Blogs

(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player needed)

Every time I write about writing, I think of adding, "although I have already written too much about writing". Yet today, I have a different angle of vision. I'm thinking that it is natural to speak about what we are preoccupied with. Can we write too much about life, death, or spiritual practice? I think not, and still, I feel somewhat apologetic for writing so much about writing as if I have justify it to my readers. Whatever my writing is, good, bad, or mediocre, I write on topics that capture my interest and attention, that I feel inspiration for, and that I pray may be of some use to you on your life's journey of awakening. I have broken this off from a much longer poem, that is now in 3 parts, which perhaps is kinder to you, or at least is more focused.

The blank page beckons
inspiration’s door opens a crack
will it open wide or crash shut?
giving uncertainly whether to begin—
so I pray to the Source of all, learning:
endeavor & grace create possibilities
faithful effort always bears fruit
the poem reveals itself to openness.

Fresh produce from my garden. By the way dear readers, I now have transferred a lot of my energy to my new Facebook page. If you'd like to find me, and I know you, I will accept your friend request. Comment on this post to get that happening.

Interesting to see that yet another hard-hitting anti-smoking ad campaign is about to be released here in Britain. Although there’s been drastic changes here in the past ten years, there are still so many smokers who cannot conceive of the devastating cancer that lies ahead for them.

After the procedure to get rid of the kidney stone, I had a follow-up appointment with the doctor. There was something in the scan report that was bugging me. When I went for the appointment, I was told everything seems to be ok with me. I then asked the Urologist about a second point mentioned in my scan report – the first point being about my kidney stone, which was since taken care. He looked at it and said ‘Oh, Cholelithiasis…it is gall stones…we don’t deal with that. We deal only with the kidney and we do nothing with liver functioning’. This came as a shock to me.

Book distribution to happy recipients. Distributing Santas' gifts "The devotees of the Supreme Lord, or the persons who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, are called santas, and they are always in love with the Lord"-purport to Bhagavad Gita 3.13

(this blog is recorded on the full page: quick time player needed)

Each person is a walking story—or many stories walking, or blending together. We could think of our combined story like a painting built of layers, upon layers of mixed colors, creating something totally new, and yet the result of what has gone before. Our current life’s narrative is informed and in response to past stories, both our foundational background of growing up, and how we have adapted that story to various stages of our development, leading up to our sense of “now.” Our current now becomes our forthcoming story and is the intersection between the past and future. This is important to consider from the spiritual perspective because our identification with our material story defines us, covering our soul, and keeps us building new stories, or looking for others more appealing.

Think of how you define yourself. Isn’t a big part “who you think you are” your personal story, or the past emotional drama that has created the lens you use to see, or sense, the world? Although our previous lives have scripted our current story (our parents and others are instruments of our karma), we have to deal with our current life’s manifestation of that past karma, and live in present. While it is true that we may have to look back to resolve certain life issues or relationships, our main focus should always be in the present, informed by our spiritual goal. This means that everyone is responsible for their present actions, regardless of karmic inherited tendencies. Otherwise we can always blame the past, cruel fate, or someone else, and be powerless to change, or move forward. Ultimately the problem and solution to all problems is within us. We can choose what story we allow to define us and what story we aspire to be part of spiritually, or everlastingly.

I often get asked questions by people who are looking for a guru: “What sort of teacher should I be looking for?” is shortly followed by: “And where do I begin looking for someone like that?”

After they’ve thought a few moments the next question is: “What sort of things do I have to do before I can become someone’s student?” “What happens if I don’t quite measure up?”