Towards Freedom

In a village where streets were named for trees, former residents that the villagers chose to honour, and some romantic names, there lived a family, father, mother and son who were a little eccentric even for people who chose to live on an island. They really believed that each living thing had a right to its life and merited respect. Their house reflected this belief; a couple of birds, a rabbit, a guinea pig, two dogs and a cat all shared the same rooms.

The weight of anger is far heavier than the weight of joy. In it’s most vicious form, anger can lead to murder; joy easily distributes love, even in it’s simplest form. While both are natural emotions to our genetic make-up, we can choose to possess more of the one which we desire to encompass most often, but often times it seems we are displaying the less desired one. There are many ways to prevent and manage anger, which if obtained, consequently leads to more joy.

There are many stories told about Buddha the Compassionate One. They carry the eternal message with a simplicity that any child can understand. Here is one of those gems. The Buddha is taking a walk. He gazes at the beauty of the flowers of the field and says: "O trees and flowers of the field! How trustfully you turn your faces to the sun! And how trustfully nightingales and doves take shelter in you!

While I tend to be agnostic, there are many aspects of various religions I admire, a viewpoint which permits one to not hold arrogant perspectives like 'my religion is better than yours'. This competitive attitude has been largely responsible throughout history for barbaric behaviour in the name of God who would be least appreciative of having One's 'children' slaughtering 'children' - with self-proclaimed Christians mutually slaughtering self-proclaimed Muslims mutually slaughtering self-proclaimed Hindus mutually slaughtering self-proclaimed whatevers etc etc

A prominent western philosopher had come to Japan to study with a zen master through an exchange program. The two of them sat down for a traditional tea. While waiting the philosopher thought he'd 'break the ice' by telling the zen master a bit about himself. Well, he started and a bit became more and more and more. He talked about his ideas of the history and development of philosophy and about the lack of consistency in different areas of thought and the problems associated with applying logic to situations considered unbroachable through logic.

There is a very beautiful story from the Hindu mythology's Mahabharata that provides an insight to the meaning of our existence. Five brothers who were kings and their wife, the queen (this happened through a misunderstanding of the concept of 'sharing' as expressed by their mother) after a long reign were embarking on their final journey - to heaven. To do so they had to trek up a mountain and along the way they were joined by a dog.

There is a tasty seaweed On which I like to feed Mineral rich, purple and salty dulse is Good on salads, grains and pulses I feel like a mermaid Eating an Atlantis dish To add a sea-like flavour I needn't hurt a fish! I sprinkle flakes on salad Mix it into hearty stew Blend it into veggie soup Or snack on a piece or two! I have two bits of pet dulse

This is a story we often tell to those who feel they have suffered a loss of a loved one of any species.

People sometimes get into a tizzy about whether to help others or help themselves. There is no need to see the issue as an either-or. Helping oneself Sometimes people think they themselves are the primary concern. The ancient Greek story goes that Narcissus saw his own reflection in a pool of water and fell madly in love with himself, eventually meeting his demise from this affliction. While such examples of morbid self-love do exist, most people don't tend to follow in the flowersteps of Shelley's narcissi from The Sensitive Plant:

Time ANYWAY LIFE LIFE JUST ISN'T The Rules For Being Human Time Imagine there is a bank which credits your account each morning with $86,400, carries over no balance from day to day, allows you to keep no cash balance, and every evening cancels whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course! Well, everyone has such a bank.

More to come, as we welcome new contributions.

A man and his wife having lived into their old age chose to leave behind their worldly possessions and follow the path of spirituality. They lived in the cleanliness of poverty filling their days with praying instead of preying. As they had no longer had a home of their own, they walked the dirt roads with the same reverence as though these led to heaven itself. One day during such a walk, the man who had moved several yards ahead of his wife saw a sparkling on the side of the road.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a novel by Richard Bach, is a much-loved classic that has touched the hearts of many. A tale of courage, truth and love, this eloquently written story is a rich and vibrant literary work. This book centers on the character development of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, who changes from a quiet and timid young seagull to an enlightened, brave and courageous being. The story begins with Jonathan as a lonesome seagull wants to transcend the boring world of eating, mating and sleeping that most gulls live in order to survive.

Motivation Most people are waiting to be motivated. They hide, hoping that motivation will seek. Being motivated before you act is an amusing game we play with ourselves. Can you imagine life functioning on that principle? Does the young eagle wait to be motivated in order to fly? Was the newborn motivated just before birth? Do a thing because it needs to be done: motivation will follow the action!

Meditation is a real chance for you to connect with yourself. Most of us go through life knowing the person we spend the most time with, the least. What meditation is happens to be a question that volumes have been written about. Anytime there is such a lot of discussion on an issue, you can be sure that no one really knows the answer. That's what is so nice about the Zen approach to it.

Many people talk about the benefits of different food diets. However we have forgotten probably one of the most important diets to our health and that being a Mental Diet. It is not only important in what we put in our mouths but also equally important is what we put in our minds. As the saying goes 'Garbage in and Garbage out'. In today's society we have become accustomed to let a box with a screen dominate our thoughts.

Gandhi's "become the change you wish to see in the world" is unfortunately one of those horribly misapplied items that is circulated with wild abandonment by some people who feel they've suddenly been struck with enlightenment. The idea nevertheless is a good one provided one understands what it really means and where the phrase really has relevance. Below is one such instance. You may know the delightful story about the mother who went to Gandhi to get him to ask her boy to stop eating sweets (the kid wasn't listening to her apparently and she figured she'd bring in the big guns!

