Book - A Wild Thought....A Calm Mind
US$20.00
I was driven to write this book because I saw a tragedy. When you see a tragedy, can you remain silent? I know I can’t. I didn’t witness an horrific slaughter of many people, a terrorist bomb that exploded in my hometown, or a young mid-pubescent boy walk into a school, open his backpack and proceed to slaughter his classmates and teachers with a gun he found in his parent’s closet. But…the tragedy I witness now and for many years is the abandonment of the human spirit.
Many teachers and gurus have told me they believe that people are beginning to “wake up” to the fact that material goods are not the answer to finding their bliss. And they are beginning to pay attention to their spiritual lives. I hope that is correct but somehow I have not been witness to a spiritual awakening in this country. I see people going through the spiritual motions using their “training wheels” to prove to themselves and others that they are on the “spiritual path”. I have critical news for them: The Path to Enlightenment has nothing to do with smiling and showing you are a kind person. Those behaviors will get you into the doors of heaven if that’s where your path takes you but not to full enlightenment. For that goal, there is a much different path. It’s simple but it’s not easy.
When I began to see the absolute purity in Nature and wild animals such as deer, hummingbirds, hawks, wolves, honey bees and wild turkeys, I realized that the animal mind is very simple - less complicated than that of humans. Then I remembered a question a student asked of His Holiness the Dalai Lama: “Honorable one, are you an enlightened being?” The answer His Holiness gave was, “I am only a simple monk.” Although His Holiness is a living Buddha, proclaiming his enlightenment would have been arrogant. Instead, he presented a clue when he gave his answer to show us that the more simple the mind, the easier our journey to enlightenment. Using the simple animal mind as a model is the answer. My deep relationships with many wild animals gave me the key I was seeking and it is shared with you in this introductory book.
Many teachers and gurus have told me they believe that people are beginning to “wake up” to the fact that material goods are not the answer to finding their bliss. And they are beginning to pay attention to their spiritual lives. I hope that is correct but somehow I have not been witness to a spiritual awakening in this country. I see people going through the spiritual motions using their “training wheels” to prove to themselves and others that they are on the “spiritual path”. I have critical news for them: The Path to Enlightenment has nothing to do with smiling and showing you are a kind person. Those behaviors will get you into the doors of heaven if that’s where your path takes you but not to full enlightenment. For that goal, there is a much different path. It’s simple but it’s not easy.
When I began to see the absolute purity in Nature and wild animals such as deer, hummingbirds, hawks, wolves, honey bees and wild turkeys, I realized that the animal mind is very simple - less complicated than that of humans. Then I remembered a question a student asked of His Holiness the Dalai Lama: “Honorable one, are you an enlightened being?” The answer His Holiness gave was, “I am only a simple monk.” Although His Holiness is a living Buddha, proclaiming his enlightenment would have been arrogant. Instead, he presented a clue when he gave his answer to show us that the more simple the mind, the easier our journey to enlightenment. Using the simple animal mind as a model is the answer. My deep relationships with many wild animals gave me the key I was seeking and it is shared with you in this introductory book.