Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Today's Message from Dalai Lama

Today I got one of those forward emails.  You know the kind.  The sappy life messages with pictures of butteflies and flowers that always make you stop and wonder.  Mostly I wonder who has the time to put these things together.  But you know, they usually say something I need to hear.  Supposedly this one was created from quotes the Dalai Lama gave in 2010... a Dalai Lama mantra if you will.

I watched it.  Twice.

Here's what it said.

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
Follow the three R's - Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for all your actions.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
Don't let a little dispute injur a great relationship.
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Spend some time alone every day.
Open your arms to change, but don't give up your values.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life.  Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation.  Don't bring up the past.
Share your knowledge.  It is a way to achieve immortality.
Be gentle with the Earth.
Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
Remember the best relationship is one where your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Ok.  So what do you think?  Sappy?  Trite?  Or maybe words to live by?  There are some zingers in there I have to say.  Things that resonate with me right now as my professional life continues its upheaval in MERGER world.  Like, open your arms to change, but don't give up your values.  Hmmmm.  Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.  Yeah....knowing your trade-off limits is a good thing. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.  I'm still learning that one.  And until I do, I'm following: Remember sometimes silence is the best answer.

In a similar vein, my sister gave me a card several years ago and I liked the words in it so much I turned it into a bookmark.  Like the notes above, it is something I read most days and try...I really do try.

Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard.
Practice wellness.
Play with abandon.
Laugh.
Choose with no regret.
Continue to learn.
Appreciate your friends.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.
- mary ann radmacker

I like how it starts.  Live with intention.  I do tend to float through life sometimes, letting it happen to me, rather than defining it myself.  It is important to be able to go with the flow, but perhaps it is more important to influence the flow and react purposefully.

Guess I'm immersed in philosophical thought today.  Care to join me?

4 comments:

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

"Follow the three R's - Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for all your actions."

This will be prominently displayed in my future classroom.

Kate Hanley said...

Learn The Rules so You know how to break them reminds me of college. The instructors were always trying to teach us to learn the conventional forms of theater so we could break the rules intelligently. It makes for better art. But I also like live with Intention. I sometimes forget to do that a lot!

Susan said...

I act with intention, but living with intention, not so much.

Anonymous said...

It's not only important to go with the flow, it's vital. It is the key to survival. Otherwise we perish flailing.