This weekend has been great!

My wife and I have been lucky enough to have one of our Buddhist teachers, Changling Tulku Rinpoche (above), in town for the last few days giving teachings. It is great to be able to spend time with him, ask questions, listen to teachings and to just sit in his presence.

He taught on a few different topics. But, one I wanted to share with you guys was a talk he gave on how to have a happy mind.

# Match what you want with what you do

Changling Rinpoche said that all people are trying to find happiness. All the time that is what is in our mind. We all want happiness. So, it makes sense then that you look at what you do and check whether that is supporting it. He said that most of the time if we check we will see that what we want and we do does not really match all that well.

# Know what is good fun

We can look at what we do and ask ourselves if it is only fun for ourselves and actually creates unhappiness for others. He also said we could look at the things that might be fun or pleasurable in the short term but cause us problems in the future.

# Accumulate tools in your toolbox

He thought it was a good idea to read and study and go along to talks and to accumulate spiritual tools for dealing with and enjoying life. He said the more information we have the better we will be able to see clearly the way things are. And to have some good ideas about what will and what will not help us create happiness, not just temporary but lasting.

# Action supports meditation

We use meditation to change our habits. Meditation meaning things like contemplating the reiki ideals, resting in the presence of reiki, or giving reiki treatments to ourselves or others (in this context). And the way we act can either be in harmony with the changes/meditation we are trying to make or it can be out of harmony. If the actions of your body and speech are in harmony with your wishes then you will have alot of support for them and you will find the changes will have much more energy and be more powerful, and successful.

# Keep reiki in mind even when you are having happy times

Rinpoche did not exactly say reiki! But, the same principle holds. It is easy while we are having not happy times to bring compassion to mind or bring reiki to mind, because we know that helps make things better. But, we often forget to keep reiki in mind when things are good, in happy times. It is good to keep it in mind during these times, so that we do not go over the top, or get carried away by the happy times, when they can even actually become not happy times.. or perhaps not happy for others, or become times that are happy now but cause us problems in the future.

# Practise reiki even just 5 minutes a day

He said it really helps just to practice some meditation even for 5 minutes a day. Better to do a little and build up than to set yourself a high target and never actually get started. As action supports meditation, so too meditation supports action.