There was a guru who one morning gave each of his 2 disciples a chicken.
He told them, "Each of you, go now and take your chicken to a place where no one will see, kill it and return to me."
The men walked away into the forest.
After a brief time one of the disciples returned with a dead chicken and presented it to the guru. Day turned into night and then into day. The guru waited. Just around sunset, the second disciple returned carrying the chicken that he had been given. It was very much alive.
The guru looked at him and said, "I told you to go to a place where no one will see and kill the chicken."
The man hung his head and replied, "Yes, Guruji. But everywhere I go, the chicken sees."
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Kali Yuga
According to Vedic scriptures during Kaliyuga, the current age of darkness and ignorance:
Rulers will become unreasonable: they will levy taxes unfairly. Rulers will no longer see it as their duty to promote spirituality, or to protect their people and they will become a danger to the world.
All rulers occupying the earth in the Kali Age will be lacking tranquillity, but will be strong in anger, taking pleasure at all times in lying and dishonesty, prone to take the few meager possessions of others, with character that is mostly tamas (of darkeness ignorance, destruction, sloth), rising to power and soon falling. They will be short-lived, ambitious, of little virtue, nd greedy.
People will migrate seeking countries where wheat and barley are the staple food.
Avarice and wrath will be common, men will openly display animosity towards each other. Ignorance of dharma will occur. Lust will be viewed as being socially acceptable. People will have thoughts of murder for no justification, and they will see nothing wrong with this.
There will be no respect for animals.
Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will all diminish day by day because of the powerful influence of the age of Kali.
In Kali-yuga, wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man's good birth, right behavior and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one's power.
A sacred place will be taken to consist of no more than a reservoir of water located at a distance, and beauty will be thought to depend on one's hairstyle. Filling the belly will become the goal of life, and one who is audacious will be accepted as truthful. He who can maintain a family will be regarded as an expert man, and the principles of religion will be observed only for the sake of reputation.
Rulers will become unreasonable: they will levy taxes unfairly. Rulers will no longer see it as their duty to promote spirituality, or to protect their people and they will become a danger to the world.
All rulers occupying the earth in the Kali Age will be lacking tranquillity, but will be strong in anger, taking pleasure at all times in lying and dishonesty, prone to take the few meager possessions of others, with character that is mostly tamas (of darkeness ignorance, destruction, sloth), rising to power and soon falling. They will be short-lived, ambitious, of little virtue, nd greedy.
People will migrate seeking countries where wheat and barley are the staple food.
Avarice and wrath will be common, men will openly display animosity towards each other. Ignorance of dharma will occur. Lust will be viewed as being socially acceptable. People will have thoughts of murder for no justification, and they will see nothing wrong with this.
There will be no respect for animals.
Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will all diminish day by day because of the powerful influence of the age of Kali.
In Kali-yuga, wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man's good birth, right behavior and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one's power.
A sacred place will be taken to consist of no more than a reservoir of water located at a distance, and beauty will be thought to depend on one's hairstyle. Filling the belly will become the goal of life, and one who is audacious will be accepted as truthful. He who can maintain a family will be regarded as an expert man, and the principles of religion will be observed only for the sake of reputation.
The End of The Western Horse Culture?
I moved in to an area of small ranches and horse properties in the Phoenix area about a decade ago. It was more common to see horses and riders on the road that automobiles. There are hitching posts at the convenience stores and at many homes. There is one in my front yard even. It was wonderful to live among so many horses.
The sound of hooves, their scent in the air, a soft whinny, how they called to other from ranch to ranch, the long legged wobbly beauty of the foals, the love in the mares' eyes, the grace with which they bore any burden, their joy over a few handfulls of hay, the hooves thundering in a cloud of dust. At night there would be campfires where modern day cowboys would gather and sing.
I was on the porch last evening when it struck me. I no longer smelled horses. In a landscape once rich with horses a couple short months ago there was not a single horse in sight. I ran to the back. There were no horses there anymore! Many of the horse properties are vacant now. Not too many families can afford to take care of horses anymore. Others, worried about rising hay and water costs, and rising vet fees, sold or gave their horses away before some really hard decisions had to be made.
