The Order on the Other Side of Chaos, by Margaret Wheatley

 chaos and confusion is experienced only when we do not move on with the flow of time. the universe is constantly renewing itself. When we accept this and notice the subtle changes taking place then we would be filled with awe and wonder not fear and uncertainty. The way to be happy is to be in sync with the  ever alive present.

The Secret Of Work, by Swami Vivekananda

 1. Work with the spirit of service, Let "How best can I serve the community where I work" be the motto. You will be well rewarded by the community. have no doubt about it.
2. Work to learn. Be always open to learning. Work not as an expert, as the know all. This attitude alienates people.
In fact 1 and 2 go hand in hand.
All the best.

Should We Spend Time Like Money?, by Stefan Klein

 Some random thoughts.
Money by itself has no values. Making money, accumulating it or spending it are value less activities in themselves. Value is added when it flows. A thriving business would pay attention to cash flow.
Money represents resources; external resources like land, machinery, technology etc. and internal resources like human potential. These add value when they are managed well that is when they are utilized in a productive way.
Time is not like money or like any of the other things. Time is. It is an existential truth. We are so caught p with objects and activities that we do not understand it at all, just as we do not understand the value of being silent and still and being playful. Time is an immeasurable. It is not an object that travels, fast or slow.

Are You Bored Yet?, by Karen Maezen Miller

 It is natural for the mind to seek the fresh and new. That is the way creation is, always fresh and new. Nothing is repeated in nature.
However, when we hold the mind as a private possession, as my mind and your mind, it  becomes aggressive and dull over a period of time. It cannot notice the beauty that is emerging every moment and it gets bored.
The real and lasting solution is to revitalize the mind. But we seek a transient solution of trying out a new location, a new friend, a new activity and so on. We have gotten into this habit of seeking pseudo solutions. Let us stop this right now and go back to basics. Let us this very moment be part of the emerging new in all of us.

Practice Without Integration is a Waste, by Krishna Das

 Practice is action, not intellectual discussion of a topic. For practice to lead to learning it needs to be experimental. In experimental practice we are not looking for a definite outcome. Observation/mindfulness is an essential part of experimentation, observing what is being done and the consequences there of both within us and outside. This needs to be done playfully. We need to do it in different settings. This allows the learning to go beyond a fixed space-time box and becomes universally applicable. This also allows it to get integrated and internalized. Subsequent action would then become automatic not a matter of cultural choice making.
This how I practice and it has carried me forward on the spiritual path smoothly.

Seeing Fully, by Ajahn Brahm

 this story is not worth following. what kind of a monk is this guy, holding onto judgments of good-bad for years and trying to hide them from others? The lay visitor seems more enlightened than him. his earlier training as a scientist and the points of view picked up then are still controlling his mind.

Fearlessness can Coexist with Fear, by Gil Fronsdal

 Fear gets an entry where ignorance exists. Fear goes with awareness. If we observe fear and not run away from it, we will notice its message, Fear indicates that we are entering a new situation and we need to deal with it in a new way. old methods will not do. They will get us into trouble. So fearlessness is really being fully aware, being fully present.

Deep Inquiry: Not for the Faint of Heart, by Gangaji

 I don't like the word inquiry. We just observe with a blank mind, no theories, no reference points, no expectations of a particular outcome. Just a child like wonder.
For that to happen we need to say namaste to not only Gangaji but all the scriptures. A tough call in deed.

Honoring the Gill Inside You, by Mark Nepo

 Me, all of me. Life became a fun adventure when I started taking myself as an harmonious whole, fully attuned with the environment. With this I started accepting, even celebrating, all that was served on my plate. I started to see the value of everything irrespective of its size, shape and color. Now it is love all the way.

Art And The Practice Of Being Yourself, by Stanley Kunitz

 There can be no art without being true to oneself.
Immitation may be entertaining but is not art.

