What is born will die,
What has been gathered will be dispersed,
What has been accumulated will be exhausted,
What has been built up will collapse,
And what has been high will be brought low.

TRADITIONAL BUDDHIST SCRIPTURE

If we are interdependent with everything and everyone, even our smallest, least significant thought, word, and action have real consequences throughout the universe.

Throw a pebble into a pond. It sends a shiver across the surface of the water. Ripples merge into one another and create new ones. Everything is inextricably interrelated: We come to realize that we are responsible for everything we do, say, or think, responsible in fact for ourselves, everyone and everything else, and the entire universe.

There was a businessman who was so successful he retired from business at an early age. After that, he spent his entire time cultivating a beautiful garden on an acre of land behind his house. Anyone was welcome to visit the garden, which included flowers, fountains, hedges, and beautifully trimmed trees. The garden took him many years to cultivate. Over the years, it grew more and more perfect. All the people in the small city liked the garden and had great respect for the man who had been so successful as a businessman and then devoted himself to creating something beautiful.

One day, when the man became elderly, a bad thing happened. When he was showing his garden to a group of visitors, a cow wandered through the open gate and began eating some of his flowers. The man grabbed a stick and gave the cow a sharp blow on the behind, trying to push it back into the street. To everyone's surprise and horror, the eyes of the cow grew very wide, and then it fell down and died.

Everyone knows killing a cow is a great sin. The man was shocked at what he had done. His visitors looked alarmed and quickly excused themselves. Pretty soon, the rumor went through the village that the man was a cow - killer. People now avoided his garden as an inauspicioius place.

The man became very distraught. "God has abandoned me" he kept thinking to himself. "Why did God contrive that a sick cow would get into my garden, when I normally keep the gate so firmly locked? My blow was very light - surely God is punishing me somehow by playing this cruel trick on me. Because of this, I am no longer respected, and my life work is ruined." Such thoughts kept going through his mind, as he sunk deeper and deeper into despair.

As it turns out, God had not abandoned him, but was testing him. One day, God took the form of an elderly monk, and entered the garden. The monk started wandering around, admiring all the trees, flowers, and shrubs. The retired businessman was happy to see that at least one person had come to admire his garden again. The monk approached the retired businessman. "What a wonderful garden!" he exclaimed. "Thank you" said the man. "Who built such a wonderful garden, I wonder?" said the monk. The man blushed. "It is my life's work" said the man. "You created this whole garden yourself, without anyone's help?" said the monk. "Yes" the man said, with his pride evident in his voice.

"It is ironic that you would take all the credit for this garden" said the monk, his voice growing a little colder. "When something good happens, like this garden, you take all the credit. But when something bad happens, like the cow dying, you seem to place the blame entirely on me!" Saying that, the "monk" disappeared into thin air!

The man stared in disbelief! Had God just visited him? He then began to review his own actions. What God said was true. When people complimented him on the garden, he let his ego swell, and he took all the credit. When disaster struck, he blamed God. The man thanked God from the bottom of his heart for opening his eyes. Henceforward, he resolved, he would thank God for whatever happened, good or bad.

In some houses, parents quarrel in front of their children, which is an unhealthy practice. If there is any difference of opinion among parents, they should resolve it in the absence of their children. Children cannot concentrate on their studies if they are disturbed by family problems. So parents should never discuss problems in front of their children.

Consider the life of a house-holder and children as a training ground for spiritual life. You wear glasses to correct the vision, to improve the sight. Use the opportunities confronting you for developing detachment and self sacrifice. If you do not, you are the fool who puts on wrong glasses and spoils the vision.

Failure are not boulders that block your way! Remember, they are stepping stones to victory!

~ SAI BABA

Devotees make plans, but they do not know their own benefit. Guru alone knows the devotees' interest, future, past and present. - Shirdi Sai Baba

We must realize that our joys and sorrows are the reflections of our own actions; they are not caused by others. To blame others or God for our sorrows is a big mistake. You are your own witness. Every happening in this world is nothing but a 'reaction, reflection and resound. - Sathya Sai Baba

From The Secret Daily Teachings:

You can limit yourself by the story you have created about you. Here are some simple examples of how the story we have created about ourselves can limit us:

I am no good at math. I have never been able to dance. I am not a very good writer. I am very stubborn. I don't sleep well. I am very moody. I struggle with my weight. My English is not good. I am always late. I am not a very good driver. I can't see without my glasses. It is hard for me to make friends. Money seems to slip through my fingers.

