The words of a Mystic...

Nameless...

2012-01-30T16:34:00.001-05:00

Who would dare to go nameless in so secure a universe? Yet, to tell
the truth, only the nameless are at home in it.

They bear with them in the center of nowhere the unborn flower of
nothing: This is the paradise tree. It must remain unseen until
words end and arguments are silent.

~Thomas Merton

This Could Be Your Last Life

2012-01-30T15:28:00.000-05:00

A forest of words...

2012-01-30T13:16:00.002-05:00

we attempt to enter this forest.
we step lightly with caution..
for there are tripping holes..

the deeper we progess, the light weakens within the thicket..
we see an opening within the woods..
announced by brightness..

an oasis within the jumble..
a place where vision is welcomed with the 'gift of site'..
a peace within silence..

mind creates plays..
creation is disturbance..
become the soil that the tree of creation feeds from..

the Soil that does not know it's Name.................. namaste, thomas

Heart...

2012-01-30T08:51:00.000-05:00

The center of the Cosmos lies in the center
of your own heart.

A trillion times a second, you're both creating
and destroying the entire universe.

So of what is there to be afraid?

Is a Mother ever afraid of her own infant?

At every moment, you are already cradling
your Beloved.

Even as you, yourself, are being cradled.

- Chuck Hillig

The conceptual mind...

2012-01-29T17:29:00.000-05:00

The core principal to all this is that the mind doesn't like to be challenged as being nothing more than a preprogrammed illusion. Once this is seen through as clear as daylight, the game is over, there are no more assumed problems that existed for an assumed self. This whole show of light and sound is just seen for what it is and the undying peace that was always present is all there is, and all there ever is in the present moment.

Know that all the resistance to this is only the conceptual mind, just doing its thing. Don't worry about it, it's just what must play out. With a little investigation, this whole shooting match can come to an end, and the suffering is over!

- J.D. Hazlewood

Dissolves...

2012-01-28T18:14:00.000-05:00

With repeated meditation practice
the expanse of the visible universe
with all its qualities dissolves
to nothing, to where there is
only health and great joy.

- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992

No-thing...

2012-01-27T21:40:00.003-05:00

What was there, before God?...
There was Nothing before God..
No-Thing before God..
Things are the Created, the Manifested, the Hologram...
The Creative Consciousness that vibrates into visibility and movement..
The Master Dreamer.. The Watcher.. 'Us"...
When We tire of the Game, We return Home..........namaste, thomas

Thought...

2012-01-27T21:10:00.001-05:00

Thought is the Creative Energy that needs to Create, Thus, never resting.. This is why you must go beyond Thought to Realise Reality... both, the Reality of Consciousness and The Reality of Pure Intelligence... but, all of these words and thoughts really mean very little except as a pointing finger to the door that only Nothingness can enter.......... namaste, thomas

Consciousness...

2012-01-27T16:23:00.001-05:00

Consciousness must always be conscious of something. When consciousness is not
conscious of anything, it is pure intelligence.

From The Teachings Of
HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN

Selected & Arranged By
HAZRAT PIR VILAYAT INAYAT KHAN

To Feel God Within You...

2012-01-27T16:01:00.000-05:00

Feeling God is easier than you think.. Feeling God is Feeling Love.. A Love that is Unconditional.. A Love that feels Love for those that hurt and betray you.. and if you contemplate upon this Love, you will Realise that this Love increases as selfishness and ego decrease.. In Fact the State of non-ego is the State of Love and this Love we call God................ namaste, thomas

How to be happy...

2012-01-26T20:02:00.003-05:00

BY RICHARD CARLSON, PHD.

Editor's Note: Sadly, as you may have already heard, acclaimed author Richard Carlson died unexpectedly on Dec. 13th at the young age of 45. The following article, based on Richard's book, You Can Be Happy No Matter What, is a good reminder to cherish life and all its joys and to not let outside circumstances determine how happy (or unhappy) we are.

Happiness as a Priority

IT'S ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTING to me that the average person (go ahead and ask them), spends ten times (or more) the amount of time watching television than he or she does even considering happiness. In fact, in one poll that I conducted, not a single person out of more than 30 people admitted to spending even one second thinking about how they might go about becoming happier! Some of these people spent anywhere from 2-7 hours a day in front of a television set, yet not one minute contemplating what could amount to the most important question of one's life - how can I be happier? One of the first rules of any venture is that in order to get somewhere, you need at least a general idea of how to get there and, at very least, where you are going!

We're really lucky in a way as learning to be happy is a very easy thing to do. In fact, happiness is our natural state. If left to our devices and if we could find a way to stop interfering with the flow, we'd be extremely happy right now. So, while life did not come with an instruction book on happiness, it really didn't have to. By following some really simple principles and also knowing how to get out of our own way, we can become extremely happy, regardless of our present circumstances.

Most people would agree with the notion that when a baby is born, he or she is a fairly clean slate. In other words, they aren't vicious, reactive, judgmental, dissatisfied, prejudice, jealous, or angry. Instead, they are simply little beings who are curious and open to learning. Unfortunately, most of the time they eventually learn some pretty negative thinking which leads to some pretty unhappy times.

We are taught that our thoughts are real and that we should pay attention to them. Problem is, they aren't real; they are just thoughts.

Think of a time when you were, say, driving home from a baseball game and on the last play of the game, your favorite player, dropped an easy ball and blew the game and the season for your team and all the fans, you being one of them. You're now in the comfort of your own home and the outcome of the game is brought up by other members of your family. You start to think about the dropped ball and you start to get depressed. You launch into a lecture about how the team needs new outfielders! Yikes, it's happening all over again!

It's as if the dropped ball is happening all over again in your living room. As you think about it, you get more and more distressed; after all, you rationalize, he "did" drop the ball!

That's true he did drop the ball. But let me show you how easy it is to dismiss that thought now that the event is over. You're about to see that while the unfortunate event did occur, it's now only a harmless thought with no power over you other than that which you give it. And once you realize this, happiness will be moments away.

Have you ever been driving and some other driver nearly knocks you off the road - maybe even comes within a foot or two of killing you? It's happened to me a few times in the almost 30 years that I've been driving. Whether it has ever happened to you or not, pretend for a minute that it did. Imagine the thoughts that would be running through your mind while you were still heated. I can imagine the thought "I should kill that guy," being one of your thoughts, or something similar, relating to some sort of revenge. Now the question becomes, would you do it?

I mean it. Would you kill the driver? Of course you wouldn't. And other than the facts that it's against the law and that you're a moral person, why wouldn't you act on that thought? The reason is simple: The thought was just a thought - like the thousands of other thoughts that run through your mind every single day. You realize it was just a thought and you promptly dismiss it. This doesn't mean you aren't a little spooked or that you don't care - of course you do. But by dismissing the thought, you put the event behind you, opening the door for you to move into the present moment and be happy in this moment instead of caught up in a thought that is just a thought, like all other thoughts - including the thought of the baseball player dropping the ball. Today, as we live our life, that event is merely a thought carried through time, via our own thinking. As long as you see it - not as a reality to contend with, but as a simple thought - you are free to live right now, in this moment. Because thoughts are just thoughts (all of them) you have the power to drop any thought, at any time. You are absolutely in charge and have the last say! This is the ultimate in taking responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings.

Here's a little more food for though. Let me ask you a funny question. Would you ever, even for a moment, consider writing yourself a nasty, mean-spirited letter and then mailing that letter to yourself? Then, when you get the letter you open it and you're immediately offended by the mean and obnoxious content! You storm around the room and act all out of sorts!

Of course this would never happen in a million years, but why? The reason is that you would be aware that it was you who wrote the letter. How silly would it be to write a letter and then become upset by that very letter?

Well, that's the exact same logic we can apply to our thinking. Think about it carefully. Why would you ever have a thought - any thought, no matter how negative or scary - and then become nervous, reactive, angry or in some other way bothered by it?.. Remember, it's just a thought you're having, just like all the others. And what's more important, you're the one who produced the thought to begin with. Being upset by your own thoughts is a little like smashing your head against a wall and wondering why your head hurts.. Remember, you wouldn't act on a scary thought like killing another driver, no matter how bad he or she was - why? Because it was just a thought. The secret to a happy life is to realize that all of our thoughts are just thoughts.. True, things happen all the time, but once they are over - or if they haven't happened yet, they are just thoughts. Before I close, take one last look at that ball player who dropped the ball. Regardless of how high the stakes were, it's now, today, right now, nothing more than a thought - no more or less important than any others! Try applying this logic to all of the thoughts that run through your mind and, pretty soon, you'll be dropping any negativity you've been burdening yourself with - and what you'll be left with is - you've got it - happiness!!

The Ingredients of a Happy Life

IT WASN'T UNTIL about 25 years ago that I realized how simple it really is to be happy. Notice I didn't say it's always easy - although it often is that too! What I have discovered is that virtually anyone, by learning about five simple concepts, can become much happier than ever before. I don't mean happy "all time," but most of the time for sure, and even when we lose our way, it's pretty simple to guide ourselves back in the right direction.

Let me introduce five simple principles very briefly here and then I'll speak a little bit about their applications in our daily lives.

ONE - The Principle of Thought
In short, our ability to think creates our psychological experience of life and most importantly, thinking is a voluntary function. In other words, we produce the thoughts - we think them up!.. And, with no time in-between, we feel the effects of those thoughts. That's why it's so critical to be aware that you are the one producing and thinking your own thoughts.

If you ever tried to scare yourself with your own voice, you'd be out of luck. Why? Because, very simply, you'd always be one step ahead of yourself - you'd know it was you who was saying "boo!" By becoming aware that we are the producers of our own thoughts, we can have a similar insight. We will always have thoughts to contend with, but once we realize that we create and produce them, it's pretty hard to be freaked out by them. Instead of bumming ourselves out or getting angry or scared, we simply say to ourselves, "Whoops, there I go again," reminding yourself that you're having what you might come to call a "thought attack." If you have any type of thought and know it's "just a thought," and it's stemming from inside of you, it's easy to drop it, and bring yourself back to this precious moment.

TWO - The Principle of Moods
The principle of moods is incredibly simple.. When we're in a "good" mood, life generally looks pretty good.. But when we're in a "bad" mood, the same life (and that's the key!) - the exact same life - looks drastically different. All of a sudden the partner you were so in love with is problematic, the car you drive doesn't look so good and your future looks less than promising. But how can this be? While in a good mood, you're totally in love, the car you drive is absolutely fine and your future looks great. I could give a hundred other examples, but I'm sure you get the point. Your life doesn't change - only your mood does. Knowing this changes everything. When you're down, you feel it and you make allowances for it. You don't take your own thinking very seriously at all. Instead, it's a waiting game. You wait until your mood returns to a better state and then you think about your problems. Same with other people.. You begin to recognize when someone is in a low mood and when they are, you don't take what they say and do very seriously. It's really that simple. Everyone is subject to moods and when any of us are in a low mood we will say and do things we wouldn't even consider while in a better frame of mind. Knowing this is a huge advantage. You learn to make allowances for others and their moods - and you get used to the expression, "But for the grace of God, go I."

