End of Year Crunch and Thoughts for 2016

I'll admit it - I didn't get around to doing a daily reflection on the Dhammapada as I had intended. Work and family life took priority, however I was able to step back and reflect a bit here at the end of the year. One very popular quote attributed to the Buddha is this:

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.

Our perceptions shape the reality we live and breath in. If we perceive danger where there is none - then we perceive there is danger. If we cultivate anxiety and fear, then the fruits of those feelings are what we shall reap. That is not to say there are no threats or dangers outside the mind, but as Alan Watts pointed out - the mind is really our radar - scanning for threats. It wants to find threats to keep us safe - but often it tricks us and we should remember: we are more than our radars.

For those that may read this, I wish you blessings and peace in the New Year - and may 2016 be a year of greater understanding and compassion in the world.

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