Global Holistic Motivators

Wednesday 31 December 2014

Joke:Yogi and Pizza

The Yogi walked into the Zen Pizza Parlor and said: “Make me one with everything.”
When the Yogi got the pizza, he gave the proprietor a $20 bill.
The proprietor pocketed the bill.
The Yogi said “Don’t I get any change?”
The proprietor said, “Change must come from within.”

http://www.gurusfeet.com/spiritual_joke/yogi-and-pizza

Joke:Keeping Silence...

Four Vipassana meditators agreed to meditate in silence for a week and to not speak a single word.

On the first day, they all maintained silence. But as darkness fell, the flame of their single candle began to flicker.

"Oh, the flame is going out" said one monk.

"Eh, we should not speak a single word" said the second monk.

"Why do you two want to speak?" said the third monk.

"Ha! I am the only one who did not talk!" said the fourth monk.
http://www.gurusfeet.com/spiritual_joke/four-vipassana-meditators-keeping-silent
http://www.gurusfeet.com/spiritual_joke/keeping-silence

Tuesday 30 December 2014

Qualities of Krishna

The personal form of Lord Shri Krishna is so attractive that it comprehends all attraction, all bliss and all tastes. We must know for certain that the qualities of the Lord have nothing to do with mundane qualities. All of them are full of bliss, knowledge and eternity. There are innumerable qualities of the Lord, and one is attracted by one quality while another is attracted by another.

Srila Rupa Goswami after consulting various scriptures, has enumerated the transcendental qualities of the Lord as follows: 
(1) beautiful features of the entire body; 
(2) marked with all auspicious characteristics; 
(3) extremely pleasing; 
(4) effulgent; 
(5) strong; 
(6) ever youthful; 
(7) wonderful linguist; 
(8) truthful; 
(9) talks pleasingly; 
(10) fluent; 
(11) highly learned; 
(12) highly intelligent; 
(13) genius; 
(14) artistic; 
(15) extremely clever; 
(16) expert; 
(17) grateful; 
(18) firmly determined; 
(19) an expert judge of time and circumstances; 
(20) sees and speaks on the authority of Vedas, or scriptures; 
(21) pure; 
(22) self-controlled; 
(23) steadfast; 
(24) forbearing; 
(25) forgiving; 
(26) grave; 
(27) self-satisfied; 
(28) possessing equilibrium; 
(29) magnanimous; 
(30) religious; 
(31) heroic; 
(32) compassionate; 
(33) respectful; 
(34) gentle; 
(35) liberal; 
(36) shy; 
(37) the protector of surrendered souls; 
(38) happy; 
(39) the well-wisher of devotees; 
(40) controlled by love; 
(41) all-auspicious; 
(42) most powerful; 
(43) all-famous; 
(44) popular; 
(45) partial to devotees; 
(46) very attractive to all women; 
(47) all-worshipable; 
(48) all-opulent; 
(49) all-honorable; 
(50) the supreme controller. 
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has all these fifty transcendental qualities in fullness as deep as the ocean. In other words, the extent of His qualities is inconceivable.

Besides all of the above-mentioned fifty qualities, Lord Krishna possesses five more, which are sometimes partially manifested in the persons of Lord Brahma or Lord Shiva. These transcendental qualities are as follows: 
(51) changeless; 
(52) all-cognizant; 
(53) ever fresh; 
(54) sac-cid-ananda (possessing an eternal blissful body); 
(55) possessing all mystic perfections.

Krishna also possesses five other qualities, which are manifest in the body of Narayana, and they are listed as follows. 
(56) He has inconceivable potency. 
(57) Uncountable universes generate from His body. 
(58) He is the original source of all incarnations. 
(59) He is the giver of salvation to the enemies whom He kills. 
(60) He is the attractor of liberated souls. 
All these transcendental qualities are manifest wonderfully in the personal feature of Lord Krishna.

Besides these sixty transcendental qualities, Krishna has four more, which are not manifest even in the Narayana form of Godhead, what to speak of the demigods or liv
ing entities. They are as follows. 
(61) He is the performer of wonderful varieties of pastimes (especially His childhood pastimes). 
(62) He is surrounded by devotees endowed with wonderful love of Godhead. 
(63) He can attract all living entities all over the universes by playing on His flute. 
(64) He has a wonderful excellence of beauty which cannot be rivaled anywhere in the creation.

Adding to the list these four exceptional qualities of Krishna, it is to be understood that the aggregate number of qualities of Krishna is sixty-four. Srila Rupa Gosvami has attempted to give evidences from various scriptures about all sixty-four qualities present in the person of the Supreme Lord.

http://www.iskconbangalore.org/qualities-krishna

Joke:Scientists decide to tell God that we no longer need him

One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him.

The scientist walked up to God and said, "God, we've decided that we no longer need You. We're at the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, we don't need you here anymore, you can go your way "

God listened very patiently and kindly to the man. After the scientist was done talking, God said, "Very well, how about this? Let's say we have a man-making contest?"

To which the scientist replied, "Okay, great!"

But God added, "Now, we're going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam."

The scientist said, "Sure, no problem," and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.

God looked at him and said, "No, no! You go get your own dirt!"

http://aumamen.com/joke/scientists-decide-to-tell-god-that-we-no-longer-need-him

Story:A man found god through his love for his wife

This is a story told by Paramahansa Yogananda during one of his lectures at SRF temple, Hollywood, California, October 1943.

"I met a man of unselfish devotion in this country. He deeply loved his wife, so much so that his love for her became transmuted into divine love. After she died, he wandered for years, seeking a way to find her again. At last he did succeed. In the end, he found God through his love for her."

"This is the story as he told it to me: In his wanderings after her death, he sought out a great saint in the Himalayas. He persuaded the holy man to promise to give spiritual initiation to him and his wife together. After assuring him of his promise, the saint asked, 'Where is your wife?'

The husband then told him that she was dead. The saint nevertheless kept his promise to give initiation to the two together. He instructed the man to sit in meditation, and began to invoke the presence of the wife. Suddenly she appeared. For a long time she talked with her husband. Then the two sat together and received initiation from the saint.

Afterward, the holy one blessed them, and the wife departed. From the moment, the husband realized that the beloved form he had known as wife was in reality an individualized manifestation of the consciousness of God- as in every human being. The true meaning of divine love, which is behind and responsible for every ideal human relationship, was revealed to him. His was a unique and true experience.

But conjugal love is tricky, and most people leave this world with an unsatisfied heart.

