What Were You Thinking?!?

   Hey folks! It's been a minute since I last posted, but I feel it's time for me to get back to it. I've been spending a lot of time trying to sort out all the trash in my head, getting really hardcore back into meditation, and trying to figure out where the hell I left my keys.. well, mostly the keys. Anyways, I've had some really fantastic experiences, and I felt like sharing them with you guys. If you dig it, way cool! If not, then feel free to rage with the fury of two suns on your next bowl of lucky charms.

How the heck do keys end up in the most ridiculous spots? aliens.

So I've been doing a ton of study on the Buddha's teachings, and trying to absorb as much as I can, while kicking my meditation into overdrive to really get some understanding flowing. The other morning, I was meditating and had a very awesome realization. Firstly, an empty pickle jar has over 126 uses, but also, the mind will think whatever it wants to, whether I like it or not, and I don't have to take it personally. I know what you're thinking, you only counted 125 uses. that's what I thought too, at first.
   

really think about it. You'll come up with the last one.

  It seems like a very simplistic, maybe even trivial, explanation of relating to the mind. But this simple concept brings with it an incredibly deep understanding that we are not our thoughts. crazy, huh? There are a lot of us that really take our own thoughts very personally and don't realize that the emotional reaction we are having is based on believing something that doesn't even exist. I'm not talking about how excited you were the first time you got money from the tooth fairy.

    I'd like to try a little experiment to explain my point. Try closing your eyes, and bring your attention to someone you really love. Really get a good feeling for how you relate to this person. Then imagine that you and this person get into a very heated arguement. There's screaming and yelling, and maybe even throwing things. The emotions are high and wild, and both of you are very upset and hurt. Just sit with that for a second and really feel it. bring your attention back to the present wherever you are. You just fabricated some sort of emotion out of nothing but thoughts. Those emotions are based off of a scenario that doesn't exist at this present moment, and what's more, because of that, you missed out on what was actually happening in real life.

    I know that it may seem a little silly, but this is what most of us do all day, every day. We believe everything that our mind says without question, all the while completely ignorant to what is actually happening to us. The point is this, we are not slaves to our thoughts. It's just how the mind is built. It loves to make plans, prepare for the future, cover all possible ends, and it's all because this body and mind are programmed for survival. It's important to not take anything your mind does personal. We can not control what it does, but we can control how we choose to respond to it. I believe a wise response is to just recognize that it's the mind doing it's thing, accept that, don't take it personally, and focus on what is happening in real life.

Research has proven that a swift punch to the brain doesn't help the situation.

    So that's what I have for today! I like to think of the mind like a spaztic friend who shouts the first thing he says, loves to give advice, and can't help himself. Sometimes the advice can be useful, but most times it's a swing and a miss. Have a wonderful day guys, and feel free to comment with your own ideas on the mental process. Thanks for looking!

    Oh, cool little tidbit; When you are thinking about atoms, It's just atoms pondering themselves. Mind, blown.

   

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Hater

    Greetings to you, my wonderful noodles of the internet soup! The time has come again for an adventure into fantastical places, and unknown times. Where wild creatures roam, and put hats on things unexpectedly. But seriously, I am excited to be putting out another post, and may I say thanks to all you who have been wandering through my blog and showing some support at such an early stage. But enough talk, have at you!
   
     It took me a bit to decide what I should write about this time, but after some deliberation, an event happened to me the other night! *gasp!* It inspired this topic, which is, what it's like to have people who direct hatred towards you. Like Darth Vader, or Cobra Kai, or Shakespear. Now, some people may think that this is a very common thing, and not really a big deal. But personally, I've never really had enemies, or people that just downright hated me, until recently. I am not going to indulge any stories or snippets, because that's not important. What is important, is how I feel about it all, and how I choose to respond.
   

There is no fear in this dojo! or well trained barbers, apparently.

     It's really interesting when encountering someone who has enough firey hate for you that they could toast a whole bag of english muffins. It really doesn't happen to me often. So when it does, I pay attention. I really dislike coming across these situations because they're uncomfortable, and leave me feeling gross, and ooky. I've just never really been one for confrontation.. Or being the target of supremo negativity. It got me thinking though, why did I let this situation manipulate me so much? For a minute, It was like I had really gotten smacked in the face with some sort of.. smacking stick. I received this hatred so willingly, that I became the problem. It was my doing that created a gross state of being. I let it happen. So what do I do now?
   
     Let me just say that I am not a hateful person, in the least. I do not hate anyone, or even wish anything mildly uncomfortable on anyone. But unfortunately, there will be people in my life that will toss negativity my way for whatever reason they see fit. Even if I send them home made cupcakes with little zombie hearts on them that say "I love you for your brains!"  There's nothing I can do, but accept it. So what's the real issue then? Well, the only thing I can come up with, is it's an issue of self respect, and self love. If I was so willing to accept someone else's vile opinion of myself and let it get to me, over my own, that's a huge problem. Even if just for a few minutes, it's still poison. So I gathered myself up, and I said "self! You are a super cool dude. Don't worry about what poop comes out of other people's faces."
   

Actually, Zombie cupcakes are probably a bad idea. They're crazy bastards.

     My lesson learned in this experience is a very important one that requires constant practice; A person with true self love and respect cannot be bothered by the hateful projections of another. It's not a lesson that I'll soon forget! I really think that times like these are the most important to prove to ourselves that we have what it takes to really show just how enlightened and evolved we can be. True peace is achieved in the midst of chaos, not calmness. So the next time you have a hankerin' for peace, take a trip to the DMV!   So let me know what you guys think about enemies and haters! I'd love to hear. As always, thanks for looking peeps!

Just because. Welcome to subjection to the most hilarious picture ever.

