Freedom is never free, with the cost being more that most people are willing to pay ...
Better to regret something you did than something you didn't do....
-Anon.
Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dream.
Paulo Coelho
Your inner experience is holy.
why then do you look into the eyes of others
who hold their own inner self in question
and ask them "Will you please tell me who I am ?"
They cannot even know you.
How can you give them the power
to cancel or amend you?
-Emmanuel book2 p67 about "resjection"
"The more serene you remain in the face of other people's faults, the more you have accepted yourself as you are."
"The duality ceases to exist once you accept yourself as part good and part bad as consisting partly of the higher and partly of the lower self. These two sides will be integrated and live in peace with one another once you accept yourself with both. And only then can the lower side gradually develop and grow out of its blindness. But as long as you do not reconcile yourself that you are both good and bad, as long as you battle against this "badness" and believe you must not have it now, duality will exist."
Among the styles of sword that the founder studied was the ancient Kashima style which dates from the fifteenth century. The foundation of that school is the concept of Shinbu, "the divine martial way" in which one wins without fighting. To accomplish this was to develop oneself, both physically and spiritually, to the level of the gods.
.........
To be able to take away another mans sword when you had no weapon was considered the highest achievement in the Yagyu style. It required the great spiritual vision of O-sensei to see barehanded training not as grappling but rather as sword without a sword. Even the great Kano sensei, the founder of Judo, declared aikido to be the art he had been searching for all his life. O-sensei through his own spiritual practices realized that we could use our hands, or even our mind alone, like a sword, to cut through our partners attack or defense. Combining his spiritual vision with actual sword training he realized that it was possible to extend the influence of our ki, or intention, beyond our fingers in the same way that our movement and reach is extended when holding a sword. Ki extension is the essence of muto or "sword without a sword" and that is no better exemplified than in the practice of aikido.
............
Combining the study of sword with barehanded techniques we are able to discover the complementary antagonism of flexibility and relaxed power together with sharpness and precision. In the words of the founder, "In barehanded practice you should move as if you had a sword; when holding a sword you should not depend on it but move as if you had none." Studying this mental kamae, or stance, keeps us focused on the reality of a martial situation and at the same time allows us to remain flexible and relaxed. To unify these opposites is to discover aikido principle: yin and yang as one, movement and rest as one, irimi-tenkan as one, the unification of all opposites in a kind of dynamic monism.
Shobu Aikido Aiki News newsletter (May 2001, Vol 2, No. 2) by William Gleason.
"[ Warriors ]draw from the energies that which must be used to protect the weak, for the protection of the weak is the task of the intuitive warrior. To draw from the energies for any other reason is to give strength unnecessarily, thus creating an overboundedness of energy where it is not meet" - from: The Way of the Ancients, 1998 - Chiron.
...some of the best 'warriors' in the world have never fought another Being - but get on with the task of 'standing firm' - which is virtually what a Warrior is. The one who stands firm against the elements, the dangers to protect others, but not to over whelm them. Merely to stand firm. -J.Thomas
"Thank you Master."
"This is what I do. If you want to thank me do a kindness for someone in need."
- Master Piero
- Kushiel's Scion (20xx), Jacqueline Carey, pp3xxx.
"It's not that people around you are at fault," don Juan said. "They cannot help themselves. The fault is with you, because you can help yourself, but you are bent on judging them, at a deep level of silence."
Carlos Castaneda, The Active Side of Infinity
each small part
of everyday life
is part of the total harmony
of the universe
St Theresa of Lisieux
Healing Emotional wounds: From PauloCoelho: When I am hurt, I fully concentrate in the present moment. I don’t see problems, I see situations that I have to solve. If I have this obsessive thought, my Zahir, I start looking around and see : This is a tree, this is a car, this is something, and that….little by little, this obsessive thought dissappear. So, instead of having a problem, I have a situation, to solve.
Having said that, I’m sure that you can be very helpful if you decide to share with us how do you heal your emotional wounds.
Thank you!
http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2009/09/01/this-week-healing-wounds/How do I give thanks for the good things in life ?
