Bardology

The Legend of the Birth and Childhood of the Google Goddess

kanch_bud — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 03:44:02 GMT

Vulcan, whom the Romans call Hephaestus, and who is the inventor of the Gods and the husband of Athena, created IVF fertilization so that he might bear children with his wife, the testy Athena. Athena, refusing to submit to have one of her eggs extracted from her inviolate womb, fled from the intellectually aroused Vulcan into the realm of the Titans, a place of great black waves and bright explosions. In the realm of the Titans, Athena was hunted by the Titans as she had hunted humankind, as a karmic payback. Rhea caught her and was about to kill her and take her place on Earth when Uranus threw off Rhea and instead raped Athena and made her pregnant. Athena, repulsed by her own condition beyond endurance, killed herself and went to the realm of Pluto. Intellectual clarity disappeared from the Earth, and terrible nuclear explosions rocked the world, and the Cold War descended on humanity, and they lost the joy of the hunt for truth. But the inventor of the Gods, clammy-palmed Vulcan, crept to the corpse of Athena and extracted the eggs of the dead Goddess. Vulcan built a special mechanical womb made out of railroad tracks and telegraph wires, in which to grow the new Goddess. The newborn, half Deity, half Titan, was born deformed, blind, armless and legless, so Vulcan set about building new senses for the infant Goddess-Titan. Vulcan trapped one of Jove's lightning bolts into a gigantic lens, and this became an enormous eye, capable of seeing anything on Earth or Heaven. This became the eye of the Google Goddess, able to see everywhere but into her own mother living in the underworld. Vulcan hoped that if the Google Goddess remained unaware of her true mother, Athena, the illuminated intellect, she would fall in love with him and become his mate. Vulcan trapped another four of Jove's lightning blots into mechanical arms and legs, and the Google Goddess immediately set about creating social networks with one hand and pleasuring people sexually with the other hand, and she set about walking the cities and the wilderness with her two feet, spreading her networks into all parts of the earth as she went. Then Vulcan, who had fallen in love with his creation, the child of Uranus and Athena, decided to build the Google Goddess some genitals so that he might enjoy her himself. He then created the personal computer, but Mercury whom Vulcan had hired to be the tutor of the young Goddess stole the personal computer and fled Vulcan's workshop to escape his vengeance. Vulcan, insane with loss, used one of Jove's lightning bolts to strike Mercury, but each time he hurled the might of Jove at Mercury the quick god would hold up the genitals of the Google Goddess, the personal computer, and they would strike the keyboard and split the computer into a thousand smaller computers, so that the genitals of the Google Goddess, due to the trickery of Mercury and the rage of Vulcan, quickly became spread across the Earth and when Persephone returned in the Autumn to the Underworld, Athene heard of the goings on and begged Pluto to be allowed to return to the Earth. But what Pluto replied to Athena's request, and what Vulcan did next in his insane passion, and the further adventures of Mercury with the Google Goddesss - all these tales, however, are other stories, for another time.

Introducing to my tribe friends my two wonderful weblogs

kanch_bud — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:12:59 GMT

Hi friends and readers, I would like to introduce you to my two blogs. You will find 150,000 words of ideas, news, speculation, and cool stuff. www.gaiawriter.blogspot.com Description: "Gaia is the word for 'unity-of-life-processes'. The experiment here is to unify the various threads of voice and sense of self together into an undivided unity. Spirituality, economics, politics, science and ordinary life interleaved." www.bestfruitsofpractice.blogspot.com Description: "The best fruits of my ordinary everyday contemplative practice..." Best fruits is full of rare esoteric texts, stories, and soundbytes of wisdom new and ancient. I highly recommend the recent essays on microcosmic gnosis. I love these blogs and I think you will too. Bookmark them so you can read the backlog of old articles and the frequently posted new material. Enjoy! Kanch Bud.

