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Mala

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Recently, I got a new Mala!
Isn’t it lovely! 
I really love this one! 

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I don’t really care for the fact that it doesn’t have divider beads though! 😦

Oh well, I still love it!

The kind of red coloring is so pretty!

Malas are Buddhist prayer beads.

They are used for Mantra recitation, to generate positive energy and discipline the mind.

There are various mantras associated with different Buddhas.

It’s believed that when we touch the beads and say/think the mantra, the energy goes onto the Mala. 

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The way I practice Mala recitation is in a secular way, I don’t pray to a Buddha to actually answer me. It’s just a peaceful meditative activity that gets our mind in the habit or more in the habit of positive thinking or a positive, peaceful state.  Even if we are already positive and peaceful, it can help us to be calm even more frequently, even in very stressful, depressing, situations later, even when we are not engaging in recitation.

We don’t have to be Buddhists or religious or any specific kind of spiritual to practice Mala recitation and benefit.

The mantra can be recited once a day or all throughout the day, even walking up a street, at a restaurant, in line at a store…whenever we want, wherever we want(as long as it’s safe/appropriate to be concentrating on it, I don’t know about while driving or performing surgery, in a talk therapy session with a patient…). The point is to truly experience it though, not to absent-mindedly engage in it.

The mantra I chose for this Mala is the

Manjushri Mantra,
Om A Ra Pa Ca Na Dhih

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“This mantra is believed to enhance wisdom and improve one’s skills in debating, memory, writing, and other literary abilities. “Dhīḥ” is the seed syllable of the mantra and is chanted with greater emphasis and also repeated a number of times as a Decrescendo.”

“A leads to the insight that the essence of all things is unproduced.
RA leads to the insight that all things are pure and free of defilements.
PA leads to the insight that all dharmas have been “expounded in the ultimate sense.”
CA leads to the insight that the arising and ceasing of things cannot be apprehended because in reality there is no arising or ceasing.
NA leads to the insight that although the names for things change the nature of things behind their names cannot be gained or lost.”

Source: http://www.wildmind.org/mantras/figures/manjushri

Manjushri is a bodhisattva, depicted as a beautiful young prince of transcendent wisdom.

You can hear the mantra said over and over here (mobile) or here (desktop)... It’s so soothing.

Malas typically are strung with 108 beads and divider beads. A mantra session can be performed for all 108 beads at once or less. It’s believed by Buddhists that the energy for the mantra goes on the beads and each recitation session adds more energy. If a different mantra is used for the same Mala, the energy for the previous mantra clears and the new energy goes on. 

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I have five Malas.
I’m not yet in the habit of practicing everyday though like some who are very dedicated.
It can be overwhelming until we truly ingrain the habit.

People who have practiced for many years with the same Mala, often take great care not to have their Mala lost or damaged because there goes all that positive energy, years worth, down the drain! 

But Buddhism/Mala recitation  is all about inner  peace, and all those years of Mala recitation, hopefully, provides them with the strength to handle such misfortune. 

If you want to see about various mantras, check this out!
http://www.thebuddhacenter.org/buddhism/mantras/ 

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If you aren’t into Mala recitation and mantras, this is probably a boring post for you. 

And I love to mostly share things that can be appealing to people in general. 

Unlike what many people say about themselves and their blogs, I don’t mostly post for myself. I do post things for me but my main intention is to help uplift & inspire  others who may come across my content now or later. It will always be here (hopefully!)!
Of course everything I post is something I want to share so in that way it is for me. 

Even if I wanted to post something I thought no one else would care for, I still would post it. I already have but most of it got “likes” anyway! I’m so honored when people like my content.

But I always want to include something that may be more interesting to others.  

So if you opened this post and couldn’t care less, you’re in luck! Lol

Because I will share some fantastic quotes here as well! 

“My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I’m happy. I can’t figure it out. What am I doing right?” ~
Charles M. Schulz

Lol I feel this way often, like I have no specific purpose, but not in a bad way, no need for a purpose, my purpose is just to be. It’s beautiful to feel that way. When I’m depressed sometimes I feel the opposite about it, like I have no purpose and it sucks! Lol It’s all about the attitude! 

