Christmas day

Its the 25th of December, Christmas day and for once I am spending good quality time with my family. I am aware that I have not made an entry since early November, but as always my practice's has to take precedent, the blog takes second place. In the new year I will be back again. So I wish you merry Christmas and a happy new year, may health, love, peace and happiness be yours throughout 2007,and together we will take up the challenge and change our lives.

Visiting Hartridge monestry

I have over the past few years visitied a numer of Buddhist temples in the UK and today I drove out to the Devon Vihara at Hartridge and had a wonderful time. It is strange to see monks in saffron going about their daily routine but the people of East Devon have grown used to seeing the monks with their begging bowels in the local towns and villages. The monks at the Devon Vihara follow the Forrest sangha tradition a tradition that can be traced to the third-century B.C.E. and Prince Ashoka, originating in India, the forest monk tradition spread to Thailand, Burma, Laos, and Sri Lanka.

As I walked through the door of the temple the monks where sat eating their mid day meal, (the only meal of the day). When the abbot saw me he said “hello, go into the kitchen and have something to eat and I will see you later”……..and I did. Everyone there was friendly, welcoming and happy.

The temple is in a remote part of East Devon at the end of a very long lane surrounded by 22 acres of woodland. The monks live in small wooden huts called “kuti’s”, and follow the teachings of the Venerable Ajahn Chah. Ajahn Chah was born on June 17, 1918 in a small village near the town of Ubon Rajathani, North-East Thailand. After finishing his basic schooling, he spent three years as a novice before returning to lay life to help his parents on the farm. At the age of twenty, however, he decided to resume monastic life, and on April 26, 1939 he received upasampada (bhikkhu ordination). For further information please visit:

http://www.forestsangha.org/

The Serial Bully and his victim

Monday afternoon and I have just arrived home from listening to one man's story. An intelligent hard working man who has suffered from the attention of a bully at his place of work. I have no intention of breaching confidentially or compromising my position and all that I believe, but the opportunity now exists for me to bring the topic of bullying to the fore. Over the years I have spent a considerable amount of time counselling the victims of bullying and helping them over come their stress. The question of “why” always comes to mind, “why does one person bully another” and “why do companies allow it to happen in the first place?".

The Scene.
The company is a medium to large company with European connections, the bully in question is I believe a serial bully, and his target, a quiet intelligent male who could easily be you or me or some one we know.

The Bully.
The profile I am building in my mind of this serial bully from the evidence shown to me is one of a man who has a Jekyll and Hyde character, vicious and vindictive one moment perfectly charming and innocent the next. I do not underestimate this bully’s capacity to deceive, he is plausible and convincing when his superiors or others are present but his charm is used to deceive and cover for lack of empathy. This bully holds deep prejudices against the opposite gender, people of a different sexual orientation, other cultures, religious or ethnic background.

He is self-opinionated, arrogant and has a superior sense of entitlement and sense of being invulnerable or un-touchable. “I am the second most powerful man in this company” (even though his position is low in the company). He has a compulsive need to control everyone and everything his subordinates do, “If you want to get on in this company you better do as I say”. He is manipulative and undermines and destroys anyone who the he perceives to be an adversary or a potential threat. It is almost as though he has a need to find a weakness in someone then expose and exploit that weakness until his victim leaves the company, normally through illness and depression. The bully then goes to ground until he thinks he is safe, then, finds his next target.

The Victim.
This victim is competent and popular but vulnerable. This victim is intelligent, honest, trustworthy, and conscientious middle aged man who is sensitive, helpful, always willing to share knowledge and experience. He is tolerant, forgiving and inclined to think well of others. He has high moral standards and a strong well-defined set of values. He has low assertiveness and a strong need to feel valued. He is quick to apologize for anything he “might” have done wrong, he is a perfectionist with a strong sense of fair play and has a tendency to keep anger bottled up rather than express it.

In this respect our “victim” is a really nice man who the company would do well to employ.

The Company.
The company is a medium sized British company with expanding European connections. It has a well manned human resource department who are aware of the numerous complaints regarding this bully, but the department has been totally ineffective in dealing with this issue. The company does have a policy regarding bullying, discrimination and harassment, which is intended to protect both employees and the employer, but has failed dismally to protect the victims and in one case even supported the bully when he cleverly switched from being the persecutor to being a victim.

When the companies Human Resource Department writes off a bullying incident as a "personality clash" and sweeps the incident under the carpet, the company and individual managers are then wide open to litigation. A personality clash can only occur between two people of equal rank, status or power. To take the attitude “We don’t like him but he gets the job done” is to ignore the cost to the company in:
1. Low morale,
2. Poor productivity,
3. Poor customer service,
4. High sickness absence,
5. High staff turnover,
6. Frequent grievance,
7. Legal action.

In July this year, judges in the House of Lords decided that former health service worker William Majrowski could use the "Protection from Harassment Act 1997" to sue his former employer for workplace bullying. The Act was introduced to deal with stalkers but has been so loosely drafted that its remit has widened as clever lawyers has sought to put it to new uses. This latest development has important implications for employers.

Even if a company can show that they did all that could have reasonably been expected to protect an employee from harassment, the company will still be liable.

I expect that this law will be challenged in the due course of time, but at present an employer will held responsible if work place bullying is not controlled.

Conclusion?
The failure to tackle bullying head on or denying of the existence of the serial bully with in the company not only serves to discredit the target or victim, but invites the company manager’s behavior to match the profile of the bully. If the pattern of daily, trivial nitpicking and criticism, isolation and exclusion persists the individuals morale, resistance, and immune system weakens resulting in sickness, absence from work and depression.

