Namaste everyone!
It has been a while since I’ve posted anything here at A.O.D. and for that I apologize, look for more regular and frequent postings soon! That being said, I’m posting today something which I originally wrote for my personal blog but that I felt you would all enjoy pondering as well.
Today, while perusing the always interesting CitizenTube Blog I came across this National Geographic video and a) had to share it, and b) raise a few points. It brings to my mind the question of balance in general. As a practicing Buddhist I try to live according to the concept of the middle way, but this video brought the point across in a very accessible manner.
Sometimes we forget that we can err on the side of zealous when we mean well, other times we do the opposite and react to anger with anger; whatever the case may be we need to begin combating these tendencies in order to cultivate our compassion and sense of responsibility for the collective.
The funny thing about these types of transformations of the self is that they tend to lead to other changes as well. Perhaps if we are more aware of our responsibility to our 7 billion brothers and sisters, and did more to help them find a balance (which means making sure they are fed and clothed, sheltered, educated and nurtured) we would realize how much work we have to do, and find a balance for ourselves as well. As the Dalai Lama says, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion; if you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
Think of how small we really are, and how much we can affect our world.
Think about how much one person, yourself included, can change history.
How will you be counted among the billions, and what will you stand for?
Buddhism by its very nature asks us to analyze the matrices of reality, to examine the micro as it relates to and is a part of the macro; in finding unconditional love for the self we can then go forth and easily give it to others.
A good way to help find a sense of balance in our crazy modern world is to use the amazing Vow Project service, to send SMS messages to your phone which remind you to be mindful throughout the day. You can select what types of vows/denominations you’d like to receive and as one who looks forward to my updates I can tell you they’re being drilled into my head by this point. Even if you don’t want such a service, consider the beneficial karma of supporting a service which encourages us to be more mindful. Donate to The Vow Project and check out their awesome mission!
