I'm listening to that. It is funny 
+12
burgundia
ClearWater
THEeXchanger
Vidya Moksha
NANUXII
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greybeard
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Carol
B.B.Baghor
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16 posters
The Chalice of Wisdom - Part 2
Swanny- Posts : 1182
Join date : 2010-04-13
Location : The Shire of Wilts
Carol- Admin
- Posts : 31769
Join date : 2010-04-07
Location : Hawaii
Excellent video mudra. His personal experience explanation is both humorous and enlightening.
_________________
What is life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night, the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
With deepest respect ~ Aloha & Mahalo, Carol
Vidya Moksha- Posts : 1301
Join date : 2010-04-17
Location : on the road again :)
I attended Vipassana in Southern India. The new centre was no centre, just a concrete block food hall. The other structures were all temporary, made entirely from coconut palm trees. They had obviously been used before and many panels were covered in mud that contained thousands of ants.
Pieces of ant-filled mud would rain down all night onto everyone sleeping in the communal dormitory. I was pleased to have taken my mosquito net, to stop the mix falling on my head all night.
The Vipassana course started with a Burmese national called Goenka. He claimed he had been chosen to distribute Buddha’s ‘secret teachings’ – Vipassana meditation. The bullsh1t meter was working before we even started meditating.
We were allowed no contact with other participants (not even eye-contact) and we were instructed to be silent for ten days.
I disliked the course delivery immediately, which I found equally amusing on a ‘higher’ level, as Buddhism teaches the need to lose concepts like good and bad, like and dislike. Goenka’s voice was grating and he was spouting some serious Buddhist propaganda. He would describe the Buddhist notion of ‘anicca’, but he would drag the word ‘anicca’ out over several seconds. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa –nnnnnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii – ccccccccccccccccccccccaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.”
Goenka also made a big deal of the fact he was ‘Buddha’s special chosen person’. The secret teachings were not so secret as they had been incorporated into yoga teachings for the last couple of thousand years. It was truly awful.
The actual practice was fine, and useful, but I would much rather have undertaken the practice at home, on a truly silent retreat. What Goenka meant by silent was to only listen to his monologues, delivered on a poor quality tape recorder. For the first few days we undertook ‘ana pani sati’, the basic Buddhist meditation and we were allowed to shift our sitting position if it became painful.
After a few days the meditation focus shifted and we were asked to perform what was essentially yoga nidra whilst remaining perfectly still. We should not develop aversion to the pain of sitting, observe it and move on. The problem is I was having a severe aversion to Goenka. After five days I had to confront the course facilitator, explain these ‘secret teachings’ were just forms of yoga, I was tired of the propaganda and could I sit in my room alone and do this? He was dismissive of everything in support of his ‘guruji’. He claimed I had been brainwashed by too much yoga to appreciate the teachings.
I decided to complete the course, but I did fall at the last hurdle. The last day was almost 100% Goenka bullshit and I’d had enough by this point. I left the meditation room and went back to the dorm to sit alone. One of the helpers came after me and asked me to return to the main hall. I explained I had reached my fill of Goenka. He said if I completed the course I could attend Vipassana centres around the world as a helper, and have freedom of movement. I sat the final session in the main hall, wishing I had the foresight to have brought earplugs!
It wasn’t a complete waste of time. After 3 days we were asked not to move during the meditation if possible. I tried this and the pain levels increased. A few days into this torture I did develop a mental ‘pain eraser’; That’s a handy tool to have in your locker. I would just concentrate on the pain and rub it out with my mind – and it worked.
One time I decided I was going to sit the whole hour without pain or thoughts arising. I was disturbed after a short while by the instructor, only to realise I had sat the entire hour!
There is merit in the practice, but if you are interested I can provide the instructions and I suggest you do it at home, or on your own somewhere.
Pieces of ant-filled mud would rain down all night onto everyone sleeping in the communal dormitory. I was pleased to have taken my mosquito net, to stop the mix falling on my head all night.
The Vipassana course started with a Burmese national called Goenka. He claimed he had been chosen to distribute Buddha’s ‘secret teachings’ – Vipassana meditation. The bullsh1t meter was working before we even started meditating.
We were allowed no contact with other participants (not even eye-contact) and we were instructed to be silent for ten days.
