Good Links page at Desktop Meditations site ...

Some discussion on Carl Sagan at the forum gets me to unearth a few old links. THIS page has the most links I have ever seen in a monologue - click

... and a while later after I've had a chance to read the text ... he sure is passionate about his views as is his right ... but I doubt if he's read a whole LOT of Buddhist thought which would say that if you insult or ridicule or diminish those who don't share your view of reality you simply sabotage your own peace-of-mind and thus drastically reduce your potential for genuine lasting happiness ... and once you realise the way it works ... you tend to focus on NOT sabotaging yourself quite so much ... and this principle apples to any FIRMLY held views about any matter under the sun ... especially the tricky subject of the 'truth' ... it's tantamount to claiming to be God really ... 'my truth-detectors are flawless ... I wonder what went wrong with yours' ... but he has an interesting way of presenting his opinions ... Geoff, now you're in danger of being patronising ... you've been warned about that ... :)

... besides which, as long as you focus on disagreeing with someone you're certianly not focusing on loving them ... the same applies to the other 'dis' words, namely disapprove and dislike ... because wheen you look at most disagreements they routinely descend into the realm of attaching derogatory labels onto those who hold 'opposing' views ... meditation is about deciding where you want your focus to be ...

... not to mention the fact that if your belief system doesn't include some higher being then you're pretty much left with what you can 'figure out' based on the available 'evidence' and how do you know your sense of the 'truth' is better or worse than someobody else's ... is 'truth' a democratic decision ... most people do feel more comfortable if their overall views are shared by a large chunk of the population ... {that sounded a LOT better in my head but you know what I mean ... and if not, don't worry about it} ...

Yes ... disagreements ... as with anything else that occurs in your life - it's a simple decision really - to decide if that's sufficient reason to dislike someone or to foster antipathy of any description ... sooner or later the penny drops and you realise there is never sufficient reason so you don't waste a lotta time or energy making the decision ... we do spend so much time & energy on this whole like/dislike nonsense don't we ... it's about time we stopped ...

Added another link to my Dalai Lama page ... about 'A Human Approach to World Peace' ... I love the ending of it:

I have written the above lines
To tell my constant feeling.
Whenever I meet even a 'foreigner',
I have always the same feeling:
'I am meeting another member of the human family.'
This attitude has deepened
My affection and respect for all beings.
May this natural wish be
My small contribution to world peace.
I pray for a more friendly,
More caring, and more understanding
Human family on this planet.
To all who dislike suffering,
Who cherish lasting happiness --
This is my heartfelt appeal.

Click here for full article ...

Some thoughts on euthenasia in response to a question at the forum about pain ... and suicide ... I had planned a response along the lines that the very phrase 'allow a person to die' assumes a person can die ... sure the BODY can and does cease to function but a person is not their body ... their essence cannot die ... so in this light suicide is simply an experience ... not necessarily 'good' or 'bad' ... but few of us see it like that we react with 'Shock! Horror! Why would anyone choose to end their life ... "

For more Osho ... see the links at the bottom of this file

... such as Why is the world so crazy? ... he points out the world has always been crazy ... the only change now is awareness of just how crazy things are ...

... if you want (as of 01.01.01) the actual topics on the Osho links instead of numbers (does take away at least half the fun in my opinion but not everyone is like me) ... click ...

... yes you read stuff like Conversations with God or Osho and you wonder why you bother writing because they say what you struggle to put into words ... hmmm ... then again I like the advice from Osho NOT to simply 'collect conclusions' from him. On the other hand, at this point in human history he is obviously WAY more tuned-in than your average joe ... yes, that sparks the eternal question of just HOW do we decide what is 'true' (or how much of it we 'agree' with) when there is such a spectrum of ways of describing this level of reality and what's really 'behind' it all ... hmmm ...

Today's mantra is inspired by something I read at the forum ... "I'm quite enjoying the mystery associated with NOT having all the answers, thankyou very much."

HOT start to the new year - forecast (in Celsius) is for 34, 37, 29, 35, 32, 29, 38, 38, for the first week ... and new year's eve was 34 which was above the forecast ... which is quite out of the blue given that recently it's been very cool for this time of the year ... but not enough rain to help the West Indies in the Boxing Day Test ...

[  January 2, 2001   '

Some more Thoreau links ... (mainly from a search of 'thoreau different drum')

Web english teacher

Berkeley Digital Library

Another quote from Walden, the chapter called 'Economy':

In any weather, at any hour of the day or night, I have been anxious to improve the nick of time, and notch it on my stick too; to stand on the meeting of two eternities, the past and future, which is precisely the present moment; to toe that line. You will pardon some obscurities, for there are more secrets in my trade than in most men's, and yet not voluntarily kept, but inseparable from its very nature. I would gladly tell all that I know about it, and never paint "No Admittance" on my gate.

