the giving season

Giving time, effort and energy is something that doesn't cost money.  It's not what you own or have, it's what you are and what you do that makes you who you are (Fromm articulated this well).

I went to see Peace of Heart Choir, and I thought it was really cool.  They are a non-profit choir who performs at shelters, hospitals and city events in NYC.  I saw them at the library.  If you like to sing and have a Thursday evening free in New York City, you can join in too!  They sing uplifting songs from a multicultural background.  Beautiful.

New York Cares is another way to give time, effort and energy.  I've only done it once, but I hope to  volunteer more and more.  They're doing a lot of good work in the Rockaways after Hurricane Sandy. I got a real rush out of volunteering.  It's a very positive environment, and made me feel good about myself.

Of course if you want to donate energy, effort and time, Free Buddhist Audio, also needs volunteers.

And if you want to give money, I always think Karuna Trust is a great one.  They work with the ex-untouchables in India who have converted to Buddhism.  (They're working on a US version, so you'll have to give to the UK version at this time.)

Please feel free to add your favorite places to give from around the world in the comments!

talk I keep listening to

free buddhist audio : : free mp3s and texts on buddhism and meditation

Click on the above link to listen to a talk by Atula, who's been a Buddhist for 30 years and a psychotherapist for 20. He discusses what to do when a practice goes flat.

five niyamas

free buddhist audio : : "rambles around reality 2010 - the five niyamas 2" by subhuti

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

Family as a pure land

I can sometimes get trapped into thinking the family is an impediment to meditation, retreat, spending time with sangha, Dharma study. But nothing is so black and white as this. In what sense is the family a pure land?

My answer is that my children have helped me to see certain things, like that I have a bit of a temper and that I have more work to do. They have also taught me kindness and love. I think devoting yourself to the life of a child can be a challenge. I think that's why it's hard to be the child of someone famous: They're less inclined to do the slavery of parenting, they're too important, too busy, too powerful. One of my supervisors said of raising small children, that's it's wonderful but it's also boring. To subjugate yourself to such beings is self abnegating, and of course something useful in the spiritual life. My family life teaches me as many things as I'm open to. Sometimes I yearn for retreat, Dharma study, endless time with sangha. Family also helps me to clarify that that is what I want, because I notice I can't have it. Perhaps not the most important lesson in the world, but a lesson.

So this winter vacation, I'm going to look more towards, how is my family life a pure land, instead of feeling blocked in my other Dharma pursuits. I will work harder to love what is.