I disliked the course delivery immediately, which I found equally amusing on a ‘higher’ level, as Buddhism teaches the need to lose concepts like good and bad, like and dislike. Goenka’s voice was grating and he was spouting some serious Buddhist propaganda. He would describe the Buddhist notion of ‘anicca’, but he would drag the word ‘anicca’ out over several seconds. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa –nnnnnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii – ccccccccccccccccccccccaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.”
Goenka also made a big deal of the fact he was ‘Buddha’s special chosen person’. The secret teachings were not so secret as they had been incorporated into yoga teachings for the last couple of thousand years. It was truly awful.
The actual practice was fine, and useful, but I would much rather have undertaken the practice at home, on a truly silent retreat. What Goenka meant by silent was to only listen to his monologues, delivered on a poor quality tape recorder. For the first few days we undertook ‘ana pani sati’, the basic Buddhist meditation and we were allowed to shift our sitting position if it became painful.
After a few days the meditation focus shifted and we were asked to perform what was essentially yoga nidra whilst remaining perfectly still. We should not develop aversion to the pain of sitting, observe it and move on. The problem is I was having a severe aversion to Goenka. After five days I had to confront the course facilitator, explain these ‘secret teachings’ were just forms of yoga, I was tired of the propaganda and could I sit in my room alone and do this? He was dismissive of everything in support of his ‘guruji’. He claimed I had been brainwashed by too much yoga to appreciate the teachings.
I decided to complete the course, but I did fall at the last hurdle. The last day was almost 100% Goenka bullshit and I’d had enough by this point. I left the meditation room and went back to the dorm to sit alone. One of the helpers came after me and asked me to return to the main hall. I explained I had reached my fill of Goenka. He said if I completed the course I could attend Vipassana centres around the world as a helper, and have freedom of movement. I sat the final session in the main hall, wishing I had the foresight to have brought earplugs!
It wasn’t a complete waste of time. After 3 days we were asked not to move during the meditation if possible. I tried this and the pain levels increased. A few days into this torture I did develop a mental ‘pain eraser’; That’s a handy tool to have in your locker. I would just concentrate on the pain and rub it out with my mind – and it worked.
One time I decided I was going to sit the whole hour without pain or thoughts arising. I was disturbed after a short while by the instructor, only to realise I had sat the entire hour!
There is merit in the practice, but if you are interested I can provide the instructions and I suggest you do it at home, or on your own somewhere.
mudra- Posts : 23223
Join date : 2010-04-09
Age : 69
Location : belgium
Haha it seems the experience repeats itself no matter where you decide to join that Vipassana retreat. It it was worth it in the end than all this suffering was for a good reason.
When I first heard of something like that the guy practised remaining mute through out his days for
10 days or so. To him this was an amazing experience that brought him quite a bit of insight.
I would be interested
In these instructions Vidhya
But would not know how to fit this in.
I live with my daughter who is quite a babbler. She would hate it if I would remain silent all the time.
While I would probably love it
Love from me
mudra
When I first heard of something like that the guy practised remaining mute through out his days for
10 days or so. To him this was an amazing experience that brought him quite a bit of insight.
I would be interested
In these instructions Vidhya
But would not know how to fit this in.
I live with my daughter who is quite a babbler. She would hate it if I would remain silent all the time.
While I would probably love it
Love from me
mudra
Vidya Moksha- Posts : 1301
Join date : 2010-04-17
Location : on the road again :)
The instructions are in my note books, i will dig them out.
I have been alone for 6 months twice in my life. I love solitude. I only ever get lonely around people
However. not speaking for so long is different league! I realise I talk to myself all the time, even alone. Not to speak at all is something else altogether. It was hard to speak at first.. like my throat had dried up..
I am not sure you need to enforce no talking before or after the meditation, especially if you are arranging it yourself.
I have been alone for 6 months twice in my life. I love solitude. I only ever get lonely around people
However. not speaking for so long is different league! I realise I talk to myself all the time, even alone. Not to speak at all is something else altogether. It was hard to speak at first.. like my throat had dried up..
I am not sure you need to enforce no talking before or after the meditation, especially if you are arranging it yourself.
Vidya Moksha- Posts : 1301
Join date : 2010-04-17
Location : on the road again :)
Goenka's vipassana:
days 1-3
1. Ana pani sati. Focus on the triangle, nose to upper lip. Feel the breath where it touches this triangle. If you cant feel the breath then breathe more heavily. If sitting is painful, move.
