the skin on my face stretches all the way back to my neck...

The sea's only gifts are harsh blows, and occasionally, the chance to feel strong. Now, I don't know much about the sea, but I do know that that's the way it is here. I also know how important it is not necessarily to be strong-- but to feel strong. To measure yourself at least once-- to find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions. Facing the blind death stone alone with nothing to help you but your hands and your own head.

Source: Monologue from the movie "Into the Wild"

Not Embarrassed To Be Alive

The discovery of magic can happen only when we transcend our embarrassment about being alive, when we have the bravery to proclaim the goodness and dignity of human life, without either hesitation or arrogance. Then magic can descend onto our existence. The world is filled with power and wisdom, which we can have, so to speak. In some sense, we have them already.

Source: “Sacred World,” in Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, page 132

something for me to ponder on...

You could begin to notice whenever you find yourself blaming others or justifying yourself. If you spent the rest of your life just noticing that and letting it be a way to uncover the silliness of the human condition—the tragic yet comic drama that we all continually buy into—you could develop a lot of wisdom and a lot of kindness as well as a great sense of humor

Pema Chodron

Source: The Wisdom of No Escape: And the Path of Loving-kindness, page 36

Focus

If

A Christmas Carol

"It is required of every man," the ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide; and, if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death."

"Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead," said Scrooge. "But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!"

"Scrooge went to church, and walked about the streets, and watched the people hurrying to and fro, and patted the children on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked down into the kitchens of houses, and up to the windows; and found that everything could yield him pleasure. He had never dreamed that any walk -- that anything -- could give him so much happiness."

Source: Shared from "A Christmas Carol", by Charles Dickens

To see the world through the mind...

"Then, how much does the disposition of every human being depend upon their innate constitution and their early surroundings; the comfort or discomfort of the homes in which they have been brought up; their inherited characteristics; and the examples, good or bad, to which they have been exposed through life! Regard for such considerations should teach charity and forbearance to all men.

At the same time, life will always be to a large extent what we ourselves make it. Each mind makes its own little world. The cheerful mind makes it pleasant, and the discontented mind makes it miserable. "My mind to me a kingdom is," applies alike to the peasant as to the monarch. The one may be in his heart a king, as the other may be a slave. Life is for the most part but the mirror of our own individual selves. Our mind gives to all situations, to all fortunes, high or low, their real characters. To the good, the world is good; to the bad, it is bad. If our views of life be elevated—if we regard it as a sphere of useful effort, of high living and high thinking, of working for others' good as well as our own—it will be joyful, hopeful, and blessed. If, on the contrary, we regard it merely as affording opportunities for self-seeking, pleasure, and aggrandisement, it will be full of toil, anxiety, and disappointment.

There is much in life that, while in this state, we can never comprehend. There is, indeed, a great deal of mystery in life—much that we see "as in a glass darkly." But though we may not apprehend the full meaning of the discipline of trial through which the best have to pass, we must have faith in the completeness of the design of which our little individual lives form a part."

Source: Text shared from the book "Character", by Samuel Smiles (Chapter XII - The Discipline of Experience).

...

Run

Deep calls to deep

The depth in life, I think, can be experienced through an acceptance of the mysterious way in which it unfolds.

Mind of a Seal

Pain is a sign of weakness leaving the body.

-TC Cummings

The pain is to be understood as constructive pain, not destructive pain. For example, if I run a really long distance on a particular day, it takes 3-4 days for my muscles to recover. In these 3-4 days, the experience of pain is present, but this is constructive pain because my muscles grow stronger in this time. On the other hand, I can take a needle and prick myself repeatedly, I will still experience pain. This is not the pain we wish to subject ourselves through; it is classified as destructive pain.

The idea conveyed by the quote can be extended into the spiritual, intellectual, and emotional arenas of our lives as well.

One of my religions' life

If I were to write the creed for my life, it would not be very different from the one below.

