"A Calm Mind"

A Calm Mind

Don't give your mind permission to get disturbed.

A disturbed mind is easily influenced. This will cost you your peace.

Learn to maintain your peace by freeing yourself from attachments.

Competing or comparing yourself with others will not allow you to focus inwards.

An inner focus allows you to keep your eye on your higher self.

Remember your original nature. It allows you to forge a link with the Divine.

Then it becomes easy to recognize useless thoughts

And replace them with a spiritual perspective.

A calm mind is not just peaceful, it is focused,

Self-directing and Divine.

"It is essential to know that

to be a happy person,

a happy family, a

happy society, it is very

crucial to have a good

heart, that is very

crucial.

World peace must

develop from inner

peace. Peace is not just

the absence of violence but

the manifestation of

human compassion."

"Cayman Island,Dive & Explore"

Dive vivid coral reefs, come up for balmy air and an ice-cold and a g&t.

The Cayman Islands are crawling with a fun-loving mix of deal-cutting bankers with briefcases and cell phones, scuba divers in neon-hued wetsuits and English folk checking the cricket scores over a tipple. The islands vibrate with colour: coral reefs, bright orange frogfish, sociable stingrays and reggae beats on the street.

Thanks to a thriving tourism and cruise-ship industry, resorts and condos have sprung up all over, and you can count on every convenience, from air-con and cold beer to swanky shopping and ESPN. But if you want to get away from it all, it's easy to escape satellite dishes and slickness, not least of them underwater.

"My Masterpieces"

• Who I Want to Meet:
  
  
  
  

"Natures 7 Wonders"

To all Filipinos and even foreigners who already visited the philippines here in perspot let us join forces to include our very own natural resources in the new 7 wonders of nature just log on to this site......

http://www.new7wonders.com/

You need to cast 7 nominees but be sure to include the nominees for Philippines listed below......

Chocolate Hills

PHILIPPINES

The Chocolate Hills is an unusual geological formation in Bohol, Philippines. It is composed of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills, all about the same size, spread over an area of more than 50 sq km The hills are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season, giving them the name "Chocolate Hills."

Tubbataha Reef, Reef

PHILIPPINES

Tubbataha Reef is an atoll coral reef in the Sulu Sea that belongs to the Philippines. It is a marine sanctuary protected as Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park. The reef is composed of two atolls, North and South Reefs. Each reef has a single small islet that protrudes from the water. The atolls are separated by a deep channel 8 kilometers wide. Over one thousand species, including many that are endangered, can be found at on the reef. These include manta rays, lionfish, tortoises, clownfish and sharks.

Mayon Volcano

PHILIPPINES

Mayon Volcano is an active volcano on the Filipino island of Luzo, 15 km northwest of Legazpi City.It is classified by volcanologists as a stratovolcano (composite volcano). Its symmetric cone was formed through alternate pyroclastic and lava flows. Mayon is the most active volcano in the country, having erupted over 47 times in the past 400 years, and is a part of what is called the Pacific Ring of Fire.

"The Right Kind of Power"

What is power?

Power is the ability to influence people. Everyone wants this kind of influence. When it goes together with great love, great understanding, and not a drive to gratify our own narrow self-interest, it can be a tremendous instrument for bringing love, joy, inspiration. Power in and of itself is not bad; it only becomes so when we try to force the less powerful around us to submit to our personal will. The power that goes with love and understanding, however, is something great.

How did we come to so misunderstand the nature of power? Why do you think the hunger for this kind of power is so prevalent?

It’s normal for human beings to identify with their own separate self. The problem is that we get caught in that notion of ourself as a separate individual and caught in that individual self’s agenda. The crudest, the most basic form of power is brute force, the ability to physically manipulate and coerce others into accepting the agenda of one’s own ego. It is the first kind of power we learn to exercise as small children. Then as we evolve and mature, individually or as a society, we discover other, somewhat finer instruments of effecting our own will -- manipulating others by giving and withholding things they need or want, such as food, shelter, money, respect, affection, or sex.

