You think you want enlightenment? Think again!
First, read Deepak Chopra’s Buddha, then see if you won’t want to leave the Spiritual path posthaste!
In his novel, Buddha, Chopra brings to life the Prince who would be “the enlightened one.”
The novel starts off with the birth of Siddhartha, the only son of King Suddhodana of Sakya (563 BCE). As was the custom, astrologers were called to foretell the Prince’s destiny at a naming ceremony, but they hesitated sharing their findings with the king.
The astrologers could see that Siddhartha was destined to be great, having “dominion in the four corners of the earth.” But what they feared telling King Suddhodana was that Siddhartha was the Prince who would not be King! It took a courageous hermit monk to tell the king what the others dared not tell: The Prince had two destinies, one to rule the Kingdom and another "to rule his own soul.”
King Suddhodana then sought counsel from a high Brahmin priest. He told the king that the only way to thwart his son’s destiny and make him king was to make him a prisoner for 32 years. The prince should not be allowed to see any human suffering. If he did, then the prince would follow the destiny of his “soul.”
So, the king quickly devised an elaborate plan to keep his son locked within the palace walls, where the only people and things he saw were happy and good. All the old, crippled and sick people, including the lepers, were sent away or confined to their homes under house arrests. Funerals were only allowed at night, and then, with no public ceremony.
For years, Prince Siddhartha grew up in a seeming paradise. He got married and had a son, all by the age of 29. Then his fate intervened.
It caused the Prince Siddharta to eventually witness sorrow, human suffering and death. Even his own soul began to penetrate his “beingness” and moved within to lead him on. It was then Siddhartha, the prince, left the palace and began his search to become the Buddha: “the one who is awake.”
Assuming the name and identity of "Gautama," a penniless monk, the prince walked barefoot and begged for food and shelter. He sought counsel of more seasoned monks along the way, some who became his teacher. But with his soul as his guide, Gautama eventually became disillusioned with the practices of these older monks and struck out to find “enlightenment” and the “truth about who he really was” on his own.
Gautama embarked on an austerity program to overcome his “karma.” This, he described as keeping “good and evil in balance. Karma is a divine law. When the law is violated, however innocently, it can’t be undone. One snapped thread alters the whole design, one misdeed alters a person’s destiny.”
The austerity program Gautama undertook had no other parallel, as he set out to defy death itself. “Death has been stalking me since the day I was born,” he said. “Eventually, no matter how hard I struggle, death will win---the hunter will kill his prey. But until then I have one chance to turn the tables. If I move quickly, I may be able to kill death first. There’s no other way, not if I want to be free.”
During his search for freedom, Gautama ate only a handful of rice most days. His body wasted away and his skin barely clung to his bones. Eventually, he attracted five other monks, who were impressed with his saintly emaciation and his commitment. He and the monks settled in a cave, at a place Chopra described as “in the sentinel peaks of the Himalayas” as they waited for enlightenment. As Chopra wrote, “It was a breathtaking place to suffer in....The air was crisp and cold as the first ice crust on a pond in winter...The faint air currents sweeping up the valley sounded like the breathing of the world.”
For months, Gautama and the monks sat in their cave speaking little, only collecting roots for food and filling their gourds from a stream. Gautama seemed to love the life of austerity. He sat in the snow for hours to see “if he could make his body hurt so much that it would give up all its hopes for pleasures. Day after day, he repeated this.”
Then, while sitting one day, Gautama had a vision of being visited by the god Krishna. At first, he truly believed it was the Krishna, but eventually realized it was the god of death, Mara, who had been plaguing him all his life. This encounter lead Gautama to even greater austerity: he piled rocks on his chest and pierced his cheeks with sharpened sticks.
He explained this method to his disciple monks,”I learned the Dharma of the higher self, but I never met my higher self or heard a word from it. I learned the Dharma of the soul, which was supposed to be my speck of the divine, but no matter how blissful I might feel, the time always came when I was overwhelmed once more by anger and sorrow.
“In time I concluded that my struggles could last a lifetime, and to what end? I will still be a slave to karma and a prisoner to this world. What is this karma that visits us with so much suffering? Karma is the body’s endless desires. Karma is the memory of past pleasure we want to repeat and past pain we want to avoid. It’s the delusions of ego and the storm of fear and anger that besieges the mind. Therefore, I have resolved to cut karma out by the roots.”
It took him five long years, but Gautama overcame all the temptations Mara, the death god, sent his way, allowing the Buddha to finally emerge! Gautama... as the Buddha...returned to share with his disciples this message:
“I have come back to tell you that you can be whole, but only if you see yourself that way. There is no holy life. There is no war between good and evil. There is no sin and no redemption. None of these things matter to the real you. But they matter hugely to the false you, the one who believes in the separate self. You have tried to take your separate self, with all its loneliness and anxiety and pride to the door of enlightenment. But it will never go through, because it is a ghost.”
At the end of the book, Chopra explained that as a story teller he did not feel it was “my place to spread Buddhism.” However, he briefly laid out Buddhism’s eight-fold path to change: 1. Right view or perspective. 2. Right intention. 3. Right speech. 4. Right action. 5. Right livelihood. 6. Right effort. 7. Right mindfulness. 8. Right concentration.
Even without sharing much about Buddhist practices, Chopra shared a wealth of information about the path of enlightenment and taught us about "enlightenment" itself!
Namaste’,
Che’
NOTE: Our next book review, in June, will be Chopra’s book, “The Third Jesus.”
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Indomitable Spirit Within Us: Kristi, Jason and Cristian!
It's FUN to watch the transformation of star athletes, actors and other professionals into beautiful swans on the dance floor. "Dancing With the Stars" does just that. More importantly, the show also highlights the Winning Spirit of the performers.