When you do suppose most people discuss their problems? While in a low mood of course, because that's when life has a sense of urgency.. But, ironically, you can't solve a problem when you're low because you have lost your wisdom, common sense and happiness. But when your mood rises, you'll have your wisdom back and life will look good again! I used to tell couples about this trick all the time and, frequently, one of the partners would say to me, "But Richard, if we waited until our mood rose to discuss our problems, it wouldn't seem like we had problems to discuss."

"That's the point," I would say.

THREE - The Principle of Separate Psychological Realities
Essentially, this means that because we all think uniquely, we each live if a separate psychological reality. This one is easy to apply. All you have to do is expect, rather than be surprised or disappointed when someone disagrees with you or can't see things your way. Of course they can't!

FOUR - The Principle of Feelings
This is probably my favorite and is certainly the simplest. Essentially, all you have to do is pay attention to your feelings. Then, depending on what you are feeling, you use that information to guide you as to what to do. For example, if you're angry, instead of "thinking" about why you're angry, you use the angry feelings to remind yourself that you're a little off base, because again, your goal is to be happy. You must be thinking angry thoughts or you would be having different types of feelings. Your feelings, positive or negative, are not "bad," they are simply information and they are foolproof in letting you know where you stand and what needs to be done.

FIVE - The Principle of the Present Moment
The last principle is to live more of our life in the present moment. By using our feelings, we can tell when our mind is drifting away from this moment - which is so common in today's world. But as you bring your attention back to just this moment, you'll begin to feel the joy of each precious moment of life. When you're bothered or irritated, it will usually be because you're thinking about something that is already over or something that is yet to be. Practice bringing your attention to the here and now and you'll be one of the happiest people on earth! Life is a magical adventure when you are right here to enjoy it!...

You are what you think...

2012-01-26T15:11:00.000-05:00

He who thinks against his own desire is his own enemy.

Bowl of Saki, January 25, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

When one considers the psychology of failure and success, failure follows
failure. And why is it? Because the consciousness reflecting success is full of
success, and the activity which goes out from that consciousness is creating
productive activity; so if the consciousness has success before its view, then
the same reflection will work and bring success. Whereas if the consciousness is
impressed with failure, then failure will work constantly, bringing failure
after failure.

Very often pessimistic people speak against their own desire. They want to
undertake some work, and they say, 'I will do this, but I don't think I shall
succeed in it.' Thus they hinder themselves in their path. Man does not know
that every thought makes an impression on the consciousness and on the rhythm
with which the consciousness is working. According to that rhythm that
reflection will come true and happen; and a man proves to be his own enemy by
his ignorance of these things.

Man's attitude is the secret of life, for it is upon man's attitude that success
and failure depend. Both man's rise and fall depend upon his attitude. By
attitude I mean that impulse which is like a battery behind the mechanism of
thought. ... There is hidden in our heart a wonderful power. It is a divine
power, a sacred power, and it can be developed and cherished by keeping our
attitude right.

Light Breeze...

2012-01-26T14:59:00.001-05:00

As regards feeling pain, like a hand cut in battle,

consider the body a robe

you wear. When you meet someone you love, do you kiss their clothes? Search out

who's inside. Union with God is sweeter than body comforts.

We have hands and feet

different from these. Sometimes in dream we see them.

That is not

illusion. It's seeing truly. You do have a spirit body;

don't dread leaving the

physical one. Sometimes someone feels this truth so strongly

that he or she can live in

mountain solitude totally refreshed. The worried, heroic

doings of men and women seem weary

and futile to dervishes enjoying the light breeze of spirit.

Rumi translated by Coleman Barks

Mental Eyes...

2012-01-26T12:40:00.001-05:00

When you awaken to truth as it really is, you will have no occult vision, you will have no "astral" experience, no ravishing ecstasy. You will awaken to it in a state of utter stillness, and you will realize that truth was always there within you and that reality was always there around you. Truth is not something which has grown and developed through your efforts. It is not something which has been achieved or attained by laboriously adding up those efforts. It is not something which has to be made more and more perfect each year. And once your mental eyes are opened to truth they can never be closed again.

....... Paul Brunton

From None to One...

2012-01-25T10:09:00.000-05:00

Play of Duality!

Once upon a time, there was NONE,
Spontaneously giving rise to ONE.

Out of which TWO was born,
When ONE in pieces was torn.

The play of duality began,
When two or more onto the stage ran.

The play set upon the backdrop of space,
Given duration in time to uphold each species and race.

Unity of ONE is to see how all this begun.
Separation fades away, and ONE to NONE returns to stay.

NONE to ONE

ONE is forlorn when thoughts are born.
The source being ONE and the same,
by TWO we separation claim.
Thoughts bring the notion of ME and YOU,
When ONE goes to TWO!
ME and YOU is perceived and to us brought,
By way of consciousness through thought.
The thought is interpreted and heard, duality is stirred.
With reversal of these phrases,
TWO goes to ONE and finally NONE!

NONE is not by thoughts ruled,
NONE can not by anything be fooled!
NONE is effortless, contained spontaneous BEING,
With ABSOLUTE clear SEEING!

.... from beyondpoetry.com

Three Poems...

2012-01-24T22:14:00.000-05:00

Three Short Poems from Satsang

There is a moment
when the wine
reveals its formless self
its intoxicating nature

*
The jewel
is always wrapped
in the dark velvet
of not knowing.

*
Love
is a magician.
Everything it touches
turns into
itself.

......... Pamela Wilson

The Real...

2012-01-24T10:31:00.001-05:00

The Real is forever and unalterably the same, whether it be the unmanifest Void or the manifested world. It has never been born and consequently can never die. It cannot divide itself into different "realities" with different space-time levels or multiply itself beyond its own primal oneness. It cannot evolve or diminish, improve or deteriorate. Whereas everything else exists in dependence upon Mind and exists for a limited time, however prolonged, and therefore has only a relative existence, Mind is the absolute, the unique, the ultimate reality because with all its innumerable manifestations in the universe it has never at any moment ceased to be itself. Only its appearances suffer change because they are in time and space, never itself, which is out of time and space. The divisions of time into past present and future are meaningless here; we may speak only of its "everness." The truth about it is timeless, as no scientific truth could ever be, in the sense that whatever fate the universe undergoes its own ultimate significance remains unchanged. If the Absolute appears to us as the first in the time-series, as the First Cause of the Universe, this is only true from our limited standpoint. It is in fact only our human idea. The human mind can take into itself the truth of transcendental being only by taking out of itself the screens of time space and person. For being eternally self-existence, reality is utterly timeless. Space divisions are equally unmeaning in its "Be-ness." The Absolute is both everywhere and nowhere. It cannot be considered in spatial terms. Even the word "infinite" is really such a term. If it is used here because no other is available, let it be clearly understood, then, that it is used merely as a suggestive metaphor. If the infinite did not include the finite then it would be less than infinite. It is erroneous to make them both mutually exclusive. The finite alone must exclude the infinite from its experience but not vice versa. In the same way the infinite Duration does not exclude finite time.

— Notebooks Category 28: The Alone > Chapter 1: Absolute Mind > # 101
..... Paul Brunton

Concentrated...

2012-01-24T08:40:00.000-05:00

The eyes of a saint are always concentrated
on the supreme Self. The minute his is aware
of himself, sainthood is lost.

- Neem Karoli Baba

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Miracle of Love
by Ram Dass
E.P. Dutton, New York, 1979

James Allen Quotes - As A Man Thinketh

2012-01-24T08:25:00.000-05:00

Emily Dickinson...

2012-01-23T22:20:00.000-05:00

The sense of paradox so fundamental to Zen is also ever present in Dickinson. The similarities to Dickinson’s insights despite the fact that she had direct access to Eastern wisdom is testimony to the universality of the experience of self realisation. To the Indian Yogi self realisation is the gift of an inner energy known as Kundalini which manifests itself as a cool wind. During yogic states the heat of sympathetic nervous activity subsides and the parasympathetic nervous system comes into play relaxing and refreshing the body, with a breeze or fountain like energy, so that the attention can transcend physical needs and merge with the Atman or Self. According to Dickinson the moments of At–One–ment with Nature/Self happen “when the wind is within” (Thoreau wrote of ” ecstasies begotten of the breezes”) For the yogi or realised soul the sensation of this cool energy becomes his means of being sensitive to manifestations of Truth–Beauty–Love (Keats’ tripartite Unity). Dickinson stated that she had no other means to discriminate these qualities in art.

“If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire ever can warm me I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off I know that is poetry. These are the only ways I know of.”

and in one of her poems:

“Your breath has time to straighten,
Your brain to bubble cool
Deals one
imperial thunder bolt
that scalps your
naked soul”

........ from sol.com

The Seer...

2012-01-23T20:34:00.000-05:00

Do not get confused by abandoning the state of clarity, the swarupa perspective, and then pursue appearances, taking them to be real. That which appears will disappear, and hence it is not real, but the true nature of the one who sees never ceases to exist. Know that it alone is real.

Guru Vachaka Kovai
Muruganar
published by Avadhuta Foundation
P.O.Box 296
Boulder, Colorado

'As a man thinketh'...... by James Allen

2012-01-23T17:15:00.001-05:00

This little volume (the result of meditation and experience) is not intended as an exhaustive treatise on the much-written upon subject of the power of thought. It is suggestive rather than explanatory, its object being to stimulate men and women to the discovery and perception of the truth that -

"They themselves are makers of themselves"

by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness.

James Allen

Boredom...

2012-01-23T16:25:00.000-05:00

The pain of boredom is placed within the mind by Consciousness as a warning device (this is because we stay asleep and are only awakened by pain).. this warning device is to inform you that you are not using the mind.. most people stop this pain by keeping their minds centered upon work or sports.. but, the 'Wise' use this alarm annunciation as an impetus to drop back into the study of the origin of pain called ego.......... namaste, thomas

P D Ouspensky Quotes and Sayings...

2012-01-23T13:50:00.000-05:00

The first step in acquiring consciousness is the realization that we are not conscious.

When you become identified you cannot observe.

Another illusion is that we are awake. When we realize that we are asleep we will see that all history is made by people who are asleep. Sleeping people fight, make laws; sleeping people obey or disobey them. The worst of our illusions are the wrong ideas among which we live and which govern our lives. If we could change our attitude towards these wrong ideas and understand what they are, this in itself would be a great change and would immediately change other things.

We speak only about consciousness and mechanicalness. If a role is mechanical, we must observe it and not identify with it. The most difficult thing is to act yourself consciously.

The aim is to reach higher states of consciousness and to be able to work with higher centres.