Monday 29 December 2014

Joke:God Creates Man and Woman

God and Adam were walking through the Garden of Eden, discussing various things. At one point, Adam says, "Wow, God, you sure made Eve awfully beautiful, just amazingly beautiful!" Spoke the Lord: "Yes, my son, that is so you would love her very, very deeply." 
After a brief moment, Adam hesitatingly commented, "But Lord, you made Eve not too smart." "Ah, yes," said God, "that is so she would love you very, very deeply."

http://www.enlightened-spirituality.org/Spiritual_Humor.html

Joke:Young monks at a temple

A group of teenage monks was visiting Kashi with their guru, there were too many girls around, their Guru told them "if you find yourself disturbed by the sight of any beautiful girl just chant 'Govinda Govinda' so that you don't get diverted", Guru left the disciples there and went on his duties.

Ten minutes passed, one of the monk said "Govinda! Govinda!" the rest of the group asked where? where? where?
http://aumamen.com/joke/young-monks-at-a-temple

Story:Krishna, Balarama and a forest monster

Once on a full moon day, Krishna and Balarama were walking in the forest, it was late and they decided to rest in the forest for the night. It was a dangerous forest, so Krishna suggested "Baladeva, you keep watch until midnight while I sleep, and  I will be on watch from midnight till morning." They both agreed and Krishna went to sleep.

A few hours passed, Krishna was sleeping sound. Balarama heard a growl at a distance, it was a terrifying sound. He walked a little further towards the sound. Now he could see a gigantic monster approaching him. The monster growled again, Balarama was very afraid, he trembled in fear.

Every time he trembled, the monster grew double in size. The monster grew bigger and bigger as it approached Balarama. Now the monster was standing very close to Balarama, it growled again. Terrified by the sound, size and terrible smell of the monster Balarama screamed "Krishna! Krishna!" and collapsed and fell unconscious.

Woken up by the call, Krishna followed the sound and found Balarama sleeping, Krishna thought, 'It must be my turn now' and started walking too and fro. Slowly Krishna recognized the monster standing nearby.

The monster growled at Krishna. "What do you want?" Krishna asked unafraid. The size of the monster decreased, it shrunk to half its size. "What are you doing here?" Krishna asked again and the monster shrunk again. Krishna kept questioning it expecting a reply, the monster kept shrinking every time he asked.

Now the monster was just 2 inches tall, and looked cute and adorable. Krishna took it in his hand and placed it in his waist pocket. The night passed and Balarama woke in the morning.

Balarama saw Krishna and joyously shouted "Krishna! Krishna!".

"Krishna! you don't know what a terrible thing happened while you were asleep. There was huge monster trying to kill us both. I don't know how we survived, the last thing I remember is that I fainted." Balarama said trying to recall yesterday night's events.

Krishna took out the little monster out of his pocket and said, "Is this the same monster?"

"Yes, but it was so big! how did it shrink?" asked Balarama.

"Every time I questioned it, it shrunk in size, finally it became this."

Balarama told Krishna how the monster grew yesterday every time he was scared of it.

Then Krishna concluded "Everytime we are afraid, our fears grow big, but every time we face them and question them, they become smaller and smaller."

http://aumamen.com/story/krishna-balarama-and-a-forest-monster

Sunday 28 December 2014

Dance Meditation

Dance as meditation – Disappear into the dance

Forget the dancer, the center of the ego; become the dance. That is the meditation. Dance so deeply that you forget completely “you” are dancing and begin to feel that you are the dance. The division must disappear; then it becomes a meditation. If the division is there, then it is an exercise: good, healthy, but it cannot be said to be spiritual. It is just a simple dance. Dance is good in itself – as far as it goes, it is good. After it, you will feel fresh, young. But it is not meditation yet. The dancer must go, until only the dance remains.

So what to do? Be totally in the dance, because division can exist only if you are not total in it. If you are standing aside and looking at your own dance, the division will remain: you are the dancer and you are dancing. Then dancing is just an act, something you are doing; it is not your being. So get involved totally, be merged in it. Don’t stand aside, don’t be an observer.
Particpate!

THE INSTRUCTIONS
Nataraj is dance as a total meditation. There are three stages, lasting a total of 65 minutes.
“Let the dance flow in its own way; don’t force it. Rather, follow it; allow it to happen. It is not a doing but a happening. Remain in the mood of festivity. You are not doing something very serious; you are just playing, playing with your life energy, playing with your bioenergy, allowing it to move in its own way. Just like the wind blows and the river flows – you are flowing and blowing. Feel it. And be playful. Remember this word “playful” always – with me, it is very basic. In this country we call creation God’s leela – God’s play. God has not created the world; it is his play”
Osho

1st stage 40 minutes
With eyes closed dance as if posessed. Let your unconscious take over completely. Do not control your movements or be a witness to what is happening. Just be totally in the dance.

2nd stage: 20 minutes
Keeping your eyes closed, lie down immediately. Be silent and still.

3rd stage: 5 minutes
Dance in celebration and enjoy.

http://www.oshorajneesh.com/osho-nataraj-meditation-download.htm

http://oshomeditationstudio.com/portfolio/osho-nataraj-meditation/

No-Mind Meditation

No-Mind means intelligence. And when I am asking you for gibberish, I am simply asking you to throw out the mind and all its activity so you remain behind – pure, clean, transparent, perceptive.

The first part is gibberish. The word ‘gibberish’ comes from a Sufi mystic, Jabbar. Jabbar never spoke any language, he just uttered nonsense. Still he had thousands of disciples because what he was saying was, “Your mind is nothing but gibberish. Put it aside and you will have a taste of your own being.” Use gibberish and go consciously crazy. Go crazy with absolute awareness so that you become the center of the cyclone. Simply allow whatever comes, without bothering whether it is meaningful or reasonable. Just throw out all mind garbage and create the space in which the Buddha appears.

In the second part, the cyclone is gone and has taken you also away. The Buddha has taken its place in absolute silence and immobility. You are just witnessing the body, the mind and anything that is happening.

In the third part I will say, “Let go!” Then you relax your body and let it fall without any effort, without your mind controlling. Just fall like a bag of rice.

Each segment will begin with the sound of a drum. 

Instruction
Try the meditation for seven days at first, as that will be a long enough period to experience its effects. Allow for approximately 40 minutes of gibberish, followed by 40 minutes of witnessing and Let Go, but you can continue both stages for a further 20 minutes if you wish.

