...Thus have I heard....

...Befriending Our Feelings...

LotusBoy — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:48:19 GMT

How could we forget those ancient myths that stand at the beginning of all races- the myths about dragons that at the last moment are transformed into princesses. Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are only princesses waiting for us to act, jut once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love. So you must not be frightened if a sadness rises before you larger than any you've ever seen, if an anxiety like light and cloud shadows moves over your hands and everything that you do. You must realize that something has happened to you; that life has not forgotten you; it holds you in its hands and will not let you fall. Why do you want to shut out of your life any uneasiness, any miseries, or any depressions? For after all, you do not know what work these conditions are doing inside you. -Rainer Maria Rilke, from Letters to a Young Poet Life is interesting sometimes...It's hard to remain present in the moment when we feel baffled by what life has thrown at us...Living life on life's terms is the greatest gift we can give to ourselves...May we all dwell in supreme bliss and happiness and have the courage to befriend all of our feelings, the easy ones as well as the difficult ones...for it is through walking through our fears that we are able to grow as spiritual beings and be present to the greatest gift that this journey gives us: L O V E May you all be well and happy and may each one of us gain the strength and insight to walk through our fears and live in love...You are all in my prayers and deep in my heart... Much love and peace, Deveshwar

...Perfection in worship...

LotusBoy — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:30:31 GMT

"The great devotees who attain the status of participating in My divine pastimes, once having reached Me, never again accept a transitory birth, which is the dwelling house of agony. O Arjuna, from the planet of Lord Brahma downwards, the residents of all planets are naturally subjected to repeated birth and death. But, upon reaching Me, O Kaunteya, there is no rebirth." (Gita 8.15-16) May we all dwell in supreme bliss... xox- Deveshwar : )

...God In Everything...

LotusBoy — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 05:49:16 GMT

...We avoid the dangers of life and its evils by seeing God in everything. Do not desire anything. What makes us miserable? The cause of all the miseries from which we suffer is desire. You desire something, and the desire is not fulfilled; the result is distress. If there is no desire, there is no suffering. But here, too, there is the danger of my being misunderstood. So it is necessary to explain what I mean by giving up desire and becoming free from all misery. The walls have no desires and they never suffer. True, but they never evolve. This chair has no desires; it never suffers; but it is always a chair. There is a glory in happiness; there is a glory in suffering. If I may say so, there is a utility in evil too. The great lesson in misery we all know. There are hundreds of things we have done in our lives which we wish we had never done, but which, at the same time, have been great teachers. As for me, I am glad I have done something good and many things bad; glad to have done something right, and glad I have committed many errors; because every one of them has been a great lesson. I, as I am now, am the resultant of all I have done, all I have thought. Every action and thought have had their effect, and these effects are the sum total of my progress. We all understand that desires are wrong, but what is meant by giving up desire? How could life go on? It would be the same suicidal advice, killing the desire and the man too. The solution is this; not that you should not have property, not that you should not have things which are necessary and even things which are luxuries- have all that you want, and more, only know the truth about property: that it does not belong to anybody. Have no idea of proprietorship, possession. You are not anybody, nor am I anybody, nor is anyone else. All belong to the Lord. The opening verse of the Isa Upanishad tells us to cover everything with the Lord. God is in the wealth that you enjoy. He is in the desire that rises in your mind. He is in the things you buy to satisfy your desire; He is in your beautiful attire, in your beautiful ornaments. This is the line of thought. All will be metamorphosed as soon as you begin to see things in that light. If you put God in your every movement, in your conversation, in your form, in everything. The whole scene will change, and the world, instead of appearing as one of woe and misery will become a heaven. "The kingdom of heaven is within you,", says Jesus. So says Vedanta and every great teacher. " He that hath eyes to see, let him see, and he that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Vedanta proves that the truth for which we have been searching all this time is present now and was all the time with us. In our ignorance we thought we had lost it, and went about the world crying and weeping, struggling to find the truth, while all along it was dwelling in our own hearts. There alone can we find it... Swami Vivekananda, excerpt from a speech delivered in London, October 27th, 1896. MAY WE ALL AWAKE TO THE REALIZATION OF THE SELF AND SERVE ONE ANOTHER WITH UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND DEVOTION! ! ! xox- D.

