From the Sunday Phila Inquirer:
Mind over matter
In making a case for life after death, maybe
Socrates had the right idea.

Dinesh D'Souza

is the author of "Life After Death: The Evidence"

One of the oldest arguments for life after death
was made by the philosopher Socrates, who argued
that human beings are made up of two kinds of stuff.
Material stuff includes the organs of the body,
including the physical brain, and those perish.
Immaterial stuff includes thoughts and ideas, the
ingredients of the mind, and those are imperishable.
When we die, Socrates said, our bodies deteriorate,
but our minds live on, emancipated from their material frames.

Socrates' stance on the twofold nature of reality
is called dualism. Most of us are instinctive
dualists because dualism seems to capture the world
as we experience it. And dualism makes life after
death plausible because the attributes of material
things are not shared by immaterial things. Even so,
dualism has fallen out of favor with many philosophers
and sciences, not to mention atheists, who reject
the idea of life after death.

These critics deny Socrates' argument by challenging
its premise. Typical is philosopher Daniel Dennett,
who contends that human beings are ultimately made
up of one kind of stuff: material stuff. This position
is called materialism, and it is the main alternative
to dualism. Minds and souls, materialists insist,
are simply terms for the operations of the neurons
in our brains.

Why, then, do we experience choices and thoughts
and emotions as nonphysical? Materialists like
Dennett say that mental states can be apprehended
by their functional purposes. A mousetrap, for instance,
is defined by what it does; it is any kind of device
that catches mice. By the same token, mental states
can be best understood in terms of their behavioral
results. "Being in love," for example, refers to
the actions the love produces, such as writing
romantic poems and sending flowers. The basic project
of materialism is to reduce the mental to its
physical consequences. If materialism is true, then
there is no life after death, because when the body
dies, there is nothing left to live on.

Despite its ingenuity, materialism of this sort
clearly falls short in explaining mental states.
The feeling of being in love is hardly explained by
love's behavior, because even if we subtract the
behavior, the feeling remains, and it seems churlish
at best to say, "Well, you are obviously not in love
because you aren't writing poems and you haven't
sent flowers." We all know that there is something
that it feels like to be in love, just as there is
something it feels like to watch a sunset by the
ocean, or to smell fresh-brewed coffee. Philosophers
call such sensations "qualia," a term that refers
to the inner quality of an experience on the part
of the one who is having it.

It seems that no amount of scientific or objective
analysis can capture this inner quality, this
"what it is like" to have a particular sensation.
To demonstrate this point, philosopher Thomas Nagel
wrote a famous essay in 1974 with the provocative
title "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" This may seem
a damning indictment of how philosophers spend
their time, but Nagel wasn't sitting around thinking,
"What would it be like for me, Thomas Nagel, to be
a bat? I wonder how I'd feel if I could hang upside
down, had wings, and could navigate by echolocation."
Rather, he was asking what it was like for a bat
to do those things, what it was like for a bat to
be a bat.

Nagel's point was that there is something that it
is like to be human, or male, or a dog; by the same
token, there must also be something that it is like
to be a bat. But however much we learn about bat
physiology, bat brains, and echolocation, Nagel says
we can never fully understand what it is like to be
a bat. The clear implication is that an objective
physical understanding is necessarily incomplete,
apparently because there is something to living
organisms that transcends the physical.

In 1986, philosopher Frank Jackson broadened Nagel's
argument into a refutation of all materialist attempts
to explain mental states in purely physical terms.
In what has come to be called the "Mary problem,"
Jackson envisioned a brilliant scientist named Mary
who is locked in a black-and-white room from which
she investigates the world by way of a black-and-white
television monitor. As a specialist in the
neurophysiology of vision, Mary knows everything
there is to know about color. She understands how
different wavelengths of light stimulate the retina,
and how those are channeled to the visual areas
in the brain, resulting in such statements as "The
sky is blue" and "Tomatoes are red."

Now here's Jackson's question: Suppose Mary finally
gets a color TV monitor or is released from her
black-and-white room into the outside world. Will
Mary learn something that she didn't know before?
Jackson says she obviously would. She would for
the first time know what it's like to see the blue
sky or red tomatoes. These experiences would teach
her something about color that all her previous
knowledge could not.

Alarmed at where this is going, the atheist Dennett
disputes Jackson's interpretation, insisting that
if Mary really knew everything about color, including,
as Dennett puts it, "10 billion word treatises" on
the subject, then she actually would know what it
was like to see the blue sky and red tomatoes. Dennett
admits this is counterintuitive, but he contends that
intuitions are not always our best guide.

I agree with him on that, but on balance I have to
go with Jackson here. It defies not only intuition
but also reason to say that Mary, on being liberated
from her black-and-white world, wouldn't discover
something new. Her extrinsic knowledge of color would
now be supplemented by intrinsic knowledge. If this
is so, then it is hard to resist Jackson's conclusion
that all attempts to reduce mental states to physical
states must be false, because Mary had all the physical
information, and yet her prior knowledge was incomplete.

My conclusion is that the best attempts of materialists
have failed to reduce the mental realm to the physical
realm. The startling implication is that Socrates'
dualism retains its plausibility. The old Greek
philosopher was right: We do inhabit two distinct,
although interdependent, realms, and the termination
of our physical bodies at death does not foreclose
the possibility that our minds and our souls might
continue to exist.

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I'm posting this just as I received a minute ago in an email.
Thanks, John for the wisdom.
----------------------------------------------------
Thinking "Out of the Box"

Many hundreds of years ago in a small Italian town,
a merchant had the misfortune of owing a large su
m of money to the moneylender. The moneylender, who
was old and ugly, fancied the merchant's beautiful
daughter so he proposed a bargain. He said he would
forgo the merchant' debt if he could marry the
merchant's daughter. Both the merchant and his
daughter were horrified by the proposal. The cunning
money lender suggested that they let providence
decide the matter.

The moneylender told them that he would put a black
pebble and a white pebble into an empty bag. The
girl would then have to pick one pebble from the
bag. If she picked the black pebble, she would
become the moneylender's wife and her father's debt
would be forgiven. If she picked the white pebble
she need not marry him and her father's debt would
still be forgiven. But if she refused to pick a
pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.

They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the
merchant's garden. As they talked, the moneylender
bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked
them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had
picked up two black pebbles and put them into the
bag. He then asked the girl to pick her pebble
from the bag.