My Creed

- Edgar Albert Guest

To live as gently as I can;

To be, no matter where, a person;

To take what comes of good or ill

And cling to faith and honor still;

To do my best, and let that stand

The record of my brain and hand;

And then, should failure come to me,

Still work and hope for victory.

To have no secret place wherein

I stoop unseen to shame or sin;

To be the same when I'm alone

As when my every deed is known;

To live undaunted, unafraid

Of any step that I have made;

To be without pretense or sham

Exactly what men think I am.

To leave some simple mark behind

To keep my having lived in mind;

If enmity to aught I show.

To be an honest, generous foe,

To play my little part, nor whine

That greater honors are not mine.

This, I believe, is all I need

For my philosophy and creed.

Hopefully, soon I will be inspired to write my own. Until then my soul will dance through the words in the lines above.

Evolution

Was self-indulging a little this morning. Went back to reading my posts from 2009 (the year I started this blog), through 2010, to the present year. It was truly a humbling and inspiring (yeah, unusual as it may sound, I am inspired by me) experience. So many things have changed; my writing skills, the language, the presentation, and the content focus, just to name a few. This person I am, called Jennifer, has evolved and continues to. Wouldn't do justice to the depth of the experience if I call it a change; it is a transformation of being. A transformation happens, when we realize its not possible to go back to being the person who was, but its only possible to become the person who will be. And there is no telling for certain what will be. The song "Que Sera Sera" comes to mind as I type out this post. Here are a few lines:

When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, what will I be
Will I be pretty, will I be rich
Here's what she said to me.

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.

Even though there is no telling for certain what will be, I do believe that we get a vague idea from signs, divine interventions if you will, which we notice from time to time. I don't think that these signs are chance happenings. To believe it as a chance happening, would be to undermine its spiritual nature. When we get more in tune with our real, vulnerable selves, life becomes the experience of living and observing. The time lapse between an event happening, and the realization how it was for the best, becomes noticeably smaller. You feel guided from the depths of being. :) . Well, enough said. Let's engage in "the living".

Love... 

13.1

Participated in the MetroPCS White Rock Half Marathon, which happened this (12/04/2011) morning. It is the first of many more to come. I finished in 2:21:22. 

Woke up early this morning with second thoughts about going to the event. Well, obviously the ego was searching for excuses to not have me go. What better excuse than the weather outside; it was cold and wet. On doing a lil' soul-searching my mind became enlightened by an insight shared by Denis Waitley - "The jungle (or weather) is neutral, it is our attitude that determines how we experience it." That was enough, I was going.

Would like to thank one of the crowd-supporters' for her sign. It read as, "Unless you puke, faint or die, there is no excuse for stopping." Really cracked me up and so I waved at her. She waved back. I let the soul-connection sink in as I kept going. This was somewhere around the 5th mile. By the 8th mile, I noticed the voices in my head, asking me to stop, get stronger. Those words from the sign kept me going. Sometimes when there is immense energy involved in a certain endeavor, it seems like strong expressions do serve as being helpful motivators.

The next running event for me will be the Austin 1020, 10 mile run. My training goal will be to improve speed. Run on! :)

It takes Self-Control

Thus character exhibits itself in self-control of speech as much as in anything else. The wise and forbearant man will restrain his desire to say a smart or severe thing at the expense of another's feelings; while the fool blurts out what he thinks, and will sacrifice his friend rather than his joke. "The mouth of a wise man," said Solomon, "is in his heart; the heart of a fool is in his mouth."

...

We have heard men of great experience say that they have often regretted having spoken, but never once regretted holding their tongue. "Be silent," says Pythagoras, "or say something better than silence." "Speak fitly," says George Herbert, "or be silent wisely." St. Francis de Sales, whom Leigh Hunt styled "the Gentleman Saint," has said: "It is better to remain silent than to speak the truth ill-humouredly, and so spoil an excellent dish by covering it with bad sauce." Another Frenchman, Lacordaire, characteristically puts speech first, and silence next. "After speech," he says, "silence is the greatest power in the world." Yet a word spoken in season, how powerful it may be! As the old Welsh proverb has it, "A golden tongue is in the mouth of the blessed."

