The Peaceful Minds Center

2012-06-19T20:19:00.001-04:00

Laziness: (in Buddhism defined as “being attached to temporary pleasure, not wanting to do virtue or only little”.) The reason for this kind of laziness could be based on the fear of responsibility or making mistakes, based on the unrealistic:”I should be perfect and not make mistakes, so I better do nothing at all”.

Once more in the words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from How to See Yourself As You Really Are:

Laziness comes in many forms, all of which result in procrastination, putting off practice to another time. Sometimes laziness is a matter of being distracted from meditation by morally neutral activities, like sewing or considering how to drive from one place to another; this type of laziness can be especially pernicious because these thoughts and activities are not usually recognized as problems.

At other times, laziness manifests as distraction to thinking about nonvirtuous activities, such as an object of lust or how to pay an enemy back. Another type of laziness is the sense that you are inadequate to the task of meditation, feeling inferior and discouraged: “How could someone like me ever achieve this!” In this case you are failing to recognize the great potential of the human mind and the power of gradual training.

All of these forms of laziness involve being unenthusiastic about meditation. How can they be overcome? Contemplation of the advantages of attaining mental and physical flexibility will generate enthusiasm for meditation and counteract laziness. Once you have developed the meditative joy and bliss of mental and physical flexibility, you will be able to stay in meditation for as long as you want. At that time your mind will be completely trained so you can direct it to any virtuous activity; all dysfunctions of body and mind will have been cleared away.

Buddha's Test For Wisdom

2012-06-11T18:58:00.003-04:00

For all the subtlety of his teachings, the Buddha had a simple test for measuring wisdom. You’re wise, he said, to the extent that you can get yourself to do things you don’t like doing but know will result in happiness, and to refrain from things you like doing but know will result in pain and harm.

Buddha

The Pain Of Self Realization

2012-06-04T19:47:00.001-04:00

“We sometimes feel deep pain as we let go of the person we’ve always been to become the person of which we have no conception.”

Pema Chojor

Waiting, The Usual State Of Mind

2012-05-30T10:43:00.001-04:00

Waiting is a state of mind, the usual state of mind. Presence is when you're no longer waiting for the next moment, believing that the next moment will be more fulfilling than this one.

Eckhart Tolle

2012-05-21T14:33:00.001-04:00

“There can be no political revolution, no social revolution, no economic revolution. The only revolution is that of the spirit; it is individual. And if millions of individuals change, then the society will change as a consequence, not vice versa. You cannot change the society first and hope that individuals will change later on.” Osho

2012-05-14T14:25:00.004-04:00

Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

Lao Tzu

Today I Am Changing Myself

2012-05-08T18:59:00.001-04:00

"Yesterday I was clever,

so I wanted to change the world.

Today I am wise,

So I am changing myself.

Rumi

I Don't Think Therefore I Am

2012-04-30T15:56:00.000-04:00

One of the greatest thinkers in the West, Descartes, has said, “I think, therefore I am.” Cogito ergo sum. and Descartes is the father of modern Western philosophy. “I think, therefore I am.” Just the opposite has been the experience in the East. Buddha, Nagarjuna, Shankara, Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu they will laugh, they will laugh tremendously when they hear Descartes dictum, “I think, therefore I am’; because they say, “I don’t think, therefore I am”. Because when thinking ceases, only then does one know who one is. In a non-thinking state of consciousness one realizes one's being, not by thinking, but by non-thinking. Meditation is nonthinking; it is an effort to create a state of no-mind.

Mooji: Unbound Peace

2012-04-03T15:43:00.001-04:00

Jill Bolte Taylor's Stroke of Insight

2011-10-22T10:10:00.002-04:00

Such a Waste of Time ...

2011-08-18T09:04:00.001-04:00

This is all such a waste of time ... We could be working together building Utopia. Instead, we lie, cheat, steal and take from one another. We are afraid of one another and that fear has us guarded, contracted and unable to give. This results in a tug of war between ego's that no one ego can ever win because for an ego to destroy another ego it subsequently destroys itself - which it would never do. An ego is useless without another ego with which to be in conflict. The former is a direct result of our feeble misunderstanding of our own minds. The majority of our time should be spent understand and releasing the mind. Thus we lose the identification with the mind/body and get in touch with our true nature of being Loving, Kind, Compassionate and Patient. In this lies the answer to every problem. A peaceful mind has no problems - only opportunities. How much time will we spend today creating the causes and conditions for our peaceful mind to flourish?

Tom Notarianni Jr.

©2011 All Right Reserved The Peaceful Minds Center™LLC 561-531-3626 peacefulminds.org

Something Still Remains

2011-06-09T18:22:00.000-04:00

When you remove all of the concepts in your mind, all the labels, the judgements ... All the ideas and duality ... All the words, notions and observations ... Something still remains ... Something that's always been there ... Something that's never changed ... Can you see it through the noise in your mind? The quieter and more still you are the more clearly you can see it ... You experience it ... There are no words to describe it yet it is undeniable ... Just breathe and pay attention to attention itself ...

