I came across this while browsing Beliefnet… a great site for anyone in need of prayerful inspiration ;)

This is a buddhist meditation (click here to read more about the concept of Dharma on wikipedia).

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Meditation in Affliction

Assailed by afflictions, we discover Dharma
And find the way to liberation. Thank you, evil forces!

When sorrows invade the mind, we discover Dharma
And find lasting happiness. Thank you, sorrows!

Through harm caused by spirits we discover Dharma
And find fearlessness. Thank you, ghosts and demons!

Through people’s hate we discover Dharma
And find benefits and happiness. Thank you, those who hate us!

Through cruel adversity, we discover Dharma
And find the unchanging way. Thank you, adversity!

Through being impelled to by others, we discover Dharma
And find the essential meaning. Thank you, all who drive us on!

We dedicate our merit to you all, to repay your kindness.

- Gyalwa Longchenpa

“The mind is malleable,” Mr Ricard told The Independent on Sunday yesterday. “Our life can be greatly transformed by even a minimal change in how we manage our thoughts and perceive and interpret the world. Happiness is a skill. It requires effort and time.”

From:
The happiest man in the world?

There is nothing new here - just a resounding reminder that our minds are tools to be used to experience this wonderful world around us.

Tools take skill to use properly. Complex tools take greater skill to achieve greater outcomes.

The bigger message is one of hope… we are not slaves to our past. Through meditation and coming to presence, we gain great liberation from all the acquired habits of the mind.

If you are one of the many of us that seem to repeat failed patterns in your life… this is a message to tune into. The mind is malleable. You can learn how to be happy.

It might be harder than taking a pill, but the the results are real, and these ancient truths are increasingly being recognized by modern science.

I really appreciated coming across this page laying out a few parallel sayings of Buddha and Christ

This is a subject that interests me, along with the lost years of Jesus.

Special thanks to a wonderful group of people for seeing me through one of the most difficult times of my life: Aninda, Bob, Dee, Dan, Dave, Kathleen, Lisa, and my sistas Tricia and Bess.

I want to take a moment to give thanks to all the great teachers in my life - Joe Vincenzo, Nenos Georgopoulos, Charles Burlingame, Jerry Emmons, Mr. Ulrich, Mr. Gullett, Ms. Magi… I am sure this list will grow as I rethink my path.

Very special thanks to the Buddha and Christ for their relentless pursuit of my heart and soul, and in turn for the role this plays in my desire to give back to the world that has nourished me far beyond my own comprehension.

I have great gratitude for my children. Each of them has come to this world with such great wisdom and energy. I feel honored to be their father.

And last but certainly not least, a very blessed thank you to my mother and father who taught me everything in the world about being a good and honest person at heart. Never have I met two people so kind in their spirits as my mother and father. God rest your souls. You both deserve all the peace and love that heaven can surround you with now.

If it is ever wondered just how “much gratitude” came to be… I can say that there have been many seeds. I am personally coming out of a year that by all accounts could be characterized by “much loss”… but through it all, I keep finding a spirit of gratitude coming through me.

But if any one thing pushed me to action, it may have been this image of this great african lion kissing and hugging a woman that took care of him some five or so years earlier…

I came across this video* from this news article one day recently… and was really moved by the raw expression of gratitude from this beautiful animal.

In the days that followed, I invariably found myself stumbling over many things for which I am grateful… and somewhat surprisingly… some were things from long ago that I am just now seeing in a new light.

I am sure I will find plenty of opportunities to thank the many many people that have guided me to this point in my life… but I wanted to first and foremost recognize the power and beauty of gratitude itself, so beautifully expressed in the relationship between this lion and this woman.

It is my deepest hope that through the stories that will be told on this site, anyone in need will easily find hope and inspiration when they need it the most. I also look forward to seeing the many acts of kindness that will shine through as we begin to give time and space to the flowering of all of the gratitude that follows.

* if anyone has any information on how I might be able to acquire a legal & downloadable version of this video, please email me!