In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna(who represents the physical manifestation of God) and Arjuna( Krishna's warrior student) are walking through a vineyard. Krishna says to Arjuna , "Arjuna, what do you see in front of your eyes." Arjuna replies, "I see a vine with many bunches of grapes on it." Krishna says, " Look again, look more closely."
Arjuna took a second look. when he looked again, he could see the face of Krishna in each grape and the image of Krishna throughout the length of the vine. The basic fundamental nature of everything is God.
Look into things, instead of at them. Practice cultivating a mind that is able to see the presence of God in every thing, every one and every situation......including "bad" ones. I'm definately not the first person to say that there is great value in looking at a negative situation as a secret gift to you. By staying open to the unfolding of the teachings in the loss, problem, or difficult person, you will move toward the secret treasures not easily seen with the first glance.
No matter what, it's the god-force that determines the outcomes. Master Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra (2.1) says, practice yoga to reduce both physical and mental impurities, develop a capacity of self-examination and reflection, and understand that, in the final analysis, we are not masters of everything we do.
We are not masters of everything we do????? Is Jeff Reed the master of everything he does? ? Is Jay Cutler??? Mike Tomlin?? Barak Obama???
Has Jeff Reed not worked hard perfecting the art of kicking???? He is so reliable and has accomplished many great game winning field goal kicks for the Pittsburgh Steelers. How could he have missed two in the same game, it's statistically impossible. Maybe it was something else then.....the forces that be, maybe the wind. Something that's statistically unmeasureable. Jay Cutler too.....he lost his first game as a Chicago Bear quarterback against their arch-rival the Green Bay Packers the week before. The Fans of both teams expecting their outcome to be the wining outcome.... The Bears won at the very end with a field goal kick that was not affected by the wind. Look closer now....where's the divinity in this?
If you're a Steeler fan, the season has just started and an early loss does not hurt as much as a loss in January. By losing , the Steelers are able to see their errors more purely than if they where the one's to win by a kick. The timing of losing early in the season will give them more room to examine themselves and improve so they will not be placed in the position of having to win just by a fieldgoal kick in the future.
If you are a Bear's fan, Jay Cutler is now relieved of the burden of looking bad in your eyes. The Chicago Bears get to win against the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. All is well in Chi-town.
But wait......They won only by a field goal kick...
so, you see....
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
It's all just Emptiness
There's a side of human nature that makes us unhappy when we see someone else getting something that we really wanted to have for ourselves. There's a belief that life isn't fair and that karma doesn't really work consistently all of the time. Why do bad people prosper and good people suffer???
With karma, we are both subject and object at the same time..what we do we do to ourselves , since the mind is the movie projector of our experience. The bad people prospering and the good people suffering are actually projections from our own minds. There's nothing really out there, except what is planted in your mind. To change these projections, you must change the contents of your own mind. If the mind is a movie projector, then you must go to the projector itself and change the reels. It's foolish to throw popcorn at the screen....this is just the after effects of the karmic imprints.
What does the term "emptiness" mean from the perspective of karma? Emptiness means that everything we see is valueless from it's own side and that we project values on experiences/things. The values come from us, from our actions toward others karmic seeds are imprinted. For example , if we are not honest with people in our lives then we see people being dishonest toward us.....in various ways and degrees.
Karma is relative. Every karmic act is mixed; nothing is purely "bad" or "good". Even at the level of mental intention, no act done by a normal living being is devoid of at least some selfishness and thus at least some negativity. If the predominant intention or belief is that one's act is "good" that plants one kind of impression on one's consciousness. But if one is aware that the act seems to harm another, that awareness also leaves a karmic imprint on one's mind.
we are subject and object, we experience ourselves as we do because of what we've seen ourselves do to others. But also and simultaneously, we experience others the way we do because of who we think we are.
It's enough to remember "what goes around comes around". States of deep meditation roast the seeds of negative karma......sit down and work out the antidote mentally....when you take away the pain of another, your pain is taken away. When you trick another person, you also will be tricked. Realize that you control what is coming back to you.
The Diamond Cutter Sutra is called the "diamond cutter" because it takes reality as you know it and cuts it.....it's not by grasping for things that you get them, it's just the opposite...it's by giving things away.