First stage: Gibberish or Conscious Craziness 
Standing or sitting, close your eyes and begin to say nonsense sounds-gibberish. Make any sounds you like, but do not speak in a language,  or use words that yoy know. Allow yourself to express whatever needs to be expressed within you. Throw everything out, go totally mad. Go consciously crazy. The mind thinks in terms of words. Gibberish helps to break up this pattern of continuous verbalization. Without suppressing your thoughts, you can throw them out in this gibberish.

Everything is allowed: sing, cry, shout, scream, mumble, talk, Let your body do whatever it wants: jump, lie down, pace, sit, kick, and so on. Do not allow there to be any gaps. If cannot find sounds to gibber with, just say la la la la , but don’t remain silent.

If you do this meditation with other people, do not relate or interfere with them in any way. Just stay with is happening to you, and don’t bother about what others are doing. You can wear a blindfold if it helps.

Second stage: Witnessing
After the gibberish, sit absolutely still and silent and relaxed, gathering your energy inwards, letting your thoughts drift further and further away from you, allowing yourself to fall into the deep silence and peacefulness that is at your center. You may sit on the floor or use a chair. Your head and back should be straight, your body relaxed, your eyes closed and your breathing natural.

Be aware; be totally in the present moment. Become like a watcher on the hills, witnessing whatever passes by. Your thoughts will try to race to the future or back to the past. Just watch them from them from a distance – don’t judge them. Just stay in the present, watching. It is the meditation, what you are watching is not important. Remember not to become identified with or lost in whatever comes by: thoughts, feelings, body sensations, judgments. 

Third stage: Let-Go  
Gibberish is to get rid of the active mind, silence is to get rid of the inactive mind, and Let-Go is to enter into the transcendental.

After the witnessing, allow your body to full back to the ground without any effort or control. Lying back, continue witnessing, being aware that you are not the body nor the mind, that you are something separate from both.

As you travel deeper and deeper inside, you will eventually come to your center.

When you feel ready, sit up again and for a few minutes remember the space you have been in – the silence and the peace.

http://www.oshoworld.com/onlinemag_galleria/march13/htm/meditation_treasure.asp

Thursday 25 December 2014

JESUS QUOTES


  • Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength
  • The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
  • So I say to you, Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
  • Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.
  • If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.
  • For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.
  • Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
  • Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
  • Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
  • Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
  • If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
  • Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
  • If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
  • The kingdom of God is within you.
  • Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
  • For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
  • Do to others as you would have them do to you.
  • Judge not, that ye shall not be judged: Condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
  • But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
  • Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God 
  • It is more blessed to give than to receive.
  • You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
 

Story:Compassionate teacher and disciple who was a thief

Long time ago, there was a Buddhist teacher who was wise and compassionate. He had many bright students, he taught them meditation and other practices. They held him in high respect. But there was this one thing in the monastery that they couldn't tolerate.

There was an young disciple who would often steal from his brother monks, he would steal their money, he would steal small things in the monastery.

Monks complained about him to their teacher "Master! he steals things from us, please advise him"

The wise one said "Give him some time, he will learn. I'll talk to him", wise one called the young disciple after everyone had left "These things are puny, only right practice will give you what you crave for, work hard on your practice, stop stealing things.

The young monk prostrated before the wise one in respect and left, he was ashamed of his habit, he was determined to try and stop his habit. He was an intelligent and good person, like most people who come on the path, but it was too difficult for him to change his mental pattern (isn't it often difficult for everyone).

Few days passed without any trouble, but he could not resist the temptation for long, he fell and unfortunately for him he was caught again, monks paraded again to the wise one taking the culprit along, the wise one dismissed them saying "Give him some time he will learn".

They caught him few more times and brought him in front of the wise one for justice, he would simply dismiss them saying "Don't mind him, do your practices. He will learn to behave".  Monks were all growing impatient with their teacher for his strange behavior. They couldn't understand why he wouldn't send him out of monastery.

It happened once again, they submitted the young monk in front of him, and not surprisingly he neglected the case without saying much.  This time monks were determined, they wanted a permanent decision from the Guru's part. They said in chorus "Master we can't take it anymore, you can keep us here or this thief, we will not stay here if he stays".

"Alright then, you all may leave. I'm not going to abandon him." came the reply, monks were all surprised at the unexpected answer.

"Oh master! O master! Please" pleaded the disciples in gentle voice. 

"You are all good disciples, you will get admission into any monastery. But he won't be accepted anywhere else, I'm not going to leave him." said the compassionate one.

The young monk who was watching all this commotion was touched by the compassion of the great one, his resolve was so strong that he gave up stealing thereafter for good.

Moral of the story: True love can often change even the toughest hearts.

http://aumamen.com/story/a-compassionate-teacher-and-the-disciple-who-was-a-thief

Story:Bhartruhari, King who became saint

There was a king ruling the city of Ujjaini, situated in the middle of present day India. BhartruHari was a wise and loving ruler, but his mind was always on Love and Romance, he had around 100 beautiful women for his wives as stories say, obviously there wasn't much time left for him to look after the Kingdom, his younger step-brother Vikramaditya (who is famously known, Indian calendar system which is still used was found during his era) was looking after the whole of kingdom, and was unhappy with his brother for not taking responsibilities.

Bhartruhari was so much immersed in romance and sex, that he wrote 100 stanzas on 'the art of romance and sex', now famously called 'Shrungara Shataka'. All the stanzas are on sensuality and sexual pleasure.

King Bhartruhari was obsessed with his youngest wife Pingala, she was beautiful and charming. Once king's brother complained to the king about the affair of queen with king's charioteer and advised him to banish her for the sake of the kingdom. King was too obsessed with her to heed to his brother, in fact when the queen heard of this from her sources, she manipulated the king and banished his brother from the kingdom

One day a yogi came to his court and presented the king with an apple, which he said would bless one with 'youth and longevity' on eating (stories say that the ascetic got the apple as a boon from the gods and that the apple was from the Kalpavruksha- 'wish fulfilling tree').

The king wanted queen Pingala to have the apple, so that she would always look young for him.
Queen Pingala gave the apple to the charioteer. She wanted him to be young and strong.

The charioteer was in love with a prostitute, he gave her the apple to eat.

The prostitute thought 'it would be better if someone deserving ate this', she always liked the king, he was noble and pious, his long living also meant the peace and stability of her kingdom, so she took the apple to the king and give it to him.

King Bhartuhari was surprised to see the apple with her, and enquired how she got it. She told him how she got it from the charioteer, king sent men to bring the charioteer, he told the king that he got it from the queen, and confessed of his affair with the queen.

