Friday, February 11, 2011

From Dalai Lama to Pema Chodron

The classes I was taking on the teaching of the Dalai Lama are now over.  I really enjoyed them and hope you have the opportunity to take them. You can find them online at Spiritualilty and Practice. I like the on-demand classes not only because they are half the price, you can take them at your leisure rather than daily.  I prefer 3 times a week which gives me a chance to digest the lessons.

I started classes on Pema Chodron a couple of weeks ago from the same website. I'm really enjoying the lessons so far.  I'm on lesson 6.  It's about rejoicing in ordinary things.  I've been calling that an attitude of gratitude which is to be grateful for everything, big or little things in my life.

It also sounds like joyful effort. Her example is setting the table with care and joy. Her idea is to enjoy everything we do, even cleaning the toilet. In joyful effort, you would even do unpleasant tasks with care and love.

....take equal care of brooms and toilets and plants in order to show their gratitude to these things.
--Pema Chodron 


Can you show gratitude in brooms, toilets, and plants? Plants are easy. I think I can be grateful for the other two because our homes and lives would be different without them.


(21)Always maintain only a joyful mind. Constantly apply cheerfulness, if for no other reason than because you are on this spiritual path. Have a sense of gratitude to everything, even difficult emotions, because of their potential to wake you up.--lojong slogan #21

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