Ataraxia.

Eyes for each other.

Ataraxia.

The only care is a caring Dad.

Ataraxia is peace and freedom from fear and aponia means absence from pain.
The Greek philosopher Epicurus believed the goal in life was happiness and pleasure, he defined pleasure as the absence of pain.

A simple joy for Mum and her boy.

Aponia is the pleasure one has when they are free from want or pain. He advocated a simple life, this is more like Minimalist, than Hedonism.

What a way to spend the day.

A couple of hundred years before Epicurus the Buddha found freedom from pain and suffering in a similar way.

Especially if you catch something.

Epicurus school of thinkers met in a garden and were the first to admit women into their school and he emphasised friendship as an important ingredient to happiness. Like The Buddha he said nothing should be believed till tested by practice and logical deduction.

I feel for the fish but he was trying to steal my bait.

The Buddha never entered into the God debate. Whereas to Epicurus fearing and worshiping gods did not fit in with ataraxy.

This is better than watching some one on TV, having fun.

To quote Epicurous, ‘It is preferable not to commit crimes, even secret ones, since there will always be anxiety over the possibility of detection, and this will disrupt the tranquility or ataraxy that is the chief basis of happiness in life.’ Gods were unnecessary in his opinion, gods were useful only as an example in life.

This is not John Travolta and Olivia Newton John.

Like  Democritus he believed in the atomic theory. That matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms, from the Greek word indivisible.

 

My pommepal miles from home.

Our understanding of atoms has come a long way since then. The cathode ray tube the basis of television, x-ray and nuclear fission.

Creating not spoiling.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki 1945 is a long way from ataraxy.

Enjoying life with loved ones.

Can we get back to Ataraxia, a state of freedom from anxiety and distress, to
tranquility and a peaceful state of mind?

This is how it is done.

It will take some education in understanding the true nature of things.
If we have not got the self-control to stay thinking and acting decently.
We need an ethical personal trainer in the gym of life,

Here is my personal trainer.

May be this is where the God-fearing idea originated.

Together and looking with appreciation.

We should be able to live without fear, fear is a poison that kills loving kindness.
We are made up of atoms that will one day disperse and become part of the cosmic eternal oneness.

All together in the swim

As we all bleed the same colour we all decompose to feed the circle of everlasting life, There is no need to fear death while enjoying life and when dead sentient beings feel nothing. Dead men don’t cry.
Death is going home to where we came from before birth, at one connected with all.

Just take it easy.

Get with it! Live life with respect and appreciation, savour the taste of this passing experience. Delight in friendship, relish the nourishment that sustains you, love life and it will love you. I hope after this somewhat heavy meal you do not suffer indigestion.

Pushing up daisies..

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Following Natures Way.

Natures Way.

Natures way.

Simply beautiful.

Standing in natures green cathedral blessed by serenity,

The forest is sacred; there is no better place to be.

Slow down to appreciate the beauty, smell the scent upon the breeze.

Listen to the bird songs and appreciate the trees.

Lao Tzu rode a buffalo that is considered slow today.

Lao Tzu trained his buffalo to support him on his ‘Way’.

Training the buffalo.

Haste was not a priority he just went with the flow.

Today out on the road that is something we should know.

Walk to the valley, follow the mountain stream.

Meander to enjoy all nature’s gifts supreme.

Waddle by the water.

Stroll to the ocean, earth-out bare foot on the ground.

Let others wanting more, power the tread mill round.

Bath in the cleansing water, glad to be alive,

The wisdom is you need few things to survive.

Go with the flow.

The importance of time spent this way,

Is we are refreshed to earn our pay.

For necessities needed to sustain life.

Wanting more brings trouble and strife.

Lau Tzu spoke of yin and yang to balance work with play.

The Buddha taught wanting was a problem that got in the way.

Garden ornament.

To understand all in life flows like a mountain stream.

We cannot cling to water or capture a sunbeam.

When we have surplus to what we need,

Then to hoard not share is only greed.

Balance greed with kindness is wisdom too,

As helping others, brings happiness to you.

