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(by Henry Miller)
One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.
(by Henry Miller)
TO PAINT IS TO LOVE AGAIN - Henry Miller)
." The celebrated biographies give us the sufferings and hardships of the great. But the sufferings and hardships of the unknowns are often more eloquent. The tribulations of fate weave a mantle of unsuspected heroism about these lesser figures. To win through sheer force of genius is one thing ; to survive and continue to create when every last door is slammed in one`s face is another. Nobody acquires genius : it is God-given. But one can acquire patience, fortitude, wisdom, understanding.
Perhaps the greatest gift the little person has to offer is the ability to accept the conditions that life imposes, accept one`s own limitations, in other words. Or, to put it another way - to love what one does whether it causes a stir or not....Of the highest person Vivakananda once said:" They make no stir in the world. They are calm, silent, unknown"
The astonishing thing is, that those who are mocked or jeared at, particularly by there fellow painters, sometimes turned out to be the foremost painters of there time.
It's only when we look with eyes of love that we see as the painter sees. Usually he makes us see and feel what ordinarily we ignore or are immune to. His manner of approaching the world tells us in effect, that nothing is vile or hideous, nothing is stale, flat or unpalatable, unless it be our own power of vision.
To see is to look. but one must look see. See into and around .
Art must show what goes on in the world."
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In order to listen to my mixtape #4 , which includes Henry Miller`s voice ( and this dialogue) mixed over a version of " The creator has a master plan" please check my website here ...peace d
http://www.africanrhythmsradio.com/Radio.php#PodCast".
(by Dr Maya Angelou)
"Since time is the one immaterial object which we cannot influence -- neither speed up nor slow down, add to nor diminish -- it is an imponderably valuable gift. Each of us has a few minutes a day or a few hours a week which we could donate to an old folks home or a children's hospital ward. The elderly whose pillows we plump or whose water pitchers we refill may or may not thank us for our gift, but the gift is upholding the foundation of the universe."
Angelou, Maya | Time and Time Management
(by KRISHNAMURTI)
17th of 18 conversations between Krishnamurti and Prof. Allan Anderson, professor of Religious Studies.
"Is it possible to live without control? Because what is the control? And who is controller? The controller is the controlled. When I say, I must control my thought, the controller is the creation of thought. And thought controls thought. It has no meaning. One fragment controls another fragment, and yet therefore remain fragments. So I say, is there a way of living without control?
(by KRISHNAMURTI)
Only when you put away the things of the mind, only when your hearts are empty of things of the mind, is there love.
Then you will know what it is to love without separation, without distance, without time, without fear
-and that is not reserved for the few.
(by Dan Millman)
a poem adapted from Lao-tzu by Dan Millman........................................................
"Peacefull warriors have the patience to wait until the mud settles and the waters clear. They remain unmoving till the right time, so the right action arises by itself. They do not seek fulfillment, but wait with open arms to welcome all things. Ready to use all situations, waste nothing they embody the light. Peacefull warriors have three great treasures:simplicity, patience, and compassion. Simple in actions and thoughts, they return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, they live in harmony with the way things are. Compassionate toward themselves, they make peace with the world. Some may call this teaching nonesense; others may call it lofty or impracticle. But those who have looked inside themselves, this nonesense makes perfect sense . And those who put into practice, this loftiness has deep roots. Adapted from a poem from Lao-tzu.....
(by Don Miguel Ruiz)
The Four Agreements A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom The Four Agreements are tools to help us in the process of personal transformation. This transformation requires an inventory of our beliefs, which are based on agreements we have made with life. We can transform our beliefs and break our old, self-limiting agreements by practicing the Four Agreements. THE FOUR AGREEMENTS ARE: Be Impeccable With Your Word Say only what you mean. The word is the most powerful tool we have as humans. Depending upon how it is used, the word can help us to become free or to enslave us. By practicing impeccability we can clear up communication problems, heal relationships, and create enough personal power to break our old limiting agreements. Don't Take Things Personally Each of us lives in our own personal dream, and what we say, what we do, and the opinions we give come from the agreements that we have in our own minds - they have nothing to do with anyone else. By the same token, others' opinions have nothing to do with us, so there is nothing to take personally. When we make the assumption that whatever happens is because of us, we continue to hurt each other and brood about what we call injustice. A huge amount of freedom is gained when we take nothing personally. Don't Make Assumptions We make assumptions when we think we know what others mean, or when we think they know what we mean. The problem with making all those assumptions is that we believe them as the truth, and we blame others for the assumptions that we make. We must have the courage to ask what another means, and the courage to say what we really mean. The day we stop making assumptions, we communicate cleanly and clearly, free of emotional poison. Always Do Your Best This agreement makes the other three possible. When we simply do our best -- not more and not less -- we avoid self-condemnation and we have no regrets. Although our best is always changing, we continually strive to do our best
(by Sharon Saltzberg)
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And the Buddha's response, in effect, is: Put it into practice. Don't believe anything just because I say it or some worthy being says it. Don't believe anything because it is held to be traditionally true. Don't believe anything because you've read it. Believe it is truth from your own experience. If you put it into practice and you find that this particular meditation or spiritual practice leads to a diminishing of greed and desire in your mind, then you can trust that. If you find that it leads to a diminishing of anger and hatred and fear in your mind, you can trust that. If you find it leads to clarity, so there's less delusion, there's less feeling of being cut off and disconnected, you can trust that. You put it into practice. That's how you know.
(by Dr Maya Angelou)
Poet and author Dr. Maya Angelou has been saying,
"Now is the time for thinking people to think." Here, she shares her insights:
Justice Begins With Each of Us
Like every American and like most people in the world, I'm speechless. And that doesn't mean I don't have something to say.
We have to seek justice. We must do so. We have to, at the same time, be careful not to lust after revenge. If we do, many things happen. One, we are no better than the adversaries, we may be even worse. We should always be at war with injustice. Always. In our families, in our selves, in our neighborhoods, in our cities, in our states—we should always be on the other side from injustice.
I believe however, that it all starts with me. And I believe that the change which must take place in the Middle East and in Ireland and as we have seen in South Africa, all those changes begin with me. I think that we have to each of us learn everything we possibly can. We must think.
Love Is What Really Matters
What really matters now is love. Now I don't mean mush, I don't mean sentimentality. I mean that condition in the human spirit so profound that it allows us to rise. Strength, love, courage, love, kindness, love. That is really what matters. There has always been evil, and there will always be evil, but there has always been good, and there is good now.
(by Buddha)
Some questioned the Buddha asking, "Are you a God"?
"No", he replied.
"Are you an angel then?", they asked.
"No", he replied again.
"What are you then?", they asked.
"I am awake", he replied.
(by PAULO COELHO)
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`Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him,'' his heart said. ``We, people's hearts, seldom say much about those treasures, because people no longer want to go in search of them. We speak of them only to children. Later, we simply let life proceed, in its own direction, toward its own fate. But, unfortunately, very few follow the path laid out for them - the path to their destinies, and to happiness. Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.''
(by Krishnamurti)
With every ending their is a new beginning. .
(by Henry Miller)
"We’re creators by permission, by grace as it were. No one creates alone, of and by himself. An artist is an instrument that registers something already existent, something which belongs to the whole world, and which, if he is an artist, he is compelled to give back to the world."
-Henry Miller, Sexus
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(by Elaine Brown)
quote : Elaine Brown - A taste of power
The urban ghettos of America had imposed something more than severe poverty. They did more than stamp out African roots and history and a sense in community in Africans lost in America. The ghetto battered and defiled the very humanity of its inmates, driven mad by the mirage of America`s promise sparkling just beyond inpenetrable barriors.
Resignation.....................................................................
