Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Thoughts on the Path



Thoughts on the Path
Teachings, learnings, understandings, guidance from others and Source.
Mentors whether for a moment or a life time.
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Allow these quotes and inquiries to plant seeds for greater awakenings
and appreciation of the beauty inside you and all around you
on this first day of Spring 2019
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You can be totally surrendered right now. Listen for the advice that is being given you. Open to the guidance that is already within. It may be vague right now but it will become clearer with the continued surrendering.  When you feel guidance, respond to it and see what happens.
 – Jeff  Carreira
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Meditation requires no faith or memorized prayers. It doesn’t depend on a notion of God, or a feeling of channeling, or a quest for awakening. It is a state of being present. Really present. Aware of your thoughts, your breath,
your ability to move from thinking to non-thinking.

It is separate from religion, as the sea is separate from the shore.
According to the spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti,
“True spiritual practice springs from, not toward, enlightenment.
Our practice does not lead to unity consciousness—it is unity consciousness.”

from Creativity Unzipped by Jan Phillips.
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“You come from love. You exist through love and under love you shall return. That love has no judgment.  That love doesn’t require anything of you.  It only requires your presence. … Hear this not from your ears but from your soul.”  - Master Anand Mehrotra – Sattva Yoga


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 “May we all learn that pain is not the end of the journey, and neither is delight. We can hold them both-indeed hold it all-at the same time, remembering that everything in these quixotic, unpredictable, unsettled and unsettling, exhilarating and heart-stirring times is a doorway to awakening in a sacred world."
 - Pema Chodron, Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change
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There are moments when a world-weariness, a deep grief for what we human beings do to each other and the earth, threatens to swallow me whole. Sometimes distraction is the only way to keep breathing. But sooner or later I have to come back to the aching heart that both holds me and lives within me.

So, I've started this little practice when I am particularly discouraged: I decide that I will let the tragic event guide me to make ten small acts of kindness. I let someone into rush hour traffic in Toronto!  I pay for someone else's coffee or meal; I help a neighbour carry his groceries from his car to his home; I tell someone how wonderful they look today; I remember to look at the cashier, the librarian, the wait staff and really thank them for their work.

I do not expect this to change the world, and it doesn't replace collective political action where that is needed. But it keeps me going when something in me is tempted to give up on human beings. And, as I dedicate each action to the memory of those killed and the struggle of those wounded and terrorized yesteday in New Zealand, it helps me be with the enormity of the sadness.

What if every bit of heart-breaking news inspired us to be deliberately generous and kind with each other?   ~   Oriah Mt Dreamer – The Green Bough
– 16 Mar 2019


Richard’s Ramblings

What if the journey was not a long one but a short one? The distance from head to heart!

What if we could re-language what it is that we see? Seeing from the heart versus eyes?

What if we were to take the next step, the next step toward peace and healing the planet?

What if we were the one to reach the hand out first with loving kindness and kind eyes?

The journey, whether up the mountain or into the valley, is an invitation. What kind of an invitation is it for you?  Are you seeking to touch into perfection or abiding Presence?

We all need a structure to relate to, from within and from without. This is grounded stability for flow.  The process called our life allows us to define and reference these structures.  The challenge is for us to listen to life as it unfolds.  “The quality of your relationships with others begins with the relationship you have with yourself.” (Deborah Eden Tull –  Relational Mindfulness: A Handbook for Deepening Our Connection with Ourselves, Each Other, and The Planet)

Anand Mehrotra says, “You get to create your own reality within your own consciousness. 
“Every moment is the possibility of the Infinite and you get to play the Divine Game.”

Hari Om Tat Sat