Should the target then end his life as a result of negligence on the part of the company or it's failure to tackle bullying, then charges of Manslaughter or Corporate Manslaughter can be brought against the company and its managers.

I am only interested in taking the seagulls eye view of the incident within this company and to offer confidential emotional support to those who look for it and this includes the bully, because I believe he may have been a target or victim, at a young age, and the script he learnt then he is putting into practice now.

How long does it take to become enlightened?

There is no set time. The qualities of wisdom and compassion that we uncover on the path exist within all of us right now. One can even say they are our primordial nature. What we are trying to do on the path is to free ourselves from identifying with that which is false, such as the notion that our body is our self, or that our distorted thoughts and emotions are our self. How long that will take us depends upon how much effort we put into following the spiritual path, but enlightenment is in a sense available to us right now. Of course, one needs to find an effective method for removing the obscurations. Having found the skilful teachers who can impart these to us, we then need to be fully committed to using them. It is said that there are beings, like the dzok chen master Garab Dorje, for whom enlightenment follows instantaneously upon their hearing one line of the teaching. However, such beings are as rare as stars seen in the daytime. The vast majority of us need to follow a graduated and systematic path. However, if we follow the most powerful of Buddha’s teachings, the vajrayana, then it is possible to become enlightened in this very life. Even if that is not possible, by sincerely setting out on the spiritual path in this life we should be confident that in successive lives we will carry on with this upward movement towards enlightenment.

by Lama Jampa Thaye

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water.
The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken.
Although its light is wide and great,
The moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide.
The whole moon and the entire sky
Are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.
Dogen

Winds of Change.

As a young boy walking down to the fish quay I would often stop and read the poem carved on the door knocker of a fisherman's cottage over looking the harbour, it read...

The wind blows east,
The wind blows west,
It's the self same wind that blows.
But it's the set of the sails
And not the gales
That tell which way to go!

In the lines, "It's the set of the sails and not the gales that tell which way to go" we learn that even though the journey may be difficult, it is still possible for the ship to sail against the wind and reach its destination. So it is we mortals, sometimes our life is like a ship on a difficult passage, the winds of change conspire against us and we have to change tack again and again beating to windward to make headway.

Yesterday I spoke to two different men, both about fifty, their stories where completely different but the analogy of the sailing ship is useful in understanding both problems. One man is working his way through bereavement, the other, a man who having gained a BSc(hons) then a masters degree has lost his will to continue. For both people the wind has changed and is blowing against them.

The numbness, anger and sadness experienced after the death of a loved one and reactions such as bouts of silence, sleeplessness, loss of energy, loss of appetite, withdrawal, and sudden uncontrollable tears, are a normal part of the grieving process until the pain starts to subside and we see life in a more positive light. Slowly time heals, we begin to accept our loss and we begin to carry on with our life. Some feelings do not go away, we just learn to live with them, we learn to cope. When there are multiple stress factors in our life, and the death of a loved one occurs, bereavement then becomes all the more difficult to cope with. We are then like a ship beating to windward in a storm with torn sails.

The second man lost his job twelve years ago through illness and having decided on a new career direction. His initial positive motivation took him to university to study for a degree, his success there led him on to study for one year masters degree which he has just completed. But now the winds have changed for him, he is no longer studying, he has not got the employment he thought he would get with his new degree. He thinks this is because of his age and now he is at home, depressed, angry with the world, not sure if he made the right decisions, not sure what to do next. This man is like a ship in a storm sailing on to a lee shore. I do not use the metaphor lightly I have been there both at sea and in life.

But it's the set of the sails and not the gales that tell which way to go!

There is a way we can change the predicament we find ourselves in, we can change tack and beat our way to windward, round the headland and shelter in calmer waters. What we need is to give our selves time, find the will to change and go for it.

Breathe deep, take up the challenge, change your life.

"Waking up this morning, I smile,
Twenty-four brand new hours
are before me.
I vow to live fully in each
Moment
And to look at all beings with
Eyes of Compassion"

- A prayer by Thich Nhat Hanh

A Day of Tai Chi

Had a brilliant day today practicing Tai Chi at Ruggadon Farm in the converted barn, it is light, airy and surrounded by beautiful countryside. The BCCMA 24 Posture form is a nice compact form and particularly good in confined spaces, I am able to practice the twenty four postures at home in our front room. We also covered the Metal and water elements of the wu-hsing or "five elements" and worked our way through the 18 posture Qigong form.

The B.C.C.M.A 24 Posture Form Yang Style
1 Open Posture (Part the Horses Main)
2 Grasp the Birds Tail
3 Single Whip
4 Raise Hands Posture
5 White Crane Spreads its Wings
6 Brush Knee Twist Step
7 Strum the Lute
8 Repulse the Monkey
9 Slant Flying
10 Wave Hands Like the Clouds
11 Single Whip
12 High Pat on Horse
13 Right Heel Kick
14 Double Strike
15 Left Heel Kick
16 Snake Creeps Down
17 Golden Cockerel Stands on One Leg
18 Fair Lady Works the Shuttles
19 Needle at the Bottom of the Sea
20 Fan Thru the Back
21 Turn Parry and Punch
22 Draw Back Palm Under Elbow and Push Forward
23 Turn with Cross Arm Posture
24 Close

The Six Perfections or Six Paramitas

I have put together this essay on the Six Paramitas or the Six perfections because for me they are more than a useful code to live by. For the individual on the path to Enlightenment, or those looking for a more philosophical way of life, for small groups of people or nation states, generosity, morality, patience, joyful effort, concentration and wisdom are enriching for all irrespective of race, religion, colour or creed. All living beings have Buddha nature. I realise I might tread on the toes of of those who would describe my interpretation of the Six Perfections as “loose”. For those I offend I apologise, for those wanting more information please write to me for book lists, meditation centres and website addresses I welcome your comments.