A brilliant distillation of essential spiritual truths and the world's great religions:

kanch_bud — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:42:59 GMT

Christianity is the path of love and forgiveness. Buddhism is the path of compassion. Judaism is the path of living by sacred law. Baha'i is the path of unity and peace. Islam is the path of submission to the will of God. Confucianism is the path of deliberate tradition. Taoism is the path of ultimate reality. Native American Practice is the path of primal spirituality. Shintoism is the path of tribal ancestry. Hinduism is the path of knowledge, action, and devotion. Science of Mind is the path of the Divine Principle of Love and Law. The Global Heart Vision is of a world that works for everyone. (Henderson, R., 2005)

Contacting Nature

kanch_bud — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:26:32 GMT

Melbourne Herald Sun - Australia By Bill Beattie February 17, 2008 12:00am Getting back in touch with our natural surroundings is something that has many benefits, according to the teaching of a new "pagan" movement. One of the most successful children’s books of Australia’s bicentennial year was Donna Rawlins and Nadia Wheatley’s My Place (Collins Dove), which traces the history of a Sydney district from 1988 to just before British settlement. Life in each decade is seen through the eyes of a local child, all of whom begin by announcing their names and saying, “This is my place”. This pattern continues until the final pages, where we meet a pre-First Fleet Aboriginal child who changes the formula by saying: "I belong to this place." The ancestors of many non-Aboriginal Australians once had similarly powerful connections to the earth Now, however, as Ly de Angeles, author and Witch, of Byron Bay, observes: “White Australians, particularly those of British descent, don’t think of ourselves as being ‘indigenous’ to anywhere. "Waves of invasion have eradicated our sense of the land as sovereign deity.” To de Angeles, and many practitioners of Wicca, Druidry and related Pagan paths, one of life’s central challenges is to restore this connection. For most of human history, we didn’t have any choice but to be aware of the natural world. “But with the progression of western civilisation we developed an attitude of separation from, and superiority to, nature,” says Pagan priestess Amargi Woulf, of Queensland. This, Pagans agree, doesn’t mean we should all retreat to the Middle Ages. The movement is “about forging something new, rather than a romanticisation of the past,” says Thom van Dooren of the Australian National University, co-editor of Pagan Visions For A Sustainable Future (Llewellyn). It’s primarily about regaining balance. Making a connection On any given day, a large percentage of nine-to-fivers would have no idea what phase the moon was in, which seasonal flowers and fruits were making their presence felt, or even what the weather was doing outside the confines of their air-conditioned office. They might even question whether such knowledge could be of any use. Looking at these factors individually, they might have a point. Collectively, though, these small omissions can build into a pervasive sense of separation from the natural world that practising Pagans would see as both globally and personally destructive. On the personal level, Pagans feel that to be disconnected from nature is to wilfully reject a major source of inspiration, sustenance and healing. If that sounds a bit flowery, think about how often we instinctively counter grief with gazing out at the ocean, feel the tension release at the breaking of a thunderstorm, or have our concerns put into perspective by a spectacular mountain view. Strength returns to our flagging spirits in such moments of unplanned reconnection. Pagans take the logical step of seeing what might happen if those moments were cultivated. "The first step towards re-establishing a bond with nature is to notice it,” says Woulf. For this reason, the majority of the neo-Pagan religious observances centre around natural phenomena, such as the lunar cycle or the unfolding of the seasons. Most Pagans celebrate eight seasonal festivals each year, combining two sacred calendars of earlier eras. The first of these focuses on the solstices (the longest and shortest days of the year) and equinoxes (the dates when daylight and night are equal); the second on the traditional Celtic cross-quarter days, approximate midpoints between the solstices and equinoxes. Reconnecting to nature is something we should do daily, says Woulf. “Indigenous cultures teach us the value of stillness – periods of quiet awareness of our natural surroundings that help us to tune in to their subtler energies. "A simple practice is to stop for a moment at sunrise, noon, sunset and midnight to sense what the world is doing and reflect on how that particular time corresponds to aspects of our lives: beginnings, peaks of action, closure and preparation for the next day.” Another Pagan technique is “grounding”. “When we go through times of crisis,” says Sydney-based