The moment you become aware of what you are saying, you can delete these things and rewrite your story!
May the joy be with you,
~RHONDA BYRNES

The process of spiritual development is an expansion, and this expansion is brought about by the widening of the outlook. The outlook depends upon the attitude of mind. If a mind is focused to thinking of small things, then this process of widening the outlook will not be completed. ... Spiritual progress is the lifting of the consciousness in order that the consciousness may expand to perfection. Therefore it is a continual work of trying to look into a wider sphere. By this attitude a person, without learning to be spiritual, will naturally become spiritual; his outlook on life will become different. Little things that people take to heart will seem to him of little importance; things that people become confused with will become clear to him; things that matter so much to everyone will not matter to him. Many things that frighten and horrify people will not have the same effect upon him; disappointments and failures will not take away his hope and courage. His thought, speech and action, as his outlook becomes wide, so everything he says or does will be different. What we call nobleness, that natural nobleness which belongs to the soul, will blossom.

There are really two journeys. There is the journey from the goal to the life in the world, and there is the journey from the life in the world to the goal. And both journeys are natural. As it is natural to go forth from the eternal goal, so it is natural to go from the changing life to the life which is unchangeable.

Which is the most desirable thing in life, to seek for the goal or to dwell in this changing life? The answer is that every person's desire is according to his evolution. That for which he is ready is desirable for him. Milk is a desirable food for the infant, other foods for the grown-up person. Every stage in life has its own appropriate and desirable things. The desire to attain to a goal must be there before reaching it; when he does not feel the desire, it is not necessary for a man to seek it.

Attitude is the principle thing in life. It is not the conditions in life which change life for us, but mostly it is our attitude toward life and its conditions upon which depends our happiness or unhappiness. ... The attitude becomes high and broad when one looks at life from a higher point of view. When the point of view is not high, the range of man's sight becomes limited; man becomes narrow in his outlook on life, and in his feelings, thought, speech and action the same is expressed. Why is God pointed out on high, toward the sky? Why not toward the earth, for God is everywhere? The reason is that within the range of God's sight the whole universe stands as a little grain of corn, as to one that flies in the balloon and looks down from high the whole city comes within the range of his sight, when he stands on earth he sees no further than the four walls which keep the whole world covered from his sight. What does it mean to become spiritual, or godly? It means to have a higher view of life, to look at life from a higher point of view. It is the high point of view in life which ennobles the soul.

celebrate the light, the wonder, the mystery,
may all beings be happy, well and liberated!

Mornings at Blackwater

For years, every morning, I drank
from Blackwater Pond.
It was flavored with oak leaves and also, no doubt,
the feet of ducks.

And always it assuaged me
from the dry bowl of the very far past.

What I want to say is
that the past is the past,
and the present is what your life is,
and you are capable
of choosing what that will be,
darling citizen.

So come to the pond,
or the river of your imagination,
or the harbor of your longing,

and put your lips to the world.
And live
your life.

—Mary Oliver from her book of poetry Red Bird.

What Buddha and Krishna taught is this: It is not the outward circumstances that make us unhappy, it is our own mind. When the mind chooses to identify with the senses and outer circumstances, it is subjected to the roller coaster of ups and downs. On the other hand, if our mind identifies with the inner Atmic bliss, then the ups and downs are just viewed like we view a movie - we watch the movie come and go, but we know it is not real. It is just an image on the white screen of life.

A beautiful treasure, a wonderful gem of golden color and brilliant light lies in each of our hearts! But why don't we see it? Like a diamond in an ugly stone, the Master Gem Cutter has to chip away the rock to reveal the dazzling stone. This surrender to God, the Master Gem Cutter, is the purpose of all the spiritual practices - to wipe away the grime, the vasanas, the desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride, and jealousy. These are the "rocks" that hide the gem within.

Follow the advice of the saints. Drop bad habits and adopt spiritual practices that suit your own nature. Imagine a young man, in superb health, with wealth, power, and fame, very happy, at the height of his glory. The Atmic bliss is like that, only a trillion trillion times greater. It is a goal worth striving for. "Even a little of this medicine delivers a man from great fears" says Lord Krishna in the Gita.

Each significant life situation presents to you a test of your spiritual progress. The indicator that you’ve mastered the lesson is that you no longer react to the situation – you are not emotionally triggered by that particular event [emotional vent] anymore. Once you’re conscious of the wisdom of the lesson then that particular mirror no longer needs to re-act, or re-present itself within your reality. When you learn life’s lessons, then you’ll lessen life’s pains.

Devotion is the essence of the path, and if we have in mind nothing but the guru and feel nothing but fervent devotion, whatever occurs is perceived as his blessing. If we simply practice with this constantly present devotion, this is prayer itself.

When all thoughts are imbued with devotion to the guru, there is a natural confidence that this will take care of whatever may happen. All forms are the guru, all sounds are prayer, and all gross and subtle thoughts arise as devotion. Everything is spontaneously liberated in the absolute nature, like knots untied in the sky.