Bhartruhari realized the fleeting nature of the pleasure from worldly objects, he wrote a poem about the incident which changed him in his Niti Shataka. (100 stanzas on Moral conduct)

"(She) whom on I contemplate, is not passionate for me, she loves another;
that whom she loves, loves another;
One whom he loves, loves another.
Refuse (disdain to) that woman, that man, Cupid, me."

Deep Vairagya (dispassion) arose in him, he gave up the desire for his wife, realizing his mistake he brought his brother back and crowned him, renouncing the world he lived rest of his life as an ascetic. Bhartruhari wrote Niti-Shataka and Vairagya Shataka during his later years.

http://aumamen.com/story/king-bhartruhari-who-became-saint-bhartuhari

Wednesday 24 December 2014

Hollow Body Meditation

Begin by sitting or lying with the spine in alignment; be comfortable, ensure you are warm enough and won’t be disturbed for a few minutes.

Bring your attention to your breath and imagine your are breathing into your head – your head is a spacious place devoid of any obstruction, a light and airy space. It can be helpful to see the breath as a luminous crystal mist coming in and completely filling the whole space in your head.

Move on now to your neck and throat, breathe in and see this area of your body filled with the same luminous mist. The space in your neck and throat free from any solidity or denseness. A light and airy space that allows sensations and vibrations to flow freely.

Allow this feeling of spaciousness to flow down to the chest, shoulders and out to the arms and hands. The fingers feeling hollow – the luminous mists of breath flowing in and out carrying sensations easily through your arms, shoulders, neck and head.

Breathing in and moving the awareness down through the torso, into the legs, feet and toes. As you exhale feel the streams of sensation flowing through the body – no knots or tension to get in the way – but the body light and airy, sensation and breath flowing freely.

Remain with these sensations, allow any thoughts, feelings or perceptions to arise and dissolve like bubbles in a stream. Feel the stream energise all parts of the body… if you find a part that seems closed, dense or the flow gets stuck, focus on this area and will it to relax, undo and melt.

Gradually, with practice you will be able to feel your hollow, relaxed body with just a few breaths – from the top of your head to the tip of your toes, completely open and free, unobstructed and radiant with an inner sense of wholeness and calmness

http://do-yoga.co.uk/2014/07/14/hollow-body-meditation/

Tuesday 23 December 2014

Fourfold Sadhana

The fourfold means for salvation, or the four kinds of spiritual practices, is a prerequisite to the aspirants on the path of Jnana Yoga, or, for that matter, in any system of evolution towards Godhead.

1. VIVEKA
Discrimination between the real and unreal or the permanent and the impermanent.

2. VAIRAGYA
Dispassion or the absence of passionate longing born of sustained right discrimination. It is the giving up of passion and desire for all mundane enjoyments. 

3. SHAD-SAMPAT
The third requisite is a set of sixfold virtues the spiritual seeker must have and are taken as one requisite. 

Shama: is serenity or tranquility of mind that is brought about by eradication of vasanas, which are desires or conditioning in a broader sense. 
Dama: is control of the senses or self-control, it corresponds to pratyahara in Raja Yoga. Here too there is no foolish suppression, as the empowered awakened wisdom simply avoids what is not conducive to discovery of the truth.
Uparati: is satiation or turning the mind resolutely away from desires by seeing everything through the awakened wisdom rather than the conditioned mind. 
Titiksha: is power of endurance or forbearance—patently bearing all opposites without caring to redress them. This frees one from any anxieties and stress that can result from trying to change everything to our taste. In a way, titiksha is an internal and external adjustment so that there is no lament with ever changing situations.
Sraddha: is unshakeable faith that transcends reason in the words of the preceptor, teachings of the scriptures and one’s own self. It is not blind faith, as it is based on reasoning, evidence and experience. 
Samadhana: is mental balance, equipoise and calm which give a balanced inner life. Perfect concentration ensues when samadhana comes about as it is the fruit of the other five. The mind gets settled in its source and does not wander aimlessly, bringing about mental stability and poise.

4. MUMUKSHUTVA 
An intense yearning for liberation, it is the fourth of the main qualifications. If one is equipped with the other three, this unwavering focus and desire for liberation will be natural. Mumukshutva should be steady, unflickering and of a burning type. If one feels one does not have this burning mumukshutva, one should work hard to practice the other three which will give rise to it naturally. 

Wednesday 17 December 2014

Story:The delusion of Duryodhana

After the end of Rajsuya Yajna (The Royal Festival of charity) and the farewell of all the other guests, Pandavas affectionately detained Duryodhana for some time more at Indraprasth and entertained him lavishly. One day, they showed him their beautiful palace, designed and constructed by skilful and experienced engineers. At a place the mosaic floor was so beautifully made out of precious and transparent quartz that it looked like running water. Duryodhana was, therefore, deluded by this deceptive flooring. He began undressing himself to cross it by swimming. Seeing this, Bhima, Draupadi and others laughed heartily.

So, too, dear readers! This world is made of Maya, the illusion. It looks different from what it actually is. It has been very beautifully decorated, so as to appear charming and attractive. There are also mirage-like circumstances which bewilder you. You think that you are drowned and start raising hue and cry, due to extreme nervousness. But when your ignorance is gone, you find yourself absolutely safe, as if nothing had happened.

My dear! Do not forget that all the things in this world are for your own good, though they may appear to you to be harmful, damaging or unnerving. Why should you be afraid of them? It is your own ignorance which is deluding you; otherwise there is none to harm you.

http://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/parables-of-rama/d/doc59203.html

Tuesday 16 December 2014

Story:Krishna's Oneness with Radha - True Feeling of Oneness

Krishna was to give a feast. All the ministers were invited, but he had not invited his sweet-heart, Radha. The prime minister urged him to send her invitation, but he would not listen to him and said, "No." However, the prime minister did not heed him and went to Radha to inform her of the feast which Krishna was to give.

She said to him, "When you have a feast, you send invitations to your friends, but you do not send an invitation to yourself, do you? I know that Krishna is to have feast. We are one."

MORAL: True feeling of oneness needs no outer show of love.


