In the Footsteps of the Buddha pilgrimages with Shantum Seth across India and South Asia. Other spiritual journeys that transform. Mindful travel.
What Does Being a Buddhist Mean to You?
re: the economic meltdown
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| “Mara loses his power when you’re broke.” - Philip Ryan Tricycle Web Editor |
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“Buddhism means we’re all always rich all along.” - Lynn Somerstein, Ph.D., RYT Psychoanalyst And Yoga Teacher |
| “Buddhist practice has given me a better sense of perspective on money: it is neither the source of, nor the solution to, my personal sense of unease in the world.” - Peter Clothier Writer |
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“The economic crisis is a reminder that nothing—micro or macro—is permanent! Personally, I think the economic climate will make it easier for my family to stick to a budget.” - Denise Harter Homeschooling Parent |
| “Sitting in meditation allows me to see the impermanence of all this financial turmoil; practicing lovingkindness allows me to help those I can and to feel compassion for those I can’t; practicing tonglen allows me to breathe through all the suffering I see in the world around me.” - William Harryman Writer And Integral Coach |
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“The sense of loss and insecurity brought on by the economic crisis is a great opportunity to practice—indeed, it’s one of those situations we practice for.” - Margaret So-Un Segall Director Of Administration, Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation |
| “Last year in Seattle, I heard the Dalai Lama call for a secular, ethical approach to social issues, with compassionate leadership, including more women. Let’s heed the call.” - Jenny Zenner Founder, Seeds Yoga |
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“I lost my job to this crisis, and with that job I lost a large part of what had been my identity for 15 years. It took a global crisis for me to realize that I lack an answer to that most basic of questions: who am I? By deepening my Buddhist practice amidst the meltdown, I’m appreciating the unlimited ambiguity of my life and the possibilities that melting down—in every sense—can bring.” - Timothy Tucker Stock Analyst, Research Manager, and Artist /td> |
| “The shelter of the sangha is critical when times are difficult. It creates a courage that I might not always have alone. The comfort of fellow believers and trekkers gives a little boost to go forward.” - Bryant Pierpont Newspaper Advertising Manager |
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"Though worldly troubles may arise, never let them disturb you. No one can avoid problems, not even sages or worthies. Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens. How could this be anything other than the boundless joy of the Law?"
~Nichiren Daishonin
When someone in the sangha dies unexpectedly, you still cry, clench your jaw, and you sit with the suffering. You already know that everything and especially every person is impermanent, but in the relative existence of our lives, the pain wants to last, seemingly, to the moment of enlightenment in some future lifetime; and still the feeling does not pass as we drift from the present, imagining future lifetimes. Yet I know it will, and we will stay with our breath.