Thursday, September 30, 2004

Compassion - True Spiritual Practice

"To be compassionate towards the poor, one does not need a lot of wealth or a very high position. A loving word, a compassionate look, a simple good deed—all these can bring light to their lives, as well as to our own. It is not what we gain, but what we are able to give, that determines the value of our life. If we have been able to give happiness to a soul—even for a minute—it makes our life blessed." - Amma http://www.ammamich.org

Monday, September 27, 2004

The US Election

If we accept God's will and if we truely have trust in him then we know whatever happens will be good. It may not seem good in short-term depending on our understanding but only God knows the whole picture. Depending on our opinion of Kerry and Bush and our understanding of current global conflict we may hope for victory of one or the other; we may even pray for the victory of our favoriate. What we really need to pray for is for God to give us the wisdom and courage to accept his will.

This does not mean we don't have to do anything, let's listen to our conscience and act upon it. Let's vote and do everything we can to help our chosen one to win. Whoever wins in November, let's raise our voice if we think the new administration is not going in right direction.

Accepting God's will is not about shutting our conscience but about accepting whatever is happening around us and doing and promoting righteousness at all times with a cool mind.

Thursday, September 23, 2004

Compassion - True Spiritual Practice

"There is a difference between buying medicines for a wound on one's own hand, and going out to get medicine for someone else's pain. The latter shows that one has a loving heart. This is what a spiritual seeker needs; it is what his spiritual practices are for.

Sadhana shouldn't be done for one's own liberation, but for the sake of becoming loving, compassionate and understanding enough to remove the suffering of the world. There's no benefit to be derived from just sitting somewhere with our eyes closed and doing nothing else. We have to become so large-hearted that we experience the suffering of others as our own, and work to alleviate their suffering.”– Amma http://www.ammamich.org

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

What a Deal !

Imagine someone has created a perfect product, a product that does not require any redesigns ever, it does not require any upgrades. The only thing he is asking in return is a "thank you". What a deal ! Would you go for it?

Actually someone has created countless such gifts (our body, water, air, food, ...) and given to us already, each one a mark of perfection and we have acquired all those gifts but we don't pay him back with that simple "thank you".

Inspired by:Commentary on Sukhmani Sahib (a section of Guru Granth Sahib) by Professor Darshan Singh. http://www.ggsacademy.com

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Three Cosmic Dances

Grace and Gratefulness
God's grace is always available but to synchronize ourselves to it, we need to accept his order and be grateful. Gratefulness is our way of giving back to the Source; this starts a cycle or a cosmic dance between us and him.

Choice and Choicelessness
We don't have a choice of where we are born, how people treat us, what happens to us everyday but we have the choice of how we react to all those. Accpeting the choicelessness of our lives and making the choices to keep us in harmony with the Source is the key.

Udam and Ardaas (self effort and prayer)
Prayer requires humility and acceptance of divine's greatness. Without prayer, self effort increases our ego and take us further away from the source even if we are doing the right things. Prayer without the self effort makes us lazy and passive.

Inspired by:
Commentary on Sukhmani Sahib (a section of Guru Granth Sahib) by Professor Darshan Singh. http://www.ggsacademy.com
Choice and Choicelessness by Satish Kumar in Shift magazine (institute of noetic sciences). http://www.noetic.org
Gratefulness by Brother David Steindl-Rast - http://www.gratefulness.org




Monday, September 20, 2004

Meditation?

Don't meditate. Just relax and be yourself. When you follow a formal meditation, you condition your mind that there's something you're looking for. Your heart is already awakened you just need to relax and connect to your own heart.

Creativity as a Path to Enlightenment with Nina Wise Program #3040. http://www.newdimensions.org

Author of "A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life: Self Expression and Spiritual Practice for Those Who Have Time for Neither".



Wednesday, September 15, 2004

the irony of our times

George Carlin's wife recently passed away. He wrote the following piece. Typically sharp; and some good advice.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space.

We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.
It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you and a time when you can choose either to share this insight; or to just hit delete.

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner andyour loved ones, but most of all, mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Question to God

-- "What surprises you most about mankind?"

-- "That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health. That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future. That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived..."


Sunday, September 12, 2004

Equanimity - sahej avesta - Even-mindedness - samacittatvam

Inspired by Swami Chinmayananda's Commentry of 24th shaloka of Aadi Sankaracharya's Bhaja Govindam:

Even-mindedness for both desirable and undesirable circumstances can be achieved by:

1. dedicated action (karam-yoga, dedicating every action to God, not being attached to the fruit of our action, no expectations)
2. devotion to the Lord (bhakti, total surrender, constant rememerance and longing for God, keertan)
3. service of mankind (seva, selfless actions for others)
4. contemplation upon the highest (meditation, naam-jap, simran)
5. constant study and reflection (listening and reading of scriptures, contemplationg on them and applying them in our daily lives)




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