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Articles from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock | Selfgrowth.com
- The True Purpose of a Relationship - by Submitted on Feb 06, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockNo, it's not to make babies! Although making babies is a very important consideration regarding the propagation of our species, especially in Europe and the United States where the birth rate is plummeting, it's not the prime purpose. And it's not to keep you company. Or make you financially or ...
Views: 655 - What do You do the Day After Your Life Changes? - by Submitted on Feb 05, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockIt can sneak up on you like a thief in night; change that is. One day, you are content and happy with your life, and the next, it's as if you find yourself living on mars. Everything around you has somehow changed, and you haven't, or maybe you have changed and everything else has remained ...
Views: 668 - Meditation: The Interesting Quirks of Access Samadhi - by Submitted on Feb 04, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockAccess Samadhi is a stage of meditation where interesting things can happen. It is the active gateway to fixed Samadhi. The danger with access Samadhi is that a meditator can become so engrossed with the unusual aspects of access Samadhi that they lose interest in going further. The ...
Views: 852 - In Darkness There is Light - by Submitted on Feb 03, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockContemplative prayer, the deepest roots of the Christian faith, has remained hidden and secret in the hands of the contemplative saints these many years, and one may wonder why contemplative monks and nuns have practiced these mystical prayers in obscurity. Why do they close themselves off from ...
Views: 742 - A Glimpse of Eternity - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockSometimes we can catch a fleeting glimpse of eternity in a wood, where the pungent odor of wet pine and a timeless stillness calms our troubled minds, for just a while. Or in a wondrous sunset, where we lose the burden of ourselves, for a precious moment. Or when something happens so suddenly ...
Views: 1163 - How to Change the World - You and I - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWe are the world. You and I. How we treat each other; with respect or hatred, how we work things out together and compromise, this will determine the future of humankind. Can you see this? We are the world. Humankind so far hasn't been doing too well. *"huge numbers of Eastern Orthodox ...
Views: 750 - How to Uncover the 5 Hidden Lies - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock"Thou shalt not bear false witness" - the Ninth Commandment that is probably more abused than any other! Lying is one of the Buddhist precepts as well, the fourth to be exact. The problem with Buddhism, however, is that lying is not simply a matter of making an untrue statement, lying goes much ...
Views: 619 - Judging Others - What's Behind It? - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockBeing judgmental is being angry. Fear, the basis of anger, is always connected with the past or future. If you can look deeply within and find what it is that you fear, whether it is God, living up to some kind of ideal, fearing ideas different from yours, or people that are different from you, ...
Views: 1023 - Metaphysics, Politics, and Religion - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockMetaphysical arguments go nowhere, no different from political or religious ones! What does make a difference, however, is how we treat each other. I may be a Buddhist and you may be a Christian, yet if we both treat each other with respect, how crazy can that be? When a monk asked the Buddha ...
Views: 1539 - Four Degrees of Evil - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockAbout a dozen or so baby alligators showed up at a pond that Janet and I visit occasionally. Mama alligator kept watch nearby because the pond is also home to some otters, and otters love little alligators! But she allowed her 8 inch long offspring some freedom to enjoy the fall day. When we ...
Views: 709 - Looking for God's Face - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockIn a bubbling stream, And a lonely wind, That whispers Through an endless night. ************************* In the crying of a baby, And its anxious mother, That whispers 'Till it's light. ************************* At the end of a rainbow, And the start of the journey. And the end of ...
Views: 900 - True Seekers That We Are - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockTo most of us, God is an abstract thing, so isn't it curious that we fight over our differences concerning God? Maybe this is because few actually devote their lives to piercing the abstract and coming face-to-face with God. The reason, perhaps, that few search for God is because when they do, ...
Views: 783 - A Million Ways to Find God (Part 1 of 1,000,000) - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockOne good way to find God is to lose yourself! Which is easier said than done, because in order to lose yourself, you must first discover what your "self" is! Once that discovery is made, then you can decide which is more important; yourself... or God? Assuming that you decide God is far more ...
Views: 754 - A Million Ways to Find God (Part 1 of 1,000,000) - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockOne good way to find God is to lose yourself! Which is easier said than done, because in order to lose yourself, you must first discover what your "self" is! Once that discovery is made, then you can decide which is more important; yourself... or God? Assuming that you decide God is far more ...
Views: 715 - A Million Ways to Find God (Part 1 of 1,000,000) - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockOne good way to find God is to lose yourself! Which is easier said than done, because in order to lose yourself, you must first discover what your "self" is! Once that discovery is made, then you can decide which is more important; yourself... or God? Assuming that you decide God is far more ...