Is It Really Worth It?, by Patty De Llosa

  My answer is an unequivocal YES.
The question arises because most of us live in a closed space called tradition, culture, home, comfort zone etc. We sometimes venture out of this space but carry our protective space suit, our own psychological bubble while interacting with the world. From the safety of our home we sometimes look at the world outside through a narrow window. Naturally we have a very distorted view of the world and our place in it. We do not understand the true significance and worth of much that we see. Our knowledge is based on a bit of observation and a lot of conjecture. From this position most options would appear to be worthless.
Let us drop the protective suit and stand naked in front of our mother, the world.

Is It Really Worth It?, by Patty De Llosa

 My answer is an unequivocal YES.
The question arises because most of us live in a closed space called tradition, culture, home, comfort zone etc. We sometimes venture out of this space but carry our protective space suit, our own psychological bubble while interacting with the world. From the safety of our home we sometimes look at the world outside through a narrow window. Naturally we have a very distorted view of the world and our place in it. We do not understand the true significance and worth of much that we see. Our knowledge is based on a bit of observation and a lot of conjecture. From this position most options would appear to be worthless.
Let us drop the protective suit and stand naked in front of our mother, the world.

Why Do We Shout In Anger?, by Unknown

 Yes, it is energy. Nothing can happen without the play of energy. It is, however, necessary to understand it and to develop the necessary skills to be able to use it creatively. This is true about the energy of love as it is about the energy of anger. For example a laser in the hands of a skilled ophthalmologist is used for a delicate cataract operation. In the hands of a novice it will cause blindness. Electrical current at 110 volts is of immense use but at 440 volts can be lethal. There is a lot that we need to learn about the use of our power. As a first step we need to clear the slate (our mind) of all the hear say and the mumbo jumbo about being human and civilized and cultured and so on.

Reaching Underneath Our Protective Shell, by Pema Chodron

 why do we need to protect ourselves from the others?
This tendency begins with the superficial notion that we are separate from the others. having accepted this mistaken notion we distance ourselves from them. This distance produces misconceptions and then fear. This sets up a vicious cycle of fear and suspicion. building a protective shell is then the wise thing to do.
How do we get out of this trap?
If for a change we look inwards at the effect this defensive strategy has on us, we will realise the enormous damage it is causing our wellness. Removing or dismantling the shell then becomes the obvious wise thing to do.
We then set ourselves free.

Do we Use Thought, or Does Thought Use us?, by Dada

 For a long time now, I have stopped thinking. Thoughts/ideas come when there is a need to move on. They are in the form of suggestions and there is no compulsion to act associated with them.
The mind is now like the sky, not a Pandora's box.
Thoughts float across the mind like clouds. They do not effect the quality of the mind. They do their job and then go.
Life is beautiful and harmonious.

A Guide To Life's Turning Points, by Brian Browne-Walker

 Life is a continuous process. This is obvious when we observe continuously, all the time, in all situations.
Since our observing is off and on, life appears to be a batch process. Then there would be shocks and challenges and closed doors and so on.
Just be observant and aware all the time. Be mind full. That's all.
Life is an automatic, self regulating process.
It is on auto-pilot.

To Have Without Holding, by Marge Piercy

 when love is grounded in the body, is of the body then it is passion. All the laws of the perishable body then apply to it. When it is of the mind then it flows like water or the wind. It cannot hurt. When .it is of the soul then it is divine

The Committee of the Mind, by Thanissaro Bhikku

 I like the two metaphors. Mind as a disjointed crowd with each member pushing its own agenda.
Meditation helps the members to realise that they are members of the same family.
The other metaphor of distillation of sea water is also very illustrative of the process of meditation.

True Meditation Has No Direction, by Adyashanti

 When we try to define anything, that is try to put it in words, we miss its essence. We are left with its dry shell.
This what happens to meditation.
We can neither meditate nor define it.
Meditation/Dhyan happens when we become like a statue for a while, doing nothing, not even observing.
We then come to realise what is happening, why is it happening, who is making it happen. All this is so very personal. All generalisation are a crude mockery.
All that I am saying may be complete nonsense.

