A nEw YeAr Is BoRn
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Empty Cradle Songs
By Chase Twichell
I think about the rooms
in which my parents slept
as children, what hung
on the walls. In my Mom's room,
angels with watering cans
sprinkled the green and blooming
earth and all its creatures,
still there at night
under the see-in-the-dark stars.
Angel rain fell on her infant fear
of the furnace-clank,
her breath pumped from small
moist bellows into the night
air of the room in which she slept
right up to the wedding,
the getaway.
Dad's room was erased when he
went off to school at fourteen.
By Christmas it was a guest room.
New wax, new blinds.
He remembers the gray-green
lawns of the interior,
many clocks ticking,
but not his room.
Not a trace of it,
though he remembers his toys.
There's a picture of him
with a little wheelbarrow,
probably two years old,
wailing, making baby fists,
yet picked up by no one,
not even whoever's standing
ten feet away from him
snapping the shot.
By Chase Twichell
I think about the rooms
in which my parents slept
as children, what hung
on the walls. In my Mom's room,
angels with watering cans
sprinkled the green and blooming
earth and all its creatures,
still there at night
under the see-in-the-dark stars.
Angel rain fell on her infant fear
of the furnace-clank,
her breath pumped from small
moist bellows into the night
air of the room in which she slept
right up to the wedding,
the getaway.
Dad's room was erased when he
went off to school at fourteen.
By Christmas it was a guest room.
New wax, new blinds.
He remembers the gray-green
lawns of the interior,
many clocks ticking,
but not his room.
Not a trace of it,
though he remembers his toys.
There's a picture of him
with a little wheelbarrow,
probably two years old,
wailing, making baby fists,
yet picked up by no one,
not even whoever's standing
ten feet away from him
snapping the shot.
Friday, December 30, 2005
awakening...
"The Second Patriarch Hui-k’o stood in the snow, cut off his arm, and awakened. The Sixth Patriarch heard someone recite the Diamond Sutra phrase “arouse the mind without placing it anywhere,” and he awakened. Ling-yun saw a peach blossom and awakened. Hsiang-yen heard a tile fragment strike bamboo, and he awakened. Lin-chi was given sixty blows by Huang-po, and he awakened. Tung-shan noticed his own reflection when he was crossing a river, and he awakened. In each case, these men met the Master." -- Daito
"The Second Patriarch Hui-k’o stood in the snow, cut off his arm, and awakened. The Sixth Patriarch heard someone recite the Diamond Sutra phrase “arouse the mind without placing it anywhere,” and he awakened. Ling-yun saw a peach blossom and awakened. Hsiang-yen heard a tile fragment strike bamboo, and he awakened. Lin-chi was given sixty blows by Huang-po, and he awakened. Tung-shan noticed his own reflection when he was crossing a river, and he awakened. In each case, these men met the Master." -- Daito
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
can you imagine when love first arose?
In the beginning Love arose,
which was the primal germ cell of the mind.
The Seers, searching in their hearts with wisdom,
discovered the connection of Being in Nonbeing.
A crosswise line cut Being from Nonbeing.
What was described above it, what below?
Bearers of seed there were and mighty forces
thrust from below and forward move above.
-Rig Veda, from "Teachings of the Hindu Mystics
(And thanks to Dan Shimp for reminding me of this one some time ago.)
In the beginning Love arose,
which was the primal germ cell of the mind.
The Seers, searching in their hearts with wisdom,
discovered the connection of Being in Nonbeing.
A crosswise line cut Being from Nonbeing.
What was described above it, what below?
Bearers of seed there were and mighty forces
thrust from below and forward move above.
-Rig Veda, from "Teachings of the Hindu Mystics
(And thanks to Dan Shimp for reminding me of this one some time ago.)
Monday, December 26, 2005
try your beliefs...
"Believe nothing merely because you have been told it... Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings - that doctrine believe and cling to and take it as your guide." --Buddhist Aphorism
"Believe nothing merely because you have been told it... Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings - that doctrine believe and cling to and take it as your guide." --Buddhist Aphorism
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Christmas Tree, Sterling-Lindner-Davis, Cleveland, 1960
Photo Credit: Cleveland Press Photo Collection
Saturday, December 24, 2005
parceling out our compasssion...
