excellent TED talk for ALL to view:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAgawjzimjc
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
mr. g and jellybean
thank you "Animal Place" for reminding us how ALL living things share emotional bonds...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv2OGph5Kec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv2OGph5Kec
Monday, August 24, 2015
gratitude
having an attitude of gratitude not only changes YOU, but in turn changes the world.
do you want to be happy? be grateful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtBsl3j0YRQ&feature=youtu.be
do you want to be happy? be grateful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtBsl3j0YRQ&feature=youtu.be
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
the shocking truth about your health...
it is true...what we can FEEL we can HEAL. now there is actual scientific proof.
everybody should watch this video, it will shift your paradigm for sure!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tu9nJmr4Xs
everybody should watch this video, it will shift your paradigm for sure!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tu9nJmr4Xs
Thursday, April 16, 2015
ON LETTING GO...
If we contemplate desires and listen to them, we are actually no longer attaching to them; we are just allowing them to be the way they are. Then we come to the realization that the origin of suffering, desire, can be laid aside and let go of.
How do you let go of things? This means you leave them as they are; it does not mean you annihilate them or throw them away. It is more like setting down and letting them be. Through the practice of letting go we realize that there is the origin of suffering, which is the attachment to desire, and we realize that we should let go of these three kinds of desire. Then we realize that we have let go of these desires; there is no longer any attachment to them.
When you find yourself attached, remember that ‘letting go’ is not ‘getting rid of’ or ‘throwing away’. If I’m holding onto this clock and you say, ‘Let go of it!’, that doesn’t mean ‘throw it out’. I might think that I have to throw it away because I’m attached to it, but that would just be the desire to get rid of it. We tend to think that getting rid of the object is a way of getting rid of attachment. But if I can contemplate attachment, this grasping of the clock, I realize that there is no point in getting rid of it - it’s a good clock; it keeps good time and is not heavy to carry around. The clock is not the problem. The problem is grasping the clock. So what do I do? Let it go, lay it aside - put it down gently without any kind of aversion. Then I can pick it up again, see what time it is and lay it aside when necessary.
You can apply this insight into ‘letting go’ to the desire for sense pleasures. Maybe you want to have a lot of fun. How would you lay aside that desire without any aversion? Simply recognize the desire without judging it. You can contemplate wanting to get rid of it - because you feel guilty about having such a foolish desire - but just lay it aside. Then, when you see it as it is, recognizing that it’s just desire, you are no longer attached to it.
So the way is always working with the moments of daily life. When you are feeling depressed and negative, just the moment that you refuse to indulge in that feeling is an enlightenment experience. When you see that, you need not sink into the sea of depression and despair and wallow in it. You can actually stop by learning not to give things a second thought.
You have to find this out through practice so that you will know for yourself how to let go of the origin of suffering.
Can you let go of desire by wanting to let go of it? What is it that is really letting go in a given moment? You have to contemplate the experience of letting go and really examine and investigate until the insight comes. Keep with it until that insight comes: ‘Ah, letting go, yes, now I understand. Desire is being let go of.’ This does not mean that you are going to let go of desire forever but, at that one moment, you actually have let go and you have done it in full conscious awareness. There is an insight then. This is what we call insight knowledge. In Pali, we call it nanadassana or profound understanding.
I had my first insight into letting go in my first year of meditation. I figured out intellectually that you had to let go of everything and then I thought: ‘How do you let go?’ It seemed impossible to let go of anything. I kept on contemplating: ‘How do you let go?’ Then I would say, ‘You let go by letting go.’ ‘Well then, let go!’ Then I would say:
‘But have I let go yet?’ and, ‘How do you let go?’ ‘Well just let go!’ I went on like that, getting more frustrated. But eventually it became obvious what was happening. If you try to analyze letting go in detail, you get caught up in making it very complicated. It was not something that you could figure out in words any more, but something you actually did.
So I just let go for a moment, just like that.