Now, imagine you were standing in the merchant's
garden. What would you have done if you were the
girl? If you had to advise her, what would you
have told her? Careful analysis would produce
three possibilities:

1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.

2. The girl should show that there were two
black pebbles in the bag and expose the moneylender
as a cheat.

3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice
herself in order to save her father from his debt
and imprisonment.

Take a moment to ponder over the story. The above
story is used with the hope that it will make us
appreciate the difference between lateral and
logical thinking. The girl's dilemma cannot be
solved with traditional logical thinking.

Think of the consequences if she chooses the
logical answers.

What would you recommend the girl do?

The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew
out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled
and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where
it immediately became lost among all the other
pebbles.

"Oh, how clumsy of me," she said. "But never mind,
if you look into the bag for the one that is left,
you will be able to tell which pebble I picked."

Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be
assumed that she had picked the white one. And
since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty,
the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation
into an extremely advantageous one.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Most complex problems do have
a solution, sometimes we have to think about them
in a different way.


P.S.  Go EAGLES  !!!

DEIFYING MATTER

"You admire the little electric lamp on your table;
have you learnt to admire the glorious sun which
sheds light in the whole universe?

"You admire a bottle of French perfume; have you
learnt to admire the fragrance of the rose and
jasmine?

"You admire the paintings of artists and the little
toys made by craftsmen; have you ever thought of the
beautiful creation of the Lord--this earth itself,
which is only an infinitesimal part of His creation?

"You glorify the little man who builds a small
swimming pool; can you glorify adequately the Lord
for His creation of oceans, lakes and rivers?

"You deify the sculptor who carves some figures on
stones; you deify the scientist for his superficial
knowledge of the inner human mechanism. Think of the
exquisite creation of God--the marvelous human body.
Can all the scientists in the world ever produce a
human being?

"The intelligence with which scientists have invented
so many things is itself a spark of the Divine. Man
is a drop in the ocean of Consciousness. His ego is a
point in the limitless Truth of Existence."

For more by and about Swami Sivananda:
http://www.sivanandaonline.org/

The 2 latest knives that have appeared have
very ancient handle materials. One is from
mammoth tooth and is between 15,000 and
30,000 years old. The other is fossil coral
and is between 1.8 million and 230 million
years old.
As I worked with them,their antiquity radiated as
a sensation beyond just their appearance. Just as
when you enter a church or are at a holy place,
or in the company of a holy being, saint or
newborn, there was a feeling that was far from
the same old same old. I felt a connection to the
Earth and a unity with all life that has been and
is and will be her life's work. Humility and reverence
are the closest adjectives to describe the mood
that flew through, and still remains. And now the
beauty that for some reason was hidden within their
environments is now visible and to me is a
demonstration of the gifts of love from a sentient
universe that are available within and without.
I consider it a blessing to be able to spend moments
in the company of such simple yet so fantastic
creations.
Peace and blessings,
Bob
PS: I am posting pictures of them in the Photo section
in the Zen and the Art of Knifemaking album.

Is it just me and my being unfamiliar with
these venues, or are they the biggest ego
tripping ever? I do have a Facebook account
and only got that to be able to see what
Sean was doing when he was in Afghanistan,
and use it now pretty much just for seeing new
pics of my grandchildren. But when I check it
out elsewise, it seems to be just mindless mind chatter
and if that's all it is, I can just let my own
mind run wild and witness the non-sense. And
from what I hear about Twitter, that's even a
worse deregulation of valueless ranting. I do
know a few people who have worthy content with
all they share and I'm sure it is well worth
the intake of their thoughts, but I expect they
represent less than 1% of 1% of what's happening
on Twit/Face. To get a little more unneeded wordy
myself, I'll share that it seems this stuff helps
keep people in illusion and delusion and helps do what
Gurdjieff labeled "feed the moon". One of his concepts
stated that when "common" people die, their energy
floats up and get pulled to the moon and is used
by the moon for food for its own evolution. Further,
in this theory, the moon is becoming a planet, and
the Earth will evolve into a star and the solar
system will become a galaxy and the galaxy will become
a galactic cluster, and the galactic cluster will
evolve into a universe. And just last week, they
found water on the moon! Anyway, this all is just
an example of what Kir Li Molari called "Words! Words!
Words! and probably have no greater value than anything
being Twitted in this same "Now". So I suggest stopping
the outpouring and sitting back in a meditative Witness
position and silently observe whats coming in and what's
always inside. And that'll help you use your own energy
for your own evolution into a fully "spiritually developed"
Human Being.
Peace and blessings,
Bob

An excerpt from MEDITATING ON NON-SELF:
A Dhamma Talk Edited for Bodhi Leaves
by Sister Khem
There is nothing that is secure. Nothing to
hold on to, nothing that is stable. The whole
universe is constantly falling apart and coming
back together. And that includes the mind and
the body which we call "I." You may believe it
or not, it makes no difference. In order to know
it, you must experience it; when you experience
it, it's perfectly clear. What one experiences
is totally clear. No one can say it is not.
They may try, but their objections make no
sense because you have experienced it. It's
the same thing as biting into the mango to know
its taste.

To experience it, one needs meditation. An
ordinary mind can only know ordinary concepts
and ideas. If one wants to understand and
experience extraordinary experiences and ideas,
one has to have an extraordinary mind. An
extraordinary mind comes about through
concentration. Most meditators have experienced
some stage that is different then the one they
are use to. So it is not ordinary any more.
But we have to fortify that far more than just
the beginning stage. To the point where the mind is truly extraordinary.
Extraordinary in the sense that
it can direct itself to where it wants to go.
Extraordinary in the sense that it no longer
gets perturbed by everyday events. And
when the mind can concentrate, then it experiences
states which it has never known before. To
realize that your universe constantly falls apart
and comes back together again is a meditative
experience. It takes practice, perseverance
and patience. And when the mind is unperturbed
and still, equanimity, evenmindedness, peacefulness arise.