"...everbody thinks that compassion is important, and everyone has compassion. True enough, but the Buddha gave uncommon quintessential instructions when he taught the methods for cultivating compassion, and the differences are extraordinarily important.
Generally, everyone feels compassion, but the compassion is flawed. In what way? We measure it out. For instance, some feel compassion for human beings but not for animals and other types of sentient beings. Others feel compassion for animals and some other types of sentient beings but not for humans. Others, who feel compassion for human beings, feel compassion for the human beings of their own country but not for the human beings of other countries. Then, some feel compassion for their friends but not for anyone else. Thus, it seems that we draw a line somewhere. We feel compassion for those on one side of the line but not for those on the other side of the line. We feel compassion for one group but not for another. That is where our compassion is flawed. What did the Buddha say about that? It is not necessary to draw that line. Nor is it suitable. Everyone wants compassion, and we can extend our compassion to everyone."
-- From Lectures on Kamalashila's 'Stages of Meditation in the Middle Way School' by Kenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, translated by Jules B. Levinson, published by Snow Lion Publications
"...everbody thinks that compassion is important, and everyone has compassion. True enough, but the Buddha gave uncommon quintessential instructions when he taught the methods for cultivating compassion, and the differences are extraordinarily important.
Generally, everyone feels compassion, but the compassion is flawed. In what way? We measure it out. For instance, some feel compassion for human beings but not for animals and other types of sentient beings. Others feel compassion for animals and some other types of sentient beings but not for humans. Others, who feel compassion for human beings, feel compassion for the human beings of their own country but not for the human beings of other countries. Then, some feel compassion for their friends but not for anyone else. Thus, it seems that we draw a line somewhere. We feel compassion for those on one side of the line but not for those on the other side of the line. We feel compassion for one group but not for another. That is where our compassion is flawed. What did the Buddha say about that? It is not necessary to draw that line. Nor is it suitable. Everyone wants compassion, and we can extend our compassion to everyone."
-- From Lectures on Kamalashila's 'Stages of Meditation in the Middle Way School' by Kenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, translated by Jules B. Levinson, published by Snow Lion Publications
the natue of mind is pure...
"Our teacher, Sakyamuni Buddha, is one among the thousand Buddhas of this aeon. These Buddhas were not Buddhas from the beginning, but were once sentient beings like ourselves. How they came to be Buddhas is this.
Of body and mind, mind is predominant, for body and speech are under the influence of the mind. Afflictions such as desire do not contaminate the nature of the mind, for the nature of the mind is pure, uncontaminated by any taint. Afflictions are peripheral factors of a mind, and through gradually transforming all types of defects, such as these afflictions, the adventitious taints can be completely removed. This state of complete purification is Buddhahood; therefore, Buddhists do not assert that there is any Buddha who has been enlightened from the beginning."
-- From The Buddhism of Tibet: The Dalai Lama translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, published by Snow Lion Publications
"Our teacher, Sakyamuni Buddha, is one among the thousand Buddhas of this aeon. These Buddhas were not Buddhas from the beginning, but were once sentient beings like ourselves. How they came to be Buddhas is this.
Of body and mind, mind is predominant, for body and speech are under the influence of the mind. Afflictions such as desire do not contaminate the nature of the mind, for the nature of the mind is pure, uncontaminated by any taint. Afflictions are peripheral factors of a mind, and through gradually transforming all types of defects, such as these afflictions, the adventitious taints can be completely removed. This state of complete purification is Buddhahood; therefore, Buddhists do not assert that there is any Buddha who has been enlightened from the beginning."
-- From The Buddhism of Tibet: The Dalai Lama translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, published by Snow Lion Publications
Friday, December 23, 2005
Thursday, December 22, 2005
what our mind dwells upon...
