Dear Friends,
Recently I held a satsang at Unity Church in Stockton, CA where about a dozen people joined in communion. One young girl sat right in front of me on the floor and listened very intently. For some reason, I felt a powerful joy flowing through my being, and so, joy became the theme of the gathering. In Sanskrit, the word is "sukam." In one of the meditations, I suggested that everyone remember a time when they felt great joy. We visualized it and brought back the feeling of that moment in time. Then I asked if anyone wanted to share their memory. The girl in front raised her hand and said, "When my mom and dad got back together." Her parents were there, beaming. I closed my eyes, feeling deeply moved.
"What she says is very symbolic," I said. In many spiritual and religious traditions, God is defined by the Mother and Father, the husband and wife. One side of God cannot exist without the other. According to Christ, he represents the Father/Mother. According to Vedic tradition and Hinduism, Shiva and Shakti or Purusha and Prakriti are the two aspects of God. The Father principle is that inconceivable aspect that witnesses creation while the Mother principle is creation itself. It is usually easier to worship the Mother since she is associated with form. The Father is above and beyond the mind, the expression of non-duality. As the Mother and Father come together as One, we realize the Supreme Being, the One God. This idea is very philosophical since we cannot comprehend It. Only when we realize It can we Know.
Yet this small girl innocently stated perhaps the most profound realization in the universe. When Mother and Father join, True Joy dawns, and we return to our Source. I, too, am happy that her mom and dad got back together!
With love,
Brian
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Light versus Dark
Dear Friends,
Swamiji said that the darkness cannot exist without the Light. In other words, darkness is just another shade of the Light. This idea shatters every conception of the mind.
My mind seems to be addicted to competition, comparison and judgment. It wants to feel higher than others...more powerful...needed by others. This feeling is filling a void of worthlessness and insecurity. Because of this desire for being higher than others, I cannot fully enjoy the Love that is the very nature of the Light. The Light is behind all of creation and yet the mind chooses to believe that it needs to get more Love. It chooses to feel empty.
It is amazing to note that I got interested in spirituality because of Dr. David Hawkins' book, Power versus Force. He says that one can measure the consciousness of anything through a scale of 1 to 1000. This scale appealed to my competitive drive, and I was interested in reaching 1000, the height at which Jesus had reached. So my competitive aspect created a momentum that pushed me towards intense spiritual practices, striving, and renunciation. Therefore, I hold deep gratitude for this part of myself. It has been a good friend because it has tried its best to serve me.
Now this competitive part is rather painful because it is pushing forward and worrying about not getting enough Grace and not understanding why to let go. The Light exists everywhere. Therefore, we are swimming in the Grace all the time. We are always in satsang. There is no lack of Light, no need to get more or be afraid that there is not enough. Who am I competing against? What am I striving for? And how can I be worthless when the very nature of my being is Light. So by sharing with others, I am opening myself to clearer states of realization of that Light. And when the world is filled with deeper realization, everyone thrives. Besides, it would be quite lonely, standing at the top of a mountain, witnessing a lovely view, with no one to share it with.
I am making a conscientious effort to see how beautiful everyone and everything is. The One Light has a powerful ability to show up as so many characters in the Divine Play. As I see the beauty everywhere, my mind is softened, judgments fall away, and I begin to share. Love flows through my heart like a river. There is only the Light.
With love,
Brian
Swamiji said that the darkness cannot exist without the Light. In other words, darkness is just another shade of the Light. This idea shatters every conception of the mind.
My mind seems to be addicted to competition, comparison and judgment. It wants to feel higher than others...more powerful...needed by others. This feeling is filling a void of worthlessness and insecurity. Because of this desire for being higher than others, I cannot fully enjoy the Love that is the very nature of the Light. The Light is behind all of creation and yet the mind chooses to believe that it needs to get more Love. It chooses to feel empty.
It is amazing to note that I got interested in spirituality because of Dr. David Hawkins' book, Power versus Force. He says that one can measure the consciousness of anything through a scale of 1 to 1000. This scale appealed to my competitive drive, and I was interested in reaching 1000, the height at which Jesus had reached. So my competitive aspect created a momentum that pushed me towards intense spiritual practices, striving, and renunciation. Therefore, I hold deep gratitude for this part of myself. It has been a good friend because it has tried its best to serve me.