Source: Shared from the book "Character", by Samuel Smiles

All I have to do is dream

“I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest,
with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires.”

- Kahlil Gibran

All I have to do is dream... No, not only that. It is working to realize the dream as well. 

Now is the Time: This is It

True Presence - Children's Talk from Plum Village Online Monastery on Vimeo.

Enjoyed the talk. Found Thay's version of the Rene DeCarte quote, "I think, therefore I am", as, "I think, therefore I am lost in my thinking", to be both funny and insightful.

It is No-Thing

Definition of a koan:

A koan is a paradoxical anecdote or riddle, used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning and to provoke enlightenment. 

Below are examples of two separate koans; the first one is titled "Keichu's Wheel" and the second is called "Kyogen Mounts the Tree." 

------------------------------

 Keichu's Wheel

Getsuan said to this students: `Keichu, the first wheel-maker of China, made two wheels of fifty spokes each. Now, suppose you removed the nave uniting the spokes. What would become of the wheel? And had Keichu done thism could he be called the master wheel-maker?'

Mumon's Comment: If anyone can answer this question instantly, his eyes will be like a comet and his mind like a flash of lightning.

When the hubless wheel turns,
Master or no master can stop it.
It turns above heaven and below earth,
South, north, east and west.

Kyogen Mounts the Tree

Kyogen said: `Zen is like a man hanging in a tree by his teeth over a precipice. His hands grasp no branch, his feet rest on no limb, and under the three another person asks him: `Why does Bodhidharma come to China from India?' `If the man in tree does not answer, he fails; and if he does answer, he falls and loses his life. Now what shall he do?'

Mumon's Comment: In such a predicament the most talented eloquence is no use. If you have memorized all the sutras, you cannot use them. When you can give the right answer, even though your past road was one of death, you open up a new road of life. But if you cannot answer, you should ages hence and the future Buddha, Maitreya.

Kyogen is truly a fool
Spreading that ego-killing poison
That closes his pupils' mouths
And lets their tears stream from their dead eyes.

Source - The Gateless Gate (Mumonkan)

------------------------------

Good stuff, I say. Keeps the hamster running!

Personal anchor

Depth is more anchoring than breadth...

To wander - To seek, but to not have the intention of finding...

It's 4am Nasruddin leaves the tavern and walks the town aimlessly. A policeman stops him. "Why are you wandering the streets in the middle of the night?" "Sir," replies Nasruddin, "if I knew the answer to that question, I would have been home hours ago!"

Source: Shared from the book "The Essential RUMI"

...

Like this...

"To regard self-culture either as a means of getting past others in the world, or of intellectual dissipation and amusement, rather than as a power to elevate the character and expand the spiritual nature, is to place it on a very low level."

Source: Shared from the book "Self-help", by Samuel Smiles

...

To learn with understanding

This was the spirit in which the great Dr. Arnold worked; he strove to teach his pupils to rely upon themselves, and develop their powers by their own active efforts, himself merely guiding, directing, stimulating, and encouraging them.  “I would far rather,” he said, “send a boy to Van Diemen’s Land, where he must work for his bread, than send him to Oxford to live in luxury, without any desire in his mind to avail himself of his advantages.” “If there be one thing on earth,” he observed on another occasion, “which is truly admirable, it is to see God’s wisdom blessing an inferiority of natural powers, when they have been honestly, truly, and zealously cultivated.”  Speaking of a pupil of this character, he said, “I would stand to that man hat in hand.”  Once at Laleham, when teaching a rather dull boy, Arnold spoke somewhat sharply to him, on which the pupil looked up in his face and said, “Why do you speak angrily, sir? indeed, I am doing the best I can.”  Years afterwards, Arnold used to tell the story to his children, and added, “I never felt so much in my life—that look and that speech I have never forgotten.”