Story:Tulsi Das and his Wife - Transformation of Sensual Love

In India, there was a saint Tulsi Das by name, an ancestor of Swami Rama, who was very fond of his wife; he loved his wife as no man ever loved before. At one time it happened that his wife had to go here father's house which was located in another village, some seven or eight miles distant from the village in which the saint lived. The saint could not bear the separation, and so he left his house and went in search of his wife. It was about eleven o'clock at night when he learnt of her departure, and in his desperation he ran from his own house like a mad man. A river separated the two villages and at the time at night, it was very difficult to cross owing to the very rapid current of the river, and besides, there was nobody available at that hour of the night. On the bank of the river he found a rotten corpse and through his mad love, through his desperation to reach his wife he clasped the corpse tightly and swam across the river, safely reaching the other side. He ran on and on and when he reached the house where his wife was, he found all the doors closed, he could not gain entrance, neither could he arouse any of the servants, nor inmates, for they were all sleeping in some of the innermost rooms. Now what was he to do? You know they say if a river is in the way, love crosses it; if mountains are in the way, love climbs them. So, on the wings of love he had to reach his wife. While puzzling his brain, he found something dangling alongside the house and he thought it was a rope; he thought his wife loved him so dearly that she had placed this rope alongside the house for him to climb up. He was overjoyed. Now, this rope was not a rope but a long snake. He caught hold of the snake and it did not bite him, and by that means he climbed to the upper storey of the house and gained entrance to the room in which his wife was lying. The wife got up and was astonished, and exclaimed, "How did you get here, it is very strange." He shed tears of joy and said, "It was you yourself, O blessed one, who made my passage here so easy. Did you not place a kind of canoe by river for me to cross over, and did you not place that rope upon the wall for me to climb up? He was crazy, love had made him mad. The wife began to shed tears of pity and joy. She was a learned woman, she was a goddess of Divine wisdom, and she then said, "O Divine one! Sweet one! had you really entertained the same intense love for the Reality, the Divinity, which keeps up and supports and is embodied in this apparent self, in this physique of mine, you would have been God; you would have been the greatest prophet in the world, you would have been the grandest sage on the earth; you would have been the worshipped sire of the whole universe."

When the wife was inculcating the idea of Divinity in him, and was teaching him that she was one with the Divinity, she said, "O dear husband, you love this body of mine; this body is only transitory; it left your house and came to this house; in the same way, body may leave this earth today or tomorrow; this body may become sick to-day and all its beauty be gone in a second. Now see, what is it that gives bloom to my cheeks, what is it that lends lustre to my eyes, what is it that lends glory to my person, what is it that shines through my eyes, what is it that gives this golden colour to my hair, what is it that lends life, light and activity to my senses and my physique? See, that which has fascinated you is not this skin, is not this body of mine. Mark please, see please, what is it? It is the true Self, the Atman which charms and fascinates and bewitches you.

It is the Divinity in me and nothing, else; it is God, nothing else; it is that Divinity, that God within me, nothing else. Feel that Divinity, see that Divinity everywhere. That same Divinity, God, is it not present in the stars, does is not look you in the face, in the moon?"

This saint rose above sensuality, rose above carnal desires, and worldly attachments. This saint as he was originally extraordinarily in love with one wife, he realized that Beloved one, that Divinity everywhere in the world; so much so that this saint, a lover of God, this holy man drunk in Divinity, this pious man was one day walking through the woods, and he approached a man who held hatchet in his hand, and who was about to cut down a beautiful cypress tree. When the blows of the hatchet fell upon the roots of the beautiful cypress tree, there was the saint about to faint away. He ran up to the man and cried. 'These blows of yours hurt me, they are piercing my bosom; please refrain from doing this." "How is that, saint," asked the man. The saint said, "O sir, this cypress, this beautiful tree is my beloved one; in it I see my true Divinity, in it I see God."

Now, Divinity, God became his bird, his wife, his husband, his child, his father, his mother, his sister, and everything to him. All his energy, all his love was thrown at the feet of Divinity, was given to Divinity, the Truth, and thus the saint said to the man, "I see my beloved one there, I cannot bear blows on my beloved Divinity,"

One day a man was about to kill a stag or deer, and the holy saint was observing this. He came up and threw his body at the feet of the man who was about to kill the stag. "How is this saint," asked man. He exclaimed, "O, please spare the deer, behold my beloved one penetrating those beautiful eyes. Oh! Kill this body of mine, sacrifice this body in the name of Divinity, in the name of God, sacrifice my body I perish not, but spare, O, spare the beloved one."

All the attractiveness you see in this world is nothing else but the true Divinity; the same which appears to you in the body of a beloved one, puts on a different dress in trees, in mountains and hills. Realize this please, this is how you can rise above all worldly passions and desires. This is the way to make spiritual use of worldly desires and make use of them for their own sake. You are making spiritual wrecks of yourself, you are becoming sinners. But if you are raising these worldly desires, by using them properly then these same acts become virtuous.

MORAL: Intense love, even though it be sensual if diverted into proper channel, can be transformed into Love for Divinity and thus be a means of Realization.
http://hinduebooks.blogspot.in/2009/09/in-woods-of-god-realization-swami-rama.html

Thursday 11 December 2014

9 Jhanas

The nine levels of jhana are:
Delightful Sensations
Joy
Contentment
Utter peacefulness
Infinity of space
Infinity of consciousness
No-thingness
Neither perception nor non-perception
Cessation

The First Jhana: Pleasant Sensations
The concentration begins with one-pointedness concentration and then when the concentration becomes strong you enter a sustained concentration which is a continuous concentration with no interruptions. You start to enter the remaining jhanic factors of aiming, happiness, and joy or rapture. You shift your attention from the meditation subject to the joy associated with your concentration. You do not cling to the sensations, but just watch them. The experience can include some very pleasant physical sensations such as goose bumps on the body and the hair standing up to more intense pleasures which grow in intensity and explode into a state of ecstasy. If you have pain in your legs, knees, or other part of the body during meditation, the pain will actually disappear while you are in the jhanas. The pleasant sensations can be so strong to eliminate your painful sensations.

The Second Jhana: Joy
You proceed from the first jhana to the second by keeping a balanced mind with no clinging to the sensations of the first jhana. Then you shift your attention from the physical pleasure to emotional pleasure. The pleasurable sensations get put to the background and calm the mind further. You feel a great joy in your meditation and keep one-pointedness of mind.

The Third Jhana: Contentment
You let go of the physical pleasures which changes the emotional pleasure from joy to contentment. You experience a more motionless, quiet contentment.

The Fourth Jhana: Utter Peacefulness
The fourth jhana is entered when the mind remains equanimous to the third jhana of contentment long enough that you are ready to let go further. There is no positive or negative feeling in the mind or body. Then there is an all pervading, deep peacefulness, with one-pointedness of mind.