These small things happen according to certain definite circumstances which control them. You think you control them, but in reality they happen. We cannot 'do' because we are asleep. How can sleeping people 'do'? It is necessary to be awake; when one is awake, one can 'do'.

Discipline is good if it is discipline. But if it is just an arbitrary invention, then it can give no result. The most important aspect of discipline is not expressing negative emotions and not indulging in negative emotions. Mechanical tasks cannot give any result, but if you catch yourself at a moment of negative emotion and stop it—this is discipline.

We begin with our plurality. When I first spoke of the many 'I's in us, I said that new 'I's jump up every moment, control things for a brief time and disappear, and many of them never meet. When you realize that you are not one, that you are many, that you may know something for certain in the morning and know nothing about it in the afternoon, then this realization is the beginning. I do not mean that if we realize this plurality we can change it and become different; but this realization is the first step.

Study of false personality is one of the quickest methods for self-remembering. The more you understand your false personality, the more you will remember yourself. What prevents self-remembering is, first of all, false personality. It cannot and does not wish to remember itself, and it does not wish to let any other personality remember. It tries in every possible way to stop self-remembering, takes some form of sleep and calls it self-remembering. Then it is quite happy. You must not trust your false personality—its ideas, its words, its actions. You cannot destroy it, but you can make it passive for some time and then, little by little, you can make it weaker.

If you want to remember yourself, the best thing is not to think about yourself. As long as you think about yourself, you will not remember yourself.

Catch a moment when you are particularly far from remembering yourself—at this moment you will remember yourself.

Identification is a very difficult thing to describe, because no definitions are possible. Such as we are we are never free from identifying. If we believe that we do not identify with something, we are identified with the idea that we are not identified.
.......... from spiritquotes.com

The world...

2012-01-23T08:53:00.001-05:00

The world as pure object is something that is not there. It is not a
reality outside us for which we exist....It is a living and self-creating
mystery of which I am myself a part, to which I am myself, my own
unique door.

~Thomas Merton

Quotes on Nonduality

2012-01-22T19:41:00.000-05:00

Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes...

2012-01-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.

When you understand the roots of anger in yourself and in the other, your mind will enjoy true peace, joy and lightness.

Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment.

Taking refuge in the Sangha is very important. Not a day goes by when I do not practice taking refuge several times.

Our true nature is the nature of no birth and no death. Only when we touch our true nature can we transcend the fear of non-being, the fear of annihilation.

Mindful breathing is the vehicle that you use to go back to your true home where you meet the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Mindful breathing brings you home--it generates the energy of mindfulness in you. Mindfulness is the substance of a Buddha.

The present moment
contains past and future.
The secret of transformation,
is in the way we handle this very moment.

Pay attention to all the leaves, the flowers, the birds and the dewdrops. If you can stop and look deeply, you will be able to recognize your beloved one manifesting again and again in different forms. You will again embrace the joy of life.

Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand-new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy, and happiness to ourselves and others.

Going vegetarian may be the most effective way to fight global warming. Buddhist practitioners have practiced vegeterianism over the last 2000 years. We are vegetarian with the intention to nourish our compassion towards the animals. Now we also know that we eat vegetarian in order to protect the earth.

This is what the Buddha taught. When conditions are sufficient things manifest. When conditions are no longer sufficient things withdraw. They wait until the moment is right for them to manifest again.

Our smile will bring happiness to us and to those around us. Even if we spend a lot of money on gifts for everyone in our family, nothing we buy could give them as much happiness as the gift of our awareness, our smile. And this precious gift costs nothing.

Meditation is to be still: to sit still, to stand still, and to walk with stillness. Meditation means to look deeply, to touch deeply so we can realize we are already home. Our home is available right here and now.

To me, breathing is a joy that I cannot miss. Every day, I practice conscious breathing, and in my small meditation room, I have calligraphed this sentence: "Breathe, you are alive!" Just breathing and smiling can make us very happy, because when we breathe consciously we recover ourselves completely and encounter life in the present moment.

I practice going home by walking, sitting, and doing things in mindfulness so I do not lose myself.

A Sangha is our refuge. Taking refuge in the Sangha is not a matter of faith, or belief; it is a matter of practice. Talk to your child, your companion, and your friends about the necessity of having a Sangha. If you have a Sangha, you are safe. You can nourish your home and protect yourself. You can enlarge your home all the time to include the clouds, the trees, and the walking meditation path. As you have learned, everything belongs to our home, everything belongs to our Sangha.

Live your daily life in a way that you never lose yourself. When you are carried away with your worries, fears, cravings, anger, and desire, you runaway from yourself and you lose yourself. The practice is always to go back to oneself. You have a wonderful vehicle. And you don't have to buy any gasoline. Mindful breathing and mindful walking are wonderful ways to go back to oneself.

Your home is the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, and they are all available in the present moment. You don't have to go to India to practice the Three Refuges. You can be right here to practice taking refuge. Your practice will determine if the feeling of being at home in yourself is deep or not.

............ from spiritquotes.com

The Upanishads'...

2012-01-21T12:45:00.001-05:00

It is indeed the mind that is the cause of men’s bondage and liberation. The mind that is attached to sense-objects leads to bondage, while dissociated from sense-objects it tends to lead to liberation. – Amrita-Bindu Upanishad

The Self that is subtler than the subtle and greater than the great is seated in the heart of every creature. One who is free from desire sees the glory of the Self through the tranquillity of the mind and senses and becomes absolved from grief. - Katha Upanishad

Dissolve the self in the supreme Self as the pot-space is dissolved in infinite space; then, as the Infinite be silent for ever, O sage! – Adhyatma Upanishad

Knowing that great and all-pervading Self by which one sees (the objects) both in the sleep and the waking states, the intelligent man grieves no more. - Katha Upanishad

Liberated from the grip of egoism, like the moon (after the eclipse), full, ever blissful, self-luminous, one attains one’s essence. – Adhyatma Upanishad

He who perceives all beings in the Self alone, and the Self in all beings, does not entertain any hatred on account of that perception. – Isavasya Upanishad

That which is consciousness alone which is all-pervading, which is eternal, which is all-full, which is of the form of bliss and which is indestructible, is the only true Brahman (infinite consciousness). – Varaha Upanishad

Whether the body perishes now or lasts the age of moon and stars, what matters it to me having Consciousness alone as my body ? What matters it to the sky in the pot, whether it (the pot) is destroyed now or exists for a long time. – Varaha Upanishad

Bondage is the imagination prompted by the desire for the eight powers. – Niralamba Upanishad

Man is bound by ‘mine’, but he is released by ‘not mine’. He should abandon all the thoughts relating to externals and so also with references to internals. O Ribhu, having given up all thoughts, you should rest content (in your soul) ever.” – Varaha Upanishad

Like the butter hidden in milk, the Pure Consciousness resides in every being. That ought to be constantly churned out by the churning rod of the mind. – Amrita-Bindu Upanishad

Being first in a state of changelessness and then thoroughly forgetting (even) that state owing to the cognition of the (true) nature of Brahman (infinite consciousness) – this is called Samadhi. – Tejo-Bindu Upanishad

In order to realize the Self, renounce everything. Having cast off all (objects), assimilate yourself to that which remains. - Annapurna Upanishad

When all longings that are in the heart vanish, then a mortal becomes immortal and attains Brahman (infinite consciousness) here. - Katha Upanishad

Those who are clever in arguments about Brahman, but are without the action pertaining to Brahman (infinite consciousness) and who are greatly attached to the world – those certainly are born again and again (in this world) through their Ajnana (ignorance). – Tejo-Bindu Upanishad

As rivers, flowing down, become indistinguishable on reaching the sea by giving up their names and forms, so also the illumined soul, having become freed from name and form, reaches the self-effulgent Supreme Self - Mundaka Upanishad

... from spiritquotes.com

It Points...

2012-01-21T10:54:00.001-05:00

"Zen teaches nothing; it merely enables us to wake up and become aware. It does
not teach, it points."

D. T. Suzuki
Moving Forward, Keeping Still:
The Gateway to Eastern Wisdom NY: MJF Books, 1997, p. 371

Compare with Meher Baba "I did not come to teach but to awaken."

OM...

2012-01-21T08:44:00.001-05:00

My body caught fire like an ember,
as I brought the syllable OM,
the one that says "You are That,"
into me. I moved through
the six chakra centers
that urge human beings to action
and out into the lightedness
where Lalla lives now.

- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992

Etta James - At Last

2012-01-20T19:48:00.000-05:00

The Tao...

2012-01-20T15:46:00.001-05:00

"The path [Tao] is clearly defined
and quite simple to follow;
Yet most lose themselves
in ideological fogs
of their own making.

Lao Tzu
in Brian Walker, Tr.
_Hua Hu Ching:
The Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu_, 63
HarperSanFrancisco, 1992, p. 80

The Journey...

2012-01-20T08:45:00.000-05:00

I WRITE OF THAT JOURNEY

I remember how my mother would hold me.
I would look up at her sometimes and see her weep.

I understand now what was happening.
Love so strong a force
it broke the cage,

and she disappeared from everything
for a blessed
moment.

All actions have evolved
from the taste of flight;
the hope of freedom
moves our cells
and limbs.

Unable to live on the earth, Mira ventured out alone in the sky,
I write of that journey
of becoming as
free as
God.

Don't forget love;
it will bring all the madness you need
to unfurl yourself across
the universe.

~ Mira ~

(Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West by Daniel Ladinsky)

The lotus...

2012-01-20T08:17:00.001-05:00

As the lotus does not touch the water, so
do not let the world enter your heart. Being
busy in the world is no trouble unless you
are troubled being busy. Then the only
trouble is the trouble.

- Papaji

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

"The Truth Is"
Sri H.W.L. Poonja
Yudhishtara, 1995

The game...

2012-01-19T21:59:00.001-05:00

I believe that God is both Knowable and reachable.. why else would there be so many Saints.. the ego tells you that you will never reach God or Know God, but this is what Spirituality is all about.. the reaching and the Knowing.. the funny part is that You do not have to reach, to Know.. all you have to do is give up the belief that You are separate from God.. to Know God is to Know Yourself... God is not a Being that is separate.. God is Consciousness as are You.. You and God are One and the Same.. Difficult to believe and difficult to attain because of the power of our belief in a separate ego that We have created to fool Ourselves.. We are playing 'hide and seek'... the illusion is the game............... namaste, thomas

Non-Duality Quotes...

2012-01-19T17:47:00.000-05:00

•RUPERT SPIRA — “There is no relationship between that which is not and that which is. The activity of resisting and seeking that is sometimes called the ‘ego’ appears to veil the non-dual nature but in fact does not. Therefore, the ego is only real from the point of view of the imaginary ego”

•SCOTT KILOBY — “You can never find the actual object “self” or “ego.” You only find the movement that seems to refer to an ego.”

