Guest guest Posted August 26, 2004 Report Share Posted August 26, 2004 Welcome to an Article Update and words of Wisdom shared from INTUITION for 27 August 2004 In Sharing please forward this on to those who might find this of interest. Hi there I hope it's been a good week for you..... And may your weekend ahead be one filled with tranquility and Peace... In thoughts and Love Iain ~~~~ ~~~~~ " If you are willing to experience anything directly and immediately, whether good or bad, joyous or hateful, you will recognize that what you are running from does not exist, and what you are running toward is already here. " Gangaji INTUITION. . . .Awaken to the Journey within. http://intuition2vishnu.homestead.com Cape Town South Africa If someone forwarded this to you, why not visit the above site to obtain your own FREE subscription. Visit the Sites ARCHIVES (Previous Posted articles [133]) http://intuition2vishnu.homestead.com/otherarticals.html ARCHIVES for Articles on Intuition. (Previous Posted articles [20]) http://intuition2vishnu.homestead.com/articalsintuition.html To submit Articles, that Relates to an unfolding awareness or an expression of Intuition. Contact the above email address. Put as the subject: Article submissions. Article: Finding Peace: A Taste of Mindfulness By Deva Ratnakara Article: The Meaning of Life By Jason Light Reflections: Who am I? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> Finding Peace: A Taste of Mindfulness By Deva Ratnakara When we are ill and don't know it, we are in a state of ignorance or delusion. We don't view ourselves as sick, so we don't believe it's necessary to go to a doctor or take any medication. We fail to recognize our own need for care and support. The same is true of someone suffering from afflictions of the mind-ill will, ego, doubt, and frustration due to unfulfilled desires. We rarely recognize the symptoms, and if we do, we don't know how to change in order to live with greater harmony and personal power. In order to understand what is limiting us, we must learn how to see, isolate and intentionally respond to these mental obstacles. In Sri Lanka, people frequently talk about peace. For more than 21 years, our country has been struggling for peace in a process complicated by politics, religion, economics and ethnicity. We dream of living without conflict. We long for peace to bloom in our nation. But sometimes I feel this peace is only a dream. How can we overcome the tremendous obstacles in order to live in harmony here? During one of my spiritual travels in northeastern Sri Lanka, I happened to stop at a tiny rural village. While eating a simple meal, I met a very poor, innocent-looking girl. She was about 16, and had spent her entire life in this war-torn area of poverty and despair. In our conversation, it became clear that she had no concept of life without violence. She had lost her relatives, feared for her own life, and experienced the ravages of hunger and homelessness on a daily basis. I was struck by her suffering. Her appearance conveyed only a hint of what she had endured. She looked calm and peaceful, but underneath that serene countenance was a bubbling cauldron of pain, fear, hopelessness, and despair. Most striking of all was that she was completely unaware of the effects of her chronic mental anguish. She had not even a vague understanding that her suffering created such insurmountable obstacles to peace and harmony in her own mind. She knew nothing other than what her life had shown her, and was so completely immersed in her suffering that she could not see the toll it had taken. A few days later, I was in the bustling city of Colombo. I saw many people going about their business, and noticed that same innocent, eerily peaceful look that I'd first noticed about the young girl. I had to wonder what kind of suffering they were experiencing under their own smiling masks. We always sympathize with the unhappiness and sorrow of others. We help people all the time, and this is good and kind of us. But we fail to realize that we ourselves are suffering. Everything that happens in the world affects us all. The relentless desire for more of everything is a driving factor that leaves behind unhappiness and discontentment. We know this. We feel it in our hearts. In order to relieve ourselves of this suffering, we must first learn how to still our minds. There are many special mindfulness meditation techniques that have been practiced by thousands of people with tremendous benefits. The key is to remember that you are your own master. When you start practicing mindfulness, little by little you will be able to clear your mind of your continuous racing thoughts. You must attain this stillness in order to clearly see and understand your limiting thoughts and self-constructed obstacles to peace and harmony. With practice, you will be able to come to this still and clear state of mind and overcome your mental ailments completely. Here's a simple exercise that will give you a taste of mindfulness meditation, which is often called vipassana meditation. Find a peaceful place-your bedroom, veranda, garden, or even your office. Sit in a comfortable position keeping your spine erect so that you can breathe easily. Close your eyes if you like, or simply allow them to develop a soft, unfocused gaze. Now, breathe deeply and completely