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http://www.spiritual.com.au/articles/aymen/spiritual_path.html

The goal of the spiritual path is enlightenment.
Enlightenment means to be filled with light.
The light of spirit, source, god whatever you wish to call it.

Let me explain how you proceed on the path to enlightenment.

The doing part is correct, you need to do something.

1. You need to focus on yourself.
2. You need to concentrate on making you a better person.
3. You need to heal yourself.

To become enlightened and therefore be filled with light
requires you to empty yourself of your fears and emotional
attachments and dilemma's.

That leaves a space and in this space the light of your
higherself can enter. To be filled with this light means
enlightenment.

Between where you are today and enlightenment has
many stages. It may take you more than this lifetime.

You need to work on the following:

1. Awareness of your thought process, monitoring what
you think.
2. Being aware. Using your senses to be in the now as
opposed to living in a dream like state of thoughts that
are in the past or future.
3. Monitoring what makes you emotional and why.
Turning inward when emotions are raised and focusing
on yourself instead of the other person or circumstance.
4. Using your outer world as a reflection or guide to
discovering your inner world.
5. Understanding the difference of when you are in
control and when your ego is in control.
6. Using your will to stop your ego and maintaining this
state so that you have the space for enlightenment.

It is during the process of your own enlightenment that
you help other people. You do this by being an example
to them. You lead by becoming enlightened yourself and
as others come into contact with you they will benefit from
your energy and your light.

No matter where you are or what you do, you have the
ability to influence everyone that you come into contact with.

All you have to do is shine. Let them soak in your light.

Aymen Fares

In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired.

In the pursuit of Tao, every day something is dropped.


~ Lao Tsu ~

My understanding of who I am and how to get in touch with my core essence which is Pure Presence - SAT CHIT ANANDA - I AM ALL; ALL IS I -

Be centred in the Now; in Presence. This is a blending with all. This is possible for instants and moments when all is in harmony within and without me. This is gone when the ego comes in for even the slightest distraction, an itch, a thought, a sensation. It is still possible to be aware of each while holding a silence within. Then a memory, chore, things needing doing, people, happenings come in and I am lost in ego or mind.

When all is harmony Presence is natural. With an active ego or mind which is fixated on living the right life, doing the right thing, being the right way, it is impossible to find harmony in this dualistic, polarized physical realm. So do I try to be in neutral for creating harmony? This isn't always possible. I have to find peace with who I am as I am - in all my modes, positive and negative, without judgement - of self or others. Once judgement is removed and I accept who I am as I am and all else as they are in the Now, Presence is possible. For judgement and values and dos and don'ts are of the mind and the mind is what stands in the way of Presence. Still the mind and the Greater flows through/enter the Whole. Have no ideas of the Whole; trying to explain it with words like sat chit ananda - because it is meaningless unless experienced. All this is still mental speculation trying to explain a process (?) or beingness (?) using mind which cannot know that which is beyond mind.

And it is so easy to get lost in the mind. For daily life is based on mind. When something happens to us or out in the world, moralistic questions crop up and one is engaged in mind to sort things out, taking a stand, identifying with something or other and well, Beingness seems far away and idealistic and not being realistic. What one has to remember is Beingness is in the present despite what is happening around us. Reality IS. Presence IS. Be present, aware and not engaged in mind - in the past and future. Just be here in the Now, in presence and awareness with what is, in full acceptance. Then the mind won't start the why, what, when, cause, effect, story, drama, past, future, fear, worry, anxiety etc. trips that takes one away from just being here, fully accepting what is. Use the mind for the useful tool that it is.

Does this make sense to me? Can I put it into practice?

Ignorance is not the absence of learning but the confusion and conflict of values.

- MMB's Beyond the Himalayas

"Are you confused Abbot? Wondering what is right and what is wrong? Then you are caught up in the conflict of ideas in your mind. You are an imitator, Abbot; you are trying to mould yourself after a pattern and you have created an image of what you think Reality should be, and you are carefully fashioning yourself after it, thereby losing the substance- Reality Itself....

Life is Real; It is complete in Itself, expressing Itself freely when you yourself become nothing. The self lives in separation, you see yourself separate from others; that is but an illusion, for there is but "One" Life in which there is no division. Thus, you see, division is an illusion of the mind, my son.

- MMB's Beyond the Himalayas

"He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition, will waste his life in fruitless efforts and multiply the griefs which he proposes to remove."

