Recognize the Source

All religions in this world have their books, mantras, temples, songs, hymns, and what not. They tell you to recite the lines, repeat them every day, and if possible continue to do the same every single moment. But I believe that remaining silent is the most beautiful thing. Silence is the highest religion. You are dwelling in absolute silence and prayerfulness is flowering in you. You are living a natural life that has been conferred to you by the existence, and as a result you will find yourself in a state of euphoria, absolute freedom, and peace. The person who is in tune with nature and natural really lives, he loves; he enjoys the small pleasures of life. And once you start enjoying the small pleasures, the total accumulative effect is a great bliss in your being.

Child came into existence through father’s energy but the child did not know it. The child thinks that it can do everything alone but the father knows that he can help the child.

Love the Way You Know It

I am often troubled to see the way love is defined and described in this so called civilized and educated world. To me love is definitely not a technique and no one can teach you how to love. It is an inborn virtue and it is always there in your existence. There are many gurus and books available in the market and they guarantee that they can teach you love. This is nonsense! Beware of such gurus and books. If you once learn the techniques of love you will never be able to love again. Those techniques will become a barrier. Love is a natural spontaneous phenomenon. Even animals love – they don’t have Kinseys and Masters and Johnsons and they are achieving orgasm perfectly, without any scientific help. They don’t have any sex therapists and they don’t go to any guru to be taught how to love. It is an inborn quality. Each being born brings it with himself.

Prayerfulness has to be understood properly. Prayer comes naturally and all other prayers which are taught to you are unnatural. Let prayerfulness naturally and you will see life smiling around you. In the absence of natural flowering, or if you deliberately try to suppress all that is natural, techniques are needed. Meditation is a substitute for prayerfulness; it is second to prayerfulness. If you have missed prayerfulness then meditation is needed, but if prayerfulness has arisen in you then there is no need for any meditation. Prayerfulness is spontaneous meditation; meditation is prayer with effort. Prayerfulness with technique is meditation; meditation without technique is prayerfulness.

Problem of Knowledge

Knowledge is not as easily gained as you might think. It is definitely not cheap and it does not come just by labelling the things. If you simply label or name a thing, you stop there. You miss a great opportunity that was open before you. Knowing requires complete involvement. You could have known the man if you had got involved with him. You could have known the rosebush if you had meditated alone with it, if you had allowed its fragrance to enter into your nostrils and into your heart; if you had touched it with love. If you had a communion with this rosebush you might have known something.

My children have grown up but I am happy that they don’t know anything about any religion. They have no faith. They are very hard working, studious, and good human beings, living their lives very happily. Had I imposed the religion on them, I would have destroyed the flower before blooming. Now they have uncluttered mind because they have learned the art of living day to day, moment to moment, and at the same time dying moment to moment.

The poster shows infinite with the words “99.9% of the Dance Group vocal timing.” The seven members are shown in white suits. Because these signs are in areas that are densely populated, is to capture the attention of K-Pop fans and Japanese alike.

Infinite already pre-sold 70,000 copies of their Japanese debut album. Within one year of debuting with “Be Mine” and “Paradise” Infinite rose to the top of K-Pop.

Regarding their Japanese debut, Infinite has stated, “We will try to be a group that always does their best whether in Korea or Japan,” “We hope that a lot of Japanese fans will cheer us on.”

Václav Havel, poet, philosopher, politician, is likewise not often thought of as a defender of religion, and the Czech republic by most some measures vies with Britain for the distinction of being the most dechristianised nation of Europe. But when Havel talks of  atheism he means the kind of insatiable proud greed which mashes both interior and exterior landscapes into something as homogenous as mechanically recovered recovered meat. He means the noisy, unthinking atheism of those who cling to a quasi religious faith in “science” or advance the political ideologies of soft Marxism with it’s dogmatic hatred of “the rich”and belief in the rigid control by central government of all aspects of life. It is a vision of the consumer society as hell:

“Our cities are being permitted without control to destroy the surrounding landscape with its nature, traditional pathways, avenues of trees, villages, mills and meandering streams, and build in their place some sort of gigantic agglomeration that renders life nondescript, disrupts the network of natural human communities and under the banner of international uniformity it attacks all individuality, identity or heterogeneity. And on the occasions it tries to imitate something local or original, it looks altogether suspect, because it is obviously a purpose-built fake. There is emerging a new type of a previously described existential phenomenon: unbounded consumer collectivity engenders a new type of solitude.”

This is a similar view of the horror of modern life to that which animates Rowan Williams, current Archbishop of Canterbury and senior cleric of the global Anglican communion and part – time Druid. Williams has spoken many times of “the fantasy that you can organism the world to suit yourself”. This is the solipsism (belief that one’s mind is the only thing that can truly be said to exist) I have referred to many times in articles and comments.

Havel made his speech at a conference which focuses on architecture; but he sees the extra urban sprawl of banal concrete and steel boxes as the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual degeneration.
 
