Recently in our Dharma study group Michael did something spectacular. He gave away a bunch of books from his Dharma library. Not only did he do that but he had thought carefully about the recipient of each book and matched the gifts to the individual.
Acts of generosity and kindness ………. So beautiful and inspiring……………
I received a copy of ‘The Art of Meditation’ by Matthieu Ricard; a French monk who gave up a promising career in cellular genetics to study Buddhism in the Himalayas over 40 years ago Here’s an excerpt …..
‘Take a sincere look at yourself. Where are you in your life? What have your priorities been up until now and what do you intend to do with the time you have left?
We are a mixture of light and shadow, of good qualities and faults. Are we really the best we can be? Must we remain as we are now? If not, what can we do to improve ourselves? These are questions worth asking, particularly if we have come to the conclusion that change is both desirable and possible.
In the West, we are consumed from morning till night by endless activity. We do not have much time or energy left over to consider the basic causes of our happiness or suffering. We imagine , more or less consciously, that if we undertake more activities we will have more intense experiences and therefore, our sense of dissatisfaction will fade away. But the truth is that many of us continue to feel let down and frustrated by our contemporary lifestyle.
The aim of meditation is to transform the mind. It does not have to be associated with any particular religion. Every one of us has a mind and every one of us can work on it.’
I hope you can join us on Thursday night at The Coogee Croquet Club from 7 – 8.30
Boundless Metta
Dharmalata and Padmadakini
