The aim of Taiji is to attain Harmony
Only when we are at peace within ourselves can we live in peace with others
These words state, in a taiji way, a basic principle of life that can also be found in one of my favourite maxims; ‘life flows from the inside to the outside, not the other way around.' This, to me, is the great ‘secret' of life. We perceive the world through our five senses. We take a breath and let it out, and then another, and another.
The Earth rotates on it's axis and night and day trade places in an eternal dance of yin and yang. Because of the cyclic nature of life, we tend to see our life as though it were segmented into many sections. A breath here, another one here, and so on. A day here, now night, and another day.
The truth is, when we perceive the world through our five senses we can get a limited view of Reality. We tend to think of ourselves as separate beings from one another. Separate breaths, separate days. This perception is the ‘illusion' that is spoken of in ancient scripture. If we believe that our five senses are capable of determining the nature of Ultimate Reality; we are sadly mistaken. To identify with the senses is to limit oneself to the rules and regulations of the five senses. You are NOT your five senses.
"Well," you may ask, "just who AM I?"
A very good question.
Keep asking........
Wei Wu Wei, when asked
'why am i so unhappy?' answers; 'because 99.9 percent of everything you think,
and of everthing you do, is for yourself,
and there isn't one!'
The Path of Divine Assumption
Can a bird comprehend the immensity of the sky? Can a tiny fish know the vast expanse of the ocean? Can the intellect of man understand the nature of space and time?
The finite cannot know the Infinite. We can only imagine, form opinions, theories, conjecture.
Faith itself, is held and based upon the assumption that our faith is founded in Reality.
All we can do is assume. This being the case; let us assume the best we can conceive.
1- There is a purpose to life, and it is Good.
2- There is only One Family upon this planet, regardless of race, faith or political persuasion.
We cannot ‘Know', we can only assume. Therefore; let us assume the best we can that we may find harmony in the midst of chaos.
If someone wishes to become a politician, a leader; Let them spend time on the International Space Station. Let them see the Earth from on high that they may gain a Realistic perspective of their responsibilities. From space the view of Earth shows no borders, no divisions.
These borders and divisions are based on the fearful assumptions of the Ignorant and must be seen as such if we and our planet are to survive.
Life after death? If we assume that there is life after death, it stands to reason that we will be re-united with those loved ones who have gone before us. In this case; we should attempt to live as honorable a life as possible that we may not shame or embarrass those who await our return.
If we assume that there is no life after death; we would want to live our lives as best we can; in peace and harmony with all so that our lives may not be disrupted or shortened by circumstance or foe.
This is the Path of Divine Assumption. It is not found on a map or in a temple or even a Church.
It is found Within.
Welcome to the Path!
I was a young, 'tough guy' years ago. Another life, it seems... I was in Northern Ontario, looking for work in the mines when I happened to get into a 'scuffle' with another young tough guy. I fell and hit my head (the temple) on the corner of a metal waste container on my way to the floor. I was on my hands and knees, looking at the blood streaming from my skull into a pool on the tiles......
I looked up and saw that I was no longer in the room I had been in, but, I was outside in a beautiful setting...rolling hills, trees, birds singing in the sky. I was surrounded by a large group of beings. They were in a circle around me, observing me as I kneeled before them......
There appeared to be order to their positions. The younger looking ones were in the front, closest to me. The older behind, peering over the heads and shoulders of the ones in front of them. All of them wore white robes and were hairless.(Bald). They were communicating with each other with their minds and I could 'hear' their thoughts in my mind, very, very clearly. The younger ones were asking of the older ones,'Is he ready? Is he Coming? Should we help him? Is he ready? Is he Coming? Should we help him?' The older ones simply stated,'Wait, be patient, wait..'
(Keep in mind, at this time in my life I was not spiritually involved or religious in any way. I was a tough guy and I felt- and was proud- that I walked alone.) I shook my head and found myself back in the room, bleeding profusely from the cut. My 'opponent' helped me to my feet and took me to get stitched up.
This vision was a profound and powerful event in my life, as you can imagine. It was some time ago (over 30 years) and there was not much talk those days about near death experiences, so I kept quiet about it, pondered it, absorbed it, and eventually found myself renewed by it. (I was not on drugs, either, so it was not a drug-induced hallucination. )This event occurred. It was real and I have no doubt of it's authenticity. I have been given a gift in this seeing and can tell you all with complete confidence.. You are not alone..EVER! And, there IS NO DEATH! Rejoice, be well, love!