By being aware of them, appreciating them, respecting them.
Tengra Ngiam
"If you can at will produce violent hate and anger; at will produce pain and sadness; at will produce fear and terror; at will produce equanimity and peace; pleasure and joy; love and compassion; then you are indeed in possession of yourself and can be moved from within.."
"The higher spiritual, absolute reality cannot be found by a shortcut. It can be attained only by changing your inner world of unreality into one of reality. You cannot do this if you are unwilling to face your confusions and misconceptions. Be on the alert for the tendency to close the door, to avoid facing yourself."
With thanks to Carlos Castaneda and his followers:
"It's not that people around you are at fault," don Juan said. "They cannot help themselves. The fault is with you, because you can help yourself, but you are bent on judging them, at a deep level of silence."
Carlos Castaneda, The Active Side of Infinity
On personal integrity hangs humanity's fate.
R. Buckminster Fuller, Critical Path
Our teachers said that in these seemingly difficult times, we have an opportunity to address and move beyond what they regard as the root of the current spiritual-socio-economic crisis: our individual and collective belief in scarcity, expressed in various forms of non-action, judgment and complaint, such as, "I perform my job very well, they are the problem," "I can't do what I enjoy and earn good money," "Nobody appreciates my work," "I deserve everything without effort," "Work is hard," "There's not enough to go around." All of these complaints are related to the idea that somebody else should be responsible for solving these dilemmas, and should keep "me" informed.
Our teachers maintained that the way we show up at work is intimately related to the way we show up in every aspect of our lives-so whatever you are doing at work, whether it's contributing or complaining, see if you aren't doing the same in other areas, such as your relationships, or personal health, or in the way you "play." "You may be the exception," they said. "Don't take our word for it-find it out for yourself!"
So the question is: How does one move past victimhood and judgment to cultivate integrity, functionality, creativity and joy at work? Our teachers suggested that specifically, each one can start by asking the following:
What is the contribution I make, and what do I receive, related to how I make a living? Is the interchange beneficial to the earth and other sentient beings, and to myself-or is it detrimental? What is the mood of my lineage and cultures around work? Am I taking action to be aware, or am I waiting? Am I living from the premise that I have everything I need? Or am I operating on inherited beliefs of scarcity?
Although for many, the word "work" refers to the curse of something that one "has to do," the origins of the German word arbeit, refer to "cultivating and working with the spirit of the land for food and sustenance." In the view of our teachers, this is the ultimate mutually advantageous energetic relationship -we give our respect and love in taking care of the earth, and the earth lovingly gives us its wonderful gifts.
In this workshop, each participant will have the opportunity to make an in-depth review of their own personal history and beliefs around work, using specific tools of Tensegrity-magical passes and self-inquiry exercises-that lead us to conscious actions.
As our teachers asked: What better way to spend this time on this wonderful Earth?
* * *
" . . . only that for which we have paid the price, brings lasting happiness."
I just bought a book chapter on "Macau" from the Lonely Planet Guide Book: I like the paragraph below, because it is so commonsense: pages and pages of legal stuff put into a few lines:
- (c) Lonely Planet Publications. To make it easier for you to use, access to this chapter is not digitally restricted. In return, we think it's fair to ask you to use it for personal, no commercial purposes only. In other words, please don't upload this chapter to a peer to peer site, mass email it to everyone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditions on our site for a longer way of saying the above. - "do the right thing with our content."
- From the Lonely Planet digital chapter on Macau (you can buy just a book chapter, and don't have to pay for the whole book in paper format)
- I appreciate simplicity like that. Digital rights and encryption never deters the determined people, and annoys and frustrates the average user.
All people and creatures are born to a purpose - just flow with life, and you will achieve that which you were born to do. Have faith, for faith is 'the KEY in the doorway of tomorrow'.
- Chiron, John of Aesce - 'Wounded Healer, July 2009'.
You human beings tend to be hurried and pressured and thereby deny yourself the exquisite pleasure of savouring your lives.
In this way, a great amount of joy
and sweetness goes unnoticed.