Source: A paragraph found in the book "Self Help", by Samuel Smiles (Chapter XI—Self-Culture—Facilities and difficulties).

...

      What a wonderful song...

From the book "Peace is every step"

Cookie of Childhood

When I was four years old, my mother used to bring me a cookie every time she came home from the market. I always went to the front yard and took my time eating it, sometimes half an hour or forty-five minutes for one cookie. I would take a small bite and look up at the sky. Then I would touch the dog with my feet and take another small bite. I just enjoyed being there, with the sky, the earth, the bamboo thickets, the cat, the dog, the flowers. I was able to do that because I did not have much to worry about. I did not think of the future, I did not regret the past. I was entirely in the present moment, with my cookie, the dog, the bamboo thickets, the cat, and everything.

It is possible to eat our meals as slowly and joyfully as I ate the cookie of my childhood. Maybe you have the impression that you have lost the cookie of your childhood, but I am sure it is still there, somewhere in your heart. Everything is still there, and if you want it, you can find it. Eating mindfully is a most important practice of meditation. We can eat in a way that we restore the cookie of our childhood. The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.

Source: Chapter in the book "Peace is every step" by Thich Nhat Hanh

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Donatello is my favorite Ninja turtle. Was recently looking up descriptions on the Ninja turtles (yes, I have nothing better to do...hahaha...) and came across his profile. Be ready to witness "Top Secret" content from the T Files...

Awesome!

...

Military commandments

These are the 3 rules soldiers are forced to follow in the military:

1. They are never allowed to blame someone else.
2. They are required to be physically fit.
3. They are given daily goals which have to be accomplished within the set time-frame.

And I used to wonder how soldiers can be so mentally tough. No wonder, anymore...

When in the muck keep walking

The weather was great this morning. Nature beckoned to be with her longer. Was it possible to resist such a sweet plea? No, for me, it wasn't. So, stepped outside for a nice long walk. Little did I anticipate the surprise lesson awaiting, at some point on this walk. But don't let me jump ahead...allow me to lead on. 

Noticed the trees in all their splendor and glory. What a sight! There was this one tree which was especially fun to look at; its color varied from being light green on its bottom leaves to having a light orangish tinge on its top leaves. Almost looked like the burning bush, except it wasn't a bush, it was a tree. Anyway, the breeze, what can I say...it blew gently, at the right intervals, in the right proportion. Just love when that happens. Its like a privilege granted by the gods. At one point, I looked down at my shoes and smiled. Couldn't help feel happy about them. They were shiny white, literally, and squeaky clean. Oh, it felt so nice...

Then it happened! Not the not nice thing, but the different thing. Was walking on the grassland when I noticed this small stretch of slightly wet-looking, smoothly surfaced terrain, which I would need to cross. It surprises me how I wasn't able to harness my reasoning mental faculties and choose another route; just kept going. Stepped into the unfamiliar. One step, "Oh my God! I'm sinking in this thing." Next step,"Jennifer, if you don't keep walking really fast, you are history." Well, I don't know how deep that mucky terrain was, but my feet were sinking in quickly, and off-course, I was in no mood to find out the depth. Thankfully it just lasted four long, quick steps, and then found myself on the grassland again. Once on more firm territory, I just kept marching on, didn't even look back for a second. Couldn't help laughing at the experience and my unrecognizable shoe condition (did I say they were shiny white shoes, before the incident...). The walk after could be described as an awkward sight for an onlooker to see, cause I kept stopping at regular intervals and rubbing my shoes on the grass (front, back, sideways, underneath...) to get the muck off, or at least all the extra stuff which was stuck on it. But you know, I later realized that this humorous incident affirmed some valuable life lessons. "What were they?", you might ask. Allow me to share...

