Buddha And Being Kind

 

 The poster says, “Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”  - Buddha

There are times when I must bite my words back.  The words that I would use may seem appropriate to me, and, unkind to the person receiving them.  We all perceive life in different ways, based on our past experience.  I was having one of those days – you know the kind – where it seemed like people were going out of their way to be unhelpful, or even mean.  When I feel that way, I know I need to take a deep breath and find the peace in my heart, and then I can kindly and peacefully speak words that help the person get over what is troubling them.  

I have learned over the years that unkindness is often played forward by the person that has been hurt by another’s unkindness.  After all the leadership and team building that has been going on in business for the last fifteen years, it is troubling to see bully behaviour in businesses, often stemming from a manager.  

Perhaps try some words of peace today at work or at a gathering of friends.  Do it as an experiment to see how things play out.

Blessings

Judy

Eagle Circles The Area

 

The Eagle landed and pulled up a mouse, and then took off over the river.  It circled around my dog and me, twice, and flew away.  In the time that it circled, it cried out several times.  I felt like it was doing a shamanic circle around us and giving us a blessing.  

That night, I dreamt.  I dreamt of being in a circle of animals.  Some were eagles and some were deer and bear, and wolves, and rabbits, and owls and geese, and skunks and otters.  It felt like many of the forest and plains animals were there.  I remember seeing a buffalo and an elk as well.  

The purpose of the circle was to get some agreements on caring for the land.  The idea was that all of the animals were family, and that as a family, they needed to care for the earth that they lived on.  Basically each animal had a circle or patch of land to care for.  I can’t tell you what the rules were, if any, because it did not seem important to me.  I can tell you that while the circle was in session, several very large eagles flew over it and around it as though they were protecting the area.

It made me think of the Ancestors who came west in wagons.  At night, to protect their families and their livestock, the pioneers would circle their wagons to protect their little area.  I feel like Eagle was telling me that it is time to circle the wagons and to protect what is mine, and to keep my family safe.  I am working on that now.

May you work to keep your family safe.

Blessings,

Judy

Do Your Own Work

 

 

The Buddha is saying, 'You are this.' He doesn’t say, 'I have something extra that I am going to give you.' Trust in yourself, trust in who you are. Sit down, breathe, be listening right now, hearing right now. Be intimate. But you have to do it for yourself. - Elihu Genmyo Smith, "No Need to Do Zazen, Therefore Must Do Zazen"

The truth of this quote has been coming up for me as I work with people in my spiritual practice.  Everyone wants the results without doing the work.  It is very difficult to become great, or even good, at anything without doing the practice to get there.  

There is a lot written in books and magazines about how much time it takes to get good and even great at a task or action.  The basic amount of time to become proficient at something is about 20 hours or 1/2 a work week.  To become a world class expert at something takes about 10,000 hours.  You do not become good or good enough at a task unless you put in the time.

I am willing to do my own work; I am not willing to do yours.

Blessings,

Judy

September 1 2025

 

The poster says:  “How do we change the world? One random act of kindness.” - Morgan Freeman as God in “Evan Almighty”.

As we move into September 2025, our country, Canada, faces many challenges as prices continue to rise for groceries and clothing - things that we consider basic for survival.  What I have been noticing are the random acts of kindness that folks in our area seem to be doing that ease the sense of strain and pressure around them. 

Acts of kindness including things like:

-mowing the neighbour’s lawn

-handing someone a dollar for a shopping cart

-dropping off food for someone who is ill

-walking a neighbour’s dog when the person has sprained an ankle

….and the list goes on.

My goal as fall settles in is to be aware and do something positive for someone each day.  

What is your goal for September?

Blessings,

Judy