We get told to work hard for future happiness. When does this future happiness arrive? People work hard their whole lives, saving, so that they can have a good retirement. When we retire is when we’re meant to be relaxed and happy. This is the wool being pulled over our eyes. I feel that as a society, we’ve been brain washed to work, instead of enjoying our lives.
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Archive for the 'Development' Category
An Enso is the Zen symbol that represents enlightenment. It’s generally considered an output of enlightened activity. It’s both the symbol and reality of enlightenment. It’s a brush stroke from a master, that in a single thought-less breath captures the moment of non-thought. The brush stroke is a record of reality, the whole world is contained within the stroke.
The Middle Way has been using the Enso as part of the rotating mast header for a while. The Enso runs deep through this site, and through me. I’ve been wanting to share this Enso with the world for a while, Now I can, with you.
I created a stencil based on a Enso seen on Alan Watt’s houseboat. You can see this Enso in a digital version of Alan’s work called Prickles and Goo. There’s a lot of history behind this Enso.
Now it’s your chance to get 1 of 20 limited edition, hand printed, signed Enso for your walls. 11 have already sold.
Black Enso Print #8/20, on A1 Size White Archival Stock
Close up of Black Enso Print #8/20, on A1 Size White Archival Stock
Full View of Red Enso Print #11/20, on A1 Size White Archival Stock
Prints are $50 +S&H, in your local currency. If you are interested in buying a print, please e-mail me, wade@themiddleway.net.
By buying an Enso, you’re donating to The Middle Way. You’re enabling me to send out more Free Buddhist Books. This isn’t for profit, your Dana goes back to ship out books. You not only help me, but around 10 readers of this website who are after a book by purchasing an Enso.
Each print is carefully looked over to ensure no defects are shipped out. They are made in a dust-free environment, after I’ve entered into a deep state of meditation. I have incense burning, far away from the print. No two prints are the same, they are all unique.
By Buying an Enso, not only do you get a fantastic print, but you are helping me cover costs of sending out free books throughout the world. You are also enabling me to spend more time focusing on The Middle Way, allowing more creations and writing. The Middle Way is still Not For Profit.
UPDATE 13/Oct: The draft canvas has gone, and I’ve also put better pictures up. I’ve drastically lowered the number of Enso I’m printing, now 20 in total, of which 4 have already sold. This is now seriously limited edition, and all profits still go to sending books back out.
UPDATE 28/Jan/09: Only 9 Ensos remaining.
UPDATE 6/Aug/09: I am not currently in a position to print the remaining Ensos. I am not taking pre-orders for the moment either. If you are interested in receiving an Enso, if you leave a comment, when I am able to print Ensos again, I will get in contact.
Bringing mindfulness into the world can be challenging. We can, however, turn the world into a place of practice. Each moment we live is a chance to be mindful and present, never to be repeated again. Developing mindfulness is important to help us live presently in life. Here we look at a few personal and reader tips that have helped us view the Big Blue Room as a place of practice and mindfulness.
How to Meditate is a big question. One that’s no longer just effecting a few people in private according to Google. It appears to be one of the hottest issues of our time, up there with who is god, and what is love. These are the big issues found by Google in the 2007 Zeitgeist, capturing what they call our “collective consciousness”.
The last teaching of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is the Eight Great Awakenings. In this series we investigate the great awakenings. The awakenings each build upon and influence each other, allowing for development based on solid foundations.
In each moment we have the potential to be present, or to miss it. If we miss the moment, we never get it back, and when it happened we were essentially dead. Along the journey of evolution, we seemed to picked up the habit of not living in the moment, spending time either in the past, as memories, or in the future, as planning.
Continue reading ‘Living with Time to Enjoy Life’
Practice is about liberation. As one continues to practice, they ‘lose’ themselves both externally and internally into the practice. Having recently been up close and personal to long time (10+ year) practitioners both lay and monastic, I saw a different view.
The Buddha’s first turning of the Dharma wheel was the Four Noble Truths. The fourth Noble Truth was that of a path out of suffering. This path, is the 8 fold path, which contains every aspect of life. This included thought, livelihood, speech, and, action; everything is covered.