At that time the mind understands the idea of
impermanence to such an extent that it sees
itself as totally impermanent. And when one sees
one's own mind as being totally impermanent,
there is a shift in one's viewpoint. That shift
I like to compare with a kaleidoscope that
children play with. A slight touch and you get
a different picture. The whole thing looks
quite different with just a slight shift.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Sister Khema was born in Germany, educated in
Scotland and China, and later became a United
States citizen. She now lives at Wat Buddha Dhamma
Forest Monastery near Sydney Australia, which
was established in 1978 on land purchased and
donated by her. In 1979 she ordained as a Nun in Sri
Lanka, and in 1982 she established the International
Buddhist Women's Centre near Colombo. She spends
most of her time teaching meditation
course in different parts of the world.

Live for the Sake of Others

"Real religion is living it, living like all
things in nature, living for the sake of others.
You don't need to do anything else. Let every
breath go in and out for the benefit of the
world. When you eat a morsel of food, think
that this food is going to create a few drops
of blood in your body to build strength that
you can utilize for the benefit of others. It
is for that purpose that you are eating; it is
for that purpose you are breathing. If you go
to sleep, think, `By sleeping, I will be rested
enough to get up early in the morning to serve
others.' Living this way, your mind is always
free from all kinds of anxieties, worries,
fears and hatred.

"God bless you. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti."

For more by and about Swami Satchidananda:
http://yogaandpeace.org/

That's great, Sean! I burst
out laughing when I read
your question. Wonderful.


--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, sean tremblay <bethjams9@...>
wrote:
>
> Question:
> Is there a wrong way to meditate?
>
> --- On Thu, 11/12/09, medit8ionsociety <no_reply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
>
> From: medit8ionsociety <no_reply@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: [Meditation Society of America] Buddhist Meditation Rift
> To: meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009, 10:00 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       We received an email today about a Buddhist Meditation
>
> Centre in England that said it "is authorative (as it
>
> put it in bold letters)and 10 years old.
>
> We have been running for 25 years and are one of
>
> the longest running Buddhist Meditation Retreat
>
> Centres in the UK.
>
>
>
> We would like to be included in the links section of
>
> your website and we would be willing to pay for the
>
> listing."
>
> Here is their URL:
>
> http://www.madhyama ka.org/
>
>
>
> Having never heard of them before, I Googled and
>
> found from the below listed URL of a BBC report
>
> that there is a dispute with the Dalai Lama about
>
> their authenticity.
>
> The URL of the BBC report (which I have no way of
>
> knowing is "real" and if real, is factual), is:
>
> http://tinyurl. com/yk3x3pw
>
>
>
> So, because I don't know what will happen relative
>
> to it being placed on our links list*, I do think I
>
> should let you know about them as I have great good
>
> feelings about the Dalai Lama, who has been kind enough
>
> to support the Meditation Society of America and
>
> blessed us by being a contributor to our newsletter,
>
> The Inner Traveler, and the strong feelings the BBC
>
> article indicates he has about the "New Kadampa Tradition".
>
>
>
> In any event, I do find it interesting in a way
>
> similar to when we see one religion saying that another
>
> one is worshiping the Devil and the other claiming
>
> they are actually worshiping God. In any event, I think
>
> that beyond being interesting, I should alert you to
>
> what I certainly don't definitively know would be a
>
> beneficial or non-beneficial meditation practice that you
>
> may consider getting involved with at one time,
>
> in your times.
>
>
>
> Peace and blessings,
>
> Bob
>
>
>
> * PS: We always refuse being paid for adding links to
>
> our site. I usually just forward the dozens of requests
>
> we receive every week to our web-master, who usually
>
> only adds one or two a year to our Links section of
>
> Meditation Station. That's why we have the least amount
>
> of links of any other similar Meditation site, even though
>
> having many is supposed to be one of the mains keys to
>
> being highly rated. But, this hasn't seemed to affect us
>
> as we usually are in the very top listings for Meditation
>
> Techniques anyway. BTW, I'm hoping that our web master reads
>
> this and reconsiders and starts spending some time on
>
> the site. We appreciate how great a job he has done on
>
> it and recognize that he is a very busy person and
>
> so very bliss-full that work, family and other things
>
> that are ongoing "in the moment" (where he is all of
>
> the time) are his reality. But...we have a lot of new
>
> material that could be added to the site as well as
>
> many (I think) worthy links and I think this would be
>
> beneficial to those who look to the site for "how to"
>
> ways to evolve in consciousness, and the concepts that
>
> could help reduce their stress, sharpen the senses,
>
> help with their suffering and health, and all the other
>
> "etc's" that meditation offers. So, as I said, I hope
>
> our web master will soon help our site evolve at a
>
> bit greater rate.
>

"SOME MORE READERS' QUESTIONS"



GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES IN YOUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY.

THE LATEST VOLUME OF THE SPIRITUAL WEB SITE www.ahwan.org (or www.ahwan.com) :
VOLUME 105, November 2009 ISSUE,  has been published and uplinked with the
article "SOME MORE READERS' QUESTIONS"



- If you visit the site, and have any observations to make, I shall be grateful.
In this issue we have also interesting questions from readers dealing with
"Astral body", "Infinite within finite", "Degeneration of our nature", "Less
gifted children", "Life's problems", "Controlling anger", "Paganism", "Good and
evil" etc.

" etc. You can also browse the previous articles by clicking on the ikon
`articles'. Please share it with your friends and dear ones.  God bless you- 
Sri Bimal Mohanty. (bimal_mohanty@...)
PS – To continue spreading the benefit of AHWAN to all, we need your assistance
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If you do not wish to receive this information about future issues, please
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Created On:04-Jan-2000 14:13:03 UTC