Thoreau musta been a Buddhist Lama or somethin in a previous life ...

Read Walden online

Some interesting posts at the forum new year's eve (I keep forgetting the US is 18 hours or so behind us) ... a real pot-pourri ...

"I am the question of all lifetimes"

Wow ... reading the Osho stuff ... blows my mind ... as it should ... {click} ... esp 'what is love' and 'why do i lose focus' ... and well ... all of it ... but I'm absolutely flying at the moment so I'd probably think Mary had a little lamb is divine revelation ... J

Added a few more links to this file - bunyip.htm & could have added quite a few more ... then again if we all really tuned into our own vast inner wisdom ... there'd be a huge drop in booksales most likely ... but you'd have to say there's no immediate danger of that happening ... J

Great Books Online

e.g. Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

This site also has dictionary, thesaurus, quotations, encyclopedia etc

Had another read of that letter to a prisoner by Lama Zopa - here - I can't imagine TOO many people in prison receiving that particular advice ... wow ... it IS all in how you look at it. Equally, many people would tend to pity someone in MY particular circumstances but that's based on stereotypical thinking and assumptions about what is necessary to produce human happiness ... and if one never challenges those assumptions ... or explores alternative pictures of reality ...

Speaking of exploring that reminds me ... a recent discussion has focussed on whether or not the behaviour of others angers or upsets us ... I have to admit after my 'awakening' experience I thought I'd never be angry again ... one person said something about not being concerned if we do occasionally get 'ticked off' as long as we don't judge or hate the person ... and true compassion means realising that if someone has an 'attitude' toward you for whatever reason it's really a reflection of their own pain ... which is why the Buddhists say 'May all beings be happy' because happy beings don't go around hurting and bothering each other ... {this section neeeds plenty of work but you can catch my drift} ...yes, CWG advises us to 'Be watchful, therefore, of the choices of others, but not judgemental. Know that their choice is perfect for them at this moment now - yet stand ready to assist them should the moment come when they seek a newer choice, a different choice - a higher choice. Move into communion with the souls of others, and their purpose, their intention will become clear to you. This is what Jesus did with those he healed ... Allow each soul to walk its path.' {click here}

... and in a climate dominated by judging and condemning and blaming ... people will tend to feel less free to explore aspects of themselves for fear of meeting with disapproval ... or ridicule ... by insisting on taking things personally we don't allow each other to make mistakes ... or we don't let go of the memory or the perceived 'hurt' when mistakes do happen ... or at least that is how it seems at the moment ... I reserve the right to let go of this view if/when it has served its purpose ... :) ... having said that, there are some 'mistakes' that tend to be seen as less 'forgivable' than others ... if you go along with the crowd on this matter ...

Allan Pinches - has an excellent article on 'Spirituality: the missing link in psychiatry'

Click here for review of a book called 'Healing Society' - the first review is enthusiastic to say the least!

"Ah yes, but are you doing what you are doing or are you thinking about doing what you are doing or are you thinking about something else entirely ... "

From that 'shared visions' site ... the photography of Courtney Milne ... just had a quick flick thru 'Sacred Earth' ... wow! ...

I may have spoken a bit soon about the collapses ... Sherwin Campbell - inspired decision or no other viable option? - has made abt 52 runs in 4 Tests as opener ... but they drop the other opener ... so far 0/147 and 15 wins in a row is looking less routine than many predicted - that's the beauty of sport - its unpredictability ... but wait ... it's now 9/256 and McGill has become the 5th individual Aussie bowler in 5 tests to take 5 or more wickets in an innings ... must be some kinda record surely ... hmmm ...

... and that is with our leading Test wicket taker (Warne) out with a busted finger (from taking a 'simple' catch) ... and with our fastest bowler out with a dodgy back (Brett Lee) ... I think that is what is called depth ... :)

... I mean when a guy like Bevan isn't even mentioned in discussions for the Test squad ...

[  January 3, 2001   '

Someone at the forum asked about the meaning of the word 'Namaste' ... here's what I found ...

Definition & meaning & derivation

Interesting page - one link is called 'food for thought' ...

Namaste Life as well as the Namaste Way & Namaste Consciousness

A poem called The dare at a place called the Namaste cafe

... posted to the forum around 57220 ...

Started typing up excerpts from Interludes with the Gods ... the second or third page I opened it to ... mentions Om Namah Shivaya which is kinda spooky when you think about what has happened in the past year or two ... then again, as I say to those who routinely use the word 'weird' or 'whacky' ... those labels & reactions are all dependent on how bounded or boundless your picture of reality currently is ... (spooky? - click here)

also found some wonderful links to include in the excerpts ... again that's also in the eye of the beholder ...

... these include Babaji ... A Course In Miracles ... Sondra Ray ... Om Namah Shivaya ...

