It is without a doubt that a completely new education system is drastically needed, one that reflects the cultural, environmental and geo-political transformations of our world today. First, we need to begin with a foundation which addresses the student’s need to know him/herself well.

The present system captures the student at an early age, pushing them into the world, way before they know themselves and in many cases way before they are ready.

The danger of this process is that the student is unlikely to feel comfortable and confident with him/herself for many years if at all.

Thus, always being pulled “out” into the social world, pressures a false sense of identity and destiny to find oneself, that is acted out in the form of competition, that defines future goals as being most important, while disregarding what is most practical, sustainable and most pertinent in the moment.

This is the movement and hidden agenda of the present educational system. . If students are always looking for themselves out in the world, there is little threat that they will stop, and go inward—until the day comes that they finally break.

One reason why so many young people today are unhappy and confused is because the present system does not make it easy for them to know themselves. Two, does not address or allow them to explore their cultural and individual needs and gifts; and, three, it doesn’t support their potentials to be an integral co-creator of the system.

I am calling for an educational system that is student centered, not system centered; an educational system that provides the teacher with the ability to tap into the deeper levels of the student’s consciousness which require a cultivation of their intuition.

With this type of education students will be initiated from the beginning of their educational career into themselves. They will learn about their body, their mind and their spirit; they will learn to survive in the natural world, where they can learn about themselves.

Students will be given the opportunity to become “whole human beings” while they are presented with countless experiences to learn the virtues of their humanness, virtues that will allow them to develop into wise, caring and conscientious participants of an evolving collective community.

A student centered education teaches students to know and accept him/herself first and each other second. At the same time the values of what it means to be a human being are demonstrated through the practice of daily rituals that connect the student to him/herself and their natural, personal and social environments.

In regards to schools, not only is a “whole school” attitude needed, its orientation must be grounded in a united world view—one that brings values of integrity to the individual student and teacher.

.   .  .  . Let us not underestimate the opportunity we each have as educators, to implement a more student centered atmosphere in the classroom. This would immediately awaken the student’s self-respect, as they are provided with the venue to explore themselves in a safe and nurturing environment of equanimity.

This would support the interaction of teacher and student without many of the conditions that are imposed by the system from the top down.

A student centered curriculum in the classroom will strip away the pressures and concerns of the student to fit into a particular category and standard of testing but instead feed the infinite possibilities that can arise through the trust, love and respect generated.

It is extremely disheartening as an international educator to see the restrictions, controls and limitations put on the teacher and student, as is the practice of the present system. Even more unfortunate, is that the extended affects of these restrictions, controls and limitations put on teachers and students today cause an abrupt halt to the future evolution of our citizens and the world at large.

The narrow attitudes of the mainstream educational paradigm today constrict creative and independent thinking of everyone involved.  How can students be encouraged to ask questions if there is not the opportunity to be curious?  In an atmosphere of restrictive rules, judgment, criticism, categorization and determinism there is no possibility to feel the most necessary values for good learning: self-respect, self-esteem, confidence, trust, safety and freedom to think clearly and speak from the heart.

While living in Thailand for over 23 years and studying and practicing Buddhist principles in teaching, counseling and in doing business, I have found the ethical principles of Buddha Dharma, to be most helpful. Some of these principles are: Karawat See-The Four Precepts for all relationships; The Four Noble Truths-Ariyagot See; The Eightfold Path-Mak Mee Ong Paat; The Kalama Sutta-The Buddha’s Charter of Free Inquiry; The 5 Precepts-Hah Sin; The 9 Eyes of Wisdom-Vipassana Gow and many more.

** Responsibility - As a fasting counselor, Nutritionist and Iridologist for 17 years one of the most important first steps in receiving clients/students is to make it clear that in them coming to me, each person needs to take responsibility for him/herself in what they bring to their program/sessions—including past life karma, physical, mental and emotional proclivities—also, their attitude  in how they receive the information invested during the week, and how they act on it when they complete their week.

In practicing Buddhist Ethics, I find it necessary to make the condition at the beginnning, middle and end that I am not a doctor, a therapist nor am I a healer, psychic or worker of miracles; that I provide knowledge with as much honesty as possible, from books, experience and intuition; that I do the absolute best I can to do no harm and to guide the client/student into him/herself, gently holding the mirror up to look within; while gently shifting their mind and heart to unravel their issues with wisdom and insight—I always address a client’s higher consciousness, never the pessimistic, negative, defeated attitudes. In addition I may also use the astro-natal chart to bring more clarity to the process of transformation.

It is absolutely necessary not to ever take advantage of a client’s praise and gratitude for my work, as something to use for my ego. It is all about giving the power to the client/student not owning it.

