Marketing Gurus - Do You May One
When a thought arises, label it "Thinking." When a sensation arises, label it "Feeling." When a sound arises, label it "Hearing." Notice how the act of labeling something decreases its power to distract you. Do this and gently, relentlessly bring your awareness back to your breath. There is nowhere to go, nothing to do. Just sit, watching your breath. The key to greater inner freedom is your unwavering commitment to return to awareness, again and again.
BN: Yes, that's the key. This retreat we taught some of the stories from the Dhammapada, and people asked a few questions about the stories. The questions are longer than the talk, and most of the questions are about the person's individual life. So these are even more important than the questions about the stories. The stories are a springboard to get to what the people really want to ask. I talk for about an hour and then we have dialogue for about an hour and a half. People get to bed about 10 o'clock and then get up at 3:45 a.m. At 4 o'clock in the morning, the retreatant begins meditation.
Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddharta Gautama, known as the Buddha. His basic teachings are The Four Noble Truths and The Noble Eightfold Path.
Does the seller of the amulets sell hype or does it appear that the seller is just listing the amulets so others might share in their beauty by purchasing them? Thai amulet sellers are often times in the business for a couple of simple and heartfelt reasons. The first reason is - they are Buddhist and want to share the amulets with other Buddhists all over the world. The amulets are not high priced - over $100 USD, and there are not outrageous claims about the magical powers of the amulets.
Its construction was a result of the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan. As part of the Maitreya Project, the initial budget was $55 million. It is composed of 1,100 copper cast pieces and was finished in 2002. The colossal statue weights approximately 1,000 tons.
MZC: In the theravada tradition, what is the role of the teacher? You studied Tibetan Buddhism first where the teacher, the guru, actually gives initiation. The Tibetans identify very strongly with the teacher who can awaken others, because they themselves are awake. The teacher has a quality that draws you into insight, tranquility, wisdom, moral integrity and compassion.
Does the Seller Reside in Thailand? The seller of authentic Thai amulets is almost certainly still living in Thailand. You can almost immediately weed out anyone not physically residing in Thailand at the present moment. If your amulets aren't shipped from Thailand there is an even better chance you are not getting genuine articles.