2. Feel subtle sensations in this triangular area. Concentrate on these subtle sensations.
3. Reduce the size of the triangle to the area just below the nostrils. If there are no sensations go back to observing the breath.
days 4-10
4. Vipassana. Sit still now, no movement. Rotate the consciousness around the body. Start with the top of the head and work your way down to your toes. At every point feel whatever sensations are present. Once you feel a sensation move to the next part of the body. If there are no sensations don’t spend more than 1 minute on one location. Gross sensations (eg pain) can be eliminated by focused concentration.
5. sweep the body for these gross sensations and ‘blank’ sensation areas. When there are no gross sensations then you are open to feeling ‘subtle’ sensations – described as like a bucket of water flowing over your body. Mental equanimity is essential, don’t crave the sensations or have aversion to pain.
6. With continued practice there should be subtle sensations all over the body
and from my yoga book:
The name ana pani sati is taken from Theravada Buddhism but the technique has parallels in yoga. Sit in a comfortable position with a straight spine. Observe your breath as you breathe out. Realise you have stopped breathing out (but don’t hesitate or halt your breathing), realise you are breathing in, realise that you have stopped breathing in, but again do not pause, go straight into the out-breath. Repeat these four stages constantly, always bringing your awareness back to the breath when other spontaneous thoughts occur.
As the technique develops you can concentrate on the air flow on your upper lip, rather than your breathing.
This simple technique can be employed whenever you wish to calm your mind and is easily incorporated into all asanas.
days 1-3
1. Ana pani sati. Focus on the triangle, nose to upper lip. Feel the breath where it touches this triangle. If you cant feel the breath then breathe more heavily. If sitting is painful, move.
2. Feel subtle sensations in this triangular area. Concentrate on these subtle sensations.
3. Reduce the size of the triangle to the area just below the nostrils. If there are no sensations go back to observing the breath.
days 4-10
4. Vipassana. Sit still now, no movement. Rotate the consciousness around the body. Start with the top of the head and work your way down to your toes. At every point feel whatever sensations are present. Once you feel a sensation move to the next part of the body. If there are no sensations don’t spend more than 1 minute on one location. Gross sensations (eg pain) can be eliminated by focused concentration.
5. sweep the body for these gross sensations and ‘blank’ sensation areas. When there are no gross sensations then you are open to feeling ‘subtle’ sensations – described as like a bucket of water flowing over your body. Mental equanimity is essential, don’t crave the sensations or have aversion to pain.
6. With continued practice there should be subtle sensations all over the body
and from my yoga book:
The name ana pani sati is taken from Theravada Buddhism but the technique has parallels in yoga. Sit in a comfortable position with a straight spine. Observe your breath as you breathe out. Realise you have stopped breathing out (but don’t hesitate or halt your breathing), realise you are breathing in, realise that you have stopped breathing in, but again do not pause, go straight into the out-breath. Repeat these four stages constantly, always bringing your awareness back to the breath when other spontaneous thoughts occur.
As the technique develops you can concentrate on the air flow on your upper lip, rather than your breathing.
This simple technique can be employed whenever you wish to calm your mind and is easily incorporated into all asanas.
mudra- Posts : 23223
Join date : 2010-04-09
Age : 69
Location : belgium
Thank You Vidhya.
Its great you posted this here for everyone to read.
Love from me
mudra
Its great you posted this here for everyone to read.
Love from me
mudra
Vidya Moksha- Posts : 1301
Join date : 2010-04-17
Location : on the road again :)
The real problem with any 10 day sitting meditation is sitting!
The Thunderbolt pose is the best, if you can do it. I cant sit in this pose for even a minute without pain. I tried lotus for an hour and am not sure my knees ever recovered! (ouch
)
I use the auspicious pose
The auspicious pose (swastikasana)
Advanced yogis usually sit for long periods of meditation in the accomplished pose (siddhasana) but this is of no benefit to beginners and it is difficult to perform properly (involving pressure on the perineum).
A simplified version of siddhasana is the auspicious pose (swastikasana). Place your left foot against your right thigh, close to the groin and raise your toes. Bend your right leg, trapping your left toes between the calf and thigh.
Place your right foot over your left calf push your toes down in between your calf and thigh.
In this position, with your toes trapped, your feet do not interfere with your legs and both knees can rest on the ground, providing a solid base for long periods of sitting meditation.
Until you develop good hip flexibility, the pose is easier if you raise your buttocks off the ground. Start by sitting on a ten centimetre deep cushion and reduce the thickness over time.
The thunderbolt pose (vajrasana)
Kneel on the floor, bring your big toes together and separate your heels. Sit on the inner part of the soles, with heels touching the outer part of the hips. Place your palms on your knees. Relax and breathe normally from the abdomen.