If life is lived with care and attention
it will give you the sustenance
and richness you long for.
Allow yourselves to renew your commitment
to your lives and to yourselves
many times a day
- Emmanuel's book p 121.
"You do not know me. You do not know what I am. If you mistake the yielding in me for weakness, ye are fools for it."I walk with her, and I hear the gentle beating of mighty wings....
I hear the sound of her wings.... and the darkness lifts from my soul...- Neil Gaiman, "Death" in The Sandman.
You must never receive a gift, ever, without returning that gift twice over
- Ray Bradbury "Somewhere a Band is playing" Ch24 in the book Now and Forever, 2008.
'Now, let me give you the final explanation for myself and all the friends whom you have met here. The great "medicine" was finding that we a were alive and loving it. We celebrated every day of our lives. The celebration, the exhilaration, of worshiping the gift, has kept us young. Does that sound impossible ? By simply knowing you're alive and looking at the sun and enjoying the weather and speaking it every moment of your existence, THIS ensures our longevity. We live every moment of our existence to the fullest, and THAT is a superb medicine. In that way we refuse the darkness. Now think of what I've said and tell me about your future.'
He lay back and scanned the ceiling for answers. 'Good grie!" he said. 'I don't know. I've got obligations back home. Many friends. Mother and father both still alive. .......
- Ray Bradbury "Somewhere a Band is playing" Ch27 in the book Now and Forever, 2008.
NOTE: See Carlos Castaneda, similar vein: you 'intend' and you become what you intent, don't worry HOW, just intend. We agre to grow old, we can disagree
Swordmanship’s first achievement
Is he unity of man and sword.
Once this unity is attained,
Even a blade of grass can be a weapon.
The second achievement is when
The sword exists in one’s heart
When absent from one’s hand,
One can strike an enemy at a 100 paces, even with bare hands.
Swordmanship’s ultimate achievement
Is the absence of the sword in both hand and heart.
The swordsman is at peace with the rest of the world
He vows not to kill,
and to bring peace to mankind
The king of Qin, in
“Hero” by Zhang Yimou
- Review1
Review2
...don't let the doctors scare you: they are the modern priests selling balm for fear of mortality.
- Tengra Ngiam
'dance me to the children that are asking to be born....'
- Leonard Cohen
"You know deep within yourself that life cannot possibly be merely what you experience from day to day, it cannot merely be what it is at the moment. And because of that, you strive away from the moment. And because of that, you lose the moment. And because of that, you lose the meaning of life, for every single fragment of a moment contains all of life. The struggle to discover the true self and the acceptance of the now are not mutually exclusive opposites. They are indeed
interdependent."
Pathwork Lecture 163 "Mind Activity and Mind Receptivity."
and I hope that many a mischievous smile comes sneaking up on you at unexpected moments! - Tom Bolton
Reality is what you believe it is. You are always right. - Anon.
Now to confront the possessions you already have. This will require serious design work, and this will be painful. It is a good idea to get a friend or several friends to help you.
You will need to divide your current possessions into four major categories.
- Beautiful things.
- Emotionally important things.
- Tools, devices, and appliances that efficiently perform a useful function.
- Everything else.
"Everything else" will be by far the largest category. Anything you have not touched, or seen, or thought about in a year – this very likely belongs in "everything else."
- by Bruce Sterlin on : http://www.viridiandesign.org/
Sometimes the threads on the loom suggest the picture to come. Then we know that our children-to-be hope for us in the Bardo.
For them we weave until out arms grow tired.
from: The years of Rice and Salt - by Kim Stanley Robinson
---- Tom Robbins - villa incognito from the review site: http://www.popmatters.com/books/reviews/v/villa-incognito.shtml
"In their secretly nervous hearts, they've convinced themselves, poor little delusional narcissists, that their nation is the most powerful that ever was or even will be, ignoring the still vaster empires that have crumbled in the past, conveniently forgetting that the U.S. has only existed for a mere 225 years, and refusing to consider for a nanosecond that in another 225 years it very well might be gone."