"If the Mind dwells upon the spiritual things, then it follows that it becomes what it has dwelt upon, what it has lived upon, what it has made itself a portion of. But if the Mind dwells upon self-indulgences, self-aggrandizement, self-exaltation, selfishness in any of its forms, in any of its variations, then it has set itself at variance to that First Cause: and we have that entered in as from the beginning, that of making will--through the Mind--at variance to Creative Forces before it has come into the movements of matter that we know as physical, material." --Edgar Cayce
"If the Mind dwells upon the spiritual things, then it follows that it becomes what it has dwelt upon, what it has lived upon, what it has made itself a portion of. But if the Mind dwells upon self-indulgences, self-aggrandizement, self-exaltation, selfishness in any of its forms, in any of its variations, then it has set itself at variance to that First Cause: and we have that entered in as from the beginning, that of making will--through the Mind--at variance to Creative Forces before it has come into the movements of matter that we know as physical, material." --Edgar Cayce
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
in patience there is peace...
"Your world needs to manifest the spiritual aspects of love, and the first of these is patience. In order to help you lift your love on to a higher plane, the things you desire are withheld for a time that you may learn to wait in patience and in peace, for truly in patience there is peace." --Ramadahn
"Your world needs to manifest the spiritual aspects of love, and the first of these is patience. In order to help you lift your love on to a higher plane, the things you desire are withheld for a time that you may learn to wait in patience and in peace, for truly in patience there is peace." --Ramadahn
living in the moment...
“Treat each moment like a newborn baby. Behold its beauty and mystery. Hold it, without clinging. Pull it next to your chest and let it feel your heart beat. Kiss it tenderly and smile upon what life has brought. Trust your power to love the moment and the Divine will show itself to you.” –Don Iannone
“Treat each moment like a newborn baby. Behold its beauty and mystery. Hold it, without clinging. Pull it next to your chest and let it feel your heart beat. Kiss it tenderly and smile upon what life has brought. Trust your power to love the moment and the Divine will show itself to you.” –Don Iannone
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
what is self?
"The Self usually begins as a random stream of sensory material -- sounds, images, tactile sensations, scents, flavors, stimulate the nervous system and, through a series of neurochemical processes affect the brain forming first impressions an the brain tissue. The key aspect of it is its randomness, every one is exposed to a different mosaic of impressions and everyone's nervous system react to them differently due to infinite variations of the genetic material regulating functioning of each person's nervous system.
So these first random impressions constitute the mosaic-like core of one Self, one's core-identity, the first filter/screen controlling the precursors of mental (neurocognitive) functioning.
So, at it's foundation the self is not other that the external world imposing itself (IMPRINTING itself) on the brain, colonizing the innocent tissue by organizing it to respond with internal images, sounds, voices, etc.
In the second stage, there is the process of connecting that internal mosaic imprinted on the brain to others in the world. Child's survival in the give and take of social world depends on successful development means to interact with others. The main means is language which serves as the primary vehicle of articulating the self in the world and for the world. Without it the growing individual becomes a deviant labeled retarded, asocial , psychologically sick etc.
And we are not approaching it on the level of psychology of cognition, perception, representation or the inner workings of the psychoanalytic conscious/unconscious."
Source: MindIs.com (Website on Buddhist Psychology and other things)
"The Self usually begins as a random stream of sensory material -- sounds, images, tactile sensations, scents, flavors, stimulate the nervous system and, through a series of neurochemical processes affect the brain forming first impressions an the brain tissue. The key aspect of it is its randomness, every one is exposed to a different mosaic of impressions and everyone's nervous system react to them differently due to infinite variations of the genetic material regulating functioning of each person's nervous system.
So these first random impressions constitute the mosaic-like core of one Self, one's core-identity, the first filter/screen controlling the precursors of mental (neurocognitive) functioning.
So, at it's foundation the self is not other that the external world imposing itself (IMPRINTING itself) on the brain, colonizing the innocent tissue by organizing it to respond with internal images, sounds, voices, etc.
In the second stage, there is the process of connecting that internal mosaic imprinted on the brain to others in the world. Child's survival in the give and take of social world depends on successful development means to interact with others. The main means is language which serves as the primary vehicle of articulating the self in the world and for the world. Without it the growing individual becomes a deviant labeled retarded, asocial , psychologically sick etc.
And we are not approaching it on the level of psychology of cognition, perception, representation or the inner workings of the psychoanalytic conscious/unconscious."
Source: MindIs.com (Website on Buddhist Psychology and other things)
Sunday, December 18, 2005
motivation in buddhist psychology...