The last three competitors left in the finale last night were Kristi Yamaguchi, Jason Taylor and Christian de la Fuente. All three showed that Winning Spirit and a sense of indomitability, even when they knew they were not winning. I heard Jason Taylor say at the start of the show last night, "It's okay to be Number Three and in last place," giving a friendly grimace. The reason he didn't seem to care too much was because of the respect and genuine affection he and the other two had developed for each other.
That's the thing about life. We don't mind losing, if we can feel the beauty of the winner. Kristi Yamaguchi is one such beautiful Spirit. She never flaunts her skills and talent, and she always seems humble and grateful.
"Obviously, the fans are the deciding factor here, and I can't say enough to thank them," she stated after she'd won.***
All of us have watched Kristi grow up on the ice, facing the toughest and best competitors in Ice Skating, yet always seeming gracious, even when she was not at the top. She applied that same graciousness to the Dancing competition.
It is that graciousness that ultimately won over Jason and Cristian. Jason stated that Kristi was "just perfect," and Cristian said, "it was impossible to beat her." Even one of the professional dancers, Cheryl Burke, said,
"Kristi deserved it more than any other woman in any other season!"
But Jason and Cristian were winners, too, in their own right!
Cristian showed his indomitability when he ruptured a tendon in his left biceps but put off repair surgery to come back and compete to the end. He also showed his competitive nature by appealing to his fans in fluent Spanish, then humorously ending in English, by stating "Latino Power!" He did not even display a hint of a smile, though it was a funny moment. He won my heart.
Throughout Jason clearly was a fan favorite, but he was steadfast in his support of Kristi, stating that he "grew up watching her compete for our country."
We should all learn something from these "stars" who go onto the Dancing Show:
HAVE FUN in life! It's not always about WINNING...It's about the way you make people feel about YOU and the Spirit within you that ALWAYS lets you SHINE!...
...if you'll let it!
Namaste',
Che'
***All quotes obtained from an Associated Press piece!
The last three competitors left in the finale last night were Kristi Yamaguchi, Jason Taylor and Christian de la Fuente. All three showed that Winning Spirit and a sense of indomitability, even when they knew they were not winning. I heard Jason Taylor say at the start of the show last night, "It's okay to be Number Three and in last place," giving a friendly grimace. The reason he didn't seem to care too much was because of the respect and genuine affection he and the other two had developed for each other.
That's the thing about life. We don't mind losing, if we can feel the beauty of the winner. Kristi Yamaguchi is one such beautiful Spirit. She never flaunts her skills and talent, and she always seems humble and grateful.
"Obviously, the fans are the deciding factor here, and I can't say enough to thank them," she stated after she'd won.***
All of us have watched Kristi grow up on the ice, facing the toughest and best competitors in Ice Skating, yet always seeming gracious, even when she was not at the top. She applied that same graciousness to the Dancing competition.
It is that graciousness that ultimately won over Jason and Cristian. Jason stated that Kristi was "just perfect," and Cristian said, "it was impossible to beat her." Even one of the professional dancers, Cheryl Burke, said,
"Kristi deserved it more than any other woman in any other season!"
But Jason and Cristian were winners, too, in their own right!
Cristian showed his indomitability when he ruptured a tendon in his left biceps but put off repair surgery to come back and compete to the end. He also showed his competitive nature by appealing to his fans in fluent Spanish, then humorously ending in English, by stating "Latino Power!" He did not even display a hint of a smile, though it was a funny moment. He won my heart.
Throughout Jason clearly was a fan favorite, but he was steadfast in his support of Kristi, stating that he "grew up watching her compete for our country."
We should all learn something from these "stars" who go onto the Dancing Show:
HAVE FUN in life! It's not always about WINNING...It's about the way you make people feel about YOU and the Spirit within you that ALWAYS lets you SHINE!...
...if you'll let it!
Namaste',
Che'
***All quotes obtained from an Associated Press piece!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
The Perfect Anti-dote for Life's Ills: Perfect Love!
"Seeking Common Ground" Series
Mary Baker Eddy founded Christian Science in 1866. Like Unity, Christian Science is a practice and a teaching, based on those of Jesus, the Christ. It is not a religion.
Christian Science teaches that God is Love. There is no presence, no existence we have that is not of God, and God is only Good! Anything else that we’re experiencing is not of God and is of error thinking.
Christian Science also teaches that God is Infinite and that if our very life is God life, then there is no Death, only immortality! Anything else that we experience such as illness, sickness and death is not of God and results from errors in our beliefs.
Who can disprove any of this?
Only God truly can provide the answers to life’s challenges.
“There is no fear in love. Perfect love casteth out Fear.” 1 John 4:18
From our human perspective, though, when problems of any sort come, our first reaction is to look outside ourselves to “fix” them. We may think the answers come through medicine, our doctor or some other source. But it still is the “Oneness” of God operating through all these sources.
So, we run to the doctor, we run to our friends, our employer, our teacher FIRST....then, maybe, we stop and pray.
I say, we do the last, first, then...the solution as to whom of the rest to consult... will follow.
When we pray first, we align ourselves with a consciousness of God, regardless of the level of that consciousness. Once we get deeply into prayer, we feel our “consciousness” lift i.e. there is a “stirring” within us. This is our awareness of making connection to Spirit.
Once we feel this, then we can go about doing anything that we’re guided to do, because we now have FAITH, and HOPE and TRUST. That’s because we’d received the answer first from within: everything will be all right!
What happens to many of us, though, when something seemingly bad happens is that we go to the exterior sources to confirm or deny the existence of the problem. In many cases, those sources strengthen our belief in the existence of the problem (error thinking!), and we give it further life. By the time we get around to praying, we are so filled with fear, so panicked that “Love” cannot reach us! Our consciousness cannot be lifted to that level of “greater understanding.”
In order for God to be GOD in our lives, he actually does NEED our participation. He can only do what he does THROUGH us...not through any other source but through our consciousness. It is this very raised “consciousness,” the “Jehovah Jireh” of our being, that allows us to be healed.
“Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace,” Jesus said. (Mark 5:34) And, “I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the work.” John 14: 10
Why do we become so filled with fear and wrong thinking?
How do we get so paralyzed into inaction that we cannot even pray?
Those are the times that we’ve given all our power away to the world outside of us.
The world that says we need this or that to fix our problems. The world that constantly bombards us with the “error thinking” that “there is never enough” to go around.
So, we develop thoughts of lack, limitation, and a belief in the power of the ways of the world. Yes, it is true that if we are unconscious to God within us and are focused on the ways of the world, it would have power over us. This lack of consciousness of the Goodness of God, indeed, does result in dis-eases of all types, problems of all shapes and colors. But as soon as we can get ourselves centered in the glory and goodness of God, those problems start disappearing...one by one! It begins also with that focus on the “NOW” in which God resides.
If I take my own life as an example, I can reflect back to the period when life no longer seemed to “flow” naturally for me. That was the time when I began to leave God truly behind and looked more and more to the world as the source of my being!
Like many growing young adults, I wanted to be considered “hip” and “cool.” And I was IT: cigarette in my hands (fortunately only for a period of less than two years), wine glass in the other!
I was hip, and I was cool. The more hip and cool I became, the more the “world” seemed to accept me. But I was fully unconscious to the Pure Being within me !
So covered was my Spirit that GOD was STILL!
Of course, he was shocked into Silence and total, absolute Stillness!
No church...no-thing...that spoke his name or recognized his power was evident in my life.
Yet, I thrived. I was so cool. I was successful. I lived!
Thank God for HIS Mercy!
Then, came the void. The day (s) when the ways of the world began to seem so empty to me.
The day (s) when I began to see the impotence of my “coolness” and “hipness.”
It was then that I began my search. The return had begun.
It’s now years in the making.
Thank God for GOD! Thank God for the Goodness of God! Thank God for the Infinity of God!
Christian Science does speak TRUTH!
Namaste’,
Che’
NOTE: This is one in an ongoing series:"Seeking Common Ground," intended to bring certain teachings and religions to light!
Mary Baker Eddy founded Christian Science in 1866. Like Unity, Christian Science is a practice and a teaching, based on those of Jesus, the Christ. It is not a religion.
Christian Science teaches that God is Love. There is no presence, no existence we have that is not of God, and God is only Good! Anything else that we’re experiencing is not of God and is of error thinking.
Christian Science also teaches that God is Infinite and that if our very life is God life, then there is no Death, only immortality! Anything else that we experience such as illness, sickness and death is not of God and results from errors in our beliefs.
Who can disprove any of this?
Only God truly can provide the answers to life’s challenges.
“There is no fear in love. Perfect love casteth out Fear.” 1 John 4:18
From our human perspective, though, when problems of any sort come, our first reaction is to look outside ourselves to “fix” them. We may think the answers come through medicine, our doctor or some other source. But it still is the “Oneness” of God operating through all these sources.
So, we run to the doctor, we run to our friends, our employer, our teacher FIRST....then, maybe, we stop and pray.
I say, we do the last, first, then...the solution as to whom of the rest to consult... will follow.
When we pray first, we align ourselves with a consciousness of God, regardless of the level of that consciousness. Once we get deeply into prayer, we feel our “consciousness” lift i.e. there is a “stirring” within us. This is our awareness of making connection to Spirit.
Once we feel this, then we can go about doing anything that we’re guided to do, because we now have FAITH, and HOPE and TRUST. That’s because we’d received the answer first from within: everything will be all right!
What happens to many of us, though, when something seemingly bad happens is that we go to the exterior sources to confirm or deny the existence of the problem. In many cases, those sources strengthen our belief in the existence of the problem (error thinking!), and we give it further life. By the time we get around to praying, we are so filled with fear, so panicked that “Love” cannot reach us! Our consciousness cannot be lifted to that level of “greater understanding.”
In order for God to be GOD in our lives, he actually does NEED our participation. He can only do what he does THROUGH us...not through any other source but through our consciousness. It is this very raised “consciousness,” the “Jehovah Jireh” of our being, that allows us to be healed.
“Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace,” Jesus said. (Mark 5:34) And, “I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the work.” John 14: 10
Why do we become so filled with fear and wrong thinking?
How do we get so paralyzed into inaction that we cannot even pray?
Those are the times that we’ve given all our power away to the world outside of us.
The world that says we need this or that to fix our problems. The world that constantly bombards us with the “error thinking” that “there is never enough” to go around.
So, we develop thoughts of lack, limitation, and a belief in the power of the ways of the world. Yes, it is true that if we are unconscious to God within us and are focused on the ways of the world, it would have power over us. This lack of consciousness of the Goodness of God, indeed, does result in dis-eases of all types, problems of all shapes and colors. But as soon as we can get ourselves centered in the glory and goodness of God, those problems start disappearing...one by one! It begins also with that focus on the “NOW” in which God resides.
If I take my own life as an example, I can reflect back to the period when life no longer seemed to “flow” naturally for me. That was the time when I began to leave God truly behind and looked more and more to the world as the source of my being!
Like many growing young adults, I wanted to be considered “hip” and “cool.” And I was IT: cigarette in my hands (fortunately only for a period of less than two years), wine glass in the other!
I was hip, and I was cool. The more hip and cool I became, the more the “world” seemed to accept me. But I was fully unconscious to the Pure Being within me !
So covered was my Spirit that GOD was STILL!
Of course, he was shocked into Silence and total, absolute Stillness!
No church...no-thing...that spoke his name or recognized his power was evident in my life.
Yet, I thrived. I was so cool. I was successful. I lived!
Thank God for HIS Mercy!
Then, came the void. The day (s) when the ways of the world began to seem so empty to me.
The day (s) when I began to see the impotence of my “coolness” and “hipness.”
