Shen Ku - the pure traveler

"Mazu Sono Kokoro Wo Tadase"

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:19:00 +0000

First purify your mind.

Nature itself is simple!

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 10:14:00 +0000

We should not assert that for which we do not have some proof.

"If a thing can be done adequately by means of one, it is superfluous to do it by means of several; for we observe that nature does not employ two instruments where one suffices" Thomas Aquinas, 13th century.

All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the right one!

Creating reality

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Mon, 07 May 2007 09:36:00 +0000

Our consciousness creates reality.
Thought creates reality.
The truth that thought manifest in outer form holds true.
Consciousness or unconsciousness thought is there.
For this reason, we need to look at the great responsibility we assume for shaping life according to what we think and feel.
Seek to heal those parts of us that want less than our higher good.

Happiness matters in the end

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 10:05:00 +0000

Worldly happiness is conditional; it fades away when its conditions fall away.
Because True Happiness is unconditional; it requires nothing in particular to sustain it.
[Although we need to cultivate our spirituality and perfect our compassion and wisdom to attain it once and for all.]

All the suffering in the world arises out of wanting happiness for ones self.
All happiness in the world arises out of wanting happiness for others.

Happiness is not just a goal; it should be part of the process too.

Happiness

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 12:00:00 +0000

Find happiness in all things. Life is too short and happiness is very difficult. Don’t miss an opportunity to be happy. Mankind has a unique ability to be distracted by everyday trivia, and ordinarily does the opposite. People don’t miss an opportunity to be unhappy. To be unhappy is nothing.

To be happy is a great talent, a great intelligence, a great gift to give others. It is great awareness!

The Way of a Warrior

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 04:57:00 +0000

The Way of a Warrior is to manifest Divine Love, a spirit that embraces and nurtures all things!

Continued fighting with others, with ourselves, and with the environment, will ruin the earth. The world will continue to change dramatically, but fighting and war can destroy us utterly. What we need now are techniques of harmony and peace, not those of contention.

Grateful am I to have learned from a master!

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 12:24:00 +0000

You will soon realize that you create the mind in any way that you want.
You are master of your mind.

To become master of your mind, you must realize that understanding is control of the mind, and you have to work hard and diligently to master it.

Like the field under the wildflowers, the valley spirit is used by the Ten Thousand Things, but they are not necessarily aware of it. All one can say of the Tao is that "it seems to exist" - there is no physical evidence for its existence. It is still, empty, and inexhaustible.

The flowers are nourished by the field, but do not exhaust it. Likewise, the Tao enriches our lives, but there is no way we could ever "use up" the Tao.

- The Tao and the Field

The Art of Peace begins with you!

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 11:55:00 +0000

Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter

- Morihei Ueshiba, 1883-1969, The Art of Peace

Blaming

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 03:58:00 +0000

If we had to identify one of the greatest barriers that keeps us from communicating from the heart with others, it would be blaming.

The great Buddhist teacher and writer, Pema Chodron, offers these healing words about the nature of blaming and how to move away from it:

“We habitually erect a barrier called blame that keeps us from communicating genuinely with others, and we fortify it with our concepts of who's right and who's wrong. We do that with the people who are closest to us and we do it with political systems, with all kinds of things that we don't like about our associates or our society. It is a very common, ancient, well-perfected device for trying to feel better. Blame others. Blaming is a way to protect your heart, trying to protect what is soft and open and tender in yourself. Rather than own that pain, we scramble to find some comfortable ground.

“Compassionate action starts with seeing yourself when you start to make yourself right and when you start to make yourself wrong. At that point you could just contemplate the fact that there is a larger alternative to either of those, a more tender, shaky kind of place where you could live.”

Every thing is connected

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 00:54:00 +0000

Life isn’t chaotic, but ordered and purposeful. Everything and everyone affects and is affected by everything else. Our thoughts and actions are connected to the whole of the Universe.

Releasing Anger

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 11:12:00 +0000

Does having anger and hatred in our hearts ever increase our peace or does it diminish it? Even if we are justified in having this emotion, does it magically become a peace generator in our life, or is it only a peace breaker?

Whether we have an excuse to be angry or not, the path is clear, which direction to take. All that remains is the release of the anger through compassion of others, inventory work of ourselves and a conscious contact with God / Higher Power, instead of the conscious effort at harboring anger and hatred.

Developing insight into the other persons suffering also helps me with releasing anger, as well as praying for the individual.

Due to the diversity of thought humans are capable of, we have all sorts of thoughts and emotions that pop up in our heads. Without this ability, we could not think as we do. But, just because thoughts or emotions pop up in our heads, the choice is ours alone whether we foster and build on any particular thought or emotion.