If you can manage it then move your feet apart and sit directly on the ground. This is harder than sitting on your heels.
This pose is easy for some folk and quite painful for others. The spine is always straight in this pose, so if this is an easy asana for you to perform then you may consider using it for long periods of sitting meditation.
The Thunderbolt pose is the best, if you can do it. I cant sit in this pose for even a minute without pain. I tried lotus for an hour and am not sure my knees ever recovered! (ouch
)I use the auspicious pose
The auspicious pose (swastikasana)
Advanced yogis usually sit for long periods of meditation in the accomplished pose (siddhasana) but this is of no benefit to beginners and it is difficult to perform properly (involving pressure on the perineum).
A simplified version of siddhasana is the auspicious pose (swastikasana). Place your left foot against your right thigh, close to the groin and raise your toes. Bend your right leg, trapping your left toes between the calf and thigh.
Place your right foot over your left calf push your toes down in between your calf and thigh.
In this position, with your toes trapped, your feet do not interfere with your legs and both knees can rest on the ground, providing a solid base for long periods of sitting meditation.
Until you develop good hip flexibility, the pose is easier if you raise your buttocks off the ground. Start by sitting on a ten centimetre deep cushion and reduce the thickness over time.
The thunderbolt pose (vajrasana)
Kneel on the floor, bring your big toes together and separate your heels. Sit on the inner part of the soles, with heels touching the outer part of the hips. Place your palms on your knees. Relax and breathe normally from the abdomen.
If you can manage it then move your feet apart and sit directly on the ground. This is harder than sitting on your heels.
This pose is easy for some folk and quite painful for others. The spine is always straight in this pose, so if this is an easy asana for you to perform then you may consider using it for long periods of sitting meditation.
Carol- Admin
- Posts : 31769
Join date : 2010-04-07
Location : Hawaii
At this stage of life I think I'll stick with a gravity chair or recliner. Too many people ruin their knees in some of these sitting positions for a long period of time. However the one who sat on pile of folded blankets with pillows under his knees most likely had the least discomfort.
...and yes, thank you for sharing your story Vidya. It was enlightening.
It would seem that one can gain a lot from suffering as the goal is to go beyond the pain and monkey mind... then to use the mind to end the pain. However, that was something taught in yoga where one learns to work at the threshold of pain. Then to breath into in relaxing, letting go and using concentration which over-rides pain sensors.
Perhaps the best way do endure that type of meditation is with an aqua jogger belt on in the water. That is if one doesn't mind looking like a prune after being in the water 10 hours a day.
...and yes, thank you for sharing your story Vidya. It was enlightening.
It would seem that one can gain a lot from suffering as the goal is to go beyond the pain and monkey mind... then to use the mind to end the pain. However, that was something taught in yoga where one learns to work at the threshold of pain. Then to breath into in relaxing, letting go and using concentration which over-rides pain sensors.
Perhaps the best way do endure that type of meditation is with an aqua jogger belt on in the water. That is if one doesn't mind looking like a prune after being in the water 10 hours a day.
_________________
What is life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night, the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
With deepest respect ~ Aloha & Mahalo, Carol
Vidya Moksha- Posts : 1301
Join date : 2010-04-17
Location : on the road again :)
Indeed, and I can go one better, these days I dont bother with the meditationCarol wrote:At this stage of life I think I'll stick with a gravity chair or recliner.
Perhaps the best way do endure that type of meditation is with an aqua jogger belt on in the water. That is if one doesn't mind looking like a prune after being in the water 10 hours a day.
maybe a quick ana pani sati now and again, to calm myself... but only as a small tool like that. Meditation is a blind alley on the path to advaita, my time is much better spent in the moment, with awareness.. when i can manage it Its years since i even thought about vipassana. Now I do, and prompted by your comment above, there is much in common between vipassana and yoga nidra, but a different outcome is sought. vipassana is a technique to feel waves of subtle energy flow through your body. (whilst doing other things, with no monkey) .. so maybe in water isnt the best idea (I like to meditate in the ocean, floating on my back, the salt supports me, somewhat immure in the ocean.. )
and yoga nidra is about accessing the subconscious in that state between awake and fully asleep. And thats the problem, (nidra translates as sleep) you fall asleep. Maybe the pain of sitting is what keeps you awake?
another aspect is stability...
mudra- Posts : 23223
Join date : 2010-04-09
Age : 69
Location : belgium
Meditation and Conscious aware presence can't be disassociated.Where you find one you find the other weather you sit still on a mat or you go about in daily occupations. It is the stillness within , our true nature that is the key to the stoping of the monkey mind.