Last Updated On:13-Dec-2007 13:01:36 UTC
Registrant Name:Ben Lawrence
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Registrant Street1:Kilnwick Percy Hall
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sean tremblay <bethjams9@...> wrote:
>
> Question:
> Is there a wrong way to meditate?
>
Yo Sean,
What a great Zen-type question/answer/statement!
In this case, lets say that your question is an apple
and this situation is one of oranges. If your mind is
full of junk quality chatter, can pure silence fill it?
If you are praying to a devil, can anything holy
arise? In your new incarnation, can a great meal be
made from spoiled ingredients? So, perhaps a similar
perspective applies to this Mahayana Buddhist smackdown.
Peace and blessings,
Bob
> --- On Thu, 11/12/09, medit8ionsociety <no_reply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
>
> From: medit8ionsociety <no_reply@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: [Meditation Society of America] Buddhist Meditation Rift
> To: meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009, 10:00 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       We received an email today about a Buddhist Meditation
>
> Centre in England that said it "is authorative (as it
>
> put it in bold letters)and 10 years old.
>
> We have been running for 25 years and are one of
>
> the longest running Buddhist Meditation Retreat
>
> Centres in the UK.
>
>
>
> We would like to be included in the links section of
>
> your website and we would be willing to pay for the
>
> listing."
>
> Here is their URL:
>
> http://www.madhyama ka.org/
>
>
>
> Having never heard of them before, I Googled and
>
> found from the below listed URL of a BBC report
>
> that there is a dispute with the Dalai Lama about
>
> their authenticity.
>
> The URL of the BBC report (which I have no way of
>
> knowing is "real" and if real, is factual), is:
>
> http://tinyurl. com/yk3x3pw
>
>
>
> So, because I don't know what will happen relative
>
> to it being placed on our links list*, I do think I
>
> should let you know about them as I have great good
>
> feelings about the Dalai Lama, who has been kind enough
>
> to support the Meditation Society of America and
>
> blessed us by being a contributor to our newsletter,
>
> The Inner Traveler, and the strong feelings the BBC
>
> article indicates he has about the "New Kadampa Tradition".
>
>
>
> In any event, I do find it interesting in a way
>
> similar to when we see one religion saying that another
>
> one is worshiping the Devil and the other claiming
>
> they are actually worshiping God. In any event, I think
>
> that beyond being interesting, I should alert you to
>
> what I certainly don't definitively know would be a
>
> beneficial or non-beneficial meditation practice that you
>
> may consider getting involved with at one time,
>
> in your times.
>
>
>
> Peace and blessings,
>
> Bob
>
>
>
> * PS: We always refuse being paid for adding links to
>
> our site. I usually just forward the dozens of requests
>
> we receive every week to our web-master, who usually
>
> only adds one or two a year to our Links section of
>
> Meditation Station. That's why we have the least amount
>
> of links of any other similar Meditation site, even though
>
> having many is supposed to be one of the mains keys to
>
> being highly rated. But, this hasn't seemed to affect us
>
> as we usually are in the very top listings for Meditation
>
> Techniques anyway. BTW, I'm hoping that our web master reads
>
> this and reconsiders and starts spending some time on
>
> the site. We appreciate how great a job he has done on
>
> it and recognize that he is a very busy person and
>
> so very bliss-full that work, family and other things
>
> that are ongoing "in the moment" (where he is all of
>
> the time) are his reality. But...we have a lot of new
>
> material that could be added to the site as well as
>
> many (I think) worthy links and I think this would be
>
> beneficial to those who look to the site for "how to"
>
> ways to evolve in consciousness, and the concepts that
>
> could help reduce their stress, sharpen the senses,
>
> help with their suffering and health, and all the other
>
> "etc's" that meditation offers. So, as I said, I hope
>
> our web master will soon help our site evolve at a
>
> bit greater rate.
>

We received an email today about a Buddhist Meditation
Centre in England that said it "is authorative (as it
put it in bold letters)and 10 years old.
We have been running for 25 years and are one of
the longest running Buddhist Meditation Retreat
Centres in the UK.

We would like to be included in the links section of
your website and we would be willing to pay for the
listing."
Here is their URL:
http://www.madhyamaka.org/

Having never heard of them before, I Googled and
found from the below listed URL of a BBC report
that there is a dispute with the Dalai Lama about
their authenticity.
The URL of the BBC report (which I have no way of
knowing is "real" and if real, is factual), is:
http://tinyurl.com/yk3x3pw

So, because I don't know what will happen relative
to it being placed on our links list*, I do think I
should let you know about them as I have great good
feelings about the Dalai Lama, who has been kind enough
to support the Meditation Society of America and
blessed us by being a contributor to our newsletter,
The Inner Traveler, and the strong feelings the BBC
article indicates he has about the "New Kadampa Tradition".

In any event, I do find it interesting in a way
similar to when we see one religion saying that another
one is worshiping the Devil and the other claiming
they are actually worshiping God. In any event, I think
that beyond being interesting, I should alert you to
what I certainly don't definitively know would be a
beneficial or non-beneficial meditation practice that you
may consider getting involved with at one time,
in your times.

Peace and blessings,
Bob

* PS: We always refuse being paid for adding links to
our site. I usually just forward the dozens of requests
we receive every week to our web-master, who usually
only adds one or two a year to our Links section of
Meditation Station. That's why we have the least amount
of links of any other similar Meditation site, even though
having many is supposed to be one of the mains keys to
being highly rated. But, this hasn't seemed to affect us
as we usually are in the very top listings for Meditation
Techniques anyway. BTW, I'm hoping that our web master reads
this and reconsiders and starts spending some time on
the site. We appreciate how great a job he has done on
it and recognize that he is a very busy person and
so very bliss-full that work, family and other things
that are ongoing "in the moment" (where he is all of
the time) are his reality. But...we have a lot of new
material that could be added to the site as well as
many (I think) worthy links and I think this would be
beneficial to those who look to the site for "how to"
ways to evolve in consciousness, and the concepts that
could help reduce their stress, sharpen the senses,
help with their suffering and health, and all the other
"etc's" that meditation offers. So, as I said, I hope
our web master will soon help our site evolve at a
bit greater rate.

Yo Cosmic Phoenix,
I totally agree with all you share about your visit.
Bette and I have had the pleasure of visiting Yogaville
many times and it always exceeds our expectations.
There is no more serene, holy and conducive to
meditation place that we have ever experienced.
The people there are beautiful in and out and
there is zero cult-like activity; just a pure
offering of Yoga and wisdom sharing. The food is
healthy and excellent and the spiritual offerings
are good food for the body and soul. There is also
another element there that has always struck us as
unique. There is no stuffiness and we always have
a lot of fun during our visits. I think the influence
of Swami Satchidananda and Swami Sivananda, who
preceded him, are evident as they both were always
in a joyous and playful mood, and that continues
with the "high times" found there to this day. Anyway,
I too recommend visiting Yogaville to all and everyone.
Peace and blessings,
Bob
PS: Here's a link to the upcoming programs there:
http://www.integralyogaprograms.org/