Most of us have not had the opportunity to learn that there is a higher, more satisfying kind of power, which comes from the realization that we are much more than this small, separate self. When we do this, we see our successes and our failures are the product not merely of our individual self, but of our parents, our ancestors and many other conditions coming together. We are not proud of our accomplishments; we see we are just fortunate to have favorable conditions for success. Relating to power in this way, without begin caught in an idea of a separate self, we do not hurt others. Without seeking power, we become truly powerful.



What would you share with world leaders?

Our world political and business leaders need to have the three virtues which I have written about in this book. [Insert]

What kind of power did the Buddha have?

He had the power of looking deeply into all phenomena and seeing how all things inter-are, how they arise in dependence on each other. If he emerged as a Buddha, an enlightened being, he saw that was because the conditions were favorable for it to happen. He didn’t get caught in delusions of pride or selfishness and so he couldn’t be corrupted. The real power of the Buddha was that he had so much love. He saw people trapped in their notions of small separate self, feeling guilty or proud of that self, and he offered revolutionary teachings that resounded like a lion’s roar, like a great rising tide, helping people to wake up and break free from the prison of ignorance.

Is there a modern example of someone who exemplifies true power?

Gandhi. Mother Teresa. The Dalai Lama. Anyone who is practicing understanding and compassion can exemplify true power. Anyone can be a Buddha.

In a world where so many of us live with the wrong conception of power, how do we begin to incorporate true power into our work and our lives?

We need to cultivate the three virtues. Without trying to making ourselves “powerful,” people will notice and admire and come to us, and gradually true power will come to reside in us.

How did your recent trips to Vietnam influence your thoughts on power?

They’ve provided some excellent examples of the true, spiritual kind of power prevailing over the worldly kind of power system we are used to seeing. Many Communist government officials have a rigid, dictatorial power but they live in constant suspicion and fear of anything that might undermine the power they have. I came to my homeland in 2005 as nothing more than a simple monk. The first time I gave a lecture, there were police everywhere, on the alert and ready to put down a demonstration. But nothing like that ever happened. They also limited attendance at that talk to eighteen people, in a hall that could have held hundreds, to show their power. I went ahead and joyfully offered a teaching to those eighteen people just as if I were speaking to thousands. The officials were astonished by this action and also moved by the teachings. They felt ashamed, and for the next talk they allowed more than 1,000 people to attend. Day by day, the level of their fear was able to go down, lower and lower.

This year on returning to Vietnam, we wanted to hold three great ceremonies of prayer to “untie the knots of injustice” and bring reconciliation for the decades of war suffered by the Vietnamese people in the 20th century. Our intention was to pray for the healing of all the wounded and dead of all nationalities. The government officials wouldn’t allow it; they said if we would speak only of the Vietnamese we might have a chance, although they really didn’t want these ceremonies at all. Their attitude was, there’s been no injustice, why do you need to have these prayers? Finally they allowed us to hold the prayer ceremonies on the condition that we not refer to the ceremonies as “untying the knots of injustice.” The ceremonies brought very deep healing to many people.

In Ho Chi Minh City 10,000 people came, and officials were afraid because there are people now in power who did some of that killing. The officials feared that people attending would say, “That man is the one who killed my husband!” and there could be something like a riot. But we taught people to have loving kindness in their thoughts, speech and action because only in this way could they liberate the loved ones they had lost, as well as themselves. So the officials were reassured.

Many thousands also came to the ceremony in Hanoi. People had had dreams in which their loved ones who had died came and asked the dreamer to attend the ceremony, so they could be liberated. Students rode their motorbikes all night to come, with only ten cents to offer to the temple, ten cents to buy a little food and ten cents for a place to sleep. So many people came and, though they are poor, donated whatever they could; and we are distributing those donations to help handicapped victims of Agent Orange.

All of these things show the power of the people; the power of humanity; the power of love. In Vietnam we clearly saw how true, spiritual power can move gently and peacefully to change a whole nation – yes; even a whole world.

