Talking less, saying more

The Masters are able to illustrate their points by using short, conscise and simple sentences. I suppose that for them, less really is more!

Jesus changed the world. One of His tools was the use of worlds, parables, simple sentences, simple stories. The simple, deeply profound narratives really went a very long way: we have used them as a basis for an entire religion. Simple Biblical versus such as "Happy are the children for they shall inherit the Kingdom of God" sum up so much. A few words yet so rich and so spiritually uplifting!

I once visited an Ashram where the Master spoke once a week. For the remainder of the time, he observed Mouna (the sanskrit work for silence). The spiritual teacher  said that the mere act of talking expended enormous amounts of energy, energy that could otherwise be used to grow closer to the Divine.

I woke up this morning thinking: "Why not half the number of worlds I use today? Why not Make a conscious effort to say everything that needs to be said in half the amount of time using half the number of worlds"?

Further relfection on the thought got me thinking what the benefits may be:
- talking less could save my time and others'
- talking less could conserving my energy
- by talking less and saying more I could become conscious and mindful when choosing every word that passes by my lips

Perhaps the ultimate benefit would perhaps be the development of a deep, personal relationship silent moments with my very own Self and thus with the Divine.

Yogananda said: " If you want to feel God's guidance in your life, dont waste time talking idly with others. Silence is the altar of the Spirit"

Remaining even minded and cheerful

"Life will bring you many ups and downs. If you let your feelings rise and fall with the waves of circumstance, you will never attain that inner calmness which is the fountain of spiritual progress. Be careful therefore, not to react emotionally. Rise above likes and dislikes.
A good rule to live by, and one that will take you sailing through many tests in life, is, under all circumstances, to remain even minded and cheerful"
Sri Sri Paramhansa Yogananda

I believe in the Human Spirit

I believe in the human spirit

Yes, it is true: Life ever so often throws us an unexpected curve ball. And so I have come to learn that it’s not about what happens to us, but rather how we respond, that truly defines who we choose to be.

This past weekend, we had planned to head out to a nature reserve to rest and recuperate after an intensely busy week. Instead our home was flooded when the storm drain pipes at the local golf course burst, causing an enormous river of water to cascade through our neighbour’s wall and then directly through our entire home and garden.

The force of the water was so, that it moved two fridges and a garden shed down the side of the house, right through the garden and straight toward our garage. The shed broke into pieces and the fridges continued on their path of devastation, right over the bonnet of my car, directly through the broken metal garage door and then down the street.

The storm lasted just over 40 minutes. The damage will take months to fully repair.

I am pleased that I wrote a few days ago about acceptance; a principle that guides me in my daily life. I believe that there is no point pondering the how, when and why of the situation. Rather I have just accepted that this is the way it is meant to be and I have chosen to respond in a manner which is beneficial to my wellbeing.

By simply accepting things as they are and freeing myself of the mental disparity of the how, when and why, I have been able to look with a little more clarity at the situation. It has given me the freedom to be grateful for what I do have and the blessings which has been showered upon us.

Nobody was hurt.

I have also been deeply touched by the kindness shown to us by family, friends and also complete strangers. Those who we love arrived at our house within minutes. And those who we have never met arrived just as quickly. Within an a hour of the water subsiding, people who we had just met for the first time arrived and set up a table serving tea and soup to us and those helping us in the wet drizzle.

Every day we hear complaints about the state of the planet and the behaviour of those who live here. Today I wish to state that I do believe in people. I believe in the human spirit. There too are those who love and serve, selflessly. This is where I wish to direct my love and attention. And my first step in doing so, is by saying Thank You. Thank you to everybody for the goodness which dwells inside of you.

Together, Lets Let It Shine
We can change the world

"Whatever you do, do as an offering to Me"

Look at Bagavad Gita, Ch 9 vs 26 and 27

Lord Krsna to Arjuna:

26: If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it


27: Whatever you do, whatever you eat,whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform - do that, oh son of Kunti, as an offering to Me

These two versus have rung out to me since i woke up this early morning.

My exam results, released yesterday, revealed that i was not yet ready to pass my final exam. I was awarded a final score of 24 points, and with 25 being the number of required to pass, i failed by 1 single point.

For me, today is all about the offering of the fuits of my work to the Lord. I offer to him with all my heart my very own flower of  the 24 points which i was awarded and in so doing, the 24 points will SHINE forever with deep meaning inside my heart.

I am grateful thus for this grand opportunity. Everything is perfect and exactly as it is meant to be.

Hare Krishna
Hare Rama

Acceptance

I am awaiting the announcement of my final exam results today, the culmination of 12 years of post school study.

Sitting here, I have mentally prepared myself to simply Accept whatever comes my way today, and thus have decided to share my thoughts and feelings on what Acceptance means to me.

I believe Acceptance to be one of lifes greatest lessons & opportunities for freedom: Simple Acceptance of everything exactly as it is certainly supports the cultivation of a deep, personal inner freedom. And herein lies the reason:  It is when we struggle with people or events in our lives that we cause ourselves pain.

And so, in order to avoid the pain, avoid the struggle. And in order to avoid the struggle, just say: "I Accept, everything the way it is"

This does not mean that I should become a doormat and allow people to walk on over me. Rather it means that I Accept the things which happen outside of me, over which i have no control or power. My power lies in how i choose to respond: Let Acceptance become my empowered response.

This reminds me of the Serinity Prayer of St. Francis Of Assissi"
"Lord grant me the Serinity to accept the things i cannot change
The Courage to change the things i can
And the Wisdom to know the difference
Amen"

Why are we important

"Man is not important for his ego and personality. He is important because, as a soul, he is part of God"

This may challenges the way we think:
1. As souls and being part of God: we are all equally important
2. As souls and being part of God: we are more than our ego's and personalities

1.
Being equally important means that every soul is equally important. There is no distinction. This makes those who have committed crimes as important as those who abide by the law. This explains how when when Jesus died on the cross, he died for the sins of the (entire) world and not just those who had behaved in a certain way. This confirms that we are all equal and for this reason we should never stand above another in judgement.

2.
So many are defined  by ego and personality and the physical extensions thereof, including the car which we drive, the house in which we live and that which we do for a living. Imagine if these beliefs were to be only partly true? Imagine for one moment, if we are more than we could ever have percieved through the senses