It may happen that someone comes to participate in our fasting program who has a less than obvious way of depending on me for their healing. Once I notice this, I immediately make it clear that they have come to the “center” of where we meet: them with their karmic health issues and me with my knowledge, experience and intuition. We each have our responsibility to do our part the best we can.

Their responsibility is to see and accept themselves, be motivated to cleanse, let go and heal. My part is to assist that process. They can’t take my responsibility and I can’t take theirs. There is no chance for them to take advantage of me, to move me past my boundaries and for me to take advantage of them. We need to have an agreement. I prefer an agreement over a disclaimer. An agreement of each of our responsibilities furthers the integrity, trust and friendship of our relationship. The agreement often includes The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path, which help us each take responsibility for ourselves. Here stated:

The Four Noble Truths – Ariyasat See

1. The First Noble Truth/Tuk – Knowing that all living beings suffer. Pain is universal.
2. The Second Noble Truth/Tuk Ka Ni Rot — Suffering (as distinct from pain) arises from attachments
3. The Third Noble Truth/Tuk Ka Sa Moo Thai – That after discovering the cause or origin of suffering, one can put an end to it—suffering ceases when attachments are surrendered.  
4. The Fourth Noble Truth/Mak — Attachments can be surrendered and suffering can end by practicing the  The Eightfold Path.

The Eightfold Path/Mak Mee Ong Paat - The Eightfold Way is a list of eight parts of one path. The path is a guide to a happy, honest, harmless and joyful life –

Right Intention/Saa Ma Thit Thi  - Right Direction/Sam Ma Sang Goo Pa - Right Speech/Sam Ma Wa Ja - Right Action/Sam Ma Gam Man - - Right Livlihood/Sam Ma Chee Wa - Right Effort/Sam Ma Wa Ya Ma - Right Mindfulness/Sam Ma Sa Dti - Right Meditation/Sam Ma Sa Ma Thi

The parts are often broken into three groups, of which make them more practical for daily use:

Wisdom

Right Intention

The lightbulb goes on in your head and you “know”what is true.

Right Direction

Knowing determines which direction to go in—it is quite clear.

Meditation

Right Effort

Putting a determined energy into good ventures.

Right Mindfulness

Being present now—there is no other reality.

Right Meditation

Being present allows the mind to be empty and focused on breath.

Morality

Right Speech

Speaking only the truth, never lying or swearing or screaming.

Right Action

Behaving selflessly, constructively, and harmlessly to all living things (including yourself).

Right Livlihood

Choosing a livelihood that permits you to follow the path toward liberation and enlightenment.

** Clear The Space - I feel quite strongly that all therapists should begin their sessions with a short meditation, to clear the atmosphere and aura of the office/room from any conflicting or unnesseary energies. Working in a space that is devoid of karma—a common emptiness is most helpful, encouraging the most peaceful envirnment for both client and practitioner.

** Loving Service - First, and formost I am a human being, and a woman, who offers a human-divine service. There are 4 precepts from the Theravada Buddhist tradition, that go with this service and any service of human relations. These precepts are called Karawat Seein the Pali language, and I use them in every relationship I have. They are:

1.      Love/Metta—All living beings are created and live by the laws of love

2.      Kindness/ Garuna—To give Love with kindness and grace

3.      Empathy and Compassion/Mutita—Any care offerings need these two virtues

4.      Equanimity/Ubeca—An attitude of even mindedness—knowing when enough care is enough

** Encouraging Wisdom and  Insight In Self-Healing  - Second, I am a teacher and will always host a client as a student. I teach the path toward inner awareness through utilizing the Kalama Sutta-teaching people how to investigate and see things as they are and that truth is implied in all straight thinking. From deep focus on truth one’s inner wisdom is capable of examination and analysis attaining right vision—wisdom and insight ascend the limits of following social, political and cultural protocols that condition and prevent healing. These principles are expressed through the different therapies I offer: Nutrition, Fasting, Iridology and now Astrology .

On my website the statement of education is emphasized. As stated above, any dependence on me for a person’s healing, I try to screen at the beginning, then the person doesn’t walk away with having their expectations unfulfilled. Having expectations is common these days, as many people look for the full package for their healing experience: practitioner, formulas, comforting activities and venue.

Here, on the resort island of Koh Samui, resorts compete with the intention to provide the “perfect-healing” venue, with all of the perks that go with it—using the word healing a number of times in their ads and on their websites, it is expected by the client to “receive” what they pay for, as is true in any service.

