David Howenstein Blog
This blog focuses on putting spirituality into action, and is based on the book JUMBO JUMBLE (by this blog's author).
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This blog focuses on putting spirituality into action, and is based on the book JUMBO JUMBLE (by this blog's author).
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February 18 Illustrated by Miki Howenstein Life—overpowering the elements
1) The Dalai Lama was once asked, “What is the most important quality in a spiritual teacher?” His answer: “Cheerfulness.” That cheerfulness is a kind of invitation that says, “It feels good to be here. Wouldn’t you like to come too?”(Charles Eisenstein, The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2013 (Kindle Edition)), 230.) 2) Morality should be joyous, an affirmation of life rather than a denial. (Thomas Moore, The Soul of Sex: Cultivating Life as an Act of Love (New York: HarperCollins, 1998), 176.) JR: Living morally is often seen as a burden because of the mistaken idea of what morality is. Ethical values give you a grounding in which you can integrate your life and become whole. And, as you come to feel “holy,” the joy of living fills your being, and your life becomes a conduit nourishing all forms of other life which you have contact with. PP: How do you view morality? As a burden, or as a pleasure? How can you make it feel more life-engendering so that you long to make morality more a part of your life? PA: MORALITY - What a Bummer! Control myself, especially when I was a horny teenager - Be for Real! Yet, I’ve found that it is moving more towards a moral life that I become intrinsically happier. I can still enjoy life’s pleasures (good food and drink, sex, play, etc) with morality meaning that I enjoy these things within certain confines. For example, playing brings me great pleasure, but if I’m only playing, I most likely won’t be able to make a living and will starve to death. Sure wouldn’t be much fun, just like too much of any of life’s pleasures. Morality indeed brings more sustainable satisfaction and joy into life.
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What Jambo Members Are SayingDavid Howenstein founded Jambo Japan in 1996. A man with many ideas on bettering the natural/human environment but also unsure how to implement them in a way to make a sustainable organization, he tried various courses of action throughout the years. Like many of you, he encountered frequent frustrations finding that the vast majority of his efforts ended in failure. However, through trial and error, he came upon a recipe for success in his adopted home. |
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