- Webster

Some pictures of family

Our family's singing sensation, Vg entertaining the patients at Theena's Nursing Home

Friends...

family...

What is life all about? What we make of it... of course!

With my beloved son, Anand...eating chocholate in a lamp lit sidewalk...

With my beautiful daughter, Anusha....

*

Desiderata

*

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,

and remember what peace there may be

in silence.

As far as possible without surrender

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;

and listen to others,

even the dull and the ignorant;

they too have their story.

*
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,

they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain and bitter;

for always there will be greater

and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

*

Keep interested in your own career,

however humble;

it is a real possession

in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals;

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

*

Be yourself.

Especially, do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love;

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment

it is as perennial as the grass.

*

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit

to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

*
You are a child of the universe,

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

*

Therefore be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be,

and whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life

keep peace with your soul.

*

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

***

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

***

A News article

31 August is Merdeka Day. 52 years of independance. Where are we? What have we achieved? Ponder on this!

Bovine 1 Malaysia
By Neville Spykerman

Truth, Sir, is a cow, that will yield such people no more milk, and so they are gone to milk the bull. — Samuel Johnson.

AUG 31 — Really, what’s there to celebrate? Fifty-two years of simmering tensions?The ugly episode by the bull-headed protesters who showed no cow sense last Friday illustrates that 1 Malaysia is really just a load of bull.The organisers, who must have been infected with some strain of mad cow disease, should give themselves a pat on the back for literally taking the bull by the horns to illustrate their intolerance.Knowing full well that the cow is sacred to Hindus, they carried a severed bull’s head by the horns from the state mosque in Shah Alam to the state secretariat to voice their beef against the relocation of a Hindu temple to their pastures.The bovine adventure by the herd numbering 50, some with children in tow, captured headlines around the world and successfully put Malaysia in the world’s spotlight again.“Protesters in Malaysia march with severed cow head to protest building of new Hindu temple”, headlined the Associated Press story in the StarTribune.com.“Muslims protest with butchered cow head against Hindu temple”, headlined the story in Fox40.com.The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Jakarta Post; you name it, all carried the story of the cow-head demo in Shah Alam.If that’s not enough, the senseless acts of desecrating the sacred cow is also now on YouTube for the world to see.Here at home, people must ponder, was this protest about cowing the state into backing down from relocating the temple or was it about regaining the cash cow Selangor?In the meantime, the government will continue to promote 1 Malaysia till the cows come home.Happy Merdeka?

'To get something you never had,

you have to do something you never did.'

When God takes something from your grasp,

He's not punishing you, but merely

opening your hands to receive something better.

Concentrate on this sentence....
'The will of God will never take you where

the Grace of God will not protect you.'

Something good will happen to you today;

something that you have been waiting to hear.

Dorothy Horsman JP

The Atman is pure consciousness, clearly manifest as underlying the states of waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep. It is inwardly experienced as unbroken consciousness, the consciousness that I AM I. It is the unchanging witness that experiences the ego, the intellect and the rest, with their various forms and changes. It is realized within one's own heart as existence, knowledge and bliss absolute, SAT CHIT ANANDA. Realize this Atman within the shrine of your own heart.

-Shankara's Viveka-Chudamani

The Art of Being Well... by Dr. Drauzio Varella


If you don’t want to be ill...
Speak your feelings.
Emotions and feelings that are hidden, repressed, end in illnesses as: gastritis, ulcer, lumbar pains, spinal.
With time, the repression of the feelings degenerates to the cancer.
Then, we go to a confidante, to share our intimacy, our "secret", our errors! The dialogue, the speech, the word, is a powerful remedy and an excellent therapy!

If you don’t want to be ill...
Make Decisions.
The undecided person remains in doubt, in anxiety, in anguish.
Indecision accumulates problems, worries and aggressions.
Human history is made of decisions.
To decide is precisely to know to renounce, to know to lose advantages and values to win others.
The undecided people are victims of gastric ailments, nervous pains and problems of the skin.

If you don’t want to be ill...
Find Solutions.
Negative people do not find solutions and they enlarge problems. They prefer lamentation, gossip, pessimism.
It is better to light a match than to regret the darkness. A bee is small, but produces one of the sweetest things that exist.
We are what we think.
The negative thought generates negative energy that is transformed into illness.

