There are five slogans that emphasize the openness of bodhichitta, the absolute quality of bodhichitta. These point to the fact that, although we are usually very caught up with the solidness ans seriousness of life, we could begin to stop making such a big deal and connect with the spacious and joyful aspect of our being. The first of the absolute slogans is "Regard all dharmas (thing-events) as dreams." More simply, regard everything as a dream. Life is a dream. Death is also a dream, for that matter; waking is a dream and sleeping is a dream. Another way to put this is, "Every situation is a passing memory." We went for a walk this morning, but now it is a memory. Every situation is a passing memory. As we live our lives, there is a lot of repetition --- so many mornings greeted, so many meals eaten, so many drives to work and drives home, so many times spent with our friends and family, again and again, over and over. All of these situations bring up irritation, lust, anger, sadness, all kinds of things about the people with whom we work or live or stand in line or fight traffic. So much will happen in the same way over and over again. It's all an excellent opportunity to connect with this sense of each situation being like a memory. Just a few moments ago, you were standing in the hall, and now it is a memory. But then it was so real. Now I'm talking, and what I have just said has already passed. It is said that with these slogans that are pointing to absolute truth --- openness --- one should not say, "Oh yes, I know," but that one should just allow a mental gap to open, and wonder, "Could it be? Am I dreaming this"? Pinch yourself. Dreams are just as convincing as waking reality. You could begin to contemplate the fact that perhaps things are not as solid or as reliable as they seem. Sometimes we just have this experience automatically; it happens to us naturally. I read recently about someone who went hiking in the high mountains and was alone in the wilderness at a very high altitude. If any of you have been at high altitudes, you know the light there is different. There's something more blue, more luminous about it. Things seem lighter and not so dense as in the middle of a big city, particularly if you stay there for some time alone. You're sometimes not sure if you're awake or asleep. This man wrote that he began to feel as if he were cooking his meals in a dream and that when he would go for a walk, he was walking toward mountains that were made out of air, that his hand was a phantom pen writing these phantom words, and that he was going to send it off to a phantom receiver. Sometimes we, too, have that kind of experience, even at sea level. It actually makes our world feel so much bigger. We could all just lighten up. Regard all dharmas as dreams. With our minds we make a big deal out of ourselves, out of our pain, and out of our problems. If someone instructed you to catch the beginning, middle, and end of every thought, you'd find that they don't seem to have a beginning, middle, and end. They definitely are there. You're talking to yourself, you're creating your whole identity, your whole world, your whole sense of problem, your whole sense of contentment, with this continual stream of thought. But if you really try to find thoughts, they're always changing. As the slogan says, each situation and even each word and thought and emotion is passing memory. It's like trying to see when water turns into steam. You can never find that precise moment. You know there's water, because you can drink it and make it into soup and wash in it, and you know there's steam, but you can't see precisely when one changes into the other. Everything is like that. Have you ever been caught in the heavy-duty scenario of feeling defeated and hurt, and then somehow, for no particular reason, you just drop it? It just goes, and you wonder why you have made "much ado about nothing." What was that all about? It also happens when you fall in love with somebody; you're so completely into thinking about the person twenty-four hours a day. You are haunted and you want him or her so badly. Then a little while later, "I don't know where we went wrong, but the feeling's gone and I just can't get it back." We all know this feeling of how we make things a big deal and then realize that we are making a lot out of nothing. I'd like to encourage us all to lighten up, to practice with a lot of gentleness. This is not the drill sergeant saying, "Lighten up or else." I have found that if we can possibly use anything we hear against ourselves, we usually do. For instance, you find yourself being tense and remember that I said to lighten up, and then you feel, "Basically, I'd better stop meditating because I can't lighten up and I'm not a candidate for discovering bodhichitta or anything else." Gentleness in our practice and in our life helps to awaken bod

