A little Zen for you

First a little bit on what Zen is according to Wiki: Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, translated from the Chinese word 禅 Chán to Japanese. This word is in turn derived from the Sanskrit dhyāna, which means "meditation".


Zen emphasizes experiential prajñā, particularly as realized in the form of meditation, in the attainment of enlightenment. As such, it de-emphasizes theoretical knowledge in favor of direct, experiential realization through meditation and dharma practice.


I found these "Zen cards" the other day and copied down the one's I found interesting.  He's some of my favorites:
 
-Prosperity is not in what you have attained, but rather in what you give away...for it is only when you become empty that you can be filled with something greater.
 
-Happiness comes from within.  If you choose to be happy, no one and no thing can take that from you.
 
-Those who say they know, do not know.  Those who say they don't, also don't know.  Therefore, be quiet and let your actions speak for you.  They speak much louder than your words anyways.
 
-Feel the pain of others, understand their struggles and disappointments, their hardships and inadequacies, and open your heart to realize that everyone is doing the best they possibly can.
 
-Forgive yourself and everyone around you.  When you judge others you are the one who feels pain.  Through forgiveness all pain disappears.
 
-Watch water drop onto the rock beneath it.  One drop does nothing, but many drops over time create a hole in the rock.  Such is the power of patience.
 
-What happens to you does not matter; what you become through those experiences is all that is significant.  This is the true meaning of life.
 
-The way to remove darkness from a room is simply to turn on a light.  In the same way, to rid yourself of any difficulty, concentrate on the solution rather than the problem.
 
-The past is over.  The future will never come.  Now is the only moment that will ever exist.  Therefore live each second to the fullest.
 
-Joy is inside you.  Not in attainment of things desired nor in the achievement of goals made, but in the simple feeling that lies within you.    Know that this joy is unaffected by outer circumstance, and joy will be yours forever.


-Rejoice in whatever life gives you.  Crave nothing else.  Know that whatever you have been given is for your own highest good.


-To straighten what is crooked you must first straighten yourself.  Once you are aligned the whole world looks different.

Aaron & Stacey

My friends Aaron & Stacey volunteered to put on the wedding attire again and pose for me at Verandas in Manhattan Beach.  We had a lot of fun to reliving their wedding day all over!

Thanks guys!  And thanks to my wife for putting together an awesome bouquet!

My wife has talent!

So I brought my wife along with me to shoot my last engagement shoot and as it turns out...she's a natural!  Here's some of her shots.

I guess I'm going to have to hire her!

Nick and Marybeth slideshow

Here's a little teaser of a slideshow for Nick and Marybeth...


Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Nick and Marybeth engagement

For Nick and Marybeth's engagement shoot they took me and my wife (who shot with me for the first time!) down to Palos Verdes Estates.  It was the place that Nick proposed, a gazebo overlooking the coast.  Marybeth told us the story of the proposal about how it was her birthday and Nick sent her on a scavenger hunt collecting clues that eventually landed her at this gazebo.  When she got there Nick was waiting with a ring and her family was all there holding a sign that said "will you marry me?".  I thought that was pretty cool.

Anyways, here's Nick and Marybeth...they're such a cool couple.  We had a lot of fun.

Showing off the ring!

Love Nick's "GQ" pose back there ;o)

We made a trip down to the beach...

On the trail down Nick picked Marybeth a flower

If you look closely, you can see Nick in Marybeth's eyes...  Ok, well it may sound cheesy but it looks cool lol!

If I remember this story right these are their names in ancient Aztec (or something like that!) that they got while at some ruins in Mexico.  And the engagement ring in the middle of course.

They were fun as you can see here lol.

That's the gazebo he proposed at.

We had to sneak in a moon shot.

Congratulations to Nick and Marybeth on their engagement!