“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.” ~Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh
Deer Park stupa fog ~d nelson
Offering simple thanks for this gift of life
My life, your life, all life,
burst forward out of nowhere
in the form of
lyrics and a tune.
A song expressed
through the breath of my heart.
May the joy from which it manifest
water seeds of joy in you.
(lyrics below)
I am
the most important, special, wonderful person
in the universe
yeh, ya
just like everyone else
I looked around
it’s what I found
You are
the most important, special, wonderful person
in the universe
yeh, ya
just like everyone else
Look around
tell me what you found
It’s a gift
being here now
exploring life’s wonders both…
I love to contemplate. I was looking at some TAO teachings and I began recalling about the baptism of Jesus. The baptism event was a profound day. The Heavens spoke that day to the many witnesses there at the riverside. I thought about this in reflection upon the following quotation.
.
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.
– Lao Tzu
.
I must continue to get out of God’s way and allow myself to go with the flow of His will.
.
.
The Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17) NIV
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
You would measure time the measureless and the immeasurable.
You would adjust your conduct and even direct the course of your spirit according to hours and seasons.
Of time you would make a stream upon whose bank you would sit and watch its flowing.
Yet the timeless in you is aware of life’s timelessness, and knows that yesterday is but today’s memory and tomorrow is today’s dream.
And that that which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space.
Who among you does not feel that his power to love is boundless?
And yet who does not feel that very love, though boundless, encompassed within the centre of his being, and moving not from love thought to love thought, nor from love deeds to other love deeds?
And is not time even as love is,
undivided and space-less?
But if in your thought you must measure time into seasons, let each season encircle all the other seasons, And let today embrace the past with remembrance, and the future with longing.
It’s sometime still difficult; but I completely believe that one person can follow all of the rules and be a wreck at the drop of a glass of milk and another person can be cool and relaxed even when it seems to everyone observing that all hell is breaking loose — the difference — emotional well-being. I think so anyway.
Today I’m going to share something close to my heart with my readers for the very first time – my art work! I recently finished an oil painting entitled “The Road to Happiness”. It took about 2 weeks to completion, and was given to my beloved hubby as a birthday gift.
Looking back upon the creative process I underwent, as far as gathering the materials and the DIVINE inspiration that came through me for this painting, I received a deep message I feel will resonate with you as well.
My deadline was up, it was the very last day I had to make any changes to the painting. Initially, when I started, I knew that this was only the third oil painting I had ever done in my life and I just wanted to do a simple landscape of a place I had seen in my minds eye, deep in the woods. Nature has this incredible ability to bring us back to our roots, and ground us.
I wanted people to look into the painting and almost imagine themselves walking down that road towards the majestic sunlight. I sat for a long time staring down the empty road, and I kept visualizing a traveler, or a wanderer just strolling down the happy road…
I stood up to authority.
At 12 I was an assistant softball coach. Telling my mom why I had to bench my sister taught me I could make tough decisions for the greater good.
I was fiscally irresponsible.
In my 20s, I’d blow all my money on a Eurail pass and return broke but happy. I learned the only way to save was to put my credit cards in the freezer and pour water over them.
I ran my mouth.
My mom once bought me a cassette player so I’d shut up and listen to some music. If she’d lived to see me on TV, she’d see that worked.
I failed.
In 2000 I achieved my dream of managing a presidential campaign—Al Gore’s. Though I really believed he could make a difference, the job was stressful and thankless. A few months after we lost, I found a new calling as a commentator and critic. Now I can give my opinion without taking a poll.
Simple is best when beginning anything. So, today, I’ll give you a simple practice for making the most of every moment. This technique comes from Thich Nhat Hanh. Use this practice for a month — if you are low on energy or if you are lacking sometimes in concentration, you will notice a substantial difference — or if this sort of practice is entirely new to you.
Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the world’s leading teachers of mindfulness and meditation. He claims that life is available only in the here and the now; it is our true home.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s mindfulness meditation is simple and isn’t at all religious.
.
I’ll summarize his most basic teaching here.
Thich presents mindfulness (here and the now) living as a practice of five simple steps that you can use in just about very moment of your day.
