Don't Let an Alcoholic Destroy Your Life

Alcoholics and addicts can be manipulative, self-destructive and dishonest. If you are involved with someone like this, you've probably learned that this has direct implications for you: It's important that you learn to protect yourself from them, and not to enable them.

Protecting yourself from abuse is one of the most basic spiritual skills to learn. The purpose of this post is to raise your awareness about how to take actions to stop others' inappropriate or possibly dangerous behavior from affecting your life. The context of this post is about alcoholism, but you it also applies to any other kinds of inappropriate behaviors.

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You Are the Solution

You Are the Solution

Take a look at the picture at the top of this article. It shows Siddhartha Gautama at the moment when he became enlightened and became Buddha. I find this is a brilliant image. 

When you look closely, you'll notice that inside the circle there is light and beauty. Outside of it are the demons, tempting and threatening Siddhartha in the darkness.

All of that light and beauty, all of that protection from the darkness and fear, Siddhartha created from within himself. And you can, too.

 

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Today's Exercise: Send Love to Someone You Despise

Today's Exercise: Send Love to Someone You Despise

Do you really want to change your life and the world for the better? Send love to someone who you despise.

By sending this love, you are in no way approving of this person or their actions....

This is an exercise in rattling your cage. You will be directly confronting your ego....

It is a spiritual solution to a human problem: You can not solve human conflict, and the conflicts within your heart, with hate. But you can with love.

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Five Steps on the Path of Real Life Change

People often claim they want to change their lives, but it is scary to confront real issues. It takes courage and hard work. It also takes letting go of outdated beliefs.

So, many people choose to use band-aids instead. Band-aids can be useful for cuts, but not for surgery. And then these same people find themselves back in the same place again.

It takes effort to really change your life.

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Meditation: Discipline, Concentration and Insight (Words of Wisdom)

Meditation: Discipline, Concentration and Insight (Words of Wisdom)

In this post, the ancient Chinese Zen writer Hush-yen talks about three qualities needed to for the Buddhist path: discipline, concentration and insight.  He shows how each of these qualities by themselves is a dead end, but used together are the keys for controlling your mind.
This is a wonderful explanation of how to find balance in our meditation practice, and in our lives.

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