Buddhist Wisdom

Do not underestimate good, thinking it will not affect you. Dripping water can fill a pitcher, drop by drop; one who is wise is filled with good, even if one accumulates it little by little. Dhammapada 9:7

When we practice random acts of kindness in our lives, we gradually build a reservoir of goodness which fills our hearts and actually changes the hearts of others. Have you ever noticed how a smile or a compliment can change a person's attitude and their work day. This small gesture will ripple out into the lives of others and who knows how many dogs won't get kicked after work.

Practicing kindness is one example of how something small can grow into something huge. What we do daily slowly affects our lives and those with whom we have contact, especially our children. What do you chose to practice and spread?

© 2010 by Becky Benes
www.onenessoflife.com

Who are you hanging out with?

"Walk with wise men and you will become wise, but the companion of fools will fare badly (Proverbs13:20).

This is so true. You can really tell a lot about a person by their friends.

I once had a spiritual director bring this message home to roost with me.

I was a member of a singles group which came together weekly to learn about how to have healthy relationships. We rotated group leaders. When it was my turn to lead, I asked my spiritual director, "what should I speak about?"

She gently stated, "Becky, that is crazy! You and all of your single friends are trying to learn about relationships from each other. You are all clueless in that area. If you want to learn about successful relationships, met with people who have them!" She then suggested, we talk about our relationship with God and get it in order, then we might be able to have a relationship with another person.

What a wise statement. From that moment, when I seek wisdom in different areas, I walk with wise people whom are experienced in that area. This has proven very beneficial for me. Prior to that I was guilty of walking with fools and I did not fair well.

When we open ourselves to learn from all wise men (and women) of the ages, we become wise.

© 2010 by Becky Benes
www.onenessoflife.com

Wisdom of faith traditions

Even though, I have never met biblical scholar, Marcus Borg, I know we are kindred spirits. His words finally allow me to better define myself to those to whom I speak and write.

"I have lived with Jesus all of my life. . . In adulthood, I have become a non-exclusivist Christian. It seems clear that 'the sacred' has been known in all of the major religious traditions, and I do not think that Christianity is the only adequate religion, even though it is my 'home'" (Jesus &Buddha, 8).

This is what I have found to be true, as I study all major religions and meet people who practice the different faith traditions. The mainstays of the differing faiths are the same. For example, all faith traditions teach:

• The Golden Rule, Treat others the way in which you would like to be treated.
• Love your neighbor
• And Blessed are the Peace makers.

Our life story, as we encounter the God of our understanding, becomes our personal sacred history. Our encounter differs from our neighbors, just as Buddha's differed from Jesus and Jesus from Mohammad. However, their sacred texts are all valuable to those whom embrace them and find meaning in them.

When I can honor and accept my neighbor's life journey as sacred, I find I can accept the faith journey's of my friends from different faiths.


© 2010 by Becky Benes
www.onenessoflife.com

Serenity

God Grant me the Serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

This prayer sat on our bathroom vanity for years. I read it probably 2 or 3 times per day. It never made sense to me, because I did not comprehend the word serenity.

Through a series of events, and a lot of surrender, I finally experienced serenity-inner peace. Once experienced, serenity became my preferred state of mind and the rest of the prayer made sense to me.

I came to know that there are lots of things in my life that I cannot change: people, places, weather and things. However, there are some big things that I can change: myself, my perception, my decision, and my attitude.

Figuring out these two things opened the door to wisdom in my life. I still forget that there are things I cannot change, and sometimes I don't have the courage to change the things I can. But when I do, my life is serene and I feel happiness and joy.

© 2010 by Becky Benes
www.onenessoflife.com

Wisdom: What is that?

Wisdom is an esteemed virtue found in all faith traditions. It is valued greater than riches. It is a state of consciousness where one has mental clarity, emotional strength and intuitive power. Wisdom is the ability to learn from others and to gain deep insights from the indwelling Power within us all.