(by Rudolfo A. Anaya)
For Ultima, even the plants had a spirit, and before I dug she made me speak to the plant and tell it why we pulled it from its home in the earth.--Rudolfo A. Anaya in Bless Me, Ultima
(by Krishnamurti)
Love has no motive;it is its own eternity
(by Henry Miller)
"A book is a part of life, a manifestation of life, just as much as a tree or a horse or a star. It obeys its own rhythms, its own laws, whether it be a novel, a play, or a diary. The deep, hidden rhythm of life is always there- that of the pulse, the heart beat."
(by Erica Jong)
Erica's 20 Rules for Writers
1. Have faith--not cynicism
2. Dare to dream
3. Take your mind off publication
4. Write for joy
5. Get the reader to turn the page
6. Forget politics (let your real politics shine through)
7. Forget intellect
8. Forget ego
9. Be a beginner
10. Accept change
11. Don't think your mind needs altering
12. Don't expect approval for telling the truth -
(Parents, politicians, colleagues, friends, etc.)
13. Use everything
14. Remember that writing is Heroism
15. Let Sex (The Body, the physical world) in!
16. Forget critics
17. Tell your truth not the world's
18. Remember to be earth-bound
19. Remember to be wild!
20. Write for the child (in yourself and others)
There are no rules
Erica Jong
(by Rudolfo A. Anaya)
My uncles were farmers, men who took their only truth from the earth.--Rudolfo A. Anaya in Bless Me, Ultima
(by Carlos Castenada)
To seek freedom is the only driving force I know.
Freedom to fly off into that infinity out there.
Freedom to dissolve; to lift off;
to be like the flame of a candle,
which, in spite of being up against the light of a billion stars, remains intact,
because it never pretended to be more than what it is: a mere candle."
(by Dan Millman)
Manage Your Money:
Sufficiency and Spiritual Practice
by Dan Millman
Money is neither god nor devil,
but a form of energy.
Like love or fear,
it can serve you or bind you,
depending upon how you manage it.
By clarifying your goals
and using your gifts,
you can make good money,
doing what you enjoy,
while serving
the highest calling of your soul.
Using money wisely, and well,
you share your material
and spiritual wealth
with the world.
Road Map: The Flow of Money
In the context of personal growth, money is more than a means of exchange or ready cash. Although most of us have experienced periods of financial scarcity, our relationship to money reflects our relationship to energy and service and spirit, our ability to function in society, our openness to pleasure and abundance, our reality check. Money mirrors the quality of our interactions with other people, our ability to receive and to give. Money represents survival, security, safety, shelter, food, family, livelihood.
More complex, it turns out, than balancing your checkbook.
If spiritual life begins on the ground, money forms a foundation on which to build. Shivapuri Baba, an Indian Saint and yogi who walked around the world on a pilgrimage when he was nearly 120 years old, was once asked about the best way to begin a spiritual life. He advised, "first build a foundation—manage your money." (He had acquired a small bag of gems in his younger years, through hard work and simple living; he drew upon these gems as needed.)
(by Henry Miller)
Every day we slaughter our finest impulses. That is why we get a heart-ache when we read those lines written by the hand of a master and recognize them as our own, as the tender shoots which we stifled because we lacked the faith to believe in our own powers, our own criterion of truth and beauty. Every man, when he gets quiet, when he becomes desperately honest with himself, is capable of uttering profound truths. We all derive from the same source. There is no mystery about the origin of things. We are all part of creation, all kings, all poets, all musicians; we have only to open up, to discover what is already there. -
(by Henry Miller)
Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate, or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.
(by Krishnamurti)
Love knows no hierarchy,there is only love.
(by Sharon Saltzberg)
Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience
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..............."Sharon Salzberg has been practicing and studying Buddhism for more than thirty years, and during this time, has trained with some of the foremost masters of India, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet. She is an acclaimed spiritual leader and meditation instructor as well as cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society, a center devoted to meditation training, and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Massachusetts. She is the author of the noted book, Lovingkindness: the Revolutionary Art of Happiness.
Sharon Salzberg writes, "No matter what we encounter in life, it is faith that enables us to try again, to trust again, to love again. Even in times of immense suffering, it is faith that enables us to relate to the present moment in such a way that we can go on, we can move forward, instead of becoming lost in resignation or despair."
In Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience, Salzberg draws on her own spiritual journey and the teachings of the Buddha to offer a new definition of faith as a quality that can heal life's deepest wounds. Salzberg presents a meaningful, intelligent sense of faith that does not require a belief system or a connection to any deity or God, but has an inner quality that unfolds as we learn to trust our own deepest experience. What follows is an edited version of her Bodhi Tree Bookstore August, 2002 presentation.
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In meditation practice, the big life lessons are often contained in small packages. The instructions might seem almost simplistic, but in fact they often have a profound and powerful effect. That's what I have discovered.
I first went to India to learn how to meditate in 1970. I was a student at the State University of New York at Buffalo and had taken a course in Asian philosophy, which included Buddhism. They also had an independent study program at the school, so I designed a project where I could go to India and study meditation. It was accepted, and off I went.
I had a lot of ideas about the fantastic, supernatural, exotic, or esoteric technique I would be given that would cure all my ills and make me a happy person. Now, I had never meditated before for even one moment, and when I entered an intensive 10-day retreat, much to my amazement, the instruction was to sit down and feel your breath. My first thought was that I could have stayed in Buffalo to feel my breath, but then I thought, maybe I'm just like a baby. I'll do it for a while and I'll have the great breakthrough experience, which will be obvious to everybody, especially the teacher. And then he'll take me aside and he'll give me the real stuff. So it's been over 30 years, and when I go to practice in that lineage with those teachers, it's still the same instruction, that same simple, direct, returning to your present experience kind of instruction. There's something powerful about tuning into that kind of simplicity.
We need not think of meditation practice as an effort to squeeze our minds down to, say, the breath, while rejecting all thoughts and getting tighter and tighter and tighter. We can think of it as learning how to return. As we meditate, we're with one breath or two breaths or three breaths, and our mind leaps to the past to some situation that we may regret but can no longer change. Or our mind jumps off into the future and we create an entire world that has not happened and may never happen. Mark Twain said something like, "Some of the worse things in my life never happened." But that's what our mind does. And so, to learn how to come back gently with compassion for ourselves, honoring the ability we have -- no matter what -- to always begin again, that's really the art of meditation.
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"Faith is being in touch with the strengths or powers in this universe that are not defined or crushed by our circumstances. Then we can go forward, even if we're very afraid." - Sharon Salzberg
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When I first told people I wanted to write a book on faith, I was often met with disbelief, chagrin, or alarm -- all kinds of intense reactions. Some people felt they came to Buddhism to get away from faith. But when I looked into my own life, and the lives of my friends and my meditation students, I felt that faith was the one quality that really led us through difficult times, or enlarged our picture of life so that we could go beyond limitation. However, many people think that faith implies losing your ability to question, or to understand for yourself.
Nowadays, we live in a molten, volcanic universe where everything changes all of the time. We can't even count on knowing what will happen tonight. I wanted to invite a use of the word "faith" that admitted how much we don't know, and still left room for the courage to go forward. The traditional meaning of the word "faith," or the more literal translation from the Buddhist tradition is "to place your heart upon," "to offer your heart." But we need discernment, care, and intelligence in looking at where the heart's offering is going. It's not antithetical to wisdom at all.
For me, faith means connection. It means connecting to the deepest strengths we have within ourselves, while also connecting to a world view where we understand how closely linked we are to one another. No matter how alone we might feel, or disconnected, or separate, that's not actually the truth of the matter. I think we rely on faith all the time anyway, or we'd never get out of bed in the morning. Why do we try? What has us believe that tomorrow doesn't have to look like today? What has us think that the self image that has imprisoned us won't always dominate our minds? What has us willing to take a risk to be different? That's all faith. I think our use of faith, or our treasuring of faith, can be vibrant, alive and fresh and liberating. It doesn't need to carry all of our usual associations.