--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, Cosmic Phoenix
<ravendancer55@...> wrote:
>
> Thank you for this message. I visited Yogaville, Virginia this summer and
their Lotus Shrine, a very lovely peaceful place. I highly recommend anyone
visit there and see the Shrine, as it has altars to all the known and an unknown
religion there. It is a dome shaped and decorated like a lotus flower. They have
an ashram classes and other events too.
>
> --- On Sat, 11/7/09, medit8ionsociety <no_reply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
>
> From: medit8ionsociety <no_reply@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: [Meditation Society of America] Words of Wisdom by Swami
Satchidananda
> To: meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Saturday, November 7, 2009, 9:40 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>       "It's not where you live or how much you possess;
>
> rather, it is how you live and how much you are
>
> being possessed by your possessions. You can have
>
> many things as long as you don't get possessed.
>
> The minute you allow them to possess you, you are
>
> doomed. A boat's duty is to stay in the water and
>
> carry people from one shore to the other shore.
>
> To do its job, the boat must be in the water, but
>
> the minute the water is in the boat, you sink.
>
> A multimillionaire may have numerous possessions
>
> but may not be attached to them, while a sadhu may
>
> be attached to his own water pot. It is not the
>
> thing in itself that binds us, it is our attachment to things.
>
>
>
> "God bless you. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti."
>
>
>
> For more by and about Swami Satchidananda:
>
> "It's not where you live or how much you possess; rather, it is how you live
and how much you are being possessed by your possessions. You can have many
things as long as you don't get possessed. The minute you allow them to possess
you, you are doomed. A boat's duty is to stay in the water and carry people from
one shore to the other shore. To do its job, the boat must be in the water, but
the minute the water is in the boat, you sink. A multimillionaire may have
numerous possessions but may not be attached to them, while a sadhu may be
attached to his own water pot. It is not the thing in itself that binds us, it
is our attachment to things.
>
>
>
> "God bless you. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti."
>

"It's not where you live or how much you possess;
rather, it is how you live and how much you are
being possessed by your possessions. You can have
many things as long as you don't get possessed.
The minute you allow them to possess you, you are
doomed. A boat's duty is to stay in the water and
carry people from one shore to the other shore.
To do its job, the boat must be in the water, but
the minute the water is in the boat, you sink.
A multimillionaire may have numerous possessions
but may not be attached to them, while a sadhu may
be attached to his own water pot. It is not the
thing in itself that binds us, it is our attachment to things.

"God bless you. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti."

For more by and about Swami Satchidananda:
"It's not where you live or how much you possess; rather, it is how you live and
how much you are being possessed by your possessions. You can have many things
as long as you don't get possessed. The minute you allow them to possess you,
you are doomed. A boat's duty is to stay in the water and carry people from one
shore to the other shore. To do its job, the boat must be in the water, but the
minute the water is in the boat, you sink. A multimillionaire may have numerous
possessions but may not be attached to them, while a sadhu may be attached to
his own water pot. It is not the thing in itself that binds us, it is our
attachment to things.

"God bless you. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti."

Arabian Wisdom, by John Wortabet, [1913]
Found at sacred-texts.com

Ignorance, Folly

Ignorance is the greatest poverty.

Ignorance is death in life.

There is no evil so great as ignorance.

Folly is an incurable disease.

A foolish man is like an old garment, which if
you patch it in one place becomes rent in many
other places.

It is just as allowable to blame a blind man for
want of sight as to blame a fool for his folly.

To bear the folly of a fool is indeed a great hardship.

The best way to treat a fool is to shun him.

The fool is an enemy to himself—how can he then
be a friend to others?

An ignorant man is highly favoured, for he casts
away the burden of life, and does not vex his soul
with thoughts of time and eternity.

The most effectual preacher to a man is himself.
A man never turns away from his passions unless
the rebuke comes from himself to himself
--------------------------------------------------------
FAIR USE NOTICE
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authorized by the copyright owner. We are
making such material available in our efforts
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scientific, spiritual, and social justice issues,
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If you wish to use copyrighted material from this
site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use',
you must obtain permission from the copyright owner

Relax wherever and in whatever way you have
come to know best lets you meditate without
your mind, body, or emotions distracting you.
Visualize a healing, loving, soothing light
coming from every direction and object in the
universe filling every cell in your body with
a radiant glow. As your body gets brighter
and brighter with light, an aura of healing,
positivity, and goodness radiates out from
your heart to the infinite reaches of the
cosmos as the energy of perfection continues
streaming into you. In your minds eye, as
vividly as possible, see the person who is
causing you the most pain right now. There are
specific and general ways they have caused you
pain. For instance, they may be humiliating you,
saying things that are hurtful, bullying you,
etc. But whatever way it is demonstrated, they
are causing you physical, mental, or emotional
suffering. There is something within them that
has caused them to act this way. See their body
clearly, covered with an ugly infection that
has caused them to act diseased and has made
you to become the target of their dis-ease. It
would be appropriate to consider them as victims
of a spiritual heart attack. Their heart is cold,
cancerous, and dying. See this sick, ugly heart
as the cause of the negative energy radiating out
towards you.

The reality that they have to suffer with their
own evil, ignorant, inhumane presence every second
of the day gives you an understanding that allows
compassion to flower within you. Visualize and
send healing light to them from your loving and
forgiving heart. With every breath that you inhale,
receive the healing energy the universe is beaming
towards you. With every exhale, send this holy
energy to the one whose pain and suffering was
intended to cause you suffering. See their damaged
spiritual body and poisoned heart start to glow
and be healed. See their heart turning warm and
soothed, their body, mind, and emotions becoming
more and more comfortable and healthy. As the cycle
of holy breath continues, feel the union of loving
wellbeing that unites you spiritually and know the
healing from your interactions has started.

Know that a person's mind causes them to act more
out of habit then reaction to reality. Thus, they
may continue to act inappropriately in spite of
your meditative effort. Continue to do what is
right. Send loving compassion and your hopes and
prayers for a full recovery for all who are
suffering and for all who cause suffering. There
is no better protective and healthy force in the
universe then compassion. Bath in it, feel it,
share it.

LORD HELP ME!

Lord help me to relax about insignificant details
beginning tomorrow at 7:41:23 AM EST.

Lord help me to consider people's feelings,
even if most of them ARE hypersensitive.