“…not only a globally spreading short-sightedness, but also the swollen self-consciousness of this civilisation, whose basic attributes include the supercilious idea that we know everything and what we don’t yet know we’ll soon find out, because we know how to go about it. We are convinced that this supposed omniscience of ours which proclaims the staggering progress of science and technology and rational knowledge in general, permits us to serve anything that is demonstrably useful, or that is simply a source of measurable profit, anything that induces growth and more growth and still more growth, including the growth of agglomerations.

But with this cult of measurable profit, proven progress and visible usefulness there disappears respect for mystery and along with it humble reverence for everything we shall never measure and know, not to mention the vexed question of the infinite and eternal, which were until recently the most important horizons of our actions.

We have totally forgotten what all previous civilisations knew: that nothing is self-evident.”

Naturally this won’t convince anyone who is not prepared to accept there is an alternative to their own world view. What is most interesting and persuasive about Havel’s case is that he knows he is unlikely to win many converts among the dogmatists of the left or the evangelical preachers of “living scientifically”.  In taking the recent economic chaos as an example of the way in which an apparently rational and entirely controlled system suddenly showed that it was neither of these things he deftly undermines all arguments in support of what we must call “progressiveism” for want of a better descriptor..

“I regard the recent crisis as a very small and very inconspicuous call to humility. A small and inconspicuous challenge for us not to take everything automatically for granted. Strange things are happening and will happen. Not to bring oneself to admit it is the path to hell. Strangeness, unnaturalness, mystery, inconceivability have been shifted out of the world of serious thought into the dubious closets of suspicious people. Until they are released and allowed to return to our minds things will not go well.”

After this crisis a thousand and one theorists, academic sociologists, political philosophers, economists and general smart alecs will emerge to describe precisely how and why it happened and how to prevent it happening in future. But this will not be a sign that they have understood the message that the crisis sent us. The opposite, more likely: it will simply be a further emanation of that elitist academic arrogance Havel was speaking of.

He was not the first to spot the lesson events are trying to teach us, around the time I was being born the British writer D.H. Lawrence penned these words; “Mankind must get back into step with the rhythms of nature.” That is what Václav Havel was referring to when he spoke of losing our connection with infinity and eternity. He did not mean we should all sign up for communal worship at the local Synagogue, Church or Mosque but that we should understand how puny and how powerless we are in the scheme of things, even on this planet – are utterly insignificant in relation to the Universe. We can no more control nature than conjure food and water for the poor out of thin air. Until the new elitists are prepared to learn this  lesson it will be repeated, more and more painfully until, eventually,  our children are forced to learn.

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What a pagan believes

Where do we end,

We the infinite keys

Upon gods piano

We the keys screaming,

Crying and laughing

And kissing an infinite

Amount of times, but

Still time fades away these

Kisses felt

Like sweet memories

Dissipating

                                                                                        Into nothing but memories.

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         Part 1.

         In the beginning, there was only very simple matter, floating around the universe. For the sake of simplicity, I will from now on refer to this matter as “stuff.” Now, this stuff is smaller than molecules. It’s smaller than atoms. It’s smaller than protons, neutrons, electrons, quarks, you name it. The point is, we can’t see it. It’s just there, and it makes up everything we see today.

         Like I said, this stuff was floating freely about the universe, that is, until is came upon more “stuff.” It was then able to evolve, make up more complex things. These things could include atoms, molecules, even planets, and eventually made up the first, simplest forms of intelligent life. Now, these forms of life, given the right planet/environment (also made up of various combinations of stuff, remember), could thrive, evolving into more lifeforms, elements, and molecules.

         Yes, I do believe the universe is infinite, so therefore i think there MUST be other intelligent life out there somewhere, however, it will be much different, considering it probably has a much different environment. Therefore, it would have different combinations of stuff, and would most likely be a sight beyond our wildest dreams.

         Now, through general logic, one might say that if the universe really is infinite, wouldn’t there be a world EXACTLY the same as ours, somewhere out there? This then brings up the aspect of an alternate world – exactly the same as ours, with the same people, combinations of stuff, and elements. This I will address in part 2, so stay tuned!

-CL

 “A man who for years had thought he had reached the absolute limit of all possible suffering now found that suffering had no limits, and that he could suffer still more, and more intensely.”

This is an extremely sobering comment from Victor Frankl, concentration camp survivor and author of the book Man’s Search for Meaning.  

Put  this way, life provides no limits. We assume that there are limits because our experiences have limits. Some people tend to think that at some point suffering stops others know, through experience, that suffering can go on and on . . . Until either the sufferer snaps or changes or the world changes.

In nature the unlimited or infinite confronts us from every side through endless blue sky and innumerable stars, grains of sand, forms of life. Humans use doors, walls and locks to provide borders. Nature provides no locks, doors or borders.

Once we recognize life as infinite, we can consider the dangers and the possibilities involved. If life is infinite each moment becomes part of something larger than life, something more meaningful, something worth fighting for. There are wise actions to take and foolish actions.