1. When in the muck keep walking really fast. Stopping causes sinking. Keeping on going is the only way out.

2. Once crossed the mucky terrain, walk on. There is no need to look back (well, unless someone calls out to you...hahaha...). Adopting this strategy helps the mind switch states, from surprise and discomfort, to ease and calmness.

3. Last but definitely not the least, there is no point avoiding the fact that the situation is so darn funny. Really! Its hilarious if you think about it. Laugh your heart out.

(The sentences above are metaphorical to life experiences.)

Anyway, after that deep philosophical journey, I came back and changed into another pair of shoes (luckily had my Vibrams with me...good chance to show off the lizard-feet look). Washed my dirty shoes and you know what, "They are shiny white again!" : - D

All's well that ends well.

The story of King Solomon's request from God

Solomon Asks for Wisdom

 ³ Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.  ⁴ The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵ At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
 ⁶ Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
 ⁷ “Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. ⁸ Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. ⁹ So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
 ¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, ¹² I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. ¹³ Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. ¹⁴ And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” ¹⁵ Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.
   He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

-Source: Bible NIV - 1Kings, Chapter 1, Verses 3-15

When the soul speaks...

“Pippa's Song

The year's at the spring
The day's at the morn
Morning's at seven,
The Hill side's dew-pearled
The lark's on the wing
The snail's on the thorn
God's in his heaven-
All's right with the world”

- Robert Browning

The light within

A mother kisses her young child goodnight, and blows out the candles as she walks towards the door. Then standing near the open door, she turns around and sees her child in the moonlight...so beautiful and precious. As she sighs allowing the love to sink in, she speaks these words to her little person,"My child, when your light goes out, it goes out in the whole world. The world is as we see it. If we are happy, the world appears a happy place. If we are unhappy, the world appears an unhappy place. Let your light shine." And with having spoken these words, the mother gently leaves the room as she closes the door behind her.

Image courtesy: Source

...

One of the insights, which the teacher Thich Nhat Hanh shared, in the second video, makes a meaningful point as far as our responsibility to each other, and the next generation is concerned. This is referring to the part where he speaks about people uniting to live life together, and how before the decision is made, it is important that the two people, on their own, practice mindful living for a sufficiently long period. He explains, how the practice of mindful living, allows for people to fan the flame of compassion within themselves. This, by facing their own inner sufferings or demons, through gentle, loving and simple methods. Thus when the two people then unite, and become responsible for the development of another life, if they so choose, the sufferings which they had do not perpetuate into the next generation...

...

Have you heard of the "Statue of Responsibility" project?

Yes, there is such a thing and there are a group of people actively involved in working towards bringing the project idea into reality. The "Statue of Responsibility" is to serve as the counterpart to the "Statue of Liberty." It is to be constructed on the West Coast of the United States; the "Statue of Liberty" stands on the East Coast. The design is that of two clasping hands. More information can be found at the official site here.

However, different people have their own ideas of what they would like the Statue of Responsibility to look like. In this talk, given by Dr. Denis Waitley, he shared his personal idea for the design of the Statue and how it would be symbolic to represent certain things. Here's what he said...

"The Statue of Responsibility could be the same human figure as the Statue of Liberty, except that it would hold different objects. It would hold an eagle in one hand, symbolizing the desire to be free of all restrictions - to do what we want, say what we want, dress how we want, and be how we want. But on the other hand is a baby, which signifies our responsibility to the next generation. It is to understand that for every choice we make, we have to live with that choice for generations to come."

Quite an insight there!

Anyway, here's an image of the actual proposed project:

The story of Avalokita

Andrew Harvey, the person written about in the previous blog-post, narrated another story to the community. It was the story of how Avalokita, the Buddha of compassion, became Avalokiteshwara. This is how the story goes...

