Comment
Butterflies and Caterpillars
As we go through the process of spiritual evolution
we turn from caterpillar to butterfly many times,
on many levels.
Each new level comes with new challenges
and new perspectives –
new limitations to overcome –
limitations that were not even visible
from the previous caterpillar stage.
The change from caterpillar to butterfly
In our journey, little changes are not enough.
They are important and should be valued,
But we need real transformation
in order to keep advancing:
Caterpillar to butterfly.
Let us remember that the caterpillar is also beautiful.
Both the caterpillar and the butterfly
are manifestations of the Divine.
The whole process of transformation
from caterpillar to butterfly
was created by the Divine
and the whole is to be respected.
If we do not see this,
we fall prey to Spiritual Vanity,
and this is one of the biggest downfalls on the spiritual path.
Caterpillar, caterpillar.
Keep eating those leaves.
How glorious your form,
as you crawl through the trees
Express your caterpillarness
with all your might,
but take a moment to look within
between leafy bites.
You’ll find that you’re no longer
satisfied with what you see,
and you feel there is more
to life than this tree.
Now is the time to leave the world behind.
Cover yourself and empty your mind.
There is a puzzle of consciousness
for you to resolve.
So meditate on your beingness
till your being dissolves.
Little worm, Little worm,
you will see, very soon
you are too big
for your little cocoon.
Your wings will press out
and you will break free
to fly in the skies
for all eternity.
Comment
The purpose of Non-dualism is
not to ignore the dualistic universe.
Non-Dualism is about seeing the universe
as essentially an illusion.
The truth behind every dual thing is the spirit of oneness.
Of course this is true.
But when you look at the world and how it works,
it is necessary to look through a dual understanding
because we live in a dual universe.
We are always confronted with choices
in this dual universe.
There is the awareness
of that which is deeper.
The practice of keeping the One Spirit
foremost in your mind
is primary.
Pay attention to who is seeing,
who is choosing,
who is thinking.
And yet, we still have to live here
we still have our minds to deal with,
people to deal with,
and our human natures to deal with!
The quality of our thoughts
determines the quality of our lives.
As long as I have to live in this dream,
I might as well dream the best dream I can!
Comment
All things are transitory except the ONE thing –
and what an amazing thing to realize.
Two lessons come from this:
1. That we must treasure the blessings in our lives:
The people we love,
the talents we have,
the joys we experience,
and our very life as a individual
are here today, and gone in a flash.
So pay very deep attention to every moment,
and love with all your heart.
Don’t wait till tomorrow to give life everything you’ve got!
Work at forgiveness
and work at repentance –
the two sides of a single coin.
See your life as a gift.
2. Lose your attachments
Almost in opposition to point #1!
Let go.
Be free,
like the wind blowing through the trees,
experiencing all,
holding on to none.
Realize the essential oneness of all existence
and lose your sadness,
your fear
of loss and death.
You were never born,
and you will never die.
Yet your form
– and all forms –
will change.
Walk through the world as one who knows the truth,
with peace and detachment in your heart.
remember my one-liner
“Detachment is the road to Supreme Attachment”
-Vivek
Combining these two Yin and Yang ideas brings a great inner harmony.
Our minds have the potential to be harmonious, peaceful and positive.
But from the time we are born, even before we are born,
we lose the pristine and pure state.
Our minds are invaded by imaginary, invisible creatures.
They cause us unrest and steal our peace.
I’m arguing with invisible creatures all the time:
The guy who cut me off
The womyn who was rude to me at the grocery store
The person who I imagine will insult me tomorrow!
The interesting thing about these thought forms,
thought plays,
thought movies,
is that they are creating
at the same time as we are thinking them.
You see, our lives are created from our thoughts
and the images we hold.
Every thought we have
sends a message to the Divine
about what we want to create!
The Divine energy is always there,
just waiting to fulfill our visions.
We create the mold with our thoughts and images.
The Divine fills the mold with creative energy
and our circumstances are born.
This is why it is so important to have some control
over our thought world,
and why the ego wishes us to have no control!
As long as we imagine these negative
and conflict-ridden situations,
over and over … and over …
we will continue to create them in our lives.
We may not create the exact thing we’re imagining,
but we will create a similar experience.
These thought-creatures are not consciously chosen by us.
They come up as egoistic reactions to our circumstances.
They are habits of thinking we’ve developed over years and years.
Now we have the opportunity to develop new habits!