Having a bit of spare time I compile all (or most) of my LINKS pages and book excerpts into one file - click here

Interesting email - see hadi44.htm

... made an interesting discovery typing that - clue: cut and paste and consider fonts ... hmmm ... J

Reading one of those Osho links ... it mentions Mahavira who when asked 'Does God exist?' replied, 'perhaps' ... he called this philosohy sapekshawad and a search of that word takes me here - Ask Osho

Interesting story on HOT day ...

- animated gif editor ??

... speaking of which ... here or here

[  January 4, 2001   '

Posted that animated GIF (of the footprints) ... before I noticed the mispelling of the word 'others' ... hmmm oh well ... it was message # 57253

From a link at the Forum - click on the picture:

Images lately uploaded - Swimming on a HOT day & Last Melbourne sunset of the millennium & footsteps & a pic of Delphi I emailed to a friend - here - some fabulous pics in that 'Sacred Earth' Book.

More interesting stuff at the forum ... the footsteps GIF went down well as a recent bereavement had occured - I must have tuned into it on some level ... and I fixed up the spelling ...

... also a post about feeling awkward at bereavments not knowing what to say if the person is religious or inconsolable - some Kahlil Gibran -

What was given us here we shall keep,
And if it suffice not, then again we must come together
And together stretch our hands unto the giver.
Forget not that I shall come back to you.
A little while, and my longing shall gather dust and foam for another body.
A little while, a moment of rest upon the wind,
and another woman shall bear me.
Farewell to you and the youth I have spent with you.
It was but yesterday we met in a dream.
You have sung to me in my aloneness, and I of your longings have built a tower in the sky.
But now our sleep has fled and our dream is over, and it is no longer dawn.
The noontide is upon us and our half waking has turned to fuller day, and we must part.
If in the twilight of memory we should meet once more, we shall speak again together and you shall sing to me a deeper song.
And if our hands should meet in another dream we shall build another tower in the sky.

- Kahlil Gibran

Plus more about 'changing the world' ... reminds me of that Beatles song, 'We all want to change the world.' ... and reflecting on where I have come from and how many people I know who have 'resigned' themselves to "Things will never change - you must be dreaming." and I was in this category for a very long time and to be honets I cannot begin to explain how that transformation happened and why it shouldhappen to me and not to all the others ... flicked through a book in a shop today called 'Pay Forward' - the title being a reversal of the all too common idea of the payback. The plot revolves around a young lad and his school project to come up with a simple way to change the world. I seem to recall seeing it advertised somewhere on the web - possibly at Neale Walsch's site ...

... so do a SEARCH ... might be easier if I jot down the author's name next time I happen to spot the book ... or you could try amazon or barnes & noble etc ...

A few notes from last few days ...

"That's the toughest thing - nonjudgement - to make certain choices 4 yourself and NOT judge those who make very different choices ... "

"That's the other big puzzle, isn't it ... in a world as choatic and confused and unloving as this one ... how some people rise above their conditioning while others seemed forever ruled by it ...

www.hollylisle.com

57278 - include a TON of links ...

"Why don't we love our beautiful lives."
{or "Can we ever" ... or "When will we ever"}

"That's the great challenge - to experience something like that and not hold onto any hard feelings ... and not allow yourself to become cynical ... "

also a response to 'why do we do the things we do' at the WOW chat place - here - so I posted a link to that wonderful book Mister God, this is Anna ... I had forgotten those excerpts include The Most Inspirational Books as voted by over 1500 visitors to the website ... again ... the eye of the beholder ...

'i can only say why i do the things that i do, Geoff, i really cannot speak for anyone else and doubt anyone else can. for me, i do everything with God in mind. i always keep Him with me. knowing that He loves me is all that i need and hopefully, my gratitiude to Him, shows in all my actions.'

... and not-so-long-ago I would have had to bite my lip to not burst out laughing ... now it's similar but SO different it's beyond anything I could formerly have dared to imagine ...

... and how sad that many would mock and say 'You cannot be serious ... what are you on??' ... and I used to be one of them ...

Typed up quite a bit more of Interludes with the Gods ... some intersting parallels you might say (on a number of levels) ... e.g. the section about "It took me several years to recover from that. I couldn't even talk about it. Even yet, I have only written a very little about it. I don't feel ready. Some things are definitely way beyond words, at least my words, at least this time." ... well worth another read at some stage ... then again I do remember saying that about Conversations with God a while back ... and she did write those words in 1992 ... also the section where she says 'We knew that even though it was rough, he had saved us decades and decades of time in our healing process.' ... J

{and I gotta admit to part of me that says great! why not heal everyone! the world sure needs it! and if it is a 'gift' why be selective ...}

More 'random' dialogue which may be useful one of these days -

"Everything happens for a reason."