“The universe was a vast machine yesterday, it is a hologram today. Who knows that intellectual rattle we’ll be shaking tomorrow. ” ~ R.D. Laing

“A rose is a rose is a rose.” ~ Gertrude Stein

Whaaattt??? Lol 😉

“The present moment is a powerful goddess.” ~ Goethe

“Life is a child playing around your feet, a tool you hold firmly in your grip, a bench you sit down upon in the evening, in your garden.” ~ Jean Anouilh

“The man bent over his guitar,
A shearsman  of sorts. The day was green.
They said, ‘You have a blue guitar,
You do not play things as they are.’
The man replied, ‘Things as they are 
Are changed upon a blue guitar…'” ~ Wallace Stevens 

Such deep wisdom here. 

“Wind moving through grass so that the grass quivers. This moves me with an emotion I don’t even understand.” ~ Katherine Mansfield

This is one of the most beautiful experiences in the world! To witness something so mundane and so simple and be so inspired, filled with immense emotion that can’t even be described, like gratitude, love, beauty, happiness, joy, awe…I feel this often! ❤

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"No snowflake falls in an inappropriate place." ~ Zen saying 

"There is nothing useless in nature; not even uselessness itself." ~ Montaigne

"To the dull mind nature is leaden. To the illuminated mind the whole world burns and sparkles with light." ~ Emerson

Oh yes, it burns and sparkles with passion, light, love….

"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought." ~ Basho

Allow their wisdom to guide us but follow our own way.

"If we achieve satori and the satori shows, like a bit of dogshit stuck on the tip of our nose, that is not so good." ~ Taisen Deshimaru

Lol Don't flaunt that shit! Be humble. Just be.
;-D

So reading this post wasn't a total waste, right?…right?! 

😉

Much love & light to you! 

Xoxo Kim 

My gratitude List!! <3

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I have been slacking with my gratitude lists! Not in my head, I’m always thinking of how thankful I am, but it’s great to write out lists, which I do for a while then stop. Then begin again. On & on..

So here are a few things I’m thankful for today!

1.) The little girl who was outside my house when I was coming home, with her mamma, she’s only like a year old or a little bit older and she was so happy because five of my dogs were in the window looking out! Lol The sweet baby girl can’t really talk much but she was smiling and pointing to show her mom. It was the cutest!  

2.) my coworker – I saw her today when I was out shopping. I did not see her at first but she saw me and said hello. It always brightens my day to see her! ❤

3.) the weather! It's like Winter again! It was just like Spring yesterday! I told you yesterday about March and its mood swings! Lol 😉

4.) the ghost stories I have on my Kindle! And so many more I can't wait to buy! 😀

5.) today 

6.) my dogs! I have a dog, Prince Oscar, who cannot or will not walk up or down steps. We have to carry him. We don't know why. He was like that when we got him. He mostly stays downstairs. But sometimes he wants to come up to my room and get in bed. One night a while ago he wanted water so I took him in the bathroom and let him drink out of a plastic cup I got at the shore in the summer. My other dog, Emmy, saw him getting water that night then Emmy started begging for water upstairs when he can walk downstairs to get it! Spoiled boy! He wakes me in the middle of the night to give him a cup of water when there's a large bowl downstairs. Now my other dog, Woody, started doing the same, begging for water upstairs all night instead of just going down to get it. Lol It's annoyingly cute! 
Or adorably annoying! Lol 

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This is them drinking out of their lemonade cup!
😀

And here is sweet Prince Oscar. 

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He’s a shih tzu. ❤

7.) the color red and my ability to see it. ❤

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8.) Buddhist Malas

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9.) all of my readers/followers here & on facebook. ❤

10.) meeee ❤

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And so much more! What are you thankful for right now? You can let me know or just think about it or maybe create your own list and post it? Don’t forget to include your own beautiful self! 😀

Much love & light to you now & forever. ❤

xoxo Kim

Hello, March

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(this picture is not mine)

Yes, hello there, March! I love you & thank you for existing! ❤ 😀

I LOVE the Month of March! I'm so inspired every year in March. I'm inspired every month (though I'm least inspired in August and other Summer months) but in March, my inspiration usually runs deeper than other months.

Here is why. March. It's a sweet medley of
 all four seasons. It like has madd mood swings. One day it's all Summery and hot then the very next day there's a snow blizzard and it's below freezing, other days it's sunny & warm or cool and Spring is in the air. Some days, it doesn't know what season it is and all throughout the day the weather changes hot then cold, cool and warm. 