As the economy suffered so did the horses. People lost their homes. Some could no longer afford to feed their horses or afford gasoline for their pick ups to bring in hay. Some turned their horses loose in the desert- a sure death. Others killed them in sad and terrible ways thinking it better than starvation. Many just could not afford to have their starving horses euthanized and removed. Some neglected horses were taken in and sometimes euthanized by rescue groups or the county, yet another terrible casualty of the Obama administration's failed economic policies.
As a result of all this, on November 18, Barrack Obama signed into law a spending bill that restored the American horse slaughter industry. That Thankgiving one turkey was pardoned in front of worldwide media, while behind the scenes, millions of horses were condemned to death. Slaughter was to be the Obama administration's solution in part for the abandonment and neglect born of the economic crisis. It is recorded that he signed the spending bill by autopen, using the automated signature device for the second time only in his presidency. In doing so, breaking yet another campaign promise-a promise to ban the slaughter of horses in the USA, including the export of horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.
I wept when I heard this, wondering what other matter was of such little significance to him that bill did not even warrant being signed by hand. Perhaps he did not have the heart. Or maybe it was a matter of not having the courage. Maybe he just plain did not give a rat's ass. In any case the American taxpayers will now subsidize a foreign owned industry that exports horsemeat. These are animals not traditionally raised as food in the USA, but that is likely to change.
November 18, the day the bill was signed, was also the day of the East Asia Summit in Indonesia. Barrack Obama was said to be the first USA president to attend this conference. Much of the focus was on helping to open up markets to American exports. Horsemeat could soon be on our export list.
What would compell the government to want to to get back into the horse meat export business when the current administration appears to be more focused on destroying industry and jobs in the USA? On the other hand horse slaughterhouses traditionally burden a community with considerable environment enforcement costs. Surely a horse slaughterhouse in any community would drive away good businesses and stress the people as well as the economy. Anyone who has ever heard the screams of a terrified or dying horse can attest to that. Just the thought of it can reduce a grown man to tears. Perhaps the horse slaughterhouses are part of Barrack Obama's green jobs agenda, subsidized more often than not on the backs of the taxpayers. A bloody, hard won, 178 (roughly) low paying jobs.
A horse slaughterhouse may open in Arizona before long. A grim sign of the times-a monument to one more American tragedy arising from failed leadership and broken promises to the American people.
The sound of hooves, their scent in the air, a soft whinny, how they called to other from ranch to ranch, the long legged wobbly beauty of the foals, the love in the mares' eyes, the grace with which they bore any burden, their joy over a few handfulls of hay, the hooves thundering in a cloud of dust. At night there would be campfires where modern day cowboys would gather and sing.
I was on the porch last evening when it struck me. I no longer smelled horses. In a landscape once rich with horses a couple short months ago there was not a single horse in sight. I ran to the back. There were no horses there anymore! Many of the horse properties are vacant now. Not too many families can afford to take care of horses anymore. Others, worried about rising hay and water costs, and rising vet fees, sold or gave their horses away before some really hard decisions had to be made.
As the economy suffered so did the horses. People lost their homes. Some could no longer afford to feed their horses or afford gasoline for their pick ups to bring in hay. Some turned their horses loose in the desert- a sure death. Others killed them in sad and terrible ways thinking it better than starvation. Many just could not afford to have their starving horses euthanized and removed. Some neglected horses were taken in and sometimes euthanized by rescue groups or the county, yet another terrible casualty of the Obama administration's failed economic policies.
As a result of all this, on November 18, Barrack Obama signed into law a spending bill that restored the American horse slaughter industry. That Thankgiving one turkey was pardoned in front of worldwide media, while behind the scenes, millions of horses were condemned to death. Slaughter was to be the Obama administration's solution in part for the abandonment and neglect born of the economic crisis. It is recorded that he signed the spending bill by autopen, using the automated signature device for the second time only in his presidency. In doing so, breaking yet another campaign promise-a promise to ban the slaughter of horses in the USA, including the export of horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.
I wept when I heard this, wondering what other matter was of such little significance to him that bill did not even warrant being signed by hand. Perhaps he did not have the heart. Or maybe it was a matter of not having the courage. Maybe he just plain did not give a rat's ass. In any case the American taxpayers will now subsidize a foreign owned industry that exports horsemeat. These are animals not traditionally raised as food in the USA, but that is likely to change.