I once taught meditation in a federal women's prison in California. One woman said, "When you're in prison, it's especially important to try to live in the present moment because there's nothing easier than to be completely lost in the past, which you cannot change, or to live in helpless longing for a future, which is not yet here." She added, "If you do that, then it's like you're not really alive." And then she looked at me and said, "I choose life. I choose to be alive." I thought this was a quintessential expression of faith. We can't know what will happen next, but we can be truthful to what is happening right now. And when we do that, we discover strengths within that are different from our normal point of view.
Originally I wanted the book to be subtitled "The Journey from Lucy to Lalla," and here is why: Some friends and I once moved into a house to do a retreat and I discovered that someone had left a cartoon in the bedroom that I was going to use. It was a cartoon from the "Peanuts" comic strip. In the first frame, Lucy says to Charlie Brown, "You know, Charlie Brown, the problem with you is that you're you." Then in the second frame, poor Charlie Brown looks at her and says, "Well, what in the world can I do about that?" Then in the third and final frame, Lucy says, "I don't pretend to be able to give advice. I merely point out the problem." And somehow, whenever I was doing walking meditation by that desk, my eye would fall on that line - "The problem with you is that you're you" - which resonated very strongly, as it does for many people. I'm sure Charlie Brown had suspected his entire life that if he really looked deeply inside, it would be bad news. And that's where most of us begin - but, then, something happens. We meet a teacher, read a poem, go to a sacred site, or we imagine how life can be different. That's a stage in Buddhism that is called "bright faith," which is like falling in love. It's as though we've been looking at a door that seems to have been shut forever, and then it opens. And what has seemed like a small, enclosed, limited possibility expands. It blows open and we are lifted out of our ordinary life into this immensity, this glorious, beautiful state.
In Buddhist teaching, faith is a process that continually evolves and changes. The first stage of bright faith is only the beginning. The next stage is called "verified faith," where we're no longer so dependent on someone else, since we know the truth inside of ourselves. Verified faith is grounded in our own sense of what's true, in our own experience. Now, strangely enough, the path from bright faith to verified faith is by way of doubt -- doubting and wondering and questioning and exploring. It means we demand to know the truth for ourselves, through our own practice, rather than just admiring it in someone else. We have the famous Buddhist saying, "Don't believe anything just because I say it. Put it into practice. See for yourself what's true." We have the common view that doubt is the enemy of faith, but the right kind of doubt is based on the feeling that we have both the right and the ability to know the truth for ourselves. That kind of doubt will enhance and enrich our faith.
If anything is the opposite of faith, it's despair. Faith is that which links us up and connects us to these deepest truths within. It connects us to one another and to a bigger picture of life. The opposite of that is the feeling that we are completely disconnected, alone, or utterly isolated. That's a state of despair, and that's the opposite of faith.
And so, that's the journey. It starts more often than not with "Lucy mind." And what it comes to, I think, can be expressed in a saying by Lalla or La Ded, a fourteenth century mystic from Kashmir. This passage is from the epilogue of my book:
"At the end of a crazy-moon night
the love of God rose
I said, 'It's me, Lalla.'"
As if renewing her acquaintance with an old friend, Lalla addresses her God casually, sweetly, intimately. Enchanted, I felt inspired by her winsome response, her calm expectation of being remembered. "Hi, you remember me, don't you?" Lalla offers herself completely, no reticence due to feeling a lack of self-worth, no questioning of her absolute right to be there, face-to-face with the vastness of her ultimate truth . . .
Like Lalla, we all have that absolute right to reach out, without holding back, toward what we care about more than anything. Whether we describe the recipient as God, or a profound sense of indestructible love, or the dream of a kinder world, it is in the act of offering our hearts in faith that something in us transforms, and what may have been merely a remote abstraction flames into life. "It's me, Lalla," becomes "It's me . . . whoever we are," proclaiming that we no longer stand on the sidelines, but are leaping directly into the center of our lives, our truth, our full potential. No one can take that leap for us; and no one has to. This is our journey of faith.
QUESTION: What is the difference between faith and belief?
SALZBERG: Beliefs, as I use the word, are constructs that contour our sense of the universe. I might believe in a future life, for example, and therefore, that affects the way I behave in this one. Faith, in contrast, is admitting what we don't know and going forward anyway because of that strength of heart. I don't think beliefs are necessarily bad at all. They may bring not only comfort and solace, but also inspiration and a tremendous articulation of truths that we can't affirm through our own experience. But everything depends on how we hold the belief.
QUESTION: It seems that you first need something almost like faith to arrive at verified faith, or some kind of trust in your own self. How does that come about?
SALZBERG: You do need trust in your own self, and I think that is a great challenge for many of us. We need to learn to trust our own deepest experience and honor that -- my sense of faith is very much interwoven with that kind of love and respect for oneself. It's like a journey. It's halting, and it happens in fits and starts, but we know where we want to go. There's nothing wrong, or incorrect about finding that we have to begin again and again and again.
There are many ways to work with our doubts or uncertainties. The primary tool I've used, of course, is meditation. Rather than the strict, formal sense of meditation, that means having an ability to relate to the various things that come up in one's mind with compassion, wit and some ease rather than spiraling into a negative self-judgment.
QUESTION: I heard you say that fear is the opposite of faith. Can you talk about that a little bit?
SALZBERG: Fear certainly is different than faith. But one of the things I learned, and one of the things I wrote about, is that we can have faith right alongside our fear. We don't have to vanquish our fear or make it go away. Instead, we can learn to touch something deeper in the face of the fear, which enables us to go on. The chapter I wrote about fear draws on my experience with Ram Dass. He is a very important spiritual teacher and friend for many of us, and as you may know, he had a stroke. From a Buddhist point of view, the fears we experienced about Ram Dass would be called fixated hope, which is similar to attachment. We feared that maybe he'll be able to walk again, but not talk, or maybe he'll be able to talk again, but not walk, or maybe this or that will happen, as though by saying something enough we could make it so. I really wanted him to get better. But I realized at some point that he himself was going into the unknown, and the only way to fully go there with him in love and friendship was to acknowledge that. The fear didn't go away, but in some ways, it was more surrounded with love and care.
