I was taught that when I am racked with a resentment, anger, hate towards another, that is driving me nuts. All I need to do, is pray for that person for two weeks, wishing that they would have the joy, happiness, gifts/wealth that I would want to have given to me. It was hard to try the first few times, but it always works. Sometimes the resentments recur(like dandelions), but the formula will still work if used...the hard part is giving up (surrendering)...and getting on with the process...forgiveness is really wonderful, particularly when I practice it. It lets me be grateful for what I have and to live in the eternity of the present. Carol's is probably the "top example".
Continuing the theme from a few days ago about offspring -
And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and
far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
Pray don't find fault with the man who limps
or stumbles along the road,
unless you have worn the shoes he wears
or struggled beneath his load.
There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt,
though hidden away from view,
or the burden he bears, placed on your back
might cause you to stumble too.
Don't sneer at the man who's down today
unless you have felt the blow
that caused his fall or felt the shame
that only the fallen know.
You may be strong, but still the blows
that were his if dealt to you,
in the selfsame way, at the selfsame time,
might cause you to stagger too.
Don't be too harsh with the man who sins
or pelt him with word or stone,
unless you are sure, yea, doubly sure,
that you have no sins of your own-
for you know perhaps if the tempter's voice
should whisper as softly to you
as it did to him when he went astray,
it might cause you to stumble too.
Richard: hehe... "When we try to control, we've really lost control." I wish you'd tapped me on the shoulder and said that to me ten hours ago. I could have done with hearing that earlier today. ;)
Hadi, I think that's a perfect example of the "Iron Law of Unintended Consequences". When we try to control, we've really lost control.
by Alan Cohen
When I read that the Dalai Lama was to speak at a conference, I noticed that his name was preceded by the letters "H.H." I asked someone what those letters stood for, and I was told, "His Holiness." It's also the respectful title bestowed upon the Pope.
I began to wonder why the Dalai Lama and the Pope got to be His Holiness, and not the rest of us. To be sure, these spiritual leaders are very holy - but are they more holy than anyone else? Do the Dalai Lama or the Pope have any more God in them than the people who mop their floors? I imagine they would agree that we are all equally holy in the eyes of God.
I met a man who called everyone he met, "Buddha". "How are you doing today, Buddha?" he would ask me. "Beautiful sunset, don't you think, Buddha?" At first I felt jarred by his magnanimous appellation. Then I began to really like it. It felt better than "Dude".
This month, the month of May, we celebrate Buddha's birthday. Buddha was very holy. One of his students asked Buddha, "Are you the messiah?"
"No", answered Buddha.
"Then are you a healer?"
"No", Buddha replied.
"Then are you a teacher?" the student persisted.
"No, I am not a teacher."
"Then what are you?" asked the student, exasperated.
"I am awake", Buddha replied.
The goal of Buddhism, like any self-respecting spiritual path, is not to have titles or to make distinctions between degrees of holiness; it is to wake up. I love the famous Buddhist admonition, "If you see the Buddha on the road, kill him." This means that if you try to single out the Buddha and confine him to one form at the expense of all others, you have severely missed the point, and you must do away with your concept that this is the Buddha and all else is not.
The story is told of a holy man who lived in a large house on top of a remote mountain. Over time, news of the holy man's greatness spread throughout the land, and many seekers made their way over the mountains in hopes of having even a brief moment with this saintly being.
Each aspirant was greeted at the door by a servant, who ushered him or her into the house, and guided the visitor through several rooms. After a few minutes the servant and aspirant arrived at another door, which led out of the back of the house. The servant opened the door and indicated to the visitor that it was time to leave.
"But I was hoping to have even a few minutes with the holy man!" the aspirant would utter in frustration.
"You just did," answered the holy man as he closed the door.
The insecure mind takes refuge in hierarchies of spirituality, seeking to segment the universe into levels of power and worth. The Spirit of Love, on the other hand, will have none of the hierarchy game; all is God, all is powerful, all is spiritual, and all is worthy. As the third Zen Patriarch Hsin Hsin Ming declared, "The great way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. Make the slightest distinction, however, and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart."
