Amitayus
Originally uploaded by elric121.

I am getting very excited, only 2 more shifts left slinging cappacinos. Today was the busiest day I have worked yet...and even though I worked my ass off I did pretty good in tips.

Almost everyone in Elbridge has been really nice, and I have enjoyed the experience of working there very much.

There is good stuff coming up in the near future. Khenpo Sherab Ozer Rinpoche is coming back to Rochester, and I am looking forward to seeing him very much. He was the one who facilitated my trip to China, and he has been helpful beyond description. He will be teaching in Rochester on Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (see link on sidebar)which is a very important Buddhist text, and is a great overview of Mahayana Buddhism for those who want to learn about it. It is a beautiful profound treatise, written in pithy poetic verse.

After that he is leading a closed week long retreat which I am attending. This will be the longest official retreat I have done, and from the schedule looks to be quite intense!! I am stoked. The picture above is Amitayus, the deity whose practice we will be doing during the retreat. I am not sure how much more I should say about it...it gets kind of esoteric from there.

And after the retreat I only have a few days until I depart...maybe I will post one more time before taking off. And then, who knows when???

Everything has changed so much, and it's very exciting. If you had told me this is the direction my life would have turned to I wouldn't have believed it. Yet I am having the time of my life. I guess I say that a lot but it is true. Right around here would be some goofy cliche, but I'll skip it.

I hope more people find some sort of spirituality and/or religion, or something to better themselves and improve their life. I know I feel a lot better and continue to make new discoveries everyday. So many people that I see are so self involved or judge success by material things and my heart really goes out to them...in 50 years is what you are doing now going to seem important?? I am not trying to pass judgment, it is only my wish, my prayer that people continue to look inward, to work on themselves within the paradigm that they feel comfortable with. We are all part of many mandalas, our self, our family, our community, our world. Don't think that one action or one person is insignificant...the smallest actions can have big results.

My motivation for learning tibetan is to benefit others. I try to keep this motivation for whatever I do, but since I lack any real qualities and am very foolish and immature I almost never live up to that. However I do try to think about it as much as I can. Even though I do not have any sort of realization or wisdom I feel that those who have helped me will share in any merits gained from my actions. So I thank those who have contributed money, employed me or have tipped me. According to Buddhist practice every action should contain 3 very important things. The first is motivation, the best motivation being to benefit all beings. The second is to not waver in the action, to do it strongly and purely. The third is to dedicate the merit from that action to the benefit and liberation of all beings. If these three are not present, the positive merit from the action will be diminished and/or not as strong. So I try to do this in regards to my trip, and I ask that those that have helped me, or pray for me try to do the same.