It was then that I began my search. The return had begun.
It’s now years in the making.
Thank God for GOD! Thank God for the Goodness of God! Thank God for the Infinity of God!
Christian Science does speak TRUTH!
Namaste’,
Che’
NOTE: This is one in an ongoing series:"Seeking Common Ground," intended to bring certain teachings and religions to light!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Long Walk to Freedom: Do We Have to Take the Long Route Home?
“Long Walk to Freedom” is the name Nelson Mandela gave to his autobiography. The book is a fascinating portrait of courage and spiritual strength demonstrated in the man who would ultimately lead black South Africans to their freedom.
When I first purchased the book, I set it aside not knowing how emotional I would get as I went on this journey with Mandela. I wasn’t sure I was ready. But...from the day I determined that I had to get started, I did not have a free moment when I did not read it until the end. In the more than 600 pages, Mandela captures and captives your mind with his story. It is a fascinating read; it is gripping. His story is told so clearly, simply, without theories or lofty ideals. He was just a boy when he got started on the journey. We followed him from there, until he became a grown man, who has reached heights few men will in one lifetime.
I was gripped in the same way when I read “Left to Tell,"Immaculee Ilibagiza’s story of her survival during the Rwandan Holocaust. This time, though, I cried through the pages, as I relived with Immaculee the horror of her imprisonment for 91 days in a bathroom with seven other women. When she entered she weighed more than 120 lbs; when she left, she weighed 87 lbs.
What made Immaculee’s story so poignant was her discovery of God soon after she entered the bathroom. This “discovery” was what made her survive and even thrive during her captivity.
There is a common theme in both Immaculee’s and Mandela’s stories: Strength, Courage and Survival...and yes, the ever present God!
I thought of both these stories recently when someone rhetorically asked whether slaves were “responsible for their imprisonment.”
Slaves obviously were not responsible for their imprisonment, neither were Immaculee and Mandela. You can say all atrocities result from the “evil beliefs of man.” No one would give you an argument there. Yet, we do not know why the beliefs and minds of men become so warped to commit such evil.
To a much lesser extent, as humans walking the earth, we all battle demons that arise in our lives: chance events, happenstance and randomness. Things that truly can be considered “bad,” some even evil. How do we surmount these events?
I believe the most touching stories in history, like those of the slaves, or a Nelson Mandela, or an Immaculee Ilibagiza light the way to our redemption: Faith and Trust of the Power Within.
We know the story of the house slaves and the field slaves, with the latter being banished out in the fields to do “hard” labor because they were less amenable, less likely to acquiesce to the master’s control. We have some key examples of slaves, like Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, Madison Washington Jones, Frederick Douglass, and hundreds of other slaves who left their sacrificial blood as trails for us to follow their stories.
What were the “real” stories of the slaves who chose to die, rather than live, in enslavement?
As we take our own “long walk to freedom” through the valleys of our souls, probably through long days and nights of bewilderment and seeming abandonment by God, we should ponder the stories of those great men and women.
I believe that those of us who will be able to walk to “freedom” are those who demonstrate no less strength of character, no less faith, no less trust in God. For to each of us fighting a mountain of battles and daily struggles, the pain of separation from God seems just as great.
True redemption, I believe, will come when we stop resisting our struggles and instead embrace them, listening “with all our hearts” to the guidance that would lead us on. That’s when we’ll begin to get glimpses into the souls of all the great men and women who suffered before us. We’ll probably be lead to fully understand the ONLY impetus that could have led them all to freedom: The Spirit Within.
I believe that once we acknowledge our own impotence and stop the struggle, we immediately “GO HOME!”
The return journey home is almost immediate. There is NO travel involved. All it takes is the acquiescence and acceptance that “By myself I can do nothing... but with God, all things are possible.”*
But for most of us, we have a Long Walk to Freedom: We refuse to let go!
Can you blame us?
All of our lives we’ve learned that God was this big, formidable figure to whom we had to plead and beg and for whom, we had to be on our best behavior.
All of our lives, of course, we’ve fallen short.
Then, we step onto the path, and we’re told that it takes lots of practiced meditation, prayer and sometimes a guru or two.
Many times, in the beginning, we find books that point us in the direction of home right away. But, no, those are “too way out.”
They can’t be true. So, we soldier on.
Then finally... when we’ve done all our poor human heart can hold... we sigh and say, “not my will but thine be done!” or “I surrender all.”
It is in that moment that we’re finally ready to go home. It may take us a lifetime, or like Immaculee, a short time locked in a small bathroom, to get to that place of surrender. It all depends on our level of consciousness and openness to Spirit’s guidance.
But it is in that moment when we indicate true readiness, we’re welcomed back home. Like the prodigal son, we’re welcomed home without a lecture, only with love.
“Son...daughter, you’re home. Welcome back.”
It is in that moment, we feel the whisper of our very breath...the tremor of our inner being...the part of us that always knew the TRUTH.
It is then that we silently whisper back, “Daddy, Thank you!”
Immaculee saved herself and at least seven others, and inspired millions with her story. Nelson Mandela freed himself and an entire nation. The slave rebellions resulted in the freedom for millions and changed forever the course of History.
We are only trying to save our own souls.
Do we truly have to take “the long walk to freedom” or, can we, in a moment, surrender and say: “Father, not my will but thine be done?”
Spirit (consciousness, God) always is calling us to come up higher in our level of awareness of itself! Regardless of your level of consciousness, can you just allow God to be GOD through you?
Namaste’,
Che’
***John 5:30-32; Matt: 19-26
NOTE: Today is exactly 20 years when I can pinpoint beginning my journey on the Spiritual Path, leaving my secure, corporate job in NY City on this day to move to the West Coast. Of course, I did not know I was on a “journey.” I was just answering a restless “call” to my Soul! Little did I KNOW where my journey would take me! I’m still traveling on down that Road!