A lifetimes interest in sailing has taught me time and time again the need to learn the lessons of getting on with each other in a small, confined environment. When you are in the middle of the ocean it is too late to find out you do not like your companions; you can not just walk away from your responsibilities, or ignore the needs of others and they have the same responsibilities to you. So, we develop an unconditional, “duty of care” for each other and the environment we find ourselves in.

On a larger, cosmic scale, we are all on the same densely populated “planetary ship” sailing through the universe together. There is no chart, sailing directions, destination, or port of call; our ship is just “sailing” on a vast boundary-less cosmic ocean. It does not matter what race, religion, creed, colour or ethnic background we are from, we are all on the same ship, we cannot get off, we need to work together, we have to be self sufficient, and we all have the same “duty of care” for each other and the environment that supports our very existence.

When we realise the fragility of our own existence and accept unconditionally, the responsibility for others then why is it so difficult to get on with each other? The idea of a “code of conduct” or “model” which we can all live by becomes quite a burden when you have to abide by rules that some one else has made, but a code of conduct that we can grow into is much easier to accept. The principal of the Six Perfections is a good code of conduct to live by for Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike. By practicing the Six Perfections one generates discipline and harmony in our physical and verbal actions, and take a step by step path to lasting happiness By following this path anyone can transform their mind from its present confused and self-centered state into the blissful mind of an enlightened one.

Accepting that all living beings have the seed or potential to become an enlightened one or Buddha, then, as a Buddha-to-be or Bodhisattva, we should have developed morality, compassion and wisdom to such a degree that Enlightenment and entry to Nirvana is possible. (Well this would be possible with a bit more practice than we average mortals show in our everyday lives).

There are six practices that we as “Potential Bodhisattva’s” need to cultivate in order to reach enlightenment. These practices are known as the “Six Perfections,” or the Six Paramitas. The Six Perfections are:
<br>1. Generosity, (Dāna paramita: generosity, giving of oneself).
2. Morality, (Sila paramita : virtue, morality, proper conduct).
3. Patience, (Ksanti paramita : patience, tolerance, acceptance).
4. Joyful effort, (Virya paramita : energy, diligence, vigor, effort).
5. Concentration, (Dhyāna paramita : meditation, contemplation).
6. Wisdom. (Prajña paramita : wisdom, insight).r>
>*(Some Buddhist teachings mention ten perfections)

Breathe deep, take up the challenge, change your life

1. The Perfection of Generosity

Giving begrudgingly is the same as not giving at all.

The difference between giving begrudgingly and giving freely with out any thought of gain or profit, is motivation. When giving we should ask ourselves, What is my motive in giving? Giving can and often does, have a degree of selfishness within it. If behind our act of giving is the notion that we will benefit from it in some way or other then our motivation has been polluted. Giving with only the thought of how the recipient will benefit, is the purest form of giving.

Traditionally there are three types of giving:
Giving material help.
Giving protection.
Giving pure sincere Dharma teaching.

Venerable Master Hsing Yun, (of the Fo Guang Shan Monastery, Tiwan):

A devotee told Chan Master Moxian, "My wife is extremely stingy. She will not spend even a penny on charity. Could you please come to my house and talk to her about engaging in benevolent deeds?" Very compassionately, Chan Master Moxian agreed. The next day, when he went to the devotee's house, the wife came out to receive him. True to her miserly nature, she did not even offer Chan Master Moxian a cup of tea. Chan Master sat down and held out his fist, asking, "Madame, look at my hand. What would you think if my hand remained constantly in a fist?". The wife responded, "If it remained in a fist, then your hand is deformed! Something must be wrong with it." Chan Master repeated her words back to her, saying, "It is deformed!" In the meantime, he opened up his fist and held out a flat palm to her, asking, "Were it like this all the time, what do you think?". The wife responded, "That would be deformed too!"


Seizing this opportunity, Chan Master Moxian immediately came to the point, saying, "Madame, you are right! A constant closed fist and a constant opened palm are both deformed. It is the same with the way we use money. If we are always closefisted, only concerned about getting more money, but never consider giving, we are deformed. If we are always open-handed, only thinking about spending but not saving, we are deformed as well. Money should flow like a smooth current. When it comes in, it should flow out too. There should be a balance in your receiving and giving." With this example from Chan Master Moxian, the devotee's wife had a clear idea about how to conduct herself in money matters.

2. The Perfection of Morality

Benefit others, If you can not benefit others, do not harm them.

It may appear old fashioned and out of place in this day and age to talk of moral behavior but the concept of the perfection of morality can also be referred to as behavioral discipline or ethics. In more specific Buddhist terms, the concept deals with the prohibitions against immoral behavior that are practiced by ordained laypeople, monks and nuns. But we as everyday, ordinary people have the tendency to act and allow others to act "unskillfully", and this tendency needs to be controlled. We should at all times protect of our body, our speech and our mind from performing unskillful and immoral deeds, for instance:

Protect our Body from:
Killing,
Stealing,
Sexual Misconduct.

Protect our Speech from:
Telling Lies
Slandering others
Gossiping and using harsh words
Swearing

Protect our Mind from:
Craving and attachment
Wishing to harm others
Holding wrong views

Cultivating morality in our selves is not easy, cultivating morality in others almost impossible but if we do not practice morality then the morality or behavioral discipline is nothing more than a theroetical exercise!

