Buddhist friends

[jeff9000]

Buddhism may not be a religion -however- close enough maybe. I’ve been studying Buddhism for a few years now and have found it tremendously helpful after my diagnosis this past fall. Although helpful, I still find it challenging to stay in the present while constantly preparing for the next stages of the disease.
I also contemplate death on a regular basis with the theory that I’ll appreciate the present more acutely. They say there is no birth-no death that it is a continuum. Just like waves are water. I’m still challenged by this - curious how others are faring.

 

[KevinM]

Jeff, I am non-religious but the philosophy and teachings of Buddhism about enlightenment bringing an inner peace and wisdom certainly align more closely with my belief system.

When contemplating my own death, I’m always reminded of the famous quote by Mark Twain: “I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.”

 

[mpnatx]

One of my favorite quotes.

 

[jeff9000]

I’m thinking too much - grasping vs just being, perhaps:

The centipede was happy, quite, Until a toad in fun Said, “Pray, which leg goes after which?” This worked his mind to such a pitch, He lay distracted in a ditch, Considering how to run.

When a human being is so self-conscious, so self-controlled that he cannot let go of himself, he dithers or wobbles between opposites. This is precisely what is meant in Zen by going round and round on “the wheel of birth-and-death,” for the Buddhist samsara is the prototype of all vicious circles

Zen is a medicine for the ill effects of this conditioning, for the mental paralysis and anxiety which come from excessive self-consciousness.

 

[beauty4everyone]

As you meditate, may your mind enter a place of hope and strength, of calm, and rest.
May your spirit float gently on clouds of peace. B.