July 24, 2009
Learn how reviving the presidential tradition of Meatless Monday can help reduce our carbon footprint, improve our health and bring us together as a nation!
More information is available at MeatlessMonday.
July 20, 2009
Do not be afraid of a task that is difficult
or become careless when a job is easy.
Deep in the jungle lived two friends: a large elephant and a small bird no bigger than the tip of the elephant’s trunk. You might think their friendship was unusual, but in the past such things were quite common. Animals and birds could talk to one another, and everyone got along happily together.
One day, while bird and elephant were enjoying a drink of water at their favorite stream, they heard distant calls of distress. Elephant asked bird to please fly up high to see what was happening. Bird flew above the trees and saw the reason for the alarm. On a distant ridge, there was a fire! Bird quickly flew down to elephant and reported what he saw. Elephant kneeled down, put her ear to the ground, and said, yes she could hear the sounds of many animals running.
Bird said excitedly, “We have to help our friends. Not all the birds can fly high and long enough to escape the fire.” Elephant agreed, saying “And not all the animals are fast enough to outrun the flames. But what can we do?”
Bird said, “I can carry water on my wings, and you can carry it in your trunk.” And with that bird dove under the water and then soared up into the air. He flew to the fire and sprinkled the few drops of water he carried onto the flames. He then flew back to where elephant was filling her trunk.
“Hurry!” cried bird.
But elephant reassured her friend. “Don’t worry. You cannot carry much water, but my trunk holds a lot.” Bird dove into the water again and flew off to the fire. After elephant filled her trunk and went a few steps, she carelessly tripped and spilled some water. Back to the stream she went to refill her trunk.
In the meantime, bird was flying back and forth as fast as he could. The fleeing animals and birds cried out, “”Save yourself. It’s hopeless. You can’t carry enough water!” Bird replied he had to try and that elephant was also bringing water in her trunk. The animals knew that bird was very persistent. But they also knew that as good-hearted as elephant was, she was careless so they weren’t sure how helpful she would.
Inspired by bird and elephant, the other birds and animals pitched in to help. Soon they were all working together to put out the fire. They made so much noise they woke the forest god. He saw bird fearlessly flying back and forth leading the others in trying to put out the fire. He also saw the elephant and the other animals helping.
Touched by their courage, the forest god threw his staff high into the air to pierce a cloud. Rain began to fall and soon the fire was out. With everyone safe, bird flew back to elephant.
Always honest, elephant confessed she had not paid enough attention to what she was doing. She put her trunk on the ground to cradle the exhausted bird and promised that in the future she would be more careful.
Moral
To carry out tasks,
we need to be not only courageous, but careful as well.
July 15, 2009 Practice reciting the name of the Buddha to the extent that "flowers flourish and the Buddha comes into view."
We all have a Buddha immanent in our minds. When we practice recitation to the extent that our minds are pure and free of vexations, we will meet the buddha within ourselves. Therefore, only by the extinction of all vexations can we attain the stage where "flowers flourish and the Buddha comes into view."
We should practice compassion and forbearance in our daily lives while avoiding impulsiveness and petulance and controlling our temper. Be adroit and harmonious when dealing with people and handle everything with the help of reason.
Seek not the faults of others and do not be vexed by the rights or wrongs we perceive. Be gentle and kind to others, though not for the sake of building up connections. Treat everyone, be he/she moral or immoral, with equality and impartiality.
Do not turn others away with an icy face. With every move intended for the benefit of others and done with sympathetic compassion, not only will we foster good affinity with others but our minds will be purified and ourselves free of all vexations.
We are thereby attaining the stage where "flowers flourish and the Buddha comes into view."
~ The Analects of Master Kuang-ch'in
July 8, 2009
When our parents call us,
we should answer them right away.
When they tell us something, we should do it promptly.
Ever since they last visited Gram, their grandmother, Felicia and Hanna had been pleading with their mother to teach them to make chocolate chip cookies. It was a “secret family recipe” and Gram always made them because she knew how much her two granddaughters loved them.
Gram had taught their mother, Mrs. Johansson, how to bake the cookies. But she had been very busy with work so there hadn’t been any time for baking lessons for her daughters.
