Carting Around The Past

The Poster says:

Quit hanging on to the past; fantasizing, dreaming, wishing and replaying it.  You can’t change it.  You just haven’t realized it yet, but you have moved on.  You are different now; not of the past, but of now - a different person.  You don’t need what the past had.  Your life is here today.  Your greatest moments are ahead of you and are right where you are now, so seize them while you can, before it is too late. —Bryant McGill

##################

This blog comes from an old journal that I was writing in while I worked at a particular job.  I think the entry still has relevance for many people today.

###############

I was having a bad day.  When I have a bad day, the Angels seem to appear to give me something else to think about.  A bad day, for me, is when things do not flow smoothly.  There are blocks. Even little things like we are out of my favourite chai tea latte in the kitchen at work.

Going back to the Angels….  they reminded me that when we hang on to something or become attached ( read my favourite tea), we constantly set ourselves up for failure and disappointment.  Then I saw the poster above, and I had this moment of clarity around the past, and around attachment.

Later, to make sure that I really got the message, the Angels sent me an OSHO Zen Tarot card called “Clinging To The Past”.  See it below.  Being blocked will limit your abundance.  The clear message is that change is required.  Creator will help you with your healing, however, some Meditation – a chance to listen to Creator (or the Universe) is required. 

The write up is pretty impressive.  Here is part of it.

The figure pictured in this card is so preoccupied with clutching her box of memories that she has turned her back on the sparkling champagne glass of blessings available here and now. Her nostalgia for the past really makes her a 'blockhead', and a beggar besides, as we can see from her patched and ragged clothes. She needn't be a beggar, of course--but she is not available to taste the pleasures that offer themselves in the present.

It's time to face up to the fact that the past is gone, and any effort to repeat it is a sure way to stay stuck in old blueprints that you would have already outgrown if you hadn't been so busy clinging to what you have already been through. Take a deep breath, put the box down, tie it up in a pretty ribbon if you must, and bid it a fond and reverent farewell. Life is passing you by, and you're in danger of becoming an old fossil before your time!

- from Osho, THe Great Zen Master Ta Hui, Chapter 10.

When something appears to you several times in a week, then pay attention.  If something appears several times in a day, you are being smacked over the head to get your attention.

This was telling me about clinging to the past.  What does it mean to you?

Special thanks to http://kathryn.mnsi.net/ for having the Osho Zen cards available.

Many blessings,

Judy

Living In The Past

I have many card decks.  Periodically, I pull a card for the day, or the week, or even for the month.  I pulled the card for today, Osho card #5, Clinging To the Past, for January 2025.

Below is the explanation for the card.  May you find some information int the explanation that helps you with something that you are facing.

**************************************

The Osho Card for today

These tenses--past, present and future--are not the tenses of time; they are tenses of the mind. That which is no longer before the mind becomes the past. That which is before the mind is the present. And that which is going to be before the mind is the future. Past is that which is no longer before you. Future is that which is not yet before you. And present is that which is before you and is slipping out of your sight. Soon it will be past.... If you don't cling to the past...because clinging to the past is absolute stupidity.  …..

The figure pictured in this card is so preoccupied with clutching her box of memories that she has turned her back on the sparkling champagne glass of blessings available here and now. Her nostalgia for the past really makes her a 'blockhead', and a beggar besides, as we can see from her patched and ragged clothes. She needn't be a beggar, of course--but she is not available to taste the pleasures that offer themselves in the present. It's time to face up to the fact that the past is gone, and any effort to repeat it is a sure way to stay stuck in old blueprints that you would have already outgrown if you hadn't been so busy clinging to what you have already been through. Take a deep breath, put the box down, tie it up in a pretty ribbon if you must, and bid it a fond and reverent farewell. Life is passing you by, and you're in danger of becoming an old fossil before your time!

--Osho The Great Zen Master Ta Hui Chapter 10

*******************************************

Blessings,

Judy 

Mind at Ease - A Lesson in Buddhism

As I study Buddhism in its several faces, I am constantly in wonder at how simple the concepts are and how difficult it is to embrace the concept and put it to full practice in one’s life.

