choices

this is tommy

boxer..merchant seaman..story teller.. and friend _

he has been one of the most inspirational people in my whole life

tommy said as he knew he was dying

"this is just part of the deal"

8x10 acrylic on canvas

published in the current issue of birmingham arts journal

Choosing Harmony

As thinking human beings, we can choose not to act and speak in a manner that is demeaning or shameful. Our natural proclivity for righteousness, or the ability to feel shame, can become our guide in behaving harmlessly and in harmony with other beings. Without it we would be untethered and absolutely free to act selfishly and destructively without impunity.


–Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu
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its all choices..

if we can but keep our mouth shut until our brain catches up to our speech ..

if we can realise that what happens next will be the result of our action now..

then we will benefit greatly for that



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The happy and effective person is motivated, not by fear of wrongdoing, but by love of right doing.



The Urantia Book, Page 1572 (140:4.6)



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From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama

Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock

Flow freely

And the train whistle blows

wisdom

The Metamorphosis of Wisdom

Wisdom is that which makes a vessel into a teacup when it is filled with tea, a sauce dish when it is filled with sauce, a rice bowl when it is filled with rice, and a medicine pot when it is filled with medicine. There is no set method in the functioning of this wisdom. It is simply that which knows how to utilize things according to the case at hand.

–Kusan Sunim

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wisdom is not so much learned as it is aquired. that is why it is so associated with age. wise people seem to be older people. this though is not necessarily true however and wisdom is not automatically aquired with age. we must open our hearts and minds in order to aquire wisdom.

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the beginner has many options

the expert has none.

idea from i believe 'zen mind beginners mind'

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From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama

Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock

Flow freely

And the train whistle blows

change your mind

Change yourself, change the world

Trying to change the world without changing our mind is like trying to clean the dirty face we see in the mirror by scrubbing the glass. However vigorously we clean it, our reflection will not improve. Only by washing our own face and combing our own unkempt hair can we alter the image. Similarly, if we want to help create conditions that foster peace and well-being in the world, we first need to reflect these qualities ourselves.

–Lama Shenpen Drolma

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama

Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock

Flow freely

And the train whistle blows

essentials of peace

Make Peace with Your Mind
For the spiritual power of peace to touch every person on this earth, it must radiate out from a profound peace within our own mind: across political and religious barriers, and across the barriers of ego and self-righteousness. To this end, we should seek an inner peace so pure and stable that we cannot be moved to anger by violence or to selfish attachment and fear by those who view or confront us with contempt and hatred. We can achieve such stability only by purifying the mind’s poisons—ignorance, anger, attachment, jealousy, and pride; then we can clearly see that war and suffering are but their outer reflections. The essential difference between true peacemakers and those who wage war of any sort is the presence of extraordinary patience and discipline in the minds of the peacemakers as they work with these pervasive poisons. If we truly understand this, we will never allow ourselves to be defeated from within or without. –Lama Shenpen Drolma

we can never have world peace until we are at peace with ourselves..with our neighbors..our community..with everyone....everyone... someone will go first....i will try.

From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama

Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock

Flow freely

And the train whistle blows