In the Garuda Purana of Hinduism,

Knowledge is the best treasure that a man can secretly hoard in
life. Learning is the revered of the revered. It is learning alone that enables
a man to better the conditions of his friends and relations. Knowledge is the
holiest of the holies, the god of gods, and commands respect of crowned heads
(115).

I find this to be true, the more I learn and the more I go within and develop my intuitive powers, the better able I am to deal with life on life's terms and my wisdom grows.

It is important to continue learning through books and spiritual practices and not rest on our laurels, because the things of the world are all unpredictable and spuratic. However, the universal wisdom of the Universe/God is reliable.

© 2010 by Becky Benes
www.onenessoflife.com

Love found in making cookies

Today I was blessed to bake basketball cookies for my daughter's last game as a 8Th grader. She is moving up and my friend, Melissa and I wanted to do something special for the team.

We baked and decorated 30 little basketballs and one big one. We had such a great time reminiscing about the season, thinking about all of the funny happenings at the games, and excited about the girls progress. As we worked, we were completely present and enjoying the art of creating. Each cookie was a labor of love.

I remembered all of the cookies my mom baked for all of my classmates and for all of our family and the cookies she is still baking. These memories brought to surface the love given me as a child, but love I did not appreciate or understand.

Love is a funny thing, expressed in a multitude of ways, but maybe never fully comprehended until you have a repeat experience of your own. The love I feel in baking these cookies is warm and nurturing and freely given, this is a mother's love. What a beautiful awareness at 47 to fully embrace the love of my mom.

© 2010 by Becky Benes
www.onenessoflife.com

It's all God, It is all Good!

Today I was preparing a talk for the youth at church about sowing seeds of greatness. When I ask my 8 year old daughter what she would rather plant; seeds of light or seeds of darkness, I was taken back by her response.

She said, "Both!" I said, "Really!" I felt like she did not understand my question. So showing her a beautiful flower of bright light colors and one that was covered by black, I asked again. "What would you rather plant, flowers of light or flowers of darkness?" Once again, she answered, "Both!"

I asked her to explain what she meant. This is what she said, "Well I like all of the bright colors and the light, but I like to sleep in the darkness, and without the darkness we couldn't see the stars or the moon. I like seeing the stars and the moon."

Such wisdom from the mouths of babes. A complete understanding of the Tao, the Yen and the Yang. There is beauty and life in both the light and the dark. Embrace it all.

It is all God, It is all GOOD!

Begin seeking wisdom when young

Jeffery Moses, in his book, Oneness, reminds us that Buddha said, every young child naturally wants to help others and affect the world in a positive way. Buddha also said, young people ought first focus on their own inner growth. In doing this, they will have what is required emotionally, mentally and spiritually for true success in life.

It is important for the young to learn basic knowledge in humanities, reading, writing, science, and life skills. However, it is also important to include studies of world religions and to incorporate practices of prayer and mediation into their lives. In so doing, the children will be aware of the oneness of all people and have a basic foundation in spiritual growth.

"He who, even as a young student, applies himself tot he doctrine of truth, illuminates this world like the moon set free from the clouds" Buddhism, Dham, 382.

This is great information for me as I try to raise my two daughters. I love reading them passages from all faith traditions and introducing them to people from different cultures, religions and nationalities. I believe this is one of my greatest gifts to them.

Tidbits of wisdom

We are having such a fun time on this blogspotradio.com/urawesome, I thought I would share a few tidbits of information gleaned from the participants. Forgive me for not remembering who said all of them,

• GPS: God Please Steer
• Consistency trumps commitment by Mark Le Blanc
• Honor the all of you and others by Karen
• A good question to ask when making a decision, "Does ___ serve you and others well? by Karen
• Own and celebrate you own "I did it" accomplishments.

These are just a few of the great shares, there are a multitude and more to come. May these bless you or at least give you something to chew on until tomorrow.