"Perhaps the most logical starting point is the theory of motivation. What drives people in their behaviors? What motivates human action? The unenlightened person's behavior, it is said, is governed and driven bytanha, or craving, which, as noted in a previous paragraph, is given as thecause of "suffering" or "unsatisfactoriness" in the Second Noble Truth. Tanha is classified into three basic forms: kama tanha (craving for sensory gratification); bhava tanha (craving for survival or continued existence);and vibhava tanha (craving for annihilation)" Source: Silva Padmal, Current Psychology, 1990
Saturday, December 17, 2005
waiting for the full moon mind...
"Clear mind is like the full moon in the sky. Sometimes clouds come and cover it, but the moon is always behind them. Clouds go away, then the moon shines brightly. So don't worry about clear mind: it is always there. When thinking comes, behind it is clear mind. When thinking goes, there is only clear mind. Thinking comes and goes, comes and goes, You must not be attached to the coming or the going." —Zen Master Seung Sahn
"Clear mind is like the full moon in the sky. Sometimes clouds come and cover it, but the moon is always behind them. Clouds go away, then the moon shines brightly. So don't worry about clear mind: it is always there. When thinking comes, behind it is clear mind. When thinking goes, there is only clear mind. Thinking comes and goes, comes and goes, You must not be attached to the coming or the going." —Zen Master Seung Sahn
Friday, December 16, 2005
understanding the continuum...
"There is no well-defined boundary between honesty and dishonesty. The frontiers of one blend with the outside limits of the other, and he who attempts to tread this dangerous ground may be sometimes in one domain and sometimes in the other." ~O. Henry, Rolling Stones, 1912
"There is no well-defined boundary between honesty and dishonesty. The frontiers of one blend with the outside limits of the other, and he who attempts to tread this dangerous ground may be sometimes in one domain and sometimes in the other." ~O. Henry, Rolling Stones, 1912
Thursday, December 15, 2005
change the world, change the heart...
"To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; to put our personal life in order, we must first set our hearts right."
Source: Confucius
"To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; to put our personal life in order, we must first set our hearts right."
Source: Confucius
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, OhioBy James Wright
In the Shreve High football stadium,
I think of Polacks nursing long beers in Tiltonsville,
And gray faces of Negroes in the blast furnace at Benwood,
And the ruptured night watchman of Wheeling Steel,
Dreaming of heroes.
All the proud fathers are ashamed to go home.
Their women cluck like starved pullets,
Dying for love.
Therefore,
Their sons grow suicidally beautiful
At the beginning of October,
And gallop terribly against each other's bodies.
from the meditation cushion: is life really a journey?
We're accustomed to thinking of life as a journey, but is it really?
Ok, life is a "trip." I'll grant you that.
Where do we "really" go in life? Have you really gone any where during your life? No, please don't tell me about your latest vacation to Italy.
Do we really go any where? You are where you have always been. Following me? No, please don't follow me because I'm not going any where.
What if we simply gave up the idea that life is a journey and just accepted there is no where to go except where we have always been?
Granted, this notion could put lots of "travel agents" out of business. But were they ever really in business?
We're accustomed to thinking of life as a journey, but is it really?
Ok, life is a "trip." I'll grant you that.
Where do we "really" go in life? Have you really gone any where during your life? No, please don't tell me about your latest vacation to Italy.
Do we really go any where? You are where you have always been. Following me? No, please don't follow me because I'm not going any where.
What if we simply gave up the idea that life is a journey and just accepted there is no where to go except where we have always been?
Granted, this notion could put lots of "travel agents" out of business. But were they ever really in business?
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Monday, December 12, 2005
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Expect enchantment in your life, but allow it to surprise you.
Accept the lessons it teaches.
The outer world only reflects the inner world. Computer viruses, flat tires, misplaced Blackberries, buying new furniture for your house, finding just the right Christmas--each a lesson in paying attention to what is.
Accept the lessons it teaches.
The outer world only reflects the inner world. Computer viruses, flat tires, misplaced Blackberries, buying new furniture for your house, finding just the right Christmas--each a lesson in paying attention to what is.