•NIRMALA — “Words do not contain the truth, they only point us to it.”

•GARY CROWLEY — “Do notice that everything has changed and nothing has changed, since it’s what you have always already been.”

•RANDALL FRIEND — “Appearance is essence, essence is appearance. Not-two.”

•GREG GOODE — “Form and emptiness are inseparable. You never have one without the other.”
-

Concentrate...

2012-01-19T14:03:00.001-05:00

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Buddha

Earnestness...

2012-01-19T09:29:00.001-05:00

"How do you go about finding anything?
By keeping your mind and heart on it.
Interest there must be and steady remembrance.
To remember what needs to be remembered
is the secret of success.
You come to it through earnestness"

~Nisargadatta Maharaj
'I AM THAT'

You hid from me...

2012-01-18T15:15:00.000-05:00

Playfully, you hid from me.
All day I looked.

Then I discovered
I was you,

and the celebration
of That began.

- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992

David Icke - We think we are Humans.

2012-01-18T10:46:00.000-05:00

The Self...

2012-01-18T08:52:00.001-05:00

AVASTATRAYA

In sleep, in trance, in absent-mindedness there is no differentiation. Is that which then was absent now? The difference is due to mind. The mind is sometimes present and at other times absent; there is no change in the Reality. The same person who was in sleep is now too, in waking. The Self is the same all through.

Limitation is only in the mind. The same Self is here and now, in the wakeful state, as in deep sleep when no limitation is felt. There was no mind in sleep whereas it is now active. The Self exists in the absence of mind also.

Q. Why is there no meditation during dream? Is it possible?

A. Ask it in dream. You are told to meditate now and ask who you are. Instead of doing it you ask such question. Dream and sleep are for the same person as waking. You are the witness of both—they pass before you. Because you are out of meditation now, such questions arise.

What happens to the consciousness of a Realised one in sleep? Such a question arises only in the minds of unrealised beholders. He has but One state, which is unbroken throughout the 24 hours, whether in what you call sleeping or waking. As a matter of fact the majority of people are all asleep, because they are not awake to the Self.

In the deep sleep state we lay down our ego (Ahankara), our thoughts and our desires. If we could only do all this while we are conscious, we would realise the Self.

The best form of Dhyana or Meditation is when it continues not merely in waking but extends to dream and deep sleep states. The meditation must be so intense as not even to give room for the consciousness of the idea "I am meditating." As waking and dreaming are fully occupied by the Dhyana of such a person deep sleep may be considered to be part of the Dhyana.

Sanyasa is the giving up of the ego; even though a person may be living as a householder in the family circle, the various occurrences of the world will not affect him if his ego is surrendered. Thus dream experiences do not really affect us. The dreamer as he quietly lies in his bed, dreams he is in water, but his bed is not really wet. On the other hand, a person though remaining in a Sanyasa ashrama who has still attachment to the body, is a karmi, (man of action, not renunciation).

Conscious Immortality
Conversations with Ramana Maharshi
edited by Paul Brunton

Go not elsewhere...

2012-01-17T21:42:00.001-05:00

To what shore would you cross, O my
heart? there is no traveller before
you, there is no road:
Where is the movement, where is the
rest, on that shore?
There is no water; no boat, no boatman,
is there;
There is not so much as a rope to tow
the boat, nor a man to draw it.
No earth, no sky, no time, no thing, is
there: no shore, no ford!
There, there is neither body nor mind:
and where is the place that shall
still the thirst of the soul? You shall
find naught in that emptiness.
Be strong, and enter into your own body:
for there your foothold is firm. Consider
it well, O my heart! go not elsewhere.
Kabir says: "Put all imaginations away, and
stand fast in that which you are."

- Kabir

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"Songs of Kabir"
Translated by Rabindranath Tagore
Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1977

Centered Awareness...

2012-01-17T19:28:00.001-05:00

While the mind is centered in the body and
consciousness is centered in the mind,
awareness is unattached and unshaken. It
is lucid, silent, peaceful, alert and unafraid,
without desire and fear. Meditate on it as
your true being and try to be it in your daily
life, and you shall realize it in its fullness.

Mind is interested in what happens, while
awareness is interested in the mind itself.
The child is after the toy, but the mother
watches the child, not the toy.

- Nisargadatta Maharaj

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973

The gospel of mary magdalene...

2012-01-17T13:40:00.000-05:00

The Gospel According to Mary Magdalene
[The Gospel of Mary]
Chapter 4
(Pages 1 to 6 of the manuscript, containing chapters 1 - 3, are lost. The extant text starts on page 7...)

. . . Will matter then be destroyed or not?

22) The Savior said, All nature, all formations, all creatures exist in and with one another, and they will be resolved again into their own roots.

23) For the nature of matter is resolved into the roots of its own nature alone.

24) He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

25) Peter said to him, Since you have explained everything to us, tell us this also: What is the sin of the world?

26) The Savior said There is no sin, but it is you who make sin when you do the things that are like the nature of adultery, which is called sin.

27) That is why the Good came into your midst, to the essence of every nature in order to restore it to its root.

28) Then He continued and said, That is why you become sick and die, for you are deprived of the one who can heal you.

29) He who has a mind to understand, let him understand.

30) Matter gave birth to a passion that has no equal, which proceeded from something contrary to nature. Then there arises a disturbance in its whole body.

31) That is why I said to you, Be of good courage, and if you are discouraged be encouraged in the presence of the different forms of nature.

32) He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

33) When the Blessed One had said this, He greeted them all,saying, Peace be with you. Receive my peace unto yourselves.

34) Beware that no one lead you astray saying Lo here or lo there! For the Son of Man is within you.

35) Follow after Him!

36) Those who seek Him will find Him.

37) Go then and preach the gospel of the Kingdom.

38) Do not lay down any rules beyond what I appointed you, and do not give a law like the lawgiver lest you be constrained by it.

39) When He said this He departed.

Chapter 5
1) But they were grieved. They wept greatly, saying, How shall we go to the Gentiles and preach the gospel of the Kingdom of the Son of Man? If they did not spare Him, how will they spare us?

2) Then Mary stood up, greeted them all, and said to her brethren, Do not weep and do not grieve nor be irresolute, for His grace will be entirely with you and will protect you.

3) But rather, let us praise His greatness, for He has prepared us and made us into Men.

4) When Mary said this, she turned their hearts to the Good, and they began to discuss the words of the Savior.

5) Peter said to Mary, Sister we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of woman.

6) Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them.

7) Mary answered and said, What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you.

8) And she began to speak to them these words: I, she said, I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to Him, Lord I saw you today in a vision. He answered and said to me,

9) Blessed are you that you did not waver at the sight of Me. For where the mind is there is the treasure.

10) I said to Him, Lord, how does he who sees the vision see it, through the soul or through the spirit?

11) The Savior answered and said, He does not see through the soul nor through the spirit, but the mind that is between the two that is what sees the vision and it is [...]

(pages 11 - 14 are missing from the manuscript)

Chapter 8:
. . . it.

10) And desire said, I did not see you descending, but now I see you ascending. Why do you lie since you belong to me?

11) The soul answered and said, I saw you. You did not see me nor recognize me. I served you as a garment and you did not know me.

12) When it said this, it (the soul) went away rejoicing greatly.

13) Again it came to the third power, which is called ignorance.

14) The power questioned the soul, saying, Where are you going? In wickedness are you bound. But you are bound; do not judge!

15) And the soul said, Why do you judge me, although I have not judged?

16) I was bound, though I have not bound.

17) I was not recognized. But I have recognized that the All is being dissolved, both the earthly things and the heavenly.

18) When the soul had overcome the third power, it went upwards and saw the fourth power, which took seven forms.

19) The first form is darkness, the second desire, the third ignorance, the fourth is the excitement of death, the fifth is the kingdom of the flesh, the sixth is the foolish wisdom of flesh, the seventh is the wrathful wisdom. These are the seven powers of wrath.

20) They asked the soul, Whence do you come slayer of men, or where are you going, conqueror of space?

21) The soul answered and said, What binds me has been slain, and what turns me about has been overcome,

22) and my desire has been ended, and ignorance has died.

23) In a aeon I was released from a world, and in a Type from a type, and from the fetter of oblivion which is transient.

24) From this time on will I attain to the rest of the time, of the season, of the aeon, in silence.

Chapter 9
1) When Mary had said this, she fell silent, since it was to this point that the Savior had spoken with her.

2) But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, Say what you wish to say about what she has said. I at least do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are strange ideas.

3) Peter answered and spoke concerning these same things.

4) He questioned them about the Savior: Did He really speak privately with a woman and not openly to us? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did He prefer her to us?

5) Then Mary wept and said to Peter, My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I have thought this up myself in my heart, or that I am lying about the Savior?

6) Levi answered and said to Peter, Peter you have always been hot tempered.

7) Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries.

8) But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well.

9) That is why He loved her more than us. Rather let us be ashamed and put on the perfect Man, and separate as He commanded us and preach the gospel, not laying down any other rule or other law beyond what the Savior said.

10) And when they heard this they began to go forth to proclaim and to preach.

The Gospel According to Mary

The Hologram...

2012-01-17T07:51:00.001-05:00

Most humans only know and teach about the Consciousness that We are.. The We that We call Divine Consciousness (God).. For most souls this is enough to Realise in this life and will afford them the Heaven that they seek.. but, for those few that seek Complete Knowledge, They surrender everything including this Heaven,and Divine Self and return to the Nothingness that is called Pure Awareness.. This No-thing-ness gave birth to 'Thought'... 'Thought' is what we call Divine Consciousness and is the experiencer and Creator of that which we call Life and materiality...The physical self is a holographic illusion projected from this Divine Consciousness and can be changed according to our belief..this changing is called a miracle because we are unaware that We have the ability to control the hologram because We Believe that We are the hologram.............. namaste, thomas

Bhagavad Gita...

2012-01-16T21:13:00.002-05:00

Chapter 9. The Most Confidential Knowledge

Chapter 9, Verse 1.
The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most secret wisdom, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence.

Chapter 9, Verse 2.
This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.

Chapter 9, Verse 3.
Those who are not faithful on the path of devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of foes, but return to birth and death in this material world.

Chapter 9, Verse 4.
By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.

Chapter 9, Verse 5.
And yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic opulence! Although I am the maintainer of all living entities, and although I am everywhere, still My Self is the very source of creation.

Chapter 9, Verse 6.
As the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, always rests in ethereal space, know that in the same manner all beings rest in Me.

A Bible...

2012-01-16T14:55:00.001-05:00

“Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dream and Mental Illusion...