Those from around the world, who are seeking medical tourism, are looking for medical technologies that are less expensive than what is available in their own countries. Medical tourism in less developed countries has become big business for the spa-resort industry, located in tropical paradises. As tourists come with a limited amount of time and budget to get the job done efficiently, the desire to be healed in a tropical paradise is encouraging a growing market.

Here in Thailand, all of the people who offer medical and healing services—including myself—need to be extremely clear in what we offer, completely honest and good at what we do… Those who are truly good at their craft are as honest as they are good—they don’t exploit or take advantage of their clients. On the other hand, some resorts, too big to fail, do, while compensating real healing for fluff..

If you live in a city a doctor knows that he/she has you coming from 5 to maybe 20 visits. They often times would like you to be dependent on them as long as possible. Here on Koh Samui, practitioners know they have you for a few visits, little over a week or two… They need to have their program deeply and personally designed for each client’s individual needs to be empowered to their own healing abilities.

** Buddhist Economics – Payment is spiritual substance of which is provided for the service offered. Going beyond boundaries of time is sometimes necessary—when money can’t be the most essential issue in ere of when loving counsel is needed …When our love for life, health, self-healing and doing good are the same, money follows.

Time and energy are encapsulated in love for the care I give to each person. For me and my work—whatever I offer—the goal is to overcome human suffering and help empower each person to take full responsibility for their physical, mental and spiritual health while on their path to enlightenment.

In working with human health problems, each person’s relationship with money must find a meeting point of where economics connects with education and ethics. In finding this meeting point, we may have found one of the most necessary remedies for the value and outcome of our service.

In Buddhist Ethics we practice The Eightfold Path, one part of the path is Right Livelihood. This factor has great implications referring to Buddhist Economics in doing business. Its importance is capable of solving a most crucial problem facing humanity today: our relationship with money…

Again, here, I leave you with The Eightfold Path:

Right Intention

Right Direction

Right Livlihood

Right Action

Right Effort

Right Mindfulness

Right Meditation

There are a number of other Buddhist principles I use as well but they will be for the next blog post.

Today’s saying:

http://www.buddhanet.net/flash/daily-readings/readings.html

Dharma Healing In Bali, Australia and Tuscany

Dear Friends,

I am overjoyed and excited to let you know that it looks like this year Dharma Healing will be offering our fasting program abroad in a number of locations.

Ubud, Bali

Anne Hockett and I are looking forward to hosting a few fasts in Bali. The first fast will be held from April 8^th through the 14^th. One of the venues we are looking at is Desa, Sanctuary, The Village.

Anne, who is living partially in Bali and Singapore is a blessed healer and meditation teacher and is the director of YouHealing

New South Wales, Australia

Kinchem Hegadus, owner of Wallaby Hill Farm, just north of Sydney, will be hosting our fast in Australia. We are presently working on dates sometime around the third week in June.

Also, a special gathering will be held in Sydney. Marta Hendriques, Janice Williams and several other Sydney fasters will be organizing this event.

 Tuscany, Italy

Liz Morris and I are working on organizing a fast in Tuscany for September or October of 2011.

This will be a wonderful opportunity to immerse into the landscape and culture of one of the most beautiful parts of the world while cleansing body, mind and spirit. It will definitely be a privilege and absolutely a brilliant fasting experience for all attending.

Please send me an email to let me know of your interest. We would like a minimum of 20 fasters participating in the course. With the proper interest we will be able to look for the most appropriate villa estate for our group.

How about a Fast in New Zealand?

I will be spending the month of July in Whangarei, in the North Island of New Zealand, caretaking the house of Chris and Roz O’Shea Lewis. If anybody would like to host a fast in New Zealand during the first week of August please let me know.

Other bits of news

New For Kids and Teens!

Bernadette Rolton and I are designing several special 2 day seminars for kids and teens: from 8 to 12, and, 13 to 18 focusing on healthy eating including a juice or fruit fast, teaching kids how to make nourishing choices and having fun with foods. 

Yoga Fast, Koh Samui

Deborah White, an experienced and devoted Iyengar teacher, and Dharma Healing will be offering a Yoga-Fast, here in Koh Samui. The dates are from December 12^th to December 19^th.

Deborah specializes in Yoga postures in total sequence to the cleansing process throughout the week. We are so thankful to have the opportunity to integrate Deborah’s brilliant Yoga instruction, with the fasting process.

As I mentioned it would be wonderful if you could send an email to let me know of your interest in participating in any of the above programs that we are planning for 2011, or any interest you might have in making one happen in your part of the world.

