All Entries in the "Snap Sunday Sermon" Category

Snap Sunday Sermon - Watch Free Documentaries at Snag Films

Don’t think this has any moral message?

Watch a film.

Just one.

Snap Sunday Sermon - Holding the Emotion in Times of Stress

The current political and economic times have added an increased level of stress to all of our lives. With this comes more emotion, anxiety and inappropriate reactions.

When I am going through my daily activities and I feel a strong reaction, I’ve learned to hold on to it.

The reaction must obtain my approval before I release it.

Many times reactions, especially the strong ones, are based on incidences in our past. The feelings of these past incidences are triggered.  In the worst situations - such as with war veterans or rape victims - we call this Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.)

But in times of stress created by everyday living , we also pull our past forward for comfort.

We do this because that part of our brain that stores emotions  - the amygdula - knows no timeline.

Consciously or unconsciously, we are controlled by previous experience - often locked in - unable to free ourselves.

Ways to heal:

Practicing Mindfulness. Conscious thought and awareness of these reactions can free us to be in the present.

Emotional Freedom therapy (EFT) is a needle-free acupuncture like treatment that has been getting positive press.  Get a free starter manual here and learn about calming hyper-response reflex.

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“Snap” Sunday Sermon: A Truly Black Friday at Wal-Mart

I’ve read about these tragedies at concerts - in an environment of blasting frenzied music and crazed young fans, drinking and smoking who knows what.

Now imagine a similar scenario in front of Wal-Mart.

2000 coffee and sugar-glazed-donut charged shoppers, chilled by the night air,

“chanting “push the doors in,” … pressed against the glass as the clock ticked down to the 5 a.m. opening.  Sensing catastrophe, nervous employees formed a human chain inside the entrance to slow down the mass of shoppers.

It didn’t work.

The mob barreled in and overwhelmed workers.

“They were jumping over the barricades and breaking down the door,” said Pat Alexander, 53, of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. “Everyone was screaming. You just had to keep walking on your toes to keep from falling over.”

Witness Kimberly Cribbs said shoppers acted like “savages.”

“When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling, ‘I’ve been on line since Friday morning!’” Cribbs said. “They kept shopping.”  [New York Daily News]

What were the 5 am “while they last” bargains that spawned this?

“Items on sale at the Wal-Mart store included a $798 Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV, a Bissel Compact Upright Vacuum for $28 and Men’s Wrangler Tough Jeans for $8.”…

“Said one employee, “How could you take a man’s life to save $20 on a TV?”"

For those that mark Black Friday as a festive holiday sport, a fun way to kick off the season, it was a chilling tragedy.

If Wal-mart wasn’t such a lost cause, they might re-think these 5 AM instigated frenzies.  They could at least have enough help on to provide proper crowd control.

And for all of us, maybe it’s time to re-think our priorities.

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“Snap” Sunday Sermon - On Citizenship, and Some Words of Thich Nhat Hanh

I regularly point the finger at all the shysters that have ruined our economy and our environment.  But on Sundays, I look inward, and looking inward I find that I, too, can act selfishly, be motivated by greed. In wanting a better life for myself and my family, I find it easy to block out the recklessness of many of my actions, the harm these actions do to others.

Once again, I’m inspired by the words of Thich Nhat Hanh, from his book Peace is Every Step.  Here’s a few of his thoughts on Citizenship.

As citizens, we have a large responsibility.  Our daily lives, the way we drink, what we eat, have to do with the world’s political situation.  Every day we do things, we are things, that have to do with peace. If we are aware of our lifestyle, our way of consuming things, we will know how to make peace right in the moment we are alive.  We think that our government is free to make any policy it wishes, but that freedom depends on our daily life.  If we make it possible for them to change policies, they will do it.  Now it is not yet possible.

…..

As we ourselves begin to live more responsibly, we must ask our political leaders to move in the same direction.  We have to encourage them to stop polluting our environment and our consciousness.  We should help them appoint advisers who share our way of thinking about peace, so that they can turn to these people for advice and support.  It will take some degree of enlightenment on our part to support our political leaders, especially when they are campaigning for office.  We have the opportunity to tell them about many important things, instead of choosing leaders by how handsome they look on television and feeling discouraged later by their lack of mindfulness.

….

[We need to elect political leaders who] practice mindfulness, who have a deep sense of calm and peace and a clear vision of what the world should be.  [These leaders] will help us move in the direction of peace.