With karma, we are both subject and object at the same time..what we do we do to ourselves , since the mind is the movie projector of our experience. The bad people prospering and the good people suffering are actually projections from our own minds. There's nothing really out there, except what is planted in your mind. To change these projections, you must change the contents of your own mind. If the mind is a movie projector, then you must go to the projector itself and change the reels. It's foolish to throw popcorn at the screen....this is just the after effects of the karmic imprints.
What does the term "emptiness" mean from the perspective of karma? Emptiness means that everything we see is valueless from it's own side and that we project values on experiences/things. The values come from us, from our actions toward others karmic seeds are imprinted. For example , if we are not honest with people in our lives then we see people being dishonest toward us.....in various ways and degrees.
Karma is relative. Every karmic act is mixed; nothing is purely "bad" or "good". Even at the level of mental intention, no act done by a normal living being is devoid of at least some selfishness and thus at least some negativity. If the predominant intention or belief is that one's act is "good" that plants one kind of impression on one's consciousness. But if one is aware that the act seems to harm another, that awareness also leaves a karmic imprint on one's mind.
we are subject and object, we experience ourselves as we do because of what we've seen ourselves do to others. But also and simultaneously, we experience others the way we do because of who we think we are.
It's enough to remember "what goes around comes around". States of deep meditation roast the seeds of negative karma......sit down and work out the antidote mentally....when you take away the pain of another, your pain is taken away. When you trick another person, you also will be tricked. Realize that you control what is coming back to you.
The Diamond Cutter Sutra is called the "diamond cutter" because it takes reality as you know it and cuts it.....it's not by grasping for things that you get them, it's just the opposite...it's by giving things away.
Monday, August 10, 2009
If everybody hurts, how can my true nature be bliss???
In The Yoga Sutra, Master Patanjali says "The physical practices of asana must be performed with equal qualities of both steadiness and joy.".........sthirasukhamasanam 2.46 . Having both steadiness and joyfullness it makes it possible to reduce the obstacles in our path to Yoga. By Yoga (with a capital Y), it means that we realize that our own true nature is bliss , or wellness, or oneness with all there is...... How ever you want to think about it.
That being said, how was your day today???? Did you get to realize your own true nature?? No, it hasn't happened yet...a lot of things were wrong today. For one, it was really hot today....and humid. You are in the middle of problems at work, your dreams have not come true, your ship has not yet come in, your kids are menaces, your spouse is greedy or wants a divorce, the septic tank has over flowed, your colon has gone spastic, no publisher will publish your writing....Boo Hoo. No Steadiness or joy for you.
Well-being or oneness or whatever you are calling it, is a part of everything. Not often do we think like this, we are programed to sense and report our discomfort especially at the physical level. Then you take a pill and you are no longer able to feel your discomfort. And you are far away from oneness.
The first step to realizing oneness is allowing yourself to feel and feel accurately. Feel your pain now. Notice that other people are feeling similar things. Everybody hurts.
The next step is to let go...especailly of your pain. when you practice yoga asanas regularly, it's like clearing the slate. After a while, your body no longer aches. "Sukham" is sanskrit for lightness, comfort, and happiness.....it also means the possiblity to experience expansion of movement in the body. Yoga asana works on the body at the gross(large) physical level but it also works mysteriously on the subtle body and the emotions tied to it.
Then after the letting go step, your mind is able to rest more easily on things that are not physical discomforts or mental discomforts. Your mind can move in the direction of a single pointed focus...."sthira" is sanskrit for steadiness or alertness.....it's the kind of steadiness without grasping or trying. Trying is never part of this....it's more like arriving or placing your attention well.
The practices move you away from physical and mental dullness toward the direction of joyfull well being....without medication....Yoga is independence or more correctly "dependence inward".
BKS Iyengar says, " the minds of men are in a thousand pieces and their bodies are in one single piece.... but the mind of a yogi, is in a single piece and their body is in a thousand pieces."
The comfort of the body and the ease in which it moves , feels and experiences freedom contributes greatly to the quality and the steadiness of the mind. Contentment is the entry level state to experiencing Yoga as innate joyfullness...when you practice asana, you practice contentment.
