Our over-intellectualized modern culture has tended to forget connections between mind and body. We are nevertheless more likely to believe what we feel as a physical experience than what we think. And when we are in danger, or under pressure, or anxious, we often experience what Daniel Goleman calls an “amygdala hi-jack” where suddenly our emotions tend to crowd out rational thought.
mindfulness
we break open to the place inside which is unbreakable…..
There is a brokenness
out of which comes the unbroken,
a shatteredness
out of which blooms the unshatterable. Continue reading
In leaving your past behind you, you walk through your fear of the unknown…
To walk on despite all the pleas for you to come back is to know that you are free from the clutches of guilt. When you are free of the grip of guilt and fear, love blooms—love of the truth. Continue reading
Thought for the Week – 15th September 2014
I will sit on the bank and wait for the moment when everything is clear
There is a beautiful story form Buddha’s life, which discusses the crux of being meditative. Osho has explained it very well in this piece. Worth reading.
“One day Buddha is passing by a forest. It is a hot summer day and he is feeling very thirsty. He says to Ananda, his chief disciple, “Ananda, you go back. Just three, four miles back we passed a small stream of water. You bring a little water — take my begging bowl. I am feeling very thirsty and tired.” He had become old.
Hands in Society and Head in the Forest
‘Hands in society’ means I am in society. I am born in society and I am a part of it. I grow in society and end in the society. So, no one can say that I don’t have anything to do with society. If anyone says so, it only means there is a lack of understanding. We cannot exist without society. Society is a must for everybody. We are products of society. We are the beneficiaries of society. Therefore, my friends, ‘hands in society’ means or refers to our very base, our very existence, our sustenance, and our maintenance.
The other extreme is ‘head in the forest’. What does this mean? It doesn’t mean that your head is going to be suspended from a tree in the forest, certainly not! The head represents thought and contemplation. The head represents the goal or aim. The head stands for the objective of life. Therefore, while the hands represent action, the head symbolizes the aim, goal and objective of the life. So, ‘head in the forest’ means the aim or objective of life is not society. The purpose of life is not society.
In the statement ‘head in the forest’, the forest symbolises renunciation. The forest stands for detachment and represents penance. The forest means a life in solitude, aloneness. Therefore, ‘head in the forest’ means that your constant thought should be towards solitude. You have to repeatedly ruminate and travel towards detachment. The purpose is renunciation.
– Sathya Sai Baba
We must not create a wall between our worldly and spiritual lives.
People disorganized in their worldly life search for spiritual wisdom in seclusion; whereas, if organized properly, they can have all the means and resources that are of utmost importance for spiritual enlightenment. The purpose of human life is to make the best use of the resources that nature or God has given us.
But there’s more to it.
There are typically two kinds of people. Some are involved in the world and are busy in their self-centered activities. Others renounce their families and do not participate in worldly life at all. There are very few people who use discrimination, work hard for their self-fulfillment, and at the same time, contribute to the welfare of society. People belonging to these two categories have an incomplete world view, and therefore, strive for their limited goals.
In our modern age, where the standard of living has been facilitated by science and technology, we must learn to make the best use of our ample resources. A lifestyle that is suitable for both worldly fulfillment and spiritual enlightenment is the best.
Those who strive to attain personal enlightenment and help others light their lamps are the true leaders of the human race. ….
Today’s society is waiting for selfless, spiritually enlightened, well-balanced leaders to guide them in how to live happily here and hereafter. Such leaders or reformers will not come from outside our society. They have to be born, raised, and trained right in our own society. We are the ones to become our own guides, our own leaders, and we are the ones to enlighten our own lives…..
—Swami Rama from A Call to Humanity
the mind can create cancer and mind is capable of dissolving cancer
All the great bibles of the world say one and the same thing-be still, be still. For a few minutes in the morning and the evening, every human being should learn to be still. Why, because you will meet God? No, that’s not necessary. You will be healthy. For your mental health it’s important for you to understand quietness, stillness. During that time, those muscles which do not get rest even in sleep get rested.
Stress is caused by being “here” but wanting to be “there”
Are you stressed? Are you so busy getting to the future that the present is reduced to a means of getting there? Continue reading
Thought of the Week 21st July 2014
Majority of us are zombies being carried away by the thought current….
“Each day as you wake up, watch your thoughts for they are the steam that drives your engine. If you are a passive observer, then the thoughts will pass like clouds only making you just conscious of them. If your vigilance slackens, then a thought will hold your attention, and bring force upon you to act. At that moment remind to question yourself. Continue reading
ONE TUSK 