He's in the jailhouse now

He's in the jailhouse now
5 Quick Hacks to Kill Your Excuses and Pursue Your Dreams
Early Morning Meditation Inspiration - 9/23/2012
Ravi Shankar at Monterey Pop Festival

Posted: 23 Sep 2012 09:00 AM PDT

Screen shot 2012-09-20 at 7.31.15 PM From time to time I enjoy joining a Zen Buddhism form like Zen Forum International and Newbuddhist, just to see how long it takes me to get kicked off or suspended from the forum for posting either academic material or passages from the Pali canon which cut against the grain of sham Buddhism whose project it is to substitute a kinder and more gentle form of materialism in the guise of Buddhism.

Recently, I was suspended for answering the question of a newbie who wanted to know, "If Buddhism denies the self then what reaches nirvana?" I responded with, "It is the very self (paccatta) that reaches nirvana (cp. S. iii. 53—54) (actually the pericope reads: "in the very self (paccatta) he attains complete nirvana). In everyday English the Buddha is saying that you attain nirvana. What else might attain it except the deepest part of you?

Probably the straw that broke the camels back on this particular forum was posting some material from the American Oriental Society which laid to rest the modern Zen Buddhism belief that consciousness doesn't transmigrate when in fact it does, although never self-same (anaññam). In other words, our consciousness fares on and continues after death but it is a serious error in Buddhism to maintain that it fares on and continues "without change of identity." Incidentally, this is very consistent with the Mahayana canon.

Such forums are better for debates. The mistake they all make is when moderators try to tell people this is the way Buddhism is. The only realistic function of a moderator is to make sure debates don't turn into name calling. Moderators shouldn't become thought police but they usually do.

Beginners face an uphill battle trying to learn Buddhism on a forum or even on a blog. Beginners are greatly encumbered because they have not read the Pali canon or very much of the Mahayana canon. But more to the point, they lack insight into absolute Mind. On a personal note, it wasn't until I had a profound insight into Mind, itself, that Buddhism started to make perfect sense.

A word of caution, academic freedom or freedom of speech doesn't extend to Zen Buddhism forums. They are cliques headed by an autocrat who fancies that he knows all there is to know about Buddhism. But more than often he doesn't know beans about Buddhism when it comes to its essence. Take my word for it, all the pop Zen Buddhisms have Buddhism wrong. A beginner would learn more about Buddhism by studying the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali than a pop Zen Buddhism writer like Stephen Batchelor.

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5 Quick Hacks to Kill Your Excuses and Pursue Your Dreams

Posted: 23 Sep 2012 08:00 AM PDT

You make them.

I make them.

We all make excuses and often we're well aware of it.

Excuses feel good in the short-term but when you take a step back and think about the long-term effects, the end result isn't all that enticing.

It's hard to do meaningful work, but you have to really think about what you truly, deeply want.

If you want to move towards a happier and more fulfilling life, you will come across obstacles and it won't all be a bed of roses.

Making excuses is easy, but taking action is hard. The stars will never align and the conditions will never be perfect, so you might as well get started now.

That thing you've been putting off, start today. You will be confused, overwhelmed and maybe even a bit scared. But you have to be willing to take that first step.

Even highly successful people are scared all the time. No one is fearless, but the difference is that successful people take action despite their fears.

Here are 5 quick ways to kill your excuses and finally go after your dreams:

Investigate
Are you making excuses because you really don't want to do the thing you are putting off, or are you making excuses because it takes hard work? There's always a fine line you have to walk. When I was in school; I made a lot of excuses, because I really didn't care for what I was being taught.

But if I am putting off something like my writing, I instantly stop and think about the implications. I realize that writing can be hard, but I am doing what I love, so the only option I have is to keep moving forward.

Rest
Sometimes excuses are signals from your body, mind and soul that a break is needed. I'm an! overach iever, so I tend to overwork myself, a lot, which means I have to force myself to take breaks from time to time.

I've gotten a lot better at it, and as I've done so, I've noticed that rest is essential for peak creativity. Take a look at your excuses and really ask yourself what they are trying to tell you.

Breathe
It can be uncomfortable to do work that matters. Checking your e-mail, running around and doing busy-work is easy, which is why so many people do it and get nothing meaningful done.

Whenever you run into excuses, take a deep breath and think about if the excuse are trying to tell you that you're heading in the wrong direction, or if you're just avoiding something important.

Mindset
We all want to go after our dreams and live a fulfilling life, but it doesn't happen unless you're absolutely determined. You have to commit yourself to making it happen.

There's no fairy coming to grant your wishes. You alone have to take action. You have to stop accepting excuses from yourself when it comes to following your passion.

Goals
What do you really want, and I mean really, really want in life?

I'm not talking about having five cars, a big house or living the American dream. I am talking about what kind of work do you want to do, who do you want to spend time with and who do you want to be?

When excuses pop up, you can refer to your goals, and know that without blasting through your excuses, you won't get to them.

If you really want to make a difference and live the life of your dreams, you have to be willing to be uncomfortable from time to time.

Look at excuses as walls that your mind ! puts up to ask you "are you sure you want to do this?"

In the end, it is up to you. Are you ready to follow your passion or are you okay with the life you've got?

Written on 9/23/2012 by Henri Junttila. Henri writes at Wake Up Cloud, where he helps people turn their passion into a thriving lifestyle business. When you feel ready to take action, get his free special report.

Photo Credit:
Sarah

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Early Morning Meditation Inspiration - 9/23/2012

Posted: 23 Sep 2012 07:00 AM PDT

"What is the appropriate behavior for a man or a woman in the midst of this world, where each person is clinging to his piece of debris? What's the proper salutation between people as they pass each other in this flood?"

~The Buddha