Berna and I grew up in the Roman Catholic Church. It’s changed some since those long-ago days. But for better or worse?
In hindsight, it’s obvious the church in the old days ruled largely by fear. The standard fear they promoted ran something like this: If you don’t do what we say, you’ll burn in hell forever.
And we believed that!
(In fairness to the modern Roman church under Pope Francis, we note they acknowledge they have work to do.)… Read more
Learning to forgive is much more useful than merely picking up a stone and throwing it at the object of one’s anger, the more so when the provocation is extreme. For it is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others. ~ Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
You’ve probably heard about Amber Guyger, the Dallas, Texas police officer who shot and killed Botham Jean, an unarmed black man. The officer is white.… Read more
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama
Since I’m away from home this holiday weekend of Thanksgiving in the United States, we’re keeping this post shorter than usual.
In today’s topsy-turvy world, it’s easy to grow cynical about the human race. Is there any hope for us? Well, Charles Kuralt, in his words above, certainly seems to think so.… Read more
In this time of dramatic change all around the planet, it’s easy to lose sight of some basic facts of life:
Did you know August is Happiness Happens Month? Me neither, until just a few days ago.… Read more
The United States appears to be suffering from a plague of senseless killing and heartrending sorrow—and a lack of ordinary human kindness, especially in the political turmoil gripping this country. Many people, not only in the US, but the world over, are in deep depression and grief over all this, and over the traumas occurring all over the planet.… Read more
There are reminders of the holiday season all around us, no matter what we celebrate—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, etc. Or you may not celebrate at all. Or for you it may not be “the season to be jolly,” Perhaps the opposite, for whatever reasons.
Our world is seemingly in a mess, and for personal or global reasons it can be a depressing time for many.… Read more
Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. ~ Dalai Lama
Copyright © 2013 by Enver Rahmanov
I was going through some old files the other day and came across a beautiful little poem written by my dear friend, Jerry Buchanan, many years ago.
Jerry is gone now, but in his lifetime he was a legendary figure in the world of writing and publishing. He graciously mentored me when I was a new young writer. Throughout the years he did the same for thousands of others.… Read more
Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it….I am going to have kind thoughts toward others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can. ~ Dalai Lama
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Copyright © 2014 by Minette Layne
The American celebration of Thanksgiving is not until next month.… Read more
Tenzin_Gyatso, The Dalai Lama
I’ve spoken before about Spirit using my challenges as “raw material” for their messages. Although this one particularly unpleasant challenge happened many years ago, I still vividly remember it.
One Saturday afternoon I locked myself out of my house. So I pried open a window and got in that way. The next-door neighbor saw me and called the police.
Several minutes later two police cars pulled up at my house—I had to prove to them I lived in the house.… Read more
Image by NASA
The Dalai Lama said “Whether one is rich or poor, educated or illiterate, religious or non-believing, man or woman, black, white, or brown, we are all the same. Physically, emotionally, and mentally, we are all equal. We all share basic needs for food, shelter, safety, and love. We all aspire to happiness and we all shun suffering. Each of us has hopes, worries, fears, and dreams. Each of us wants the best for our family and loved ones.… Read more
The Dalai Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu
Image by Carey Linde
One of my favorite Dalai Lama quotes is “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”
And another: “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
One of our recent newsletter articles was Always Speak Your Truth Fearlessly. Some folks, including me in earlier years, take that to mean speak your truth aggressively with no regard or consideration for others. That, as I see in hindsight, is a very bad policy.… Read more
Spirit and I have talked about happiness many times over the years. Although they and I firmly believe we were meant to be happy in this lifetime, no matter what our circumstances, I know so few truly happy people. Often that’s because they look for happiness where they will never find it.
Today I want to share with you some of my favorite happiness quotations: