Previous Comments By 'Ganobadate'
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. | |||
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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. | |||
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Should We Spend Time Like Money?, by Stefan Klein![]() ![]() Some random thoughts. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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Art And The Practice Of Being Yourself, by Stanley Kunitz![]() ![]() There can be no art without being true to oneself. | |||
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Is It Really Worth It?, by Patty De Llosa![]() ![]() My answer is an unequivocal YES. | |||
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Is It Really Worth It?, by Patty De Llosa![]() ![]() My answer is an unequivocal YES. | |||
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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. | |||
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Reaching Underneath Our Protective Shell, by Pema Chodron![]() ![]() why do we need to protect ourselves from the others? | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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 | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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Guest House, by Rumi![]() ![]() The postman just delivers the message. | |||
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We Move in Infinite Space, by Rainer Maria Rilke![]() ![]() The last line,"we move in infinite space" is the crucial one. | |||
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To Be Simply, Radically, Absolutely Still, by Gangaji![]() ![]() Yes, stillness is the center of movement, just as silence is the center of all speech. | |||
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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. | |||
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To Be Simply, Radically, Absolutely Still, by Gangaji![]() ![]() Being still is being present and accepting all that is happening, in and around you. | |||
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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. | |||
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The Only Power of the Mystic, by Hazrat Inayat Khan![]() ![]() Words are like a finger that is pointing out something. | |||
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Lessons From 25 Years of Meditating, by Yogi Mccaw![]() ![]() Meditation is being still and silent like a statue, doing nothing. Immediately I realise that even though I am doing nothing, many things are happening within me and without. I also realise that there is a beauty and harmony inherent to this happening. The ego just vanishes and I can see myself clearly. I do what I have to do and say what I have to say. All the techniques are just commercial stuff. I don't need any of that. It is living attuned with nature (svadharma) | |||
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Beyond the Conflict of Inner Forces, by Cherokee Story![]() ![]() This is advait in very simple terms. The ancients were really wise. Choose not between night and day. Together they complete the cycle of life. | |||
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Can You Love The One Who..., by Leah Pearlman![]() ![]() All these are judgments and I am a poor judge. | |||
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Gift from the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindberg![]() ![]() In nature there is always a balance between the opposing forces; pushing-pulling, attraction-repulsion, movement=stasis, change-permanence..... Nature is also to be taken as a whole. Because of our tendency to choose and to take it in parts we come up with conclusions that don't quite hold. such is the case in this piece. All nature provides opportunities to realise the truth, its beauty and its healing power; not just the beach. In nature being active and being passive are both acceptable. There are times when the water is turbulant and the sand is pliable. at other times the opposite picture can be seen. To accept our nature in its wholeness we need to give up the right to choose, which is the same as giving up being judgmental. | |||
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Social Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman![]() ![]() In the short term I take a pause to listen; to him and to me, then i am able to come up with a compassionate responce. For the long term I regularly remove garbage from my mind; residual feelings of hurt, humiliation, low self worth etc. This foundation helps the short term pause taking. | |||
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Always Had It, Always Will, by Alan Cohen![]() ![]() I wouldn't say a word. I would open my arms and invite all into a cllective embrace.o | |||
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Science of the Heart, by Doc Childre![]() ![]() this is nothing but the principle of Karma in scientific garb. | |||
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A Servant Leader, by Vinoba Bhave![]() ![]() Leadership as it is understood today is a colonial macho concept.This leader supposedly has special and superior talents; vision, military skills and so forth. He must necessarily have followers. more the followers, bigger the leader. the followers must have blind faith in his leadership qualities and obeys him unquestioningly It does not matter whether such a person is a woman. A woman leader also quickly fits into this mould. we have any number of example of such women leaders in modern times, specially in India. They are often more ruthless than men and particularly enjoy making men whine in front of them for favours and mercy. Leadership and service are two alien concepts. They don't go together. We certainly need people who serve. We don't need leaders who demand and are given special privileges. | |||
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The Way of the Farmer, by Masanobu Fukuoka![]() ![]() As I have moved away from the man-made world filled with violence and arrogance, to the world of nature I have come to discover my true nature. I know now why I am here and am busy performing my role. I am free from fear and temptation. Life is full of fun now. | |||
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The Spirit of Karma Yoga, by Baba Hari Dass![]() ![]() There is a confusion between self and ego. The self is not bound by time and space, hence it is free from the linear rule of cause and effect. For the self time, like space does not travel. It just is, hence it does not bother about consequences. It does what needs to be done in the present moment. Call it duty if you like. The ego is an image of the self as seen by the others (for the self there are no others) which itself is a myth. Hence the ego performs and recommends only those actions that would be beneficial to it. The egos perspective is narrow and short term. The ego has a tunnel vision, a tunnel that gets narrower as we proceed along it. Liberal and liberating action (Karma Yog) is not egocentric. It is not selfless but self full. | |||
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The Rich Experience of A Quiet Mind, by John Coleman![]() ![]() It depends on what we take the mind to be. To me mind is Akash, empty space. It is, still and quiet. That is its nature. We have to do nothing to make it quiet, just as we cannot do anything to disturb it. If we take it to be an organ of the body then it would be functioning as long as we are alive. That is not disturbance. That is the way it is. It then comes down to the notions that we hold based on our limited exposure to life on planet Earth. As we open up by travel, physical and intellectual, we would experience all that existence is; peace, beauty, adventure etc. | |||
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Sitting Aboard Life's Merry-Go-Round, by Karl Renz![]() ![]() To understand the life situation we often use metaphors. If the metaphor is a part of the reader's/listener's experience then there is a flash of understanding. The problem with scriptural writing is that the metaphors are outdated and don't make sense. If the metaphor is man made then it does not quite capture the life situation which is organic and dynamic. It is more evocative to use a natural metaphors. Having said this, I find the write up quite interesting. | |||
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What Astrology Teaches Us, by Isabel Hickey![]() ![]() My whole life has been a process of revisiting beliefs that i hold about all aspects of life. Belief systems, values, attitudes seem to provide answers to the problems life presents from time to time. however, they lose their potency after a while as life is a vibrant, dynamic process. Today i live moment to moment with an empty mind, no plans, no pre conceived notions, no grand old truths. I am aging romantically. | |||
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What Astrology Teaches Us, by Isabel Hickey![]() ![]() One half of our being is inside and the other half outside. Both these are dynamic, they keep changing, evolving. We can get a picture of these two using various tools. Astrology is one of them. Having said this we need to see how an individual holds them and their relationship in his mind. If they are seen as static then the person would be fatalistic and helpless, would be resigned to fate. Such a person is likely to fall a prey to charlatans who offer esoteric solutions. Such a person would make a horoscope at birth and live condemned by it. Such a person would also give too much importance to the situation at birth (silver spoon etc.) and would give very little importance to the process of growing up. If they are seen as dynamic then the person would play an active part in shaping his/her life. He would revisit his plans, goals and values and make changes in them as he went along in life. If one of the halves is seen as real and the other as an illusion, then the person would live a confused, fragmented life, would swing from end to end like a pendulum. If the two are seen as adversaries, then the person would be aggressive, would be in the fight-flight mode most of the times. He may be nice and friendly while winning. Mostly however he would be a bad wiinner and a bad loser. If the two halves are seen as friends or lovers at play, the person would take life as an adventure and enjoy every moment of it. | |||
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The Cosmology of Peace, by Thomas Berry![]() ![]() Violence perpetuated by humans springs from the ego and is based on insecurity. The insecurity in turn is a product of a wrong understanding (Avidya) of our relationship with our environment. We are not two separate entities competing with each other for survival. We are in fact two halves which together constitute the indivisible SELF. Once we realise this central truth all aspects of existence would become a wonderful spectacle, a glorious dance. Similarities will then attract us to each other and differences will enrich us. | |||
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A Paradoxical Struggle, by Paul Fleischman![]() ![]() the old mind set was flight or fight.Also fight is the preferred mode. The changed mind set is stay and play. This is not a passive mode. First we treat the environment not as a threat for our existence but as a resource for our well being. To play effectively and creatively we have to be observant or mindful or aware. The environment keeps changing all the time. Being mindful allows us to bring in new ways of playing with it. It is a friendly competition. Winning and losing is taken out of the equation. | |||
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Looking With Head, Heart, and Hands, by Jane Rosen![]() ![]() We have 5 sense organs. They are meant to be used as a set to understand our environment. In our hierarchical way of living the visual is placed at the top of the pyramid and considered the most important. As a result the other senses are underused and we don't get the full picture. We also have 5 organs of external action. These also have to be used as a set. Here again we have given speech the most important place neglecting others. Is it any wonder then that we cannot communicate effectively. I have tried to live a wholistic (some consider it simplistic). As a result i have been able to relate with the world joyously. | |||
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A Whole New Dimension of Love, by Tenzin Palmo![]() ![]() one experiences different things during different parts of the journey. take the Himalayan rivers. They start off as solid blocks of ice not moving then become glaciers moving slowly but with great power, onto trickles, then roaring streams, slowing don again as they reach the planes, dry in summers, flooding during the rains and so it goes on. At each stage it is just right. Today I experience life as a vibrating mass of rocks, energy, fluids and what not.. My wife of 50 years has moved on to a different vibrational mode. I don't se her as gone. Even when she lived (in a body) we did not always vibrate at the same frequency. | |||
