Walking and Life

I have recently walked around the Lake District’s Ennerdale Water with my partner. Ennerdale is a beautiful lake and I feel I am fortunate to live in a place that is nearby so many beautiful lakes. It usually takes an hour-and-a-half by car to get to the most scenic lakes in England.

http://www.visitcumbria.com/wc/ennerdal.htm

This was the first time we’d walked around Ennerdale, so we didn’t know how long the journey would take or how difficult it might be, i.e. whether it would be rocky or easy walking. We chose to start from the left-hand side of the lake.

The journey wasn’t so interesting at first as most of the lake’s view was blocked by trees. We had to make a detour through a wooded area in order to get around Ennerdale which gave the impression that we were getting farther and farther away from it before eventually getting back on track again.

When walking around the lake we came to a very rocky forest which we found rather hard to walk through. The surface was uneven, full of tree roots and with a little stream flowing down from the mountain. We had to concentrate when walking so that we didn’t stumble on the rocks or tree roots and fall into the lake on the right side.

After a few miles we came to a hilly area with a breath-taking view of Ennerdale Water. Climbing the hill to get around a place called Anglers Crag made us quite breathless but after that the route became easier and the scenery became more beautiful, which made us feel that it was all worthwhile.

Later, when it began to get dark we had to walk really fast to get back to car park. We now know which are the best parts of Ennerdale and look forward to going back again.

On the way home, I reflected on the whole walk and realized how it emulates our life’s journey. We go through life without knowing what is ahead of us. A good or bad experience, whether it’s boring or exciting, or how long we are going to live, etc.

In life we have to take a detour sometimes which is necessary in order to gain different experiences to prove that we are on the right track. Time is not wasted because it adds more excitement and colour to life.

We have to go through the boring and tough experiences in life in order to appreciate how good life can be - it is part and parcel of life’s whole journey. We have a choice to either initiate a tough and boring life and end with good life, or the opposite. Whichever decision is made we have to go through both. There is no such thing as a good life or a bad life forever - things change but it depends on how we appreciate each moment.

When we go though the rocky parts of our life we just have to be more mindful and concentrate that we don’t fall easily, and with the vision that events will change for the better.

The next time we go for a walk we will still choose to start from the left-hand side, which means starting a boring and tougher journey with the vision that we are heading for a nicer walk with a better view during the second half of the journey. We will walk with a more mindful attitude and enjoy and appreciate every minute knowing this is part and parcel of the walk.

Gardening and Meditation

What, you may wonder, has gardening got to do with meditation? Well, I here will share with you my thoughts of how I think the two are related.

I have loved gardening ever since I was a little girl. But there were times during my life when I couldn’t do gardening because of time constraints and not actually having a garden - those times were during my high school and university days. I feel privileged that I am able to do gardening again.

My present garden was full of weeds and bushes when I first moved here, but I was determined to transform it into a garden to be proud of. It was extremely hard work clearing the unsightly brambles, stinging nettles and deep-rooted bushes that had been there for many years.

After each spell of gardening I was exhausted but I looked forward to seeing a garden that would soon blossom with different types of flowers that we would be able to enjoy in the future. We also dug a pond, planted water lillies and forget-me-nots. Sometimes I would spend more than eight hours some days digging out the bushes, planting flowers, watering and fertilising.

I noticed that when gardening my mind focuses only on that particular activity and I don’t think of anything else; this induces a sort of meditation. Part of the meditation is to concentrate on breathing, cultivating positive thoughts and clearing unnecessary illusions or thoughts out of my mind. Gardening is also about clearing weeds and cultivating and healthy plants.

I use to have a headache problem during weekends but since starting gardening I don’t seem to have this problem much anymore - it must be the soothing effect of gardening and the closeness to nature that helps.

I also weed very often in order to keep the garden clear of plants that could be invasive and overrun the garden giving it an unsightly appearance. It’s the same with meditation - it requires consistent practise to deter invasive thoughts that will distract a healthy mind.

