a Soul Searching

In the Mountain

2008-08-16T15:31:00.030-04:00

Chilled in Old Tingri, we awake after restlessly tossing the night in the ramshackle motel ruled by a green-haired Tibetan princess. Darling daughter and I fondly recall the proprietor’s response to my earlier inquiry about the availability of showers. Her majesty had deadpanned that hot water was available 24-hours, adding that “Maybe it’s not so hot.”

Not so hot, we break from our room into the cool morning dim, roused by our driver and guide to begin the jeep ascent to the Mount Everest base camp. The “good road” has been shut down for repairs. So we bounce and bang our way up the alternate route - a twisting, winding, bumpy mess of a mountain trail - up and up and down and up and down and up and up and up. Painstakingly, we climb the harsh, rocky, marvelous terrain, above the tree line, on the roof of the world.

We cross frozen streams and deep dry washes. We bounce by scattered herds of goats, sheep and yaks tended by families of hearty nomads. Narrow stove pipes jutting from yak hair tents waft light blue smoke into the pale morning sky. I keep expecting the sparse tundra to peter out to nothing, but it never does. Bunches and bits of moss and lichen and grass endure the elevation, providing fodder for the animals and green relief from the variety of muted grays and browns that comprise the stark glacial landscape.

Hours later, we crawl past the sacred threshold, the incongruous Rongbuk Monastery. Strings of faded prayer flags drape the chorten, an enigmatic reliquary that resembles a giant marshmallow plopped on concrete steps topped by a tall, cylindrical metallic crown. Emblems of the sun and moon in the crown symbolize the light of the Buddha’s teaching. A solitary monk clad in a bold red robe trudges beneath the fluttering that connects the chorten to a complex of low-slung, chalky dwelling places.

We roll on without stopping. Our guide and driver know that the quicker we traverse the remaining distance to the North Face, the more likely we will decide not to stay overnight at the makeshift base camp tent city. They would much prefer the fuzzy motel at Old Tingri. We will not hear of it. We will spend the night stuffed under piles of yak hair blankets in a cozy, frozen tent they call the Hotel California.

The jeep trail ends at the tent city – two rows of room-sized, rectangular, chimneyed, brown hairy boxes, festooned with an assortment of faded rugs and bunting – astride either side of the built-up, packed-down dirt road.

We mount a rickety, wooden, horse-drawn cart for the final leg of the journey to the base camp, that is, to the photo opportunity tombstone that marks its official location for tourists. The weary dark steed is decorated festively and contrasts wonderfully with the sparce, rocky terrain.

Everest looms large in the near distance. All but its broad, streaked white base is surrounded by late July fog. The mountain hides. Our eyes are constantly drawn to it. We are pulled toward the peak, like souls searching.

The cart winds its way slowly up the dirt road, the clop, clop, clop of the horse’s hoofs punctuating the whistling breeze. We fix our gaze on the mountain. Pieces of Everest peak in and out of the clouds, tantalizing us.

We pose for pictures and linger, despite the clinging, insistent presence of the horse-cart driver who wants to go back for another fare. Time is money even here.

We strike up a conversation with a bicycle rider. About this time yesterday, he says, the wind cleared away the haze, revealing the precipice in all its glory.

We return to the tent city and walk into the nearby boulder-strewn expanse to wait – to wait for Everest to clear. We prop ourselves up against a couple of large rocks and sit. We are near a gentle rippling stream alone in the field with the stones, the wind, the lichens and the mountain. We stare at the clouds covering the crest. We gaze at the summit shrouded in mist. Hours pass in rapt contemplation.

I am struck.

God is in the mountain.
Mysterious, hidden, present, powerful, enduring,
drawing me near, pulling me closer,
lifting me up into the mystery.
God is in the mountain.

The Serenity Prayer

2008-07-30T15:12:00.002-04:00

I recently heard a version of the Serenity Prayer that resonated with me:

"God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the only person I can, and the wisdom to know that person is me."

This sent me in search of more information on the prayer and led to the following, most of which is taken from this Wikipedia entry:

The Serenity Prayer is the common name for an originally untitled prayer, most commonly attributed to the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. The prayer has been adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve-step programs. While Niebuhr's authorship was once believed to be secure, Yale Book of Quotations editor Fred R. Shapiro in 2008 published evidence that puts elements of Niebuhr's claim in doubt and shows that a version of the prayer was in existence no later than 1936.

According to the most common attribution, Reinhold Niebuhr wrote the prayer for use in a sermon, perhaps as early as 1934. He is quoted in January, 1950 as saying the prayer "might have been spooking about for years, perhaps centuries, but I don't think so. I honestly do believe that I wrote it myself." Niebuhr's preferred version is:

"God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other."

Reinhold Niebuhr's versions of the prayer were always printed as a single prose sentence; printings that set out the prayer as three lines of verse modify the author's original version.

The philosopher W.W. Bartley juxtaposes Niebuhr's prayer with a Mother Goose rhyme (1695) expressing a similar sentiment, but without comment:

For every ailment under the sun
There is a remedy, or there is none;
If there be one, try to find it;
If there be none, never mind it.

In the movie Billy Jack, authorship of the prayer is mistakenly given to St. Francis of Assisi.