Avalokita had spent years of his life in meditation and mindful living. And then on that one fine day, when Avalokita was sitting in his meditation practice, he was graced with the experience of almost entering into Nirvana. Nirvana: the state of ultimate bliss and detachment. While he was immersed in this transcendental experience of entering, he heard the painful cry of a rabbit. On hearing the sound of the rabbit he stopped his mind and brought it back to the earth experience. His heart oozed with compassion for the little rabbit which was in pain. It was then that he vowed to never enter into Nirvana until he had freed every living being from their suffering. And ironically, it was then that he entered, not by his own accord, into Nirvana, and became Avalokiteshwara. Avalokiteshwara is the boddhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. There are some images of Avalokita where he is shown to have a thousand hands. This symbolizes his great desire to reach out and touch every living being and share his love with them.

Listening to this story is left as a heart-warming memory, for which I am grateful.

What is your 3am?

Listening to Andrew Harvey speak last night at the Meditation Center was quite an experience. 

Andrew had the chance to interview the Dalai Lama right before his Holiness was to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He spoke of how he felt overwhelmed by the deep, deep compassionate energy exuded by the Dalai Lama. He shared about when he had the chance to embrace the Dalai Lama, it was a certain sense of deep motherly compassion which comforted him and left him helplessly hanging on in a deep daze. He said that the Dalai Lama understanding his loss of composure at the time, very gently held his hand, and walked him to the door. He compared the experience to being like that of a mother holding the hand of her scared child, and walking the child to the school classroom on it's first day. Wow! It blew my mind to hear Andrew speak. There are certain people who carry this charisma about themselves.

Apart from listening to and being part of his sharing about his meeting with the Dalai Lama, another thing which resonated strongly with me was his question "What is your 3am?" Andrew asked us to try this practical exercise out. He suggested that we wake up at 3am, and after we've said whichever prayers we do, to think about a hurting cause in this world towards which we feel really passionate about. "It brings life into perspective", he said. "It is to realize that you have lived but not in vain."

What remained with me, along with his words, was his gentle, compassionate gaze. When the man looks into your eyes it's as if you feel him peering into your soul. Quite an impactful experience last night!

That's the link to his webpage - Andrew Harvey.

To understand that which is real.

The 600 odd page book, "A Course in Miracles", couldn't have been more aptly summarized, by it's authors, than by these lines:

Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.

Thought the image below carries the continuity of the idea expressed in the lines above.

Metaphorically speaking

 "Where the lion and the lamb lay down..."

"Where strength and innocence co-exist..."

So what?

Here is a dialogue which I find unusual.

Person: "Hi Jennifer, tell me about yourself?"

Me: "Well, professionally I am pursuing studies in XYZ field to get a degree from ABC university. Personally, I am involved with this-and-that community and participate in such-and-such activities."

Person: "Oh, I see. Let me surprise you a little bit. So what?!"

Me: {blanked out--------------------------------}

It is at that point blank where the experience of a deep and intimate connection with all beings, removed of every label, can happen. Off-course, the intimate connection experience becomes possible on overcoming the defenses put up by the ego. The "So what?" question seems an interesting way for a reality check every now and then. I don't know about the experience of others, but this question does bring me closer to the truth of beings as Spiritual Entities above all else.

PS: Found the above image at the following site: Unity Art. Thought they had some interesting content.

Life Questions

What am I asking of life?
What is life asking of me?

Do the two questions bring the same answer for all or for some?

See it through

The words of the poem and the visuals in the video captivate my heart.

See it through...

Voices in my heart...

"Live with all your heart,
Where there's love you'll find yourself.
Listen to your heart, you've got nothing to lose."

Running is fun

Love how this wallpaper speaks the message - "I run with 600 million legs." I think it blends well into the Adidas 'Impossible Is Nothing' slogan. What a great idea!

A strike on the head... :)

I read a quote by J.R.R. Tolkien on one of the Facebook pages which I like, called The Pathway to Excellence.

The quote read as so --

'Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.'

How I love these sparks of Inspiration! I'd like to call it 'Divine Inspiration'.

Lets make fools of each other and learn something out of it...