The more we fight against them, stop them,
and replace them with thought-creatures
that reflect what we REALLY want to happen,
the more we will see our lives changing as a result.
My Teacher says
“Every thought is a creative act.”
-Tulshi Sen
So we must guard our thoughts with all our might.
We must change the pattern of our imaging,
create new habits of visioning,
choose to think and imagine and vision
the best, most abundant and loving things we can.
But, of course, this is not easy!
“Thinking an unfamiliar thought
is as difficult as performing an unfamiliar action.”
-Tulshi Sen
It requires a constant retraining,
a continuous vigilance,
a paranoid attention to the content and quality of our thoughts!
It’s hard work!
That is why so few undertake the task.
But oh how wonderful it will be when we are creating consciously!
It will be worth the effort!
Comment
Finding God in the Wal-Mart
This morning I went to the Wal-Mart to buy some DVDs on sale.
When I was standing in line,
someone butted in line to ask the cashier a question.
She answered, but was very upset
and started complaining to the person ahead of me
about that customer.
When I got up to the cashier, I asked her
how her day has been so far?
I usually ask that,
because it makes people take a moment and think before they answer.
If I just ask “how are you?” they can just say,
“fine thank you, how are you?”
She sort of grimaced and said she was okay,
except for the rude customers.
I suggested to her not to let people steal away her happiness.
It is too precious and she should guard it well.
She said “Yes, sometimes I forget my Father, my Creator.”
(I could tell from her comment that she was Christian.
I am not specifically Christian, but I know that the Divine is present
in every religious and spiritual path.
So I talked to her as a Christian and
shared the same spiritual ideology!)
I said “Ya, that’s the thing, eh?
Life is a test and He comes to us in many disguises,
to see if we’ll remember Him when things are tough.
Life is a test,
and we must stay strong and vigilant.”
She said “I guess I’m not that smart yet.”
I said “My friend, you recognized it right away
when I mentioned not letting others steal your joy.
You are definitely smart and strong!
Remember, you have many years left to keep practicing!”
She smiled from ear to ear to have this spiritual interaction
in the middle of her busy week cashier hell!!!
She said “Yes, you’re right.
He comes in many forms,
and I have to remember to recognize Him
and remember Him.”
As I left I turned to her and said,
“Remember to look through the disguise
and see the true spirit behind it, my friend!”
She said “Yes I will, thank you.”
I felt so blessed to be able to share a sincere moment with her,
and I hope that it made a difference in her life.
The giver should be thankful.
We can contribute to the peace and well being in the world
if we only pay attention to the hearts and minds around us –
and if we are quick and courageous enough to act
when we’re given the opportunity.
Comment
Believe Anyway
When I think of all those who do not feel
that the HAND of God is always there …
oh my …
Tears in my eyes …
My friends,
please believe it.
My heart aches for you to believe it!
In every happy moment,
in every difficult moment,
The HAND is right there -
Right here.
Right now.
The universe gives me a little smack
when I stray too far from the path
and gently guides me back on course when I falter.
The true lover of Life and Truth
spares no effort
to attain the awareness of the HAND
coming down out of the sky
to lift us up out of the maze
and shower us with love.
Believe without reason,
without proof,
when all else points away
and there is no reason to believe,
even when there is every reason NOT to believe.
Believe Anyway.
Believe Anyway.
Believe Anyway.
Believe Anyway.
Oh Lord.
Believe Anyway.
Comment
“You can’t achieve the Yin
by covering up all the Yang”
-Vivek
Balance
– Unification –
requires courage
and the desire to attain
pure love,
perfection beyond the opposites.
Embracing the negative doesn’t mean acting on it
or amplifying it;
But it does mean not running from it
Another one-liner
“You can’t cut of the demon’s head
while hiding in the bushes!”
-Vivek
Fight on, warrior
and victory will be yours.
Comment
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a very deep thing to achieve.
Much of the time when we think we have forgiven,
we have actually repressed our feelings.
This allows us to go on more peacefully
and continue in relationships
that we might otherwise have to let go of …
But …
The hurt still remains
and affects us in everything we do:
all our decisions
all our relationships
and our relationship with ourselves.
So perhaps we shouldn’t be in such a rush to get rid of our anger.
Until we are emotional masters,
it takes some time for genuine forgiveness to occur.
It requires a serious commitment
and a very deep insight to achieve.