Love from me
mudra
Love from me
mudra
mudra- Posts : 23223
Join date : 2010-04-09
Age : 69
Location : belgium
Instant liberation from thought, emotion and disturbance - a clip from Benthino Massaro
https://youtu.be/DSpOWLeJynM
Love Always
mudra
https://youtu.be/DSpOWLeJynM
Love Always
mudra
mudra- Posts : 23223
Join date : 2010-04-09
Age : 69
Location : belgium
Carol- Admin
- Posts : 31769
Join date : 2010-04-07
Location : Hawaii
mudra wrote:Meditation and Conscious aware presence can't be disassociated.Where you find one you find the other weather you sit still on a mat or you go about in daily occupations. It is the stillness within , our true nature that is the key to the stoping of the monkey mind.
Love from me
mudra
Indeed.. it is the observer watching from behind emotion, thought and actions.
_________________
What is life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night, the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
With deepest respect ~ Aloha & Mahalo, Carol
orthodoxymoron- Posts : 13411
Join date : 2010-09-28
Location : The Matrix
mudra- Posts : 23223
Join date : 2010-04-09
Age : 69
Location : belgium
Oooh thank you Oxy. This is an unusual contribution from you that I really appreciate.
I'll see if I am able to understand it as I am ear impaired and there is unfortunately no
subtitle function for this particular video. It will depend on how clear the sound quality is.
Thank you so much anyways
mudra
I'll see if I am able to understand it as I am ear impaired and there is unfortunately no
subtitle function for this particular video. It will depend on how clear the sound quality is.
Thank you so much anyways
mudra
orthodoxymoron- Posts : 13411
Join date : 2010-09-28
Location : The Matrix
Thank-you Mudra. The video is an interview with Laura Knight-Jadczyk. Here is a Kerry Cassidy interview of Laura. I'm not a follower of anyone, and I'm extremely skeptical, despite my openness. I'm fascinated by Laura's voice and thinking. I'm thinking I've encountered this voice and thinking elsewhere, but I don't want to talk about it. Instead of delving deeper into the esoteric, I'm reverting to a concentrated and refined version of what I was exposed to, and programmed with, in my youth. I tend to think people who delve deeply get burned badly. This might be the Matrix at Work. We might be watched and reigned-in by HAL 9000 (or the ancient and modern equivalent). If this COVID-19 thing gets me, I should probably make my peace with the PTB in the SKY (if you know what I mean).
mudra- Posts : 23223
Join date : 2010-04-09
Age : 69
Location : belgium
I remember that interview Oxy.
That was quite a long time ago over 10 years I would say.
Make me wonder what we will be up to in the next 10 years to come.
Its a miracle some of us are still around.
May you find that peace you are striving for Oxy and Covid 19 spare you.
Love from me
mudra
That was quite a long time ago over 10 years I would say.
Make me wonder what we will be up to in the next 10 years to come.
Its a miracle some of us are still around.
May you find that peace you are striving for Oxy and Covid 19 spare you.
Love from me
mudra
mudra- Posts : 23223
Join date : 2010-04-09
Age : 69
Location : belgium
Osho compassion The Ultimate flowering of Love
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpfoh47L8iw
Love Always
mudra
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpfoh47L8iw
Love Always
mudra
mudra- Posts : 23223
Join date : 2010-04-09
Age : 69
Location : belgium
"So slow down, friend. Take a deep and conscious breath. Trust the place where you are, the place of ‘no answers yet’, the precious place of not knowing. This place is sacred, for it is 100% life. It is full of life, saturated with life, dripping with life, drenched with life.
Don’t try to rush to the next scene in the movie of 'me'. Be here, in this scene, Now, the only scene there is.
Now is the place where questions rest, and creative solutions grow..."
- Jeff Foster
Photo by Fleur van der Minne
Dear Friends,
I am holding you all in my hearts at this time.
In externally uncertain times we can easily lose ourselves internally in the time-bound mind. We can lose our ground and find ourselves entangled in a web of scary stories about the future, and we can long to return to a time in the past when things were “better”.