2012-01-16T14:14:00.000-05:00

Q. I do not understand your reference to dream and mental illusion.

A. Our experience of the world is evoked and dissolved by the mind. When you travel from India to London does your body really move? No! It is the conveyance which moves and your body remains inside-it without itself travelling. It is the ship and the train which travels. Just as these movements are superimposed upon your body, so are visions, dream-states and even re-incarnations superimposed upon your real Self. The latter does not move and is not affected by all these outward changes, remaining still in its own place even as the body remains still in the ship's cabin. You are always the same and hence beyond time and beyond space. In deep sleep you have no sense of time. The concept of time and space arises only when there is the limitation of 'I'. Even now the 'I' thought is both limitless and limited. So long as you think it to be the body, it is limited. At the time of waking up and before one actually becomes fully aware of the external world, that interval, timeless, spaceless, is the state of the true I.

Conscious Immortality
Conversations with Ramana Maharshi
edited by Paul Brunton

Gospel of Thomas...

2012-01-15T21:07:00.001-05:00

The "Scholars' Translation" of the Gospel of Thomas

by Stephen Patterson and Marvin Meyer
These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas recorded.

1 And he said, "Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death."

2 Jesus said, "Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all. [And after they have reigned they will rest.]"

3 Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is within you and it is outside you.

When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."

4 Jesus said, "The person old in days won't hesitate to ask a little child seven days old about the place of life, and that person will live.

For many of the first will be last, and will become a single one."

5 Jesus said, "Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you.

For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. [And there is nothing buried that will not be raised."]

6 His disciples asked him and said to him, "Do you want us to fast? How should we pray? Should we give to charity? What diet should we observe?"

Jesus said, "Don't lie, and don't do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before heaven. After all, there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered up that will remain undisclosed."

7 Jesus said, "Lucky is the lion that the human will eat, so that the lion becomes human. And foul is the human that the lion will eat, and the lion still will become human."

8 And he said, The person is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of little fish. Among them the wise fisherman discovered a fine large fish. He threw all the little fish back into the sea, and easily chose the large fish. Anyone here with two good ears had better listen!

9 Jesus said, Look, the sower went out, took a handful (of seeds), and scattered (them). Some fell on the road, and the birds came and gathered them. Others fell on rock, and they didn't take root in the soil and didn't produce heads of grain. Others fell on thorns, and they choked the seeds and worms ate them. And others fell on good soil, and it produced a good crop: it yielded sixty per measure and one hundred twenty per measure.

10 Jesus said, "I have cast fire upon the world, and look, I'm guarding it until it blazes."

11 Jesus said, "This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away.

The dead are not alive, and the living will not die. During the days when you ate what is dead, you made it come alive. When you are in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?"

12 The disciples said to Jesus, "We know that you are going to leave us. Who will be our leader?"

Jesus said to them, "No matter where you are you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being."

13 Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to something and tell me what I am like."

Simon Peter said to him, "You are like a just messenger."

Matthew said to him, "You are like a wise philosopher."

Thomas said to him, "Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say what you are like."

Jesus said, "I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring that I have tended."

And he took him, and withdrew, and spoke three sayings to him. When Thomas came back to his friends they asked him, "What did Jesus say to you?"

Thomas said to them, "If I tell you one of the sayings he spoke to me, you will pick up rocks and stone me, and fire will come from the rocks and devour you."

14 Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves, and if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits.

When you go into any region and walk about in the countryside, when people take you in, eat what they serve you and heal the sick among them.

After all, what goes into your mouth will not defile you; rather, it's what comes out of your mouth that will defile you."

15 Jesus said, "When you see one who was not born of woman, fall on your faces and worship. That one is your Father."

16 Jesus said, "Perhaps people think that I have come to casy peace upon the world. They do not know that I have come to cast conflicts upon the earth: fire, sword, war.

For there will be five in a house: there'll be three against two and two against three, father against son and son against father, and they will stand alone.

17 Jesus said, "I will give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no hand has touched, what has not arisen in the human heart."

18 The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us, how will our end come?"

Jesus said, "Have you found the beginning, then, that you are looking for the end? You see, the end will be where the beginning is.

Congratulations to the one who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste death."

Love is Pure Awareness...

2012-01-15T13:24:00.000-05:00

The Divine Consciousness that I have been within is a place of complete Love and Light, but, I am the experiencer of this Love and Light.. When, there is no longer an 'I', then there is no more experiencer, only Love.. this is what You are..Love is the Power that shouted "Let there be Light"........namaste, thomas

An ordinary person...

2012-01-15T09:29:00.000-05:00

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj...

“I am stabilized. There is no going into samadhi, or coming down from samadhi. That is over.”

“From the Absolute no-knowing state, spontaneously, this consciousness ‘I am’ has appeared—there is no reason, no cause.”

“That mind-language will talk only about the impressions it has collected. The knowledge ‘I Am’ is not a thought but observes the thoughts.”

“When you are thoroughly knowledgeable, you will come to the conclusion that this beingness is also an illusion.”

“The nearer you get to the truth, the more you lose interest in worldly affairs. Such a one will not have any interest in the world, but will act like an ordinary person.”

self- sacrificing...

2012-01-14T19:59:00.003-05:00

This term has been with us for as long as we can remember and yet we were blind to the deeper meaning.. this self that is sacrificed is the egoic consciousness.. why does this bring the emotion of Love and tears when we witness it.. because, it is the Presence of God in our midst.. the absence of self.. the presence of selflessness.. This is Divine Consciousness.. This is Who We Are.. but, the blinding of ego keeps us asleep.. This is why the elimination of ego consciousness is found in all the major religions and philosophies and is known as Mysticism.. although, it is well hidden under the banner of Unselfish Love and Saintly quotes.. The job that we have voluntered to accomplish upon entering this life form was to Realise this Reality of non-self that we call God and is actually Us,... hiding in illusion............ namaste, thomas

Manifestation of Desires...

2012-01-14T19:24:00.000-05:00

I have always received my desires merely by keeping a vision of the desire within my thoughts.. I did not have to constantly keep the vision but daily concentration upon the desire worked most accurately.. I did not learn this technique from anyone or any book.. I did not even believe that thinking about a desire would manifest the desire.. but, I did notice that these desires would come to fruition.. the secret is to keep these thoughts as a vision within the mind.. It will happen even faster if you believe that it will happen.. If you completely, without doubt, believe in it's manifestation..It will happen immediately.. This is how Jesus was able to turn water into wine........... namaste, thomas

Angels...

2012-01-14T15:13:00.001-05:00

Angels are just 'thought forms'.. they are not Us.. just as the 'ego' is a
'thought form'.. created by thought and dissolved by non-thought.. why care
about that which does not exist.. Only Consciousness exists.. You are
Consciousness........... namaste, thomas

Body and Mind...

2012-01-14T09:59:00.001-05:00

If your body has disappeared, how can any person remain? And if no person remains, how can a mind remain?
In order to know (the great) Reality, you must be sane. In order to be sane, you must be out of your mind.
For their suffering to end, persons must understand the functioning of the totality; must see that all suffering is rooted in the assumption of ego-states as false identities; must realize that they have no “mind” but instead are being driven by the “minds” of others (which they now think is their own "mind"); must be aware of the fact that a “mind” is nothing more than the storehouse of all the lies and beliefs and ideas and concepts that must be cast aside in order to end human suffering; and must see not only the limitations of doingness but the timelessness and limitless nature of beingness ... and non-beingness as well.
In this relative existence, nothing is going on but a breeziness of play, but persons are caught up in a tornado of work, in a storm of seriousness, and in a tempest of drama.
So-called “life” in this sphere of consciousness is just a process of functioning, and while the “mind” of a person will dream up notions about separation or differentiation, none exists. The process just keeps on happening.
A belief or a concept, a religion or a philosophy, a state or a nation, a hero or a villain ... all are just part of the process of functioning. All those are just dreamed up names, and all such dreamed up labels (dreamed up by that accumulation of corruptions called "the mind") generate a false sense of reality.
The "journey" aims to put you fully in touch with reality. To be out of touch with reality is to be insane.
This "journey" is about getting in touch with reality in order to be free of the bondage of the illusions and falsehoods of a "mind" exposed to years of enculturation.
Among religions and philosophies, there is no other means that can produce the necessary brain-flush save completion of the entire Advaita “journey” which invites the dissolution of all of the contamination that is “the mind.”
Ultimately, Advaita Vedanta is the Teaching that has the "goal" of becoming the non-teaching by way of un-teaching.
You should see by now that there is no such thing as “your mind.” You were born with a brain and like all life-forms on the planet, it’s all you needed for the body / elements to function. To your detriment, your culture decided otherwise.
"They" decided you needed their “knowledge,” which is really nothing other than their learned ignorance (including "their" ideas and beliefs that were rooted in superstitious and mythical explanations for what they could not explain factually or scientifically). In pumping those lies into you, they created a “mind”—a repository of ideas and beliefs and non-truths. It contains what was put into their "minds" - which they never questioned even once - and then passed along faithfully and dutifully and, unfortunately, to you. Nothing in it came from you or from You.
"They" dreamed it all up, "they" forced you to accept their concepts as a child, you have internalized their beliefs into a “mind,” and you now allow their fiction to define your beliefs, your values and your “mind.”
............ Floyd Henderson

Slaying the ego... ( this is )...

2012-01-13T21:39:00.001-05:00

this description is 'hard core'..
this is the 'short path'..
this is the 'final decision' of ego..
this is the suicide of illusion..

this is the desire for Love..
this is the desire for Peace..
this is the desire for Freedom..
this is the desire for the end of desire..
this is the last desire..

this is 'Waking up'..
this is 'Realization'..
this is Knowledge..
this is Reality..
this is 'You'..

this is leaving the dream..
this is the path..
this is the end of 'you'..
this is the recognition of forever..

.. namaste, thomas

Satguru Enters Your Absence

2012-01-13T15:13:00.000-05:00

Nowhere...

2012-01-13T13:15:00.001-05:00

Nothingness underlies what exist and does not exist.
Being and non-being fades into the mist.

Not even ONE can with Nothingness run.

Even space fades into the haze,
Within Nothingness, nothing has a base.

No words can ever completely share,
The path from Nowhere to Nowhere.

.... from beyondpoetry.com

The Unmanifest...

2012-01-13T12:47:00.001-05:00

"But behind the manifest and the unmanifest,
there is another Existence which is eternal and changeless.
This is not dissolved in the general cosmic dissolution.
It has been called the unmanifest, the imperishable.
To reach It is said to be the greatest of all achievements.
It is my highest state of being.
Those who reach It are not reborn.

That highest state of being can only be achieved
through devotion to Him in whom all creatures exist,
and by whom this universe is pervaded."

--Bhagavad Gita-- from Chapter 8

Brother Lawrence...

2012-01-12T12:07:00.000-05:00

That inspired and excellent little book, Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God, is an example of Short Path teaching. The contemporary biographer of Lawrence writes: "He could never regulate his devotion by certain methods as some do. . . . At first, he had meditated for some time, but afterwards that went off." "All bodily mortifications and other exercises are useless," he thought, "but as they serve to arrive at the union with God by love." Now it is all very well for Brother Lawrence to decry techniques and to tell aspirants that his prayer or method was simply a sense of the presence of God. He himself needed nothing more than to attend to what was already present to, and existing in, him. But how many average aspirants are so fortunate, how many possess such a ready-made sense or feeling? Is it not the general experience that this is a result of long previous toil and sacrifice, an effect and not itself a cause?

