August 19, 2023: The Power to Act in the Present Moment: Choosing Freedom & Happiness
Aspiration Prayer
May our practice today give beneficial results
May what we do here together give us the power to be of benefit to others
May it help us overcome difficulties and delusions
May it clear away obstacles
May it bring us love and draw us towards enlightenment
-Sally Kempton
In her very last course “Karma & Transformation” Sally gave us what she obviously considered her most meaningful gift to us. The course was essentially a call to action. The theme: understanding the way our life is structured, and recognizing the Karmic patterns that shape or bind our life, as the first step to freedom.
Let’s face it: we are all stuck in patterns of negative thinking, anger, resentment, self-doubt, remorse. Would we not all prefer to be free of these patterns and enjoy an inner life of freedom, and happiness, had we had the choice? We do have the choice, according to the present dharma. Transforming our inner negative habits and becoming happy, compassionate, free human beings is within our reach in this present moment, stated our beloved teacher quite clearly.
We are the result of our karmic history, and it is our history and our karmic habits that bind us, but there is a way to break free from all the karmic patterns that cause us pain and anxiety and zap all the juice out of our lives. The pivot point is recognizing our patterns, the conditions that formed them and seizing our ability to act in the present moment with love and compassion. This kind of conscious action is the only way to break the harmful patterns of binding karma, and open the space for the liberating karma of beneficial action.
An action that originates from the desire to benefit ourselves or our family only, creates binding karma because the we do not exist as individuals. We are part of an interconnected whole. Liberating karma comes from the recognition that we are all interconnected. To act out of love and concern for others, for the benefit of other beings, somehow liberates and frees us; the good intention behind a selfless action somehow ripples auspiciousness back to us.
Today we can choose freedom & happiness through our actions rooted in the recognition of our inter-connectedness and the intrinsic goodness of all life. Here are some steps that Sally gave us in order to: Transform Limiting Negative Karma into a Life of Freedom & Happiness!
With 3 Steps for a Positive Inner Practice Today:
1. SET A NEW ASPIRATION: TO BE HELPFUL
Start with a positive aspiration for our actions to be of benefit to ourselves and others.
Example: You are about to step into a discussion or a situation that triggers anxiety or difficulty, or brings up fear. Before you enter the situation set an aspiration which you can repeat inwardly to yourself.
Aspiration: Whatever I do or say let it be helpful to the other person. And remove the idea that you know how to be helpful. Let it arise.
2. ADOPT A NEW ATTITUDE: OFFERING OUR ACTIONS
Create new habits. In each situation, instead of entering an exchange in order to achieve or get something from it, reverse your attitude by thinking: What can I offer here.
3. CULTIVATE NEW HABITS: TURN NEGATIVITY INTO POSITIVE THOUGHT
What produces the highest merit internally is:
Thinking well of other people.
Giving people the benefit of the doubt.
Interrupting your habit of judging other people
When you know you are not a fault finder, you can trust your actions*
*Being a good person is to have the judgement to draw the limit and hold boundaries when something needs to be refused.
August 19, 2023
Life
Personal
Wellness
Aspiration Prayer
May our practice today give beneficial results
May what we do here together give us the power to be of benefit to others
May it help us overcome difficulties and delusions
May it clear away obstacles
May it bring us love and draw us towards enlightenment
-Sally Kempton
In her very last course “Karma & Transformation” Sally gave us what she obviously considered her most meaningful gift to us. The course was essentially a call to action. The theme: understanding the way our life is structured, and recognizing the Karmic patterns that shape or bind our life, as the first step to freedom.
Let’s face it: we are all stuck in patterns of negative thinking, anger, resentment, self-doubt, remorse. Would we not all prefer to be free of these patterns and enjoy an inner life of freedom, and happiness, had we had the choice? We do have the choice, according to the present dharma. Transforming our inner negative habits and becoming happy, compassionate, free human beings is within our reach in this present moment, stated our beloved teacher quite clearly.
We are the result of our karmic history, and it is our history and our karmic habits that bind us, but there is a way to break free from all the karmic patterns that cause us pain and anxiety and zap all the juice out of our lives. The pivot point is recognizing our patterns, the conditions that formed them and seizing our ability to act in the present moment with love and compassion. This kind of conscious action is the only way to break the harmful patterns of binding karma, and open the space for the liberating karma of beneficial action.
An action that originates from the desire to benefit ourselves or our family only, creates binding karma because the we do not exist as individuals. We are part of an interconnected whole. Liberating karma comes from the recognition that we are all interconnected. To act out of love and concern for others, for the benefit of other beings, somehow liberates and frees us; the good intention behind a selfless action somehow ripples auspiciousness back to us.