The prayer was brought to the attention of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1939 by an early member. The prayer was liked by Bill W (William Griffith Wilson), co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous and the staff. It was printed out, handed around and has been part of Alcoholics Anonymous ever since. It has also been used in Narcotics Anonymous and other Twelve-step programs. The slightly edited Alcoholics Anonymous version is:

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

An expanded version exists, but its origins are unknown; it is certainly not by Niebuhr, who invariably cited his original version.

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him
Forever and ever in the next.

You are a Child of God

2008-07-24T15:07:00.002-04:00

"You have all sorts of roles and personas. They are valid and important. Embody them fully. However they are time bound and don't fully capture your essence. Your true essence could never be captured by an occupation, a gender, a religion or a personality type. Your true essence is beyond words and description. You are nothing less than a Christ, a child of God, an expression of universal love in this moment."

-- Ian Lawton.

We Need a New Language

2008-05-08T09:23:00.004-04:00

We need a new language to describe God
How can a creature know what it means to be God?
How can a fish describe what it is like to be a horse?
God is beyond naming
I am who am - Yahweh - I don't have a name - I don't need one
God is more than a being
"God is love" may be the least inaccurate way of describing God

What does this mean? Perhaps
It means that God is more verb than noun
More a spirit than a being
God is a decision

God is a decision to bring unconditional love to every situation
We do God by bringing love to our relationships
God is a decision to embrace the good in others despite their shortcomings
We seek to do God's will - the next loving thing
God works through people
To know God, love yourself and give yourself away

If you love yourself and your neighbor, you love God
Jesus is the great example of how to love, how to live
Whoever believes in love, believes in God
God is alive within you when you live to love

"No one could tell me where my Soul might be.
I searched for God, but God eluded me.
I sought my Brother out, and found all three."
--- Ernest Howard Crosby

Greet the Dawn

2008-05-07T08:14:00.003-04:00

First thing in the morning, before you meet or greet anyone, remember to greet all of nature, all visible and invisible creatures. Say to them: "I am grateful for your work, I love you and want to be in harmony with you!" At this very moment, in response to your greeting, all of nature will open to you and send you energy for the entire day.

--Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov

From www.gratefulness.org

For Your Sake, Forgive

2008-05-07T08:09:00.002-04:00

"The process of forgiveness—indeed, the chief reason for forgiveness—is selfish. The reason to forgive others is not for their sake. They are not likely to know that they need to be forgiven. They’re not likely to remember their offense. They are likely to say, 'You just made it up.' They may even be dead. The reason to forgive is for our own sake. For our own health. Because beyond that point needed for healing, if we hold on to our anger, we stop growing and our souls begin to shrivel.

--M. Scott Peck

"Forgiveness truly is one of the greatest things in life. I've found that when I'm willing and able to forgive someone else, the burden of anger and resentment that I've been carrying around is gone immediately, and they no longer affect the way that I feel. I'm able to see the world in a brighter, more cheerful way, and my life is much more enjoyable. Forgiving someone else is sometimes important to the person who has caused us pain, but it's much, much more important to me. If I don't forgive someone, I sometimes cause that other person a bit of pain, but I always cause myself a great deal of misery...

"One of the most ironic things about not forgiving someone, on the other hand, is that the other person very often doesn't even know that we've been hurt or that we're bearing a grudge. We're not affecting the other person at all, but we're causing ourselves to live our lives much less fully than we normally would. In other words, we're hurting ourselves and accomplishing absolutely nothing with the effort.

"John Gray says that forgiveness strengthens our souls, and I believe him. My soul is strengthened through love and loving, and the more I love others--the more I actually show that love--the stronger I become as a human being. The more I forgive, the less that outside circumstances are able to affect me, the less hurt I feel because of other people's actions. Most people hurt us inadvertently, anyway, and most of our pain is caused by our reactions to what other people do.

"Take care of yourself, and help yourself to grow and strengthen and live life more fully. Learning how to forgive fully, sincerely, and lovingly is one of the best things you can do to help yourself grow into the person you were put here to be."

From livinglifefully.com.

The Power of Positive Affirmations

2008-05-02T10:08:00.003-04:00

When your mind creates thoughts that are inconsistent with your experiences, habits, attitudes and beliefs, you experience mental pressure (cognitive dissonance). The subconscious pushes back in an effort to maintain system equilibrium… So how can you overcome these forces that work to maintain the status quo? One way is through positive affirmations….

An affirmation is a declaration that something is true…When tagged with emotions, affirmations create strong, new neural circuits. These new circuits have the capacity to alter old, unwanted behaviors in favor of new, desired behaviors…

By visualizing something repeatedly, we stimulate our subconscious to search for neural circuits that will evoke behaviors to bring about the very thing we have visualized. Positive results from practicing affirmations come from our natural urge to reduce the cognitive dissonance that is created when we compare current reality with the future state we want to achieve…

The three-step affirmation-visualization process that will drive new neural circuit development is:

1. Craft an affirmation that you will repeat mentally.
2. Visualize an image of the way the world will look as viewed from your own eyes when the affirmed fact is a reality.
3. Recall simultaneously an event that triggered positive emotions in order to chemically tag the new neural circuit formed by the affirmation and the visualized image.