"Not everyone would agree with that. Some might regard it as silly."

"Well ... there must be a reason that certain people don't believe that everthing hapens for a reason ... "

"Look at it this way, you're providing a wonderful opportunity for others. They can either have a knee-jerk reaction and regard you as a kook, a weirdo or a freak. Or they can consciously decide to form a more charitable view by looking a little deeper ..."

"Yes, we do take into consideration what other people might think ... yet, eventually any disapproval or animosity or negativity will dissolve once they decide to let go of such nonsense ..."

"Until we start to see each other in THAT light, we haven't a prayer of solving any of our deepest problems ... "

"If you see anyone as a lesser being for ANY reason then you are the one with the problem, not them."

"It's the lack of genuine love in this world which is driving people crazy, quite literally ..."

"I would define suffering as not manifesting & experiencing your full potential. So, it's fairly safe to say that most of the world is suffering one way or another because we each have unbounded potential and capacity for love which few of us are even close to actualising ... "

In so many situations, to tell someone 'this is an experience your soul chose to have' might just generate a few sparks! ... one way or another ...

The tricky part is I absolutely recognise all this stuff as fabulous advice (and when you look at it, Buddha's words were 2500 years ago and are still spot on yet how many of us have yet 'tuned in') ... yet, I also remember a time in my life when things were very different, so I know what it is like to be totally closed off and scoff at those who believe in this stuff ... especially the implications as to what is 'behind' the everyday surface of reality and thought and experience ...

And, as I wrote in a recent email - Jack Kornfield says it so well when he speaks about the frustration that happens once you 'awaken' and you realise what everyone around you is doing 'wrong' yet you can't make them see it until they are ready. You can't let go for them. You can't awaken for them. Then again, you can never tell when it will happen. I thought I would be the VERY last person on this planet who would ever get into meditation & contemplation and all the stuff I have read in the past 22 months or so ... so perhaps nobody is ever totally 'lost' even if we tend to see it that way ...

If you want a direct link to Jack's audio page, it's here and scroll down to 'The Ten Perfections of the Heart' ...

... yes ... to see that any desire to 'protect' or control or possess an act sponsored by fear and most definitely NOT love ... I mean, watch any soap opera ... and the plaintive words of Anna come to mind: 'They don't see it. They don't know what I mean.' ... or God's words in Conversations with God and 'worry is the activity of a mind that doesn't understand its connection with me'

[  January 5, 2001   '

Test match continues its ebbs and flows ... 180 run first innings lead and a lot of talk yesterday avo that it could be over that day ... well 1/98 at stumps and it could yet be one of those nervy run chases even if the Windies don't have the spinning arsenal to really send shivers down the spine ...

Combined a couple of recent emails from the Conversations with God email group - here - has a link to online study guides PLUS a fine asssotment of quotes ...

Ah ... the book is called 'Pay it Forward' - by Catherine Hyde - here

www.paintingportraits.com - painting pet portraits in oil

Consciousness Expanding Tools - a list of tapes from a link at the wow chatplace ...

Grampians Eco Lodge

From the Explore Victoria site ...

Today's mantra is 'Can we believe in all the worlds of normal. Can we change our lifetimes.'

From the forum - yes, it is a little incongruous here in Oz to be sending snowy cards and singing about 'dashing through the snow' given the usual weather here around Dec 25 yearly ... Australian Jingle Bells ...

"Yes, why are we so afraid of that ... the idea that each of us is vastly more than we have generally been led to believe

"It is tricky ... I mean you could use the ides that 'their soul has chosen to have that experience' as a reason to never intervene or interfere or assist anyone ... yet, most of us do feel moved to help those in need IF we can ... "

Intriguing match continues ... at 5/154 and still 26 behind it looks all over ... then only one wicket in the next 150 runs ... chasing 170 odd should be 'routine' on a pitch which aint doing a lot but you just never know ... if the West Indies DO lose, one has to wonder when the last team to lose with opening partnerships of 147 and 98 ...

... well ... here we go ... 1/5 and Hayden out not offering a shot ... hmmm ...

[  January 6, 2001   '

Interesting site about Books and writers - here ...

Strolling a book shop today saw Wrestling with the angel which is a biography of New Zealand author Janet Frame. Reading the sleeve alone, boy! what a sequence of 'tragedies' she has experienced - can't recall all of them off-hand but several family members meeting unfortunate demises one on top of the other ... click here for some info on her life and writing ... more info as it comes to hand ...

In my email - '7 Gifts of the third millennium' ... here

Those thoughts on assumptions and decisions ... in here - assumpt.htm

In my email this evening -

'Everybody has to be alert, aware, and drop all false hopes. Nobody can save you, and nobody has ever saved anybody. Masters have only shown the way. Because they have traveled on the path, they can save you unnecessary wandering, they can show you the straight way. But nobody can walk for you.' - Osho

send to forum ... ??