That being said, how was your day today???? Did you get to realize your own true nature?? No, it hasn't happened yet...a lot of things were wrong today. For one, it was really hot today....and humid. You are in the middle of problems at work, your dreams have not come true, your ship has not yet come in, your kids are menaces, your spouse is greedy or wants a divorce, the septic tank has over flowed, your colon has gone spastic, no publisher will publish your writing....Boo Hoo. No Steadiness or joy for you.
Well-being or oneness or whatever you are calling it, is a part of everything. Not often do we think like this, we are programed to sense and report our discomfort especially at the physical level. Then you take a pill and you are no longer able to feel your discomfort. And you are far away from oneness.
The first step to realizing oneness is allowing yourself to feel and feel accurately. Feel your pain now. Notice that other people are feeling similar things. Everybody hurts.
The next step is to let go...especailly of your pain. when you practice yoga asanas regularly, it's like clearing the slate. After a while, your body no longer aches. "Sukham" is sanskrit for lightness, comfort, and happiness.....it also means the possiblity to experience expansion of movement in the body. Yoga asana works on the body at the gross(large) physical level but it also works mysteriously on the subtle body and the emotions tied to it.
Then after the letting go step, your mind is able to rest more easily on things that are not physical discomforts or mental discomforts. Your mind can move in the direction of a single pointed focus...."sthira" is sanskrit for steadiness or alertness.....it's the kind of steadiness without grasping or trying. Trying is never part of this....it's more like arriving or placing your attention well.
The practices move you away from physical and mental dullness toward the direction of joyfull well being....without medication....Yoga is independence or more correctly "dependence inward".
BKS Iyengar says, " the minds of men are in a thousand pieces and their bodies are in one single piece.... but the mind of a yogi, is in a single piece and their body is in a thousand pieces."
The comfort of the body and the ease in which it moves , feels and experiences freedom contributes greatly to the quality and the steadiness of the mind. Contentment is the entry level state to experiencing Yoga as innate joyfullness...when you practice asana, you practice contentment.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Guru Devo Maheshwara
Everyone needs a teacher in their lives no mater who you are or how important you seem to be. The teachings of Yoga say that our entire lives are our gurus. A guru is anyone or anything that removes your darkness and misknowing. One's birth, present life situation, accidents and illnesses are keys to the doors of happiness if you have the correct perception.
The Guru Mantra pays respect and appreciation to various forms of the enlightenment principle active in our lives:
Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu
Guru Devo Maheshwara
Guru Sakshat
Param Brahma
Tasmai shri Guruvey Namaha
It's translation is: Our moment of birth is our teacher, the duration of our lives and all the experiences we accumulate are our teacher, our misfortunes and calamities are our teachers. The guru is near by and within ourselves. The guru is indescribable and beyond all form. All efforts are offered to the teacher.
Most people don't see things this way and are unavailable to be taught or are in a hurry to impose their knowledge on others.....So it's through calamities, problems and misfortunes that we learn the most because suffering certainly can get our attention pretty fast. That's Guru Devo Maheshvara. Devo Maheshvara is another name for Shiva, the Hindu God of Destruction. This is the transformational aspect of life, including all illnesses, tragedies, accidents, difficulites and ultimately the death of the body. It takes spiritual maturity to embrace difficulties. The greatest spiritual growth can come from appreciating difficult times in your life and face them fully with an open heart.
These things beyond our control require us to surrender our personal willful control and be open and available to what is to come. Devo Maheshwara can be wrathful but it's that wrath, like a parent quickly preventing a child from touching a hot stove, that moves us back on course with swiftness. The key word is Swiftness....not dwelling... that is important. Professional athletes that dwell on what happened in the past lose their jobs pretty fast, it's those that come into each game anew that are the most successful. Think about it. Be Ready, Be Attentive, Be Willing. Don't be stingy......always go for the great moment in sports. It's your life and you've just been kicked off the bench by Shiva. See.. surrender, in the yogic sense, doesn't mean to give up but it means "not my will but thy will be done" and there's no yoga without surrender. Yoga means to become unified with what is. Your team requires you to make this very play, right at this very time. Shiva wants it to be you.....be one with all that is.