If you don’t want to be ill...
Don’t Live By Appearances.
Who hides reality, pretends , poses and always wants to give the impression of being well.
He wants to be seen as perfect, easy-going, etc. but is accumulating tons of weight. A bronze statue with feet of clay.
There is nothing worse for the health than to live on appearances and facades. These are people with a lot of varnish and little root. Their destiny is the pharmacy, the hospital and pain.

If you don’t want to be ill...
Accept.
The refusal of acceptance and the absence of self-esteem, make us alienate ourselves.
Being at one with ourselves is the core of a healthy life.
They who do not accept this, become envious, jealous, imitators, ultra-competitive, destructive. Be accepted, accept that you are accepted, accept the criticisms. It is wisdom, good sense and therapy.

If you don’t want to be ill...
Trust.
Who does not trust, does not communicate, is not opened, is not related, does not create deep and stable relations, does not know to do true friendships. Without confidence, there is not relationship.
Distrust is a lack of faith in you and in faith itself.

If you don’t want to be ill...
Do Not Live Life Sad.
Good humor. Laughter. Rest. Happiness.
These replenish health and bring long life.
The happy person has the gift to improve the environment wherever they live. “Good humor saves us from the hands of the doctor".
Happiness is health and therapy.

The noble eightfold path.

right views; right aspirations; right speech; right conduct;
right livelihood; right effort; right mindfulness; right contemplation.

right rules of living which endure no matter how difficult life gets.

rules of eating the right food…..vegetables, fruits, water, non-craving.

right body care : exercise, deep sound breathing, right attitude when eating.

mind control : to think the right thoughts, let go of all in one’s life
that generates negative thoughts; to be constantly vigilant about this.

right views : non-attachment to body, emotions, mind stuff
(ideologies, thoughts, thinking) culture, race, country, groups.

live a disciplined life : simplicity, meditation, mind control,
right attitude, right speech, right relationship, service,
compassion, willingness.

Quoted

Live today as if it is the last day of your life :

live such that you do not regret should you die now.
live such that your life is well lived and not in vain.
live such that you relate with all on a neutral or happy note.
live such that you do not leave words unsaid,
things undone, love unexpressed.
live such that you cling not to things or loved ones.

live such that you give back/pass on

what life has given you.
live such that as you take so you give.
live such that you came with nothing and leave with nothing.

live such that you are thankful for the life you had.
live such that you appreciate that every
experience was self chosen.
live such that you review your life now
and make changes now as self -judgement is done upon
death and lessons are noted to be learnt in the next lifetime.
live such that your life is ever upgraded (in all ways)
and is constantly changing.
live such that you take noone or nothing for granted.
live such that you have done your best by all and yourself.
Let your life be an expression of gratitude for an
opportunity to save yourself and in saving
yourself saving the world.
Know that every step taken is one step
nearer to Salvation and Truth.
Know that every chance of an incarnation
is a chance at Englightenment.

Quoted

Loving-Friendliness Meditation

May our minds be filled with the thought of loving-friendliness,
compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity.
May we be generous! May we be gentle. May we be relaxed.
May we be happy and peaceful. May we be healthy.
May our hearts become soft.

May all our words be pleasing to others.
Wherever we go in the world, may we meet people

with happiness, peace and friendliness.

May we be protected in all directions from greed,

anger, aversion, hatred, jealousy, and fear!
May we be free from tension, anxiety,

worry, and restlessness.
May all that we see, hear, smell, taste, touch or think

help us to cultivate loving friendliness, compassion,

appreciative joy, equanimity and gentleness.
May we be mindful of our opinions and actions.

May we be willing to walk our talk, speak our truth,

know our life's mission and balance

past, present, and future in the now.
May we remember that Divine Law is not

judgment or denial of self-truth.
Divine Law is honoring harmony that comes from a

peaceful mind, an open heart, a true tongue, a light step,

a forgiving nature and a love of all living creatures.

May we honor the past as our teacher, honor the present

as our creation, and honor the future as our inspiration.

Be a Lamp

You must be your own lamp, Be your own refuge. Take refuge in nothing outside yourselves. Hold firm to the Dharma as a lamp and a refuge. Do not look for refuge to anything besides yourselves.

— From the Nirvana Sutra

"A mind is like a parachute, it only works when it is open."

To Be or not to be - decide every moment.