for a few minutes, focusing your mind on the flow of your breath. Allow your body to relax while keeping your back straight. Watch your breath as it goes in and out, in and out. As you concentrate on your breath, you will notice that your mind becomes more settled. Your breath will become smooth and even. Continue in this state for several minutes, and finish your meditation with several deep breaths. By practicing this simple exercise, you will train your mind to become still. Continuous sessions of mental calm will bring you deeper clarity and a greater understanding of the source of your mental suffering. See it. Recognize it. Focus on releasing it. Finding peace in your nation begins with finding peace in yourself. Let's work on peace as individuals, and create greater harmony together. We could all benefit from a taste of mindfulness. About the Author Deva Ratnakara, Kandy, Sri Lanka welcome http://truemindfulness.org Deva Ratnakara has been teaching mindfulness and yoga for over 20 years. He lives in Sri Lanka where he is the head of a 500-member meditation group. To learn about the retreat he is offering in February 2005, please visit http://truemindfulness.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> The Meaning of Life By Jason Light The Meaning of Life is one of the great mysteries that philosophers and seekers of truth have been searching for over the centuries, the problem being is that the tendency has been to look externally for the answer when all that is needed is to look within. All the answers that you seek are within you, only clues to these answers will be found outside, each one in its own special way specifically designed to make you question yourself and look within. But unless we recognise these clues for what they truly are, we will follow them like a signpost and head off in another external direction looking for answers that aren't out there and blindly ignoring the truth that the answers that we are seeking are within us all. The Universe is very simple in its structure, circles within circles wheels within wheels each one turning in precise precision to allow the next movement to take place. From the cycles of seasons to the orbits of the planets to the perpetual cycle of birth, death & rebirth, each circle must be completed before the next can begin. As the universe is simple it its structure, so is the Meaning of Life. Unfortunately we humans tend to think that the answer must be long and complicated because the question seems to us to be so complex, and as such we tend to overlook the simplistic answers, disregarding them as trivial and irrelevant. We tend to think too much, over analysing every single thought and process for faults and so called reason. Our logical mind overriding our innate natural ability to feel as we try to control our emotions with our mental thought process, instead of letting our core feelings guide us to where we naturally want and need to be. Our feelings are the most important part of our lives, for without them how would we experience, learn, develop or grow? How would we know the sun was shining on our skin if we didn't feel its warmth? How could we experience the connection between beings if we didn't feel love? Love isn't rational, it's not logical, it can't be measured, weighed or wrapped but without its life giving properties, people, like plants without water would wither. Love itself can't be touched but people can be touched by it, it can be freely given and received but is not physical in form. It touches the heart when it's given and opens the heart when it's received; it reaches our spiritual side and awakens us to the wonders of the universe, love is the ultimate emotion. Our emotions make us who we are; they make us human, they allow us to feel, to experience, to love. Only by allowing ourselves to feel these emotions do we start to open ourselves to the meaning of life, which is: Awaken to your Spiritual Heart. Your Spiritual Heart is not to be confused with your physical heart which pumps blood around your body, nor is it to be mistaken for the heart charka which acts as the gateway that connects us to our outgoing emotions and incoming universal love. Our Spiritual Heart is the one true centre of our spiritual being, the heart of our higher self; it is from our spiritual heart that pure unconditional love flows out into the world. It resides deep within our light body and draws part of its energy from the universal love that flows through the heart chakra, the rest it creates through pure divine intent. To start to awaken to your Spiritual Heart and thus understand the meaning of life, you must first learn to switch off and calm the thought process within your logical, rational and structured mind, for it is this part of your mind that has been programmed by the society in which we live and thus blocks you from opening your spiritual heart. Society isn't happy unless it can put everything and everyone into a pigeon hole with some type of label on it to explain itself and its actions. But some things in life like love don't fit into boxes and therefore can't be rationally explained but they still exist within the universe and do hold sway over our experiences and lives on a daily basis. There are many ways in which to calm the mind, meditation, yoga, tai chi or any of the numerous other forms of self