Big Things In Small Pages

     Hey, peoples of the Internet! Another beautiful day, and another fantastic cup of iced coffee to get the old arc reactor going. I honestly don't know what I'd do without this sweet nectar of the gods. I guess if everyone has a vice, mine is definitely coffee. Well, unless you count collecting other peoples belly button lint.. Anyways..
  
     So I thought I'd share with you guys an awesome piece of reading that I recently finished. It's a book called The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It's a very small book, a very easy read, but holy balls does it pack a punch. I like to keep an open mind and try to gather info from wherever I can to keep on the path of making myself a better person, so coming across this little slap in the face was priceless. I want to just shoot out the basic premises of what it's about so you can get a good idea of how supacool it is.
   

Those tights do not match your mask!

     The basic idea of the book is that we have all, as a society, come to make these negative agreements with ourselves. Some big, some small, but all equally important. Don says that to live a more fulfilling life, we need to break ourselves of old agreements, and just import four new ones in their place. Of course, he goes into more detail about this whole process, but I'll just give you the reader's digest version.
  
     1. Be Impeccable With Your Word. All of the four agreements are important, but this one is definitely one of the more important ones. Don states that our words are incredibly powerful, and can be used to create positive, or negative energies. Just like water can keep us healthy and sustain life, you can also put it in a balloon and send it careening into your roommate's ear for eating the last bit of cereal. Staying aware of what we are saying, how we are saying it, and the intent behind it, can be a massive change on it's own.
  

There is nothing as terrifying as a concealed water balloon.

     2. Do Not Take Anything Personally. Once you really begin to take notice, you'll see there are very tiny things that we take personally. Have you ever gotten angry at a computer, or a printer, or bugs, or that freaking water temple in The Ocarina of Time? These are things that we take personally, and it's silly. It's not as if these lifeless things have an agenda to make you emotional. Even cruel people who sometimes may have an agenda, it still is important to not take it personal. When we do, we are accepting the "emotional poison" that they are throwing our way. And negativity only creates more negativity. It's best to just keep a calm state of mind and let everything roll off.
  
     3. Do Not Make Assumptions. This is one that I believe so many people do on a regular basis without even realizing it. I know that I've caught myself quite a few times. It could be something as simple as road rage. There are a bunch of people that we criticise for not driving how we'd like them to, when we don't know the whole story. That person could be rushing to a relative's house, or the hospital.., or maybe they just really have to poop.. And I can respect that. And no body likes to receive an out-of-the-hat assumption about themselves. So get the facts first! It's a safe bet.
  

Nature calls at anytime. It waits for no one.

     4. Do Your Best. Last, but certainly not least, When we do our absolute best at everything we do, there is no possible way we can even let ourselves, or others, judge us. We often enjoy making ourselves pay for things we've done, over and over. We obsess about not being good enough, pretty enough, or smart enough. Like that time that you cried in the mirror because that Michael kid from school got the main role as Peter Pan in the play instead of you. When we know we've done our best, nothing can convince us otherwise. We will never punish ourselves again for no reason.
  
     That is pretty much the gist of it all. Don does go into a lot more detail about each of the agreements, how we came to learn our own, and how to do an agreement reboot on the brain. I highly recommend this book to everyone. It's such a good read.  I can't truly express how incredible this book is. You'll just have to stand in front of the barrel yourself. Let me know what you guys think! What are some of your own experiences with agreements you've made? I'd love to hear! Thanks for looking!

Introducing!

     Yo people of the internets! It's awesome to have my first post on this blog coming to fruition. I've wanted to get this thing rolling for a bit, so I'm pretty excited. I do have to say, that I'm not really experienced in this corner of the internet stuffs, so please bear with me as I learn while doing this. Anyways, enough mindless rabble! on with it!
  
     So first off, let me give you guys a little insight on who I am, and what I'm all about. My name is Joel Viliard, I'm a 25 year old tattoo artist in Canon City, Colorado, I like to follow a Buddhist practice, I am a huge geek with an unhealthy obsession for everything nintendo, and am currently engaged to the most awesome, smart, beautiful girl ever. 

     My whole life I have always been incredibly curious, and asked myself why things are the way they are, hoping to discover some answers, and usually being bombarded by all new questions. I guess that's the beauty of knowledge though. And what's more, I have found that people rarely have the same answers. It's a constant process in my head. I find myself most days trying to tackle some new idea pertaining to the philosophies of life, while I sit on the porcelain seat and stare at the wall. Oddly, it's where I do some of my best thinking when I don't have my IPhone handy.
   

Reading material can make pooping fun!

     I do like to meditate every morning. Sometimes on something in particular, and sometimes I just let whatever happens, happen. It's an incredible exercise for the mind and the body.  I completely recommend it for anyone. It's a very good place to practice focus, and really search for answers. Even the leg and back cramps you get from sitting like that can offer some little nuggets of enlightenment.
   
     I find that the further along I get in age, the more thorough I am about really analyzing everyday events, and trying to find some meaning in them. It can be as simple as someone flipping me the bird while I walk down the street. There's a whole process behind such a simple gesture. A network of cogs, made up of emotion and choices, that all lead to a point in time in which I find myself being pegged in the face with a four letter word. Ah, these are the exciting important times in our lives.
   

I never thought The middle finger could be so offensive and so cute at the same time

     That is pretty much what this blog is all based on. I have various random ideas, and thoughts that I would like to record. I don't know if any of this will be useful to you, but please feel free to express what you think. I feel that could be pretty productive. but even if it isn't, there's always the possibility of getting into a Star Wars debate. And that's pretty cool. So I'll be posting some regular stuff in the next couple days! stay tuned peeps! Thanks for looking