There's something so beautiful about this last Winter month and knowing Spring is about to bloom.

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The trees are still bare but there are some signs of the coming Spring, some green growth blossoming.

The days are often warmer then the nights are still cold. March brings with it rain, snow, sun, wind, moonlight…just lovely!  

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(cute or creepy? To me it’s cute! :-D)

I can strongly relate to this wonderful, beautiful month and all its chaotic beauty. 

I’m like this myself sometimes. 
I recently have been depressed and dangerously suicidal off and on with joy and happiness in the middle. This happens now & again. Sometimes triggered by something specific (like recently), sometimes not triggered by anything. 

(I will share my recent struggle in a later post)

It’s beautiful to be so full of life.

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March inspires me to create even more than other months. It inspires me to take out my arts & crafts journal and to take lots of pictures and to tap into my most creative parts!

Every March, this deeper inspiration just comes flooding into me and it’s just beautiful.

Last night and early morning was perfect! I was laying in bed reading a ghost story and the night couldn’t have been more perfect for a ghost story! It was dark and cold and raining hard and extremely windy! The windows were rattling and the bare tree branches were shaking! 
Just perfect!  

I’m reading a novel called “The Haunting of Blackwood House.” My first impression of the main character, Mara, wasn’t a real good one.

She seems kind of rude at first. And she kind of mocks her realtor who has a breathing condition and talks in a breathless way and calls people “honey” very frequently. I don’t mind being called “honey!” lol 😀

Something about this young woman just rubbed me the wrong way. She acts out of anger and lashes out somewhat frequently it seems. Not like real frequently but she gets all worked up and claims she can’t help it. But she’s sorry later, which is good, because she tries to make up for it. She doesn’t really want to hurt anyone. I prefer reading books where the main character is lovable/likable. It’s not her anger that I have the biggest problem with. I don’t not like people because they have anger problems. 

It’s hard to suck it up and read a book where the main character is super annoying. But it’s a great book and I’m only on page 73 out of 344. It’s a Kindle book.

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I learned later that the young woman was abused as a child. Her family wasn’t trying to be abusive probably, but they are extremely religious and brought her up in a way that damaged her psychologically. She lived on her own for four years now and still has terrible nightmares. Not all extremely religious people are abusive, in fact, I think most aren’t. But it is possible to unintentionally use religion in a very detrimental way against others. These people made her go to people claiming to be psychics and they made her attend frequent séances and told her horrifying ghost stories they claimed were real. They used ouija boards and killed her pet rabbit claiming someone on the other side told them too. 

After learning this, my compassion for her deepened. 

But even when I viewed her in a somewhat negative light, I also have found things in her that are very respectable and inspiring. 
She’s only 22 years old and has been on her own since 18 years old. She doesn’t have much money but she has a job and her own apartment, a loving boyfriend, and she gets by on her own. She’s extremely independent minded and wary of accepting the help of her boyfriend. She’s kind of on the poor side (financially) and he’s upper middle class and lives with his mom. 

He offers to let her have or borrow money which she refuses because she is proud to be independent. I think that is very respectable. There’s nothing wrong with letting her man help her out but it’s great to choose to be an independent woman. And if she wanted, she can take advantage of his money but she never does. She just loves him for him and doesn’t need him. It’s great to be wanted, not needed. She’s with him because she wants to be. 

But she does allow him to help her in some ways. It’s great to find the balance of being independent but also accepting help when needed. 

Him and his mom offer to let her live with them but they are Christians and very into their religion and she is so repelled by religion because of the way she grew up. Just the thought of it sickens her. This is another thing I love about her, she’s not just an atheist, she’s totally put off by religion, outright loathes it, it seems, but she still accepts the views of others and will even have a serious romantic relationship with a very religious man. This shows open-mindedness. Some people in her situation would reject him. But she loves him just the way he is. She just won’t live with him and his mom and their religious ways. His mom is more religious and he lives with her to take care of her but the girl wouldn’t mind living with just him if he doesn’t go overboard with the religion.

They have been together for six months and deeply in love! I love it! ❤ They have an extremely loving relationship. I love watching it unfold. They are so cute together! I'm a sap! Lol ;-D He is big and strong but very gentle and loving and loves to help people. 

