sallyinthewoods’ Friends

join in the dalai-china handshake in london

nobody@vox.com(Sujatin) — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:16:52 -0700

On Thursday 22nd May, we will mount a unique creative event through the streets of central London - a 3-mile-long "human chain handshake" from the Dalai Lama to the Chinese Embassy.

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what's in edward's mind...?

nobody@vox.com(Sujatin) — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:17:39 -0700

Hardly surprising - and maybe a safer person to have behind you than Hillary?

Although John Edwards has suggested that his endorsement was purely a decision made on the merits of the candidate, the New York Times reports that privately he has an interest in being a part of an Obama administration.

edwards comes out for obama

nobody@vox.com(Sujatin) — Thu, 15 May 2008 02:48:23 -0700

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (Reuters) - Former U.S. presidential candidate John Edwards endorsed Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday, giving a major boost to the Illinois senator's effort to unify the party behind his bid for the White House.

::link

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china softening towards the dalai lama?

nobody@vox.com(Sujatin) — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:35:57 -0700

TAIPEI (Reuters) - A senior Chinese official has asked whether Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama would agree to attend the Beijing Olympics to ease recent tensions, a Tibet government-in-exile legislator said on Monday.
The Dalai Lama would consider going, the law maker said.

friends of amida social network

nobody@vox.com(Sujatin) — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:59:57 -0700

If you are interested in the work and activities of Amida Trust and would like to join the associated social network do check out this site and join. Once a member, there are a number of groups you can join, including Buddhist counselling and psychotherapy, Travel, Buddhist arts, Multi-faith discussion. The membership is world-wide and growing...

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distractions

nobody@vox.com(Sujatin) — Wed, 07 May 2008 03:41:18 -0700

Distractions come in all sizes, shapes, and flavors. Buddhist philosophy has organized them into categories. One of them is the category of hindrances. They are called hindrances because they block your development of both components of meditation, mindfulness and concentration. A bit of caution on this term: The word "hindrances" carries a negative connotation and indeed these are states of mind we want to eradicate. . . That does not mean, however, that they are to be repressed, avoided or condemned. Let's use greed as an example. We wish to avoid prolonging any state of greed that arises, because a continuation of that state leads to bondage and sorrow. That does not mean to toss the thought out of the mind when it appears. We simply refuse to encourage it to stay. We let it come, and we let go.

~ Henepola Gunaratana, Mindfulness in Plain English

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a good first step

nobody@vox.com(Sujatin) — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:51:58 -0700

Dalai Lama envoy upbeat on China talks
An envoy of the Dalai Lama said on Tuesday that one-day talks with China on the unrest in Tibet had been "a good first step" and that the two sides would meet again after he reports back to the exiled spiritual leader......

Despite some skepticism among analysts over whether the recent diplomatic overture would yield any substantive breakthrough given the failure of previous talks, the two Tibetan envoys struck a positive note following the meeting with Chinese negotiators they've known for years.

"We had very candid discussions ... we have a good rapport, so that is always very helpful," Lodi Gyari told Reuters at Hong Kong airport as he prepared to board a flight for India, home of the Tibet government-in-exile.

feeling disappointed

nobody@vox.com(Sujatin) — Tue, 06 May 2008 06:25:30 -0700

..... because it looks as though Hillary will go to any lengths - nuclear, rewriting the rules, virulent criticism, and those latter two are against her 'own side'.

Wondering how the voting will go today and hoping against hope that sinking to the depths won't win the day...indeed, win the race. Is the brutal reality that, in order to be electable, you have to become the sort of person I couldn't bring myself to vote for? (This is theoretical in this instance, for me, in that I'm not American.) I've been so enthused by the vision of hope and freshness that Barack Obama seems to hold out...will that be enough? Or am I just being naïve?

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change positions

nobody@vox.com(Sujatin) — Tue, 06 May 2008 03:01:35 -0700

[W]hen we realize that we are forced to change positions because of pain, we should question further to find out if there are other reasons. If the answer is that we change because we want to be comfortable, this is incorrect. It is incorrect because it is a distortion of happiness. The correct answer is that we change in order to "cure" the pain. We do not change to acquire happiness. The wrong answer comes from misunderstanding, and if we do not have the right comprehension when we change positions, defilements can and will spring up. Changing positions to "cure" pain indicates that we have to remedy the situation at all times. We should not misjudge and think that the reason is to attain happiness, since the curing of pain all the time is the same as having to take medicines constantly. It is like nursing a continuous sickness. Thus, we should not look upon nursing sickness and curing pain as being happiness at all.

~ Achaan Naeb, in Jack Kornfield's Living Dharma

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a new book

nobody@vox.com(Sujatin) — Sat, 03 May 2008 14:08:12 -0700

I'm just settling down in bed with Marina Lewycka's 'Two Caravans'. I loved her 'A. Short History of Tractors in Ukraine' and I'm in the mood for something amusing after a busy week and an especially intense couple of days - nothing like a breath of fresh air for the brain.
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