THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA

Life in the Palace

Buddhism is one of the major religions in the world. It began around 2,500 years ago in India when Siddhartha Gautama discovered how to bring happiness into the world. He was born around 566 BC, in the small kingdom of Kapilavastu. His father was King Suddhodana and his mother was Queen Maya.

Soon after Prince Siddhartha was born, the wise men predicted that he would become a Buddha. When the king heard this, he was deeply disturbed, for he wanted his son to become a mighty ruler. He told Queen Maya, "I will make life in the palace so pleasant that our son will never want to leave."

At the age of sixteen, Prince Siddhartha married a beautiful princess, Yasodhara. The king built them three palaces, one for each season, and lavished them with luxuries. They passed their days in enjoyment and never thought about life outside the palace.

The Four Sights

Soon Siddhartha became disillusioned with the palace life and wanted to see the outside world. He made four trips outside the palace and saw four things that changed his life. On the first three trips, he saw sickness, old age and death. He asked himself, "How can I enjoy a life of pleasure when there is so much suffering in the world?"

On his fourth trip, he saw a wandering monk who had given up everything he owned to seek an end to suffering. "I shall be like him." Siddhartha thought.

Renunciation

Leaving his kingdom and loved ones behind, Siddhartha became a wandering monk. He cut off his hair to show that he had renounced the worldly lifestyle and called himself Gautama. He wore ragged robes and wandered from place to place. In his search for truth, he studied with the wisest teachers of his day. None of them knew how to end suffering, so he continued the search on his own.

For six years he practiced severe asceticism thinking this would lead him to enlightenment. He sat in meditation and ate only roots, leaves and fruit. At times he ate nothing. He could endure more hardships than anyone else, but this did not take him anywhere. He thought, "Neither my life of luxury in the palace nor my life as an ascetic in the forest is the way to freedom. Overdoing things can not lead to happiness. " He began to eat nourishing food again and regained his strength.

Enlightenment

On a full-moon day in May, he sat under the Bodhi tree in deep meditation and said. "I will not leave this spot until I find an end to suffering." During the night, he was visited by Mara, the evil one, who tried to tempt him away from his virtuous path. First he sent his beautiful daughters to lure Gautama into pleasure. Next he sent bolts of lightning, wind and heavy rain. Last he sent his demonic armies with weapons and flaming rocks. One by one, Gautama met the armies and defeated them with his virtue.

As the struggle ended, he realized the cause of suffering and how to remove it. He had gained the most supreme wisdom and understood things as they truly are. He became the Buddha, 'The Awakened One'. From then on, he was called Shakyamuni Buddha.

The Buddha Teaches

After his enlightenment, he went to the Deer Park near the holy city of Benares and shared his new understanding with five holy men. They understood immediately and became his disciples. This marked the beginning of the Buddhist community.

For the next forty-five years, the Buddha and his disciples went from place to place in India spreading the Dharma, his teachings. Their compassion knew no bounds, they helped everyone along the way, beggars, kings and slave girls. At night, they would sleep where they were; when hungry they would ask for a little food.

Whenever the Buddha went, he won the hearts of the people because he dealt with their true feelings. He advised them not to accept his words on blind faith, but to decide for themselves whether his teachings are right or wrong, then follow them. He encouraged everyone to have compassion for each other and develop their own virtue, "You should do your own work, for I can teach only the way."

He never became angry or impatient or spoke harshly to anyone, not even to those who opposed him. He always taught in such a way that everyone could understand. Each person thought the Buddha was speaking especially for him. The Buddha told his followers to help each other on the Way. Following is a story of the Buddha living as an example to his disciples.

Once the Buddha and Ananda visited a monastery where a monk was suffering from a contagious disease. The poor man lay in a mess with no one looking after him. The Buddha himself washed the sick monk and placed him on a new bed. Afterwards, he admonished the other monks. "Monks, you have neither mother nor father to look after you. If you do not look after each other, who will look after you? Whoever serves the sick and suffering, serves me."

                                                                        The Last Years

Shakyamuni Buddha passed away around 486 BC at the age of eighty. Although he has left the world, the spirit of his kindness and compassion remains.

The Buddha realized that that he was not the first to become a Buddha. "There have been many Buddhas before me and will be many Buddhas in the future," The Buddha recalled to his disciples. "All living beings have the Buddha nature and can become Buddhas." For this reason, he taught the way to Buddhahood.

The two main goals of Buddhism are getting to know ourselves and learning the Buddha's teachings. To know who we are, we need to understand that we have two natures. One is called our ordinary nature, which is made up of unpleasant feelings such as fear, anger, and jealousy. The other is our true nature, the part of us that is pure, wise, and perfect. In Buddhism, it is called the Buddha nature. The only difference between us and the Buddha is that we have not awakened to our true nature.

INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHISM

                 As a child, Siddhartha the Buddha, was troubled by some of the same thoughts that children today have. They wonder about birth and death. They wonder why they get sick and why grandfather died. They wonder why their wishes do not come true. Children also wonder about happiness and the beauty in nature.

Because the Buddha knew what was in the hearts of children and human kind, he taught everyone how to live a happy and peaceful life. Buddhism is not learning about strange beliefs from faraway lands. It is about looking at and thinking about our own lives. It shows us how to understand ourselves and how to cope with our daily problems.

Happy Memorial Day

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. -Joseph Campbell

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed annually in the United States on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War.  By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.As a marker it typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.
Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries.
By the early 20th century, Memorial Day was an occasion for more general expressions of memory, as people visited the graves of their deceased relatives in church cemeteries, whether they had served in the military or not. It also became a long weekend increasingly devoted to shopping, family gatherings, fireworks, trips to the beach, and national media events such as the Indianapolis 500 auto race, held since 1911 on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

Annual Decoration Days for particular cemeteries are held on a Sunday in late spring or early summer in some rural areas of the American South, notably in the mountains. In cases involving a family graveyard where remote ancestors as well as those who were deceased more recently are buried, this may take on the character of an extended family reunion to which some people travel hundreds of miles. People gather on the designated day and put flowers on graves and renew contacts with kinfolk and others. There often is a religious service and a "dinner on the ground," the traditional term for a potluck meal in which people used to spread the dishes out on sheets or tablecloths on the grass. It is believed that this practice began before the American Civil War and thus may reflect the real origin of the "memorial day" idea.

Osho on Seeking – Whatever you are doing at the moment, go deep in it

Osho – You cannot seek the divine, it cannot be sought after, because you can seek only that which you know already. Seeking means desiring and you cannot seek something that is unknown. How can you seek something that you have not known at all? The very urge to seek comes only after you have tasted something, known something – even a glimpse. So the divine cannot be sought. But when I say the divine cannot be sought, I do not mean that it cannot be found. It cannot be sought, but it can be found.

The more you seek it, the less will be the possibility to find it. Seek, and you will not find at all, because the very seeking, the very seeking, becomes the barrier. So do not seek something that is not known to you; rather, go deep into that which is known to you. Do not long for the unknown; go deep into the known. And if you go deep into the known, you will stumble upon the doors to the unknown, because the known is really the door to the unknown. So go deep.

For example, you cannot seek the divine, but if you have loved, then you have known love; so go deep into love. And as you go deep into love, somewhere, the lover and the beloved are not there and the divine appears. So rather than seek the divine, it is better to go into that which is actual to you, that which is known to you, near to you. Do not go far; begin from the near. We are so anxious to go far that we never take the first step, which can be taken from the near. We ask for the last step first, but you cannot take the last step in the beginning. The first must be taken first; the first is here and now, but we are concerned with there and then.

Seeking means seeking in time. Seeking is a postponement, a deep postponement, because seeking is always in the future; it can never be in the present. How can you seek here and now? There is no space. You can be here and now, but you cannot seek. So the very mind that seeks creates time, because time is needed; only then can you seek.

That is why those who are seeking moksha, liberation, absolute liberation, have had to create the concept of transmigration. More time is needed. One life is not enough, many lives are needed. Only then, within this expanse of time, this space that time creates, can you move. If you have to find the absolute, one moment is not enough; and of course, one life is also not enough.

Time is really a byproduct of desiring. The more you desire, the more time you need. You can deal with this in two ways: one is to conceive of life after life, time not ending at all. This is one way, the Eastern way, to create more space for the desire. Another is the Western way: to be more conscious of time and to do many things in the allotted time period. There is one life: there is no possibility of further lives, this life is all, so you have to do many things – many, many things. You have to accommodate so many desires in the allotted period. And this is why the West has become so conscious of time; in fact, time consciousness is one of the most common aspects of the Western mind.