What Do I Really Need Right Now?, by Sharon Salzberg

truth Love, happiness (annand) , beauty, creativity etc that we seek out there are actually aspects of our being. They are to be lived not sought.
having realised this i try to be true to myself. i follow my intuition, be guided by my mind.
that is it. As simple as that.

Emotions for Liberation, by Sally Kempton

 First let us not put emotions, thoughts and behaviour in separate compartments. They are closely related to each other.
Second control means steering our life towards its assigned goal. For example if a person has chosen to be a teacher he/she would have to use all known methods to achieve the goal of teaching. Role play is part of the basket of teaching tools.
I have used role play often to get an idea to sink in or a new perspective to dawn. In this role play all participants are invited to participate. I alone don't do the role play. This ensures that all of us learn to get in and out of roles with ease. This needs considerable practice. The danger is that we tend to get stuck to a few roles that we like; noble or villainous.

Bridging The Spiritual and Mundane, by Bhikkhu Bodhi

 Bridging implies the acceptance of duality as reality. This itself is erroneous. There is no divide. Creation is one whole.
Wisdom based on duality creates problems which have no intrinsic solution.
Let is awaken from this nightmare of duality.

Beggarly, Friendly, and Kingly Giving, by Stephen Levine

 I used to feed birds by throwing grains on the ground. Behind this act was fear that the birds may hurt me. Then I decided to offer grains from an open palm. Gradually the birds started to sit on my hand to feed. Their touch and their trust banished even traces of fear and love took its place.

Beggarly, Friendly, and Kingly Giving, by Stephen Levine

 Giving and taking are actions. All actions connect people. In the absence of a human connection the action becomes exploitative and degrading. Giving becomes throwing and taking becomes snatching.
When there is a human touch the action is bound to raise the consciousness of the people involvved to a higher plane.

Guest House, by Rumi

 The postman just delivers the message.
He does not know what the message is
whether of birth or death.
You too come to know about it
only after you have opened and read it.
by the he is gone on his rounds.

We Move in Infinite Space, by Rainer Maria Rilke

 The last line,"we move in infinite space" is the crucial one.
Rainer is talking of the experience when we move in infinite space.
Such an experience is of the core of the being and cannot really be expressed in any language; prose, poetry, painting, sculpting, dance or whatever because all these are bound by culture, tradition, ideology, religion and so on. How can an expression that belongs to a bounded space express that which belongs to infinite space? It chooses to express itself whenever it pleases. That is why poets often say that they do not write poetry. It is the muse that speaks through them.
What we call experience comes out of the interaction between a limited self with the bounded world. It is of the world and hence there is an unhealthy  urge, almost a compulsion to express it even before it has run its course. This is very subjective but we treat it as if it is universal and then we have arguments, debates and fights. The worst troubles are when an attempt is made to teach this to others.
Another form of experience is that which of the memory. This is an edited version of the worldly experience. We store selectively in our memory only that part that will support our case. It is further edited while presenting it to the world in such a way that our image appears in shinning light.
The sadness that Rainer is referring to arises out of not staying long enough with our experience till it is fully digested. In this context let us read earlier passages on slowing down and stillness.
After realising this many sages choose to remain silent, become mauni sadhus.
Thanks for bearing with me.

To Be Simply, Radically, Absolutely Still, by Gangaji

 Yes, stillness is the center of movement, just as silence is the center of all speech.
Once the center is found movement becomes a dance and speech becomes music.

To Be Simply, Radically, Absolutely Still, by Gangaji

 I am in a similar position, surrounded by people who are insensitive to the needs of others around them. It is very taxing in deed. The still waters are often disturbed and it is not even noticed. All that I am trying to do to calm down things is not appreciated.

To Be Simply, Radically, Absolutely Still, by Gangaji

 Being still is being present and accepting all that is happening, in and around you.
Gangaji in using many negatives confuses and complicates the simple practice.
Just be.