Sunday Thought: Walk the Medicine Wheel
Four Elements Medicine Wheel Prayer
Source: care2
O Great Spirit of the East,
radiance of the rising Sun,
spirit of new beginnings
O Grandfather Fire,
great nuclear fire of the Sun.
From you comes life-energy,
vital spark, power to see far,
and to envision with boldness;
with you we can purify the senses,
our hearts and our minds.
We pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your energies may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
O Great Spirit of the South,
protector of the fruitful land,
and of all green and growing things,
the noble trees and grasses.
Grandmother Earth, Soul of Nature,
great power of the receptive,
of nurturance and endurance,
of bringing forth and growing,
flowers of the field,
fruits of the garden.
We pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your powers may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
O Great Spirit of the West,
spirit of the great waters,
of rain and rivers, lakes and springs;
O Grandmother Ocean,
deepest matrix, womb of all life.
With you comes the dissolving
of boundaries and holdings,
the power to taste and to feel,
to cleanse and to heal.
Great blissful darkness of peace.
WE pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your powers may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
O Great Spirit of the North,
invisible spirits of the air,
and of the fresh, cool winds;
O vast and boundless Grandfather Sky,
your living breath animates all life.
From you comes clarity and strength,
and the power to hear inner sounds,
to seep out old patterns,
and bring challenge and change.
The ecstasy of movement and the dance.
We pray that we may be aligned with you,
so that your powers may flow through us,
and be expressed by us,
for the good of this planet Earth,
and all living beings upon it.
Mysticism
"Mysticism is usually defined in dictionaries and encyclopedias as a spiritual discipline used to make contact with the divine. While this definition is frequently correct, there have been many people who have had mystical experiences without following a special discipline. Conversely, many people have followed a set of spiritual practices carefully and for a prolonged period but have never contacted the divine. The mystical event is a personal experience during which one feels as though one has been touched by some higher or greater truth or power. This may occur inside or outside of a religious setting, within or outside a religious tradition."
"The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical." Source: Albert Einstein
Source: Oneness Commitment
"Mysticism is usually defined in dictionaries and encyclopedias as a spiritual discipline used to make contact with the divine. While this definition is frequently correct, there have been many people who have had mystical experiences without following a special discipline. Conversely, many people have followed a set of spiritual practices carefully and for a prolonged period but have never contacted the divine. The mystical event is a personal experience during which one feels as though one has been touched by some higher or greater truth or power. This may occur inside or outside of a religious setting, within or outside a religious tradition."
"The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical." Source: Albert Einstein
Source: Oneness Commitment
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Being/Nonbeing
In the beginning Love arose,
which was the primal germ cell of the mind.
The Seers, searching in their hearts with wisdom,
discovered the connection of Being in Nonbeing.
A crosswise line cut Being from Nonbeing.
What was described above it, what below?
Bearers of seed there were and mighty forces
thrust from below and forward move above.
-Rig Veda, Teachings of a Hindu Mystic
In the beginning Love arose,
which was the primal germ cell of the mind.
The Seers, searching in their hearts with wisdom,
discovered the connection of Being in Nonbeing.
A crosswise line cut Being from Nonbeing.
What was described above it, what below?
Bearers of seed there were and mighty forces
thrust from below and forward move above.
-Rig Veda, Teachings of a Hindu Mystic
Friday, December 09, 2005
Carlos Castaneda's Don Juan's Teachings
Transcend the self-importance in your life. Learn to be a warrior.
On Carlos Castaneda.
Friday Thought: Follow the Meditative Path
"These two paths, the light and the dark, are said to be eternal, lending some to liberation and others to rebirth. Once you have known these two paths, Arjuna, you can never be deluded again. Attain this knowledge through perseverance in yoga. There is merit in studying the scriptures, in selfless service, austerity, and giving, but the practice of meditation carries you beyond all these to the supreme abode of the highest Lord."
- Bhagavad Gita 8:26-28
"These two paths, the light and the dark, are said to be eternal, lending some to liberation and others to rebirth. Once you have known these two paths, Arjuna, you can never be deluded again. Attain this knowledge through perseverance in yoga. There is merit in studying the scriptures, in selfless service, austerity, and giving, but the practice of meditation carries you beyond all these to the supreme abode of the highest Lord."