Lord help me to take responsibility for my own actions,
even though they're usually NOT my fault.

Lord, help me to not try to RUN everything.
But, if You need some help, please feel free to ASK me!

Lord, help me to be more laid back, and help me to do it
EXACTLY right.

Lord help me to take things more seriously,
especially laughter, parties, and dancing.

Lord give me patience, and I mean right NOW!

Lord help me not be a perfectionist.
(Did I spell that correctly?)

Lord, help me to finish everything I sta

Lord, help me to keep my mind on
one Th -- Look, a bird -- ing at a time.

Lord help me to do only what I can, and trust you for the rest.
And would you mind putting that in writing?

Lord keep me open to others' ideas, WRONG though they may be.

Lord help me be less independent, but let me do it my way.

Lord help me follow established procedures today.
On second thought, I'll settle for a few minutes.

Lord, help me slow down andnotrushthroughwhatIdo.

"So live your life that the fear of death
can never enter your heart.

Trouble no one about their religion; respect others
in their view, and demand that they respect yours.

Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all
things in your life.

Seek to make your life long and its purpose in
the service of your people.

Prepare a noble death song for the day when you
go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when
meeting or passing a friend,
even a stranger, when in a lonely place.

Show respect to all people and grovel to none.

When you arise in the morning give thanks for
the food and for the joy of living.

If you see no reason for giving thanks, the
fault lies only in yourself.

Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the
wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those
whose hearts are filled with the fear of death,
so that when their time comes they weep and pray
for a little more time to live their lives over
again in a different way.

Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."

Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation

Welcome to the Mystic Kitchen
Today we are going to bake
some Mystic Muffins...

We'll need some flour, baking
soda, baking powder, milk, a
pinch of salt, sugar (or other
sweetener), some fresh fruit of
our choice cut in small chunks
(apple, blueberry, banana...)
and...an egg.

Wait a minute...

This is The Mystic Kitchen.

We cannot use just any egg.
To make Mystic Muffins we
will need to find a very
special egg.

This egg is huge - about
25 feet high, and it is
a blue-white transparent
cosmic egg.

Well, we aren't going to
use this mystic egg in the
actual recipe, but we will
have to find the cosmic egg
before we can make authentic
Mystic Muffins.

OK, maybe we should back
away from the oven for a
minute or so, and listen
to (read) a little background
story of The Mystic Muffin.

Keep in mind an obvious truth:
If you are going to bake a
successful muffin (anything,
for that matter) you must
follow the recipe and use
the ingredients in the proper
amounts and at the right time...

and bake at the right temperature
for the right amount of time.

That's a lot of precision
required for success in
the kitchen.

And, of course, there is that
special ingredient known as
"cooking with love."

This is especially true in
The Mystic Kitchen...so....

before going back to baking
The Mystic Muffin, let's
review the "ingredients" or
the prerequisites to becoming
a successful cosmic chef:

It begins with simple quiet
awareness - taking a moment
to tune into our present
environment, making mental
and visual note of where we
are in time and space, quietly,
silently. Simply that. Quiet
Awareness.

Next, to help sustain the
quiet awareness, we move our
conscious attention to our
breathing. While still remaining
quietly aware, we follow the
rhythm of our breathing -
noticing when we inhale and
noticing when we exhale. We
do this silently and gently.

The third step, while maintaining
the quiet awareness and breath
awareness is to listen. Just
listen, quietly, silently. Listen
for 'something that flows with
our breathing. Listen as if an
incredibly soft whisper were
contained within our inhalation.

As we inhale and feel the subtle
vibration of incoming air the
rising of our chest as our lungs
fill with air...listen for a
wisdom whisper from the heart.

The heart whispers a message
with each breath, but unless we
are absolutely silent, and our
mind is absolutely still, we
miss it.

Sometimes it helps to silently
think of a mantra to repeat for
a while to help settle the mind
that is so used to chattering.

The Mystic Heart Meditation
mantra is "Q'Baha". Think Q
(for Quiet Awareness) on the
inhale and BaHa for the slow
and gentle exhale.

Repeat this for a while and
then simply quietly, silently
follow our breathing for a
time. And eventually even the
following of our breathing
will fade and we will settle
meditatively in silent listening
for the wisdom whisper.

This is an incredibly subtle
balancing routine, because the
thinking mind will want to
narrate the event, and as soon
as it does we have burst the
bubble of absolute silence.

But stay with it. We still
have an egg to find. Remember?

There are 'advanced' methods
to help achieve this subtle
and delicate balance. One
can be used at anytime, while
we are active or sitting (or
laying down) quietly. This
is to roll our tongue back
and gently 'point' it to
the roof of the mouth.

The second advanced technique
can be used in two different
ways. One, if we are active
and need to keep our eyes open
and the other when it is OK
to close our eyes for a time.

The eyes-open technique is
to imagine that instead of
seeing with our two eyes, we
'see' as if we we looking
out from a spot just above
the center of our eyebrows.

And, actually, the eyes-closed
technique is the same.

OK, there are the prerequisites.
These 'ingredient's - Q'Baha
with tongue and eye techniques
must be used in the correct
order. (And as a side note to
what is becoming a very long
post: These techniques are
like learning to drive a car.
They will require conscious
attention for a time, but
over time will just be an
automatic part of the meditative
lifestyle without even having
to thing of them. More later.)

So, here we are, ready to go
back to the kitchen. Wait!
Not yet. There's one more
thing...

You will not be able to go
into The Mystic Kitchen or
be able to bake authentic
Mystic Muffins until you have
found the huge, blue-white
cosmic egg.

Well, actually, you don't
find it...it finds you while
you are in the absolute and
utter silence, listening for
the wisdom whisper that
announces its presence.

You know if you have found
it, and you know if you have
not. If you have, you know
that you are required to bake
some Mystic Muffins to share.

To have found it, is to know
that once found, you are
absorbed in it, merged into
it, and come to realize that
you ARE the cosmic egg, and
now enjoy perfect peace of
mind and the transcendent
wisdom required to bake
authentic Mystic Muffins -
and this needs no further
explanation for you.

If you have not found it,
stay on The Mystic Path. If you
are genuinely interested in
baking some Mystic Muffins,
wait patiently. You will soon
be invited into The Mystic
Kitchen.

