Nelson Mandela

"I would like to be remembered not as anyone unique or special, but as part of a great team in this country that has struggled for many years, for decades and even centuries," he said. "The greatest glory of living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall."

~ Nelson Mandela ~

Rest In Peace Nelson. You were truly an Angel on earth.

Remembering Nelson Mandela

Pure Consciousness

"All these universes, humans, objects, thoughts and events are merely pictures moving on the screen of Pure Consciousness, which alone is real."

Sri Ramana Maharshi

Vichara begins when you cling to your Self and are already off the mental movement, the thought-waves. (Ramana Maharshi, SDB, ix.) Once the “I” emerges, all else emerges. With a keen mind enquire whence this “I” emerges. (Ramana Maharshi, FVR, verse 23.) ”Whence does this “I” arise?” Seek for it within; it then vanishes. This is the pursuit of Wisdom. (Ramana Maharshi, WHO, 24.)

Thoughts alone constitute the mind; and for all thoughts the base or source is the “I” thought. “I” is the mind. If we go inward questing for the source of the “I,” the “I” topples down. This is the jnana enquiry.

If one enquires “Who am I?” within the mind, the individual “I” falls down abashed as soon as one reaches the Heart and immediately Reality manifests itself spontaneously as “I-I.” Although it reveals itself as “I,” it is not the ego but the Perfect Being, the Absolute Self. (Ramana Maharshi, FVR, verse 30.)

What you call your self now is not the real Self which is neither born nor dies. (Ramana Maharshi, SDB, xvi.)

When one persistently inquires into the nature of the mind, the mind will end leaving the Self (as the residue). What is referred to as the Self is the Atman. (Ramana Maharshi, WHO, 13.)

When other thoughts arise, one should not pursue them, but should inquire: “To whom do they arise?” It does not matter how many thoughts arise. As each thought arises, one should inquire with diligence, "To whom has this thought arisen?" The answer that would emerge would be "To me." Thereupon if one inquires "Who am I?,” the mind will go back to its source; and the thought that arose will become quiescent. With repeated practice in this manner, the mind will develop the skill to stay in its source. (Ramana Maharshi, WHO, 14.)

You must distinguish between the “I,” pure in itself, and the “I”-thought. The latter, being merely a thought, sees subject and object, sleeps, wakes up, eats and thinks, dies and is reborn. But the pure “I” is the pure Being, eternal existence, free from ignorance and thought-illusion. If you stay as the “I,” your being alone, without thought, the I-thought will disappear and the delusion will vanish for ever. In a cinema-show you can see pictures only in a very dim light or in darkness. But when all lights are switched on, all pictures disappear. So also in the flood-light of the Supreme Atman all objects disappear. (Ramana Maharshi, GR, 46.)

The Real is ever-present, like the screen on which all the [movie] pictures move. While the pictures appear on it, it remains invisible. Stop the pictures, and the screen, which has all along been present, in fact the only object that has existed throughout, will become clear. All these universes, humans, objects, thoughts and events are merely pictures moving on the screen of Pure Consciousness, which alone is real. Shapes and phenomena pass away, but Consciousness remains ever. (Ramana Maharshi, GR, 46.)

[Turning the mind inward] is done by practice and dispassion and that succeeds only gradually. The mind, having been so long a cow accustomed to graze stealthily on others' estates, is not easily confined to her stall. However much her keeper tempts her with luscious grass and fine fodder, she refuses the first time; then she takes a bit; but her innate tendency to stray away asserts itself; and she slips away; on being repeatedly tempted by the owner, she accustoms herself to the stall; finally even if let loose she would not stray away. Similarly with the mind. If once it finds its inner happiness it will not wander outward. (Ramana Maharshi, TWSRM, Question 213.)

~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

To Read More of Ramana Maharshi's teachings, visit Sri Ramana Maharshi on Self-Enquiry.

