Free download! Developing upon teachings on the art of mindful living begun in Being Peace, Thich Nhat Hanh shows the connection between inner peace and peace on earth. Recorded live in New York in 1991, he teaches us how mindful breathing and awareness is refreshing and healing, and how it can be used as the basis for examining the roots of war and social problems. His vision for rebuilding society through strengthening families and communities coalesces the ultimate reach of each act in our daily lives.
What if it were true that nothing was wrong with you? What if you are actually perfect? And the only thing that prevents you from feeling this way most of the time is the story you tell yourself about why you’re not.
You could have gotten this story from all kinds of places. From your parents, from events that happened, from culture or society – there’s all kinds of places where this story could have come from.
But, what if your core is perfect? What would that feel like? What would that make you think and believe about life and what’s possible?
When I say perfect, I don’t mean the achiever’s definition of perfect… with the house, the cars, the money, the body, etc., etc., etc. I’m not talking about outward “perfection”. I’m talking about intrinsic inward perfection.
What if you were and are a child of The Divine and at your core, you are Spirit and there is nothing wrong with you? But instead, what you think is “wrong” with you are just brilliant ways for you to have gotten your needs met. Your need for Love, to feel valuable, to feel worthy, to feel significant, to feel variety and connection. And that you have been doing the best you can from your point of view to get these needs met?
And what if there were healthier ways to get your needs met?
What story have you been telling yourself about what’s wrong with you?
You’re too – what?
Or… you’re not enough – what?
Are those stories actually true? Or could there be another way? Could there be a more empowering story that you could tell yourself about who you are? Instead of feeling like a failure or feeling wrong or feeling like you aren’t enough – what if you changed the story to…
You did the absolute FREAKIN best that you could given your life circumstances. And that you know that you are MORE than your circumstances and so you can rise above them by making a new choice. That your circumstances are not your identity – your identity is a Soul – an Infinite Soul with Infinite potential connected to an Infinite Creator and that as you learn new skills, make new distinctions and become even MORE aware of The Divine perfection within you – you can create new habits and create a new identity.
If that were true – what would be possible for you? What in your life could change?
…you know that I have been obsessed with Felix Baumgartner’s historic feat. Did you know his historic record has already been surpassed by a feline? See it here!
I don’t know why I think this is so hilarious, but I do! :-D
“What could be greater than to be Wakan-Tanka’s mind, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, arms, hands, legs, and feet here on earth?” Fools Crow, LAKOTA
In order for the Creator to do His work on this earth, He needs the human being to do it. How He guides us is through our eyes, ears, hands, nose, mouth, arms legs and feet.
We are instruments of the Creator. We are His keepers of the earth. We are the keepers of our brothers. We are to teach His children. We are to respect the things He has made. We are to take care of ourselves and treat our bodies and our minds with respect.
We are to do respectful things. We are to walk the Sacred Path. We should have good thoughts. We should do only things that we think the Creator would have us do. What an honor to be a human being. What an honor that He would talk to us and guide us to perform His wonders.
What if you were at work on a beautiful sculpture but your material reverted or decayed if you ever ceased to progress? This is the unfortunate nature of spiritual efforts.
You can never stop trying to purify yourself, improve yourself, strengthen yourself, and cultivate the sacred that is inside you. If you do well one day, that is good. But if you cease your efforts, you will slide backward. That is why you must strive on every level, from the physical to the mental to the spiritual. Your vigilance must never flag. Your determination must never waver.
Paradoxically, there is nothing to achieve. It is only our minds that convince ourselves that we must do something. We are already pure, already sacred. But we live in a polluted world, we have egotistical thoughts that constantly divide us from the true Tao, and we cannot remain forever in a pure state and still function in the world. If you attained the higher levels of Tao, you would appear to an outsider as if in a trance, and it would be impossible to interact with others. So if you are trying to be spiritual in today’s world, you must never cease striving to keep yourself pure. Once you are not with Tao, you must constantly struggle with the impurity of the world.” via Just For Today Meditations » Daily Recovery Readings – June 25, 2012.
“I want to change careers . . . I need a friend . . . I’m ready to be in a relationship . . .
Regularly, we become aware of new needs. We may need to change our behavior with our children. We may need a new couch, love and nurturing, a dollar, or help.