Everything is made of one All else is illusion If you perceive separation You will feel confusion There is no point in resisting And trying to block things out Just open up to more That is what life's about New experiences of the soul Another piece revealed Is this never ending Love that God is sending? Reveal that problems don't exist Except in our perception Surrender thoughts to God

Dear Father, I remember, I am your holy Son There is no separation, everything is one Suddenly the land shone with golden light As I took your hand and my wings took flight Everything now sparkles, everything is love Now that my eyes are open to the holy dove Father I surrender, for my will is yours The path that you lay takes me through many doors From darkness I emerged into eternal truth

This is an article written by the San Diego organizer of the 1998 Season for Non-Violence event. I would like to inform you if you do not know already about an exciting and uplifting time of the year- it is called the Season for Non-Violence. January 30 and April 4, 1998 mark the 50th and 30th anniversaries of the assassinations of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The days between these memorial anniversaries are being hailed as A Season for Non- Violence - a time to raise awareness about the principles and practices of nonviolence, to highlight the local 'heroes' and initiatives that are putting them into practice, and to honor the legacies of two great men who taught the world an alternative means for defusing conflict and transforming communities.

The following is a well-known tale from the Liezi attributed to Taoist Lie Yukou. It appears in various translations such as A.C. Graham's The Book of Lieh-tzu (p82 pdf) and Eva Wong's Lieh-tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living. The following is quoted from the Thomas Cleary translation (details provided at the end): Lung Shu said to the physician Wen Chi, "Your art is subtle. I have an ailment; can you cure it?

Above image was modified using GIMP from an illustration by Anna Bhushan for Folio Society's Bhagavad Gita. See other illustrations by Anna at her website. On the field of Kurukshetra all was tranquil the evening before the battle between the forces of the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Arjuna who was the greatest archer of the latter group, pondered heavily on what was to come. For you see, the Kauravas were his brothers too and when the slaughter began, he knew he would be killing members of his own family.

It seems that choosing one's state of being leads to creations that further reinforce it; such is the nature of physical reality. Looking at the picture you will see a selection of treasures on a table in the corner; a bed of crystals upon which rests a desert rose (rock) on the left, a lantern on the right and a Goddess statue in the middle who is draped with an angel quartz necklace, plus a candle that lies before her and a glass pyramid prism aligned directly behind her.

There is a delightful story told by Sri Ramakrishna about a man who chose to become a sadhu (a holy man who relinquishes worldly possessions and takes a vow of chastity). Under the instruction of his guru, this sadhu lived in a small hut in the middle of the forest. Each morning after his devotional exercises, he would wash and hang his loincloth up to dry. One day, he found that his cloth had been torn to shreds by rats.

Once there was a holy man who had many disciples. He taught them well and revealed how God is in all things. One day his disciples went out to gather firewood for their ashram and they heard a great commotion! "Mad elephant! Mad elephant!" was the cry and it seemed to be coming their way. Suddenly, they saw a huge elephant tearing down towards them with others following in desperate pursuit.

Buddha asked his disciples to help the poor during a great famine. A very wealthy man spoke up, "Not all my wealth can feed the hungry - there are so many!" Others talked loud and long with great consternation wondering how they could possibly solve such a dilemma even for the Buddha! Then a young girl rose to speak, "Master I am a beggar. I shall feed the hungry as you ask!

Nanak was a travelling guru. He visited many places in India, Arabia and Mesopotamia. In Mecca is the Ka'aba, the sacred stone of the Muslims. One morning nanak was found sleeping with his feet turned to the stone! Some Muslims were furious! "How dare you be so insulting! How dare you sleep with you feet towards the face of God!" Gently, Nanak says: "Very well then. Turn my feet to where God is not.

My mother related this story to me about my grandfather. She lived in his household as was often customary with East Indian families in the 1900s. These extended families were usually quite closely knit and often mutually supportive. My mother adored her father-in-law and it was through her that I found out about his character. One day he came home with a large collection of Indian sweets. Everyone in the large household was surprised.

There is a fine story of a poor old lady who was selling some fruit she had gathered in order to make ends meet. As she walked back and forth on the streets calling people to come and buy, the child Krishna, disguised as a beggar boy, walked up to her asking to eat some fruit from her basket. She was a kind one and though it would cost her, she didn't refuse him.

Have you ever noticed that you have the power to control time? In fact, you are doing it right now. "That can't be true", I hear you say, "Time is shared by everyone, so if one person controlled it then everyone else would notice time speeding up or down! There would be conflicting influences on time happening from many different people, so it wouldn't be possible!" This logic makes sense based on the idea that time is a shared reality between all human beings and something that is unchangeable.

A zen master was teaching a class. One fidgety student was bored and gradually got irritated, because he had decided he couldn't grasp the ideas. This is not surprising since zen is not something to grasp. After all, when one asks "How do you carry zen?", the answer is often "in your empty hand." In any case, such koans were not something this student wanted to deal with, so eventually he spoke out in frustration: "I can't understand a thing you are saying.

We examine the meaning of Compassion and find that: The need for a complete understanding of compassion arises out of the following facts. People are mostly very indifferent to the plight of animals. But some are not. What is the difference between these two classes of people. It is that the indifferent people lack compassion for animals and the others have compassion for animals. Animal exploitation will persist until the balance shifts and compassion comes to predominate.

Pieces die off that are no longer needed Tears of revelation cleanse my soul Release aspects with which I once pleaded As they wither away I let them go Things become barer and more plain But the chill that winter is thought to have Remains outside the window of my perception As I'm warmed by the fire with reason to be glad Branches are snapping but beneath the earth Roots are deepening and spreading The snow outside is a stunning landscape A mirror of where I am heading