Diamond Way Buddhism articles and newsletters feed

Newsletter 23/04/2012

Sun, 13 May 2012 19:41:05 +1200

Welcome to the Diamond Way Buddhist Trust NZ Information Service
Newsletter #2/2012

1. Daria Novoselova-Martens in New Zealand
2. The Way Things Are - available on Kindle
3. Glentui - Autumn planting trees on the land

1. Daria Novoselova-Martens in New Zealand

Auckland - Ponsonby Community Centre, 20 Ponsonby Tce, Ponsonby.
Saturday 28 April
3:30-5:30pm Introduction to Buddhism
7:30-9:30pm Love & Partnership, a Buddhist perspective
Sunday 29 April
10:30am-12:30pm Karma: Cause & Effect

Christchurch - DW Buddhist Centre, 220 England St, Nth Linwood
Monday 30 April
7:30pm Introduction to Buddhism
Tuesday 1 May
7:30pm Meditation Basics
Wednesday 2 May
7:30pm Meditation Practices
Thursday 3 May
7:30pm Buddhism in Daily Life

Wellington - Powa Centre, 1 Marion St, Te Aro
Saturday, 5 May
4pm-6pm Introduction to Meditation

Single tickets are $15 suggested donation. See our website for more information!

2. The Way Things Are - available on Kindle

This is one of the best books to grab if you're looking for an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. Written by Lama Ole Nydahl - a recognised Western Lama - it presents Buddhism in an approachable way, provides a good foundation for practice and even includes a glossary.

Link to Kindle version of the book on Amazon

3. Glentui - Autumn planting trees on the land

Autumn has arrived in Glentui, and the planting has been successful - but there is more to do! See the Glentui blog.

Newsletter 3/03/2012

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:16:21 +1300

Welcome to the Diamond Way Buddhist Trust NZ Information Service
Newsletter #1/2012

1. Lama Ole Nydahl in New Zealand - public lectures
2. Traveling teacher Axel Waltl in Wellington
3. “The Way Things Are” - introductory book about Buddhism
4. Wellington: two meditation sessions canceled
5. Auckland: Intro to Buddhism & Meditation
PLUS: Glentui Highlights

1. Lama Ole Nydahl in New Zealand - public lectures

Meeting the Lama is the best way to check if methods of Diamond Way Buddhism suit one's character and tendencies. There is simply no faster development than finding a skilled teacher and following their instructions.

Lama Ole Nydahl's public lectures are financially accessible (rarely cost more than a equivalent of a cinema ticket + a coffee) and take only one evening each, so give it a go if you can!

More information on lectures (22-24th of March): Auckland sessions, Wellington sessions

2. Traveling teacher Axel Waltl in Wellington

For those who are not able to attend Lama Ole Nydahl's lectures, we would like to invite you to a session with his long-time student, Axel Waltl.

Axel will give a talk in central Wellington (in our usual meditation venue) on Sunday 25th of March, 7.30pm. The entry is a suggested donation of $20 ($15 concession).

3. “The Way Things Are” - introductory book about Buddhism

The books of Lama Ole Nydahl are now available as eBooks to read on your electronic mobile devices.

So if you are looking for an introduction to Buddhism, we'd like to recommend “The Way Things Are”:
Kindle version: http://amzn.com/B00612FJHK
Paperback: http://amzn.com/1846940427

4. Wellington: two meditation sessions canceled

There will be no meditation sessions between 7th and 14th of March. You are still welcome to attend the Introduction to Meditation this Monday.

Our regular schedule will restart on 15th of March.

5. Auckland: Intro to Buddhism & Meditation

Inspired by our friends from Wellington, we decided to run a monthly introductory evening tailored to the beginner.. We repeat these sessions every first Tuesday of the month.

If you have never meditated but would like to try, or you would like to know more about Tibetan Buddhism - here is a great place to start!

More information: http://www.buddhism.org.nz/intro-to-buddhism-and-meditation/

Glentui Highlights

Our retreat centre is growing at a steady pace since the beginning of construction: we are happy to announce that retreats there are now possible! Here is a postcard from one - we have have finished it off with a pleasant gathering on Saturday night.

From the couple who undertook the retreat:
"The valley is scarcely inhabited, which means that we share the area only between ourselves and our hired lawnmowing merino sheep.

"The nights are full of stars and very quiet - that is apart from the howling of wind in the window frames and the sound of rain hitting the metal roof.