It’s so important, at moments like this, to remember our true Home, timeless and ever-present. To slow down and make contact with this present moment, its newness, its creativity, its very unique flavour. To come back to present sights, sounds, smells, feelings, sensations. To come back to the body, the breath, the moment-by-moment play of life that is all around us, that we are inextricably part of and ultimately one with.
To hear the birds singing. To feel our feet on the sacred earth. To notice thoughts instead of getting carried away by them. To feel the tension in the belly and the shoulders, the contraction in the chest or throat, the pressure in the head, without labelling any of it it, without judging any of it, without trying to make any of it go away. To breathe into the tense and hurt places inside. To start again, and again, and again...
To bless this moment with our sacred attention. To savour what’s here, now. To appreciate what we have today. To attend to ‘what is’, instead of what’s not.
And each time we lose ourselves in the mind, we can awaken again - we can feel our feet on the ground, we can notice our breath rising and falling in our bellies, we can listen to the sound of the birds, the chatter in the street outside, the hum of the television or the air conditioner, and the awesome silence that holds everything.
There is only this moment.
All crisis is an invitation for us to meet ourselves, and each other, in a much deeper way. To slow down and remember what’s truly important to us. To break our addiction to external distractions, and to touch life with more tenderness and curiosity.
I am sending you, and your families, all of my love.
Jeff x
Don’t try to rush to the next scene in the movie of 'me'. Be here, in this scene, Now, the only scene there is.
Now is the place where questions rest, and creative solutions grow..."
- Jeff Foster
Photo by Fleur van der Minne
Dear Friends,
I am holding you all in my hearts at this time.
In externally uncertain times we can easily lose ourselves internally in the time-bound mind. We can lose our ground and find ourselves entangled in a web of scary stories about the future, and we can long to return to a time in the past when things were “better”.
It’s so important, at moments like this, to remember our true Home, timeless and ever-present. To slow down and make contact with this present moment, its newness, its creativity, its very unique flavour. To come back to present sights, sounds, smells, feelings, sensations. To come back to the body, the breath, the moment-by-moment play of life that is all around us, that we are inextricably part of and ultimately one with.
To hear the birds singing. To feel our feet on the sacred earth. To notice thoughts instead of getting carried away by them. To feel the tension in the belly and the shoulders, the contraction in the chest or throat, the pressure in the head, without labelling any of it it, without judging any of it, without trying to make any of it go away. To breathe into the tense and hurt places inside. To start again, and again, and again...
To bless this moment with our sacred attention. To savour what’s here, now. To appreciate what we have today. To attend to ‘what is’, instead of what’s not.
And each time we lose ourselves in the mind, we can awaken again - we can feel our feet on the ground, we can notice our breath rising and falling in our bellies, we can listen to the sound of the birds, the chatter in the street outside, the hum of the television or the air conditioner, and the awesome silence that holds everything.
There is only this moment.
All crisis is an invitation for us to meet ourselves, and each other, in a much deeper way. To slow down and remember what’s truly important to us. To break our addiction to external distractions, and to touch life with more tenderness and curiosity.
I am sending you, and your families, all of my love.
Jeff x
mudra- Posts : 23223
Join date : 2010-04-09
Age : 69
Location : belgium
Is Kindness Universal?
The answer, of course, is YES! … and here’s what Peter says:
Deep down we are all of the same kind. We all want to feel at ease, to be treated with respect, to feel cared for and appreciated. None of us want to feel criticized, rejected, humiliated, ignored or manipulated. To reduce it to its simplest terms, we each want to feel loved. I do not mean love in a romantic sense, or some outpouring of emotion, but simple caring. This is the universal bottom line of every human relationship. We all want to feel cared for. We want to be treated kindly.
If each of us would like to be treated with kindness, then it should be our intent to give this to others. But often we do the exact opposite. Instead of trying to ensure that the other person feels cared for and appreciated, we can end up in a vicious circle of recrimination and attack.
The Vicious Circle of “Hurt” or Un-Kindness
It usually starts with feeling hurt over something that someone said or did. Whether they intended to hurt us, or whether it is only in our imagination, doesn’t matter. The fact is we feel hurt. Then, if we are not fully conscious of our own inner processes, we are likely to defend ourselves by attacking back in some way. It’s not the noblest or wisest response, nevertheless that is the way we less-than-enlightened folk tend to react.
Breaking The Vicious Circle
The vicious circle can be broken if we start from recognizing that just as we want to feel loved and at ease, so do they. Our intention then becomes: How can I communicate so that the other person does not feel attacked or rejected, but cared for and respected?