The Fifth Jhana: Infinity of Space
The fifth through the eighth jhanas are the “absorptions without form.” This is because they refer to states of consciousness where there is no perception of a form or body. They correspond to heavenly realms which also have no form or body. That is, beings re-born to the formless realms, which are some of the heavenly planes, do not have a body, but do have pleasant existences.
You enter the fifth jhana by remaining in the utter peacefulness state and then shift your attention to the boundaries of your being. You focus your attention outward as if you are watching yourself from above. You may feel like you are floating above your body at first. You put your attention on your body so that it feels like you are filling the room. This is expanded further and further so that you fill your whole neighborhood, city, country, continent, and then to space itself. You find yourself in this huge expanse of empty space.

The Sixth Jhana: Infinity of Consciousness
You enter the sixth jhana by realizing that the infinite space you occupy includes your consciousness. So you shift your attention to infinite consciousness instead of infinite space. You may feel “at one” with all nature and existence, but do not be fooled, this is not full enlightenment. Concentration is further increased and there is still one-pointedness of mind.

The Seventh Jhana: No-thingness
The seventh jhana is entered by realizing that the content of the infinite consciousness is basically empty of any permanent nature. We also realize that there is no “thingeither. There is nothing in the universe that has any permanent essence to it. We realize that everything is in constant flux.

The Eighth Jhana: Neither perception nor non-perception
The eight and ninth jhanas are difficult to discuss because they are so hard to describe in much the same way nibbana is hard to describe. This is because they are such heightened levels of concentration and of the Path itself, that they must be experienced. There is also very little to discuss with the eighth and ninth jhanas, since the perception levels have become so fine and so subtle. You enter the eighth jhana by letting go of the sense of no-thingness and enter a very natural, calm place. In the eighth jhana there is very little recognition of what is happening, but you are also not totally unaware of what is happening. There is such a peaceful state and you have gone beyond the duality of perception nor non-perception that it is easy to be fooled that you have experienced full enlightenment. But there is still more to do.

The Ninth Jhana: Cessation
When you reach the limits of perception, you realize that lesser mental activity is better for your calm and peaceful state. You enter a state of “cessation” of consciousness where there is only a very sublte form of perception. The meditator may appear to be unconscious. There have been reports of meditators having heart beats as low as 20 to 40 beats per minute at this jhanic level. The nearest way to describe this state is something like a very deep sleep. The eight and ninth jhanas are not full enlightenment, but very close stepping stones to full awakening. Only those who are very close to being fully enlightened can enter the eighth and especially, the ninth jhana.

http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=9_Jhanas

Story:Buddha's Path Is to Experience Reality

In the Buddha’s time a very old hermit lived at a place called Supārapattaṃ, near present-day Bombay. Having practised the eight jhānas, deep mental absorptions, he thought himself fully enlightened. A well-wisher corrected him, telling him that a Buddha was now present at Sāvatthi, who could teach him the real practice for becoming enlightened. He was so excited to hear this he went all the way to Sāvatthi in northern India. Reaching the monastery, he found that the Buddha had gone out for alms, so he went directly to the city. He found the Buddha walking down a street and immediately understood that this was the Buddha. He asked him then and there for the technique to become an arahant. The Buddha told him to wait for an hour or so, to be taught in the monastery, but he insisted: he might die within the hour, or the Buddha might die, or he might lose his present great faith in the Buddha. Now was the time when all these three were present. The Buddha looked and realised that very soon this man would die, and indeed should be given Dhamma now. So he spoke just a few words to this developed old hermit, there on the side of the road: Diṭṭhe diṭṭhamattaṃ bhavissati… "In seeing there is mere seeing, in hearing mere hearing, in smelling mere smelling, in tasting mere tasting, in touching mere touching, and in cognising only cognising"…viññāte viññātamattaṃ bhavissati.
  
This was sufficient. At the stage of mere knowing, what is being cognised or the identity of who cognises is irrelevant. There is mere understanding. The dip in nibbāna follows, where there is nothing to hold, no base to stand on (anissito).

The entire field of mind and matter (loka) is transcended, and there is no world or universe to grasp (upādiyati).

Whether it is for a few minutes or few hours depends on the capacity and previous work of the person. A person in nibbāna is as if dead: none of the senses function, although inside the person is very aware, very alert, very awakened. After that the person returns and again starts functioning in the sensory field, but a fully liberated person has no attachment, no clinging, because there is no craving. Such a person will cling to nothing in the entire universe and nothing clings to them. This is the stage described.
  
So a meditator practises. Those who practise these sentences will understand the meaning of every word given, but mere intellectualisation won’t help. Real understanding comes with experience.

http://www.vridhamma.org/Printversion/Discourses-on-Satipatthana-Sutta

Wednesday 10 December 2014

Story:Foundation for Sucess

A surgeon is looking forward to his daughter's wedding, a once-in-a-lifetime event. The proud father, all dressed up, is welcoming the guests. Suddenly the phone rings. "Doctor, we have an accident victim here bleeding profusely. We tried to reach the other doctors in town but no one is available. If you don't get here immediately, he'll die." What does the bride's father do? The answer is, he goes. Does this mean he loves his daughter any less? Not at all.

When our value system is clear, decision-making becomes a lot easier even though they may not be easy decisions.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=t6QWxXM__SoC&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=A+surgeon+is+looking+forward+to+his+daughters+wedding,+a+once-in-a-lifetime+event.&source=bl&ots=VLTGwXadi9&sig=Y1ktiFSBxJw95fpLgXqGAbrwkUg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=m2GIVJC7KYrbuQT_zoGgBQ&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=A%20surgeon%20is%20looking%20forward%20to%20his%20daughters%20wedding%2C%20a%20once-in-a-lifetime%20event.&f=false

Four Types of People

The Buddha said that there are four types of people in the world: those who are running from darkness towards darkness, those who are running from brightness towards darkness, those who are running from darkness towards brightness, and those who are running from brightness towards brightness.

For a person in the first group, all around there is unhappiness, darkness, but his greatest misfortune is that he also has no wisdom. Every time he encounters any misery he develops more anger, more hatred, more aversion, and blames others for this suffering. All those sankharas of anger and hatred will bring him only more darkness, more suffering in the future.

A person in the second group has what is called brightness in the world: money, position, power, but he too has no wisdom. Out of ignorance he develops egotism, without understanding that the tensions of egotism will bring him only darkness in future.