Now with personal problems and obsessions, to let go of them is just that much. It is not a matter of analyzing and endlessly making more of a problem about them, but of practicing that state of leaving things alone, letting go of them. At first, you let go but then you pick them up again because the habit of grasping is so strong. But at least you have the idea. Even when I had that insight into letting go, I let go for a moment but then I started grasping by thinking: ‘I can’t do it, I have so many bad habits!’ But don’t trust that kind of nagging, disparaging thing in yourself. It is totally untrustworthy. It is just a matter of practicing letting go. The more you begin to see how to do it, then the more you are able to sustain the state of non-attachment.
thank you to buddhanet.net for this gem. namaste'.
If we contemplate desires and listen to them, we are actually no longer attaching to them; we are just allowing them to be the way they are. Then we come to the realization that the origin of suffering, desire, can be laid aside and let go of.
How do you let go of things? This means you leave them as they are; it does not mean you annihilate them or throw them away. It is more like setting down and letting them be. Through the practice of letting go we realize that there is the origin of suffering, which is the attachment to desire, and we realize that we should let go of these three kinds of desire. Then we realize that we have let go of these desires; there is no longer any attachment to them.
When you find yourself attached, remember that ‘letting go’ is not ‘getting rid of’ or ‘throwing away’. If I’m holding onto this clock and you say, ‘Let go of it!’, that doesn’t mean ‘throw it out’. I might think that I have to throw it away because I’m attached to it, but that would just be the desire to get rid of it. We tend to think that getting rid of the object is a way of getting rid of attachment. But if I can contemplate attachment, this grasping of the clock, I realize that there is no point in getting rid of it - it’s a good clock; it keeps good time and is not heavy to carry around. The clock is not the problem. The problem is grasping the clock. So what do I do? Let it go, lay it aside - put it down gently without any kind of aversion. Then I can pick it up again, see what time it is and lay it aside when necessary.
You can apply this insight into ‘letting go’ to the desire for sense pleasures. Maybe you want to have a lot of fun. How would you lay aside that desire without any aversion? Simply recognize the desire without judging it. You can contemplate wanting to get rid of it - because you feel guilty about having such a foolish desire - but just lay it aside. Then, when you see it as it is, recognizing that it’s just desire, you are no longer attached to it.
So the way is always working with the moments of daily life. When you are feeling depressed and negative, just the moment that you refuse to indulge in that feeling is an enlightenment experience. When you see that, you need not sink into the sea of depression and despair and wallow in it. You can actually stop by learning not to give things a second thought.
You have to find this out through practice so that you will know for yourself how to let go of the origin of suffering.
Can you let go of desire by wanting to let go of it? What is it that is really letting go in a given moment? You have to contemplate the experience of letting go and really examine and investigate until the insight comes. Keep with it until that insight comes: ‘Ah, letting go, yes, now I understand. Desire is being let go of.’ This does not mean that you are going to let go of desire forever but, at that one moment, you actually have let go and you have done it in full conscious awareness. There is an insight then. This is what we call insight knowledge. In Pali, we call it nanadassana or profound understanding.
I had my first insight into letting go in my first year of meditation. I figured out intellectually that you had to let go of everything and then I thought: ‘How do you let go?’ It seemed impossible to let go of anything. I kept on contemplating: ‘How do you let go?’ Then I would say, ‘You let go by letting go.’ ‘Well then, let go!’ Then I would say:
‘But have I let go yet?’ and, ‘How do you let go?’ ‘Well just let go!’ I went on like that, getting more frustrated. But eventually it became obvious what was happening. If you try to analyze letting go in detail, you get caught up in making it very complicated. It was not something that you could figure out in words any more, but something you actually did.
So I just let go for a moment, just like that.