Purchased Daily Acts of Love - will undoubtedly transcribe a fair bit into a file ... some fabulous advice and challenging too ... which I finally feel ready for ...

... and most of us do play it fairly safe most of the time ... J

and yet there is still a part of me that asks HOW did we get so messed up that we need books to remind us how to be loving ... and why a few individuals are tuned right in on the true nature of love while the rest of us poor sods run about like chickens with our heads cut off ... J

The advice about tough is so spot on ... we do not tough or hug each other a lot (well at least not in the circles I have witnessed in this lifetime) and we do not say 'I love you' much ... and form personal experience I'd say in many cases that is a terrific indicator that we're most unsure as to whether we know what love is ... in my case IF I had said it, it would have been a lie as I did not have a real clue ... or at best it woud have been said as a wish ... a desire to know for sure ...

I mean I have had countless experiences I would not wish on anyone ... on the flipside, I have had many experiences I would wish on everyone ... ad one has to wonder about the connection between the two ... just 2 years ago, I could not have imagined being where I am now and there is so much further to go ...

"Oh, I'm sure many people do see me as rather weird ... that's okay ... one day they will learn to let go of this desire to attach (such) derogatory labels to people and events ... "

"What you're efectively saying when you criticise someone is 'your flaws are worse than my flaws' and when you see it in this light it does seem a bit ridiculous to indulge in such nonsense ... "

[  January 7 to 9, 2001   '

Possibly the less said the better ... hmmm ... that article Temporary Insanity is absolutely spot on ... and I am hardly the ONLY one ... strong emotional states do overwhelm the sense of reason ... and a 'split' occurs between what you know and what you feel ... hmmm ...

... and as always I am astonished when it lifts ... I am reminded of several things - the book by Kay Redfield, An Unquiet Mind ... the story of Jeckyll & Hyde ... the excerpts from
The Troubled Mind ...

MAY go over some of my scribblings and place them in a file called something like
7-1-2001.htm ... hmmm ... I mean Gary Zukav and many others keep saying there is learning potential in every experience even those we cringe when recalling ... hmmm ...

... then as I pull rapidly out of the tailspin, I compose a few thoughts on 'letting go' - here - also very relevant given the recent tone at the Forum ...

... and a lot of it is spot on ... when you look at the current climate which is by-and-large inflexible & unforgiving & unaccepting ... all of which does tend to magnify some situations and problems ... I'm reminded of that line from a song (by the Eagles?) 'We make it harder than it has to be ... and I can't tell you why ... "

... yes, it can be extremely hard to see the 'learning potential' in some situations where it seems BOTH parties are mainly learning how to drive each other nuts ... e.g. one person hasn't learnt to let go of placing expectations on all those close to them and worrying or getting angry when those expectations aren't being met and the other person resents the expectations and has started to see that 'expectations ruin relationships' but they have yet to learn to not let it get under their skin ... just as a for instance ... :)

I suppose the theory is that each soul experiences sufficient painful consequences then learns to let go ... hmmm ... seems a few of us are taking an awfully long time to wake up to that message ...

There were times my mind toyed with that Monty Python sketch 'Happy Valley' and what would happen if the world were run according to Wise King Otto's rules ... :)

... should see if I can find a link to that sketch ... I think this is one - here ... or plug the phrase 'Wise King Otto' or Happy Valley into any decent search engine and see what you find ...

"I'm sure we all have at least one aspect of ourselves that we'd dearly love to change ... "

"Yes, but in the meantime some people do seem to be damaged beyond repair or become lost beyond our ability to rescue them ... it can be extremely hard to see meaning or purpose in those cases ... or fairness ... "

As in every other 'episode' ... I am truly astonished to resurface and resurrect my equilibrium and equanimity but it does leave that haunting question (as in Kay's book) ... when will it happen again ... and what will I do if/when it does ...

Which is a question those who have only ever experienced the relatively safe precincts of normality can't begin to imagine ...

[  January 10, 2001   '

Another HOT day ... and more to come ... (hmmm ...)

Wrote another poem - see 'January 2001' in the poems file - here

Added a few more thoughts to the files mentioned in yesterday's journal - the black cloud has well & truly lifted but it does raise those pesky questions of how you 'let go' of the past when others won't ... and the question of 'emotional scarring' ... hmmm ...

Heard some fabulous monologues by Garrison Keilor - 'Lake Wobegone days' - do a search - abc website ?? ...

Other hits -

A Prairie Home Companion

Lake Wobegon trails

Another link to the 'Happy Valley' sketch - here

Visited Words of Wisdom chatplace for first time in a little while ... the 'Anna' excerpts went down well - and some synchronicity with some stuff people was dealing with - about names and identity and 'After all, if Mister God wasn't everywhere, he wasn't anywhere.' ...