But either way, whenever you desire, you create time. Time is a fourth dimension of space, it is a sort of space. Without time your desires cannot move, so any desire creates time and future; and then you can postpone the present moment, which is not really time but existence. So it is better to go deep into what is known to you, what is life to you. Go deep in it; whatever it may be, go deep in it. Do not be on the surface, go into it to its ultimate depth. And the moment you begin to go deep, fall deep, you come to a different dimension. It is not a going into the future, it is going deep into the present, into this very moment.

For example, you are hearing me. You can hear very superficially, then only your ears are involved; that is the first layer of hearing. You can say, ”Of course I am listening,” but only the ears are hearing, only the body mechanism; your mind may be somewhere else. But if you can go deep, you can listen very intently and the mind is also involved; then you are going deeper into this very moment. But even if your mind is involved, your being may not be involved. If you are thinking about what I am saying, the mind is involved, but there are still deeper depths. Your being may not be here at all; there may be unconscious currents because of which you are not here. You can go even deeper; that means that the being is involved. Then you are just vacant, not even thinking about it. Your mechanism is here, your mind is here, your being is here – all focused. Then you go deep.

So whatever you are doing at the moment, go deep in it. The more deep you are in it, the nearer you will be to the unknown. And the unknown is not something opposite to the known; it is something hidden in the known. The known is just a screen.

So do not go into the future; do not seek. Just be here – and be. In seeking you spread yourself out, but in being you are intense, and that intensity, that total intensity in the moment, brings you to a certain crystallization. In that total, intense moment, you are. That being, that happening of being, becomes the door; and you have found it without seeking; you can get it without even seeking. So I say: Do not seek it, and find! All the devices and all the methods I use are just to make you more and more intense here and now, to help you to forget the past and the future. Any movement of your body or mind can be used as a jumping board: the emphasis is that you jump in the here and now.

Even dancing can be used, but then be just the dancing, not the dancer. The moment the dancer comes in, dancing is destroyed. The seeker has come in, the time-oriented has come in; now the movement is divided, dancing has become superficial, and you have gone far away.

When you are dancing, then be dancing, do not be the dancer, and the moment comes when you are just the movement, when there is no division. This nondivided consciousness is meditation. And you can use anything. If you are eating then eating can become a meditation – if there is no eater. If you are walking then walking can become a meditation – if there is no walker. If you are loving then love can become a deep meditation – if there is no lover, the lover disappears. Love with a lover becomes poisonous, but love without the lover becomes divine and something of the unknown suddenly opens.

Source – Osho Book “Meditation: The Art of Ecstasy”

Happiness is like a butterfly.
The more you chase it, the more it eludes you.
But if you turn your attention to other things,
It comes and sits softly on your shoulder.
 - Henry David Thoreau

Solar eclipse 2012

The first solar eclipse of the 21st century to affect the continental United States will take place on Sunday, May 20, 2012 and will cover a narrow path from Asia to the western U.S. (a partial eclipse can be seen in a wider area across western North America).

If you're in the path – which includes parts of Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas – of this solar eclipse, get ready for a spectacular celestial show. But don't look up in the sky without proper eye protection – you could damage your eyesight.

Sunday's eclipse is not a total eclipse but an annular eclipse, meaning the moon will not block the whole sun. That's because, according to NASA, the moon is as far away from the earth as it can get this weekend – thus smaller in the sky. For a total eclipse, the moon needs to be closer to the earth, and larger in the sky. The interesting thing about an annular eclipse, and this one in particular, is the ring of light it creates around the edge of the moon.

Here's how NASA explains Sunday's solar eclipse:

During an annular eclipse the moon does not block the entirety of the sun, but leaves a bright ring of light visible at the edges. For the May eclipse, the moon will be at the furthest distance from Earth that it ever achieves – meaning that it will block the smallest possible portion of the sun, and leave the largest possible bright ring around the outside.

If Only It Were True ~ by Marc Levy

"If Only It Were True" is a heartwarming love story impossible to forget, an adventure that is by turns breathtaking and hilarious .A captivating tale that evokes the essence of romance and our boundless capacity to believe.

Hope you had an awesome Mother's Day !

               I hope that everyone had a lovely Mother's Day . Sorry I have not posted lately I have been busy with some work.

I would like to write something about Mother's day .

          The founder of Mother’s Day, Anna Marie Jarvis, became unhappy with the holiday she established 104 years ago to honor her own mother, Ann Jarvis, following her death on May 5, 1905.