Inspiring, Informative Videos

Bruce Lipton’s  talk on how our minds can make us healthy or sick Click here

Zeitgeist – Moving Forward, is the 3^rd Zeitgeist documentary concerning the powerful movement of humanity’s demise and evolution Click here  

With gratitude and blessings to you 

Dharma Healing is going into its 16^th year. It is hard to believe! Thankfully the program continues to get better and better with updated research (for my new books) shared each week, inspired by the beautiful people who join the course for the first time or find their way to us for a second, third and thirteenth time.

Just as Dharma Healing evolves in its aura of success, I have to say I too am feeling quite blessed and grateful to have gone through some intense knocks, yet have survived and am blissfully thriving in my own divine way.

I pray that each and every one of you are all doing well, finding quality time to take good loving-care of yourself and that you are living in divine abundance, truth and presence.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2011 filled with Love, Light and Blessings of Peace.

 Hillary

hillary@dharmahealingintl.com

hillaryadrian@yahoo.com

dharmasamui@gmail.com

PS - This little newsletter would not be possible if it wasn’t for the work and love of Carmen Duna and Bernadette Rolton, two of the most divine angels in my life. Thank you both!

**

Being at peace depends on many factors. It depends on our governments and their decisions, on laws, cultural traditions, on one’s karma, attitudes and consciousness, health, where and how we live, finances, goals, relationships and our experiences with suffering, the opposite of peace …

If a person is in a traumatic relationship he/she would be at peace within minutes if the trauma would pass and the couple could find solace by an embrace.

A man is sitting in a prison cell, struggling with his mind over being incarcerated for robbery and manslaughter.

In 1981 I was lost alone in the Andes Mountains ,without food, tent or a map, soaked, scared and anxious, until I found protection in a cave.

My best friend is painfully mourning the death of her dear father who died of cancer last night.

A single mother in Pakistan, with two small children, has just lost her home to the disasterous flooding and prays for a safe place to live.

In Takua-pa, southern Thailand, in 2004, many friends encountered the tsunami. Running for their lives, unfortunately, many didn’t make it.

… In each case Peace is the gem we gain once the trauma is over. Peace is what we feel when the suffering, fear and turmoil from war ends, when a safe place to live can be found, the anxieties vanish and the grieving has dissapated, when we can take a deep breath and a sigh of relief that we are at peace, we are loved and will survive.

We have all had traumas and suffering in our lives, some worse than others.  There are people who suffer everyday, 1000s live their whole existence in poverty, at war, with terminal diseases and in confinement.

We are very privileged people!

A thought we can contemplate is that peace and survival, are the same thing. Suffering and fear of death will always challenge our peace.

When our lives are threatened and we are afraid, survival is the number one thing we are concerned about. Self-survival, survival for loved ones, survival for our planet, health safety, freedom for those in bondage and peace for the victims of war, “God give our planet and all its inhabitants peace!”

**

Kindly Mediate On The Following …

Choosing Life!

In slowly coming to a halt in our actions and sitting firmly on the pillow that roots you to the earth, the simple commitment to “stop” brings  peace and insight. We can develop a perspective of our energy, of all energy and transform, transcend and transmute it…

In choosing meditation as a commitment, we are actually choosing  life as our practice. Choosing life as our practice means being present in harmony with each and every moment, in harmony with God, with our inner grace and goodness. We let go of things unimportant, of attachments, acquire a more empty perspective, the feeling of forgiveness, a sense of gratitude for our life, our work, our loved ones and our enemies. You feel increbibly nurtured by the breath and the positive vital force that flows through every cell, organ and chakra center, interconnecting making you whole and at One with all living beings and the cosmos . .

By choosing life through meditation we are seeking peace, and by doing so we create peace in ourselves, radiating and projecting peace throughout the universe.

A magnificent opportunity we have to choose life—THROUGH MEDITATION HUMAN BEINGS ACT, CREATE AND BECOME PEACE…

The value we put on meditation, as a necessary ritual and thus choice as a major part of life, is synonymous with the peace we generate. This may be the determining factor to how resilient we are in dealing with every day occurances, tragedy, disaster and instant upheaval.

**

A few questions for us to ask ourselves.

How strong and focused are you during your meditation sessions? Are you anxious for the designated 10 minutes of sitting to end? Or are you still peaceful after one hour? How centered are you to sit and work with intruding thoughts, chronic back pain and mosquitos?

Many of us know that life is one big lesson. Depending on one’s karma, lessons can come in one incident every year, every day or every hour. When all of a sudden our peaceful, giving and compassionate nature takes a dive because some minor or major disturbance has caught us off guard. Some so-called lesson or hidden karma arises from the deep, to wake us up. Lessons come and lessons go, and as we work with each one they may not shake our world. But there might be some particular lessons that do.