... so I post a link to the site of voting for all-time favourites ... and recommend Tao of Pooh ...

plus that quote about the Bible from Rabbi Samuel Sandmel - click

Yes, it is an interesting chain of events. I was searching for something or other and one of the 'hits' took me to the site where people had voted for their all-time most inspirational or 'life-changing' book ... the title Mister God, this is Anna caught my eye and then on my next trip to the local library there it was waiting on the shelf ... some fabulous illustrations which I may include if/when I have access to a scanner ...

In finding stuff for that piece on 'letting go' ... found this - visualisation for relieving pain

plus this - Why Science Cannot Cure Cancer and AIDS without Your Help

So ... 'somebody' posts this to the forum -

When meditation works as it should, it will be a natural part of your being.
There will no longer be anything apart from you to have faith in . . .
Only in this silence � the silence that lies behind thought �
can one hear the symphony of the universe,
can one hear the whisper of the Word,
can one approach the inner temple wherein dwells the soul.

Baba Ram Dass

That is around 57445 ... so I do question my intent in posting something like this ... hmmm ... I mean the content and advice is spot on but the underlying tone ??? hmmm ... hard to tell ... and one could say that the labels used are merely my interpretation of someone else's behaviour which is precisely what is advised against ... and looking back on how I was when I was doing 'similar' stuff ... would anyone's words have made any impact ... hmmm ... the trust is that they will be shown the wisdom ... but you may be the vehicle ... argh ... :)

Plus an interesting article by Jean Shinoda Bolen on 'WINTER SOLSTICES OF THE SOUL' - here ...

Plus an interesting message board - from a search for the 'ram dass message board' - here

[  January 11, 2001   '

Added a few more verses to yesterday's poem ...

30 degrees by 9 AM - could be an absolute scorcher ... NOT a day where I'd fancy hitting a tennis ball around on a surface which intensifies the heat ...

More dialogue -

"We have created a very blaming & judging atmosphere in this society ... and that affects everybody one way or another because it generates so much tension ... "

Intersting episode of 'Mysterious Ways' - about hearing voices and the possibility that it is the voice of God or spirits ... and the knee-jerk reaction (from the psychiatrist) that it just can't be ... "What makes you so sure?" ...

Found a site where people review books - only two reviews of 'Anna' - here ... they do review Conversations with God ...

Having a look through those quotes from the CWG email group ... {here} ... one that grabs my eye is This Thing Called Life by Ernest Holmes ... and that phrase inserted into a search engine tosses up more stuff ... here ... including some poetry ...

Playing round with links and web pages - came upon this - www.prayerflags.com ... Dave would like it ... among others ... J

[  January 12, 2001   '

Interesting stuff at both forums - esp words-of-wisdom chat ... about personality and soul - so I give a link to the Zukav site ... and his journey has somewhat paralleled mine (if you really look at it, all of us have parallel journeys even though it sure doesn't look that way at times) ... about anger and transformation ... and if we had no need to interact there'd be no need for a personality ... and it can often be a mask ... yes, Gary's statement about personality & soul is the best I have seen - click ...

A couple of other sites added to my various links pages - now that peoples is actually visiting my site ... the 'Interludes' excerpts seemed to strike a chord also ... esp the 'Finding My True Guru' chapter ...

COOOL day ... thankfully ... though more heat on its way ... and it does tend to make even the 'best of us' cranky if it goes on for too long ... J

... also click here ...

"I'm continually amazed at how much time and energy people seems to spend on deciding whether or not they approve of other people's choices ... it's all such nonsense ... "

Interesting messages around this date at chopra forum - so I post hug as above ... I like the one about contempt - it has no love in it ... # 57,528 ... :) ... whether it be contempt for a specific person (such as Deepak) or an idea or a choice or a way of thinking (which differs from your own, obviously) ... If I had spent longer online I would have responded ... :)

Plus some intriguing emails - goujon.htm - about the ups and downs and feeling dislocated before it all (magically) comes together ...

I'm right back to feeling absolutely marvelous ... wonderful ... full speed (ahead) ... this is all too weird ... J ... as I have observed many times ... how I can ricochet from one extreme to the other and back again ... and each feels 'permanent' as long as it lasts even when the 'pattern' has been repeated over & over again ... who was it that said the basic quality of the human experience is impermanence ...

And in such a mood - most of the following was written on one relatively brief shoping trip to Parkmore and a walk in the park (no pun intended) -

{Much of it went into the aforementioned file of emails to reply to at some stage ... now that I am my old self again}

Today's mantra: "I am glad of the weirdness of my own lifetime." (repeat ten times daily or see your dentist if pain persists)

That site where people vote for their all-time favourite books - NOW I remember, I voted for CWG which was high on the rankings then two others which didn't make the TOP of the lists - Cave In The Snow and Emissary of Light ... then again with all this 'new age' ... how many of us have really read the Bible and seen what we can extract from it ...