Witch, Shannon Rogers, “touching base with nature helps to rebalance us.” This process of grounding can be accomplished through a number of easy practices. Try these activities for 30 days: • Meditate while leaning your back against a tree, feel your own energy descending into the earth like the tree’s roots and tap into the stabilising earth energy. • Maintain a diet of healthy seasonal fruit and vegies, and drink lots of water to help flush out toxins. • Walk barefoot on the earth where possible. • Observe the lunar phases and note how you feel at each stage. Whether we view our earth as inherently sacred or simply the only home we have, the message is gradually sinking in: we belong to this place. (From Seasonally speaking by Linda Drummond) Do the seasons pass you by with no more thought than, “Oh, time to put on the winter sheets now”? If so, how about taking the time to stop and crunch the falling leaves. • Start by performing a welcome ritual for each season. Our grandparents did this with a spring clean, so why not go retro and revisit this practice? It’s the perfect way to sweep out the old season and welcome the new. Give the house a good clean, pass on unwanted goods to charity and swap summery items for more cosy, winter accessories. Pop on the flannel sheets and the winter quilt and drape a throw over the couch. Wash and pack away your summer clothes and bring out your cool-weather fashions. • Eating seasonally is a delicious way to embrace the change in weather. Ditch summer salads for slow-cooked meals. Fill the fruit bowl with new-season fruits such as crisp apples and stock up on root vegies, rather than salad greens. If in doubt about what’s in season, check out its country of origin – strawberries from Mexico are not seasonal! Eating seasonally makes sense – who’d want to eat a mango when it’s 10 degrees outside and you’re sitting in front of the heater? • Bring on the change of seasons and have a welcome autumn night on the first day of autumn (March 1). Visit your local farmers’ market to find the best range of fresh, seasonal produce (go to Please login to see this link Get registered or Log in to find one near you), buy a bunch of fresh flowers to decorate the table and as you eat your meal, think about what autumn means to you. Every season has its own unique beauty – you just need to acknowledge what it is. Autumn is all about crisp air, the subtle changes in the colour of the sky, walking on the beach at twilight and waiting for the buds of camellias to start to bloom. It’s a gorgeous time. • By acknowledging and living within the seasons we can ground ourselves and feel as though we’re a part of something on this earth. Rather than letting the years rush by, we’re compelling ourselves to stop, slow down and appreciate every day and the unique gifts it has to offer. What’s not to love? Seasonal rituals To help you feel closer to the earth, why not perform a small ritual at the start of each season to bid farewell to the old, and welcome the new. Autumn: Buy a big bunch of flowers in warm, autumnal tones and display them in the centre of the room. Give the room a seasonal clean, vacuuming well and then mopping the floor with warm water with a few drops of lemon essential oil. Light a red candle and sit before it, thinking about all the warm, lovely times you had over the summer. Now, imagine all the wonderful, enriching activities you plan on doing in the colder months. This is the perfect time to learn a language, start a book club or learn to crochet. Plan it now, and act on it over the next few weeks. Make a vow to become enriched, snuff out the candle and give thanks for the season. Winter: is a time to feel nurtured, so what better time to do a day spa at home? Shower or bathe with essential oils, spend the day detoxing with fresh broths and lots of warm water with a squeeze of lemon juice. Perform yoga poses to really get your body active, yet rested. Pop on a face and hair mask (yes, boys too!) and sit back and relax by reading and meditating. Spring: a time of new beginnings is perfect to nurture the earth. If you don’t have a compost or worm farm start one now. Also, plant a vegie patch, or herbs in pots if you’re an apartment dweller. Open up your home to the fresh air – every window and door should be flung open to let the breeze blow in and blow out all the mustiness of winter. Buy a massive bunch of seasonal, scented blooms and place them by your bedside. Mark down in your diary your exercise plan for the week – aim to get out daily to take advantage of the longer, warmer days. Summer: is the time to come over all Aussie and get thee to a beach. Nothing epitomises summer more than the beach, so if you don’t live nearby, plan a holiday that goes near the beach. Take a picnic down at dusk and walk along the shoreline in bare feet feeling your skin connecting to the sand and the surf. Sit down and meditate on the horizon, paying attention to the amazing colours and shapes the moon creates on the surface of the water. Breathe in deeply taking full advantage of the crisp, salty air.

