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Auspicious new year to change our lifestyle |
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by T.Y.S. Lama Gangchen Welcome to the new century! We are in the sixteenth Rab Jung, the 60 year cycle of the lunar calendar adopted by Buddhists worldwide: the year 2000 is the year of the metal dragon. This year has great surprises in store as well as offering new opportunities; an ideal year to launch new and ambitious projects, and to "cut" all bad habits, negative thoughts, damaging emotions and all other interferences. The Metal Dragon is characterised by a stable and strong energy and therefore favours changes, inner as well as daily transformations, by reinforcing our motivation to better ourselves and make our positive qualities shine. Let us change our life now: let us make it more economical in all senses of the word: financial, energetic and emotional, as well as environmental. Let us invest in peace: it is the best investment we can aim for towards a good future for ourselves and that of our children, grand-children and great grand-children... On a financial level, let us choose to spend our money to buy politically and ecologically sound products and advocate the respect for human dignity in the workplace and the production of materials which are non-polluting and non-violent towards any form of life. And let us invest our savings ethically: that means avoiding to put them at the service of any companies which may produce arms or poisonous substances, for instance. Moreover, we should stop considering money as the supreme "best friend" of our life: everyone knows that money cannot buy happiness and cannot preserve us from death and sickness; peace on the other hand, can: it never abandons us, it pervades our mental continuum with bliss from life to life, helping us to overcome any situation - no matter how adverse - with a smile upon our lips. Emotionally and energetically, it is easy to understand that anger, being consumed by hatred or jealousy, being suffocated by fear are all far too expensive. We only put our physical and mental health at risk, when we allow ourselves to be ruled by our emotions and by negative thoughts. We also put the stability of our work, family and friendships at risk. As far as the eco-system is concerned, it is obvious to anyone - from Rome to Beijing, from New York to Cape Town - that we are dangerously nearing collapse. Therefore, let us stop polluting the seas, the earth and the skies; let us put a stop to over-consumption, to littering the four corners of our planet unecessarily, to abuse electrical consumption. We can have peace with us at all times: when we fall asleep and when we wake, during dreams and throughout the day, in every gesture, glance and word; the choice is ours, let us therefore choose peace, please! |
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