Tag spirit

When You Need To Get Away

drstaceynaito Leave a comment

california

I am the kind of person who burns the candle at both ends, not necessarily because I like to constantly feel like I am being run ragged, but because I always have an insanely busy schedule which has me switching gears constantly throughout each day. My usual response to the question, “What did you do last weekend?” is that I worked. I am ALWAYS working on something, and there is always something to do in my hectic life.

There is a bit which comic John Mulaney performs which captures the feeling which I feel whenever I get the rare chance to actually relax on a weekend. Here’s his bit:

Kids always want to do stuff, kids get angry. They go, “awww, we didn’t do anything all day!”
You ever ask an adult what they did over the weekend and they say they didn’t do anything, their faces light up. It’s like, “What did you do this weekend?” Ï, uh, (big smile across one’s face) I did nothing. I did nothing at all! Did we do anything? No, we didn’t do anything!”

I am definitely feeling the urge to get away so I can get a break from the constant movement which defines my daily life. I firmly believe that everyone should take vacations and go on weekend getaways every now and then to recharge the spirit and relax the body and mind. Though I won’t be able to take any big trips this year, I know that a weekend getaway needs to occur soon so that I can preserve my sanity! The telltale signs of burnout are showing, such as lack of concentration, irritability, and fatigue. The nice thing about living in southern California is that there are so many options available for weekend getaways, so I will make sure to plan something very soon.

Different Types Of Buddhas

drstaceynaito 2 Comments

Check out this link: http://feng-shui.lovetoknow.com/Buddha_Statues_for_the_Home_and_Garden

buddha-toothrelic(1)I have copied and pasted the information on the different types of Buddhas which is presented in the article from the link above. There are suggestions on where to put each type of Buddha in your home, based on Feng Shui principles.

Meditating Buddha
This statue style most commonly found in Buddhist altars in the home. These statues typically render Buddha in a sitting position with both hands in a meditative position called “Cosmic Mudra. The hands overlap each other. The left hand is placed on top of the right one so the thumb tips touch to form an oval, symbolizing the turning of one’s attention inward.

The statue should face the east direction since the Buddha meditated on the sun rising in his search for enlightenment.

Rubbing his belly will bring greater good luck and fortune.

Laughing Buddha
In western culture, the laughing Buddha is probably the most widely recognizable and used. It’s also known as the good luck, prosperity or abundance Buddha. It depicts Buddha in his later years as happy and with a large belly from an abundant lifetime. He’ll either be in a sitting position or standing with his hands over his head supporting a real or imaginary Ru-Yi pot (vessel or bowl of plenty).

This statue is affectionately dubbed Happy. It’s tradition to rub his belly to ensure even greater luck is bestowed upon you. Place this statue in your personal wealth corner or southeast sector of your home. It’s great for an office on the north wall facing those who enter.
102123-200x300-Laughing_Buddha
Other variations include:

Laughing Buddha with children at his feet: Place in west sector (descendants) of garden facing your home. Also use in same sector inside your home.
Traveling Buddha: A variation of the laughing Buddha as a monk features a cotton-sack over one shoulder or tied to a stick. He holds a wealth ball in his other hand. It is an excellent choice if you travel for work. Place in your office in north sector.
Spiritual Journey Buddha: This is another version of the Traveling Buddha. He carries a gourd (wu-lou) of enlightenment suspended from a stick while holding a fan in his other hand and wears a prayer bead necklace. Place in northeast sector (education) or southwest (love and relationships).
Blessing Buddha
The Blessing pose depicts Buddha bestowing fearlessness (upper hand gesture) and compassion (lower hand). Good areas inside the home for this statue include the office and den. You can apply this as a cure for any area inside or outside your home that suffers from weak or afflicted chi due to flying star placement.

Teaching Buddha
Known as Dharma Chakra Buddha, the Teaching Buddha statue is in a sitting or standing position. The most popular is the sitting pose, since this is the position the Buddha assumed when teaching. This is an important period in the Buddha’s life. It symbolizes his sharing of the knowledge he’d gained after his enlightenment in the deer park, Sarnath, located in Uttar Pradesh, India with his disciples.

Since the Buddha’s teachings came from his heart, the both hands are in front of his chest. The index fingers and thumbs touch to form a circle, representing his teaching of the Wheel of Dharma (union of wisdom and method). The other three fingers of both hands always remain extended.

This is an excellent choice for the northeast (education) sector of both inside your home or office and your garden.

Some statues depict the thumb touching the ring finger instead of the forefinger. This changes the meaning to one of good fortune. This style can be placed in the north sector (career) or southeast sector (wealth).

Long Life Buddha
This Buddha sits with the bag of blessings by his side or may hold the bag in his lap. In one hand, he cradles a wealth ball raised in front of him and a Ru-Yi pot in his other hand. Place in your home or garden in the east (health), west (children, descendants) or southeast (wealth) sector. You can also place it in your office in these directions.

Happy Home Buddha
The seated Happy Home Buddha holds a parasol over his shoulder. Place inside and outside your home in the southwest sector (relationships).

Earth Buddha
Also known as the Calling Earth to Witness, the Earth Buddha sits on the ground with his right hand extended so his fingers point to the earth beneath him. This statue honors the time when Buddha was repeatedly tempted by the demon, Mara, but resisted and finally reached enlightenment.