Daily hassles seem to limit the infinite nature of life.  We are stopped, blocked, convinced we can’t go on. Our goals are in the same way limited depending on what we expect from life. Sometimes we are limited to what life expects from us. It is up to us to consider when life expects something from us and if it is indeed life or our own limited thinking that expects it. After all, if suffering can be unlimited then so can contentment.

Everyday, heaven knocks on the doors of our consciousness. It is up to us to break down the walls that separate us from the infinite.   

Image via Wikipedia

We are all born from the dust and the energy of the creation. We all contain the infinite wisdom of the Universe locked inside of the cells, atoms, and molecules that make up our being. We are unique, and we are the same. We are all beautiful, spinning, radiance and luminosity!

Take heart in the infinite nature of the Universe. Time is only a creation, space is only an illusion. There is nothing and everything and we are a part of it and the whole of it.

Like the DNA strands we spiral through the Universe. The Earth spins around the sun and the sun spins around the center of our galaxy. The galaxy spins around another celestial body. Infinitely spiraling and larger celestial bodies form our Universe.

Ions spin around the nucleus, our bodies are comprised of vibrating, spiraling bodies.

Time stretches from the beginning to perpetuity and we spiral through it. The path we weave is a spiral; a circle with the element of time, or direction.

Everything that has been, will be. Everything that will be, has been.

Take joy in the air that we breathe and the water that we drink. Take comfort in the food that we eat and the bed upon which we rest!

Take comfort in sorrow, for it will pass. Pay heed to moments of joy, for they too will pass.

We are incredible, powerful bands of energy. We are infinite. We have wisdom and potential beyond our wildest dreams.

We are all beautiful!

Picture Source

You can overcome and conquer any obstacle that comes your way. You are infinitely powerful.

Everyday we are faced with challenges and obstacles that test us to see if we can stay true to our morals, values, and higher selves. Whether it be having the discipline to keep on your exercise regime or the willpower to say no to shopping and purchasing from the junk food isle, everyday we must find ways to keep our minds and hearts focused on the very best choices and decisions for our well being in the long run.

Sometimes it is difficult for people to grasp the concept of the idea that what you do today can and will affect your tomorrows. For example, what you choose to eat on a daily basis will help keep your body in a particular condition over time. The better foods you eat to build the strength of your immune system, maintenance, and repair of your body, the longer life you will enjoy. Simple decisions like saying no to the foods that you know hold no nutritional value in your life will make a difference in your tomorrows even if you do not see any immediate gratification in your action today. Over the long run you will begin to enjoy an increase in energy, mental clarity, emotional regularity, and physical ability.

Like a car, if you take care of it properly, only giving it what it needs to run at its best and most optimal levels of performance, so too will your mind, body and spirit give you the best possible levels of performance. Many people treat their cars better than they do their bodies. This is something that needs to be remedied.

How can we do this? Maybe we might take a moment to reflect upon why one would treat their beloved car so well. What is it about one’s car that makes one want to give it only the best? Maybe the car makes them feel good about themselves. Maybe the car gives them a feeling of pride?

Now, taking this lesson and learning from it we can begin to do things that will make us feel good and proud of ourselves. Thus, the more we feel this way, the more we will then turn around and only surround ourselves with the best things in life, i.e. food, friends, loved ones, etc. The next step, therefore, is to take the time to discover what in life makes you feel happy and proud of you. Maybe giving regular donations to a nearby charity like the Goodwill or the Salvation Army gives you a feeling of helping and uplifting your community. Maybe remembering to recycle whenever you can gives you a greater sense of awe and appreciation for this world and for yourself.

Do not underestimate the power of whatever activity or activities that you end up discovering about yourself that help continue to keep you positive and motivated and feeling good about yourself and this world. The better you feel the more that you can give to others and yourself. And, the better you end up treating yourself and others.

Take care of one another. We are all invaluable, precious gifts to one another. Always remember this. Best wishes to all.

Joie Schmidt © Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved.

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Dreams of the Heart – volume I by Joie Schmidt is available:

  * Volume I: Amazon Kindle, Adobe Reader, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, iPad and iBooks

Dreams of the Heart – volume II is available:

  * Volume II: Amazon Kindle, Adobe Reader

———> Stay tuned . . . vol. II will soon be available on iTunes, iPod, iPhone, iPad and iBooks!

(*In memoriam of the tragedy in Japan all proceeds from – volume I – sales will go to the relief efforts until 3/11/12)

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For more great reading:

• Writers: Tips for Success
• Hardships are for a Reason
• You Can Overcome Any Challenge
• The Infinite Power of Compliments
• Strength Will Always be by Your Side
• Fond Thoughts About True Friendship
• Dream Big, Dream Wide It’s Never too Late
• Your Writing Success: It Will Surprise You
• It’s Important to Take Care of Your Thoughts
• How to Keep Your Articles in Constant Circulation

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