With the year 2012 approaching I think many of us are encountering major lessons. I know I am.

While working with the lessons a big question to ask yourself is how deep is my peace? How many lessons to what degree does it take to shake my foundation of peace? To make me change course gracefully? To relinquish attachments gladly? To turn a bad relationship into a compassionate one? To make me appreciate everything and everyone in my life? And, to realize what is most important in my life is peace and that the possibility of death is not very far away? How many lessons does it take to make me bend with God and to make my peace unshakable?

Another question …Is suffering a benchmark relative to our spiritual standing or to how rigorous, how unshakable our peace is?And is our spiritual standing equal to how peaceful we are inside?Is there one without the other?

Answers:  I believe that we can’t have a spirtual standing if we do not have peace within and that we can’t have peace within unless our spiritual standing within our community is a vital part of who we are. And how do we find that kind of peace and spiritual standing in our daily moment to moment existence?

I think we all know that meditation, and being in quiet solitude strengthens our spiritual standing and evolves peace within at the same time. It takes us to that point of awakening that the two come together as one-combined mountain of unshakable divine presence.

**

Please Meditate On The Following…

Choosing Life Means ToMake Peace With Change

Walking responsibly in the jungle, with thoughts going down to the soles of your feet with each step touching the earth,you arrive at your destination, centered in the bliss of solitude on the side of the mountain, where nothing but nature feeds the air with musical messages, pure smells, marvelous green terrain for the eyes to follow and emptiness. The Peace is astonishing, prevailing, a miracle, a blessing of God and Dharma.

You are standing prayerfully next to the roaring stream as it rushes down the waterfall before you, when suddenly a 10 foot long snake quickly comes out from behind a big rock. It immediately runs over your feet into the stream. Your breath is held for a split second, your heart stunned, your muscles tighten, until you realize just how privledged you are that the snake has allowed YOU to be just another rock …

Peace is that feeling of awakening when change/life and fear/death meet; where  perfect harmony or disaster come together to challenge your power of presence; where the opportunity to merge into Oneness, actually, determines and directs you, directs your destiny and what comes next: subconsciously and consciously, physically and mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Life and death become unified into consciousness and are woven together into a sprialing double helix of eternity …

When you are ready for change you are at peace with relinquishing the “self” the ego. When change comes you flow with the process by bending, breaking up, letting go, desolving and going with whatever is required. The “I” vanishes, the Tao becomes reality. The Invincible breeze of Divine Presence blows Light and Love your way, and you are magically born a new into the forest of the unknown.

**

To be alive means to change. We actually die when we stop changing. Change is life and life is change. But how does peace come into this?

In two books I am translating by the late venerable Ajahn Buddha Bikkhu, in one book he says that the true religion is inner peace and in a another book he says that life means change. When life stops changing there is death.

Many people are terribly afraid of change. I meet people everyday who tell me this. I am afraid of change!

What are we afraid of? It is very likely that we may be afraid of ourselves, the ‘SELF’ that is locked into a constant feeling of permenance, sometimes separation and delusion. Are we at peace? Maybe, maybe not. Many of us struggle to keep things in our life from changing because to change can bring pain and suffering, inconvenience and disruption, chaos and confrontation.

Once again here come the karmic lessons. And once again we need to ask ourselves the question, what is the depth of our peace?  Is it pure? Is it authentic? Is it full? Is it on the edge? Does it sponataneously radiate out from your heart? Or is it hard, contrived, limited to 10 minutes a day, exploited by circumstance, in need of material success to exist?

What might help us is the realization that if change is a constant occurance to stay alive than “I” need to be at peace with it. The ‘I’ needs to change.

Kindely Meditate On The Following…

The manner in which the I or Self changes is to not exist for more than the necessary time needed to BE PRESENT. Then when the need to respond to a new situation arises, as it approaches, the I is ready.

The I is like the bamboo that bends with the wind. The I is like the clouds that move in, break up and disappear or break apart and provide rain. The I is the wave that washes up on the shore and then dissapates into the infinite ocean. It is impossible for the I to stay the same. It has to change! To be alive we all must change.

In having an ego, a self or an I, a necessary revelation is that it isn’t permanent, it is always changing, for the very simple reason that ‘change’ is its true nature. And for that nature to manifest in harmony with life the I must be at peace with change.

This means that the I is at peace before, during and after it changes with the moment to moment tides that wash upon the shores of life.

The ego, self or I is at peace when it is in the quiet sanctuary of an empty mind, an open heart, a flexible body and a spirit that is enlightened—here is the essential peace.