Have a nice Sunday.

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Snap Sunday Sermon - Seven Revelations on The Power of Conscious Breathing.

1. It’s much harder to do than I thought it would be.  It tries my patience when I need to get things done.  I often can’t do it unless I’m also doing something else.  This may defeat the purpose, but I figure half way is better than no way.
2. It wasn’t until I tried slowing my mind down that I realized how busy it was.  Thousands of synapse explosions cranking away, reeling in all different directions, sometimes in alignment, sometimes with no alignment, like when I’m sleeping.
3. Conscious breathing even a few minutes here and there during the day contributes to making my day a more positive experience.  It grounds me, brings me into the present tense, focuses me into the moment I am in, not the moments before or after it.
4. It is the opposite of daydreaming.  Instead of my mind being elsewhere, it’s right there.  Wow.  I find it better than daydreaming, because I have something to show for it.  With daydreaming I have nothing to show for it.
5. I can’t do it for lengthy periods of time unless I’m exercising.  For me, “bringing the body and mind together”  involves not only focusing on my breathing, but also focusing on the various muscle groups I’m utilizing during exercise.  So in a sense, my entire workout becomes conscious and focused.
6. It’s a whale of a de-stressor.  Slows my heart rate.  Clears my head.
7. It’s a breath of fresh air.  Thinking about my breathing while I am breathing makes me a better person.

Here’s a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh on the Power of Conscious Breathing from his book, Peace is Every Step:

“There are a number of breathing techniques you can use to make life more vivid and enjoyable. The first exercise is very simple. As you breathe in, say to yourself, ‘Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in.’ And as you breathe out, say ‘Breathing out, I know that I am breathing out.’  Just that. You recognize your in-breath as an in-breath and your out-breath as an out-breath. You don’t even need to recite the whole sentence; you can use just two words, In and Out.  This technique can help you keep your mind on your breath. As you practice, your breath will become peaceful and gentle, and your mind and body will also become peaceful and gentle. This is not a difficult exercise. In just a few minutes you can realize the fruit of meditation.

“Breathing in and out is very important, and it is very enjoyable. Our breathing is the link between our body and our mind. Sometimes our minding is thinking of one thing and our body is doing another, and mind and body are not unified.  By concentrating on our breathing, In and Out, we bring body and mind back together, and become whole again.  Conscious breathing is an important bridge. 

To me, breathing is a joy I could not miss.  Just breathing and smiling can make us very happy, because when we breathe consciously we recover ourselves completely, and encounter life in the present moment.”

Have a pleasant Sunday.

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Snap Sunday Sermon - A Reading From No Death, No Fear, by Thich Nhat Hanh

This reading is taken from No Death, No Fear, published by Riverhead Books, a division of Penguin Putnam

by Thich Nhat Hanh

“If we are mindful of the true nature of reality, then we never truly lose anyone–even to death.“

“Our greatest fear is that when we die we will become nothing. Many of us believe that our entire existence is only a life span beginning the moment we are born or conceived and ending the moment we die. We believe that we are born from nothing and that when we die we become nothing. And so, we are filled with fear of annihilation.

The Buddha has a very different understanding of our existence. It is the understanding that birth and death are notions. They are not real. The fact that we think they are true makes a powerful illusion that causes all our suffering. The Buddha taught there is no birth, there is no death; there is no coming, there is no going; there is no same, there is no different; there is no permanent self, there is no annihilation. We only think there is. When we understand that we cannot be destroyed, we are liberated from fear. It is a great relief. We can enjoy life and appreciate it in a new way.

The same thing happens when we lose any of our beloved ones. The day my mother died I wrote in my journal, A serious misfortune of my life has arrived. I suffered for more than one year after the passing away of my mother. But one night, in the highlands of Vietnam, I was sleeping in the hut in my hermitage. I dreamed of my mother. I saw myself sitting with her and we were having a wonderful talk. She looked young and beautiful, her hair flowing down. It was so pleasant to sit there and talk to her as if she had never died.

When I woke up it was about two in the morning and I felt very strongly as though I had never lost my mother. The impression that my mother was still with me was very clear. I understood then that the idea of having lost my mother was just an idea. It was obvious in that moment that my mother was just an idea. It was obvious in that moment that my mother is always alive in me.”

