Jim's Philosophy
The Meaning of Life? __ Love...Laugh...Learn..!
Deceptively simple isn't it.? But applying it can be very dificult at times. How do you do it?
LOVE --- yourself, your family, your friends, your surroundings, your job, your possessions - easy!
Now you also have to express that same love for strangers, your enemies - that's not so easy, but with effort and practice, it can become possible - ultimately, if you regard everyone as your brother, sister or better - your mother, you find that every day becomes a more enjoyable event.
LAUGH --- at everything. In other words, ENJOY all that you have and be satisifed. Seek out the good aspects of everything and everyone with whom you work and play. By maintaining a positive outlook, you help to eliminate stress and other problems and it helps you feel good around others. Don't wallow in self-pity or wanting for things that are out of your reach, or wishing for impossible dreams to come true... just take pleasure and joy in what you have now.
LEARN --- all you can. "The world is your oyster" is a famous quote. You must open it and savour the contents. From the moment we are conceived, we begin to learn and this keeps going until the point of death - when the ultimate question is finally answered. What we learn is up to the individual. This world holds such wonders - just the fact that we breathe without conscious effort is a marvel in itself! That our skin provides a eco-system of life unseen to the human eye, yet present nonetheless, is another. No matter where you look, there are fascinating wonders waiting to be discovered - being aware of who you are and where you are, right now, creates the window of opportunity to glimpse some of the wonders.
Helping Others is the Key to Inner Peace..!
To be able to help people in their business/commercial (physical) world is wonderful. If people are able to realise a satisfactory income, have a home, family and good conditions, then they should be able to enjoy peace, happiness and good health.
It is also good to know that people can enjoy personal happiness as well.
Since I was sixteen, I sought the answer that has plagued humanity since we first discovered that we could actually think; that is “why are we here?” Today, I am quite happy to declare that I am at peace with that search, and that in Buddhism, I feel I have come as close to the answer as I can expect in this lifetime.
Meditation is the means by which we can all find peace of mind, to finally grasp what are the important aspects of this existence and how to pass through this life in the best way possible.
While it may seem deceptively simple, only through constant practice, does it become easier, and that is where the formal study and practice of Buddhism helps. As Lord Buddha once said, "there is only one Enlightenment, but there are 84,000 paths to achieving it";. Buddhism is a life philosophy, rather than a religion and has been taught for more than 2,500 years, but has only been been known to the West for about the last hundred years or so.
If you would like to learn more about the fastest growing philosophy in Australia, in fact the 2001 Australian Census showed Buddhism ranking just second, behind Christianity in following and the fastest growing, please feel free to explore the profound site BuddhaNet or closer to home, the Buddhist Council of Queensland website..... or seek out your own resources - it IS imteresting..!
This prayer wheel depicts "Om Mani Padme Hum"
- a powerful mantra which extends compassion to everyone, bringing happiness and peace to all.