"The local micro-climate ensures spectacular views - every day is different. There are no distractions, unless one treats small gardening tasks on the land as such - but these are not obligatory."

Enjoy the rest of summer!
-- Kiwisangha

Newsletter 15/01/2012

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:33:41 +1300

Welcome to the Diamond Way Buddhist Trust NZ Information Service
Special Update: Lama Ole Nydahl in NZ

We are happy to announce the final dates for Lama Ole Nydahl's public engagements in Auckland and Wellington this March.

Lama Ole Nydahl travels around the world twice a year to give Buddhist lectures and meditation courses.

For those that wish to learn more about Buddhism, in particular Diamond Way Buddhism, attending a lecture is the best choice. Here you will learn what Buddhism is and how we can apply it in everyday life.

At all lectures and courses Lama Ole Nydahl leads a meditation and gives Buddhist Refuge to those who request it. On the Marpa Course different aspects of Buddhism will be discussed in greater detail. All public sessions in Wellington and Auckland are suitable for beginners.

Schedule

No booking is necessary, the tickets for the public lectures will be sold at the door.

Auckland - evening lecture
Public lecture: 22 March 2012, 7:00pm
See http://www.buddhism.org.nz/lecture-with-lama-ole-nydahl/ for details.

Wellington - Marpa Course
23-25 March 2012
Lectures: 23 March 8pm, and 24 March 8pm
See http://www.buddhism.org.nz/marpa-course-with-lama-ole-nydahl/ for details.

Newsletter 13/12/2011

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:43:14 +1300

Welcome to the Diamond Way Buddhist Trust NZ Information Service
Newsletter #6/2011

1. Christchurch: New Year lecture series about meditation
2. Auckland: Christmas Party, Ngoendro/practice day and summer break
3. Wellington: summer break and change of time
4. Lama Ole Nydahl in New Zealand 2012 - tour dates
PLUS: Glentui Highlights

1. Christchurch: New Year lecture series about meditation

If you would like to gain some extra psychological space for the upcoming year, we'd like to invite you to lectures with Phil Carlisle - a teacher of Tibetan Buddhism.

Phil has many years of experience as a meditator and a teacher (he has just returned from a teaching tour in Russia, and has traveled extensively with Lama Ole Nydahl). His talks are easy to understand, and are suitable for beginners.

There is no need to RSVP - just wear something comfortable, and show up!

Schedule

Thursday 29 Dec
8.00pm: What is Buddhism

Friday 30 Dec
8.00pm: The Nature of Mind

Saturday 31 Dec
8.00pm: Motivational Methods for Enlightenment

Sunday 1 Jan
8.00pm: The Fast Way: With the Lama

More: http://www.buddhism.org.nz/new-year-lectures-with-phil-carlisle/

2. Auckland: Christmas Party, Ngoendro/practice day and summer break

Come and join us for our last public meditation evening this year on Tuesday the 20th of December. We will celebrate another happy Sangha year by sharing yummy Christmas goodies and we’ll have a Secret Santa!

We will restart our regular meditations on Tuesday the 16th of January 2012.

We will have our last Ngoendro/Practice day this upcoming Sunday the 18th of December. We’ll meet at 3pm at Tasha’s place at beautiful Bucklands Beach. Please join us, and let us know if you are coming.

3. Wellington: summer break and change of time

Last public meditation this year will be on 21 December. We will restart our sessions with "Introduction to Buddhist Meditation" on 9 January 2012. If you haven't visited us yet - this is great opportunity to come!

Also, after the new year we are shifting one of our meditations from Wednesday to Thursday - so we can meet more regularly. Therefore we will have meditations on:
Mondays at 7.30pm
Thursdays at 7.30pm

More: http://www.buddhism.org.nz/introduction-to-buddhist-meditation/

4. Lama Ole Nydahl in New Zealand 2012 - tour dates

The dates for Lama Ole Nydahl's New Zealand tour are as follows:

Auckland
22 March 2012: public lecture
Wellington
23-25 March 2012: weekend course

Full release and schedule will be available in January.

Glentui Highlights

Meanwhile the retreat grows at its own pace, bringing people together and giving us many chances for working with our mind.