Selfless Climbing versus Ego Climbing, by Robert Pirsig

 For the last 30 years or so I have lived without a destination, physically and metaphorically.. I have lived moment to moment, taken life as it happened and responded to it intuitively. This has allowed me to experiment and to experience deeply. A lot of physical and intellectual baggage has fallen by the way. I can now feel and express myself much more easily, sometimes even gracefully. I can now play many roles and switch easily from one to the other.
I smile and life more often. I often cry like a child. .Almost nothing shocks me. My senses, particularly the sense of touch have really come alive. There are no strangers any more. The whole universe appears like a symphony.
I have no need to visit the so called holy places. All is holy, sacred and auspicious.

The Only Power of the Mystic, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

 Words are like a finger that is pointing out something.
By focusing on the finger we completely miss that which it is pointing at.
That is the problem with intellectual discussion.
Love is like and ocean. It sustains life in all its forms.

Lessons From 25 Years of Meditating, by Yogi Mccaw

Beyond the Conflict of Inner Forces, by Cherokee Story

Can You Love The One Who..., by Leah Pearlman

Gift from the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindberg

Social Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman

Always Had It, Always Will, by Alan Cohen

Science of the Heart, by Doc Childre

A Servant Leader, by Vinoba Bhave

The Way of the Farmer, by Masanobu Fukuoka

The Spirit of Karma Yoga, by Baba Hari Dass

The Rich Experience of A Quiet Mind, by John Coleman

Sitting Aboard Life's Merry-Go-Round, by Karl Renz

What Astrology Teaches Us, by Isabel Hickey

What Astrology Teaches Us, by Isabel Hickey

The Cosmology of Peace, by Thomas Berry

A Paradoxical Struggle, by Paul Fleischman

Looking With Head, Heart, and Hands, by Jane Rosen

A Whole New Dimension of Love, by Tenzin Palmo

Is the Universe Friendly?, by Albert Einstein

Changing Existence into Flow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Why Can't We Tolerate Emptiness?, by Natasha Dem

Science As Spiritual Practice, by Adam Frank

The Secret Of Work, by Swami Vivekananda

What I Learned In Africa, by Henning Mankell

Seeing is an Act, by Jeanne de Salzmann

Dignity of Restraint, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

  The first and last thing we need to know is our identity (who am I? and why am I here?).

Everyday Creativity, by Ruth Richards

 i have two reflections:

1 about getting lost, and

2 about survival.

We are liable to be lost if our reference point is not in the present, if it is else where in time (usually past) or in space. Then anxiety, irritation fear take over and miss a lot of all that is on offer.

The idea of survival either as individuals or groups, cuts us of from our environment. it is high time we get rid of this pernicious idea given "scientific" validity by Darwin and his hangers on.

The universe is based on the principle of synergy and cooperation.

That Which is Looking, by Adyashanti

Boom.

Nothing.

Silence.

There are no words in any language that can describe it.

Yet there are scholars who create a mist of words, so that others don't get it.

The Hardest Lesson, by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Deathis not the end of the road. It is just a turn in our path. It is a transformation. It is an opportunity to make an entirely new beginning. This opprtunity comes to us, not just once in life, but is available at each moment.

This is so wonderful. What is there to fear?

Psychological Materialism, by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Materialism or worldlyness arises due to a misunderstanding about our relationship with the world of matter/ things.

One part of our identity is inside our skin usually considered the whole of our identity.. This is only a part. The other part of our identity is outside the skin usually called the worldor the other.

When the I(the inner part) interacts with the world, also known as the field of action (karmbhoomi) in a playful, loving way, the whoole identity comes into being. Then there is bliss. There is no insecurity, no anxiety, no fear. Allour actions are graceful and harmonious.

The materialistic world is also created by comparisons, which in effect means, we are not taking the world as a whole bur as an admixture of several disjointed others. The perception of the self and the world is then fragmented and distorted. It then leads to endless conflicts.

Let us stop comparing and relate to the world in a playful way.

Giving Somebody Your Heart, by Anonymous

 The essence of this article is dualistic (we have two choices).

In reality we have infinite options at all times, at each moment.

this realisation sets us free and in the realm of choicelessness.

You Are Not a Prisoner, by Andrew Cohen

 It may be useful to know hat Meditation.