I saw him not long ago. I was teaching a retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center up North and one night he came to dinner. When he had to leave, he decided he wanted to walk down the stairs instead of using his wheelchair on the ramp. So someone lifted him up out of the wheelchair, and then step by laborious step, leaning on somebody, he went down the stairs. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, we almost dropped him, but we got him into the wheelchair. He wheeled over to the edge of the car door and lifted himself up inside the car. During this whole time my heart was sinking, and I kept thinking, that this was such an ordeal for him and so painful to watch. But then, as I was standing directly in front of him, he looked at me and gave me a beautiful, radiant smile and said, "None of this makes any difference at all, you know that." And I said, "Oh. I guess I do know that." This was a beautiful expression of faith, touching on those deepest truths, those things that will support and sustain us. It is our own power of love, the love that is in the universe and our power of connection, no matter what. Faith is being in touch with the strengths or powers in this universe that are not defined or crushed by our circumstances. Then we can go forward, even if we're very afraid. "
(by Dan Millman)
Here are some excerpts from "Living on Purpose: Straight Answers to Life's Tough Questions": Years ago, I met a peaceful warrior in an all-night gas station. His name was Socrates, and he once told me, "I’ve noticed three kinds of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch what happens, and those who wonder what happened." Back then I was a skilled athlete, making things happen. But outside the gym—when I faced real-world dilemmas and decisions— I mostly watched and wondered. And I was not alone. Many of us live our lives by accident—stumbling into relationships, wandering into careers, searching for meaning, hoping and praying that we’ll get lucky in love, find our fortune, and stay healthy. I spent years like this, living at random, until I learned to live on purpose. My education began the first time I asked Socrates a question. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "It’s the House Rules." The "House" is Life, the Tao, the Universe, Reality; the "Rules" are universal laws or guiding principles. The House Rules presented in this book—distilled lessons from the school of life—provide reliable strategies for living wisely and well. Purposeful living embraces both reason and faith. Reason provides clear goals, while faith and intuition teach us to trust the process of our lives. The Taoist sages remind us that flexibility overcomes rigidity—and just as a rushing stream flows around obstacles, so must our purposes adapt to the changing tides of life. Therefore, the House Rules are not rote formulas, but flexible reminders. In living on purpose and acting on principle we become like bamboo—strong yet supple—yielding to the forces we encounter, then snapping back on track. My responses seem to come not so much from me, but through me. I do not, however, channel any discarnate warrior-sages from the fifth dimension, chat with God, or transcribe the dictations of astral guides. I claim only a gift of expression, an intuitive ability to apply the House Rules, and an open heart. As the proverb goes, "There are no secrets where there’s love." Test these House Rules in your own experience; tailor them to fit your particular circumstance. You will find that they point the way to greater productivity, creativity, and fun, and show us how to live a more spiritual life in the material realm. God helps those who help themselves—and this is a self-help book. For the better we become, the better we serve our world. By living on purpose and improving the quality of our lives, we become a source of light to others. I can’t give you any wisdom you don’t already have inside you, but I can highlight your hidden strengths. If this book stimulates self-reflection and insight — if you find yourself reaching within to find your own truths — then Living on Purpose will have served its purpose. Keep faith in the higher truth that despite the dilemmas and difficulties of this world, our lives are a great Mystery, unfolding perfectly, in accord with universal laws, in the service of our awakening. Is there a larger purpose for living? Earth is a school and daily life is our classroom. We are here to learn by expanding our awareness about the world and about ourselves. Learning about the world helps us to succeed. Learning about ourselves helps us to evolve. Our challenges in the arenas of relationship, health, and finances are all part of the curriculum. Daily life teaches us all we need to know for the next step on our journey. Each and every day, we find new lessons to learn. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are involved in a mystery that passes understanding, and our highest business is daily life. John Cage Your daily life is your school, your temple, and your religion. Kahlil Gibran Each day shapes our lives as running water shapes a stone. Unknown -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We grow up, attend school, earn a living, maybe get married and raise a family, go on vacations, provide a service, and live until we die. Isn’t this enough? Why all this interest in spirituality? What’s the point? Most of us agree that life is a school in the sense that we learn many lessons. But what is the purpose if it all, you ask, if we return to zero when we die? If death is the end, what is the purpose of living in the first place? Questions about death may lead us to wonder about life. Are we a random experiment or part of a much bigger picture? One question leads to the next and all questions end in Mystery. Some of us turn to belief and faith; others simply wonder. And in this field of wonder grow the seeds of spirituality. At some point in each of our lives, we catch a glimpse—maybe just a glimmer—of one of the fundamental truths in the school of life: Our awareness resides, moment to moment, in one of two separate realities, each with its own truths. The first is conventional reality, which you describe in your question. The second is a transcendent reality—the bigger picture, the energetic and spiritual dimension. Most of the time, conventional reality monopolizes our attention with the stuff of everyday life—the challenges of education, earning a living, relationships, family, and health—everyday experience. Our dramas, played out in the theater of gain and loss, desire and satisfaction, seem entirely real and important. Conventional life involves the natural pursuit of satisfaction and fulfillment, which depends upon events unfolding in line with our desires, hopes, and expectations. In trying to make things work out, we suffer the pangs of attachment, craving, and anxiety. Then one day—maybe through a trauma, a death in the family, an injury or other adversity, we notice that conventional reality, even at its best, leads to dissatisfaction—when we don’t get what we want, when we get what we don’t want, and even when we get exactly what we want, because in a world of change, we will lose even this. Adversity and psychological suffering stimulate a yearning to transcend the conditional world, to wake up and find the higher wisdom that uplifts our soul even as we live in the conventional world. Life’s challenging lessons generate a willingness to make a leap of faith, to relinquish familiar truths that no longer serve, and to venture into the unknown. Anaïs Nin wrote, "And finally the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." In the school of daily life, spirituality is not separate from this world; it allows us to live an ordinary life while remembering the transcendent truths that set us free. I’m on a vision quest—searching for more in life than news, weather, and sports. I take yoga classes and meditate; last year I completed a four-hundred-mile bike trip in the hopes of triggering a spiritually elevated state. The trip gave me a temporary high and a sore butt. Still, when I push my body to the limit things happen. Am I going in the right direction Extreme physical feats, depriving the body of food and water, and other ordeals can generate altered states and temporary highs, but to what end? Years ago, I traveled to the East and pursued many paths, until the search consumed itself and I came to rest. Today, numerous shamans, gurus, and guides are only too happy to take you on a tour of their chosen path. But all such paths are only classes in the School of Daily Life—part of a great adventure that teaches us all we need to know, never revealing what the next day will bring. This brings to mind the following story: Near the end of World War II as American forces occupied Germany, two young men were captured and shipped to a U. S. POW camp. Interrogation failed—they would not or could not speak to American authorities and remained silent even among their fellow German prisoners, who insisted that they knew nothing about the pair. An expert in Asiatic languages soon determined that they were Tibetans. Overjoyed that someone was finally able to understand them, they told their story. In ummer of 1941 the two friends, wishing to explore the world outside their tiny village, crossed Tibet’s northern frontier and wandered happily in Soviet territory for several weeks, until Russian authorities picked them up, put them on a train with hundreds of other young men, and shipped them west. At an army camp they were issued uniforms and rifles, given rudimentary military training, and loaded, with other soldiers, into trucks heading to the Russian front. Raised in a nonviolent Buddhist tradition, they were horrified to see men killing each other with artillery, rifles, even hand-to-hand fighting. Fleeing, they were captured by the Germans and again loaded onto a train—to Germany. Then, after the Normandy invasion—as American forces neared the German border—the hapless pair were forced into auxiliary service in the German army, given guns and told to fight. Again they fled from the carnage, until they were captured by the Americans and their wartime adventure ended. The adventures of these two wanderers reflect our own travels through the school of life. Consider the twists and turns in your own journey. Daily life is our vision quest and school, teaching what it means to be human. This life, this moment, is our hero’s journey, our moment of truth, our near-death experience. Relationships, family, work, health, and finances are God’s Challenge Course. If you seek adventure, pay attention to each moment and find the miraculous within the mundane. Choose your courses from the Catalog. Find creative ways to serve family and community. In doing so, you discover the greatest vision quest of all. Where can I find the right teacher for me? Our teachers appear in many forms. Masters teachers are found not only on lonely mountaintops or in ashrams of the East. Our teachers may take the form of friends and adversaries— of clouds, animals, wind, and water. Moment to moment, our teachers reveal all we need to know. The question is, are we paying attention? When the student is ready, the teacher appears. Everywhere. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your teachers are numberless; they are the offered welcome and agony inflicted; every event, every circumstance, every wrench at the heartstrings that makes the tears flow is your teacher. Bauls verse Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to reveal to you your mistakes. Antisthenes Everything in this world has a hidden meaning. . . . People, animals, trees, stars, they are all hieroglyphics. . . . When we see them, we do not understand them; we think they are really only people, animals, trees, stars. It is only years later. . . that some of us understand. Nikos Kazantzakis -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have read many books and attended more workshops than I can count. But I need a personal teacher to guide me. Don’t people need a teacher, guru, or guide to complete the journey? Practicing in isolation may breed illusions. We come to know ourselves best in relationship to others. While we can learn much from books, a personal teacher can tailor guidance to our individual temperament and needs. So Buddhism and other traditions recommend the trinity of a teacher, a teaching, and a community of practitioners as the ideal learning environment. But it’s a minefield out there: Even genuine teachers are sometimes corrupted by the adulation of their devotees. So be wary and wise; keep your eyes as wide open as your heart. Teachers need to earn their students’ trust over time. Avoid any who demand complete devotion from the beginning. Pay attention to what teachers do, not just what they say. And notice: Do their students live a life to which you aspire? Are they kind, compassionate, balanced, healthy, honest, open, respectful? Do they show a sense of humor? If not, look elsewhere. Our approach to teachers often corresponds to three stages of life: childhood, adolescence, or adulthood. Children seek a parent to guide and protect them, and make good followers (and some teachers are happy to play parent). Adolescents reject authority and have a skeptical view of most teachers. Adults apply intelligent discernment and learn what they can, where they can, whether teachings appear in the form of fools or sages, friends or adversaries, animals, infants, or elders. We also learn through experience and circumstance, hardship and insight. Consider this story: Zembu, a young samurai, had an affair with the wife of his superior. When discovered, he slew the nobleman in self-defense, then fled to a distant province. Unable to find employment, he became a thief, until one morning, in a flash of understanding, Zembu saw what he had made of his life. To atone for the harm he had done, he resolved to accomplish some good deed as a sincere act of repentance. Soon after, while walking upon a dangerous road over a cliff that had caused the death of many persons, he decided to cut a tunnel through the mountain. Begging food to sustain himself during the day, Zembu dug each night. Thirty years later, when the tunnel was two-thousand feet long and within a few months of completion, Zembu was confronted by Katsuo, a young samurai who had come to kill him to avenge the death of his father, the nobleman whom Zembu had slain years before. Facing Katsuo’s sword, Zembu said, "I will gladly give you my life if you will only allow me to complete my work." So Katsuo awaited impatiently as several months passed and Zembu kept digging. Seeing that Zembu was nearing the end, and tired of doing nothing, Katsuo began to help Zembu dig. As they worked side by side, Katsuo came to admire the older man’s strong will and character. Finally the tunnel was finished; travelers could now pass safely. Zembu turned to the young swordsman. "My work is done. You may cut off my head," he said. Tears flowed from Katsuo’s eyes as he asked, "How can I cut off my own teacher’s head?" According to an ancient proverb,"We have no friends; we have no enemies; we only have teachers." Find wisdom in whatever form it appears. I’m twenty-two years old and seeking meaning in life. I was thinking of going to India in a year or two, for a few months. But I have a two-year-old son. I’m struggling to decide what is right and honorable. I want to learn all I can, but my son needs me. After leaving your family years ago—what would you advise now? Whether we travel on a pilgrimage or on vacation, exotic travel can be broadening and stimulating. But in today’s global village, the East holds no monopoly on wisdom. My travels revealed that there’s no place like home—because universal truths reveal themselves everywhere in daily life. I view parenthood as a sacred responsibility and supreme teaching. Raising your child will demand and develop more capacities than sitting in a cave meditating, or stretching and breathing at an ashram. (I know because I’ve done them all.) The spiritual secrets are available here, in our own country, state, town, home, and heart. You are likely to find that the journeys you take through childhood with your son are as enriching as any you might make by boat or plane. And as you open the doors of perception, you will find your teachers not only in human form, but in the world of nature, in children and in strangers, and in unexpected circumstance. For example, retired physician A. J. Cronin moved to a small farming community in Scotland to write his first novel. For many months he filled tablets of handwritten text, finally sending it to a typist in London. When the typed manuscript was returned, he gave it a fresh read and was shocked at his mediocre writing. Disgusted with his work, he walked out into a drizzling rain, abandoned his manuscript, throwing it into an ash pile, and wandered into the heath. There he met an old farmer, digging a drainage ditch in a boggy field. The farmer inquired about Cronin’s writing, and learned of the manuscript’s fate. The farmer paused a few moments, then said, "My father dug drainage ditches in this bog all his days but never made a pasture. I’ve done the same and not succeeded yet. But pasture or not, I know what my father knew— that if you only dig long enough, a pasture can be made." Cronin walked back to the house, picked the manuscript out of the ashes, and dried it out in the oven. Then he want back to work, rewriting until it satisfied him. His book, Hatter’s Castle, was the first in a string of successful novels—all because of a teacher he found in a bog. Our children, worth far more than any manuscript, grow so quickly. And the world will still be waiting when your son is old enough to travel with you, or to follow his own path as you pursue yours. So ask yourself what you want to look back on in the years to come—that you left home to find yourself or that you put your child first for the few years he was given into your care? You will find no higher calling, greater blessing, finer teacher, or more spiritual journey than the process of raising your child. From the book Living On Purpose. © Copyright "2000 by Dan Millman. Reprinted with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. 800/972-6657 ext. 52 or www.newworldlibrary.com. Dan Millman is a former world trampoline champion, Stanford gymnastics coach, and Oberlin college professor. His eleven books, including Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Everyday Enlightenment, The Life You Were Born to Live, The Laws of Spirit, and Living on Purpose have inspired millions of readers in 20 languages worldwide
(by Daniel Quinn)
...".Thoughts on Dialogue
Dialogue is thinking about something with two minds instead of one.
Dialogue is talking to someone else the way you talk to yourself. You never get mad at yourself when you're talking to yourself. You never lose patience or try to pretend to know things that you don't actually know.
Willingness to engage in dialogue implies a willingness to learn, but willingness to learn doesn't imply that you're ignorant or dumb. I think of myself as knowledge-able and smart, and I know that I have great and important ideas to impart to others, but I'm completely open to dialogue - even with people who know very little and have had little time to develop ideas of their own.
False modesty and false pretentions are equally obstructive to dialogue.
When I say I'm open to dialogue, I mean that I'm open to learning something from a conversation. What I learn doesn't necessarily come from the other speakers or from their words alone; it may come from the experience as a whole.
It isn't necessary to feel that you have something to learn from someone in order to have a dialogue. What is necessary is that you are both open to the possibility of learning anything at all.
People who are always learning are always ready to engage in dialogue. People who feel they already know everything or who are afraid to learn cannot engage in dialogue.
Dialogue can only begin among people who respect each other, who know the limits of what they know and don't know, and who can comfortably acknowledge those limits to each other.
It shouldn't be thought that "dialogue is wonderful" and "discussion is worthless." Each has its place. In simplest terms, here is the difference between them:
In dialogue, people are focused on enhancing their understanding.
In discussion, people are focused on airing their views and discovering the views of others, usually in hopes of seeing their views win acceptance." ........
(by PAULO COELHO)
The Manual of the Warrior of Light
Paulo Coelho
( Translated from the Portuguese )
by Margaret Jull Costa.......................................................................
The disciple is not above his master; but every one that is perfect shall be as his master..................
( Luke 6: 40 )
Prologue......
'Just off the beach to the west of the village lies an island, and on it is a vast temple with many bells,' said the woman.
The boy noticed that she was dressed strangely and had a veil covering her head. He had never seen her before.
'Have you ever visited that temple?' she asked. 'Go there and tell me what you think of it?'
Seduced by the woman's beauty, the boy went to the place she had indicated. He sat down on the beach and stared out at the horizon, but he saw only what he always saw: blue sky and ocean.
Disappointed, he walked to a nearby fishing village and asked if anyone there knew about an island and a temple.
'Oh, that was many years ago, when my great-grandparents were alive,' said an old fisherman. 'There was an earthquake, and the island was swallowed up by the sea. But although we can no longer see the island, we can still hear the temple bells when the ocean sets them swinging down below.'
The boy went back to the beach and tried to hear the bells. He spent the whole afternoon there, but all he heard was the noise of the waves and the cries of the seagulls.
When night fell, his parents came looking for him. The following morning, he went back to the beach; he could not believe that such a beautiful woman would have lied to him. If she ever returned, he could tell her that, although he had not seen the island, he had heard the temple bells set ringing by the motion of the waves.
Many months passed; the woman did not return and the boy forgot all about her; now he was convinced that he needed to discover the riches and treasures in the submerged temple. If he could hear the bells, he would be able to locate it and salvage the treasure hidden below.