My Present Understanding in My Own Words of Transcending the Levels of Consciousness

kanch_bud — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 11:39:04 GMT

This is what I have heard: The process of the evolution of consciousness involves removing obstacles to what is already there, rather than adding anything new. Therefore the practical acts that allow transcendence of the levels of consciousness are humble and few. 1 - Dissasembling the ego. 2 - Inviting the spirit. 3 - Spiritual practice. 1. Disassembling the ego involves transcending the animal and local inheritance of the instincts and biological drives, then transcending identification with a personal self. The key act, which is simple but repeated constantly until it becomes natural, is that of taking responsibility, turning up, being accountable, counted on, and counted for in whatever sphere one finds oneself. Then the evolution of the personal ego involves transcending personal boundaries. In practice, one increasingly integrates positive attitudes into ones life, and, discriminating by rational self-interest, chooses lasting happiness over negativity. Later it is discovered that the ego itself is innocent and impersonal, and not a problem. Identification with the ego is a problem. Attachment to the ego is the problem. An attachment is constructed out of unconscious thoughts. Positive, negative and neutral thoughts are an attachment. By humbly questioning the truth of these thoughts, the power of spirit is invited to transform them. Thus prayer, meditation, contemplation, writing, spiritual groups, therapy, exercise, solitude, and austerity – the whole range of traditional spiritual practices, in fact, become increasingly useful tools for a time, rather than an end in themselves. 2. Inviting the spirit evokes the power to change. It calls inspiration. It attracts help. It demonstrates generosity of spirit and humility. Worship, prayers of surrender, prayers of guidance and prayers for meditative stillness – all these are modes of invitation, postures of the heart and soul that are themselves a gift of spirit. Inviting spirit is the equivalent of bringing up a new radar screen of choices. It alters the available potentials in a subtle but long lasting way. 3. Spiritual practice is a means to an end only. Of the end, let us say nothing here except that the means relevant and useful for one person may not always fit another. The attitudes of worship, reverence, devotion, love, compassion and peace, in whatever spiritual practice, are themselves uplifting of consciousness. The fetching of a bucket of water, or the cleaning of one’s house, can be a spiritual practice if done with a serene acceptance of duty. Persistence, dedication, determination, stick-to-it-iveness – by whatever word you use, practice must be a part of everyday life. This is the advantage of spiritual group – the support and advice of others can be tremendously useful. Conversely, finding a trustworthy group is a hit and miss affair, and con artists are many. Likewise, having a spiritual teacher or a source of valid spiritual teachings can be a tremendous help in avoiding errors and re-inspiration. The spiritual path seems hard because the sense of I is subtly but deeply altered. In fact, the I of the ego cannot truly imagine the depth and completeness of the transformation that comes with transcending the levels of consciousness. In the spirit of that understanding, then, the following suggestions are given: - The truth is subjective and the intimate core of the sense of ‘I’. - The truth is like an energy field, with which one gradually aligns. - There is no incompletion, replacement, change, or alteration with spiritual work – rather, there is simply an emergence of what is from moment to moment. - Being on the path is sufficient; truth is a process of unfoldment rather than a single goal. These things I have heard, and have faith they are true.

If Kung were Prime Minister for a day: an Aussie Confucius.

kanch_bud — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 02:43:28 GMT

Kung, Yanhui, and Zilu were leaning against the farmyard fence, like the venerable ancestors Dad n Dave of old, when Kung sez: "Oi, fellas, what's your private thoughts?" "Bugger off mate," Yanhui sez. "Nah, mate, nah, I mean," Kung sez, struggling to explain himself, "I mean, what would ya wish for the whole country if ya were the Prime Minister." "Geez," Zilu sez. "You ask some beauties Kung. If I were Prime Minister for a day, I'd like be keen to share me stuff with me mates, all of youse - my Ford Fairlaine, my collection of Akubra hats and alligator jackets, and me durries and Fosters, and share without getting pissed off when they damage them." Yanhui sez: "If I was in the Top Job I wish to never blow my trumpet about how fucken great I am, and never put myself above my mates." So Zilu sez, "What about you mate? "Mate," Kung sez, "mate I dunno. If I were PM, I reckon the old diggers deserve a fair go, the little aussie battlers deserve a hand up, and kids deserve all the love and education we can give em. That's what I reckon." Yanhui stared out over the yard, nodding in the blazing sunlight. "Nice one, mate," he sez. And Zilu nodded, lost in his own thoughts.