November 18, the day the bill was signed, was also the day of the East Asia Summit in Indonesia. Barrack Obama was said to be the first USA president to attend this conference. Much of the focus was on helping to open up markets to American exports. Horsemeat could soon be on our export list.
What would compell the government to want to to get back into the horse meat export business when the current administration appears to be more focused on destroying industry and jobs in the USA? On the other hand horse slaughterhouses traditionally burden a community with considerable environment enforcement costs. Surely a horse slaughterhouse in any community would drive away good businesses and stress the people as well as the economy. Anyone who has ever heard the screams of a terrified or dying horse can attest to that. Just the thought of it can reduce a grown man to tears. Perhaps the horse slaughterhouses are part of Barrack Obama's green jobs agenda, subsidized more often than not on the backs of the taxpayers. A bloody, hard won, 178 (roughly) low paying jobs.
A horse slaughterhouse may open in Arizona before long. A grim sign of the times-a monument to one more American tragedy arising from failed leadership and broken promises to the American people.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Modern Cowboys
I live in an area where there are a lot of "cowboys" and horses still. Some days I see more horses passing on the road than cars. There are hitching posts in every yard just about and even outside of the local convenience stores.
Some evenings the neighbors will gather around a fire and sing. There is a feeling that comes from the smell of the campfire and the horses, the sound of hooves, the sound of guitars, laughter and singing that is hard to describe. It is as if it is an ancient memory recognized and embraced by every cell of the body as songs of worship and joy and sounds of horses fill the night.
The horse accepts many burdens in the outer world and is also a willing helper in the spirit world. You could say the horse dwells in both worlds-symbolic of the power and grace of the Divine-a vehicle of ascension and enlightenment. To connect with a horse is to connect telepathically. The horse may take you places of which you have never dreamed.
If you would like to connect with and sponser a horse at a local rescue, click the title of this post. Even to pray for the horse if you cannot assist in the physical realm will bring a connection and benefit for both.
Some evenings the neighbors will gather around a fire and sing. There is a feeling that comes from the smell of the campfire and the horses, the sound of hooves, the sound of guitars, laughter and singing that is hard to describe. It is as if it is an ancient memory recognized and embraced by every cell of the body as songs of worship and joy and sounds of horses fill the night.
The horse accepts many burdens in the outer world and is also a willing helper in the spirit world. You could say the horse dwells in both worlds-symbolic of the power and grace of the Divine-a vehicle of ascension and enlightenment. To connect with a horse is to connect telepathically. The horse may take you places of which you have never dreamed.
If you would like to connect with and sponser a horse at a local rescue, click the title of this post. Even to pray for the horse if you cannot assist in the physical realm will bring a connection and benefit for both.
The Cabbit
I was at a County Fair in Pennsylvania and walked into a barn where a pet show was about to begin. There I met a a farmer who was grooming an animal that appeared to be half rabbit and half cat. The hindquarters, tail and back feet looked like that of a rabbit and the front half was that of a beautiful green-eyed cat. She was grey and white and the fur on the lower half of her body was soft like that of a rabbit.
The farmer said that she was a cabbit-a cross between a female cat and a male rabbit, that she only ate alfalfa and rabbit food, hopped like a rabbit, did not meow but was known to purr. He said that cabbits, like mules, are sterile.
I did not really believe him although I wanted to. She was a beautiful and intersting animal all the same. She really did look like a cat arising from a rabbit. The rabbit pellets and alfalfa in her cage added to her mystique. As if sensing my disbelief, the "cabbit" stood up on her hind legs like a rabbit, looked into my eyes and twitched her nose as if to say, "Are you sure?". Whatever she was I was certain that she would win the blue ribbon in the Most Unusual Pet category.
Apparently the judges did not agree, though, as the cabbit came in 5th-right behind a goat wearing a sundress.
The farmer said that she was a cabbit-a cross between a female cat and a male rabbit, that she only ate alfalfa and rabbit food, hopped like a rabbit, did not meow but was known to purr. He said that cabbits, like mules, are sterile.