He lost interest in school and even in his friends. He became the butt of all the other children's jokes. They used to say: 'He's not like us. He prefers to sit looking at the sea because he's afraid of being beaten in our games.'
And they all laughed to see the boy sitting on the shore.
Although he still could not hear the old temple bells ringing, the boy nevertheless learned about other things. He began to realise that he had grown so used to the sound of the waves that he was no longer distracted by them. Soon after that, he became used to the cries of the seagulls, the buzzing of the bees and the wind blowing amongst the palm trees.
Six months after his first conversation with the woman, the boy could sit there oblivious to all other noises, but he still could not hear the bells from the drowned temple.
Fishermen came and talked to him, insisting that they had heard the bells.
But the boy never did.
Some time later, however, the fishermen changed their tune: 'You spend far too much time thinking about the bells beneath the sea. Forget about them and go back to playing with your friends. Perhaps it's only fishermen who can hear them.'
After almost a year, the boy thought: 'Perhaps they're right. I would do better to grow up and become a fisherman and come down to this beach every morning, because I've come to love it here.' And he thought too: 'Perhaps it's just another legend and the bells were all shattered during the earthquake and have never rung out since.'
That afternoon, he decided to go back home.
He walked down to the ocean to say goodbye. He looked once more at the natural world around him and because he was no longer concerned about the bells, he could again smile at the beauty of the seagulls' cries, the roar of the sea and the wind blowing in the palm trees. Far off, he heard the sound of his friends playing and he felt glad to think that he would soon resume his childhood games.
The boy was happy and - as only a child can - he felt grateful for being alive. He was sure that he had not wasted his time, for he had learned to contemplate Nature and to respect it.
Then, because he was listening to the sea, the seagulls, the wind in the palm trees and the voices of his friends playing, he also heard the first bell.
And then another.
And another, until, to his great joy, all the bells in the drowned temple were ringing.
Years later, when he was a grown man, he returned to the village and to the beach of his childhood. He no longer dreamed of finding treasure at the bottom of the sea; perhaps that had all been a mere product of his imagination, and he had never in fact heard the submerged bells ring out on one lost childhood afternoon. Even so, he decided to walk for a while along the beach, to listen to the noise of the wind and to the cries of the seagulls.
Imagine his surprise when, there on the beach, he saw the woman who had first spoken to him about the island and its temple.
'What are you doing here?' he asked.
'I was waiting for you,' she replied.
He noticed that, despite the passing years, the woman looked exactly the same; the veil hiding her hair had not faded with time.
She handed him a blue notebook full of blank pages.
'Write: a warrior of light values a child's eyes because they are able to look at the world without bitterness. When he wants to find out if the person beside him is worthy of his trust, he tries to see him as a child would.'
'What is a warrior of light?'
'You already know that,' she replied with a smile. 'He is someone capable of understanding the miracle of life, of fighting to the last for something he believes in - and of hearing the bells that the waves sets ringing on the seabed.'
He had never thought of himself as a warrior of light. The woman seemed to read his thoughts. 'Everyone is capable of these things. And though no one thinks of themselves as a warrior of light, we all are.'
He looked at the blank pages in the notebook. The woman smiled again.
'Write about that warrior,' she said.
(by PAULO COELHO)
Paulo Coelho-The warrior of light.......
..Sufi legend: the lost horse
"Many years ago in a poor Chinese village, there lived a peasant with his son. His only material possession, apart from some land and a small straw hut, was a horse he had inherited from his father. One day, the horse ran off, leaving the man with no animal with which to till the land. His neighbors - who respected him greatly for his honesty and diligence - came to his house to say how much they regretted what had happened. He thanked them for their visit, but asked: - How can you know that what has happened has been a misfortune in my life? Someone mumbled to a friend: "he can't accept reality, let him think what he wants, as long as he isn't saddened by what happened." And the neighbors went off, pretending to agree with what they had heard. A week later, the horse returned to the stable, but it was not alone; it brought with it a fine mare for company. Upon hearing this, the villagers - who were flustered since they now understood the answer the man had given them - returned to the peasant's house, in order to congratulate him on his good fortune. - Before you had only one horse, and now you have two. Congratulations! - they said. - Many thanks for your visit and for all your concern - answered the peasant. - But how can you know that what has happened has been a blessing in my life? Disconcerted, and thinking he must be going mad, the neighbors went off, and on the way commented: "does he really not understand that God has sent him a gift?" A month later, the peasant's son decided to tame the mare. But the animal unexpectedly reared up and the boy fell and broke his leg. The neighbors returned to the peasant's house - bringing gifts for the wounded boy. The mayor of the village offered his condolences to the father, saying that all were very sad at what had happened. The man thanked them for their visit and their concern, but asked: - How can you know that what has happened has been a misfortune in my life? They were all astonished to hear this, since no one could be in any doubt that the accident of a son was a real tragedy. As they left the peasant's house, some said to others: "he really has gone mad; his only son might limp forever, and he is still in doubt about whether what happened is a misfortune." Some months passed, and Japan declared war on China. The Emperor's envoys traveled throughout the land in search for healthy young men to be sent to the battle front. Upon arrival in the village, they recruited all the young men except the peasant's son, whose leg was broken. None of the young men returned alive. The son recovered, the two animals bred and their offspring were sold at a good price. The peasant began visiting his neighbors to console and help them, - since they had at all times been so caring. Whenever one of them complained, the peasant said: "how do you know it is a misfortune?" If anyone become overjoyed, he asked: "how do you know it is a blessing?" And the men in that village understood that beyond appearances, life has other meanings.
Reflections of the warrior of the light
The two boards A warrior of the light shares his world with the people he loves. He wishes to encourage them to do what they like, but hasn't the courage. At these times, the adversary appears holding two boards. Written on one board: "Think more of yourself. Keep your blessings to yourself, otherwise you will lose everything." The other board reads: "who are you to help others? Can't you even see your own defects?" A warrior of the light knows he has defects. But he also knows he cannot grow alone, and distance himself from his companions. So he throws both boards to the ground, even though he believes they contain some truth deep down. They turn to dust, and the warrior continues to help those near him.About the way The wise Lao Tzu speaks about the warrior of the light's journey: "The Way includes respect for all that is small and subtle. Always know the right moment to take any action necessary. "Even if you have fired a bow and arrow many times, continue to pay attention to how you place the arrow, and how you draw the bow. "When the beginner is aware of his necessities, he becomes more intelligent than the wise man who is distracted. "To accumulate love means luck, to accumulate hatred means a calamity. Whoever does not recognize the door to problems will one day leave it open, letting tragedy in. "The combat has nothing to do with the fight."True tension "When my bow is drawn," says Herrigen to his Zen master, "a moment comes when, if I do not fire immediately, I feel that I will run out of strength." "As long as you try to trigger the moment to fire the arrow, you shall not learn the art of archery," says the master. "The hand which draws the bow must open up like the hand of a boy. What sometimes hinders the shot's precision is the overactive will of the archer." A warrior of the light sometimes thinks: "that which I do not do, shall not be done." That is not quite the case: he must act, but he must also allow the Universe to act at the right time.............."
-a wonderfull story and insight into the Eastern way of balance and living
(by Dan Millman)
In Dan Millman's book: The Laws of Spirit, a mystical mountain sage illustrates twelve Universal principles, or "House Rules" for living that offer simple but powerful truths that apply to everyone for any given situation. By incorporating these Universal Laws of Spirit to our daily life, we will fine-tune our "talent" for living and become more aware of just how many miraculous encounters we have everyday.
The Laws of Spirit
1. The Law of Balance
Anything we do in life we can overdo or under do. The trick is to notice when we are out of balance. Fortunately, life offers us little messages to help us notice. The goal is to pick up on the small cues and make a few adjustments to get back in balance. However, if a universal nudge doesn't make us realign, the universe "ups the ante" to get our attention!
