Must Do Gratitudes

I am grateful:

1. New almost-vegan place that has opened up.
2. Happy students – in no small part due to me
3. The health I have
4. Hot bergamot tea
5. In a way, grateful that the place isn’t fully vegan, as it’s so expensive, and I won’t be spending all my money there now lol
6. Gonna see MA later
7. M loves me
8. Working out some technology glitches
9. The Thoreau, phrase: Most men live lives of quiet desperation. NOT because misery wants company – but because maybe we don’t have to. Maybe it’s like the Buddhist thing about doing it to ourselves.
10. The First Noble Truth (and these are all worded badly here, by me): There is suffering, in existence.
11. The Second Noble Truth: We cause our own suffering.
12. The Third Noble Truth: There is a way out.
13. The Fourth Noble Truth: Here is the way out – the 8-fold path
14. The first in the 8-fold path, under Wisdom: Right view
15. That it means (again, my admittedly flawed wording) facing what is, in life, nature, and the world. And that actions have results – reactions. Wholesome and unwholesome. And that craving causes suffering and cessation of craving ends it.
16. The second in the 8-fold path, under Wisdom: Right intention
17. And that it means constantly aspiring to rid self of qualities self knows to be wrong and immoral. And non-violence and harmlessness. And a greater commitment to the spiritual path, not the worldly.
18. The third in the 8-fold path, under Ethical conduct: Right speech
19. And that it means abstaining from lying, divisive speech, abusive speech, and idle chatter. Keeping confidences. Polite, soothing speech. Not gossip. Not rumors. And timing.
20. The fourth in the 8-fold path, under Ethical conduct: right livelihood
21. And that it means earning one’s living in a righteous way and legal and peaceful. And not dealing in weapons, not dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution), not working in meat production and butchery, and not selling intoxicants and poisons such as alcohol and rugs.
22. The fifth in the 8-fold path, under Mental discipline, concentration, meditation: right effort
23. And that it means, using one’s energy toward self-discipline, honesty, benevolence, and kindness; not desire, envy, aggression, and violence. [ prevent the arising of unarisen unwholesome states/abandoning unwholesome states that have already arisen/ arousing wholesome states that have not yet arisen/ maintaining and perfecting wholesome states already arisen.
24. The sixth in the 8-fold path, under Mental discipline, concentration, meditation: right effort
25. And that it means putting the mental energy behind right effort. Like: 1. Prevent the arising of unarisen unwholesome states 2. To abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen 3. To arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and 4. To maintain and perfect wholesome states already arisen. NOT the energy into fueling desire, envy, aggression, and violence.
26. The seventh in the 8-fold path, under Mental discipline, concentration, meditation: or right mindfulness
27. And that it means the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness. Without imposed sense impressions and thoughts. Clear perception, penetrating impressions without getting carried away. Enabling us to actively observe and control the way our thoughts go. Buddha: “the four foundations of mindfulness: 1. contemplation of the body, 2. contemplation of feeling (repulsive, attractive, or neutral), 3. contemplation of the state of mind, and 4. contemplation of the phenomena.
28. The eighth in the 8-fold path, under the acquired factors: Right concentration.
29. And that it means right meditation. Ex. mindfulness breathing
30. And that Buddha explained that cultivation of the noble eightfold path leads to the development of two further factors.
31. One is right knowledge.
32. And that means seeing things as they really are by direct experience, not as they appear to be, nor as the practitioner wants them to be, but as they truly are.
33. Resulting in: right liberation.
34. And that means where self-awakening occurs and the practitioner has reached the pinnacle of their practice.
35. I am grateful for this site, for I found some of the info to summarize from: http://www.ask.com/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path
36. And for this site, where I found some more: http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html
37. That I saw MA after school
38. That we went to the book store
39. That I bought the book
40. That we had tea/juice together
41. The *amazing * raw food lunch I had today!
42. The energy it gave me
43. The mood lift it gave me!
44. The dinner I had
45. That J tried to help me bleed the radiators, over the phone
46. That he might help me do it tomorrow
47. That I have hope.
48. That my second load of laundry is in, after a full work day! Another gift of that raw lunch food.
49. The singalong I gave the kids today
50. Enough warmth to live
51. Will take mother to bank tomorrow
52. And shopping
53. And I can straighten some, I think
54. And read
55. That I’m doing my thumb exercises