The affirmation-visualization process has enormous power. Some of the results you can expect include:

a. Secure the quality of life you want by activating existing neural circuits to change your behavior and relationships with others.
b. Neutralize unwanted emotions, eliminate limiting attitudes and beliefs.
c. Condition your brain to detect information in your environment that is of special importance to you.
d. Solve problems by utilizing subconscious processes.

To be highly effective, the words of affirmation need to follow six basic guidelines:

1. Be Personal
2. Be Positive
3. Use Present Tense
4. Express Positive Emotion
5. Be Realistic
6. Be Specific

EXAMPLES
I know peace.
I am connected to all that is good.
I seek to help others.
I project a positive attitude on life.
I am confident.
I am free of fear.
I am patient.
I am humble.
My days are filled with joy and wonder.
I am happy.
I avoid retaliation.
I avoid argument.
I trust in Love, the Holy Spirit of the Universe
I am bathed in the sunlight of the Spirit.
I am inspired by presence of the Holy Spirit in my life.
With help from Love, the Holy Spirit, I can manage my life.
I am a beautiful child of the Holy Spirit
I am Love-centered.
I seek to act in the Spirit of Love
I seek connection with the will of the Holy Spirit.
I am growing along spiritual lines.
I project an attitude of gratitude.
I forgive myself.
I like myself.
I learn from my mistakes
I am grateful to be alive.
I have an open mind.

Based on material from Liberating Greatness

Teaching on Limbo Evolves

2008-05-01T09:45:00.002-04:00

From a report on the document published last year by the Vatican's International Theologial Commission:

"The traditional concept of limbo -- as a place where unbaptized infants spend eternity but without communion with God --...[reflects] an 'unduly restrictive view of salvation.'

"...God is merciful and 'wants all human beings to be saved,'...Grace has priority over sin...

"Limbo has never been defined as church dogma and is not mentioned in the current Catechism of the Catholic Church...But limbo has long been regarded as the common teaching of the church...

"Through the centuries, popes and church councils were careful not to define limbo as a doctrine of the faith and to leave the question open. That was important in allowing an evolution of the teaching, the theological commission said.

"A key question taken up by the document was the church's teaching that baptism is necessary for salvation. That teaching needs interpretation... The need for the sacrament of baptism is not absolute and is secondary to God's desire for the salvation of every person...

"God can therefore give the grace of baptism without the sacrament being conferred...This does not deny that all salvation comes through Christ and in some way through the church, it said, but it requires a more careful understanding of how this may work...

The document said the standard teaching that there is "no salvation outside the church" calls for similar interpretation.

The church's magisterium has moved toward a more 'nuanced understanding' of how a saving relationship with the church can be realized, it said. This does not mean that someone who has not received the sacrament of baptism cannot be saved, it said.

"Rather...the holiness of the church reaches people 'outside the visible bounds of the church through the bonds of human communion'...

"The church clearly teaches that people are born into a state of sinfulness -- original sin -- which requires an act of redemptive grace to be washed away. But Scripture also proclaims the "superabundance" of grace over sin...The idea of limbo... identifies more with Adam's sinfulness than with Christ's redemption...

'Christ's solidarity with all of humanity must have priority over the solidarity of human beings with Adam,'...

From this CNS STORY.

Living Life with Integrity

2008-04-28T08:17:00.003-04:00

"A boat with no leaks is said to have integrity, as is a solid piece of furniture. It is their wholeness-no gaps or weaknesses-that gives them their integrity. People who have integrity convey a similar "seaworthiness" and stability. There is the sense that they can be counted on, that their actions will be consistent with their ideals. Just being in the presence of someone with this quality creates a feeling of steadiness even in a chaotic environment. These people are natural leaders because we sense that it is safe to follow them. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi are clear examples of modern human beings who embodied integrity.

"All spiritual traditions have vows, precepts, and tenets that are designed to encourage us to live in harmony with a higher vision of what humanity can be. Following a set of precepts, or taking a vow, can teach us what it feels like to be true to a set of elevated ideals in which we think beyond I, me, and mine. Being true to a vow in the face of temptation builds strength and power. We learn first hand the benefits of sacrificing short-term gains in favor of long-term vision. We learn the value of doing what is right, and not just what is easy.

"In a culture obsessed with convenience and freedom, integrity can be a rare quality. Perhaps this is because we have a cultural habit of resisting limitation and restriction. And yet, limitation and restriction often provide the structure in which integrity can be born.Living with integrity generates self-confidence and self-esteem.

"It is important to take time on a regular basis to examine whether your actions, your words and your vision are in alignment. Make it a priority to look into any imbalances you find and commit to resolving them. Take time to consider and, when necessary, revise your overall vision for life, making sure your actions and words support your ideals."

From DailyOM - Integrity

Real Love is Service to Others

2008-04-27T21:01:00.002-04:00

“Let everyone understand that real love of God does not consist in tear-shedding, nor in that sweetness and tenderness for which we usually long, just because they console us, but in serving God in justice, fortitude of soul and humility.”

—St. Teresa of Avila
________________________

"It is true that prayer is the means by which we experience the reality of God. But once God has become a living reality for us, we simply have to love our fellow men. We cannot do otherwise. Once we receive the new life of the Spirit, we begin to live in love. And living in love, we are moved quite naturally and joyfully to serve others.