Wisdom
Most humans want wisdom. Some believe it is something to attain, but in Reality, it is a path. A way of travelling whatever road we are on. Many believe wisdom comes from knowledge or understanding. But does it really?
If we ask ourselves what it is we want more than anything else, most of us would say ‘love.’
Consider the law of cause and effect. ‘As ye sow; so shall ye reap.’ The Law of Karma. If ‘you get what you give,’ then it may occur to us that if we want to receive love, if we want to be honoured and cherished, it would make sense for us to learn to be as loving as possible. To cherish others as we would be cherished.
We must love ourselves before we can love others. If we do not, we will not be able to receive love for we will not be able to recognise it, nor will we believe we are worthy of receiving it.
A wise person once said ‘charity begins at home.’ So does love, for love is the most valuable treasure in the universes.
Love is Wisdom. Wisdom is Love.
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It is amazingly simple to assist in healing others and ourselves as well. Sit or lay down. If you are sitting you can use a meditation posture that you are accustomed to, or simply sit in a chair with your spine upright, without tension. Feet flat on the floor.
If you are lying down, do so on your back with your arms by your sides, or one hand on your lower abdomen and the other on your heart/chest area. You may also place both hands on your abdomen, one atop the other.
The positions are not so important, as long as you can be physically relaxed. (These are the positions I use most often.) Next, to relax the body and mind, slow the breath down, breathing deeply and gently through the nose. Allow the lower abdomen to expand as you breathe in, slowly fill the lungs from the bottom upwards and slowly let the air out through the nose. Touch the tip of the tongue, softly, to the roof of the mouth, just behind the upper teeth.
Close your eyes and let thoughts come as they may without clinging to them. They simply drift away like clouds in the sky.
Imagine that you are breathing the smile, and the warmth of it, deep into your lungs, filling your belly, your torso, with a Golden Light that tingles and sooths you. Feel the light spread throughout your entire being as you exhale, filling your body completely with a golden glow. The light nourishes you, nurtures you, heals you, as it bathes you with Golden glowing warmth.
Imagine the Golden Light expanding with each exhalation. As you gently breathe, feel it grow and flow as it extends in all directions from your body.
You may direct this Light to anyone, anywhere in the world. Simply imagine the light flowing to them, entering their bodies and filling them completely. As you are filled, so are they.
It nourishes their being, as it does yours. It heals them, warms them, embraces them. Their inner being, their essence responds and vibrates with the Light. They smile, and their own light joins yours. Together, they resonate as one.
"If we live from the head, we are the 'perpetual student'. When we live from the Heart; we are the Master."
-LightLizard
Light Lizard Speaks
If a man does not stand up for anything at all, he is barely alive.
If he stands for something, anything, he will have those who oppose what he stands for; 'Enemies.' This is inevitable.
If a man's 'enemies' are fools, braggarts and uncouth boors;
He is on The True Path.
'Enemy';
One who gives us incentive to continue living.
We burn in the hell of our own creation while heaven,
all around us and within - goes unnoticed.
Love gives us the Ultimate Strength and Balance to deal with 'Enemies.' There is a large gap between Love and 'incentive.'
Hell is a (troubled) state of mind. Nothing else. Heaven is where we are, always. But we don't see it until we extinguish the (inner) fires of hell with the waters of love and acceptance.
Light needs a place to shine-
and thanks to the darkness
it does just fine.
Those who would wish harm on others are enemies of life. Those who do harm to themselves, intentionally or not, are not different, really. Just misdirected and lost. (In 'hell') but still enemies of life, nonetheless. To intend harm to another will lead to great misfortune- for the one who intends the harm. To intend love and healing for another will also reap the same love and healing for the one who intends such for another....
We see Truth and the Beauty that Truth is when we abandon the dangling carrot called 'ego' and look and perceive Life from the Larger Picture.
We see that those we often call 'enemy' are simply part of the small picture we have trapped ourselves in by bowing to ego's demands.
We see this designation 'enemy'- more often than not, in the Final Analysis - from the Large Picture - is one of the Elements that we need to Grow and thrive beyond ego's demands. We bow to Spirit.