1) Mindful Breathing, 2) Concentration, 3) Awareness of Your Body, 4) Releasing Tension, and 5) Walking Meditation
.
Most people are in a state being preoccupied… forgetful of true self; not really there a lot of the time. Is your mind is caught in worries, fears, regrets, anger, of not being here? That state of being is forgetfulness — here but, not here…. caught usually being preoccupied.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s method is designed to bring mindfulness home, into your body, to become more fully alive, and to perform the miracle of mindfulness — always. If you discipline yourself to practice the simple five steps, you can do so in every moment. The more that you are fully in the moment, the healthier will you be as we’ve discovered in my previous article.
Simple… the “Five Steps to Mindfulness” is a simple way to relax and energize. It brings more blood into the brain and it facilitates a deeply relaxed peacefulness. It is so simple you can use it all the time. Use it always.
.
1. “Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in.”
You don’t make an effort. Allow your breath to take place. Become aware of it and enjoy it. Effortlessness. Enjoyment.
.
2. “The energy of mindfulness is the energy of concentration.”
Follow your in-breath from the beginning to the end. If your in-breath lasts three or four seconds, then your mindfulness also lasts three or four seconds. Breathing in, I follow my in-breath all the way through. Breathing out, I follow my out-breath all the way through. From the beginning of my out-breath to the end of my out-breath, my mind is always with here with my breath.
.
3. “Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body.”
My body is here, so my mind ought to be here. Put peace and harmony in your breathing; the peace and the harmony will penetrate into the body, and the body will profit.
.
4. “There is peace and harmony in your breathing.”
Practice this simple affirmation often during the day: “Breathing in, I’m aware of my body. Breathing out, I release the tension in my body.”
.
5. “Every step is joy. “
You don’t make any effort during walking meditation, because it is enjoyable. You are here, body and mind together. The last step is to remind you during every transition that may occur in your day, be here, be relaxed, breathing and aware of peacefulness.
I begin the day with a simple mindfulness morning Meditation followed by a simple prayer and breakfast. It takes only a few minutes to get the day started and thus retain the benefit of rest and to charge up my body with lasting daytime energy.
Alternatively, you may prefer this simple standing movement:
.
If you like a more varied routine, try the video technique one day and the morning Meditation another day… the essential key to making progress is really that by increasing mindfulness, you will become more healthy, more energetic, and peacefully relaxed.
Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi Balkhi was a 13th century Muslim Sufi saint. His message of Love is being discovered all around the world. Rumi wrote a few books including Masnavi. He is best known for his poems. The main theme is Love of Allah, love humanity, nature and everything good. There is great wisdom in his poetry and his message of Love is for all people.
.
.
You come to us from another world
From beyond the stars and void of space. Transcendent, Pure, of unimaginable beauty, Bringing with you the essence of love.
You transform all who are touched by you. Mundane concerns, troubles, and sorrows dissolve in your presence, bringing joy to ruler and ruled.
To peasant and king You bewilder us with your grace. All evils transform into goodness. You are the master alchemist.
You light the fire of love in earth and sky in heart and soul of every being. Through your love existence and nonexistence merge.
All opposites unite. All that is profane becomes sacred again.
Mindfulness is a practice. It takes some time every day to build up mindfulness attention. With practice it really is beneficial and healthy; especially for the mind, of course. Mindfulness promotes overall good health as well as peace of mind.
My previous post on this subject was an in-depth exploration of the rippling effect (see: ripple-ing). In it, I wrote about my process — simplified for accepting reality and at the same time, how (as I believe) I affect reality — how subtly, I influence reality is more like it. In time this adds up.
Our thoughts confirm for us who we think that we are.
The process of rippling (correctly) has to do with being loving, compassionate, kindness and thus sharing this in our reality… This, in practice is truly beneficial for me and also for humanity. By rippling, I can apply mindful attention to sending loving compassion into the world. I had put it this way:
We may each send out Ripples of Blessings, Ripples of Social Justice, Ripples of Goodness, Ripples of Peace, and Ripples of Loving-Kindness — sending these past any barriers and over or around any boundaries to merge with the ripples of other waves of other positive ripples.
