People of all religions and spiritual persuasions are attempting to get at the root of their faiths. They are doing this by deepening their awareness and examining religious beliefs instead of just reading more books. They are searching for real answers this time to their deepest questions - ... Views: 574
This sounds like a Yogi Berra truism, but the fact is; nothing really matters at all. Everything we do, our dreams, our aspirations - they all mean absolutely nothing. The expanse of the universe, the inconceivable endlessness of eternity, the indifference of a myriad of generations to come, all ... Views: 1898
You've been with her for many years. You have shared the ups and downs, the tragedies and the triumphs. You became used to each other and shared your dreams, the dreams you both had, with bright eyes and wondrous anticipation when you were young. . . . And then one day, she was gone.
Just that ... Views: 736
For seven years, congress has done relatively little regarding the very serious problems we face, such as a failing economy for the middle class, a war that we are bogged down in and where we are at the mercy of powerless Iraqi government that sides with Iran, a looming social security crisis, ... Views: 640
Counting calories, ordering special diet meals, measuring out portions - these are indications that we remain mesmerized and captivated by food - food has taken over our entire lives with no escape; food is an addiction no different from heroin, and maybe more dangerous because we think that ... Views: 554
First of all, the stock market would drop like a rock. Lots of money is being made off the military industrial complex. Also, where would our soldiers work? Walmart? This peace thing would not be good for our country. Our country is built on money, thrives on money, and if you don't have any, ... Views: 492
This is an article about the root problem that forms the basis of our many problems, from the shooter who randomly kills on campus, to the worry that plagues us daily; to the restlessness we feel when we are bored. This problem is seldom explained adequately. Tragedies are usually explained by ... Views: 814
Everything built up will fall, and all that falls will rise again - this could be called the cycle of existence. When things are about to fall in this cycle, there are premonitions that wash through our hearts, and the premonitions have definite signs:
We lose our Generosity:
We become ... Views: 1176
The mind is a curious thing. Oddly enough, it seeks security in such silly concepts as the past. But what if the mind learned not to do that? What if the mind trained itself not to seek security in the past and only focused on what was happening in the present? What would happen then?
That, ... Views: 592
It is important that we remain true to our own ambitions, whatever they happen to be. If they are harmful or helpful to others, or ourselves, we will find out soon enough through the reflection of our associations.
Learning to play our instrument flawlessly is very important. We should be aware ... Views: 601
A political evolution is stirring. People are beginning to break free. But in order to understand this progression, we must look at what we were just yesterday, before we decided to think for ourselves. We must look at it because no matter what we do or what we think, the evolution is taking ... Views: 960
Dear God,
Can you hear me?
If you’re busy, I understand,
But I just have a little time now.
So I was hopin’ you could maybe hear me today.
Just a couple loose ends to tidy up,
If you can help.
I done a few bad things,
Won’t have time to make them right now,
So I thought maybe you could ... Views: 758
What is truth? We are told what we should believe by advertisers depicting beautiful bodies, and we are told to believe it is truth. We are told what truth is by our modern Gods, and we believe it, and repeat it like parrots. But is this truth? Are our bodies beautiful? Or should we look more ... Views: 468
An excerpt from Wikipedia.org (Religious Left):
“The Christian Left holds that social justice, renunciation of power, humility, forgiveness, and private observation of prayer (as opposed to publicly mandated prayer) are clearly mandated by the Gospel text . . . Bible scholars observe that early ... Views: 576
Have you noticed that more and more people are going through red lights in their rush to compete in this frantic world, and that no cops are there to stop them. We have only a token representation of police to give the impression that we are being protected. It’s an illusion.
Many cheat on ... Views: 640
A recent report from the prestigious Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life comes down to this - Christians are getting restless. The report, other than indicating the consumerish attitude of modern religion shoppers, may indicate a deeper trend; it could mean that religion, as a mystery, as an ... Views: 627
What we extend outward toward others, we internalize. Whether the emotions we extend are negative, such as hatred, animosity, and anger; or positive, such as love, forgiveness, and peace, these feelings seep inside of us and affect us deeply.