When I first purchased the book, I set it aside not knowing how emotional I would get as I went on this journey with Mandela. I wasn’t sure I was ready. But...from the day I determined that I had to get started, I did not have a free moment when I did not read it until the end. In the more than 600 pages, Mandela captures and captives your mind with his story. It is a fascinating read; it is gripping. His story is told so clearly, simply, without theories or lofty ideals. He was just a boy when he got started on the journey. We followed him from there, until he became a grown man, who has reached heights few men will in one lifetime.
I was gripped in the same way when I read “Left to Tell,"Immaculee Ilibagiza’s story of her survival during the Rwandan Holocaust. This time, though, I cried through the pages, as I relived with Immaculee the horror of her imprisonment for 91 days in a bathroom with seven other women. When she entered she weighed more than 120 lbs; when she left, she weighed 87 lbs.
What made Immaculee’s story so poignant was her discovery of God soon after she entered the bathroom. This “discovery” was what made her survive and even thrive during her captivity.
There is a common theme in both Immaculee’s and Mandela’s stories: Strength, Courage and Survival...and yes, the ever present God!
I thought of both these stories recently when someone rhetorically asked whether slaves were “responsible for their imprisonment.”
Slaves obviously were not responsible for their imprisonment, neither were Immaculee and Mandela. You can say all atrocities result from the “evil beliefs of man.” No one would give you an argument there. Yet, we do not know why the beliefs and minds of men become so warped to commit such evil.
To a much lesser extent, as humans walking the earth, we all battle demons that arise in our lives: chance events, happenstance and randomness. Things that truly can be considered “bad,” some even evil. How do we surmount these events?
I believe the most touching stories in history, like those of the slaves, or a Nelson Mandela, or an Immaculee Ilibagiza light the way to our redemption: Faith and Trust of the Power Within.
We know the story of the house slaves and the field slaves, with the latter being banished out in the fields to do “hard” labor because they were less amenable, less likely to acquiesce to the master’s control. We have some key examples of slaves, like Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, Madison Washington Jones, Frederick Douglass, and hundreds of other slaves who left their sacrificial blood as trails for us to follow their stories.
What were the “real” stories of the slaves who chose to die, rather than live, in enslavement?
As we take our own “long walk to freedom” through the valleys of our souls, probably through long days and nights of bewilderment and seeming abandonment by God, we should ponder the stories of those great men and women.
I believe that those of us who will be able to walk to “freedom” are those who demonstrate no less strength of character, no less faith, no less trust in God. For to each of us fighting a mountain of battles and daily struggles, the pain of separation from God seems just as great.
True redemption, I believe, will come when we stop resisting our struggles and instead embrace them, listening “with all our hearts” to the guidance that would lead us on. That’s when we’ll begin to get glimpses into the souls of all the great men and women who suffered before us. We’ll probably be lead to fully understand the ONLY impetus that could have led them all to freedom: The Spirit Within.
I believe that once we acknowledge our own impotence and stop the struggle, we immediately “GO HOME!”
The return journey home is almost immediate. There is NO travel involved. All it takes is the acquiescence and acceptance that “By myself I can do nothing... but with God, all things are possible.”*
But for most of us, we have a Long Walk to Freedom: We refuse to let go!
Can you blame us?
All of our lives we’ve learned that God was this big, formidable figure to whom we had to plead and beg and for whom, we had to be on our best behavior.
All of our lives, of course, we’ve fallen short.
Then, we step onto the path, and we’re told that it takes lots of practiced meditation, prayer and sometimes a guru or two.
Many times, in the beginning, we find books that point us in the direction of home right away. But, no, those are “too way out.”
They can’t be true. So, we soldier on.
Then finally... when we’ve done all our poor human heart can hold... we sigh and say, “not my will but thine be done!” or “I surrender all.”
It is in that moment that we’re finally ready to go home. It may take us a lifetime, or like Immaculee, a short time locked in a small bathroom, to get to that place of surrender. It all depends on our level of consciousness and openness to Spirit’s guidance.
But it is in that moment when we indicate true readiness, we’re welcomed back home. Like the prodigal son, we’re welcomed home without a lecture, only with love.
“Son...daughter, you’re home. Welcome back.”
It is in that moment, we feel the whisper of our very breath...the tremor of our inner being...the part of us that always knew the TRUTH.
It is then that we silently whisper back, “Daddy, Thank you!”
Immaculee saved herself and at least seven others, and inspired millions with her story. Nelson Mandela freed himself and an entire nation. The slave rebellions resulted in the freedom for millions and changed forever the course of History.
We are only trying to save our own souls.
Do we truly have to take “the long walk to freedom” or, can we, in a moment, surrender and say: “Father, not my will but thine be done?”
Spirit (consciousness, God) always is calling us to come up higher in our level of awareness of itself! Regardless of your level of consciousness, can you just allow God to be GOD through you?
Namaste’,
Che’
***John 5:30-32; Matt: 19-26
NOTE: Today is exactly 20 years when I can pinpoint beginning my journey on the Spiritual Path, leaving my secure, corporate job in NY City on this day to move to the West Coast. Of course, I did not know I was on a “journey.” I was just answering a restless “call” to my Soul! Little did I KNOW where my journey would take me! I’m still traveling on down that Road!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Paradigm Shift: Moving to Conscious Living!
Over the past 10 weeks, several of us from this blog, and hundreds of thousands of people around the world, have been following Eckhart Tolle and Oprah as they reviewed the book, “A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose” chapter by chapter. What a journey it has been!
Coupled with A New Earth, I also have been experiencing the Presence Process, led by Michael Brown, week by week. I’m now two weeks away from completion of this process.
These two experiences have caused a major shift in the way I see the world and my “being” in the world: a paradigm shift. After these weeks of exploring consciousness with Tolle and Brown, I don’t think I’m ever likely to forget to stay alert to the NOW. Oprah and Tolle did an awesome job, garnering a participation level of approximately 800,000 people in the weekly program. But it was Brown’s Presence Process that truly captured my soul.