...One Goal...

LotusBoy — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 23:56:58 GMT

"Leaving behind the fear of death and the hope of life you must advance. You should not be afraid of fire or water. When the need arises, we will have to jump into the ocean; when the time comes, we must be prepared to jump into the fire. That is why all of you must be as firm and stable as Mount Meru. The thing is that this whole world is transitory, why do you entertain confusion in your minds? You must have only one aim, one goal, to serve every living being in the universe." -Mahavatar Babaji OM NAMAH SHIVAYA ! ! ! xox- Deveshwar : )

...As we really are...

LotusBoy — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:34:11 GMT

"At any given moment in time, we are what we are; and our actions express that condition. We cannot run away from our actions, because we carry the condition with us. On the highest mountain, in the darkest cave, we must turn at last and accept the consequences of being ourselves. Only through this acceptance can we begin to evolve further. We may select the battleground. We cannot avoid the battle" -Christopher Isherwood This really reminded me of the five remembrances and how precious this limited life really is. May we all find the peace in each moment we experience. May we choose to accept and whole-heartedly move through each experience, easy or not, with full mindfulness and peace of mind. Non-attached, but seeing it as it truly is. May we all be filled with many blessings for one another and for ourselves, for it is in finding the true Self that we are able to be of service to all beings... Much love always, Deveshwar ; ) The Five Remembrances I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old. I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape ill health. I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand. -Buddha

. . . A C C E P T A N C E . . .

LotusBoy — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 15:44:56 GMT

"...And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, situation - some fact of my life- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy" Much love to you all ! ! ! xox- Deveshwar ; ) Om Amriteshwaryai Namah ! ! ! Om Namah Shivaya ! ! !

...The Realizing of God in the Soul...

LotusBoy — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 05:37:54 GMT

Religion does not consist in doctrines or dogmas. It is not what you read, nor what dogmas you believe that is of importance, but what you realize. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”, in this life. And that is salvation. There are those who teach that this can be gained by the mumbling of words, but no great master ever taught that external forms were necessary for salvation. The power of attaining it is within ourselves. We live and move in God. Creeds and sects have their parts to play, but they last only temporarily. Books never make religions, but religions make books. We must not forget that. No book ever created God, but God inspired all the great books. And no book ever created a soul. We must never forget that. The end of all religions is the realizing of God in the soul. That is the one universal religion. If there is one universal truth in all religions, I place it here – in realizing God. Ideals and methods may differ, but that is the central point. There may be a thousand different radii, but they all converge to the one center, and that is the realization of God: something behind this world of sense, this world of eternal eating and drinking and talking nonsense, this world of false shadows and selfishness. There is that beyond all books, beyond all creeds, beyond the vanities of this world and it is the realization of God within yourself. See God in every person- working through all hands, walking through all feet, and eating through every mouth. In every being He lives, through all minds He thinks. He is self-evident, nearer unto us than ourselves. To know this is religion, is faith. So long as there is one that breathes throught the universe, I live in that one. I am the universal. I am the life of all the sons of the past. I am the soul of Buddha, of Jesus, of Mohammed. I am the soul of the teachers, and I am all the robbers that robbed , and all the murderers that were hanged, I am the universal. If you are knowers of God, you will everywhere find the same worship as in your own heart. -Swami Vivekananda

...Prayer to Hanuman...Pure bhakti...

LotusBoy — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:35:39 GMT

I bow to the Son of the Wind, A fire to burn the forest of the wicked, and a rain cloud of wisdom O wide-hearted one, Shri Ram, the holder of the bow Lives in you. Your body shining like a mountain of gold Is the home of immeasurable power. You are the fire that burns the whole demon race... The wisest of the wise First among monkeys! All goodness finds a home in you. You are the most beloved of Ram's devotees. Son of the wind, I bow to you. For this world you are like Ram For the demons, you are like fire. You are the great jewel in the garland of the Ramayan. Son of the Wind, I bow to you. You are Anjani's heroic son, The destroyer of Sita's suffering. Lord of Monkeys, Killer of Demons, Terrorizer of Lanka, I bow to you. You jumped over the ocean so easily to put out the fire of Janaki's grief Burner of Lanka, I bow to you. You have conquered your mind, you move as fast as the wind. You have conquered the senses, You overflow with wisdom and mercy. Son of the Wind, you are Ram's messenger in this world. Lion among Monkeys! Give me refuge! Wherever Ram's name is being sung, You go there and bow, Your eyes filled with tears of love. Son of the Wind, Destroyer of demons, I bow to you... Hail to the Thunderbolt-bodied One, The Great King, Hail!

