i_rabbit

I’ve been reading a few books that I never have thought I’d be into - I mean these are financial, business and marketing topics - that I have generally been somewhat standoffish about. I once abandoned a marketing minor in college after derailing a scheduled twenty minute lecture on propaganda that turned into a week long debate about the social justification and responsibility (or lack thereof) in the world of ‘business’. But I digress…

In short I have come to realize that these are only techniques, much like say, Kung-Fu. Sure I can kill with my bare hands, and learn to do it with utmost efficiency, but I can also, with discipline and honor, use the same techniques toward virtuous ends. One thing all of these books (re)emphasize is the importance of knowing yourself, what motivates you, and what you really hope to accomplish, before ever taking a step toward that goal. This is not to say that you shouldn’t take action until you have it all figured out. Rather, that the discipline of asking the question can reveal the best path of action. Otherwise your mileage may vary, subject to tax and fees, other terms and conditions may apply…

From his book; The Brand You 50 : Or : Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an ‘Employee’ into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion!, I present Tom Peters in a nutshell:

Know Who You Are.
Know Why You Are Here.
Know How You Are Unique.
Know How You Can Make a Difference.
Know Who Cares.
Know Whether Or Not You Care.

Recommended Reading:

• The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
• The Brand You 50 : Or : Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an ‘Employee’ into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion! by Tom Peters
• Simpleology: The Simple Science of Getting What You Want by Mark Joyner

This is a phrase that is used often in Buddhist liturgy and today a team of physicists has claimed that our view of the early Universe may contain the signature of a time before the Big Bang.

The discovery comes from studying the cosmic microwave background (CMB), light emitted when the Universe was just 400,000 years old. Their model may help explain why we experience time moving in a straight line from yesterday into tomorrow. Their model also suggests that new universes could be created spontaneously from apparently empty space. They even suggest that from inside the parent universe, the event would be surprisingly unspectacular [1].

Buddha taught that our perception of time is a merely a localized reference that depends entirely upon our own observation - time unfolds in dependence upon our mind - and Buddhist scholars and lineage holders have been expounding this truth for nearly 1500 years!

In the Prajna Paramita (Heart of Wisdom and Perfection of Wisdom Sutras), Bodhisattva Avalokitshvara explains to Sariputra that all things and phenomena, even time itself, arise out of emptiness, and that with the perfection of wisdom, we can come to fully realize this. Now we have modern evidence to suggest that this may indeed be the ultimate nature of reality - form is emptiness and emptiness is form [2]. Shantideva, in the ninth chapter of the Bodhicharyāvatāra, demonstrates the difference between conventional and ultimate truth, and how we may perfect our wisdom realizing emptiness [3].

Over the centuries, great Mahayana scholars have elucidated the meaning of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras in their commentaries. In “Ocean of Nectar”, where Geshe Kelsang Gyatso continues this noble tradition by providing an explanation of Chandrakirti’s famous commentary Guide to the Middle Way, we can see this understanding brought full circle as Geshe Kelsang explains with breathtaking clarity, the logic upon which this can be proven, even without modern technology, by realizing the true nature of our own mind. [4]

It has been demonstrated by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (and now the scientists) that all things arise from, and dissolve into;

e m p t i n e s s . . .

This is why it is also said that NOW is the time to turn the wheel of Dharma to realize our true nature and full human potential!

OM AH HUM

[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7440217.stm
[2] http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/emptiness.html
[3] http://www.shantideva.net/guide_ch9.htm
[4] http://kadampa.org/en/books/ocean-of-nectar

Evie surprised us with a trip to the circus yesterday - It was Polly and Nate’s first such experience! - and we all enjoyed the show. I particularly enjoyed the wide ranging talents of percussionist Kit Chatham, who was an integral part of the show. Such an inspiration - Thank you Evie!!!