My friend, Pete Onofrio in Madison, Connecticut has an events barn at his home on Race Hill Road called The Buddha Barn.  I was fortunate yesterday to be able to hear Bernie Siegel.

Image from:
The Buddha Barn

It was the second or third time I’ve seen Dr. Siegel in person and each time, I come away with some new insight.  If you have an opportunity to see him, don’t hesitate.

Several things he said stand out:
If you hear common themes from people, if Buddha and Jesus discuss the same topics in different forms, then listen.  For Buddha, Jesus, God.  They are all one in the same:
This is one thread I’ve been sewing for years.

One story he told is:
When someone transitions they are given a lit candle.  A family member watched these souls carrying their candles and noticed one soul who had an extinguished candle, when the son asked why his father’s candle was unlit, his father said your tears extinguish it.
In other words, you have to let me go.

WWLD:
Having a bad day?  Don’t want to get out of bed?  Then think:

WWLD:
What Would Lassie do?

Live by your experiences not your beliefs
Don’t let your belief cloud your judgement.  Dr Siegel brought this up in a story he told about meeting an animal intuitive.  How many of us shudder when we hear something that is beyond our scope, beyond our worldview?  Dr Siegel mentioned this animal intuitive story because one of his cats was missing in his house.  He looked everywhere for his cat.  The cat simply would not show up.  Once he left, the cat cried out.  One of Bernie’s kids heard the cat and it came out from hiding.  The cat didn’t want to show itself to Dr Siegal because it KNEW Dr Siegel was not happy having to trudge through the house looking for him.

How do you live your life?  Don’t let worldview cloud your own judgement.  Be open to different experiences and fit these different experiences into your worldview, just like fitting puzzle pieces together in your puzzle of life.

One of the things I have a HUGE challenge with myself is the physical issues I have:
My scoliosis and the stoop I walk with.
My speech.

I continue to not like my appearance, especially when seeing photos of myself and the other thing I have a difficult time with is my speech pattern.  I think some of that stems from growing up.  People in my life would tell me:
Stand up straight.
Think before you speak.

As if I wasn’t thinking.
As if I wasn’t standing as straight as I could.

Something Dr Siegel said yesterday truly resonated with me:
If you want people to talk to you show your wound.  He gave this example:
Go to a grocery store with a bandage over your eye and watch how many people come up and talk to you.

I guess I should take that point to heart and forget about my so called issues, challenges, difficulties.  I don’t even consider my challenges until I see them.  Photos, and now with cell phones, videos of watching me walk leave me feeling distressed.  I DO understand that every challenge is a gift and that’s something Dr Siegel repeated again and again yesterday afternoon.  I just have to meld it into my worldview.

There is so much other information he discussed and that’s why I think Dr Siegel is such an important person to know.
Read his books
Watch Bernie Siegel on YouTube

Be Happy!  Be Well!  Be Positive!
Blessings to you.
—
Chris

Once you realize that life is eternal,
That our souls our eternal,
That we return to light and physical over and over;

We then lose all our distress
We then lose all our fear of dying.  For there truly is no end.