"God is love and if we live in union with God, we have the strength and longing to love others. Service is a spiritual activity, the natural fruit of love. God, who is love, is ever serving and caring for Creation. Human beings are made to be like God and so they too should never tire of serving others."

-Sadhu Sundar Singh

Emotions Simply Are

2008-04-27T20:54:00.002-04:00

"Throughout our lives, we may experience emotions that disturb or distress us. Often, our first reaction is to push our feelings away... But the diverse emotions you experience are neither good nor bad-they are simply a part being human.

"Choosing not to experience pain, anger, or other intense feelings could cause those feelings to become buried deep into your physical body. There, they may linger unresolved and unable to emerge, even as they affect the way you experience the world. Allowing yourself to experience all of your emotions rather than push the more painful ones away can help you come to terms with your feelings so you can experience them and then move on...

"When you deal with your feelings directly, they can move through you rather than staying stopped up in your body as emotional blocks that can sometimes turn into disease. Acknowledging [and experiencing] your emotions, instead of pushing them away, allows you to stay emotionally healthy and in touch with your feelings."

From the DailyOM - Nurturing Mind Body & Spirit

Gratefulness Leads to Peace

2008-04-27T20:47:00.001-04:00

From A Network for Grateful Living:

"Peace, rightly understood, is inseparable from gratefulness. When we are grateful, we peacefully accept what is. As long as we are merely thankful, we give thanks for what we perceive to be beneficial, but there always remains the lurking fear that something harmful may come our way instead.

"To be grateful is more. It is our courageous trust that life itself --kind or harsh, happy or sad -- is good, if only we receive it as gift. The moment we trust in this truth, we are at peace. A person at peace will serve as an agent of peace in the world."

Spiritual Desires Lead to Tangible Benefits

2008-04-10T11:50:00.002-04:00

Benefits of an empowered and authentic spiritual lifestyle: A new, revitalized or expanded sense of:

-inner peacefulness, hope and calm,

-self esteem, purposefulness, meaning and knowing your personal destiny,

-releasing untapped personal potentials,

-personal effectiveness,

-being able to implement wise and balanced applications of the virtues to resolve life’s relationship, career, financial and other challenges to achieve your most important and enlightened goals,

-emotional and mental balance,

-physical well being, (this includes everything from improving your nutrition and fitness to paradoxically feeling younger in heart, form and energy as you age,)

-present moment consciousness and awareness,

-delight and joy in the beauty of life,

-improved interpersonal relationships and experiences in the NOW, and

-personal autonomy, freedom and self control.

A new, revitalized or expanded sense of:

-your most authentic spiritual self --- your highest identity and dignity,

-interconnectedness to all of life,

-a tangible healing or lessening of the sense of fragmentation and personal isolation (an epidemic in today’s post modern world,)

-present moment consciousness and awareness,

-delight in the art and beauty of life,

-improved inter-personal relationships and experiences in the Now,

-compassion and personal peace,

-personal or transcendent connection, relationship and union with the Ever Present Origin such as:

1. a visceral experience of the Divine,
2. a personal connection with the Divine,
3. a personal relationship the Divine,
4. union with God and/or the Divine,
5. a transcendent experience of the Divine,
6. personal ecstatic experiences of the Divine,
7. knowing more about the Divine bydirect experience,
8. finding a presence of the Divine within yourself
9. ultimate connection with the Divine,
10. renewed energy, motivation, inspiration and rekindled hope,
11. an expanded living of the virtues in a balanced way...

Social benefits:

-co-creation of an equitable, just and sustainable world,

-better interpersonal relationships and connection with kindred spirits --- through supporting their spiritual evolution while expanding your own,

-a tangible healing or lessening of the sense of fragmentation and personal isolation plaguing today’s post modern world,

-co-action with other spiritual pioneers and cultural creatives in life affirming social service through spiritualized collective social activism,

-sharing your personal life, spiritual and social wisdom with others to help expand the global spiritual commons.

When you authentically progress in spirituality you improve your ability to successfully create every single thing that is:

-worthwhile to be or become,
-worthwhile to do or be done and,
worth having ---
-both in the here and now and, throughout eternity!

Base on this Integral Spirituality article.

Walk on the Mild Side

2008-04-10T11:27:00.002-04:00

"Walking meditation... is particularly effective for those who have difficulty sitting still in meditation for long periods of time, or want to break up their sitting with a little walking meditation....

"A path about twenty paces, or about fifty feet long is ideal. Any length will work however, even walking across a small room. The purpose of this meditation is to relax and slow the mind down, so follow the instructions as closely as you can. Also, since you will be repeating a mantra of sorts, don't let thoughts interfere with your mantra, or your concentration on walking. Just walk; and pay no attention to anything else except your mantra and your walking.

"The walking will be very slow, about four seconds per step, slowly picking up one foot, moving it forward, sitting it down, and then picking up the other. You should be aware of when you are going to walk, when you are walking, when you intend to stop at the end of the path, when you are standing, when you anticipate turning, when you are actually turning, when you anticipate walking again, and when you are actually walking.