Likewise, many that we term 'friend' and who call us 'friend' - are very often much, much less than that.
Such are the wages and the pathways of Delusion.
The Only True Enemy is the one within. False perceptions and the illusions harboured through ignoring the Voice of our True Self. This is the Real meaning of Ignorance.
The mind lies, quite often. The Heart speaks the Truth, if we would only take the time to listen.
When we speak from mind to mind we are driven by false needs, more often than not. When we speak from heart to heart, Real Truth (Love) is all we can say and all we will hear
Talk of Unconditional Love can set the eyes of many rolling-
Only one who truly loves themselves can appreciate the Ultimate Wisdom of this Love.
One must take time ~Every Day~ to sit quietly and Cry from The Sheer Gratitude for Life.
'Loving Heart; Peaceful Mind.' ~ It really is that simple.
When you do what you need to do, only then you will know what you need to know. Not before.
When we are Present, we are a Present to All.
Doing is of the Heart.
Not-doing is of the Mind.
Knowing is of the Heart.
Not-knowing is of the Mind.
The Humanising of Soul
I suspect and feel that our souls come here (to earth), again and again, not so much to 'work out a karmic debt' -this, I am beginning to feel, is just a (mental) rationalisation to justify the fact that our souls have become addicted to corporeality and simply can't resist the urge to return, again and again- to experience the 'game' that this level of the multiverse offers. The game of sensual gratification, the game of suffering and pain. We humans fear the suffering so much and crave the pleasures of the flesh far too much for our soul's own good. But our souls rejoice and thrive on ALL of it. It is a great weakness that we must resist, I believe, somehow, some way. Our souls are in danger of becoming humanised, polluted and prevented from reaching the higher levels by this perverse attraction. The Tibetan book of the dead expresses the greatest wisdom produced by Awakened beings on earth, to date. The death ceremony is designed to guide the soul to the higher levels and to resist the light that draws one back to the mundane...to this earth. A divine graduation, so to speak. Illness has brought me incredible, wonderful gifts of clarity and truth. And strangely, even when the doctor had his finger up my rectum, I went somewhere else, and even though I could still feel the physical discomfort, the humiliation, my soul was dancing, revelling in the experience. When he was done I returned to my body and said, 'damn it doc, I had hoped I would have enjoyed that more.' He laughed. It was music to me.
The True Warrior embraces Death like a long lost lover and the Ultimate Teacher. Death makes Life worthwhile more than anything else.
Life is far more precious near the end of it - than at the beginning or in the middle.
It isn’t how a man lives that determines his wisdom. It is how he dies.
Death is not an enemy at all. Far from it; Death brings clarity and purpose to one’s life.
The greatest gift we can give to the living is to die with dignity and joy.
Looking at myself in the bathroom mirror this morning I Truly saw myself. I realised that I have come to Love and accept myself in a manner I had never before conceived possible. A phrase was spoken in my mind; 'Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged.'
It Dawned on me like the Glowing Ball of Life that was slowly rising outside that this phrase was not just about the judgement of others, but also of oneself. I Saw that so much of the pain and suffering of my life had been because I had been judging myself as unworthy for far too much of my life.
I laughed out loud from the Depths of my Soul.
~
I haven't told many people about this, but when I was about 10 years old I remember reading a book about prayer and love and how it could effect living things. (I was slightly advanced then, being a loner- I read a lot!) My grandmother (who I lived with) had a beautiful rose bush in the front of our house. During the spring, I got into the habit of stopping by the rosebush on my way to school every morning and I would focus on just one particular rose that was about up to my chest level. I simply sent thoughts of love to the rose, 'I love you, I love you, you are so beautiful, I love you so much!' For a few minutes, every morning. I even continued (secretly) through the whole summer. Now it doesn't seem strange, but my grandmother was totally amazed and delighted that this one rose lasted so much longer than all the other roses. Autumn approached and all the other roses had done their thing, petals all gone and turning to rose hips- except the one I had been focusing on all through the school year and summer, too. It was as bright, glorious and aromatic as it's best day!
I never told her because she and our neighbours made such a fuss about it. I felt I might have done something wrong, or they would laugh at me.
Intentions are vibrations,too!
Love yourself
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