posted March 30, 2008 09:59 AM         

It doesn't matter what we believe, what religion we follow, etc.

The "answers" as such can never be known, in full- in this particular realm.

We are simply here to find our way, to chose our paths.......

What matters most is what is inside a person's heart.

The two main paths to chose from whilst here are services to self, or services to others.......

True love (infinite) will lead us to liberation.

Thought is the beginning, but must be put to action to be of any use.

Blessed be to all.

posted March 30, 2008 03:37 PM         

It is not subject to action or inaction.

It is the wellspring of all life.

Only the mind thinks something must be done.

This is the original sin.

When the effort to think or act is abandoned the only thing that may take its place is love.

Love is a stream that carries you to its heart whenever you let go of the bank.

posted March 30, 2008 07:00 PM         

Very interesting points, HSC.
Especially after I'd just been reading the following words in an email I'd received, in response to an enquiry I made about Ramana Maharshi's teachings:

quote:

---

It is difficult to summarize the message of Ramana Maharshi (only one i in Maharshi, not maharishi). He taught mainly in silence as his message is something which has to be 'felt' more than discussed or read about. As I mentioned there is lots of info about him and his message on the internet which probably explains it better than I can, but put very briefly his message is this:-

Find out who you really are by the practise of self enquiry. Ask yourself 'Who am I?'. By removing all your false identity and your ego you eventually come to experience Self as who you are.
There is only ONE - you are that. It is the veil of ignorance that prevents you from knowing your true Self. Strive to remove the ignorance and you will then know the truth and will abide in your true and natural state which is one of 'sat chit ananda' (being, consciousness, bliss). This state is beyond thoughts and words and therefore cannot be described by them.
Here is an example of self enquiry - "Who am I? I am not this body which changes but leaves me the same. Nor am I the thoughts that pass through the mind and go out again, leaving me the same. Ten years ago I had thoughts, emotions, aspirations which are gone now, but I am still the same. What, then, am I?"

---

quote:

---

The longing you have to "belong" somewhere will eventually pull you back to where you do belong. The joy and fulfilment you are looking for will not come through other people, nor through 'being a unique, individual, free thinker'. But I am sure one day you will discover this for yourself. Accept your feelings and see them for what they are, they are just feelings - as fleeting and changing as shadows. They are not who you are,
find out who you are and these feelings will dissolve just as shadows dissolve in sunlight.

---

posted March 30, 2008 07:41 PM         

Find out who you really are by the practise of self enquiry. Ask yourself 'Who am I?'. By removing all your false identity and your ego you eventually come to experience Self as who you are.
There is only ONE - you are that. It is the veil of ignorance that prevents you from knowing your true Self.

Wise words Master Ramana Maharshi.

It is Truth and with out finding the Self free from ego and the veil of ignorance,we will suffer .

We are given the Mystical Teachings to show us why "follow your heart" is misleading .

May my misled days be fewer and farther between ...

Know that there are people who try to teach you when they have no knowledge except for empty words. They talk about the heart, mind, soul, and they have no idea what these truly are.

Know that you go to a false teacher and ask, "I have this problem. He says, 'Refer to your heart.'"

Then you should ask, "If I could refer to my heart, or if my heart was not sick, why would I come to you?"

Know that your heart is a village situated in two vast valleys. To the right is a connection to the soul that is the mine of righteousness and illumination. To the left is a connection to the nafs (material realm) that is the mine of illusion and corruption.

So, you -- false teacher --, when you tell me to refer me to my heart, do you know where you are sending me?

Know that heart is known as ghalb. It is something that revolves constantly. It looks up to the soul and it looks down to the material realm. The journey is from ghalb to del (illuminated heart).

Know that the people of spirit call ghalb, or heart, a village that is occupied by dogs (sharp teeth), pigs (greed), cats (disloyalty), and foxes (deception). The Guest (God) is repulsed and does not enter that village. You must clean and polish that heart to prepare for the arrival of the Guest.

Know that God says, "All the universes cannot contain me. But I will fit into the illuminated heart of my servant."

Know that when you, false teacher, refer me to my heart, you are referring me to my nafs.

Know that the real teacher teaches your heart to be the guide of the intellect and hosts no desires.

Know that nafs are the result of your upbringing, education, socialization, all prejudices/biases, attachments to dead ideas and traditions, and both good and bad things learned from your limited environment.

Know that you have the potential to discover the infinity of existence. If your illuminated heart works with your mind and your intellect, your intellect will become the eyes of your heart.

Know that nafs also need consultants. One is intellect and the other is fear (emotionalism). When the intellect works with the nafs, it becomes a blind tool. Fear in any of its forms (including blind, reckless bravery) leads to a crooked path.

Know that images (imagination) are blessings sent down from the heavens. The illuminated heart will receive those pictures clearly. One is always in the state of reality. But these images, if they come to a confused heart, will be received in a distorted way. It is only through guesses and illusions that you can make sense of the reality.

Know that you have three elements:

First, the divine spirit from which everything comes.

Second, the jan, the life force in which everything is connected and alive.

Third, the soul/nafs which is born and developed through our deeds and practices. According to your deeds, it can either achieve the state of the soul or degrade down to the level of the nafs.

------------------
~
What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world is immortal"~

posted March 30, 2008 07:55 PM         

quote:

---

Know that you have three elements:

First, the divine spirit from which everything comes.

Second, the jan, the life force in which everything is connected and alive.

Third, the soul/nafs which is born and developed through our deeds and practices. According to your deeds, it can either achieve the state of the soul or degrade down to the level of the nafs.

---

What I'm trying to figure out, is, whether- as of the words HSC posted in this thread, as well as words spoken by teachers such as Gangaji.....