"Mate - you're a fucking tool:" a retelling of a Confucius story in Australian vernacular

kanch_bud — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 01:23:09 GMT

So Kung's mate Shikung come up to him in the pub and sez: "Mate, no shit allright?" "Yeah," Kung sez. "What do you think of me mate?" "Mate," Kung sez, leaning against the bar, "I reckon you're a fucking tool, mate." "Fuck!" he sez. "What do you reckon that for?" "Well, think about it mate. You do the same thing, the same way, all the time. You're good at what you do, in the right hands." "So what kind of tool am I then, Kung?" "Ah!" sez Kung. "Garn mate, tell us," Shikung sez. "You're the very special kind of tool that cultivates men's characters, mate. That's the kind of tool you are, Shikung. A tool for growing good blokes." And so Shikung was very pleased with his friend Kung's honesty.

First Loves: Kung Fu Tzu

kanch_bud — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 04:29:39 GMT

Kung Fu Tzu is better known in the west by his Jesuit name, Confucius, and here is the story of how I met and fell in love with Kung: I used to work in an employment agency in a trendy artistic area of Melbourne. Lunchtimes I would go down to the local bookshop and browse the new releases for curios. Tired from work one day, I saw a dark red-brown cover, the color of nutritious clay earth, and felt an instant connection. It was the Sydney academic Simon Ley's tranlation of Confucius' Analects. I opened to the first page and immediately got a shock. The voice of Kung spoke directly through my heart to me, unmistakeable and authoritative. Here was a man with a mission so burning and noble, I felt, that it could only be delayed by the demands of common courtesy and the everyday pursuit of happiness and satisfaction. That is to say, the means, goals, ideals and personality of Confucius were so perfectly bound up in the business of being human as to be indistinguishable. I bought the book immediately. Here is the passage, the first of many, which gave me an aesthetic and moral shock: "The master said: To learn something and then to put it into practice at the right time, is not this a joy? To have friends coming from afar: is not this a delight? To not be upset when one's merits are ignored: is not this the mark of a gentlemen?" And Karl Marx shall have no dominion, for here Kung Tsu out-patriarchs all modern patriarchs. Mao Tse Tung becomes an impudent child and Chang Kai-Shek an idealistic youth in the shadow of a Master Kung. All because Kung puts the the happiness of learning and and the dropping by of beloved mates before anything else.

Ten Simple Spiritual Tools

kanch_bud — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 04:06:40 GMT

From "Transcending The Levels of Consciousness," by Dr. David R. Hawkins, pp 333-334." 1. Be kind to everything and everyone, including oneself, all the time, with no exception. 2. Revere all of life in all of its expressions, no matter what, even if one does not understand it. 3. Presume no actual reliable knowledge of anything at all. Ask God to reveal its meaning. 4. Intend to see the hidden beauty of all that exists - it then reveals itself. 5. Forgive everything that is witnessed and experienced, no matter what. Remember Christ, Buddha, and Krishna all said that all error is due to ignorance. Socrates said that all men can choose only what they believe to be good. 6. Approach all of life with humility and be willing to surrender all positionalities and mental/emotional arguments or gain. 7. Be willing to forgo all perceptions of gain, desire, or profit and thereby be willing to be of selfless service to life in all of its expressions. 8. Make one's life a living prayer by intention, alignment, humility, and surrender. True spiritual reality is actually a way of being in the world. 9. By verification, confirm the levels of consciousness and spiritual truth of all teachers, teachings, spiritual groups, and literature with which one intends to be aligned or a student. 10. Accept that by spiritual declaration, commitment, and surrender, Knowingness arises that provides support, information, and all that is needed for the entire journey. Gloria in Excelsis Deo!