DILGO KHYENTSE RINPOCHE

Two of the principal sources of pleasure in the physical world are good food and bodily comfort, yet one single beautiful thought or one charming mental image may provide more pleasure and joy than all the beauty there is in the whole physical world. So we can see that when we raise the intelligence from the physical plane, and then even higher, we will come to a state of realization where we see that life is not really limited at all; that it too is unlimited. It is when our experience is confined to the lower phases of existence that we find that our life is limited. Herein lies the whole tragedy of life.

Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside of you.

“It has always seemed to me, ever since early childhood, amid all the commonplaces of life, I was very near to a kingdom of ideal beauty. Between it and me hung only a thin veil. I could never draw it quite aside, but sometimes a wind fluttered it and I caught a glimpse of the enchanting realms beyond - only a glimpse - but those glimpses have always made life worthwhile.”

—L. M. Montgomery

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.

SUZUKI-ROSHI

In a sense everything is dreamlike and illusory, but even so, humorously you go on doing things. For example, if you are walking, without unnecessary solemnity or self-consciousness, lightheartedly walk toward the open space of truth. When you sit, be the stronghold of truth. As you eat, feed your negativities and illusions into the belly of emptiness, dissolving them into all-pervading space. And when you go to the toilet, consider all your obscurations and blockages are being cleansed and washed away.

DUDJOM RINPOCHE

It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.

~ Joseph Campbell

The Boy Who Sang to the World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQKK_Vh0fIY&feature=share

"He is born in vain who, having attained the human birth, so difficult to get, does not attempt to realize God in this very life."-
Sri Ramakrishna

To end the bizarre tyranny of ego is why we take the spiritual path, but the resourcefulness of ego is almost infinite, and it can at every stage sabotage and pervert our desire to be free of it. The truth is simple, and the teachings are extremely clear; but I have seen again and again, with great sadness, that as soon as they begin to touch and move us, ego tries to complicate them, because it knows it is fundamentally threatened.

However hard ego may try to sabotage the spiritual path, if you really continue on it, and work deeply with the practice of meditation, you will begin slowly to realize just how gulled you have been by ego’s promises: false hopes and false fears. Slowly you begin to understand that both hope and fear are enemies of your peace of mind; hopes deceive you, and leave you empty and disappointed, and fears paralyze you in the narrow cell of your false identity. You begin to see also just how all-encompassing the sway of ego has been over your mind, and in the space of freedom opened up by meditation, when you are momentarily released from grasping, you glimpse the exhilarating spaciousness of your true nature.

God is the ideal that raises mankind to the utmost reach of perfection. As man considers and judges his dealings with man in his conscience, so the real worshipper of God considers his dealings with God. If he has helped anybody, if he has been kind to anybody, if he has made sacrifices for anybody, he does not look for appreciation or return for his doing so to the people to whom he has done good; for he considers that he has done it for God, and therefore, his account is with God, not with those with whom he has dealt. He does not care even if instead of praising they blame him; for in any case he has done it for God, who is the best judge and the knower of all things.

There is no ideal that can raise the moral standard higher than the God-ideal, although love is the root of all and God is the fruit of this. Love's expansion and love's culmination and love's progress all depend upon the God-ideal. How much a man fears his friend, his neighbor, when he does something that might offend him whom he loves, whom he respects; and yet how narrow is his goodness when it is only for one person or for certain people! Imagine if he had the same consideration for God, then he would be considerate everywhere and in dealing with all people; as in a verse of a Sufi which says, 'Everywhere I go I find Thy sacred dwelling-place; and whichever side I look I see Thy beautiful face, my Beloved.'

"After all, it is no more surprising to be born twice than it is to be born once."


VOLTAIRE

“If we have lived before,” I’m often asked, “why don’t we remember it?” But why should the fact that we cannot remember our past lives mean that we have never lived before? After all, experiences—of our childhood, or of yesterday, or even of what we were thinking an hour ago—were vivid as they occurred, but the memory of them has almost totally eroded, as though they had never taken place. If we cannot remember what we were doing or thinking last Monday, how on earth do we imagine it would be easy, or normal, to remember what we were doing in a previous lifetime?

“In this world … there are three things of value for one who gives.
What are these things?
Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy.
While giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful.
After having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted.”

The Book of Hours I, 2

I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not complete this last one
but I give myself to it.

I circle around God, around the primordial tower.
I’ve been circling for thousands of years
and I still don’t know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song.

—Rainer Maria Rilke

a wonderful new resource:

I offer you peace.

I offer you love.

I offer you friendship.

I see your beauty.

I hear your need.

I feel your feelings.

My wisdom flows from the Highest Source.

I salute that Source in you.

Let us work together for unity and love.

Mahatma Gandhi