Anyway, she has some money she has been saving for a house but it can't be too expensive.
The apartment she currently lives in is trashy. Lol

Recently a house was brought to Mara’s attention. It's like a mansion in the middle of nowhere. She falls in love with it even though it needs serious repairs. The structure is good though and it's safe to live in.

It's way less money than it would have been because in the early 1900's (I think), a serial killer lived there and like seven people died in the house. He took his victims back to his house and murdered them and then he hanged himself in there. (eww)

No one wants to live there now and the house has been on the market for 20 years. It has a reputation for being haunted. But the girl isn't even fazed. To her, there's no such thing as ghosts and so what if people died there, it's just a house.

So she buys the house and still has money left.

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Another thing I love about Mara is she is very intelligent, educated, and informed. I don’t know if she has a college education, probably not, it only mentions her work, but she is clearly just as educated as anyone who does.

She stands up for herself and is assertive and bold and makes decisions based on facts and logic and what she wants. She doesn’t just accept nonsense because most do.

I agree with her atheistic views but I do practice Buddhist techniques but in a secular way. She probably wouldn’t like that. Lol

I don’t think I would want to buy a house seven people died in though, or even one person, especially if they were murdered. Nothing to do with hauntings and superstitions. It’s just the thought of the whole thing! Like eww! :-O

But it’s a great book up until now! And I am reminded of a life lesson to look for the good in others even if we don’t like other things about them and that it’s not always wise to go by first impressions.

I love the feeling I get reading about this young woman starting her life how she always dreamed after struggling so much, buying a new house and getting a new job and becoming who she always dreamed of being. It inspires and thrills me. 

I’m nearly 30 years old and still don’t have a place of my own, work only at a store, the same job I had as a 20 year old college girl, which I love but sometimes I think I should be more accomplished by now. It can seem kind of pathetic, sometimes, how I turned out. Oh well though, it is what it is, and it inspires me to hear about/read about others who are successful whether they are real or characters in a fiction book.

Right now the only ghost-like thing that happens is the old rocking chair started rocking on its own! But Mara brushes it off as a draft of an unknown source. 

The whole kitchen table was set with 20 year old, rancid food, all the old furniture is still in there and it seems as if the last family who lived there (20 years ago, years after the serial killer incident…) all left in a hurry, in the middle of eating their food! The table is all set and all like they were prepared to eat then had to bolt and fast. 

Interesting! I can’t wait to read more! I love reading it in the dark at night! 😀

Something must have been seriously wrong for an entire family to run out, just leaving everything in the middle of eating, and never coming back. I heard something for real like that in the news. A whole family just left in the middle of eating and disappeared and were later found dead, murdered I think. This one is just sad, not thrilling because it really happened. 

❤

I hope you are having a beautiful day/night wherever in the world you are!  😀

Hugs & love to you now & always,

Xoxo Kim 

February Sunrise

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“It’s been a long dark night
And I’ve been a waitin’ for the morning
It’s been a long hard fight
But I see a brand new day a dawning
I’ve been looking for the sunshine
‘Cause I ain’t seen it in so long
But everything’s gonna work out just fine
Everything’s gonna be all right
That’s been all wrong”

Last night I remembered my goal to get at least one picture of the sun rising each month this year! I was startled because today is the last day in February and I was thinking if I blow it now, it will be too late!  

But I was determined! So I looked it up to see when the sun would be rising today. It’s 6:35AM so I got myself up at 6:12AM to wait! I went out into the backyard and listened to the birds chirping and watched them as they flew by. It is so magical just to sit outside and truly listen and watch the beauty of nature all around. 

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I took pictures but some moments I put my phone down and allowed my whole self to be engulfed in the beauty. Then I watched as the sun began to rise. It wasn’t a dramatic sunrise. Sometimes it’s really pink or orange and very noticeable. Today it was just a hint of orange that I was able to see but still beautiful and at least I accomplished my goal this month!

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And I got to see so much morning beauty! I’m usually not up this early. I also am delighted to see that the moon was still out! I saw it through the almost bare tree branches. 

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(this one has an effect on it)

When you see it you will shit bricks. lol 😉

The tree reminds me of an impending Spring! It has little things growing on it!

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This morning it feels like it’s about to be Spring!  

I was and still am in awe of the stunning beauty everywhere I look. I am plunged into the depths of it and feel it in my whole being. So much love! ❤

So much wonder!