Views: 703 - Play Your Own Guitar - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockIt 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: 651 - Buddhists - What Do They Believe? - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockGrowing up in the Catholic tradition, I believe that I can understand some of the feelings that Christians, Muslims, and Jews might have about people who don't believe in a creator God! And Buddhists are guilty! I wouldn't be surprised if they think that Buddhists have a one-way ticket to hell ...
Views: 1129 - Meditation Practice and the Chameleon - by Submitted on Feb 01, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock"Becoming" is a word used to describe, among other things, striving to attain states of transcendence in meditation practice. We intellectually figure out a goal, and then imagine that we have somehow attained that goal. This is the trick of a clever ego; a chameleon in the ways in which it can ...
Views: 815 - A Clever Valentine’s Day Gift - by Submitted on Jan 31, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockYou know the routine; picking out that special card with just the right verses, and then that special gift - an upscale box of candy, some flowers, maybe a nice ring, a new car, or some tickets for a cruise. According to Wikipedia, The historical background of Valentine's day seems to go back ...
Views: 1295 - Crumbs From God’s Table - by Submitted on Jan 31, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockEndless enticements overwhelm us. They make their way into to every nook and cranny of our lives - but their allure is waning. No matter how good it gets; it's only so much, and only now are we beginning to wake up to what St. John of the Cross knew; that true happiness can only be found within, ...
Views: 836 - What Should We Be if We Could? - by Submitted on Jan 30, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockThis is a profound question, "What should we be?" Should we be aggressive and ambitious, or compassionate and passive? Should we be a little of both? Or maybe something completely different from aggression, ambition, compassion, and passivity? Can we ever be what we should be, even if that ...
Views: 467 - A Little Mid-Forties Depression? - by Submitted on Jan 29, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWhen we hit our mid-forties, our bodies stop fooling around and become serious about disintegrating! It can seem at times as if we age 20 years in the span of one or two years, which can be quite a shock if we have been so caught up with life that we haven't noticed the subtle, almost invisible ...
Views: 2036 - Generation Xers Could Shake Things Up, in a Surprising Way! - by Submitted on Jan 28, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockHave you noticed the interest being generated in the ranks of our young people by the political races? It reminds me of the sixties when young people took a hard turn left. Many of the kids raised after this, however, took a decidedly turn right, ala Reaganites. It seem that these shifts occur ...
Views: 833 - Why $100.00 Probably Won’t Make the World a Better Place - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockIf you are a normal person, you will serve your family and your country by trying to do what's right. This necessarily involves ambition and goals while you try to solve your problems in life. As you settle into your career, whatever it turns out to be, your government in turn tries to equalize ...
Views: 735(1 vote) - Being in the Right Place at the Right Time - by Submitted on Jan 27, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWe are coming to the end of an era. Beginning 35,000 years ago when we were savages, we have evolved because of numerous shifts in consciousness to where we are now. This present level of consciousness is characterized by a disregard of our planet, a disdain of other's problems, an unhealthy ...
Views: 798(1 vote) - How Long Does itTake to Become Enlightened? - by Submitted on Jan 25, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockEnlightenment can take a long time, perhaps as long as it takes to wear a granite mountain down to the ground by a fine veil brushing its top once every hundred years, or perhaps as long as a lifetime, or a year, or perhaps in only a week, as the Buddha proclaims, if you can maintain perfect ...
Views: 1288(1 vote) - Spirituality – Three Requirements - by Submitted on Jan 24, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockSpirituality 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: 645 - Stirring Up Mud - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockConcentration 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: 900 - Understanding Grief - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWhen we cry for a loved one that has died, either we cry for ourselves or we cry for humanity, never for our loved one. Many will not agree with this, but it is true. The tears are more often than not an expression of our own fear of not having our loved one with us any longer to keep us ...
Views: 713 - The Delusion of Self-Esteem - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockSelf: 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: 1127 - Resolving Conflict - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWhat 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: 999 - How to Transform Ourselves - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockThe last time I looked, personal transformation was not on America’s top ten list of achievements. Success, family, happiness, friends, wealth, respect, health, religious beliefs or spirituality, satisfying work — these took priority. Our spiritual institutions follow suit with the most ...
Views: 1041 - Hard Times on the Horizon? - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockFlorida has been hit hard by the housing downturn. At the peak of the housing frenzy, people from all over the world, legal and illegal, flooded into Florida, fueling the burgeoning job market. Banks doled out cash like drunken sailors to housing contractors and mortgage companies, and ...
Views: 823 - Top Ten Relationship Mistakes (Complex — Part 3 of 3) - by Submitted on Jan 22, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock1. Confusing the real purpose of a relationship. Relationship is a mirror in which you can see yourself in reflection. You may think that you are a certain way, but relationship will reveal the true you every time. Therefore, the real purpose of relationship is to understand yourself. Once you ...
