Enjoy the amazing Beijing Olympics Gardening.

2008 TAIPEI THINGYAN

Dhammakaya , Thailand

Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups Of Coffee

Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups Of Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to
handle, when 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had
some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a
very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded
to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and
poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the
open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full..

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured
it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up
everything else.

He ask ed once more if the jar was full.

The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from
under the table and poured the entire contents into
the jar, effectively filling the empty space between
the sand.

The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents
your life.
The golf balls are the important things - God,
family, children, health, friends, and Favorite
passions--things that if everything else was lost and
only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like
your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he
continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the
golf balls.

The same goes for life. If you spend all your time
and energy on the small stuff, you will never have
room for the things that are important to you.

So... Pay attention to the things that are critical to
your happiness. Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix
the disposal.
'Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that
really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what
the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked'.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your
life may seem, there's always room for a couple of
cups of coffee with a friend.'

Buddhist Morality

The Pancha Shila, or five moral precepts:
1. Avoid killing, or harming any living thing.

2. Avoid stealing -- taking what is not yours to take.

3. Avoid sexual irresponsibility, which for monks and nuns means celibacy.

4. Avoid lying, or any hurtful speech.

5. Avoid alcohol and drugs which diminish clarity of consciousness.

The Brahma Vihara are the four "sublime states" to which we all should aspire. They are the great signs of the Bodhisattva, who vows to remain in samsara -- this world of pain and sorrow -- until all creation can be brought into the state of Nirvana together.

1. Maitri is caring, loving kindness displayed to all you meet.

2. Karuna is compassion or mercy, the kindness shown to those who suffer.

3. Mudita is sympathetic joy, being happy for others, without a trace of envy.

4. Upeksa is equanimity or peacefulness, the ability to accept the ups and downs of life with equal dispassion.