“. . . It is only because of our misunderstanding thate we think the person we love no longer exists after they “pass away.” This is because wse are attached to one of the forms, one of the many manifestations of that person. The person we love is still there. He is around us, within us, and smiling at us.”

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Snap Sunday Sermon - The Pied Piper of Doublethink

There are atrocities going on in this world.

Right now, as I sit here writing this.

That make everything else seem trivial.

I sit in the grandstands, eating my popcorn and drinking my beer, watching the horrific game of life play out for those less fortunate.

I have made choices to get where I am - to a comfortable place where I have freedom, and love, and happiness.

It could have been different. I could have chosen to follow the wrong Piper. I would be in the ring myself, then, fighting for my life.

Like some people have done, and like some people will do.

For once you’re in the ring, it’s hard to climb out.

I feel so much pain, watching from the sidelines, helpless to do more than reach out my hand.

But my pain is trivial to those who suffer or have suffered.

Aristotle said:

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

George Orwell took a harsher perspective, creating doublethink. Reality control for the sake of maintaining one’s sanity.

In fact, he said ” The prevailing mental condition is controlled insanity.”

Is that how we, in the grandstands, survive? Is it the only way we can survive?

Snap Sunday Sermon - Spirituality vs. Religion

These excerpts on “Spirituality vs Religion” are taken from an article written by Robert W. Chell in the June, 2008 issue of The Lutheran.

Chell , the campus pastor at South Dakota State University, teaches a class there called Wellness 100. He wrote this article in response to those who asked that he not teach “spirituality” as part of his curriculum.

Do you think there’s a difference between spirituality and religion?

He writes:

Spirituality vs Religion
There is a Difference

“…Spirituality is private. Religion is public. Spirituality focuses on feelings. Religious faith demands action. The largest difference: We define our own spirituality; religion defines us. Both words come from Latin roots. Spirituality comes from a root word meaning to breathe, a subjective sense defining what empowers oneself. Religion derives from the root word meaning to bind, carrying the clear meaning of obligation to something beyond oneself.…..

…Spirituality is warm and welcoming—an undemanding word—while religion brings images of demand and obligation…

Some say one’s choice of faith matters little. They’re wrong. The faith one embraces shapes and changes our lives. …

…There are those professing faith in no religion who stand as strong advocates for justice and peace. And there are those professing faith who trample on others’ rights.

Those who fear spirituality can be comforted in that it presents little danger. Those who promote faith might do well to adopt the fear of those who stand in opposition. For religion’s greatest threat is to its practitioners.”

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“Snap” Sunday Sermon - What is Buddhism?

Here’s a five minute tutorial - taken from the Buddha Education Association and BuddhaNet Website.

• What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. The word comes from ‘budhi’, ‘to awaken’. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35.

• Is Buddhism a Religion?

To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or ‘way of life’. It is a philosophy because philosophy ‘means love of wisdom’ and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:

(1) to lead a moral life,
(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and
(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.

• How Can Buddhism Help Me?

Buddhism explains a purpose to life, it explains apparent injustice and inequality around the world, and it provides a code of practice or way of life that leads to true happiness.

• Why is Buddhism Becoming Popular?

Buddhism is becoming popular in western countries for a number of reasons, The first good reason is Buddhism has answers to many of the problems in modern materialistic societies. It also includes (for those who are interested) a deep understanding of the human mind (and natural therapies) which prominent psychologists around the world are now discovering to be both very advanced and effective.

• Who Was the Buddha?

Siddhartha Gotama was born into a royal family in Lumbini, now located in Nepal, in 563 BC. At 29, he realised that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, so he explored the different teachings religions and philosophies of the day, to find the key to human happiness. After six years of study and meditation he finally found ‘the middle path’ and was enlightened. After enlightenment, the Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching the principles of Buddhism — called the Dhamma, or Truth — until his death at the age of 80.

• Was the Buddha a God?

He was not, nor did he claim to be. He was a man who taught a path to enlightenment from his own experience.

• Do Buddhists Worship Idols?

Buddhists sometimes pay respect to images of the Buddha, not in worship, nor to ask for favours. A statue of the Buddha with hands rested gently in its lap and a compassionate smile reminds us to strive to develop peace and love within ourselves. Bowing to the statue is an expression of gratitude for the teaching.

• Why are so Many Buddhist Countries Poor?

One of the Buddhist teachings is that wealth does not guarantee happiness and also wealth is impermanent. The people of every country suffer whether rich or poor, but those who understand Buddhist teachings can find true happiness.