For some people, i am their guru. I am physically part of their world and they look to me as an example and also as a touchstone in their times of need. When i teach the physical practices of yoga and meditation, i do my best to be a living example how joy and not force is the most successful way to proceed.....less striving and more fun. The impossible is made possible then. Being one with all there is takes you far away from were you started out.
If it hasn't happened yet, Guru Devo Maheshwara will require you to meet the challenges in your life with an open heart. And everybody loves a player with great heart, they're the ones that make the history books and have movies made out of their lives. Ask Rudy.
The Guru Mantra pays respect and appreciation to various forms of the enlightenment principle active in our lives:
Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu
Guru Devo Maheshwara
Guru Sakshat
Param Brahma
Tasmai shri Guruvey Namaha
It's translation is: Our moment of birth is our teacher, the duration of our lives and all the experiences we accumulate are our teacher, our misfortunes and calamities are our teachers. The guru is near by and within ourselves. The guru is indescribable and beyond all form. All efforts are offered to the teacher.
Most people don't see things this way and are unavailable to be taught or are in a hurry to impose their knowledge on others.....So it's through calamities, problems and misfortunes that we learn the most because suffering certainly can get our attention pretty fast. That's Guru Devo Maheshvara. Devo Maheshvara is another name for Shiva, the Hindu God of Destruction. This is the transformational aspect of life, including all illnesses, tragedies, accidents, difficulites and ultimately the death of the body. It takes spiritual maturity to embrace difficulties. The greatest spiritual growth can come from appreciating difficult times in your life and face them fully with an open heart.
These things beyond our control require us to surrender our personal willful control and be open and available to what is to come. Devo Maheshwara can be wrathful but it's that wrath, like a parent quickly preventing a child from touching a hot stove, that moves us back on course with swiftness. The key word is Swiftness....not dwelling... that is important. Professional athletes that dwell on what happened in the past lose their jobs pretty fast, it's those that come into each game anew that are the most successful. Think about it. Be Ready, Be Attentive, Be Willing. Don't be stingy......always go for the great moment in sports. It's your life and you've just been kicked off the bench by Shiva. See.. surrender, in the yogic sense, doesn't mean to give up but it means "not my will but thy will be done" and there's no yoga without surrender. Yoga means to become unified with what is. Your team requires you to make this very play, right at this very time. Shiva wants it to be you.....be one with all that is.
For some people, i am their guru. I am physically part of their world and they look to me as an example and also as a touchstone in their times of need. When i teach the physical practices of yoga and meditation, i do my best to be a living example how joy and not force is the most successful way to proceed.....less striving and more fun. The impossible is made possible then. Being one with all there is takes you far away from were you started out.
If it hasn't happened yet, Guru Devo Maheshwara will require you to meet the challenges in your life with an open heart. And everybody loves a player with great heart, they're the ones that make the history books and have movies made out of their lives. Ask Rudy.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
"I Would Like To Speak to the Manager"
"Yoga is skillfulness in action."----Bhagavad Gita 2.50
To allpeople on the yogic path finding a way to transcend past negative karmic patterns is very important. Every thought, word, and deed that we have continues to plant karmic seeds in our mind that will later flower into actual experiences. We have the ability to make them positive, negative, or neutral. We need to think, act, and be skillful at all times.
Everything that occurs in your world is a chance for you to plant new seeds. If you live somewhere like New York City, you get more than your fair share of chances just walking to the subway!!! When you view something happening in front of you, it's your reaction to it that plants the seed. For example, you go into a crowded restaurant on Bleeker St. to have a nice dinner with a friend that you adore, and next to you, at a table that is too close for your comfort, is the world's rudest person. What should you do????? This person is sooooo rude that your server is in tears.... it's unbearable , really. The rude person also smells bad too. So, what do you do....you promised yourself to plant only good or neutral seeds.
That's Right!!!! Act with Compassion. Why......because everyone and everything has the potential to be your teacher. This is the planting of a great and powerful seed, the seed that can flower into you being a great teacher in the eyes of others.
Karma returns your efforts. And everything comes from your own mind.