Do not be afraid to recognize a want or need. The birth of a want or need, the temporary frustration from acknowledging a need before it’s met, is the start of the cycle of receiving what we want. We follow this by letting go, then receiving that which we want and need. Identifying our needs is preparation for good things to come.
Acknowledging our needs means we are being prepared and drawn to that which will meet them. We can have faith to stand in that place in between.
Today, I will let go of my belief that my needs never get met. I will acknowledge my wants and needs, and then turn them over to my Higher Power. My Higher Power cares, sometimes about the silliest little things, if I do. My wants and needs are not an accident. God created me and all my desires.” via Daily Meditation ~ Getting Needs Met – Miracles In Progress Codependents Anonymous Group.
“There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.” ~ George Carlin
We recently had a Perigee “Super Moon.” Unfortunately, our local weather conditions didn’t cooperate and I never got a clear shot of the moon when it was full. Still I had the itch to snap a shot of the moon, so on an early, clear morning I was able to capture this one. via To Howl For.
When the rain is blowing in your face
and the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
to make you feel my love…
When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
to make you feel my love…
Have you ever gone outside at night and looked closely at the new moon? Or looked through a telescope at the moon when it was crescent shaped? Although what we see is a bright slice, we know there’s more. Even when the moon is full and lights the night sky, there s a dark side to the moon.
There’s a dark side to us too. We all experience jealousy, envy bitterness, resentment. How about neediness? Ugh. Who wants to shine a light on that?
What about all those fears? Fear of failure, fear of Success, fear of intimacy, fear of going broke, fear of staying broke, fear of abandonment, fear that we’re essentially unlovable, fear of the unknown, fear of growing old, fear of being alone, fear of being with someone, fear of losing control.
Then there are other parts of us that we would prefer to keep darkened and out of sight, parts such as greed, dishonesty, intolerance, disgust, hatred. Although some people have no problem showing anger, others of us prefer to keep that out of sight too. And what about our manipulative part? Who wants anyone to see that?
Some of us may even consider the dark side of ourselves forbidden. We may refuse to acknowledge it exists because we believe it’s wrong. Not acknowledging our dark side doesn’t wish it out of existence, any more than not seeing the dark side of the moon makes it disappear.
Most sane people agree that they don’t want to be controlled by their dark side. We don’t want parts of ours elves- jealousy, neediness, greed to control our behaviors. But when we don’t acknowledge these emotions and traits, they can gain control. The more we try to repress something, the more it fights for its life.
Stand back. Don’t be afraid. Shine a light on that dark part. At least look at it briefly. Acknowledge it’s there. Take some of the pressure off. Let yourself be well rounded, instead of one dimensional.
Take it a step further. Share those darker parts with others, so they can shine a light on those parts of themselves. Experience how much easier it is not to act needy, not to speak bitterly, and not to look disgusted when you acknowledge those feelings.
Value: We don ‘t just have a light side, a bright side. Nobody is always loving, always kind, always generous, always thoughtful. We should honestly acknowledge our character defects as well.
…of great technologists or entrepreneurs whose work solves critical problems, often while battling against great adversity. Despite our obsession with our current high tech culture, not all such stories come from this decade — or even this century.
I just finished watching the first part of a two part A&E series called Longitude based on Dava Sobel’s best seller which I had read a few years ago, but apparently forgotten until I saw the title on Netflix. The Wikipedia sets up the story in this way…
“Determining longitude on land was fairly easy compared to the task at sea. A stable surface to work from, a comfortable location to live in while performing the work and the ability to repeat determinations over time made for great accuracy. Whatever could be discovered from solving the problem at sea would only improve the determination of longitude on land.
Determining latitude was relatively easy in that it could be found from the altitude of the sun at noon with the aid of a table giving the sun’s declination for the day.[3] For longitude, early ocean navigators had to rely on dead reckoning. This was inaccurate on long voyages out of sight of land and these voyages sometimes ended in tragedy as a result. Continue reading “I’m continually in awe…”→
…of great technologists or entrepreneurs whose work solves critical problems, often while battling against great adversity. Despite our obsession with our current high tech culture, not all such stories come from this decade — or even this century.
Bright, shiny objects! 
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