I do not recommend acting on the anger,
but keeping it in your awareness makes it easier to deal with.
If you don’t repress it, you can start to work on it,
deal with it, and diminish it through your efforts.
Here are some powerful tools to help with forgiveness.
1. Give yourself love and understanding.
Validate your experience:
You were betrayed and that sucks.
There is never a good reason to betray a loved one
– or anyone –
and it’s not fair!
You didn’t deserve to be treated like that.
You need to feel love and acceptance
in order to move forward.
So give yourself a hug and some compassion for what you’ve gone through.
2. Recognize the difference between understanding
and making excuses.
While it is important to try and understand
the history, motives and life experiences
that made a person commit the offense,
it is important not to explain it away.
We can never truly forgive by making excuses
for the other person.
We only make it easier for us ourselves
to ignore and bury the hurt and anger.
M. Scott Peck talks about cheap forgiveness and real forgiveness.
He says that when we make excuses for someone
and explain away the offence,
that’s cheap forgiveness.
When you can face the thing the person did without excuses,
and then forgive them,
purely from the love in your heart,
that is real forgiveness.
This type of forgiveness requires great strength.
We must develop our capacity to love very deeply to achieve this.
3. Rely on the Divine for healing.
The process of letting go of the pain and anger
is not something that can be forced.
My teacher says:
“Love cannot be legislated, it must be cultivated”
-Tulshi Sen
This healing is not something you can do on your own.
You must lean on the Spirit within to free you from the bondage.
Ask for forgiveness to enter your heart.
Meditate on it, vision it,
and gradually you will see the results coming to light.
Recognize it as a gift and Forgiveness will come to you.
4. Practice forgiveness on a daily basis.
Every time someone cuts you off in traffic,
practice forgiving.
When someone bumps into you,
practice forgiving.
When someone speaks hurtfully in conversation,
practice forgiving.
The practice of forgiveness
will embed forgiveness in your consciousness.
Make it a habit in your daily life,
and it will reflect in the bigger issues.
5. Love.
Love in necessary for the hurt to be washed clean
and joy to take its place.
Love will erode the pain and anger.
Love will give you the spiritual perspective
you need in order to open your heart.
As you soak yourself in Love,
the anger and grudge that you bear
(which are totally natural)
will not be able to survive in you.
Anger eats attention. Starve it with Love!
6. Last of all - Patience and Perseverance.
You need patience, because forgiveness takes time.
You will be tempted to give up,
because the road is long
and your standards must be high!
Don’t accept imitation forgiveness!
Only be satisfied with the genuine article.
You need perseverance because you will get tired.
Sometimes you won’t want to take even one more step,
and often it is that one more step
that can make the difference
between victory and defeat.
Forgiveness is a Selfish Act
In the end, forgiveness is a selfish act
because it frees you from a heavy load
and increases your moments of happiness,
which are precious and must be guarded ferociously.
So do what must be done,
and tread the difficult and powerful path to freedom.
Comment
A few words on visioning and manifesting
The Divine would not give you a desire
without giving you the power to make it come true.
Believe me.
I’m not giving you a line of bull here.
Each of us has a longing in our heart,
And we all have the power of the infinite
to manifest that longing.
There is no logical reason to believe me,
but I tell you that you have the power within you
to make all your dreams come true.
Here are some interesting ideas about visioning and manifesting:
1. We must become what we want before we will get it.
We must create on the inside what we want to manifest on the outside.
We are not always aware of our own self-sabotaging programs.
They keep us from creating a perfect life for ourselves.
In order to find a soul-mate,
you have to be your own soul-mate first.
If we want to be rich, we must feel rich.
Our self-image, the way we see ourselves,
will be a fundamental factor
on how our life manifests.
The self-image is not necessarily how you see yourself
consciously,
though that is important too,
but how you see yourself in your unconscious.
So you can see how important it is
to change your self-image to something positive.
This is not an overnight task of course,
but it is a grand and powerful thing to undertake.
Don’t allow the mind to control your self image.
You CAN see yourself differently.
2. Visioning from the surface of your being
does not have a lasting effect.
We must go deep within, to our heart of hearts,
and find the deep, driving desires there.
It is not enough to long for what you don’t have
because such is a vision comes out of pain.
We feel pain and want to erase it.
I mean, of course we do!! That is natural right?
But we go about it the wrong way, and the pain persists.
It is right to want to overcome pain and suffering.
But the vision that you create
must not come as a reaction to that pain.