relaxation techniques available today will help. It doesn't matter which form you prefer as long as it relaxes you enough to calm the logical mind, enabling you to feel your Spiritual Heart as it begins the process of awakening. Only by learning to calm the mind and open to the feelings within the body can you expect to reach the heights of pure pleasure and oneness that comes from opening to the Spiritual Heart. You will know that you have achieved the awakening of the Spiritual Heart when you feel a wave of overwhelming compassion and pure unconditional love flow through your being, lifting and linking you to a higher purpose in life that you ever thought possible. You are all singular sole travellers, beings of light filled with love, you came to this world alone and you will leave alone, whilst you are here you will interact with other beings to learn, develop and grow through the experiences that you are drawn to along the pathway of your journey. These experiences are the clues that you need to start the process of awakening to your Spiritual Heart. We are our own worst enemy's and yet at the same time we are our own best friends, all we need do is recognise the clues that are given to us throughout of lives, directing us to look inside and awaken our Spiritual Hearts to find the answers that we seek and discover that the Meaning of Life was with us all along. 1997 ~ 2004 (Enlightenment Promotions Limited) All rights reserved. About the Author Jason is a unique healer, writer and spiritual teacher who uses his natural affinity with the universe to help improve people's health, well being and lifestyle by explaining and demonstrating how to open their spiritual hearts and minds to the wonders of the universe. He has written, recorded and created many development tools over the years which have been used to treat and educated people from all over the world to not only improve their health and general well being but to also help them find their true spiritual pathway. Jason can be contacted at enlightenment Visit his website: www.J1light.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> Who am I? Most people haven't really contemplated this question enough. Meditate on it. Contemplate it. I am whatever I identify with! " Identification means that we mentally or emotionally lose ourselves in something inside or outside of ourselves. We become absorbed in a person, a place, our career, a hobby, our personal viewpoints... When we identify with our thoughts, we call it day dreaming... Identification also means to wrongly take something as being part of our essential selves. Take your name. That is only a label attached at birth. If you change your name, it would not make you any different. Take the physical body. That is merely a vehicle for living on earth. Your True Self does not consist of name, body, money, home, career, or your personal beliefs. You are something entirely different from these attachments. " Most people identify with their body, ego, job, fears, memories, beliefs. Most people think they are their ego / personality roles - eg. Mother, Businessman, Poor me, Intimidator, Aloof, Caretaker, Parent, Child, Most people react without thought, acting out roles - automatic like robots! Most people let their minds go on and on without contemplation, mindfulness, attention or thought about what they are thinking, saying, feeling, tasting, knowing, learning, eating, doing with body, speech & mind. The roles we play are not the essence of who we really are. We are a river of many things, ( & pure potential for anything), however here, as always I am interested in the pure essence of who we really are. It is said, The ultimate realization is - I AM THAT I AM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> " INSPIRATIONAL POETRY SUBMITTED " http://intuition2vishnu.homestead.com/Poetrysubmittedsection.html IT'S ALL ABOUT CHOICES - Written by Judy King 01-02-04 http://www.simply-spiritual.com With each and every daybreak There are opportunities for new avenues It's your choice, which you choose Which ones you want to step through It's all about choices and options Of which ones are the best to take If it's not for the good and well being of all Then it will be a mistake Make no change at all In itself is making a stand It's a fine line in which the decision made Or else to the Universe it will land It's all about choices Get off the middle of the fence What's the worst that can happen? If not death, then there lies your defense Copyright 2004 iain-intuition To submit poetry, that Relates to an unfolding awareness or an expression of Intuition. Contact the above email address. Put as the subject: Poetry submissions. http://intuition2vishnu.homestead.com/Poetrysubmittedsection.html " INTUITIVE QUOTES " http://intuition2vishnu.homestead.com/Intuitivequotes.html *** LINKS AND RESEARCH SITES (Listed links [43]) http://intuition2vishnu.homestead.com/Links.html iain-intuition To receive a weekly update of articles in a word document format, Contact the above email address. Put as the subject: Intuition Updates Comments are always welcome. Should you wish to please reply to this email with " " in the subject line. ************************************************************************ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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