A friend played this trick on me.

Friend: How do you spell Joke?
Me: J-O-K-E (spelled by the alphabet), joke.
(We repeated this question answer sequence about 4 or 5 times, and then, when I least expected it:)
Friend: What do you call the white part of an egg?
Me: Yoke!
Friend: hahahaha....Egg-white, not yoke. Yoke's the middle yellow part of the egg.

Me: Okay, Okay. You got me once. Let's try it again.

Friend: How do you spell Silk?
Me: S-I-L-K (spelled by the alphabet), silk.
(This pattern was repeated quickly 4 or 5 times, or until the person realized I was in trance. Again the quick question, which required an instant reply, was thrown at me.)
Friend: What do cows drink?
Me: Milk!
Friend: hahahaha...Got you again! FYI - Cows drink water, lots of water. Calves drink milk.

Me (Feeling really silly): Alright, my turn now.
Friend (Confidently): Sure.

Me: How do you spell POTS?
Friend: P-O-T-S (spelled by the alphabet), pots.
(I got the person into the rhythm, and then threw the big question.)
Me: What do you do when you come to a green light?
Friend: Stop!
Me: hahahahahahahahahaha.....No Silly, you "GO".

Me: How do you spell ROAST?
Friend: R-O-A-S-T (spelled by the alphabet), roast.
(We followed the same repetition pattern as above, and at the right moment I made my move.)
Me: What do you put in the toaster?
Friend: Toast!
Me(thoroughly amused by our interaction): No you don't, it burns. You put bread into a toaster.

After my friend and me said goodbye that evening, the realization of the Denis Waitley talk on conditioning, which I had heard not very long ago, dawned on me.
Inspite of knowing the answers to the questions above, why did we reply the way we did?! The answer is pretty simple - we reflexed, owing to the conditioning or the programming we subjected ourselves to.

Case in point which Denis made:
Violence is a learned habit even though we know better. This is true of the more constructive habits also. Habits are easy to get into by observation, imitation, repetition.

Food for thought:
How do we allow our entertainment to condition us by repeated viewing or indulgence?

I am grateful to Denis Waitley for his talk. Although I didn't get it at the time, I do now! Better late than never I say. :)

Switch states

Love the happiness riddle! Goes as so...

Do I sing because I am happy, or am I happy because I sing?

Equivalence

 
I read somewhere...

Each of these: Listening, Thinking and Meditating |is equivalent to| Kindness, Clarity and Insight, respectively.

This is one of those thoughts that'll stay on the surface of my memory.

Buzz...

You've always got to question the truth. How do you recognize the truth when you've never really seen it?!

Horses

For me, a horse represents qualities as - Beauty, Strength, Speed, Charisma, Gentleness, Courage, Fitness, Silence, Stillness, Energy, Style, Discipline, Humility, Innocence, Endurance and Diligence. These, just to name a few.

I thank the Almighty God for horses!!! :)

Equanimity and Moderation

Some very kind people at the Hindu temple presented me with a copy of the Bhagvad Gita. On receiving the book, I flipped through the pages in order to gain some familiarity with the organization of the contents. I noticed the images in the Bhagvad Gita are quite detailed, colorful and that each one is a representation of a profound message; it's as if you can admire them for hours and not get tired of it. In general, most works of art have their way of leaving me inspired. From the Gita, this one image in particular made it's impression. It stands as an illustrative metaphor for the spirit, mind and body.

 

Bhagavad-gita 6.34 The chariot of the body. The five horses represent the five senses (tongue, eyes, ears, nose and skin). The reins, the driving instrument, symbolize the mind, the driver is the intelligence, and the passenger is the spirit soul. 

It is intriguing to consider our capacities as human beings. In the Bible it is written,"God created man to have dominion over all things, both living and non-living." Isn't it awesome to be in a mode of constantly discovering ourselves and also knowing that this is a continuous, never-ending process until we breath our last (after passing away who knows)?! Two words - Loving it!!! :)

Books, books and more books!

