While the mind (formless awareness) and the brain are not the same, there is a relationship -- and meditating is a huge help for both our mind and our body/brain.

Scottish Kadampas :-)

If we identify and grasp onto ourselves as being deluded, deluded we’ll stay. “See, I’m deluded! I can’t help it. I want to give up but I can’t.” If we identify ourselves as pure, generous, full of potential, and so on, we can give up our delusions because we are no longer grasping at them as who we are. They are no longer our natural default. They are just habits, just thoughts. Let them go. Think different thoughts instead.

Happy Birthday Geshe-la!

"Out of faith in his own teacher, the beloved Trijang Rinpoche, and compassion for people like me, he agreed in 1977 to come to Manjushri Institute in the Lake District and teach two Buddhist texts. Then when a small group of early students sincerely requested him to stay, he agreed."

How can we make a non-existent me happy? How can we get rid of its suffering?! Answer: we can’t. Which is probably the main reason why it makes sense to get rid of our self-grasping and self-cherishing and cherish others instead. As of now, self-cherishing hasn’t gotten us anywhere – any happiness and good fortune we are experiencing is coming about… [ 1,859 more word ]
http://kadampalife.org/…/can-too-much-bad-news-make-us-sick/

From these kinds of experiences, I think it is not hard to see how, for Bodhisattvas motivated by compassion, nothing now will stop them from getting enlightened. By contrast to strong love and compassion, it is so so boring to be thinking about myself. If I never had to think about myself again out of self-centeredness, it would not be a day too soon.

"Sometimes the mere act of examining the mind, if it is done conscientiously, will pacify our distractions." ~ Meaningful to Behold

"Keep thinking blue sky."

7 mins read + a video Do you fancy being one of the first lucky people in this world to read The Mirror of Dharma?! It just came out at the weekend, and you can buy the epub here – and then spend the most incredible next few hours or months studying it. It gives all manner of magical advice directly from Je Tsongkhapa’s heart. [ 1,409 more word ]
http://kadampalife.org/…/using-tantra-to-destroy-everyday-…/

Magical ... in so many ways. Epub can be downloaded at the link below. Hope you love this book at least as much as I do.

"If everybody sincerely practices affectionate love, all problems between each other will be solved and never arise again. This is guaranteed; I will give my signature." ~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Universal Buddhism.

Helping our Dharma Centers is always going to be an invaluable, even cosmic, use of our time — helping at the core of things. Even if you have no clue what to do about some of this other stuff, you can always volunteer practical help at a Center. Helping keep the doors open to people seeking refuge is increasingly vital and meaningful.

One way I like to transform the present moment is to acknowledge my current feeling of sadness rather than push it away, and use it to empathize with and absorb the similar sadness of so many other living beings, thus releasing them from it. This practice of taking others’ suffering makes my suffering feel meaningful, rather than like useless pain.