- Bhagavad Gita 8:26-28
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Thursday Thought: How We Live
"Thus we see that the all-important thing is not killing or giving life, drinking or not drinking, living in the town or the country, being lucky or unlucky, winning or losing. It is how we win, how we lose, how we live or die; finally, how we choose. We walk, and our religion is shown (even to the dullest and most insensitive person), in how we walk. Living in this world means choosing, and the way we choose to walk is infallibly and perfectly expressed in the walk itself."
—R. H. Blyth
"Thus we see that the all-important thing is not killing or giving life, drinking or not drinking, living in the town or the country, being lucky or unlucky, winning or losing. It is how we win, how we lose, how we live or die; finally, how we choose. We walk, and our religion is shown (even to the dullest and most insensitive person), in how we walk. Living in this world means choosing, and the way we choose to walk is infallibly and perfectly expressed in the walk itself."
—R. H. Blyth
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
One to ponder...
"The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description...If there is any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism."
--Albert Einstein
"The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description...If there is any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism."
--Albert Einstein
Tuesday Thought: We All Need Teachers
All know the Way, but few actually walk it.
If you don't find a teacher soon, you'll live this life in vain. It's true, you have the buddha-nature. But without the help of a teacher you'll never know it. Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a teacher's help.
If, though, by the conjunction of conditions, someone understands what the Buddha meant, that person doesn't need a teacher. Such a person has a natural awareness superior to anything taught. But unless you're so blessed, study hard, and by means of instruction you'll understand
--Bodhidharma
All know the Way, but few actually walk it.
If you don't find a teacher soon, you'll live this life in vain. It's true, you have the buddha-nature. But without the help of a teacher you'll never know it. Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a teacher's help.
If, though, by the conjunction of conditions, someone understands what the Buddha meant, that person doesn't need a teacher. Such a person has a natural awareness superior to anything taught. But unless you're so blessed, study hard, and by means of instruction you'll understand
--Bodhidharma
Monday, December 05, 2005
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Let the Light Shine Through Your Sorrow
Photo Credit: Gene Myers' Home Page
So much of life is about remembering--
who we are
what we stand for, and
why we're here.
Don't forget--
to let your light shine through.
On despair...
"Action is the antidote to despair."
--Joan Baez
"But what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope."
--George Eliot
"It becomes no man to nurse despair, but, in the teeth of clenched antagonisms, to follow up the worthiest till he die."
--Alfred, Lord Tennyson
"Action is the antidote to despair."
--Joan Baez
"But what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope."
--George Eliot
"It becomes no man to nurse despair, but, in the teeth of clenched antagonisms, to follow up the worthiest till he die."
--Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Candle on the Window Sill
Photo Credit: Trek Lens
Through the eye of the candle
my world regained focus.
Cloaked in new-found hope
dripping tears of joy
something inside me--
shifted, and turned upward.
I saw all--
that I ever wanted to know
in the flickering eye of the candle
on the window sill.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Imagine you are seated before this blazing fire. Hear the embers crackle. Smell the sweet smoke. Watch as the flames dance to the night breeze that drifts across the forest where you are encamped.
Photo Credit: Stockholm Skamsen
Remember Who You Are
By Cathy Bolton
on Conversations with God, Disc 2
Windham Hill Collection, 1998.
Click here to remind yourself you are really are.
By Cathy Bolton
on Conversations with God, Disc 2
Windham Hill Collection, 1998.
Click here to remind yourself you are really are.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Rejoice Now Heavenly Powers
From Ancient Echoes
By Alexander Sedov directs Chorovaya Akademia
RCA Victor Red Seal /MGM Music, 1995
Click here to listen. It will bring your soul to tears.
From Ancient Echoes
By Alexander Sedov directs Chorovaya Akademia
RCA Victor Red Seal /MGM Music, 1995
Click here to listen. It will bring your soul to tears.
The Interplay of the WorldIn this figure is set forth the constitution of the Intermediate Sphere, by which the extremes of Spirit and Matter are reconciled and the harmony of the universe preserved. The ancients unite in the recognition of three worlds existing within one eternal and unlimited state. Philosophy is the science of relationships of these worlds.