Do I actually have to do anything,

Or, by simply realizing that I am infinite consciousness, and desiring top be free-
Could this be enough in itself?

So many teachers have tried to change things here for the better, but it has had not only positive results, but negative ones too.

On the other hand, sometimes a negative experience can have positive outcomes....

Life is so, so confusing......

I could spend my life, for example, helping to feed those without food.....
But this wouldn't make any difference, I don't think, on the infinite scale of things- it would only bring transient relief to merely our bodily "vehicles", for it wouldn't feed the soul.....

So what can I do, I wonder?

I see suffering and I desire freedom for myself and for other selves.....

I can set myself free, by desiring to be free and through seeking.

posted March 30, 2008 08:07 PM         

I am of the belief (action) that desire is not enough. It is the need to be free. The ultimate need to achieve my birthright; to have an Illuminated Heart and end my suffering.

------------------
~
What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world is immortal"~

posted March 30, 2008 08:47 PM         

It is an illusion and we are simply here to satisfy our curiosity; to experience ourselves in finite forms as separate from the infinite- until we've had enough and wish to return-

Or

We are here for a reason, we are gaining something through being here which will be able to contribute something to ourselves and to the infinite creator....

posted March 30, 2008 09:32 PM         

To love a person is also to desire their instruction.

According to this teaching, Truth is properly an adjunct of Love.

By another teaching, Love may be an adjunct of Truth.

Each must find the path that is appropriate to his or her dharma.

Knowledge of the Self may be attained by many Yogas.

The Way of Compassion is the way of which I now speak.

On this path, Knowledge of the Self is arrived at through Love.

When Love transcends the illusory boundaries of ego, then may the Self be realized.

In order to be open to Love, we must be open to longing.

Love is also the longing for Love.

We do not move to pursue this or that course of action.

But we allow the longing to be.

Then Love is swiftly heralded from the depths.

But we must have the patience for this longing.

The patience to wait for love is also love.

All these things (longing, patience, and truth) are both the causes and the effects of love.

The Alchemists say, "In order to make gold, you must have gold,".

So, in order to make Love you must have Love.

The power to open to Love is not within you.

It is a grace given by God in the proper season.

Who is ready to hear, let them hear.

posted March 30, 2008 09:42 PM         

~ pamela vaull starr

"When you reach for the stars, you may not get one, but you won't come up with a handful of mud, either."

~ leo burnett

posted March 30, 2008 10:39 PM         

I see much talk of love, much use of this word, "love," the definition of which in the english language is vague, elusive, and multi-purpose.

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me, dont' hurt me no more?

Is love therefore an absence of pain?

Surely not.

Love is an attractive force. An appreciative force. Is it a spiritual, is it a worship, does it imply putting oneself below another?

Hate is also an attractive force, what separates love from hate. Why do the two seem to rotate endlessly between like the heads and tails of a quarter spinning on a table?

Romantic love, platonic love, spiritual love, passionate love.

posted March 30, 2008 11:06 PM         

Lord we don*t need another mountain,
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb,
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross
Enough to last until the end of time

What the world needs now is love sweet love,
it*s the only thing that theres just too little of,
what the world needs now is love sweet love,
no not just for some but for everyone

Lord, we dont need another meadow,
there are corn fields and wheat fields enough to grow,
there are sunbeams and moonbeams enough to shine,
oh listen Lord, if you want to know

What the world needs now is love sweet love,
its the only thing that theres just too little of.
what the world needs now is love sweet love,
no not just for some, oh but just for every every everyone.

posted March 30, 2008 11:10 PM         

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.”
Rebecca- age 8

“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”
Emily- age 6

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of you French fries without making them give you any of theirs.”
Chrissy - age 6

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”
Danny - age 7

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.”
Noelle - age 7

“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared.
I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and he was smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.”
Cindy - age 8

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.”
Mary Ann - age 4

“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.”
Lauren - age 4

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - Age 5

"Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine - age 5

"Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 8

"I let my big sister pick on me because my Mom says she only picks on me because she loves me.
So I pick on my baby sister because I love her."
Bethany - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
Karen - age 7

"Love is when mommy sees daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8

And the final one – Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a six year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor,the little
boy said, “Nothing. I just helped him cry".

posted March 30, 2008 11:22 PM         

BR, I loved what you wrote.

Trees, the yes

posted March 31, 2008 07:06 AM         

That last one especially made my eyes tingle also!

quote:

---

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor,the little
boy said, “Nothing. I just helped him cry".

---

posted March 31, 2008 07:17 AM         

quote:

---

Hate is also an attractive force, what separates love from hate. Why do the two seem to rotate endlessly between like the heads and tails of a quarter spinning on a table?

---

posted March 31, 2008 07:40 AM         

I wrote:

"I could spend my life, for example, helping to feed those without food.....
But this wouldn't make any difference, I don't think, on the infinite scale of things- it would only bring transient relief to merely our bodily "vehicles", for it wouldn't feed the soul....."

= Different people
Dedicated to feeding
different types
of hunger

Together each knowflake- we'll fix this giant puzzle somehow....we will re-harmonize the melody of the creation, and transform the world to music, to harmony, once more!

posted March 31, 2008 07:44 AM         

& melt away the desire for any being to harm a being's free will......

If it came true, I wonder what would happen????

Could this dream come true?

Is it possible?

posted March 31, 2008 08:52 AM         

quote:

---

Love is the ultimate ground of Being.

It is not subject to action or inaction.

It is the wellspring of all life.

Only the mind thinks something must be done.

This is the original sin.

When the effort to think or act is abandoned the only thing that may take its place is love.

Love is a stream that carries you to its heart whenever you let go of the bank.

---