When you view the actions of others, you get to glimpse the quality of that individual's mind. Someone that acts rudely and treats others poorly is in a lot of pain. You can see this pain because a seed in your store house of karmic seeds has flowered. To quit seeing things like this, don't plant the seed again by getting angry at this person. To plant a good seed, then be happy- no matter what. To plant a neutral seed, notice their behavior but leave the reataurant without reacting. To plant a negative seed, complain about your experience.
The sanskrit term "Avidya" means "mis-knowing" or "mis- understanding" where your world comes from. When we misunderstand the proper action to take to plant a more favorable karmic seed, we put ourselves right back in the position of having this happen again in our world. When you complain, you get more things to complain about coming into your world. When you're happy, you get more happiness coming into your world too.
In the "Yoga Sutra" Patanjali says,"Be happy for those that are happy, be indifferent to the unvirtuous, and be compassionate to those that are suffering." He did not say, "complain to the management about your terrible dining experience."
Eventually, with careful attention, you will have many, many joyous people and experiences coming into your direct experience. Good Luck
To allpeople on the yogic path finding a way to transcend past negative karmic patterns is very important. Every thought, word, and deed that we have continues to plant karmic seeds in our mind that will later flower into actual experiences. We have the ability to make them positive, negative, or neutral. We need to think, act, and be skillful at all times.
Everything that occurs in your world is a chance for you to plant new seeds. If you live somewhere like New York City, you get more than your fair share of chances just walking to the subway!!! When you view something happening in front of you, it's your reaction to it that plants the seed. For example, you go into a crowded restaurant on Bleeker St. to have a nice dinner with a friend that you adore, and next to you, at a table that is too close for your comfort, is the world's rudest person. What should you do????? This person is sooooo rude that your server is in tears.... it's unbearable , really. The rude person also smells bad too. So, what do you do....you promised yourself to plant only good or neutral seeds.
That's Right!!!! Act with Compassion. Why......because everyone and everything has the potential to be your teacher. This is the planting of a great and powerful seed, the seed that can flower into you being a great teacher in the eyes of others.
Karma returns your efforts. And everything comes from your own mind.
When you view the actions of others, you get to glimpse the quality of that individual's mind. Someone that acts rudely and treats others poorly is in a lot of pain. You can see this pain because a seed in your store house of karmic seeds has flowered. To quit seeing things like this, don't plant the seed again by getting angry at this person. To plant a good seed, then be happy- no matter what. To plant a neutral seed, notice their behavior but leave the reataurant without reacting. To plant a negative seed, complain about your experience.
The sanskrit term "Avidya" means "mis-knowing" or "mis- understanding" where your world comes from. When we misunderstand the proper action to take to plant a more favorable karmic seed, we put ourselves right back in the position of having this happen again in our world. When you complain, you get more things to complain about coming into your world. When you're happy, you get more happiness coming into your world too.
In the "Yoga Sutra" Patanjali says,"Be happy for those that are happy, be indifferent to the unvirtuous, and be compassionate to those that are suffering." He did not say, "complain to the management about your terrible dining experience."
Eventually, with careful attention, you will have many, many joyous people and experiences coming into your direct experience. Good Luck
Monday, May 11, 2009
Do you want to be right or to be free????
One day when the Buddha was teaching, a person came along and spit in his face. The Buddha's reaction was ,"Thank you, now I am free." he was now free from the karmic bondage of that particular situation. His response to not react in anger freed him from the cyclical affects of karma. When you react in anger, you get anger in return...... it does not matter if you are right or wrong. Reacting in anger ties one to the "Wheel of Samsara." In sanskrit, samsara literally means "same suffering".
Your argument might be, " what if someone has hurt me so deeply that he/she deserves my retailiation?" If you respond in anger, then you will create more oppurtunities in the future for you to be angry. Remember, You are responsible for making your world the way you want it. Ask yourself the question, "Do I want to be right or do I want to be free?" By chosing freedom, you become aware that you have a choice and that you have access to evolving your reactions to outer events. You no longer act like a child, you are peaceful in the moment and you are creating a more peaceful future.
This is how you fix things at the very root of the problem and not react with frustration to the affects of the problem. You can probably think of a time where you tried to fix a problem after it has been created. It is very, very difficult to do--all involved parties have to want to change fully and completely. By going to the root-- your mind and its reactions--- you insure a better future outcome.