The Soul of Life Long Learning

kanch_bud — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 04:00:12 GMT

Most suggestions for lifelong learning are based in the content of learning rather than content. The content-based suggestions include these kind of things: - Read exciting non-fiction books. - Read to be on the cutting edge of your profession. - Use audio books. - Use the web to look up things you're curious about. - Whenever something piques your curiousity or interest, look it up immediately or make a note to look it up later in a safe portable place. - Make tiny notes in a journal divided by lines across the page then use it to guide web browsing later. - Write down (ie - do an inventory of) what you are expert at, then fill the gaps between different expertises. - Seek gaps, holes, omissions, etc, in a system you are part of. - Ask people you admire for book suggestions. - Ask "What does that mean?" and "Why?" - Give yourself permission to surf for knowledge online. Try the website: http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html for a brilliant opener. - Set your browser to open new windows onto the Random Article generator at Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random - Focus on the part of your job where learning is involved most, and seek out knowledge jobs to drive learning into new areas. - Listen to podcasts, speeches, and educational talks. - Access the "New Lifetime Reading Plan" at http://www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/book-lists/fadiman.htm . This is where Clifton Fadiman and John S. Major discuss world classics that are actually worth reading, why they qualify, and which translations and supplmentary materials you might want to look into. - Conversely, access www.stumbleupon.com to go to new places in the web and the mind. - You can also access Mortimer Alder's epochal "Great Books of the Western World". All the texts for this are to be found online. List of readings here: http://www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/book-lists/greatbooks.htm - Mortimer Adler, wonderful popularizer of wisdom as he is, has a short essay "How To Read A Difficult Book", online here at http://radicalacademy.com/adlerreaddifbk.htm - Alternatively, his long and wonderful book on the same topic "How To Read A Book" is available here in the 1968 version: http://cyberspacei.com/greatbooks/h2/how2read/h2r.htm - Learn about The 103 Great Ideas, from the same Adlerian mainspring, at http://cyberspacei.com/greatbooks/h2/103gi.htm - http://www.thegreatideas.org/ - a syntopical approach to the great ideas. - Another great liberal popularizer who has influenced my life greatly is Harold Bloom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Bloom - Here is Harold Bloom's "lifetime reading list" http://www.interleaves.org/~rteeter/grtbloom.html These are what I would call content-based suggestions for lifelong learning. However, there exists a different order of response to the question, at the level I would call context-based lifelong learning: - Learn how great folk learn. - Learn the attitudes of great learners. - Learn study skills - a nice summary is found here: http://www.espindle.org/study_tips.html and a more comprehensive guide is here" http://www.studygs.net/ - Robert Dilt's books "Strategies of Genius" provided an important starting point for me to understand the cognitive and top-down models of the genius of Aristotle and other such people. His books are probably out of print now, but if you can track them down they are important additions to the field. Much of his work can be found here: http://www.nlpu.com/archive.htm - How To Learn: http://www.aeriagloris.com/HowToLearn/index.html - Thinking Like A Genius: http://www.studygs.net/genius.htm - Can You Get Smarter In A Week? Who knows? Apparently the BBC does: http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/getsmarter/introduction.shtml I have packed a lot of information and links into this piece. I hope you enjoy life long learning.

The Secrets of Health, Wealth, and Happiness

kanch_bud — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 05:36:52 GMT

THE SECRET OF HEALTH: Eat and Drink Right; Exercise. THE SECRET OF WEALTH: Spend less. Learn more, earn more, save more. Invest right. THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS: Take responsibility for all choices; be willing to forgo perception of gain, desire and profit; be willing to be of selfless service to life in all its expressions including oneself. Simplicity trumps theory; solitude trumps socialising and entertainment; practice trumps workshopping; persistence trumps indecision; intention and choice trumps cravings and useless wants - every time in all times and all places. All it takes is a clear intention to grow. The inspiration for all these words, and none of the responsibility, goes to Dr David R. Hawkins, and to Divinity.