"All of these movements are helped by your mantras, which state exactly what you are doing at the time. For example, when you are walking, with each step you will say audibly, softly, slowly, "I am walking." This should be said in a light, almost singing voice where the second word will be higher pitched than the other words. That is, the word, "am" will be higher pitched than either "I" or "walking." It will be almost as if you are singing your mantra to a child in a very soft, lullaby voice. The mantra and the way you repeat it are extremely important in relieving your stress. It must be said in kindness to yourself.

"Step 1. To begin, while standing at the end of the path, say, "I want to walk." Then wait four seconds and again, "I want to walk." Wait four more seconds and then one more, "I want to walk." The words, "want to" will be higher pitched than either "I" or "walk."

Step 2. Now begin walking, slowly picking up your left foot, moving it forward, and setting it down while saying, "I am walking." Then your right foot, and again, "I am walking." Maintain a step about every four seconds. The word "am" will be higher pitched than either "I" or "walking."

Step 3. Continue this down the path until you are about three paces from the end of the path. Then with each of the three remaining steps before you reach the end of the path, say, "I want to stop." The words, "want to" will be higher pitched than either "I" or "stop."

Step 4. Stop at the end of the path and while you are standing still, say, "I am standing." Then wait four seconds and again, "I am standing." Wait four more seconds and then one more, "I am standing." The word "am" will be higher pitched than either "I" or "standing."

Step 5. Then after about four seconds, say, "I want to turn." Then wait four seconds and again, "I want to turn." Wait four more seconds and then one more, "I want to turn." The words "want to" will be higher pitched than either "I" or "turn."

Step 6. Then begin turning while saying, "I am turning." Then again slowly, "I am turning." And once more as you complete your turn, I am turning." The "am" will be higher pitched as before.
After you complete your turn, go back to Step 1.

"You will find that if you concentrate on only your walking, and concentrate on the mantras, worries and cares will melt away for awhile, usually enough to give your busy mind a break from all the stress.

"Try to do this as much as you have time for, either indoors or outdoors. Not only will it relieve stress, but if you can get concentrated enough doing this, the mind can actually make a shift in consciousness that could change your life for the better..."

--- By E. Raymond Rock of Fort Myers, Florida, cofounder and principal teacher at the Southwest Florida Insight Center, http://www.southwestfloridainsightcenter.com/ His twenty-eight years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents, including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk. His book, A Year to Enlightenment (Career Press/New Page Books) is now available at major bookstores and online retailers. Visit http://www.ayeartoenlightenment.com/

From Stress Relief Without Drugs - Walking Meditation

A Prayer for Those Suffering

2008-04-09T10:56:00.003-04:00

Gracious God, all around me people are suffering. When I turn away from my own problems, I feel sorrow for the problems of others. Through the news, the media, and my conversations, I am daily confronted with the pain and suffering of so many innocent people in my life and in the world. Suffering seems to eagerly eat at the edges of life until people are worn down with sadness and despair.

Even though I do not understand the reasons for suffering, I believe that you are a God of love, a God of compassion. I pray that you will be with all those this day that are in pain, who suffer silently and alone, who feel abandoned and left by the side of life’s road. Wrap your arms of grace around them, until they know they are safely held in your embrace.

And, I pray, that you will fill my heart with the same compassion, and give me eyes to see how I can lovingly be a part of their healing. I ask this for the sake of your great love. Amen.

From explorefaith.org Reflections ~ The Bonds of Faithfulness

Hope is an Orientation of the Heart

2008-04-03T20:39:00.002-04:00

"Hope...is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart. It transcends the world that is immediately experienced and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons.

"Hope in this deep and powerful sense is not the same as joy that things are going well or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for early success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed.

"Hope is definitely not the same as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out. It is hope above all which gives us the strength to live and continually try new things."

---Vaclav Havel

Thinking Beyond Ego -- In the Now

2008-04-02T16:02:00.001-04:00

"Thoughts...are stabs at truth and tell us little about how to live in this moment. Instead, they keep us at arm's length from the moment. They keep us living in a mentally fabricated reality-the realm of ideas-rather than in the now...

"Thoughts are largely about the past and the future... In these images, you see yourself at a distance, as if you were viewing the entire scene. Meanwhile, who are you really? You are not this thought of yourself in the past or the future, but for the time being, you are identified with it, just as you become identified with a character in a movie.

"While this is going on, you are no longer in touch with what is going on in the moment, with the sensations and the experience of the moment. Instead, the moment has been covered over by thoughts of some other moment in time. The present moment still exists, but it is not being experienced purely, simply...

"The ego... constantly mulls over the story of me: "How's it going for me?" "How am I going to do?" "How did I do?" "What do I have to do to get things to go my way?"... When we live in the egoic state of consciousness, life is about the story and how it is going and all the worries, fears, concerns, and problems entailed in that. This is the ongoing drama the ego is engrossed in.

"However, there is another life living itself under or behind or beyond all of that, and that is Reality. Reality is unfolding beautifully moment by moment, and it allows the ego's drama to take center stage as long as it will. Eventually it will get old and Reality will break through...That is the beginning of a new awareness and a new willingness to realize the Self-our true nature...

"The mind is primarily the instrument of the ego, since so much of our thinking is an attempt to get the ego what it wants. Nevertheless, it can also be the instrument of the Self. Occasionally, thoughts-not just intuition-are the vehicle for communicating the Self's inspiration and plan.