Some Buddhist monks are able to stay with a particular thought so completely that their body changes demonstrate this. I’ve watched many videos that demonstrate this. Let’s look at an example.
In fact, I’ve seen brain scans that demonstrate that monks are able to alter their brainwaves at will. I know by the medical reports and research — this is real and greatly beneficial… Is the brain spiritually wired?
.
What might our thoughts be doing today? Without training, the ego runs the show and this is a frightening world often times then.
.
If you didn’t read the original article, its written to summarize a practice for growth through mindfulness and peaceful serenity into a person with a very healthy outlook. The mindfulness of rippling is detailed in that previous article (ripple-ing).
If you are ready to learn more about the meditations, I have a simple mindfulness guided mediation for you today (or whenever you are ready):
The ego rules… but modern living makes it a handicap… we need a heart…
.
A Mind with Heart overcomes
the Illusion of Separation and
sees the connection in all things.
A Mind with Heart has access
to infinite energy, intelligence,
and Source.
A Mind with Heart receives inner guidance
and experiences inner peace.
A Mind with Heart creates a world
of abundance, happiness, and well being.
source: Metaphysics for Life
The next video is a preview
of online training that is available.
.
Heart Intelligence is a higher form of
intelligence that can be accessed by the
Mind via the Heart.
Heart Intelligence can be accessed
using simple practices and intentions
that create a state called “heart coherence.”
The human heart emits an
electromagnetic field that surrounds the
entire body and extends at least fifteen
feet in every direction. This field sends
signals to every cell in the body, affecting
physical, mental, and emotional health
and well being.
Humans that intentionally create heart
coherence in their own field have an
impact upon their own health and well
being. Creating heart coherence also
has a positive impact upon those around
us.
Consciousness poses a most baffling problem in science of the mind. Oh well, I move onward — here is how… loving thoughts bring, with loving energy, loving feelings and loving emotion. It isn’t science. It works though.
My purpose for blogging is to: write, share, enjoy, grow, and transform. Each visitor that I get to know contributes and thus, changes this experience with me. You are all as important to the experience as are the entire collection of my work and play here.
Its a discovery process.
We may each send out Ripples of Blessings, Ripples of Social Justice, Ripples of Goodness, Ripples of Peace, and Ripples of Loving-Kindness — sending these past any barriers and over or around any boundaries to merge with the ripples of other waves of other positive ripples.
Let’s contemplate… watch this:
.
Program Description
Drop a pebble in a still pond and watch the ripple travel out on an ever expanding wave ring.
This video, The Ripple Effect is rooted in the belief that we are all connected by our shared Humanity. Two well known principles of physics are Wave Theory and Entrainment. Wave Theory: a wave will continue to travel out, never changing its initial shape or frequency and when two waves intersect each other, the height of the effect is the sum of the heights of the two individual waves. Entrainment: the tendency for two vibrating bodies to lock into phase so that they vibrate in harmony.
The Goal of Humanity Healing™ is to make a lasting difference for positive change by supporting Humanitarian efforts that create sustainable solutions for the World’s problems — through a multifaceted approach of organizing Good Works, Education and Promoting Spiritual growth; mutual respect and understanding.
The Pond is the World
Your Heart is the Pebble
Drop a pebble of positive intention into the still pond and watch patiently the ripple travel out in an ever expanding ring.
Humanity Healing Copyright 11 December 2007
.
My work is to love God with all that I can muster and to reflect love. Its my responsibility to want this. I like to keep this simple when I can. So, I’ll outline my process just a bit.
I refer to my early training — here is an example:
Romans 13:8–10 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
It is simple; a huge challenge as well. By my understanding, God is divine pure love. Jesus provided ample examples of this.
Here is another simple thing I do.
I needn’t be concerned with what others choose to believe — if there may be a suitable exception, it will be quite rare. As I become more accepting, I tend not to attract much resistance to me being genuine.