We can start by becoming vigilant against attacking attitudes. Filtering out our less-than-noble thoughts can remove much of the problem at source.
How to Speak Our Truth with Kindness
kindness dissolves fear
This does not mean we should not speak our truth. Instead, explore how to do so in a way that the other person feels appreciated rather than attacked. When you have something difficult to say, you might preface it with the reason why you want to say it, letting the person know it comes from an attitude of caring rather than attack. For example, you might start by saying: “I value our relationship, and want to see it grow, but for that to happen, I need to discuss an issue that is difficult for me.” This sets a very different tone than simply blurting it out.
Or it may help to express your own fears—they are also part of the truth. Revealing your fear of rejection or of being misunderstood, can help others appreciate your concerns and put them more at ease—which, remember, is the goal of this exercise.
And when this practice slips, as it surely will from time to time, and the attacking mode creeps back in, there is nothing like a genuine apology to set things back on track. Own up to your mistake (we are all human after all), and try to express yourself again with a more caring intention.
Kindness: The Heart of Spiritual Traditions
This practice of kindness is essentially The Golden Rule found at the heart of the world’s spiritual traditions. In the Bible it is said: “All things whatsoever that ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” Similarly, in the Koran we find, “No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.”
If we all applied this to everyone we met or spoke to, the world would be a very different place.
Peter Russell
Love Always
mudra
The answer, of course, is YES! … and here’s what Peter says:
Deep down we are all of the same kind. We all want to feel at ease, to be treated with respect, to feel cared for and appreciated. None of us want to feel criticized, rejected, humiliated, ignored or manipulated. To reduce it to its simplest terms, we each want to feel loved. I do not mean love in a romantic sense, or some outpouring of emotion, but simple caring. This is the universal bottom line of every human relationship. We all want to feel cared for. We want to be treated kindly.
If each of us would like to be treated with kindness, then it should be our intent to give this to others. But often we do the exact opposite. Instead of trying to ensure that the other person feels cared for and appreciated, we can end up in a vicious circle of recrimination and attack.
The Vicious Circle of “Hurt” or Un-Kindness
It usually starts with feeling hurt over something that someone said or did. Whether they intended to hurt us, or whether it is only in our imagination, doesn’t matter. The fact is we feel hurt. Then, if we are not fully conscious of our own inner processes, we are likely to defend ourselves by attacking back in some way. It’s not the noblest or wisest response, nevertheless that is the way we less-than-enlightened folk tend to react.
Breaking The Vicious Circle
The vicious circle can be broken if we start from recognizing that just as we want to feel loved and at ease, so do they. Our intention then becomes: How can I communicate so that the other person does not feel attacked or rejected, but cared for and respected?
We can start by becoming vigilant against attacking attitudes. Filtering out our less-than-noble thoughts can remove much of the problem at source.
How to Speak Our Truth with Kindness
kindness dissolves fear
This does not mean we should not speak our truth. Instead, explore how to do so in a way that the other person feels appreciated rather than attacked. When you have something difficult to say, you might preface it with the reason why you want to say it, letting the person know it comes from an attitude of caring rather than attack. For example, you might start by saying: “I value our relationship, and want to see it grow, but for that to happen, I need to discuss an issue that is difficult for me.” This sets a very different tone than simply blurting it out.
Or it may help to express your own fears—they are also part of the truth. Revealing your fear of rejection or of being misunderstood, can help others appreciate your concerns and put them more at ease—which, remember, is the goal of this exercise.
And when this practice slips, as it surely will from time to time, and the attacking mode creeps back in, there is nothing like a genuine apology to set things back on track. Own up to your mistake (we are all human after all), and try to express yourself again with a more caring intention.
Kindness: The Heart of Spiritual Traditions
This practice of kindness is essentially The Golden Rule found at the heart of the world’s spiritual traditions. In the Bible it is said: “All things whatsoever that ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” Similarly, in the Koran we find, “No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.”
If we all applied this to everyone we met or spoke to, the world would be a very different place.
Peter Russell
Love Always
mudra
mudra- Posts : 23223
Join date : 2010-04-09
Age : 69
Location : belgium
mudra- Posts : 23223
Join date : 2010-04-09
Age : 69
Location : belgium
Abraham: HOW SOURCE SEES NATURAL DISASTERS - Esther & Jerry Hicks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aupLxCokSZI
Love Always
mudra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aupLxCokSZI
Love Always
mudra
Carol- Admin
- Posts : 31769
Join date : 2010-04-07
Location : Hawaii
As you start to walk on the way
The way appears.
