your beautiful mind

connecting with others When I was in solitary retreat, I knew...

Sat, 11 May 2013 11:55:45 -0500

connecting with others

When I was in solitary retreat, I knew that I was together with all sentient beings in innumerable worlds. Even though I seemed to be alone in a small, enclosed room, actually I was in company with many ants who found their way inside, and there were many insects around the hut who created all kinds of sounds in the evening. When I opened the Sutras, people thousands of years in the past were talking to me. How could I feel lonely? Some people think I must feel lonely being a monk without any wife or children. Not at all. I have the 5 precepts and the 10 Virtuous Deeds as my wife, and my children are all the people who I have developed a karmic affinity with and who call me Shih-fu. It is only those pitiable people who enclose themselves and cannot establish a relationship with the outside world who feel lonely. If you keep yourself enclosed, even if you live among thousands of people you will still feel very lonely. However, if you keep yourself open, then even if you are living alone, you will still have a very full life. So open your mind and treat everyone as your intimate, virtuous friend. - Shih-fu Sheng-ye

image by Kancano

many thanks for this post to ombuddha

the right way There are only two ways to live your life. One is...

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:56:00 -0500

the right way

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. - Albert Einstein

painting by Andrew Gifford - Farmhouse Near Arles

many thanks for the image to alongtimealone

if you go far enough If you go far enough outyou can see the...

Sat, 04 May 2013 03:56:11 -0500

if you go far enough

If you go far enough out
you can see the Universe itself,
all the billion light years summed up time
only as a flash, just as lonely, as distant
as a star on a June night
if you go far enough out.

And still, my friend, if you go far enough out
you are only at the beginning - of yourself.

by Rolf Jacobsen

the secret The secret of health for both mind and body is not to...

Sat, 04 May 2013 00:52:43 -0500

the secret

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly. - Buddha

child of the universe You are a child of the Universe, no less...

Fri, 03 May 2013 01:55:22 -0500

child of the universe

You are a child of the Universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should. - Max Ehrmann

a motion that keeps you alive There are two kinds of people. One...

Wed, 01 May 2013 08:27:47 -0500

a motion that keeps you alive

There are two kinds of people. One kind, you can just tell by looking at them at what point they congealed into their final selves. It might be a very nice self, but you know you can expect no more surprises from it. Whereas, the other kind keep moving, changing… They are fluid. They keep moving forward and making new trysts with life, and the motion of it keeps them young. In my opinion, they are the only people who are still alive. You must be constantly on your guard against congealing. - Gail Godwin

many thanks for this image to schöngeist

mudras - healing hand yoga Mudras are easy to perform at...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:20:06 -0500

mudras - healing hand yoga

Mudras are easy to perform at anytime, although sitting in the lotus position and focusing on the healing can be an advantage.

Although mudras can be used for healing certain ailments, regular practise of mudras will contribute to your overall good health and can be used as a preventive measure.

Continuous practice of the mudras will create minute changes in your body using pulse centres on parts of your hands, which trigger certain healing processes within the corresponding body part.

Mudras are to be performed with both hands at the same time, unless otherwise specified.
Fingers should remain comfortable during the procedure and not held stiffly or tight

The science of Mudra Vigyan is deeply mysterious and amazing. It is not difficult to harmonize the undercurrents of the mind. Through this science it is also not difficult to achieve concentration of mind. Mudra Vigyan is most important aspect of the meditation of the supreme self. Here, Yog Mudras (gestures)are being presented as miraculous remedies, which affect some illness like an injection. Mudras can cure almost any ailment from a simple ear ache to heart attack.

Ear ache can be cured in just a few minutes, by the Shunya Mudra. Similarly, many urinary infections will be cured by the Apan Mudra. In the case of severe heart attack, Mritsanjiveni Mudra provides instant relief within a few seconds.

Hastamudra

Our body is composed of five elements - earth, water, air, fire and ether (space). These five elements also form our cosmos. These five elements have assigned functions in our body to keep it healthy.

After intensive research, Indian sages have found that Hastamudras (hand gestures) are very important, for keeping a balance in the energy the flow among the five elements. All five fingers regulate the five elements of body.

These are as follows:

(a) Thumb

(b) Index finger

(c) Middle finger

(d) Ring finger

(e) Little finger

Fire element

Air element

Space or ether element

Earth element

Water element

Thus, hastamudras are helpful in maintaining good healt hand getting relief from diseases also. Joining the tips of the fingers or pressing by thumb, regulate and balance respective elements in the body. Its daily practice can keep oneself healthy for life. It has tremendous healing power and if practiced properly, all major diseases can be cured. It also offers happiness and spiritual attainments.

Mudras are to be performed with both hands at the same time, unless otherwise specified.
Fingers should remain comfortable during the procedure and not held stiffly or tight

many thanks for this post to ozonebabys-temple

via ozonebabys-temple

may you live in interesting times We are living in a special...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 01:01:10 -0500

may you live in interesting times

We are living in a special time. Throughout the world there is a stirring and an interrelation of forces never before experienced by mankind. All around us we see an unprecedented acceleration of the possibilities of change. Power potentials have been released which threaten to upset cosmic balances.

Ironically, the more gigantic and astonishing our manipulations of these energies, the more puerile and insignificant our understanding of them. Philosophers and scientists are coming to agree that not only do we need a deep alteration in the present state of mankind, but that a radical shift depends solely on our relationship to consciousness – the invisible, fundamental energy behind phenomenal existence.