Progress in practice of love is simple too — the divine nature of consciousness that is inclusive of positive events and positive others is accepting of all else too. I’m not explaining God though. God needn’t be explained. We simply ought to seek to be love as best we may by the best examples and by daily spiritual commitment to further growth. This means daily to accept what is — even if, sometimes, at first, this is unacceptable. We are not in a position of authority over the happenings and the people.
I do my best to focus on what is mine to influence or to change and to leave the rest be as is. Most of what is happening is beyond my influence and control. So, this is simple — but — not easy.
For example, from a human perspective, I’ll clarify that this is simple for me to understand — whatever austere theology or rigid scientific view may level at me, and whatever negative pronouncement may come my way, and whatever may seem abhorrent at first; these all too contribute toward opportunities for my positive growth. Come what may, my reactive discomfort is of my making whenever I disconnect myself consciously or accidentally from loving grace. Of course, also though, I am limited by general health, functional ability and wellness of my body and mind.
The last thing that I need to describe is also simple. I am to stay on task. This occurs when I can be at peace — inner peace. Its simple, but this is where I put in the greatest effort because its tricky in that the variety of experiences and the practices of others may become a distraction. I am to be responsible to live up to my end of the arrangement. This requires simple self-assessment tools to stay on task.
Now, I still am learning about making and keeping accurate self-assessments. That is a process. It requires daily activity and inner peace and some action. I have some guidelines that I use. For example, I perform activities such as follow.
What do I want (assessment)?
Physical: body awareness, dissolve body tension, smooth unstable energy highs and lows, smooth stress-related disturbances, resolve homeostasis issues (blood pressure for instance), improve heart health, reduce or eliminate pains, improve fitness and athletic performance, eliminate toxins, improve health of skin and hair, etc.
Mental: Clear focus on love and of corresponding daily objectives and even long-term goals, improving mental concentration, increasingly able to press pause or reset to soften negativity and self-serving thought patterns, lessening of self-criticism and of judgments of others, awaken to expansive loving compassion, slipping from any limiting beliefs and patterns, etc.
Emotional: Notice feelings and corresponding thoughts. Ride through any resistance to painful emotion. Make plans to clear sadness, anger, fear and hurt from the mind and body.
Spiritual: Increasingly focus on the present moment; deepen invisible connection with infinite loving God-consciousness, allow with detachment to awaken loving intuition. Plan to clear the barriers to loving myself and others — surrender to God-consciousness universal support.
.
What tools are there for facilitation of inner peace and loving being?
Conscious breathing practices may usually bring sharpened awareness and healthful benefits as well
Increase in-the-moment awareness
Meditation (and mindfulness) activities (search my prior presentations), prayer if religious, and productive solitude
Proper rest and exercise
Maintain a positive outlook
Set goals and objectives
Increase spontaneity and appreciating of others
Help others and seek to solve problems (fully)
Brainwave Entertainment: a practice that may cause brainwave frequencies to fall in step with a stimulus of a particular frequency — may be useful for matching corresponding frequency to intended brain-state (for example, perhaps to induce restful and peaceful sleep) — generally attempted by use of specialized music or software. [Investigate this (Google: “brainwave entertainment music free” or “brainwave entertainment software free”) — greatly sharpens awareness over time.]
.
What action is good?
I do my best to put into the world the best of me. I do my best to stick to healthy objectives, sharing, and to be a source for comfort and compassionate empathy. I am imperfect and sometimes needy. Still, I do my best usually.
There are lots of thoughts that pass by and some seem momentarily disturbing, exciting or entertaining or satisfying of a base need — they all may pass by — a life of loving action includes allowing many thoughts just to pass by; knowing the path of my way is to be from the heart.
We may each send out Ripples of Blessings, Ripples of Social Justice, Ripples of Goodness, Ripples of Peace, and Ripples of Loving-Kindness. Language from heart is not exactly English and the translation from heart mind into English is a challenge.
I hope that this post is useful for you or someone that you know. I pray that all will know moments of divine inner peace and that you may join me and others at The Ripple Effect.
.
Some believe it is best to fight when they are right against what is wrong. Maybe; I recommend reading this: Us and Them
.
Deer Park stupa fog ~d nelson
Eric
Originally posted on 
Eric
the Hunt for Truth 