...its been a little over two weeks...

LotusBoy — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 05:27:55 GMT

Since my Satguru left the bay area...Although I go through these moments of lamenting her phyisical body not being close to mine, I know that the guru is always with me, with us, inseperable...I guess I am grateful enough to love someone so unconditionally and know that I am loved so unconditionally in return...I could not imagine not having been blessed to have Amma as my guide in this life and in all those to follow...sometimes, when I wake up in the morning, before mantra recitation and meditation, I hug my pillow so tight and look at her loving gaze at the picture I have by my bedside and I know that today I am going to be alright...today, I will be of service to others...today, I will see the face of God in everyone and every situation I come across, not only because this is what Amma has asked me to do, but because it is what is true for me...may as long as this body continue to live, may I be of service to all, and be filled with love and compassion to all those I come in contact with...Jai Ma ! ! ! With peace and love to you all, xox Deveshwar...

Religion is what is on the outside-Spirituality is what is inside and what we live...

LotusBoy — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 14:22:14 GMT

"Those who with constant attention always worship you, and those who worship the Undifferentiated, the Absolute, of these who are the greatest Yogis?" -Arjuna asked of Shri Krishna. The answer was: "Those who concentrating their minds on me, worship me with eternal constancy, and are endowed with the highest faith, they are my best worshipers, they are the greatest Yogis. Those that worship the Absolute, the Indescribable, the Undifferentiated, the Omnipresent, the Unthinkable, the All-comprehending, the immovable, by having the conviction of sameness in regard to all things, they also, being engaged in doing good to all beings, come to me alone. Those who, having offered up all their work unto me, with entire reliance on me, meditate on me and worship me without any attachment to anything else- them, I soon lift up from the ocean of ever-recurring births and deaths, as their mind is wholly attached to me"-Shri Krishna... I guess I chose this passage from Lord Krishna in order to bring about the true meaning of Self-realization and ultimate, unconditional love...Religion is what is on the outside, so many paths, but one destination...I think that all forms of beings struggle...struggle for food, shelter, warmth, LOVE, compassion, trust, acceptance...No matter what our 'religion' may be, whether we wear robes, shorts, jeans, whatever, what it all boils down to is that we must nurture a place deep within our being to really be able to accept others as they are, without pretense, without any attachment to the outcome of our selflessness towards others...Spirituality encompasses all that we do, no matter what form it takes..."May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness. May they be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. May all beings dwell in supreme bliss free from all sorrow. May all beings rest in great equanimity free from all attachment, addiction, indifference and aversion. And may all beings wake up to recognize the true nature of self."- Lord Buddha May you all have a beautiful day, enjoying the diversity that we sometimes forget is mirrored within ourselves...Selfless devotion to our fellows, if just for one minute can create massive change in this world...It all starts with the intention to create change...Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish, Sufi, Atheist, or Agnostic, the exterior falls and we are left naked, as one being with one purpose, to love, serve and accept one another as we truly are...beautiful divine creations...here on this planet for only a short while...Enjoy each other while we can...For this life is short and we must make the best of this journey and hopefully ease some suffering not only for ourselves, but for all those we encounter on our daily journey... "Shoshanam papankasya dipanam jnanatejasam, Guru padodakam samya, smasaranava tarakam" The holy water that has washed the Guru's Feet, dries the mind of sins, lights the Lamp of Knowledge and helps one cross the Ocean of Transmigration" Much love and peace to you all always, Deveshwar...

Darshan....The Embrace...