Garden that soothes our eyes for a more relaxing lifestyle

INTERIOR LANDSCAPING

better home garden
People from all walks of life enjoy gardening. This is because it is such a lot of fun to do. There is plenty of versatility with gardening. Even if you have a tiny garden or only window boxes, this is better than nothing. You can spend as much or as little time as you have available on this exciting pastime.
Why Gardening is a Great Hobby
Gardening can be very therapeutic and stress-relieving. It is a lot of fun to start from scratch and see great results after a while. You can choose what to grow, whether you prefer flowers, herbs, trees (these take longer to grow, of course!), aquatic plants if you have a pond or even vegetables.
What To Grow
The best things to grow really depend on the space you have available, the climate where you are, your budget and how much spare time you have for your gardening hobby. If you are a complete novice, it is a good idea to browse online, buy a gardening book or ask friends, family or at the gardening center for tips. Some plants are easy to grow and others are best left to the experts.
Examples of plants that are quite easy to grow include herbs and spices (which are also useful!), lilies, tulips, daffodils and almost all bulb flowers. Even onions are easy to grow and can give beautiful flowers. Some varieties of fuschia are simple to grow, such as the Magellanica, and are stunning when they flower.
Grow what you like to see or what you like to eat. There is little point in growing, for example, winter cabbage (even though it looks very pretty in the frost) if nobody you know eats it.
A very good idea is to wander around the other gardens in your neighborhood and see what your neighbors are growing. This is a good way of getting to know other gardening fans and getting some useful tips.
Some Dos and Dont's
First of all, don't be overly ambitious! If you don't have a lot of gardening experience, start off with a simple project – perhaps some bulbs or a couple of herb varieties. If you try to do too much, you will find gardening stressful rather than stress-relieving!
Ask for help if you need it. Gardeners take great pride in their plants and most will be delighted to pass on a few tips. You can also consult the internet or buy a gardening guide book (one especially for beginners if you are new to gardening).
rock gardens and right here for metal outdoor furniture
Make sure you read the back of the packet of seeds and follow them to the letter. If the sowing season has passed, don't risk planting the seeds anyway because they probably won't survive or turn out well. Follow the instructions as to how much water and fertilizer the plants need and whether they prefer sun or shade. Make sure the seeds you buy suit the climate you live in.
If you follow the above tips, gardening should turn out to be a wonderful, relaxing and highly enjoyable hobby!

Tips for Landscaping with Flowers
Including flowers in your landscape adds color and beauty to any yard. Flower gardening is becoming more and more popular every day. Landscaping with flowers is simple, inexpensive, and loads of fun.
There are some decisions that have to be made before you can get started adding flowers to your landscape. You must decide if you want annuals that live for one season and must be replanted every year, or perennials that survive the winter and return again in the summer.
Here is a landcaping tip: When buying and planting, pay attention to what kind of flowers thrive in your climate as well as the sun requirements. Some flowers do better in full sun, some in partial sun, and a few in shade.
You must decide what type of look you want before planting a flower garden. For instance, mixing different heights, colors, and varieties of flowers together in a “wild-plant style” will give your garden a meadow look and can be very charming.
If short flowers are planted in the front of your garden and work up to the tallest flowers in the back you will have a “stepping stone style.”
You can order flower seeds from catalogs or buy them from a nursery. Most people will go to the nursery and buy actual flowers and then transplant them. That is easier, and you get to enjoy the color right away.
After you have prepared your garden area and bought flowers, it is a good idea to lay the flowers out in the bed to make sure you like the arrangement and so they will be spaced properly.
One of the easiest processes in flower gardening is the planting. If you have seeds just sprinkle them around in the flower bed.
For planting transplants dig a hole just bigger than the flower, pull the container off, and set the flower in the hole right side up. Cover it with the loose soil and press down firmly, then water.
Maintaining a flower garden is even easier than planting one. Although they might make it on their own, a bag of fertilizer applied in the early spring is a good idea. Pinch back any blooms after they start to fade and keep them good and watered.
To save yourself work during the next season, rid your garden of all debris and spread out organic nutrients like peat moss or compost.
Don’t forget to turn over the soil to properly mix in the fertilizer and rake smooth when finished. If you have perennials planted be careful not to disturb their roots in this process.
Flower gardening is as easy as 1, 2, and 3: Simply decide what to plant; plant it, and water, water, water! Landscaping with flowers is undoubtedly gaining in popularity and gives anyone excellent reason to spend some outdoors and test out their green thumb.