Gardening and meditation are both mind relaxing activities that induce a positive attitude and also compliment each other - both activities train our minds to focus and relax. From my point of view, one is cultivating beautiful flowers and the other is cultivating a beautiful heart.

Challenges of the Entrepreneur

It has been nine months since I last wrote my blog – it’s time I got back into the habit of bringing it up to date. There have been several big changes in my life during the last nine months, including a new environment, and new job and a new lifestyle.

At first it was difficult having to face all the new challenges, but I have been reminding myself to keep a positive outlook with each new challenge. Running a business with trade up and down obviously has affected my emotions.

I suppose this is one of the first things to understand about being in business, to look at the long term and avoid being short-sighted. The important thing is to continue making the effort and plan my strategy to improve the business.

Although I am moving away from my accountancy profession, I feel like putting into practise what I have learned from all those text books. The whole experience of running my printing business is exercising the reality of the business world.

Sales drive the business, therefore the role of polishing one’s selling and marketing skills is critical. Obviously, the procurement of new business, operations and the management of staff are also critical to the success of a business.

The main difference between my previous and current roles is moving from facing figures to facing customers. It takes a lot of courage to be proactive and build good relationships with potential customers.

It wasn’t easy at first, but after some practise it wasn’t so difficult getting potential customers to see how I could help them to improve their businesses. My attitude was, “if I don’t ask, I won’t get it, if I ask but get rejected, what is there to lose?” It can be quite demoralising after several negative reactions, however, it felt good when I succeeded.

I gave myself a challenge by organising a wedding fayre, which is also complimentary to my printing business. I have been preparing this since November last year and next Sunday 15 March is the big day. There was a lot of work to do in preparation for the fayre.

I was felt disheartened at first as I didn’t get much support for my event. However, after continually trying I now have 18 exhibitors who will be at my wedding fayre, plus 10 businesses which are giving support to a half page advertising feature in a local newspaper.

Details of the event are at www.eventsupermarket.co.uk. I will update you all with the outcome of the event after 15 March. Wish me good luck!!

I suppose the above experiences don’t only apply in business. It is also about how we should live our life whatever jobs we are in. Regardless of what we do, we have to stay long-sighted and not be drawn away by short-term challenges. I also believe persistence will yield results in the end.

Leaving for a Bigger Challenge

After thinking long and hard, I finally decided to leave the company I work for and start a new life as an entrepreneur. I believe it to be a good career change and I am keeping a positive outlook.

There is one thing that I remind myself of everyday: that is, with all my future challenges and obstacles, may I face them with an open heart, gratitude, a positive attitude and compassion.

It is important for me to keep this in mind, as there is a lot of uncertainty ahead of me. Leaving my comfort zone and entering into a whole new life is a step towards insecurity.

However, without making this move, how would I know whether I can succeed or not? Therefore, challenges and uncertainties are not the main barriers; it is the way my mind perceives them that is most importance and could become an obstruction if I keep having negative thoughts about the move.

Following my resignation it is satisfying to know that the organisation appreciated my work and wanted me to stay. However, I decided to move on.

In one of my articles, I mentioned that I’d had a hard time with some of my colleagues because they believed that my intention to improve the organisation was perceived by them as interference in their own interests. I have been sending my loving kindness to them.

Unfortunately, their self-centred attitude didn’t bring them long-lasting careers; some of them have finally been asked to leave the company.

This experience has taught me that as long as we are sincere and have done nothing that is against the organisation’s interests we deserve a good result, and people who are thinking only of their own interest won’t last long and will have to face the consequences.

However, I do feel sad to see the people that I have been working with leave the organisation in such an unpleasant way. I wish them well and hope that they will learn from the lesson.

Here is my sharing of the talks by His Holiness the Dalai Lama – Part 3

My emotions when seeing His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

On 25 May 2008 at Nottingham Arena when His Holiness entered the stage he was surrounded by young people who had finished presenting the Opening Dance Presentation (the performance was about the possible future, with the entrance of humans after the destruction of the world).

His Holiness thanked the young people for presenting such a wonderful performance and shook hands with them, including several disabled children.