It is in the present, day to day, minute to minute experiences where our greatest training lies. This is where we are challenged to exercise our spirtual standing and our peace together into one authentic intention empowered by wisdom.

**

Choosing The Light—Choosing Peace With Death

Over the last few years I keep coming across books and articles on death. A subject that intriques me. As a good Muslim friend once said, nobody gets to stay. Ever since I heard this statement I have taken it to the core of my being, contemplating it with awe and respect.

In studying the shadow in the horoscope the teacher I work with, Dr. Glenn Perry, says that in dealing with the shadow we are making peace with death. It, like the shadow, is always there. And in order to be whole we need to integrate the “light” and “dark” sides of ourselves.

This has helped me realize that life is a choice, but so is death. On many levels of consciousness whether we are aware of it or not the thought is there that maybe we do choose our time to die, our time of transition into another realm. But more pertinent for right NOW is integrating the shadow; integrating death with life, as an everyday-being-born-and-dying occurrance, as an everyday part of who we are.

Our fear of death and the shadow might be related to our complacency for NOT TAKING ENOUGH RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR LIFE, for not valuing it enough, for not being mindful enough, for not meditating enough. Our fear of the unknown, our fear of change, our fear of the other side of ourselves, our fears of the future arise because our peace and connection to the Divine Light, to God or Dharma or the Tao or Brahman, the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcending reality, of matter, of energy, time, space, being and everything beyond the universe— isn’t strong enough.

In one of my favorite books on death, published in 1969, called Testimony of Light, a deceased nun channels her experiences in heaven through her best friend. Helen Greaves writes what her dear friend Sister Francis tells her to:

“Every day I will myself into Light, that Light may be afforded me, that my soul and spirit may become as one infused Light; that I may live and move in the Light which is the Creative Will and greatest Peace.

“This is a wonderful thrilling experience. When I caught but a glimpse of Light on earth, and it uplifted and changed me, and changed also the direction of my life, that impermanent glimpse was as nothing to the immersion of Light that is possible here.”

Later she says:

“The veil between the worlds (of life and death) must be rent asunder or dissolved. People living on earth, the erudite, the cultured and clever minds, as the devotional and religious minds, and the under-educated, the illiterate and the closed minds, must all be reached. All need this knowledge to remove fear which is one of the darkest and most powerful earth-emotions which has to be fought and conquered before peace and spritual progress can come to the earth.”

**

WHAT IS THE MESSAGE TODAY?

Choice—We Each Have The Choice!

 “…Life and death I set before you… Choose life!”(Deut. 30:19)

In the Jewish book of teachings called The Talmud, most likely derived from the torah, we are encouraged to choose life …

In Sarah Yehudit Schneider’s , Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year 5771) newsletter called a Still Small Voice, she writes:

“When the Torah urges us to choose life, it is not merely banning suicide. It is directing us to choose eternal life, to prefer options that enhance the soul, for these are everlasting acquisitions. Material profits are finite. We cannot take them past the grave. They are subject to death. Self-actualization, integrity, generosity, courage, wisdom, peace—these are gains that enrich the soul, and as such, they are permanent possessions. They are death-resistant profits. The Torah is not asking us to renounce the world and become ascetics, but it is exhorting us to give priority to eternally enduring benefits when calculating the pros and cons of a range of options. “Choose life” means: invest your assets in death-resistant securities, in ventures that enrich the soul.”

In a poem to his dying father, Dylan Thomas writes

 “Do not go gentle into that good night… Rage, rage, against the dying of the light.”

**

Kindly Meditate On The Following Summary…

Being privledged beings we have more time to give to the choice of life. Choosing life and cultivating its highest ideals and divine message is something most of us do. And in our quest to make life more peaceful we help others, making our world a better place. 

Choosing Life is our greatest opportunity for designing a peaceful world of goodness and abundance.

**

Peace is not only everywhere it is always here and always now. It is the most potent  thought for overcoming suffering, pain and bondage, separation, conflict and discord of any kind. It represents community, equality, acceptance, equanimity, compassion and empathy, collective thinking, a drive to work together and create unity, Oneness and Unconditional Love.

Peace is life as well as death. Peace is love, happiness, joy, freedom and good health. Peace is the fortitude of the heart and focus of the mind to an emerging, ever evolving spirit of Divine Light.

When we each find peace inside we are equipped and initiated into the realm of ascendence, individual and planetary.

Like nothing that has ever existed before, is YOUR personal journey. Trusting the journey is most necessary. And to do this means trusting yourself unconditionally, explicitly, with total presence of mind and wisdom.

I believe that the peace within each of us has infinite possibilities. And once we do know this then we have chosen the most Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscent gift for creating peace in the world. That is our profession.

