Nisargadatta’s words are not used in a normal, everyday sense. His talks in Bombay (now Mumbai) were events where he spoke from a deeper place. Therefore I find in necessary to contemplate his words in order to come to a deeper place in myself. They are a jumping off place for my own meditation.
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Nisargadatta: Whatever goes on in the world is based on the life force (pramshakti), but the Atman, the witnesser, is totally apart; no action can be attributed to the Atman. Continue reading
Meteora Monastery Greece
As one becomes capable of real meditation – and to the extent that one contacts Reality – one discovers the ineffable joy that lies hidden even in all outer objects.
When contact with Reality takes place, all things in daily life come alive. It becomes evident that all is actually always alive consciousness and only our mindset keeps us in the perception of things being ‘inanimate’.
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A state of being exists where it is immaterial whether He assumes a form or not – what is, is He. In this case what is there to express in words? Furthermore, at a certain level the Self may reveal Itself to Itself. At the same time He does not reveal Himself at all: to whom is He to reveal Himself?
Here Anandamayi speaks of the Ultimate as “He” – further below as “the Thing Itself” – and it is clear that all of these words are just tentative. In this short passage about the Self revealing Itself to Itself she brings us to ‘advaita’ (literally = ‘not-two-ness’).
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“Throughout Indian history, this pattern of instruction ensured the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next. In the case of Anandamayi who did not herself have a Guru, but was self-initiated, the traditional model of the teacher and the taught has, in certain respects, taken on new life, but in other equally important respects she radically departed from tradition.
“Her role as a revered Brahmin divine was by no means orthodox since this was a departure from the traditional status parameters of the married woman; further, for some 50 years as a widow and thus a member of the lowliest rank of Indian society, she was at the same time one of the most sought after of all spiritual teachers. Continue reading
BREATHING “What we call I is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale.”
Cover of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
“When we practice zazen our mind always follows our breathing. When we inhale, the air comes into the inner world. When we exhale, the air goes out to the outer world. The inner world is limitless, and the outer world is also limitless. We say “inner world” or “outer world,” but actually there is just one whole world. In this limitless world, our throat is like a swinging door. The air comes in and goes out like someone passing through a swinging door. If you think, “I breathe,” the “I” is extra. There is no you to say “I.” What we call “I” is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale. It just moves; that is all. When your mind is pure and calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no “I,” no world, no mind nobody; just a swinging door.
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In silence,
when there are no words,
no language,
nobody else is present,
you are getting in touch with
existence
OSHO
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I am reposting this post from my wife’s blog (original post). Please check out her very inspiring blog for many more uplifting posts!
Alia’s Comments: This is what you might call a “crossover” post. It features one of Tomas’ daily Moroccan morning rituals and it also documents and affirms his experience of Heaven on Earth. Each morning, Tomas arises and begins his day with yoga and stretching for about 30 – 45 minutes. Then he makes himself (and me too — lucky me!) a splendid cup of coffee! Weather permitting, he takes the coffee, a notebook and one of his favored sacred texts out on our tiny kitchen balcony where he reads and writes and sips and savors all the delights of the new day. Here is Tomas’ journal entry for Tuesday, December 23, 2014. Enjoy. Continue reading
I met my teacher in 1979. I was living in Germany at the time and was taking a yoga class at the local Red Cross Family Center. The instructor, Roswitha, was a student of a man from India, Sri S. Rajagopalan. She invited Rajo, as he was called, to our town for a weekend seminar. I signed up for the weekend and arrived early Saturday morning to meet Rajo in the dressing room, preparing for the seminar. The moment I saw him I felt he was my brother, because he was so familiar. In short, I fell in love with yoga as Rajo presented it to us and became close friends with him. I worked with him for over 20 years and eventually taught his style of yoga for many years in Germany, as well as in other parts of the world. When asked by my students what kind of yoga I teach, I tell them that I teach a form of yoga that allows me to access an experience of silence as the underlying substratum of existence. Continue reading
This is one short but very valuable passage from Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Be Free Where You Are. I have been practicing this way for quite a while and I can confirm that it is one of the most effective, as well as simple meditations which can be done continually throughout the day. I very often do it when in bed for the night to calm the energy of the day and open me up to a restful night’s sleep. Enjoy! Continue reading
One instant of total awareness is one instant of
perfect freedom and enlightenment.
—The Wisdom Deity, Manjushri
Lama Surya Das:
“Some people think meditating is closing your eyes and trying not to think, or that meditation is simply a process to calm and clear the mind. That is known as concentrative meditation, or tranquility meditation—a process of creating a special focused state of mind like light or bliss, hearing a celestial sound, or saying a certain mantra. Buddhist meditation practices also include loving-kindness meditations, meditations on compassion, healing meditations, visualization meditations, and many other kinds of meditative disciplines, which you can learn elsewhere. Continue reading
New Earth Heartbeat 
Embodied by Anita Kreituse
“In mindfulness
one is not only restful and happy,
but alert and awake.
Meditation is not an evasion;
it is a serene encounter with reality.
~Thich Nhat Hanh