Some new photos: http://www.buddhism.org.nz/gita-al-rifugio/

Enjoy your summer break!
-- Kiwisangha

Newsletter 17/10/2011

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:15:28 +1300

Welcome to the Diamond Way Buddhist Trust NZ Information Service
Newsletter #5/2011

1. Denes Andras - Diamond Way Buddist teacher
2. Kiwitour 2012 coming soon
+ Glentui Highlights

1. Denes Andras - Diamond Way Buddhist teacher

Denes was born in 1969 in Budapest and has lived a rich and challenging life. He met Buddhism in 1997 and has since concentrated most of his energies in this direction; living in the Budapest Buddhist Center from 2001 and teaching since 2005 when Lama Ole Nydahl asked him to do this activity.

If you think that the meditation you have learned in our centres is a practical method of developing human qualities, it's worth to meet Denes to see the long term results of Diamond Way practice.

If you are new to Buddhism this is a great opportunity to see what we have to offer and to check if the methods and results suit you. Guided meditation will follow after the lectures.

Our setting is informal and questions are welcome. Wear something comfortable, so you can feel at home. We usually sit on meditation cushions, but there are chairs available should you want one. Ask for our Buddhist library too!

Auckland

Sangha only event. Email auckland@buddhism.org.nz .

Wellington (more information)

Thursday, 20 Oct, 7:30pm
Public lecture "The Preliminary Practices" - basics, questions and answers

Friday, 21 Oct, 7:30pm
Public lecture "Living and working as Buddhists" - beginners still welcome!

Price: Lectures are $20 (students - $15) suggested donation.

Christchurch (more information)

Saturday 22 Oct
10am - Glentui Retreat day
7pm - Dinner
8pm - Lecture: "Working Together as Sangha"

Sunday 23 Oct
4pm - Meditation session
6.30pm - Dinner
8pm - Lecture: "All about Ngondro"

Monday 24 Oct
4pm - Questions and Answers, followed by Meditation session
6.30pm - Dinner
7pm - Lecture: "Connecting with the Lama"

Price: $15 per lecture, $10 per meal suggested donation.
Dinner: A meal will be available each night at 6.30pm. Please let us know if you would like to eat with us. We have great chefs lined up.

2. Kiwitour 2012 coming soon

As some of you might know from the Lama Ole Nydahl's Travel Plan already, Lama will tour New Zealand in March 2012. A public lecture will be held in Auckland, and Wellington will have a honour of hosting Marpa Course (2.5 days of intense teachings in a single location).

We will release more specific information in November.

Glentui Highlights

Welcome to spring! We now have the attic, woolen insulation, and the hut is enclosed. Little tree seedlings have survived the winter and now are being planted as a shelter belt to the right.

We had couple of rainbows coming through, snow, wind and rain - as well as scores of fearless Kagyus with shovels and picks.

Visit the blog directly or subscribe via email or via RSS.

Newsletter 30/05/2011

Sun, 29 May 2011 22:08:04 +1200

Welcome to the Diamond Way Buddhist Trust NZ Information Service
Newsletter #4/2011

1. Karol Ślęczek, meditator, philosopher, Buddhist teacher
2. Libraries
3. Statue filling course
+ Glentui Highlights

1. Karol Ślęczek, meditator, philosopher, Buddhist teacher

Here we are again with another excellent opportunity to meet a great Buddhist teacher!

Karol Ślęczek will tour New Zealand in mid June to share his experience and knowledge with us. He has been meditating for over 30 years, of which 20 he has been a teacher as well. He will be here over the period of 10 days, stuffed with lectures and meditation sessions in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Pick a day that suits you and come around to receive your monthly dose of inspiration.

Auckland (more information)

Wednesday, 15 June, 7pm
Sangha program in Henderson, to attend ring Voytek on mob.0211555095
Thursday, 16 June, 7pm
Public lecture: "Buddhism - the science of happiness"
at Blockhouse Bay Community Centre, 524 Blockhouse Bay Rd
Friday, 17 June, 7pm
Public lecture: "Meditation"
at Ponsonby Community Hall, 24 Ponsonby Tce, $12/10 donation
Saturday, 18 June, 9am
Sangha program in Henderson, to attend ring Voytek on mob.0211555095

Lectures are $12/$10 (waged/unwaged) eachh

Wellington (more information)

Saturday, 18 June
7:30pm - public lecture: "Buddhism in a nutshell"
Sunday, 19 June
11am - sangha day
7:30pm - public lecture: "Buddhist Refuge"
Monday, 20 June
7:30pm - public lecture: "Death and rebirth"
Tuesday, 21 June
Sangha evening

Each lecture is followed by a guided meditation. One lecture+meditation is $18/$15/$13 (waged/members/unwaged). For more information call 0220107108.