By Mayukh Saha
The way appears.
By Mayukh Saha
By now, you must have heard about the Persian poet Rumi. Apart from being a poet, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi was also a Sufi mystic and an Islamic Dervish.
His profound wisdom was never limited by any national or cultural barriers. Such an outlook as Rumi’s is of utmost importance to us in these times of hatred and wars.
In this article, I have listed 35 quotes from this magnificent man. Let yourself be touched by his wisdom and feel enriched by his undeterred positivity on the face of hardships.
1. “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
Love is a constant existence. Yet, you realise love only when you enable yourself to do so.
2. “Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.”
You need to stop feeling insignificant for you have everything that the universe itself has.
3. “What you seek is seeking you.”
When you strive for something with all your heart, it strives back for you.
4. “Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.”
None of your losses is permanent. No matter what you lose in life, you always get it back through something else.
5. “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
Only the wise know that they have to be the change that they want in the world.
6. “You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?”
You are making a mistake if you are not striving towards realising your fullest potential
7. “Everything that is made beautiful and fair and lovely is made for the eye of one who sees.”
As it is commonly said these days, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
8. “Why should I be unhappy? Every parcel of my being is in full bloom.”
Realise what you’re worth and you’ll find happiness.
9. “Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.”
Be wise, not loud. Loudness is never fruitful, wisdom is.
10. “Ignore those that make you fearful and sad, that degrade you back towards disease and death.”
It’s better to avoid people who make you feel bad about yourself.
11. “There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled.
There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled.
You feel it, don’t you?”
You are full of unrealised potential. It’s important that you recognise them.
12. “Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words.”
We love people not for what they say but for what they are.
13. “Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.”
When you truly love somebody, you are never separated from them as they are always in your heart and soul.
14. “Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”
You know the real faces of people around you by their behaviour in your times of trouble.
15. “I know you’re tired but come, this is the way.”
You’ve to be guided by your heart’s hope and not by your body’s exhaustion.
16. “The wound is the place where the light enters you.”
Things which hurt you also teach you a lot.
17. “Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.”
No matter what happens, never lose your ability to love.
18. “Reason is powerless in the expression of love.”
Love is felt by the heart and not thought by the head.
19. “You have to keep breaking your heart until it opens.”
Heartbreaks open the doors to the realm of your life’s wisdom.
20. “These pains you feel are messengers. Listen to them.”
The pain in your life teaches you many lessons about your past.
21. “Your heart is the size of an ocean. Go find yourself in its hidden depths.”
True knowledge lies within yourself and you have to search for it.
22. “I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.”
If you are following your heart, you need not care about other people’s opinions.
23. “Be empty of worrying. Think of who created thought.”
Don’t get caught up in the material world and rather explore what lies beyond.
24. “The lion is most handsome when looking for food.”
You are at your best only when you’re doing what you should.
25. “Don’t you know yet? It is your light that lights the worlds.”
Your life is nothing but what you make of it and so is the world around you.
26. “Love is the bridge between you and everything.”
Love is the best connection that you can possibly have with somebody.
27. “To praise the sun is to praise your own eyes.”
The sun is great to you only because you see it that way. So, the sun’s beauty is indeed the beauty of your eyes.
28. “Dance until you shatter yourself.”
Express your joys until you have nothing left for yourself.
29. “Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open?”
There’s no point in restricting yourself when you can soar high.
30. “As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.”
Only as you travel do you fully discover the paths in your life’s journey.
31. “What hurts you, blesses you. Darkness is your candle.”
Things that hurt you give you the much-needed wisdom.
32. “The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.”
The goodness of the heart is there to stay while that of the body fades away.
33. “Close your eyes, fall in love, stay there.”
Just fall in love if you want to. You needn’t think much about it.
34. “If the light is in your heart, you will find your way home.”
If you know what you want, nothing stops you from getting there.
35. “This is a subtle truth. Whatever you love you are.”
You are defined by the things you love and choose.
Words like these show the world the path that it should take. So, take them in, apply them in your life and you will feel greatly positive.
_________________
What is life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night, the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
With deepest respect ~ Aloha & Mahalo, Carol
mudra- Posts : 23223
Join date : 2010-04-09
Age : 69
Location : belgium
When you read Rumi you come to know beings are eternal for he died so long ago and yet is ever present. And what a presence
Thank you Carol this is a blessed day
Love for You
mudra