3. The Perfection of Patience

We, with our deluded minds allow the practice of patience to be more difficult than it really is. In our modern world, life is a compromise, inherently unsatisfactory and troublesome. Work, money, people, travel, noise, pollution, all conspire to make life difficult for us. It is very easy to blame others for our misfortunes and get upset with them when things have not gone right for us. The first person to get hurt when we get angry is ourselves! But by practicing patience we gain an inner strength and the courage to face difficult situations, we gain the strength not to get angry or abusive and the strength to stay calm.

When we face difficult situations, problems or anger, we suffer. Accepting that suffering with patience we recognise that these transient conditions will pass. If we stay calm with an angry person they too will eventually become calm, and in staying calm you will have become the stronger person by default.

Patience is a virtue that we all gain from!

The joys of practicing patience can be illustrated by the life and poems of the eighteenth century Japanese poet, Kobayashi Nobuyki who used the pen name “Issa”. Issa's life was full of misfortunes, he lost his mother at an early age, his stepmother mistreated him, he suffered extreme poverty, his children died, and his marriage with his second wife was more than unhappy. Issa's poems often reflected the small joys he found when depicting his life and the difficult poverty driven life of Shinshu peasants. He found beauty, virtue, and merit by practicing patience in his harsh surroundings. For example he was able to transform his irritation with the fleas that lived in his clothes into patience with this Haiku poem:

Now you fleas!
You shall see Matsushima
Off we go!

Or, with this observation of the flies that was irritating him in a temple…

The flies in the temple,
Imitate the hands
Of the people with prayer beads.

We can not prevent problems from occurring, but if we analyze the things that irritate us and cause us to loose our patience and regard lifes irritations like Issa's fleas, then they can become our friends and teachers, providing us with the opportunity to learn, and in learning we become less stressed.

4. The Perfection of Joyful Effort

The fourth perfection is that of joyful effort. The concept of having to work to get some where in this life is a bitter pill to swallow, we would much rather enjoy life with all its rich diversity than ‘work’, but as the saying goes “No pain, no gain.” So it is with Buddhism, following the Buddha’s path is a richly rewarding experience; however, at times we have to work at it. Simple!

It has been said that indulging in the sensual pleasures of this world is like “licking honey off the blade of a razor; it is the source of a little sweetness and it slices up the tongue”. That is not to say that following the Buddha’s path is dull, dreary and monotonous, on the contrary. If we change our perspective, then, when the going gets tough and we feel like giving up, consider that we are being presented with a great opportunity to practice, our effort then becomes joyful.

In all our daily activities joyful effort helps us to keep practicing and encourages us in times of weakness to keep trying. We should live our lives with joyful effort. Each moment should be a moment lived with an eye toward living it fully and completely. Sometimes it takes all of our strength to "just sit" for ten minutes in meditation, or find the right response to a loved one, or set aside the temptation to cheat on our vows.

Generally speaking, there are three aspects of joyous effort:
Joyful effort in following Dharma practice
Joyful effort of continuous practice
Joyful effort in not giving up

If we recognize that the main obstacles to the development of our efforts are the different levels of laziness, i.e. the laziness that comes with procrastination, the laziness that stem’s from indolence and laziness that comes from a sense of inferiority. Then we can make progress along the path we choose to follow and eventually gain higher realizations. We can over come discouragement, remember we, like the Giant Redwood grow from a single seed.

Breathe deep, take up the challenge, change your life

5. The Perfection of Concentration

Concentration or the 'single pointed mind' is the fifth perfection. With out concentration we can not penetrate in to the object of our meditation and realize our true nature. It is natural for our mind to be distracted and restless, always moving from one thought or feeling to another like the flame of a candle flickering in a draught, darting here and there in milliseconds. With the right concentration we can train our mind to be stabile, present and aware in everything we do.

Our concentration has two enemies, mental agitation, or busyness, and mental torpor, or numbness. Generally, agitation arises from desire, an attractive object appears in the mind and the mind leaves the object of meditation to follow it. Torpor arises from subtle apathy developing within the mind. A useful analogy is a man using a candle to view a painting on the wall of a dark room, a draught will cause the candle to flicker too much for the man to be able to see the painting properly, and if the candle is too small its flame will be too weak. When the flame of the mind is not obstructed by the wind of mental agitation and/or weakened by the smallness of torpor it can concentrate properly upon the picture of the meditation object.

We can train the mind with regular meditation practice and achieve focus, composure, and tranquility. The ability to concentrate and focus the mind will generate clarity, equanimity and illumination. As we eliminate our misperceptions and attachments, we can directly experience the joy, compassion, and wisdom of our own true nature. There is no attainment of wisdom and enlightenment without developing the mind through concentration and meditation. To sit on the cushion is to be enlightened.

Regular meditation is the foundation stone of the practice and development of our concentration. Set aside time each morning and evening to sit with ourselves in meditation. Light a candle and incense, then sit, and as the self drops away we will be able to see clearly our own true nature. Getting up from the cushion, we know that we are taking with us a profound grounding and truth that we can share with others.

6. The Perfection of Wisdom

Wisdom is the ability,
Developed through experience,
Insight and reflection,
To discern truth and
Exercise good judgment.

The last and sixth perfection, the perfection of wisdom, (transcendental wisdom), is called prajñaparamita in Sanskrit, and is practiced while performing the other perfections.

