Living in the Light of the Bodhisattva~1

     This is going to be a bit of a departure for me, the next few posts here are going to be about the Bodhisattva practice and how I finally realized what that term means. First let's begin with what Bodhisattva means and where the term came from. So, if you have been reading me or have been following me for some time, you will know that I was diagnosed back in 2012 with a brain tumor. It was during that time that I began to practice Tibetan Buddhism. I needed to find peace and Tibetan Buddhism helped me embrace a more positive outlook on my diagnosis. 

     So, what is a Bodhisattva? In Mahayana Buddhism, it is a person who is moved by the greatest of compassion (yes the Dalia Lama is a Bodhisattva) to attain buddhahood for all sentinent beings. In this practice, you are basically, in layman's terms, praying for others to have happiness and the causes of happiness. You are setting aside your own wants and desires to help all of those around you become happy and live a happy life. Bodhisattva practice is not undertaken lightly, it has to be practiced every minute of every day. The Dalia Lama is the perfect example of what a Bodhisattva is. Even though the Chinese government tried to kill him and drove him out of his home (Tibet) he still shows compassion towards them. He would one day like to return to Tibet. 

      So, now that you have an idea of what a Bodhisattva is, in the next post I will tell you how I took my vow to undertake Bodhisattva practice. For now if you would like to learn more about Bodhisattva practice I will leave a few recommendations you can search:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva

http://www.budsas.org/ebud/ebdha126.htm

http://buddhism.about.com

Books:

The Way of the Bodhisattva: (Bodhicaryavatara), Revised Edition (Shambhala Classics)

For the Benefit of All Beings: A Commentary on the Way of the Bodhisattva (Shambhala Classics)

A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life 

  

     

Buyer Beware

Tashi Delek! May the year of the Fire Monkey bring you many blessings and much joy!

    Buyer Beware, you've heard that saying before right?? Have you ever thought about it if you purchase crystals? Probably not, I know I never did. Until lately when I have purchased two kind of pricey crystals that I thought were one thing and turned out not to be the crystal at all! So, today's post I hope will get those of you out there that buy crystals to really do your research and make sure that the piece you are purchasing is what it says it is! 

       So, my first OOPS! crystal purchase was what I thought was an elestial quartz. Above is a picture of what an actual elestial quartz looks like. Now, I will show you what I received instead:

Looks nothing like the picture above does it? I have purchased from this seller before and I was surprised, their crystals are top quality and I like them very much. My next purchase was from a small local shop and it was labeled as spirit quartz, above is the actual spirit quartz. Below is what I purchased from the shop, again, what  I purchased looks nothing like the picture. I am going to call them and see if I can do an even exchange. I spent 20.00 on this particular piece and after consulting with a friend who has been in this business for a very long time, I figured asking for an even exchange would be a good idea. 

So, after these two purchases I can safely say that I am going to do my research before I purchase certain crystals! Piece of advice: if you are looking for a particular crystal, especially one that can be "pricey" make sure you do your homework and really look before you buy! Print out pictures and either email them or bring them with you so you can compare! Not all sellers are out to rip you off, as my friend noted, sometimes the people that  these sellers buy from name the crystal that they think it is and leave it at that. And, like most people, sellers are going to take it at face value. My biggest take away from all of this: do the research, ask questions, compare pictures and check out more than one place! 




                                                                                 Until next time,

                                                                                        C.C.