Let me share my take on it.

In meditation we disengage with the outside world. To do this we become still and silent.

we just observe whatever is happening(going on ) inside and outside. We stop performing all actions that we can consciously control. Eyes are closed, mouth is closed and the limbs are not moved. This is all we can do or rather not do.

The rest happens. we just watch it happen. all the aches and pains in the body surface and move out. All the concepts, prejudices, traumas packed in the mind come up and are released. In time the soul/atman begins to shine forth in its full splendour.

We just watch and enjoy. Once we are freed of all bondages, we go forth and live our life. No more discussions and debates. just blissful living.

Evolution's Gold Standard, by Diane Ackerman

 This passage should not have appeared in this space.

How Generosity Blossoms Into Meditation, by Sharon Salzberg

The universe is not a highway. The life processes do not operate in a linear way, moving back and forth. The principle of cause and effect or the ancient principle of Karma does not flow from the past to the present to the future. Like light or sound or all forms of energy it oscillates in all directions. In practical terms it means that when I think or feel or do anything the energy will reverberate in all directions and will influence all including me. thus expression influences experiencing. If we give our ability to give increases. It is like a spring. As the spring flows/overflows, its link to the source is kept open. It does not have to be replenished from outside.

Unlocking a New Sphere of Reality, by Jacques Lusseyran

Rest and Be Taken, by Adyashanti

What we think and feel and the way we behave, the kind of choices we make is largely governed by our basic equation with the environment.

Most of us have one of two positions on this;

1. we hold the environment as a threat.

2. we hold the environment as a partner an ally, even as an extension of ourselves.

There is always a third group which is neither here nor there, sometimes here and at other times there, always oscillating.

If we hold the first position then our reaction to the environment is the fight-flight mode. If we can't do either we surrender or play the waiting game.. This leads to the fiercely active mode. We have to fight and work hard. We cannot afford to rest. We have to use all possible tricks to fool the enemy  to wil. So camoflague, subterfuge, masks, untruth, cover ups, masks are all accepted and recommended strategies. We have to keep pushing on relentlessly. We cannot give up.  The language will be loaded with superlatives. 

If we subscribe to the second position then we stay and play. we are watchful not out of fear but to respond with love. We are in no hurry as we see time as an abundant resource. In fact we live in abundance. There is a resource pool from which all of us draw freely. There is no need to hoard or accumulate. the mind is open and free.

This article and many such shared before in this space com from the second position. They use different words but refer to the same essence. Each of them provides us an opportunity to examine our position with reference to our environment and to change it if we feel so inclined.

Discussing them in an intellectual/philosophical way, to my mind is a waste of an opportunity.

Flow of Money, by David Korten

New Atoms Doing the Same Dance, by Richard Feynman

 the quality of a decision is not judged by the outcome.

quite true because decisions don't produce outcomes, actions do and there is a big chasm between a decision and an action. Intellectuals are prone to miss this point.

what goes on in the mind is often not reflected in overt behaviour.

another point to note is that personalities don't matter much, the process is all important. we tend to raise people to the level of gods and then begin to worship them Then they can do no wrong in our eyes. some people begin to believe their psycophants and start believing that they are gods. there are many such instances of this in and around us. i am afraid this is happening with some of us.

Giving a talk is easy because we have a captive audience. having a free discussion is another matter. i am afraid Ron missed a wonderful opportunity in living his talk the way he handled the "yes-but"quetion.

I am disappointed with soumik's comments about ron and his work. they smack of hero worship.

with love towards all involved in this process of finding the spiritual core.

Paradox of Noise, by Gunilla Norris

 When we first sit or stand in silence doing consciously nothing we realise with a shock that the universe(including the part inside our skin) is humming with activity, harmonious, melodious activity. We are shocked. How can this be? when "I AM DOING NOTHING"

In shock we call it noise, a paradox, a seeming absurdity.

A little later the realisation arises that there is another I which is really the one making it all happen. Whenever this happens that is the end of our separate existence, our loneliness, our suffering, our misery.

That is the beginning of the timeless existence.

