rainy days= northern exposure

There is definitely something to be said about waking up in the morning to the sound of rain on your windows...and then rolling over and falling back asleep! That is how I started my day today. There was no school today because of Buddha's birthday so sleeping in was a nice way to start the day. Unfortunately it rained all day long which eliminated possibilities of doing anything outside, but instead enabled Adam and I to have a very lazy day of watching Northern Exposure- a show that I am now hooked on thanks to Adam! We also watched Human Traffic which was a very clever movie.

In honor of Buddha's birthday, I decided to do a little bit a research since I know absolutely nothing about Buddhism or Buddha at all. There is so much information out there about Buddhism and I didn't want to read it all, but here is what I gathered in a few minutes of looking: I am pretty sure the religion of Buddhism was started by Prince Siddhartha of the Shakya kingdom. The prince wasn't happy with his royal lifestyle and started to seek non-worldly fulfilment. Although his parents didn't want him to, he left the palace on a quest for personal enlightenment. After much meditation I guess he found what he was looking for and spent the rest of his life traveling and teaching others how to find their own path of enlightenment. The name Buddha means, "awakened one," meaning someone who is no longer ignorant but sees things for what they really are. A Buddha is someone who is free from all faults and mental obstructions- so all people can strive to be a "Buddha" or a Buddhist . There are Spiritual Guides that have achieved enlightenment that help others find their path of enlightenment as well.There is so much to the religion of Buddhism that I can't even sum it up here, but that's the most simplified version I can give.

So, happy birthday Buddha! I'm happy you have found enlightenment and that many others have found what they are looking for in your teachings as well. I truly believe that without vision people perish... so thanks for the vision, you have made a major impact on our world!