Christchurch (more information)

Wednesday, 22 June
7:30pm - public lecture: "Buddhism 101"
Thursday, 23 June
7:30pm - public lecture: "Sangha - our friends on the way"
Friday, 24 June
7:30pm - public lecture: "Meditation - basics"
Saturday, 25 June
9:30am - car pool for work day in Glentui retreat
7:30pm - public lecture: "Meditation - a deeper understanding"
Sunday, 26 June
7:30pm - public lecture: "The Lama"

Lectures are $15 each. Each lecture will be followed by a meditation.
6:30pm each day a meal will be available ($10). Please let us know if you would like to eat with us - we have some great chefs lined up!

Enquiries: 021 1486686 / 03 3818108

All amounts are suggested donations.

2. Libraries

Our librarians would like to remind the wide world that our centres and groups have access to Lama Ole Nydahl books. A membership in your local sangha usually gives you access to these. On top of that, Christchurch centre library stocks a lot of other interesting books, including some new ones:

Dzalendara & Sakarchupa - Stories from long, long ago of the former lives of the Gyalwa Karmapa : 16th Karmapa
The Life & Teachings of Naropa: Herbert V. Guenther
The Essential Chogyam Trungpa
Sky Dancer- the Life of Yeshe Tsogyal: Keith Dowman
Legend of the Great Stupa: Keith Dowman

3. Statue filling course

A small reminder about the statue filling course with Hannah Reimer that will take place September - October in Christchurch. If you ever wanted to have a Buddhist statue, this is a perfect time to get it. This course requires earlier preparation, so Michelle Corby will be visiting us between 28 June - 6 July to help us with this.

Glentui Highlights

The development in and around Glentui restarted rapidly. We have made scores of farmers happy with a sausage sizzle fundraiser and finished the cladding. Couple of weekends ago we had 7 people working in Glentui, the retreat was buzzing with activity! We are looking forward to winter! :)

If you are a Glentui fan, you can now subscribe to our blog via email or via RSS.

See you in the next release!
-- Kiwisangha

Newsletter 17/04/2011

Sun, 08 May 2011 19:44:49 +1200

Welcome to the Diamond Way Buddhist Trust NZ Information Service
Newsletter #3/2011

1. Kiwitour 2011 summary
2. Easter course with Klaus Kaltenbrunner
+ Glentui Highlights

1. Kiwitour 2011 summary

Lama Ole Nydahl tour through New Zealand may just have ended, but it still reverberates strongly in our sanghas. Lama and 40 travelers from around the world brought a fresh view and inspiration to our centres.

We visited Auckland and Wellington for public lectures. We ferried ourselves through the sounds (plenty of dolphins on the way), and went up to Kaikoura where we had a barbecue together. Next day we got out on a small ship to swim with the dolphins and we found them almost immediately and in great numbers. We visited Glentui to show the progress on our land development - the new hut. Finally we arrived in Christchurch, where everyone could have a look around, join lectures, meditate, eat and talk with friends for two days.

We had a great time and it was certainly nice to see you all! We hope you all come back again next year. Some great pictures are available via Lama's official Flickr photostream.

2. Easter course with Klaus Kaltenbrunner

We are happy to announce the Easter course with our traveling teacher Klaus Kaltenbrunner from Austria. Klaus is a student of Lama Ole Nydahl and experienced meditator, so if you have any questions after the recent lectures this will be a great opportunity to ask them.

The courses will take place in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. Check out below for more information - and see you soon!

Christchurch (more information)

Sunday, 17 April
4:30pm - Ngondro session (free)
6:30pm - dinner ($10)
7:30pm - movie (free with dinner)

Monday, 18 April
7:30pm - meditation session (free)

Tuesday, 19 April
6pm - dinner ($10)
7:30pm - lecture "Fearlessness, Joy, Compassion: the signs of realization" ($10)
After the lecture: meditation session.

All amounts are suggested donations.

Wellington (more information)

Wednesday, 20 April
7:30pm - lecture: "Suffering and happiness"
Followed by a meditation session

Thursday, 21 April
7:30pm - lecture: "Disturbing emotions"
Followed by a meditation session

Friday, 22 April
7:30pm - lecture: "Meditation"
Followed by a meditation session

Saturday, 23 April
7:30pm - lecture: "How to develop quickly"
Followed by a meditation session

Each lecture+meditation session in Wellington is $18/$13 (waged/unwaged) suggested donation.