"When thoughts from the Self appear in the mind, they ring of truth and are accompanied by excitement, happiness, relaxation, and mental clarity. On the other hand, thoughts that have little truth to them are accompanied by mental confusion, energetic contraction, and tenseness in the body. This is how we can tell how true a particular thought is and where it is coming from...

"Self-realization entails a certain mastery of the mind, which includes being aware of our thoughts and being able to discriminate between ones that have some truth and usefulness and ones that don't. This takes some practice, but most of all, it takes sensitivity to the signs that something is true or false. Not only do we need to be aware of our thoughts but of their impact on us energetically, mentally, and emotionally..."

Read more in this article by Gina Lake from which the foregoing was excerpted.

Accepting Yourself

2008-03-25T13:23:00.000-04:00

"There is no such thing as a good person or a bad person. There are choices and actions that lead us in different directions, and it is through those choices and actions that we create our realities. Sometimes we choose or do something that takes us in the opposite direction of the reality we want to create for ourselves. When we do this, we feel bad—uneasy, unhappy, unsure. We might go so far as to label ourselves “bad” when a situation like this arises. Instead of labeling ourselves, though, we could simply acknowledge that we made a choice that lead us down a particular path, and then let it go, forgiving ourselves and preparing for our next opportunity to choose, and act, in ways that support our best intentions.

"Many of us experienced childhoods in which the words good and bad were used as weapons to control us—you were good if you did what you were told and bad if you didn’t. This kind of discipline undermines a person’s ability to find their own moral center and to trust and be guided by their own inner self. If you were raised this way, you may find yourself feeling shockwaves of badness when you do something you were taught was wrong, even if now you don’t agree that it’s bad. Conversely, you may feel good when you do what you learned was right. Notice how this puts you in something of a straitjacket. An important part of our spiritual unfolding requires that we grow beyond what we learned and take responsibility for our own liberation in our own terms.

"You are a human being with every right to be here, learning and exploring. To label yourself good or bad is to think too small. What you are is a decision-maker and every moment provides you the opportunity to move in the direction of your higher self or in the direction of stagnation or degradation. In the end, only you know the difference. If you find yourself going into self-judgment, try to stop yourself as soon as you can and come back to center. Know that you are not good or bad, you are simply you."

From DailyOM.

Give and Live; Helping Others Helps You

2008-03-05T11:25:00.002-05:00

"The Bible insists it's more blessed to give than to receive. And if you define living a long and healthy life as blessed, then indeed the Bible is on the mark… Science has added its own grace note, furnishing some supporting evidence that giving increases the giver's longevity. And that receiving support, while helpful in some ways, isn't always an unmitigated blessing.

"The kinds of giving we're talking about are things like driving a friend to the doctor's, helping a sick or elderly neighbor with shopping, volunteering to deliver meals to the housebound or caring for a chronically ill family member. These are known in the psych biz as instrumental support. Then there's out and out emotional support, the kinds husbands and wives give each other, which includes things like making the other person feel loved, cared for and listened to when they need to talk...

"Helping others reduces distress in givers, improves both mental and physical health. It gives people a sense of belonging and of mattering. It increases happiness, decreases depression. In short, it increases positive emotions. And positive emotions are good for the body, promoting cardiovascular health and boosting the immune system.

"So now there's scientific proof: Helping others is a way of helping yourself."

Read more in this Psychology Today article.

Inner Change Leads to Happiness

2008-02-24T10:53:00.003-05:00

"Every man wants to be happy, but in order to be so he needs first to understand what happiness is."

--JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

"Ask any number of people to describe a moment of 'perfect' happiness. Some will talk about moments of deep peace experienced in a harmonious natural setting, of a forest dappled in sunshine, of a mountain summit looking out across a vast horizon, of the shores of a tranquil lake, of a night walk through snow under a starry sky, and so on. Others will refer to a long-awaited event: an exam they’ve aced, a sporting victory, meeting someone they’ve longed to meet, the birth of a child. Still others will speak of a moment of peaceful intimacy with their family or a loved one, or of having made someone else happy.

"The common factor to all of these experiences would seem to be the momentary disappearance of inner conflicts. The person feels in harmony with the world and with herself. Someone enjoying such an experience, such as walking through a serene wilderness, has no particular expectations beyond the simple act of walking. She simply is, here and now, free and open.

"For just a few moments, thoughts of the past are suppressed, the mind is not burdened with plans for the future, and the present moment is liberated from all mental constructs. This moment of respite, from which all sense of emotional urgency has vanished, is experienced as one of profound peace. For someone who has achieved a goal, completed a task, or won a victory, the tension they have long carried with them relaxes. The ensuing sense of release is felt as a deep calm, free of all expectation and fear.

"But this experience is just a passing glimpse brought on by a particular set of circumstances. We call it a magic moment, a state of grace. And yet the difference between these flashes of happiness seized on the fly and the immutable peacefulness of the sage, for instance, is as great as that between the tiny section of sky seen through the eye of a needle and the limitless expanses of outer space. The two conditions differ in dimension, duration, and depth...

Anyone who enjoys inner peace is no more broken by failure than he is inflated by success. He is able to fully live his experiences in the context of a vast and profound serenity, since he understands that experiences are ephemeral and that it is useless to cling to them. There will be no 'hard fall' when things turn bad and he is confronted with adversity. He does not sink into depression, since his happiness rests on a solid foundation...