You can feel the physical difference between, on one ... Views: 903
Have you ever wondered what makes a saint, a saint? We have heard expressions such as, "He has the patience of a saint," but what other qualities do saints have that sets them apart from us normal people, and how have they attained these qualities? Were they just blessed by God because God liked ... Views: 773
Have you ever thought about eternity? That‘s longer than a month, a lot longer. If an angel flew up to the top of a solid granite mountain once every hundred years and softly brushed a silk veil across it’s top, the number of years required to wear that mountain down to the ground would be a ... Views: 1497
Meetings of yesterday - seeds of tomorrow’s partings
Planted as hope - the sadness I know,
Growing straight and strong for so long,
And now fallen down in an ocean of tears.
Had I but known of the heartaches ahead,
And if I did, what matter?
What escape from this velvet noose,
This ... Views: 643
To clear the mind of past programming requires practice. It can't be done by wishing it to happen. The fastest and most trusted way is meditation, and the type of meditation that gets results quickly and surely is breath meditation.
As one concentrates on his or her breath for some time, the ... Views: 1731
What exactly are we supposed to do? We hear about change all the time, but instead of motivating us to do something, our politicians only know how to complain - with few real solutions. I'm afraid that it is up to us to make the moves, not our politicians. But make what moves? This is where we ... Views: 816
Although meditation is thousands of years old, it is relatively new in the west. Here in America, new ideas seem to introduce themselves at three levels. First, a new idea is viewed as threatening and it is feared. Later, it is made fun of, ridiculed and laughed at. And finally, it is accepted ... Views: 617
Lack of adequate guidance
Lack of resolve or faith
Lack of confidence
Lack of courage
Distractions
Laziness
Anger
Lack of adequate guidance: According to the Buddha, who is arguably the quintessential expert on enlightenment, in order to become enlightened we must understand how to practice, ... Views: 643
Sex … Money … Power … Fame … Good Looks … Ambition … Success
If any of these Seven become tangled up in the Seven Deadly Sins (Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride), look out! Otherwise, they are simply to be enjoyed, but not to bet the farm on - it's only when we begin to ... Views: 877
We all remember the Jim Jones tragedy, which resulted from a deadly combination - a charismatic leader who knew how to influence and control people, and weak willed followers who couldn't discriminate between fact and fiction.
In the cramped confines of a cult, rationality goes out the ... Views: 1335
Feel-good spiritual paths espousing light and love and the prospect of some kind of an enlightenment with little or no effort are plentiful, but have they really changed you? A trend is developing toward a serious approach to spirituality involving personal, in-depth, permanent changes in ... Views: 576
What are our authorities? The Church, our government, law enforcement . . . our boss? And why should we question them? Better to leave well enough alone and just follow along - much safer. Plus, there is a certain amount of security in just following along, and it’s easier than questioning; ... Views: 2116
Although you may never know it, people you look up to, love, and respect could easily be sociopaths. They give themselves away by exhibiting strange combinations of controlling behaviors, such as being charismatic, calculating, extremely confident, while warmly embracing those who fall under ... Views: 1422
Working at a third world job and trying to survive in the wealthiest economy in the world just isn't working out. A friend of mine works part-time in a book store, spending the rest of her time living with and helping ill parents who are barely making ends meet because of all the confusion and ... Views: 815
It's not easy to find something to believe in these days. There is so much information on the internet that whatever we believe in can be very effectively debunked in a heartbeat, leaving us with doubts at best, and at worst; total disbelief.
But we can't seem to function as human beings ... Views: 729
Spirituality is an innate quality we all have in various degrees. For that spiritual quality to move from an innate to an active mode, however, depends upon three things. If any of the three are missing, spiritual tendencies could be smothered by our instinctive reactions of greed, hatred, and ... Views: 572
An onion is peculiar in that it has many layers. It also causes you to cry when you peel off the layers. So we could say that the state of the onion is complex, as well as tearful!