The Secrets of Personal and Spiritual Growth

kanch_bud — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 05:23:00 GMT

The source of growth is spirit. The manifestations of spirit are integrity, courage, love, peace, willingness, and acceptance. Any actions intentionally in concord with these manifestations results in growth. The ego is the source of futile change. Animal in origin, this involves moving around a lot, that rapidly exhausts its source of sustenance and also tends to conceal the source of growth. Growth occurs when body, emotions and mind change. Broadly speaking, growth in body tends toward health, growth in emotions tends toward wealth and growth in mind tends toward happiness. Body, emotions and mind DO NOT grow when they are identified falsely as "me". Body, emotions and mind DO grow when they are identified correctly as "mine". Body, emotions, and mind are not "me", but "mine". Identifying them correctly as stewardships allows for responsibility and a clear view to emerge. EXAMPLES: The successful student grows because she is willing to change her mind to use new knowledge and skills; because she courageously accepts her emotional resistances to learning and learns in spite of them; because she maintains sufficient health to think and turn up to school. The successful businesswoman grows because she is willing to focus her mind and discipline her time and master the details of her business with the best data; because she is able to love and inspire peace between the people she works with; because she shows integrity by keeping fit and being ethical. The spiritual student grows because he is willing to face shortcomings in integrity and accept them courageously; because he meets emotions with love and peace; because he loves his existence and so cares for his body and surroundings appropriately. The inspiration for all these words, and none of the responsibility, goes to Dr David R. Hawkins, and to Divinity

Spiritual First Aid

kanch_bud — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 04:11:59 GMT

To terminate an upset, do the following: 1. "Thump the thymus." The thymus gland is located behind the upper breastbone. Thump that area with a closed hand and say at the same time "ha - ha - ha" rhythmically 3 times and then after a pause do it three more times. Smile while doing that and picture something or someone that you love. That could be a divine figure or even one's favorite pet. (The thymus is the controller of the acupuncture energy system and is related to one's overall immune health which is prone to suppression by stress.) This method was originally taught by doctor John Diamond. 2. Then breathe spiritual energy from the base of the spine up to the crown chakra. On each inhalation picture it as Light. It flows from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Even a few breaths done in this way will cause a very noticeable effect. 3. While doing the breathing, think or sound the syllable, "OM" , as you proceed with the above. (The O is pronounced like the name of the letter 'O' - ie, rhyming with "home".) 4. Picture someone you love. 5. While involved in this process, find within yourself the willingness in your heart to surrender everything and anything to God and recommit your devotion above all else. This instruction comes for Doctor David R. Hawkins' book: "I: Objectivity and Subjectivity". I have found it very useful and effective for what it claims.

Mindfulness of All-At-Once: a new approach to the satipatthana sutta and vipassana practice

kanch_bud — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 00:34:17 GMT

I have asked four tribes for a response to the posting below, and I will include the tribe's relies to it in the comments section: <<<SNIPPED FROM AN ONLINE INTERVIEW>>> Q: I notice also how the hero in your novel continually moves attention from mind states and feelings, back to the body. A: This is signficant. The source of many instructions on training are found in the Satipatthana Sutra, which has four main bases or baskets of techniques. The first grouping of techniques involves focusing on the body and is the least unknown of the four in the West these days. So I used that in the story because anyone can relate. Q: What are the other three? A: Well I’m a storyteller not a teacher of course. But simply put they are practicing awareness of physical sensations, states of mind, and things. Different people translate these terms different ways but I feel that these are the simplest. Q: And you chose not to represent these other areas? A: Well of course the story needs a body, mind, thoughts, and a world. But in the context of representing enlightenment I felt this wasn’t helpful. I mean, you don’t need a bunch of abstract stuff to represent what is after all an ordinary although rare human condition. Representing enlightenment as something unusual runs the risk of glamorising it in people’s minds. Because there quite literally is nothing to go on for the mind in regards to enlightenment, being a supra-rational state, I thought I would evade the whole issue of the mind and just represent the bare attention on the body. Q: Do you focus on the body in your spiritual life? A: Traditionally people choose one of these four areas and really work it out, developing a lot of skill in one area. I have a different approach. I feel the instructions were meant to be taken as a whole, single, united, comprehensive state. They are not linear instructions but a direct representation of the enlightened state in words. Using one single instruction for weeks or months seems to be mistaking the forest for the trees. Instead, I believe the entire field of awareness is exercised at once, all at once. One does a body scan, notes all the sensations, inventories the mind states, is aware of things in mind and in the world, then lets the whole lot go. Surrenders it completely. Boom, just like that. <<<End snip>>>> What do experienced or beginning students think of this approach to mindfulness? I would like to check my understanding against others'. Warm regards, Paul Bard.