LotusBoy — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 03:31:23 GMT

This morning cannot even be put into words, although I will try my best...maybe those of you who have experienced darshan with Amma can relate to how I am feeling...From the moment Amma walked into the ashram, I was hysterically crying...tears of fear, joy, humility, love, acceptance, compassion, pain...all emotions, all at once, all due to this saint walking next to me and brushing her hand against mine as I sat with hundreds of others waiting for my embrace...I had written a letter to Amma on the train this morning...asking for the usual...to love myself more, to be more selfless,to accept myself as I am without judgement or pretense, to let my life be filled with being able to be of service to all those I come in contact with, to remove obstacles on my path to liberation, for selfish reasons as well (still working on those stages of the path!!!)- to be completely healthy, to live a long happy life, to love completely and wholly at all times and places...Just to be at peace...OK, back to the crying...Seriously, it lasted about three hours of non-stop, snot dripping, contacts falling out, shaking even at times, balls out crying...When it was time to approach Amma, with my questions (requests) repeated silently in my mind over and over, I pretty much just blacked-out...I remember putting my face to the side of her shoulder and holding her...she took my head and put my face in her bosom, allowing me the opportunity to let out 31 years of 'life' flow freely as any mother would do for her child...All the while, rubbing my back, whispering in my ear what roughly translates to 'don't worry, everything is going to be fine", over and over and over...it seemed like an eternity...when I tried to pull away, she grabbed me closer and held me closer and continued whispering in my ear as I sobbed all over her...Had it not been for my friend Jim that I was with, the whole episode would have been erased from my mind, as I was completely lost in blissful ecstasy, luckily he was three people behind me and was able to bare witness for me when I was utterly in another state of consciousness...My guru, my mother, our mother, was once again present to be there for myself and countless others doing something so simple as giving us all hugs and words of encouragement...I have the great fortune of being able to see Amma a few more times in the next week while she is still here and I am so wired right now, I just don't know what to do with myself ! ! ! How can someone love so deeply and so freely as she does ? ? ? How ? ! ? All I know is that my heart is so full of gratitude for my friends, my family, my life, our world. The compassion and my being able to express myself so freely, being surrounded by a thousand strangers that at that moment we were all one...not separate...all there to bathe in the peace and love of pure divinity...we really are blessed...we just need to see through that veil that keeps us thinking that we are not all one, that we are better than or less than one another...such simple teachings, but to put them into practice takes so much courage and strength...I hope one day to reach that level of Self-Realization...With that, I am going to pass out and hopefully have a night filled with beautiful images of the Holy Mother and all Her children...my fellow travelers and seekers on this path we call life...Much love and peace always...xox-Deveshwar...

..."The prideful ego cannot exist where there is real love"...

