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MY FAVORITE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT:
Rumi: Inside this new love
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I serendipitously encountered this poem on Robert Wilkinson's Aquarius Papers website:
Willing to experience aloneness,
I discover connection everywhere;
Turning to face my fear,
I meet the warrior who lives within;
Opening to my loss,
I am given unimaginable gifts;
Surrendering into emptiness,
I find fullness without end.
Each condition I flee from pursues me.
Each condition I welcome transforms me
And becomes itself transformed
Into its radiant jewel-like essence.
I bow to the one who has made it so,
Who has crafted this Master Game;
To play it is pure delight,
To honor it is true devotion.
[Author: Jennifer Welwood]
Buddha's advice regarding Maitri, from the Karaniya Metta Sutta:
This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
...Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born —
May all beings be at ease!
Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings;
Radiating kindness over the entire world.
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding...
This verse by Lao Tzu is inspiring:
Become totally empty.
Let your heart be at peace.
Amidst the rush of worldly comings and goings,
observe how endings become beginnings.
Things flourish, each by each,
only to return to the Source...
to what is and what is to be.
To return to the root is to find peace.
To find peace is to fulfill one's destiny.
To fulfill one's destiny is to be constant.
To know the constant is called insight.
Not knowing this cycle
leads to eternal disaster.
Knowing the constant gives perspective.
This perspective is impartial.
Impartiality is the highest nobility;
the highest nobility is Divine.
Being Divine, you will be at one with the Tao.
Being at one with the Tao is eternal.
This way is everlasting,
not endangered by physical death.
I never get tired of this poem:
"Desiderata"
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann
My favorite musical instrument is the kora. My second favorite musical instrument is the harp. My third favorite instrument is the singing bowl, whether metal or quartz, in a tie with giant wind chimes, the kind that make the really low tones almost like gongs. Music to me is the wind in the trees, the sound of water in motion, the sound of birds' wings flapping against the sky, or just the sound of birds singing when I wake up in the morning. And sometimes, at night. And then, of course, there is silence...
The PLANET EARTH series from BBC is my new favorite movie. I LOVE nature flix!!! If you aren't sure whether you are passionate about this planet, I guarantee this series will help you find out...
Waiting for the Sony Bravia 40" flat panel to show up at my door!
Too many to mention! I gravitate toward books that are inspiring and illuminating. "So many books, so little time!!" LATEST WOW: Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramhansa Yogananda - one of the best books I have *ever* read!
ALWAYS & FOREVER: Ignacio Martin-Baro & Barbara Smith. SPIRITUAL INSPIRATION: Kuan Yin. MOST INSPIRING HUSBAND & WIFE SOCIAL CHANGE TEAM: Kenneth & Mamie Clark. UNDERCOVER GURU: Susan L. Taylor. LIVING THEIR DIVINITY: Alice Walker & Wayne Dyer. HIGH PRIESTESS GUIDESTAR: Gloria Anzaldua. MASTER HEALER: Edward Bach. INSTANT NETER: Asa G. Hilliard, III. MY PERSONAL WWJD: Thich Nhat Hanh. ULTIMATE PEACE MAN: My Dad (1939-2006).