at peace with myself and those around me and being able to give and receive love unconditionally. - Malasia

I define happiness as ... a true joy that springs from the heart and does not depend upon the circumstances. - India

I define happiness as ... the ultimate state of conscious feeling where all the five senses integrate into a purest form of dreamless love. Happiness flows out of 'FORGIVE'ness and not 'FORGET'ness. - India

I define happiness as ... a seed that God had planted in our heart, and we have to learn during the whole life to make it grow and flourish in a splendid flower, by learning to love each other. - Romania

I define happiness as ... that reassuring sound of the other guy's fax machine kicking in.  "It's going through...it's really going through!" - USA

I define happiness as ... The smile on my son's face when he wakes up and the sun is shining after 4 days of rain, and he says mom, I can play today! - South Africa

I define happiness as ... comfortable shoes. - USA

I define happiness as ... not having your name show up in the obit. column. - USA

I define happiness as ... the smile you see when you give away the 'biggest' shark's tooth you just found! - USA

I define happiness as ... knowing who you are and being at peace with yourself - USA

Good Day,

Life is surprising and full of turns, things happen that you would never have expected. I guess that's why many of us refer to the "unexpected" as a curve ball. The question then becomes: Is it the curve ball itself that surprises us,or it is the disappointment from our expectations not being fulfilled?

One has to begin to question the values of expectations in life, are they good and if so, in what way? For me my expectations always seem to be tempered by previous experiences. If I expect a lot of guests at my party and only three show up, that conditions my expectations the next time I throw a party. seeing expectations in this way further enforces there minimal value in life because i can see they are nothing more than "conditioned wishes" I have built upon in my mind. The odds of any event actually meeting our own overblown expectations is rare indeed. This is not to say we should all be pessimists with low bars, but it does require balance like all things in life.

Walking into a situation without any expectation would likely be a better approach to take. Being without expectations or preconceived notions is as difficult as living a life without judgments or opinions. Yet by simply recognizing our "expectations" for what they are (wishes) we can begin to better balance them against reality. We naturally have expectations. We want to be in control of our lives. We want to be offered that perfect job. We want our family to support us. We want to be desirable to our partners. We want to be treated fairly. We want, we want, we want, and we want... but none of this wanting makes it a reality andmore often than not leaves us disappointed and feeling beaten.

We don't always get what we want, but we always get what is right for us. The curve balls thrown our way require us to duck or dodge, always altering our game plan. The rules change, our expectations are altered once again and we get to see things differently. Sometimes the alternate path offered is a difficult one. It's important to keep our eyes open, there are gems to be found along the challenging and bumpy pathways. My party with fewer guests allowed me to have more intimate conversations, and deepened my relationships with those individuals.

Life is good when you let it flow naturally. Expect to get sucked into the river of life without a paddle occasionally, and maybe even get tossed out of the canoe. It's just a matter of learning to swim and going with the flow.

Peace and Love, Jim

Are you ready to take on your daily suffering?

I know this is not my typical salutation and I apoligize, but it seems to be how many people brace themselves to face their day.The funny thing is know one see's what they put themselves through as suffering! Many just call it life, others say that's the way it is and most just accept all the baggage as the way it is. . . .

But is it?

Emotions are states of mind and we tend to give them more power than they deserve. Each of us has experienced anger, hatred, desire, jealousy and other such emotions many times throughout our lives, and as humans we have the incredible capacity to justify these emotions. When we are in our anger, for example, saying, “How dare they say that to me!” We spin a calculated web in our minds about how stupid and unbelievable this other person is and we begin to plan various ways to tell them off or undermine their support among others. However, we rarely stop and notice that our own anger causes us suffering. It doesn’t feel good to be angry, yet we do it again and again. Does this sound familiar?

In the same vein, hatred, though it may give us some sense of twisted purpose, is also suffering. Whatever we hate we want to eliminate, but often cannot. Trying may consume us or we may create enemies in the process, or we simply stew in our own hatred, which causes all manner of madness (road rage anyone?).

Similarly, jealousy can make us feel inadequate and drive us to chase after all forms of accomplishment in order to overcome our sense of failure. In the end our own unwillingness to accept ourselves just as we are, perfect and whole cause us to spend lifetimes proving ourselves to others.

Desire is trickier. We think desire feels good because we can daydream about getting what we want, but if we can’t or don’t get it, it is suffering. If we get it, the joy in having it does not last, and we suffer. If we get it and then loose it, we must chase after it again, suffering it’s loss. So what is the value of desire in your own life?

All of this is as obvious as the nose on our faces and yet we continue to reinforce our tendency to fall back on such responses, only leading to more suffering in the future. So what is to be done? That is a highly personal question, but by recognizing our own suffering and then asking this pivotal question of ourselves we take the first step towards our own cure.

Suffering is a part of life, but how we see and respond to it makes all the difference in the world!

Peace and Love, Jim