Cooking with One Love,

Jeff

Crosspost from:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mysticheartmeditation/message/532

Breathe In – Breathe Out
By Bette Rose

Every day, we all have so many things to
remember. But there's only one thing really
worth remembering – to breathe. Just imagine
what would happen if we didn't. Actually,
most of the time, we don't. We breathe by
habit, incorrectly. Concentration on the
breath is the fastest, most time-economic
way to become relaxed. Follow the breath on
its journey through the folds and turns of
the inner body. Feel the indulgent comfort
as you inhale. Feel the peace of release as
you exhale. Inhale peace, harmony, love,
compassion, and joy. Exhale fear, anger,
negativity, hatred and sorrow. Think of the
breath as a wave on the ocean. As the waves
roll in they bring you peace and as they roll
out, they take all of your problems with them.

Prana is the vital life force or energy that
flows through our physical body. Learning to
breathe properly through various exercises
is called Pranayama. This ancient practice
is considered the link between our physical
and astral (or spiritual) body. When we remain
conscious of our breathing patterns, we are
able to maintain a balance. A natural calm
falls over us. As has been said, "When the
breath is calm, the mind is still."

Sitting or lying in a position that's natural
and comfortable to you, place your hand lightly
over your abdomen. Inhale slowly and deeply.
Follow with your minds' eye the flow of air and
pull it deeply down into the base of the spine.
Notice your abdomen slightly filling and puffing
out. Allow the pure oxygen to saturate your
internal self. As you retain the Prana, imagine
every cell in the bloodstream filling with
cleansing, healing oxygen and each muscle
relaxing as they are drenched with air. Then
slowly release the breath, exhaling completely
until every drop of air has left the body. Pause
for a moment, experiencing the sensation of being
truly "breathless." Notice your abdomen is now
empty and slightly concave.

Practice Pranayama often; before, during and
after meditation and Hatha yoga sessions. Witness
  your breathing pattern when you are frightened
or nervous. Notice that you are probably taking
quick, short, and shallow breaths, which of
course diminish the oxygen flowing to your brain,
further worsening the situation. By concentrating,
even if just for a moment, we can bring our
awareness back to our inner self and the breath
will quiet. In addition to the benefit of
clearing our mind in times of trouble, every
organ also receives the proper internal massage.

There are seven chakras or energy centers in the
body, located along the spine. They dwell at the
base of the spine; the genital area; the navel
or solar plexus; the heart center; the base of
the throat; the third eye; and the highest at
the crown of the head, represented by 1,000 lotus
petals. As we become more adept at Pranayama, we
try to visualize the vibrations emanating from
each chakra, meditating completely on each one.

The breath is essential to the practice of Hatha
yoga. As a rule of thumb, we always use the breath
to move in and out of a posture and often retain
the breath inside (or outside) of the body during
retention of the pose. Any backward bending movement
should be done while inhaling. Any forward bending
movement should be done during exhalation.

The essence of life is breath. Without it, we are
known as a corpse. Learn it, practice it, use it, love it.

Shanti Shanti Om

Bette is the Vice-President of the
Meditation Society of America

Yo Papjeff,
Thanks for sharing this. As I recently
mentioned, I had received several emails
that I think were in part in reaction to
the post about "Features of a Mystical
Experience" http://tinyurl.com/yzej4ln
that detailed the characteristics
of an "Enlightenment" experience. The emails
made clear that what the writers were seeking
from meditation was much more in line with
being able to deal with work stress, touchy
interpersonal relationships, bad health,
overreacting to things, and other issues much
more common to everyday life events than to
cosmic insights and bliss-full sensations.
No doubt that meditation offers this to all,
as well as the potential for extra-ordinary
cosmic consciousness experiences, as your
insights point to so clearly.
Thanks again.
Peace and blessings,
Bob
"Papajeff" <jeff@...> wrote:
>
> One of the many benefits
> of living a meditative
> lifestyle is that when
> one of life's curve balls
> throws us off balance,
> we recover much more
> quickly.
>
> This is true if we are
> literally thrown off
> balance moving out of
> the way of a baseball
> being hurled at us, or
> if it is an emotional
> curve ball that has
> thrown us off balance.
>
> A person who is accustomed
> to an inner quiet as a
> 'default' way of being
> is both more physically
> gracefully (really!) and
> emotionally graceful.
>
> So, recovery time is
> dramatically quicker for
> the person who meditates
> and has adopted a meditative
> lifestyle.
>
> Events that may have
> caused us to 'stew' for a
> long time and keep rehashing
> the event either in our
> own mind or in complaining
> conversation with other
> people (or both), after
> adopting a meditative
> lifestyle, are much more
> easily dismissed.
>
> We react, we feel the
> impact, but then recover
> and move on without all
> the emotional residual
> that 'normally' haunted
> us before we began to
> meditate.
>
> Having used the phrase
> 'the meditative lifestyle'
> a couple of times may
> require a brief explanation
> of what is meant:
>
> Meditation is not simply
> setting aside time to
> 'formally' meditate in a
> quiet place. Meditation
> is a lifestyle.
>
> As we begin to regularly
> meditate we find that the
> inner quiet becomes more
> and more a part of our
> everyday way of being -
> rather than the almost
> constant inner chatter
> that the ego prefers.
>
> The implications of this
> are many. For example, one
> of the changes we find is
> that we now find ourselves
> more and more 'in the
> moment' - and enjoying
> being there, simply for
> the peaceful contentment
> of it.
>
> The result of this is
> that when we are engaged
> in any activity...such
> as doing the dishes, for
> instance, we now simply
> enjoy the process - rather
> than finding it (anything)
> a 'chore' that we rush
> through to go to something
> more enjoyable.
>
> For a person who has adopted
> a meditative lifestyle, life
> is enjoyable and effortless
> moment to moment, with rare
> exception.
>
> It's all...
>
> One Love,
>
> Jeff
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mysticheartmeditation/
>

One of the many benefits
of living a meditative
lifestyle is that when
one of life's curve balls
throws us off balance,
we recover much more
quickly.

This is true if we are
literally thrown off
balance moving out of
the way of a baseball
being hurled at us, or
if it is an emotional
curve ball that has
thrown us off balance.

A person who is accustomed
to an inner quiet as a
'default' way of being
is both more physically
gracefully (really!) and
emotionally graceful.