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Is the Universe Friendly?, by Albert Einstein![]() ![]() The essential and fundamental error is to consider the universe to be separate from us, "the other". We try to correct this error by asking whether it is friendly or otherwise. This question springs from a false premise and hence deserves no consideration. Any answer would be a wrong answer as the question itself is wrong. Albert Einstein the philosopher is going against Einstein the scientist. We are part of the universe and not apart from it. Philosophically we can also say, in the same breath, that the universe is within us. God is also not an entity separate from the universe. Philosophically the universe is seen as the body of God. | |||
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Changing Existence into Flow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi![]() ![]() a river flows, the ocean ripples. Just be who you are. most such articles try to present the authors point of view as a universal panacea. | |||
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Why Can't We Tolerate Emptiness?, by Natasha Dem![]() ![]() Most of our knowledge is a fragment of information, validated by some other fragment. take for example the case of the "half empty glass". here emptiness or fullness is seen with reference to the water in the glass. We conveniently ignore the presence of air in the glass. If we take into account the presence of subtle elements in our formulations then we would realise that there is only fullness. Emptiness comes into being by ignoring the subtle, the aspect of reality which is beyond our comprehension. Accepting emptiness is accepting our limited understanding of the wholeness of life. how many of us are comfortable in accepting that "I don't know"? | |||
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Science As Spiritual Practice, by Adam Frank![]() ![]() scientific enquiry has placed a limitation on its ways. It accepts only those observations that are within the realm of the human senses, supplemented now a days by technical gadgets. In so doing it can see only that which has taken form. That which has not yet taken form, the formless remains beyond its scope. All the path breaking discoveries have been made by people, like Newton, Einstein et all, who were visionaries first and scientists later. A visionary sees the aura, the scientist sees only the body. a scientist goes by performance, the visionary senses the potential. A scientist is bound by limits, the visinary dwells in the limitless. | |||
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The Secret Of Work, by Swami Vivekananda![]() ![]() when I do something expecting a certain outcome,more often than not i end up feeling disappointed. even when the outcome is achieved the joy is short lived and doubt sets in, "could it have been better, if I had done this that or the other?" There is no answer to this hypothetical question although an endless debate may ensue. On the other hand when I do something because " that is the way I am"I am always happy and stress free. The results take care of themselves. They are dependent anyway on many factors other than my effort. I don't know whether this is selfish or unselfish. That would depend on how one defines self. | |||
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What I Learned In Africa, by Henning Mankell![]() ![]() Listening from the heart begins when we listen to our own voice. This prepares us to listen to others, particularly when they ramble. When a person is beating around the bush he/she has something very important to share and is just testing the ground to make sure that it is safe to plunge in. | |||
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Seeing is an Act, by Jeanne de Salzmann![]() ![]() I prefer the term observing to seeing. Observing refers to the use of all the sense organs plus the mind and is much more holistic having said that i would like observing, doing, thinking, feeling, dreaming etc to be treated as an integrated whole and not compartmentalised. These taken together represent the essence of living being. One more thought; Experience is a very personal phenomenon. I have never been able to convey it to someone else, however refined my expression may be. I can't quite convey it and the other doesn't quite get it. so the mystery of life remains and will remain forever. | |||
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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?). Once this is known all life choices become simple. Then there are no temptations, no sacrifices and no need for control(restraint). Our identity becomes obvious as we stop imitating and following others. Discard all role models to banish the fog of confusion and get a clear mind; certainty with humility. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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? | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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Evolution's Gold Standard, by Diane Ackerman![]() ![]() This passage should not have appeared in this space. | |||
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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. | |||
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Unlocking a New Sphere of Reality, by Jacques Lusseyran![]() ![]() we have 5 sense organs. By using them we get information(data) about various aspects of our environment. How often do we use all 5 of them together to know about our environment? Not often. Most used are the eyes and then the ears. Touch is sometimes used but sense of taste and smell are used very rarely. We end up knowing only fractionally about our environment. Then the mind is not there in its wholeness to process the data. As a result we often see our environment as being useless to be ignored or worse still as hostile and hence we react defensively to it. Various forms of meditation are a training to start using all the senses together and then allowing the mind to collate the data before coming to any judgment about the environment and then deciding how to respond to it. I have personally developed many simple exercises to help this process. and would be willing to share them with anyone interested. In time the process is turned inwards when the 5 senses are not needed to be used. The mind is now the direct observer. Initially it observes the physical sensations and then moves on to observing itself (thoughts, emotions, intentions, biases and so on. Later it seamlessly moves on to observing the source of all this. Now we are in the spiritual domain. Finally all boundaries that divide our world/identity into fractions (inside-outside, me-you etc.) are dissolved and we enter a state of samdhi or oneness. | |||