This simple story will explain what I mean.  It is called “Mind At Ease”, and talks about how we can put our heart at ease.  Does this seem contrary to the title?  Well, Buddhism is a series of koans.  A koan is a paradoxical anecdote or a riddle that has no solution; used in Zen Buddhism to show the inadequacy of logical reasoning.  This definition comes from wordnetweb.princeton.edu. So, here is the story!

                                                   

Sometimes, trying to understand a koan is like trying to catch the Sun! Picture from Microsoft Clip Art

 

 

 

Mind At Ease

It was a dark, snowy and windy night. Hui Ko, the Second Patriarch of Zen Sect in China, went to see Master Bodhidharma. 

Hui Ko asked, "Could you please teach me the supreme Buddhist Dharma?" 

The Master said, "You can't learn the Dharma from others." 

Hui Ko said, "I have trying to search for Dharma myself, but in vain. My heart is unsettled. My mind is ill-at-ease. Master, please pacify my heart for me." 

The Master replied, "Give me your heart and I'll try to calm it down for you." 

After pondering for a long time, Hui Ko said, "I have been searching for my heart, but I cannot find it." 

Bodhidharma said instantly, "Now, I have comforted your heart already." 

Hui Ko was enlightened all of a sudden. It is impossible to show the heart as its existence is only an illusion. The whole process of the creation and cessation of the heart, or the mind, is also an illusion. 

When we are void of the illusion, the 'heart' is not there at all. Without any attachment, the pure Buddha's nature is revealed. The mind is finally at ease. 

                            *************

What do you learn from this story?  Is is something that you can share with all of us?

Many blessings,

Judy

Truth From A Buddhist View

                                               Picture of wild lily by J Hirst in July 2023

When we had our Winter Solstice gathering, one of the things that we did was pull a card with one word on it.  That word is the thing that we will work on over 2024.  The card that I pulled was “Truth”.  Interesting to me is that stuff that I do every day is supporting that.  

In my study of all things Buddhism, I came across a little book called “The Little Book of Zen Haiku, Koans, Sayings” from Barnes and Noble, and edited by Manuela Dunn Mascetti.  Now, Koans are stories that are meant to be puzzling to help the student gain enlightenment after meditating on the story – sometimes for great lengths of time. 

The Koan that I am sitting with is called “Tipping Over A Vase”.  

Hyakujo wished to send a monk to open a new monastery.  He told hi disciples that whoever answered a question most ably would be appointed.  Placing a water vase on the ground, he asked, “Who can say what this is without calling its name?”

The Chief monk said, “No one can call it a wooden shoe.”

Isan, the cooking monk, tipped over the vase with his foot and went out.  

Hyakujo smiled and said, “The chief monk loses.” And, Isan became the master of the new monastery.

The point of the Koan is to show that truth, as symbolized by the water vase, can only be shown. The cooking monk makes this demonstration very effectively.  

One of the leadership tools that I used to teach in my Organizational Behaviour Class was “How to Refute Rumour”.  The only way was to ignore it, not comment on it, and show the employees what the truth was.  

Truth is healing! It gives us a spiritual peace.  We feel balanced and at one with all things… Nature is our friend.  Sadly, we as a civilization seem to have moved far from Truth.  Perhaps we have reached the furthest swing of the pendulum and we are now ready to start kicking over vases, politicians, corrupt CEO’s and Boards, to get at the Truth.

May you find Truth in all you do!

Many Blessings,

Judy

Tranquility’s Power - A Buddhist Story

There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...

not going all the way and not starting.

Buddha

This is a Zen story about the power of calmness.  

