Losing Eternity

How mankind defers from day to day the best it can do, and the most beautiful things it can enjoy, without thinking that every day may be the last one, and that lost time is lost eternity!

-Max Müller

On a Good Day

"Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand new hours to live."

-Thich Nhat Hanh

The Fifth Mindfulness Training: Nourishment and Healing

Intro.

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to
cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family,
and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I
will practice looking deeply into how I consume the Four Kinds of
Nutriments, namely edible foods, sense impressions, volition, and
consciousness. I am determined not to gamble, or to use alcohol, drugs,
or any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites,
electronic games, TV programs, films, magazines, books, and
conversations. I will practice coming back to the present moment to be
in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me and
around me, not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past nor
letting anxieties, fear, or craving pull me out of the present moment. I
am determined not to try to cover up loneliness, anxiety, or other
suffering by losing myself in consumption. I will contemplate interbeing
and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body
and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my
family, my society and the Earth.

A What in the Where?!

I recently came across two interesting stories about Thomas Dyer, a US Army National Guardsman from Tennessee who also serves as a Buddhist chaplain. Yes, Buddhist chaplain. Dyer's spiritual journey from Bible Belt Baptist to Buddhism is fascinating in itself but his story also raises very interesting points regarding Buddhists in the military, especially the US military. The first story looks at Dyer's background. The second story is an interview he gave to NPR recently. Both are thought provoking, to say the least. Here's an excerpt from the interview:

MARTIN (NPR): Now, your story is interesting, I think, for many reasons. Not only are you the military's first Buddhist chaplain; before that, you were a Southern Baptist minister, which turns out to be important to your current post - we'll get to that. Can you just tell us what drew you to Buddhism, recognizing that, of course, it's complicated and a complicated journey for anyone, but can you help us understand what drew you to the faith?

Mr. DYER: I think the journey begins with meditation. The idea of meditation is not to talk or interact with words but to just sit with God or Christ. In my pastorate as a Southern Baptist pastor, in my office, I would sit and meditate in this manner. As I began to interact with Zen Buddhism itself, pretty much like a homecoming, so to speak.

MARTIN (NPR): You know, it's a remarkable coming together of all your various lives, if I can put it that way. I mean, your family, your wife and your children have not embraced the same path as you. How is that working, if you don't mind my asking?

Mr. DYER: My wife and family are very committed Christians, and I support that. But you can imagine with great compassion how they would feel. But I've decided that this Buddhism is an individual path. So I support my family, my wife's Christian faith, and I help support raising our children in the Christian faith, as well.

Liberation in a Cup

This cup of tea in my two hands,
mindfulness perfectly held.
My body and mind dwell
in the very here and now.

-'Tea Gatha', composed by Thich Nhat Hanh