There are no exact guidelines. There are probably no guidelines at all. The only thing I can recommend at this stage is a sense of humor, an ability to see things in their ridiculous and absurd dimensions, to laugh at others and at ourselves, a sense of irony regarding everything that calls out for parody in this world. Continue reading
Personal Development
Willingness to Change
When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not ready. Continue reading
How a Zen Master Transforms His Fear
“It happened that a Zen master was invited as a guest. A few friends had gathered and they were eating and talking when suddenly there was an earthquake. The building that they were sitting in was a seven story building, and they were on the seventh story so life was in danger. Everybody tried to escape. The host, running by, looked to see what had happened to the master. He was there with not even a ripple of anxiety on his face. Continue reading
Friendship
And a youth said, “Speak to us of Friendship.”
Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace. Continue reading
Trust
“A man just got married and was returning home with his wife. They were crossing a lake in a boat when suddenly a great storm arose. The man was a warrior, but the woman became very much afraid because it seemed almost hopeless — THE BOAT WAS SMALL AND THE STORM WAS REALLY HUGE, AND ANY MOMENT THEY WERE GOING TO BE DROWNED. Continue reading
Levels of Existence, Forms of Being
“I am not saying in this conception of adult behavior that one style of being, one form of human existence is inevitably and in all circumstances superior to or better than another form of human existence, another style of being. Continue reading
Silence is part of spiritual discipline
“I must say that, beyond occasionally exposing me to laughter, my constitutional shyness has been no dis-advantage whatever. In fact I can see that, on the contrary, it has been all to my advantage. My hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, is now a pleasure. Continue reading
“Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.”
What I’m saying to you this morning, my friends, even if it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, go on out and sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures; sweep streets like Handel and Beethoven composed music; sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry; Continue reading
Much courage will be needed…
The seed cannot know what is going to happen, the seed has never known the flower. And the seed cannot even believe that he has the potentiality to become a beautiful flower. Continue reading
25 Lessons Learned from John Wooden
- A doer makes mistakes. If you’re not doing, you’re not learning. Everybody makes mistakes. It’s what you do with them that counts.
- Academics are enduring. Getting an education is a #1 priority. Wooden made it a point to his players that they were first and foremost a student (the student part of “student athlete”). Wooden said, “If you let social activity take precedence over the other two (education and sports), then you’re not going to have any for very long.” Wooden also said, “Sports are kind of like passion and that’s temporary in many cases, but academics — that’s like true love and that’s enduring.”
- Agree to disagree, but don’t be disagreeable. According to Wooden, “We can agree to disagree, but we don’t need to be disagreeable.” Continue reading
ONE TUSK 