Photo Credit: The Philosophical Research Society
One to challenge you...
"When does gold ore become gold? When it is put through a process of fire. So the human being during the training becomes as pure as gold through suffering. It is the burning away of the dross. Suffering has a great redeeming quality. As a drop of water failing on the desert sand is sucked up immediately, so we must become nothing and nowhere ... we must disappear."
~Bhai Sahib, from 'Travelling the Path of Love', Ed. Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
"When does gold ore become gold? When it is put through a process of fire. So the human being during the training becomes as pure as gold through suffering. It is the burning away of the dross. Suffering has a great redeeming quality. As a drop of water failing on the desert sand is sucked up immediately, so we must become nothing and nowhere ... we must disappear."
~Bhai Sahib, from 'Travelling the Path of Love', Ed. Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
In Praise of Craziness of a Certain Kind
By Mary Oliver
On cold evenings
my grandmother,
with ownership of half her mind —
the other half having flown back to Bohemia —
spread newspapers over the porch floor
so, she said, the garden ants could crawl beneath,
as under a blanket, and keep warm,
and what shall I wish for, for myself,
but, being so struck by the lightning of years,
to be like her with what is left, that loving.
From: New and Selected Poems: Volume Two
Mary Oliver
Beacon Press 10/05
Hardcover $24.95
By Mary Oliver
On cold evenings
my grandmother,
with ownership of half her mind —
the other half having flown back to Bohemia —
spread newspapers over the porch floor
so, she said, the garden ants could crawl beneath,
as under a blanket, and keep warm,
and what shall I wish for, for myself,
but, being so struck by the lightning of years,
to be like her with what is left, that loving.
From: New and Selected Poems: Volume Two
Mary Oliver
Beacon Press 10/05
Hardcover $24.95
Monday, November 28, 2005
Monday Thought: Our Words
One of the things that Kabbalah believes is that words not only reflect reality, but in a sense create it. God and the name of God are in this way the same thing.
To learn more, go see the Bee Season starring Richard Gere.
One of the things that Kabbalah believes is that words not only reflect reality, but in a sense create it. God and the name of God are in this way the same thing.
To learn more, go see the Bee Season starring Richard Gere.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Friday, November 25, 2005
Friday Thought: We Are All Guests
"The earth doesn't belong to anyone. It is the land upon which all of us are to live for many years, ploughing, reaping and destroying.You are always a guest on this earth and have the austerity of a guest. Austerity is far deeper than owning only a few things. The very word austerity has been spoilt by the monks, by the sannyasis, by the hermits. Sitting on that high hill alone in the solitude of many things, many rocks and little animals and ants, that word has no meaning."
--Jiddu Krishnamurti
"The earth doesn't belong to anyone. It is the land upon which all of us are to live for many years, ploughing, reaping and destroying.You are always a guest on this earth and have the austerity of a guest. Austerity is far deeper than owning only a few things. The very word austerity has been spoilt by the monks, by the sannyasis, by the hermits. Sitting on that high hill alone in the solitude of many things, many rocks and little animals and ants, that word has no meaning."
--Jiddu Krishnamurti
Anonymous Dharma...
Watch Dan Shimp's new blog, Anonymous Dharma, for insights and compassionate wisdom. Stop by and say hello to Dan.
Here is one from Dan's blog:
"It is the truth that liberates, not our effort to be free."
--J. Krishnamurti
Watch Dan Shimp's new blog, Anonymous Dharma, for insights and compassionate wisdom. Stop by and say hello to Dan.
Here is one from Dan's blog:
"It is the truth that liberates, not our effort to be free."
--J. Krishnamurti
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Spiritual Study Options
If you were interested in formal education to advance your "transpersonal" journey, which programs would you consider?
These five caught my attention:
1. American Institute of Holistic Theology, MS/PhD, Metaphysics.
2. Atlantic University MA, Transpersonal Studies.
3. University of Philosophical Research, MA Transpersonal Studies or MA, Consciousness Studies.
4. Naropa University (NU), MA, Transpersonal Studies.
5. Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, MA, Transpersonal Studies or Transpersonal Psychology.
Anybody out there know anything about these institutions? Know of any others you would look into? Distance education format is a necessity. Thank you.