I did not really believe him although I wanted to. She was a beautiful and intersting animal all the same. She really did look like a cat arising from a rabbit. The rabbit pellets and alfalfa in her cage added to her mystique. As if sensing my disbelief, the "cabbit" stood up on her hind legs like a rabbit, looked into my eyes and twitched her nose as if to say, "Are you sure?". Whatever she was I was certain that she would win the blue ribbon in the Most Unusual Pet category.
Apparently the judges did not agree, though, as the cabbit came in 5th-right behind a goat wearing a sundress.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Evolution of Politics
On 1 level Enlightenment is the ability to perceive reality as it is.
If my house was on fire, I can’t compromise about which part of the house I am going to save. You save the whole house, or it will all burn down.” Marco Rubio
If my house was on fire, I can’t compromise about which part of the house I am going to save. You save the whole house, or it will all burn down.” Marco Rubio
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sadhanas for Flowering of the Heart & Deepening of Awareness
If true friendship is to flower the heart must flower. For the heart to flower you must be free of hurts.
Pick one suffering relationship and ask to feel the pain that that person caused you. From the midst of that pain ask for help in forgiving that person. See the lightening of the heart.
Now ask to experience the pain you caused that person. Surely you are not innocent. Ask to be in their shoes. See how harshly you judged that person and felt about them. How you have carried that hatred, kept the fire burning much of your life. From the midst of that pain ask for them to forgive you.
This is called right repentance. It will lead to the compassion (the word passion means pain-compassion is to feel the pain of others) and a flowering of the heart and perfection of relationship. It will help you to set right all of your relationships.
Life is relationship and the answer to the question: "How are my relationships?" is among the
best gauges of spiritual growth.
If you would like to go deeper and develop deep states of awareness, practice the following sadhana every night for 21 days. If you fall or backslide somewhat then simply continue:
At night before you go to bed, review your day and ask the Divine to show you if anyone hurt you that day. If so then ask to re-experience the pain that person caused you. From the midst of that pain ask the Divine to help you forgive that person. You must ask. If you could have done it on your own you would have by now. This is to suffer and forgive and it is Grace. To do this-to suffer and forgive- your nature will become Divine.
Now ask to see if you hurt anyone that day. Maybe it was not deliberate. However if you are suffering you will cause suffering to others. It is like that. An unhappy person brings happiness to no one. If you see you have hurt someone, even in passing, ask to experience the pain you caused that other being. Now ask the Divine to help that being to forgive you. You will develop tremendous compassion in this practice as well.
Next review your day and see if anyone asked you for help. The external action or lack thereof is not relevant. Pay close attention to what was there internally.
And finally ask yourself, "Am I happy?"
Namaste,
DD
From an Awakening the Antaryamin Workshop.
Pick one suffering relationship and ask to feel the pain that that person caused you. From the midst of that pain ask for help in forgiving that person. See the lightening of the heart.
Now ask to experience the pain you caused that person. Surely you are not innocent. Ask to be in their shoes. See how harshly you judged that person and felt about them. How you have carried that hatred, kept the fire burning much of your life. From the midst of that pain ask for them to forgive you.
This is called right repentance. It will lead to the compassion (the word passion means pain-compassion is to feel the pain of others) and a flowering of the heart and perfection of relationship. It will help you to set right all of your relationships.
Life is relationship and the answer to the question: "How are my relationships?" is among the
best gauges of spiritual growth.
If you would like to go deeper and develop deep states of awareness, practice the following sadhana every night for 21 days. If you fall or backslide somewhat then simply continue:
At night before you go to bed, review your day and ask the Divine to show you if anyone hurt you that day. If so then ask to re-experience the pain that person caused you. From the midst of that pain ask the Divine to help you forgive that person. You must ask. If you could have done it on your own you would have by now. This is to suffer and forgive and it is Grace. To do this-to suffer and forgive- your nature will become Divine.
Now ask to see if you hurt anyone that day. Maybe it was not deliberate. However if you are suffering you will cause suffering to others. It is like that. An unhappy person brings happiness to no one. If you see you have hurt someone, even in passing, ask to experience the pain you caused that other being. Now ask the Divine to help that being to forgive you. You will develop tremendous compassion in this practice as well.
Next review your day and see if anyone asked you for help. The external action or lack thereof is not relevant. Pay close attention to what was there internally.
And finally ask yourself, "Am I happy?"
Namaste,
DD
From an Awakening the Antaryamin Workshop.
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