What name we call it by is immaterial.

Paradox of Noise, by Gunilla Norris

 In nature there are no paradoxes, no opposites, only oneness.

Have we ever seen a boundary, a fence, a wall in nature?  Every thing is seemlessly connected to every thing else.

Paradoxes, opposites, differences, separations exist only in minds that define very sharply. Remember, "you are either with us or against us". Having cultivated this way of thinking(classifying) we finally experience the shallowness of this way of living. in rectifying the error we begin by trying to unite that which is already one. then the mind trained in the old ways plays its tricks and shows us the seemingly absurd statements, the paradoxes as also the miracles and the "wow" experiences.

Let us not fall for its tricks.

New Atoms Doing the Same Dance, by Richard Feynman

 The atoms don't do the same dance, very similar, but not the same.If they did evolution would not happen. i am surprised that feynman did not notice the small changes.

Nature does not repeat itself. It is the most creative artist there is and the most effortless.

As to purpose we humans do not where all this is going, if at all. that does not mean there is no purpose. But we have always done this. What we do not understand, we label as nonsense.

One more thing. Being curious is not the same as being doubtful.

Being present is being on the edge of knowing and not knowing.

Full Effort is Full Victory, by Eknath Easwaran

 Reading about gandhi (anyone for that matter) as described by his followers is inspirational reading as this is mostly mythology not facts.

living with gandhi is another matter altogether Kasturba, his wife, hiralal, his eldest son and many others had a tough time living with him.

He also could not win the cooperation of people like Ambedkar, jinnah,Subhash, nehru etc who thought differently about the issues of the time.

The Test for Meditation in Action, by Shinzen Young

 Meditating is as simple and natural as breathing.

The experts have a way of making it appear complecated so they can attract a following by promising to make it simple.

I HAVE PROMISED MYSELF THAT I WILL STAY AWAY FROM THE EXPERTS.

Giving Within For-Give-Ness, by Michael Bernard Beckwith

 When I am hurt it tells me that i am not flexible enough.

Diamond shatters when struck, a rubber ball would bounce.

I have started seeing hurt as an opportunity to become less rigid in my views, become more open and receptive.

true forgiveness happens when i change my old ways of looking at and evaluating phenomena.

Giving Within For-Give-Ness, by Michael Bernard Beckwith

 The energy of every act ripples in all directions and the tendency toperform that act is seeded in the mind of all involved..

This is the universal law.

isn't it then more sensible to be kind and loving?

A 9-Year-Old's Hidden Self, by Jacob Needleman

 when we drop the ego, which is after all just an image, a fragmented one at that, what is left is the nameless I. this I is one with the whole universe. It is pure compassion and a loving wisdom.To this I age, titles, gender etc don't mean a thing.

Storyteller Consciousness, by Charles Eisenstein

 When we manage to see the whole picture and not just an incident, then we have a story.

When we present the whole picture with our whole being; words,inflections, gestures, light, music etc we become story tellers.

I story that touches the hearts of all is happening now ( not some time in the past) and is best presented in the present tense.

A Deep, Uncritical Love, by Bhante Gunaratana

 Meditation is being still and silent.

As this happens, the idea  "I am an indivisual who makes things happen" drops off.

The mind becomes an empty vessel, which it is.

We are released from all concepts based on the past.

We are free to live and enjoy it.

Freedom Manifests in Action, by Rabindranath Tagore

 Our identity has two aspects, one is inside the skin and the other is outside.

All our difficulties, intellectual and otherwise, are caused by not taking them together as a set.

what is inside is the potential, also called the soul, the spirit and many other names.

What is outside is the field of action, of thought.

These two need each other to find fulfillment.

an artist without a stage would be no artist. Aplayer without a playing field is no player. The opposite is also true.

The unmanifest (potential) needs the field of action to manifest.

The debate is pointless.

Practically Preposterous, by Pavithra Mehta

 When we choose one out of a pair of opposites, which we often do, we are doing a preposterous thing. Imagine inviting the husband alone and leaving the wife out (or the other way round). Won't we consider that to be preposterous?