Now with personal problems and obsessions, to let go of them is just that much. It is not a matter of analyzing and endlessly making more of a problem about them, but of practicing that state of leaving things alone, letting go of them. At first, you let go but then you pick them up again because the habit of grasping is so strong. But at least you have the idea. Even when I had that insight into letting go, I let go for a moment but then I started grasping by thinking: ‘I can’t do it, I have so many bad habits!’ But don’t trust that kind of nagging, disparaging thing in yourself. It is totally untrustworthy. It is just a matter of practicing letting go. The more you begin to see how to do it, then the more you are able to sustain the state of non-attachment.
thank you to buddhanet.net for this gem. namaste'.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Struggling with Foreign Languages
Before I came to the Philippines, I found that I could communicate fairly well with my Filipino family and friends, but I knew that the challenge of communicating in the Philippines effectively is going to be far different than the normal challenges I had when talking with people in the United States. Indeed, I've had many times where people couldn't understand what I was saying, here, and some people at my hotel even suggested that I speak English. I'm lucky that English is the second government language here, and that most Filipinos can speak enough English to you to help guide you where you need to go, or what to do. If you're going somewhere new, and you're not as familiar with the language as you'd (or a local) would like, there are some ways to make communication a less painful experience
Study up on some phrases before departure
Lonely Planet has a good phrase guide to help you communicate in whatever language the locals speak in your place of visit. They also provide a pronunciation guide as an aid in reading the phrases in the book, and on the signs and reading materials you may need to read on your trip. If you can afford it, it helps to carry a book with you to read during your travels for the phrases alone. However each location book they provide gives listings of good local sites and places to eat as well, so it's an invaluable quick guide for whenever you need it.
Consider, too, some research online for some quick phrases and slang that would help you out while you travel, and to write them down somewhere easily accessible during your travels. I keep a small notebook of phrases in my pockets whenever I get utterly linguistically lost.
Use maps, and show maps
If it's a new place you're visiting, and you're also new to the language, getting around and about is a frustrating communication experience, for you and the local. I've found that having print outs of your hotel and other important places to visit, along with a map that marks down where you need to go with street names, makes going anywhere in any country a better experience for everyone involved.
Armed with map in hand, and enough know-how to ask someone "Please take me there," or, "How do I get there," I've found that I can get around most places with very little grief, and only small amounts of embarrassment. When I first got to the airport in the Philippines, and for my first few days, I've had no problems saying to my taxi drivers, Násaán ang SM Megamall?,
(Where is the SM Megamall?) or Pakihatíd mo po ako dito,
(Please take me here,) while I pointed to a map of where I needed to be. Perhaps I've been very lucky, because many locals and taxi drivers here say it's dangerous touring about to unfamiliar places in the Philippines, but thus far all the people I've met have been kind, accommodating, and more than helpful to me whenever I needed to get somewhere, language barrier or not.
Listen and observe closely
One important skill I've noticed when traveling and still learning the language is to just listen to how other people act, and be aware of the context of how they speak. Just like in English, code-switching and other mannerisms differ depending on who you're talking to, and that's far easier to teach through example and experience than it is through a book. In addition, you may learn something new you never knew before, thus making your excursion during vacation an easier one when it comes to talking.
Don't be afraid to say to people, Hindi ko po naiintindihan,
(I don't understand), or Marunong ka ba ng Ingles Po?
(Do you know English?), or Paano ko masabi Something in Tagalog?
(This is more slang-y, How do I say Something in Tagalog). People here will at least be nice enough to try responding if they can help.
The only way to better know a language is to use it and be immersed in it. What better way to practice, then, than using it whenever you can wherever you are! Sherpa out for now, but you know the guru and I can always try to linguistically help out whenever we can. Just let us know!
Until next time, then. For now, time to rest and enjoy a snack, some juice, and get ready for the mall, the clubs, or wherever this trip takes me.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Overseas Traveling with a Cell Phone?
The advice I have for you is, unless you're a T-Mobile (USA) customer or your home carrier offers free International Roaming, do not subscribe to your carrier's International roaming plan. AT&T, my carrier in the states, charges me 30 US$ for 15 minutes of sending and receiving calls with a pay as you go rate of 2.50 US$/minute; 30 US$ for 200 messages, with a pay as you go rate of 0.50 US$/text message and 1.50 US$/multimedia message; and 30 US$ for 120 MB of data, with an overage charge of another 30 US$ for every 120 MB over. And those prices are in addition to what I'm already paying per month! It's simply not worth it.