For the forum? - Good morning, gang. I have not been posting a lot here lately. I am glad to see you are all behaving. What's new with me? I'm glad you asked. Nothing. Nothing new. Nothing old. Nothing borrowed. Nothing blue. I have entered a timeless state of sheer bliss and I might never want to leave. But thanks for asking anyway.

I disagree with you, X. I find you quite fascinating. You are a beautiful human being. As is everyone else who attends this place. We're just beautiful in a wide variety of ways. :)

More possible dialogue -

"I've never felt that the answers to my problems were to be found in anything external to myself ... "

"Well, it CAN be extremely difficult to believe that ... especially when you look around yourself and see so many people who do not seem to have a clue as to how to resolve their own personal dramas and conflicts and who do not (yet) see crisis as an opportunity ... they see these things as burdens or as something awful which is ruining or has already ruined their lives ... or their 'chance at happiness' ... and inevitably their frustration levels will ebb and flow and they will more than likely make the people around them into targets for venting this frustration ... it can be very tough to see how anything could turn that dynamic around ... "

"To tell you the truth, I don't think anyone is supposed to be normal actually ... "

"These days, he always seems to have that far-away look in his eyes."

"It's probably nothing to worry about. maybe he is in touch with another level of reality. It might be just what he needs right now."

{I live for the day when I hear a psychiatrist or mental health professional say something along those lines ... instead of attempting to coerce people back to 'normality' - whatever that is ...}

"I have no idea what I'm doing actually ... " (tone-of-voice)

"I don't really know what I want ... I do know this isn't it ... and I'd say the same applies to just about everyone you meet ... you can see it in their eyes ... "

Picked up one of the 'ooglies' at the supermarket - just what I need ... :) ... the official website is here, but I may do a little search of my own ...

Song lyrics keep popping into my head ... "Tell me why should it be that we go on hurting each other ... making each other cry ... without ever knowing why ... " (I think it's a Carpenters song, off the top-of-my-head)

Which started the seeds of yet another poem to add to the collection ... here ...

Saw a great poster in a shop - 'All I need to know about life I learned from my dog' - should transcribe some of it next time ... something about 'take full responsibility for all your actions (just as soon as you are dragged out from under the bed) and 'leave people in no doubt about how you feel about them (piddling on the shoes usually helps)' ... as you can gather, it was not one of your typical 'inspirational' type posters ... :)

... well click here for the gist of it ...

Ah yes, reflecting on the lack of forgiveness in the world at present ... we all end up suffering because some people make a big enough boo-boo and they might feel as if 'Well, that's that. I'm finished. I might as well go ALL the way now. What does it matter ... "

This colour is mauve

Whereas this colour is crimson

[  January 13, 2001   '

From a recent email - next time I'm online, check this link out (if I remember) -
click here

From Frasier -

"I don't understand it. I was so sure."

"Aw, geee, don't be so hard on yourself. After all, what parent doesn't at one time or another completely obliterate their child's chances of ever trusting another human being."

Added Coastscapes to those links pages ...

Sunset over the pacific ocean

along with The Whole Soul Hug

and The critical mass of enlightenment, an article at a way-out site called DeoxyRiboNucleic HyperDimension, where John Hogue examines how many enlightened people are needed to detonate the spiritual liberation of humanity. He has an interesting website himself ...

Sent Tibetan Portraits link to the 'WOW' crowd ... here

Watched a few video clips as i tried to wake up from a very deep sleep - the dreams were astonishingly vivid and detailed - is someone trying to tell me something? - one involved an earthquake and people being 'entombed' opposite Flinders St station ... can't readily recall the others ... if you could get my dreams down on video they'd make classic surreal films at times ...

... anyway, it can be a bit depressing to watch such programs - the messages about life and love in most pop songs - especially when you consider many of their parents have no formal belief system or anything resembling a spiritual focus or practice ... so many 'impressionable minds' are getting 'guidance' from popular culture ... I mean most of the lyrics are perfect blueprints for what love is NOT ... people generally like to think they know what love is but I would have to say that by-and-large they are misguided and labouring under misconceptions ... many songs speak of 'the one' - in other words, love is seen as something wonderul and magical BUT only once you meet your 'soulmate' ... this is actually romantic nonsense and has precious little to do with genuine love but it is an extremely popular misconception ... actually there is a simple test of whether you have the right idea about what love is - can you imagine extending that same feeling equally to everyone you encounter without discrimination ... few people have yet to seriously entertain such a notion ... funnily enough I thought of Jesus and how he made a point of seeking out those who are not on society's A-list ... then I reflected on the ten commandments and how they really boil down to just ONE ... 'Love thy neighbour as thy self' ... if we all lived that simple idea then there simply wouldn;t be any coveting or bearing false witness or whatever ...