Auckland (more information)

Sunday, 24 April
5pm - 7pm - lecture followed by meditation session ($10)

Monday, 25 April
11am - 1pm - lecture followed by meditation session ($10)

All amounts are suggested donations.

Glentui Highlights

Lama and travelers have just visited Glentui, and the verdict is: the place is beautiful! Thanks to the titanic efforts of our friends from the Christchurch sangha, the hut is up and can host up to 30 people (but forget about comfort) - we have tested this experimentally.

Lama Ole has blessed the hut, and gave it a name of "Dechen Ling", so it can now function as Diamond Way Buddhist retreat centre! We have a feeling this hut will be a great place to meditate - and there are already some yogis lined up for retreats later in the year. Next steps for the hut: windows, doors and the woodstove. And further on? Maybe more huts!

Thank you for all your support!

Glentui newsletter

Meanwhile we will be starting a new newsletter dedicated to Glentui, with smaller but more frequent updates. If you would like to follow the developments more closely, let us know and we will sign you up!

See you in the next release!
-- Kiwisangha

Newsletter 07/03/2011

Sun, 08 May 2011 19:43:24 +1200

Welcome to the Diamond Way Buddhist Trust NZ Information Service
Newsletter #2/2011

1. Earthquake in Christchurch
2. Kiwitour 2011 - Lama Ole in NZ
+ Glentui Highlights

1. Earthquake in Christchurch

Lama Ole has requested the list of names of the earthquake victims and will do the Phowa, and many of you are sending wishes and offering help. We would like to let you know that we appreciate everything you do, even a single "Om mani peme hung" mantra!

Life in the city has been seriously disrupted, but it's very inspiring to see how people get together and help each other. There is an army of 29,000 students cleaning up the streets. Groups of people are knocking on the houses checking if everyone is fine. Farmers arrived in force with their machines. Across the country, companies and individuals are offering free services to Christchurch people, providing accomodation and donating money.

The sangha in Christchurch is holding the ground, with evening meditation sessions still on schedule, and the daylight hours dedicated to helping out in the area. Crockery is gone in the centre, but the house is a very safe place. A lesson in impermanence for us: meditation by candlelight, cold showers and long queues for gas so we can make hot tea and a warm meal.

1. Kiwitour 2011 - Lama Ole in NZ

Lama Ole and some travelers have already expressed the wish to come to Christchurch, go out and help, and we will be honoured to have you all here. We are so glad to see you all so soon!

Meanwhile, 2 places have become available for the Kiwitour via Kaikoura and Glentui, so if you are a sangha member and would still like to join, let us know at tour@buddhism.org.nz until Tuesday noon. Also, the public lecture has been moved from the off-limits Art Gallery to our gompa.

28 March, 8pm - Auckland - public lecture, Leys Institute, 20 St Mary’s Rd
29 March, 7.30pm - Wellington - public lecture, Powa Centre, 1 Marion St, 1st floor
30-31 March - Kiwitour (through Kaikoura and Glentui)
1-2 April - Christchurch - "Meditation, Buddhism in the West and the Lineage" course, DWB Centre, 220 England St

The up-to-date information is always available on the tour: website.

Glentui Highlights

No news from Glentui this time, as all our time is dedicated to Christchurch.

See you in the next release!
-- Kiwisangha

Newsletter 16/01/2011

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 18:55:59 +1300

Welcome to the Diamond Way Buddhist Trust NZ Information Service
Newsletter #1/2011

First of all, a happy New Year to all of you! We now have twice as many subscribers as a year ago, meaning we are doing something useful here. If you feel like this newsletter should go in a specific direction (more news from the world sangha? more local news?) let us know at newsletter@buddhism.org.nz. And meanwhile - look forward to a year full of great events!
-- Newsletter team

1. Kiwitour 2011 - early bird bookings
2. Lama 24h - movie trailer
3. Lama on Tour
4. "A Different Kind of Richness"
+ Glentui Highlights

1. Kiwitour 2011 - early bird bookings

Lama Ole Nydahl will be giving public talks for the first time in three cities in New Zealand. The schedule is as follows:

Auckland, 28 March - public lecture
Wellington, 29 March - public lecture
Christchurch, 1-2 April - public lecture and a course

Sangha will be traveling with Lama Ole through New Zealand on a bus, ferry, and the train, visiting Kaikoura, and diving into the ocean to swim with the dolphins. Early bird entries are available until 31 January and there is currently 13 swimming seats on the dolphin tour left.

