lotusinthemud

Longing for Nirvana

If the element of the truth seeker did not
exist in everyone,
There would be no turning away from craving,
Nor could there be a longing for nirvana,
Nor a seeking for it, nor a resolve to find it.

-Visuddhi Magga

Jerusalem Peacemakers December 2004

This is the third newsletter from Jerusalem Peacemakers,
a non-profit support network based in Glastonbury
and Jerusalem, supporting independent peacemakers
and joint Palestinian / Israeli reconciliation projects
in the Land of the Prophets.

You're welcome to forward this newsletter far and wide.

The Karma Test

What shape is your karma in?
What have you been up to this year? 
Try this test - and then 'dedicate all merit'
as fast as you can!
http://web.tickle.com/tests/karma/

Make Poverty History 2005

Next year could be one of the most important ever
in the fight against poverty

A series of landmark meetings are taking place where
world leaders could finally end the kind of extreme poverty
that claims 30,000 lives every single day - that's about
40 needless deaths by the time you have finished reading this.

Generosity's Lasting Gift

The Art Of Giving

Giving graciously is a sentiment that labors under a
dichotomy. On one hand, giving is a beautiful
expression of warm feelings that come from the
heart. And yet, it is easy to find oneself under
tremendous pressure to unearth the ultimate
manifestation of those feelings. It often becomes
a competition of who can buy the most generous,
most expensive, or most thoughtful gift. But it has
never been necessary to realize the spirit of giving
in material form. True generosity is merely a matter
of a deep understanding of the recipient's tastes,
hopes, needs, and dreams.

Celebrating Cycles

Winter Solstice

December is known as a month for holidays. Wherever you live in
the world, this joyous month has become a time to treasure all
that was in the past year and to begin to make way for a new
cycle of rebirth. Much of this seasonal mood has roots in the
celebration of winter solstice, which takes place every year in
the northern hemisphere on December 21 or 22.

Comes to Pass

Everything comes to pass,
nothing comes to stay.

-Matthew Flickstein

Nameless Child: A Quote for Children's Day

December 21, 2004

Today, the Winter Solstice, is also
Children's Day in the Shambhala communities
established by Chogyam Trungpa. This holiday
honors all of the children in our communities.

Wednesday: Vigil for Falluja + other events

[A] Justice for Fallujah's refugees: a night-long protest under tarpaulin in
Parliament Square, 7pm, 22 Dec - 7am, 23 Dec.
[B] Background info. on Fallujah refugees
[C] Other upcoming Iraq-related events around the UK
[D] Latest JNV briefing: 100,000+ dead - the likely death toll in Iraq

Three Mental Non-Virtues

Even though the training in ethics takes
many forms, the ethics of abandoning
the ten non-virtues is their basis.