Wisdom is not the same as “worldly intelligence”, we can be very intelligent but have little wisdom, like the scientist who can develop weapons of mass destruction but have no idea how to lead a peaceful and virtuous life. Wisdom enables one to be self-guided in virtue, ridding our minds of disturbing emotions and ignorance. Wisdom allows us to see the truth about how things really are and develop compassion towards all living beings; ultimately we gain enlightenment and become a Buddha.

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in his excellent book “The Bodhisattva Vow” says “Wisdom is a virtuous mind that functions mainly to dispel doubt and confusion by understanding its object thoroughly. Wisdom practiced with bodhichitta motivation is a perfection of wisdom.”

We can gain wisdom through:
Studying the teachings of Buddha.
Citical investigation of reality.
Insight meditation. (Sanskrit: vipashyana).

Special insight is only possible if one has developed a calm abiding mind as perfected in the practice of concentration. Wisdom is a part of all of the paramitas, that is the foundations of the six perfections. To be wise is to be charitable, disciplined, patient, determined, mindful, and the result is the development of wisdom. Wisdom comes with time and cannot be hurried, we are all wiser with hindsight, our wisdom will evolve as we take each step of our lives. We will become wise when we see our truth, our failures, our successes, our efforts, and so on as just what they are, impermanent moments of our being. Letting go of these is the fruit of our wisdom.

Breathe deep, take up the challenge and change your life.

Moving like a flowing river

Under heaven nothing is more soft and weaker than water.
Yet for attacking the hard and the resistant, nothing can surpass it.
The weak can conquer the strong,
The soft can conquer the hard.
Under heaven everyone knows this
Yet no one seems to apply it.
Lao Tzu

I was reminded of the above text by Lao Tzu, when I saw how different the beach looks today after yesterdays storm, millions of tonnes of pebbles have moved to form a new terrace equal in height, to the height of yesterdays high tide. And yet, when we put our hand into a bowl of water, the water molds to the shape of our hand effortlessly. Try to pick up a handful of water and water trickles through our fingers. But water, with all its softness, will cut through mountains and re-shape landscapes.

So when we change from one posture to another in Tai Chi, our movements should flow like a river, effortlessly, continuously moving and changing position with out hesitation. Just as rain drops falling on the river become part of the river, so should each posture of a form become like one long posture. And each 'drop' of internal energy combine and move like a flowing river through out our entire body.

Buterflies, berievment and stormy seas.

The flower invites the butterfly with no-mind;
The butterfly visits the flower with no-mind.
The flower opens, the butterfly comes;
The butterfly comes, the flower opens.
I don't know others,
Others don't know me.
By not knowing we follow nature's course.

Ryokan

Three people use my counselling service to to help come to terms with berievment, I listen to them, we talk, I give them confedential emotional support and afterwards lite incense to Buddha, then go and sit on the beach, its sunny but very windy, large waves crash on the shore.

Breathe deep, take the challenge and change your life!

When the sun shines, it is a beautiful day.
When it rains, it is a beautiful day.
When it snows it is a beautiful day.
When storm driven waves come crashing
On to the shore, it is a beautiful day.
When the light goes out at the end of the tunnel,
And life does not seem worth living, it is a beautiful day.
There is something beautiful in everything,
We have only to look.

Even when something may seem completely without beauty, lacking in virtue, or without merit of any kind, somewhere there is beauty and virtue and merit. And when life seems so bleak that there is no light at the end of the tunnel and life is not worth living, very often it is our perception of a situation, person, or thing that defines what we feel at that moment in time. If we change our perception and look, we will find beauty and virtue in every thing.

Wisdom, love and compassion is more important than the ability fight and win battles. Martial art or conflict between nations, the ability to heal, mend, and repair what is broken goes far beyond the ability to fight or cause conflict. One of the fundamental tenants of Tai-Chi-Quan is harmony, internally and externally. This coupled with a non-contentious spirit is more powerful than any martial practice on its own.

Take a moment and consider what is really the truth. Breathe deep, take the challenge, change your life.

learn to laugh, learn to relax

What are the first thoughts that go through your mind when you see the photograph below? "My kind of car....." Did it make you smile? Did it make you think "What on earth...?" and laugh. If after a hard day at work you saw the photo or something like it and you smiled to your self, then you have already started to relax. If I put a picture of a Ferrari or a battle scene in a war zone instead of the photograph below, then you would have totally different thoughts occupying your mind.

Now take a look at the photograph of the "Bamboo raft and basket" and then the "Water lily at Bystock Lake" and look inside your mind, as you look at photographs think, How do they make me feel?. Did the photograph of the Raft and the basket make me feel relaxed, and the water lily did it make me feel peaceful? May be they did, may be they didn't, either way the important thing is to find something to make you smile and relax and to drain away tension.

I photographed the vehicle in a small village in Guilin, China, back in March. There are any number of small general purpose agricultural vehicles like this one, loaded to the gunnel's with agricultural produce carrying vegetables and crates of chicken to local "Farmers markets" this one was waiting to load river rafts and take them back up stream.

My kind of car.......

The resting place is in our mind

The world is constantly drawing our attention outward.
Create some time each day to pause, meditate
and turn the attention within again.
Like a sheet of origami paper folded back onto itself,
the mind returns to being just as it is for awhile.
Carve out a resting place,
a rock to sit on where the mountains
of your mind extend as far as you can see.
Then bring the attention back within
and see for yourself what the mind is.

