Author Archives: John Barter
End of Year Message from John
YEARS END
Dear Friends
Welcome to another – Years End in this journey of Life.
Such a time offers us a powerful point to pause and ponder, look back and reflect on what has been this year.
What has been the worth of this year, another year of life for us?
Certainly, if we wish to live mindfully, consciously; to learn and grow through our life, then it is about the ‘getting of wisdom’.
At the time of certain experiences, especially the challenging ones, it...
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Dates for Weekly Meditation Group Farrants Hill
Our WELL-AWARE-NESS Monday Evening Meditation Group will have its last session for the year on Monday 18th December, 6.30 – 7.30 pm (NSW time).
If you have not been able to attend for some time, it would be wonderful to see you again for our last session for the year.
For our Session if you would like to bring a small plate of (party) food to share for the occasion.
I hope to see many of you that have attended over the...
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You are Remembered, more or less …..
Recent reflections around the experience of Dementia, Alzheimer’s and the process of aging, inspired these reflections regarding the fundamental nature of the self.
You are Remembered – more or less!
This I, this you, this me, this we;
This psychological seeming self;
This apparent appearing person;
Is merely a collection of memory moments.
Whilst this I, this you, this me, this we,
might also be made of ideas and plans, posed for the future;
for the most part, the greater part;
We are the remembered moments of this...
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Have the Time of your Life, Message from John
Dear Friends
OUR LIFE – TIME
Our Life is our time and thus our ‘Life Time’!
In the same way, our life time includes our,
Year time, month time, week time, day time and
Hour, minute, second, moment – present time; all ours!
Strangely always passing, yet always present – now.
So, this year; our year time 2017, is moving towards an end,
Expressing the Truth of Impermanence, that the Buddha spoke so much about.
Yet in his great Wisdom and Compassion, the Buddha also taught...
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Life as our STRESS TEST
LIFE AS OUR ‘STRESS – TEST’
So, as it turns out, ‘Life’ is our big ‘Stress – Test’!
To see if we can proceed, process and make progress,
Without compromising our integrity;
Without giving into selfish wanting and greed,
Without getting caught into reactive anger and rage.
Maybe ‘Life’ is not about the accumulation of wealth,
Maybe it is not about the collection of material things.
Maybe ‘Life’ is not about growth in great knowledge,
Maybe it is not about just gaining and gathering family or friends.
‘Life’ might...
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Mind Making, How do you see each day?
MIND MAKING – CITTA BHAVANA
Decide each day,
How you would like to see, be and feel.
Don’t leave it to the default.
Design and develop, develop and maintain
The mental states and mood, being and behaviours
That make life worth living.
Make up your mind – to make your mind up!
Don’t let it get down.
The choice is ours to choose what works.
Make use of Mindfulness and Clear Comprehension
To create the mental space and strength to choose
Don’t leave it to chance.
Choose Calm and Clarity
Choose Wisdom and...
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Peace Meal
PEACE MEAL
Peace is the feeling resulting from Freedom
Freedom results from Letting – Go
Letting – Go results from Wisdom
Wisdom results from Insightful Understanding
Insightful Understanding results from Mental Calm and Clarity
Mental Calm and Clarity results from Practicing Meditation
Practicing Meditation results from Living with Mindfulness and Morality
Living with Mindfulness and Morality results from following the Buddha’s Teachings.
If we know how we would like to feel and be in our life, maybe we need to see what causes and conditions bring that particular...
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Rains Retreat, Vassa 2017
This last week has marked the end of the Buddhist Monastic three months ‘Rains Retreat – Vassa 2017’
This verse arose in my mind on Pavarana Day – the ending of the retreat, and lends inspiration to realising reality and finding freedom.
Kind Regards
John B.
Pavarana Day – End of Vassa Rains Retreat 2017 – The Free Mind
Wander where there is no Path,
Find firm footing where there is no place to stand,
Seek shelter where no roof exists,
Live where there is no abiding...
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Our Practicing Peace
Fundamentally and ultimately, if it is Peace that we are really seeking, our ‘way of practice’ needs to focus on Peace as our path and purpose.
Here;
Our Perspective is Peace
- to see, be and relate from Peace.
Our Practice is Peace
- to exercise and enhance Peace at all times and in all places.
Our Process is Peace
- to develop and deepen our experience of Peace, both in the mind and in our life.
Our Presence is Peace
- to gift to all people and...
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Blessing of the Buddha – Real Happiness and Peace
The ‘Blessing of the Buddha’ is the gift to us all, of his realisation and revelation of a Real Happiness and Peace.
This ‘Happiness – Peace’, is not founded on or confounded by the way of things.
This ‘Happiness – Peace’, is not built and dependent on things that fundamentally do fade and falter, fatigue and fail, finalise and finish.
This ‘Happiness – Peace’, does not become, stressed and distressed, disordered and distorted. It does not diminish, dissolve, deconstruct or destruct. It...
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