If you are a sangha member you should have already received the link to the booking form. Otherwise please contact us at tour@buddhism.org.nz .

If you wish to attend the course in Christchurch, early bird booking is also available until 31 January.

2. Lama 24h - movie trailer

The Movie Team follows Lama Ole everywhere and they have put some shots together to show what they are working on. It's truly inspiring!

You will probably have a chance to meet the movie crew on the Kiwitour. They also asked for financial support for the project.

3. Lama on Tour

We are quite often asked for inspiring photos of our Lama and the sangha. We actually have a photostream on Flickr delivering exactly that: beautiful photos from all around the world.

Another good place to get the information about Lama is on his twitter feed.

Last but not least, Lama Ole is currently on the Winter Tour, traveling through Russia on the Transsib - we have a dedicated micro-site for this event.

4. "A Different Kind of Richness"

In the new article for The Press, Manfred Ingerfeld writes about a treasure hidden under the floor of your house (but don't tear the floor apart just yet). The article was printed on 09/12/2010 and is available in our online repository.

Glentui Highlights

We are learning from our friends in Europe, and now have a presentation for Glentui. If you watch it you will get a glimpse of the atmosphere up there.

The last construction push before the Christmas gave us a roof. Unfortunately in this country rain falls horizontally (because of the wind) so it wouldn't shelter anyone just yet :) There is also one wall in place - the large front door made it necessary to reinforce the structure with plywood (you can see it on this video). Other walls will be covered with corrugated iron straight away. Windows and doors are also waiting for their turn and keen hands in the shed in Christchurch.

The plants in the Mahakala Forest are sitting in the ground, but require a lot of care. Canterbury is a dry region where most of the water comes from artesian supplies. We have to go there every now and then and water everything. We also learned the wind has a very strong impact on how well our seedlings are doing. Plants that sit in the lower terrain sheltered from the elements are now twice as big, while the others tend to die off more easily and need to be replanted.

That's why this project needs continued support :)

See you in the next release!
-- Kiwisangha

A Different Kind of Richness

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 17:40:35 +1300

The Press
09/12/2010
Manfred Ingerfeld

A long time ago in India, a desperately poor family was struggling to make ends meet in their little hut. What they didn't know was that not far below the dirt floor of their hut lay buried treasure. Had they only known, they could have so easily dug it out and enjoyed the rest of their lives in comfort. This story is sometimes told to illustrate the point that we are all rich, but we have not yet discovered our “treasure”. There's no need to dig up the floor of our house; what is meant is inner richness: happiness, fearlessness, compassion, and a host of other qualities. Everything needed for a fully developed, fully functioning inner life is included. And this richness is not something we need to acquire from somewhere else; it is ours already. All we need to do is uncover it.

On reflection, this makes sense. After all, the times we cherish most, when we feel most deeply alive, are when happiness comes from within. It's when emotional entanglement and mental chatter drop away, hopes and fears dissolve, and there is the joyful feeling of being fully alive and aware, and somehow whole. Isn't that what we are looking for when we plan a holiday? Isn't this the aim and motivation of every sportsperson, the heady experience of being “in the zone”? Love, friendship and compassionate action can all produce timeless moments where personal boundaries and concerns just dissolve. In each of these cases, the experience of being fully and joyfully present appears spontaneously the moment there is a crack in our habitual thought patterns, our hopes and fears, likes and dislikes. Clearly this state is something we already had, but didn't know about or couldn't access.

There are many examples of people whom life dealt a tough deck of cards, yet they have become living proof that happiness does not depend on anything outer. One such example was Helen Keller, a blind and deaf American woman. She lived a happy, fulfilled and insightful life and years after her death she is still an inspiration to many. “Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within”, she said.

In a way we want to see the world with the eyes of a poet. The poet can find inspiration in the most unlikely places. The inspired state is always there and once activated, the world becomes a mirror, a shiny and rich place where just about everything can serve to express this creative inspiration. We can then be kind to both ourselves and others, relax, and open up to the possibilities that present themselves.

As in all areas of life, nothing comes without at least a little effort, and Buddhism offers us useful tools in the form of sound advice and a broad array of meditation methods to chose from. The essence of all these methods is nothing else than to be fully and joyfully present in the moment, in an ongoing unfolding of inner richness.

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