To give thanks to the inexplicable Tao, what’s in a name anyhow?

Nature’s symbol for The Eightfold Path.

Appreciate with joy and delight,

Do not argue over who is right.

To appreciation nature’s gifts is a prayer to the supreme.

To argue over a name makes the beauty all obscene.

The stream runs to the ocean, every tear drop becomes one.

We all bleed the same colour, why can’t our life be more fun.

The storm has passed.

The tear drops fall like rain,

 All this fighting is insane.

Like the Christian who has found God I want to share with you.

A way to peace and contentment, that’s an admirable thing to do.

The joy that I have found.

I want to share around.

The light is behind the clouds and trees.

I do not think God was ever lost,

Man gets lost and pays the cost.

Lost unmindful of our emotion,

Like a storm raging on the ocean.

Stop look up at the stars above.

Do not kill the things you love.

The sand on the beach the stars in the sky,

We are so small you and I.

Thanks for another good morning.

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Think For Yourself.

True Aussie King of Mareeba.

Think, Question and Act.

A fan or a follower of Buddha.

I was born into a Christian family, had my parents been Muslims I would have read the Koran instead of the Bible. The omnipotent, supreme creator endowed me with a questioning mind. Therefore I questioned the patriarchal religions handed down from Abraham. I had no faith in miracles I wanted more factual evidence. Why would an all-knowing God put a tree of knowledge at Adam and Eves disposal, tell them not to eat the fruit, knowing they would? God does work in mysterious ways and it is probably good that he does or I would be, naked as Lady Godiva, living off nature’s garden, just like the indigenous people, before the white missionaries arrived.

Indigenous didgeridoo artist.

Lao Tzu, is credited with the “Tao Te Chan,” a book the Taoist follow. Translated versions of Lao Tzu’s words have obscured some of the sage’s message. He writes about the Tao the inexplicable power that keeps the universe in equilibrium, He said “The Tao that can be described is not the real Tao.” Could this inexplicable power, be the unanswerable answer to mans search for God? “Wu–wie!” Is that the “Way”? Another Taoist idea is Yin Yang explaining the relationship and balance of all things.

Krishna devote.

The Hindus have one God but to accommodate everyone he can appear as any deity one desires. Consequently there is an incredible number of Hindu gods and Hinduism has a lot of other complex things that are hard to fathom but there is a wealth of wisdom and goodness to be found in Bhagavad Gita.

Miniature Buddha image.

Buddha was a wise man his ethical ‘Eight Fold Path’ is worth following. He was only interested in finding a way out of life’s pain and suffering. After he died his teaching became a religion, to qualify as a religion a God is needed. It was then that Siddhartha was promoted by some of his followers. Buddhism spread and picked up other local myths and beliefs making finding useful wisdom difficult.

A dragon added for luck.

Major dogmas agree on the basic principles promoting good and not killing their fellow-man, some beliefs extend that to all sentient beings. To focus on what we agree on and not arguing would allow us to progress in harmony. Replacing fear with understanding, hate with kindness. Then the ordinary citizen would not be manipulated by the greedy that profit from war, they make the armaments that destroy and then prosper from rebuilding.

Making war look heroic.

http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/fourtruths.html

I will not accept any religion that condones war and intolerance. The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama or the ‘Sage of the Shakyas”, was a pacifist. He never entered into the creation debate. The Buddha was like a doctor, interested in finding a cure for pain and suffering. He first found the cause of the suffering. Then he prescribes a cure. The causes he outlined in “The Four Noble Truths”. He prescribed a cure “The Eight Fold Path”, a logical self disciplined guide to reach the ultimate goal of enlightenment. If practiced diligently peace and contentment is attained. In Buddhist term Novena, described in English as perfect peace and understanding or total enlightenment.

Colourful Hindu stained glass.

Buddhism was borne out of Hinduism. The Buddha and his teaching are shrouded in myth, time has distorted and added to his words of wisdom. Buddha’s philosophy has become a religion. Buddhism spread to China and other lands. China added ideas of *Confucius, the Tao and ancestral worship. Buddhism has become much like other religions, a group of revered leaders arguing about technicalities irrelevant to ethics. They are more concerned with their authority and power than peace and contentment.