All of your reactions to outer circumstances come from you. Knowing this, you can sit down everyday and do some mental gardening. Go back mentally to a situation that caused you to react in anger and make a vow to yourself to choose a different reaction. See yourself reacting differently. You are planting new karmic seeds that are like brand new plants. They are fragile and you have to protect them. Everyday you practice having better and beter reactions. Eventually, all troublesome situations will stop..not because the world is different but because you are different. You have chosen being free over being right.
If you have led a life that has been full of anger, pain, and frustration and you find it difficult to meditate on change, then doing physical asanas, like twisting or inversions like shoulderstand and headstand, can help. Twisting asanas help because they act on the abdominal region which is the seat of the ego and egocentric reactions. Inversions help because the physical act of turning the body upsidedown turns your mental perspective upsidedown as well. Patanjali said in the Yoga Sutra," when experiencing troubling thoughts, think the opposite thought."
The teaching of yoga as found in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra does not say that anger is wrong or right or good or bad or justified or not. Patanjali does not pass a value judgement on any action for it's own sake. He speaks to those who seek enlightenment, to those who want to disentangle themselves from the cycle of karma. To them he says choose your actions wisely, according to the results they will bring, be sure that those results are in alignment with your aims.
Your argument might be, " what if someone has hurt me so deeply that he/she deserves my retailiation?" If you respond in anger, then you will create more oppurtunities in the future for you to be angry. Remember, You are responsible for making your world the way you want it. Ask yourself the question, "Do I want to be right or do I want to be free?" By chosing freedom, you become aware that you have a choice and that you have access to evolving your reactions to outer events. You no longer act like a child, you are peaceful in the moment and you are creating a more peaceful future.
This is how you fix things at the very root of the problem and not react with frustration to the affects of the problem. You can probably think of a time where you tried to fix a problem after it has been created. It is very, very difficult to do--all involved parties have to want to change fully and completely. By going to the root-- your mind and its reactions--- you insure a better future outcome.
All of your reactions to outer circumstances come from you. Knowing this, you can sit down everyday and do some mental gardening. Go back mentally to a situation that caused you to react in anger and make a vow to yourself to choose a different reaction. See yourself reacting differently. You are planting new karmic seeds that are like brand new plants. They are fragile and you have to protect them. Everyday you practice having better and beter reactions. Eventually, all troublesome situations will stop..not because the world is different but because you are different. You have chosen being free over being right.
If you have led a life that has been full of anger, pain, and frustration and you find it difficult to meditate on change, then doing physical asanas, like twisting or inversions like shoulderstand and headstand, can help. Twisting asanas help because they act on the abdominal region which is the seat of the ego and egocentric reactions. Inversions help because the physical act of turning the body upsidedown turns your mental perspective upsidedown as well. Patanjali said in the Yoga Sutra," when experiencing troubling thoughts, think the opposite thought."
The teaching of yoga as found in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra does not say that anger is wrong or right or good or bad or justified or not. Patanjali does not pass a value judgement on any action for it's own sake. He speaks to those who seek enlightenment, to those who want to disentangle themselves from the cycle of karma. To them he says choose your actions wisely, according to the results they will bring, be sure that those results are in alignment with your aims.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Advanced Meditation--What's in it for me????
There are a lot of students currently taking asana classes with me, but i would have to say that not many of them have a regular meditation practice. Even advanced students.....they find meditation unglamorous. What would happen if you sat and watched your breath on a regular basis????? It would change your life and they way you view reality......you would realize that things that you see come from you and you alone. All blame rests squarely in your lap for the good and the bad.
When you start to advance your meditation practice, the focus of your mind is strengthened much like it is when you workout. You know that the first time you workout benefits are already starting to happen even though you can't see them yet. When you are new to meditation, counting the breath for 5 breaths is difficult... but results are starting to happen. If you advance to 5 unbroken minutes, your concentration has become so much greater than the average person. The average person's mind is very distracted....it's hit by thousands and thousands of mental images in a five minute period of time. It's a miracle that we can form a complete thought!!! If you can advance your meditation practice to 15 undistracted minutes, your consciousness begins to shift....the point that you are focusing on becomes big like a screen in front of your eyes. This is an amazing moment for you because now you are open to experiencing freedom.....freedom from the anger, fear, and frustration which is a baseline to most lives. Now you want to meditate.