LotusBoy — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 16:45:34 GMT

…There was once an ignorant forest dweller who had never had contact with people who lived in towns and villages. One day, as he wandered deeper into the woods to cut down some firewood, he came upon a man meditating. The forest dweller had never seen an apparition such as this. He wondered why this man sat still with his eyes closed. The forest dweller walked round and round the man, wondering what in the world this man was doing. The forest dweller finally sat down and waited, hoping the man would open his eyes. After a long time, when the man looked up from his meditation, the forest dweller asked, ‘What are you doing? Why are sleeping while sitting up?” The man laughed at the forest dweller’s lack of knowledge and said, “I’m a disciple of the great saint Shankara. I’m not sleeping. I’m meditating on my favorite form of God.” Innocently, the forest dweller replied, ‘Meditating? Your favorite God? What does that mean?” “It’s not possible for you to understand.” With this, the man closed his eyes once again. Every day the forest dweller passed by the meditator and eagerly waited to talk to him. After many meetings, the forest dweller asked, “Who is this God you are looking for?” “I am contemplating my Lord Narasimha, the lion-man, an incarnation of the great Vishnu,” he said. The forest dweller became even more puzzled, wondered why the man whom he now referred to as “master” looked for a lion while sitting with his eyes closed. Above all, he couldn’t understand how a half-man half-lion could be God. As the months passed by, these two became good friends. The forest dweller noticed that his master was getting thin from not eating, and weary from not lying down to sleep. He was worried and became angry with his master’s lion for staying away for so long. All the forest dweller could think about was that the lion’s refusal to come causing his master too much suffering. One day the forest dweller decided he would look for the lion and bring it to his master. But first he would ask permission. The disciple of the great saint once again laughed at his forest-dweller friend’s ignorance. To pacify him, he gave consent for the search. The forest dweller set out on his journey, looking for the man-lion everywhere- under every bush, in every cave, on every mountaintop, and in every valley. On and on he pursued his quest for his master’s lion. When he had hunted every corner, every inch of the forest without success, he began to call out, “My master’s lion, come here, come here!” He became so focused on his search for the lion that he felt no hunger or thirst, stopped eating and sleeping, incessantly crying out, “My master’s lion, come here, come here!” Eventually the forest dweller’s mind became silent, all thoughts disappeared, even the verbal calls stopped. His search had transformed itself into an intense inquiry that had purified his body and mind. All that was left within him was the burning fire of love that soared up into the heavens to the abode of Lord Vishnu. The forest dweller’s meditations had become so powerful that the great Vishnu was compelled to respond. And so it was that the Godof Preservation took the form of Narasimha, the man-lion, and appeared before the simple forest dweller. Delighted that he had found what his master was looking for, the forest dweller picked a length of vine off a tree, tied it around Narasimha’s neck, and led the man-lion back to where his master meditated. This time, the forest dweller did not wait for his master to open his eyes. He called out, “Master, look, I have found your lion! Open your eyes!” When Shankara’s disciple came out of his meditation, he could not believe what he saw. He rubbed his eyes and opened them again. As he fed the man-lion a handful of green grass, the forest dweller said to his master, “Come down from your rock. I have your lion. He’s not dangerous!” The man scrambled down from his meditation seat, prostrated in front of Narasimha, sobbed and cried out for the forgiveness for his vanity and ignorance. The forest dweller was puzzled by his master’s behavior until he heard Narasimha speak: “Stand up, my dear one,” he said to the forest dweller’s master. “Do not feel disappointed. I dwell both within and without. The prideful ego cannot exist where there is real love. And where there is real love, then I can easily enter and dwell.” Narasimha called the forest dweller to him, placed his hand on his head, and granted him final liberation. The Lord then consoled the devotee of the saint Shankara, told the now genuinely humbled mediator that he, too, would reach that ultimate state during his lifetime

...My beloved Guru...Sri Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

LotusBoy — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:22:45 GMT

"Whoever comes into the river of Love will be bathed in it, whether the person is healthy or diseased, a man or a woman, wealthy or poor. Anyone can take any number of dips in the river of Love. Whether someone bathes in it or not, the river of Love does not care. If somebody criticizes or abuses the river of Love, it takes no notice. It simply flows."- Sri Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Ammachi). ..Just looking at Amma, I can feel her love, her compassion for all beings everywhere, her selflessness...what a beautiful gift...on my altar I have a picture of Her, as well as next to my bed with a small statue of Krishna next to the picture...It alsmost brings me to tears each time I look into Her eyes..She is coming to SF (actually the East Bay, next week!!!), and I will be able to receive darshan, her embrace, and fall into what can only be described as absolute love, bliss, and ectasy...The Holy Mother will be here for two weeks, ending with Devi Bhava on the 15th...I AM SOOOOO EXCITED ! ! ! I can only hope that it is through these examples of universal compassion, that we can all awaken to the beauty and the gift of each moment that we are presented with and truly be appreciative of one another, embrace our differences, and realize the interconnectedness of all...May this note find you all with great peace, happiness, health and many blessings in your day ! ! ! Much love always, Deveshwar ; )

...Thoughts for Monday, and always...

LotusBoy — Mon, 14 May 2007 17:38:12 GMT

"Love and serve all humanity. Help everyone. Be happy, be courteous. Be a dynamo of irrepressible joy. Recognize God and goodness in every face. There is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future. Praise everyone. If you cannot praise someone, let them out of your life. Be original, be inventive. Be courageous. Take courage again and again. Do not imitate, be strong, be upright. Do not lean on the crutches of others. Think with your own head. Be yourself. All perfection and every divine virtue are hidden within you. Reveal them to the world. Wisdom, too is already within you. Let it shine forth. Let the Lord's grace make you free. Let your life be that of the rose. In silence, it speaks the language of fragrance. -Mahavatar Babaji