• Are There Different Types of Buddhism?

There are many different types of Buddhism, because the emphasis changes from country to country due to customs and culture. What does not vary is the essence of the teaching — the Dhamma or truth.

• Are Other Religions Wrong?

Buddhism is also a belief system which is tolerant of all other beliefs or religions. Buddhism agrees with the moral teachings of other religions but Buddhism goes further by providing a long term purpose within our existence, through wisdom and true understanding. Real Buddhism is very tolerant and not concerned with labels like ‘Christian’, ‘Moslem’, ‘Hindu’ or ‘Buddhist’; that is why there have never been any wars fought in the name of Buddhism. That is why Buddhists do not preach and try to convert, only explain if an explanation is sought.

• Is Buddhism Scientific?

Science is knowledge which can be made into a system, which depends upon seeing and testing facts and stating general natural laws. The core of Buddhism fit into this definition, because the Four Noble truths (see below) can be tested and proven by anyone in fact the Buddha himself asked his followers to test the teaching rather than accept his word as true. Buddhism depends more on understanding than faith.

• What did the Buddha Teach?

The Buddha taught many things, but the basic concepts in Buddhism can be summed up by the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.

• What is the First Noble Truth?

The first truth is that life is suffering i.e., life includes pain, getting old, disease, and ultimately death. We also endure psychological suffering like loneliness frustration, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger. This is an irrefutable fact that cannot be denied. It is realistic rather than pessimistic because pessimism is expecting things to be bad. lnstead, Buddhism explains how suffering can be avoided and how we can be truly happy.

• What is the Second Noble Truth?

The second truth is that suffering is caused by craving and aversion. We will suffer if we expect other people to conform to our expectation, if we want others to like us, if we do not get something we want,etc. In other words, getting what you want does not guarantee happiness. Rather than constantly struggling to get what you want, try to modify your wanting. Wanting deprives us of contentment and happiness. A lifetime of wanting and craving and especially the craving to continue to exist, creates a powerful energy which causes the individual to be born. So craving leads to physical suffering because it causes us to be reborn.

• What is the Third Noble Truth?

The third truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness can be attained; that true happiness and contentment are possible. lf we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time (not dwelling in the past or the imagined future) then we can become happy and free. We then have more time and energy to help others. This is Nirvana.

• What is the Fourth Noble Truth?

The fourth truth is that the Noble 8-fold Path is the path which leads to the end of suffering.

• What is the Noble 8-Fold Path?

In summary, the Noble 8-fold Path is being moral (through what we say, do and our livelihood), focussing the mind on being fully aware of our thoughts and actions, and developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble Truths and by developing compassion for others.

• What are the 5 Precepts?

The moral code within Buddhism is the precepts, of which the main five are: not to take the life of anything living, not to take anything not freely given, to abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual overindulgence, to refrain from untrue speech, and to avoid intoxication, that is, losing mindfulness.

• What is Karma?

Karma is the law that every cause has an effect, i.e., our actions have results. This simple law explains a number of things: inequality in the world, why some are born handicapped and some gifted, why some live only a short life. Karma underlines the importance of all individuals being responsible for their past and present actions. How can we test the karmic effect of our actions? The answer is summed up by looking at (1) the intention behind the action, (2) effects of the action on oneself, and (3) the effects on others.

• What is Wisdom?

Buddhism teaches that wisdom should be developed with compassion. At one extreme, you could be a goodhearted fool and at the other extreme, you could attain knowledge without any emotion. Buddhism uses the middle path to develop both. The highest wisdom is seeing that in reality, all phenomena are incomplete, impermanent and do no constitute a fixed entity. True wisdom is not simply believing what we are told but instead experiencing and understanding truth and reality. Wisdom requires an open, objective, unbigoted mind. The Buddhist path requires courage, patience, flexibility and intelligence.

• What is Compassion?

Compassion includes qualities of sharing, readiness to give comfort, sympathy, concern, caring. In Buddhism, we can really understand others, when we can really understand ourselves, through wisdom.

• How do I Become a Buddhist?

Buddhist teachings can be understood and tested by anyone. Buddhism teaches that the solutions to our problems are within ourselves not outside. The Buddha asked all his followers not to take his word as true, but rather to test the teachings for themselves. ln this way, each person decides for themselves and takes responsibility for their own actions and understanding. This makes Buddhism less of a fixed package of beliefs which is to be accepted in its entirety, and more of a teaching which each person learns and uses in their own way.