The "His Holiness" concept got me to thinking about other appellations of respect. Take "Your Honor", the title attributed to judges. Certainly judges merit honor, but are the other people in the courtroom any less honorable? I suggest that judges address the criminals before them as "Your Honor" as well; perhaps this practice would bring forth the honor within them. Most criminals were not treated with respect as children; beginning now might call forth their innate integrity. A Course in Miracles tells us that all actions are either pure expressions of love or calls for love. Addressing criminals as "Your Honor" might begin to satisfy that call in a healthy way.
Then there is "Your Majesty", "Your Grace", and "Your Highness", offered to royalty. Does that mean that everyone else is not majestic, graceful, or high? Hopefully not.
I've been thinking about what title I would like. I choose "Your Eminence".I like that because it implies that I emanate. That is my goal: to emanate. To emanate life, light, and joy. I don't care that much about being an Honor, Grace, Highness, or even Holiness; "Eminence" really makes my boat float.
So from now on, if you write, fax, email, or talk to me, I respectfully request that you address me as "Your Eminence". And when it comes time for me to address you, I'll do the same. Either we all emanate together, or none at all.
Okay, Buddha?
-----
Is it not madness to think of life as
being born, aging, losing vitality,
and dying in the end?
It is the one fixed belief of the world
that all things in it are born only to die.
This is not God's will for you.
What God creates is perfect and eternal
like himself and can never ever die.
A COURSE IN MIRACLES
Hadi, that is an interesting question. What does it take for a Saint to be recognized? A published book, a best selling audio tape, a NewsWeek cover, or maybe a crucifiction? The Saint may answer, "I am fully recognized."
Geoff, the reason I brought up Sai Baba was to chat about the fact that, in the west, even in these circles of spiritual seekers, very few people have heard of Sai Baba. Yet, in India and throughout Buddhist/Hindu Asia, he is considered to be like Jesus. Many think of him as the World Teacher or saviour that the various religions have anticipated. Sai Baba has been a practicing mystic since childhood and has been worshipped and revered for most of his life. Everywhere in India his pictures and likeness adorn walls and mantle pieces. Even in England I can buy Sai Baba incense, although most purchasers are unaware of who the guy on the packaging is. I believe he's about eighty now. He's been performing miracles for half a century and I was quite shocked to have not come across any information on him until I was 39, three years ago. I don't believe he has written any books, not to my knowledge anyway. Like Jesus he just practices and talks. It seems odd that our media and all the documentaries I have watched have never covered this man. I wonder why? ;)
"With each person who passes through your life, you have a soul agreement. What this means is that long ago, in the realm of the soul, you promised to have some special encounter, share some life-shaping experience, complete some soul-honing work with that particular soul in this life. Soul agreements are commitments to the evolution of our individual souls in conjunction with one another, as one by one we make the journey to that state of seamless awareness that the mystics call enlightenment.
It is because of these agreements on a soul level that at times you may feel a mysterious strange connection with some other person, why difficult people may at times inexplicably inhabit your life, why you may find yourself on a journey with a particular person---as if you had an unwritten contract to fulfill---and then discover that, as if by amputation, your association is suddenly over.
As the community of souls who have gathered together in life on earth, we have agreed not only to remember for each other the pure state that was our origin, but also to act out whatever portion of the endlessly changing tableau of human experience we have been called upon to play to ensure our own soul's growth and that of the souls to whom we have made these deep promises.
Some of us are here to be beautiful and strong, others to be cranky and difficult, some to die young and teach us through the searing heartbreak of great loss, others to live long and instruct us through wisdom.
But no matter what role we are playing, we are all enacting a part in that one great spiritual destiny, which is to remember our eternal essence and move toward ultimate union.
So it is that every person you meet, each soul who crosses your path and affects you---wonderfully and terribly, briefly or for a lifetime---is here for that reason, and every relationship you engage in is but a small scene in the vast, ever-unfolding human panoply that is being endlessly enacted for the purpose of your soul's development. When you recognize this, you will suddenly, breathtakingly see that each person has been brought to you with a high and elegant purpose, that each soul has come to touch your soul and teach it, that each relation-ship exists to hasten your own soul's beautiful awakening.
No longer is anyone a stranger; no longer can any of your relationships be seen as failures or mistakes. In the light of the spirit, we see that we are all playing out roles that are the fulfillment of an exquisite and all-encompassing plan.
To recognize this is to step out of conflict and into grace, for when we realize that life has been so beautifully designed, we will bask in the light of the spirit; we will live in absolute peace."
From "Heart & Soul" by Daphne Rose Kingma