A person in the third group is in the same position as one in the first, surrounded by darkness; but he has wisdom, and understands the situation. Recognizing that he is ultimately responsible for his own suffering, he calmly and peacefully does what he can to change the situation, but without any anger or hatred towards others ;instead he has only love and compassion for those who are harming him. All he creates for the future is brightness.

Finally, a person in the fourth group, just as one in the second, enjoys money, position, and power, but unlike one in the second group, he is also full of wisdom. He makes use of what he has in order to maintain himself and those dependent on him, but whatever remains he uses for the good of others, with love and compassion. Brightness now and for the future too. 

One cannot choose whether one faces darkness now or brightness; that is determined by one's past sankharas. The past cannot be changed, but one can take control of the present by becoming master of oneself. The future is merely the past plus what is added in the present. Vipassana teaches how to become master of oneself by developing awareness and equanimity towards sensations. If one develops mastery in the present moment, the future will automatically be bright.

http://www.gurusfeet.com/files/buddhism.-.s.n.goenka.-.vipassana.discourse.summaries.-.ocr_.version.1.pdf

Chain of Conditioned Arising

Forward Order

With the base of ignorance (avijja), reaction (sankhara) arises; 
with the base of reaction (sankhara), consciousness (vinnana) arises; 
with the base of consciousness (vinnana), mind and body (nama-rupa) arise; 
with the base of mind and body (nama-rupa), the six senses (salayatana) arise; 
with the base of the six senses (salayatana), contact (phassa) arises; 
with the base of contact (phassa), sensation (vedana) arises; 
with the base of sensation (vedana), craving and aversion (tanha) arise; 
with the base of craving and aversion (tanha), attachment (upadana) arises; 
with the base of attachment (upadana), the process of becoming (bhava) arises; 
with the base of the process of becoming (bhava), birth (jati) arises; 
with the base of birth (jati), ageing (jara) and death (marana) arise, together with sorrow (soka), lamentation (paridev), physical and mental suffering and tribulations (dukkha-domanassupayasa). 

Thus arises this entire mass of suffering .

Reverse Order

With the complete eradication and cessation of ignorance (avijja), reaction (sankhara) ceases;
with the cessation of reaction (sankhara), consciousness (vinnana) ceases;
with the cessation of consciousness (vinnana), mind-body (nama-rupa) cease;
with the cessation of mind-body (nama-rupa), the six senses (salayatana) cease;
with the cessation of the six senses (salayatana), contact (phassa) ceases;
with the cessation of contact (phassa), seansation (vedana) ceases;
with the cessation of sensation (vedana), craving and aversion (tanha) cease;
with the cessation of craving and aversion (tanha), attachment (upadana) ceases;
with the cessation of attachment (upadana), the process of becoming (bhava) ceases;
with the cessation of the process of becoming (bhava), birth (jati) ceases;
with the cessation of birth (jati), ageing (jara) and death (marana) cease, together with sorrow (soka), lamentation (paridev), physical and mental sufferings and tribulations (dukkha-domanassupayasa).

Thus this entire mass of suffering ceases.

Tuesday 9 December 2014

Amazing Resonance Experiment!

Story:Three Stages of Wisdom

There are three stages in the development of pañña, of wisdom. 

The first is suta-maya pañña, wisdom acquired by hearing or reading the words of another.
This received wisdom is very helpful in order to set one in the proper direction. However, by itself it cannot liberate, because in fact it is only a borrowed wisdom. One accepts it as true perhaps out of blind faith, or perhaps out of aversion, in the fear that disbelieving will lead one to hell, or perhaps out of craving, in the hope that believing will lead one to heaven. But in any case, it is not one’s own wisdom.

The function of received wisdom should be to lead to the next stage: cinta-maya pañña, intellectual understanding. 
Rationally one examines what one has heard or read, to see whether it is logical, practical, beneficial; if so, then one accepts it. This rational understanding is also important, but it can be very dangerous if it is regarded as an end in itself.  Someone develops his intellectual knowledge, and decides that therefore he is a very wise person. All that he learns serves only to inflate his ego; he is far away from liberation.

The proper function of intellectual understanding is to lead to the next stage; bhavana-maya pañña, the wisdom that develops within oneself, at the experiential level
This is real wisdom. Received wisdom and intellectual understanding are very useful if they give one inspiration and guidance to take the next step. However, it is only experiential wisdom that can liberate, because this is one’s own wisdom, based on one’s own experience.

An example of the three types of wisdom: 
a doctor gives a prescription for medicine to a sick man. The man goes home, and out of great faith in his doctor, he recites the prescription every day; this is suta-maya pañña. 
Not satisfied with that, the man returns to the doctor, and demands and receives an explanation of the prescription, why it is necessary and how it will work; this is cinta-maya pañña. 
Finally the man takes the medicine; only then is his disease eradicated. The benefit comes only from the third step, the bhavana-maya pañña.

http://www.vridhamma.org/The-Discourse-Summaries

Monday 8 December 2014

Book:The Road Less Travelled

A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth 

Confronting and solving problems is a painful process which most of us attempt to avoid. And the very avoidance results in greater pain and an inability to grow both mentally and spiritually. Drawing heavily on his own professional experience, Dr M. Scott Peck, a practising psychiatrist, suggests ways in which facing our difficulties - and suffering through the changes - can enable us to reach a higher level of self-understanding. He discusses the nature of loving relation-ships: how to recognize true compatibility; how to distinguish dependency from love; how to become one's own person and how to be a more sensitive parent.

Quotes:
One hour of pain followed by six of pleasure was preferable to one hour of pleasure followed by six of pain. 

If a child sees his parents day in and day out behaving with self-discipline, restraint, dignity and a capacity to order their own lives, then the child will come to feel in the deepest fibers of his being that this is the way to live.

Parents will take the time to make these minor corrections and adjustments, listening to their children, responding to them, tightening a little here, loosening a little there, giving them little lectures, little stories, little hugs and kisses, little admonishments, little pats on the back.

The feeling of being valuable-"I am a valuable person"-is essential to mental health and is a cornerstone of self-discipline

Take the time necessary to analyze family problems so as to develop well-thought-out and effective solutions.

In attempting to avoid the pain of responsibility, millions and even billions daily attempt to escape from freedom.

If the map is true and accurate, we will generally know where we are, and if we have decided where we want to go, we will generally know how to get there.

We can revise our maps only when we have the discipline to overcome that pain, To have such discipline, we must be totally dedicated to truth.

Yet when one is dedicated to the truth this pain seems relatively unimportant-and less and less important (and therefore less and less painful) the farther one proceeds on the path of self-examination.

