Practice is not something you have to go to temple for. Practice is not something you need to sit and chant to do. Practice is not something you need robes for.
Sometimes the days suffering is more than we would prefer to deal with. But, there is something I’ve been thinking of a lot lately when this occurs. ‘Every day is a good day’. Sometimes work is difficult, bills stack up higher than Mount Everest, or your child decides to test your patience.

Practice is waking up in the morning, getting dressed, living your life and taking on it’s challenges head on; and yes, that is so hard to remember at times.

Take a second, look out the window, look in the mirror, look at your own hand, and observe. Today is a good day. Every day is a good day.

I bow with forehead to floor, palms facing up and thank my friend Jack for pointing me to this one:
http://zendirtzendust.com/2010/02/07/baring-my-neck-to-the-morning/

I bow with forehead to floor, palms facing up and thank all my Dharma friends for daily inspiration.

…joining palms

This weekend, my son and I went to the park and kicked around the ball for a good couple of hours. After a while we were a bit tired so we decided to take a rest in the shade.  I turned my back for a minute and by the time I looked at my son again, he was already sitting in the shade — half lotus.  This amazed me as he just did it on his own. So I of course just joined him. Can’t begin to describe what the wonder I experienced with that one.

Then, my wife took him to the Lego store where they have big tubs of blocks so you can build whatever you like.  I was at work but she sent me a picture of what he had built all on his own.  A temple. Again, amazement

I think the seeds of mindfulness appear to be taking root, and I am humbled. I have to admit, this is more encouraging to my practice than any Dharma talk I can imagine.

…joining palms

It is said that when Queen Maya was carrying Siddhartha she had a dream. Her dream was translated to mean that when the baby was born, if he stayed home, he would become a world conqueror, but if he left the home, he would become a Buddha. Hearing this, Siddhartha’s father, the king, kept him on his land. We can imagine this was done to protect him, but also so the king would have an heir to his throne when the time came. The king hid all aspects of suffering from Siddhartha during his young life. Then one day Siddhartha left the kingdom and witnessed a sick man, an old man, a dead man, and a monastic. From there we know he went off to find enlightenment.

We all know this story well, and with Father’s Day coming up, I have been thinking about each piece of the story. Most of the time we concentrate on the actions told about Siddhartha, but let us take a different look; a look at the king, Siddhartha’s father.

We can assume he loved his son very much. In his mind he wanted what he thought was best for the boy; riches, status, and a life free from trouble. Maybe even a bit of his own ego was at fault if we assume he wanted to someday have an heir to his throne. As a father, I can understand this very well. And, as a Buddhist, I am thankful that young Siddhartha was able to look past what his father intended for him; and give us the wisdom in which we base our own faith on; the path to enlightenment.

See, as a father, you want the best for your sons and daughters. When you have a child your life no longer belongs to you; it is theirs. Every action must be done with the best of intentions for your children.

And when the time comes, we fathers must also have the wisdom to allow them to go out on their own. Their path to enlightenment is a road only they can travel. May we be fortunate enough to help them take their first step down that path, and allow them to go on their travels…

at Hsi Lai, originally uploaded by mindonly.

(I wrote this as an article for the upcoming issue of Buddha’s Light Magazine, but since we’re still working on that website, I thought I would post it here for anyone interested in reading.)