Not so very long ago, I thought that I had a condition which entailed not being able to read. The truth of the matter, as I now come to realize it, was that I was looking for a fancy excuse to not have to work on my concentration. Fast forward to a few years later, one of my favorite activities these days is being immersed in the word jungle of the books I choose to read. The experience is just out of the world.

Ernest Holmes' "Science of the Mind" is by far the longest book I've read. It speaks a lot about the law of attraction. I do know that the law of attraction really works. One example - in the past few weeks, a number of my friends have let me borrow their thickest books. You know those books that are not less than 800 pages. And each of them are like,"Jennifer, here, I think you'll really like this book. I'd like to hear what you have to say about it once you are done reading." And me, standing there with my head about to explode with the overwhelming thought of the books that are already piled up in my apartment and also not break this friends heart, am like,"Yeah sure! See you in another lifetime." (Off-course, I didn't really say that.)

Jokes apart, I am grateful to all these wonderful people who so generously share their books with me. I hope that I can get through each one of them soon enough. Because truly, I do think they are interesting, and also not to undermine the fact that shared book experiences are really fun, especially the really thick books.

The First Grader

I'd like to say that I had the privilege of watching a wonderful movie today called "The First Grader", based on the life of a truly remarkable man. Kimani Nganga Maruge was 84 years old when he decided to go back to school, and join the first grade. His reason for the unique and courageous choice was, he wanted to learn how to read. One of the lessons I have taken away from the life of this person is that it does good to acknowledge and be grateful for the basics which lay the foundation for growth. And also that (in the words of the teacher) - "Learning never ends until you've got soil in your ears."

Here's part of Mr. Maruge's story taken from Wikipedia:

Kimani Maruge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kimani Ng'ang'a Maruge (c. 1920 - August 14, 2009) holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest person to start primary school—he enrolled in the first grade on January 12th 2004, aged 84. Although he had no papers to prove his age, Maruge believed he was born in 1920.

Maruge attended Kapkenduiywo Primary School in Eldoret, Kenya; he said that the government's announcement of universal and free elementary education in 2003 prompted him to enroll.

In 2005 Maruge, who was a model student, was elected head boy of his school.

In September 2005, Maruge boarded a plane for the first time in his life, and headed to New York City to address the United Nations Millennium Development Summit on the importance of free primary education.

Maruge died on August 14, 2009 of stomach cancer, at the Cheshire Home for the Aged in Nairobi. He was buried at his farm in Subukia.

 

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A few pictures I found on the web of the man himself.

 

Reason

Reason was described by Plato as being the natural monarch that should rule over spiritedness and emotion.

 

The above image is an etching made by the Spanish painter and printmaker Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes. The etching contains the words "El sueno de la razon produce monstruos" (in Spanish) translated as “the sleep of reason produces monsters”.

Here, Goya shows a man asleep, his head resting on his folded arms. Owls and bats fly menacingly around his head; at his feet, a lynx sits motionless, alert and staring. Bats, bloodsucking creatures of the night, evoked associations with the devil; owls, were at the time symbols of "mindless stupidities," not, as we might suppose today, of wisdom. Yet there is an intimation of wisdom in this unsettling scene: the ability to see through darkness and perceive truth from error was the special talent of the lynx. It seems the sleeper is none other than the artist himself, offered a piece of artist's chalk by one of the owls. If this is a self-portrait, Goya, at fifty, is a man exhausted; beset by demons that haunt him, assault him, but might, after all, serve to inspire him; a man seeking wisdom, yet subject to a swirling maelstrom of stupidities and evils.

I had a conversation earlier today with a friend, which took a very interesting spin. I shared with her how I was interested in learning more about people's beliefs, more so to do with the religions of the world. She said that I better be careful lest I not stray too far from God. I thought the comment to be absurd. I guess this blog-post is in the context of my thought process that followed thereafter.