• Peanut Butter

    Somebody told me about how they had made lunches for homeless people on the street and I liked the idea. Saturday a week later, on my way to grab some breakfast in my rush to a workshop, the thought crossed my mind to make a bunch of sandwiches. I hesitated as I thought I might not have enough time for my breakfast, but then thought best not to let good thoughts pass un-acted upon or it will never happen. That evening, after the workshop I made up a bunch of sandwiches and bought some bottled water for one to go with each sandwich (peanut butter, you know). In the park…

  • Kisses to my family

    I woke up 3 am this morning to do my homework, and realize that I was missing something very important in my life. I went into my my bedroom, and kissed my spouse repeatedly and gently on her cheek, and held her and slept with her for a few minutes. I saw her sleeping comfortably, and left her. I went to my children’s bedroom, and kissed them and held them for few minutes, and left them. A few hours earlier, I thought my life is not worth going forward, but realize now that I need to keep going for my family. This is my obligation, and my gift, to take…

  • let buses merge

    this morning after meditation i was in a hurry to get to work. I was trying to make a stop light when a large articulated bus to my right put its signal light on to merge unto my lane. “no way” I thought, but I thought again, why not? So I let the bus merge, and noticed I was afraid the person behind me would be mad at me or, worse yet, think I was dumb for doing so. Talk about silly pride! “I’m allowing a bus full of people less selfish than the rest of us car drivers and I’m a ashamed?” I felt a bit joy as I…

  • Being good To Myself

    Hai I am Jimmy Sha , There is only thing that really good I done for someone that really profound in this life is to myself , yes sound selfish and ego right ? Well I won’t blame you , cause we are conditioned like this .Here the correct perspective :My friend Mr Lawrence Lee invited me to this 5th Conference on Buddhism in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia “ Tranforming The Mind “ “ To create happiness in our Life “ . Because of my worldly attachment that’s is so great at that moment , I wanted to go but the worldly sense attachment is far more greater . I…

  • Turtle Mountain

    Sitting in the car for 16 hours you don’t know what to expect when you reach a stop. Your body is exhausted, but you want to run laps everywhere and anywhere. This is how I felt when I went on an Oregon retreat to Buddha Root Farm. It had to be the most amazing experience of my life. Before coming to the retreat I have to be truly honest, I was not a good kid. I had straight A’s and I respected elders, but I argued with my parents and fought with my siblings. In just one week of meditating, listening to Master Heng Sure when he gave lectures and…

  • The sophomore

    This isn’t a story so much about my own act of kindness as it is about a group of boys who made a difference. I am an English teacher at a small school in rural Missouri. Though teaching is my first love, I also am the assistant high school football coach. Last year during the first day of football practice, we had a small, quiet sophomore boy come out for football who had never played an organized sport before. I had taught this boy in my English class the year before, and he was a delight to have in class–inquisitive and knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects. His years…

  • Nothing really, too

    I just read the story about returning a wallet outside a bookstore, and it reminded me of the same thing -just at Border’s instead of Barnes & Noble. Just like the other story, I took the wallet off the sidewalk and brought it in for the store to return to the owner.

  • Eye and My Mother

    My mother had a an operation for a degeneration of the macular holein her eye. On discharge from hospital, she was required to sit athe table at home and barely move so as not to upset things. I did the cooking cleaning and other things. after all I put her through and her bringing me back, it’s the least I could do.

  • A Beautiful Simplicity

    When I was at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in June, I remember helping an elderly nun transport some gardening stuff in my car…she was so sweet about it, asking why I was at the City and what I was doing there (I often asked myself those same questions:). She had placed some plastic bags in my trunk, so her ‘gardening dirt’ wouldn’t get all over my car. She was also seemingly surprised that a stranger would help her out like that, yet wanting me to see her garden and informing me how much work it was to keep it up. And I thought, gosh, her life is so…

  • being present. being open

    living in nyc i myself start living in my own world as many of my fellow neighbors do… Off to work, to lunch, to dinner, to somewhere and normally not stopping in between. Not being available to others as I’m either listening to music or eyes only looking at my path. Most of the time as I’m on my run I’m not bing present for others or really myself…As there are angels in the world one has to have his or her eyes open to see. My act of kindness was smiling at a person who I didn’t know was lost and felt able to approach me… I was able…