 

A master of the tea ceremony in old Japan once accidentally slighted a soldier. He quickly apologized, but the rather impetuous soldier demanded that the matter be settled in a sword duel. The tea master, who had no experience with swords, asked the advice of a fellow Zen master who did possess such skill. As he was served by his friend, the Zen swordsman could not help but notice how the tea master performed his art with perfect concentration and tranquility. "Tomorrow," the Zen swordsman said, "when you duel the soldier, hold your weapon above your head, as if ready to strike, and face him with the same concentration and tranquility with which you perform the tea ceremony."  The next day, at the appointed time and place for the duel, the tea master followed this advice. The soldier, readying himself to strike, stared for a long time into the fully attentive but calm face of the tea master. Finally, the soldier lowered his sword, apologized for his arrogance, and left without a blow being struck. 

After you read this story, gage your reaction to it.  Does your mind tell you that this is impossible?  Why do you think that?  Does your anger flare up and get you into trouble?  Have you ever experienced the power of tranquility?  What is the gift in this story?  Why did the soldier back down?  

May you find the first seeds of tranquility here.

Many blessings,

Judy

A Story About Prosperity

  Picture of prosperity from www.deplicque.net

We all have different ideas of what prosperity is.  The www.thefreedictionary.com defines prosperity as “the condition of prospering; having good fortune”.  You see, I was writing a workshop on healing with different energies from trees, and several trees are associated with prosperity. Given that some of these powers were attributed to the trees by our Ancestors, I wanted to make sure that the definition of the word was the same.

I then came across a Zen Buddhism story that put everything that I know about prosperity, wealth, riches, and abundance into perspective.

I hope that you enjoy this story!

*************************************

A rich man asked a Zen master to write something down that could encourage the prosperity of his family for years to come. It would be something that the family could cherish for generations. On a large piece of paper, the master wrote, "Father dies, son dies, grandson dies."

The rich man became angry when he saw the master's work. "I asked you to write something down that could bring happiness and prosperity to my family. Why do you give me something depressing like this?"  

"If your son should die before you," the master answered, "this would bring unbearable grief to your family. If your grandson should die before your son, this also would bring great sorrow. If your family, generation after generation, disappears in the order I have described, it will be the natural course of life. This is true happiness and prosperity."

*****************************

Many blessings,

Judy 

Staying in Synch

Today, I was trying to figure out why the podcasts on my iPad were not updating the way that I expected them to.  I started checking every setting.  What I found was that the “Synch” check box on my settings has some how become unchecked.  Now, since I never go in and change my settings, this seemed to be quite a “weird” thing for me.  I felt that maybe there was a lesson waiting to be learned.

I went to my podcasts and I listened to a Zen Buddhist lesson on “Being Present”.  There were several things that inspired me about this lesson.  One was that the emphasis through sutras and through stories was around being in the present moment.  If you cannot be in the present moment, and need to dwell on the past or the future, then what in the present moment is causing you so much pain?  

The second item in the teachings was that each act of living is about being in the present moment.  If we cannot be in that moment, then we are missing most of our life.  That too makes sense to me because I see so many people wasting happy and fun moments by texting or being on the phone, or trying to get away from themselves in some way.  

The third item I enjoyed in the teaching was around recognizing that each person is living perfectly in their present moment, and that we do not need to impose our ideas of what is going on.  I start to laugh as I read this because back in my second item, I realized that I was imposing judgement on those who choose to text in the present moment.  (I still wish they would not text while they are driving!)

I realized that Spirit was giving me a “hands on” lesson about staying in balance and harmony with my passions and my path.  When all is going well, then little thought is required because a person simply rolls with the flow of what is going on.  We are living in the present moment.  However, when we start to over think our actions and try to second guess all the people around us, then we are “out of synch” with our purpose.  Our harmony is compromised, and therefore life seems choppy and full of obstacles.  The serenity is gone. 

 I am truly grateful for the lesson.

Many Blessings,

Judy

How To Understand the “Fool” Card - Card 0 In The Tarot Deck

Image from the Osho Zen Transformation Tarot

 When people come to me to learn how to read the Tarot cards, I tell them that they must find a deck or two that feel right to them.  If they do not already have a sense of a deck, I usually start them out on two of my favourite decks - either the Universal Tarot by Maxwell Miller or the Zen Transformational Tarot by Osho.  Although the Zen deck reflects a Buddhist path, the journey depicted in the cards is true of most people's lives.