Yet we do this kind of choosing (which actually a heartless choice) all the time; separating the day from the night, the beginning from the end, the light from the dark, happiness from sorrow.

The list is endless.

Deciding not to separate the pair of oppsites is really a wise way of choosing.

Try it just for fun. It is not preposterous at all.

Is Meditation Boring?, by Andrew Cohen

Meditation is an experience. it is not always profound. it would sometimes be boring too.

Whoever promises that one would find something wonderful at the end of it is making a false business pitch.

Meditate if you wish to, but the moment you expect something to come out of it, you have missed the bus.

Wisdom in the Workplace, by William Guillory

 Wisdom is in being fully present.

The past is memory, which is very selective and plays tricks.

The future is imagination based on fear of the present.

Both past and future suck energy. I f we dwell in the past and future very little energy is left to deal with the gifts the present offers .

The wise are fully present.

Giving and Receiving, by Jaggi Vasudev

 For a transaction to take place there have to be two entities.

Accepting this duality is the first error.

If we don't notice this error then all that follows is a futile excercise. It is like beating around a bush.

We are all one. At least accept that we are all related.  Within the family do we talk about giving and receiving? When the hand scratches a part of the body is it giving or receiving?

The writer is completely off the mark.

Believers in Small Graces, by Kent Nerbern

I live with a God who has no need for publicity of any kind. 

Help Comes From the Strangest Places, by David Brooks

 Rishis (seers) through the regular practice of meditation, which allows us to see the whole (the core, the shell and everything in between) knew  that the part we become aware of is not the whole truth. What our senses can perceive is only the outer shell. To consider this to be the whole truth or even as the significant part of the truth is a serious error in any study.

Modern science on the other hand limited its study only to this part. As a result we came to know a lot about the material world. Later the study had to be extended to the realm of energy and then it was found that these two, matter and energy are closely related and inter-changeable. inevitably the study had to lead to space. It is now being found that empty space produces matter and energy which after a brief flash of existence merge back into it.

The material progress that this has led to has blinded many of us to the self imposed method in scientific enquiry of treating human senses as the final arbiters of truth. We still seek scientific validity for age old truths. Yoga, meditation, accupuncture, Reiki and many such systems are still being subjected to this humiliating treatment.

Wake up Sid.

Embracing the Mystery of Uncertainty, by Alan Briskin

 when we are all one, how come we meet strangers?

Is knowing based on knowing the past achievements? if so, then we are all strangers.

Is oneness a reality or just an intellectual concept, to be discussed and debated?

Karma(good or bad) is not like a fixed deposit, which just sits there and gets used up. it is like an active current account from which we withdraw and into which we also deposit.It is not like a marsh but more like a trampoline.

Giving pre-supposes ownership. The idea of ownership creates a lot of difficulties in giving. The problem of 'satpatri daan" is the receiver worthy/deserving of the gift? what is the right time and amount? Is the gift being used properly? and so on.

when I am only a trusty is sharing not the right thing to do?

Finally words are at best pointers to the experience. They are not the experience.

Thanks for the indulgence and lots of love..

Individual and Social Ethics, by Bertrand Russell

I do not like to comment on what others say or do.

 have a lot going on in my mind to be able to be able to pay attention to all that.

I don't understand fully all this fully.

I find clarity in silence. 

You Carry Your Wound, by Osho

Need not take anything seriously.

Just laugh or at least smile. 

You Carry Your Wound, by Osho

The primary illusion is that there is an independent Ï

When there is no independent I how can there be others?

Also how can there be an ego, which is but an image in the eyes of the others 

.There is no you and there is no wound.Be still and silent.

Ignore this stuff too.

Ancient Law of Hospitality, by Thomas Berry

The notion that I own this or that needs to be challenged. While we aree at it we might also challenge the notion of an "I"that is independent and separate from others.

When this challenging is done, not as an intellectual excercise but by way of observing the truth(reality) as it is, we would come to realise"aham bramhasmi", the individual and the universe are one and the same.