If you followed the twice-daily connected breathing exercises, with weekly affirmations, that are intended to awaken your consciousness, there is no way you can operate the same way as you did before.
Uncovering The Presence Process has not been an easy journey, but a fulfilling one.
Before going through my experience of Presence, I was aware of the Spirit within me. This Spirit was the God force within with whom I was able to connect during times of prayer or meditation. I’ve always also known that whether I connected to this Spirit within me or not, it was always there, always supporting me in my efforts. It was there because “it had to be.”
I did not think that the quality of my entire life, though, depended on my connecting or not connecting with this force. Now I do. We all need to be awake to consciousness, moment by moment, not just when we “think of it.”
Making the critical connection to Spirit within, which I now view as Pure Being, determines the quality of our life and the way it unfolds. When we are conscious to Pure Being, we are able to be Present in each moment of our life experience. We then are made aware of everything... in the moment as it happens...and can be fully awake to our choices and our joy, creativity, grief or any other emotion.
Likewise, when we're unconscious to Pure Being within us, we're unaware of the effects of our day-to-day experiences on the overall quality of our life. We then spend most of our time and life backpedaling to correct mistakes of the past or fast forwarding to the future when we hope life will get better.
This is no way to live! By and large, though, this is how most people are living on this earth. Most people are living in the past or the future. Few are living in the NOW and the Present moment, which is the only “moment” that truly matters.
The only aspect of our lives that we truly have a choice about is the Present moment. It is the only “time” that truly exists for us!
The past and the future are all illusions, thousands of “moments” that seem to spell out our lives for us but in essence only cripple our capability of staying Present to the ONE moment that matters: NOW!
Well, I’m done being Unconscious to the NOW! I’m fully awake.
“Your Forgotten Self: Mirrored in Jesus the Christ,” by David Robert Ord also contributed to my new insight. Here, Ord takes you through Jesus’ time on earth and the true meaning of what he said. After reading Ord, you wonder how Jesus’ messages to us about Spirit within could have gotten so distorted.
But then I wonder, if indeed, we were really “listening” closely to the sermons and the messages in the church.
I recall going to church after the eighth week of classes with Tolle and Oprah and hearing the Episcopal minister giving a sermon that seemed to have come directly out of Ord’s book. This Jesus the minister described is the one Ord wrote about. So, I began to wonder: Was I so unconscious to everything before that I could not hear...aright...before?
I don’t know, and truly it does not matter NOW.
What matters NOW is that scripture, literature, theology and my spiritual practice are all coming into alignment for me NOW! I am so grateful.
This does not mean that life will not have its challenges, but Spirit will find a way to quickly remind me when I’m not Present...here...NOW!
For example, one day I was definitely not practicing Present moment awareness and walked into the post office, and did my duty. When I was ready to leave, my car keys were nowhere to be found. Where were they? I’d left them on the counter where I was filling out the forms. This was a not-so-subtle reminder to me by Spirit that I was NOT there...for those moments! It was a very painful reminder, as I had to set about getting my keys replaced.
Now, I intend to pay attention to each moment, no matter how urgent other matters in my life seem to be. Those can wait for the “moment” I get there to attend to them. It does not mean that I do not have goals or visions. But it means that instead of racing ahead through life, projecting forward, I remain conscious of doing ONE thing at a time...only the one thing that is required of me in that moment. Doing life this way, according to Tolle, we become aligned with the universal spiritual energy, (i.e. Spirit...GOD), making life flow more smoothly for us.
This makes sense. God is our very breath. God is the very "consciousness" with which we create our lives!
Even as I go about focused on my NOW moments, I can’t help looking at people as I go places and seeing who seem conscious or unconscious to life. And the majority of people I see are unconscious...seemingly going from one stressful situation to the next. The people I notice who are staying Present are those whose work require them to be right there...right NOW: doctors, nurses, paramedics, policemen, firemen and those types of roles. Those people don’t have time...at least while they are immersed in their roles...to wonder about the next moment; they are busy handling the NOW.
This is a lesson that I invite you all to experience: Living in the NOW i.e. Living Consciously.
I’m sure, like me, you’ll discover that this is the best gift you ever could have given yourself in this lifetime!
Namaste’,
Che’
NOTE: Tolle, Brown and Ord are all published by Namaste’ Publishing. I have a fascination with the books being put out by this company. So, next, I’m moving on to studying other of Namaste’s works: “The Leap: Are you Ready for a New Reality” by Constance Kellough, “Alchemy of the Heart” by Michael Brown, “Stillness” by Tolle, “Finding Self, Finding Love,” by David Ord. I’m anticipating those NOW moments. I’ll let you know then what happens in that NOW!
Coupled with A New Earth, I also have been experiencing the Presence Process, led by Michael Brown, week by week. I’m now two weeks away from completion of this process.
These two experiences have caused a major shift in the way I see the world and my “being” in the world: a paradigm shift. After these weeks of exploring consciousness with Tolle and Brown, I don’t think I’m ever likely to forget to stay alert to the NOW. Oprah and Tolle did an awesome job, garnering a participation level of approximately 800,000 people in the weekly program. But it was Brown’s Presence Process that truly captured my soul.
If you followed the twice-daily connected breathing exercises, with weekly affirmations, that are intended to awaken your consciousness, there is no way you can operate the same way as you did before.
Uncovering The Presence Process has not been an easy journey, but a fulfilling one.
Before going through my experience of Presence, I was aware of the Spirit within me. This Spirit was the God force within with whom I was able to connect during times of prayer or meditation. I’ve always also known that whether I connected to this Spirit within me or not, it was always there, always supporting me in my efforts. It was there because “it had to be.”