---
Tom Robbins - villa incognito from http://www.popmatters.com/books/reviews/v/villa-incognito.shtml
"When you feel envy or, the other side of the same coin, the need to impress others or be better than they, try to feel the constructive power behind this need. For this need is only a distortion of the inborn urge to realize the best in you. When you do this, you will no longer find yourself blocked and paralyzed."
"You know deep within yourself that life cannot possibly be merely what you experience from day to day, it cannot merely be what it is at the moment. And because of that, you strive away from the moment. And because of that, you lose the moment. And because of that, you lose the meaning of life, for every single fragment of a moment contains all of life. The struggle to discover the true self and the acceptance of the now are not mutually exclusive opposites. They are indeed
interdependent."
Pathwork Lecture 163 "Mind Activity and Mind Receptivity."
From a Qi Gong newsletter June2009:
A young monk felt he was prepared to deepen his cultivation practice and his master gave the assignment to cultivate inner quiet and discover the secret of the source of life and its application to the preservation of health and vitality. He gave the suggestion to focus on the Earth Elixir Field (Di Dan Tian). After some months of practice the young monk reported to the master that he felt sure that the most practical answer regarding the secret was nourishment, rest and the conservation of Qi and inner resources. The master encouraged the young monk, “You have found the secret to preserve the Jing and sustain the body, but you have not found the source of life.” The master teacher asked the young monk if he was still interested in pursuing the deeper secret. The monk nodded and the elder gave him the suggestion to focus on the HeartMind Elixir Field (Xin Dan Tian).
This time it was considerably longer before the monk visited the elder. When he returned, now older, he responded that the secret of the source of life and its preservation were associated with accepting what naturally arises and bringing love and compassion into the world. The master agreed and encouraged the monk to continue his good work of compassionate service. The monk said to the master, “I know that I have penetrated to the secret of highly refined interactions of the Qi and the opening of the HeartMind. It has inspired me to service of my fellow humans. It is clear that this sustains life, my own and others. But I have not determined the secret of the source of life.” The master suggested, “Focus on the Celestial Elixir Field (Ling Dan Tian), the entry place of Heaven in the living human being.”
Some years passed. When the younger monk returned he was older. The elder monk said, “Tell me in one word”. The younger monk said, “Unity”. They both smiled quietly, knowing their was nothing more to say. They parted, both
knowing. even though they would not meet again, that they were always together at the Source.
I love this quote by Joseph Campbell, a famous American writer and mythologist, from the book "Power of Myth":
"The way to find out about happiness is to keep your mind on those moments when you feel most happy, when you really are happy - not excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy. This requires a little bit of self-analysis. What is it that makes you happy? Stay with it, no matter what people tell you. This is what I call 'following your bliss'."
Find your heart and your will find your way
It's essential to balance personal time with work time in everyday life. This involves looking honestly at what's important in your life right now, and possibly rearranging your priorities to make time for pursuing personal growth.
Here are some tips to help you connect with your heart.
- To deeply connect with your inner self, it's absolutely essential to spend 30 minutes to one hour each day in solitude. Some effective self-awareness techniques include meditation, prayer, chanting, yoga, qi gong, tai chi, breathing exercises etc.
- Make time to engage in activities you love or that which give you deep joy. These help you connecting with and expressing from your heart. People tell me, 'I used to love doing this or that activity but haven't done it for ages.' It's time to start doing those neglected pastimes again.
For others who haven't found what brings them joy - it's time to explore different activities and discover what makes your heart sing. There are so many channels for creative expression i.e. dancing, singing, painting, drawing, writing, photography, cooking etc. Just keep an open mind and don't be afraid to try something new - in the process you'll likely discover your true passion.
For me, the "free-form" dancing I did while living in Melbourne a couple of years ago turned out to be a very healing and liberating experience. The freedom to express myself creatively by moving to different styles of music was amazingly powerful. I love practicing regularly here in Bangkok with a small group of like-minded people.
I wish you all the best in finding what makes your heart sing with joy and trust you'll find within yourself the great source of inspiration.
Follow your bliss!
Nok
Example from my PC. 
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