Fortunately, the project at work was now completed and Mrs. Johansson decided that she would teach the girls this Saturday, just like that day when her own mother taught her. Wanting to surprise the girls, she bought the chocolate chips and other ingredients, and put everything away where they wouldn’t notice them.
On Saturday afternoon, she called to the girls, “Felicia and Hanna, come to the kitchen!”
Hanna, who was younger, came quickly, but Felicia was busy texting her friends and called out “In a minute, Mom!”
Hanna’s eyes grew big as she learned that today was “the day.” Excited, she helped her mother get out all the ingredients and cooking utensils. Her mother showed her how to measure the ingredients and then mix everything together. She called out again, “Felicia, please come to the kitchen!” Felicia gave a distracted “Coming!” and continued her texting.
Remembering her favorite part of helping her mother, Mrs. Johansson told Hanna she could lick the spoon after the cookies were mixed. They opened the bag of chocolate chips, but Felicia still hadn’t come to the kitchen. Mrs. Johansson smiled as she and Hanna sampled a few of the chips “to be sure they are good.” Then they ate a few more because “They are good!” Again, Mrs. Johansson called out “Felicia!” But she couldn’t even hear Felicia’s mumbled reply.
Mrs. Johansson turned on the oven to heat it up. She and Hanna then spooned the cookie dough onto the baking pans and placed the first trays on the oven racks. While the cookies were baking Mrs. Johansson got out the cups and saucers she used on special occasions. Then she and Hanna made some hot chocolate and dropped a marshmallow into each cup.
As they were sipping the hot chocolate, the aroma of the baking cookies began to fill the kitchen. Hanna listened eagerly as her mother told her about how she had helped her own mother bake cookies. Hanna loved hearing these stories about her grandmother and mother because her mother was always so relaxed and happy when she told these stories.
She told Hanna, “When you are grownup, you too will remember this very special day.”
Then Mr. Johansson came in. “Wow, it’s chocolate day! I could smell your cookies out in the yard. Are they ready yet? I’m always hungry for your mother’s chocolate chip cookies.” As he pulled out a chair at the table, Mrs. Johansson poured him a cup of hot chocolate and then took out a tray of cookies. As the three were sitting at the table eating the warm, gooey cookies and drinking their hot chocolate, Felicia came in.
“I’m sorry Felicia, but I called you several times.”
Seeing the cookies, Felicia realized that she had missed something she had been looking forward to for weeks. Reaching for a cookie and the hot chocolate her mother poured for her, Felicia said, “Next time you call, I promise I’ll come right away!”
July 7, 2009 I was talking with someone yesterday about trying to walk the line between sincerely meeting our responsibilities and going overboard and losing our perspective. Since I had just caught myself tripping over that line, I found the discussion especially timely.
I am working on a new website for the center I live at. My teacher designed an emblem many years ago that is a wonderful teaching in itself. It has many design elements including both English and Chinese words, initials, a lotus, and some more elements. As a larger emblem it works very well and we have it under our association's name at the front entrance. I was requested to try to use the emblem/sign as a logo on the website.
My current task was to change the coloring of the emblem so it would work in the website's dark blue banner. I was working with a screen-sized file and after easily changing the larger sections was meticulously dropping tiny bits of color into the file pixels. To do this, you use your mouse cursor and try to aim the cross hairs at the right spot. (Suffice it to say, I'd never have made it as an army gunner!)
I wanted to do a very good job and was concentrating (i.e. glasses were put aside and I was peering into the screen). After some time, I thought, wait a minute. I need to check this in the banner. This was to be a little logo after all, not a sign.
As you can imagine, when I inserted the logo onto the banner, I realized I had already stepped over the responsible work/going overboard line. I had lost my perspective. No one would ever see the color imperfections in the logo.
So where exactly was that line and how could I have found it a few minutes sooner?
Concentration is great for getting things done, but we need to periodically stand (or sit in my case) back and look at the whole picture. We need to separate ourselves from the work and view it objectively. We need to ask if we have gotten so involved in the work that we have become attached to the outcome, thinking "I" have to do this so well that no one will criticize "my" work. "I" want to do this perfectly, then everyone will like it. After all, this is "my" job, it is "my" responsibility and "I" know the best way to do it.
It's a tricky line with all the "I"s and "me"s. Little wonder we get tripped up by it and fail to notice we've landed on the other side.
