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Roberta

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 343 total)
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  • in reply to: Authentic Self #448809
    Roberta
    Participant

    Hi Debbie
    Have you tried reversing the question? What would I not like about my authentic self? or what would my authentic self not like about me? or what would I like my Authentic self to be like?
    Have you noticed that when you meditate that the layers, labels & baggage just drop away even for a moment & there is a gap albeit small where peace & beauty can hold all parts of our multifaceted selves?
    Is there a meditation group in your area? it is good to have guidance & support from like minded people on the same path.
    Best wishes
    Roberta

    in reply to: How to Move Past Sting and Focus on Me #448806
    Roberta
    Participant

    Hi Miss Duchess
    Have you come across this concept? Muditā (Pāli and Sanskrit: मुदिता) is a dharmic concept of joy, particularly an especially sympathetic or vicarious joy—the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people’s well-being. or luck.
    When we can be happy at anothers good fortune we lessen our own tendancies of a jealousy & comparing mind.
    If we give ourselves narrow & time sensitive expectations we block ourselves from the world of other possibilities that can bring us joy & contentment.
    I wish that you find long lasting happiness & fullfilling life whatever the journey is.
    Kind regards
    Roberta

    in reply to: Compassion and respect during times of conflict #448805
    Roberta
    Participant

    Hi
    I find these two guidelines from Thich Nat Han helpful – May I have integrity in all my relationships & May I keep my judgement clear.
    I have a spare phone which I lend out when visitors come to stay at my meditation centre so that they can contact me easily & cheaply. Any way over a number of days it would ring with a private number & no-one would speak. One evening it happened again & then a text came thru “Sorry dont give work to people who put the phone down. So I replied that they had the wrong number & that I didnt have my glasses on when it rang so I had pressed the wrong number. His reply was you must be thick along with another one calling me daft. I replied that I am old & technophobic. Then he said he was stressed because he had just starting a major job. My reply was No worries That is a massif job good luck. he corrected me for my bad spelling. my reply was that ok I am daft dumb & blind but luckily I still have my sense of humor. We had a few more pleasant texts back & forward. I am so glad that I didnot bite back & get nasty with him. He was just trying to give someone a job & there was someone out there waiting for his call so that they could earn a living.
    I think all of us on Tiny Buddha are trying to do our best to be supportive & spread peace & understanding.

    in reply to: Family Drama/toxic relationships #445379
    Roberta
    Participant

    Hi Arie1276

    In our country Mothers Day always falls on a Sunday – is this also the same in your country? If this is so what is the real issue about your mom going out on the day before? Ok no-one wants to feel excluded on the one hand but, on the other we want to be in charge of who we see & what we want to do this paradoxical dance can go on most the time with everyone
    Last year my son spent the Sunday with his wife & her family and in general I am anti the commercialization & hype around old religious/spiritual occasions. This year it was just going to be my daughter in law & children going out to lunch, but once my son found out that my dad was going to be in hospital that day I was invited to join them.

    I get that the change in your sister in laws health has been the catalyst to try & improve interfamily relationships. When my mum got cancer for the 2nd time I said to my sons that whatever Nan wants Nan gets (as long as it is legal). Yes it was difficult to fulfill that wish over the following 5 years to her death & I failed on many occasions, but that heartfelt wish to make mum’s journey a pain free & peaceful one never left me.
    I hope that things get easier for you & all your family.
    Best wishes
    Roberta

    in reply to: Creating Meaningful Relationships #445356
    Roberta
    Participant

    Dear Omyk

    I hope you are feelings of fear have subsided. You mentioned the size of the populations of the towns/city near your retirement home, but how many people live within walking distance of your retirement home?
    Did you manage to top up your spiritual battery despite not being able to do your normal ministry the other night?
    Friendships can appear & or deepen when we least expect it – to day my favorite neighbor of 3 years who is deeply religious she is Catholic & I am Buddhist. We have meaningful talks several times a week when she is on our island, she has just arrived back after 2 months away & she came to see me even before seeing her husband to say that all our discussions helped her greatly when she was away & having to deal with several issues & now she would like to explore meditation with me. Our relationship is very symbiotic & fun I hope you too will find a friendship that sustains & nurtures you.
    I sometimes think minister, doctors etc can sometimes get shortchanged on friends front as so many people lean on them for support, but do not get that we too have the need for connection & nourishment & support we are after all humans as well.
    Best wishes
    Roberta

    in reply to: Creating Meaningful Relationships #445227
    Roberta
    Participant

    Dear Omyk
    It is good to see you are posting again.
    Originally I was not going to post as I felt that what I had to suggest/say seemed off center, but then I read your last post about your haven & the advice your friend gave you.
    I live in a small community about of about 2000, with small scale tourism being the backbone of our economy. Most days I go to a little outdoors cafe & there I get to meet all sorts of different people & ages, we chat about things big & small like death, politics history & the environment etc sometimes our conversations are silly & lighthearted, sometimes the conversation stretches over the people sitting at 3 or 4 tables. It is the forging of connection however brief that is important.
    Maybe you could ask your child’s opinion about you spending more time at your haven with the possibility of relocating there before you retire. Find out if your child enjoys going there? What is the spiritual community like where your haven is?
    Small is beautiful & often very welcoming.
    Kind regards
    Roberta

