Personal and collective mental peace and stability, Personal and collective shadow~self work, BuddahaNature and Bodhicitta, Conscious living & dying, Unconditional love, Sympathetic joy, Grandparenting, Lovingkindness, Social service, Authenticity, Compassion, Equanimity, Generosity, Shamanism, Patience, Honesty,
Not attached to meeting any one particular person but instead to connect with as many authentic beings as possible (as is evident by the many on my friends' list eh!).
Serpentine Arborvitae (for the strong of heart & mind), Native American/Tibetan flutes~bells~bowls~chimes, African & Middle Eastern drumming, Woodwinds/Clarinet/Oboe/Saxophone, Gregorian/Tibetan/Pagan chants, My granddaughter's voice, Sacred sounds of nature, Bourbon St. & Beale St. blues/jazz, Sufi qawwali singing, Classical, Flamenco,
I once read that when the Dalai Lama views movies he responds emotionally to the plot as if it is actually occuring & prays for the characters as if they are *real* people. So, I follow in the example of His Holiness & do the same myself. After all, there is always the possibility that the plot & characters could have conceivably occurred in the past, present or future.Yes, some of the following films may be most graphic, which I do not neccesarily enjoy viewing, but it is the humaness, psychology and attonement/redemption (or not) of the people and their lives and their relationships that I AM drawn to: Life or Something Like It, Children of a Lesser God, O Brother Where Art Thou, The House of the Spirits, The Shawshank Redemption, The History of Violence, It Could Happen To You, The Life of David Gale, Stranger Than Fiction, The Road To Perdition, To Kill A Mockingbird, Fried Green Tomatoes, Pursuit of Happyness, Seven Years In Tibet, The Devil's Advocate, The Devil's Backbone, What Dreams May Come, Defending Your Life, Prisoner of Azkaban, Arsenic & Old Lace, The Night Listener, The Scarlet Letter, An Unfinished Life, Fat Rose & Squeaky, Great Expectations, Hearts Of Atlantis, The Butcher's Wife, The Man Who Cried, The Shipping News, Army of Darkness, Dead Man Walking, Children of Men, Living Out Loud, Pan's Labyrinth, Practical Magic, The Commitments, The Illusionist, Beautiful Mind, City of Angels, Pay It Forward, The Green Mile, The Last Mimzy, The Red Violin, Educating Rita, Drowning Mona, Little Buddha, Moll Flanders, No Such Thing, The Hurricane, The Libertine, The Machinist, Agnes of God, Benny & Joon, Bubba Ho Tep, Donnie Darko, Grand Canyon, Harry Potter, Ressurection, The Crucible, The Fountain, The Prestige, Thunderheart, Freedomland, Restoration, The Village, With Honors, Happy Feet, Mixed Nuts, Moonstruck, The Matrix, Sommersby, Spiderman, Catwoman, Chocolat, Identity, Magnolia, The Gift, Hellboy, DarkMan, Deja Vu, Contact, Matilda, Memento, Fallen, Harvey, Kundun, Sirens, Trauma, Babel, Crash, K~Pax, Signs, X~Men, Nell,
No television set at my apartment, so somewhat like a retreat there (unless listening to NPR). But, when at my husband's house will watch with him or granddaughter or sons.Judging Amy (Maxine Gray, social worker extraordinaire, rocks!),Waking the Dead,Six Feet Under,Dead Like Me,Bones,Life,Link,Lost,IFC,PBS,
Buddhahood Without Meditation:A Visionary Account Known As REFINING ONE'S PERCEPTION (Nang~jang) by Dudjom Lingpa,Gesture of Awareness:A Radical Approach To Time, Space and Movement by Charles Genoud,Jung's Psychology and Tibetan Buddhism:Western and Eastern Paths To The Heart by Radmila Moacanin,MO:Tibetan Divination System by Jamgon Mipham, Foreward by His Holiness Sakya Trizin, Translated and edited by Jay Goldberg,The Buddha Tarot Companion:A Mandala of Cards by Robert M. Place,The Secret Dakini Oracle by Nik Douglas and Penny Slinger,Essence of Ambrosia:A Guide To Buddhist Contemplations by Taranatha, Translated by Willa Baker/Lama Choying Palmo,Awakening Through Love:Unveiling Your Deepest Godness by John Makransky, Foreward by Lama Surya Das,Traveller In Space:Gender, Identity and Tibetan Buddhism by June Singer,Meeting the Shadow:The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature, edited by Connie Zweig & Jeremiah Abrams,Rebirth and The Western Buddhist by Martin Willson,Buddha In The Palm Of Your Hand by Osel Tendzin,Gateway To Knowledge by Mipham Rinpoche,Carefree Dignity by Tsoknyi Rinpoche,The Big Questions by Lama Surya DasChocolat by Joanne HarrisPrayers For Peace
More like menschs, precious quides, spiritual friends & benefactors, shining examples & teachers than heroes per se: Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Mother Mary of Nazareth, Tulku Thondup Rinpoche, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, St. Francis of Assisi, St. John of the Cross, Theodor Seuss Geisel, Lama John Makransky, Lama Choying Palmo, Lama Migmar Tseten, Lama Thubten Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jesus of Nazareth, Aung San Suu Kyi, Carl Gustav Jung, Garchen Rinpoche, Joseph Goldstein, Khamtul Rinpoche, Mr.(Fred) Rogers, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Wangdor Rinpoche, Leonard Peltier, Longchen Rabjam, Patrul Rinpoche, Sharon Salzberg, Teresa of Avila, Thich Nhat Hanh, Angelina Jolie, Charles Genoud, Mary Magdalena, Bokar Rinpoche, Lama Surya Das, Machig Labdron, Mother Theresa, Tarthang Tulku, Atticus Finch, Chagdud Tulku, Guru Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, Thomas Cleary, Thomas Merton, Martin Buber, Mohammad Ali, Jimmy Carter, John Trudell, Deb DePippo, Dalai Lama, Ayya Khema, Queen Noor, Shantideva, Ram Dass, Karmapa,