Most of our activities then come to nought. We can then live in peace and contentment.

Till then all the antics of being and becoming will go on.

Learning to Suffer More Effectively, by Shinzen Young

As i read these passages and the varied comments, i feel as if i am walking, hand in hand withmy fellow travellers.

it is a joyous walk.. Thanks everybody.

You Carry Your Wound, by Osho

The author says we are all sinners. i say we are all apprentices 9essentially the same without the stigma). this enables me to do whatever I can in any situation, without feeling helpless. It also enables me to appreciate whatever others are contributing. What more do I need?

Trust in the Awareness, by Ajahn Sumedho

In mindfulness  all divisions end; no black and white, no back and forth, no conscious and unconscious, no beginning and end.

just the sound of silence, the movement of stillness.

A Realm Beyond Measurement, by Andrew Cohen

 In marathi there is a saying, attributed to sanit Tukaram, which says,

bole taisa chale

tyachi vandeen paule.

one who  lives what he says is venerable.

to meet such a person is in deed a good fortune.

I would sit silently in such a presence absorbing everything.

Trust in the Awareness, by Ajahn Sumedho

 If we wish to find the center of unchanging stillness (this is not an idle intellectual question)

If we really, desperately wish to be there

then we need to drop from our vocabulary words like incredible, awesome, mind boggling and all the superlatives with which we describe this state.

these are all judgments made from the safety of our limited experiences of life and indicate a desire to cling to those experiences.

We have to finally accept that the glorious life is outside this limited and limiting box.

Without this the process doesn't begin.

With this done the process ends.

An Undying Faith of the Infinite in Us, by Rabindranath Tagore

 We have come a long way from the stone age but the intellectual models we use to understand the world are still primitive.

we treat the created universe as if it is a straight line of limited length. Then there are bound to be opposites and extremes. the possibility of extending the line to infinity on either side then appears as an impossibility or a risky enterprise. a wavy or crooked line is seen as a defect or imperfection to be set right.

how can such a mind visualise that the universe is at once expanding infinity and a non existent zero?

The verbal antics of the intellectuals makes me laugh and cry at the same time.

The Mystery Never Leaves You Alone, by John O'Donohue

 We have the gift of 5 physical senses. 

we should therefore use all of them and integrate the collective input. yet we have come to rely too much on the visual sense. The sense of hearing comes a distant second. the other are not used much. How can we then get anywhere near the truth (reality)?

When it comes to expressing what we have come to realise, we rely too much on words (written and or spoken). We do not use voice modulation, tonal inflexions, facial expressions, hand gestures, body language and other forms of universal communication. no wonder we feel inadequate and trapped as artists.

a humble suggestion; On Wednesdays, let people stand up, honor the time limit, not use the mike giving oneself the freedom to use the whole being as an artist.

It would be much more evocative and defenitely add to the fun.

A Neuron with Imagination, by Francisco Ramos Stierle

If we observe the way our mind functions, we would notice,

that it is fleeting and flirting,

never staying for any length of time with anything that it is relating with.

As a result, our observations are superficial and fragmented. We do not understand anything in its wholeness, including ourself. How then can the choices we make be appropriate?

No wonder we are experientially unhappyand intellectually confused.

To change the situation at the root, it seems necessary to improve improve the quality of our observation; to make it more whollistic and subtle.

Some of the early sages/scientists devised the mrthod of sitting still for a length of time, doing nothing, observing whatever was happening, within and without.

They also remained silent for a whilr after this excercise, reigning in the temtation to conceptualise the experience and put it in words, apparently for the benefit of others.

As I have practised this simple excercise; sitting still and being silent, the mysteries of life have become clear, life has become simple and enjoyable.

I recoomend that allof us make it a part of our daily routine.

Applying Realization to Relationships, by Adyashanti

On 14th Kumud moved on to another realm in time and space to continue her mission of spreading love and smiles. Her loved ones were around her to shower her with love and to applaud,  when she took final steps.

We have now taken it upon ourselves to carry forward the legacy of touching all with love.

hari Om