Colourful Christian stained glass.

Sincerity and practice are more important than the dogma. The helpful, benevolent action the belief inspires is what matters most. We all need a guide to follow to find peace. Do not let your guiding belief be distorted by fear, greed or hate.

When yin and yang are in balance it is perfect.

               

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The Facts.

Can you understand this writing.

It is difficult to write our thoughts and convey the ideas we have in our mind. It is even harder to find the right words when speaking. Without time to think we comment on subjects that we have no firsthand knowledge of. We often accept things we read or hear without a thought as to the origin. Then confidently repeat something totally ignorant of the validity of what we are saying. When someone disagrees with us the ego wants to step in and argue. I have said and argued without thinking many times and have to be mindful when socializing or I still fall into this trap. Once something is said unlike the written word there is no deleting or erasing, no second thoughts.

See no evil,hear no evil and speak no evil.

Four of the steps on the Buddha’s Eight Fold Path are, Right understanding. Right thoughts and Right speech, steps we have to be mindful of, or fall into this trap. Right mindfulness is another important step on the path to enlightenment. The distractions of life make it so easy to stray from the path.

One of the many Buddha statues in Thailand.

Life can be fully enjoyed when we realize the true nature of things. One of the things we must be aware of is all things are subject to change. The beautiful flower soon withers and becomes compost to nourish new life. Picking and clinging to the flower will not change natures plan, it is beyond our control and to fight this only brings us pain. This is the nature of things, we must cooperate.

To love anything is a joy, but to cling to love is a mistake. The people we love are capable of hurting us the most, when we are separated from them we worry or miss them, there is always this down side to life. Our children grow up; we must let them go as we do not own them. In fact we do not own anything it is all on loan, when, like the flower, our life is over, we will become food for new life. Are you thinking Jack is full of what is good for the garden?

Hear no evil, do no evil, speak no evil, see no evil.

We can have all the joy, happiness and pleasure and less unhappiness when we realize there is a price to pay for everything and it is not in dollar bills we pay, it is in good deeds, kindness and compassion. Life is a garden; whatever you put into it is what you will get out of it. Wanting all those material things will not bring contentment, they only bring a fleeting happiness, then the realization of their downside, they need maintenance, storage, they chip, dent, wear out, need I go on. We do not want all the down side, all the problems, and try to avoid them. Life is one thing after another, we are always wanting or avoiding, running to or from, never contented.

Monkey business, you can’t win them all.

Pleasures lift you up and then they drop you down, the higher you go, the further you fall. Calm is not very exciting, actually boring to youth, they still, usually, have the resilience to rebound. What a dull world without that youthful, exuberant energy. As the joints lose their flexibility and spring we like tranquility. The old need to make some allowance for youth and remember when they were young. The young have no personal experience of the ravages of time on the human body. Actually they have not had much experience at all and what experience they have had is unlike previous generations. So pleasure is a youthful thing.

A pleasure to see.

Happiness, we all like to be happy, we strive to be happy, and we work and toil to be happy. Ironically, chasing after happiness, we miss the happiness now. Happiness has to be experienced in the now. If you are happy in your occupation you will never have to toil. Work is a joy if we regard it in the right way, by taking a pride in what we are doing and not rushing to finish it to do something else.

Marvelous, every leaf the same.

To provide your needs, find a job that will promote good and benefit all. Do it to the best of your ability, it will bring you rewards that money cannot buy, satisfaction, respect, trust and friends. Happiness depends on the now and the circumstances prevailing, sometimes things are beyond our control and happiness will not always happen. Happiness is more reliant on the outside. Contentment is a state of mind even when adversity challenges us we can overcome it with the right attitude.

To lose something we value is bad but not to accept the loss and fret about it is only compounding the pain. We can be in pain but we do not have to suffer.

Another of natures perfect pattern.

Contentment is the greatest happiness. Health is the greatest wealth. Love is the greatest conqueror. Understanding is the greatest.

 

 

 

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