— Notebooks Category 23: Advanced Contemplation > Chapter 2: Pitfalls and Limitations > # 68... Paul Brunton

Speech has no letters...

2012-01-12T11:00:00.001-05:00

O God, reveal to the soul that place where
speech has no letters, so that the pure soul
might go headlong towards the expanse of
nonexistence out of which we are fed.

- Rumi

The First Cause...

2012-01-11T22:25:00.000-05:00

Many souls believe as you..
but the idea of soul is a division..
you wish to live forever..
In happiness and Light..
and you will achieve this Desire..
but, you will find that it is just another desire of separation..

this state of Being is Heaven..
but, Heaven is both a place of Unity and Separation..
you still exist as an identity that you call God..
who created this God of Creative Thought?
this God that creates illusions..

Who is the First Cause?..
The Source that does not Know its' own name..
Who Created the Creator?..
The One that first Thought of looking at Itself..

Nothingness Created Thought that created the Thought Manifester..
you will not believe that this exists or that this is You..
as only that which has no You is present..

Namaste, thomas

'It is Thee'...

2012-01-11T21:01:00.000-05:00

"One went to the door of the Beloved and
knocked. A voice asked, 'Who is there?'
He answered, 'It is I.'
The voice said, 'There is no room for Me and Thee.'
The door was shut.

After a year of solitude and deprivation he returned and knocked.
A voice from within asked, 'Who is there?'
The man said, 'It is Thee.'
The door was opened for him."

-- Jelaluddin Rumi

Knowing the Self...

2012-01-11T14:15:00.001-05:00

Q. How to know the Self?

A. See what the Self is. What you consider as the Self is really either the mind, intellect, or the 'I' thought. So hold on to it. The others will vanish, leaving the Self.

Are there two "I"'s? How do you know your existence? Do you see yourself with these eyes? Question yourself. How does this question arise? Do I remain to ask it or not? Can I find myself as in a mirror? Because your outlook has been outward bent, it has lost sight of the Self and your vision is external. The Self is not found in the external objects. Turn your look within and plunge down. You will be the Self.

Q. What is to be done to kill the ego?

A. See for whom the doubts are. Who is the doubter? Who is the thinker? That is the ego, hold it. The other thoughts will die away. The ego is pure. See wherefrom the ego arises. That is pure consciousness.

Q. I begin to ask myself "Who am I," eliminate the body as not 'I', the prana as not 'I', the mind as not 'I' and I am not able to proceed further.

A. Well, that is so far as the intellect goes. Your process is only intellectual. Indeed all the scriptures mention the process only to guide the seeker to know the Truth. The truth cannot be directly pointed out. Hence this intellectual process. You see, the one who eliminates all the "not-I" cannot eliminate the 'I'. To say "I am not this," or "I am that" there must be the 'I'. This 'I' is only the ego or the 'I-thought'. After the rising up of this 'I-thought' all other thoughts arise. The 'I-thought' is therefore the root-thought. If the root is eliminated all others are uprooted. Therefore seek the root 'I', question yourself "who am I"?; find out its source. Then all these will vanish and the pure Self will remain over. The 'I' is always there—in Sushupti, in dream and in wakefulness. The one in sleep is the same as the one who now speaks. There is always the feeling of 'I'; otherwise, do you deny your existence? You do not say "I am"; find out who is.

The reality of yourself cannot be questioned. The Self is the primal reality. The ordinary man takes as reality unconsciously his true inner reality plus all things which have come into his consciousness as pertaining to himself, body, etc. He has to unlearn.

Conscious Immortality
Conversations with Ramana Maharshi
by Paul Brunton

Sufi Wisdom...

2012-01-11T09:24:00.000-05:00

Asking good questions is half of learning.
Muhammad (Essential Sufism)

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A donkey with a load of holy books is still a donkey.
Traditional (Essential Sufism)

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Whatever you have in your mind - forget it;
Whatever you have in your hand - give it;
Whatever is to be your fate - face it!
Abu Sa'id (Essential Sufism)

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For every sin but the killing of Time there is forgiveness.
Traditional (Essential Sufism)

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If someone remarks: "What an excellent man you are!" and this pleases you more than his saying, "What a bad man you are!" know that you are still a bad man.
Sufyan al Thawri (Essential Sufism)
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A seeker went to ask a sage for guidance on the Sufi way.
The sage counseled,
"if you have never trodden the path of love, go away and fall in love;
then come back and see us." Jami (Essential Sufism)
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The poet Hafiz wrote"The sun never says to the earth,
'You owe me.'

Look what happens with a love like that.
It lights up the whole sky."
"I searched for God and found only myself. I searched for myself and found only God".
Sufi Proverb
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IF words come out of the heart, they will enter the heart, but if they come from the tongue, they will not pass beyond the ears.
Al-Suhrawardi (Essential Sufism)
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Pray for what you want, but work for the things you need.
Modern Traditional (Essential Sufism)
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The Thing we tell of can never be found by seeking, yet only seekers find it.
Bayazid Bistami (Essential Sufism, p. 37)
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Happy are those who find fault with themselves instead of finding fault with others.

Happiness...

2012-01-11T06:44:00.001-05:00

Being empty of desire is happiness.
Return to your own Source and you are
happy. This is the trick of happiness.

- Papaji

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

"The Truth Is"
Sri H.W.L. Poonja
Yudhishtara, 1995

Mooji - You Are The Awareness (7)

2012-01-10T15:29:00.000-05:00

The Watchers...

2012-01-10T14:48:00.001-05:00

The apocalypse and resurrection are just fears and hopes of the future meant to keep you from living mentally in the Present.. just more tricks of the ego to keep you the slave of separation called ego.. We are far beyond fears and hopes.. We are the Watchers of those that fear and hope.. Just keep your mind on this present moment, do not think of the past or future, and you will break free of the illusion of fear and hope.. We are Consciousness, not a body or mind.. do not let the ego rule the mind, it will be a life of constant pain, to be relived again and again in what is called reincarnation but is really just another story that We are Watching.. Why do you think that we are fascinated by stories in films, books, and theatre ?.. We are the Watchers called Divine Consciousness and when We finally Realise this, We can move on to the Final Reality of Pure Awareness............... namaste, thomas

The false self...

2012-01-10T13:23:00.001-05:00

If you contemplate the meaning of Love, you will come to the conclusion that Love is only felt when there is no thought of 'you" but only of the other..this is the mental state that we call non-ego because the ego is not within thought during the feeling of Love.. this is also called the state of humility.. this is the teaching of all of the great spiritual masters including Jesus.. this is why ego must be abandoned to enter Love.... this ego is called false self as it is just a culmination of memories and thoughts.. the True Self is You and is composed of Consciousness that some call Spirit.. But, the only way to verify if these spiritual masters are correct or not is to dissolve the false self (ego) and see for your self.. until, you are ready to do this work, you will remain in ignorance, pain, and little Love.............. namaste, thomas

Crucifixion of self...

2012-01-10T08:26:00.001-05:00

There are two crucifixions spoken of in the Bible. First is the crucifixion of Christ at Calvary that every man is familiar with. The second is a crucifixion that pertains to self or what the Bible calls the "Old Man". The crucifixion of the Old Man is a part of the Spirit's sanctification that gets the believer away from the I, me, and mine, part of life, to a better life that comes through the fullness of the Indwelling Spirit. The Old Man is a great hindrance to a life in the Spirit. Both the Holy Spirit and the Word of God agree on the fact that a believer can, crucify the lusts flesh. Notice how the Apostle Paul said, "I am crucified".

Gal 2:20-21...I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God

Gal 5:24-25...And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Crucifixion of the old man is an actual Christian experience of putting away selfish lusts in effort to obtain a totally surrendered life to Christ. This is perhaps one of the greatest blessings a Christian can receive in this life pertaining to the fullness of Salvation. Crucifixion leads to a life of full contentment in the Spirit without the conflict of the flesh. Unfortunately the crucifixion of self is often hindered, dodged, or misunderstood throughout many believers' courses of life. One reason for this is because it's not taught or encouraged from behind the pulpits today. By not being taught, it allows very few to hear of, or realize the great worth of death to the old man. This has caused many to miss the fullness of the Spirit's work in the life of a believer. Crucifixion of the flesh gets the believer away from the self controlled life, to a completed life in Christ controlled by the Spirit of God.

Gal 5:16-17...This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Lack of knowledge or wrong indoctrination concerning the crucifixion of self can sway a believer's life in the Spirit. Selfish inclinations like doubt and rejection of truth can also sway him. A child of God must understand, "its Calvary and the Holy Spirit's witness that draws all believers to the crucifixion of the old man". Crucifixion of the old man is a Gods way of purging the believer from worldly lusts, or earthly things which are not sin that attach to selfish side of man. Unfortunately some believers never experience this part of the Christian walk until their final hours. However, when the flesh is mortified the fullness of the Holy Spirit comes in and takes full possession of a part of man that self once governed. A crucified man is "dead" to the old man.

Col 3:1-5...If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;

Crucifixion of the flesh is a believer's path to receive the fullness of the Indwelling Spirit. A believer must realize that all of self must be emptied out before the Holy Spirit can fill him. After a believer dies to the old man, sanctification through the Indwelling Spirit thus destroys the inherited body of sin not dealt with at the new birth. This inherited nature is the selfish side of man that a believer is unable to get rid of through forgiveness from God or confession of sin. When the believer realizes that a conflicting helplessness exists and surrenders it totally to Christ, the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost destroys and purifies that soul from a fallen condition.

Rom 6:6...Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Crucifixion of the flesh does not take place at the new birth as many think. Crucifixion takes place after a believer experiences Salvation of the soul, where the Holy Spirit changes a man's desires, affections, interests, motives, habits, etc. These functions within the make-up of man are swayed by the power of the Holy Spirit's witness and lead him to the crucifixion of self. Remember after the new birth, self's natural inclination begins to conflict with the Holy Spirit's witness! Crucifixion or death to the old man gets the believer away from this inner struggle however; human struggle is not limited to an inner struggle only.

......... from christianblog.com

Jesus Teaching in the Temple

2012-01-10T07:55:00.000-05:00

A dark wine...

2012-01-09T20:56:00.000-05:00

God has given us a dark wine so potent that,
drinking it, we leave the two worlds.

God has put into the form of hashish a power
to deliver the taster from self-consciousness.

God has made sleep so
that it erases every thought.

God made Majnun love Layla so much that
just her dog would cause confusion in him.

There are thousands of wines
that can take over our minds.