It must come naturally, flowingly from the core of your being,
which is Pure Spirit.
3. Make the decision to take a drastic step towards inner change.
Do this because you know
that inner change will affect
your outer reality!
Be willing to take great pains to change something about yourself
When we have a negative view of ourselves
Consciously or unconsciously,
we can be sure it has come from some experience
where we felt unloved.
This feeling stays in us, deep in our cells!
It will take an act of love to combat it.
You will have to give love to yourself in the present
To heal the love that was denied you in the past.
I cannot tell you what or how to change.
I can only suggest that you seek the love in your heart.
4. Ask for Divine Guidance.
This is key.
I had a problem recently and I did not know how to solve it.
I only knew that my consciousness, the Divine, my higher self
knew,
knew the answers
– all answers –
and I had faith in that.
So I did not try and solve the problem.
I put my efforts into asking
and being open to receiving.
Ask for Divine guidance
to know what is right for you
– highest right for you –
to create a perfect life.
5. Have patience.
If you start to make changes,
this will lead you in a different direction:
deeper inside, higher understanding,
focused on your heart’s desires and dreams.
These things take time.
Be prepared to follow the divine direction
that you will certainly receive as you begin to ask for this gift.
“Infinite patience brings immediate results.”
—————————
All in all, I would like to say:
Don’t give up.
You are a Divine being and you deserve Divine love.
Have faith
and you can achieve your dreams.
Please be strong and fight on.
I know you can do it.
Peace and love.
Comment
Love
We use the word Love for so many things that are not love!
I know someone who tortures her family,
and she always says:
“My only fault is that I love too much.”
There is no such thing as loving too much
if the love is pure,
because real love always knows the right action to take,
for it comes from the perfect Divine source.
Real love is never predictable.
It adjusts to the moment,
to the deepest and highest needs of the moment
Real love is always directed outwards,
towards the other,
yet manages to nourish the self better than
anything else ever can.
How can a constant outpouring
fill the container?
If you pour water from a jug,
the jug will empty.
This is one of the miracles of true love.
The jug of the heart never empties!
We can pour out all the love we’re able
and never diminish our own.
How is this possible?
It is possible because we are not the container,
only the channel
through which love flows forth,
like water through a hose.
We are always wet,
soaking
in love.
Attachment seeks to benefit itself,
to feed itself,
to nourish only itself.
It may mask this motive behind the appearance of giving
or nourishing;
But don’t be fooled:
Only selfishness exists there.
If you find yourself tired from loving,
then there is a selfish motive.
It is not pure love.
This does not make you evil,
for we are all like that.
We are on the path to pure love,
so lots of attachments still exist.
The task is to identify them and transcend them,
remove them,
replace them
with a higher love.
This of course, requires a high level of self honesty
and a willingness to change.
Willingness to change means a willingness to be wrong.
A Vivek one-liner:
“Intelligence is not the measure of how much you are able to understand,
But how much you are willing to understand.”
I am joyous when I’m wrong,
for finding out when I’m wrong is the path to being right!
Don’t fear mistakes.
Don’t fear feedback and criticisms.
Don’t fear being wrong.
Don’t resist when an attachment of yours is pointed out.
CELEBRATE!!!
For that puts you one step closer to the truth,
closer to the love you seek,
closer to the pure being that you are,
perfect and whole and one.
Comment
The Divine Hand
How aware are you of the Divine Hand in your daily life?
I was just taking a carton of Chocolate Soya Milk out of the fridge.
As I pulled it out I knocked an open carton of milk over.
It hit the side of a can of apple juice
and was saved from making a big mess.
My first response was to say,
“Thank you, apple juice!”
Then I realized my error and quickly changed it to
“Thank You, Lord.”
It seems I must keep practicing to deepen my awareness
of the constant miracles that I encounter
and to deepen my gratitude.
At least I was blessed with the insight to change it right away.
If the milk had spilled, what then?
Can I still see the miracle when life is difficult?
When the milk spills, as it does every day,
I thank the Divine for the lesson,
assuming it is a gift
even if I cannot see it.
I work at going through life with the assumption
that everything that happens is for my highest good,
that I’m being cared for and guided.
No matter what suffering or joy I experience,
I believe I’m guided towards enlightenment every moment,
with every experience.
Here’s a line about gratitude from my teacher:
“Your attitude of Gratitude
determines your Altitude.”
-Tulshi Sen
