Maggy’s Neighborhood

The great Indian teacher Nisargadatta Maharaj once said, "Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything. Between the two my life flows." "I am nothing" does not mean that there is a bleak wasteland within. It does mean that with awareness we open to a clear, unimpeded space, without center or periphery - nothing separate. If we are nothing, there is nothing at all to serve as a barrier to our boundless expression of love. Being nothing in this way, we are also, inevitably, everything. "Everything" does not mean self-aggrandizement, but a decisive recognition of interconnection; we are not separate. Both the clear, open space of "nothing" and the interconnectedness of "everything" awaken us to our true nature. This is the truth we contact when we meditate, a sense of unity beyond suffering. It is always present; we merely need to be able to access it.

~ Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness

..at the Buddhist House late afternoon after a long journey involving a diversion as the A1 was closed by a horrible accident. (Cynthia SatNav - on my BlackBerry - was a great boon as the police hadn't marked all the diversionary route out, that not being a priority one can imagine, and I was on foreign-to-me roads) Sudana has been an excellent Guest Master. And I've met the gorgeous Buddhist Baby, Jake - 9 months old and the son of Amida Chaplain, Mudita....I'm in love! Now for an early night before our day of Ministry Team meeting.

Show us a name tag.
Submitted by [this is connie].

Url_nametag

Vox Member since Jun 22, 2006
No idea how many posts in that time
Update - silly me - 1347 posts

Here's how the show went.

Second Encore

Devotion, scholarship, and meditation can all be empty rituals, and whether these devotional acts or any other practices are in fact Dharma depends solely upon one's motivation. . . . Our initial attempts at spiritual practice tend to be very self-conscious. We want to overcome the distortions of our minds and cultivate such wholesome qualities as kindness, insight, mindfulness, and concentration; but as we engage in practices designed to cultivate these, at first they appear to be only mental exercises. Dharma seems separate, something adopted from outside. But as we go deeper into the practice, this sense of separation begins to disappear; our minds become the very Dharma we seek to cultivate.

~ B. Alan Wallace, Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up

The core of Dharma practice is freeing oneself from the attachments of this life. It focuses on the deeper issue of gaining complete release from discontent by means of freeing our minds from the afflictions of confusion, attachment, and anger. In a broader sense, Dharma practice is concerned with serving others, in terms of both their temporary and ultimate needs. Does this mean that one who is committed to Dharma suddenly renounces all worldly enjoyments - no more vacations, no entertainment, no sensory pleasures? No. If one tries that approach it usually results in spiritual burnout; and the common rebound is equally extreme sensual indulgence. For this reason, the practice of Buddhist Dharma is often called the Middle Way because it seeks to avoid the extremes of sensual indulgence and severe asceticism. The former leads to perpetual dissatisfaction and the latter damages one's physical and mental health.... The Middle Way is a sensitive exertion of effort that is neither lax nor aggressive, and from this practice there ultimately arises an increasing satisfaction and delight in virtuous activity that is a result of our spiritual transformation.

~ B. Alan Wallace, Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up

While we may concentrate on one particular aspect of the path at a time, it is important to have an overall balance between the different aspects. Meditation should progress hand in hand with study, without either one being neglected. Having cleared away doubts intellectually, we should integrate our understanding with the experience of meditation. In this way our practice will be balanced and complete.

~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama, A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night

Love this!

Nasher Sculpture Center

Sure Raymond and Patsy Nasher could have done other things with their money, and they did, but all in all I would say that the Nasher Sculpture Center--formerly their privately held collection--is the something beautiful that has carved a soft spot in my heart for Dallas' othewise angular, industrial, tourist-glossy self.

Nasher Sculpture Center

Walking through the brightly lit rooms, it was a thrill to recognize an artist's sculpture by the chord of memory it struck in my mind. The artwork of Picasso, Max Ernst, Joao Milo that I saw back in Venice last year at the Peggy Guggenheim just burst forth into 3D with the sculpture exhibited here. I'm fairly new to an interest in art--I'm self-taught and my passions come and go, being self-cultivated as well. So every new museum visit is still an enchanting experience for me. And for some reason it's the stringing together of artists and styles that sends chills up my spine and, at times, makes me catch my breath and brings tears to my eyes.

Nasher Sculpture Center

I remember how I felt the first time I saw the balloon like faces of Picasso's Bathers with a Toy Boat and I'm transported back to the colors and smells and senses of traveling abroad, of daring to indulge in such luxuries as art and travel, and then I let the wave of recognition wash over me and I take in the new piece, letting it attach to the string of memories. The next time I see a Picasso, my brain will flip through all the pieces I've seen before and I'll understand a little more of his journey, feel a little more of what he wanted me to feel.

Nasher Sculpture Center

Sigh. It really was lovely visit and I strongly encourage anyone traveling to Dallas to consider it a must-see. The galleries only show a number of works at a time, rotating the collection so that it's quite possible my first visit will differ widely from my next.

I can't wait to go back. For all the photos from my Nasher visit, see the slideshow on my flickr account.

Here are a few more images just for the love of them.