Do not feel guilty over the thought. “Triggers” are all around us. It takes US to pull the “trigger”. We pull the “trigger” by chewing on such emotions and they acidify us and then comes the inevitable blow up. If you wish to feel guilty over anything, then feel guilty over your nurturing of the anger, then next time you might try to let it die a natural and peaceful death.

Every action and emotion creates an effect and every effect is generated by some kind of action or emotion, regardless of how much or how little we know and understand about the causal relationship.

Simple principle

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 10:55:00 +0000

When the mind is clear and still, everything under heaven falls into place.

Walking Meditation

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Thu, 18 May 2006 11:57:00 +0000

On-line Instruction with Charles MacInerney
Walking Meditation is a wonderful initiation for beginners into the art of Meditation. It is easy to practice, and enhances both physical, mental and spiritual well-being. It is especially effective for those who find it difficult to sit still for long periods of time. Some people enjoy practicing in a beautiful outdoor setting, like a park. Others prefer to practice indoors, due to poor weather, or desire for privacy.

Walking Meditation should generally be practiced for between 15 minutes to 1 hour. A 20 minute walking meditation can also be used as a break between two 20 minute sitting meditations, allowing 1 hour of meditation without placing undue demands on the practitioner.

You can practice indoors by walking around the perimeter of your largest room. If you practice outdoors choose a scenic and quiet setting. Walk without a destination. Wander aimlessly without arriving, being somewhere rather than going somewhere.

Start out walking a little faster than normal, and gradually slow down to a normal walking speed, and then continue to slow down until you start to feel artificial or off balance. Speed up just enough to feel comfortable, physically and psychologically. At first you may need to walk fairly fast to feel smooth in your gait, but with practice, as your balance improves, you should be able to walk more slowly.

Be mindful of your breathing, without trying to control it. Allow the breath to become diaphragmatic if possible, but always make sure your breathing feels natural, not artificial. Allow the breath to become circular, and fluid.

Walk with 'soft vision' allowing the eyes to relax and focus upon nothing, while aware of everything. Smile softly with your eyes (see Mirror Exercise in Vision Chapter for details). Gradually allow the smile to spread from your eyes to your face and throughout your body. This is called an "organic smile" or a "thalamus smile". Imagine every cell of your body smiling softly. Let all worry and sadness fall away from you as you walk.

Walk in silence, both internal and external.

Be mindful of your walking, make each step a gesture, so that you move in a state of grace, and each footprint is an impression of the peace and love you feel for the universe. Walk with slow, small, deliberate, balanced, graceful foot steps.

After a while, when both the breath and the walking have slipped into a regular pattern of their own accord, become aware of the number of footsteps per breath. Make no effort to change the breath, rather lengthen or shorten the rhythm of your step just enough so that you have 2, 3 or 4 steps per inhalation and 2, 3 or 4 steps per exhalation. Once you have discovered your natural rhythm, lock into it, so that the rhythm of the walking sets the rhythm for the breath like a metronome.

After several weeks of regular practice you may experiment with the ratios adding a foot step to your exhalation and later to your inhalation as well. Whatever ratio of steps-to-breath that you settle on, it should feel comfortable, and you should be able to maintain it for the duration of the meditation comfortably. After several months you may find your lung capacity improving. If you are comfortable, lengthen your breath an extra step but avoid trying to slow the breath too much or you will do more harm than good.

Notice the beauty of your surroundings, both externally and internally. Smile with every cell in your body.

Life's Movement

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 11:05:00 +0000

Energy moves, stars and planets move, earth moves, and we, too, must move. Each day our own energy shifts and different dimensions open to us.

Chi is energy. It is the vital force of life in the Universe. Chi travels from the stars, planets and nature through the subtle bodies and animates the physical plane. Chi is love…

When we work with Chi and feel its energy running through our physical and subtle bodies, we know from experience the substance of the Universe. We realize that this spirit flows through us physically and permanently. As we develop our own energy, we form a link to the greater parts of ourselves.

Stand near the sea…

or a tree…

or a mountain…

Breathe in the rays of the sun…

or feel the ebb and flow of the moon …

Bit by bit you become movement itself. You become energy, no longer separated from the universe around you.

Time becomes space and space becomes time. There is no past, present or future; you are not concerned with what will happen next.

You become pure joy…a vibrating part of a delicate network which weaaves together nature and the cosmos. You are one with the whole.