You can place this statue in any sector inside or outside your home that you’re being tempted to reject. If you’re having difficulty in a relationship, place it in the southwest sector to bolster your resolve and commitment. If you’re becoming complacent at work, put this in the north sector (career) to strengthen your dedication to your job.

Reclining Buddha
Buddha awaits his transition from this life to death, viewed as a mere transition into a different state of being. if you’re in a transition period, this is a good choice for inside your home or in a garden.

Place in the sector that represents the area of your transition. For example, place in north sector of home or office if changing jobs. If a relationship has ended, place in southwest sector. If you’re a new empty nester, place statue in west sector to ease this life-changing transition.

gold-buddha-altar

Eulogy For Rob Willhite

drstaceynaito Leave a comment

FEW CROSS OVER THE RIVER.
MOST ARE STRANDED ON THIS SIDE.
ON THE RIVERBANK THEY RUN UP AND DOWN.
BUT THE WISE MAN, FOLLOWING THE WAY,
CROSSES OVER, BEYOND THE REACH OF DEATH.
– Buddha

One day eight years ago I met Rob and was immediately struck by his elegant stature and his calm and kind demeanor. What was most striking, though, was a spirit presence, something ethereal that I couldn’t define, and it was that presence that put me in awe of him. He kindly invited me to join his meditation group, and I gladly obliged. And so began my journey into more structured meditation, a connection to the cosmos, and a deep friendship.

I remember being somewhat intimidated by Rob, and I realize that this was my own little grasshopper mind coupled with egoic limitations that were causing me to experience that feeling of intimidation. Rob’s “Robisms” reminded me to ponder in more enlightened ways, and I took great comfort in hearing him utter one of his typical sage sayings and following it with either a grin or a chuckle, and a twinkle in the eye that revealed the little boy that still wanted to laugh and play.

Then when Rob was diagnosed last Fall and I heard of all the trials and tribulations he was enduring, I realized that everything this remarkable man had experienced in his life was coming to a head and that the ultimate test was yet to come. I drove to Rancho Los Amigos a couple of days after his surgery to see him, not sure what I would encounter. Yet as I laid my eyes upon Rob, a great surge of joy washed through me, and this joy continued as we talked and joked around, laughed and smiled. He was in such great spirits that even though I was devastated to hear of his diagnosis, it didn’t seem to matter, because we were truly in the moment, friends enjoying each other’s company. Rob’s wonderful dry wit was still very much intact and he used it to say things that had me chuckling at his bedside.

1016444_696074497089656_1678297_nShortly after Rob was discharged to Bess’s home this past December, I made regular scheduled visits to help out, and continued to do so through most of March. Every single one of those days I spent with Rob was an absolute treasure. Our conversations ran the gamut of profound, funny, tragic, and philosophical. Most days we would go for a walk or visit the neighbor dogs for a bit, and on some days he and I would meditate. Our jaunts to the L.A. Zoo were also very special and I feel so fortunate to have gone with Rob there. He missed his animal friends so very much and was able to have two wonderful reunions with them. The first time we visited, Leadbottom, the Andean Condor, was being a butthead and refused to come to the fence to greet Rob, but during our second visit, Leadbottom finally relented, and I witnessed the friendship and bond which they shared. It was truly a magical moment.

Though I had known Rob for several years, it was only this year that I learned that Rob was a man who had never felt, as he stated, like he belonged on this earth. I knew what he meant. He was so evolved spiritually that being locked in the physical realm was challenging at best with him. We spoke at length about countless other subjects during my regular visits, and he revealed more of his life experiences and upbringing to me, making him more endearing and real, and dissolving the silly intimidation I had once felt so long ago. He expressed gratitude towards me many times for helping out during the course of his illness, but the countless spiritual gifts he had bestowed upon me during that time were staggering in comparison.

There was one thing Rob said to me when he was still at Rancho which struck me. He had said, “I’ll meet you on the other side for sake.” To which I replied, “Not just yet, Rob, not for either of us. But I absolutely will meet you for that sake at some point.” Eventually, we will share that bottle of sake on the other side. I look forward to it.

Playing Hooky

drstaceynaito 1 Comment

T-Shirt-Sorry-Mind-Closed-Until-Futher-Notice-724789I am starting to think that it might be an excellent idea to play hooky from the day to day routine on a fairly regular basis. Such a viewpoint flies directly in the face of my usual nose-to-the-grindstone attitude towards life. The shift in my thinking has something to do with my recent high level of physical and mental burnout from constantly running from one thing to another, like a sputtering vehicle which probably would warrant a ticket for exhaust emissions (no, this is not a reference to gaseous emissions, but a reference to loss of efficiency). r

Without balance in one’s life, efficiency and power dwindle to very low levels, making it next to impossible to keep up or catch up with tasks at hand. The “one step forward, two steps back” theory asserts itself here. The answer is not to keep pushing through in hopes that, by some miracle, you will suddenly catch up to everything on your to-do list and feel completely fulfilled, but to take a break from it all.

When you take a break from your to-do list and learn to truly enjoy life and your surroundings, you press the reset button and recharge your spiritual, mental and physical batteries, which in turn makes you more efficient at tackling mundane day-to-day tasks. Though you may panic at the thought of losing precious time in which you could keep treading along that hamster wheel, you will actually gain momentum by stepping away from the busywork and taking care of your spirit so that you are balanced. You will return to your tasks with more energy and focus.