At the moment at which we sincerely know this truth about ourselves, world peace has already arrived! The change into the New Age has taken place. And WE have made that miracle happen!

Within the deep knowing of the magic of our Omnipotence, Omnipresence and Omniscence there lies the divine miracle of our era … passing through time and space,through every age and dimension.

Being at peace, resonates peace throughout the universe. Singing peace joyfully from our lungs, manifests it eternally.

Hallaluyas and Oms …

**

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”

~ Martin Luther King

“Peace is not something you wish for. It is something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.”

~ Robert Fulghum

“Peace is its own reward.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

~ Jimi Hendrix

“Peace is the marriage of the people and the planet, with all attendant vows.”
~ Anonymous

“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
~ Black Elk (1863-1950)

“There is no time left for anything but to make peacework a dimension of our every waking activity.” ~ Elise Boulding

“I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.”  ~ Mohatma K. Gandhi

“Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind…War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today.”
~ John F. Kennedy

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”Suffering is the sandpaper of our life. It does its work of shaping us. Suffering is part of our training program for becoming wise and peaceful.”~ Ram Dass

“ . . Either time changes us, or we change time.” ~ Jose Arguelles

Unconditional Responsibility

It is so important to come to that point in our own spiritual evolution where we are finally ready and willing to be wholeheartedly accountable for ourselves—for who we are and how we are. Heroically, we must be ready to accept unconditional responsibility for the seen and unseen consequences of everything that has ever happened to us. ~ Andrew Cohen

In any one day, the number of cognitive encounters the mind engages in seem to be increasing at an amazingly quick pace. Need less to say, it is difficult to keep up with the planetary, climate, people, animal, community, internet and cellular changes, links and transits that splash on my veranda. Furthermore, with it being so difficult to keep up, it becomes more pertinent to decipher the valuable content—deleting the spam and walking away from the things that are not relative to our physical well-being, mental focus and spiritual evolution.

As the planet Pluto slowly digs deeper into our sense of caution, caution that first jolts with Uranus fervor our complacency of ignorance and delusion of reality, but also brings birth to the need to stay put, meditate, and learn from the point of emptiness how to survive. Not only individual survival but for all living beings on planet earth as well as earth itself. This brings birth to the ideal essence of our present purpose…

In an article called Awakening To Total Revolution, which first appeared in What Is Enlightenment Magazine, Issue 19 called “Can Enlightenment Save the World”, from the book: Spirituality and Social Action: A Holistic Approach, published in 1984, 26 years later Vimala Thaker echos my heart and soul.

In the first paragraph of Part 1 she says:

“In a time when the survival of the human race is in question, to continue with the status quo is to cooperate with insanity, to contribute to chaos. When darkness engulfs the spirit of the people, it is urgent for concerned people to awaken, to rise to revolution.”

That is a scary word, revolution. When people hear it they usually hope you muttered something else, like evolution, or resolution. Funny, that both these words are encompassed in the word revolution.

But revolution can be seen differently than the word war invokes. Revolution can be the fire of the divine coming down to burst the bubble of unrelated cognitive clutter that works hard at confusing our sanity. Revolution can be the guiding light we long for to blind our fears and brighten our courage. Revolution can be the coming together of a billion voices singing out the time has come. Revolution can be the energy forces that invincibly command our spirit to act.

Acting with a spirit of revolution is seen throughout history, where 1000s of people gather together to voice their concerns for peace, environmental laws, human rights, religious freedom and economic and class justice.

In Stephanie Austin’s July 2010 Astrology Full Moon Newletter, she provides a link to one of the most powerful collective human protests of recorded history. Here is the trailer to the video Singing Revolution, the story of how the people of Estonia freed themselves from Soviet occupation… “A single nation, a million voices, the fall of an empire”

http://www.singingrevolution.com/

http://www.singingrevolution.com/cgi-local/content.cgi?pg=1

I would like to be comfortable with the word revolution but I realize first that I have to be totally bathed in the committment to non-violence, love-metta, kindness-garuna, compassion/empathy-mutita, equanimity-ubeka. These virtuous Buddhist precepts for all relationships lay the foundation for revolution.

I feel better about being a revolutionary when I have the help of Buddha Dharma at my side. I feel better about revolution when I can sing my heart out in prayer for peace, environmental safety, sustainable economics, wisdom and enlightenment for all humans. Singing is the way to Total Revolution. It the way to survive.

Revolution, total revolution is spiritual revolution. It is revolution for the whole planet. The concept may be new, different, remote and imposible for some people. But with the present ingress of Saturn into Libra of organizing the natural drive toward our collective harmony, singing may be the way to the impossible dream, the dream we need to wake up to: our survival.