If you were interested in formal education to advance your "transpersonal" journey, which programs would you consider?
These five caught my attention:
1. American Institute of Holistic Theology, MS/PhD, Metaphysics.
2. Atlantic University MA, Transpersonal Studies.
3. University of Philosophical Research, MA Transpersonal Studies or MA, Consciousness Studies.
4. Naropa University (NU), MA, Transpersonal Studies.
5. Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, MA, Transpersonal Studies or Transpersonal Psychology.
Anybody out there know anything about these institutions? Know of any others you would look into? Distance education format is a necessity. Thank you.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Just about the time you think the world is too heavy to carry on your shoulders, remind yourself that all you were ever supposed to do in life is to be who you are...who you really are. If everyone did just that, there would be no need for anyone to carry the world on their shoulders. Photo credit: PianoLady
Monday, November 21, 2005
Monday Thought: Be Thou a Flake of Snow
Snow-Flakes
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.
Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels.
This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field.
Snow-Flakes
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.
Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels.
This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field.
The First Winter Snow
By Richard Brautigan
Oh, pretty girl, you have trapped
yourself in the wrong body. Twenty
extra pounds hang like a lumpy
tapestry on your perfect mammal nature.
Three months ago you were like a
deer staring at the first winter snow.
Now Aphrodite thumbs her nose at you
and tells stories behind your back.
By Richard Brautigan
Oh, pretty girl, you have trapped
yourself in the wrong body. Twenty
extra pounds hang like a lumpy
tapestry on your perfect mammal nature.
Three months ago you were like a
deer staring at the first winter snow.
Now Aphrodite thumbs her nose at you
and tells stories behind your back.
Imagine it is mid-morning and you are standing at one end of the Grand Canyon looking across its vast expanse. You glimpse the fresh snow deposited earlier that morning on the top of a nearby pine tree. A lone hawk soars across the sky in the distance. The biting crisp air awakens the sleeping spirit inside you. Deep in your consciousness you realize "there really is a God."
Photo Credit: Birky Home Page
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Imagine a perfectly still Sunday morning sitting on this bench letting snowflakes dance like tip-toed ballerinas on your face. Feel the cold air shock pinkness into your cheeks. Listen as a clump of snow loses its balance in the tree overhead, triggering an avalanche of fluffy whiteness to pour onto a self-absorped squirrel digging for acorns beneath the snow. Imagine winter is coming--for it surely is.
Photo Credit: kconners.com
Sunday Thought: Dealing with Hard Times
"You can't fly a kite unless you go against the wind and have a weight to keep it from turning a somersault. The same with man. No man will succeed unless he is ready to face and overcome difficulties and is prepared to assume responsibilities."
- William J.H. Boetcker
"You can't fly a kite unless you go against the wind and have a weight to keep it from turning a somersault. The same with man. No man will succeed unless he is ready to face and overcome difficulties and is prepared to assume responsibilities."
- William J.H. Boetcker
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Christmas Makes Us Believe in Life's Magic
Do you ever wish you could step back in time to a scene like this? As a young boy, no time of the year brought greater joy to my heart than Christmas. I loved the "getting ready" part of the Holiday. For some kids, making Christmas decorations in school was "dumb." To me, it was a joy. The Christmas plays at school and church were great fun, even when you forgot your lines. Singing carols at the "old folks home" was a special experience. Visiting relatives and friends to see their decorated trees, sipping egg nog, eating cookies, and sharing a joyful time was the most important thing in the whole world. Christmas taught me to believe in the magic in life. I still do. How about you?
Do you ever wish you could step back in time to a scene like this? As a young boy, no time of the year brought greater joy to my heart than Christmas. I loved the "getting ready" part of the Holiday. For some kids, making Christmas decorations in school was "dumb." To me, it was a joy. The Christmas plays at school and church were great fun, even when you forgot your lines. Singing carols at the "old folks home" was a special experience. Visiting relatives and friends to see their decorated trees, sipping egg nog, eating cookies, and sharing a joyful time was the most important thing in the whole world. Christmas taught me to believe in the magic in life. I still do. How about you? Friday, November 18, 2005
Thursday, November 17, 2005
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