The energy of compassion from the His Holiness touched the audience. We were able to observe His Holiness’ expressions and movements on two giant TV screens.

I was definitely touched by his compassion and kindness and was in tears with an unexplainable energy. I have a similar feeling when chanting Metta Puja (Loving Kindness Prayers).

His Holiness occasionally showed his playful side when taking pictures with the young people.

He was making conversation with the disabled children and giving them a blessing by touching his forehead with their forehead, this being one way of making a blessing.

In 1999 when I was helping to prepare accounts for a temple in London I received a picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a present from a nun there. It was a very good picture taken together with His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, whose details can be found at his website http://www.kagyuoffice.org/karmapa.html.

I was really pleased with the present and the picture has been displayed in my lounge for more than six years. That was my first association with His Holiness.

Naturally, I always hoped that I will meet His Holiness in real life one day. Seeing His Holiness on 25 May was a dream come true for me.

Even though we couldn’t get close to him, I could feel the energy of his compassion by just observing his movements and expressions over the giant screens and by being in the same area with him. His Holiness has demonstrated a character and the power of a great spiritual leader. I am sure a lot of people feel the same.

Here is my sharing of the talks by His Holiness the Dalai Lama – Part 2

As I mentioned in my previous article, the talk was about the environment. His Holiness explained that Tibet is Asia's principal watershed and the source of its major rivers. Machu (Huang Ho, or Yellow River), the Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), the Drichu (Yangtze), and the Senge Khabab (Indus) are among the five most heavily-silted rivers in the world.

Nearly half of the global populations, notably in India, China, Bangladesh and Pakistan, depend on the rivers of Tibet for their sustenance.

The Tibetan Plateau is the largest and highest plateau in the world. It sustains a unique, yet fragile high altitude eco-system much of which remains unspoiled due to its remoteness and inaccessibility.

A significant proportion of river flows in Tibet are stable or base flows coming from ground water and glacial sources. This is in marked contrast to river flows in most neighbouring countries, which are determined by seasonal rainfall patterns.

However, human impact is now taking a devastating toll on the natural resources - the wildlife, forests, grazing lands, rivers and mineral resources are now at a point where they may never recover. Unless urgent action is taken now to stop this the rivers of Tibet, which have brought joy and sustenance, may one day bring death and destruction.

"Destruction of nature and natural resources results from ignorance, greed and the lack of respect for earth's living things."
--His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 1993

Here is My Sharing of the Talks by His Holiness the Dalai Lama - Part 1

I had been trying to book a ticket for the past few months to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Nottingham Arena, but without success as the venue was fully booked.

However, my friend Liat told me that there was going to be an extra talk on the afternoon of Sunday 25 May due to the huge demand to hear His Holiness speak.

Thanks to Liat, I had a chance to see and hear for the first time His Holiness and Songyal Rinpoche speak in public. Songyal Rinpoche is a renowned teacher and the author of ‘The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying’.

The public talk was an interview between The Dalai Lama and chosen young people from Nottingham about environmental issues, hosted by Jonathan Dimbleby, the TV and radio presenter.

The most interesting question from one young person was ‘how can we make our friends aware that the environment is important for our future’. My interpretation of His Holiness answer is that the earthquake in China and the cyclone in Myanmar are signs of intolerance from Mother Earth.

Mother Earth has been adjusting to the needs of mankind for past decades. However, it has come to a point where the Mother Earth can no longer tolerate her children (mankind), who are not behaving.

As a result, we will all suffer one day if we carry on harming the environment. It is now happening to China and Myanmar, and natural disasters will continue to happen to us if we are not more compassionate to our Mother Earth.

A positive outcome regarding the China earthquake is that it has united the world - people around the world, regardless of race, have donated money and have given much support to the victims in China.

The disaster has softened the heart of mankind, which has been hardened for a long time - those who thought more of themselves than others.

However, how long will the compassion last? When the disaster is a distant memory, most of the people may forget about it and go back to being self-centred.

I hope that people continue to recall how much the disaster brought suffering to mankind and remember be kind to the environment and to others.