#lojong
Hi, I'm a 68 y/o English #Buddhist #vegan living in Slovenia
I try to connect and familiarize myself with my innate Buddha-nature, practicing being kind to every kind
#mahayana #buddhism #bodhisattva #zen #tibetanbuddhism #bodhicitta #lojong #meditation #mindfulness #tonglen #love #compassion
#humanrights #animalrights #lgbtq #blm #antifa #metoo #poverty #feminism #mentalhealth #health #refugees #sustainability #climatechange #globalwarming #minimalism
#introduction @buddhism
@vegan
Mahayana Refuge:
I go for refuge until I am enlightened
to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly.
Through the merit of practising generosity and so on,
May I become a Buddha for the benefit of all beings
Bodhicitta:
May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes, may all sentient beings be free of suffering and its causes, may they be inseparable from the sublime happiness which is beyond sorrow, may all sentient beings abide in equanimity, free of bias, attachment and anger.
Shantideva Prayer:
May I become at all times, both now and forever
A protector of those without protection
A guide for those who have lost their way
A ship for those with oceans to cross
A bridge for those with rivers to cross
A sanctuary for those in danger
A lamp for those without light
A place of refuge for those who lack shelter
And a servant to all in need
For as long as space endures,
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I, too, abide
To dispel the misery of the world.
Biography:
I am a happily married English Buddhist, 68 years old, living these past 38 years in Slovenia. I was raised a Catholic and attended a Jesuit school but lost my faith in God when I was 15. After graduating in Industrial Engineering I traveled overland along the old hippie trail to India in search of answers to the pain I felt in the world. I encountered Buddhism in Dharamsala, home-in-exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Back in London I joined Sogyal Rinpoche's Rigpa group in 1981 and started practicing the Dharma.
I have been a production assistant in London, bartender in Hong Kong, English teacher in South Korea, planning engineer in London and Fife, Scotland, and a development engineer, planner, import-export agent and translator in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Besides being interested in living mindfully and preserving the Buddha Dharma, I am also an advocate of democracy, peace, non-violence, human and animal rights, a free Tibet, a democratic Burma, the right of Palestinians to a homeland, the prevention of human trafficking, gender equality, LGBTQI rights worldwide, veganism, the abolition of capital punishment, amnesty to prisoners of conscience, etc. I am also interested in supporting poverty alleviation and humanitarian work of any kind as well as sustainable development, education, protection of the environment and mental health and other health issues.
My Dharma practice comprises keeping the five precepts (mind trainings) for a lay Buddhist and practicing the six perfections (far-reaching practices) of Mahayana Buddhism - generosity, ethical conduct, forbearance, perseverance, concentration and, wisdom - as an aspiring Bodhisattva. I also like to consider myself a "socially engaged Buddhist" with my principle outlet being a keyboard campaigner for human, animal and environmental causes on social media and a vegan/animal rights activist locally.
As a part of keeping the five precepts, I practice veganism to the best of my ability and to the forefront of my practice I try to generate beginner's mind (don't know mind) as well as loving kindness and compassion both towards self and others.
Besides my favourite practice tonglen, my meditation these days is primarily of the analytical kind but always includes understanding that firstly, everyone wants to be be happy and avoid suffering and secondly, everyone has shown kindness to me in this life and past lives.
Politically I support The Green Party of England and Wales, the European Greens, American Democratic Socialists and the Levica (Left) Party in Slovenia
I am a vegan and don't smoke, drink alcohol or do drugs.
With my Slovene wife, Mojca, we have a son, Tom, now aged 37.