Anon

Go on, put your feet up

Look around us and you will see that just about everybody is overwhelmed with work, phone calls, media messages, junk mail, terrorist threats, computers, news updates, politics, war, images, noise, traffic, pollution, our minds and thought process are being bombarded with information and I believe we have reached overload, we can not take any more. Family problems, financial problems and much, much more are gradually making us ill, so I invite you to take the antidote. I invite you to take the day off. Take a day off, re-claim your “day of rest”, the day that was once present in our culture, but has now become swallowed up by our 24/7, must have it now life style. I believe that people badly need a day of rest to balance the stress of our fast-paced, stress producing lives. Every day we hurry to get so many things done, to meet urgent short-term demands. We complain about not having enough time to relax or to do the things we know are important to our well being.

All I am suggesting is to try taking one day of rest on a regular basis, one day each week, even one day each month, whatever seems doable on a regular basis and it must be on a regular basis. On this rest day, forget work, civic duties and world affairs; focus on your private life. The activities you choose to do on your day of rest depends on you the individual, but might include playing with family, visiting friends, taking a walk in the park, taking time out to appreciate the beauty of the countryside. If one is physically exhausted, take a nap, read a book, focus on having a day of rest and rejuvenate your body and mind.

After you try a couple rest days, ask yourself how it feels. Were you glad you did it? Do you feel better, more relaxed or further ‘behind' or did you find that it was OK to put off the things you would have done for a day? Was it worth it? Then ask your self “when did I last do that” or it might be “I’ll have to do that again. Then maybe you will find time to take the day off again, just for your self, to relax and unwind and put your feet up

Bamboo raft and basket Guilin

Benefits of Meditation

The art of meditation is the art of Shifting
the focus of attention to ever Subtler levels,
without loosing one’s grip
On the levels left behind.
Nisargadatta Maharaj

The therapeutic benefits of meditation are now well documented and are known to relieve a number of “mind made illnesses” including anxiety and heart disease as well as bring an inner freedom and personal transformation to the individual by opening the door to our consciousness and revealing aspects of our inner selves that have laid dormant for most of our lives. This can be quite liberating, the process of spring cleaning our mind can uncover deeply ingrained feelings, habits and prejudices and help us to recognize them and let go of them, giving us an inner stillness and peace of mind.

Although the benefits are many, there should be no desire achieve goals of any kind in our practice of meditation. Zen uses the term Mushotoku, which means "without any goal or profit-seeking" we should not seek any benefits from these moments, but just simply be. Just concentrate, focus and breathe. The by product of our practice over time being an improvement in:

• Our emotional wellbeing
• Stress relief
• Lowering our anxiety levels
• Controlling our anger
• Reducing depression
• Self confidence
• Improving our self esteem

Mushotoku: The optimum state for Zen practice, in which there is no goal or object, no intention for self gain or profit.

Reflections on 911

0730hrs, sitting on the beach watching the reflections of the sky on the sea and the changing colours as the sun brakes through early morning cloud, contemplating on the changes over the past five years, since the horrors of 9/11 shook the world and trying to work out what lessons we have learned.

If we accept and practice the principal of an “eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” then we will never really have lasting peace and happiness in this world, we can only suffer the anxiety, fear, hatred, and the paranoia of revenge and its consequence. Revenge is not so sweet when we are on the receiving end, violence only creates violence. Nobody can escape the consequences of their actions.

To break this vicious circle someone has to have the courage to make a change, to develop love, kindness and compassion for others, then, we have a chance to live in peace and harmony. We all depend on each other; this is as much so within our families as it is between Nations, as it is between mankind and the planet we live on.

The Dalai Lama said “Benefit others....... If you can not benefit others, don’t harm them”, simple words and a simple lesson that would change the world if we practiced it.

I go home and light incense for all victims of terrorism and war.

Water Lily at Bystock lake

Holding the balloon.

When we are worried, our minds are in a constant state of turmoil; one thought is replaced immediately by another then another and another and we become like a balloon blown here and there in the wind.

When our mind is not peaceful, we find it very difficult to be happy. Our modern 24/7 stress filled world is slowly making us sick. There are so many reasons for us to become despondent and irritated. We allow ourselves to become bitter and angry when we allow stress to dominate our lives. When we start to feel that life is treating us badly we become unhappy, depressed, or even suicidal.

But with the systematic training required in meditation, tai chi and qigong the delusions that are the causes of all our problems and our suffering are eventually eradicated from our mind and we experience a permanent inner peace. With regular meditation, Tai Chi and Qigong practice, our mind will gradually become more and more peaceful. We create an inner peace and clarity that enables us to control our mind regardless of the external circumstances. We develop a peaceful mind free from worries and mental stress, and experience a purer form of inner happiness.

We stop the “balloon being blown on the wind”.

Practicing the Eight Posture Simplified Yang Style Form

It was 0630 when I walked along the seafront this morning, the sea was flat calm and a steel grey colour reflecting an overcast sky, small wavelets made a soft whooshing noise as they lapped gently on the pebble beach. It was not cold, about 20º C.

Starting the "Eight Posture Simplified Yang Style Form", I stood for a few minutes in meditation on the grass at the top of the beach then slowly stepped out with the left foot to the "Open tai chi posture", then moving slow, and controlled I held the ball and turned to the left into "parting the wild horses main" left foot forward then repeating the posture but with the right foot forward.

Without pausing I held the ball, stepped in half a step with the left, (rear foot) to form "White crane spreads it's wings" letting the ball of the right foot lightly touch the ground before moving into "Brush knee and press" with the left hand forward and stepping forward with the right foot into the same posture but with the left hand forward. Turning through 180 degrees clockwise I formed the "single whip" posture, with the right hand pressed forward and the fingers of the left hand forming the cranes beak.

