Just a quick site recommendation….

I stumbled upon this site: nowdothis.com

Simpler than a ToDo List and too simplistic compared to a personal planner. But, it’s the simplicity of this online tool that helps productivity at the “here and now” level.

Normally I use my Task app on my Blackberry, but nowdothis.com is pretty simple and straightforward.

Maybe, perfect for the Zen ideal of living in the moment…

I journeyed to the Northwest earlier today, along the coast to Encinitas. I just needed to get away to the SRF Temple and Hermitage (a place where Kriya Yoga is taught and practiced), and I browsed in their Books & Gifts store. They had many beautiful, spiritually symbolic items there that were far too expensive. But I was able to buy a few packages of incense and fragrances for the ashram… my home.

There was a tiled mural outside the SRF Gifts & Books store that I simply fell in love with. Depicting a faraway land that perhaps I’ve always wanted to visit in my dreams. A beautiful mural.

There was a lone rider on an elephant, journeying through this wondrous land….

It appears the rider on the elephant was traveling toward that far off temple there along the river by the waterfall… but, perhaps his true destination was The Himalayas above and beyond….

As I left the store and just before entering my car across the street, I turned around and three palm trees caught my eye and I looked up… the Holy Trinity… the Supreme Father, the Anointed Son, and the Holiest of Spirits… reaching ever upward, towards the Heavens…

And I felt this small, peaceful journey was complete… and I headed home.

My wife and I had been entertaining the thought of moving to a new, larger home. This notion had been going on for the past 2 years. We had been going to “open houses” all over San Diego County, some homes we obviously could not afford unless we were capable of plunking down $2 million dollars for the down payment. Some homes ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 square feet…. homes where it would be easy to get lost in…

But here we are today, and it’s not a very good time to sell a home in California, let alone move to a larger, more expensive home. Well, if you have the money, it’s a good time to buy a home in California.

We have a modest 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath, 2-story single family house in the Scripps Ranch area. It’s been home these past 18 years and my wife and I watched our children grow up here. And we’ve spent a lot of time at “feng shui”-ing the home.

Should we stay or should we go?

My brother once told me, “don’t move”. That we have a nice home already. Though it would be nice to have more room, say for a home recording studio, and a place to put the grand piano. And maybe buy into a house that already has a nice pool and jacuzzi… other than that, I suppose we’re happy where we’re at.

So, here we’ll stay until the economy gets better, hopefully (and I pray) that we’re not in a position to lose our home. When you’ve been some place as long as we have, you’re “dug in” and the thought of moving would be a traumatic experience nonetheless.

What Does The Mind Really Want?

I’m also serious about my philosophy to live life more frugally and sparingly. I want to sell a lot of things that I already have. I want to reduce the clutter and as Jim put it, to begin a process of “actively decluttering our lives”.

In Zen, the process of decluttering the mind is to go back to “the beginner’s mind”. It’s akin to the lake with ripples of waves… and trying to get the mind to where that lake is crystal clear… no waves of thought… just pure essence of mind and spirit…

Vegan Sushi No. 2
Photo by randomguru

I recently received a nice comment about this photo.

This is a good example of vegan sushi; a simple combination of avocado and cucumber surrounded by vinegared sushi rice wrapped in a nori sheet.

This is Zen simplicity.

Other components of this particular meal: a bowl miso soup, a slice of kiwi, a tofu wedge, a cup of green tea, and some wasabi and soya sauce.

This is a good meal to go with a philosophy of eating smaller meals, 6 times a day. Of course, this is just an example of one meal, and variety is the spice of life. But, as much as we all love to eat, sometimes in mass quantities, pacing oneself and eating several smaller meals a day is healthier and easier on the body.

Also check out: Boosting Your Energy Level With Smaller Meals and The Zen of Raw Vegan Sushi

Tapping
the essence
of eternity…

We live
in the realm
of the moment…

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. —The Dalai Lama

Leo of Zen Habits wrote a very nice post, A Guide to Cultivating Compassion in Your Life, With Seven Practices, that mentions His Holiness The Dalai Lama and some of his words of Wisdom with a very nice quote:

Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can. —The Dalai Lama

In a world that in many ways is “Compassion-challenged”, it is very important to cultivate feelings of Compassion. And I feel we can take our lives day-to-day and begin to be more Compassionate toward our fellow human beings. And try not to cause too much suffering in our world.

Our task must be to widen our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. —Albert Einstein

I’ve written a few articles myself regarding Compassion and the Dalai Lama’s teachings. In retrospect here are a few older posts I’ve written about Compassion:

Widening Our Circle of Compassion

The Light of Compassion

Compassion and the Chakras

Loving-Kindness

Re-Discovering An Open Heart

Kindness

Forgive Your Enemies

And, we can extend our circle of Compassion toward animals, treating them with the same Compassion we treat ourselves.

Be Kind To Animals