As one walks the streets of the city, one is struck by the energies manifested through each human being – the results of wishes, emotions, and physical movements, energies in incessant random motion. Inextricably bound to an entire fabric of events, we have no choice but to submit to the rhythm and momentum of our ordinary lives. Yet, in the midst of the flux, a call to consciousness can be heard. Is it possible to accept one’s inevitable destiny, and, at the same time, open to the timeless, spaceless, essential movement? Can we microscopic entities, beset by our frailties and mal-training, initiate a radical transformation for ourselves and for the earth?

—William Segal, Opening (Continuum Publishing, New York, 1999).

Painting by William Segal, Self Portrait in a Yellow Hat

many thanks for this post to parabola-magazine

very simple! How simple it is to see that all the worry in the...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 05:30:01 -0500

very simple!

How simple it is to see
that all the worry in the world
cannot control the future.
How simple it is to see
that we can only be happy now.
And that there will never be a time
when it is not now.

by Gerald Jampolsky, M.D.
American Physician and Author

the inner nature of humankind Peace is the inner nature of...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:08:41 -0500

the inner nature of humankind

Peace is the inner nature of humankind. If you find it within yourself, you will then find it everywhere. - Sri Ramana Maharshi

many thanks for this post to meditations in wonderland

no matter what! We must try to contribute joy to the world. That...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 07:22:00 -0500

no matter what!

We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out. - Roger Ebert, 1942-2013, American Journalist, Film Critic and Screenwriter

the new riches Food, a French man told me once, is the first...

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 03:19:49 -0500

the new riches

Food, a French man told me once, is the first wealth. Grow it right, and you feel insanely rich, no matter what you own. - Kristin Kimball

many thanks for this post to ediblegardensla

close to truth Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 07:50:36 -0500

close to truth

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth. - Pema Chodron

The famous Buddha Head at Wat Mahathat Temple, Thailand (by M. Buijs).

many thanks for the image to visitheworld

our bodies carry memories I used to know a sculptor… He...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 06:00:03 -0500

our bodies carry memories

I used to know a sculptor… He always said that if you looked hard enough, you could see where each person carried his soul in his body. It sounds crazy, but when you saw his sculptures, it made sense. I think the same is true with those we love… Our bodies carry our memories of them, in our muscles, in our skin, in our bones. My children are right here.” She pointed to the inside curve of her elbow. “Where I held them when they were babies. Even if there comes a time when I don’t know who they are anymore. I believe I will feel them here. - Erica Bauermeister (The School of Essential Ingredients)

image by Cosmo Condina

the traveler’s heart I lost my way, I forgot to call on...

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 05:18:29 -0500

the traveler’s heart

I lost my way, I forgot to call on your name. The raw heart beat against the world, and the tears were for my lost victory. But you are here. You have always been here. The world is all forgetting, and the heart is a rage of directions, but your name unifies the heart, and the world is lifted into its place. Blessed is the one who waits in the traveler’s heart for his turning. - Leonard Cohen, Poem N° 50, from the Book of Mercy.

Photograph: George Krause, Icon Painter, Philadelphia, 1966

many thanks for this post to parabola-magazine

the innermost self We must become so alone, so utterly alone,...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 07:20:00 -0500

the innermost self

We must become so alone, so utterly alone, that we withdraw into our innermost self. It is a way of bitter suffering. But then our solitude is overcome, we are no longer alone, for we find that our innermost self is the spirit, that it is God, the indivisible. And suddenly we find ourselves in the midst of the world, yet undisturbed by its multiplicity, for our innermost soul we know ourselves to be one with all being. - Hermann Hesse

many thanks for the image to thatkindofwoman

the greatest blessing A mind unruffled by the vagaries of...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 05:14:00 -0500

the greatest blessing

A mind unruffled by the vagaries of fortune, from sorrow freed, from defilements cleansed, from fear liberated - this is the greatest blessing. - Gautama Buddha

many thanks for the image to livingalifeinflower

how do you say… How do you say ‘thank you’ for...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 08:45:17 -0500

how do you say…

How do you say ‘thank you’ for sunshine or health… for clear days or gentle rains… for happiness, joy or love? You say it by sharing what you have. You say it by making the world a better place in which to live. - Thomas D. Willhite, 1940-1983, Awareness Instructor and Novelist

the time is now If we are ever to enjoy life, now is the time -...

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 13:08:36 -0500

the time is now

If we are ever to enjoy life, now is the time - not tomorrow, nor next year, nor in some future life after we have died. The best preparation for a better life next year is a full, complete, harmonious, joyous life this year. Our beliefs in a rich future life are of little importance unless we coin them into a rich present life. Today should always be our most wonderful day. - Thomas Dreier, American Author, Editor and Philosopher

fear of solitude When you cease to fear your solitude, a new...

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 13:04:40 -0500

fear of solitude

When you cease to fear your solitude, a new creativity awakens in you. Your forgotten or neglected wealth begins to reveal itself. You come home to yourself and learn to rest within. Thoughts are our inner senses. Infused with silence and solitude, they bring out the mystery of inner landscape. - John O’Donohue, Anam Cara, p. 17

Painting by Yokoyama Taikan, Waves in Moonlight, 1904

many thanks for this post to parabola-magazine