From suffering comes great compassion. Great compassion makes a peaceful heart. A peaceful heart makes a peaceful person. A peaceful person makes a peaceful family. A peaceful family makes a peaceful community. A peaceful community makes a peaceful nation. A peaceful nation makes a peaceful world. ~Venerable Maha Ghosananda, the Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia, to Cambodians on the genocide of the Khmer Rouge
Now that I am home and not working full time I have had a chance to being meditating again. This is something that I did a lot in college when things got stressful or I just needed to find my center again. I have begun reading some great articles on Buddhism and am trying to right myself after getting so far off the path of enlightenment. Gabby is very interested in meditating with me and learning about Buddha. We read a great book called Peaceful Piggies by Kerry Lee Maclean that explains meditation to kids in a very easy and fun way. One of my goals for the summer is to meditate daily and to have a more mindful acceptance of the present.
My house is a bi-faith household which confuses a lot of people. My husband is Christian, was raised Christian, and his family is pretty religious. My family was the opposite with little instruction outside of a Catholic baptism and First Holy Communion. During high school and especially college I was exposed to a lot of other walks of faith and naturally gravitated toward Buddhism and other Eastern religions. The concepts of karma, rebirth, and most importantly zen appealed to me and left me with a very calm and peaceful state of mind, so that is the path that I chose. I never felt the need to question or dissect the values- it was what it was.
I am excited to continue learning about Buddhism and how to incorporate the concepts into my daily life. Even though I differ from all of my friends in this, I have faith that I am on the right path just as they have faith that they are on the path meant for them. (Although I did have an interesting conversation with Klint about Yoda versus Buddha!)
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.