"Happiness is above all a love of life. To have lost all reason for living is to open up an abyss of suffering. As influential as external conditions may be, suffering, like well-being, is essentially an interior state. Understanding that is the key prerequisite to a life worth living. What mental conditions will sap our joie de vivre, and which will nourish it?

"Changing the way we see the world does not imply naive optimism or some artificial euphoria designed to counterbalance adversity. So long as we are slaves to the dissatisfaction and frustration that arise from the confusion that rules our minds, it will be just as futile to tell ourselves “I’m happy! I’m happy!” over and over again as it would be to repaint a wall in ruins. The search for happiness is not about looking at life through rose-colored glasses or blinding oneself to the pain and imperfections of the world.

"Nor is happiness a state of exaltation to be perpetuated at all costs; it is the purging of mental toxins, such as hatred and obsession, that literally poison the mind. It is also about learning how to put things in perspective and reduce the gap between appearances and reality..."

--- Matthieu Ricard
from "Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill.

If happiness is an inner state, influenced by external conditions but not dependent on them, how can we achieve it?

In the talk accessible below, Ricard examines the inner and outer factors that increase or diminish our sense of well-being, dissect the underlying mechanisms of happiness, and lead us to a way of looking at the mind itself based on his book and from the research in neuroscience on the effect of mind-training on the brain.

Heaven, Hell and Purgatory

2008-02-13T15:01:00.003-05:00

In three controversial Wednesday Audiences, Pope John Paul II pointed out that the essential characteristic of heaven, hell and purgatory is that they are states of being, rather than places, as commonly perceived and represented in human language:

"Heaven 'is neither an abstraction nor a physical place in the clouds, but a living, personal relationship with the Holy Trinity..." the Pope said.

"When the form of this world has passed away, those who have welcomed God into their lives and have sincerely opened themselves to his love, at least at the moment of death, will enjoy that fullness of communion with God which is the goal of human life. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, '...Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfilment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness' (n.1024)...The Catechism of the Catholic Church sums up the Church's teaching on this truth: 'By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has "opened" heaven to us. The life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ' (n. 1026).

"This final state, however, can be anticipated in some way today in sacramental life, whose centre is the Eucharist, and in the gift of self through fraternal charity. If we are able to enjoy properly the good things that the Lord showers upon us every day, we will already have begun to experience that joy and peace which one day will be completely ours..."
______

"God is the infinitely good and merciful Father. But man, called to respond to him freely, can unfortunately choose to reject his love and forgiveness once and for all, thus separating himself for ever from joyful communion with him. It is precisely this tragic situation that Christian doctrine explains when it speaks of eternal damnation or hell. It is not a punishment imposed externally by God but a development of premises already set by people in this life....it is the ultimate consequence of sin itself, which turns against the person who committed it. It is the state of those who definitively reject the Father's mercy, even at the last moment of their life...

The images of hell that Sacred Scripture presents to us must be correctly interpreted. They show the complete frustration and emptiness of life without God. Rather* than a place, hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy. This is how the Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes the truths of faith on this subject: 'To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell"' (n. 1033).

"Eternal damnation", therefore, is not attributed to God's initiative because in his merciful love he can only desire the salvation of the beings he created. In reality, it is the creature who closes himself to his love. Damnation consists precisely in definitive separation from God, freely chosen by the human person and confirmed with death that seals his choice for ever. God's judgement ratifies this state...

____________

"On the basis of the definitive option for or against God, the human being finds he faces one of these alternatives: either to live with the Lord in eternal beatitude, or to remain far from his presence. For those who find themselves in a condition of being open to God, but still imperfectly, the journey towards full beatitude requires a purification, which the faith of the Church illustrates in the doctrine of "Purgatory" (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1030-1032)...

"Every trace of attachment to evil must be eliminated, every imperfection of the soul corrected. Purification must be complete, and indeed this is precisely what is meant by the Church's teaching on purgatory. The term does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence. Those who, after death, exist in a state of purification, are already in the love of Christ...united both with the blessed who already enjoy the fullness of eternal life, and with us on this earth on our way towards the Father's house..."

Namaste Says It All

2008-02-12T14:48:00.000-05:00

"The gesture (or mudra) of namaste is a simple act made by bringing together both palms of the hands before the heart, and lightly bowing the head. In the simplest of terms it is accepted as a humble greeting straight from the heart and reciprocated accordingly.

Namaste is a composite of the two Sanskrit words, nama, and te. Te means you, and nama has the following connotations:

To bend
To bow
To sink
To incline
To stoop

All these suggestions point to a sense of submitting oneself to another, with complete humility...

By performing namaste before an individual we recognize the divine spark in him. Further by facilitating our partaking of these divine qualities, namaste makes us aware of these very characteristics residing within our own selves. Simply put, namaste intimates the following:

'The God in me greets the God in you
The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you'

In other words, it recognizes the equality of all, and pays honor to the sacredness of all...

