Tea . A Zen Story; rewritten by Nina



A Buddhist monk who studied and meditated on the teachings of Buddha for over a decade wanted to speak with an enlightened one who dwelled alone in a small temple high in the mountains. He prepared for his journey eager to hear his teaching. After 7 days of rigorous hiking he reached the temple.

The master greeted him and welcomed him inside. The master put some tea on to boil and they sat in silence. The monk became very eager and unsettled in not hearing his teaching. The master poured the tea and sat with the monk. The monk didn’t drink his tea and began questioning his master of Buddha.

The master replied.. “You have studied Buddhism for 20 years and can not simply enjoy this cup of tea?” The monk wept…. as another step to enlightenment lay under his feet….

Nina

Source: Tea . A Zen Story; rewritten by – Nina

Blessed.

Its a Mindful Morning,

I am so utterly blessed and thankful to be able to write; breathe and live my life as well as share. I am so very fortunate for everything that I have and the people I keep beside me with all of my heart. I want to bless the world today in as many ways as I possibly can; to tell you that you are loved and everything is going to be just fine; no matter where you are. In retrospect simply living in love; A very beautiful way to start my day as I type away and smile; feeling blessed.

-Nina

Morning peace. A Rambling random 4 A.m. Journal.

I love the mornings and have for many years. I wake up and thank the universe for another day in a sense; and another  its always another chance to try again. I’m usually up long before the sunrise and greeting the world with peace. Its always so quiet and so dark… relaxing to the mind. Sipping my coffee. A much needed vice. (Black) Bzzzzzz.

But… I’m fighting a health issue which doesn’t make waking up in the morning very pleasant at first; I fight it; for I love my mornings and I try to get over it as soon as I possibly can…

Right now it is 4 am and I’m just pondering what all needs to be done today. Which isn’t much! Just make some calls and get some refills on a medication; not much to do! Oh. And clean the house… I could probably be doing that one now and I will shortly.

Its been odd to be living completely alone so far from most of the people I know but I am very thankful for everything that Ive gained by getting out and on my own. My own space to keep sacred and do with what I please, whenever I please. Ive lived in quite a few places and I think I am the happiest here. My landlord is very nice and I haven’t bothered him nor him bother me even once.

Before here… it was months in the shelter and even sleeping in an RV; times that were very good and times that were very bad. The RV I bought to get me out of the shelter; oh god did it get cold; but was fun while it lasted….

Anyways; I loved when I moved into this house and it was completely empty; other than my few things I had scrounged up to move in. It was very zendo like to have such few possessions but realistically; my potential to thrive required more.

My girlfriend would visit me constantly and help me get everything I need and it wasn’t long before I did have everything I need and more; she has been amazing. Even getting me this laptop I am typing on now so I could continue with wordpress and youtube (Thank you babe). She helped with furniture, appliances, groceries and anything I could have asked for.

My health issues will be dealt with soon. I have faith in that! And then I can chase dreams and chase much needed paper to provide myself with an even more comfortable living. Right now I am seeing the doctors way too much and am not going to put anything else on my plate. I will get better, I know it.

Optimistically Out!

-Nina

 

 

 

8 Black Panther Party Programs More Empowering Than Federal Government Programs. via TheMilitantNegro

From AtlantaBlackStar: 8 Black Panther Party Programs That Were More Empowering Than Federal Government Programs March 26, 2015 | Posted by Nick Chiles The Breakfast Program The free breakfast for …

Source: 8 Black Panther Party Programs More Empowering Than Federal Government Programs.

Masterpiece and Spontaneity. A Zen Story.

Masterpiece and Spontaneity

A master calligrapher was writing some characters onto a piece of paper. One of his especially perceptive students was watching him. When the calligrapher was finished, he asked for the student’s opinion – who immediately told him that it wasn’t any good. The master tried again, but the student criticized the work again.

Over and over, the calligrapher carefully redrew the same characters, and each time the student rejected it. Finally, when the student had turned his attention away to something else and wasn’t watching, the master seized the opportunity to quickly dash off the characters. “There! How’s that?,” he asked the student. The student turned to look. “THAT…. is a masterpiece!” he exclaimed.

Meanings: “Originality is what makes each of us a masterpiece. Don’t stick to the same old way of doing things.”

“Stop thinking and just do what’s natural for you, instead of what’s expected. Some of our best work is done when we least expect it.”

“You can’t perform perfectly under the watch of critical eyes. When you don’t force perfection, it happens by itself, spontaneously. Great things happen when you least suspect it.”

“Whenever you watch over someone you make them self-conscious and uncreative. It’s like trying to teach a child. If you let them alone they will usually figure it out themselves and it will be great.” – See

Source: Masterpiece and Spontaneity. A zen story.