            Mother's Day took place for the first time in 1908. It was celebrated at Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, where Jarvis’s mother had been teaching Sunday school.

              Jarvis came to see her holiday become too impersonal and commercial. She deplored the use of printed greeting cards, preferring a personal letter of thanks honoring mothers. She was quoted as saying she wished she had never started the day, because it became so out of control. Jarvis was arrested in 1948 for disturbing the peace while protesting against the commercialization of Mother's Day.  

                    Mother's Day became a recognized holiday in the United States on May 8, 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson made it an official national holiday. Since then it has become the biggest holiday for long-distance telephone calls as people step back from their busy lives and reach out to their mothers.

                 Today, Mother’s Day is the third highest day of sales for greeting cards each year, behind only Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

“God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.” - Jewish Proverb

Cleopatra Stratan - Ghita

I am her fan!!! even if i don't understand most of her songs but she is adorable!!

Super moon 2012: 'Gloriously full,' with 14% more lunar excitement

According to NASA's calculations, 11:34 p.m. EDT Saturday is the moment when the moon will hit your eye like a big pizza pie, to paraphrase Dean Martin. It's "super moon" time.

NASA is letting its enthusiasm show in a new video on the subject. "The timing is almost perfect," it notes. At 11:34 (that's 8:34 p.m. Pacific), May's full moon will reach perigee  --  the closest point to Earth in its elliptical pattern -- and "only one minute later, the moon will line up with the Earth and the sun to become gloriously full."

For a bunch of scientists, that's pretty poetic talk.

The moon will appear 14% larger than other full moons of 2012.  "The swollen orb rising in the East at sunset will seem super indeed."

This doesn't sound like a super moon -- it sounds like a super duper moon.

Anthony Cook, astronomical observer at L.A.'s Griffith Observatory, is a little more measured in his view of the upcoming phenomenon.

It will be 30% brighter, yes, but that's 30% brighter than the moon is when it is at "apogee" -- the farthest point in its elliptical orbit around the Earth -- he said.

"I'm a little skeptical that most people would casually see that this full moon looks huge compared to the one that rises six months from now," he said. "You're talking about a fairly small size difference in something that's already small."

But, not one to spoil the fun, Cook said that careful, observant moon watchers could recognize the super-ness. The best time to do this is when the moon is close to the horizon.  The "horizon illusion" makes the moon appear bigger, Cook said, "because you're comparing it to more familiar things."

So Saturday night, try to catch a glimpse of the super moon when it's most likely to appear maxed out -- just as it's rising.  This full moon should leave you at least 14% more impressed.

Helpless love

                   Once upon a time all feelings and emotions went to a coastal island for a vacation. According to their nature, each was having a good time. Suddenly, a warning of an impending storm was announced and everyone was advised to evacuate the island.

The announcement caused sudden panic. All rushed to their boats. Even damaged boats were quickly repaired and commissioned for duty.

Yet, Love did not wish to flee quickly. There was so much to do. But as the clouds darkened, Love realised it was time to leave. Alas, there were no boats to spare. Love looked around with hope.

Just then Prosperity passed by in a luxurious boat. Love shouted, “Prosperity, could you please take me in your boat?”

“No,” replied Prosperity, “my boat is full of precious possessions, gold and silver. There is no place for you.”

A little later Vanity came by in a beautiful boat. Again Love shouted, “Could you help me, Vanity? I am stranded and need a lift. Please take me with you.”

Vanity responded haughtily, “No, I cannot take you with me. My boat will get soiled with your muddy feet.”

Sorrow passed by after some time. Again, Love asked for help. But it was to no avail. “No, I cannot take you with me. I am so sad. I want to be by myself.”

When Happiness passed by a few minutes later, Love again called for help. But Happiness was so happy that it did not look around, hardly concerned about anyone.

Love was growing restless and dejected. Just then somebody called out, “Come Love, I will take you with me.” Love did not know who was being so magnanimous, but jumped on to the boat, greatly relieved that she would reach a safe place.

On getting off the boat, Love met Knowledge. Puzzled, Love inquired, “Knowledge, do you know who so generously gave me a lift just when no one else wished to help?”

Knowledge smiled, “Oh, that was Time.”

“And why would Time stop to pick me and take me to safety?” Love wondered.

Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and replied, “Because only Time knows your true greatness and what you are capable of. Only Love can bring peace and great happiness in this world.”