I did not think that the quality of my entire life, though, depended on my connecting or not connecting with this force. Now I do. We all need to be awake to consciousness, moment by moment, not just when we “think of it.”
Making the critical connection to Spirit within, which I now view as Pure Being, determines the quality of our life and the way it unfolds. When we are conscious to Pure Being, we are able to be Present in each moment of our life experience. We then are made aware of everything... in the moment as it happens...and can be fully awake to our choices and our joy, creativity, grief or any other emotion.
Likewise, when we're unconscious to Pure Being within us, we're unaware of the effects of our day-to-day experiences on the overall quality of our life. We then spend most of our time and life backpedaling to correct mistakes of the past or fast forwarding to the future when we hope life will get better.
This is no way to live! By and large, though, this is how most people are living on this earth. Most people are living in the past or the future. Few are living in the NOW and the Present moment, which is the only “moment” that truly matters.
The only aspect of our lives that we truly have a choice about is the Present moment. It is the only “time” that truly exists for us!
The past and the future are all illusions, thousands of “moments” that seem to spell out our lives for us but in essence only cripple our capability of staying Present to the ONE moment that matters: NOW!
Well, I’m done being Unconscious to the NOW! I’m fully awake.
“Your Forgotten Self: Mirrored in Jesus the Christ,” by David Robert Ord also contributed to my new insight. Here, Ord takes you through Jesus’ time on earth and the true meaning of what he said. After reading Ord, you wonder how Jesus’ messages to us about Spirit within could have gotten so distorted.
But then I wonder, if indeed, we were really “listening” closely to the sermons and the messages in the church.
I recall going to church after the eighth week of classes with Tolle and Oprah and hearing the Episcopal minister giving a sermon that seemed to have come directly out of Ord’s book. This Jesus the minister described is the one Ord wrote about. So, I began to wonder: Was I so unconscious to everything before that I could not hear...aright...before?
I don’t know, and truly it does not matter NOW.
What matters NOW is that scripture, literature, theology and my spiritual practice are all coming into alignment for me NOW! I am so grateful.
This does not mean that life will not have its challenges, but Spirit will find a way to quickly remind me when I’m not Present...here...NOW!
For example, one day I was definitely not practicing Present moment awareness and walked into the post office, and did my duty. When I was ready to leave, my car keys were nowhere to be found. Where were they? I’d left them on the counter where I was filling out the forms. This was a not-so-subtle reminder to me by Spirit that I was NOT there...for those moments! It was a very painful reminder, as I had to set about getting my keys replaced.
Now, I intend to pay attention to each moment, no matter how urgent other matters in my life seem to be. Those can wait for the “moment” I get there to attend to them. It does not mean that I do not have goals or visions. But it means that instead of racing ahead through life, projecting forward, I remain conscious of doing ONE thing at a time...only the one thing that is required of me in that moment. Doing life this way, according to Tolle, we become aligned with the universal spiritual energy, (i.e. Spirit...GOD), making life flow more smoothly for us.
This makes sense. God is our very breath. God is the very "consciousness" with which we create our lives!
Even as I go about focused on my NOW moments, I can’t help looking at people as I go places and seeing who seem conscious or unconscious to life. And the majority of people I see are unconscious...seemingly going from one stressful situation to the next. The people I notice who are staying Present are those whose work require them to be right there...right NOW: doctors, nurses, paramedics, policemen, firemen and those types of roles. Those people don’t have time...at least while they are immersed in their roles...to wonder about the next moment; they are busy handling the NOW.
This is a lesson that I invite you all to experience: Living in the NOW i.e. Living Consciously.
I’m sure, like me, you’ll discover that this is the best gift you ever could have given yourself in this lifetime!
Namaste’,
Che’
NOTE: Tolle, Brown and Ord are all published by Namaste’ Publishing. I have a fascination with the books being put out by this company. So, next, I’m moving on to studying other of Namaste’s works: “The Leap: Are you Ready for a New Reality” by Constance Kellough, “Alchemy of the Heart” by Michael Brown, “Stillness” by Tolle, “Finding Self, Finding Love,” by David Ord. I’m anticipating those NOW moments. I’ll let you know then what happens in that NOW!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Gaining the Whole World and Losing Your Soul...or...Selling Yourself Out Wholesale!
I don’t know what happened between Star Jones-Reynolds and her husband, Al Reynolds, to cause her recently to file for divorce, and I frankly don’t care about the breakup details. But I’m commenting here because I’d long wondered when Star Jones would get back into herself.
I’d admired Star Jones and all that she had accomplished for herself over the years. Then, I saw her on the Red Carpet at the Academy Awards in 2004, and, like many others, I was dismayed.
Instead of focusing on the stars she was interviewing, Star Jones was promoting her then-fiance’, Al Reynolds. Every set of questions she asked was followed up by “Have you seen Al? He is over there!” or, ”Are you planning to come to the wedding?”
I could not believe this was the same Star Jones who had first ridden to fame during the O.J. Simpson trial by letting her brilliance shine!
Where was she on that night ...and the many other days and nights that followed... as she seemed to publicly disappear?
Whatever caused Star Jones to finally wake up from the “dream” she was in, obviously, will guide her to safety, as she goes through this painful transition back into herself. The lesson from her should not be lost on us, though!
The Star Jones story is the story that we all will be telling, if we decide to sell out ourselves for...love, fame, or money.
Years ago, I read an important book by Sonya Friedan, “Men are Just Desserts,” that set the tone for my dating relationships. In this book, Friedan contends that women need to make ourselves the “main course” in their lives. Once they have done that, then men would be the “desserts,” we can take or leave. Too often, though, I have seen women sell themselves out WHOLESALE to men! (I can’t speak for men, because I have yet to see one do so, plus I’m not really privy to their inside “secrets.”).
