Be clear and quiet — alert and detached, all else will happen by itself

Questioner:  We have a long history of drug-taking behind us, mostly drugs of the consciousness expanding variety. They gave us the experience of other states of consciousness, high and low, and also the conviction, that drugs are unreliable and, at best, transitory and, at worst, destructive of organism and personality. We are in search of better means for developing consciousness and transcendence. We want the fruits of our search to stay with us and enrich our lives, instead of turning to pale memories and helpless regrets. If by the spiritual we mean self-investigation and development, our purpose in coming to India is definitely spiritual. The happy hippy stage is behind us; we are serious now and on the move. We know there is reality to be found, but we do not know how to find and hold on to it. We need no convincing, only guidance. Can you help us?

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Letting Go Takes Love

Image result for letting goTo let go does not mean to stop caring, it means I can’t do it for someone else.
To let go is not to cut myself off, it’s the realization I can’t control another.
To let go is not to enable, but allow learning from natural consequences.
To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means  the outcome is not in my hands.
To let go is not to try to change or blame another, it’s to make the most of myself.
To let go is not to care for, but to care about.
To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive.
To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.
To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes,  but to allow others to affect their destinies.
To let go is not to be protective, it’s to permit another to face reality.
To let go is not to deny, but to accept.
To let go is not to nag, scold or argue, but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.
To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.
To let go is not to criticize or regulate anybody, but to try to become what I dream I can be.
To let go is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.
To let go is to fear less and love more.
Remember:  The time to love is short.
(author unknown)

Choosing a New Year Gift – Importance of Genuine Intent

Image result for giving and receivingEverything in nature gives with a grace that comes of selfless giving. Even the tree lets falls its fruit into our lap. Mother Earth bears serenely our insults yet she cradles us nourishes us with every grain of Riceland wheat that we eat. We have free air to breathe and water to drink. 

Loving speech is also a kind of generosity. Kind words could gift sunshine to a dark life . Generosity of spirit brings two hearts together in joy. True communication through loving speech and deep listening is a loving gift. How often do we hold back such gifts , even from our close friends and family? Continue reading

our real enemies are not outside but within

Reading the Gita, we come to better understand life as an inner battle, a struggle for the mind, heart, body, and spirit. And, make no mistake, it is a fight to the death. We learn that our real enemies are not outside but within: our own desire, anger, and greed. This is what makes it so hard. These archenemies have linked forces so powerfully that they are all but unbeatable. We’re losing. The Gita boldly declares that spirituality is the only winning solution. Turn inward, it directs us, and upward. Look no further than the True Self Within.

The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners
Jack Hawley

Pranayama : the Yoga of Controlled Breathing

Related imageThe Yoga Sūtra describes the flow of prāṇa with this lovely image: If a farmer wants to water his terraced fields, he does not have to carry the water in buckets to the various parts of his fields; he has only to open the retaining wall at the top. If he has laid out his terraces well and nothing blocks the flow of the water, it will be able to reach the last field and the furthest blade of grass without help from the farmer. In prāṇāyāma we work with the breath to remove blockages in the body. The prāṇa, following the breath, flows by itself into the cleared spaces. In this way we use the breath to make possible the flow of prāṇa.

The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice
T. K. V. Desikachar
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