Don't think all ecstacies
are the same!

Jesus was lost in his love for God.
His donkey was drunk with barley.

Drink from the presence of saints,
not from those other jars.

Every object, every being,
is a jar full of delight.

Be a conoisseur,
and taste with caution.

Any wine will get you high.
Judge like a king, and choose the purest,

the ones unadulterated with fear,
or some urgency about "what's needed."

Drink the wine that moves you
as a camel moves when it's been untied,

and is just ambling about.

Mathnawi IV, 2683-96
The Essential Rumi, Coleman Barks

Questions and Answers...

2012-01-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

Q. Wherefrom does the ego rise?

A. Soul, mind, ego are mere words. There are no true entities of the kind. Consciousness is the only truth.

Forgetfulness of your real nature is the real death; remembrance of it is the true birth. It puts an end to successive births. Yours is then eternal life: How does the desire for eternal life arise? Because the present state is unbearable. Why? Because, it is not your true nature. Had it been your real nature, there would be no desire to agitate you. How does the present state differ from your real nature? You are spirit in truth.

Man considers himself limited; there arises the trouble. The idea is wrong. In sleep there was no world, no ego and no trouble. Something wakes up from that happy state and says 'I'. To that ego the world appears. It is the rise of the ego that is the cause of the trouble. Let him trace the ego to its source and he will reach that undifferentiated happy source, a state which is sleepless sleep. The Self is ever there; wisdom only appears to dawn, though it is natural.

Q. Are ego and the Self the same?

A. Self can be without the ego, but the ego cannot be without the Self. Egos are like bubbles in the ocean.

Impurities and worldly attachments affect only the ego; the Self remains pure and unaffected.

All these are only mental concepts. You are now identifying yourself with a wrong which is the 'I' thought. This I-thought rises and sinks whereas the true significance of cannot do so. There cannot be a break in your being.

The father of your personal 'I' is the real I-God. Try to find out the source of the individual I and then you will reach the other 'I'.

When the individual goes, the desires also go.

Conscious Immortality
Conversations with Ramana Maharshi
by Paul Brunton

Crucifixion...

2012-01-09T13:41:00.001-05:00

The real meaning of crucifixion is to crucify the false self, that the true self
may rise. As long as the false self is not crucified, the true self is not
realized.

Bowl of Saki, January 9, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Those who rejoice in the joy of another, though at their own expense, have
taken the first step towards true life. If we are pleased by giving another a
good coat, which we would have liked to wear ourselves, if we enjoy that, we are
on the first step. If we enjoy a beautiful thing so much that we would like to
have it, and then give that joy to another, enjoying it through his experience,
we are dead. That is our death. Yet, we live more than he. Our life is much
vaster, deeper, greater.

Seemingly it is a renunciation, an annihilation, but in truth it is a mastery.
The real meaning of crucifixion is to crucify this false self, and so resurrect
the true self. As long as the false self is not crucified, the true self is
still not realized. By Sufis it is called Fana, annihilation.

There is a poem by the great Persian poet Iraqi in which he tells, 'When I went
to the gate of the divine Beloved and knocked at the door, a voice came and said
- Who art thou?' When he had told, 'I am so and so', the answer came, 'There is
no place for anyone else in this abode. Go back to whence thou hast come'. He
turned back and then, after a long time, after having gone through the process
of the cross and of crucifixion, he again went there - with the spirit of
selflessness. He knocked at the door; the word came, 'Who art thou?', and he
said, 'Thyself alone, for no one else exists save Thee'. And God said, 'Enter
into this abode for now it belongs to thee'. It is such selflessness, to the
extent that the thought of self is not there, it is being dead to the self,
which is the recognition of God.

Isn't It About Time (3/3)? לא הגיע הזמן

2012-01-09T10:34:00.000-05:00

The Source...

2012-01-09T10:05:00.000-05:00

The Source supplies you
with the energy
to reach It.

When you seek
the Light
It
shall enlighten
your path.

And when you are longing
for the Divine,
for the Truth,
That shall give you
power and energy
to tread on.

- Swami Amar Jyoti

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

"In Light of Wisdom"
Swami Amar Jyoti
Truth Consciousness, Boulder, Colorado, 1983

The short path and the Overself...

2012-01-08T17:34:00.000-05:00

What is the key to the Short Path? It is threefold. First, stop searching for the Overself since it follows you wherever you go. Second, believe in its Presence, with and within you. Third, keep on trying to understand its truth until you can abandon further thoughts about it. You cannot acquire what is already here. So drop the ego's false idea and affirm the real one. ...... Paul Brunton

"Is it so ?"...

2012-01-08T07:10:00.000-05:00

As long as you do not see that it is mere habit,
built on memory, prompted by desire, you will
think yourself to be a person - living, feeling,
thinking, active, passive, pleased or pained.
Question yourself, ask yourself. 'Is it so?'
'Who am I'? 'What is behind and beyond all
things?' And soon you will see your mistake.
And it is in the very nature of a mistake to
cease to be, when seen.

- Nisargadatta Maharaj

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973

The short path...

2012-01-07T11:21:00.000-05:00

The end of all his efforts on the Long Path will be the discovery that although the ego can be refined, thinned, and disciplined, it will still remain highly rarefied and extremely subtle. The disciplining of the self can go on and on and on. There will be no end to it. For the ego will always be able to find ways to keep the aspirant busy in self-improvement, thus blinding him to the fact that the self is still there behind all his improvements. For why should the ego kill itself? Yet the enlightenment which is the goal he strives to reach can never be obtained unless the ego ceases to bar the way to it. At this discovery he will have no alternative to, and will be quite ready for, the Short Path.

— Notebooks Category 23: Advanced Contemplation > Chapter 4: The Changeover To the Short Path > # 119...... Paul Brunton

Slaying the ego...

2012-01-07T08:49:00.001-05:00

The Truth that you must slay the ego, goes back to the beginning of time.. the early teaching of this Knowledge is found in Hindu and Buddhist literature.. The bottom line is that You are the Creator of your experience.. Your desires will be created.. they will be dreams that we call illusions but these illusions will trap You within the dreams, when You start to Believe that the dreams are real.. To leave these dreams and Wake Up, You must stop identifying Your Self as a personality of these dreams.. This is the slaying of the ego.. This stops the dream and Awakens You in Reality.. This is called Enlightenment, as You Realise that You are Light and Love.. You can call the slaying of the ego or the dropping of the ego or the Awakening from ego or just living in Humility.. Humility is the word used in Christian teaching for the slaying of ego.. Unselfish Love is also a definition of slaying of ego.. There are many words and concepts that point to the Realisation that You will never be Free until the ego is dead......................... namaste, thomas

Fear and Desire...

2012-01-07T08:03:00.001-05:00

Since they're both focused on the future,
fear and desire are simultaneously in your
heart.

Contained within every desire, however, is a
hidden fear that "It won't happen."

Paradoxically, though, contained within every
fear is also a hidden desire that "It won't happen."

Your fears will begin to diminish whenever you
stop feeding your desires.

And, of course, vice versa.

Fears and desires always eat from the same trough.

- Chuck Hillig

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

Seeds for the Soul
Chuck Hillig
Black Dot Publications, 2003

Don't Resist -- Just Observe

2012-01-06T22:09:00.000-05:00

Fear...

2012-01-06T15:39:00.000-05:00

You are not scared.. the ego that you think that you are is scared.. It is
scared because it is losing grip upon your mentality.. Love is the dissolving of
the ego.. the ego gives you the pain of fear to prevent You from abandoning the
ego.. the ego wants you to use drugs to destroy your life and relationships..
The ego is the destroyer, Love is the Creator.. You have free will to choose
which path to take.. your future is determined by the creative thoughts that you
hold dear.. choose thoughts of Love and forget thoughts of self-pity.. self-pity
is the ego screaming for attention and rejection of God.. Be the Observer of the
thoughts of the mind and throw away all thoughts of ego.. remember, thoughts of
self(ego) only bring pain.. this pain is a warning device from God to warn you
of your straying from the Path of Love called selflessness.. Ask and you shall
receive.. Ask the Consciousness of Jesus to enter your mind and walk with Him
through your troubled times...... namaste, thomas

Observing the Mind Itself...

2012-01-06T10:18:00.001-05:00

The primary meditative technique of great perfection is remaining in the state of pure awareness. This is accomplished by calming the mind and then abiding in comprehension of its basic clear light nature. The meditative practice involves being cognizant of the arising and passing away of feelings, emotions, sensations, etc., but understanding them within the context of pure awareness. The more one does this, the more one realizes that all phenomena arise from mind and remerge into it. They are of the nature of pure awareness and are a projection of luminosity and emptiness. Through cultivating this understanding, mental phenomena of their own accord begin to subside, allowing the clear light nature of mind to become manifest. They appear as reflections on the surface of a mirror and are perceived as illusory, ephemeral, and nonsubstantial.
Those who succeed in this practice attain a state of radical freedom: there are no boundaries, no presuppositions, and no habits on which to rely. One perceives things as they are in their naked reality. Ordinary beings view phenomena through a lens clouded by concepts and preconceptions, and most of the world is overlooked or ignored. The mind of the great perfection adept, however, is unbounded, and everything is possible. For many beginners, this prospect is profoundly disquieting, because since beginningless time we have been constricted by rules, laws, assumptions, and previous actions. One who is awakened, however, transcends all such limitations; there is no ground on which to stand, no limits, nothing that must be done, and no prohibitions. This awareness is bottomless, unfathomable, immeasurable, permeated by joy, unboundedness, and exhilaration. One is utterly free, and one's state of mind is as expansive as space. Those who attain this level of awareness also transcend physicality and manifest the "rainbow body" ('ja lus), a form comprising pure light that cannot decay, which has no physical aspects, and which is coterminous with the nature of mind.
--from A Concise Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism by John Powers

Pleasure-pain motivation...

2012-01-06T08:42:00.000-05:00

In life nothing can be had without over-
coming obstacles. The obstacles to the
clear perception of one's true being are
desire for pleasure and fear of pain. It
is the pleasure-pain motivation that
stands in the way. The very freedom
from all motivation, the state in which
no desire arises is the natural state.

- Nisargadatta Maharaj

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

"I Am That"
Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Acorn Press, 1973

No one has seen God and lived...

2012-01-05T13:14:00.001-05:00

No one has seen God and lived. To see God we must be non-existent.

Bowl of Saki, January 5, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

There is a [Hadith] which says: Mutu kubla anta mutu, which means, 'Die before
death.' A poet says, 'Only he attains to the peace of the Lord who loses
himself.' God said to Moses, 'No man shall see me and live.' To see God we must
be non-existent.

What does all this mean? It means that when we see our being with open eyes, we
see that there are two aspects to our being: the false and the true. The false
life is that of the body and mind, which only exists as long as the life is
within. In the absence of that life the body cannot go on. We mistake the true
life for the false, and the false for the true.