With a blind eye for the surrounding field, many people I know live their lives from within boxed in circle realities (like the picture below)—going around and around and around at a very fast pace, a pace at which many choose not to acknowledge. So used to the time and space called home these people protect the blind eye, the fast-running pace and the boxed in circle cushiness, by designing offensive and defensive, deceptive and illusive goods and services, as well as planting personal guards, rules and protocols—to make sure no thing or person from the outside intrudes, that absolutely nothing is disturbed, that not a single change takes place which could untidy the living room furniture!

A comforting fact that has helped me get by in this world is that people only see you as far as they see themselves. If the experience of their reality is only lived from within a boxed in circle, and yours is the universe, there is likely to be a problem with communication.

When I try to express feelings and thoughts with someone and when that person shocks me with a put down of harsh words or goes out of their way to shut me out, I peacefully hold on to the earth beneath me so I don’t fall over or cry. That earth tells me, “these people must protect the territory of their consciousness, their view of the world, their wealth and status, their boxed in circle reality of where they live and breath and hang their hat.”

Just like any of us who are looked at as being “different” from the normal group, who challenge the status quo, the comfortable stream of expected regularity, who wear an unexpected type of appearance, who move in a more meticulous manner, who dance a slower rhythm, who speak a different tongue—will find that as more and more people living in boxed in circle worlds feel threatened by the challenges of our time, the financial industry, the unstable economy, the corrupt governments, the rules and regulations of various increasingly unaccessible academic institutions that narrow standards for teachers and students, the various readily accepted terrorist threats—these groups of people could adversely react to you and me for being different, or, for being who we really are. Thus, we are the threat. We are the terrorists or scapegoat projection of that which is feared most: change …

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From my emotionally karmic perspective or emotional reality, I can’t help initially feeling hurt, rejected, abused and shaken, not only because of how I was treated but by how the whole world is being treated right now and in the past. But Mother Earth protects me again and I go off  into the forest to clean my wounds and heal, dissipate and transcend the pain and karmic emotions, empty my self and seek insight. Then turning things around  not only do I understand these people and where they are coming from—why they are the way they are, I also feel sorry and pity them…

These people prevent themselves from Dharma Presence. They limit and close off the present opportunity to go beyond the walls of their very restricted world. They prefer to stop time and space, while desperately—in some cases violently—standing up for the offenses and defenses that if relinquished could invisibly, without them even realizing it, allow a co-creative, spontaneous, authentic interaction with someone like you or me.

Thus, the potential of evolving both our views of the universe and the universe itself is not an option. But really what is happening is that the potential for universal peace, love, kindness, compassion, empathy, equanimity and the pure beauty of  unbiased-empty connection has vanished from the ethers.

Sadly, the whole planet is held back from evolving toward a peaceful tomorrow and the environment suffers … .

It is impossible to bring forth a blossoming visualization of universal peace and Oneness unless we have environmental sustainability and Dharma Presence. With so many people living separate realities sincere concern for the environment and each other is unlikely. Unfortunately, experiencing the material world as a permanent reality causes a great deal of suffering for everyone, and this is the way the present material world lives and does business. It is the way most people define their whole existence—it is also how most people see life and each other.

Nature as a reflection of the divine is a feeling and way of being totally present. It is only held by those who value all of life as being precious and work toward that wholeness, avoiding goals especially designed for individual financial and material success, working to get ahead, while disregarding, exploiting, discriminating and condescending others—horses, whales, trees and people. Simply, goals that do not encompass the present at every step of the way, that are always moving and progressing toward the future without regard for what is happening “around you now” are not wholistic—not everyone is included. If these goals do not involve the whole world, at this particular moment they are not environmentally sustainable. They do not include you and me. Oneness is not going to manifest. And Dharma Presence is a myth, until it becomes the only reality.

And how do we attain this persepective of Dharma Presence, the only reality? We start from the humble point of emptiness. Emptiness is a vague term describing the mind when there are no thoughts, attachments or conditionings—nobody is living within boxed in circle realities that need protecting.  As thoughts fade away so do the attitudes and attachments to things in life that are not important; to the labels and titles we give ourselves and others; and,  to the fears and karma that we constantly bathe in. The “self” falls away as the material world fades. The boxed in circle walls disappear and the awareness of this experience puts us into the present moment—the only reality there is.

 This is called Dharma Presence, where Love starts from a point of emptiness and keeps going …

Please refer to blog post number 1 for the definition of Dharma.

Picture: Arrows In Samsara - 13 hour sitting, Cave Junction, Oregon, 1973, by Hillary