Namaste recognizes the duality that has ever existed in this world and suggests an effort on our part to bring these two forces together, ultimately leading to a higher unity and non-dual state of Oneness. Some of these dual elements which the gesture of namaste marries together and unifies as one are:

God and Goddess
Priest and Priestess
King and Queen
Man and Woman
Heaven and Earth
Sun and Moon...
Mind and body
Pneuma (spirit) and Psyche (mind)
Hun (spiritual soul) and p'o (material soul) (Chinese)
Conscious and Unconscious...
Word and Meaning...
Brain and Heart...
Exhalation and Inhalation (Yoga)
Linga and Yoni

There is indeed no sphere of our existence untouched by the symbolic significance of namaste.

Finally, the gesture of namaste is unique also in the sense that its physical performance is accompanied by a verbal utterance of the word "namaste." This practice is equivalent to the chanting of a mantra. The sonority of the sacred sound 'namaste' is believed to have a quasi-magical value, corresponding to a creative energy change. This transformation is that of aligning oneself in harmony with the vibration of the cosmos itself.

At its most general namaste is a social transaction. It is usual for individuals to greet when they meet each other. It is not only a sign of recognition but also an expression of happiness at each other's sight. This initial conviviality sets the positive tone for the further development of a harmonious relationship. Namaste as a greeting thus is a mosaic of movements and words constituting an intimation of affirmative thoughts and sentiments.

In human society it is an approach mechanism, brimming with social, emotional and spiritual significance. In fact it is said that in namaste the hands are put together like a knife so that people may cut through all differences that may exist, and immediately get to the shared ground that is common to all peoples of all cultures..."

Read much more in this article from exoticindianart.com from which the foregoing was quoted.

Being All We Can Be

2008-02-08T11:40:00.000-05:00

The Bible is a developing narrative, portraying the developing God-consciousness in human life. It moves beyond the tribal deity of some of its earlier parts to a universalism that defines God as both Love and Justice, and even calls us to love our enemies.

The essential truths of the Bible, useful on all of our spiritual journeys, is that in creation God proclaims that all life is holy, in the Jesus story, the Bible asserts that all life is loved and that through the Holy Spirit, who is said to be "the Lord and giver of life," the Bible issues a call to each of us to be all that we can be.

--John Shelby Spong

Unconditional Love

2008-02-05T09:07:00.000-05:00

What can we say about God's love? We can say that God's love is unconditional. God does not say, "I love you, if ..." There are no ifs in God's heart. God's love for us does not depend on what we do or say, on our looks or intelligence, on our success or popularity. God's love for us existed before we were born and will exist after we have died. God's love is from eternity to eternity and is not bound to any time-related events or circumstances.

Does that mean that God does not care what we do or say? No, because God's love wouldn't be real if God didn't care. To love without condition does not mean to love without concern. God desires to enter into relationship with us and wants us to love God in return.

Let's dare to enter into an intimate relationship with God without fear, trusting that we will receive love and always more love.

--Henri Nouwen

Prayers for Unity

2008-01-27T12:22:00.000-05:00

Lord, take me where You want me to go;
Let me meet who You want me to meet;
Tell me what You want me to say, and
Keep me out of Your way.

(Father Mychal Judge, OFM, September 11, 2001)
_________

“After the call, (Rev. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr) got up from bed and made himself some coffee. He began to worry about his family, and all of the burdens that came with our movement weighed heavily on his soul. With his head in his hands, Martin bowed over the kitchen table and prayed aloud to God:

‘Lord, I am taking a stand for what I believe is right. The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I have nothing left. I have come to the point where I can't face it alone.’

Later he told me, ‘At that moment, I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced Him before. It seemed as though I could hear a voice saying: 'Stand up for righteousness; stand up for truth; and God will be at our side forever.’ When Martin stood up from the table, he was imbued with a new sense of confidence, and he was ready to face anything.”

(Coretta Scott King, Standing in the Need of Prayer)
__________

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.

(Reinhold Niebuhr)
____________

H.M. Queen Liliuokalani of Hawai’i, during imprisonment, 1893
O! kou aloha no, --------- Lord, thy loving mercy
Aiakia lani, ------------- Is high in the heavens,
Ao kou oiaia ------------- It tells us of thy truth,
He hemolele hoi. --------- And ‘tis filled with holiness.

Kou noho mihi ana -------- Whilst humbly meditating
A paahao ia -------------- Within these walls imprisoned
Ooe kuu lama ------------- Thou art my light, my haven
Kou nani kou koo. -------- Thy glory my support.

Mai nana ino ino --------- Oh! Look not on their failings
Na hewa o kanaka --------- Nor on the sins of men
Aka e huikala ------------ Forgive with loving kindness
A maemae no. ------------- That we may be made pure.

No laila e ka Haku ------- For thy grace I beseech thee
Malalao kou eheu --------- Bring us ‘neath thy protection
Ko makou maluhia --------- And peace will be our portion
A mau loa aku no. Amene. - Now and forever more. Amen.

_________________

Show me the suffering of the most miserable;
So I will know my people’s plight,
Free me to pray for others;
For you are present in every person.
Help me to take responsibility for my own life;
So that I can be free at last.
Give me honesty and patience:
So that I can work with other workers.
Bring forth song and celebration;
So that the Spirit will be alive among us.
Let the Spirit flourish and grow;
So that we will never tire of the struggle.
Let us remember those who have died for justice;
For they have given us life.
Help us love even those who hate us;
So we can change the world.

(Cesar Chavez)

from Materials for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2008