With a little research and planning before the trip, making accommodations for communications can end up far simpler. In the Philippines, SMART Telecom, Globe Telecom, and Sun Cellular are three of the major mobile telecom companies available. Each of them offer various prepaid SIM services at far more affordable prices. A prepaid SIM card and two 500 PHP load cards costs 1,040 PHP; that's about 24 US$. Thanks to the prepaid offers provided by SMART, this nets me unlimited calls and texts to all three major networks in the Philippines for 14 days, and unlimited data use for 14 days. It's significantly cheaper than using AT&T's International packages.
So, how do you actually accomplish all this? All it requires is a bit of time to do research on the mobile carriers of your destination, and a compatible unlocked phone.
Find out which frequency bands your visiting country's carriers use
Cell phones are rather complicated devices. To the average person it might seem like all you need to do is insert another SIM card to have it work wherever you are. The short answer is exactly that, if and only if the phone you insert the SIM card into is compatible with the frequency bands of your traveling region.
Thankfully, the majority of smartphones with SIM cards nowadays are already international ready--that is, it's a Quad-Band GSM phone that can operate on all the bands used by mobile carriers for voice calls and text messages. It gets more complicated if you want to send and receive calls, and also have data. 3G Data frequencies vary depending on where you are, and 4G LTE is even more variable.
Use GSMArena's mobile coverage tool to find the used frequencies in the country you will be visiting. It's also a good website to use to determine if your current phone will work in another country, or if you would need a different phone. Contact the mobile carriers in the country you're visiting and ask them directly which bands they support as well; they'll usually give you the most current information they have, thus making it easier to select a phone, or a carrier, or a plan later.
Find out if your current phone is unlocked and supports your country of visit's bands
When you know which bands are used by the carriers in the country you'll be visiting, you'll want to make sure your phone is unlocked and is capable of operating in the bands you need. Your home carrier should be able to give you your phone's compatible bands, and most can unlock your phone for free or for a small fee. If they will not unlock your phone, there are a variety of websites that can issue unlock codes for your phone for a fee.
If you plan on traveling frequently, or if you want a phone that you can use practically anywhere, I suggest trying to find a phone listed as a Quad-Band GSM/Penta-Band 3G. Those kinds of phones are designed to work practically anywhere and with any GSM carrier. Your best bets would be older Nokia models in their E-series line or N-series line. The software is a bit dated, but they're durable, internationally capable, and very well made phones that will last a long time. My personal favorite is Nokia's E7-00. Though it sacrifices on the camera quality, it's suite of communications options--e-mail, SIP VoIP, video calling (with compatible phones), Skype (no video calls), Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Lync, Exchange--make it an awesome choice for communications wherever you are and whatever you are.
Choose a carrier and plan, and find out where to make the purchase
Once you know which bands each carrier supports, and once you have a phone compatible with your chosen carrier, it's time to decide which plans you want, and where to buy it. Check each carrier's website to see their offers and rates, then shoot a message towards their customer service. Ask them where you can purchase a SIM card close to where you're staying, and how you can load more balance into the card if you start getting low. That way, once you get to your country of visit, it's a simple matter of buying the SIM card, loading it with credit, and inserting the SIM card into your phone. There. Communications profit.
That's too much work! Isn't there an easier option?
For certain countries, HolidayPhone can actually mail you a SIM card from the country you're visiting. You can decide whatever services you need. After you pay them and tell them where and when you're going, expect a SIM card to arrive to you a few days before your trip. The price turns out to be nearly as expensive as using my carrier's International packages, but it is far more feature-filled, and more convenient if you have no time for research.
You can always rely on your carrier's International packages, too, but be sure you're okay with the limits they set, and the prices they want you to pay.
Otherwise, there's always us! I'd be more than happy to do the research for you, if you'd like.
What does my set-up look like?
Thankfully I keep my E7 around for whenever I travel, so I have the luxury of skipping the step of researching GSM or 3G bands; it's compatible with every frequency, though it's not 4G LTE compatible. From there, I read reviews of all the telecom companies in the Philippines and found that SMART has the best reviews out of all of them, and that their unlimited data plan is truly unlimited. I asked them through Twitter where I can buy SIM cards and credit close to my hotel's location (practically anywhere, they said, which was true), and wrote it in my notes. After which, I went there, bought the SIM and credit, and I had cell phone and data.
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