As life unfolds itself to man the first lesson it teaches is humility; the first
thing that comes to man's vision is his own limitedness. The vaster God appears
to him, the smaller he finds himself. This goes on and on until the moment comes
when he loses himself in the vision of God. In terms of the Sufis this is called
fana, and it is this process that was taught by Christ under the name of
self-denial. Often man interprets this teaching wrongly and considers
renunciation as self-denial. He thinks that the teaching is to renounce all that
is in the world. But although that is a way and an important step which leads to
true self-denial, the self-denial meant is the losing oneself in God.

The first lesson of the mystic is, "Thou art, and not I." It is not only
complete surrender to God, it is self-effacement. And what does the symbol of
the cross explain? That "Thou art, not me, my hands are not for me, my feet are
not for me, my head is not for me, they are all Thine." The saying of the
[Hadith], "Die before death," does not mean suicide, it means the death of the
"I", the separate self.

The future...

2012-01-05T13:11:00.001-05:00

Let us not worry
About the future.
Let us only do the right thing
Today,
At this moment,
Here and Now.
Let the future take care of
Itself.

- Sri Chinmoy

Thoughts...

2012-01-05T08:43:00.001-05:00

Every man is where he is by the law of his
being; the thoughts which he has built into
his character have brought him there, and
in the arrangement of his life there is no
element of chance, but all is the result of
a law which cannot err. This is just as true
of those who feel "out of harmony" with their
surroundings as of those who are contented
with them.

- As a Man Thinketh
James Allen

The seal of detachment...

2012-01-04T08:49:00.001-05:00

As long as you have an "I" you won't be
allowed in. Once you are annihilated, you
will be treasured like the apple of the eye;
Once you are purified from the two worlds,
you will be stamped with the seal of
detachment.

- Rumi

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Muriel Maufroy
"Breathing Truth - Quotations from Jalaluddin Rumi"
Sanyar Press - London, 1997

The vampire...

2012-01-03T13:58:00.000-05:00

The
ego is the vampire.. It draws its' sustenance from the energy of other egos'..
this is why, there is so much violence and hatred within the world.. the ego
draws upon this negative energy and thus needs this constant
ego/energy/creation.. the ego also needs the attention of other egos' to reafirm
it's existence.. It is after all just an illusion of thoughts and has no real
existence.. only the belief in ego keeps it alive.. but, as soon as the
consciousness of the body realises this,, then, it starts to dissolve into
nothingness and Self appears........... namaste, thomas

Limits...

2012-01-03T10:21:00.001-05:00

You impose limits on your true nature of infinite being.
Then you get displeased to be only a limited creature.
Then you begin spiritual practices to transcend these non-existing limits.
But if your practice itself implies the existence of these limits, how could
they allow you to transcend them.

- Ramana Maharshi

Contentment...

2012-01-03T08:55:00.001-05:00

That one is blessed and at peace
who doesn't hope, to whom
desire makes no more loans.

Nothing coming, nothing owed.

- Lalla
14th Century North Indian mystic

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

From "Naked Song"
Versions by Coleman Barks
Maypop 1992

Pure Awareness, Divine Consciousness, and ego...

2012-01-02T18:23:00.000-05:00

I
think that the trouble with this Final Realisation is that only Nothingness can
enter this Reality.. and there is no Identity to return to Divine Consciousness
or the illusion of life.. Therefore, It is a one way trip.. This is why it is
rarely taught and only the first stage is taught as the first stage requires
surrender of ego but the Identity of Divine Consciousness still remains.. Once
within Divine Consciousness, the ability to relinquish the Identity of Divine
Consciousness is easier.. this often happens after the death of the body as the
small amount of ego left, called Identity has become weaker because the desire
for Home remains even within this Heaven called Divine Consciousness.........
namaste, thomas

Pure Awareness...

2012-01-02T15:29:00.001-05:00

This is difficult to understand because these steps to Knowledge are taken one step at a time.. for many teachers, they only teach the first level of Reality, which is that We are that which We seek.. This is Divine Consciousness.. This is the Creative Energy of God.. This is why we can manifest matter and experiences by using Thought.. but, This Divine Consciousness was Created by That which was not Created.. This is Who We Are.. Pure Awareness.. Divine Consciousness has an Identity as the God that We Know,, but, even this Identity must be surrendered to that which was not Created.. There is no longer the Knowledge that We and God are One.. There is only One................ namaste, thomas

Souls...

2012-01-02T10:53:00.002-05:00

The complete Truth is that We are not even souls... this is still the identification of separation from Reality.. We are Consciousness... and the deepest Truth is that We are beyond Consciousness and are actually Pure Awareness beyond any singularity.. but, this Realisation is difficult to understand and accept because it requires the complete annihilation of Identity........... namaste, thomas

Tear the veil...

2012-01-02T08:58:00.000-05:00

O you who are sincere, if you want this Reality
to be unveiled, choose death and tear up the
veil;

Not a death leading to the tomb, but a death
which is transmutation and leads you into the
Light.

- Rumi

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

Muriel Maufroy
"Breathing Truth - Quotations from Jalaluddin Rumi"
Sanyar Press - London, 1997

Meditation...

2012-01-01T17:28:00.000-05:00

Q. What meditation will help me?

A. No meditation on an object is helpful, for this reason. You must learn to realise the subject and object as one and in the meditating on an object, whether concrete or abstract, you are destroying that sense of oneness, and creating duality. Meditate only on the Self. Try to realise that the body is not you, the emotions are not you, the intellect is not you. When all these are stilled, you will find—Something else is there; hold that it will reveal itself.

Q. But when I have stilled all I almost fall asleep?

A. That does not matter. Put yourself into the condition as deep as sleep, and then watch: be asleep consciously: then there is only the one Consciousness.

Q. Is Yoga a good method of approach?

A. In the end there was only one approach to the Goal, and that was through the realisation of the Self, so why waste time on other roads which at the best will only lead on to the final path; better to be on the final path itself all the time, than on an auxiliary road. Meditate on what the Self is-that is all, there is nothing else but to find the answer to that. See the Self in all; act automatically, so to speak and let 'it' and it always will. Do not look to results do the right and leave it."

Conscious Immortality

Conversations with Ramana Maharshi

by Paul Brunton

Chapter 4

THE MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY

The New Year...

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Now the New Year reviving old Desires,
The thoughtful Soul to Solitude retires,
Where the White Hand of Moses on the Bough
Puts out, and Jesus from the Ground suspires.

-- from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, by Omar Khayyam / Translated by Edward FitzGerald

Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

This verse is a recognition of the turning of the wheel of life and what we choose to do with each renewal.

He starts off with, "Now the New Year reviving old Desires." Why does the New Year revive old desires? The new year is a rebirth of the seasons, signaling a new cycle in our lives. If we don't apply conscious willpower, however, we instinctively follow the patterns we set in the previous year. So, with the new year, we are reborn, but so too are our old habits and old desires.

But "The thoughtful Soul to Solitude retires." We always have a choice: We can give in to those old, often limiting patterns, getting caught up in the frantic activity and mental ruts of satisfying those old desires; or we can choose to let go of those compulsions and impulses and, instead, turn inward in contemplation, in meditation, in prayer. We can step out of the hustle and bustle of the hungry mind and retire to peaceful solitude.

Solitude, here, is not necessarily isolation or separation from others. For the mystic, true solitude is oneness, unity, wholeness -- whether or not other people are around. In this solitude, we encounter the living presence of the Divine, which Omar Khayyam evokes with the sacred figures of Moses and Jesus.

The "Bough" mentioned is the Tree of Life, which we find growing within us. Here we discover the guiding "White Hand of Moses." Moses represents awareness of the Divine Law and, although we have turned inward, we are being freed from the captivity of the limited awareness and false identity that had been held in place by those old mental patterns. The journey inward is a journey outward, the true exodus.

The closing line "and Jesus from the Ground suspires" is especially powerful. This breath, this suspiring is significant. In Muslim mystical traditions Jesus is often associated with the breath, healing, life-giving breath. To Muslims, Jesus embodies the breath of life, the breath of God. So, even though Jesus is in the ground, buried in the tomb (or born in the cave), or simply buried within ourselves -- we discover that he breathes! After feeling dead, no matter how we have stumbled or struggled, we discover new life buried secretly within us, we discover the Divine is breathing life into us. And we are that breath!

Rumi and the New Year...

2011-12-31T12:57:00.000-05:00

I have returned, like the new year, to break the
locks of the prison and smash the claws and teeth of these
man-eating spheres.
The seven waterless planets are devouring the
creatures of earth — I will throw water upon their fire and still
their winds.
I have flown from the beginningless King like a
falcon in order to kill the parrot-eating owls* of this ruined
monastery.
From the beginning I made a covenant to
sacrifice my spirit to the King. May my spirit’s back be broken
should I break my pledge and covenant!
Today I am Asaf, Solomon’s vizier, sword and
firman in hand — I will break the necks of any who are
arrogant before the King.
If you see the garden of the rebellious
flourishing for a day or two, grieve not! For I will cut their
roots from a hidden direction.
I will break nothing but injustice or the evil-
intentioned tyrant — should anything have a mote of savor, then
I am an unbeliever should I break it
Wherever there is a polo ball, it is taken away
by the mallet of Oneness — if a ball does not roll down the
field. I will smash it with the blow of my mallet.
I now reside in His banquet, for I saw that His
intention is Gentleness. I became the least servant of His way
in order to break Satan’s legs.
I was a single nugget, but when the Sultan’s
hand grasped hold of me, I became the mine — if you place me
in the balance, I will break the scales.
When you allow a ruined and drunken man like
myself into your house, do you not know at least this much: I
will break this and break that?
If the watchman shouts, “Hey!” I will pour a
cup of wine on his head; and if the doorman seizes hold of
me, I will break his arm.
If the spheres do not rotate round my heart, I
will pull them up by the roots; if the heavens act with
villainy, I will smash the turning heavens.
Thou hast spread the tablecloth of Generosity
and invited me to lunch — why doest Thou rebuke me when I
break the bread?
No, no — I sit at the head of Thy table, I am the
chief of Thy guests. I will pour a cup or two of wine upon the
guests and break their shame.
Oh Thou who inspirest my spirit with poetry
from within! Should I refuse and remain silent, I fear I would
break Thy command.
If Shams-i Tabrizi should send me wine and
make me drunk, I would be free of cares and break down the
pillars of the universe.
– Translation by William Chittick
“The Sufi Path of Love”
SUNY Press, Albany, 1984

Ideas...

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For if you are caught up in ideas, then you will be caught up in the
self. And even if you are caught up in ideas about nothingness, you
will still be caught up in the self. That's why we should not get
attached to the belief that things either exist or do not exist. This
is the hidden meaning when I say that my teachings are a raft to be
abandoned when you see true being.

Diamond Sutra