#buddhism #veganism #meditation #mahayana #humanrights #animalrights #socialjustice #environment #sustainability #climatechange #vegan #lgbtq ally #metoo #feminism #blm #refugeeswelcome #love #straightedge #buddhist #prointersectional #mindfulness #compassion #kindness #ecosocialism #green #progressive #community #refugees #migrants #left #levica #slovenia #ljubljana #socialmedia #bodhisattva #lojong #tonglen #bodhicitta #solarpunk #antifa #mentalhealth #health #sortition #directdemocracy #tibetanbuddhism #zen #animals #peoplesassembly #antiracism #antiableism #antispeciesism #rewilding #degrowth #climate #climateemergency
I would like to share with you my vegan story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOlKvg0NbT4
Added #Tonglen (taking and sending) meditation to my morning practice a couple of days ago- it’s been a while but it’s clear to me now that I need to be doing this practice daily, probably forever. It’s such a good practice for developing loving-kindness and compassion, both for self and others. If you’re not familiar with tonglen, here’s a link with a simple explanation https://www.lionsroar.com/how-to-practice-tonglen/amp/
“We usually think of compassion as something sweet and nice, positive and wonderful. Everybody wants to be compassionate. And it’s true—compassion feels good. But we overlook the fact that compassion is also essentially a painful feeling. Feeling another’s pain as our own is painful. And it turns out that it’s impossible to take in the pain of another unless we are able to take in our own pain.”
—Norman Fischer, Training in Compassion
Cultivating Compassion: A Practical Guide to Being Kind
Year-long course. Third Saturday of each month.
Last chance to join 18 February
https://sydney.rigpa.org.au/courses/pma-2/
#contemplativescience #happiness #mindscience #buddhism #rigpa
#Spirituality #TibetanBuddhism
#natureofmind #mentalhealth #inspiration #dailyinspiration
#compassion #peace #kindness #altruism #khandrorinpoche #tralegrinpoche
#peace #balance #consciousliving #lojong
Wisdom, in the Buddhist tradition, is cultivated by closely examining the world and our minds to understand both on a deeper level. This is lojong, the practice of mind training.
https://pretix.eu/rigpa/DJB/
#dungsejampalnorbu #dzigarkongtrul #mangalashribhuti #TibetanBuddhism #Buddhism #Lojong #MindTraining #peace #kindness #altruism
#meditation #mindfulness #mindful #meditationpractice #mind
#happiness
#mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #inspiration #dailyinspiration
#oss #foss #servers #frameworks #typescript #javascript #deno #vr #ai #nocode #lowcode #solidjs #preact #web3 #astrojs #html #webcomponents #github #vscode #cli #opensource #coding #programmer #adamsavage #hasanabi #alanwatts #nyc #brooklyn #queens #astoria #graphicdesign #startups #sewing #cosplay #thriftstores #upcycling #hotyoga #yoga #meditation #tonglen #lojong #buddhism #espresso #coffee #socalism #maker #3dprinting #vr #quest2 #metaquest2 #starwars #marvel
Geshe Chekawa’s summation of the Tibetan Buddhist guidelines for living a compassionate life
sydney.rigpa.org.au/courses/pma-2/
Mind Training: How To Value Adversity? Heroic Heart Lojong Palmo
Imagine training our minds so we are always responding with understanding and compassion!
That singular act would radically transform humanity … peace and unity would become the norm vs our sad reality of ever increasing divisiveness and conflicts (within ourselves and with others) …
https://www.stillnessspeaks.com/mind-training-value-adversity-heroic-heart-lojong-palmo-2-3/
Blended image, "Think Not-Thinking", 2022. Working with "Training in Compassion by #NormanFischer. "#Zen Teachings on the Practice of #Lojong". #RestInTheOpennessOfMind #notknowing. Sources: 1) behind the curtain at #WaterfireProvidence 2) morning sun 3) carnival balloons 4) sphere from drawing @art_by_evette 5) 1H4-2005, Prudencio Irazabel, Akzonobel Art Foundation 6) Thomas Wright's "An Original Theory or New Hypothesis of the Universe", 1750, via @publicdomainrev
Khenpo Rinpoche: Signs That Your #Lojong #Mind Training Practice is Progressing
https://youtu.be/oSw514hTLPQ?list=PLFhTzZsWmnlnu50B6-uR-noN5E1uI2JQ3
Today I'm #54 and #59. You? #thingstoavoid #thingstodo #lojong #buddhist #writing
In postmeditation, be a child of illusion.
"We have to learn how we can actually experience that things in the postmeditation situation are still workable, that there is room, lots of space. Everything is pliable and workable." #Lojong #MindTraining