“‘Cause I can see the light of a clear blue morning
I can see the light of a brand new day
I can see the light of a clear blue morning
And everything’s gonna be all right
It’s gonna be okay”

Light of a Clear Blue Morning – Dolly Parton – mobile

Light of a Clear Blue Morning – desktop

It’s just a mountain; I can move it. ❤

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(This one is not mine!)

😀

~Hugs~ ❤

Much love & light to you, now & forever!

Xoxo Kim 

Monday Inspiration <3

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Today I am blessed to have been able to get a picture of the tree & sky at all stages of the day! Sunrise til sundown then later!

yay!!

The tree above I shared earlier today in the early morn.

Now here it is this afternoon:

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This one is my favorite! The blue, blue sky with fluffy white clouds and look at that stream of blue sunlight shining through!

Now here it is in the early evening:

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And here is the late night pic of the tree:

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This is the worst picture I got but I love it anyway because it’s mine and it does capture nightfall. Also, the sky is full of stars!! So many!! Unfortunately my phone camera cannot always capture the stars but they are here and I see them and that’s all that truly matters. So yeah!

😀

When I saw the stars I yelled really loudly, the sky!!! It’s full of stars!!! Then I instantly felt embarrassed. Lol I tend to embarrass myself over the weather, nature…things like that, somewhat frequently. 

I just yell wherever I am, not realizing at first, and get all giddy over the stuff everyone else seems to be overlooking or not caring about. 

I think this is one idea of living a full life. Basking in and acknowledging all the simple, free gifts around us. Acknowledging the simple beauty in every breath and honoring it any way we can or want to. 

I am reminded of this quote:

“When you’re under a shady tree, don’t forget to see the sunlight streaming through the branches.”

All trees, including shady ones, are lovely but I love the message to not let the darkness, the pain, the negativity…overpower the goodness.

It’s up to us to see the beauty in the midst of the ugliest situations.

Much love & light to you, now & always!! ❤

😀

xoxo Kim

Still shining

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(this isn’t my photo)


Just a reminder that we can still sparkle even after we have been broken, after any storm, any trauma, any pain or suffering…we can move forward sharing our gifts, our life lessons, our deep wisdom, and laughter with the world.

We can be broken, have scars, flaws, pain but still keep shining, keep loving, keep being beautiful.

❤ 😀

Much love & light,

xoxo Kim

Dancing Queen

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Today I have been watching scenes on Youtube out of the movie Mamma Mia. I saw it in a theatre some years ago. It’s an extremely uplifting movie. Even if we don’t watch the whole thing, the brief scenes on youtube are very inspiring.

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Here is an amazing scene with these lovely ladies dancing & singing to the song Dancing Queen by Abba.

These gals are nowhere near seventeen years old. I think they’re like 60 something years old (maybe older?) but they still got it going on! They’re beautiful, sexy, hot, gorgeous, youthful and full of life. They even have some very young men after them! lol

;-D

The one lady is in a low mood so her two best girls decide to cheer her up!

She says “I grew up” and they say “Well then grow back down again! Screw ’em if they can’t take a joke!”

Then they begin singing & dancing and acting silly.

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mobile:

desktop:

What an inspiring scene!!

A fantastic reminder that as long as we are young at heart, we are young. Youth isn’t about age but attitude.

And these lovelies have an amazing attitude.

And if we can’t sing or dance good, so what?! It makes it even more fun!

😀

We don’t have to be seventeen years old to act like and feel like a seventeen year old! ;-D

Let’s not let age, social expectations, or life circumstances hold us back or drag us down!

Let’s grow back down again!

😀 ❤

These are all screen caps.

Also, thank you for the sweet comments! I will get back to you soon! My e-mail and some parts of wordpress aren't working good now. It happens now & again with my wifi connection I think.

I try to respond or "like" and my screen crashes. :-O

Much love to you!

❤

xoxo Kim

Compassion

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“Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.”

This quote is attributed to Nelson Mandela. I don’t know if it really is. But it’s a beautiful concept! 
I agree! Compassion and empathy aren’t about feeling sorry for others but understanding and wanting their pain/suffering to end.
Empathy and compassion connect us to one another. We can take our own experiences of both pleasure & pain and use them to help others and see hope in them. ❤
There’s always love & light even in the darkest places. Let’s reach out and bring light to others.

~Hugs~ to you ❤

xoxo Kim