for our world

We need to stop.
Just stop.
Stop for a moment.
Before anybody
Says or does anything
That may hurt anyone else.
We need to be silent.
Just silent.
Silent for a moment.
Before we forever lose
The blessing of songs
That grow in our hearts.
We need to notice.
Just notice.
Notice for a moment.
Before the future slips away
Into ashes and dust of humility.
Stop, be silent, and notice.
In so many ways, we are the same.
Our differences are unique treasures.
We have, we are, a mosaic of gifts
To nurture, to offer, to accept.
We need to be.
Just be.
Be for a moment.
Kind and gentle, innocent and trusting,
Like children and lambs,
Never judging or vengeful
Like the judging and vengeful.
And now, let us pray,
Differently, yet together,
Before there is no earth, no life,
No chance for peace.

-- Mattie Stepanek

the difference between the desire to be enlightened or desire to get a new BMW

“For some people striving towards enlightenment is the last thing they need to let go of. You see, even if you faithfully meditate every day to achieve enlightenment, you’re still in the same mind frame as someone who really wants a new BMW. It’s the same conditioning: ‘In the future…’. But there is no future. Surrender means the realisation that there is no state to be achieved. You give up your pursuit of a particular state and absorb yourself in what there already is. And that’s more than enough. You are already completely yourself. There is nothing in the future that can make you more yourself.”

-- Eckhart Tolle

right action

Right action can only flow out of that state of transcendence of the world. Any other activity is ego-induced, and even doing good, if it's ego-induced, will have karmic consequences. "Ego-induced" means there is an ulterior motive. For example, it enhances your self-image if you become a more spiritual person in your own eyes and that feels good; or another example would be looking to a future reward in another lifetime or in heaven. So if there are ulterior motives, it's not pure. There cannot be true love flowing into your actions if the world has not been transcended because you're not connected with the realm out of which love arises.

-- Eckhart Tolle

the path of devotional meditation

highly recommended for anyone on spiritual path:

book on Guru Nanak's Japji

monthly intention - April

April Inspiration: This month spring is in full bloom--it's a month for dynamism, idealism and fresh beginnings as well as connecting to the earth. We have found that a stance of gratitude helps open new possibilities and provide the fertilizer for innovative ideas to take root and bloom in beautiful ways. We encourage you to take a stance of gratitude this month towards whatever comes your way, experimenting with the possibility that it is all part of a plan to ultimately bring you greater joy, growth, and success.

April Question for Reflection: How could you begin to feel gratitude towards some event, person, or thing for which you are currently in a more negative relationship? How can you spend more time in grateful connection with the Earth this month?

IONS monthly intentions for a global shift in consciousness

• Picture the world as it is today, knowing that I am a part of this planet's evolutionary design. I choose to live to my fullest capacity in a spirit of openness, intellectual integrity, and freedom.
  
• I am conscious that I have a role in the unfolding story of humanity. I am connected to the whole. My intentions find a deep resonance in the hearts and minds of others.
  
• Together, we stir the depths of human ingenuity, creativity, and collective healing. Together, we are part of an evolutionary pulse bringing into focus our collective responsibility for planet Earth and its diverse peoples.
  
• My intention is to be in a place of wisdom, compassion, and abiding exuberance for serving our common work and the greater good.

-- http://www.noetic.org