Hi Anita,

Yes, I too have read that shinnen can have several interpretations. At the time of my affirmation, I was told that shinnen means ‘true mind’. According to him ‘shin’ means true or faithful and ‘nen’ refers to state of mind. The full name is actually

Shakushinnen, (the Shaku referring to the ‘orginal’ Buddha Shakyamuni) but I was told not to use the full name, only shinnen, because using the full name would be pretentious/presumptuous, something of that sort, I’m not really clear on that.

Yes, of course, Jodu Shinshu is a Japanese Buddhist sect, but that’s whole other story.

….. john

Hi,

Yes, it’s quite true, isn’t it. We may be unique as a species in that regard. But in order to feel self pity, one

must feel that they’re a victim, that someone, or something, is responsible for their misfortune;

whereas most of the time we cause our own suffering.  This is not a condemnation, just my observation

that, for the most part, I suffer because of my reaction to events, and people,  and my general misinterpretation

of reality. The bird doesn’t think about what’s causing it’s pain, but we do, there-in lies the problem.

My wife has a plaque in the kitchen which says, “Pain is inevitable, suffering … optional” It’s hard to swallow, and

not easy to live by, but there’s more than a grain of truth in it.

….. john

Can I quote the last line from Matthew Arnold’s Dover Beach.

The first sentence “Ah, love let us be true to one another!” is really the conclusion.

“Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.”

What am I grateful for? The short answer is … pretty much everything. Years ago, I came across a very simple way of living called ‘Gassho’.
It is practiced, or more correctly ‘lived by’, most Jodo Shinshu followers; who live in a state gratefulness for what they have. The beauty of it
is that, over time one becomes less and less obsessed with ‘getting more’; a mentality that most of us having been born into an affluent materialist society accept as normal. For me, it was a revelation; but in order to live by it, I had to find a way of engraining it into my way of living. This wasn’t as difficult as it might seem, as a few minutes of reflection clearly reminded me of the many blessing that have been bestowed on me over my life time: the many friends and familty that support me, the benefits of living in a free country with all kinds of social benefits, the opportunities I have had throughout my life, good health, good food, the list is pretty much endless. But, the key to living by this realization lies in constantly reminding oneself (a few mintes each day) of them. Without that practice, it’s simply another good idea, a revelation, which will eventually fade from memory, lost in time; as so many revelations have.
…. john

Well, that being the case, I will quote Kierkegaard, “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”

and … the signature of woman who frequented a forum I was on years ago …….

‘Life is NOT about seeking shelter from the storms; life is about learning to dance in the rain.”

…. john

Hi Helcat,

Are you only looking for inspirations that have already been added on the forum?

… john

Hi Helcat,
Stories about the monks? Well, they taught me the value of observing my thoughts and life, dispassionately and uncritically, without regard to whether I liked or disliked what I thought or saw. That was thirty years ago; but the monk who had the most influence on me was bhante Kovida, a very wise, insightful man. (If you Google his name you’ll find him on the net.) I can hardly express my thankfulness to him. He taught me things I have never forgotten. He was fond of saying that much of humanities suffering results from expecting more from life, and others, than they are willing or able to provide. He used to tell us stories about how the monks in many of the countries he frequented were treated like gods, which did not have a good effect. Occasionally I would go to where he was staying (when not traveling). After talking with him, I once offered money (to help with expenses), which he would not touch, instructing me to put it on the table, where someone else would collect it. He was/is a very humble man who strictly observed his vow of poverty, since he saw the corrupting influence it had on other monks. He believed that understanding the four noble truths is the path to enlightenment (awakening). My personal belief is that penetrating the wisdom of the three marks of existence, especially anicca, will do the same. (Time will tell ;-). After my time with him, I spent many years attending group discussions and meditations at the Jodo Shinshu temple in Toronto, learning to meditate (which, after practicing for years, I am unable point to any tangible benefits from doing) and again, being exposed to very good teachers, which are hard to come by. One can only hope that some of what they taught me sunk in.
So, you have learned not to worry about unnecessary things, not an insignificant achievement; and not an easy hurtle get over. Nice going!!
Was there a particular event, etc. that helped you to come to this realization?
…. john