Buddhism and the Law of Attraction

Creative thought is a wonderful thing

With the law of attraction teachings there are many concepts that make sense. Controlling the thoughts, having faith that you are creating the right events, and taking action based on that faith. But it only takes one so far because as usual in this culture, we are taught to focus on ME and what I want for myself so badly:

My slim muscular body,
My mansion,
My success,
My happiness,
My high energy and health.
ME ME ME ME ME!!

The motivation must deepen or the practice stays shallow

Having everything you want is not the point!

This may sound like blasphemy, but bear with me for a minute. Focusing on what we want can become a very small minded way of looking at the world.

By wishing for everyone to be happy and really focusing on that instead of me, we create a very loving vibrational force that is much stronger than a meeeeee force,

AND THEN WE ALL GET OUR HEART’S DESIRE.

Don’t become a yearning for a thought in your head

People often forget about gratitude and equanimity for the way things happen to be right now. They become a yearning for the picture in the mind that does not exist and forget to be here and miss out on right now. There has to be a balance between creating a future you desire and being happy no matter what the externals are.

To love is to be happy with (to quote Barry Neal Kaufman who wrote a great book with that title)

Cultivating satisfaction right now is a perfect start. That does not mean we are stuck in the job we hate or the bills piling up, etc. It just means we comit to create a happy vibration right now, no matter what.

Law of attraction is a good start but not an end in itself

Law of attraction was a good way for me to start making much needed changes and it works really well up to a point because it got me to this point and got me to look more deeply at what a pure motivation might be.

By affirming over and over that “I am transforming my life completely right now.” I did create some great new thoughts and then I followed the directions in the Secret movie exactly, by acting on them.

And so, two years after first watching The Secret I have something way more priceless than a snazzy new car and mansion and the perfect Ken and Barbie relationship.

There is nothing wrong with material gain and I like stuff as much as the next person but I have found it to be pretty empty all by itself. When you add Buddhist or compassion teachings to this start, it becomes a whole new delicious broth.

I feel as if I have been drinking soda from a toxic aluminum can and suddenly I have tasted oak-barrel very fine wine for the first time. Now that I have had a couple of small sips of the real stuff I can never go back to green teachings.

To read more about my adventures in Buddhist teachings go to my other journal entrie’
Or order a book or take a class from the kadampa meditation center they have classes all over the world.

Or if you happen to be in southern california join me at the Tibetan Monastery for meditation and teachings in Long Beach, CA

There are many wonderful retreats for a day a a weekend or a week or two with Tich Nat Han’s many monastaries around the world. I am going to the San Diego one for 2 days in August!