Snow Falling on Buddha (SundayX)
| SundayX • Coffee
I was inspired to capture this image of my Buddha statuary from behind because, in my humble opinion, He taught us many things especially how to deal with ego (known as the flesh to Western religion). The reason for my shooting the photo from behind rather than a nice snow draped shot from the front are the words he shared with his followers before he passed away, it started running through my mind when I opened my door & saw the snow lightly falling on him- beautiful!
To quote Buddha -
… Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom." “You yourself must strive. The Buddhas only point the way.” Dhammapada, Chapter 20, verse 276, The Path.
My spiritual growth and development has been predominantly rooted in the Bible. I should have sought out a degree in comparative religions because I have spent a significantly large portion of my life studying commonalities between religions.
Proverbs 8:10–11 (Bible) "Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her”
Verse 26, 27 (Dhammapada)
"The foolish and the ignorant give themselves over to negligence; whereas the wise treasure mindfulness as a precious jewel".
Buddha, like Christ attained what many hope for…and they have shared their wisdom & ways for all in their teachings.
Change is not easy. Recognizing we need to change & connecting with the ability to be vulnerable with ourselves is the first step. Not easy! We are capable though!
The quote in my image can be found in an article by Dharma Talk Magazine, titled, 'Dharma of Snow' on tricycle.org from the Spring 2016 article by Ayya Medhanandi Bhikkuni. The article is behind a paywall, I was able to read through Tricycle's Facebook page. Out of respect to readers, I did not link to paywall content. It is an excellent article - a good read if you are on that platform or a current subscriber to Tricycle.
Quote from 'Dharma of Snow' used on post image-
The melting of hindrances, just like the snow, requires a lot of energy to change from ice to water, to change from habit to letting go.
It's true, transformation and change requires a lot of energy- good news! The energy is available for everyone who wants to grow past their habits & traumas.
I'll leave you with some quotes from Einstein, an incredible man of science, that strongly resonate with me-
If we want to improve the world we cannot do it with scientific knowledge but with ideals. Confucius, Buddha, Jesus and Gandhi have done more for humanity than science has done. We must begin with the heart of man—with his conscience—and the values of conscience can only be manifested by selfless service to mankind.
—Einstein, Albert. Einstein and the Poet (1983), p. 92
What humanity owes to personalities like Buddha, Moses, and Jesus ranks for me higher than all the achievements of the enquiring and constructive mind. What these blessed men have given us we must guard and try to keep alive with all our strength if humanity is not to lose its dignity, the security of its existence, and its joy in living.
—Einstein, Albert. Written statement (September 1937), p. 70
Photo mine. Google Pixel 6 Pro
The capacity for transformation and change is embedded in each of us (the Kingdom of God within).
The quote in my post image can be found in this article by Dharma Talk Magazine on tricycle.org from the Spring 2016 article by Ayya Medhanandi Bhikkuni.
So what will it be?
Coffee, Green Tea, Chai, Hot Chocolate?
© February 1, 2024 | baccusbee
(My image edited with Grok for SundayX)
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