Genuine psychotherapy is a legitimate shortcut to personal growth which is often ignored. 

Balancing is the discipline that gives us flexibility. Extraordinary flexibility is required for successful living in all spheres of activity. 

The loss of balance is ultimately more painful than the giving up required to maintain balance.

I define love thus: The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth.

A true acceptance of their own and each other's individuality and separateness is the only foundation upon which a mature marriage can be based and real love can grow.

The temporary release from ego boundaries associated with falling in love, sexual intercourse or the use of certain psychoactive drugs may provide us with a glimpse of Nirvana, but not with Nirvana itself. It is a thesis of this book that Nirvana or lasting enlightenment or true spiritual growth can be achieved only through the persistent exercise of real love.

A good marriage can exist only between two strong and independent people.

Allowing yourself to be dependent on another person is the worst possible thing you can do to yourself.

Hobbies are self-nurturing activities. But if a hobby becomes an end in itself, then it becomes a substitute for rather than a means to self-development. 

Love is not simply giving; it is judicious giving and judicious withholding as well. It is judicious praising and judicious criticizing. It is judicious arguing, struggling, con-fronting, urging, pushing and pulling in addition to comforting.

True love is not a feeling by which we are overwhelmed. It is a committed, thoughtful decision.

The more children know that you value them, that you consider them extraordinary people, the more willing they will be to listen to you and afford you the same esteem. 

Romantic "love" is effortless, and couples are frequently reluctant to shoulder the effort and discipline of true love and listening. 

Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the making of action in spite of fear, the moving out against the resistance engendered by fear into the unknown and into the future. On some level spiritual growth, and therefore love, always requires courage and involves risk. It is the risking of love that we will now consider.

I've made a commitment to you. I will work with you as long as is necessary, whether it takes one year or five years or ten years or whatever. I don't know whether you will quit our work together when you're ready or before you're ready. But whichever it is, you are the one who will terminate our relationship. Short of my death, my services will be available to you as long as you want them.

With this consciousness the loving person assumes the responsibility of attempting to be God and not to carelessly play God, to fulfill God's will without mistake.

Constant self-discipline! Constant self-examination! Duty! Responsibility! Neopuritanism, they might call it. Call it what you will, genuine love, with all the discipline that it requires, is the only path in this life to substantial joy. 

Genuine love not only respects the individuality of the other but actually seeks to cultivate it, even at the risk of separation or loss.

It is essential for the therapist to love a patient for the therapy to be successful.

Laymen can practice successful psychotherapy without great training as long as they are genuinely loving human beings.

The absence of love is the major cause of mental illness and that the presence of love is consequently the essential healing element in psychotherapy. 

Spiritual growth is a journey out of the microcosm into an ever greater macrocosm. It is a journey of knowledge and not of faith. 

We are all individuals, but we are also parts of a greater whole, united in something vast and beautiful beyond description.

At these times the conscious mind of the patient is engaged in trying to combat therapy, intent upon hiding the true nature of the self from the therapist and from self-awareness. It is the unconscious, however, that is allied with the therapist, struggling toward openness, honesty, truth, and reality, fighting to "tell it like it is."

God is the goal of evolution. It is God who is the source of the evolutionary force and God who is the destination. That is what we mean when we say that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

The development of consciousness is the development of awareness in our conscious mind of knowledge along with our unconscious mind, which already possesses that knowledge. It is a process of the conscious mind coming into synchrony with the unconscious.

The ultimate goal of spiritual growth is for the individual to become as one with God. 

insofar as we might then through our conscious decisions be able to influence the world according to His will our Iives themselves will become the agents of God's grace. We ourselves will then have become one form of the grace of God, working on His behalf among mankind, creating love where love did not exist before, pulling our fellow creatures up to our own level of awareness, pushing the plane of human evolution forward.

"Let thy will, not mine, be done. Make me your instrument," is their only desire. Such a loss of self brings with it always a kind of calm ecstasy.

Loneliness is the unavailability of people to communicate with on any level. Aloneness, however, is the unavailability of someone to communicate with at your level of awareness.

Mental illness occurs when the conscious will of the individual substantially deviates from the will of God, which is his or her own unconscious will. 

Those who have faced their mental illness, accepted total responsibility for it, and made the necessary changes in them-selves to overcome it, find themselves not only cured and free from the curses of their childhood and ancestry but also find themselves living in a new and different world. 

individuals with psychoses are thought to have experienced extremely poor parenting in the first nine months of life; their resulting illness can be ameliorated by this or that form of treatment, but it is almost impossible to cure. Individuals with character disorders are thought to have experienced adequate care as infants but very poor care during the period between roughly nine months and two years of age, with the result that they are less sick than psychotics but still quite sick indeed and very difficult to cure. Individuals with neuroses are thought to have received adequate parenting in their very early childhood but then to have suffered from poor parenting sometime after the age of two but usually beginning before the age of five or six. Neurotics are therefore thought to be less sick than either character-disordered people or psychotics, and consequently much easier to treat and cure.

It is possible for an individual to be extremely ill and yet at the same time possess an extremely strong "will to grow," in which case healing will occur.

All of us are called by and to grace, but few of us choose to listen to the call.

It is our laziness, the original sin of entropy with which we have all been cursed. Just as grace is the ultimate source of the force that pushes us to ascend the ladder of human evolution, so it is entropy that causes us to resist that force, to stay at the comfortable, easy rung where we now are or even to descend to less and less demanding forms of existence.

Fearfulness and sense of unworthiness is so great as to consistently prevent the assumption of power, it is a neurotic problem.

1 do believe that the awareness of the existence of grace can be of considerable assistance to those who have chosen to travel the difficult path of spiritual growth. 

To utilize dreams effectively we must work to be aware of their value and to take advantage of them when they come to us, and we must also work sometimes at not seeking or expecting them. We must let them be true gifts.

But when we nurture ourselves and others with-out a primary concern of finding reward, then we will have become lovable, and the reward of being loved, which we have not sought, will find us. So it is with human love and so it is with God's love.

Spiritual growth is guided by the invisible hand and unimaginable wisdom of God with infinitely greater accuracy than that of which our unaided conscious will is capable.

The journey of spiritual growth requires courage and initiative and independence of thought and action.

The fact that there exists beyond ourselves and our conscious will a powerful force that nurtures our growth and evolution is enough to turn our notions of self-insignificance topsy-turvy. 


http://www.siestakeybeachmeeting.com/index_htm_files/The%20Road%20Less%20Traveled.pdf