Turning back, (90 degrees anti clockwise) and stepping in with the left foot I move in to "Cloud hands" circling the arms whilst stepping to the right three times. Then "Grasp the bird’s tail" this is really, three moves in one, from a right sided bow stance, we "roll back", "press", and then "push" before turning 90 degrees to the left in to the "Close posture".

The above discription of the eight posture simplified yang style form was difficult to write and no doubt just as difficult to read. I can not remember how long it took me to learn the eight posture form, but for ages I worked through the form repeating the postures over and over again until my muscles knew what to do with out me thinking of it, and I could start and end the form in the same spot blind folded.

One day after our small group had been struggling with the eight posture form, our instructor gave a demonstration of the 42 posture Yang form, it was stunning to watch and he rightly deserved the round of applause he received afterwards. When I asked him how long had he been practicing the 42 posture form, he said seven years, I can well believe it.

You can learn the eight posture form in a matter of a few weeks, to learn it properly a few months, to understand it a few years, but to feel it, a lifetime.

The Eight Posture Simplified Yang Style Form
1. Open tai chi
2. Parting the wild horses mane
3. White crane spreads its wings
4. Brush knee and press
5. Single whip
6. Cloud hands
7. Grasp the birds tail
8. Close

Tai Chi at Bystock Lake

THE LOTUS
First blooming in the Western Paradise,
The lotus has delighted us for ages.
Its white petals are covered with dew,
its jade green leaves spread out over the pond,
And its pure fragrance perfumes the wind.
Cool and majestic, it raises from the murky water.
The sun sets behind the mountains
But I remain in the darkness, too captivated to leave.

Ryokan.

I went to Bystock lake and spent fourty minutes or so working through some Tai Chi forms then sat on a bench watching the ducks in the sunshine, I do not need a lot to make me happy.

Tai Chi and Qigong the Ultimate Stress Busters

I have chosen to present this post from the stress sufferer’s perspective, because the benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi will then become more apparent. I am often asked:

What is stress?
Do I suffer from stress?
What are the causes of stress?
How does stress affect me?
How can I reduce or eliminate stress altogether?

Questions that are some times difficult to answer accurately, because what gives me a great deal of stress may not affect you at all and vice versa. May be someone else, under the same circumstances will react in a completely different manner to you and I. But we all have stress and prolonged stress is making us ill.

So what is Stress?
Stress has been described as “Anything that we perceive as a threat to us that triggers the “Flight and Fight Response”. The Flight and Fight Response evolved over millions of years, and enabled our cave dwelling ancestors to avoid being eaten by dinosaurs, hunt for food and fight noisy neighbors. This type of stress which is relatively short lived, today we do not run the risk of being eaten by dinosaurs, but the fight and flight response clicks into action when for example, we cross the road half asleep and hear the screech of car tires and jump out of the way. Once we are safely across the road our breathing and heart rate slows down and our blood pressure returns to normal.

How does Stress Effect People?
What is the cost of stress to the individual? Studies into the effects of stress, has linked stress to heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide. More commonly stress can lead to unemployment and the breakdown of the family unit.

Do I Suffer From Stress?
The short answer is “YES”. As we have just seen we do in fact need an element of stress in our lives in order to survive. Stress sharpens the senses, makes us quick to react and respond to different situations, therefore we are all subject to stress to a greater or lesser degree. The flight and fight, type of stress is relatively short lived and will wax and wane over a period of time, it never ceases. However chronic stress factors stay with us for a long time, and it is then that we may feel trapped by the factors that cause our stress. The effects of stress then becomes accumulative and if we are subjected to several stress causing factors even for a short period of time, we are at greater risk of developing chronic illness.

A survey by the British “Health and Safety Executive”, (HSE), during 2003 and 2004 indicated that over half a million individuals in Britain believed that they were experiencing work-related stress at a level that was making them ill. This survey of work-related illness indicated that an estimated 254,000 people became aware of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in the previous 12 months. The UK HSE statistics suggest that stress-related costs to UK employers are in the region of £700m every year. The cost of stress to society however is far greater and is estimated at £7bn pa. The Stress and Health at Work Study indicated that nearly 1 in 5 of all working individuals thought their job was very or extremely stressful, and that approximately 6,500 new cases are being reported per year. And this they say is almost certainly an underestimate. (SW103/04). And these figures only relate to work related stress

Physiological effects of Stress
We observe the world about us with our five senses, if we perceive a potential threat or danger, information is sent via our nervous system to our brain in the form electrical impulses starting a chemical and hormonal chain of events known as the Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, (HPA axis). The hypothalamus responds by releasing a hormone known as Corticotrophin-Releasing Hormone (CRH), which activates the pituitary gland to secrete Adrenocorticotropin the hormone that causes the adrenal glands to release three additional hormones, Epinephrine (Adrenaline), Norepinephrine (Noradrenalin), and Cortisol, (Glucocorticoid).

Non-essential processes are shut down and Adrenaline and Noradrenalin, increases blood pressure and cardiac rate, it diverts blood from the gastro-intestinal system to the muscles. Digestion is stopped and we may feel nauseas and have the feeling of butterflies in the stomach. Our reaction times speed up.

Cortisol releases glucose from the liver along with fats, which are released into the blood stream as fuel to power the muscles. Oxygen is needed to burn the fuel so our breathing rate increases. Our heart rate and blood pressure increases to accommodate the need to get oxygen and fuel to the muscles where we respond to the threat by running away or standing our ground and fighting. As already stated acute type of stress dissipates over time but if the problem causing our stress does not go away then we may start to suffer from the cronic effects of stress and find we suffer with the followig.