The first card in any Tarot deck is "The Fool".  I love this card because it is a happy card.  It speaks of innocence and joy!  Who of us does not want to achieve a state of joy that provides harmony in all that we do?

The first step in understanding any card is to look at the picture , at the central figure or item, and then look at all the supporting pictures or symbols as we move out from the central picture.  In this card, the picture of a young man or woman - possibly in their late teens or early twenties - is looking expectantly into the sky, and offering a charming bouquet of flowers to whomever they seem to see.  The uncomfortable part of this figure, for us, is that the person is dressed unusually colourful and is stepping off a cliff into space.  We say that this person is not acting normally and must be a fool to do something so dangerous.  

The opposite interpretation is probably more accurate and begins the message of this card.  The person stepping off the cliff does so with absolute trust, and shows their trust to the heavens - what we would call The Universe, Great Spirit, or Mother/Father God - by offering a gift, and showing no hesitation in taking this BIG step.  We may even feel some jealousy that someone is able to take that big a risk without any fear.  Fear is so pervasive in our lives that we believe all people should feel fear.

As we move out to examine the rest of the picture, it becomes clear that even if the Fool falls from the cliff, the river below will cushion the fall and carry the person on a great adventure.  The clouds lie below the person and give the impression of big, pillowy cushions that will soften any fall or journey the person may take.  Indeed, the individual will step off into LOVE and experience the ONENESS of all.  This card shows how we may depend on NATURE to carry us just as the ANGELS carry us. 

Osho says: "A fool is one who goes on trusting; a fool is one who goes on trusting against all his experience. You deceive him, and he trusts you; and you deceive him again, and he trusts you; and you deceive him again, and he trusts you. Then you will say that he is a fool, he does not learn. His trust is tremendous; his trust is so pure that nobody can corrupt it……………In the beginning it is going to be very difficult. The world will start taking advantage of you...let them. They are poor fellows. Even if you are cheated and deceived and robbed, let it happen, because that which is really yours cannot be robbed from you, that which is really yours nobody can steal from you." Osho Dang Dang Doko Dang Chapter 2

If this card turns up in a reading, the querent is being asked to return to their natural state and to trust their instinct.  It is about knowing that the message from The Universe is true, and that any action taken is fully supported by the ONENESS of all things.  You may ANGER some by your actions, however, this card is about TRUST.

May your journey be an adventure unhindered by your family and friends.  And may they stand by you as you travel.

Blessings,

Judy

A Story About A Ghost

 This story comes from Zen Buddhist teachings.  There are several different lessons in this story. Which lessons are apparent to you?  Post your thoughts in the comments section below the blog.

                                     Picture from J Hirst -taken of Elbow Falls in August 2021

 Banishing a Ghost

 The wife of a man became very sick. On her deathbed, she said to him, "I love you so much! I don't want to leave you, and I don't want you to betray me. Promise that you will not see any other women once I die, or I will come back to haunt you."

For several months after her death, the husband did avoid other women, but then he met someone and fell in love. On the night that they were engaged to be married, the ghost of his former wife appeared to him. She blamed him for not keeping the promise, and every night thereafter she returned to taunt him. The ghost would remind him of everything that transpired between him and his fiancée that day, even to the point of repeating, word for word, their conversations. It upset him so badly that he couldn't sleep at all.

Desperate, he sought the advice of a Zen master who lived near the village. "This is a very clever ghost," the master said upon hearing the man's story. "It is!" replied the man. "She remembers every detail of what I say and do. It knows everything!" The master smiled, "You should admire such a ghost, but I will tell you what to do the next time you see it."

That night the ghost returned. The man responded just as the master had advised. "You are such a wise ghost," the man said, "You know that I can hide nothing from you. If you can answer me one question, I will break off the engagement and remain single for the rest of my life." "Ask your question," the ghost replied. The man scooped up a handful of beans from a large bag on the floor, "Tell me exactly how many beans there are in my hand."

At that moment the ghost disappeared and never returned.