“The important message is that when we are prosperous, we overlook love. When we feel important, we forget love. Even in happiness and sorrow we forget love. Only with time do we realize the importance of love. Why wait that long? Why not make love a part of your life today?”

Author Unknown

WHY TO VISIT TEMPLES ?

                 There are thousands of temples all over India in different size, shape and locations but not all of them are considered to be built by the Vedic way. Generally, a temple should be located at a place where earth's magnetic wave path passes through densely. It can be in the outskirts of a town/village or city, or in middle of the dwelling place, or on a hilltop. The essence of visiting a temple is discussed here.

            Now, these temples are located strategically at a place where the positive energy is abundantly available from the magnetic and electric wave distributions of north/south pole thrust. The main idol is placed in the core center of the temple, known as "*Garbhagriha*" or *Moolasthanam*. In fact, the temple structure is built after the idol has been placed. This *Moolasthanam* is where earth’s magnetic waves are found to be maximum. We know that there are some copper plates, inscribed with Vedic scripts, buried beneath the Main Idol. What are they really? No, they are not God’s / priests’ flash cards when they forget the *shlokas*. The copper plate absorbs earth’s magnetic waves and radiates it to the surroundings. Thus a person regularly visiting a temple and walking clockwise around the Main Idol receives the beamed magnetic waves and his body absorbs it. This is a very slow process and a regular visit will let him absorb more of this positive energy. Scientifically, it is the positive energy that we all require to have a healthy life.

                   Further, the Sanctum is closed on three sides. This increases the effect of all energies. The lamp that is lit radiates heat energy and also provides light inside the sanctum to the priests or *poojaris* performing the pooja. The ringing of the bells and the chanting of prayers takes a worshipper into trance, thus not letting his mind waver. When done in groups, this helps people forget personal problems for a while and relieve their stress. The fragrance from the flowers, the burning of camphor give out the chemical energy further aiding in a different good aura. The effect of all these energies is supplemented by the positive energy from the idol, the copper plates and utensils in the *Moolasthanam* / *Garbagraham*. *Theertham*, the holy water used during the pooja to wash the idol is not plain water cleaning the dust off an idol. It is a concoction of Cardamom,*Karpura* (Benzoin), zaffron / saffron, *Tulsi* (Holy Basil), Clove, etc...Washing the idol is to charge the water with the magnetic radiations thus increasing its medicinal values. Three spoons of this holy water is distributed to devotees. Again, this water is mainly a source of magneto-therapy. Besides, the clove essence protects one from tooth decay, the saffron & *Tulsi* leafs protects one from common cold and cough, cardamom and *Pachha Karpuram* (benzoin), act as mouth fresheners. It is proved that *Theertham* is a very good blood purifier, as it is highly energized. Hence it is given as *prasadam* to the devotees. This way, one can claim to remain healthy by regularly visiting the Temples. This is why our elders used to suggest us to offer prayers at the temple so that you will be cured of many ailments. They were not always superstitious. Yes, in a few cases they did go overboard when due to ignorance they hoped many serious diseases could be cured at temples by deities. When people go to a temple for the *Deepaaraadhana*, and when the doors open up, the positive energy gushes out onto the persons who are there. The water that is sprinkled onto the assemblages passes on the energy to all. This also explains why men are not allowed to wear shirts at a few temples and women are requested to wear more ornaments during temple visits. It is through these jewels (metal) that positive energy is absorbed by the women. Also, it is a practice to leave newly purchased jewels at an idol’s feet and then wear them with the idol’s blessings. This act is now justified after reading this article. This act of “seeking divine blessings” before using any new article, like books or pens or automobiles may have stemmed from this through mere observation.

Energy lost in a day’s work is regained through a temple visit and one is refreshed slightly. The positive energy that is spread out in the entire temple and especially around where the main idol is placed, are simply absorbed by one's body and mind. Did you know, every Vaishnava(Vishnu devotees), must visit a Vishnu temple twice every day in their location. Our practices are not some hard and fast rules framed by 1 man and his followers or God’s words in somebody’s dreams. All the rituals, all the practices are, in reality, well researched, studied and scientifically backed thesis which form the ways of nature to lead a good healthy life.

The scientific and research part of the practices are well camouflaged as “elder’s instructions” or “granny’s teaching’s” which should be obeyed as a mark of respect so as to once again, avoid stress to the mediocre brains.