So, recovery time is
dramatically quicker for
the person who meditates
and has adopted a meditative
lifestyle.

Events that may have
caused us to 'stew' for a
long time and keep rehashing
the event either in our
own mind or in complaining
conversation with other
people (or both), after
adopting a meditative
lifestyle, are much more
easily dismissed.

We react, we feel the
impact, but then recover
and move on without all
the emotional residual
that 'normally' haunted
us before we began to
meditate.

Having used the phrase
'the meditative lifestyle'
a couple of times may
require a brief explanation
of what is meant:

Meditation is not simply
setting aside time to
'formally' meditate in a
quiet place. Meditation
is a lifestyle.

As we begin to regularly
meditate we find that the
inner quiet becomes more
and more a part of our
everyday way of being -
rather than the almost
constant inner chatter
that the ego prefers.

The implications of this
are many. For example, one
of the changes we find is
that we now find ourselves
more and more 'in the
moment' - and enjoying
being there, simply for
the peaceful contentment
of it.

The result of this is
that when we are engaged
in any activity...such
as doing the dishes, for
instance, we now simply
enjoy the process - rather
than finding it (anything)
a 'chore' that we rush
through to go to something
more enjoyable.

For a person who has adopted
a meditative lifestyle, life
is enjoyable and effortless
moment to moment, with rare
exception.

It's all...

One Love,

Jeff
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mysticheartmeditation/

We've had so may emails lately expressing the
same idea..."I will wait for my Enlightenment
until it's ready to grace me, but I want greater
Peace ASAP". As a matter of fact, it's common to
hear/read that the "seeking" of Enlightenment itself
is a source of great suffering and takes away Peace.
OK, no problem under and over-standing these
experiences. But don't give up on meditating due
to the seeming lack of success (IE: "boo-hoo ...s/he
got Enlightened and I haven't"). This "no success"
criteria might not be eliminated for many lifetimes
to come. But with a regular practice of Raja Yoga
(the Yoga of Meditation), you will get to the point
where when you have negative thoughts, you will
tell them to cease and they will. And that's PEACE.
And unlike just about every committee meeting I've
ever attended, I won't say "Any thoughts?" at the end,
but instead will say "Witness your thoughts, emotions,
and physical actions as they are taking place, and
if they are taking your peace away, replace them
with Silence or Peace-provoking activities and
thoughts". And meditation is the best way to discover
what the Silence and the Peace producing things are.
Peace and blessings,
Bob

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the
  Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45
lessons life taught me.
It is the most-requested column I've ever written.


My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is
the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.
   Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. Its OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. Its OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is
all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye.
       But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
       But the second one is up to you and no one else

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life,don't take no for an
answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
       Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this
matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or
didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most  of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab
ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."
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FROM THE HEART
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mysticheartmeditation/message/520

If one professes openly
to having 'heard' the
wisdom whisper from the
heart, maybe they could
talk (write) a bit about
what it 'says'.

The problem is that words
are not adequate to convey
the 'message', but here's
an attempt to paint this
abstract picture and give
it a glimmer of meaning...

The wisdom whisper says -
out of the utter silence:

Come into the presence
of ultimate reality - the
very presence and residence
of a unique 'being' some
call God, or Lord, or Law -
but the word is beside the
point.

Coming into the presence
is to be confronted with
'something' so powerful and
so beyond anything ever
thought or imagined, and so
greater than a personal
identity, that it is shocking
and comes as a sudden rush
of new awareness. But there's
much, much more.

The effulgent presence is
filled with the most beautiful
light, and as one enters the
light, the body presence is
lost. Still the mind 'hears'
that the personal identity
is loved (and waves of nearly
intolerably pleasant love
wash over and over the new
consciousness) and known
and is divinely guided.

With the washing over of love,
all emotional baggage is
dissolved, as is all guilt,
all remorse, all shame.

All that remains is this
cradling, engulfing, enormous
love...

And next, what were the few remaining
remnants of personal identity
now dissolve into the light.

All sense of time becomes meaningless
and irrelevant in this light. There
is no 'time'. There is only the
eternal moment.

Yet there is conscious awareness...

And it seems that this awareness
is itself now all-encompassing.

The 'view' (for some accompanied
by flashing lights and colors)
is as if looking out over the
entire universe. A startling
rush of wisdom brings a sense
that all is known. There is
an impossible-to-explain sense
of how 'everything' works and
how all the interconnectedness
of the universe is perfectly
order. It is a stepping into
perfection and an unassailable
peace of mind.

The residual effects of the
wisdom whisper go on and on.

To touch upon a few:

The 'person' who heard the
wisdom whisper no longer exists.
Hold on. It will make sense.

A realization that what was
previously considered "I' or
a personal identity was really
a secondary sense of reality -

and now having heard the whisper
of transcendence, a new reality -
a primary reality is known.

This primary reality is 'home'.
The day-to-day reality of material
existence is incredibly enhanced,
but at the same time is seen as
what some traditions call 'illusory' -
and as previously mentioned, is
known as secondary to the new
sense of awakened being.

This new reality is now clearly
recognized as what Ramana Maharshi
called the "I-I', Buddha called
the emptiness that is not nothing,
Jesus called the kingdom of heaven
within, and Carlos Castenanda
called a separate reality. (To name
a few).

The words of the mystics (Rumi's
poetry) and all scripture come
alive with meaning.

And back in the world (which one
is now in, but not of) everyone
is seen in a new loving light. It
is recognized that the presence of
this enlightenment is within everyone,
and everyone who awakens sees the
ultimate destiny of humankind as
coming to this awakening.

OK, hope this gives you a glimpse
and/or a sweet reminder of the
exquisite beauty of the effects
of the wisdom whisper.

One Love,

Jeff

Cool.

--- In meditationsocietyofamerica@yahoogroups.com, medit8ionsociety
<no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> Constant concentration causes cessation
> of contempt, crassness, crabbiness, crankiness,
> and confusion, creating conditions of calm,
> cheerfulness, compassion, confidence, competency,
> creativity, and consummate clarity conducive to
> continual contemplation of cosmic consciousness.
>

Constant concentration causes cessation
of contempt, crassness, crabbiness, crankiness,
and confusion, creating conditions of calm,
cheerfulness, compassion, confidence, competency,
creativity, and consummate clarity conducive to
continual contemplation of cosmic consciousness.