A Word About Self Love From Red Door Yoga
One of the main purposes of meditation is to allow you to steady the mind, bringing it to such a state of equilibrium that it is not swayed by either attraction (Raga) or aversion (Dvesha). In this steady state, you experience true Self-love, not reliant upon the conditions of the external world. Cultivating this state is a process of consistent practice that allows you to see that in truth and in fact, there is no difference to the things, thoughts, feelings, etc. that we draw towards ourselves, or push away from our- selves, and that both our attachment and our aversion invariably cause us to suffer and experience mis-guided self-loathing.
The following is a very effective Buddhist story that illustrates both the sameness of Raga and Dvesha, as well as equilibrium of mind at work:! ! Once upon a time Gautama Buddha was traveling through a village. It was not long before word of his presence reached the villagers and they all rushed to greet him and seek his blessings. Before going to see the Buddha however, the villagers decided that it was only appropriate that if they were to visit the Buddha, they should bring him gifts.
When the villagers finally found Gautama, he was sitting under a tree with some of his followers. The villagers crowded the place, all jostling for their chance to meet him. Each of them began to offer their gifts of fruits, rich cloth, gold coins, ornaments, previous stones and the like.
One by one Gautama Buddha politely refused to accept any of these gifts. “I do not need any of these things” was his simple answer. The villagers however tried to convince him to accept the gifts by saying that they had much respect for him and were offering the gifts from the depths of their hearts. But the Buddha was firm on his decision. After some time the villagers began to become angry. “What does he think of himself?” they asked. “We are offering him such precious gifts and he is so rudely rejecting them.” they said. After some time their anger turned to hatred. And they began to curse the Buddha.
Hearing their foul language one of Gautama’s followers asked, “Master, do you not feel angry? They are using such cruel and unjust words against you!” The Buddha simply replied with a smile, “They offered me precious gifts that I re- fused to accept. They are now offering me harsh words and I refuse to accept them also.”
Chocolate Butter Pecan Turtle Bars
These delicious bites are a cross between crunchy toffee candy and cookies. They are quite rich, so cut them smaller than you would standard cookie bars.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Top Layer:
- 6 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil. Place rack in the center of the oven.
In a large mixing bowl, beat flour, salt, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup butter on medium speed about 2 minutes, scraping sides of the bowl often. It should be of a graham cracker crumb consistency. With a spatula, press mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan in an even layer. Sprinkle with pecans and set aside.
Top Layer: Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar and 6 tablespoons butter in a heavy 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until it begins to boil, then cook for 1 minute, continuing to stir. Remove from heat and pour evenly over pecans.
Bake 18 to 20 minutes until bubbly and crust is golden brown. (The longer you bake, the harder they become.) Remove from oven. Sprinkle immediately with chocolate chips, then white chocolate chips. Let rest for 3 minutes to let chocolate soften, then swirl chips with the tip of a sharp knife or toothpick to create a marbled effect.
Cool completely to room temperature. Cut into bars to serve.
Serves: 36 to 48 cookie bars