Now this competitive part is rather painful because it is pushing forward and worrying about not getting enough Grace and not understanding why to let go. The Light exists everywhere. Therefore, we are swimming in the Grace all the time. We are always in satsang. There is no lack of Light, no need to get more or be afraid that there is not enough. Who am I competing against? What am I striving for? And how can I be worthless when the very nature of my being is Light. So by sharing with others, I am opening myself to clearer states of realization of that Light. And when the world is filled with deeper realization, everyone thrives. Besides, it would be quite lonely, standing at the top of a mountain, witnessing a lovely view, with no one to share it with.
I am making a conscientious effort to see how beautiful everyone and everything is. The One Light has a powerful ability to show up as so many characters in the Divine Play. As I see the beauty everywhere, my mind is softened, judgments fall away, and I begin to share. Love flows through my heart like a river. There is only the Light.
With love,
Brian
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Brotherhood
Dear Friends,
Recently I received a call from Dana who wanted to support the Wander for Truth cause while I stayed in San Luis Obispo. He offered me a private room at his community complex, connected to a large kitchen and lounge room. When I arrived, he had left a bowl of fruit, bottles of coconut water, and a potted plant to welcome me. Almost every morning, we chanted together and then he treated me to breakfast. Sometimes he would juice fresh organic vegetables and share the drink with both me and his neighbor who had had a difficult operation recently.
One morning, we sat together by the Rock at Morro Bay and chanted 108 mantras for the Ocean and all the beings in it. A seagull alighted on a bolder behind us and listened to the sound of the holy name. Sunlight sparkled on the waves. The Ocean calmly held all of these waves. It was a clear symbol of Swamiji.
Dana coordinated a special satsang at the community building and invited everyone in the co-housing complex. That night, I expressed stories about the Buddha, and we chanted mantras connected to the Buddha's energy. A beautiful stillness opened in the space of the gathering. Buddha had come. Later on, I discovered that many of the attendees were practicing Buddhism - a lovely synchronicity.
After one satsang in San Luis Obispo, Dana and I went home to celebrate Shivaratri. It was my last night there. We lit a candle for Shiva and did a puja, honoring the God of Transformation. I went through the 1,000 names of Shiva. Halfway through, I started to laugh uncontrollably, and Dana began to laugh. We laughed for a few minutes with tears in our eyes. The mantra I was chanting had so many syllables. I tried saying it but I kept breaking into laughter. It was difficult to go on. Finally I composed myself and finished the rest of the holy names. It was so delightful to honor Shiva. The energy washed over the room and cleansed us with His Presence. It cleansed the world...
Dana and I parted in friendship...in brotherhood...in devotion.
With love,
Brian
Recently I received a call from Dana who wanted to support the Wander for Truth cause while I stayed in San Luis Obispo. He offered me a private room at his community complex, connected to a large kitchen and lounge room. When I arrived, he had left a bowl of fruit, bottles of coconut water, and a potted plant to welcome me. Almost every morning, we chanted together and then he treated me to breakfast. Sometimes he would juice fresh organic vegetables and share the drink with both me and his neighbor who had had a difficult operation recently.
One morning, we sat together by the Rock at Morro Bay and chanted 108 mantras for the Ocean and all the beings in it. A seagull alighted on a bolder behind us and listened to the sound of the holy name. Sunlight sparkled on the waves. The Ocean calmly held all of these waves. It was a clear symbol of Swamiji.
Dana coordinated a special satsang at the community building and invited everyone in the co-housing complex. That night, I expressed stories about the Buddha, and we chanted mantras connected to the Buddha's energy. A beautiful stillness opened in the space of the gathering. Buddha had come. Later on, I discovered that many of the attendees were practicing Buddhism - a lovely synchronicity.
After one satsang in San Luis Obispo, Dana and I went home to celebrate Shivaratri. It was my last night there. We lit a candle for Shiva and did a puja, honoring the God of Transformation. I went through the 1,000 names of Shiva. Halfway through, I started to laugh uncontrollably, and Dana began to laugh. We laughed for a few minutes with tears in our eyes. The mantra I was chanting had so many syllables. I tried saying it but I kept breaking into laughter. It was difficult to go on. Finally I composed myself and finished the rest of the holy names. It was so delightful to honor Shiva. The energy washed over the room and cleansed us with His Presence. It cleansed the world...
Dana and I parted in friendship...in brotherhood...in devotion.
With love,
Brian
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