Wednesday, July 23, 2008

De-mystifying Enlightenment!

Enlightenment is Overrated: Jonathan is not afraid to admit that he has “reached” Enlightenment. He is passionate about bringing "clarity", especially to enlightenment.

Read it all here.

In his opinion:

The great Enlightened masters
(Christ, Buddha, Moses, Lao Tzu, and many others),
did not become Enlightened and retreat into a cave.
They did not merely transcend their egos.
They became great big egos.
They engaged life completely and fearlessly
and
shook the earth from its very foundation.
They did not seek Enlightenment
as an escape from life,
but as a means to live more completely.

Then:

In reality, enlightenment brings you into a deeper,
more intimate relationship with life.
Rather, Enlightenment means
dropping into your body more completely.
It means living life more fully, passionately and fearlessly.


So, are you enlightened? If yes, do you agree?

Thursday, July 17, 2008

The Greatest Virtues!

How to move from precepts to wisdom? From medicine to magic? From action to meditation? From quality to worth? from achievement & effort to patience & generosity?

More than a thousand years ago, renowned Buddhist sage - Master Atisha, Dipamkara Srijnana set it very clearly:

The greatest achievement is selflessness.
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
The greatest generosity is non-attachment.
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.
The greatest patience is humility.
The greatest effort is not concerned with results.
The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.
The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.
~Atisha

Which one did you like?

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Are you forgetful & lazy?

A verse in Ashtavakra Gita says:
My son, you may recite or listen to countless scriptures,
but you will not be established within until you can forget everything.

Another one:

If even Shiva, Vishnu, or the lotus-born Brahma were your instructor,
until you have forgotten everything you cannot be established within.

Thus, in Complete Silence, you have access to EVERYTHING!

Yet another one:

Happiness belongs to no one but that supremely lazy man
for whom even opening and closing his eyes is a bother.


Thus, in Complete Stillness, you can accomplish ANYTHING!

Can you DROP all striving and move into effortless zone?

CHECK! Are you coming from THE SOURCE or through ENCYCLOPEDIC MEMORY?