Daily Dharma 06: Eat Mindfully
July 5, 2008 by ScottyDoo
Filed under Daily Dharma
(Guest post by David from DailyDharma.net)
Day 6: Eat Mindfully.
“Know you that your bowl of rice, each grain from hardship comes?” — Cheng Chan-Pao, Chinese philosopher
Food sustains us, and connects us to the Earth. Let us not eat more than we need, nor eat ungratefully. Let us savor each bite as if it were the only morsel of the day.
Photo by Smaku
Today, Eat Your Meals Slowly, and With Purpose.
In our frenzied Western lives, food often becomes an afterthought, and we find ourselves grabbing junk food on the run from one place to the next. For some, food becomes more than sustenance – it becomes a crutch to alleviate daily suffering. Such habits can beget poor nutrition, low energy levels, and obesity.
Daily Dharma 05: Renounce Your Possessions
June 24, 2008 by ScottyDoo
Filed under Daily Dharma
(Guest post by David from DailyDharma.net)
Day 5: Renounce Your Possessions.
“There are only two kinds of freedom in the world; the freedom of the rich and powerful, and the freedom of the artist and the monk who renounces possessions.” — Anais Nin
Have you every known somebody who seems to have everything most people dream about, yet they are still unsatisfied and unhappy? While marketers spend billions to trick consumers into thinking the latest trinkets will make us happy, the exact opposite is true. That’s because the more we own, the less free we become.
Photo by Mr. Atrocity
Today, Don’t Buy Anything.
Not only can our possessions trap us into a false sense of success or happiness, snapping up things we will soon forget about is wasteful. By going one day without adding to our stockpile of “things”, we remind ourselves how silly it is to place so much value on our possessions.
Daily Dharma 04: Do One Thing At A Time
June 23, 2008 by ScottyDoo
Filed under Daily Dharma
(Guest post by David from DailyDharma.net)
Day 4:Do One Thing At A Time
“There is no royal road to anything. One thing at a time, all things in succession. That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures.” — Josiah Gilbert Holland
Do you multitask? These days it is hard to avoid doing two, three, or even five things at once. Multitasking is the antithesis of mindful action, however, and multitasking can actually make you more stressed and less productive than if you focus on doing one thing at a time.
Photo by camincoll
Today, Do One Thing At A Time.
Here are eight ways to learn to “solo-task”.
Daily Dharma 03: Be Content
June 16, 2008 by ScottyDoo
Filed under Daily Dharma
(Guest post by David from DailyDharma.net)
Day 3: Be Content
“Be content with what you are, and wish not change; nor dread your last day, nor long for it.” — Marcus Aurelius
As I start to work on Daily Dharma, I want to stress what this blog is not: It is not another personal development blog. Personal development is for people who want to make themselves better. This blog is for people who want to experience life better.
Can you see the difference?
Photo by eyeore2710.
Today, Be Content With Who You Are and What You Have.
You see, I believe personal development too often stresses all of these things we do not have: the perfect body, unlimited wealth, a perfect relationship, infallible will power, etc.
Daily Dharma: A New Series of Posts
As I searched for Dharma in the sea of Google, I came across a site and instantly fell in love with the content. Although a relatively new blog (much like us), the content is excellent and I look forward to the many posts to come. The authors name is David and his blog can be found at DailyDharma.net
I thought that the posts would be an excellent addition to Blending Zen and so I emailed David and asked if he minded if I republished his articles here on our blog. He was kind enough to give me permission, and so I will be adding the first series of his posts over the next week and will then add them as he adds to his own.
I hope to get to know David better over time, and who knows, maybe he wouldn’t mind doing some guest posts here from time to time on related content that may not fit exactly with the purpose of his site. As he states, his blog is not intended to be a Buddhist blog per se, though it pulls heavily from the philosophies of Buddhism.
Here is what he says on his ABOUT page to give you a little info:
DailyDharma.net is my project to ponder one unique way to improve ourselves everyday for a year.
We all want to be happier and healthier, yet we’re so busy and so overwhelmed with information, we often don’t know how to start improving our lives. If we do start, we often don’t have the time and discipline it takes to create lasting change.
With DailyDharma.net, I hope to make it easier to become happier and to create lasting positive change in our lives by providing one simple idea each day that you can choose to practice on that day. Each post will include a “challenge” that we can try that day.
Not every idea will be for everybody, and that’s OK. But hopefully you will find some ideas that you can practice and implement in your life, for at least a day, that can help you begin to improve yourself in your own way.
Why Dharma?
The Dharma, roughly translated as “the way”, is the word for Buddhist teachings leading to enlightenment. The Dharma can also refer to the elements that make up the world as we experience it.
While DailyDharma.net is not a Buddhist site per se, through the daily exercises presented here, the site aims to awaken everybody to three life-changing concepts: mindfulness, compassion, and peace.
Mindfulness
A key precept of Buddhism and other Eastern religions, mindfulness is the practice of concentrating your thoughts to become fully conscious. Mindfulness is being fully aware of yourself, including your thoughts, your actions, and your surroundings.
While Buddhists strive to achieve mindfulness through regular meditation practice, you do not have to identify with any particular religion to enjoy the benefits of mindfulness.
Anybody can practice mindfulness at any time by simply focusing your thoughts on where you are and what you are doing, rather than letting your mind wander or worry.
Mindfulness has myriad benefits. Mindfulness reduces stress, increases productivity, and enhances how you experience life. By increasing your appreciation for life’s simple pleasures, mindfulness can even make you happier.
Compassion
The Dharma teaches compassion in lieu of a selfish existence. By recognizing that suffering is a universal condition for all living beings, we can choose to think and act in ways that help relieve the suffering of others.
Whether it is taking time out of our busy lives to volunteer, donating a portion of our income to charity, spending time helping those around you, or simply thinking and praying for others, our compassion improves the world around us, and leads to greater satisfaction in our own lives.
Peace
Non-violence is a prerequisite for compassion. We cannot live with compassion if we wish harm upon other sentient beings. Living peacefully is more than just not physically harming others, however. To truly live peacefully, we must refrain from harming all living creatures – even a mouse, or a fly, for example. Additionally, we must take responsibility for the actions of our governments and societies. To truly follow “the way”, we must object to war and other violent actions.
About Me
I am David, DailyDharma.net’s author. I am a 27 year old man living in Massachusetts. I work as a writer and a marketing consultant. I study Buddhism as a way of life, not necessarily a religion. If you would like, you are welcome to contact me.
Thanks for reading.