Today we can choose freedom & happiness through our actions rooted in the recognition of our inter-connectedness and the intrinsic goodness of all life. Here are some steps that Sally gave us in order to: Transform Limiting Negative Karma into a Life of Freedom & Happiness!
With 3 Steps for a Positive Inner Practice Today:
1. SET A NEW ASPIRATION: TO BE HELPFUL
Start with a positive aspiration for our actions to be of benefit to ourselves and others.
Example: You are about to step into a discussion or a situation that triggers anxiety or difficulty, or brings up fear. Before you enter the situation set an aspiration which you can repeat inwardly to yourself.
Aspiration: Whatever I do or say let it be helpful to the other person. And remove the idea that you know how to be helpful. Let it arise.
2. ADOPT A NEW ATTITUDE: OFFERING OUR ACTIONS
Create new habits. In each situation, instead of entering an exchange in order to achieve or get something from it, reverse your attitude by thinking: What can I offer here.
3. CULTIVATE NEW HABITS: TURN NEGATIVITY INTO POSITIVE THOUGHT
What produces the highest merit internally is:
Thinking well of other people.
Giving people the benefit of the doubt.
Interrupting your habit of judging other people
When you know you are not a fault finder, you can trust your actions*
*Being a good person is to have the judgement to draw the limit and hold boundaries when something needs to be refused.
August 19, 2023: The Power to Act in the Present Moment: Choosing Freedom & Happiness
Aspiration Prayer
May our practice today give beneficial results
May what we do here together give us the power to be of benefit to others
May it help us overcome difficulties and delusions
May it clear away obstacles
May it bring us love and draw us towards enlightenment
-Sally Kempton
In her very last course “Karma & Transformation” Sally gave us what she obviously considered her most meaningful gift to us. The course was essentially a call to action. The theme: understanding the way our life is structured, and recognizing the Karmic patterns that shape or bind our life, as the first step to freedom.
Let’s face it: we are all stuck in patterns of negative thinking, anger, resentment, self-doubt, remorse. Would we not all prefer to be free of these patterns and enjoy an inner life of freedom, and happiness, had we had the choice? We do have the choice, according to the present dharma. Transforming our inner negative habits and becoming happy, compassionate, free human beings is within our reach in this present moment, stated our beloved teacher quite clearly.
We are the result of our karmic history, and it is our history and our karmic habits that bind us, but there is a way to break free from all the karmic patterns that cause us pain and anxiety and zap all the juice out of our lives. The pivot point is recognizing our patterns, the conditions that formed them and seizing our ability to act in the present moment with love and compassion. This kind of conscious action is the only way to break the harmful patterns of binding karma, and open the space for the liberating karma of beneficial action.
An action that originates from the desire to benefit ourselves or our family only, creates binding karma because the we do not exist as individuals. We are part of an interconnected whole. Liberating karma comes from the recognition that we are all interconnected. To act out of love and concern for others, for the benefit of other beings, somehow liberates and frees us; the good intention behind a selfless action somehow ripples auspiciousness back to us.
Today we can choose freedom & happiness through our actions rooted in the recognition of our inter-connectedness and the intrinsic goodness of all life. Here are some steps that Sally gave us in order to: Transform Limiting Negative Karma into a Life of Freedom & Happiness!
With 3 Steps for a Positive Inner Practice Today:
1. SET A NEW ASPIRATION: TO BE HELPFUL
Start with a positive aspiration for our actions to be of benefit to ourselves and others.
Example: You are about to step into a discussion or a situation that triggers anxiety or difficulty, or brings up fear. Before you enter the situation set an aspiration which you can repeat inwardly to yourself.
Aspiration: Whatever I do or say let it be helpful to the other person. And remove the idea that you know how to be helpful. Let it arise.
2. ADOPT A NEW ATTITUDE: OFFERING OUR ACTIONS
Create new habits. In each situation, instead of entering an exchange in order to achieve or get something from it, reverse your attitude by thinking: What can I offer here.
3. CULTIVATE NEW HABITS: TURN NEGATIVITY INTO POSITIVE THOUGHT
What produces the highest merit internally is:
Thinking well of other people.
Giving people the benefit of the doubt.
Interrupting your habit of judging other people
When you know you are not a fault finder, you can trust your actions*
*Being a good person is to have the judgement to draw the limit and hold boundaries when something needs to be refused.
August 5, 2023