Pay attention to areas in your life where you are out of balance, either too much or too little, eating, drinking, exercise, work or communication. Deliberately practice the opposite of what your use to doing to try and balance the habit.
2. The Law of Choices
The choices of our past are what brought us to where we are and our choices of today mold our future. We have the power to choose and to change our direction at any moment. Until we reclaim the power to choice, to say "No" in our lives, we can't truly create the life we want.
3. The Law of Process
We can achieve almost any goal if we break it down into small manageable steps. We need to focus on creating daily and weekly successes that build towards your goal. When we are faced with an obstacle, we should see it as part of the process - an opportunity to grow, to overcome fear and deepen our convictions.
4. The Law of Presence
We spend so much time and energy dwelling on the past and building up the future. Presence teaches that we can't control yesterday or tomorrow, so take a deep breathe and notice the present moment. "What you do today is important because you are trading a day of your life to do it."
5. The Law of Compassion
"The universe does not judge us; it only provides consequences and lessons and opportunities to balance and learn through the law of cause and effect. Compassion is the recognition that we are each doing the best we can within the limits of our current beliefs and capacities."
6. The Law of Faith
We need to believe that everything happens for a higher reason and that adversity always has a hidden gift. "Faith is our direct link to universal wisdom, reminding us that we know more than we have heard or read or studied - that we have only to trust the love and wisdom of the Universal Spirit working through us all."
7. The Law of Expectation
We shape our lives by the thoughts and expectations we create. If we want to change our lives we need to look at our old, self-defeating thoughts and create new positive images. Our lives are limited only by what we can imagine.
8. The Law of Integrity
Examine how you behave, even when know one else is watching. "Integrity means being integrated, knowing ourselves and being ourselves, so that our actions are authentic, consistent with our highest intentions - so that our body, mind, emotions and attitudes complement one another, forming a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts."
9. The Law of Action
Only action brings potential to our ideas even though it's easier to sit back and complain! Overcoming inertia takes courage, commitment and usually involves getting over some initial discomfort because bad habits are hard to break and new habits are slow to start.
10. The Law of Cycles
Everything in life has cycles and each cycle brings about change. We need to learn to adapt to the natural ebb and flow of our life.
11. The Law of Surrender
Have you ever heard the phrase ŒIf Life gives you lemons make Lemonade?' We each need to make the best of whatever situations Life sends our way and accept what happens to us as part of a bigger picture. Remember: "Thy will (GOD's), not my will be done."
12. The Law of Unity
We are each a cell on this living creature - planet earth. We each have our physical bodies and personalities but transcendentally, as we meditate, we reach a level that exists within us - one of pure awareness.
Dan Millman sums it up: The Purpose: Evolution
The Arena: Daily Life
The Time: Now
The Method: Simple Action
It begins on the ground. It starts where you are now. And it works
(by Henry Miller)
Henry Miller writes about the man ( from "Wisdom of the heart" ) Quote: "Who , for example, could feel sorry for Saint Francis because he through away his clothes and took the vow of poverty? He was the first man on record, i imagine, who asked for stones instead of bread. living on the refuse which others threw away he aquired the strength to accomplish miracles, to inspire a joy such as few men have given the world, and, by know means the least of his powers, to write the most sublime and simple, the most eloquent hymn of thanksgiving that we have in all literature : The canticle to the sun. Let go and let be.... If there is any peace it will come through being not having. Life may begin at forty. (Miller adds) For the awakened individual , however, life begins now at any and every moment"
(by Henry Miller)
To pain is to love again - Henry Miller
."The celebrated biographies give us the sufferings and hardships of the great. But the sufferings and hardships of the unknowns are often more eloquent. The tribulations of fate weave a mantle of unsuspected heroism about these lesser figures. To win through sheer force of genius is one thing ; to survive and continue to create when every last door is slammed in one`s face is another. Nobody acquires genius : it is God-given. But one can acquire patience, fortitude, wisdom, understanding. Perhaps the greatest gift the little person has to offer is the ability to accept the conditions that life imposes, accept one`s own limitations, in other words. Or, to put it another way - to love what one does whether it causes a stir or not....Of the highest person Vivakananda once said:"They make no stir in the world. They are calm, silent, unknown"
(by Henry Miller)
Henry Miller on Blaise Cendrars
"Cendrars knows only the reality and honesty of the heart .
He is not a realist, but real.
If sometimes he seems like a charge of dynamite it is because his sincerity, his intergrity, is incorruptable"
(by Carlos Castenada)
Quote Carlos Castenada - The teachings of Don Juan
Anything is one of a million paths. Therefore you must always keep in mind that a path is only a path; if you feel you should not follow it, you must not stay with it under any conditions. To have such clarity you must lead a disciplined life. Only then will you know that any path is only a path and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you to do. But your decision to keep on the path or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. I warn you. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary.
This question is one that only a very old man asks. Does this path have a heart? All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. They are paths going through the bush, or into the bush. In my own life I could say I have traversed long long paths, but I am not anywhere. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn't. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.
Before you embark on any path ask the question: Does this path have a heart? If the answer is no, you will know it, and then you must choose another path. The trouble is nobody asks the question; . A path without a heart is never enjoyable. You have to work hard even to take it. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy; it does not make you work at liking it.
I have told you that to choose a path you must be free from fear and ambition. The desire to learn is not ambition
For me there is only the traveling on the paths that have a heart, on any path that may have a heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge for me is to traverse its full length. And there I travel--looking, looking, breathlessly.
(by Daniel Quinn)
Daniel Quinn - Ishmael
There is always a territory, a feeding ground, a spawning ground, a nest, a roost, a lair, a den, a hole, a burrow.
" But that is not getting to the centre of the problem" i said.
"It is getting to the centre of the problem, but your vision is locked on seeing the problem in one way and in one way only.
The point you are missing is when Homo habilis (Humans) appeared on the scene--when the particular adaption that we call Homo habilis appeared on the scene--something had to make way for him. I don`t mean some species had to become exctinct. I simply mean that with his very first bite, Homo habilus was in competition with SOMETHING. And not with one thing, but with a thousand things---which all had to be diminished to some degree if Homo habilus was going to live.
Settlement is a biological adaption practiced to some degree by EVERY species, including the human.
So what of we discovered here?
We`ve discovered that any species that exempts itself from the rules of competition ends up destroying the community in order to support its own expansion.
(by Henry Miller)
Quote: Henry miller - The time of the assasins
I was amazed when i read that Rimbaud had allowed his mother to read the manuscript of A SEASONS IN HELL. Never did i dream of showing my parents anything i had written, or even discuss the subject of writing with them. when i first informed them that i had decided to become a writer they were horrified; it was as though i had announced that i was going to become a criminal. Why would i not do something sensible, something that would enable me to gain a living? Never did they read a line of what i have written. It was sort of a standing joke when the friends inquired of me, when they asked what i was doing. " What is he doing?" Oh, he is writing..." As though to say, he`s crazy, he`s making mud pies all day long.
(by Henry Miller)
Henry Miller - Big Sur
The windows of the soul are infinite, we are told. And it is through the eyes of the soul paradise is visioned. If there are flaws in your paradise, open more windows! Vision is entirly a creative faculty: it uses the body and the mind as the navigator uses his instruments. Open and alert, it matters little whether one finds a shortcut to the indies---or discovers a new world. Everything is begging to be discovered, not accidentally, but intuitively. Seeking intuitively, one`s destination is never in a beyond of time and place but always here and now. If we are always arriving and departing, it is also true that we are eternally anchored. One`s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things. Which is to say there are no limits to vision. ..
(by Henry Miller)
quote : Henry Miller- Tropic of cancer
It is now the fall of my second year in Paris. I was sent here for a reason I have not been able to fathom.
I have no money, no resources, no hopes. I am the happiest man alive. A year ago, six months ago, i though that i was an artist. I no longer think about it, i am . Every-thing that was literature has fallen from me. There are more books to be written, thank God.