The Burden; A Zen Story

Two monks were returning to the monastery in the evening. It had rained and there were puddles of water on the road sides. At one place a beautiful young woman was standing unable to walk across because of a puddle of water. The elder of the two monks went up to a her lifted her and left her on the other side of the road, and continued his way to the monastery.

In the evening the younger monk came to the elder monk and said, “Sir, as monks, we cannot touch a woman ?”

The elder monk answered “yes, brother”.

Then the younger monk asks again, “but then Sir, how is that you lifted that woman on the roadside ?”

The elder monk smiled at him and told him ” I left her on the other side of the road, but you are still carrying her.”

 

-Unknown

Letter to myself.

Everyday is another chance to try this all again

Please be focussed Nina

Not all is lost; all is to gain from this pain

It is very true that the lotus can only bloom from the mud

Let your mind be free from this; you can always be free

Anytime you want; but you must learn

Lust not for anything but good health,

Honesty and love and wisdom

This is a letter to you sweet Nina

To take care of yourself and take care of this life

Heart beats like drums and breathes a breath of pure life

Carry on with your blazing torch

I promise you a better tomorrow.

 

Love,

Yourself

 

-Nina

Free; A short story.

She was a princess; and a queen; and a leader

She was stunning and punctual

A poetic goddess with a gleaming smile

Anything and everything at her fingertips

Although she never asked for it

So beautiful and yet so sad and lonely

Its true that money can’t buy you happiness

Nor can beauty define your soul

She wept many nights and days

Wishing she could be swept off her feet

And taken far, far from here

For the constraints of her life were a world of hell

She wanted so badly to see outside these walls

The walls built to protect

Yet desecrated everything sacred

The walls circled her like vultures

Awaiting her death to finally close in

She stayed awake late nights to watch the constellations

Every shooting star a wish

And many tears that followed

One late night on a full moon s

Guards tending to other things

Her royal queen decided she can no longer stay

She fastened bedsheets to a tree

And fell hard on the ground outside the walls

The wind whispered through the trees

As she walked along a path to unknown

And when morning rised

She was on her own

The princess had never felt so alone

So vunerable; but she continued to walk

The sun continued to rise

And the birds began to chirp

Like the birth of a new world

And the sun kissed her skin

And the world finally made sense

That she was finally vulnerable

Finally independant

Alone and on her own

Peace and serenity

It all began.

 

Nina

 

Finally… “Poetic Journalling Randomness”.

Today I have an appetite to write; Finally back to a stage where I feel comfy sharing my life.

“Its been a hard 6 months but I think I can finally jump back on top of the ball; bounce off the walls happy and giddy… I think that is my true side after all.”…

I used to love to write journal entries in my blog and I think I can do it again.

One of the first things that comes to my mind is you L.C. ;

To my lovely girlfriend it was great to see you yesterday if you are reading this.

Whatever I choose to say doesn’t even really matter; I’d be happy to splatter the page with utter bonkers nonsense. But I don’t really have to do that. Rats…

So it was a hard 6 months being sick and not seeing the love of my life as much as I wish but amazing things have happened to me whether I like to acknowledge them or not.

Wait what are the amazing things? Well… I am still alive; thats one. I have battled mental and physical illness and won. Thats two… I’m still very much in love with my girl… Thats threeeee. I don’t know is three little things amazing enough? Yeah I guess it is.

OH. A year anniversary of moving into my home. Realistically; things are great, I am often just extremely happy to be lying in my bed and staring at the ceiling. Battling Bipolar comes with some serious depression but I have learned over the past 10 years with it how to deal.

Woah this really is just a rant of nothingness. Hmmm… Nothingness is pretty calm though.

I wonder if I even still have readers that look to my posts after I seemingly started giving less and less…. I suppose I am still writing some poetry of course but It “In my opinion” doesn’t have the same finesse as when I began.

I promise to give it my all. From now on.

Your Nina.

When compassion is born, you don’t suffer any more — Zen Flash

“Suppose someone says something that angers you. Your old pathway wants to say something to punish him. But that makes us victims of our habit energy. Instead, you can breathe in and say, “Unhappiness is in me, suffering is in me, anger is in me, irritation is in me.”

That is already helpful, recognizing your feelings and helping you not to respond right away. So you accept that anger and irritation in you, and smile to it.

With mindfulness, you look at the other person and become aware of the suffering in him or in her. He may have spoken like that to try to get relief from his suffering. He may think that speaking out like that will help him suffer less, but in fact he will suffer more.

With just one or two seconds of looking and seeing the suffering in him, compassion is born. When compassion is born, you don’t suffer any more, and you may find something to say that will help him.

With the practice, we can always open new neural pathways like that. When they become a habit, we call it the habit of happiness.”

~Thich Nhat Hanh ~

Source: When compassion is born, you don’t suffer any more — Zen Flash