Tom Notarianni Jr.

©2011 All Right Reserved The Peaceful Minds Center™LLC 561-531-3626 peacefulminds.org

Fully Fearless - Mooji

2011-06-09T08:34:00.000-04:00

The Function Of Music

2011-06-04T17:59:00.000-04:00

The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought.

Sir Thomas Beecham
English conductor (1879 - 1961)

A Tree Is Not A Tree

2011-05-31T15:49:00.000-04:00

"A tree is not a tree and you are not you ..."

Tom Notarianni Jr.

©2011 All Right Reserved The Peaceful Minds Center™LLC 561-531-3626 peacefulminds.org

On This Memorial Day 2011, I Honor You

2011-05-30T13:04:00.000-04:00

While most of us can agree that war is an awful arising, it is my observation that currently it is a necessary evil. The current state of consciousness - or rather mostly unconsciousness and egocentric minds/governments - to me, require two things. One, is Peace through strength. And two, the notion that the free people of the world must stand up for those who are not free or soon none of us will be free. Yes, we can argue the validity of certain wars and the sometimes seemingly dubious motivations of certain aspects. I think it is more useful to agree that instead of wars being good or bad, its more accurate to say that they are good and bad. If the soldiers and the guns were not there to free people from tyranny there would be very little citizens could do to free themselves. We see clear examples of this in many places like Tibet and Iran. Without outside help there is little these people can do. China has absolutely destroyed a beautiful and peaceful culture of people who had no resources and nothing anyone wanted. They destroyed it out of fear that free thinkers were an obstacle to allowing the egocentric government of China to control everything. A country capable of such selfishness and malice with power similar to that of the United States is extraordinarily troubling for the world. Peace through strength seems to be the antidote for now but not forever.

I have continued to witness an extraordinary leap in consciousness in the world the likes of which I have not seen in my lifetime. The Chinese have unwittingly taken the wisdom that was, for the most part, contained in Tibet and disseminated it throughout the world. We never know what's for what in this interconnected and interdependent world in which we live. Although the people of Tibet continue to suffer greatly, the world as a whole has benefited greatly. The peaceful mind, warm heart and compassion practiced by the Dalai Lama during the destruction of his country and culture has demonstrated to the world what is possible. Imagine what the world will look like in the future. Imagine a world full of Dalai Lamas. Imagine when we all realize that the success of our neighbor IS our own success. Imagine when we realize that we need not fear one another, that there is plenty for everyone and there is great peace in sharing and taking care of one another. Imagine the world when we all realize that our true nature is being Loving, Kind, Compassionate and Patient and we Lovingly become that way towards one another. Imagine when we realize that staying connected with our true nature is what brings us true happiness in a deep and meaningful way ... That's the world we have begun to consciously create. People everywhere are gravitating to this truth.

Until this paradigm shift is complete soldiers will be necessary. To those who bravely fight to free people, who give limbs and lives, who are sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, who are brothers and sisters ... To those who try to live with the pains and brutal realities of war trapped inside their heads ... To the families and friends of those who have only memories left of loved ones tragically and prematurely lost in wars ... I say to you that your loss is not in vain. It is by your sacrifice that the causes and conditions are created such that we, the fortunate ones who remain behind, have the homes, places, freedoms and time necessary to realize our true nature - to be Loving, Kind, Compassionate and Patient. Every time I meditate I honor you. Every time I help another in need I honor you. Every time I look to give instead of get I honor you. Every time I smile with joy and happiness bubbling up from inside me I honor you. People who have realized their true nature have no need to fight. As more and more of us awaken to this truth war and conflict will naturally and inexorably become a thing of the past. It will simply become outdated like horses and buggies. You have done your part and now it is time for us to do ours - realize our true nature and maintain our Peaceful Minds. On this Memorial Day 2011, I honor you with my Loving, Kind, Compassionate and Patient Nature and Peaceful Mind. Thank you for helping to create the opportunity for me to find it.

Thomas Notarianni Jr.

Pema Chödrön - Why I Became a Buddhist

2011-05-28T20:37:00.000-04:00

Pema Chodron "This Lousy World"

2011-05-28T20:25:00.000-04:00

Gratitude - A Rare One Sees

2011-05-28T18:39:00.001-04:00

Whoa ... This is one of the most powerful ones ... Enjoy!

Cat Mom Hugs Baby Kitten

2011-05-27T12:41:00.000-04:00

Suffering From Freedom

2011-05-25T09:01:00.000-04:00

"I've never seen anyone anywhere suffering from Freedom."

Mooji

Thought For The Week: "Our Minds Hold Us Hostage"

2011-05-23T15:04:00.001-04:00

"The Mind must have something to threaten you with in order to hold you hostage." Mooji

Something is missing?

2011-05-22T12:59:00.000-04:00

Money is (not) missing

2011-05-22T12:30:00.000-04:00

What is Nirvana ?

2011-05-21T15:55:00.000-04:00