Blog | Aaron Graves, PhDude

No Beginning, No End, by HH Dalai Lama

April 23, 2013February 27, 2013 by Aaron Graves

Questioner: How does one arrive at the conviction that our consciousness has no beginning or end? Dalai Lama: Generally speaking, there are two ways of coming to such a conclusion. One is through logical reasoning and the other is from seeing that if consciousness did have a beginning and an ending, a lot of contradictions …

Lego Exhibit at Lauritzen Gardens

March 9, 2013February 23, 2013 by Aaron Graves

For more on the Lauritzen Gardens, visit www.lauritzengardens.org. For more on the artist, Sean Kenney, visit his website at www.seankenney.com.

Breathe

February 15, 2013 by Aaron Graves

Breathe. If you feel overwhelmed, breathe. It will calm you and release the tensions. If you are worried about something coming up, or caught up in something that already happened, breathe. It will bring you back to the present. If you are moving too fast, breathe. It will remind you to slow down, and enjoy …

The Real You

April 22, 2015February 12, 2013 by Aaron Graves

If you’re ready to wake up, you’re going to wake up. And if you’re not ready, you’re going to stay pretending that you’re just a poor little me. Listen to Alan Watts explain who the real You is. Forgive the background music, but it’s not too difficult to focus on the words. I’ve attempted my …

In Honor of the Republicans and of the Democrats…

February 7, 2013 by Aaron Graves

“In honor of the Republicans I am having a small coffee and donuts meeting at my house to discuss whether the earth is flat and if dinosaurs existed. In honor of the Democrats I am spending $16 billion dollars on the meeting.” – John Jay Myers

My Vows

February 23, 2015January 23, 2013 by Aaron Graves

Inspired by Leo Babauta, I present this, my list of vows. I vow to the world to do these things every day: To meditate for a minimum of 3 minutes. To be compassionate towards all living beings. To practice tolerance and patience in all facets of my life. To read at least 20 pages of …

Shifting Perspective

April 23, 2013January 22, 2013 by Aaron Graves

Once there was a disciple of a Greek philosopher who was commanded by his Master for three years to give money to everyone who insulted him. When this period of trial was over the Master said to him, “Now you can go to Athens and learn Wisdom.” When the disciple was entering Athens, he met …

The Enemy is the Necessary Condition for Practicing Patience

January 22, 2013 by Aaron Graves

These words from His Holiness the Dalai Lama are quite powerful: “In fact, the enemy is the necessary condition for practicing patience. Without an enemy’s action, there is no possibility for patience or tolerance to arise. Our friends do not ordinarily test us and provide the opportunity to cultivate patience; only our enemies do this. …

11 Zen Stories

January 10, 2013 by Aaron Graves

1. A Cup of Tea Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more …

Update on the Minimal Web Progression

January 9, 2013 by Aaron Graves

Here’s an update on the progress of moving to the minimal web philosophy: Musts The text of an article, including headline Done. A good-sized, readable font Done. A column width optimal for reading I believe I have this down, though, it may be a bit too wide. I’ll play with narrowing it some going forward, …