Some women just don’t seem to be able to get along without a man. I truly don’t like passing judgment here, because I don’t know what’s really going on inside of these women! There has to be some hole on the inside that badly needs to be filled. No one would crave something if they did not think it would in some way benefit them. The true diehards, though, are those women with men who berate them or emotionally mistreat them in some way.
I know in his book, “A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose,” Eckhart Tolle talks about the pain/body relationship. I can only guess that this may be the reason why these women seem to be choosing the experiences that they do. Their egos need to feel the “pain” in order to sustain itself with drama and emotionally wrenching displays. Then the men who abuse these women, too, are into ego stuff... not feeling truly whole unless they have someone to belittle, because they feel so “small” in and of themselves.
I can’t relate to any of this. I walk away if someone seems even borderline insulting to me.
No one...NO ONE...should make you feel less than WHOLE!
If anyone does, then to me, there is no question... you should simply just walk away. You walk away ...and reach inside yourself, finding strength you never knew you had...and a friend you may have left behind, but who never left you!
If any, the only emotional baggage you should be processing is your own. Then, day by day, you should be focused on getting to wholeness, leaving no room to even entertain anyone else’s “stuff.”
Life is too short. The world is too big...with lots of loving, beautiful, awesome people...for you to have to put up with distressed souls looking to unload their “stuff” on you!
I won’t go into the details of Star Jones’ antics here, as they were heavily documented in the media. But her behavior was puzzling, and I could not figure out why anyone would sell themselves out in such a public way!
It seemed to me like self-sabotage at its ultimate. I don’t know where her awareness was during that time. It obviously was absent. And if any well-meaning person said anything to her, too...like most people who have lost their self awareness... she probably didn’t “want to hear it!”
But her diminishing sense of self was front and center for us all to see!
Star Jones retained enough of herself, though, and her legal acumen to have the divorce files sealed. So, we’ll always have to guess at what happened between her and Al Reynolds.
I’ll tell you one thing...we can’t say that she hasn’t given us all an important lesson to remember:
Don’t “shrink” yourself for anyone!
Namaste’,
Che’
NOTE: Namaste Publishing on 5/2/08, posted an insightful blog on "The Nature of Love". It deals very effectively with the entire issue of love and wholeness. Check it out! http://www.namastepublishing.com. Then click on "Compassionate Eye" blog on the bottom, right side of the page.
I’d admired Star Jones and all that she had accomplished for herself over the years. Then, I saw her on the Red Carpet at the Academy Awards in 2004, and, like many others, I was dismayed.
Instead of focusing on the stars she was interviewing, Star Jones was promoting her then-fiance’, Al Reynolds. Every set of questions she asked was followed up by “Have you seen Al? He is over there!” or, ”Are you planning to come to the wedding?”
I could not believe this was the same Star Jones who had first ridden to fame during the O.J. Simpson trial by letting her brilliance shine!
Where was she on that night ...and the many other days and nights that followed... as she seemed to publicly disappear?
Whatever caused Star Jones to finally wake up from the “dream” she was in, obviously, will guide her to safety, as she goes through this painful transition back into herself. The lesson from her should not be lost on us, though!
The Star Jones story is the story that we all will be telling, if we decide to sell out ourselves for...love, fame, or money.
Years ago, I read an important book by Sonya Friedan, “Men are Just Desserts,” that set the tone for my dating relationships. In this book, Friedan contends that women need to make ourselves the “main course” in their lives. Once they have done that, then men would be the “desserts,” we can take or leave. Too often, though, I have seen women sell themselves out WHOLESALE to men! (I can’t speak for men, because I have yet to see one do so, plus I’m not really privy to their inside “secrets.”).
Some women just don’t seem to be able to get along without a man. I truly don’t like passing judgment here, because I don’t know what’s really going on inside of these women! There has to be some hole on the inside that badly needs to be filled. No one would crave something if they did not think it would in some way benefit them. The true diehards, though, are those women with men who berate them or emotionally mistreat them in some way.
I know in his book, “A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life’s Purpose,” Eckhart Tolle talks about the pain/body relationship. I can only guess that this may be the reason why these women seem to be choosing the experiences that they do. Their egos need to feel the “pain” in order to sustain itself with drama and emotionally wrenching displays. Then the men who abuse these women, too, are into ego stuff... not feeling truly whole unless they have someone to belittle, because they feel so “small” in and of themselves.
I can’t relate to any of this. I walk away if someone seems even borderline insulting to me.
No one...NO ONE...should make you feel less than WHOLE!
If anyone does, then to me, there is no question... you should simply just walk away. You walk away ...and reach inside yourself, finding strength you never knew you had...and a friend you may have left behind, but who never left you!
If any, the only emotional baggage you should be processing is your own. Then, day by day, you should be focused on getting to wholeness, leaving no room to even entertain anyone else’s “stuff.”
Life is too short. The world is too big...with lots of loving, beautiful, awesome people...for you to have to put up with distressed souls looking to unload their “stuff” on you!
I won’t go into the details of Star Jones’ antics here, as they were heavily documented in the media. But her behavior was puzzling, and I could not figure out why anyone would sell themselves out in such a public way!
It seemed to me like self-sabotage at its ultimate. I don’t know where her awareness was during that time. It obviously was absent. And if any well-meaning person said anything to her, too...like most people who have lost their self awareness... she probably didn’t “want to hear it!”
But her diminishing sense of self was front and center for us all to see!
Star Jones retained enough of herself, though, and her legal acumen to have the divorce files sealed. So, we’ll always have to guess at what happened between her and Al Reynolds.
I’ll tell you one thing...we can’t say that she hasn’t given us all an important lesson to remember:
Don’t “shrink” yourself for anyone!
Namaste’,
Che’
NOTE: Namaste Publishing on 5/2/08, posted an insightful blog on "The Nature of Love". It deals very effectively with the entire issue of love and wholeness. Check it out! http://www.namastepublishing.com. Then click on "Compassionate Eye" blog on the bottom, right side of the page.
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