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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. | |||
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Flow of Money, by David Korten![]() ![]() We have a very special relationship with our environment. The sooner we realize it, the better it is for all of us.Life as we know it came into being because of the environment. Having given birth to it, it has nurtured and supported it and provided the play ground for its evolution. It continues to do so in spite of the ravages caused to it by the modern man.The environment in our living experience appears in five principle forms, namely the earth, water, air, space and energy. These five individually and in conjunction with the others takes on millions of forms. For example, earth appears as dust, sand, boulders, hills and mountains; water appears as vapour, moisture, rain, streams, brooks, rivers, ponds, lakes, oceans, snow, glaciers etc.; energy appears as heat, light, sound, electricity, magnetism and so forth. Air is a subtle element and hence we can only experience it in its various forms and moods. Space is very subtle and so we sense it when it is missing or crowded out. Together they create this wonderful universe.Similarly life has taken on zillions of forms; the amphibians, the reptiles, the worms, the bacteria, the birds and beasts, the trees, the creepers, the bushes the algae and so forth.Because of our reductionist ways of thinking and perception, we do not see that our environment is an integrated whole. We also do not see the oneness of life. We have cut it up into meaningless and lifeless shreds. We have also missed the wonderful relationship between life and the environment. Many people, particularly the primitive ones, see the environment as the mother, playmate, lover or companion. They respect and love it, at times even worship it.Modern man sees it as a wild beast to be tamed, domesticated, mastered and then enslaved.The environment, taken as a whole, is our primary resource for living, play and evolution. When we break it up it loses life and meaning. That is what has happened with money. It is not part of the natural environment. See full.
We have a very special relationship with our environment. The sooner we realize it, the better it is for all of us. Life as we know it came into being because of the environment. Having given birth to it, it has nurtured and supported it and provided the play ground for its evolution. It continues to do so in spite of the ravages caused to it by the modern man. The environment in our living experience appears in five principle forms, namely the earth, water, air, space and energy. These five individually and in conjunction with the others takes on millions of forms. For example, earth appears as dust, sand, boulders, hills and mountains; water appears as vapour, moisture, rain, streams, brooks, rivers, ponds, lakes, oceans, snow, glaciers etc.; energy appears as heat, light, sound, electricity, magnetism and so forth. Air is a subtle element and hence we can only experience it in its various forms and moods. Space is very subtle and so we sense it when it is missing or crowded out. Together they create this wonderful universe. Similarly life has taken on zillions of forms; the amphibians, the reptiles, the worms, the bacteria, the birds and beasts, the trees, the creepers, the bushes the algae and so forth. Because of our reductionist ways of thinking and perception, we do not see that our environment is an integrated whole. We also do not see the oneness of life. We have cut it up into meaningless and lifeless shreds. We have also missed the wonderful relationship between life and the environment. Many people, particularly the primitive ones, see the environment as the mother, playmate, lover or companion. They respect and love it, at times even worship it. Modern man sees it as a wild beast to be tamed, domesticated, mastered and then enslaved. The environment, taken as a whole, is our primary resource for living, play and evolution. When we break it up it loses life and meaning. That is what has happened with money. It is not part of the natural environment. It is a creation of man. Progressively it has become more virtual and artificial. Money does not fulfill any of our needs, either of sustenance or evolution. But we have come to believe this myth. We are living with many other myths. One most pernicious one is the existence of the individual independent of the environment. Let us identify all these modern day myths and drop them. Then we can live truly as human beings playing our rightful role in the natural scheme of things. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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? | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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Believers in Small Graces, by Kent Nerbern![]() ![]() I live with a God who has no need for publicity of any kind. | |||
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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. | |||
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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.. | |||
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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. | |||
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You Carry Your Wound, by Osho![]() ![]() Need not take anything seriously. Just laugh or at least smile. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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?
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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. | |||
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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 | |||
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