Saturday, October 15, 2011

Saturday Morning Hike

I'm a big proponent of getting out into nature to feel more at peace. Today I went on a hike at Calico Basin near Red Rock. The hike was named Guardian Angel Pass. It felt appropriate this week ... 

When we reached the highest point in the hike, I saw several rocks placed on top of a boulder. The boulder was red so the white rocks stood out a bit. They were holding down a piece of laminated paper.


As incongruous as it may seem the piece of paper was a translation of the Buddhist Heart Sutra.


THE HEART SUTRA

Om Homage to the Perfection of Wisdom the Lovely, the Holy !

Avalokita, the Holy Lord and Bodhisattva, was moving in the deep course of the Wisdom which has gone beyond.
He looked down from on high, He beheld but five heaps, and He saw that in their own-being they were empty.
Here, O Sariputra,
form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form ;
emptiness does not differ from form, form does not differ from emptiness, whatever is emptiness, that is form,
the same is true of feelings, perceptions, impulses, and consciousness.
Here, O Sariputra,
all dharmas are marked with emptiness ;
they are not produced or stopped, not defiled or immaculate, not deficient or complete.
Therefore, O Sariputra,
in emptiness there is no form nor feeling, nor perception, nor impulse, nor consciousness ;
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind ; No forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touchables or objects of mind ; No sight-organ element, and so forth, until we come to :
No mind-consciousness element ; There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance, and so forth, until we come to : There is no decay and death, no extinction of decay and death. There is no suffering, no origination, no stopping, no path.
There is no cognition, no attainment and no non-attainment.
Therefore, O Sariputra,
it is because of his non-attainmentness that a Bodhisattva, through having relied on the Perfection of Wisdom, dwells without thought-coverings. In the absence of thought-coverings he has not been made to tremble,
he has overcome what can upset, and in the end he attains to Nirvana.
All those who appear as Buddhas in the three periods of time fully awake to the utmost, right and perfect Enlightenment because they have relied on the Perfection of Wisdom.
Therefore one should know the prajnaparamita as the great spell, the spell of great knowledge, the utmost spell, the unequalled spell, allayer of all suffering, in truth -- for what could go wrong ? By the prajnaparamita has this spell been delivered. It runs like this :
gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.
( Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond, O what an awakening, all-hail ! -- )
This completes the Heart of perfect Wisdom.
(Translated by E. Conze)


After continuing on we came to the Guardian Angel carved into one of the rocks. The hike leader says no one knows who did the carving and it is good luck to touch the angel. I am happy to have a little more good luck in my life.


It is amazing the variety of things there are to do living in Las Vegas. I feel very fortunate to live here.

-Nicola Byrne

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.
--John Muir

Friday, October 14, 2011

Friday's Sunrise

I'm starting out my day sitting at the kitchen table listening to Sixto make little huffy yaps at nothing, having a cup of coffee and looking at the sky change from night to day. It is a beautiful transition, amazing blues and pinks and yellows. A desert sunrise is a special thing indeed.

So is my the delicious pumpkin spice coffee from Trader Joe's that I get to enjoy this morning. I love October and the fall when flavors change to spice and colors change to orange and yellow.

Yesterday I thought I was going to have a very hard day, I woke up with anxiety and battled it with some cardiovascular exercise. There was a very challenging situation I had to work on and it was creating this anxiety. My inclination was to postpone the whole thing.

My friend would not allow that to happen though. Then another one jumped up to help as well. Thanks to both of my friends the three of us accomplished a huge undertaking in just a couple of hours. Afterwards I felt lighter, the anxiety was gone, my outlook was and still is so much brighter and instead of feeling trepidation I am filled with gratitude and peace.

Friends really do make the load lighter. Whatever kind of load it is be it physical or mental ... friendship helps you carry it and set it down somewhere else.

Today is going to be a good day.
-Nicola Byrne


If I had to sum up Friendship in one word, it would be Comfort.
--Terri Guillemets

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Today's Gmail Inbox Messages

Today I found an old email from Rhonda Byrne's site and a new email from Tut.com waiting for me. Having not had computer access somehow I missed the Rhonda Byrne site email until today. Or I was meant to see it today and not sooner.
From The Secret Daily TeachingsNever let a day pass without looking for the good, feeling the good within you, praising, appreciating, blessing, and being grateful.
Make it your life commitment, and you will stand in utter awe of what happens in your life.
 
May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne
The Secret... bringing joy to billions
Great timing for me to see that.

And from Tut.com in my inbox a cute message that made me smile:
How about, Nicola, next time you go to work, the mall, or a labyrinth,you glide, slide, and twirl a bit? Wink, smile, and wave? Dip, bend, and high-five?Strut, saunter, and beam?
Just a bit?
Teeny, tiny?
The Universe
There are lots of positive messages if we look for them. Some aren't as obvious but they are there as well.

-Nicola Byrne

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Starting Over Again

I'm starting over again ... in a new home - on my own. During this time when fears, doubts, emotional pain and confusion try to get a foothold I am grateful to have this blog to direct my focus elsewhere.


There have been many reasons I have been unable to post for a while. The silence did not mean I had forgotten. In fact often I continued to scan my day for things to write of. Experiences. People. Questions. Answers. Lots of ideas would come up and drift away.


Now however it is time to dust myself off, dust off my keyboard and start to focus on the good stuff again. I know I can do it and it is important I choose to do so. Sinking down into a state of depression won't help me and it is a very destructive state.

Here's to a new start ... an a new day. Every one is a chance to learn, grow ... and in this case to heal.


I'll end with some gratitude. We can never have too much.



  • I am grateful I came to live in Las Vegas.
  • I am grateful for all the friends and family that support me.
  • I am grateful to have a home.
  • I am grateful to be healthy and strong.
  • I am grateful for all I have learned and experienced.

Gratefully,
-Nicola Byrne


Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak whispers the o'er-fraught heart and bids it break. 
--William Shakespeare