Spinning

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 11:14:00 +0000

All things in this Universe are in a constant state of spinning, from subatomic particles to solar systems and galaxies. Every particle in our body and all that is around us are already spinning. The Milky Way galaxy that our solar system is a part of, is spinning in a spiral fashion as you read this.

The Source of this Universe manifests its energy through the spiral, as we harmonize with this energy; we tap into the core of our Universe.

The physical processes at the core of our Universe and galaxies … are extremely energetic and are capable of propelling matter very close to the absolute speedof light, 186,282 miles per second.

Intentions Determine Right or Wrong

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 13:55:00 +0000

Here is a simple proof of why what determines "right and wrong"
(wholesome and unwholesome/ skillful and unskillful/ good and bad)
is logically, spiritually and lawfully based on our intentions instead
of our actions.

If person Tom and Dick help Harry to be free of suffering,
obviously, both their actions in themselves are "right".

But if one can read their minds to see their intentions,
and discover Tom to be be truly helpful only to benefit Harry,
while Dick is helpful only to benefit himself indirectly,
then surely, ultimately, on the most fundamental level,
despite their similarly helpful actions,
Tom is the one that is truly right, while Dick is actually wrong -
even if Dick's action is totally "right" in the eyes of Harry!

This tells us 2 important lessons -

1. It is crucial to be mindful of our intentions, to have right ones -
because karma is fundamentally created by our intentions.
An action is ultimately morally right only when the intention is
right.

2. It is crucial not to judge someone only by his/her actions -
because things are often not what they seem.
An outwardly "wrong" action might be actually right,
while an outwardly "right" action might be wrong.

written by "Shen Shi'an"

Counter-balance the negativity

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 10:10:00 +0000

Counter-balance the negativity with your positive intentions. Think of a scale and remember to put enough positive intentions on the opposite side that your positivity outweighs the previous negativity.

It's not always enough to 'pivot' away from what we don't want. We must focus on the essence of our desires enough to counter-balance and neutralize the effects of our previous 'negativity'.

You have to work on releasing irritation or self-sabotaging negative emotions.
Your vibration is always where you last left it

Intent

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 15:31:00 +0000

In the Universe, there is an immeasurable, indescribable force which is called Intent, and absolutely everything that exists in the entire cosmos is attached to Intent by a connecting link.

Interconnectivity

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 12:16:00 +0000

We seem to be immersed in a sort of universal ocean of Interconnectivity. Just as all creatures in a sea are connected by the cohesive body of water, so the entire world and universe is interconnected in a kind of cohesive psychic sea. There is nothing to which you are not attached in some way.

Evidently, even our thoughts are not just isolated ideas waiting to be acted upon, but are actually linked in some fashion to the object(s) of the thought. Our intentions stretch out into the world around us, and also extend into the future. We are linked to our environment and to each other. If we are linked to the future, then our thoughts effect what is coming. This means that our mental intentions are stretching our thoughts outward, actually link to objects and draw them toward us.

Ponder

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 11:36:00 +0000

Our life is shaped by our mind.
We become what we think.
Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it.

Our life is shaped by our mind.
We become what we think.
Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves."
(The Dhammapada)

Bypassing trouble

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 10:08:00 +0000

Trouble creates a capacity to handle it. I don't embrace trouble; that's as bad as treating it as an enemy. But I do say meet it as a friend, for you'll see a lot of it and had better be on speaking terms with it.

Peace and Harmony

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 12:01:00 +0000

If we choose to live in peace and harmony, the decline of the world can be avoided and the prosperity of humanity can be extended without bounds. If, on the other hand, we are to negate the importance of our fellow man, the consequences of same shall result in an eventual end.

Happiness

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 23:40:00 +0000

No one withholds any happiness from us - not even our most loved ones. Our happiness is our charge. While we often place our happiness in the charge of others, it is us who voluntarily do that - and we can take this responsibility back to own it. Be good to yourself because nobody else has the power to make you truly happy - or sad. Only when we mindfully see and take up this personal responsibility, can we truly love - both ourselves and others.

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 11:30:00 +0000

Zen of Learning

noreply@blogger.com (Kiachu Shen Ku) — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 12:40:00 +0000

It does not matter if you have not yet started to learn something.
When you have started, however, you must not stop until you really know it!

It does not matter if you have not yet asked questions, but when you begin, you must not stop until the questions have been answered.

It does not matter if you have not yet started to think carefully, but when you do, stop only when you have reached a conclusion.

It does not matter if you have not yet started to discern something, but when you have, you must not stop until you are clear.

It does not matter if you have not yet started to practice something, but when you do, you must diligently put it into practice.