Prepared by Brian White 1993, with thanks to Ven S. Dhammika.

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“Snap” Sunday Sermon: Twenty-Four Brand-New Hours

This is one of my favorite readings.

TWENTY-FOUR BRAND-NEW HOURS
By Thich Nhat Hanh

“Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand-new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy, and happiness to ourselves and others.
Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. The Question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We don’t have to travel far away to enjoy the blue sky. We don’t have to leave our city or even our neighborhood to enjoy the eyes of a beautiful child. Even the air we breathe can be a source of joy.
We can smile, breathe, walk, and eat our meals in a way that allows us to be in touch with the abundance of happiness that is available. We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive at the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive.
Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment. …”

“Snap” Sunday Sermon - Boondoggling

Words of wisdom in a snap.

I don’t want to get preachy here, but after all, this is a sermon.

For those of you not familiar with the term:

boon·dog·gle /ˈbunˌdɒgəl, -ˌdɔgəl/ Pronunciation Key [boon-dog-uhl, -daw-guhl]. noun, verb, -gled, -gling.
–noun
1. a product of simple manual skill, as a plaited leather cord for the neck or a knife sheath, made typically by a camper or a scout.
2. work of little or no value done merely to keep or look busy.
3. a project funded by the federal government out of political favoritism that is of no real value to the community or the nation.

–verb (used with object)
4. to deceive or attempt to deceive: to boondoggle investors into a low-interest scheme.
5. to do work of little or no practical value merely to keep or look busy.

Related form: boondoggler.

Political boondoggle - #3 above

But today - Sunday - the spotlight’s on us- #5.

A little more about boondoggling-

Smart Rules-

• - Don’t tell anyone. Like, don’t wear your Boondogglers- R-Us t-shirt to work.
• - Don’t go into work the next day with a tan. Sunblock, man.
• - Keep track of your excuses. You only have so many grandmother’s that can kick the bucket.
• -Vary your times. Don’t boondoggle the same day every week.

OK, here’s the sermon part-

Don’t do it. It’s not worth your job, or worse, antagonizing your spouse.
At least practice the 80:20 rule- Go for an 80% success rate.

And that’s not boondoggling, silly.

Oh, the devil will entice you with his apple - See “Snap” Sunday Sermon - The Devil and the Angel

Confessions of anonymous boondogglers - or “The devil scores-”

I’m using journalistic privilege to protect my sources.

• The disappearing boondoggler - “One summer during high school I worked as groundskeeper at a golf course. Out mowing grass on hole number 8, it was pretty easy to “get lost”. I’dwedge through a damaged chain link fence, and load up on snacks at a nearby variety store. “
• The Friday afternoon meltdown boondoggler - “by Friday it’s all I can do to show up for work, let alone do any. I’d go into Solitaire World the last two hours of the day.”
• The I have a meeting boondoggler - “I would be off to a meeting in another building at least a few times a week.”
• The I have a very important project due Monday, honey, boondoggler - “I do this at least once a month, then watch the ball game on my computer-”

Please feel free to share some of your confessions. And have a nice Sunday.

“Snap” Sunday Sermon - The Devil and the Angel

Words of Wisdom in a Snap-

I have individual values and group values. And often, my individual values win.

I struggle with the trade-offs every day.

It goes something like this:

Angel Lisa- Let’s go to the Local Farm and buy some local eggs and milk, honey. Maybe the chickens will be out in their pen, playing. I’ll get our cloth grocery bags, you gather up the recycling.

Devil Lisa- Where’s this week’s Wal-mart Ad? They have sneakers for $2.99. And I need to get some Round-Up. And I want some of those mangoes from Brazil, 2 for a dollar.

Meanwhile, a third of the world’s people live on less than $2 a day, with 1.2 billion people living on less than $1 a day.

I’m just starting to comprehend the order of magnitude those little decisions I make in my life impact the factory worker in China, struggling to support his family while working in an illegally run sweatshop, or my own grandchildren, who may not have drinking water because I had to “kill the roots, guaranteed” of every weed in my yard.

It’s a small world, after all.

And whichever hat I’m wearing - the angel’s, the devil’s, or the good or bad witches’ - I need to keep that in mind.

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