    Roberta
    Participant

    Dear Laven

    I hear your tiredness, pain, loneliness & sadness.
    We share some similarities, I too look after my 94 father with dementia. The challenges of nutrition hydration & hygiene can feel daunting.
    A phrase I came across long ago ( or at least it feels it ) “when it is hard to love – love harder” & I think it is helpful to use that on ourselves we are so busy giving & caring for others, we forget to be there for ourselves. Lately I have been hugging/stroking a soft toy & listening to dharma talks as a way of helping me sleep.
    I hope your mother feels a bit better soon. we can only do our best, smile at them, do loving kindness.
    I go to bed now & will hold you in my heart brave one
    Roberta

    in reply to: Feeling Stuck #444454
    Roberta
    Participant

    Dear Mollie

    I am sorry that you feel so many areas of your life are unfulfilling & in flux, making it hard to find vibrancy & positivity.
    Can you identify anywhere else in the world that has a warmer & sunnier climate that you could pursue your career? I must admit that i too am effected by grey cold windy wet weather. On the rare bright days in winter months I make sure to charge up by facing the sun even if it is just a few minutes. My son does temping in his chosen career which enables him to only be in workplaces that he enjoys & have time off to fulfil a good work life balance.
    Congratulations on caring about your relationship with your parents & having concern how your negativity is effect them. Not that you should shelter them completely from this frustrating period in your life, more that make the effort to be aware of the small joys in your life & share those with them. ie I went for a walk today & noticed how beautiful the cherry blossom is.
    Oh yeah having expectations dashed is a real bummer. Sometimes life is easier when we decided to give ourselves a break & put aside expectations, that way chance encounters & new avenues have the potential to appear.
    Hope you have a good weekend.
    kind regards
    Roberta

    in reply to: risk management #444181
    Roberta
    Participant

    Dear Omyk

    Thank you for your kind words.
    I too had moments where I yearned to be in a relationship – looking at in depth- what I need is support & companionship. Like you the majority of the time I am happy & content.
    I now realize that I am not good at sustaining a longterm romantic relationships. So is that fair on me & the other person to indulge in running away from my short term discomfort? As the years of celibacy roll on those moments of yearning decrease in their frequency & intensity leaving more space for universal compassion & love to grow.
    Wishing you a happy & contented week
    Roberta

    in reply to: risk management #444168
    Roberta
    Participant

    Dear Omyk

    My first husband died in a motor bike accident at the age of 23 leaving me with an 18 month old baby & then my ex died when his boat sunk at the age of 36 leaving me to bring up our 10 year old so I get that feeling of urgency & yet my father is 94 & still with me, so on the flip side I could have another 30 years. I guess the trick is to live each day the best we can, showing love & compassion to those around us, looking after our inner life & doing enough each day so that we can feel contentment at bedtime.
    I wish you all the best in your ministry & hope your congregation appreciate & support you.
    Kind regards
    Roberta

    in reply to: Everyone is moving forward in life and I feel left out #444166
    Roberta
    Participant

    Dear amber

    Many people are turning to innerchild meditations to help overcome the issues around unmet emotional needs from their childhood.
    Are there any particular changes that trigger the feeling of discomfort? Being curious about loneliness noting when, how often & its duration can help us see it as something that arises & disappears. Sometimes in our desperation & impatience with this feeling can lead to us being unskillful ie binge eating, alcohol drugs & casual sex.
    There are many buddhist teachings on impermanence on you tube.
    best wishes
    Roberta

    in reply to: Looking for comfort and clarity on this situation #444070
    Roberta
    Participant

    Dear Kris

    I am sorry that things did not work out for you in the way you had hoped.
    I know that “friends with benefits ” is trendy – as is hook ups which is the modern equivalent of one night stands for my younger years.
    I agree with Anita’s advice about how to find & make friends in your area. If you are also wishing to fulfill your sexual desires, then a vibrator wont stand you up & also there is no chance of getting an STI.
    I hope that you find a worthwhile relationships both inside & out of the bedroom. Honor & respect your needs in a way that does not cause you harm. Many of us have been thru this dilemma – forty years on I still cringe or laugh at some of my escapades.
    kind regards
    Roberta

    in reply to: Prayers #444018
    Roberta
    Participant

    Dear Alessa
    Thank you for posting this prayer. Om tare tutare ture soha.

    in reply to: risk management #444017
    Roberta
    Participant

    Dear Omyk
    A life of celibacy when it is ones own choice is a helpful container/bridge for our spiritual & worldly life. A life of celibacy that is imposed by an external party is a heavy & constricting burden.
    We can have a fulfilling & supportive relationships without the romance & physical intimacies. Friends can be inspiring, fun, challenging & much much more. Each one bringing moments of connection & love, that beautiful poem of Anita’s is a wonderful illustration of this.
    I wish you all the best with simplifying your life & may it bring you peace & restore your vitality.
    Kind regards
    Roberta

    in reply to: Family Drama/toxic relationships #444016
    Roberta
    Participant

    Dear Ariel1276
    I am sorry that things have not improved with your interfamily relationships.
    “I feel like throwing my hands in the air and just say to hell with trying.” – Mentally run thru this in two ways 1) All guns blazing vomiting out all the anger & hurt. 2) in a gentle wise compassionate way ( it is okay to feel sad) . Then see how these different ways make you feel emotionally, physically & mentally.
    Life is too short & unpredictable to hold grudges, death is just a breath away. Live each moment with as much peace, joy, dignity & compassion & gratitude. We only have control over our own motives, decisions & behaviour.
    Kind regards
    Roberta

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 343 total)