Brandon Coake, 18 Brandon is your typical American teenager. He loves his family, his friends, his car and anything BBQ. His favorite movie is Blazing Saddles and he loves music like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Deaf Leopard, along with Victor Wooten and Chester Thompson. He is funny and smart, as well as an incredible friend, musician, and all around person. Brandon lives with his mom, Tammy, his stepdad, Tommy, his seven year old cousin, Amelia and three dogs, Max, Molly, and Harvey. When I asked about Amelia he said, “Amelia is a little heathen…She has gotten better but she doesn’t like to listen. Sometimes you have to turn the cartoons off to get her to pay attention and she loves Clementines!” Amelia’s mother, Brandon’s aunt, died when Amelia was five. Her father is a pilot and isn’t home very much so Amelia lives with Brandon and his family. “Mom’s a blonde.” he said, “She’s a little ditzy sometimes.” His mother has been a nurse for about 22 years. His stepdad, he says, used to work at a factory that made bread for Quizznos. His father, Stacy, lives in Tennessee with his stepmother, Shannon. Shannon is kindergarden teacher and Stacy owns his own credit management business. Brandon says his father is his role model. “He carries himself very well. He knows how to handle business and he’s done well with money management.” Brandon hasn’t always lived in Vinton. Growing up, Brandon lived in Pulaski, Radford and Dublin, Virginia before settling in Vinton. When asked what he liked about Vinton he said that he likes how everything is close “I like feeling like all my friends are near by.” Brandon’s friends are a big part of his life. When asked to describe his group of friends he automatically said “Completely retarded…so I fit in well.” He said that his friends are “smart allics” always cracking jokes and doing random things, like playing Marco Polo, at Wal-Mart in the middle of the night. He also said he likes to hang out at Hooters and watch UFC, that’s when he’s not working on his 2000 Mustang or exercising! Don’t be fooled. Brandon didn’t used to be a work out junky. It wasn’t until he decided to join the military did he begin exercising. On December 14, 2009, Brandon left for Parris Island to being boot camp for the United States Marines. Boot camp was three months long; he said they did physical training about every other day that lasted three to four hours. “We did all kinds of obstacle courses…” he explained, “We ran three miles a day and four on the last day. I eventually got to the point where three miles was boring and I wanted to run more.” I asked Brandon why he joined, “I wanted to be different from everyone else.” He said. More than half of Brandon’s friends are in college now but Brandon said he was tired of the school environment, “I wanted something different.” Brandon said that boot camp really wasn’t as bad as everyone thinks. He said that the worst part was the drill instructors constantly messing with him and being away from his friends and family. I asked his if he was scared at all about going over seas, “I’m actually excited about going to Afghanistan. I want to travel and see new places…” “Even if I get shot at, I can shoot back.” Brandon graduated boot camp on March 12, 2010. Even though I was not able to attend, almost 30 people, friends and family, were in attendance at Brandon’s graduation ceremony including his fiance. Jessi Richie, 19. Their wedding date has been set for October 16, 2010, “Hopefully…” he said. “I’m really hoping I can take leave then.” Jessi called him right around this time and they said “I love you” at least four times before they hung up the phone, it was rather adorable! I asked Brandon where he sees himself in ten years. He responded with “Where ever the Marine Corps sends me and hopefully by then I will be at least a staff sergeant.” Since Brandon has been home, he has worn his uniforms as much as possible. He said that when he is in uniform or any kind of marine clothing he gets so much more respect. “People hold doors for me and thank me for my service. It’s a whole new level of respect. And I get checked out all the time now!” he laughs. Brandon Coake is your typical American teenager. He loves his family, his friends, his car; he is an incredible person, a member of the United States Marine Corps and my best friend. Brandon leaves again March 21, 2010 for three weeks. This time he will be stationed at Camp Geiger where he will begin Advance Infantry Training. Soon after he will be stationed at Pensacola Naval Air Base in Florida where he will begin is career in aviation mechanics