Our country is kind of like an onion. Fifty states all wrapped around a flag that gets more tattered every day. ... Views: 983
Concentration calms the mind, but concentration alone will not grant the freedom we are looking for. Concentration is crucial in establishing the next step, however. Something needs to stir up the calm mind that we have developed similar to stirring up mud on the bottom of a pond so that we ... Views: 832
Walking meditation can be done in many ways and for many purposes, but I have found this technique to be outstanding in relieving stress. It's easy to do, and you should feel a distinct benefit from the first fifteen minutes of trying it.
This technique is particularly effective for those who ... Views: 761
· Reducing stress
· Feeling better mentally and physically
· Eliminating fear and uncertainty from our lives
· Changing aspects of our lives we do not like
· Deepening and improving our relationships with others
· Becoming more ... Views: 630
Think about it; what did we do in the pioneer days out on the prairie when we came down with an appendicitis attack? We would go, “Ouch. ooh, ahh” for a few days and then die. Easy! No paperwork, no deductibles, no out of pocket expense, no arguing back and forth with insurance companies, ... Views: 1164
I began as a normal type article, pretty laid back and entertaining, but then, suddenly. I found myself in hell! Well, I can tell you, hell is no place for a nice article like me, and I certainly did nothing to deserve it (hmm). At any rate, there I was, in the middle of Hades, and it was a . . ... Views: 680
Maybe it has already happened to you. It doesn't happen to everyone. But those lives to which it happens are drastically changed. Changed for the better. When this happens, all the things that make life such a burden are magically lifted from one's shoulders resulting in a sudden, unexpected ... Views: 1318
Life on this planet is but a few moments long, considering the endless eons this earth has twirled around its sun. Long after life has found this planet too unfriendly, and after all of our accomplishments are burned up in that incredible supernova that our sun will evolve into just before it ... Views: 1296
Self: Your consciousness of your own identity.
Esteem: The condition of being honored.
Self-esteem: Honoring oneself.
As we can see, self-esteem is a rather “self” ish condition that we necessarily feel obligated to create artificially when we are insecure. The fact that we must go out of our ... Views: 1066
Once upon a time, in a magical land far across the sea, there lived together a donkey and an elephant. This was very difficult, because they both had such different ways. The elephant loved to trample trees and make a lot of noise, while the donkey nibbled on lowly grasses and said almost ... Views: 886
Years ago, I thought of manufacturing and selling edible Bibles. The book would be condensed, including only the most frequently quoted scriptures with pages made of a thin, wafer material similar to Catholic Holy Communion hosts. The idea was to cut out your favorite scripture and then eat it, ... Views: 708
Let's imagine for a moment that a cure for cancer was discovered. It wasn't just a cure for certain types of cancers but a cure for all types of cancers. And it didn't require radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery (burn, poison and cut). All you would have to do is take a pill, and immediately all ... Views: 1281
Life can be a beautiful thing, but if we don’t understand life, we might end up fighting it. More often than not, it’s you and I against the world. Making a living, holding on to our relationships, to our wealth, our political and spiritual beliefs, these can become monumental struggles. Worry ... Views: 924
If a star is originally only gasses that are compressed into a burning sun, then someday that star will become only gas again. If the universe was at one time pure energy, then all the stars and planets will become pure energy again; dust to dust so to speak. And this constant change, I believe, ... Views: 585
If you had a computer, but no internet connection, you would be limited to only what is stored on your hard drive. You could access your documents and compose some stuff, but if you wanted to reach out and touch the world, that couldn’t happen.
In the same way, we can describe the part of our ... Views: 1509
The next morning I discovered a dull ax behind the cottage that I sharpened to a razor's edge. I thought that cutting a few days' supply of firewood and stacking it neatly along the fence to repay the maiden for her thoughtfulness would be a good idea. I must admit; I was quite taken with the ... Views: 793
When the hunter spit in my face, I felt the familiar rush that always preceded my deadly encounters. But this time, for Maradin's sake, I maintained my composure.
"Wait a minute my friend," I said, as I put my hand up in a gesture of amity, "you have it all wrong. I only stopped by to help her ... Views: 697
For five long years, I did fine by myself in the forest, but when I came upon Maradin and her cottage, everything came apart. It was my first real challenge and I wasn't up to it; I could still be easily duped and victimized by the grand illusions of the world.
I was so disheartened that I sat ... Views: 700