Yes, true love does not wear off or grow weary or make demands or seek to control or judge or criticise ... so it's pretty fair to say a lot of us are using the word 'love' when it is anything BUT ...

{Probably the simplest definition of love is to see God (or the divine) in every person you encounter ... kind of tough to do if you don't see God in yourself or in anything ... and I know this from experience ... J}

More dilaogue -

"But we're your family."

"So is every other human being on the planet. I don't play favourites."

"No, I'm simply being honest. Take a good look at the faces around you. There isn't too much spontaneous joy radiating from most of them ... and there has to be a reason for this ... there has to be some fundamental flaw in the way people are living ... and if you never ask the question and investigate the matter you'll never discover the flaw ... "

"Instant world. I am the instant world of all lifetimes."

Any statement which begins with 'I need' or 'I want' is a statement of belief in incompleteness ...

Yes, the idea of having equal affection for those we agree with and those we totally disagree with ... that's a toughie ...

"You're amazing!"

"Well, amazing is a relative term. Even this is just a glimpse of the full potential which each human being carries ... "

More ideas from yesterday's shopping expedition ...

"Everybody's experience is different. I don't think it's all that helpful to generalise."

"I'm not trying to persuade you around to my point-of-view. You're perfectly entitled to think anyway you like. A soul can only evolve by making choices and then experiencing the results of those choices ... "

"We only get oursleves into trouble when we try to measure one life against another and get involved in the nonsense of deciding which one is 'better' or more 'worthy' or 'valuable' or 'admirable' or 'noteworthy' or 'remarkable' or 'important' or whatever ... until we cultivate genuine reverance for all life we'll probably continue the long human tradition of making each other miserable ... " {needs work but you can see where I'm going ...}

"Well, after a while, you do reach a point where you wonder if there is anything to be gained from further discussion ... other than further tension and conflict ... "

I also remembered that email someone sent me (Doug? & antipsych.htm?) - about India and the fact that if a middle-aged man is seen wandering around holding a teddy bear he is taken care of by the holy men because it is seen as a sign of enlightenment ... whereas here in the oh-so-serious West it is seen as a 'retreat from reality' or a 'mental illness' ...

[  January 14, 2001   '

From a quote I received in the email - Bede Griffiths - reflections on the contemplative life ...

and one of their links pages leads me to this site which is St Michael's Abbey ... not to mention the 'inner explorations' site which claims to have over 2000 pages of online books & essays ... thank God I have a bit of 'spare time' ... J

... another of those links is The Empty Bell, which has some Buddhist-Christian dialogue, follow ups to The Good Heart ... Dave would be pleased ... small world ...

After watching that doco on Krakatoa exploding in the 6th century ... found a couple of links -

The Dark Ages begins - has many links also ... including the scripts to the PBS doco itself ...

Warnings of extreme weather today - click here. It was extremely HOT in Adelaide yesterday - 46 in some suburbs ... ouch!

But ... it is slightly unusual. You expect 43 to be preceded by a couple of high 30's and some sleepless nights. Whereas last night was fairly mild with a sea breeze. The air mass over inland Australia must be super heated - it's been around 40 for a few days in northern parts of the state and South Australia.

Listening to the radio this morning, I heard someone mention this website - www.outback2002.com - it sounded good from their description but may be a work-in-progress ...

Reading the Bede Griffiths bio ... it mentions Kurisumala Ashram ... a search tosses up these results - click

Plus a page on 'Do you have what it takes?' - with regard to a monastic life ... hmmm ... click ... sounds great ... I might come back as a Benedictine nun ... being male and 42 does kind of put me outside their selection criteria ... J

[  January 15, 2001   '

Here's a site to add to my 'mental health links' ... touched with fire

message 57571 ... as Forum gets a little quiet ... could follow up with ask osho page ...

Interesting interviews - here

Plus another with James Twyman - here

From recent emails - discussion of genius & temper(ament) ... e.g. John McEnroe who undoubtedly was a genius i terms of tennis ability ... then I said yes, genius is often volatile and explosive. It's a good excuse anyway. Then again, you could say that people like the Dalai Lama and Tenzin Palmo and others are spiritual geniuses and they are anything but volatile. Interesting subject though ... :)

Another excellent interview - here - brings back what I experienced when I read Emissary of Light and expands on it a bit ... should add to those links in my excerpts ...

... in fact with some spare time, I do revamp those excerpts a little ... I remember reading someone once saying about a book they loved it SO much they wished their memory could be wiped clean so they could have re-live the experience of reading it the first time ... a few experiences are like that ...

The Gyuto monks are in Oz again ... coming to a community centre near me ...

December 2000      Journal Menu      Jan 16 to 28

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J

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