However, meditation takes discipline and people need a little bit more of a carrot than just freedom. They want to earn money, have a perfect relationship, be radiantly healthy and really, really thin.
What are the karmic causes for these things????? Actually His Holiness The Dalai Lama is speaking about this subject tomorrow in NYC..... The karmic cause for having wealth is being generous. The karmic cause for having a perfect relationship is to respect other people's relationships and taking your vows and the vows of others seriously. The karmic cause for having radient health and being thin is to protect the life and health of others. Most people would think just the opposite--to horde money and ideas, to hit on other peoples partners, or to be self absorbed , vain and somewhat of a hypochondriac. Karma has to do with causes not effects, those are all responses to effects. Hospitals can only respond to effects--do you see--nurses and doctors actually contribute to this cyclical illness stuff.
You have to get in at the root of the effect that you want....you plant the seeds for this stuff in meditation. When you sit in uninterrupted concetration, you are actually painting the picture of your life. This is a high tantric practice.......to see ultimate reality by stilling the mind.
Yes , it is true that we create our lives all of the time. The problem is that your mind is not strong enough....the focusing. Things you want come into your awareness along with other things that confuse and distract you. You don't have a clue because the mind is getting hit with so much information all of the time. When unaware, you go with something easy.....
when aware, you accept only what you want.
I can say that i've been working on these things for at least four years or so.....about as long as i've known Gesche Michael and about as long as I decided that i was sick of living under life's thumb. I was sick of the pain of not having enough money, duplicitous relationships, and tired and injured everyday in my career. It took a while......because now i'm starting to see the effects that i want.....if I can do it, you can do it too. I'm only an ordinary person.
When you start to advance your meditation practice, the focus of your mind is strengthened much like it is when you workout. You know that the first time you workout benefits are already starting to happen even though you can't see them yet. When you are new to meditation, counting the breath for 5 breaths is difficult... but results are starting to happen. If you advance to 5 unbroken minutes, your concentration has become so much greater than the average person. The average person's mind is very distracted....it's hit by thousands and thousands of mental images in a five minute period of time. It's a miracle that we can form a complete thought!!! If you can advance your meditation practice to 15 undistracted minutes, your consciousness begins to shift....the point that you are focusing on becomes big like a screen in front of your eyes. This is an amazing moment for you because now you are open to experiencing freedom.....freedom from the anger, fear, and frustration which is a baseline to most lives. Now you want to meditate.
However, meditation takes discipline and people need a little bit more of a carrot than just freedom. They want to earn money, have a perfect relationship, be radiantly healthy and really, really thin.
What are the karmic causes for these things????? Actually His Holiness The Dalai Lama is speaking about this subject tomorrow in NYC..... The karmic cause for having wealth is being generous. The karmic cause for having a perfect relationship is to respect other people's relationships and taking your vows and the vows of others seriously. The karmic cause for having radient health and being thin is to protect the life and health of others. Most people would think just the opposite--to horde money and ideas, to hit on other peoples partners, or to be self absorbed , vain and somewhat of a hypochondriac. Karma has to do with causes not effects, those are all responses to effects. Hospitals can only respond to effects--do you see--nurses and doctors actually contribute to this cyclical illness stuff.
You have to get in at the root of the effect that you want....you plant the seeds for this stuff in meditation. When you sit in uninterrupted concetration, you are actually painting the picture of your life. This is a high tantric practice.......to see ultimate reality by stilling the mind.
Yes , it is true that we create our lives all of the time. The problem is that your mind is not strong enough....the focusing. Things you want come into your awareness along with other things that confuse and distract you. You don't have a clue because the mind is getting hit with so much information all of the time. When unaware, you go with something easy.....
when aware, you accept only what you want.
I can say that i've been working on these things for at least four years or so.....about as long as i've known Gesche Michael and about as long as I decided that i was sick of living under life's thumb. I was sick of the pain of not having enough money, duplicitous relationships, and tired and injured everyday in my career. It took a while......because now i'm starting to see the effects that i want.....if I can do it, you can do it too. I'm only an ordinary person.
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