Sri Ramana Maharshi

Source: http://www.angelfire.com/space2/light11/diction/ramana.html

Zariya - AR Rahman, Buddhist Nun Ani Choying, Farah Siraj

Giving a whole new spin to the term 'world music' -- A.R.Rahman spins his magic on an absolute scorcher, featuring Jordanian singer --Farah Siraj along with Nepalese Buddhist Nun Ani Choying. With the traditional Nepalese Buddhist hymn forming the base of the song, layered with a traditional Jordanian melody, and bridged seamlessly with composition written by A.R.Rahman, this song truly brings together diverse cultures and musical genres. Everything from the background vocals to Sivamani's percussion takes a big leap across musical styles and creates a storm of inspired rhythms, to give this track that extra flavour. Completely based around the theme of motherhood, compassion & ultimately happiness, this is the very first track of what promises to be an unforgettable Season 3 of CS@MTV!
 

Returning The Gift: Dialogues with Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti, Timothy Wilson and Laura Waters Hinson: Book Review

Author Steven Donoso

The collection of dialogues that author Steven Donoso has put together in his book Returning the Gift are enlightening and inspirational. 

Being very familiar with the spiritual teachings of Eckhart Tolle and Adyashanti, reading the dialogues in Returning The Gift was a refresher to those teachings. In it, Eckhart shines a light on the ways in which we create our own suffering. When Eckhart (2013) talks about “a conceptual sense of self” and how it is “threatened by other people” (p. 6), and our “collective story of ‘us’: our tribe, our religion, our nation” (p. 7), a couple of examples of how this gets played out, at the most extreme level, is the conflict between the Israeli and Palestinian people, as well as the Rwanda genocide, where Hutu extremists killed close to 3/4’s of the Tutsi civilian population. Whether it is a conflict within families, communities, or between different ethnic groups or nations, the stories that we tell ourselves and each other keep us in conflict with one another. Adyashanti explains (2013): "as egos we’re defined by our stories, our little arguments with what is, the ways we blame and shame, and all the little concepts, the little personal philosophies and belief systems” (p. 46).

To forgive the unthinkable seems impossible, yet many of the Tutsis of Rwanda managed to do just that. The release of approximately 50 to 60,000 Hutus from prison and back into their communities left the Tutsis and Hutus with two choices, to either forgive and reconcile or to continue to fight (Donoso, 2013). Laura Hinson did an excellent job of raising awareness of the amazing forgiveness and reconciliation process that was occurring in Rwanda, during her visit in 2006, through her documentary film entitled As We Forgive. In Returning The Gift, she discussed the forgiveness and reconciliation process that was happening in Rwanda and explained what restorative justice is. We can even take it a step further and get to the root of the state of consciousness that planted and watered the seeds of hate, anger, and violence; otherwise, more atrocities will occur. The egoic state of consciousness states that I’m separate from you, on a different level, higher than you, more superior, or lower, inferior; and, on the most extreme level, does not even see a human being. It only sees an enemy, an obstacle that is must destroy. It is all delusion. But we cannot go back in time and erase what happened. We can only start from where we are, the present moment, such as Eckhart discusses in Returning The Gift. This is where forgiveness and reconciliation comes in. Returning The Gift can help us to wake-up to a whole new way of being in the world, of how we see the world, how we see each other, how we see ourselves in relation to one another, where we live in awareness, from our true nature, instead of our imaginary ego, where we would normally take sides. 

The Seeds of Peace organization has done an exceptional job of bringing together teenagers from opposing sides of regional areas of conflict, such as Israeli and Palestinian teenagers, where they can meet in a safe place and discuss the major issues that they are facing with one another back home. At the Seeds of Peace Camps, teens began listening to one another; and, gradually, they built up a better understanding and acceptance of each other, seeing each other as human beings, instead of enemies. The Seeds of Peace Camps have done what would otherwise seem as an impossible, futile endeavor, they brought together teens who have learned that, even though we may not have the same beliefs and we are not of the same ethnicity, we are all human beings, we can co-exist, we can respect our differences and share resources instead of fight for them (Donoso, 2013). 

If more people awaken or come closer to awakening to their true nature, to awareness, to selflessness, to living more consciously, compassionately, through reading this book, then everyone should read it.

— Book Review by Pamela J. Wells

Available on Amazon: Returning The Gift: Dialogues with Eckhart Tolle, Adyashanti, Timothy Wilson and Laura Waters Hinson

Reference

Donoso, S. (2013). Returning the gift [Adobe Digital Editions version].

Peace Quote ~ Ramana Maharshi

"Peace is your natural state. It is the mind that obstructs the natural state." 

~ Ramana Maharshi ~

Image Source: do-tamanho-do-mundo by Guilherme M on Foter.com