Views: 561 - Top Ten Relationship Mistakes (Advanced — Part 2 of 3) - by Submitted on Jan 21, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock1. Misunderstanding what a relationship is all about. A relationship is an opportunity to give, rather than take. If one or both partners have plastered on their forehead, "What's in this for me," things will get dicey. The key to a successful relationship is always uncompromising trust, and ...
Views: 683 - Top Ten Relationship Mistakes (Initial — Part 1 of 3) - by Submitted on Jan 21, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond Rock1. Relying on your feelings rather than your intuition. Feelings regarding a new relationship will almost always involve powerful lust. This is natural. When an interest grows sexually, it grows as quickly and as surely as a child. Each interaction doubles the desire until the need to be ...
Views: 623 - Have a Nice Sunday! - by Submitted on Jan 19, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockGood friends of mine, Catholic friends, recently confessed to me. They said that although they occasionally attend their Catholic church, they have found a community church that makes them feel better. They find themselves happy when they leave, unlike their Catholic experience where they feel ...
Views: 1169 - What Does “I Am A Christian” Mean? - by Submitted on Jan 18, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockWhen we say that we are a Christian, or Buddhist, Jew, Muslim, or Hindu, what does that mean? When I was a faith-based Christian, it meant that I believed. I believed in God, Jesus, the Church, and I believed in Catholicism. I was proud of being a Catholic. It didn't matter whether my beliefs ...
Views: 992 - Looking in All the Wrong Places - by Submitted on Jan 17, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockJust about everything we actively do is on the conscious level. While this is happening on the surface, our body and all its organs are subconsciously being given instructions and messages so that they can function. Not only the body, but the mind is working subconsciously as well, as it filters ...
Views: 768(1 vote) - . . . and Other Things We’ll Never Understand - by Submitted on Jan 16, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockCounting as fast as you can, at ten counts per second, for twenty-four hours a day and for twelve months, would only get you to less than one third of a billion. A billion is a big number. The universe is estimated to be about 16 billion years old. Carbon dating pegs the earth at about 4.5 ...
Views: 1005 - Don’t Worry, Be Happy? - by Submitted on Jan 14, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockEons ago when we lived in caves, we would get hungry, and when we got hungry, we would become very unhappy and mad as hell, and we would go out and kill something to eat! Today, if we become unhappy with our situation, whatever it may be, we get mad as hell and change it! So unhappiness has its ...
Views: 618 - Discovering Your Personal Creativity and Vision - by Submitted on Jan 13, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockCreativity and vision are what distinguish the exceptionally successful person from the ordinary person. Once creativity and vision are established, energy, passion, and leadership follow. To acquire these is surprisingly easy because we are all naturally creative and visionary. Some of us, ...
Views: 604 - Fulfillment, Self Expression and Compassion - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockThe subjects of this article are cherished goals. What could be more rewarding than a life fulfilled, or expressing ones deepest felt emotions and thoughts? The problem is; one person's fulfillment might be another's tragedy. Take for example the dream of home ownership. A young woman, ...
Views: 605 - Eight Simple, Interactive Activities Toward Union With God. - by Submitted on Jan 11, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockSt. John of the Cross claimed that all the pleasures of the world are as crumbs from the table of God. Hmm, saints must be experiencing something pretty outstanding! Actually, meeting God, face-to-face in this very lifetime, no differently than the prophets of old did, is not only possible but ...
Views: 890 - Seven Things That Can Wreck Your Life - by Submitted on Jan 10, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockSex … 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: 936 - Make the World Better Place Because You are a Part of it - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockTo make sure that your future beyond this world is going to be the best it can be, make each day a little more meaningful than the last. That's it! Make each day just a little better, just an infinitesimal amount better than the last. "Better" doesn't mean what you do, but what you notice. ...
Views: 783 - Three Simple Steps to Becoming a Compassionate Human Being - by Submitted on Jan 08, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockA mounting problem exists both in our schools and in our culture. Teens gone wild, reckless spending and irresponsibility by adults, it's all coming to fruition in an economy and culture teetering on the edge of a serious downturn. Gas prices are skyrocketing, as everyone waits, idling, in ...
Views: 498 - Help Change the World — Change Your Socks! - by Submitted on Jan 06, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockI know; it's your day off, so you drag yourself out of bed and throw on the same clothes you wore yesterday. What the heck, you'll be working around the house all day anyway, why even take a shower, you can take a shower and change clothes later. You grab some coffee, stumble into the media ...
Views: 832 - Now That She's Gone - by Submitted on Jan 06, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockYou'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: 794 - Overcoming Contemporary Fear - by Submitted on Jan 06, 2008 from E. (anagarika eddie) Raymond RockEverything 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 ...
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