• Headaches
• Increased blood pressure and heart rate
• Sweating
• Tightness of the chest
• Difficulty breathing
• Hyperventilation
• Tremors
• Nervous tics
• Dryness of the mouth and throat
• Feelings of lethargy and fatigue
• Insomnia
• Diarrhea and stomach pains
• Decreased libido
• Obesity or weight loss
• Bruxism (teeth grinding).
• Back aches or neck pain
• Susceptibility to illness
• Palpitations (heart pounding or skipped beats).
• Muscle tightness or tension
• Skin disorders
• Heartburn and acid stomach
• Osteoporosis and bone fractures

What is Qigong

For thousands of years, Traditional Chinese Medicine has included the use of Chinese pharmacology, herbalism, acupuncture, massage and Qigong. But although Qigong has proven effective for a range of diseases and conditions, and is used extensively by tens of millions of people daily around the world for preventative medicine and self-healing, it has not received widespread acceptance by Western medical practitioners. Qigong focuses on the cultivation of the universal life force/energy, “Qi”, for the maintenance of good health.

The management of Qi for good health, was first postulated in the Chinese Classic, the “Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine”, which is considered to be a reflection of medical accomplishment dating from the Warring States Period (476-221 BC). Good health results from a well balanced, free flowing Qi energy which is encouraged by regular Qigong practice. In Qigong we combine breathing techniques with slow physical movements and standing meditation to relieve tension in the body. When our body relaxes, our mind relaxes as well, and the division between the mind and body dissolves enabling us to create a higher state of consciousness. This expanded awareness leads to greater mental clarity and a healthier physical and emotional state.

Chinese Philosophy suggests there are three basic types of Qi, Heaven Qi,(Tian Qi), the Qi of the Universe, and the largest most powerful form of Qi, Earth Qi, (Di Qi), the Qi that is contained within our planet and Human Qi (Ren Qi). Human Qi regulates our growth, vitality, spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical balance. Human Qi also known as the three treasures is comprised of:

1. Jing
2. Qi
3. Shen

The First Treasure 'Jing'

Jing is described as "vital essence." And is the Qi concentrated in the sperm and ova. Jing Qi, is passed on to us by our parents at the moment of conception. Jing provides the foundation for all human activity and is said to be the "root" of our vitality, or the primal energy of life and is closely associated with our genetic potential and the aging process. The quantity of “vital essence” at the moment of our conception is said to determine both our life span and the ultimate vitality of our life.

Over a period of time Jing is burned up in the body by life itself, and when jing is depleted below a level required to survive, we die. Our stress filled 24/7 life styles especially chronic and acute stress and excessive behavior, including overwork, excessive emotions, substance abuse, chronic pain or illness, and sexual excess (especially in men), burn up jing or vital essence prematurely.

The Second Treasure, ‘Qi’
Qi is the internal and external energy of human beings and is obtained from the air we breathe and the food we eat, Qi from our parents (jing), and the Qi that surrounds our body or is projected from our body (External Qi). Internal Qi, is the total amount of Qi inside our bodies and includes the Qi that circulates through our organs and meridians (Qi pathways)

The sum of modest lifestyle practices (correct eating, avoiding excesses, etc.), breathing properly, meditating, qigong exercises and studying one’s subtle physical, emotional and mental changes related to the environment all help regulate qi.

The Third Treasure ‘Shen’

Shen is the third and most important of the Three Treasures and can be described as Mind or Spirit. Shen directs Qi and reflects our higher nature as human beings. Chinese masters say that shen is the all-embracing love that resides in our heart. Shen has been described as “the spiritual radiance of a human being and is the ultimate and most refined level of energetics in the universe”.

Shen is not considered to be an emotion or even a state of mind. It presides over the emotions and manifests as all-encompassing compassion, and non-discriminating, non-judgemental awareness. Shen can be expressed as love, compassion, kindness, generosity, acceptance, forgiveness and tolerance.

The Practice of Tai Chi

Today our lives are so full with pressure from work, families, money problems and having to be in two places at the same time, that we give our selves little time to relax and listen to our inner selves. We may not even feel part of the planet we live on, travelling through space in our own stress filled bubble, yearning for a different way of life. We may not realise that the slow, graceful, dance like movements of the Tai Chi practitioners in the TV intermission, could have a considerable impact on how we control our lives and cope with the stress we suffer in our modern western world with all the complexity of 24/7 lifestyles.

Practicing Tai Chi allows me the time, in an otherwise very busy daily schedule that is time just for me, a time of quiet and gentle exercise, the experience of stillness in movement. When practicing Tai Chi on the beach with the music of the waves or by “Bystock Lake” with it’s blossoming water lilies and the smell of pine resin, the practice of Tai Chi becomes a time for grounding and becoming at one with the universal life force. At times when life at work becomes unbearable I am sometimes able to think through the “eight posture” form and remember what it feel like when I practice Tai Chi and relax, or when I wake up worried in the night, I go into the front room and work through a form and go back to bed stress free.

Physically, Tai Chi and Qigong has improved my breathing and increased my lung capacity after heart bypass surgery. Regular Tai Chi practice has improved my balance and suppleness, I have become more coordinated and relaxed and not so inclined to get angry and frustrated by hustle and bustle of everyday living, I have become a much calmer person as a result of practicing Tai Chi plus my concentration and co-ordination has improved.

My research into Tai Chi and Qigong has introduced me to a history, a philosophy and a culture that has its roots in the Chou Dynasty over 2000 years ago and may have been influenced by a tradition that is even older. Tai Chi and Qigong has become more than just an evening class but a way of life, I believe I have benefited physically and mentally as result of regular Tai Chi practice, and I believe that a lot of other people would benefit from the experience too.