This then? This is not a book. This is libel, slander, defamation of character. This is not a book, in the ordinary sense of the word. No, this is a prolonged insult,a gob of spit in the face of art, a kick in the pants to God, Man, Destiny,Time, Love, Beauty, ....what you will. I am going to sing for you, a little off key perhaps, but i will sing. I will sing while you croak, i will dance over your dirty corpse.
(by Henry Miller)
Henry Miller - Sunday after the war
(chapter- The art of the future)
In a few hundred years or less books will be a thing of the past. There was a time when poets communicated with the world with-out the medium of print; the time will come when they will communicate silently, not as poets merely , but as seers. What we have overlooked, in our frenzy to invernt more dazzling ways and means of communication, is to communicate. The artist lumbers along with crude implements. He is only a notch above his predecessor, the cave man. Even the film art, requires the services of a veritable armies of technicians, is only giving us shadow plays, old almost as man himself.
(by Henry Miller)
Henry Miller - Murder the murderer
To come back to the word "detachment" which you define only negatively when you say that "it" is the one thing that cripples the soul irremediably. The figures which most influenced the world all practised detachment : I mean like Laotse, Gautama, the Buddha, Jesus, St Francis of Assisi and such like. They did not remove themselves from the world, nor did they deny life; what they did was lift themselves out of the vicious circle of every day life which leads nowhere, unless to confusion, sorrow and death. They reaffirmed the spiritual values of life. None of them advocated war to uphold their beliefs.
(by KRISHNAMURTI)
Quote: Books in my life ( Krishnamurti )
Krishnamurti once said : " I am going to be vague expressly ; I could be all together explicit, but it is not my intention to do so. For, once a thing is defined, it is dead"....No, Krishnamurti does not define, neither does he answer Yes or No . he throws the questioner back on himself, forces him to seek the answer in himself. Over and over he repeats : " I do no ask you to believe what i say....I desire nothing of you, neither your opinion , your agreement, nor that you follow me. I ask you not to believe but to UNDERSTAND what i say."
Collaborate with life ! ---that is what he is constantly urging. Now and then it is a veritible lashing he inflicts on the self righteous. What he asks, have all you accomplished with all your fine words, your slogans and labels, your books ? How many individuals have you made happy, not in a transitory but in a lasting sense ? and so on. " It`s a great satisfaction to give oneself titles, names, to isolate oneself from the world and think of oneself different than others! But if all that you say is true how come you have not saved a single fellow creature from sorrow and pain .
All the protective devices----social, moral, religious---which give the illusion of sustaining and aiding the weak so they may be guided and conducted towards a better life.
These devices become the instruments of power, of material and spiritual exploitation.
(by Nikki Giovanni)
"I love you
because the Earth turns round the sun
because the North wind blows north
sometimes
because the Pope is Catholic
and most Rabbis Jewish
because winters flow into spring
and the air clears after a storm
because only my love for you
despite the charms of gravity
keeps me from falling off the Earth
into another dimension
I love you
because it is the natural order of things
I love you
like the habit I picked up in college
of sleeping through lectures
or saying I'm sorry
when I get stopped for speeding
because I drink a glass of water
in the morning
and chain-smoke cigarettes
all through the day
because I take my coffee Black
and my milk with chocolate
because you keep my feet warm
through my life a mess
I love you
because I don't want it
any other way
I am helpless
in m love for you
It makes me so happy
to hear you call my name
I am amazed you can resist
locking me in an echo chamber
where your voice reverberates
through the four walls
sending me into spasmatic ecstasy
I love you
because it's been so good
for so long
that if I didn't love you
I'd have to be born again
and that is not a theological statement
I am pitiful in my love for you
The Dells tell me Love
is so simple
the thought though of you
sends indescribably delicious multitudinous
thrills throughout and through-in my body
I love you
because no two snowflakes are alike
and it is possible if you stand tippy-toe
to walk between the raindrops
I love you
because I am afraid of the dark
and can't sleep in the light
because I rub my eyes
when I wake up in the morning
and find you there
because you with all your magic powers were
determined that
I should love you
because there was nothing for you but that
I would love you
I love you
because you made me
want to love you
more than I love my privacy
my freedom my commitments
and responsibilities
I love you `cause I changed my life
to love you
because you saw me one friday
afternoon and decided that I would
love you
I love you I love you I love you"
(by Henry Miller)
Rimbaud experienced his great crisis when he was eighteen, at which moment in his life he had reached the edge of madness; from this point on his life is an unending desert. I reached mine at the age of thirty-six to thirty-seven, which is the age at which Rimbaud dies. From this point on, my life begins to blossom. Rimbaud turned from literature to life; I did the reverse. Rimbaud fled from the chimeras he had created; I embraced them. Sobered by the folly and waste of mere experience of life, I halted and converted my energies to creation. I plunged into writing with the same fervor and zest that I had plunged into life. Instead of losing life, I gained life; miracle after miracle occurred, every misfortune being transformed into a good account. Rimbaud, though plunging into a realm of incredible climates and landscapes, into a world of phantasy as strange and marvelous as his poems, became more and more bitter, taciturn, empty and sorrowful.
(by Henry Miller)
"All growth is a leap in the dark,
a spontaneous unpremeditated act without the benefit of experience."
(by Henry Miller)
Quote: from International Henry Miller Letter No. 2 December 1962
Henry Miller - Women in the course of ages
One thing is certain---she has never been "the weaker sex." It has only been the last few thousand years----a mere nothing!-----that man has seemed to dominate. I say "seemed" , for i find no evidence of superiority or real domination on the part of man. He may make her over, in accordance with his ever changing ideals, but he never succeeds in truly subjugating her. As for women, since the age of chivalry her effort to fashion man into her ideal image of man has been thoroughly frustrated. Certainly these athletes of today, there men of affairs, these leaders, poets, would be saints, these Neros and Alexanders can hardly represent a womens ideal. Only the cinema stars possess a certain lure, a certain desired or imagined quality. Rudolph Valentino was definatly an ideal figure, but since then who can we name to rival him?
Nothing can be more fallacious than to suppose that women are incapable, irresponsive, weak, fickle, and so on. In the Middle Ages, particularly during the Crusades when the important male figures where absent for long periods, it was the women who took over, who governed, who kept the arts alive---and hope and courage. France was particularly outstanding in this respect. In Africa the Tuereg women is still powerfull, dominant figure. Even in India, when one imagines women to play a negligible role, her power and influence are, to say the least, considerable.
Tradition, with its stupid codes and conventions, holds them in a vise. Neither man nor women has yet found the way to freedom. Freedom can only be found together, not separately, just as `poetry must be made by all` ( Lautremont ) . The clue to emancipation resides in our understading, slowly developing, our male-female. Reverence for women must not be based on some idolatrous attitude towards womenhood or motherhood but in the recognition that the female element is an inherent and essential part of man`s being, that the two elements of the psych are indivisible. In short, man, and by man I mean man-and-women, must be aware of the full, the true, the significant nature of his being
.
(by Louis Kronenberger)
"Individualism is rather like innocence: There must be something unconscious about it."
(by Herman Hesse)
"The river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth...in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere, and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past, nor the shadow of the future...( Siddhartha )
(by Kandinsky)
"Color is a power which directly influences the soul...the soul is the strings. The artist is the hand that plays...to cause vibrations in the soul." - Kandinsky, Concerning the spiritual in Art, Munich, 1911
(by Ralph Waldo Emerson)
“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”.
(by Nikki Giovanni)
" Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.”
(by Nikki Giovanni)
" Art is not for the cultivated taste. It is to cultivate taste”
(by William Shakespeare)
“Doubt thou the stars are fire;
Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love.”
William Shakespeare, Hamlet
(by Jim Rohn)
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment”
(by Japanese Proverb)
"Vision without action is a day dream - Action without vision is a nightmare"
(by Henry David Thoreau)
I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.
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