Are We Feeling The Gratitude?

Discovering the meaning of, “Any port in a storm”.

Jul 09, 2023

How Do You Feel?

Some of you will know that I have been playing around with an app called ‘How We Feel’, that is a product of some lovely, and smart people at Yale Uni. It turns out they have a newsletter on Substack too. Check out the news, and see if the app is something you can use in your day to keep you centred.

My bestie, Heather, and I are working out if we want to know more about each other through a digital, tech-thingy. Or would we prefer the old ‘Argue for no reason – sulk – make amends -’ formula that folks have been using since The Dreamtime.

Refuge and Recovery

This week’s feature article, per moi, is focussed on the Three Precious Jewels. When I was getting dry in the early days, I was so confused about God and stuff and my body and brain were shouting, ‘Give me a fuckin’ drink!’.

Fast-forward to the bit where I go to my first Dharma class, I was introduced to the most fundamental Buddhist teaching. It’s called going for refuge. I needed refuge.

The class that I attended was held in a community hall about 7 kilometres from home and my driver’s licence was cancelled, but I made it. How grateful am I to my former self that I made the effort.

The teacher flew from Sydney each Thursday to establish the new Sangha in our city. Eventually, on the 25th October 2008, we opened the Meditation Centre in Gold Coast City. That’s my birthday!

Five years later, my great mate, Gerry, helped me go to Portugal to attend Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s last public festival – on my 50th birthday.

How blessed am I that this teacher was prepared to fly to me to help me get sober, and then for Gerry to give me that great opportunity. If I had have had one drink since 2008, none of this would have happened. Talk about refuge!!!

To Gerry, Kelsang Tsalden, Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, and my former self, I say thank you.

read more by clicking the button…

The Three Jewels

Happy and Loving

I received an email from Todd Perelmuter this week. He said this,

“We are each a vessel for life. When these vessels are healthy, happy, and loving, only then can we truly be there for others. We must look at our insecurities and love them to death. We must reflect on mistakes or regrets from our past and love them into extinction. We simply need to shift our mindset from pressure, lack and fear, to love, kindness and acceptance. It starts with setting the intention and then putting it into practice”.

Here is Todd talking about how we can use meditation to resist urges. p.s. Some peoples’ urges don’t scream, “Give me a fuckin’ drink!”

I Feel’th That Lord Al May Be’ith A Buddhith

Of Old Sat Freedom

By Alfred Lord Tennyson

Of old sat Freedom on the heights,
The thunders breaking at her feet:
Above her shook the starry lights:
She heard the torrents meet.

There in her place she did rejoice,
Self-gather'd in her prophet-mind,
But fragments of her mighty voice
Came rolling on the wind.

Then stept she down thro' town and field
To mingle with the human race,
And part by part to men reveal'd
The fullness of her face --

Grave mother of majestic works,
From her isle-alter gazing down,
Who, God-like, grasps the triple forks,
And, King-like, wears the crown:

Her open eyes desire the truth.
The wisdom of a thousand years
Is in them. May perpetual youth
Keep dry their light from tears;

That her fair form may stand and shine
Make bright our days and light our dreams,
Turning to scorn with lips divine
The falsehood of extremes!

love alwaz
mike